A Solitary Monsoon in Coorg.

By Debtirtha Das.

That was a weekend of monsoon 2012. After a tough schedule of work for a long period, I planned for a weekend trip to Mallali falls in Coorg.

I reached Madikeri on Saturday morning and visited the local tourist spots, then started for the falls the next day morning, 3.5 km from the sleepy town of Somwarpet, at the foothill of Pushpagiri range. It was said to be one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the western ghats.

The road to Somwarpet was a treat for the eyes - hills, lush greenery on both sides of the road, amazingly beautiful. By the time we reached Somwarpet, it was already drizzling; low clouds covered the peaks of distant mountains. The road was full of potholes, but we ignored it for the hazy sk, green fields, clouds, mountains, drizzle and cold breeze. 

The way to Somwarpet.

The drive to Mallali Falls.

After approximately 30 minutes of driving, I reached a junction, from where a bumpy muddy road through a semi dense forest, led to the falls. As locals said, the first two kilometers were drivable, the rest 3.5 were to be walked. At the end of these two kilometers lay a check post and a small honey shop.  I parked my car there to start walking, but it was raining hard by then.

I didn’t bring any rain gear, so it was difficult to walk with my camera and other gadgets; there were also snakes and leeches in the jungle. But after waiting for twenty minutes, I decided to go anyway. In the next 2.5 kilometers, I would be all alone. No guide, no mobile networks. In the heart of the Western Ghats, on an alien trail. Well, I was searching for something exactly like that, and loved it.

The walk to the falls.

My road less travelled was mostly muddy, sometimes rocky with hilly terrain, through the forest of Pushpagiri range. After 700 meters of walking, a small board hanging from a tree acts as a guide to lonely travelers. Another 500 meters to the top of the hill, and I could hear the loud roar of the waterfall. A few more steps to the edge, and the waterfall was visible, painted in a lush green hilly backdrop. 

View from the top.

The waterfall is two tiered. From the top one can see only the first tier, but as I was going down, the second tier became visible slowly. Just after the rain, it was full of splashing violent water, and enormous in size. The terrain, because of rain and water from the falls, was very slippery. After walking down for another twenty minutes, there was a steep turn and whoa… I was exactly in front of the second tier of the falls. The sound of the water became scary, the breeze wet, water drops splashed from the falls and drenched me within a minute. The whole area was misty due to the water splash, and as I had heard, amazingly beautiful.  

Mist from the water.

It’s hard to explain the beauty of the place in words. The solitude of the place made it even more beautiful, the river Kumaradhara plunging around 62 meters in mostly two cascades. The green canopy of Kumara parvata and the white stream of water made for a breathtaking view. When I reached near the falls, my camera stopped working due to the water and mist. All I could hear was the roar of water and the sound of a cold wet breeze. I sat on a rock there, trying to feel the mightiness of nature, enjoying the lonely wilderness of the place, till the rain started again. 

View from the foothills!

It was really hard to leave such a beautiful place, but it was already Sunday afternoon, and I had office the next day. It was really tiring to climb up on that steep mountain. I couldn’t bare it for long and had to stop and sit for a while. I was feeling tired due to dehydration. Thanks to my foolishness, I forgot my water bottles in the car. After a painful journey of climbing and crawling, I reached the hilltop almost after 1.5 hours. That beautiful trail through the jungle led me to where my car was waiting, with the much needed water. 

The way back.

In my entire journey, there was not a single tourist. The place is almost unexplored, and probably because of that, it is still wildly beautiful.

The whole trek took almost three hours to complete. It was  painful, particularly the uphill trek, but the magnificent view of the place, the loneliness and the mightiness of the falls, really gave me an opportunity to realize the liveliness of nature and to connect myself with it.

Author Bio: Debtirtha is a software professional, working in Bangalore. He travels whenever he can, mostly to unexplored places, and is interested in photography and music.

For more ideas on offbeat and responsible destinations in India, visit www.indiauntravelled.com or join India Untravelled on Facebook and Twitter. To contribute guest posts / photo essays to this blog, please send your story ideas to shivya@indiauntravelled.com. 

Karnataka Forest Reserves: Camping in the Wild

By Vivek B.

It was the last two hours of the SpiceJet airlines offer of travelling to any sector in India, for an all-inclusive fare of INR 2013 per sector. To my luck, only two cities were left - Bangalore and Mangalore. A random booking for 4 days to Bangalore was converted to a stay in the forest reserves of Karnataka. The Itinerary was to stay a day each at Kabini River Lodge, Bandipur Safari Lodge & K. Gudi Wilderness camp at the resorts of Jungle Lodges & Resorts Limited. As the resorts were located near the forests, I was little sceptical to travel alone and asked a friend to tag along.

We started early morning from Mumbai and hoped that our journey remained on schedule. Our flights landed on time. The airport was about 40 kms from the city and our next stop was the Bangalore City Junction railway station to take the Mysore Shatabdi express departing at 11:00 am. We had missed the BIAS09 Volvo bus to the station. We hired a taxi promising to drop us at the station before 11:00 am; however the taxi driver took in one more passenger to drop at Anantpur in Bangalore which was on the way to the station with a little diversion. Due to this we were about to miss our train!

To our dismay, by 10:30 am it was evident we would miss the train to Mysore. The road to the station was jam packed and even the driver was sure that we wouldn’t reach on time. He whistled to a rickshaw driver and explained our situation in Kannada. He told him some shortcuts to beat traffic, to break one way traffic rules and drop us at the back side of the station from where we had to start running. We didn’t understand a word they said, but it was evident that we had to run at some point. The auto dropped us at a point at 10:57 am from where we started running. We jumped the road divider and the station fence. We saw Shatabdi standing at the platform and started running as if the Earth was going to end and it was the last train to get away. Sharp at 11:00 am, we were into one of the compartments. Shatabdis are the fastest trains in India and are known to be always on schedule. We heaved a sigh of relief!

Kabini River Lodge

We arrived in Mysore by 1:00 pm as scheduled. Our first destination, Kabini River lodge, was about 25 kms form Hand post circle in H. D. Kote, about 50 kms from Mysore. The safari reporting time was at 3:30 pm. We lost half an hour figuring which bus to take as the sign boards were in an alien language and very few people could communicate in Hindi or English. We then found a red and grey KSRTC bus which dropped us to the Hand post circle at 3:00 pm. We hired an Ambassador taxi from there, assuming 25 kms could be covered in half an hour. We were proved wrong as the roads were bad and we finally made it at 3:50 pm. The staff at Kabini were courteous and accommodating, and agreed to take us to the safari if we got done with our lunch in 5 minutes. We did.

At first glance, the property was mesmerizing! After a delicious lunch, we hopped into a jeep for the safari to the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve. Sadly, it started to drizzle. We spotted sambar deer, langoors, elephants and a variety of birds. The drizzle soon converted into heavy rain, and we rushed back to our lodges. The day was tiring enough to make us fall asleep soundly after a sumptuous dinner. The food was delicious with local south Indian cuisine, including rice, sambar, rasam, chapatti and vegetables. Our tent offered decent facilities.

Langoors and Deer on evening walk.

The tent where we slept like a log! 

We woke up late in the morning and had a coracle ride after breakfast. A coracle is a small round boat made up of cane and insulted with tar. The ride along the Kabini River let us spot the variety of birds near the river.

Water flight.

The serenity of the Kabini River.

Bandipur Safari Lodge

We then started for our journey to Bandipur Safari Lodge at about 10:30 am. Bandipur was about 90 kms from Kabini, and it was difficult to travel in the interiors of Karnataka without a private car. Reaching back to Hand post was easy in the village bus (Read article: DecodingIndian buses). The Kabini staff suggested we travel back to Mysore for Bandipur; however we chose to venture on untravelled roads. The biggest obstruction in the journey was language. We decided to take a shared taxi to Sagur, then a bus to Gundlupet, and then to Bandipur. Reaching Sagur was easy but there was no bus to Gundlupet from there. To our disappointment, we wasted an hour and took a bus to Begur which was 15 kms before Gundlupet. The untravelled route was full of farms and few residences, hence the low frequency of buses. We reached Gundlupet at about 3:45. We hired a private taxi at Gundlupet for the last 15 kms and he drove at the max speed of 100 kmph to enable us to reach the lodge at 4:00 pm, only to learn that all the jeeps had left. However the staff of Jungle Lodges arranged a safari bus of 20 people just for the 2 of us. Thank you to Jungle Lodges for this splendid gesture! 

We spotted sloth bear, deer, langoor, peacock, peahen and variety of birds. The night ended with delicious south Indian dinner and time spent next to a camp fire.

A langoor posing for my album.

A peacock displaying her plumage.

The morning started with chirping of birds and the jeep was waiting for an early morning safari. We kept our finger crossed for spotting a tiger but instead spotted a leopard!

K. Gudi Wilderness Camp

This time to avoid making mistakes, we left immediately after breakfast at 9:30 am to Gundlupet. Upon crossing the road on the highway, you can signal for a bus from Ooty to Mysore to stop at the Lodge. We were lucky to reach Gundlupet and get a bus to Chamarajnagar without delay. The ride to Chamarajnagar was scenic and pleasant with better quality roads. It was easy to spot a taxi at Chamarajnagar for K. Gudi. The ride to K. Gudi was the most beautiful part of the journey with the Lodge situated right inside the BRT tiger reserve, up on the hill at an altitude of about 4000 feet. The place was very isolated and even the taxi driver chose to have company for the return journey.

K. Gudi was a great experience with deer, wild boars and elephants roaming around the camp. The place was devoid of electricity, and the only source of power was a generator which was put up for 5 hours a day. We reached right on time at 1:00 pm and managed to enjoy the delicious Kannada lunch. We played with a deer (which was almost domesticated) and clicked pictures of the birds around.

We then left for the evening safari with little hopes to spot wildlife. To our surprise we spotted maximum animals in K. Gudi ranging from deer, barking deer, sambar, mongoose, monitor lizard, Indian Gaur, wild elephants, variety of birds and a tiger!

The Indian Gaur posing for the lens!

A monitor lizard in the wild.

A tiger lazing around!

The evening safari was the best part of our trip. The already delicious dinner tasted more delicious and the sleep without electricity sounded more peaceful. The knock of the wild boar on the door failed to wake me up at night though my friend woke up.

The morning safari was more of a joy ride and we spotted many birds out of the 270 species claimed by the Jungle Lodges team. Our taxi to Chamarajnagar was ready at 10:00 am and we continued our travel to Mysore.

I have experienced the best hospitality at the property of Jungle Lodges and it’s a perfect blend with nature without sacrificing on basic comfort.

You can add the author to your circles on Google+ (https://plus.google.com/u/0/113745271204020905997) to view more pictures from this trip.

Author Bio: Vivek is a consultant and financial advisor who’s always craving for travel. He is a vegetarian foodie always on the hunt for local dishes, can stay at any habitable place, and travel in any mode of transport, but can’t live long without technology. A gizmo traveller, who likes to carry all possible gadgets along. He tweets at @vlvek. 

Edited by Rachana Vaidya.

For more ideas on offbeat and responsible destinations in India, visit www.indiauntravelled.com or join India Untravelled on Facebook and Twitter. To contribute guest posts / photo essays to this blog, please send your story ideas to shivya@indiauntravelled.com. 

Decoding Indian Buses!

By Sebastian Buchner.

Indian buses are strange breeds. They come in many shapes, sizes and versions, different stages of decay the connoisseur might call it – tourist office employees and owners will always try to get you on a super deluxe version, which usually means that it is rundown, about to fall apart but has a freezing cold air conditioning that cannot be turned off because the switches are all broken. The deluxe version cannot really be distinguished from the regular version, except by the price of its ticket. Some busses even offer the supreme comfort of your own private sleeping quarters. They consist of a curtained off box which is indeed large enough to sleep two people. Pure bliss, the travel-stained India traveler will say, until the bus reaches a bumpier stretch of the road and one notices the lack of hand-holds in the compartment box. Tumble drier or perhaps Deluxe Tumble Drier would be a more fitting moniker in such situations. Their bones thoroughly rattled, the overnight travelers arrive as if they had chosen to travel by torture chamber.

A local bus is, by comparison, actually quite comfortable. You strap you bags to the roof or squeeze them underneath your seat. There are no luggage wallahs hassling you for fifty rupees for the privilege of having your luggage travel with you. Sitting next to the door you might be required to slam it shut after every stop, signaling the driver by the metal slam that it is safe to proceed. Being a local bus it will get very full, of course, but the windows can be opened or closed at your own discretion and there is no freezing air conditioning and the driver is usually considerate enough (or too poor) to not have installed bass-thumping subwoofers.

The best thing, though, instead of being sardine-stuffed into a bus filled with tourists who are just as bewildered as you, you get to meet interesting people. A shepherd lady in colourful clothes I would later learn to associate with Kinnaur, greeted me in a delightfully throaty voice and asked where I was going. Reckong Peo. My home, she said. She was one of the many shepherds who spent most of the winter in warmer climes, shepherding on the hills of Western Himachal Pradesh. At least that was how she had started out. Now she spent almost all year near Dharamsala, only returning for festivals and family occasions. Farewell, brother. Her goodbye still rings in my ears. It had dignity and simplicity. I would encounter more of this. A young girl, smart as anything, spoke to me about God, life and science with a clarity beyond her years as a dhaba on a hillside at night seemed removed from the world, glared at by the lights of cars rushing ceaselessly by.

But, before all this happened the bus broke down ten meters outside of the bus stop. Turns out it was a good place to break down, because the driver somehow got it to the garage and it was swiftly repaired. Indians are exceedingly good at impromptu repairs. Because things always break down, the cynic might say, and yes that is part of the reason, but they also love to tinker with everything. You can find small repairmen’s huts in almost every village and dotted along the roads. Sometimes they have the required parts and sometimes they improvise – jugaad is the colloquial word for this, which is really more a type of behavior or even a kind of cult (at least the word is uttered with a similar glint in the speaker’s eyes) or a prideful way to express Indian innovative thinking. A quick fix, a workaround, an improvisation bypassing limitations of law, logistics and money. Of course you end up with jugaad vehicles (the origin of the word – a vehicle driven by an agricultural water-pump engine) that have no breaks and can only be made to stop by one of the passengers jumping out of the car and getting it to a stop by applying wooden blocks to the wheels…but nothing is perfect and if the resources are limited you make do with what you have.

The brakes of the bus were, fortunately, not too jugaad. To my great relief they also changed drivers every six hours. It’s not uncommon for jeep drivers to go for 24 hours without a break. The more maniacal even attempt to turn around with a new set of passengers straight away. Along with alcohol, those are the main causes of car accidents on the mountainous roads. People’s eyes fall close for a few seconds or the road blurs and they are airborne, skidding off the steep inclines to their deaths.

We drove along small roads and I could watch houses with small gardens pass by. People were working on small vegetable patches or tending flowers. Quiet suburban areas, very green, that seemed almost Mediterranean – an odd sight on the foothills of the Himalayas. When we left the villages I was reminded that India’s nature can be, despite all the pollution of the plains, absolutely stunning. We climbed up hills covered by pine forests, overlooked cliffs and ravines of some schist-y, fragile rock, dipped down into pleasantly cool forested valleys. Then it was back to the frenzy of typical Indian ant-hill busy villages. Shops and narrow streets that spilled people and vehicles. Faded colours and rusty signs proclaiming the “world best” something. Paan chewing, paunchy men and young boys and fragile ladies carrying trays with roasted nuts, sliced fruit, packaged juice. Cacophonous melodies of horns and voices. The ride was just beginning…

The images in this article are by the Swiss photographer Simon Villiger (http://www.simonvilliger.ch)

Author Bio: Sebastian Buchner is an artist and photographer from Vienna, Austria. Travel is his life whenever art isn’t. You can find more from him at http://www.sebasbuchner.wordpress.com – He also helps run http://www.openart.or.at – Painting and photography workshops all around the globe.

For more ideas on offbeat and responsible destinations in India, visit www.indiauntravelled.com or join India Untravelled on Facebook and Twitter. To contribute guest posts / photo essays to this blog, please send your story ideas to shivya@indiauntravelled.com. 

Rangilo Rajasthan!

By Sangeetha KB.

My first journey westward and I was looking forward to being in a land and experience the terrain at the foot hills of the Aravallis. I followed forts, frescoes & folklore on my journey through ‘Rangilo Rajasthan’. Rangilo meaning ‘colorful’, is an apt adage for Rajasthan.

Rangilo Rajasthan!

The Fort.

The Sunset.

Red is the color that influenced me most. The red stones adorn the wall of mighty forts like Amer, Mehrangarh and Kumbalgarh to name a few. They stand tall for engineering excellence, a symbol of power & strength which the Maharajas commanded for years. Walk in to these forts, and soak in the silence of steep stairways, secret gateways and the stunning architecture. Don’t forget to take a minute and thank these heroes, for without them we’d never have the freedom we enjoy today.

Golden Sands.

The Golden sands will beckon you. The desert has a charm of its own, much like the mountains & the sea. The sun sets beautifully across clear skies and drowns in the desert sands much like the sunset at a beach. The big differentiator is the silence. With mild winds blowing and delicate sand creating beautiful patterns on the surface, this experience makes it surreal. One can sit here for hours without feeling the need to talk to someone or do something. The clouds reflect the deep red sun and the sand glows to a beautiful golden during sunset. Be there to experience it & I bet you’d come back with a song in your heart.

The Sun.

White Marble.

As white as snow and as bright as the sun! The maharajas of Rajasthan belonged to the Surya Vansh or descendants of the Sun God. This symbol adorns the walls on many significant palaces and museums. The white marble that Rajasthan is famous for, is truly worth the pride. One can find distinct carvings, murals, pillars & ceilings in fine marble. One engineering feat that can puzzle a modern day geek is the ‘Chatriyan’ or sacred dome built to honor the dead kings. The circular dome has marble placed in fine circles and the placement is impeccable. Most of these are not stuck together with cement / mortar but seem interlocked. The white marble is certainly the pride of Rajasthan. Do take a minute to appreciate the creators of this timeless beauty during your journey.

Multicolor.

There is an interesting story about the turbans that men wear in this side of the country. The turban is worn differently across different regions within Rajasthan. Some look simple while others look large and heavy. Interestingly men wear bright colored turbans in pink, yellow, orange or red. Women usually walk around with a large veil and curios eyes wanting to look out. Electric Pink is the standout among women followed by bright yellow or deep purple. Watch out for dance, music and puppet shows that happen within forts and palaces. Most of them are open throughout the day and last just a couple of minutes, ideal for a busy traveler can catch a quick glimpse.

Rural Rajasthan is beautiful and a drive across the Haldi Ghati is a must do in case you intend to visit Udaipur. People here are warm and willing to help. The food in Rajasthan is tasty and has an unusual mix of spices. Do take time off to stop at road side dhabas for chai, pakodi. Relish some good rabdi or pyaaz kachodi, you’ll not regret the extra calories. ‘Khao Sa…Khao Sa…’ is like an anthem you’ll hear while stopping by eateries. It’s a lovely way of persuading you to eat more.

Yellows.

Greens.

I visited Rajasthan during December and the fields blossomed with yellow mustard flowers. In addition to mustard, the state also grows wheat, sugarcane and roses. And yes, a good part of Rajasthan is green, thanks to many initiatives taken up by the government & the people.

Maha Rana.

My journey covered all the popular tourist spots and some that I wasn’t aware of. My visit to the ‘Maharana Pratap Museum’ on the way to Udaipur was one of them. The place has statues & and an Audio Video covering the life & accomplishments of the King. The Maharana fought the Mughals to regain his territory after 21 years of struggle. A sacrifice that we need to justify amid the innumerable scams, insecure citizens & mindless politics that the country facing today. The awe of Rajasthan took me back in time to the integrity, discipline & patriotism that ruled the nation 200 years ago. The citizen of today was carrying candle light vigil in silent protest against the Delhi rape case is small gullies across the state. This shade of grey didn’t feel good.

Food music, people, places & everything about Rajasthan is colorful. Rangilo it is indeed!

Must do activities in Rajasthan:

·       Camel Ride in the Desert: I made sure; mine didn’t take me off for a free ride to the neighboring country. And yes, our neighbors stay very close

·       Chai at a Dhaba: Rajasthani chai is the best I’ve had. There is loads of ginger and cardamom. Have as many as you can

·       Chokhi Dhani: A very good concept to intertwine music, dance & food. You’ll love everything about it. Indi Yeah! This country never fails to amaze me.

Author Bio: The author travels to get a life & works as a Business Analyst for a living. She is from Bangalore. She believes that every journey has something new to offer, the idea is to remain disconnected from the noise and connect to the place, and you’ll pick up a lot more things than just souvenirs. She can be reached at sangeethakb@gmail.com.

India Untravelled offers a chance to discover Rajasthan's folk and farm culture near Jaipur, at Nirvana Organic Farm.

For more ideas on offbeat and responsible destinations in India, visit www.indiauntravelled.com or join India Untravelled on Facebook and Twitter. To contribute guest posts / photo essays to this blog, please send your story ideas to shivya@indiauntravelled.com.