In the amazing deserts of the Southwest

The Spring break is a great time to unwind and bath in the pleasant sunshine. What better than to add some rock climbing and hiking to the experience? Thanks to Duke's outdoor adventure group, I got a chance to do all this and more in the great landscapes of the Southwestern US. Here's a short pic-story. 

Getting ready for the adventure!

Our first camp at the Red Rock Canyon, close to Las Vegas.

We then moved to the desert land of Utah. This one's in the Zion national park.

Time to do some rock climbing, or rather slab climbing. A different beast, altogether! Do at your own risk.

The dreaded climb called the Angels landing. It is believed that the Angels used this steep narrow ridge to land from the sky.

The valley seen from atop Angels landing

Our next destination was the Bryce Canyon national park. A miniature of the famous Grand Canyon.

A beautiful hike around in the Bryce with a great company of the Hoodoos.

It was an amazing experience with the never-seen-before landscapes. From the white rocks in Nevada to the red sand of Utah, the shades of colors created quite a spectacle. There was a great bunch of people for company adding to the experience. We were a group of 12 lively souls. Among us, we had a girl with a never ending supply of riddles, three best buddies who did every little thing together, a girl who played with fire (in a literal sense!), an innovative cook with some ridiculous recipes such as peanut butter pasta. A week well spent!

They began very similarly: Story of two classmates

How often has it happened to you that the newspaper you are reading carries a piece on a person you are acquainted with? Rarely, I would imagine, if you are not part of some celebrity circle. I , however, experienced it twice over the past month. Two primary school classmates of mine were in the news--one for a good reason and the other for a crime. My mind went back to those days. Jay and Kay (not their real names!) had a very similar life back then: Families struggling to make ends meet and similar influences around in the society. But they ended up choosing totally different paths. I don't know enough details to exactly reason about why that happened. Instead, I will just give an account from my viewpoint and leave the judgement up to you.

I changed school in my 5th grade. The new school was the only option for kids in the village and used to attract a huge number every year. It was so big that all the fifth graders were divided in 11 classes: class A to class L, each with 60-70 kids. Early applicants and pupils of influential people (yes, politics is introduced very early in India!) were put in first few classes and the rest were allotted classes at the back end. I found myself in class L, the very last one. 

Our class was ill-reputed for mischievous kids who stopped at nothing in causing troubles to students and teachers alike. Our class-teacher used to carry a look of complete surrender in the classroom. I, being not so much of a troublemaker perhaps, was chosen to be the class monitor. One of my primary duties was to report kids making noise during the periods not monitored by any teacher. Jay was one person who constantly featured on my blacklist as he was the leader of a little mafia gang of our class.

Jay used to live in a ghetto. Young men in the area would engage in small fights all the time. Breaking laws was not a big deal for them and the district police used to keep a vigilant eye on them. Naturally, Jay had picked up a thing or two from them.

One day in the class, Jay and his buddies came with a bagful of Ashoka tree seeds which they had gathered from a school garden. During a recess, they started pelting the seeds at other kids in class. Very few reacted and hit back. Most others were too afraid of the gang to do anything. As I was noting down the incident in my little class monitor notebook, Jay came to me and warned against reporting to the class-teacher. He said he would hurt me badly if I did. However, I did not take him seriously and reported him the next day. Jay and his friends were beaten severely with a wand as a punishment. Jay did not take this punishment lightly and told me to stay prepared for a royal beating once the school ends. This time, I was really scared and could not focus on the remaining periods during the day. As soon as we finished singing Vande Mataram to end the day, I ran for the fear of my life straight to home. Sobbingly, I reported what had happened to my mom. It took some consoling from her to make me relaxed again. It became the routine from the next day. Jay would constantly threaten me and I would try to run away from him. He never actually beat me though. I found out the reason years later from mom. Apparently, she had talked to an elderly person related to Jay who in turn had given a stern warning to Jay against harming me. Phew! Never-the-less, my parents at that time thought I should be better off in a different class and asked me to request class-teacher for a class change. He sanctioned and promoted me to class G. I did not have any trouble from my new classmates. Jay kept giving looks whenever we confronted each other occasionally but things stayed at that. I forgot about him after that year. Perhaps, he dropped out of the school somewhere down the line.

After all these years, that news article brought back all the memories: A high school student was murdered in broad daylight by a mob. Jay was one of the culprits and was duly arrested. Apparently, the reason was that the victim loved a girl who another guy from Jay's ghetto had also fallen for. They repeatedly threatened the poor guy to stay away from the girl but he didn't listen. Sigh!

So did nothing change in all these years with Jay? Was the company he kept at fault entirely for making him a criminal or could he, perhaps, have chosen better friends?

Somewhere in the same class L was Kay, an average student just going through the rigors of the curriculum. Kay used to live in the same neighborhood as me and was my best buddy back then. He didn't have it easy growing up either. He was the youngest of three siblings. The family was raised on a small income his father brought home by working in a factory. But he would spend a large chunk of the money on alcohol and constant fights between the husband and wife would transpire as a result. Kay's mother would frequently fall victim to physical assault. It reached to a point where Kay's eldest sister, who was a quite girl growing up, started fighting her dad whenever he came home drunk. One fine day, she decided she had had enough of it and ran away from home.

Kay was a normal kid despite all this going around him. He was more into Arts and Crafts than Science and Math. Post high school, he opted for a short technical diploma and started working in a small factory to support the family. Around the same time, he got influenced by a right wing political party. This party is ill-reputed for targeting certain minorities and using violence as a weapon to prove their point. I was not happy with Kay's decision but instead of talking him out of it decided to distance myself from him. I had moved out of the village by that time as well and lost touch with him completely. I was convinced that Kay would become a white collar criminal because that's what most folks involved in politics turned into.

But I was proved wrong by that news article. Kay had won an award at a short film festival. He had produced and directed a short documentary on a social issue. Kay--a film maker? How did this happen? I caught up with Kay to find an answer. When he was working in the factory, he wasn't enjoying the job. So he decided to enroll in an Arts college. Arts, as I mentioned earlier, was his passion. Once there, he got fascinated by the art of filmmaking and decided to pursue it further. As for being a political activist, he soon realized that that was not the right direction for him and slowly pulled out of it. In future, Kay wants to be a writer as well. He sent me passages from a fiction he is working on and I must say, it's a top-notch work. Now the next question I have for Kay is how he ventured into writing as I am completely unaware of this passion of his.

Same questions again. Do the surrounding influences alone shape one's life? Or can one choose the right influences?

PhD Life in Pictures: Part I

After several short bursts of work interspersed between long bouts of depression, I managed to clear a preliminary exam for PhD. This basically ensures that I can't be kicked out from the university until I get the damn degree. So post my exam talk, I am reflecting upon what keeps me motivated to carry on doing research despite long periods of cluelessness. A major contributor I realize are the places in and around Duke campus. Although I do not have a photo collection that could do any justice to the vibrant campus of Duke and the beauty of the town of Durham, sharing a short album of the places that rejuvenate me time and again. Hope you like it!


I will try to add pictures of more animate things who have influenced and evolved me in so many ways. That will be later in the series. Keep visiting! :)

Around the world sitting at home: Following Indian Expats

Link to Part 1

The radio transistor was my constant companion for more than eight years, until I joined my first day job. Taking the transistor to the workplace would not have been appropriate, so I had to look for another option. In keeping with the great technological advancements of our times, I summoned Google for online radio streams and stumbled upon a radio station from the UAE airing popular Hindi songs. Although great for entertainment, this was no different than any other popular Indian channels as its listeners were mostly young Indians (South Asians) emigrated on a temporary work permit. However, it still is one of my favorite radio stations whenever I am in mood for some Bollywood gap-shap.

The Caribbean

My love for cricket, which accidentally took me to Russia once, opened up more exciting doors. There was a game being played in Guyana and I was in a mood to listen some radio commentary. I searched for online commentary feed, and Voila! Guyanese national radio was broadcasting it. The game finished, and all of a sudden a Hindi song started playing. I curiously stayed tuned. There was another following that, and another... they just kept playing Hindi songs. I started listening to the station more often, and observed that they largely played Indian music. There is a large population of Indian origin in parts of the Caribbean, Guyana hosting a significant number. Although they have migrated more than a century ago, their taste in music, seemingly, remains unchanged. 

With my curiosity piqued, I explored stations in Trinidad & Tobago next. There were many available online, a significant number dedicated to religious content. Yes, they discuss Hindu mythology, spirituality and so on. It was a shock because I had never come across such dedicated channels in India. It's even surprising considering the fact that the people have migrated way back in the Colonial era from the states such as UP and Bihar and have long forgotten Indian languages. Their new found interest in Hindu scriptures or Indian music perhaps has to do with India's rise in global standing. That's a topic for another discussion though. Indo-Trinidadians are also taking a keen interest in learning Hindi and Sanskrit. It's quite funny to listen to RJs from popular music channels trying to translate lyrics of Hindi songs in their undulating Caribbean accents.

Another peculiar observation I had with Trinidadian radio was that they gave a lot of air-time to the regional politics. On one instance, there was a by-election in a city and almost every channel covered all election rallies and reactions of the people in the days leading to the poll. I can't imagine music channels in India talking politics at all.

There is a very popular form of music, called Chutney music, where artists from the Caribbean either create songs with Indian beats or just re-record popular Bollywood songs in their vocals. I found this music a bit awkward though, maybe because my ears were more tuned to Indian accents. I observed that the folks in the region totally adore the likes of Kumar Sanu and Udit Narayan. One was so inspired by Kunal Ganjawala (yes the artiste who never was a big star in India) that he made a complete song as a tribute to him. While listening to radio in the Caribbean, I got exposed to new forms of music such as Calypso and Soca. More than the music, which undoubtedly was great, I was really moved by lyrics of some of the songs. They talk of issues such as national integration while keeping the mood upbeat throughout. Sample the following number: my favorite! Among other things, they are predicting, in 2000, a black president for America.

Fiji

Before I explored Fiji radio, I knew that a minority in Fiji still spoke Hindi. What I realized after listening that it was almost 50% who spoke it fluently and maybe more people understood it. Their dialect, however, is another matter. If I have to describe it, it would be some combination of Hyderabadi, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati. It's altogether different, in short! Indian culture has a big influence, and a station I frequently listen largely covers Bollywood gossip, Indian TV, and Indian fashion. To see the influence of Bollywood, check the following amusing video.

Indian soap operas are very popular in Fijian households. I remember how they gave a huge coverage to a visit by few TV actors from an old Indian soap that was being re-run on Fijian television.

Hourly news on Fijian radio reminds me of their Indian counterpart because of the broadcasters' style of delivery. It feels odd, however, when it comes to sports coverage. Because Cricket is never mentioned in Fiji, instead they cover Rugby, the most popular sports there by far. Being an Indian, it's really strange to hear Rugby commentary in Hindi.

Other notable mentions

Similar to the Caribbean islands and Fiji, a huge number of Indian sugar plantation workers were shipped to Mauritius by the British rulers in the nineteenth century. These people dominate the population of the island nation. Bollywood music is a big seller here as well. Interestingly, the voices on the radio, be it the RJs or the people calling in, all seem to be multi-lingual and well-versed in all as well. They all seamlessly transition among Creole -- their native language --, English, French, and to some extent, Hindi. Whatever little Hindi I heard was, unlike in the Caribbean, fluent. Both Hindu and Islamic religious content finds a significant presence on the Mauritian radio.

The UK was an interesting experience. There are no dedicated Indian channels, they are all South Asian over there. You see. Most of the radio hosts are fluent speakers of Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi. It's mostly because they cater to a large community migrated from the Punjab region of British India. The best part about radio in this part of the world to me was listening to some fascinating debates. For instance, there was a call-in show organized to discuss implications of a peace treaty India and Pakistan were discussing. Most of the callers sounded very intelligent and very up-to-date with the political scenario in the South Asia. I had similar experiences with the callers in music-related programs. There were people, for instance, who had connections with Bollywood legends calling in to share their experiences with the host.

Quite contrary to my experience of the stations in the UK, my impression of the Indian (yes, not South Asian) stations in the US is not that of thought-provoking or insightful. For instance, a station in the bay area of California largely catering to young software professionals produces a number of sponsored programs on mortgage, finance, medical consultation, and so on. This, however, is not the reason for my perception. It is the other shows -- again sponsored -- on astrology, numerology, vaastu-shastra and several such pseudo-sciences; it is astonishing to see a large participation of the so-called "best brains" of India on these shows.

I am currently traveling to Africa, of course by the means of radio. As the exploration continues, I will keep posting to this blog. Thanks for tuning in. :-)

Addendum: Adding a map of the places I have travelled so far.

In the Eastern Superpower

One big motivation for a PhD student like me is conference travel. Hard luck if you are sending your papers to research journals! But if you don’t mind presenting your work in conferences instead, nothing like it. So when I saw that a prime conference in my field was taking place in China, I scrambled a demonstration proposal. Luckily, it got accepted and I packed bags for a leisure trip.

China always fascinated me. It’s similar to India in so many ways, yet so different in many other ways. Both states had similar issues when they started building in late 40s/ early 50s, namely regaining the lost glory and managing the huge resources each had at their disposal. I believe it’s human nature to poke your nose into neighbors house and I, being no exception, was curious to see how the different approaches taken by the two nations compare in practice. However, this, by no means, was the major reason for my fascination. I generally like to observe people from different cultures. China, being such a close-knit society for so many years, must have developed a unique lifestyle. I was very much interested in seeing their way of life. Besides that the conference venue, Hangzhou, and the surrounding area offered some of the very best tourist attractions in mainland China. I must say, the trip was fulfilling on each account.

A disclaimer before I start: I did not see a Panda, in case you are coming with any such expectations! B-|

The People

One big obstacle in traveling to China is the language. Although I wanted to learn speaking some basic Mandarin, it remained just a plan. Instead, I had to harass Chinese people into speaking English. To my surprise, they not only were sensitive towards a foreigner not speaking their language but they took an extra effort in making me feel at home. It also helped that my friend, Will — a Shanghai native, was in company for most of the tour. I can’t thank him enough for being such a perfect host. 

From the little encounters I had with locals, they seemed very knowledgeable and well-informed. For instance, I casually asked a co-passenger in a bus whether people preferred private cars or public transport. He answered with statistics like total number of cars in Beijing and Shanghai and why that was a problem.

People seemed very hospitable as well. In the conference hotel, there were attendants at about every 10 feet greeting you with a smile. It was sort of overwhelming for someone (like me) going from the US where you have to help yourself by following sparingly put signboards.

Another thing I noticed was that the senior citizens were leading a very healthy life. First thing is that there is a considerably large proportion of them because of the single child policy of the recent times. (Although it’s relaxed a bit, single child is preferred by most urban couples.) You would see the senior folks playing cards or Chinese chess, or doing some exercises like Tai-chi. Occasionally, you could also find them singing or dancing. Happy souls! 

Being the only brown skinned guys, my friend Anshuman and I caught a lot of eyeballs on the streets of Hangzhou and Nanjing. Many people requested photographs with us. This was a first since there is hardly any place not frequented by Indians. But apart from Shanghai, we hardly saw any brown(or black)-skinned tourists. It was then totally understandable when a guy asked Will whether we were from the US.

Too bad I didn't capture the moment when a bunch of ladies asked Anshuman for a photograph.

On the flip side, I noticed a complete disregard to traffic rules. You would see people riding their mopeds on footpaths, or pedestrians crossing road at any place they want. But I’m not complaining. They, in fact, made me feel at home. Sample this link.

The Food

Thanks to Will, I could taste some of the very authentic local food. I am also a certified chop-stick user now after completing the ultimate challenge of eating sticky rice successfully. \m/

There is just so much variety in Chinese food that I never needed to go to any burger/pizza joints. Over there, they cook all kinds of things like shell-fish, fungi, and bamboo shoots. Each city/province specializes in some form of meat, e.g. red carps in Hangzhou, or ducks in Nanjing. Duck dumplings we tried at one place in Nanjing were amazingly delicious. Tea-flavored eggs is another dish worth a mention. Chinese restaurants in the US serve an entirely different cuisine altogether which does not compare with the authentic one. 

Lotus flower served as a starter

Staple meat of China

Eating a crab right takes some skill

Chickens packed in clay pots

A street food joint in Shanghai

Surprisingly, There are quite a few veggie options in China. They make a really yummy dish from lotus root and a special kind of rice. I loved Sangutsaibao (veggie buns) so much that I had them almost every day. Stinking tofu (yes, that’s the name!) is a popular street food. They actually have a famous century-old vegetarian-only restaurant in downtown Shanghai. Its popularity can be judged from the fact that there was a minimum wait time of 1.5 hours when we went on a weekday. They also make some delicious moon cakes over there. A word of caution though if you are a strict vegetarian. Unless you can explain your dietary restrictions to the chef in detail, you could be served vegetables fried in animal fat.

If you are a fat-conscious person, you would be scared to see the amount of oil they use. Except for a few steamed dishes, everything is deep-fried, in a bucket-full of oil no less! One thing you would miss, especially if you are an Indian or middle eastern, is desserts. Chinese meals don’t usually include any sweets. That’s how, I suppose, they keep the calories gained from extra oil in check.

The Heritage

I was initially planning on visiting Beijing and the area surrounding it, of course for the great wall. The plan, however, didn’t work out. I was recommended Nanjing: a city with a great history and located closer to the conference venue as well. Nanjing has been the capital of China during the rule of several dynasties including the Mongol rule. So it was well worth a visit.

The father of modern China, Dr. Sun Yatsen, had also chosen Nanjing as the capital. They have built a huge mausoleum for him which is known as the purple mountain. Surrounding the mountain, there are several historically significant sites such as Xioling tomb. 

They believe that China is being guarded by four animals from four directions — the Black Turtle from the north, the Dragon from the east, the Vermillion Bird from the south, and the White Tiger from the west. We saw some of these and a few other mythical animals sculptured in a garden. 

The monumental Dr. Sun Yatsen Mausoleum

The Confucian temple area

The mythical animals

The Shanghai bazaar

People tying their wishes on a tree

Confucian temple is another place of great significance. It is a philosophy similar to Buddhism or Taoism and used to be followed widely across China. The temple is located across a small stream of river. The street separating the two turned out to be a very pleasant place for a walk. Being a Saturday evening, it was buzzing with people. There were some very good snack joints and souvenir shops to keep us engaged.

Shanghai, though, had a much better offering. The walking street across the bund in central Shanghai is a shopper's paradise. Everything from small clothing accessories to antique showpieces was available for cheap. The eateries were in abundance too. And more than anything, it’s the architecture of the buildings that sealed the deal for me. 

Modern China

Since I went to urban parts exclusively, I probably do not have a complete picture. But I am impressed by what I saw. You can see the investment made in building the infrastructure, public transport and likes. We noticed an awful lot of skyscrapers in Nanjing and Shanghai. But I was more impressed by the subway connectivity in these cities. Taxis were super cheap as well thus making it super easy to make any plans on-the-fly.

Nanjing skyline

The people's square, Shanghai

Shanghai skyline

TV tower glowing in the night

The West lake in Hangzhou organizes an amazing light and music performance every night. Courtesy our conference organizer, we got a chance to experience one of these brilliant events. Posting some of the pictures from the mesmerizing show. Rather than giving out any more details, I would just recommend everyone to experience it once.

To conclude, putting up a picture showing both the old architecture and the modern architecture in a single frame. I loved the way they were blended in China. Hope it stays the way it is.

The two worlds

Around the world sitting at home: The beginnings

No, this is not about the Internet! I haven’t really come of age for that. Instead, I will be writing on our good old Radio. 

Growing up in early 90s, we were one of those rare households in neighborhood who owned a television set. Neighbors would come over to watch episodes of the great mythological dramas like Ramayana, Mahabharata, and so on. These dramas and a daily dose of news aside, there was nothing much to watch on the television. The primary medium of entertainment was still the radio. Being a big fan of All India Radio (AlR) and Vividh Bharati, my mom’s daily routine was tuned according to the shows on the radio. Her day would start with the famous sound of 'Yeh Akashwani hai! '. I, on the other hand, used to hate it because the content largely included either some random talk shows, messages released in public interest, or some classical (old) Bollywood music. However, over time, I ended up developing a liking for shows such as Geetmala, Jaimala, and Sadabahar Nagme. What the heck?! I even listened quite a bit of Sakhi Saheli — daily afternoon show for housewives. 

Late 90s saw a growth of cable television. Many more options of entertainment opened up. There was ESPN, Zee, Sony, and so on. Radio, which once was so indispensable, was no longer necessary. This, though, changed again when I shifted to a boarding school in 2002. Initial days of my hostel life were like a hell. (I should write up on some of those interesting experiences.) Being an introvert, it took me a long time to make new friends. Until then, the time seemed to go by so slowly. That was when, on my birthday, my mom gave me a gift I will never forget — A radio transistor!

Even though the radio still offered a limited choice, I believe I was matured enough by then to appreciate what was on offer. The programs were not as boring as I perceived them to be as a kid. Another development that happened around that time was the government’s move to open up FM spectrum for private players. To me, it meant addition of one more channel that mostly played music of the recent times.

Although our hostel had a TV set in a common room, I never needed it except for some live coverage of cricket matches. Every ODI game was like a festival in the hostel and I couldn’t possibly have stayed away from it. Mention of cricket brings me to the main topic of this article — how I travelled around the world sitting at home. 

Some of the cricket games, especially test matches, were not covered by national TV broadcaster. But the AIR would have a live commentary feed of most games. So in case a game was not televised, I used to tune into the radio. I soon found that, it’s not only AIR that covers the games, but the BBC radio and Australian radio also had a very good commentary feed. Just out of curiosity, I tried tuning to these channels on short waves, but unfortunately could never manage to get the signal. They said that that’s the air pollution causing the lost signals. Maybe true! However, one day, while tuning for some cricket commentary, I caught a signal that sounded foreign. They were broadcasting some news. After a while, they translated the same news in Hindi. It was being broadcasted all the way from Russia. After the news, they had a round of discussion analyzing political scenarios in Russia for a while. Then, the presenters read out a bunch of letters sent in by listeners from all over India. They concluded the one hour program by an old Raj Kapoor number, an apt one for Russian listeners! (Check this link out to know why.) They mentioned in the closing that the program was aired for an hour every day as part of some India-Russia friendship agreement. However, despite many attempts, this was the only time I could tune in to it. Possibly, they are still airing it.

This is a little story of the beginnings of my exploration. I used that transistor for a good 10 odd years. It traveled from Pune to Bangalore where there was a richer choice in channels having a good mix of quality music and an interaction with listeners. All this while, internet was spreading big time. The radio channels worldwide had started airing their programs online. This helped me a big deal since I no longer needed to tune my little transistor. My exploration took a giant leap. More on it in the next part. Stay tuned!

Link to part 2.

Leaving No Trace Behind - In The Pisgah Trails

When I visited McLeodganj and Ladakh in the last summer, I had kind-of made up my mind that that would be the last time I would be doing any adventurous activity over a prolonged period, with a PhD life looming over. Of course, it was too early to make such a call and I am glad that I was wrong. Earlier this month, I saw a notice put up (in a toilet of all places) advertising a backpacking camp to Apalachian mountains during the spring break. There was just a day to register, meaning not enough time to think, just the way I like. So I registered and the rest is --- well, you decide for yourself.

We were a group of eight lead by Duke Outdoor Adventures center’s director, Nathan. All the equipment including backpacks, sleeping bags, and food was arranged by him. The destination for the first day was Pilot Mountain, a four hour drive from Durham and we were going to spend four days in Pisgah national forest, a couple of hours drive further.

Our journey started on a Sunday afternoon and we reached Pilot Mountain in the evening. There was no activity planned for the day, but we decided to do a light hike around the mountain. The idea was to locate good rock climbing spots for the next day’s activity. Incidentally, Nathan also happens to be an instructor at Duke’s indoor climbing wall. So we had all the expertise needed. He quickly nailed down on three spots, all varying in difficulty levels.  Post this; we moved to our camping site.

NC State authorities have set up a number of camping sites close to Pilot Mountain, all equipped with benches, a fireplace and a bathroom. Everyone was very excited at the prospect of camping in the woods. For most of us, it was a first. First, we were taught how to pitch a tent. Within no time, we had four beautiful houses ready. Next up, we were introduced to the equipment we would be using during camping. There were foldable stoves, small cylinders, water filters, coffee makers and what not. There was a ‘poop kit’ too. Since the opportunity presented itself, Nathan used as much toilet humor as he could while ‘demonstrating’ it.

After this funny session, it was time for more fun, time to cook. We had to make burritos. Responsibilities were distributed. Some of us set up gas stoves and started cooking rice, beans, meat and vegetables separately. At the same time, others set up a fire for a special dessert. Once the stuff was cooked, we quickly gobbled up the tasty burritos. We were now looking forward to desserts. After making us wait for full 5 minutes (Yes, 5 minutes is a long time if your curiosity is aroused.), Nathan unleashed a legendary recipe: ‘banana boat’. Although this is a travelogue, I can’t stop the gourmet inside of me from giving away the recipe. So here it goes:

Ingredients:

A bonfire, a banana, a handful of marshmallows, a handful of chocolate chips, aluminum foil

Procedure:

1. Set up a camp. Yes, it’s absolutely necessary; you simply won’t get the same feel sitting in your couch.
2. Set up a bonfire.
3. Hold a banana horizontally and (without peeling it) make a uniform dent across the edge into it with a small knife. Make sure you don’t cut all the way through.
4. Fill up the opening thus created with as many marshmallows and chocolate chips as you can.
5. Wrap the filled banana into an aluminum foil and put it in the fire for roasting.
6. Take it out after about 10 minutes and let it cool for 5 minutes. The chocolate and marshmallow will melt and will be soaked in the banana. Take a ride in the banana boat now.

After sailing through in the banana boat, it wasn’t hard to get a sound sleep. The pampering of our taste-buds was to be continued however, as I found out on the next morning. Nathan had packed a delicious pancake mix for the breakfast. While it fried, as an add-on, we squeezed in some chocolate chips on its surface. They were simply the best pancakes I ever had.

Rain was forecasted for the later part of the day. So we quickly packed up and started towards Pilot Mountain for our first task – Rock climbing.

Nathan and Mike, who has a good experience of climbing, quickly hooked up ropes over the rocks. Mike then demonstrated us how to use small holds in the rock. Most of us were overawed by the height initially. There were some tough sections in all of the rocks. While two of them had an overhung cliff each, the third had a chimney. None of us, except Mike and Nathan, managed to conquer them entirely. However, I was happy that I could overcome my fear and could give it my best shot. I must thank our belayers, Mike and Nathan, for supporting us through moments like the one in adjacent photograph.

The pancakes we ate in the morning had served us well through this intense session, but it was time to re-charge our batteries. In keeping with the trend of bettering ourselves in each meal, we made some delicious sandwiches, with ample proportions of hummus, cheese, turkey, and vegetables. The weather gods had been kind to us so far, but as soon as we started for our next destination, it started pouring. It was raining all through our three hours journey to Brevard town and there were no signs of it stopping anytime soon. In such circumstances, cooking outside was not possible, so we decided to have dinner outside; I mean, inside a restaurant. We found a Pizza hut and feasted on Pizza. Nathan had brought a National Geographic's map of Pisgah national forest which we were planning to explore in the coming four days. We were taught how to navigate map by interpreting contour lines. While having dinner, we made a rough plan for the next four days. Everyone used bathrooms for one final time before we devoted ourselves to the nature. The camps were set up quickly and with a sound of heavy raindrops heating tent tarps for company, we went to sleep.

The skies had cleared up by the morning. No more rain was forecasted for the next four days. Lucky us! Nathan taught us how to pack a rucksack. There was a big amount of group gear to be distributed, which included food, cooking equipments, tents, a medical kit and other small things. Putting sleeping bag inside the rucksack was a big challenge. We must have taken at least two hours to pack our bags that day. Utmost care was taken to distribute weight properly and to make our hip bones carry most of the burden.

So all prepared, we started our journey inside Pisgah. It was awkward initially, with the huge weight constantly pulling backwards. However, it was just a matter of getting used to and we had a pretty smooth walk. The trails were mostly flat, with few sections with steep ascent. Throughout the day, we had a water stream for company. It made our walk pleasant, mostly. The reason I added ‘mostly’ is because, we had to cross that stream at multiple locations during the day and it was, by no means an easy job. Thankfully, we managed well. We, in fact, covered an extra mile than what we had planned. We stopped before the sun set. At a nice sight close to water, we set up our camp. The first job at the camp was to collect water and filter it. Cooking started soon after. The menu was macaroni and cheese with chicken, a perfect food for tired souls. 

There was one last important task remaining before we retired; that of hanging ‘bear bags’. Some wild animals like bears have strong olfactory sensitivities. So it’s an invitation to such animals if you keep food items inside your tent. The solution is to put your food and everything that smells good in a bag and hang the bag high up with a rope hanging by two trees situated at a safe distance from your tents. This was our final exercise for every day in the forest. However, we never managed to catch sight of any wild animal.

The next day started with a river crossing. It was a narrow section and we managed to cross it by jumping over a few stones. It was a smooth walk till lunch time. The next section was a steep climb over ‘Cold Mountain’. We had a healthy lunch of a Pita sandwich, filled with grilled chicken, bell peppers, onions, cheese, and apples. It gave us sufficient energy for the rest of the ‘hard’ day. The temperatures started dropping as we climbed up the Cold Mountain. The water streams that provided us a good company the previous day were missing this time. It also meant that at occasional water bodies we encountered, we had to stock water for the night. 

The camping site was on a high ridge-line. In keeping with its name, the Cold Mountain was freezing cold. To add to our woes, it was windy. We had to use extra pegs to keep our tents in place. It was already getting unbearable. The first thing we did was to boil water to make some hot drinks. It helped, but only a little. We were still shivering. I don’t know how Nathan had so much energy that day, but he cooked some tasty and crunchy pizza bagels for everyone. A lots of cheese, pepperoni and pizza sauce were used as a topping. It was only 8 pm by the time we finished, but then again, it was a survival night! There was no point in staying out. With all the layers of clothing we had, we slipped into sleeping bags and tried to keep ourselves warm. 

We came out at around 8:30 am the next day to find deposits of ice on tree leaves. Thankfully, it was sunny. After a quick breakfast of oatmeal, we started on a new trail. We were walking around the Cold Mountain and the Smoky Mountain. The surrounding view was the best we encountered in this expedition. We stopped at multiple places for photos. Later in the day, we started descending. On the way, we encountered a lot of icicles adding to the beauty of the mountains. 

The camping site for the last night of our trip was also the best of all. A wide stream of water was gushing through on one side and a thick cover of Pine trees was surrounding the camp from other sides. The climate was pleasant too. We drank some hot coffee and cooked some kuskus and vegetables. As we were not as overly tired as we were on previous days, everyone was relaxed during dinner. People shared memories of their past adventures. Mike had some interesting stories from his Ecuador expedition; Nathan too shared some fascinating experiences of his. We also did some sky-watching. It brought my childhood memories back when occasionally during summers, we used to sleep outside under open skies, and I used to spend hours trying to connect stars making imaginary drawings. 

On the last day, Nathan suggested us to do some solo hiking. Just over 2 miles were left to be covered for the day. We were sent one-by-one with five minutes separating every two. It was a different experience being alone in the woods. I don’t know whether it was the fear of being alone or the lighter rucksacks, but everyone pushed themselves harder that day and finished the distance within an hour. Upon reaching car, everyone changed into clean clothes stored in the car and we bid adieu to the lovely Pisgah forest.

It was an amazing experience. I had been to a few adventurous trips previously, but they were all supervised. This was the first time I went through the entire process, from navigating route to cooking food. The experience of Nathan helped us throughout the journey. His motive was to make us capable of camping on our own, so he taught us every small detail. One important detail among other things was, ‘Leave no trace’ policy. We took a great care not to litter anywhere in the trails. As an instance, the night we cooked pasta, the water used to boil the pasta was buried inside ground and not thrown away on ground or in flowing water. I must again mention the food, some of the best dishes I had in a long time. Even after hiking for five days, I ended up gaining a pound. Thanks to Nathan again!

Spending five days close to nature, with no access to phone or internet completely re-charged me. Initially, I had doubts on how I would spend so much time with nothing to do. As it turned out, we were always busy learning something or the other from the nature. We could sleep soundly even though they were unfamiliar territories. What the heck, even my dreams were better! I normally see my colleagues or my adviser in my dreams, either laughing at my work or talking at length about their research thus giving me an inferiority complex. (Of course, they are not the only things I dream about!)  But in Pisgah, I saw myself with a woman (must be my wife whenever it plays out) and two little kids sitting around a bonfire next to a small hut situated close to a beautiful river and overlooking a majestic mountain. Ahaha, what a pleasure! I would love to go out for camping more often only for such dreams, if for nothing else. :-)

Photos courtesy: Nathan, Yao, Mike.

For more pictures, please visit Duke Outdoor Adventure's facebook page.