We had been planning the Coorg trip for about weeks now, only that the plan got cancelled every time due to various reasons. Finally, we decided to execute the plan on a weekend, this trip was planned within 3 days. We could not find any buses as per our required time - yeah! I am into IT and work shifts. So we decided to take the bike out for a ride!! It took us six hours!! Bangalore to Mysore to Kushalnagar and finally to Coorg... Having an amazing South Indian breakfast at Kamat to lunch at a roadside shop to just stopping by at a random fruit stall on the way to having coffee at Kushalnagar CCD...the excitement had reached its peak. The road is lush green with trees and plantations on the either side of the road. We reached Coorg around 2pm; we had booked our stay in Taj Vivanta, Madikeri that is around 10kms from the city. When we reached the hotel we were greeted with a pleasant smile and a welcome drink- that was a specialty of Coorg- comprising of Coffee and jaggery. Well, I couldn’t complete it as I am not a coffee lover but it was great. Rest of the day was lazy, strolling around the resort and relaxing in the pool. Taj does have a huge and beautiful property there, especially the pool – the view is breathtaking. Next day- we left the hotel early morning- around 6- to visit the town- It was freezing and foggy. We crossed some alluring coffee plantations, had breakfast at an authentic Coorg restaurant at bus stop- it was yummy, shopped for some chocolates, green tea and coffee, visited a garden called Raja’s Seat , Omkareshwara temple, Mercara Downs Golf Club was huge and then we got back to the hotel. We checked out the hotel then, only to visit the much heard Abbey falls and our next destination- Kushalnagar. On reaching Abbey, I could hear the gushing sound of the waterfall walking down the canopy and it got me all pumped up. But as it wasn’t monsoon, current of the water was not very strong, but there is a bridge over it- which provides a nice view and makes it picture-able :-p . We left for our next destination then, as we had a booking in Amanvana Resort in Kushalnagar and it was truly a date with the nature. The rooms or bungalows were cute, quiet and spacious. The bathroom with glass ceiling was positively unique. This hotel is beautifully built on the banks of river Kaveri; hence they organized an eight island river trek for us- which was an overwhelming experience, the current of the river was strong enough to sweep your feet away- it became heart-stirring- only when water came to your neck-level. Instructions were given not to carry any camera or phones, I did carry a camera – and it got drenched- sad!! But I could save the memory stick and hence the pictures:). The hotel guys had arranged for an amazing dinner amidst the dark with a fire camp, the cuisines were mouth-watering- what more does one want? We visited Namdroling Nyingmapa Monastery early in the morning, this was my first visit to a monastery, it has a marvelous architecture, a spectacular Buddha statue inside the temple, and monks in huge number stay there. I found it very calm, quiet, serene, and peaceful. We could find young monks practicing their studies. We had breakfast in the hotel and then headed to Dubare Elephant camp- a nice place to see a lotttt of elephants, bathe them, feed them and take a ride.It was fun seeing elephants spraying water. I was also amused to see a baby elephant sticking to its mother- it all felt soooo hysterical and cute. However, we could not go for river-rafting as water current wasn’t that strong, still-water-rafting was available but then it seemed repetitious. We got back to the hotel, ready to check out. Our stay there was an energizing and a memorable experience, would call it a paisa-vasool resort. On our way back we did make a stop in Mysore for a night, as it was a longggg ride. Finally, we got back home after three days of a very merry vacation.
P.S. : This trip was a birthday gift :)