BANGALORE: We travel, initially, to lose ourselves, and we travel, next, to find ourselves,’ said travel writer, Pico Iyer. He couldn’t have better defined the spirit of travel. So on a lazy Saturday, when a few of us 20-somethings jump off a bus to find some meaning in our otherwise monotonous lives, we are fairly certain we have chosen the right place.
Our destination, Savandurga, which took us two hours from Bangalore, has one of the largest monolithic hills in Asia and served as a prison during the rule of the Magadis.
Being quite close to Bangalore, Savandurga gets a stream of tourists, and I spot a couple of picnickers braving the sun, clicking pictures, full of zest. What is it about this place and its spread of dry, shrub forests that has people coming back? It doesn’t take me long to realise that it is the mix of adventure and history that makes it special (see box ‘History plus’). With a few hours left before we have to get back, we locate a suitable spot and take turns rappelling down a 30-foot rock, harnessed to a number of strange ropes that the guide assures me could support up to 2,000 kilos. We then give river crossing a shot, sliding down two ropes across a river. It isn’t easy and I doubt I’ll do it again. The most exhilarating experience is building our own rafts out of bamboo and rubber tyres and racing across a small lake without a care in the world. A few water buffaloes, enjoying a late afternoon swim, snort in amusement. The trees that surround us are diverse, and our guide baffles us, announcing that we are surrounded by over a hundred kinds of shrub species and over sixty types of trees. I identify Ceylon satinwood and Axlewood, used to make gum and calico prints. There are a lot of wattles (Acacia) in the area — their seeds, I am told, have myriad uses, while the leaves form a special ingredient in the Thai ‘Gaeng Som,’ a popular fish-soup. Egyptians, who loved natural colours, also used acacia to make paint, while the same leaves have medicinal uses for us. Keen on unearthing the intricacies of a place, I am im- pressed by these little findings.
It is n’t long before the sun begins dis- solving into the red skyline. My trip to Savandurga is an extension of a jour- ney I began a few months ago. Each place you leave behind, I have realised, will change something in you. Ancient maps f rom York, loverunes from the castles in Bamburg, sea shells from the Mahabalipuram beach, and a million little keepsakes from small journeys I have undertaken, share some wisdom about a simple life I have otherwise ignored. To other adventure- lovers who plan to trek down to Savandurga, I give you one piece of travel wisdom — lose yourself, and never stop searching.
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