Moments : 4 days Munnar - Bodi National Trekking expedition 2013

This was my first trek with YHAI . There were 43 heads in the batch.  50% were from Maharashtra and a good composition southern states. Atleast 80% of  the gents were above 40 and all ladies were above 35. Mostly retired people and  central govt employees who get special casual leave for these treks. I was the youngest. 

Day 1 ( 24 October 2013 ) :

 Reported at the base camp in the afternoon after a long ghat travel via Cumbum to the National Adventure academy at  Devikulam near Munnar. A kerala State govt. maintained institute. The brochure claimed pucca accomodation and sanitation facilities were  missing.Many werent mentally prepared to this like me.It was raining too. Then somehow tamed the comfort longing mind to fit the place.

By 4.00PM we went for a acclimatisation walk in the Lockhart Estate area.The moment we were on the full mist covered road, it started raining heavily. We walked and hiked small steep slopes for a long time till sunset and later came to know that it was a 8 km stretch

When the walk ended rain too stopped.Then dinner and  sleep.

Day 2 (25 October 2013)

Early morning warm up walk/sprint jog and exercises again in rain.

After breakfast, there were some official formalities like a small talk , flagging off session by some cheif guest etc.Then we were taken in  jeeps to a village called Yelapatti  which is the base of a hill. 40- 50 minutes journey.

The actual trekking started from there. We hiked around 8 kms to a place called Top station.  The path was full of leeches waiting to suck blood.

Though many in the batch were experienced trekkers on Himalayas, all were screaming and jumping around when they see leeches climbing their pants. Many leeches were successful quenching their thirst.

One of Western ghats notables is leech prone moist soil. The keep wobbling their body like worms in 3D  sticking on to us. Even shoes or pants doesn't matter,they somehow find ways inside.The person going in front will disturb it from rest under leaves and people behind feed them.

We reached Top station by Lunch.  That falls under Tamil Nadu , actually a mountain view point. Food was arranged at a hotel there.

Then  climbed down ~8 kms to middle or central station on the other side of the hill. 

 This was a  terrain down hill with spectacular view of a  green majestic massive chain of mountain range in the oppsite which we would climb the day after. The clouds floating over the peak with sun setting behind was just a priceless view.

Deep in the jungle was our campsite.A small blue concrete house could accommodate 12-15 ppl for a days stay.Maximum were packed inside and remaining in tents put outside.

Staying in tent was a new experience. Felt so good. That house had cook who prepares food if we take things with us. They plant coffee nearby and have a small grinding machine. The stay was awesome. Needless to say how calm it would be and how glittering the sky will be with stars.

Climbing down a hill is presumed easy but the fact is fingers hit shoe walls often and create pain.

That too i have a broad foot with no appropriate type of shoe to fit,  got my fingers injured. More than tired it was pain..

Day 3 (26th October 2013)

Starting in the morning we climbed another ~8 kms to the hill base cvillage named Korangani. That was our camp too.Carried packed lunches and had them in the banks of a stream we crossed. We reached there late afternoon. Stay in forest guard quarters.

About the village, one must be lucky to be in a place surrounded by green peaks with floating clouds, clear water stream  fairly big enough filling a dam. It is a 400 + houses village 16 kms away from Bodinayakanur

Bus comes one and an half hour once. No mobile signals. Paddy fields n coconut trees around

 They said only a staff nurse will be there in the hospital for day hours.Any emergency they take jeeps to Bodi.

We talked to a boy there and found ways to play and bath in the stream inspite being tired. He took us to a nice place. That evening was fun again.

That village is was where kumki/Gajaraju was shot. That elaphant and village sets. The elephant watch tower place all were korangani.

Had a tired sleep and everybody was warned the subsequent day's trek will be toughest.

Day 4 (27th October 2013 )

Some left to base camp in morning and we sent our unwanted luggage with them.

8 km rough terrain 50% of which was so hot at a  65 degree slope. Sweating like hell. Everyone ran out of water. I  There was a time difference of at least 20 mins for the first and last person moving in the group

Half way we got a news that one diabetic person is being carried in shoulders down to korangani by our sweeper guide  as he could not climb.

By Noon  we found a very small stream just a leak through rocks.Had lunch there and filled bottles.

It became dense from there.

The path was very narrow slippery moving in zigzag on mountain.Not to mention that the trekking view was again majestic to see the top - middle - base station hill range which we climbed down a day back.

It was evening and 8 hrs since morning a sudden view came in to  picture when tall trees ended.A beautiful tea estate and  village called kolukkumalai.

Worlds highest tea plantation processing the organic way.Tea leaves are generally plucked then weathered and then oxidised , dried and ground.This estate factory does them without adding any chemicals

Had a garden fresh milk  tea there. We saw the tea processing machine.Then a view point nearby

Then had   travel downhill in four jeeps back to our  base camp at Devikulam.

Our guide Shaju Lawrence was a Munnar localite and a naturalist. 

It was 7.30 PM we stopped at a view point to see Munnar .It was spectacular to see a town from a height

Just looking above i was like WOW! Never saw so many stars at night anywhere.A light trace of milky way was visible with naked eyes. Venus looked like a LED bulb

Reached Base camp and left to home immediately.

That was an experience.Four days. Simply ones city and so called decent or cultured mask will peel off

with less resources.Far from home.No connectivity. That was a sense of accomplishment in spite of problem , pain faced.

200 years of Munnar history in short. 

Our guide  was telling all about flowers plants birds vegetation weather geography economy etc during the treks.

Britishers started tea plantations and took people  from TN through the top station trek route for work

Let stay there and trained them at a place they called "Oozhiyaan chathiram" ஊழியான்சத்திரம்

Then keralites joined. This trek route was first historical gateway to munnar from East. Transported tea down from hills though rope transport with facilities in 3 stations named Top, Middle and Bottom stations.

1930s the rope transport system destroyed by some calamity. We saw the remnants

After Independence the Tea estates sold to private companies. 

Now only 3 companies own the whole tea estates there

* Harrison malayalam,a cochin based company owning all estates named lockhart

* Kannan devan hills tea planters association

* TATA tea

All hill areas are owned by government but leased to  companies like these in a damn cheap rate for price in paisas per year for an acre for 100s of years.

 Most of the time we were in rain or just below or into the clouds. No much Photos but I just loved clicking than ever.

Other Photos can be found here

Bodh Gaya

 First time I stepped down in Bangalore to join my college, this was the only place I  visited with family  as "Places of Interest" inside the city. That was July  2006, Never bothered to visit again in the four years of engineering. It was just a land mark to me till I came back to Bengaluru in 2012.

Some thing preventing me  from liking malls and the window shopping culture, beach was my most haunted place in Chennai which I  still miss a lot in Bangalore.

Searching for a calm  place in the city free to move around without much of the disturbing  human crowd, the city sounds and commercial hoardings, I revisited here again. A place in the city to sit, roll down,  feel the earth  without footwear outside my room.

Now, I have breathed into this space countless times and it almost  has seen  all of my solitary Sunday afternoons.Almost like where ever I am in the city and I need some private time, then to me,

" All roads lead to Lal Bagh"

 Hyder Ali commisioned  and Tipu sultan finished setting up this 220 acre crown inside the city. Britishers added some more  jewels like the Glass house to it. Now maintained by Horticulture department of Karnataka.

Park the bike and start walking in,  Nature starts embracing in.

At least for me , its not a place to  visit once, just  walking around hasty to cover the park  for see everything one shot.

Houses not only Flowers, the huge bird community chirping and squirrels running around. Those lonely benches,  shaded trees and green lawns will make you forget that you are in a traffic cursed concrete jungle.

It really takes time to look into the colours, patterns, feel the petals of each and every flower and livelihood around and everything is new when I visit next time.

Lalbagh lake inside  is one of big lakes in the city.

The huge and century old trees.Touching  and  hugging around their huge barks tell a lot of unltold stories. It feels like Avatar :-P

Many of the trees have finished reading Vairamuthu's  Kallikkaattu Ithikasam and some more books  with me :-D :-D.

After buying the camera, the story is different.Its common that people who slowdown, feel the nature and things around to frame and photograph them. its the other way around  for me.

Mindlessly walking in and start clicking whatever I find. Once, a visitor mistook me to be a regular cameraman there, who clicks and gives instant prints to visitors.

 Doves assemble and feed in a place in late evenings in a place. It was long wish to click them on flying.

It feels different when people give odd stares on me suddenly go on knees to click at eye level of something or having my  head into the random bushes :-D :-D

You can sometime artists who find subjects and draw to their heart's content.

Recently got into the vast nursery. They have so much to sell. Seeds, saplings and accessories to  guide for self gardening.

Any friend or relative visits Bangalore , the first place suggested by me is to visit  Lal bagh .

 Kind of similar looking roads and signals at all gates of the park confuse most times .

Had been umpteen number of times, yet haven't seen fully . Definitely one of the places that occupy a special place in my soul.

"Lal Bagh - Inner Peace"

PS: Where ever I read about gardens I read more about its  Mughal background. Wonder why others were not interested in  gardening.

Multicore CPUs and their processing speed.

Its common  to assume that a quad core CPU for example , quoted 2 GHz would offer a 8GHz .      
  4 x 2Ghz = 8GHz ? !?

But does this really happen? Answer is No and also Yes.

Its purely dependent on the software used. Software here means the Applications (Games, Browser , word processor etc)  and the way how the  operating system (Linux or windows) handles it.

Lets have a brief look .

Simplicity sake I use a quad core 2Ghz example in this article from now on, whereas it can be scaled to any number of cores.

I have written an article long back on 'what' and 'why' multicore processors quite some time back here

So,first lets see why a NO 8GHz?

A Multicore processor consists two or more  functionally independent processing cores embedded into a single physical chip.
I remember reading this analogy somewere, four cars each at at 20kms/h racing  parallel in the same direction never means 20 x4 = 80Kms/h.

It similar. Performance of independent cores cannot be seen as a combined one.So its more apt to call it a four core processor with each 2 GHz and not a single 8 GHz one.

Now, the answer for  YES. How can it give a 8 GHz operation?


Bit more technical way.

Ultimately the operating system controls the processors and coordinates the actions between the cores.

Any application will run as a process in an operating system and in turn processes are just a collection of operating units called threads. These threads run  in  the CPU core as per the scheduling algorithm for a particular execution time.

Assuming a Game like Need for Speed  (NFS) creates 4 equal priority threads and its the only application being executed. In an Unicore CPU , one of four processes get executed and other 3 wait.

If there are multiple cores, the operating system may a allow waiting threads to get executed in the other cores.Purely the OS discretion which thread executes in a particular core.

It is also possible that processes may be waiting for execution in single core even though other cores are idle. This phenomena is called CPU affinity. Windows allows setting CPU affinity in task manager by right clicking a process.

Assume only the above four NFS application process threads with equal priorities having 1 minute execution time (practical values in msecs or less) get assigned to four independent cores rated 2GHz at the same time. Only now the NFS application can be theoretically called to be running at 8GHz for the next 1 minute.

But this condition will never occur in our systems due reasons which include the following.

* Most of the applications we use are still not coded with proper threading for multicore architectures. It needs a major operation and code overhaul. These applications will always prove reduced efficiency on multicores.

* Practically the OS will run many more threads which may be scheduled simultaneously and different cores might be running different process threads

*Priority of each thread in single process itself can vary.

Even if the above factors are taken care, still a 2 x 4GHz  will never be equal to a single 8GHz core because of overhead involved in instruction level parallelism defined by Amdahl's Law.

Any mistakes above, discussions and comments welcome :-)

Destiny?

Playing with and still an amateur  even after 4-5 years of meddling with Linux and Embedded environments.  Defining in short , it is random learning in bits and pieces rather than a structured learning approach , which I had tried to adopt many a times and failed. Professional commitments and pressure triggers the thinking process but the  learning is the same, slow and un-organized. Since college days it became customary to find something interesting, work on it  (sometimes a mad learning), Get the feel and shelve the topic in concern.
 

Two and a half years in the industry and recent times, the self started throwing some serious idealistic questions and learning seemed to be stagnant without answering .

* There is always more interesting and high paying jobs available.What did you achieve by entering or being in this domain?

* There are experts and people with high knowledge and experience ratings along with.How do you differ?

* As and with, its an IT job again, which has it own buzz. Beyond certain limits it becomes mandatory to take up management roles. How to cope with the technical interest?

Such kind of thoughts with the mere  motto of questioning my  professional existence.

Answering and above all satisfying the self is one of the most tedious work according to me. The mind doesn’t just settle for anything.

Looking back 4-5 years it was a time where I was ready to learn anything and everything  other than college curriculum which was forced.It was a search and even got few options to work on some technologies. Either took those opportunities light and lost it or handled it to a decent state but never attained mastery. Mindless actions. Krisshnan and Dhanasekar were the funny partners.

Got introduced to Linux and it was sluggish learning. Had took up some courses on embedded systems but then came the ultimate college corporate placement phase projected as the only future to exist. Not placed? then Life is gone. Such was the mental picture created.

Attended 8 ‘eligible’ companies. No sign of clearing. Finally Got a job in 9th one. Seemed to be at the top of the world. 2-3 months of vacation, joy and came the joining letter.

Destiny planned  a Mainframe computer career for me . When I requested for a domain of interest the Human resource personnel gave a blunt answer that , a fresher cannot have such attitude of not accepting what was offered.

The first time in life self simply told QUIT. Some gut feel and  help of Harish Kumar, there started a fresh work on the domain of interest. Parents were supportive accepting me to leave a high paying job (relatively).

Professional commitments and the area of work is purely dependent on the projects won by companies, especially small firms, that too for freshers its no where a concern. Thrown into different areas but the ground state was fixed interest in linux systems.

It was another point of time after an year , self told to fight again,  where I was deployed into a Vxworks project which only later I knew that it was a ever happening long term project and my skills would be locked.  for a newbie and young soul with full of thoughts on interest and future, it is a mental disaster. You don’t have power or voice in a corporate /semi-corporate setup.The same gut feel, managed to get it changed and there came the android into picture.

One more year passed there came a state where it at least seems my interest would be there in the road map some way or other. Advantage of joining a huge (in terms of quality) service company, it gives a chance to have in peep into all big semiconductor companies in the world as a consultant.

All over It has been a fight with self  for self. Even though many people with same or better skill sets the answer becomes,

“ It’s the career by CHOICE  and not by CHANCE ”

Now gonna be a consultant for a biggie in the build,  integration and debugging  role for a large software architecture. Hectic work presumed but the learning would be gorgeous.

It’s the path  and Miles to Go…