Was in Chennai for a day, then onto to Coorg.
The Coorg trip was especially good.
(Snaps from the trip can be found here and here)
Spent it at an adventure camp about 30km from Madikeri. It rained almost all the time. Was supposed to be an adventure but ended up being a relaxing weekend what with the rains not abating! We were 8 of us in a Tempo Traveller. So the journey was not too cramped or difficult as each person has enough space to stretch and sit around. Reached Virajpet at about 7 in the morning and then onwards directly to Jungle Mount Adventures near a place called Kakabbe. This base camp is right at the base of Thandiyendamol, the highest peak in Coorg. The Western Ghats lining the horizon was an awe-inspiring sight.
The owners of the base camp - Sagar and Bhavani - were pretty good hosts. The accommodation itself was pretty neat with cottage rooms (with attached bathrooms!) and a thatched hut. We passed on the hut since the rains had really brought a chill in the air.
After a leisurely breakfast, we just lay around the place. There was a river that flows right next to the camp where Sagar had put up a bamboo catamaran and a long strip of bamboo to walk on. Was fun to stand around on that. Since we didn't have much to do because of the rains, just walked around the fields. For some of us, it was an ideal opportunity to test out the digital cameras on the scenic surroundings. Then walked to a small waterfall-cum-rapids place where all of us generally jumped around on the rocks and water. Then we were back for lunch.
After a sumptuous lunch, we were ready to try out kayaking. This is where 2 people sit facing each other on a conical shaped boat and row in opposite directions to propel the boat. It was great fun to kayak in the rains. There was a good flow of water in the river and rowing was a pretty exciting though tiresome exercise.
After kayaking for about an hour, it was almost evening time and we just relaxed around. Then it was time for tea and snacks. As it was about to get dark, we set out on a night walk taking an aimless path. walked along the path which slowly turned into a ditch and finally ended at the bank of the river further upstream. By this time, it was completely dark and almost impossible to see anything. Luckily, we had borrowed torches from the camp helpers with which we could guide our way back to the comforts of the cottages. by now, it was raining cats and dogs. Reached back and Sagar was ready with some hot snacks which they had cooked from home. After that, the girls were playing antakshari while the guys cleaned up Sagar's stock of vodka and beer with the pakoras.
Then it was time for dinner which was had under lanterns as the rains had cut the power off. After a heavy dinner, it was time to retire and after the long walk, everyone almost immediately fell asleep. All night, the sound of pouring rains was the only sound we heard. Next morning, the level of water in the river had risen by almost 6 feet. The catamaran on which we had been standing the previous day had almost submerged and drifted to the middle of the river. It was pretty amazing to see the branches that we rowed under in the kayaks were now completely under water. After freshening up, we were ready to leave. After some customary photo sessions, we were off on our way again. It was past noon when we reached Madikeri and still raining hard. Had lunch at Athithi (they had a good buffet for Rs 30!), decided to skip Abbe Falls as it was no point in going in the rain.
We then proceeded onwards to Bylakuppe which is the largest settlement of Tibeteans in India. The Golden Temple is pretty awesome with all the extricate murals and sketchings on the walls.
And in all possible colors! And the three gold-plated 60-foot Buddha statues were a sight to look at! Spent quite a bit of time around here as the girls were never tired of shopping around the complex for various Tibetean artifacts! We finally left Bylakuppe at around 530 in the evening and then the next stop was the MTR for a late snacks-cum-dinner. Finally reached office at around 1115.
All in all, an unexpected relaxing weekend it was. The base camp was pretty good. Am sure to retun there once more after the monsoons for the rest of the activities like trekking, rock climbing etc, a lot of which is on offer by Jungle Mount. A pretty good and affordable outing place, this!
So this blog turned out to be a travelogue, albeit a bad one :-D
(More snaps from the trip can be found here and here)
This weekend was an all-spoty weekend with football, cricket, Formula-1 and tennis! I hate the West Indian tours because of the time difference. They just don't let me sleep! Now with football World Cup all month, my sleep quota is definitely falling like the Sensex in the past few days! And the electricity bills? Well they are almost competing with my fuel bills! And as usual, I am rooting for Argentina! They have always been my favorite ever since I started watching football and Maradona!
And as is my wont, here is a PJ I made up this weekend!
There is this girl who was first madly in love with Subba Rao. At that time she was all interested in the geeky nature of Rao. but slowly, later she was impressed by the flashy Delhi-ite Shyam Ahuja and broke off with Rao. There she found her true happiness, became Mrs Ahuja and lived happily ever after.
Whenever people speak of her love story, they always have a title for it. And that is...?
Subba se lekar Shyam tak!
Listening to lots of Himesh Reshammiya nowadyas. Donno why, but I relly like that guy's voice! God nose!! :-))
