Yesterday evening I had an eager start and spare time on Vetal Tekdi, I learned there is another temple to discover, but perhaps not enough time last night to get there and back to the top of Vetal Tekdi for sunset. This morning I was determined to find the new temple, and visit a few more familiar temples and shrines along the hill trails, on a longer sunrise run before breakfast.
I started from the hotel about 6:15AM and again I'm heading along streets to the trails which begin at the temple of Rahm. It was cool, nice for running, as the sun had just risen over the temple complex. I looked over to little Hanuman Tekdi hoping there would be time to include that small hill today. Ascending from the temple of Rahm the sun rising shone bright through the trees behind me this morning. The climb is steep at first but soon gives way to a pleasant undulating traverse to a popular flat area with a small shrine and lots of folk engaged in various morning activities.
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| Sun rising around temple of Rahm |
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| View of Hannuman Tekdi |
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| Sun rising through trees ascending Vetal Hill |
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| Popular flat area with shrine and morning exercise |
I'm going along the main walker trails for a bit of easier ascending. I see this chap ahead and after pausing for a photo some instinct drives me to overtake. It's easy but then his instinct starts him battling me, as he comes level I notice he has a not very small stone in each hand, I think that must be hard work, and out of respect I drop back. We have a brief chat on the summit and another photograph.
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| Heading north-west along walking trails ... |
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| ... and then south-west to the top of Vetal Hill ... this runner is at first easily overtaken ... |
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| ... but he makes a strong come back carrying stones! |
I find another narrow path through the grass to descend the summit area of Vetal Tekdi clinging to the side of a whitewashed wall, and then turn east onto the new trails discovered yesterday in search of the next temple. I pass the two towers from yesterday and there's something one the ground I haven't seen up here on previous trips - a termite mound. The ground becomes rougher and I pass a third tower behind the wall. The seasons here are different from back home, there are autumn colours in some of the trees at the moment.
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| Termite mound |
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| Rough ground |
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| Third tower and autumn colours |
I soon reach the third temple. There are folk here sitting around and a group of men in prayer or practicing yoga. They're all a bit amused by me and smiley friendly, it's nice. The temple is dedicated to some orange blob looking entity, to my eyes anyway - the people here did tell me the name, but it slips my mind.
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| Approaching the temple ... |
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| ... and looking inside. |
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| Yoga practice or prayer? |
Time now to turn around and head back in the direction of the Vetala temple, then descend toward the city streets. The going becomes easier through trees and before long I pass another shrine dedicated to Hanuman. The trail descends steeply now and brings me to peaceful tree lined street. I have a little over a mile on the roads now toward start of the trails up Hanuman Tekdi from the BMCC Road. The major roads are starting to get busy with noisy traffic now, but also at times peaceful as I pass a cart drawn by two oxen - this is a place of contrasts. There is a sports ground to the left and a game of cricket is in progress. The Kenyans run, for the Brazilians it's the football, in India the game is cricket.
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| The going underfoot is easier through the trees here |
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| I pass a shrine of Hanuman |
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| The descending trails end at this tree-lined street |
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| An ox-cart approaches! |
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| Cricket, always cricket |
The trails ascending Hanuman Tekdi are dusty and often bare rock. I'm exposed to the sun here and a couple of hundred metres into the trails at about 7:45AM the temperature is starting to soar already. I am a bit too hot now. I stop to sip some luke warm water from my bottle, remove sweat soaked top, re-organize bum bag and stuff in the t-shirt. I'm finding the small ascent hard work in the heat but the summit of this little hill just 50m above is only about 600m ahead of me. There is another shrine at the summit, another popular area for escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.
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| Dusty, rocky trails ascending Hanuman Tekdi |
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| Shrine at summit of Hanuman Tekdi |
The descent is steep and often on bare rock. I haven't stowed my camera properly in my arm sleeve and as I leap and bound down here the camera goes tumbling and bouncing down the rocks - luckily there seems to be little damage, just a few scratches. There's another runner coming up now and he's doing a good job on the bare rock here. The trail flattens out for a short while and there is a chap irrigating the trees by hand, and what a beautiful result, green leaves and red blossoms.
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| Runner on bare rock near summit |
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| The trails flatten out for a while descending to the west |
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| Lovely, green leaves and red blossoms |
I have another short steep rocky section of descent and some steps drop me back into the hustle and bustle on the Senapatil Bapat Road for about half a mile back to the hotel and breakfast, lots of breakfast. Hunger and thirst sated I reach into the bum bag for the small purse containing room key card, mobile phone, a bank card, and driver's license (redundant over here) ... and it's not there, I've lost it somewhere on the run this morning, a day which started so simple and so beautiful has all of a sudden become rather complicated. I am thinking, this must have happened where I stopped on the side of Hanuman Tekdi and stuffed the t-shirt into the bum bag. With help of a hotel car driver I return to that spot but alas no small green purse was to be found ... c'est la vie!
