Tour De Coorg

We(a group of 17) set out on a tour to Coorg.
We started here(Bangalore) on 6th July at 2 PM in a mini-Bus .The initial few hrs were uneventful as every one was busy either peeping thru the window or sleeping( Earlier that day we attended a 3 hr session of Finance Class...... so that was kind of expected).But everyone was excited for sure.Venkat tried to cheer everyone but the heavy dose of Finance finally got over him and even he slept. We gave a halt at around 5 pm to have snacks . I ordered for an idly. I was shocked at seeing the size of the idly.It was real big.The real shock came when the spoon i used, bent when it came in CONTACT with the idly.

we continued our journey and watched "Entrapment" in the mean time.It was around 10 pm when we gave a second halt for having dinner. We then continued after having a very good meal. It was around 11 pm and everybody was feeling the raise in altitude and decrease in temperature.We reached Coorg and were welcomed by the Aroma of NightQueen. We reached our hotel in Madikeri by 11:30, took our room keys and decided to sleep immediately as we have a busy schedule ahead of us.

July 7:

Our first destination was Sowarpet(44 kms away from Madikeri). The route to Somwarpet was full of beautiful valleys and scenic locations. We stopped at few places to take some snaps. In the mean time one of our friends- Vinod was not feeling well(allergic to bus travelling)He said that he wanted to return back to the hotel and catch us later in the Evening.Venu decided to accompany Vinod and both of them got down from the bus leaving the remaining of us a bit disappointed.We just abt started when suddenly Venkat shouted . The reason was that he was bitten by a leech. It had drunk a significant amount of blood and fell to ground with the slightest touch.(we assumed that it drank more than its capacity and could take no more) We continued the journey and reached Somwarpet stopped there for some snacks. Me along with Lokesh went into a coffee stall and ordered for Coffee . when he asked --"What more sir" i looked around and found a bread like item which was called "Kalathappa" and asked for 2 pieces of it. The Coffee was too good and Kalathappa was too awfull. We hid our expressions when Vikas and Aditya joined us and tricked them to have a piece of Kalathappa and enjoyed that dreadfull expression on their face. We did a little shopping and headed straight to Honnamma Lake--the largest lake in Coorg.The Basaweshwara temple is situated on the banks of this lake .There is a cave here which is belived to be visited by the Pandavas during there Vanavas.
We took few snaps and were enjoying when suddenly Vidyadhar started to vomit( even he was allergic to bus travel) we gave him water to rinse his mouth and he sat down by the side of the lake to take some rest.

we then headed back to Madikeri ,had our lunch at Chitra Restuarant,dropped Vidhyadhar at the hotel and then went to Abbey Falls.We had a great time at Abbey and the experience was too good. For all ppl planning a tour to Coorg ,make sure Abbey Falls is in your list. Although the view from Hanging bridge was extra-ordinary The sound of the falls was exciting and we couldn't resist ourselves from going down to the Foot of the Falls. The view from below is trully mind blowing and the feeling we had is undescribable. As we left for Raja's Seat ,everyone of us were still thinking and talking of Abbey falls. We visited Raja's Seat which actually gives u a magnificient view of the valley below on a clear day. And also the sunset is worth watching from this place.(The MahaRaja of Kodagu is said to visit this place every evening along with the queen and hence the name- Raja's Seat).But we were not fortunate because the whole area was covered up with Fog that day. We could see nothing except white fog. We then visited Madikeri Fort which is now turned into commisioners office. A part of it is made into a Museum which closes at 5 pm. we were late by half an hour and had to contend ourselves by walking on the walls of the Fort. The View from there was great and we could have a clear view of the city below. Next stop- Our hotel.On the way we buyed 3 packs of playing cards to keep us busy for the rest of the day.We had our dinner at Athithi Restuarant.

July 8:

We split into 3 groups.
group 1:
vinod, venu ,vidhyadhar ,sampath ,sandeep ,susheel.

group 2:
aditya ,ajay ,anand ,nirmal ,ramki ,sekhar.

group 3:
anil ,lokesh ,venkat ,vikas and me.

Group 1 decided to go to Abbey falls.
Group 2 visited TalaKaveri( starting point of Kaveri river and a holy piligrim center) and Bagamandala( where kaveri meets two other rivers)
Group 3 i.e The Crazy 5 left for NishaniMotte (one of the highest peeks in Coorg 12500 ft approx.)

All the groups had great fun that day and i will explain my treking experience in a seperate post.It was simple awesome.

July 9:

We checked out of our hotel rooms and our first stop was Hirangi Dam built on kaveri river. It was a Picture Perfect Scene. The group that went to TalaKaveri were amazed at the amount of water which was gushing down the open gates."It was just a small pond when it started but this is huge" Ramki exclaimed. Although cameras where not allowed we managed to fool the authorities and took snaps.
Next stop- Nisargadhamam.This is an island surrounded by the Kaveri river. Nisargadhamam is a picturesque picnic spot offering a true 'woody' experience amidst a bambo forest with a hanging bridge,deer park,tree top shelters etc.
Next stop-Bylakuppe. It is the largest refugee camp housing more than 18000 tibetians who over the last 45 years have created a mini-Tibet in this village. The architecture and culture were very different. The site of Tibetian children wearing those long red traditional Monk-type dresses , playing shuttle and football was amusing. We entered the Famous Golden temple without knowing what to expect. As we pushed aside the curtains of the main door and entered the Monastery, we were wonderstruck at the huge Idols that were present inside and also the large paintings on the walls.It is a very large hall and there are 3 huge idols each 60 ft high made of copper coated with gold. The paintings depected the life of Lord Buddha, the 12 great preachers and the Holy Deities.
We had our lunch and did some shopping,then left Bylakuppe with some unexpected but worthy experience.
Next stop- Mysore Palace.
Fortunately 9th July was a Sunday which ment that we could see the Palace when it is fully lit by lights. we Reached there by 5 pm and made a fast tour in the palace and came out of the palace by 6 pm. we then went to the Famous Cathedral,spend some time there and returned to the palace by 6:55. We were watching and suddenly all the lights were lit. It was a wonderful site.We spent some time taking photos of the palace in its full beauty and then retired to our bus which started its journey back to Bangalore.

We reached our College by 11:45, paid our bills and bid good bye to balu( our driver) and Wasim (cleaner).
3 days have just passed by and we never knew Time cud RUN until now. For all the frds who couldnot make it out with us, i wish to say ...." We missed u during the Tour and u missed a wonderful Tour".

PS: I am a very bad bad bad narrator and so the tour might sound dull and uninteresting but belive me it was not. It was simply superb. I had one of the best times of my life.