Nagalapuram (or How I Got a Rash in the Jungle)

My first trek in Chennai was successful, provided we define success as not dying and only being moderately annoyed. A thirteen hour walk in the scolding heat, swimming across multiple pools, no trail in sight, being cliffed out multiple times, this trek had it all. I woke up at 3:30 am to meet Vivek and Balaji at a well known temple a few minutes from my home. By 5:30 there were 23 of us assembled at the old (new) Chennai Mofussil Bus Station. We left for the hills of Nagalapuram, northwest of Chennai.

We stopped at this little place to have breakfast about 15 km away from the "trail head". The rains poured and the food was a little spicy - at least as far as breakfast is concerned. Peter, the Belgium organizer of the Chennai Trekking Club, kept saying that the storm was local, the storm was local. I didn't understand. Weren't we local? An hour later we were at the trail head, a giant dirt dam that kept guard over the jungle.

After walking for about two hours we came across a very nice swimming pool. Of course, many on our trip could not swim, so I carried a few of them on my back so they could enjoy the water. We came across several more pools along the way, which had to be crossed. The alternative would be to climb up or down very steep cliffs. The pools were deep and because some could not swim, it was quite the operation to get across. This process involved a rope and, as with many things in India, a lot of chaotic yelling by various people at the same time.

I earned the nickname "Auto", as in "auto rickshaw" because of my willingness to ferry Indians across the perilous seas. I tried to charge extra rupees by making superfluous loops and pretending that I did not know my way around the city even though I have lived here all my life, but I got nothing but the standard fare. No, I am not bitter about the crooked auto drivers of Chennai. After the last of the pool crossings, Balaji said that it would now only be two hours until the car. The time was 4 pm and it would be the end of a very long day of trekking.

Two hours later, as it began to get dark, I started to wonder if I was going to have to spend the night in the jungle. At 9 pm I was informed that we were now 1 km away from the car. I was tired from ferrying people and luggage. I was hungry because Balaji stole my lunch. Finally, we will be at the car in 30 minutes, which means I only have three and a half hours until I can sleep. Let's book it back to the car! The Indians, however, had other plans. We stopped to take a break... 

9:30 pm: Now can we go? 

The trip was long and I missed dinner, but I got to see fireflies for the first time in my life, make some new friends, and see nature from a completely new perspective. The next morning I woke up horrified by a red mark and itchy feeling on my stomach. A rash. There is no telling what it was from. I brushed up against a lot of crazy plants and many different bugs landed on me in an attempt to make a new home. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted on the progress of the rash. You can see a picture of my rash by clicking here.

You can see the rest of the pictures from this trip by clicking your mouse here, honest. 

Original post: Anthony in Wonderland.