Travelogue || Coorg
Trip Trivia
Dates: 15th July-17th July 2005
Destination: Coorg
Distance: 738 Km
This was a weekend trip that was as precisely timed as it could get! For once, we were able to predict schedules and arival times well in advance and stick to them with an efficiency that has seldom been achieved, and this was not at the cost of forgoing the groups core ethics: "Relaxation".
But lets start at the very beginning, which, as we have been reminded by that delightful song in 'The Sound of Music' , is a very good place to start. The previous week was spent in deliberating the constituents of the trip, and , of course, the destination. Sumo regretfully opted out, citing work, and Paddy's non involvement in this and future trips was becoming more of a certainity. It was left to old warriors Nagul and your's truly to keep the Pythagonals flag flying, in which worthy cause we were joined ably by the latest enterant Koushik. Considering the increment of the steering committee to two, Coorg won over the other contender Yercaud as the destination of choice.
Friday evening saw the trio leave Bangalore towards the night halt Mysore. Previous experiences of late night hotel hunting prompted us to reserve rooms at Hotel Siddhartha, a cozy , not too expensive hotel bang in the city center.
The drive was mostly non eventful, save some small skirmishes Koushik had with Kanakpura road during his time at the wheel. A road block caused by a procession in Mysore ensured we entered Siddhartha at the stroke of 11 PM, which was the preordained time of arrival. As usual, all eateries and the hotel restaurant had shut down for the day, so we set out to the bus stand for our usual midnight repast at the various thelas. This time , however, the Mysore Bus Stand Canteen provided succour to our famished tummies, and, after the usual games of cards (It was Go Fish Version 2.1this time) it was bed time.
First glimpse of Tibetan architecture
The entrance to the Nyingmapa Monastery
Departure next morning was at an expected 9.30 AM. and a smooth drive later, we entered the first destination of the day: The Golden Temple at the Tibetan Settlement at Bylekuppe.
The main building of the monastery
The three Buddhas: Padmasambhava, Shakyamuni, Amitayus
I have been here quite a few times before, and yet everytime the place takes my breath away. Once into the neat and orderly settlement, it is easy to forget that we are in South India. There were prayer flags fluttering everywhere, and stupas and temples peeped over the trees all around us. The golden temple is truly awe inspiring, and the huge main hall inspires even the most garrulous human to a moment of shocked jaw dropped silence.
The huge gold-plated statues
The 60 ft gold plated statues of the Buddha, Amitayus and Padmasambhava are complemented with 3 sets of magnificient frescos , each a storey high which ring the hall.
The fresco-adorned interiors of the monastery
Some of the many frescos adorning the place
Shutterbug Nagul went beserk here, and we had to pull him away, but not before he had procured the numbrs of the local guest house.
The bridge across Nisargadhama
Turgid waters flowing underneath
The guardian deity
The next halt was Nisargadhama, a lovely , forested man made island in the cauvery, just before it left Coorg to enter Mysore district. Even though it was a Saturday, we were blessed with the absense of crowds, and took a relaxed walk around the island, with the pleasant sound of the Cauvery flowing besides us. The place is , truly , Nisargadhama: Nature place.
The Harangi Reservoir
Just a few kilometers away was Harangi Dam and resevoir, which was our next destination. The reservoir was full to the brim, a sight we have never seen before. The top of the dam offers unparalled views of the landscape around, a truly fulfilling sight.
In and around the dam
Having scored 3/3 for the day, the team left towards Madikeri, the capital of Coorg with a feeling of complete satisfaction albeit a hole in the tummy. We were in Madikeri by 4.45 PM, and, by stroke of luck, had checked to the Hotel Raj Darshan by 5.30 PM.
Raja's Seat
View from Raja's Seat
Mist-laden landscape around Raja's Seat
The lovely hotel is just across the road from Raja Seat, just off the main town and overlooks the rest of the town. A quiet evening was spent in watching the sunset (or imagining it-with the clouds and the mist) at Raja Seat, a delightful viewpoint overlooking rolling hills and the road to Mangalore. Then began the usual game sessions and this time 5-3-2 ruled. A special mention must be made here of Koushik's extraordinary run of luck and my extraordinary lack of it, and only some deft manouvering in conjunction with Nagul ensured I was able to stay on in the game. Thus ended a highly satisfying day.
Long-exposure night-time shot from the Hotel
Mist causing the light to diffuse
All those games had taken their toll, and it was pretty late in the day when we work up next morning. However some quick rearguard action saw us off by 9:30 A.M. towards Talacauvery.
Talacauvery
The landscape from Madikeri to Bhagmandala is quintessential Coorg, with coffee estates on both sidesof the undulating hills punctuated with trees with the pepper creepers all over. The sun, which played hide and seek for quite a while, decided to take a rain check for some time.
Bhagmandala town , some 8 km before Talacauvery, is a quaint one road town with its claim to fame being the Sangam of the Cauvery with Kannike and Sujyothi. From here the road ascends sharply towards Talacauvery, and the vegetation changes to Shola.
Drive up to the temple in near zero visibility
This steep ascent meant that within no time , we were amidst the clouds. Visibility on the curvy ghat road was down to within five feet, and we had to literally inch our way up, at one point having to stop and ask which side the road was!
The temple
Ruins around the temple
The small temple looked surreal in all the mist, and since the weather had ensured that the climbs up the steps to the peak was ruled out, we spent our time pottering around the temple.
Now began the drive across the district to Nagarhole. The route led us through Virajpet, Gonikoppal and Kutta, a good 100+ km from Talacauvery. The scenery was magnificient, the road was not. However, we made good time and managed to enter Nagarhole by 4.30.
Through the drenched forest
The road through nagarhole is narrower than the one through Bandipur, and is hemmed in by the forest. This was one of the few times when we didnt see any wildlife other than the usual spotted deer, but the verdant forest more than made up for it.
On the drive back
A sedate drive back ensured we were back in Bangalore by 10 PM, as planned.
Dates: 15th July-17th July 2005
Destination: Coorg
Distance: 738 Km
This was a weekend trip that was as precisely timed as it could get! For once, we were able to predict schedules and arival times well in advance and stick to them with an efficiency that has seldom been achieved, and this was not at the cost of forgoing the groups core ethics: "Relaxation".
But lets start at the very beginning, which, as we have been reminded by that delightful song in 'The Sound of Music' , is a very good place to start. The previous week was spent in deliberating the constituents of the trip, and , of course, the destination. Sumo regretfully opted out, citing work, and Paddy's non involvement in this and future trips was becoming more of a certainity. It was left to old warriors Nagul and your's truly to keep the Pythagonals flag flying, in which worthy cause we were joined ably by the latest enterant Koushik. Considering the increment of the steering committee to two, Coorg won over the other contender Yercaud as the destination of choice.
Friday evening saw the trio leave Bangalore towards the night halt Mysore. Previous experiences of late night hotel hunting prompted us to reserve rooms at Hotel Siddhartha, a cozy , not too expensive hotel bang in the city center.
The drive was mostly non eventful, save some small skirmishes Koushik had with Kanakpura road during his time at the wheel. A road block caused by a procession in Mysore ensured we entered Siddhartha at the stroke of 11 PM, which was the preordained time of arrival. As usual, all eateries and the hotel restaurant had shut down for the day, so we set out to the bus stand for our usual midnight repast at the various thelas. This time , however, the Mysore Bus Stand Canteen provided succour to our famished tummies, and, after the usual games of cards (It was Go Fish Version 2.1this time) it was bed time.
First glimpse of Tibetan architecture
The entrance to the Nyingmapa Monastery
Departure next morning was at an expected 9.30 AM. and a smooth drive later, we entered the first destination of the day: The Golden Temple at the Tibetan Settlement at Bylekuppe.
The main building of the monastery
The three Buddhas: Padmasambhava, Shakyamuni, Amitayus
I have been here quite a few times before, and yet everytime the place takes my breath away. Once into the neat and orderly settlement, it is easy to forget that we are in South India. There were prayer flags fluttering everywhere, and stupas and temples peeped over the trees all around us. The golden temple is truly awe inspiring, and the huge main hall inspires even the most garrulous human to a moment of shocked jaw dropped silence.
The huge gold-plated statues
The 60 ft gold plated statues of the Buddha, Amitayus and Padmasambhava are complemented with 3 sets of magnificient frescos , each a storey high which ring the hall.
The fresco-adorned interiors of the monastery
Some of the many frescos adorning the place
Shutterbug Nagul went beserk here, and we had to pull him away, but not before he had procured the numbrs of the local guest house.
The bridge across Nisargadhama
Turgid waters flowing underneath
The guardian deity
The next halt was Nisargadhama, a lovely , forested man made island in the cauvery, just before it left Coorg to enter Mysore district. Even though it was a Saturday, we were blessed with the absense of crowds, and took a relaxed walk around the island, with the pleasant sound of the Cauvery flowing besides us. The place is , truly , Nisargadhama: Nature place.
The Harangi Reservoir
Just a few kilometers away was Harangi Dam and resevoir, which was our next destination. The reservoir was full to the brim, a sight we have never seen before. The top of the dam offers unparalled views of the landscape around, a truly fulfilling sight.
In and around the dam
Raja's Seat
View from Raja's Seat
Mist-laden landscape around Raja's Seat
The lovely hotel is just across the road from Raja Seat, just off the main town and overlooks the rest of the town. A quiet evening was spent in watching the sunset (or imagining it-with the clouds and the mist) at Raja Seat, a delightful viewpoint overlooking rolling hills and the road to Mangalore. Then began the usual game sessions and this time 5-3-2 ruled. A special mention must be made here of Koushik's extraordinary run of luck and my extraordinary lack of it, and only some deft manouvering in conjunction with Nagul ensured I was able to stay on in the game. Thus ended a highly satisfying day.
Long-exposure night-time shot from the Hotel
Mist causing the light to diffuse
All those games had taken their toll, and it was pretty late in the day when we work up next morning. However some quick rearguard action saw us off by 9:30 A.M. towards Talacauvery.
Talacauvery
The landscape from Madikeri to Bhagmandala is quintessential Coorg, with coffee estates on both sidesof the undulating hills punctuated with trees with the pepper creepers all over. The sun, which played hide and seek for quite a while, decided to take a rain check for some time.
Bhagmandala town , some 8 km before Talacauvery, is a quaint one road town with its claim to fame being the Sangam of the Cauvery with Kannike and Sujyothi. From here the road ascends sharply towards Talacauvery, and the vegetation changes to Shola.
Drive up to the temple in near zero visibility
This steep ascent meant that within no time , we were amidst the clouds. Visibility on the curvy ghat road was down to within five feet, and we had to literally inch our way up, at one point having to stop and ask which side the road was!
The temple
Ruins around the temple
The small temple looked surreal in all the mist, and since the weather had ensured that the climbs up the steps to the peak was ruled out, we spent our time pottering around the temple.
Now began the drive across the district to Nagarhole. The route led us through Virajpet, Gonikoppal and Kutta, a good 100+ km from Talacauvery. The scenery was magnificient, the road was not. However, we made good time and managed to enter Nagarhole by 4.30.
Through the drenched forest
The road through nagarhole is narrower than the one through Bandipur, and is hemmed in by the forest. This was one of the few times when we didnt see any wildlife other than the usual spotted deer, but the verdant forest more than made up for it.
On the drive back
A sedate drive back ensured we were back in Bangalore by 10 PM, as planned.
posted by Pawan @ Wednesday, July 20, 2005
3 Comments:
*envious*
--sumo
#@%$&%*!
(envious)
#@%$&%* & $%&#^@& &* &*@#%#%!
(envious & my morning is ruined!)
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