How a road trip covering 2120 km gave me the courage to quit a job I hated- Final part

Mangalore, Udupi and finally back to Pune!

We had informed Jerry that we would be checking out a day earlier than planned, and we were eagerly looking forward to the prospect of visiting Mangalore. Since we were experiencing coast-withdrawal symptoms, we decided to cut short our stay in Mangalore by one day and go to Udupi instead. We booked a beach resort called Paradise Isle beach resort, and were eagerly looking forward to spending some time, albeit short, on the beach. After a quick breakfast, we hit the road around 8.30 am. The distance from Wayanad to Mangalore is approximately 260 kilometers and according to our calculations, we would be able to cover this distance in approximately five hours. Upon inquiring, Jerry and Mr. Joseph were of the opinion that we should climb down the ghat and take the coastal route, which was easier of the two, and hence less chances of us getting lost on unknown roads. Having ignored sage advice once on the way to Mysuru, we decided to take their advice since even though Google maps warned us that this was the longer of the two routes, adding at least two more hours to our journey.

The route we should have taken is marked in blue. The unfortunate decision to take the coastal route cost us dearly.

The drive down the ghat was beautiful, with the valley spread out below. We stopped to take a couple of pictures and enjoy the view. The road was beautiful too, and we were patting ourselves on the back (prematurely!) that we would be in Mangalore by lunch and could visit our favourite restaurant there. But once we climbed down the ghat, things took a turn for the worse! The road all the way up to Mangalore was a single lane road passing right through every possible town and village, making us wonder if the government there was alien to the concept of bypass roads! This was by far the most mind-numbing and the most irritating bit of the whole road trip. It was so bad, we almost wished for the pouring-cats-and-dogs, crater-filled road to Mysuru instead of this experience! It was evening by the time we reached and the drive had made us tired as hell. We had no energy to get out of our hotel, and were only too glad to order in and enjoy the comforts offered.

The love affair with Cherry Square continues!

The plan for the next day was to meet up with an old friend and head to Udupi. Since we would be staying in Udupi for two nights, we figured reaching in time for sunset would be fine. We met up our friend and her fiance at one of my all-time favourite restaurants in Mangalore called Cherry Square. Their specialty was desserts and they do this really delectable ice-cream sundae called chocolate war which is beyond compare and a must have for chocolate lovers. It consists of chocolate ice-cream, chocolate fudge, chocolate sauce, nuts and choco-chips. I was simply in heaven as I sampled the first bite. It tasted just as I remembered..not much had changed in six years time! It almost made up for eating Kerala food for three days!
My friend's fiance also turned out to be an avid traveller and suggested that we take a detour and visit Pilikula Biological Park, before we headed to Udupi. It was basically a zoo with large enclosures for animals. We almost did not go, but then we thought what the heck, this is our last leg and detours are what makes a road trip interesting. And boy, we were glad that we went. Firstly, it had been a realllllllyyy long time since either of us had visited a zoo. We were filled with child-like enthusiasm at the prospect. Secondly, the place was really great. Tremendous educational value. We were frantically trying to mug-up the names of several different species of birds on display! Even though the animals were caged, the enclosures were huge and walking within a feet few of a leopard, separated by just a tall wire fence had my adrenaline pumping.

Some pics from Pilikula Biological Park. Love the expressions here!

This had my adrenaline pumping!

 

 The bear enclosure! 

Finally we headed to Udupi and had our first view of the sea which was absolute bliss!

View of the sea from the hotel..absolute bliss!

The plan for the following day was a visit to the Shri Krishna temple, which is quite famous. This too was put on the itinerary on the suggestion of the fiance. And this too was totally uncharacteristic of us, as we are not great fans of temples, except  if it has a historical value or beautiful architecture. Another reason our curiosity was piqued was because we had seen the prasadam being prepared on a TV show and had heard that the meal would be very tasty. In fact, the typical 'Udupi meals' or 'South Indian meals' are fashioned after the prasadam offered in the Udupi Shri Krishna temple. After the obligatory darshan of the idol thro' the small window called Kanaka na kindi, (which translates to Kanaka's window..an interesting story as to why the idol faces the wrong side, but too long for this post!), we had nothing to do but wait for the prasadam.

Udupi Shri Krishna temple

On the way to the waiting area, I found a counter for the Akshaya Patra foundation, which is an NGO that takes care of the mid-day meals for several school children, and made a small donation to the foundation. A man dressed in the traditional garb of a temple priest saw this and approached us. He was overtly friendly (which should have warned us to stay the heck away!) and promised to help us find a good spot for the meal. He took us to a less crowded room, where there were tables and chairs in contrast to the floor mats placed in the other rooms for the meal. Him and another old fellow who was serving the meal, were extra-courteous to us and insisted we have second helpings of everything, especially the payasa, which is a sweet made of jaggery, rice, milk and chana dal. After we finished the meal, he took the hubster aside and openly demanded 'some compensation for the Brahmin' as he took such good care of us! We were lost for words and had no choice but to pay. This experience left us feeling bitter and disgusted. It was in such sharp contrast to the lovely, beautiful, friendly people of Mysuru. Just drove home the point that it takes all kinds of people to make this world!
The evening was for rest and relaxation as we had a long distance to cover the next day. The journey back to Pune was long and uneventful. We covered a total distance of approximately 720 kilometers in 12 hours, with stops for breakfast and lunch. The road was pretty good most of the way and thankfully, there were no unpleasant surprises.
 It was a bittersweet moment, reaching Pune. We were glad to be back to the familiar, but we most certainly missed being on the road. The best part was, it truly put into perspective what matters, and what things should be given importance. Was it the perfect vacation? No! Did it go exactly as we had planned? Absolutely not! But then, it was enriching and an experience worth having. Like I always say, what is life without all sorts of experiences?
Within a month of getting back, I had quit my job and we planned our next road trip to Goa! As it turned out, quitting the life-sucking, stressful job was the best decision ever. Being away from the daily grind helps in analyzing the situation better and in my experience, the sagest advice comes from our own selves. We just need the courage to act on it.