Chasing the Monsoon - Part 2

This is a continuation of part 1 of the series "Chasing the Monsoon"..

Frenzy broke loose and we broke ranks and ran to check with the engine driver and guard of the train on this sudden appearance. Confusion prevailed for some time until one guy came running with news from the engine driver that our train was on the way and would arrive shortly. Finally it did, and we clambered on as fast as we could, thanked the guard and settled down.


Never in my entire life had I waited so eagerly for a goods train to arrive, and an arrival of a goods train in a railway signal always caused me to frown. But now after this experience, I have started respecting and appreciating goods train. I am sure that from now on, spotting a goods train would give me fond memories of this trip and the lifesaver it turned out to be.

Sitting in the guard coach, we had a good view of the surroundings, though light was dropping rapidly. We all peered out to catch a final glimpse of the majestic dudhsagar as the rain chugged along slowly. The sight was again majestic and incomparable to any other, but our cries of jubilation and self congratulatory gestures were replaced by silent awe when we moved further and the train took a bend and the upper half of the falls came into sight in the twilight, covered in all other sides by thick fog. It was a very special moment for us when I spotted this and cried out. All chatter dropped, everyone stood up in spite of the cramps and stood in awe drinking in the splendour of the falls we just conquered. I stand corrected. It can't be conquered. It conquered us. No pics. For your eyes and heart  only.

The guard was a friendly fellow from Rajasthan who chatted about his work and his railway interviews for which he had come to Bangalore once. Relieved, we settled to crack jokes, clicked pics and singing and making loud noises. All this lasted only for a while until we realized the sounds of nature filling us from all around. Apart from hushed jokes and random laughs, all were immersed in the beauty of the rainforest drunk in the darkness and sensual after the fresh showers. Luckily it didn't rain throughout the 1 hour it took to cover the remaining 8 kms. We heard stories of tiger, bears and porcupines spotted near the railway track by rail guards and about how the railway operates in the region. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable ride. Everything went fine in spite of the tense moments, pain and the anxiety in between. All we wanted now was to hit the bunk.

We reached Caulem by around 8 pm and proceeded towards Calangute beach(75kms) in a single cab. It proved to be a difficult adjustment to cover so far a distance. But we did manage until Calangute, where after some confusion and walking in the rains, we managed to get ourselves rooms in the Falcon resorts near the calangute beach. Too tired to do anything else, the ones who had planned on a late night ride dropped it and all had pizza and hit the bunk.... snooze.. To Be Continued..