Trip to Coorg - Part 2

After my visits to Munnar, Goa and Coorg, I have realized that India is a beautiful country. It has a raw and undisciplined beauty, which is different from the European countries, like Switzerland and Austria. I have a personal relationship with this beauty. Every breath of fresh air I take, I feel that I am entitled to it, as though it were my birth right. The air doesn’t seem foreign in the least. I can come back any time to enjoy it without worrying about the visa or the expense. That is the magic of India for me. You have to learn to appreciate it. Like the superman who was willing to mute his senses to sustain on Earth, we have to tune out the crowds and the garbage around the scenic locations to appreciate the beauty of our country. I feel guilty as I write this. It is each of our responsibility not to pollute these beautiful surroundings with trash, like chips, biscuit packets and water bottles. Can’t people wait just a bit longer to reach home and throw it into the trash can? Our country is definitely not your trash can, it deserves a lot more respect.

After lunch at the Raintree Restaurant, we started to Talakaveri. It is the birth place of River Kaveri. It is located by the Brahmagiri hill. It was 42 km from our place. The drive along the hills and valleys was very scenic. The hills were covered with a blanket of untameable greenery. The coffee plantations along the roads extended their branches to welcome us in their land. All through the trip, I was amazed by the jackfruit trees. How could that big, scaly, fruit with the pointed skin hang on the tree by such a thin stem ? What if that stem gave away and the fruit fell down with a big thud, injuring an innocent bystander?

The air was so fresh that I my head felt heavy after a while. My brain is accustomed to the minimal, polluted and recycled air in Bangalore. I felt that I will get high by breathing the fresh air which gushed in through the open car windows.

We reached Talakaveri after 1.5 hours of drive through the sinuous roads. It was located on top of a hill. Given the fact that we Indians pray nature, I expected a small temple at this location. The trees, the rocks and the rivers receive our prayers for sustaining life. I was surprised to see a very big temple at Talakaveri. At that height we were enveloped by a passing cloud. Mist surrounded us. We couldn’t see more than a few feet beyond us. Huffing and puffing, we also climbed to the view point by climbing about 200 steps. The view was worth all the effort. We were surrounded by verdant hills on all sides. The sun started to set and colored the sky with orange and crimson lines.

After the visit to Talakaveri we started back to the homestay. When we arrived, we were welcomed by bugs which crawled around the room in pairs. 

To be continued ...

                                                         Coorg was full of jackfruit trees

                                                           The temple at Talakaveri

                                                     View of the hills from the viewpoint

                                                      I wonder who stays at this place