MYSORE AND KABINI
Exactly last week, my wife Suma and I took Monday off so that there were at least 4 continuous holidays. We spent two of those days in Mysore and Kabini and this blog is my description of those days.
DAY 1, SUNDAY, 13-AUG-06, MYSORE
We drove down to Mysore, leaving Bangalore after breakfast at 8:15 a.m. It was the first time that I went in my car for a drive longer than 100 km. Since I didn't want the hassle of concentrating on the road and driving and also since we also planned to visit my aunt in Mysore, Ravi, a driver we know well, was our chauffeur for the trip.
Ravi has a high opinion of my car, a black Opel Corsa. The car easily touched 100 kmph and he said that there was hardly any noise from either the engine or the suspension. I thoroughly enjoyed the drive for three reasons : the primary one was the feel of the wind rushing over my fingers when I held my palm up outside the window even as the car moved at high speeds ! The weather was largely cloudly and windy. The sensation of the wind in the fast car and the ruckus that the wind made was an experience that I savoured.
The second reason I enjoyed the drive was the condition of the Bangalore - Mysore highway. In my opinion, the road comes close to international class (though not quite there yet !). There are lanes clearly marked on the highway and vehicles slow down only due to the several towns on the 140 km route from Bangalore to Mysore. Still, the road is a good one.
Come to think of it, the towns also provide an interesting diversion ! Ramanagara is Sholay territory to me ; every time I pass it, I wonder why our tourism department does not showcase famous scenes shot at the place ! I am one person who would visit it for sure ! Then there is the town of Chennapatna, with its tradition of wooden toys ; Bidadi with the Toyota Kirloskar factory ; Srirangapatna with its culture ; Mandya and its famed sugarcane crop ..... each town has its distinctive USP, rather like the brands that we are familiar with !!
The final reason for enjoying the drive was the greenery of the countryside after the monsoon. The area has had a good rainfall and the countryside shows the effect of the monsoon. For as long as the eye can see, the fields are covered with a colour of green that simply refreshes and rejuvenates our eyes, tired of the pollution and the smoke in the city.
Near Mysore, we took the ring road and reached Hinkal, where we checked in to the hotel. After a cup of coffee, we set out to find out where the bird park is.
It was easy to locate : The Karanji lake park is behind the Mysore zoo. To see birds in Mysore Suma and I would highly recommend this park. One can walk for around 3 k.m. and find India's biggest aviary and also a butterfly park. The aviary is near the entrance. It is an enclosed area about 50 feet high which can be covered in 5 minutes. At a height of fifty feet, there is a meshing that prevents the birds from taking off. Within this height, there are a few trees and some exotic birds can be seen in this aviary.
When we entered it, we saw a peacock dancing with its feathers spread. It continued to do so for 15 minutes, holding its audience in thrall. We also saw a rather spectacular looking hornbill in the aviary.
The walk to the butterfly park (around 1.5 km from the entrance) is an enjoyable one. On the way to the butterfly park, there is a watch tower to see birds and the lake also has an island in the middle. Along the way, there are helpful signboards about birds that can be seen around the lake. I didn't feel that we were inside the city. In fact, I felt that I was at Ranganthittu which also has similar boards and a similar setting as well !
Suma and I were famished at the end of the trip. We ate lunch at Akshaya restaurant in Dasprakash hotel. From there, we moved on to visit Mysore palace. The paintings in the palace, the rooms, the weapons and the lifestlye of royalty are all impressive. It was a refresher for both Suma and I since we had both seen it earlier.
Next on our agenda was a visit to see my aunt and uncle. Locating the house took us around 20 minutes since we were guided to the wrong area by a scooterist who heard us wrongly. We said "Lakshmipuram" and he heard it as "Jayalakshmipuram" ! My aunt had cooked idlis and by the time we finished talking, it was already evening.
Our last stop was Krishnarajasagar Dam (KRS gardens or Brindavan gardens). The traffic to view the "Sunday special" lighting was very heavy. The last stretch of 2 km took us 30 minutes or so to cover. By that time Suma and I decided we would spend only 15 minutes at KRS ! We reached at 7:45 p.m. The colourful musical fountain, the walk beside the water and the lighting were enjoyable, but the crowd was simply too much for us. By 8:10 p.m. we were done for the day.
We ate dinner in our hotel and slept a good night's sleep.
DAY 2 AND 3, MONDAY AND TUESDAY, 14-AUG-06 AND 15-AUG-06, KABINI
After eating a plentiful breakfast, we set out for Kabini by 8:30 a.m. The route was via Hampapur, Heggadadevanakote and inside to Karapura. The fields were lush green and the roads were empty, which made for yet another refreshing drive ! Our destination was Cicada Resorts. Please click on http://www.cicadaresorts.com.
By the time we reached Cicada, it was around 11:00 a.m. The man at the reception counter (Arun) was taken aback to see us so early ! He had expected us to check in by 12 p.m., coming from Bangalore. He requested us to give him some time while he arranged the rooms. Since Cicada is a spacious 20 acre resort with lots of space to explore, we happily agreed :-)
The resort has 20 cottages right on the banks of the river Kabini which is bounded by the Kabini dam. When we got our room, it was around half a kilometer from the reception. To travel this distance, the resorts have a cute looking golf cart which the staff simply call "buggy" ! Most of the time, Suma and I walked from the reception to our room but just to experience the buggy, we did ride in it twice.
Food is served in a cafeteria close to the reception. There is an activity centre nearby as well. There is a lawn where Suma and I spent time waiting for our room to be prepared. Just beyond the lawn is the river. Far, far away, beyond the river is a range of hills that provide a good backdrop for the river.
When we got our room, Suma and I were thrilled ! The enjoyable wait was well worth it ! The river was literally 5 steps away from the edge of the verandah outside our room ! I asked Arun if there was any risk of the water rising further. He joked that if there was, he would come in a boat the next day instead of the buggy ! That set the tone for our interaction with him. The room we were in had mainly stone for furniture : there was a stone bed and on top of it was a soft mattress ; there was a stone table and bed table and only the cupboard was wooden.
After unpacking and settling in, Suma and I moved to the verandah and stretched out on the wooden chairs there. Lying there, listening to the river lap against the banks when the wind blew, both Suma and I felt totally relaxed. We talked about the excellent room we had got, sipping cups of tea that we had ourselves made using the tea maker provided in our room. The price for a single night at Cicada is pretty steep, but this experience made it worthwhile.
I am sure that whenever Suma and I want to think of a memorable, relaxing time that we had, this experience will be one of those memories.
Lunch was tasty. There were typical south Indian dishes and it felt like tasting home food ! The dinner that evening and the breakfast next day were also tasty.
After lunch, we enrolled for the jeep safari. At 4:00 p.m., a naturalist (Shivappa) took us in a jeep inside Rajiv Gandhi National Park (Kabini Jungle Reserve). There were 8 of us apart from the driver. We were in touch with other jeeps. On the way, we saw brown munia and peacocks. The high point of the jungle safari came when we saw a lone male elephant tusker nonchalantly eating.
We set back by 6:30 p.m. and learnt that another jeep saw a leopard. We waited for it, but of course it had decided to move on. In Cicada, we saw a video on Nagarahole for an hour before eating dinner.
The next morning was Independence Day. Our morning began with a walk just outside the resort in an attempt to watch birds. Lokesh accompanied us with a pair of binoculars and a book to identify the birds. We saw five uncommon species, so in that sense, the small walk was worthwhile.
The staff had a flag hoisting ceremony at the reception. We joined in, singing the national anthem. I told Suma that she was missing her college function - and she asked me when I had last attended the Independence Day function !! After that, I prudently kept silent :-))
We checked out at 11:00 a.m. On the way back, we visited Nimishamba temple at Srirangapatna. We were back home by 5:30 p.m.
All in all, it was a memorable two days. The sight and sound of the river outside our room will be a memory that Suma and I will cherish for quite some time to come !
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
NOTE:
I had originally written this blog in another site. Since that site is no longer accessible, I am uploading it in this blog at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/ using the same date as the original blog dates.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarrassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
ALL COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS ARE ACKNOWLEDGED
AS THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR OWNERS.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
kiran.suma@gmail.com.
++++++ ENDS ++++++
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Exactly last week, my wife Suma and I took Monday off so that there were at least 4 continuous holidays. We spent two of those days in Mysore and Kabini and this blog is my description of those days.
DAY 1, SUNDAY, 13-AUG-06, MYSORE
We drove down to Mysore, leaving Bangalore after breakfast at 8:15 a.m. It was the first time that I went in my car for a drive longer than 100 km. Since I didn't want the hassle of concentrating on the road and driving and also since we also planned to visit my aunt in Mysore, Ravi, a driver we know well, was our chauffeur for the trip.
Ravi has a high opinion of my car, a black Opel Corsa. The car easily touched 100 kmph and he said that there was hardly any noise from either the engine or the suspension. I thoroughly enjoyed the drive for three reasons : the primary one was the feel of the wind rushing over my fingers when I held my palm up outside the window even as the car moved at high speeds ! The weather was largely cloudly and windy. The sensation of the wind in the fast car and the ruckus that the wind made was an experience that I savoured.
The second reason I enjoyed the drive was the condition of the Bangalore - Mysore highway. In my opinion, the road comes close to international class (though not quite there yet !). There are lanes clearly marked on the highway and vehicles slow down only due to the several towns on the 140 km route from Bangalore to Mysore. Still, the road is a good one.
Come to think of it, the towns also provide an interesting diversion ! Ramanagara is Sholay territory to me ; every time I pass it, I wonder why our tourism department does not showcase famous scenes shot at the place ! I am one person who would visit it for sure ! Then there is the town of Chennapatna, with its tradition of wooden toys ; Bidadi with the Toyota Kirloskar factory ; Srirangapatna with its culture ; Mandya and its famed sugarcane crop ..... each town has its distinctive USP, rather like the brands that we are familiar with !!
The final reason for enjoying the drive was the greenery of the countryside after the monsoon. The area has had a good rainfall and the countryside shows the effect of the monsoon. For as long as the eye can see, the fields are covered with a colour of green that simply refreshes and rejuvenates our eyes, tired of the pollution and the smoke in the city.
Near Mysore, we took the ring road and reached Hinkal, where we checked in to the hotel. After a cup of coffee, we set out to find out where the bird park is.
It was easy to locate : The Karanji lake park is behind the Mysore zoo. To see birds in Mysore Suma and I would highly recommend this park. One can walk for around 3 k.m. and find India's biggest aviary and also a butterfly park. The aviary is near the entrance. It is an enclosed area about 50 feet high which can be covered in 5 minutes. At a height of fifty feet, there is a meshing that prevents the birds from taking off. Within this height, there are a few trees and some exotic birds can be seen in this aviary.
When we entered it, we saw a peacock dancing with its feathers spread. It continued to do so for 15 minutes, holding its audience in thrall. We also saw a rather spectacular looking hornbill in the aviary.
The walk to the butterfly park (around 1.5 km from the entrance) is an enjoyable one. On the way to the butterfly park, there is a watch tower to see birds and the lake also has an island in the middle. Along the way, there are helpful signboards about birds that can be seen around the lake. I didn't feel that we were inside the city. In fact, I felt that I was at Ranganthittu which also has similar boards and a similar setting as well !
Suma and I were famished at the end of the trip. We ate lunch at Akshaya restaurant in Dasprakash hotel. From there, we moved on to visit Mysore palace. The paintings in the palace, the rooms, the weapons and the lifestlye of royalty are all impressive. It was a refresher for both Suma and I since we had both seen it earlier.
Next on our agenda was a visit to see my aunt and uncle. Locating the house took us around 20 minutes since we were guided to the wrong area by a scooterist who heard us wrongly. We said "Lakshmipuram" and he heard it as "Jayalakshmipuram" ! My aunt had cooked idlis and by the time we finished talking, it was already evening.
Our last stop was Krishnarajasagar Dam (KRS gardens or Brindavan gardens). The traffic to view the "Sunday special" lighting was very heavy. The last stretch of 2 km took us 30 minutes or so to cover. By that time Suma and I decided we would spend only 15 minutes at KRS ! We reached at 7:45 p.m. The colourful musical fountain, the walk beside the water and the lighting were enjoyable, but the crowd was simply too much for us. By 8:10 p.m. we were done for the day.
We ate dinner in our hotel and slept a good night's sleep.
DAY 2 AND 3, MONDAY AND TUESDAY, 14-AUG-06 AND 15-AUG-06, KABINI
After eating a plentiful breakfast, we set out for Kabini by 8:30 a.m. The route was via Hampapur, Heggadadevanakote and inside to Karapura. The fields were lush green and the roads were empty, which made for yet another refreshing drive ! Our destination was Cicada Resorts. Please click on http://www.cicadaresorts.com.
By the time we reached Cicada, it was around 11:00 a.m. The man at the reception counter (Arun) was taken aback to see us so early ! He had expected us to check in by 12 p.m., coming from Bangalore. He requested us to give him some time while he arranged the rooms. Since Cicada is a spacious 20 acre resort with lots of space to explore, we happily agreed :-)
The resort has 20 cottages right on the banks of the river Kabini which is bounded by the Kabini dam. When we got our room, it was around half a kilometer from the reception. To travel this distance, the resorts have a cute looking golf cart which the staff simply call "buggy" ! Most of the time, Suma and I walked from the reception to our room but just to experience the buggy, we did ride in it twice.
Food is served in a cafeteria close to the reception. There is an activity centre nearby as well. There is a lawn where Suma and I spent time waiting for our room to be prepared. Just beyond the lawn is the river. Far, far away, beyond the river is a range of hills that provide a good backdrop for the river.
When we got our room, Suma and I were thrilled ! The enjoyable wait was well worth it ! The river was literally 5 steps away from the edge of the verandah outside our room ! I asked Arun if there was any risk of the water rising further. He joked that if there was, he would come in a boat the next day instead of the buggy ! That set the tone for our interaction with him. The room we were in had mainly stone for furniture : there was a stone bed and on top of it was a soft mattress ; there was a stone table and bed table and only the cupboard was wooden.
After unpacking and settling in, Suma and I moved to the verandah and stretched out on the wooden chairs there. Lying there, listening to the river lap against the banks when the wind blew, both Suma and I felt totally relaxed. We talked about the excellent room we had got, sipping cups of tea that we had ourselves made using the tea maker provided in our room. The price for a single night at Cicada is pretty steep, but this experience made it worthwhile.
I am sure that whenever Suma and I want to think of a memorable, relaxing time that we had, this experience will be one of those memories.
Lunch was tasty. There were typical south Indian dishes and it felt like tasting home food ! The dinner that evening and the breakfast next day were also tasty.
After lunch, we enrolled for the jeep safari. At 4:00 p.m., a naturalist (Shivappa) took us in a jeep inside Rajiv Gandhi National Park (Kabini Jungle Reserve). There were 8 of us apart from the driver. We were in touch with other jeeps. On the way, we saw brown munia and peacocks. The high point of the jungle safari came when we saw a lone male elephant tusker nonchalantly eating.
We set back by 6:30 p.m. and learnt that another jeep saw a leopard. We waited for it, but of course it had decided to move on. In Cicada, we saw a video on Nagarahole for an hour before eating dinner.
The next morning was Independence Day. Our morning began with a walk just outside the resort in an attempt to watch birds. Lokesh accompanied us with a pair of binoculars and a book to identify the birds. We saw five uncommon species, so in that sense, the small walk was worthwhile.
The staff had a flag hoisting ceremony at the reception. We joined in, singing the national anthem. I told Suma that she was missing her college function - and she asked me when I had last attended the Independence Day function !! After that, I prudently kept silent :-))
We checked out at 11:00 a.m. On the way back, we visited Nimishamba temple at Srirangapatna. We were back home by 5:30 p.m.
All in all, it was a memorable two days. The sight and sound of the river outside our room will be a memory that Suma and I will cherish for quite some time to come !
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
NOTE:
I had originally written this blog in another site. Since that site is no longer accessible, I am uploading it in this blog at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/ using the same date as the original blog dates.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarrassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
ALL COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS ARE ACKNOWLEDGED
AS THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR OWNERS.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
kiran.suma@gmail.com.
++++++ ENDS ++++++
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
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