Prologue: My uncle, a feudal landlord, needed some advice on securing the goodwill of the Gods on his mansion in his estate in Las Coorgas (or Kodagu, in the language of the Ancients). Being the only (almost) architect, I politely acquiesced and took Osiris as a companion, with my aged father on my back for his wisdom.
As we (our ship) climbed into the hills, I noticed the storm clouds gathering in the horizon, headed our way. By the time we reached the town centre, Madikeri, we were caught in a thunderstorm rivalling those at the fights between the Gods and the Titans at Olympus. Never had we seen or heard such an awesome display of Nature's fury directed at Man. As we took shelter in a nearby tavern, we wondered what we had let ourselves in for. But our prayers were answered - a moor on a gleaming white ship took us aboard, agreeing to ferry us to my uncle's mansion and back in return for a small fee and our company.
At my uncle's mansion, we were greeted by a fearsome creature of the Netherworld, Pippus III, son of Pippus II, a direct descendant of Cerberus, the hellhound conceived in the very depths of Hades.
By the grace of the Gods, the creature was chained, and could do us no harm until it was acquainted with us.
We were greeted by the landlord, my uncle, and his stately parents, and after an exchange of pleasantries, were taken to the dining hall, where a sumptuous feast had been prepared for us by the mansion's servants, who were efficient enough to never be seen. After much food , we set down to our task of communing with the Gods, but not without the symbolic sacrifice of our livers, by consuming a quantity of ale fit to please even Dionysius himself.
By evening, we bathed in small naturally heated pools which my uncle had cleverly integrated into the design of his mansion, and then set out on some grey stallions from my uncle's stable to meet some relatives in the neighbouring shire. My uncle was an experienced rider, and many times our hearts were in our mouths as he navigated his steed with a skill we had only heard of from travellers and madmen. At our relatives' palace (for they were the local royal family in the area), we met the aging Queen mother, and were then entertained by her son-in-law, with much eating, drinking of ale, and exchanging of stories. On our return, we took a detour to the Valley of the Fireflies, and witnessed a sight we could never forget - swarms of Fireflies, some the size of our hands, lighting the dark night sky, so that we may not miss the stars, our astral companions. Our hearts filled with awe at this sight, we returned home, and almost immediately fell into our beds, in deep slumber, wondrous of the day ahead.
The next morning, after a delicious breakfast, we took leave of my uncle and his parents with promises to return soon. The moor had sent a friend, in a white ship with red sails, to take us on a pilgrimage of the nearby holy sites in Las Coorgas, before we had to leave once more for our homeland. After paying obeisance to the Gods, the temples of whom might be said to compete with those at Athens for their serenity and closeness to the heavens themselves, we descended to the foot of the famed cascading Falls of Abby, where countless travellers had lost their lives, dashed to the hungry rocks below.
After clicking a couple of photos, and being disgusted by the profusion of plastic bottles and wrappers at each of the places we visited, we met a friend of my dad's back in town and then went to the Raja's fort and garden. The view of the valley was nice, but I had been there before, when it wasn't marred by the pollution and noise, as well as the Park maintenance people's (failed) efforts to beautify something which doesn't need beautifying. Took a shot anyway:
By then our taxi driver had taken his pay and split in his white Ambassador. We had to walk back till the bus stop, where we had a quick dinner and finally headed back home. All in all, a great trip, though it could have lasted for longer. Epilogue: If I'm lucky, my uncle'll call me back and I can give further suggestions for his house's landscaping or perhaps do some site supervision. All under the influence of beer.
As we (our ship) climbed into the hills, I noticed the storm clouds gathering in the horizon, headed our way. By the time we reached the town centre, Madikeri, we were caught in a thunderstorm rivalling those at the fights between the Gods and the Titans at Olympus. Never had we seen or heard such an awesome display of Nature's fury directed at Man. As we took shelter in a nearby tavern, we wondered what we had let ourselves in for. But our prayers were answered - a moor on a gleaming white ship took us aboard, agreeing to ferry us to my uncle's mansion and back in return for a small fee and our company.
At my uncle's mansion, we were greeted by a fearsome creature of the Netherworld, Pippus III, son of Pippus II, a direct descendant of Cerberus, the hellhound conceived in the very depths of Hades.By the grace of the Gods, the creature was chained, and could do us no harm until it was acquainted with us.
We were greeted by the landlord, my uncle, and his stately parents, and after an exchange of pleasantries, were taken to the dining hall, where a sumptuous feast had been prepared for us by the mansion's servants, who were efficient enough to never be seen. After much food , we set down to our task of communing with the Gods, but not without the symbolic sacrifice of our livers, by consuming a quantity of ale fit to please even Dionysius himself.
By evening, we bathed in small naturally heated pools which my uncle had cleverly integrated into the design of his mansion, and then set out on some grey stallions from my uncle's stable to meet some relatives in the neighbouring shire. My uncle was an experienced rider, and many times our hearts were in our mouths as he navigated his steed with a skill we had only heard of from travellers and madmen. At our relatives' palace (for they were the local royal family in the area), we met the aging Queen mother, and were then entertained by her son-in-law, with much eating, drinking of ale, and exchanging of stories. On our return, we took a detour to the Valley of the Fireflies, and witnessed a sight we could never forget - swarms of Fireflies, some the size of our hands, lighting the dark night sky, so that we may not miss the stars, our astral companions. Our hearts filled with awe at this sight, we returned home, and almost immediately fell into our beds, in deep slumber, wondrous of the day ahead.
The next morning, after a delicious breakfast, we took leave of my uncle and his parents with promises to return soon. The moor had sent a friend, in a white ship with red sails, to take us on a pilgrimage of the nearby holy sites in Las Coorgas, before we had to leave once more for our homeland. After paying obeisance to the Gods, the temples of whom might be said to compete with those at Athens for their serenity and closeness to the heavens themselves, we descended to the foot of the famed cascading Falls of Abby, where countless travellers had lost their lives, dashed to the hungry rocks below.
After clicking a couple of photos, and being disgusted by the profusion of plastic bottles and wrappers at each of the places we visited, we met a friend of my dad's back in town and then went to the Raja's fort and garden. The view of the valley was nice, but I had been there before, when it wasn't marred by the pollution and noise, as well as the Park maintenance people's (failed) efforts to beautify something which doesn't need beautifying. Took a shot anyway:
By then our taxi driver had taken his pay and split in his white Ambassador. We had to walk back till the bus stop, where we had a quick dinner and finally headed back home. All in all, a great trip, though it could have lasted for longer. Epilogue: If I'm lucky, my uncle'll call me back and I can give further suggestions for his house's landscaping or perhaps do some site supervision. All under the influence of beer.
What..you got bored by the end of it.what happnd to the stallion..and the titans and Pippus III
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed you even read it! Not bored, I hated it by then...
ReplyDelete