Kjerag

After a failed attempt during the mid of August due to bad weather, Kjerag seemed to be a distant dream with the autumn setting in and buses services stopped to Øygardsstøl. But there was something in the store, On a Friday evening me and Kristoffer had a chat and then decided to do it on Sunday if the weather is good and if Jennifer could adjust her weekend plans.

Everything fell in place at the right time and on the Sunday morning at 9:00 AM we 4 for us decided to start, me, Kristoffer, Jennifer, and 7 month old Rocky. After driving through some winding roads for about 2 hours we reached Øygardsstøl, the base from where the hike starts. This place is also called as ‘Eagle’s Nest’ may have got the name because of the restaurant there. Last few kilometres before Øygardsstøl is full of cairns on either side of the road of different sizes.

At around 11:30 AM we started the walk and followed the trail marked in ‘T’ symbol in red color. The first hill was the toughest I believe, may be because it was steep and Rocky was all excited and he improved the overall speed of the group. He was able to do almost most of the steep parts with ease, thanks to his ability to use his four limbs and low centre of gravity. After climbing up and down twice, we climbed the third hill to reach a plateau. It was amazing terrain with hardly any vegetation and the whole area looks like surface of the moon across the fjord. I could imagine the place could be looking evening more beautiful with snow cover during the winter. The walk on the plateau was long and a bit boring before you reach Kjerag. No doubt this place is impressive, the view of the fjord was amazing. And the vertical drop of 1000m really breathtaking. After a photo session there, headed to the Kjeragbolten which is the landmark location. Kjeragbolten is a rock struck between two cliffs. Without any doubt in mind it is most photographed rock in the whole world. J

Kristoffier and Jennifer had the courage to stand on the rock for a few snaps. I was not able to go anywhere near the rock. Probably next time I should wear a horse blinker to focus just on the rock. J We had the sandwiches that we carried and sat there for a while, before heading back. Way back much easier and not all that tiring. By now Rocky had gained a lot of confidence and it was able to find his own way in lot of places. We reached the parking in just over 2 hours. After relaxing at Øygardsstøl for a few minutes, we headed back to Stavanger and reached between 8-8:30 PM.

Thanks to the weather which remained wonderful through out the day, that made the trip fantastic.

Kjerag

The Great Austerity Drama

’Austerity’, I believe could be the most searched word in the English dictionaries online by many Indians, recently. I myself did a search before starting this blog. Its not a very common word in political parlance, considering no Elections in near future, So I thought understanding the meaning of it important. J

Indian government has requested or ordered its ministers to lead a simple life. Yes, Ministers were asked to vacate their plush five star hotel suites and travel economy class, all in order to cut cost and save tax payers money. In the whole drive some tried to prove their point by travelling economy class in an airline with a few seats around them vacant and travel chair car train inviting troubles and another made a statement not in the interest of the party’s policy on austerity and had to apologize later. All created a few interesting article for the news hungry media and people like me who browse the news portals online.

Will this drive make a common man happy? Yes, of course it will make you feel happy at the expense of your comfort. I don’t think one will have a comfortable journey with Rahul Gandhi besides him and be worried about the missed stone thrown at him. When a politician travels it’s not possible to avoid his side-kicks, guards, fans who come to see-off him, and most intimidating thing, the armed guards all over the place. To add to this, we could see a dozen journalists and cameramen to cover the rarest phenomenon on the earth.

Don’t they have the privilege to travel Business class? Yes. Of course they do have. After all they are people who run the country and most responsible people in position; if a CEO/SVP in the corporate world could travel why cant they? I don’t think a common man will whine about his tax money spent on their travel. As a tax payer I have no problem if a politician in Office uses a chartered jet or business class or 5 star accommodation, because they spend on all these to work for the Common Man. So the point is as long as they work for the people, they can spend and avoid discomfort to the people. And for god sake hope they don't make our wonderful train journey and flight journey hell by being one of us. It practically doesn't work. If they are still serious about the austerity drive, how about travelling in disguise by wearing a Halloween mask. :).

Hope this Auterity Naatak ends soon……

The Great Austerity Drama