Coorg - Was a heaven post monsoon

Coorg – September 12, 2011

This is gonna be quite a long one. One, reason being this would be a wonderful read for my own self when I want to and secondly might be of little help for someone wanting to plan one.

Coorg – This trip was planned way before in May 2011. We had booked our timeshare at Club Mahindra and got a 7 day vacation free. Hence, we planned our trip to a place that we could drive down to.

Much excited we started our drive on 10^th September from Chennai to Bangalore.  Left home at 5:15 AM and after filling fuel started from Adyar at 5:45 AM. Reached Vellore at 7:35 AM and stopped for breakfast at Hotel Aryas (On the right side of the road). After breakfast resumed our drive to Bangalore at 8:15 and reached Bangalore at 11:30. The day was spent at a friend’s place.

Next day morning (September 11^th – Day 1) started at 5:45 and started our drive to Coorg. Stopped for a tea at Bannarghetta road and resumed our journey at 6:00 AM. Stopped for breakfast at Kadhambam restaurant (After Chennapatna). We reached this place via Nice road at 7:00 AM. Finished breakfast and started our drive back at 7:45 AM.

Proceeded towards Mysore and took the bypass after Srirangapatna (The road that leads to Krishna raja sagar dam and Renganthittu Bird sanctuary). After travelling some distance on this less crowded road, you join the bypass road that leads to Mangalore which is the Mysore – Mangalore highway (SH88). From here we bypassed Hunsur, went through Piriyapatna, Bylakuppe, Kushalnagara, Sontikoppa and reached Madikeri at 11:30 AM. The road towards Madikeri seems to have been newly laid and was very smooth. The last lap was little bad with pot holes but was manageable as the distance was short. We reached our resort around 11:30 AM. After all our check in formalities at Club Mahindra Kodagu Valley, we freshened and stepped out to eat lunch. Had lunch at one of the restaurants at Hotel Coorg International. Food was very tasty and after a sumptuous lunch went back to the resort for a good nap. The day was spent indoors watching TV.

Day 2 - The second day started after a good night’s sleep. We left the hotel at 9:15 AM and went in search of a nice place to have breakfast at Madikeri and landed at a nice vegetarian canteen. The place was very neat and small and served very homely breakfast. Was worth the try and we decided we would do our breakfast there till our stay at Coorg. The name of this place is Krishna Canteen (Near Hotel Fort View). Post breakfast proceeded towards Thala Cauvery (The birth place of Cauvery). It was a wonderful drive through paddy fields and valleys. The road condition was fine most of the times except at few places. Reached the temple and there was a view point from there and had to climb appx 300 steps and it was a blind view point where there was no walls constructed. The weather has been amazing ever since we reached Coorg and it has been very cold all through the day with slight drizzle once in a while. We also covered a place called Bagamandala which was 8 Kms before Thala Cauvery. This place had a temple and a stream that was called the Triveni Sangam as 3 rivers confluence here. After spending some time there, we had lunch at a small mess which again was simple but good food and left back to our resort. Rest of the day was spent again indoors.

Day 3 – As usual started around 8:30 in the morning for breakfast and post that visited the Abbey Falls. The drive was pleasant with the roads being narrower and with sharp curves. After parking our car, we started to walk down the pathway to reach the falls. It was about 500 meters down and the path was easy to walk with broader steps. It wasn’t very steep. The roar of the falls could be heard much before reaching the spot. The moment we reached the falls the view was absolutely breathtaking. Since this was just after the monsoons the falls was at its best flow. The roaring sound of the water and the water hitting our face was just awesome. There was a hanging bridge that was right across the water giving direct view of the falls and the river below. Standing on that bridge itself was a wonderful experience as you would tend to get drenched because of the water from the falls hitting directly. After spending some time there enjoying the water we started our walk back. The walk up was not very tiresome as the steps were much broader and easier to walk. After some refreshments started from there and visited the Omkareshwara temple, Madikeri fort and went for lunch at a place that served very homely meals. After a good lunch came back to the resort and spent some time in the evening walking around the resort and enjoying the places inside

Day 4 – As usual the day started with breakfast and we headed straight to Dubare Elephant camp. This is a place where they train elephants for different purposes. To go to the elephant camp you need to take a boat to the other side of the river and there are boats for this purpose at very minimal cost of Rs 20 both ways. Unfortunately since it was prior to Dussherah, we were told that all elephants were taken away to Mysore only that morning. There was one elephant and we went on a short ride and after that came back to the other side of the river. Since it was post monsoon the river Cauvery was at its full flow and the sight was just amazing. There were some people who were pestering us to take to rafting and I was not very comfortable doing a rafting. I definitely am scared of the feel that I might fall in to the water knowing its an adventure sport. However, the other 2 were convinced that they wanted to raft and compelled me to join them as well stating that I would be missing something id I don’t go along with them. After much persuasion from them I decided to join them. I have always been for boating everywhere however the thought of rafting especially when there are rapids scared the shit out of me.  We were 3 in a boat along with a guide and it was a 7km raft with 3 rapids. We were all set for the ride and the guide thought us some basic commands and some basic instructions that we had to follow. It all sounded good and he mentioned he would teach us some safety commands after we start our ride. It was very smooth and the water was almost still at most of the places and the feel was absolutely good with the Dubare forest on one side, the sound of birds, the sound of water, the sound of air.... Beautiful feeling it was. So now was the time for us to hear more commands from him. The worst was coming from him to add to my fear. He was telling about the rapids and told us that in case we happen to fall in to the water we need to just lie flat and that the water would push us a little further and he can come and pick us up. Lying flat because he mentioned there are rocks everywhere and chances that we might get hit in our legs if we just try to float as is. So that was enough to add to my fear. Now I was eagerly waiting for the 1^st rapid and was asking him many questions and he was patient enough to answer them. He said it was a simple rapid and it would be fun. So just before we were approaching we were asked to row fast and there we were at the 1^st one and I still remember how the boat hit on a huge rock and rotated in the swirl before landing at a safe place and by then we were inside out of water. This one was enough to get that fear factor out of me. It became fun then on and I was eagerly waiting for the next one not knowing how good or bad that was gonna be. Before the 1^st and 2^nd there was quite some distance and we were just enjoying nature as we were rowing. The 2^nd was supposed to be a simple one with a small drop and that’s it, it was supposed to be. We were supposed to be rowing real fast to cross the rapid without getting stuck in the rocks. SO we were all geared up once again, and just as I thought we were in and out of water and crossed the 2^nd one, I realised that our boat got stuck in a huge bush right in front of the rapid. It was nightmarish for me as the water was absolutely forceful and the boat was sitting in a bush and was not moving an inch and because of the force of water the guide also couldn’t push the boat. It was scary but at the same time fun too. The guide now had to slowly get down in the water and he found some place to rest his feet for support and tried hard to push the boat away from the bush. It was getting a little difficult because of the force of water. However with the help of other 2 guys in the boat, we somehow managed to get out of that rapid and it was good fun. So once again it was all calm and the guide warned us that the 3^rd which is the last one is very forceful and there are all chances of falling inside and he warned us to hold the rope real tight and not let go in case we fall. So my nightmare never ended. Though I was enjoying everything, I wanted to get out of that place without falling anywhere. The 3^rd one approached we rowed fast and there was a drop once again and as he had rightly mentioned it was very forceful and our boat literally sank inside the water before coming up and the boat was filled with water. This was an experience of a lifetime for me. Now he made a round in the same area and parked the boat right in front of the rapid and I was again scared that he was gonna ask me to get out of the boat to drain the water off as that’s what he was mentioning to us. He asked me to handover everything to him including my specs and asked me to lean in front of the boat holding the rope tight. He said he was gonna make the final one very adventurous. He took control of the waves and the way he went towards the rapid made the boat vertical and it went inside the water literally and came back to normal. It was ecstasy. Since I was inside the boat kneeling I went completely inside water and he repeated the same for about 5 times before I screamed to him to stop that. The water was forcefully hitting on the face and it was real fun. I think that was the most unforgettable part of the trip and I still don’t think that I would ever have the courage to go for something like that all over again. This experience can only be felt and I have tried hard to express it in words.

So that was fun filling and we headed straight to a restaurant as we were very hungry. Had good food and visited  this place called Nisargadhama. Good place and was very calm, full of bamboo trees. After that we called it a day and returned to our resort.

Day 5 – We were all prepared to leave Coorg after a fun filling and memorable holiday. It was drizzling ever since morning and we had one more place to cover before we headed to Bangalore. It was Bylakuppe – The Tibetan settlement. So we stopped at that place around 10 AM and the place gave a feel as if we were in some other country. The whole place was nice and it was supposedly the prayer time at the Monastery. It was good and after spending a while there and after a bit of shopping, we headed straight to Bangalore nonstop.

So there came the end of an awesome, fun filling, memorable vacation and drive.

Kolli Hills

Kolli Hills

This was as mentioned earlier planned well in advance weekend trip. Started on a Saturday morning at 5:30 from our house in Adyar. It took us till 8 AM to reach Dindivanam due to the heavy truck traffic on GST. Non avaiability of diesel in the bunks also added to a 45 minute delay. Reached The Highway Hotel at 8 and had a good breakfast. It was a decent place and the food was good too. After 45 minute started our non stop drive to Kolli hills. Since we were driving down we had a print of the route from Google maps and in spite of that kind of missed our way due to non availability of sign boards.

Though not much of a deviation, we went inside the city of Kallakurichi and had to touch the route from Chinna Salem. I should say I was amazed by the highways. The state highways have been so well maintained and the roads were just butter smooth. Very spacious 4 lane almost on all the state highways we touched.

The map that we printed did help us a lot and we were finally at the foot of kolli hills. The entire route was so amazing with paddy fields on either sides and it was all green throughout. May be because we just went at the start of the monsoon.

Finally we reached our destination “Nallathambi resort” by around 3 PM. It was a wonderful drive up hill with about 72 hair pin bends. The bends were pretty steep and it was a fun drive and a bit scary one too.

Though we had booked the accommodation well in advance we were made to wait as the rooms got filled by some college kids. We did pack some tamarind rice and took some chips along not knowing if we would get anything on the way. In fact that food helped us survive till 4:30 PM when we actually got the room. We freshened up before starting to explore the place. We visited a view point that was a KM away from the village named “Solakkadu”. Then we visited another place that was like a park, however there was nothing great. The view from every place on the hill was just breath taking. There are no words that can describe it. The un polluted air and the chilly breeze that hit the face is also something that cannot be described.

We reached our resort and ordered some dinner. Dinner was very homely and there weren’t too many varieties as they do not have any vegetable suppliers on the hill and they procure everything from the villages at the foot hills. Hence the choice was limited but very tasty as well.

That was day 1 at Kolli. The next day we started pretty early. Had steaming hot breakfast at the resort and started our way to the Akash Ganga waterfalls. The details of this waterfall can be seen on the following website:

I was very sceptical to walk down as it was a falls to which you need to walk down 1000 odd steps. Climbing down the stairs was also not so easy as after half a distance of going down I realised that my legs started trembling. Hence I had to give breaks to even climb down. Steps were steeper at few points and narrower as well. The view however was breathtaking on all sides. It was as if I was walking endlessly and could hear or see no falls anywhere. When I was really tired of climbing down, I could at a distance hear the roar of a waterfall and I got very excited to see how it would be and I forgot about my trembling legs and walked down very fast. At one point the stairs came to an end and I was so happy, but the next second I realised that there were some rocky terrain that I needed to cross to go to the waterfall. These were pretty sharp rocks and it was a bit scary to walk on them and I was walking with a constant fear that I would fall any moment.

The moment I crossed this terrain what I saw was an amazing sight and one would forget the number of steps climbed down. It was a fall from a height of about 300 meters and true to its name it looked as if it was falling from the sky. We were standing at a distance of about 300 meters and in spite of that the water was hitting on our face.

Spent some time enjoying this natural beauty and it was time for us to climb up and I was so scared at the thought of getting up those 1000 steps. It was pretty difficult, but somehow by taking breaks I managed to reach the top safely. From there we went back to our resort and it was time for us to pack and leave.

It was again a good drive down the hills though it felt as if we took more time coming down than the time we took to go uphill. Went straight to Namakkal temple and from there started our journey back to Chennai. We took a different route this time around and came via Thuraiyur, Perambalur and NH 45 from then on. Once again butter smooth highways.

Reached Chennai by 9 PM. Overall it was a very nice weekend and had good fun.

*Since am writing this blog almost after 2 months of my trip I haven’t provided the complete details of timings, highways etc*

My first trip to GOA......

Here I am to write about my first trip to Goa. It was a fantastic trip, well planned as I was taking my mother and brother and I should admit this is my first leisure trip with my mom post my marriage. Went on this trip during the mid of May, however made some time to write a detailed blog only now. There are also a lot of first times in this trip as you would read below. I planned the trip well in advance as it was the summer holidays and did not want to get disappointed, Hence made my travel bookings through Kingfisher airlines and made a package booking at "The retreat By Zuri" resort at South Goa. The package was a wonderful one and I thought it would be worth the money and I was not disappointed with my choice post the trip.


Day 1: Started early and had an early breakfast at one of the restaurants in Adyar and reached the airport well in advance. After checking in and the security check we were seated on the 1st floor and were chatting and spending our time watching the passers by and some flight take offs and landings. I should say though I have flown couple of times, this was my maiden flight from the Chennai Airport. It was very typical of Chennai even inside the airport and there was nothing that was really impressive. Boarded our flight to Mumbai where we had a short transit before taking our connecting flight to Goa. The flight was ok and we reached Mumbai airport in a couple of hours. My first time at the Mumbai airport too and I was completely awed by the drastic difference between what I saw at Chennai and what I was seeing at Mumbai. I should also say this was the first time in my life I ever saw so many private jets.
Amazing interiors and the entire area had a carpet and it truly looked wonderful. Couple of hours transit was spent reading the newspaper and watching out. Then we boarded our flight to Goa and it was an hour journey and a awesome experience to get aerial view of Goa as it truly looked like paradise. While landing at Goa airport I noticed that they have a military base (Or Army) and I saw a lot of fighters and small aircrafts that looked very cute.
Since I had accommodation arranged there was a cab that was sent to pick us up and there we were on our way to the resort. My first impression about Goa was that I could immediately compare it to Kerala because of the narrow roads that were curving all the way and the coconut trees on either side of the road and also the cleanliness of the place.
Finally after about 40 minutes of drive we reached our resort and straight away headed towards the restaurant as it was past lunch time and we were really hungry. Had a good lunch and we checked in to our room and freshened up before planning our evening. After freshening up we went to the Varca beach that was about a kilometer from the resort. Had a good walk and when we reached the beach it was absolutely a virgin beach. Not much frequented by tourists (Atleast this part of the beach that we went). We did see few people who were having fun playing and few others enjoying the water. It was pure white sand and the there was absolutely no tide or very low ones. We enjoyed the water for a while and the sunset at the beach and went back to our resort. After our dinner we called it a day after a long and tiring day.

 The sunset at Varca Beach

Day 2: Post breakfast went for a nice spa and a steam and went back to the room to freshen up and get ready for a half day trip the resort was offering as part of the package. After lunch around 2 PM we took the cab that the resort arranged and went straight to the Mangueshi temple on the Goa Panaji road (Built by Lata Mangeshkar's father). To me it was just like some monument and I never felt the vibrations of the temple. It was an ok place to see and from nowhere it started getting crowded and we started heading towards the oldest church in Goa, The basilica of Bom Jesus). This was absolutely awesome with the old buildings and the spacious lawn outside the church. One can definitely feel a lot of positive vibrations inside the church. After our sightseeing around the church we were taken to the old city for some walking around and shopping. Did some shopping and we were on our way back to the resort. On the way back through the Mandovi river we spotted some real nice casinos. Once at the resort me and my brother decided to go for a swim as the water was really inviting especially after being in the hot sun for few hours. After some refreshing time at the pool we had our dinner and called it a day. (Best part here is I do not know swimming but I love being in the water)

 The Mangueshi temple

 The Basilica of Bom Jesus

The Mandovi river


Day 3: We went through a list of tourist attractions to take a day package. And I was very particular not to visit any of the places frequented by tourists. After chatting and getting to know about the different places from the reception guy, we freezed on going to one of the most beautiful beach of Goa which is justified as the paradise beach. En route the beach we went to a fort called the Cabo De Rama fort which gives a stunning view of the beach and there is absolutely undisturbed peace around. When we went there it was just us and while entering we noticed a family coming out of the fort. There was absolute silence and for a moment my mother felt really spooky about the whole place as there was nothing but trees, and the sea at a distance. We walked till the end of the fort which of course are only ruins and it was worth the walk as that was the best view of a beach I have ever seen. Absolutely stunning and truly a paradise. We did not want to get lost and hence kept some identification for us to return back. At the end of the fort when you watch the sea below and around you with small mountains you feel you do not want anything else in this world. Silence, pure air, Sound of nature. We headed back to our cab as it was a little scary to be all alone in such a place. And then went on our way to the Palolem beach. Except for few foreigners who were enjoying their swim, there was no one around. After spending an hour at the beach doing nothing but enjoying the view, we were on our way back. That's when our driver offered us to show a very old house from the Portuguese days and we wanted to see that as well by all the description given. The house of Menzes Braganza  is one of the most beautiful colonial mansions in Goa. This is a great place to understand the art and culture of the Portuguese. The main lady was not available and we were shown around by the 2 care takers who couldn't speak neither Hindi nor English. One thing to watch out for is it says there is no entrance fee however there is a donation box towards the exit and you can donate what you want. When I put in a hundred rupee note inside the care taker didn't let me go and demanded another 200 rupees. Since there was no one around and she had locked the doors of the house after we came in, we did not want to take a chance of arguing with her and not being let out and hence silently dropped in another 200 and left the place. However I would say worth the visit as those are treasures of the past and we can never dream of seeing such cultural and architectural beauty in this modern age. That concluded our day trip and we headed back to the resort. Spent some time around the resort enjoying the architecture. This resort has been designed like a Portuguese village with central courtyards with a garden, patio and pergolas.

 The Cabo De Rama Fort

 Sea view from the fort

 The Menzes Braganza house

 The paradise beach

 The Braganza house outer view

 Picture of the resort at night

 The courtyard at the resort

The patio at the resort


Day 4: We were getting ready to leave and bring an end to a fabulous experience we had all by ourselves. Excellent resort to stay. Worth the money. Very friendly and hospitable staff from reception to house keeping to restaurant, they make you feel very comfortable. Reached the Goa airport and boarded our flight back and the transit this time was at Bangalore. I was thrilled to see that airport as I had heard lot about the international standard at the airport. Bid good bye to Goa and was off towards Bangalore. Upon reaching there, it was very interesting to see the kind of facilities at the airport. However, after getting through the security check and in to the waiting area I felt Mumbai was the best airport of all that I saw in those 4 days. Yes, Bangalore airport was huge and very modern however it was way too crowded and it was not even organized anywhere. And after couple of hours of waiting boarded our last flight of the trip back to Chennai.


Overall, an amazing trip and I was finally happy with the choice of resort and the choice of places I chose to go around while in Goa.
I hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed traveling.

Waiting for the weekend trip

After a long gap, we have decided to hit the road and going to explore a new place. Planning for the weekend at Kolli Hills in the Namakkal district. Having read so many blogs about this non commercialized place we have been waiting for the last 3 weeks to go and explore ourselves.


Will write our experience once back.

Inspired to write blogs again

Am starting to write this all over again as I got inspired by someone who has been constantly updating her blogs and it felt wonderful to read. So I thought I would start sharing my experiences and trips on my blog and am hoping some of my blogs would be of use to readers.

New car's first road trip

This was our first road trip after we changed the car a month ago. We decided to choose a place that is worth a 2 day visit. Hence booked our hotel in Chidambaram "Hotel Grand Palace Stay", that looked and actually is the biggest hotel in Chidambaram and I should say decent as well. We left Chennai on 08/1/11 by Six'ish and without a stop drove to Pondy on the ECR. Finished our breakfast at AAB and visited the Ashram and did some shopping. After an hour and half started our journey through cuddalore and reached Chidambaram around noon. The road from Pondy to Cuddalore was a nightmare coz of the bad roads, nightmarish bus drivers. Beyond Cuddalore once again was a breeze on the national highway 45A.


After freshening up and post lunch we started to drive to "Gangaikondacholapuram", the capital of Rajendra Chola (Son of Rajarajacholan). It was an architectural marvel and since I have never visited Thanjavoor, I could least imagine how this place would look like. I was awed by the chola architecture. Had a good time at this place and after an hour's time drove back to Chidambaram where we halted for the night.

 Enroute to Gangaikondachozhapuram

 At the entrance of the temple "Replica of the big temple at Tanjavur"

Enroute to Pichavaram from Chidambaram


The next day visited the Chidambaram temple post breakfast. Though am religious, I did not enjoy this temple much because of the money looting by the so called Dikshithars. I couldn't find anyone without interest in making money there and hence I lost the interest of even looking at the god and praying.


After that we started our drive to "Pitchavaram". Pichavaram has the world's second largest natural mangroves after Sunderbans. The road from Chidambaram is ok kinds, and the interior drive of over 12 kms was kind of rugged. But the bliss was the natural beauty on either side of the road. The entire stretch had a huge canal flowing on the left and paddy fields to the right. So though a tough drive, it was a bliss for the vision.


We reached Pichavaram and decided to take a row boat for 2 hours. After we started the boat ride the boatman actually was trying to sell something to us. He was asking for money so that he could take us in a different route. Otherwise the boat ride would have been for 2 hours only on the outer area of the lake. Though I was hesitant on paying anything extra, my husband after much haggling freezed upon a rate with him and he agreed to take us deep inside the mangrove forest. I have to admit that I do not repend for that extra money that we paid the boatman.


Truly the sight was amazing and I am sure until you pay these guys some bucks you will never see such beauty. The boat ride through the mangroves, and deep inside is an experience that cannot be explained.


So there ended our ride and we decided to hit the highway soon as we wanted to reach Chennai before dark. Landed in Pondy for lunch and then on were cruising back on ECR.

 Pichavaram

 The natural mangroves

With the new baby it was an amazing drive during the weekend!!