This post is about an unexpected detour I had while transporting all my stuff to our farm so I could finally start living there. A close friend of mine recently got married for which I had to return to the city. Before I left, I wanted to vacate the room I'm staying in, pack all my stuff and transport it all to the land. I managed to finish packing my belongings, which fit into a wardrobe and two suitcases, and I hired a pick up truck to transport it over the rugged forest terrain. I followed the driver on my trust two-wheeler thinking I could unpack on the same day, but as it turned out fate had other plans for me.
Around halfway through my commute, my bike broke down without warning, and refused to start again even with exhaustive fiddling with knobs and dials. The pick up truck by this time was already way ahead and as I happened to break down in a network dead zone, I couldn't even call him. Luckily it also happened to be a spot located near the only settlements for miles that housed cowherds and forest rangers.
A resident of one of these settlements noticed my struggle and suggested I park my bike near his house while I find someone that could help. He told me that I could find a mobile signal a short walk away and I should try and call someone while he made sure my bike wasn't vandalized. Having no other alternative I left my bike with him and set off in pursuit of that elusive signal.
My host's beautiful house.
The adjacent cowshed.
My bike is safe and secure.
So I set off on my journey to make a phone call. I kept walking till I eventually reached an area where I could make that call from. I called the pick up driver first to inform him of my misfortune. I also figured rather than searching for a non existent mechanic, I could wait for him to drop off my stuff and pick me up on the return journey. I also called our local workers so they could contact the driver and figure out the unloading between them. With that responsibility out of the way I had a few hours to kill while I waited for the driver to return. This gave me a chance to explore the forests adjacent to the road that I normally zip past on my commute.
In pursuit of a signal.
The forests are protected and no one is allowed to wander them freely, but I still saw a lot of interesting sights on the fringe between the road and the forests.
I eventually made my way back to the house where I left my bike. The house has a gorgeous field in front of it and is right next to this massive tree that's created an impressive root floor in front of the house.
I also explored some of the abandoned buildings around my host's house that had such intriguing aesthetics.
Around 3 hours after my bike broke down, the driver returned. We loaded my bike onto the pick up truck and then dropped it off at a mechanic shop in town. While I didn't get to see my stuff unloaded and unpacked, I did get to spend time surrounded my the magnificence of the forest while also meeting new locals who are making their living in a network dead zone on the fringe of a forest.
I'm currently back in the big city where I'm planning on staying for a week or so to catch up with friends and family and also acquire all the provisions I need that I can't buy in the hills. I haven't seen my finished residential structure or unpacked my stuff yet, but everything is ready and waiting for me to get back. In a week or so I'll finally be living off the land. A little more than a year since it's been the dream. I'm pretty stoked to see what further adventures await me as I live a minimal life in my shack in the hills.
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Lol I'm sorry about your bike man, but didn't you feel scared in the woods?? I'd have run all through if it were me....
Just saying though
Haha, well it was in the middle of the day. I would probably still be running if it happened at night. The forests are actually quite beautiful by day. Also I stayed relatively close to the road with local people within shouting distance. I panicked a bit when I couldn't call anyone, but after resolving that it was pretty chill. Turned out it was an electrical problem with the bike and some wires had probably rattled lose. The mechanic was able to fix it pretty quickly. So essentially a potentially bad situation was actually pretty good.
Thats cool..... enjoy your bike man
Good that you got beautiful scenic views with signal :)
Yeah, I usually take that commute for granted. We live in a beautiful place.
Holy crap that is some beautiful scenery. It's a shame you can't wander the woods but great that it's protected. Glad you are reaching your dream so soon!
Well, the forests can be roamed legally if you get permission from the forest department. I think it's a good thing cause it keeps the thronging masses out. The fringe has so much litter thrown around by tourists, I'm happy they're not allowed further access to the forest. Yeah, I'm pretty stoked to be a hippie on a hill. The dream is a long way off yet. but the journey is so satisfying!
hope you get some more time to hang out with us but do what feels best. Nature and art come first :-D
Yeah, I haven't been spending too much time online recently. I've finally moved to the land and have a functioning setup. I'm replying to you now from a solar powered laptop. The network is just about functional, so hopefully now I can figure out a schedule to balance out real and virtual worlds.
Sounds like quite an adventure. To think that a couple decades ago almost no one had a cell phone and now we are so reliant on them...
I find it odd that you are not allowed in the woods. Here we have protected areas but we are allowed to wander them and even camp as long as we don't cause any damage. Maybe because there are so many people in India they would wreck the forest?
Yeah, technology has made us so dependent. Pretty much anything is accessible with the touch of a button these days. It's useful for sure, but its good to experience life without it once in a while.
Yes, we have way too many people here. Tourists really have no regard for the beautiful surroundings. Also the forests are protected because a lot of local endemic trees known as Sholas have been replaced by invasive species like Eucalyptus and the forest department wants to preserve the remaining sholas. Introducing ignorant people to a delicate ecosystem is bound to cause adverse effects, so it's in everyone's interest that the forests remain closed to the public.
It's so exciting for you to finally be living off the land! I wish you all the best on your new adventures! Those trees look very old and wise...perhaps they wanted you to stop and admire them...lol.
Also stopping by to say that you have been featured and curated for MSP Community Curation: Top Five 'Positive PAL Posts' - Week #18
https://steemit.com/community/@creativesoul/msp-community-curation-top-five-positive-pal-posts-week-18
Thank you, my soul sister! I'm really excited too. I told my host the same thing. The tree near his house is 40 years old or so. He says the Shola trees used to be magnificent, but unfortunately a lot of older trees have been cut, damaged or replaced by invasive species. It was still quite the experience walking under the magnificent canopies of the existing trees though.
Also, thank you for the curation. I'm honoured you thought this was positive enough for it.