Reasons:
1. Rugged mountains
2. Heritage and culture
3. Unique feel
4. WEAK DOLLAR
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Category Archives: Travel
Vignettes from India
A hoarding in memory of Kannada matinee idol Dr. Rajkumar (extreme right) on his death anniversary. But, look at the number of people in the banner. Top half comprises of ‘so called’ political leaders and the bottom half constitutes people who have financed this hoarding.
A temple pond in Kerala.
Southadka Mahaganapathi Temple near Dharmasthala offers a unique experience. The deity is out in the open and there is no formal structure for the temple. According to mythology, Lord Ganesh wanted to be nestled in a place without any bonds so that ordinary people could access him all thought the day and night. A lot of cows can be seen freely wandering around the place of worship.
The towering Bahubali’s statue is silhouetted against the backdrop of setting sun in Dharmasthala.
Love-struck people have devised novel ways to display affection for their beloved. Some enthusiastic ones have crafted their love messages on this bamboo tree at Cauvery Nisargadhama, a popular tourist hangout in Kodagu.
Thanks to potholes and cows on roads, driving in semi-urban areas is relatively safe these days!
Times of India Group is a master when it comes to taking digs at rivals. Their latest effort, Bangalore Mirror, a tabloid, has this ‘faff’ hoarding all over the city.
Elephant camp
Dubare Elephant Camp is a hot destination for tourists visiting Kodagu during summer. The ‘Elephant Interaction’ package, which is a hit among visitors, begins early in the morning with a host of activities including bathing and feeding of the jumbos. Nestled alongside the River Cauvery, the camp offers a unique and relaxing experience. My daughter was too excited to see the elephants from close quarters.
On the other side of River Cauvery lies the elephant camp.
Tourists crossing the river by boat to reach the camp.
Elephants enjoying the bathing session. Enthusiastic tourists are seen splashing water on the jumbos.
I am ready to take the plunge…
After relaxing in ‘pool’, elephants return for the feeding session.
A board displays names of elephants and their age.
Golden temple
Taking a breather from our hectic holiday schedule, we managed to visit the Golden Temple at the Tibetan refugee settlement in Bylakuppe. The place is 30 km from Madikeri, and 90 km from Mysore. The Golden Temple is housed in the Namdroling Monastery, and true to Tibetan architecture, is very attractive and colorful.
Entrance to the monastery.
Statue of Lord Buddha inside the temple.
Front view of the Golden Temple.
Door handle in one of the temples. Intricate design caught my attention.
Wall painting inside the temple.
Inside view of the temple.
Monsoon woes – Part 2
It’s tricky to travel during heavy rains. If you lucky enough, you will reach your destination comfortably. One rainy afternoon, on our back home, a huge tree fell over the highway near Sullia, blocking the road for nearly two hours with around 500 vehicles on either side. After some agonizing moments, the trees were cut and vehicle traffic resumed. Landslides and uprooting of trees are two major worries during monsoon, especially in ghat sections.
Stranded vehicles on either side.
An elephant landed on the spot to assist in clearing the road.
Vehicular traffic resumes.
No-frills lunch
From my experience, I’ve learnt that low-cost and no-frills hotels dish out lip smacking food. After visiting Talacauvery, on our way back home, we stopped at Bhagamandala for lunch. We zeroed in on Hotel Santhosh, which has a rural setting to it. The lunch here was decent and tasty. For Rs.100 (RO 1), four of us had a hearty lunch. The menu comprised of rice, sambar, rasam, vegetable, papad, curd, butter milk, pickle, dal vada, bhajji and payasam. The lunch evoked nostalgic memories of the good old days.
Meals are served on plantain leaves.
Dal vada, bhajjis were the accompaniments we ordered along with meals.
Hotel’s hand wash area in the backyard.
The exterior look of Hotel Santhosh.
Monsoon woes
During the first half of my holidays in India, the monsoon never came, and in the latter part, it rained like mad. For almost two days, thanks to heavy rains, I couldn’t get out of my house in Kodagu. Overflowing rivers, flooding, and landslides became order of the day. Power breakdowns were common, and in some interior areas people went ‘powerless’ for more than 10 days. Barring landlines and mobile networks, only source of communication in these times were the vernacular local dailies.
Throughout my holidays, wherever we went, people kept asking, “You missed the terrible Oman cyclone right?”. Yes, we missed by a whisker, was our constant reply. But, when we landed back in Muscat, Gonu effect was evident in our flat where water had seeped in through the A/c ducts, damaging some furniture.
Here are some monsoon-related photos from India:
Mist-clad mountains before sunrise.
A view of the mountain ranges from Talacauvery.
Heavy rains near Kannur.
The majestic River Cauvery makes it way through near Madikeri.
A view of the pouring rain from our house in Madikeri.