Towards Coorg, Feb 2006

This one starts where we (me and my wife Barnita) took the cab from Mangalore and heeded towards Coorg, basically to Alath-Cad holiday home which I booked before hand. We started from Mangalore at around 12 pm; well the journey was pleasant but a bit hectic because Coorg is nearer from Bangalore. We had our lunch (udupi cuisine) on the way, by this time we came to know that our driver bhai knows a little bit of Hindi which in fact helped us to communicate with him better. We reached our destination Alath-Cad at around 6:30 and it was quite dark, although our host was waiting for us to receive us. Once reached there we quickly went to the cottage and had bath by the time tea came for a well needed refreshment.

About Alath-Cad(http://www.alathcadcoorg.com): Before planning my journey to Coorg, I was very much sceptic about the place as you know newly married and I don’t want to disappoint my better half. Well my friend Karthik advice it will be good place although he had never visited the place and at the end his 6th sense prevailed. This place situated around 28 km from the main town Mercara, hence there is no hustle & bustle and a complete cut off from the city life. Its primary a coffee estate, which has been partly, developed in to a holiday home by Mrs. Muddhu hmmm our guest. The day temperature is usually hot and the nights are cool. The cottages are situated amidst coffee plantation and tall teak trees only to be climbed by the creepers called black pepper plant. There is also a river which passes by the estate. There are plenty of activities one can do at the holiday home like cycling/angling and so many. The food here is local cuisine and it is awesome but I would suggest veg. The hospitality is very good and it’s like you have come to someone’s home and not hotel/resort. "One thing I can say if someone is going to Coorg, the places to stay is this Alath-cad”.

Back on track, next day we had our breakfast by the time the same cab driver came and we planned to visit Talacauvery(the birthplace of cauvery river), the mercara city and Omkareshwara temple. This time year, here it is usually hot in the day time so when we are back to visit talacauvery, our driver had lost the car key. Well me and my better half and few locals joins us in searching the key on the road, but it was fruitless. Our driver brought a mechanic and some how managed to start the car and we rather happily boarded the car for next destination. But fate has some other plan stored for us, we are about to reach the temple, suddenly gushes of water came out from the engine and full of smoke. We both got down quickly from and car and after little investigation from driver, we came to know the exhaust fan was not running hence the exhaust pipe broke.Sencing help is going to come late, I suggested my wife to walk and see the temple, at first she was a bit hesitant but eventually agreed. It’s the birth place of Cauvery river, it’s like a small storage tank and water source is underground, priest says
that water comes out one a particular day of the year. There is also place which you have to climb steps, near about 200 to reach the top from where one can view the whole western ghats range. But for us, on that afternoon, it was miss-adventure although we reached there.
Hats off to my wife for her effort. When we returned back , our driver has managed to mend the problem and this is temporay.From there we went to Raja's seat place and abbay falls both are magnificent and some shopping from mercara.

Next day we wake up a bit early to explore the surroundings, only to be found our guest scheduled for morning walk. We had talk and they suggested to see the coffer blossoms which is one word "MAGNIFICIENT". The whole coffee plantation is looking white and the aroma of the flowers adds to be more romantic. That day we went to visit places called Dubare(elephant camp), but unfortunately all the elephants(these are not wild) went into the jungle. So we decided to take a river ride and fortunately we were able to see two wild elephants, this time we both were lucky. Then we went to Nagarhole national park and Tibetean monastery and then back to Alath cad. Since we would be heading to Trivandrum, out last leg of the journey, we had missed a lot of other places. But then the best time is after monsoon and I definitely will visit Coorg again.
Next day we are about to leave for Kasargod from where we will be boarding the train to trivandrum then news came there is riot and hence the host don’t want to take any risk and suggested to got to Mysore and from there to Trivandrum by Bus.
We don’t have any option but to agree…and headed for mysore which is totaly unplanned.