The
virtual journey began over a deep discussion with my husband on a call. We
shared views about Wayanad, Allepey, Munnar and all that was beautiful and breathtaking.
My husband and I are travel enthusiasts and it doesn’t matter to us whether we
romance with mountains, high seas or just the plains. This time it was our
honeymoon so all our energy was exhausted by resolving the marriage rituals
existing in the two states i.e. we both were travelling to and fro between
these two Trans cultural boundaries. Our surreal charm for Greece, Prague,
French Riviera and Peru collided with the paucity of time. We therefore decided
to choose a destination that was close to Bangalore and where we could relax
for a while before we started the ‘dal and bhaat’ life.
We
chose the town of Madikeri that is popular for the destination called “Coorg”
known as Mercara in their language. The misty Coorg reminded me of the hindi
adaptation of Sussana’s Seven Husbands by Ruskin Bond and the captivating cinematic
shots taken in the valley. Now, Mercara was almost five to five and half hours
journey from Bangalore (it could be six if the traffic is high). The stoppage
was at Mysore Adigas for breakfast. One must take travel necessities like tablet
or ipad, medicines, cushions, wraps, ice-box, fans, sunglasses, sun-block, hand
towels and munching goodies to have a comfortable journey. The road from
Bangalore to Coorg has many wine shops though drunken driving is prohibited in
the city of Bangalore yet alcohol is sold like mineral water.
We
began our journey early in the morning to avoid traffic inside the city of
Bangalore and its outskirts. Coorg is known more for its monsoon as it’s a rainforest
hills of the Western Ghats bordering most of the town of Madikeri. The highway
consists of beautiful palm trees and the scarce vegetation as grown in the
rough red soil, geographically known to be a dry soil. March is not the weather
for Coorg and the hill station is less visited by tourists. Orange County, Taj
Madikeri , Tamara and Mahindra are the chief hotels that provide a very
luxurious stay.
Coorg
is famous for its coffee plantations and home stays exist in abundance inside
these plantations. Sweet spring is the coffee blossom weather and the hills are
filled with the smell of a lovely lingering scent of the flowers. My suggestion to you is
to stay for two days in the homestay and visit the famous places in the town of
Coorg. The places are Buddhist Monastery (must watch), Abbey Falls ( it is
haunted by tourists and has been witnessing littering by the them), Talacauvery
(the origin of the Kaveri river), Omkareshwara Temple, Rajas Seat (where the
King sat and saw the whole of Coorg at the highest point), Mercara Fortress where
the British ruled Coorg for many years in the past, also consists of the
mementos of the renowned Field Marshal - Kodandera "Kipper" Madappa
Cariappa . Dubbare – the elephant training camp. Cauvery Nishadharma is a
manmade island that didn’t seem interesting to us by its not so enticing photographs
available at the reception of the hotel as well the internet. However Irupu
Falls was beautiful and a must visit. Rajas Seat and Nishani Hills are
considered to be the most beautiful sunrise and sunset point. We indulged in a
wacky endeavor of taking a picture together in the famous Coorg attire and the
picture seemed quite memorable to us as it shall remind us always of a distant
memory.
Coorg
is chilly in the night in March and it is not very easy to take a dip in the
swimming pool of Mahindra or Orange County unless it’s a temperature control
pool of Taj where we stayed. The Taj property is famous for its 180 acre of
land and is overseeing the valley. There is the famous Nishani Hyke where you can get to see Coorg from the highest hill and the trek takes place
early in the morning by the Taj trainers at the hotel.
The
historical conservatory at Taj is worth remembering as it explains you the
culture, art and history of Coorg. The
people of Coorg are knowingly or unknowingly famous for their greek origin from
Alexander’s invasion of India and his huge army of Greek men. The people of
Coorg eat vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian and the kings were famous for
indulging in the game of hunting boars. It can be seemingly understood that the
the people of Coorg are from the Kshatriya (warrior) clan and are quite united
as a community.The quintessential Pandi Curry (pork curry) and Kodimbattu
(steamed rice balls), oil lamp, brass dagger, brass urlis (bowls to fill water,
oil lamps and flower to welcome guests and also for festival or religious
purposes in South of India), brass steamer container are found in every nook
and corner of the town hall.
One
must make a visit to the chic eatery called Raintree (and choose any coffee
drink from the world map) that serves you fresh coffee from the brewery station of the restraint in the town
hall. Another interesting joint is Taste of Coorg where the authentic Coorg
cuisine is served. The Coorg cottages are beautiful as each house has thatched
roofs due to the heavy amount of rains in the town and the doorway has an
interesting pool that collects water drained out fresh from the roof in the
rainy season. Bamboo trees exist in plenty and objects like masks are carved
out from the same in abundance by the local craftsmen. The art of choosing
coffee and knowing its flavor can be tested by visiting many recognized coffee
estate shops like Golden Coffee Estate in the town hall. Always choose coffee
beans and get it grounded in front of you at the shop. There are two kinds of
famous coffees. One is Plantation Arabica and the other is Plantation Robusta.
Plantation Arabica is the gentle coffee and is suitable mostly for a relaxed
evening and after spa therapy just like sipping of green, chamomile or jasmine
tea. Plantation Robusta is a strong aromatic coffee and is savored by people
who have a taste for cappuchino. Coorg grows its extremely good masalas like
cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, staranise, bay leaves, pepper, honey, coconut oil,
toffees, chocolates and all are available at the recognized shops. One must
choose the aforesaid from the recognized shops of the State Government. Please
be careful in buying the same. The local fruit wines are strong and have a
similar pungent taste like Feny from Goa. The famous fruit vinegar and chillies
used in pandi curry are also available in shops.
A
medium distance from Coorg is the amazing and one of the best forests of India boasting
of flaura and fauna alongside the peaceful Kabini river, a tributary of Kaveri
is “Nagarhole National Park” also known as the Rajiv Gandhi National Park.
Orange County is a must visit and oversees the tributary. Bio-diveristy
includes large number of flaura and fauna like tigers and wild elephants and
many other species. We decided to make a separate visit to the forest in one of
the weekend getaways. It is also worthwhile visiting Bandipur National Park.
The details of these two parks shall be covered soon by me for you all.
The
people of Coorg are extremely united and it is commendable that they care for
conservation of the plants and trees on the hills. Plastic is banned in Coorg
and the citizens follow the strict laws. They worship the river Kaveri and she
is their goddess for all kinds of festivities. In short, the town is peaceful
and a must visit during the Monsoon season. Taj Madikeri , Orange County and Tamara are the best in the lot. Tamara is
rated as the best romantic resort in the world map.
Taj
grows its coffee and has a lovely farmland. All food is cooked out of the farm
fresh vegetation and plenty of herbs like rosemary, sage, oregano and fruits
like strawberry are available. A tour of the magnificient property is
undertaken in a buggy ride by the staff. The Jiva spa, temperature controlled
pool (one of its kind in India after Oberoi- Shimla), conservatory, hykes and
vivid occupying activities enthrall the tourists. The Buddha Garden is amidst
the giant statue of the bust of Buddha, a little stream, wooden bridged, trees,
shrubs and the forest passage is lit with oil lamps to place romantic dinner
for couples in the night. Before we get endorsed anymore for praising the
property my suggestions to you is to visit the lovely Coorg when the Indian rain
god Indra drenches it. A five day
relaxed stay is enough to finish all the destinations in Coorg. Keep reading ! J
