VIRAJPET
========
On 7-May-10, our family went on a trip to Virajpet. A friend of my wife had stayed at King's Cottage (http://www.homestayiq.com/coorg/kings_cottage+8) and my wife felt it would be a good change for us. We invited our respective parents - and in the end it was a large group of 9 of us that set out for King's Cottage ! The group of 9 comprised my parents; my mother's brother whom we stay with; my mother's sister who came down from Mysooru for a week long trip ; my wife's parents and brother (Raghu) and my wife (Suma) and I.
Suma and I had reserved the rooms after contacting Deepthi, the lady who manages the place along with her husband Viju. Deepthi provided us directions on the phone and Suma also downloaded a detailed map from http://www.palaceestate.co.in/images/PALACE_ESTATE_ROUTEmap.pdf which served as a useful guide.
We had booked a Tempo Traveller (TT) for the trip and it came at 7 a.m. to our house, bringing my parents-in-law and Raghu. Murphy's law hit us in a small way : the newspaper which we usually receive by 6:45 a.m. had not come until we left home !
Our first point of discussion was (of course :-) !) where to eat breakfast ! Kamat Lokaruchi was too crowded and instead we drove down further to the Kamat hotel near Maddur. This hotel too is meant for travellers in a hurry and idli-vada was served quickly. Those who ventured to experiment by ordering masala dosa almost regretted it : it took a long time in coming.
The TT had a DVD player. After breakfast, we watched "Aapthamitra". I sat on the last row, along with the luggages. Since all of us had watched the movie earlier, it was more like "background music". The greenery along Mysore road was a better attraction for me. We took the road to KRS and joined Hunsur road. The road is in good condition on the state highway. The traffic was usual for the highway: for some time, we were stuck behind a bus that had a grand announcement on its back that it was "Non-stop". The only problem was that it stopped at all places, also effectively blocking us ! My father-in-law quipped that the bus was indeed non-stop - between its stops :-) !
We had a second pit stop past Hunsur, after we took a turn towards Gonikoppa. The scenery changed to more of tall bamboo trees, near Thithimathi. There was also a forest checkpost. Gonikoppa is a typical Kodagu town. There was a wedding where we could see people in the traditional Kodagu attire. The people had the typical Kodagu look. From there, our next milestone was Virajpet. Virajpet is a small and bustling town with a busy main road.
Deepthi called to check where we were. We told Deepthi that we would follow the route map downloaded by Suma and confirm once we approached King's Cottage. There are a couple of sharp hair pin bends on the route. There were a couple of places with interesting names once we crossed Virajpet : Kadanga, Karada, Cheyandane. To me, the names sound exotic and the looks of the places are unusual, a 100% city dweller. There is a lot of greenery even in summer and a clean, unspoilt look to the villages.
It was 2 p.m. when we saw a board indicating King's Cottage. Viju and Deepthi greeted us and showed us our rooms. The place is located behind a small hillock and the setting of King's Cottage makes the name apt : it is a view fit for a king ! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30933832&id=1027369953 shows the cottage while the view from the room is available at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30915202&id=1027369953. There are 3 cottages and the nine of us got a complete cottage (with four rooms) to ourselves. My mother and her sister stayed in one room; my father and my uncle in another; my wife's parents and Raghu took the largest room while my wife and I stayed in the room at the end of the corridor.
Each of the three cottages has a verandah with a table and chairs. The view of the hillock from the cottage was a sight that refreshed us and lifted our spirits. The bracing hill air was also rejuvenating. Surprisingly, its elevation at 2982 feet is actually just less than Bengaluru's (3018) according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virajpet. It only goes to show much we have ruined Bengaluru in the name of urban development ! The rooms at King's Cottage have enough space for a double bed and a desk. The bathrooms are clean. For Rs. 900.00 per person, King's Cottage provides excellent value for money. There are no fans and we did not feel the need for it in the nights either, despite it being May.
For the next couple of days, the verandah and the table would become the meeting point for our group of 9 people. As we ate tasty and homely meals of rice, sambar and salad, the ambience of the greenery and the fact that we had the cottage to ourselves gave us a sense of freedom and relaxation. The verandah was also the area where we ate breakfast and drank coffee. Lunch was served to us from the kitchen, brought by the staff. Viju's mother supervised the cooking. The food was good. It was a good idea that we had taken one cottage completely. We were able to laugh, make jokes and live in it as we would like to ! My mother relished sitting on the verandah. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30934021&id=1027369953 shows three of the ladies relaxing ! Some of us sat around the table while some used the chairs at other times. One of the snack time photos is available at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30915188&id=1027369953. The cattle owned by Viju and Deepthi were grazing just outside our cottage, as seen at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30934073&id=1027369953.
Our bathroom had a problem with the plumbing : the water gushed out of one of the pipes, but it was soon fixed. Except for the facts that a few insects came in during the night, we faced no other problems.
In the evening, we visited Nalknad palace. The palace was a hideaway for the king Chikkaveerarajendra. Deepthi and Viju drew us a map for the short walk. This was to be a repeating pattern in the two days we spent at King's Cottage. Whenever we enquired about directions to any place, the friendly couple would take pen and paper and draw us a map with important landmarks. The story of Nalknad palace is available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalknad_Palace. It is a small palace, but there is a sense of history at the place. The guard there was passionate about the history and showed us the rooms and the paintings in the palace with a lot of interest. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30915200&id=1027369953 shows the palace. There is a small waterfall nearby. While my parents walked back, the rest of us walked up a small slope to the fall. The only problem was that since it was summer, the fall was not even a trickle.
My wife, her brother and I went for an extended walk in the evening. By the time we returned, my wife's father had arranged for lime juice, which was a refreshing idea ! The rest of the evening was spent in King's Cottage itself admiring the brilliant flowers. It is curious to see how fresh air and some elevation can deepen the colour of the flowers. Raghu took a photo of one of them in the fading light at http://picasaweb.google.com/raghavendra.ramakrishna/CoorgTrip02#5469690058893200018.
In the night, we did not turn on the lights in the verandah for two reasons. First, it would attract insects. Second, we spotted a few glow worms. It was the first time that I saw so many glow worms move together ! They would flit from one shrub to another. We played antakshari among ourselves while the senior citizens spent time conversing about the greenery, plans for the next day and, of course, politics and current affairs !
On the next morning, Raghu, Suma and I went for a trek. Raghu jogged ahead of us from the entrance but Suma and I soon noticed him running back with a renewed agility ! There was a pack of three or four stray dogs that had decided to pace him ! We took the TT beyond the dogs and on the way to Thadiyandamol. The road is good but it did take us at least 10 minutes before we could get to the spot where we had to use only our feet to proceed further.
The place where the TT was parked is where the tar road ends. From this point, there is still a decent path for walkers and trekkers to take. There is a nice viewpoint just a few minutes away. http://picasaweb.google.com/raghavendra.ramakrishna/CoorgTrip02#5469690365725228290 and http://picasaweb.google.com/raghavendra.ramakrishna/CoorgTrip02#5469690398374189938 show the rising sun at this viewpoint.
Raghu is an avid trekker while Suma is also game to try out adventures. On the other hand, my idea of a dream holiday would be to go out on a walk surrounded by trees, without trying out anything in the least adventurous ! On this, it looked like the trek that we took was meant to fulfil my aspirations of a trek ! The path was smooth and only a small stream provided an interesting diversion for us. We proceeded further, ascending gradually. After some time, the path levelled out and we saw green shrubs surrounding us. We could see two peaks in the distance.
The sun had also risen by now and a stray dog accompanied us in this stretch. I called him Moti and Moti was with us right until we returned to the TT ! It was a friendly dog, sometimes leading us and at others, playing around with a butterfly or a moth and then catching up with us ! During our return we saw it jump several feet up on to a rock, chasing a butterfly. http://picasaweb.google.com/raghavendra.ramakrishna/CoorgTrip02#5469690777524957682 shows Moti with Suma and me. We saw hills around us and decided that this was a good spot to end our morning trek. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30935898&id=1027369953 shows the hills and the greenery.
On the way back we stopped for a photo shoot at the stream. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30935897&id=1027369953 shows Suma and me at the stream. Suma sprinkled water from the stream to freshen up and then we turned back to our TT. We met a group of college students heading out for the trek.
When we returned to King's Cottage at 9:15 a.m., breakfast was awaiting us. After the trek, it was just what the three of us needed and we ate like famished people. Once we bathed and got ready, we set out with the TT to Baghmandala temple. Water is heated using wood in a boiler and supplied via pipes. It was comfortably hot. We went via Napoklu where we filled up diesel. The Bhagandeshwara temple has been improved at Bhagmandala. Our next stop was Talakaveri. The queue was orderly here.
Raghu, his parents and I went up the Brahmagiri hills. The peak continues to retain the scenery of hills around it and we spent a few minutes getting back our breaths. On the way back, it rained for half an hour. By the time we got down from our TT for lunch at King's Cottage, the weather had changed ! It was now cool and almost cold. We also saw a breathtaking sight of clouds on the hillock behind our cottage, as seen at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30915189&id=1027369953.
Suma had brought binoculars presented to her: we used it to spot small birds that make a rather disproportionate noise ! It was the first time that we used the binoculars effectively. In the afternoon and early evening, all of us spent time spotting birds on the transmission cables and watching the distant trees for birds. In the evening, we went to walk on the banks of a river nearby at Kakkabe, but the road was full of slush. We decided that it was not worth the risk of slipping and falling and returned early. Since it was a Saturday, all three cottages were full. We saw the lights of Madikeri far away in the night.
Suma, her father, Raghu and my aunt played cards in the evening. The next morning we went for a small walk around King's Cottage. Due to the rains the previous day, the wood for the boilers was wet. We bathed in lukewarm water, but it was not uncomfortable. After that we were off by 10 a.m. to return to Bengaluru.
Our TT was silent until we started playing dumb charades. Suma showed an unexpected talent in deciphering my mimicry ! We had an enjoyable time playing out Hindi and Kannada film titles until I tried my hand at acting out "Victoria No. 203". I pretended to drive a horse cart, but I could not convey the meaning. On the other hand, I was innovative while acting out "Upkaar". Suma had played out "car", while I mimed eating and showed a salt or pepper shaker. Raghu immediately caught on to "Uppu" (salt) and combining it with "car", they guessed the title as Upkaar !
The gul mohur trees at Hunsur, as seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/raghavendra.ramakrishna/CoorgTrip02#5469692680837547970 looked brilliant. When we returned by 6:30 p.m. in the evening, we were a thoroughly satisfied group ! The weekend was a memorable one !
========
On 7-May-10, our family went on a trip to Virajpet. A friend of my wife had stayed at King's Cottage (http://www.homestayiq.com/coorg/kings_cottage+8) and my wife felt it would be a good change for us. We invited our respective parents - and in the end it was a large group of 9 of us that set out for King's Cottage ! The group of 9 comprised my parents; my mother's brother whom we stay with; my mother's sister who came down from Mysooru for a week long trip ; my wife's parents and brother (Raghu) and my wife (Suma) and I.
Suma and I had reserved the rooms after contacting Deepthi, the lady who manages the place along with her husband Viju. Deepthi provided us directions on the phone and Suma also downloaded a detailed map from http://www.palaceestate.co.in/images/PALACE_ESTATE_ROUTEmap.pdf which served as a useful guide.
We had booked a Tempo Traveller (TT) for the trip and it came at 7 a.m. to our house, bringing my parents-in-law and Raghu. Murphy's law hit us in a small way : the newspaper which we usually receive by 6:45 a.m. had not come until we left home !
Our first point of discussion was (of course :-) !) where to eat breakfast ! Kamat Lokaruchi was too crowded and instead we drove down further to the Kamat hotel near Maddur. This hotel too is meant for travellers in a hurry and idli-vada was served quickly. Those who ventured to experiment by ordering masala dosa almost regretted it : it took a long time in coming.
The TT had a DVD player. After breakfast, we watched "Aapthamitra". I sat on the last row, along with the luggages. Since all of us had watched the movie earlier, it was more like "background music". The greenery along Mysore road was a better attraction for me. We took the road to KRS and joined Hunsur road. The road is in good condition on the state highway. The traffic was usual for the highway: for some time, we were stuck behind a bus that had a grand announcement on its back that it was "Non-stop". The only problem was that it stopped at all places, also effectively blocking us ! My father-in-law quipped that the bus was indeed non-stop - between its stops :-) !
We had a second pit stop past Hunsur, after we took a turn towards Gonikoppa. The scenery changed to more of tall bamboo trees, near Thithimathi. There was also a forest checkpost. Gonikoppa is a typical Kodagu town. There was a wedding where we could see people in the traditional Kodagu attire. The people had the typical Kodagu look. From there, our next milestone was Virajpet. Virajpet is a small and bustling town with a busy main road.
Deepthi called to check where we were. We told Deepthi that we would follow the route map downloaded by Suma and confirm once we approached King's Cottage. There are a couple of sharp hair pin bends on the route. There were a couple of places with interesting names once we crossed Virajpet : Kadanga, Karada, Cheyandane. To me, the names sound exotic and the looks of the places are unusual, a 100% city dweller. There is a lot of greenery even in summer and a clean, unspoilt look to the villages.
It was 2 p.m. when we saw a board indicating King's Cottage. Viju and Deepthi greeted us and showed us our rooms. The place is located behind a small hillock and the setting of King's Cottage makes the name apt : it is a view fit for a king ! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30933832&id=1027369953 shows the cottage while the view from the room is available at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30915202&id=1027369953. There are 3 cottages and the nine of us got a complete cottage (with four rooms) to ourselves. My mother and her sister stayed in one room; my father and my uncle in another; my wife's parents and Raghu took the largest room while my wife and I stayed in the room at the end of the corridor.
Each of the three cottages has a verandah with a table and chairs. The view of the hillock from the cottage was a sight that refreshed us and lifted our spirits. The bracing hill air was also rejuvenating. Surprisingly, its elevation at 2982 feet is actually just less than Bengaluru's (3018) according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virajpet. It only goes to show much we have ruined Bengaluru in the name of urban development ! The rooms at King's Cottage have enough space for a double bed and a desk. The bathrooms are clean. For Rs. 900.00 per person, King's Cottage provides excellent value for money. There are no fans and we did not feel the need for it in the nights either, despite it being May.
For the next couple of days, the verandah and the table would become the meeting point for our group of 9 people. As we ate tasty and homely meals of rice, sambar and salad, the ambience of the greenery and the fact that we had the cottage to ourselves gave us a sense of freedom and relaxation. The verandah was also the area where we ate breakfast and drank coffee. Lunch was served to us from the kitchen, brought by the staff. Viju's mother supervised the cooking. The food was good. It was a good idea that we had taken one cottage completely. We were able to laugh, make jokes and live in it as we would like to ! My mother relished sitting on the verandah. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30934021&id=1027369953 shows three of the ladies relaxing ! Some of us sat around the table while some used the chairs at other times. One of the snack time photos is available at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30915188&id=1027369953. The cattle owned by Viju and Deepthi were grazing just outside our cottage, as seen at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30934073&id=1027369953.
Our bathroom had a problem with the plumbing : the water gushed out of one of the pipes, but it was soon fixed. Except for the facts that a few insects came in during the night, we faced no other problems.
In the evening, we visited Nalknad palace. The palace was a hideaway for the king Chikkaveerarajendra. Deepthi and Viju drew us a map for the short walk. This was to be a repeating pattern in the two days we spent at King's Cottage. Whenever we enquired about directions to any place, the friendly couple would take pen and paper and draw us a map with important landmarks. The story of Nalknad palace is available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalknad_Palace. It is a small palace, but there is a sense of history at the place. The guard there was passionate about the history and showed us the rooms and the paintings in the palace with a lot of interest. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30915200&id=1027369953 shows the palace. There is a small waterfall nearby. While my parents walked back, the rest of us walked up a small slope to the fall. The only problem was that since it was summer, the fall was not even a trickle.
My wife, her brother and I went for an extended walk in the evening. By the time we returned, my wife's father had arranged for lime juice, which was a refreshing idea ! The rest of the evening was spent in King's Cottage itself admiring the brilliant flowers. It is curious to see how fresh air and some elevation can deepen the colour of the flowers. Raghu took a photo of one of them in the fading light at http://picasaweb.google.com/raghavendra.ramakrishna/CoorgTrip02#5469690058893200018.
In the night, we did not turn on the lights in the verandah for two reasons. First, it would attract insects. Second, we spotted a few glow worms. It was the first time that I saw so many glow worms move together ! They would flit from one shrub to another. We played antakshari among ourselves while the senior citizens spent time conversing about the greenery, plans for the next day and, of course, politics and current affairs !
On the next morning, Raghu, Suma and I went for a trek. Raghu jogged ahead of us from the entrance but Suma and I soon noticed him running back with a renewed agility ! There was a pack of three or four stray dogs that had decided to pace him ! We took the TT beyond the dogs and on the way to Thadiyandamol. The road is good but it did take us at least 10 minutes before we could get to the spot where we had to use only our feet to proceed further.
The place where the TT was parked is where the tar road ends. From this point, there is still a decent path for walkers and trekkers to take. There is a nice viewpoint just a few minutes away. http://picasaweb.google.com/raghavendra.ramakrishna/CoorgTrip02#5469690365725228290 and http://picasaweb.google.com/raghavendra.ramakrishna/CoorgTrip02#5469690398374189938 show the rising sun at this viewpoint.
Raghu is an avid trekker while Suma is also game to try out adventures. On the other hand, my idea of a dream holiday would be to go out on a walk surrounded by trees, without trying out anything in the least adventurous ! On this, it looked like the trek that we took was meant to fulfil my aspirations of a trek ! The path was smooth and only a small stream provided an interesting diversion for us. We proceeded further, ascending gradually. After some time, the path levelled out and we saw green shrubs surrounding us. We could see two peaks in the distance.
The sun had also risen by now and a stray dog accompanied us in this stretch. I called him Moti and Moti was with us right until we returned to the TT ! It was a friendly dog, sometimes leading us and at others, playing around with a butterfly or a moth and then catching up with us ! During our return we saw it jump several feet up on to a rock, chasing a butterfly. http://picasaweb.google.com/raghavendra.ramakrishna/CoorgTrip02#5469690777524957682 shows Moti with Suma and me. We saw hills around us and decided that this was a good spot to end our morning trek. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30935898&id=1027369953 shows the hills and the greenery.
On the way back we stopped for a photo shoot at the stream. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30935897&id=1027369953 shows Suma and me at the stream. Suma sprinkled water from the stream to freshen up and then we turned back to our TT. We met a group of college students heading out for the trek.
When we returned to King's Cottage at 9:15 a.m., breakfast was awaiting us. After the trek, it was just what the three of us needed and we ate like famished people. Once we bathed and got ready, we set out with the TT to Baghmandala temple. Water is heated using wood in a boiler and supplied via pipes. It was comfortably hot. We went via Napoklu where we filled up diesel. The Bhagandeshwara temple has been improved at Bhagmandala. Our next stop was Talakaveri. The queue was orderly here.
Raghu, his parents and I went up the Brahmagiri hills. The peak continues to retain the scenery of hills around it and we spent a few minutes getting back our breaths. On the way back, it rained for half an hour. By the time we got down from our TT for lunch at King's Cottage, the weather had changed ! It was now cool and almost cold. We also saw a breathtaking sight of clouds on the hillock behind our cottage, as seen at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30915189&id=1027369953.
Suma had brought binoculars presented to her: we used it to spot small birds that make a rather disproportionate noise ! It was the first time that we used the binoculars effectively. In the afternoon and early evening, all of us spent time spotting birds on the transmission cables and watching the distant trees for birds. In the evening, we went to walk on the banks of a river nearby at Kakkabe, but the road was full of slush. We decided that it was not worth the risk of slipping and falling and returned early. Since it was a Saturday, all three cottages were full. We saw the lights of Madikeri far away in the night.
Suma, her father, Raghu and my aunt played cards in the evening. The next morning we went for a small walk around King's Cottage. Due to the rains the previous day, the wood for the boilers was wet. We bathed in lukewarm water, but it was not uncomfortable. After that we were off by 10 a.m. to return to Bengaluru.
Our TT was silent until we started playing dumb charades. Suma showed an unexpected talent in deciphering my mimicry ! We had an enjoyable time playing out Hindi and Kannada film titles until I tried my hand at acting out "Victoria No. 203". I pretended to drive a horse cart, but I could not convey the meaning. On the other hand, I was innovative while acting out "Upkaar". Suma had played out "car", while I mimed eating and showed a salt or pepper shaker. Raghu immediately caught on to "Uppu" (salt) and combining it with "car", they guessed the title as Upkaar !
The gul mohur trees at Hunsur, as seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/raghavendra.ramakrishna/CoorgTrip02#5469692680837547970 looked brilliant. When we returned by 6:30 p.m. in the evening, we were a thoroughly satisfied group ! The weekend was a memorable one !
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