Tiruvannamalai and the Holy Mountain

Having finally left Aurovile, having done my taxi duties for the locals, I headed in to Pondicherry fully loaded with all my gear and Josephine, who was also catching the bus from Pondi to Tiruvannamalai. We headed in early to catch a 20 rupee ashram breakfast. As we arrived we bumped in to dear Anna Louisa, so we all had breakfast together.

After breakfast we attended Samadhi, a morning ceremony where Sri Aurobindo and The Mother lay (both deceased many years ago, they were the founders of Auroville and the concept behind it. At Samadhi each morning beautiful flower arrangements are laid out for the worshippers to attend. Josephine likes to sit and 'be' whilst all this goes on. For me it's all a bit to close to a religion, so I sit quietly meditating for 15 minutes.

We head over the motorcycle rental shop to drop my bike. The owner of the shop is still not there.  Well it's only just gone 8.30am. As far as I recall the man from V K Travels isn't generally and early starter. I was hoping, even though I'd already paid a big chunk of my rental for the moped, to barter him down from 200 rupees to 100, the same as I'd have paid in Auroville, had I rented the motorcycle there. I wrote him a note stating I was paid up for 15 days based on 100 rupees per day, and that he would even be 300 rupees better off. I left the key and the note under the compartment below the seat, gently settling down so as to not click the catch down.... After a couple of minutes of thought I decided I couldn't do this, even if it did seem he was ripping me off, so I decided to call him. I decided I'd talk to him about it face to face. After coming off the phone a local beggar stood arms length away with his hand out mumbling for change. I gave him 20 rupees. After thanking me profusely he limped away, passing the moped as he went. As Mr V K Travels turned up on his bike I went to retrieve the note, and suddenly realised the beggar had just leant on the seat, locking the key and the note inside. I was now in a bad position for bartering.... I still gave it my best, but gave up and agreed that his price was fine, thinking that it was also going to be a an inconvenience for him to retrieve the key from under the seat. I paid the outstanding and we shook hands. Lovely man.

The bus journey from Pondi to Tiru is a painful affair, it's 3 hours of arse and back rattling discomfort. In fact my arse would have sworn that it was at least an 8 hour journey. The bus was rammed as usual. The aisle filled to capacity. I paid for the bags to have a seat of their own.

We arrived in Tiru, and headed to Daphne's, a British lady friend of Josephine's, she would be staying with her. They decided we should eat as it was lunch time. They ended up deciding to go to The Dreaming Tree. This was where Amanda and I enjoyed our Christmas Eve night time meal whilst in Tiru just over a year ago.... It was strange being in there. The company was good though and the food was great. Amanda would still have loved it. She would also have like Josephine and Daphne. After dinner I headed off to find some accommodation and headed a few yards from where we stayed last Christmas. The room I ended up with was perfect. It was a bit ram shackled, but it was very clean and en suite (a proper flushing loo, and two plastic buckets and jugs for washing!). There were a few mosquitoes but they are everywhere at the moment. This was nothing my little mesh shelter couldn't handle. I used the open roof top for yoga in the mornings.

I pottered around Tiru, heading up the holy mountain a couple of times, sitting with the monkeys as the noise of the traffic below filled the air. I sat where Amanda and I sat, where Amanda swirled the red scarf that is currently tied around my waist.... I missed her. I love her, I'm bound to miss her.

Us.... on Arunachala

My love with her Cambodian red silk scarf.... Now my constant travel companion.

Monkey sits close on my morning venture up the mountain....

Local man gathers flowers below my room...

I arranged to meet Joanne, one of Amanda's friends from The Journey. Joanne is from Cumbria, but now spends most of her time in Tiru helping run a little eco resort on the outskirts. I cycled out on a bike that Josephine lent me. It was a typical Indian rattle
and shake affair, old style cycling at it's most shuddery. As I avoided overtaking and oncoming buses, I became aware of how much I take my air filled tyres for granted at home. Old cracked solid rubber just doesn't have the same give. Poor old bum cheeks. I had a lovely morning sitting in the gift shop with Jo and Ahmed (who runs the shop), and was also treated to lunch. Jo's brother had just arrived in India for the first time too, and after a brief chat I thought to myself what a decent fella. He used to be a professional photographer, we had lots to chat about. I asked if he'd like to join myself and Josephine on top of the holy mountain for the night. He was game!

Two hours later we all met up outside the ashram. We stocked up on fruit, oatmeal cookies and water. We all travelled as lightly as possible. Josephine said she'd stayed up at the top 7 times before, and she would also be walking up bare foot Mark turned up with some sturdy trainers, and I decided to have a crack at the bare foot thing. Josephine walks everywhere without footwear, I don't think she owns any. They are surplus to her leathery soled feet's requirements. Mine on the other hand were yet to be hardened up. I had walked to the viewing point twice over the past couple of days bare foot so I felt fairly confident. I brought my flip flops too, as on the way down the evening before, as I helped another lady down as the light had faded whilst we chatted (she was a nurse from Holland doing voluntary work for a few weeks) and I had a headlamp in my camera bag. On the way down she told me one of her friends had been bitten by a snake whilst doing yoga. She lay back on it. She had to spend a couple of days in hospital. As she was telling me, a small viper slithered right across the rocks about 10 inches from my foot! Only just spotted it too.

Overlooking Night Time Tiru.

So we started our climb at 4pm, and by about 5.45pm we were at the top. It was hard work, more of a climb and clamber than Mark or I expected! My feet were tender and slightly burned from the hot surface of the boulders under foot. The climb took concentration due to the path being made of large and small boulders. Each footstep had to be measured precisely. Very easy ankle turning terrain. Arunachala is said to be the physical manifestation of Shiva, on of the Indian Deities. The top is black... burned.... due to an annual burning of ghee (clarified butter) on the top of the mountain to celebrate something about Shiva. It feels like walking on huge old unwashed grill pan right on the top. Slippery and sticky at the same time. Each year the locals carry up huge bowls of ghee to 'slap' on top, then they torch it! It's meant to be quite a spectacle. I'm sure it is.

We found somewhere flat to sleep. I inflated my thermarest sleeping mat, Josephine rolled out her sleeping bag and Mark put on more clothes. Between us there was one fully formed camper! I also had my silk sleeping bag liner, which provides no heat whatsoever. Josephine brought me a spare blanket – thank heavens! As the darkness came in the mosquitoes came in their droves. Sleep proved almost impossible. I had the silk sleeping bag liner pulled taught over my head trying to make an impenetrable silk fortress.... The mosquitoes simply bit straight through the silk in to my forehead. The constant high pitched buzzing was driving both Mark and I insane, whilst Josephine seemed to be sleeping fairly soundly! We both decided to get up and sit on the boulders overlooking the city far below. We chatted about, work, travels and of course Amanda. We both had another shot at sleeping to pretty much no avail. Sunrise came with two very tired Marks.

Bright Sunset  -  Looking from the back at the top of Arunachala 

The climb down was even tougher then the climb up. It only took us about an hour and a quarter, but the rocks and boulders are formed on a steep face, and after 30 minutes of steep, careful foot placement (this time with my flip flops on) everyone's legs were shaking under the constant strain.... even at 7.30am I was dripping with sweat, so much so I needed to remove my glasses!

Josephine & Mark survey Tiru at dawn....

Tiru at Dawn...

We arrived at the bottom with great relief and a certain sense of achievement, we headed straight the chai shop for a cup of Indian milky tea, and then on to the German Bakery for a fresh veg juice and baked tofu breakfast. It sounds awful, but it was delicious. Onions, potatoes, peppers and tofu, all cooked in a light tomato sauce. Magic.

For some reason the video clips below run in reverse order.... But you'll get a feel for it!

We all said our goodbyes, then I headed off to pack away my room and start the 29 hour journey to Pune to meet Titch a best mate from school and the Isle of Man, who will be in Pune for work. I will also meet Anita, another of Amanda's friends from The Journey.