I have
been bitten by a travel bug since long but didn't
really set out to fulfill my desires. I have been staying in B’lore since
the past 2 years and never have I gone out from my comfort zone, which in my
case is just staying at home, watching TV and doing some novel-reading, or
visiting various malls, which are the trademarks of India’s Silicon City. If I
have to give an excuse for this laid-back attitude of mine, I can say I didn't
have a traveling partner. Moreover, I am not that kind of person who loves
traveling alone because I need to share the moments with someone I love and
comfortable with. Earnest Hemingway said, "NEVER GO ON TRIPS WITH ANYONE YOU DO NOT LOVE." Most of all, I need someone who can click my pics all the
time :-P However, I really appreciate those solo travelers who have the guts to
travel alone and explore strange places. Hats off to them!
Getting
married (June, 2013) and having a husband, I found my traveling partner,
finally! Then the day came when we decided to start our first trip of exploring
South India, obviously South India because I am staying in B’lore currently.
So, our first destination was Coorg :-)
Coorg- the anglicized name of Kodagu is an administrative
district in Karnataka, India. The British planter
community was mostly Scots. It was they who affectionately called Coorg ‘The Scotland of India’
because of the many uncanny similarities. Since I have not been to Scotland, I
can’t really say in what ways these two places have uncanny similarities.
Moving
on, we booked bus tickets from the ksrtc website in advance. We need to have an
account to book bus tickets on this website. Next was to search for a good
place to stay. I started an “in-depth research” on various travel sites,
looking for a nice, comfortable but pocket-friendly place for many days. I
found this home stay known as Beehive in Ammathi town. The reviews for this were mostly
positive. My husband’s role in this planning was that he called up the owner of
this home stay for booking a bamboo cottage for two nights. Pretty reasonable
rate! I would like to add a word of caution here-Ammathi town is very far
from Madikere or Mercara, the principal town and
district capital, and other major tourist places. If one has transport vehicles
at their disposal, it won’t pose much of a problem. Anyway, all the major
tourist places in Coorg are separated by
approximately 10-20 kms from each other. The
only exception may be Raja’s Seat and Abbey Falls which are in Madikere. About Ammathi Town, it is a small and
quiet town, really ideal for some soul-searching, for whoever is interested.
:-)
We
took all the available transportation options :-D We commuted on
government and private buses, autos and taxis. Hell lot of an experience that
was!
I have
attached pics of the places we visited during the three days and two nights
visit. I like the view of sunset at Raja’s seat and the view of River Cauvery at Dubare Reserve Forest &
Elephant Camp. The Tibetan monastery at Byle Kuppe is also a nice place. But we have seen
several monasteries during our one-year stay in China, so this was a miniature
version for us. Still, the place was really worth-visiting. We missed some
places like Talacauvery & Bhagamandala and some temples. These
are all religious places though they offer some nice views.
Special
thanks goes to my hubby who untiringly took all the pics when I posed :-P The
credit goes to me as well since I gifted him with a Nikon DSLR 5100 camera on his B’day
:-D That was a real motivation for him to take my pics, I MUST SAY!
The
more I travel, the more I feel like sharing the experiences and the moments.
Through the pics, we want to relive those times when we could just enjoy the sights and
sounds of strange but beautiful places. During such times, we almost forget all
the pressures and tensions that are inevitably associated with this modern and
hectic day-to-day lifestyle. Enjoy the pics! :-)
