39. A Nature Tour to Coorg, Karnataka

In August this year we went to Medikeri, the beautiful, lush green district headquarters of Coorg, Karnataka. Somehow I did not record the trip then. Well as they say better late than never! Since the trip was planned by Anu and Ajit we went to Chennai first and I managed to contact a virulent strain of viral fever on the flight. The generous person that I am, I spread it quickly to everybody else at home. The first few days all of us spent inhaling steam and gargling and popping homeopathy pills. But then the prospect of a great trip perked us up and the six of us (Amma and Didi included) bundled up in two cars and drove off.  

The distance from Chennai to Medikeri is only 590 Kms, cutting right across peninsular India, both cities being practically on the same latitude (Chennai 13 and Medikeri 12). However, we decided to take a night halt in Bangalore. Stayed in Ajit’s sister’s unoccupied, but fully functional house. After a comfortable night we were ready for the second leg of our trip. Though we had early breakfast, before starting, we were eagerly waiting for the Kamat Lokaruchi Restaurant on the highway between Bangalore and Mysore.

T/P break made memorable because of the antics of this monkey

He set the tone for the trip to come

Anu unravelling idlis cooked in banana leaves

Didi buying trinkets from the shops outside the Kamat restaurant
 while her coffee was arriving

an interesting bullockcart mostly used for
transporting 'tendu', tobacco leaves

the road throughout is like this

After crossing “Silk City” Ramanagara, “Toy City” Channapatna and “Sugar City” Mandya we reached Sarangapatnam, Tipu’s capital and quickly drove around the place because we were more interested in seeing the ‘’awesome’’ (the word is meant to convey its original meaning and not what tweenys mean by it these days) Mysore Palace.

SARANGAPATNAM

entering Tipu's realm

Jama Masjid

Tipu was killed in the 4th Mysore War on 4th May 1799 AD and his body
 was found here. The stone was  set by Col Wellesley as a recognition of his bravery in battle.

''mind the kerb''

The benign looking Col. Bailey's dungeon, where
Tipu used to keep his prisoners chained to the slabs fixed on the walls.

beating the heat

a sight enough to make you vegetarian for life

MYSORE

St. Philomena's Church

The Mysore main post office

the clock tower recording our time of arrival

the 'awesome' Mysore Palace

elephant rides of the palace

Lunch was tricky because everybody could not agree on a place to eat, ultimately eating after waiting for more than 30 minutes in a queue, to eat at a big and popular restaurant.

MEDIKERI

The remaining 120 kms were comfortably covered and we reached the Club Mahindra resort, where we were going to spend the next 3 days, by dusk. As soon as we sat down to have the welcome drink (fragrant Coorg coffee) we heard the place burst into a medley of loud buzzing sounds, which we were to discover, was a regular evening melody of the cicadas.

a cicada up close. Great camouflage

When we sat on our terrace early the next morning, the melody reverberating in the mist was the long, repetitive whistle of the Common Hawk Cuckoo, the 'papiha' of Indian folklore – I was in heaven! The next 3 days were spent walking up and down the undulating pathways of the resort, discovering little treasures of nature at every nook and corner, and eating their sumptuous buffet breakfasts and dinners.

the picturesque pathways going up and down the resort

building blocks named after fruits

Insect art

This lovely copper colored lizard lived in the pillar outside our room

The buffet and a most interesting gentleman playing the
 violin and singing Ravindra Sangeet for us

the swimming pool

Musa ornata - ornamental banana flower

Malabar Grey Hornbill I finally saw just before leaving

A huge Atlas Moth sitting on the wall

Interesting towel craft by the housekeeping staff

King's mantal

Marbled Toad

The Malabar Whistling Thrush. I chased this one for 3 days
before finally getting close enough for a (hazy) picture

Common Tree Frog sitting at our doorstep

The afternoons we spent exploring the nearby places of tourist interest.

DUBARE ELEPHANT CAMP - The first day we drove about 35 km for the Dubare elephant camp. Honestly, I did not much care for the place, but it was an outing.

enroute to Dubare stopped to have breakfast

Rajeev and the set-dosas

comfortable enough to sleep on!

Making a tasty morsel with hay and jaggery to feed the elephants

Homage to the River Goddess on the bridge

TRIVENI SANGAM - Next we went to the confluence of the rivers Cauvery, Kannike and Sujyothi - some 40 kms from the resort.

Shri Bagandeshwara Temple

Inside the Temple

About the confluence

Inside the Temple

warding away evil spirits !!

THALAKAVERI - about 7 km above the Triveni Sangam is the scenic Thalakaveri ie. the source of the river Kaveri. However after reaching there Anu realised that her car had guzzled all the gas coming up the hill. So could not much appreciate the beauty of the place in the thick mist and the two of us practically rolled down the hill on neutral and found a petrol pump just about when the car was ready to stall.

Thalakaveri

This petrol pump in the wilderness saved us a lot of trouble

way to Thalakaveri and the K.S.T.D.C. restaurant where we had lunch

Places to see near Medikeri

 ABBY FALLS - After a rain drenched adventurous little trek we managed to see the Abby Falls, while Amma and Rajeev stood under a canopy at the parking lot.

BYLAKUPPE BUDHIST GOLDEN TEMPLE - The second day we visited the Tibetan Monastery some 40 km on the Mysore road. It is a large Tibetan settlement, home to at least 5000 lamas, with a beautiful monastry.
It is the largest teaching center of the Nyingmapa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in the world.

A Nunnery

Some inmates of the nunnery

The Nyingmapa Buddhist Monastery Gate

stall selling pretty Chinese made trinkets

'Namdroling' the Buddhist Golden Temple

largest Nyingmapa teaching center in the world

The best place to eat in the camp

Anu certified this as one of the cleanest restaurants- coming from her,
believe you me, its huge.

On the way back Anu and I went on an adventure trip to the Orange County (another resort) to collect a consignment of lemon grass oil, said to keep insect pests at bay, while the rest of the people went to Medikeri market to buy spices and Coorg coffee. 

We drove back the third day, again taking a night halt at Bangalore, after a delightful, fun packed trip. 

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