I have been planning a trip to a river bed with my toddler for some time now. But my stupid weekend XLRI classes just kept precluding the possibility for quite some months.
Finally got the weekend for myself. I had zeroed in on Mekedatu after following the popular thread on team-bhp -
Day trip - Bangalore - Mekedatu - Bangalore
We started at 9:00AM. The weather was inviting and bangalore traffic was surprisingly lean. I haven't taken any pictures untill we reached Sangam. The gusty winds, a partially cloudy sky, the beautiful SH86/NH209, and Michael Jackson music playing at a volume just enough to make me feel that the roar of FFE is part of the background score - was too much for me to stop and take any pictures. Damn the pictures, just enjoy the drive: my heart kept on saying.
I had actually hoped to cross Kaveri by foot as I wanted my son to be able to play at the river bed. But the pictures in our popular thread are from March and April. This is July and monsoon was in full flow. All my hopes of enjoying at the river bed were dashed when I had this view of Sangam...
Sangam is where river Arkavathy meets Kaveri. Arkavathy, rising from Nandi hill region flows thru Bangalore Rural and finally meets Kaveri. It has two reservoirs built over its course including the popular Hasserghatta Reservoir. I hope one day we will be able to enjoy clean waters of this river in Bangalore as it flows from the north east border. To know why all Bangloreans be concerned with this subsidiary of Kaveri, please follow this link... http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.or...s/Akravati.pdf
As we were out there to enjoy the serene environment of Kaveri Wildlife Sanctuary, we decided to trek from Sangam. I also thought that my son will enjoy more while exploring the greens around. More benign travellers can take a ride in the bus or jeep run by the forest department. Many travelogue writers have complained about long waiting time for the bus due to lack of sufficient passengers. But today was a different day. There were two buses and two jeeps continuously plying the route.
Although I was not sure how my son would take it, but he behaved beyond my expectations. He wouldn't allowed us to carry him for almost 3 kilometers. He started enjoying his first trek from the word go.
The sight and the roar of river Kaveri were our constant companions during the trek.
We decided to walk closer to the river bed...
And play around a little...
My son still wanted to walk himself although he was wet waist down...
Finally he gave up and wanted to be with his grandfather...
But Mekedatu was just round the corner.
The beatiful view of River Kaveri at Mekedatu...
Actually the Tamil Nadu border is just meters away from Mekedatu. The cattle in this region is also very Tamil Naduish...
.
And as Kaveri enters Tamil Nadu.
We took the steps and reached the river bed.
To be continued...