[arindambasu13]

My first travelogue, and therefore I shall keep it short and sweet.

Well, the Yuletide spirit overflowing amongst all and sundry, I decided to make the most of the bonhomie and coax my twin horned spike-tailed Boss to let me get away from office for three days. Coorg beckoned. Its another matter that its been beckoning for eons, and that I have never got around to getting there..but whatever it was, I was packed and ready at 4 am on Christmas day, with my girlfriend in tow. I happen to be one of those lucky few who have a better half whos almost as passionate about the open road and cars as me, so she was as enthusiastic about the trip as I was. The mandatory car servicing and tank up had been done a couple of days earlier, and we hit the Mysore highway by 5 am. No traffic, no loud horns, no irritating bikes and autos to deal with. As the famous poet has said, if there be a paradise on earth, it is this, it is this it is this!

The early morning drive was a breeze, literally, as the cool wind just soothed the jangled mass of nerves that we all become in the midst of our daily grind. We stopped at the Coffee Day just before Mandya for a breakfast, since Kamat at Ramanagaram was still to wake up when we crossed it. Hot coffee, a beautiful view of the sunrise from the 2nd floor CCD, and a beautiful lady to share the moment with. Mesmerising, to say the least.

A half hour stop there, and off our juggernaut was again. My plan was to maintain a steady speed of 80-90 kmph consistently, instead of pushing the car to over 100, as I am wont to do on these drives. SO the journey was that much more comfortable and serene, and not frenetic, with no sudden braking or wild convolutions of the wheel. Soon enough, we were on the KRS/Ranganathitu road and crossed the 20 odd kms to find ourselves on butter smooth roads to Hunsur starting at Ilawala. The rest of the way to Madikeri was smooth sailing, except for the last 40 kms of so which pass through Kushalnagar and there on to Madikeri. On the way we stopped over at Cauvery Nisargadhama and the Golden Temple at Bylakuppe.Nice and green was Nisargadhama, with the Cauvery rippling across the shady bamboo glades. Nice.

I had booked at Hotel Capitol Village, relying on BHPians who had stayed there earlier, and gosh, wasn’t it a superb place. 5kms down the winding road to Siddapur, and in the midst of acres and acres of solitude, greenery, coffee plantations, bright flowers and tranquility. I do not exaggerate when I state that one can easily stay put inside the resort and not go anywhere, when one is on a holiday to Coorg. It is a personification of succor. The rooms are basic, but large, spacious and very clean. The view from the balcony was also breathtaking, and I spent a lot of time sitting on the armchair on the balcony, with a cup of brilliant Coorgi coffee and a smoke, basking in the warm sun and spending some quality time with my better half..

My idea of a holiday is not to categorize different periods of the day into where we must go and what we must see. It is more about enjoying the place, and not compulsory tourism, so I missed out on a lot of places people generally se. The places that I did see were Talacauvery () and Dubare elephant camp. Talacauvery is a breathtaking drive, lovely roads from Madikeri after the first 5-6 kms. Winding ghat roads, twisting like a snake through the countryside. About 50 odd kms from Madikeri, culminating in the point where the Cauvery originates. We did not enter the temple, since we were not fond of the huge crowds throging the place. The drive in itself was hugely satisfying. Both the days we were back at the resort by about 8, and in the meantime managed to scout around Madikeri town as well. Dinner on one of the days was at East End, which seems to be the only big restaurant in Madikeri, dserving good food, but the people take their own sweet time in getting the food. Really laid back, which was a problem only because I was really hughry that day. Kodava air and water makes a cavern out of my gastronomy.

Morning dawns on the 27th December, and its time for a lazy breakfast of eggs, toast, poori and sabji, and freshly brewed coffee, sitting in the dining hall of the resort which in itself offers much by way of a panoramic view of the hills and greenery all around. Lovely way to enjoy your food and forget about the calories sneaking their way into your anatomy
We left around 11, drove through the Madikeri Siddapur Road which is a narrow, winding and picture perfect road, and stopped at Dubare elephant camp for a short while. From then onwards it was a non-stop drive straight to Bangy, and this time the route was better since it bypassed a lot of the bad roads leading to Madikeri.

Home at 5.30 in the evening, with some beautiful snaps on the cam to cherish the memories with. Coorg. The land of unspoilt beauty, breathtaking panorama, and surreal driving opportunities. Highly recommended.

Total of about 680 kms driven. Vehicle used was my M800, and mileage obtained about 19 kmpl. A salute to my car, she handled the indifferent roads so beautifully, that I hav to doff my hat to her indomitable spirit J

[arindambasu13]

Some pics from Coorg.....

[arindambasu13]

some more pics from kodava land

[arindambasu13]

pics, pics and more pics...enjoy!!

[arindambasu13]

more pics...coming in instalments

[snaronikar]

Nice travelogue and good pics. Was wondering after reading travelogue in which car you went to Coorg? It was clarified after I saw your pic. ;-)

Couple fo queries...how much time you take while going and while coming back, what about the route you have taken and what is the rate of the lodging there.

Keep the pics flowing...

[arindambasu13]

The car was my trusty 800, its done about 24k kms, and handled the roqads beautifully.
Time taken was approximately 6 hours both ways. It took quite a while longer while going, since we stopped frequently for photos, te/smoke breaks and just to savour the great views the route had to offer. ALso I maintained a max speed of 80-90, and on the bad roads it was about 30-40.
Rates at the resort are very reasonable, about 1300 bucks for a really big double room, with a balcony and clean and spacious toilets. All in all, a good deal. Breakfast -Rs.75 and Dinner-Rs.100, both buffets, and vegetarian. Non-veg has to be ordered separately.

[arindambasu13]

The Pics Flowing

[unni.ak]

Loved your writing style, especially the description of your boss!!!

Looking forward to more, if not in this travelogue, in the trips you are yet to make.

[arindambasu13]

Thanks Unni Yes there would be more to come, in fact did a trip to Bandipur early this year, but my inherent sloth like nature forbade me to get down to the keyboard and type out a travelogue. He he!
Yes, bosses are a different species altogether, tyranny being their middle name, and Satan being one of their forefathers at some point in their lineage Forgive me, I speak from months of being associated with such a boss. Nicer bosses, ignore maadi!

[snaronikar]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Yes, bosses are a different species altogether, tyranny being their middle name, and Satan being one of their forefathers at some point in their lineage Forgive me, I speak from months of being associated with such a boss. Nicer bosses, ignore maadi!

But all bosses are not like these, Basu. I'am in the category of nicer bosses (so says my team)...hence ignored.

[arindambasu13]

He he...am sure you are the nicer kind man...I said that purely in jest Hope you liked the pics. Kept them flowing as you had asked!

[JK Rao]

wonderful desc basu. 2 years back i had made a trip to nagarahole, kutta and wynad. stayed at a home stay in kutta. the real problem was with the food. vegetarians get less choice and especially if you are choosy you might have to make good with bakery items.

[arindambasu13]

@JK : Thanks man..yes youre right the culinary options are indeed somewhat limited, but then I am a true blue bong and therefore a die hard non veggie, so I had at my disposal lots of non veg stuff. No complaints on that front!

[arsudarsan]

Coorg is definitely one of the most beautiful places to visit. I had gone there a couple of years back along with our team. We were about 20 ppl. Here is a travelogue of that written back then.

Arindam - You have some terrific writing skills.