10 Things To Do In Coorg - Reason 7

Slicing plantain & Shooting Coconut

A gun without license or a well stocked bar without permission at a wedding ceremony are things that you won't find anywhere in India but in Coorg. Now that is not the only reason for heading towards the coffee country. The Kodava land is rich in tradition and there is no dearth of celebration be it the hockey festival or a Kodava wedding. The life of a Kodava has to be experienced at least once in a lifetime by being part of their festivities.

At Kodava weddings, thick plantain stems are chopped with the Kodava sword to show the strength and swiftness of the eligible groom. During the harvest of rice, Kodavas celebrate with Pandi Curry and Kadumbuttu after a shooting competition where men and women try they hands at shooting coconut tied high up on the tree. The festival of harvest on the full moon is celebrated all over Coorg with good food, music, drinks and dance. The best part of the Coorg wedding for me is the drinks and the amazing food in the company of tales from Coorg.

Apart from these, there are many games, sports, customs and traditions filled with fun and interesting stories associated with them to force you to come back and experience Coorg.

Lets Celebrate Coorg..

To Be Continued...

10 Things To Do In Coorg - Reason 6

Good Night at a Coorg Bungalow

If you love to sleep, then you should have a nap in a century old Coorg bungalow. The Mangalore tiled roof, wooden works, the red oxide flooring, silence all around, a huge cozy bed with a thick blanket blends together with the chilled climate of Coorg like heaven. All this makes way for a sound sleep experience which you so badly crave for in the hustle bustle of city life.

 
I sometimes go there just to cuddle up inside the blanket on a soft bed and sleep without unwanted thoughts crossing my mind, to sleep with the ever flowing cool breeze passing through the window, to sleep with the sound of the rain drops and smell of the moist earth, to sleep like I have never slept for years and only to wake up in the morning to the sound of birds and a hot cup of coffee.

But don't just sleep, the antiques and artifacts inside and around the bungalow are worth a look and may give you interesting ideas for setting up your home. Also don't forget to hear the stories about the bungalow from the ever cheerful hosts. Its a great way to spend time in front of the bungalow with a glass of single malt and the warmth of the camp fire under the starry night.

A Travelers Nightmare

I believe travel is man’s best teacher. The different ways of life and the experiences you gain through travel are lessons that no teacher or institute can impart. Travel has taught me how to face the world by overcoming my weaknesses; it has taught me that nothing can stop you from doing something you are truly passionate about. If you are wondering what I am talking about, then here is a confession in the form of a short story,

I was scared and tensed and the sleep that everyone was enjoying at this hour had eluded me. I woke up and walked down to the fridge to drink some cold water. After drinking some water I splashed some on my face as I was sweating profusely. Walking back to the bed I had only one thought at the back of my mind, ‘The dreadful tomorrow should never see sunlight’. 

Once I was back on my bed, my eyes fell on the wall clock and with every passing minute my

Heart started beating faster. I was lost in time when my father called out "Abhi... Abhi... Wake up get ready". All hell broke loose and I started questioning myself, should I say I have a headache? Should I start crying? Should I lock myself in the bathroom? What do I do now?

When I entered the bathroom, locked it and sat down below the shower thinking what to do next, a gush of cold water from the shower above jostled out of my mind the terrible thoughts I had in there. All of a sudden I started feeling good, the image of the crystal clear water flowing down from the huge rocks and hitting me with all its force floated across my mind. Chirping of the numerous birds echoed in my ears, the images of a thousand colorful butterflies flying around passed in front of my eyes, the joy of walking through the cool damp green wood excited me, a drink of chilled water from the crystal clear streams quenched my thirst and the satisfying nap under the large tree in the cool breeze relaxed me. 

With these beautiful frames in mind I ran out of the bathroom straight to my father and said "Papa, I will go for the school trip".

He gave a confused look and said "What?", then continued in his normal tone "Of course you are going. Who said you are not going? And why do you think I woke you up so early in the morning? To play in water with those clothes on and dirty the whole house?”

I looked down to find myself fully drenched, then looked up and smiled sheepishly, I ran to the bathroom to get ready.

Under the new found excitement of going for the school trip to a nearby waterfall the fear that was haunting me the last night started creeping in again. But I decided not to let that fear of 'Motion sickness' get in my way now. I had to face my classmates in case of any embarrassing situation of nausea and vomiting due to motion sickness, but I made up my mind to go out and enjoy and never let myself fall motion sick.        

Gathering all the courage I went out for the trip and I puked too, but I enjoyed the trip thoroughly. None of my friends made fun of me as I had initially assumed, but rather they helped me get over it. Believe it or not I was not alone I had a lot of (motion sick) company, mostly small ones and some big ones too.

After this experience, I got over the problem of motion sickness from which I severely suffered. I have been on many trips after that with friends, family, strangers and sometimes alone but I have never thrown up since the last 18 years and believe me that is quite an achievement for people suffering from Kinetosis.             

 

This article may seem silly to many, but the ones who suffer from it and have been through the fear of facing such embarrassing situation in their childhood will understand the pain of the spoilsport called 'Travel sickness', more commonly known as Motion Sickness.

For your information, especially those who are more technically inclined this happens due to a disagreement between visually perceived movement and the vestibular system's sense of movement. I am not here to analyze or dissect the cause of motion sickness but just to suggest some ways to overcome this problem which hampers one of the most beautiful parts of our existence on Earth 'Travel'.

The following points are based on my personal experiences and that is what travel teaches you at every turn you take,

1. The advantage of being motion sick is you get the window seat, but don't miss the opportunity of gazing out of the window in the direction of motion which helps in avoiding the nausea.  

2. Always sit facing the direction of travel.

3. Keep chewing a gum, saunf (fennel), cardamom, clove or dried ginger.

4. Sometimes the smell of diesel/engine/perfume increases the feeling of nausea. Smelling a lime occasionally or getting some fresh air (not switching on AC) really helps.

5. Keep yourself busy with activities like some interesting discussion, games like Antakshari or dumb charades. This helps in diverting your mind from the feeling of motion sickness. However, my personal favorite is to take a good nap.

6. This point is for others who do not suffer from motion sickness but have the privilege of traveling with the ones who have a better functional vestibular system. Do not disturb us and please cooperate by sacrificing the window seat. Let us do what we wish to do without interference.

7. Do not try to read books, operate laptop or browse through mobile phones it will only aggravate the problem.

8. Lastly, before following the above listed points, it is very essential to believe in oneself and be mentally strong to overcome this problem by ignoring the thought of it at the sub-conscious level. Only when you don’t let the thought of motion sickness creep into your mind on boarding the vehicle the above listed suggestions will work.

 

Remember, it is all in our minds and it is left to us how we tackle this problem to enjoy what we always love to do... 'Travel'

Note: This is an Eco-friendly solution for motion sickness as it reduces the usage of plastic bags.

Go Green Go Places...     

10 Things To Do In Coorg - Reason 5

5. Seven Beans

CCD, Barista, Java city, Gloria Jeans, Starbuck, Strong, Filter, Drip, Chicory, Meter - do these words trigger your olfactory senses?

Yes, the refreshing smell of Coffee indeed.

Just imagine, waking up early on a cold morning, walking down the misty trails of a coffee estate filled with bird calls, the morning dew still fresh on those ripe coffee beans and suddenly lit by the golden rays of the rising sun.

After the long walk, a hot cup of coffee, an unfinished book and a view of the dense fog flowing across the lush green hills is all that is needed to fall in love with the place.

You can take a coffee estate tour to know what is Arabica, Robusta and what percentage of it with Chicory makes a good coffee and also know about the spices grown there. You may also come across the world's most expensive coffee, Kopu Luwak or bump into its manufacturer the civet cat.

Filter coffee is also known as drip coffee which is prepared from the decoction obtained by slow dripping/filtering of freshly ground coffee beans. Meter coffee is named so because of the way the coffee is poured into the glass from almost a meter high to mix it well.

To be continued...

10 Things To Do In Coorg - Reason 4

4. Morning Coffee with the Big Bang

Passing through the coffee estates, enjoying the lush green paddy fields, we entered the mysterious green estates in the company of a continuous drizzle and the scattered streaks of sunlight which lit the raindrops like precious glittering stones embedded on a beautiful green handicraft with splashes of bright red, orange, and yellow colors of the freshly blossomed flowers.


Walking down a few hundred meters all tired we were refreshed by the sight of cold water and the feeling of entering into it with the adventure that was to follow.

After some safety precautions and fun lessons we were ready to go, geared up with the life jacket (swimming not mandatory), head gear and the oar, we faced our first rapid Morning Coffee (level-2) which was not strong enough compared to the expectations prior to our lessons. Then came the Grasshopper (level-3), Ramba Samba (level-2), the Wicked Witch (level-3), finally the Big Bang(level-4) which made up an experience of Coorg much more exciting.

At the end of the flow on Barpole from morning coffee to big bang, we enjoyed the ride all throughout with the amazing Coorg climate, light drizzle, greenery and the rapids. 

Apart from sipping coffee and lazing around, go ahead and experience the flow through the estates..

To be continued...

10 Things To Do In Coorg - Reason 3

3. The Winged Beauties

She passed by and he followed, she returned back and he followed, both sat close to each other, and he whistled naughtily to which she responded with a shrill cry as if to alarm the whole world. When these hill mynas were busy creating quite a ruckus high up the canopy a flock of rose ringed parakeets flew above my head and landed on a nearby chickoo tree. As I moved silently towards the chickoo tree the rose ringed green beauties flew away, when I was sitting below the tree disappointed at not getting a closer look, I heard someone knocking and looked around only to find a flame backed woodpecker making hole in a silver wood tree looking for a meal. Disturbed by a noisy family of jungle babblers the flame back went in search of a quite place and as I tried to follow it in vain I heard someone whistling beautifully. Totally carried away by the melodious tone and curious about who is passing his time whistling in a wooded unkempt area of the estate I walked towards the source of the whistle. Finding nobody around I turned to trace back my path he whistled again, I turned around and found a amazingly beautiful striking blue (sorry the color cannot be described in words) bird, the malabar whistling thrush was the culprit.

Bird watching tops my list of reasons for heading towards Coorg. It needs patience, eyes all around, ears wide open and many a times a lot of perseverance to sit at one place motionless for hours.

Its much more exciting and interesting than the commercial street type of birdwatching, believe me and try it out folks.

To be continued...

10 Things To Do In Coorg - Reason 2

 2. The Creatures of the Snake's Stream
 
As we crossed the check post at around 10.30 AM, we asked our driver to drive slowly inside the park and we started looking around for the creatures of the jungle. On reaching the Murkal Elephant Camp Gouri asked the driver to stop for sometime as she wanted to click a few images of the camp elephants. I think the frustration of not even finding a single chital on the way made her do so. After clicking a few images of the camp elephants we moved ahead when Chimpu sitting next to the driver turns around and asked, "Are there any tigers in this jungle?".
As soon as I replied saying "Yes, there are a few remaining but there is no chance of spotting one at this hour", Karthik sitting at the back, moved forward, pointed his finger outside and said "Hey tiger, hey a tiger!!!".
We asked our driver to stop and he took some time to react and stopped the vehicle a little further than expected. All of us started looking out of the window in search of the stripes when I confidently said, "It must be a spotted deer, it happens many a times when we keep thinking of a tiger, everything we see, looks like a tiger". My words of wisdom fell on deaf ear when Gouri said "Look the tiger is sitting right there".
We asked the driver to go back a few meters to which he replied "Beda saar, huli bandu parchuthe" ("No sir, the tiger will attack"). On listening to the driver's words especially after that intellectual remarks of mine some time back, the excited crowd inside the vehicle got so angry that they started screaming at the driver to go back. Amidst all this commotion, we see the innocent pair of twinkling eyes rise up slowly, stare at us and decides to disappear in the thick lantana cover.
It all happened so fast, that none of us could believe our eyes, a tiger cub was sitting by the roadside at 11 AM with hundreds of vehicles passing by. The jungle surprises you when you least expect it and in my case it also made a fool of me by doing the exact opposite of what ever I said.

Nagarahole which literally means "Snake's Stream" named so because of its winding flow through the jungle infusing life into its denizens the chital, sambar, munjtac, mongoose, wild boar, gaur, elephant, leopard, tiger and many other creatures creeping, crawling, running or flying along with it. The denizens will surely keep you excited about their sudden sighting at the most unpredictable curve.

Kabini backwaters in Nagarhole is the best place in the world to witness the largest congregation of Asiatic Elephants. This place is also known for its regular sightings of the spotted beauty, the leopard.

Remember, on entering the jungle - drive slow, maintain silence, do not litter, do not feed, no music, do not get off the vehicle and respect wildlife, the Creatures of the Snake's Stream will never disappoint you.

To be continued...

10 Things To Do In Coorg - Reason 1

Ever visited Coorg?

If not, then you have to read this and ask yourself why not, and if yes, even then you have to read this and ask yourself or let me know what is missed out.

I have heard a lot of people say there is nothing in Coorg other than the same old coffee estates and I hope this write up changes that mindset. So here come the 10 reasons for missing Coorg every weekend (in parts due to a hectic schedule),

1. Following Kaveri

The land and life of Kodavas is incomplete without Kaveri. For those of you who are interested in mythology, geography, art, architecture or history, Kaveri is one topic that can keep you engaged for days or even years together. Traversing the path taken by Kaveri from its origin at Talakaveri to its end at Puhar (Poompuhar) in Tamil Nadu is one journey I personally want to complete in my lifetime. Here are some interesting myths and facts about Kaveri to trigger your interest,

Kaveri is a reincarnated form of Lopamudra, daughter of King Kavera. Lopamudra was created by Sage Agastya out of the most beautiful parts (mudra) of all animals, where 'Lopa' means loss suffered by the animals by giving away their most beautiful parts to Lopamudra. Lopamudra was brought up by King Kavera, and when she grew up Sage Agastya asked for her hand. She agreed on the condition that he would not leave her alone. But one day when Agastya left the house without informing her, she transformed herself into a river and disappeared from Agastya's view only to appear again at Bhagamandala.

The distinctive way of draping saree by the Kodavas is also related to river Kaveri. When Kaveri tried to flee, Agastya caught hold of one end of her saree and she swiftly turned to her right (this place where she turned right is known as Balamuri, where 'bala' means right and 'muri' means turn). This swift movement caused the pleats of her saree to move back and to this day the Kodavas wear their saree in this way.


On its journey, Kaveri is joined by its many tributaries like Harangi, Shimsa, Hemavathi, Honnuhole, Arkavathi, Kapila, Lakshmana Theertha, Kabini, Lokapavani, Bhavani, Noyil and Amaravathy. The world's largest congregation of Asiatic elephants happens at Kabini backwaters and is one of the most spectacular sights to see.

The village 'Kokkare Bellur' along Shimsa is one of the oldest examples of conservation, a step taken much before the current trend of conservation as a style statement. Spot billed pelicans, painted storks and black headed ibis which breed here between October to December are strongly guarded by the villagers.
A village called Kootli along the banks of Arkavathi is now underwater after the construction of a dam, and the nearby area Tippagondahalli (T.G. Halli) had no water for years as the water from the reservoir was fed to the city of Bangalore!!!

Many such interesting stories contribute to the places on the banks of river Kaveri and its tributaries.
To know more, Just Follow Kaveri...

To be continued...

Susegad Goa

It was a hot Sunday afternoon, I was lying down on the sofa and watching some crazy dubbed movie on television where the hero kicked 2 hefty guys in the air, knocked out many more on the way, sent a few flying left, right and center and walked back in slow motion....

Then all of a sudden I find myself lying on a brightly lit beach with a straw hat covering my face from the rays of the coastal sun, the light breeze in the humid air caressing my body in a cooling way, the sound of the waves gliding across the sandy shore soothing my ears, the smell of fried mackerel in recheado masala tempted me to walk down to the nearby shack to grab a fish and some chilled beer. As soon as I got up from my lazy horizontal position I saw Mr. Pinto sitting at the shack counter with his huge belly covered by the over-sized floral half sleeved shirt accompanied by a white "i 'heart' Goa" bermuda shorts waving at me. I smiled and got up to proceed towards the shack, I slipped and fell and kept going down like a free falling skydiver. I was scared and sweating profusely, suddenly 'Thud' came the sound, I had hit rock bottom which felt cold on my skin, I opened my eyes only to find the same hero on screen with the huge moustache still walking back in slow motion to the 2 guys stuck in mid air and pushed them like soft dolls hanging around in a baby shop.

Oh my!, it was such a relief as it was only a dream and i had fallen on the cold granite floor from the sofa. But wait, where was i before that scary free fall?

The sea, the beaches, chilled beer, coconut trees, music, yummy cuisine, intoxicating fenni, the hippies and the colorful markets filled my mind.

Gouri said 'lets go', even before i uttered 'Go..A' and the coming Tuesday at 3pm we were on the Yeshwantpur-Madgao express all excited.

[There are other trains from Bangalore but we prefer this one because of its timing. It leaves Bangalore at 3.30pm and reaches Madgao at 6pm]

As the train crossed Londa and entered castle rock we were all eyes on our left and were spellbound by the beauty of the milky waters splashing down from a height lit by the lovely moonlight.

[Don't miss the hot and yummy uppit/upma and idli at Londa, and be awake to witness the amazingly beautiful Dudhsagar. Trekking at Dudhsagar and admiring the falls from its head to toe with the railway track like a belt around its waist is an unforgettable experience]

After a couple of railway chai we were in Goa with high spirits. We took a taxi from Madgao to Colva and checked-in into one of the many hotels/resorts around the beach.

[prepaid taxis are easily available outside railway station at Madgao or you can share the open air buses with the locals for experiencing Goa. Apart from the low, medium, high and very high budget hotels, a little effort may reward you with a very low cost high on hospitality homely stays with the always cheerful Goan family and remember google search may not help you with this]

After a nice cold shower and good breakfast of omelette-pav we were ready to explore 'Goa' once again. This beautiful land with its sea, river and mangroves entices you back again and again. We took an Activa on rent and started our journey towards Panaji where we roamed the streets of the capital city and felt one with the place on seeing the very familiar Church at the center of the city. We had a delicious seafood meal cooked in authentic Goan style at Ritz Classic and drove back to our room. The next couple of days and nights were spent exploring the interiors of Goa on the Activa enjoying chilled beer with fish, crab, prawns, lobster in true Goan style.

[2 wheelers are a very good option for traveling around especially Activa which may cost you just around 150 per day, but you can also get a bullet or even a gypsy if you want to]

"When in Rome be a Roman, when in Goa be a Goan!!!"

The best thing about Goa is the freedom one gets to experience, its unique cuisine which is a mix of Konkani and Portuguese culture and off course the beer. Four full days was spent roaming around in bermuda shorts, a loose tee and the sunglasses, eating fresh seafood with beer or just lying down on the beach watching the sunset or jump around in the waves to our hearts content.

If one afternoon was spent pampering our taste buds with the best seafood at Martin's Corner in Salcette then the other was spent para-sailing and biking in Baga. If one night we ended up at a nightclub at 9.30 pm with not a single soul around another night we were in a crowded cruise all lit up with dance and music. By the way on enquiry at the night club we got to know 'In Goa party starts late (night) and ends early (morning)', so we planned to return back after a couple of hours but ended up having beer and saucy spicy red snapper at a nearby restaurant with some interesting Goan friends.

The good time at Goa was nearing to an end, and as we silently sat on the beach in Majorda watching the sunset and sulking at the thought of leaving this lovely place, we saw a couple sway to the tunes of Goa and slowly disappear with the setting sun, Gouri smiled and said 'Hoyth!!!'.

As we boarded the train at Madgao station we looked back and promised to return soon.

 Some more images here

Hoyth!!! - A Journey...

And out again I curve and flow,

To join the brimming river,

For men may come and men may go,

But i go on forever ...

The murmur and chatter of Alfred Lord Tennyson's brook lingers in my wandering mind when little Anika says, 'Hoyth!!!' looking at those birds flying away or at the mongrel running out of sight, dejected by the music that has stopped or at losing track of the rhythmic cry of the vegetable vendor moving down the lane, amazed at the disappearance of the moon behind the dark clouds or by the sudden halt of rain drops, excited at the deer jumping across the highway to vanish inside the woods or at moving away from those ever smiling children waving at every car that passes by.

'Hoyth!!!' is what she says in a very innocent tone that only she can with her unadulterated innocence and then she continues with her other activities as cheerful and enthusiastic as always.

'Hoyth!!!' is her version of 'Hoythu', a Kannada word for 'Gone'. But for me, more than the literal meaning it is the myriad thoughts it triggers.

'Hoyth!!!', for me is a reminder of those beautiful incidents of our life which we mutely watched passing by. We must have experienced happiness, sorrow, anger or joy at that point of time but now when we remember those moments, we have a good laugh at the bad experiences and badly miss the good ones. That is Life!

This page is to cherish those nostalgic memories or share a few unforgettable moments which are or will be lost in the maze of our busy lifestyle but are still ready to light up when rekindled because we had just said, 'Hoyth!!!' but never a 'Good-Bye'.