OG Trek preview

I have been part of 4 1-day treks till now.Initially they were exciting but the the last 2 were not that exciting as the places became familiar and without camping,they became routine.SO I was waiting a long time for a 2,3-day trek with CTC.Doesn't mean there aren't any.Just that not compatible with my shcedule (Dude!! enough, as if you're CEO of a company)
Just then, around January ending saw this Ombattu Gudde trek (~4 day long).Checked my diary (habba!!!:( :( too much showoff) and immediately signed for it.Later i got calls from two of my friends one inviting to his home and other that he is coming to chennai for this weekend but i said Sorry..Okka sari commit aithe na maata nene vinanu.. oru dhadava commit pannita yen pecha naane keka maate.. (ippo mahesh vijay!! Hayyo veedi dreams thagaleyya)..Sorry guys..

So all the preparations are done.Now its 10 AM.Waiting for the clock to tick 3 PM.Here are a few excerpts from the prep mails sent by organizers.If the trek delivers atleast half of what it prmoised, I can add this to treks of my life list.(As if you've done hundred treks!! Shutit dude, and stop here please..) Ok enough from me.Pics and organizers will take it from here...

From Peter:

"During my previous 4-day OG mission a few months ago 18 out of 25 trekkers ran out of the jungle on the 2nd day as they were under heavy leech attacks and things were getting real bloody ;-) That was the monsoon (leeches need wetness to survive). Now it should be much less but I am pretty sure there will still be some in the shady jungles protected from the sun above.

My main concern in OG is mostly snakes - the western ghats have many venomous snakes and we have seen/encountered many in previous OG treks. So far we did not have any snake bites. Still it always remains a risk as we would be at least 8-10 hours away from any proper medical facility."

"The main challenges will be the tough climbs and careful management of our water reserves (we will be walking for many hours away from the water sources so need to carry extra weight and carefully consume water)."

Got more bloody pics but chose not to upload.

From Biju:

"Ombattu Gudda is a peak at about 971 meters above sea level, and at a distance of about 20 kms from Gundiya Checkpost, inside the Kabbinhole Forest. The peak is so named because there are 9 prominent humps on top, almost in a straight line (Ombattu in Kannada means nine, while Gudda means hill). The forest is extremely virgin with huge bamboos and dense foliage playing host to a range of wildlife from the tiger, leopard, jungle cat, barking deer to gaur, sloth bear and, of course, the wild elephant. There will be tons of fresh elephant dung along the way. As you go along the jeep track, there are many places where one can get lost and hit dead ends. This route is noted as one of the most mysterious routes in the Western Ghats. "




Will be back on tuesday with loads of clicks and experiences.. (Hopefully)

Arsenal-Barca

That was definitely a very entertaining and exciting game.The reason why the match is so significant to me is these two legs will be the first time I' ll be supporting Arsenal.The reason is not because I love Arsenal but it's because I hate Barca more than anything.Why? is again a big topic and can write on it later..

Noteworthy events:

1) Wilshere was absolutely fantastic in the centre of the pitch.His composure on the ball,passing, tackling, closing down in the middle, everything was top notch.
2) I've never saw (in the few Arsenal matches I've watched) Arsenal play so passionately and courageously.They came out in the second half and played with a lot of character.
3) First half, apart from the first ten minutes, I've felt Arsenal played a bit timidly.'Barca' psychological factor played on their minds esp Persie looked a bit shady.
4) Getting keita on for Villa, I think played into arsenal's hands.Pep should've continued playing the same way.He should've brought on Bojan or someone.
5) With every move Arsenal's confidence multiplied.And for this Koscielny and Sczesny were at their very best to deny Barca any opportunities.

Assuming everyone's fit for the second leg and no demoralizing defeats in the runup to the second leg, with the belief and confidence they've got in the firstleg i predict Arsenal to match Barca at Campnou and I expect a draw and Arsenal to progress.. (There'll definitely be no 4-1 overmauling)

Fort Minor Rocks....Shinoda toooo

Two of my very favourite songs from Fort Minor.

You can say what you have to say
'cause my mind's made up anyway
I'm taking thehigh road going above you
this is the last time that I'm gonna trust you
You can say what you have to say
'cause my mind's made up anyway
all that bullshit you talk might work a lot
but it's not gonna work today


This is 10 percent luck, 20 percent skill
15 percent concentrated power of will
5 percent pleasure, 50 percent pain
And a 100 percent reason to remember the name