It was the marriage of Yogesh's sister on Friday, 19th June, 1998 in Bangalore. Vemuri (Vems) and Deepa were coming from Madras and Vijai from Tiruppur. How better to make their visit more exciting than a picnic on the weekend?
Thus it was that the morning of Saturday, 20th June found us up at the unearthly hour of 3 AM, getting ready for the trip ahead. While we were scheduled to start at 4 AM, it got delayed by 45 minutes as the alarm clock fought a losing battle with Nagi! We started off at 4.45 AM from Bangalore - the seven of us - myself, Nagaraj (Nagi), Shakku and Jemma, besides the above three.
We were going in a Tata Sumo and the number was just right - with the luggage filling up the remaining space. The early morning traffic was sparse and we made good progress.
We stopped to have breakfast in Hotel Amaravathi on the Bangalore - Mysore route around 7.15 AM. (I believe we were the first customers that day!) The guys played Sherlock and Mycroft trying to figure out more about a couple (to be precise the lady), who entered soon after.
We "bye-passed" Mysore and soon entered Coorg. Now Coorg is not a hill station by itself, like Ootty or Kodaikanal. It is the name of a district (locally it is called Kodagu). The district headquarters and the hill-station is Madikeri. We had another halt, for tea at Hotel Annapoorna around 10 AM. (This had a Mallu proprietor!) We found a few peacocks in the clearing in front of the Hotel and a turkey - the entire bunch "shouting" at the top of their voices!
For "on board" entertainment, we played songs on the car stereo and "critiqued" them. The songs started with a Krishna devotional (the cassette was changed after 2 songs - before all hell broke loose!), and included among others, a ghazal by Jagjith and Chitra Singh. Vijai found things getting worse after each cassette and reconciled himself to making the ghazals as his "favourite"!
In addition, there was always Nagi, with his "ready wit for all occasions"! He pointed to the first girl walking down the road and said that she was a Kodavi/Coorgi or whatever! But if that was so, then they are an endangered species for I hardly found similar ones!!!
We stopped at a scenic spot on the way to take the first of several photographs. It began raining and we had to run back to the Sumo. (The monsoon season having begun, the weather was very "pleasant" throughout our journey - the sky was overcast and at times it drizzled)
As we neared Kushal Nagar (a small town on the way), we began to see many Tibetans monks(?)/llamas in their traditional attire (the orange and red dress). It was really surprising to find so many of them, so much so that I've taken down the place name - it is Bylakuppe. We saw Tibetan Hotels, cultural societies, besides some of the folks in bikes and four-wheelers. A clean-shaven llama with a Ray-ban on his nose, and a Yamaha under him, can give Jackie Chan a run for his money!
Our first sight-seeing spot was Nisarga Dhama. (Now, don't ask me what it means! I don't know)
It is a bamboo jungle (which means, what it means - a jungle almost entirely full of bamboo trees). It is an island and you have to cross a Hanging Bridge to reach it. There are two hanging bridges - one of them made entirely of iron/steel, while the other (an older one, I guess), partly of wood.
When we went, it wasn't too crowded, so we had a nice and peaceful walk through the "forest" (if I may be permitted to call it that!). There were a few huts on the treetops, besides several benches to sit - all fashioned out of bamboos. On the other side was a stream, flowing over rocks (Puliyamcholai style, but more beautiful and bountiful). It was indeed a lovely place for a bath. If we had known about this earlier, we could have come prepared, but as it was, we made do with bathing our feet! (Also, we thought we might have a chance at Abbi Falls or Thalai Kaveri, which were part of our agenda)
As we walked around the place, we saw the llamas making their way to the stream, in groups, to have bath. After a while, we got back to the entrance. The sole menu in the canteen at that time (around noon) was bread omelette (thankfully, there was no "pure" vegetarian amidst us - Vems being a "hybrid" case!). There was a small park nearby too, where the girls indulged themselves in reviving their childhood antics.
Off we were to the next sightseeing spot - the Harangi dam. It is only 20 minutes from Nisarga Dhama. The dam is huge (comparable to Mettur Dam), but there was not much water. It was nice to walk over the dam, with a heavy wind blowing across. As you stand at the edge and look down at the water, you are almost drawn to it.
The route to Madikeri is very scenic - with lots of coffee plantations, though the only person to enjoy it was me, the others taking a nap!. There is no steep climb (by which I mean hair-pin bends and all that), though it is pretty high.
We reached Madikeri around 3 PM and headed straight to the Abbi Falls (it was cloudy and drizzled occasionally and we thought we'll finish seeing the Falls before it became too dark). (By the way, I don't know who this Abbi is!)
The Falls is not visible from the road. A long winding path (a private property) lead to it. Abbi Falls is not huge, but big. The water splits into three parts and "falls"! We have to make do with seeing the Falls from behind a railing about 20 metres from it. (Though you can go down a bit, you can't get close to the Falls except by crossing the stream and doing some small trekking). We spent some time savouring the sight (as well as disposing off, some of the eatables) before walking back. We found a large open grassy space close to the Falls and got caught in a sudden downpour as we stood there.
We decided to find some room for the night and stopped at Hotel Fort View. We got two rooms - one a "Family Room" with TV and 3 beds (for the four guys) and a double room for the girls. The TV and the clean look of the rooms made the decision for us. It was 5.30 PM now and what better thing to do than watch Tom and Jerry on Cartoon Network!!! (I know, you must be thinking - a bunch of nuts - going all the way to Coorg to watch some stupid cartoon in a hotel!)
Having missed a "proper" lunch, we decided to do justice to dinner. So we set off. It was drizzling, but the girls had got 2 umbrellas. (Yeah - girls are after all, girls!) It was pleasantly cold and we reached Hotel Chitra around 7.30 PM. There was a near unanimity on a round of drinks before food (the sole teetotallar in our midst being Vems, who is however not averse to giving a company with a glass of Coke). Nagi having extolled the "magical" taste of Maribu, we commenced the dinner on a "high" note.
The dinner was protracted with the diners exhibiting an almost insatiable appetite (a la Obelix and co?) and when finally the Bill was paid it was 9.30 PM!
The walk back to the Hotel was also made in a drizzle and once in, it was time for "Seven", a "psycho" Star Movie. While the girls retreated after an hour of viewing, the guys "took turns" in watching the movie (the one still awake, waking up the others to tell that the "next part" is going to be exciting and then nodding off!) The four of us together can possibly tell you what the movie was all about!!!
Thus the day ended around 250 km from Bangalore.
We checked out of the hotel next morning by 8 AM and commenced the ride to Thalai Kaveri (which is 45 km) from Madikeri. The route had plenty of scenic spots and we stopped our vehicle for taking photographs.
We spotted "Cauvery Darshini" in Bhagamandala and went in for breakfast. This almost seemed a continuation of yesterday's dinner session, especially when we thought let's "eat on" until the rain stops! Not only were the dosas tasty, but the bill took our breath away - with a "kaali" dosa (which looks like ordinary dosa, but a little small) costing just Rs.2/- (If we had known earlier, we might have had another round or two of "kaali" dosas!)
As our vehicle ascended the route to Thalai Kaveri, it began to get misty. The moist air made the climate cold. It was difficult to see beyond 5 metres but we made it to our destination with ease.
Thalai Kaveri is where river Kaveri, the bone of contention between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka originates. There is a small tank (2 feet by 2 feet), which is the actual originating spot. Legend has it that, Sage Agasthya's "kamandalu" is present there, from which the water flows. We found a family there doing the last rites for the departed forefathers. A priest sat near the tank, chanting mantras and explaining the significance of the place.
There is a small temple of Agasthya adjacent to the tank. There is also a larger tank next to the small one, where one can take a holy dip.
We found some steps leading up to the spot where sages meditated. It was some 300 feet up and with the mist and the drizzle it was an exciting climb. Deepa almost gave up, but was "inspired" to reach the top. There is no "view" because of the mist, but you get that "feeling in your heart" that there is some supernatural power around you and that, even in this modern scientific world, there are things for which there are no explanations. (Okay okay! enough of the philosophical touch!)
We were reluctant to come down, but the increasing intensity of the drizzle settled the issue for us. We were quite wet by the time we reached our vehicle, but none the worse for the experience!
The time was 11 AM now. The drizzle and the mist made driving difficult, but our driver did a good job of it. We were back once again in Madikeri at 12.30 PM, and we continued our return journey. We stopped for lunch at Kanika International in Kushal Nagar (due to Shakku's insistence), but the food was below expectations.
We thought we could go to the Sangam in Srirangapatna, but decided not to because of time constraint, compounded by rains. The decision was justified for, when we were back at home, it was 8 PM. (Deepa and Vems had to catch the 10.15 PM train back to Madras)
The return journey was not without its share of fun. Even as we were admiring a Mercedez which whizzed past us, there came a Fiat out of nowhere, and proceeded to outrun the more "reputed" cars and why! even the KSRTC buses! We speculated about the credentials of the driver and the possibility of the car being fitted with jet engines or Rolls Royce engines!
Another incident was the sight of a large number of sheep walking down the road. A couple of photographs of Shakku and Deepa holding two frightened baby sheeps will serve to record that incident for posterity!
The songs from "yama leela" (a Telugu movie?) was very inspiring as we neared our destination amidst heavy downpour. The lyrics came in for minute analysis and so did the tune and the beat!
The monsoon adventure ended when we reached Bangalore by 8 PM.