I did the unthinkable today. I amazed myself with my own stupidity by managing to get myself lost in my office – a place I have worked at for the last two and a half years. It’s true. And all this, because I had the brainwave of taking the staircase and getting some exercise. Isn’t that a just and mature thought? Now you know why I got punished for it.

My office is located on the top two floors of the building I work in, with mine being on the fifth floor. Since I get transport, the cab drops me off in the basement. So I get this fantastic idea of using the stairs just as the cab halts and jauntily walk towards the fire exit instead of the elevator.

See, what you have to understand is I don’t care much about why staircases are marked the way they are. You wouldn’t expect them to carry signs saying, “People who wish to walk, hop on!” Of course they’d carry a fire exit sign.

So the climb begins. There I am. Self-satisfied, listening to my iPod, climbing two stairs at a time and determined to well…beat it. I finally reach the fifth floor but it does not look like the staircase I take when I want to go the fourth floor. A little stumped by the new challenge, I look at a random co-worker through the glass of the door in front of me. She stares and looks like she wants to alert the security personnel; I make it worse for her by frantically trying to open the door. But, as you may have foreseen that misery needs to befall upon me, the damn door does not open.

After carefully weighing my options and considering that the lady with rattled nerves may very well have alerted other people about a possible intruder, I walk down all the bloody way. I get off at the first floor thinking, that’s it, enough of this nonsense. So I enter the first floor basement and I see a stand alone elevator and am wondering what that is because I’ve never seen it before.

I walk towards it and wait for it to come and get me. Come elevator, and the guys with stalls in my office canteen are staring at my face and telling me, not this one woman. Go to your elevator. By now, you agree, that I’ve sufficient ammunition to blow up the building. Anyway, fury notwithstanding, I walk back to the stairs and reach the ground floor, get off the darned fire exit and take an elevator all the way back to my office.

Yes, a fabulous beginning to my day. But I shall not be deterred. I shall conquer it. In the true Christite spirit, I shall march on. Hmpf!

getaway - 1

Jungles and beaches as holiday destinations never disappoint. There is something so absolutely relaxing about them. So, yes have emerged awfully relaxed after the break. Nagarhole was a sanctuary I had not visited until now. The drive from Bangalore is about 5 hours and the road is fantastic.

Nagarhole is strategically placed, in that it is bordering on Coorg and leads into Kerala. Unfortunately, about 4 months ago a ban was placed in the Nagarhole wildlife sanctuary on private vehicles. So if you are looking to spot animals then you have to take one of those noisy, government-run buses. Since it is really a worthless option, we had to cross over into Kerala and enter from the other side of the forest, which was the Wayanad wildlife sanctuary. The forest, I believe, is much drier than say Bandipur or B.R. hills. But it sort of grows on you, I guess.

We weren't very lucky with the 'sightings' . We did see elephants, even a teeny tiny one, a huge herd of bison crossing the road, few breeds of deer and some interesting birds. But the much longed for species of the Cat family remained elusive.

If you are not too crazy about taking frequent safaris, then try visiting Iruppu falls (in Coorg). It's a pretty waterfall, though I have seen it ages ago, and offers water sports like still and white water rafting. There's also a Tibetian monastery close to Nagarhole.

But if you are lazy, like I was, just stay put at your resort. You won't regret it at all. There are quite a few resorts in and around Nagarhole which are priced fairly decently. But, Kabini looks like a better option because as far as I know the ban does not extend to that side and the Jungle Lodges resort there is beautiful and very pricey, of course.

So, may be it is Kabini the next time. In summer. And may be it will also be the cats I spotted that I'll be talking about the next time around.

Getaway - 1 (preview)

The year's kicked off alright... but 2 weeks into my job and I can't wait to get away. I am certain there are a few heads out there, locked in my situation, who are nodding in agreement. So, instead of writing about drudgery, I shall choose to write about the teeny tiny holiday. Well all I can say right now is that I'm taking one. Heading out to the woods and hoping to spot some interesting wildlife. And of course, betting that I will find enough meat for a post. So, be back soon with an update - hopefully.

P.S. : the getaways shall henceforth be numbered. The target is one a month (which means at least 1 in three months. sigh....)