Friday, April 25, 2014

Trip to Coorg - Part 3

We experienced the hospitality of Coorg in a good and also a scary way. I loved the verdant hills and the swelling greenery by the roadside. The scary experience was walking in the mist, going into the unknown, being all alone and isolated from the crowd. We had two such experiences, one at Mandalpatti viewpoint and one more at Nisargadhama. We started early in the morning to Mandalpatti. The sun was still sleeping and the mist surrounded us. As we walked to the viewpoint we couldn't see anything a few feet beyond us. We trekked for about 1 km and then we headed back, because the mist was not going anywhere. It would just be a futile trek up to the viewpoint.

At Nisargadhama, we walked on the island in the wrong direction for about 2 kms. We met a few people along the way, who told us not to walk beyond. Did we listen, NO! We could hear River Kaveri gurgling in a short distance and we wanted to go to it. We did not realize that just the two of us were walking farther and farther into the forest area. We were walking along the dirt beaten path, lined with dead old bamboo trees and snake nests. We heard voices of people joking and laughing, coming from a distance. After some time, I got scared of the possible wild life (snakes) that could surround us and my hubby became apprehensive of the mysterious faceless voices. We decided to tread back the same path to the entrance, where at least we could see some people. Well, this is the irony of life, I hate to be among the crowds, but I also hate to be in isolation. I wouldn't survive even a few seconds if I went to Mars.

The other thing that I loved in Coorg was the Golden Temple, which is located close to Kushal Nagar. It is a Tibetan settlement, which is the second largest outside Tibet. We saw a lot of tonsured monks roaming around in maroon robes. The architecture of the temple was different from the Hindu temples. In the main hall of there were statues of three eminent personalities, Budha Shakyamuni, Budha Amityas and Guru Padmasambhava. The statues were gold plated and they decorated with pretty flowers. The Tibetan Monastery was the last place we visited in Coorg. After that we retired to our resort in Polibetta, in the midst of the mountains, in between the coffee plantation, away from all the humanity. Needless to say I was bored as soon I got into the resort and welcomed the return journey to Bangalore the next day.

The end.