Bombay Zeenat. Scowling Budhhas. And Rolex Monks.
The last hours of the year gone by saw me sprawled out on my mattress, the result of a relentless menu of chicken and chitra bannerjee's books. The first day of the new year saw me trudging through the deserted alleys of bylakuppe at 5 in the morning with my comrade in distress, Arun. And just to give you an idea, the next day saw me bumping around like a bag of apples in the last seat of the village bus squashed between shiny schoolkids and dusty farmers from madikeri.
I wanted to go around coorg, and what better way than to rough it out first thing in the new year. And thats how the first night of the new year saw me and Arun at the mysore road satellte bus stand,trying to keep awake and catch the 12 pm bus to kushalnagar (400 Rs for two). Why kushalnagar, because according to yours truly, that represents the staring point for anyone starting on a exploration of coorg and the sorrounding vistas. And that's how we endded up getting down in kushalnagar at 4 in the morning. We were greeted by sleepy dogs (of course), a bunch of quiet tibetans, and a bustling tea shop.
Three plastic cups of tea later, we were in an auto (Rs 50 for 4 kms) on the way to bylakuppe, which was where the tibetan monastery is located. We reached there under pitch bright moonlight. Fist order of business: find a public restroom and do the needful before entering the temples. And that posed a problem. The restroom at the back of the sole public accomodation in that place (a triple storeyed lodge facing the monastery, with stores in the ground floor) opened at 8 am, which meant that we had to literally cool our heels for three hours until we could commence with the first task of the day.
8.30 am: ..phew!! and here we are, in the monastery. First order of the day: Food and drink. We decided to skip the usual and dropped into the canteen, this one not your usual run of the mill canteen. This one serves authentic tibetan cuisine at reasonable prices (anyone coming from bangalore will find the prices..reasonable tosay the least). So the main course at the breakfast was this unique marriage of a bhatura with a ommelette that resulted in a thick pancake of hyper cholestrolic proportions, not that i minded. In fact, it was one of the most delicious and filling foods i have ever had the pleasure to eat. Strange was the fact we were the only two non-residents in the canteen. In fact, all during the visit, i didn't see even a single tourist in the canteen. Hey, what's the use of travelling to new places if you aren't going to sample the local flavour? Well anyway, we were spared incessant touristy chatter at least. It was more fun to watch the lamas doing their thing, having fun with their mates, and just being themselves. Not much different from us actually in our haunts.
Next on the agenda, a black stone statue of the Buddha, and on towards the next leg of the tour. We landed up at this place called Nisargadhama, main attractions: a heavily wooded park, with suspension bridges from the sets of Indiana Jones, Elephant rides atop resigned looking tuskers, and yes, the high point, the Kaveri river all to yourself. A little deep into the woods, and you will come across little gates in the wire fence bordering the river flowing through the park. If you are lucky, or if you are the ones reaching first, you will have a large stretch of the river and the rocks all to yoruself. Not a bad way to spend a afternoon.
Two hours later we were in Madikeri, having traveleld there in a Rajahamsa from Kushalnagar bus stand. Lunch followed. In a hotel called Bombay Zeenat. Name apart, never knew one could get such a authentic Kerala thakkukada experience in Karnataka. The menu was mallu, the management doubly so. In fact, as i remember now, the gentleman who took our order was closer to the bollywood-enforced image of the uptight military officer than being a head waiter at a hotel called Bombay Zeenat. By the waym, the hotel is located bang opposite the ramp as you climb out of the Madikeri bus stand.
This is where we, as we thought about it a few hours later, committed our biggest mistake of the trip. After getting the requisite information from the General, we decided that next on the menu should be a trip to the Aby falls and Talakaveri. What we had to decide was which one first. Thing is, we didnt want to stay in Madikeri overnight. Not much to do in that quaint town after dusk anyway. So it was a toss between discovering the origin of the Kaveri, or well.. the Aby falls. As fate and a case of twisted minds would have it, we ended up in a town bus on the way to a quaint little village called bhagamandala. The trip took us through what seemed like a unending landscape of coffee andwhat-not plantations, really good looking hill people, beautifully set cottages and a countryside that seemed quite like the part of kerala where i come from. Almost everyone spoke malayalam, so gettin around was no problem. The bus ride, to say the least was a revelation to this part of the country. bangalore,with all its seemingly self importance seemed so far away. In another world. Here i was, bouncing like a basket of jackfruit on thh backseat of Dhanalakshmi Travels, going to some place where i had never been, sandwiched between the conductor and cricket bat wielding school boys, and enjoying watching a whole experience unfold in front of me. It's true that sometimes the journey is more fun part.
Bhagamandala is a place that invites one to spread out the bags and lie down below the skies. And that's what we did, after coming back from Talakaveri that is. The bus took about 3 hours or so (i was sleeping most of the time). We got down in that little hamlet, had a cuppa tea, and hired the services of a young man and his auto to reach Talakaveri at the top of the hill (3 kms away, Auto hire: 50 Rs). For someone used to Bangalore's criminal auto fares, u might take some time to get used to the Pinch-me-i'm-dreaming fares here in the hinterland. Anyway, we took off in the auto, climbing through multiple hairpin curves and some of the most gorgeous scenery in the trip so far (which is saying much). If i remeber, we actually got down in the middle of the climb, and took a few snaps at a milepost that told us that we were 3000 feet (or was it metres) above sea level. The view of the hills and Bhagamandala, from there was something that you wish you could carry it back to Bangalore.
Needless to say, Talakaveri was a ...umm..dissapointment. Maybe i was expecting someting too grand and magnificent, given our religion's emphasis on grandness and using size to convey the magnitude of devotion towards our gods. But apartt from the view of the sorrounding hills, Talakaveri to me didn't measure much. There was a sad looking nandi head from where a wee stream of water flowed, which i am told, is where Kaveri spurts from. The nandi head, incidentally was sorrounded by coins, visiting cards, call taxi operator cards, and even currecny notes of all colors nad dimensions. In the water mind you. Not much to see here, unless you are in desperate need of some divine benediction. In which cse, Sage Agastya's Temple in the complex will offer you what you need. Moving on...
I wanted to go around coorg, and what better way than to rough it out first thing in the new year. And thats how the first night of the new year saw me and Arun at the mysore road satellte bus stand,trying to keep awake and catch the 12 pm bus to kushalnagar (400 Rs for two). Why kushalnagar, because according to yours truly, that represents the staring point for anyone starting on a exploration of coorg and the sorrounding vistas. And that's how we endded up getting down in kushalnagar at 4 in the morning. We were greeted by sleepy dogs (of course), a bunch of quiet tibetans, and a bustling tea shop.
Three plastic cups of tea later, we were in an auto (Rs 50 for 4 kms) on the way to bylakuppe, which was where the tibetan monastery is located. We reached there under pitch bright moonlight. Fist order of business: find a public restroom and do the needful before entering the temples. And that posed a problem. The restroom at the back of the sole public accomodation in that place (a triple storeyed lodge facing the monastery, with stores in the ground floor) opened at 8 am, which meant that we had to literally cool our heels for three hours until we could commence with the first task of the day.
8.30 am: ..phew!! and here we are, in the monastery. First order of the day: Food and drink. We decided to skip the usual and dropped into the canteen, this one not your usual run of the mill canteen. This one serves authentic tibetan cuisine at reasonable prices (anyone coming from bangalore will find the prices..reasonable tosay the least). So the main course at the breakfast was this unique marriage of a bhatura with a ommelette that resulted in a thick pancake of hyper cholestrolic proportions, not that i minded. In fact, it was one of the most delicious and filling foods i have ever had the pleasure to eat. Strange was the fact we were the only two non-residents in the canteen. In fact, all during the visit, i didn't see even a single tourist in the canteen. Hey, what's the use of travelling to new places if you aren't going to sample the local flavour? Well anyway, we were spared incessant touristy chatter at least. It was more fun to watch the lamas doing their thing, having fun with their mates, and just being themselves. Not much different from us actually in our haunts.
Next on the agenda, a black stone statue of the Buddha, and on towards the next leg of the tour. We landed up at this place called Nisargadhama, main attractions: a heavily wooded park, with suspension bridges from the sets of Indiana Jones, Elephant rides atop resigned looking tuskers, and yes, the high point, the Kaveri river all to yourself. A little deep into the woods, and you will come across little gates in the wire fence bordering the river flowing through the park. If you are lucky, or if you are the ones reaching first, you will have a large stretch of the river and the rocks all to yoruself. Not a bad way to spend a afternoon.
Two hours later we were in Madikeri, having traveleld there in a Rajahamsa from Kushalnagar bus stand. Lunch followed. In a hotel called Bombay Zeenat. Name apart, never knew one could get such a authentic Kerala thakkukada experience in Karnataka. The menu was mallu, the management doubly so. In fact, as i remember now, the gentleman who took our order was closer to the bollywood-enforced image of the uptight military officer than being a head waiter at a hotel called Bombay Zeenat. By the waym, the hotel is located bang opposite the ramp as you climb out of the Madikeri bus stand.
This is where we, as we thought about it a few hours later, committed our biggest mistake of the trip. After getting the requisite information from the General, we decided that next on the menu should be a trip to the Aby falls and Talakaveri. What we had to decide was which one first. Thing is, we didnt want to stay in Madikeri overnight. Not much to do in that quaint town after dusk anyway. So it was a toss between discovering the origin of the Kaveri, or well.. the Aby falls. As fate and a case of twisted minds would have it, we ended up in a town bus on the way to a quaint little village called bhagamandala. The trip took us through what seemed like a unending landscape of coffee andwhat-not plantations, really good looking hill people, beautifully set cottages and a countryside that seemed quite like the part of kerala where i come from. Almost everyone spoke malayalam, so gettin around was no problem. The bus ride, to say the least was a revelation to this part of the country. bangalore,with all its seemingly self importance seemed so far away. In another world. Here i was, bouncing like a basket of jackfruit on thh backseat of Dhanalakshmi Travels, going to some place where i had never been, sandwiched between the conductor and cricket bat wielding school boys, and enjoying watching a whole experience unfold in front of me. It's true that sometimes the journey is more fun part.
Bhagamandala is a place that invites one to spread out the bags and lie down below the skies. And that's what we did, after coming back from Talakaveri that is. The bus took about 3 hours or so (i was sleeping most of the time). We got down in that little hamlet, had a cuppa tea, and hired the services of a young man and his auto to reach Talakaveri at the top of the hill (3 kms away, Auto hire: 50 Rs). For someone used to Bangalore's criminal auto fares, u might take some time to get used to the Pinch-me-i'm-dreaming fares here in the hinterland. Anyway, we took off in the auto, climbing through multiple hairpin curves and some of the most gorgeous scenery in the trip so far (which is saying much). If i remeber, we actually got down in the middle of the climb, and took a few snaps at a milepost that told us that we were 3000 feet (or was it metres) above sea level. The view of the hills and Bhagamandala, from there was something that you wish you could carry it back to Bangalore.
Needless to say, Talakaveri was a ...umm..dissapointment. Maybe i was expecting someting too grand and magnificent, given our religion's emphasis on grandness and using size to convey the magnitude of devotion towards our gods. But apartt from the view of the sorrounding hills, Talakaveri to me didn't measure much. There was a sad looking nandi head from where a wee stream of water flowed, which i am told, is where Kaveri spurts from. The nandi head, incidentally was sorrounded by coins, visiting cards, call taxi operator cards, and even currecny notes of all colors nad dimensions. In the water mind you. Not much to see here, unless you are in desperate need of some divine benediction. In which cse, Sage Agastya's Temple in the complex will offer you what you need. Moving on...
Comments
On a serious note rohit...i envy of u travelling to such beautiful locations...if only i wud hv nt lft blore and U(to othr readers we r nt gays..lolzz) ......damn i miss those days yaar...i wish they can come back....anyways keep gng like this and is luking frwrd fr further blogs of urs and hopefully they wl b as intrstng as the prvs ones....best of luck.