Anya has got two gorgeous little sisters as friends - Preksha and Sharanya. Their parents, Nidhi & Varun, have become good friends of ours too. It so happened that I mentioned my love for outdoors and trekking to Nidhi. Varun being a nature enthusiast, planned a trip to Nandi Hills the very next week. I lauded them for their courage. It's not often that I meet such enthusiastic and well-synced couple who both share this interest. Often, the lady or the kids aren't enthusiastic enough. With two kids, most people would say that they have put such activities on hold till the kids grew up. So I was mightily surprised to see them not only plan but also execute a trip within a week of our conversation. I am always on a lookout for such opportunities. So I ditched my weekend plan to take Anya to a carnival and decided to go along on the trek.
It was decided to start at 6:45 am from our place. Another couple (Vidya, Rahul) was to join us. I was in for further surprise when they all were ready at sharp 6:45. By ready, I mean seated-in-the-car ready. I was still wrapping stuff at home when Nidhi called. I sheepishly told her that we would take another 10 minutes. When we went down, the kids just went wild with joy and hugged each other. All 3 kids wanted to be together and came in our car.
Nandi Hills is a hill on the outskirts of Bangalore. For Bangaloreans, it's a popular day outing spot.
After a stop for breakfast, we reached the foothills around 9 am. The weather was pleasant and the morning chill had almost disappeared. We parked our cars, took our backpacks and our spirited group of 6 adults and 3 kids started the climb.
Now, it is not a natural trek. There might be one, but it was not for us. There is a pathway with stairs, which we had to take. The kids ran ahead in enthusiasm, we all chatted and laughed. The challenge was to keep the kids going. We took breaks every few steps and kept them occupied with snacks of biscuits, nutrition bars, chips, juice etc. We pointed out interesting plants and insects to them. On one of the steps we saw a big, fat scorpion. It was a scary but a truly amazing sight. I don't think I had ever seen such a magnificent scorpion before.
After climbing one fourth of the way, while we were taking a short break, Varun went to a side path and found a nice, rocky stretch with lovely views of a valley. We decided to stop there for a while and enjoy the beauty. We also used this time to fuel ourselves up with homemade sandwiches. We all had a great time at this place and wanted to stay there longer but we had a climb ahead, so we gathered our gear and marched on. After another climb of 10-15 minutes, we reached an old fort wall and climbed it up. Little S had gotten hurt and I was quite impressed to see Nidhi take out a very well stocked first aid box. Kudos to their planning and organisation. Anya had scratched herself with a branch and she also wanted a piece of action (read bandaid). Nidhi took care of their bruises and onwards we marched.
On way, we saw a big group of NCC cadets. Some of them were carrying garbage bags and picking up wrappers, bottles and cans littered around. What a heart-warming sight it was! We still have hope!
We reached Tipu Sultan's fort and took some time to listen to the NCC group leader who was explaining historical facts to the group.We were about to reach the top when finally stairs gave way to a hiking trail. We enjoyed this break from stairs and reached the top. The kids had done it!! Apart from occasional protests and asking to be carried at times, the kids had climbed all the way up. There must have been 700 plus steps. We were so proud of them!
Once on top, we saw a huge play area and kids could have spent a lot of time there but we were eager to see what else was on offer. We went to a temple and enjoyed views from various view points. There is a restaurant on top but we didn't find it very appealing and decided to drink tea from a kiosk instead. It was starting to get a little cloudy and chilly. Soon we decided to descend.
Going down was more challenging because kids were already tired. After walking for a little while, Sharanya wanted to be carried. She soon slept off in her father's lap. Seeing her, the other two girls wanted to follow suit. But we told them stories, kept them occupied and they plodded on. It had become a little chilly. In the morning, looking at the warm and sunny day, guys had left their jackets in the car. Now, they were regretting their decision! On popular demand, we stopped again at our favorite spot. We sang songs and chatted. Promising to revisit, we said goodbye to this place and started our final lap. We reached down soon and this last stretch, Anya did in her Papa's lap.
We were quite happy with the way the day had panned out. Three cheers to the planners and stars of the trek - kids! Looking forward to the next trek soon.
It was decided to start at 6:45 am from our place. Another couple (Vidya, Rahul) was to join us. I was in for further surprise when they all were ready at sharp 6:45. By ready, I mean seated-in-the-car ready. I was still wrapping stuff at home when Nidhi called. I sheepishly told her that we would take another 10 minutes. When we went down, the kids just went wild with joy and hugged each other. All 3 kids wanted to be together and came in our car.
Nandi Hills is a hill on the outskirts of Bangalore. For Bangaloreans, it's a popular day outing spot.
After a stop for breakfast, we reached the foothills around 9 am. The weather was pleasant and the morning chill had almost disappeared. We parked our cars, took our backpacks and our spirited group of 6 adults and 3 kids started the climb.
Now, it is not a natural trek. There might be one, but it was not for us. There is a pathway with stairs, which we had to take. The kids ran ahead in enthusiasm, we all chatted and laughed. The challenge was to keep the kids going. We took breaks every few steps and kept them occupied with snacks of biscuits, nutrition bars, chips, juice etc. We pointed out interesting plants and insects to them. On one of the steps we saw a big, fat scorpion. It was a scary but a truly amazing sight. I don't think I had ever seen such a magnificent scorpion before.
After climbing one fourth of the way, while we were taking a short break, Varun went to a side path and found a nice, rocky stretch with lovely views of a valley. We decided to stop there for a while and enjoy the beauty. We also used this time to fuel ourselves up with homemade sandwiches. We all had a great time at this place and wanted to stay there longer but we had a climb ahead, so we gathered our gear and marched on. After another climb of 10-15 minutes, we reached an old fort wall and climbed it up. Little S had gotten hurt and I was quite impressed to see Nidhi take out a very well stocked first aid box. Kudos to their planning and organisation. Anya had scratched herself with a branch and she also wanted a piece of action (read bandaid). Nidhi took care of their bruises and onwards we marched.
On way, we saw a big group of NCC cadets. Some of them were carrying garbage bags and picking up wrappers, bottles and cans littered around. What a heart-warming sight it was! We still have hope!
We reached Tipu Sultan's fort and took some time to listen to the NCC group leader who was explaining historical facts to the group.We were about to reach the top when finally stairs gave way to a hiking trail. We enjoyed this break from stairs and reached the top. The kids had done it!! Apart from occasional protests and asking to be carried at times, the kids had climbed all the way up. There must have been 700 plus steps. We were so proud of them!
Once on top, we saw a huge play area and kids could have spent a lot of time there but we were eager to see what else was on offer. We went to a temple and enjoyed views from various view points. There is a restaurant on top but we didn't find it very appealing and decided to drink tea from a kiosk instead. It was starting to get a little cloudy and chilly. Soon we decided to descend.
Going down was more challenging because kids were already tired. After walking for a little while, Sharanya wanted to be carried. She soon slept off in her father's lap. Seeing her, the other two girls wanted to follow suit. But we told them stories, kept them occupied and they plodded on. It had become a little chilly. In the morning, looking at the warm and sunny day, guys had left their jackets in the car. Now, they were regretting their decision! On popular demand, we stopped again at our favorite spot. We sang songs and chatted. Promising to revisit, we said goodbye to this place and started our final lap. We reached down soon and this last stretch, Anya did in her Papa's lap.
We were quite happy with the way the day had panned out. Three cheers to the planners and stars of the trek - kids! Looking forward to the next trek soon.
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