Enter India

After India crashed out of the Twenty20 world cup 2009 earlier than expected, organizing an upcoming trip to Madikeri in Coorg kept my attention. I had to book the hotel, arrange for the travel and plan an itenary keeping in mind that some folks were simply looking to relax and others wanted to take in the sights. We tentatively planned to take in Raja's Seat viewpoint and Bylakuppe tibetan settlement in the itenary for the weekend Coorg trip on 20th and 21st June.

 

A 12 seater tempo traveller fit the bill (at 11 per km for a non-a/c one) for transporting 9 members of our team who could make the trip. It probably works better for less than 8 people especially if they need to stretch their legs. Any more participants and I'd have had to hire a bus. After working Friday night, we started off at 0630 and hit some shops to grab some snacks for the journey. There were of course plenty of jokes using the name of one snack item - cheese balls :) Then, it was a trip through myriad lanes along outer ring road to avoid Bangalore traffic on our way out of the city. In the time it takes for a few drinks to liven up a party, we were at Kamat hotel near Ramanagaram(which is known as the place where the Bollywood blockbuster movie Sholay got shot). Everyone tucked into a breakfast of rava upma, akki roti, idli, vada, sambhar, chutney, kesari and masala dosa not to talk of coffee, tea and grape juice. A few snaps to mark the moment, and some snaps of the team walking along a nearby field completed the photo op before we started again on our journey.

 

The route we took was Bangalore>Srirangapatna>exit Mysore road 15 km before Mysore (a circle comes up and one can turn right)> go past a railway level crossing and Ranganthittu bird sanctuary entrance comes up>rejoin highway near Kushal Nagar>Madikeri. The highway till Mysore and the highway near Kushal Nagar were good and made for fast progress. From the exit point near Mysore, the road winded along villages and greenery was all around us. A bit before Kushal Nagar the road started climbing and we were in the hills. After an enjoyable banter and gossip session, with a few breaks in between to stretch our legs, we were in Madikeri.

 

Lunch at the hotel kickstarted an interesting afternoon. Since we planned an evening outing and had a couple hours to while away, a few of us decided to simply walk around and check out the place. In search of beautiful vistas, we took the road leading uphill and did come across nice views of the green hillside. At some point, there was a narrow lane going down into a valley before climbing up a nearby hill. Following that, we came across a secluded neighbourhood of nice houses. That rejoined a busy road from where one could get a glimpse of Madikeri's astroturf hockey ground - a fellow camper blew his horn saying it was a green golf ground and we kid him no end about it after that. An unattended road roller was another photo op that caught everyone's fancy and then it started raining in earnest. Thankfully, the Coorg International hotel turned up nearby and it was time for a coffee break while the rain made the hill station more beautiful by the minute. The tree trunks inside the dining room sure made for a earthy ambience though the prices were a bit on the higher side.

 

In the evening, it was time for a team outing to Raja's Seat. Once there, the view simply captured everyone's imagination and it was time to click, click and click till the cameras complained! There was green valleys spread below us and hills far beyond. Then, the musical fountain turned on to the beats of Enigma, Vande Mataram and myriad songs. For a 2 rupee entry fee, it was full paise vasool entertainment. With our eyes filled to the brim with nice views, we returned to the hotel for dinner and hit the sack. The next morning, a few of us woke up early and headed back to Raja's Seat to see whether clouds would form a carpet and cover the valleys below. We reached a bit late to see the complete carpet of clouds, but what little we saw gladdened our hearts. Some choose to capture pictures for their social networking profile pages too :)

 

Hunger captured a few and lead us in search of a hotel. A typical Udupi hotel (Udupi is a place but Udupi Hotels are a type of hotels which serve vegetarian meals and snacks) dished up hot idli, vada, sambhar, poori, masala dosa, coffee and tea to whet our apetite. A quick chat with an autorickshaw driver got us a deal to visit and return the Abbey Falls for two hundred rupees. Being a party of five, the autorickshaw ride was not tempting unless we split up and someone did not make the trip. We finally settled for an Ambassador car ride to Abbey Falls for two hundred and seventy five rupees - which was way below the so called union rates mentioned on a board at the bus stand. So, do bargain hard with both autos and tourist taxis to get the best deal.

 

The views along the road leading to Abbey Falls was quite good and green forests stretched for miles around. From the parking area, a concrete path lead along to the falls and ended in a narrow steel bridge over the stream just after the falls. Since we reached early, we could hike down to the stream and approach the falls. Time for another major photo session with many shots being experimented :)

 

When all team members were awake and had gotten a chance to have breakfast, it was time to return back to Bangalore. A Mr Bean movie kept folks from dozing off followed by Transporter. A break in between to pack up lunch (with an interesting incident involving complimentary ice cream) was one of a few stops we made. One stop was simply made to get photos of team mates standing alone in the middle of the road. Of course, that involved a lot of co-ordination to make sure the road was empty and there was no risk involved while the snap was being taken! By early evening, we were at Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary where we had our lunch and got ready to experience nature's creations. The boat ride there was great - despite jokes about the boat sinking and one guy saving all others by being the crocodiles' feast! The migratory avian beauties there made sure that guys were, for a change, looking at birds with feathers :)

 

As folks nearly dozed off, we made it to Bangalore in time to experience rush hour Sunday evening traffic. A six hundred and fifty kilometers in all it had been - tiring, but great fun and a soothing balm for dry city eyes!

 

Pictures here - http://cid-112e4471c865f3dd.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Coorg%20Trip%202009

In a 20 over cricket match, it's a battle of nerves more than that of cricketing skills. Reading minds, captaincy with a zen-like calm, bluster, confidence, and best of all, a devil-may-care cavalier attack on anything pitched short, long, or wide :) Netherland scaled England's total of 162 in the last ball and proved that this is a format and tournament where names won't matter and reputation is simply a framed photograph to leave behind at home before coming to the cricket pitch. Enjoy the entertainment!

 

Bing it - http://www.bing.com/search?q=netherland+england+ICC+World+Twenty20+2009&FORM=BWFD

Cricinfo - http://www.cricinfo.com/wt202009/content/current/story/407598.html

These stories today caught my eye on www.rediff.com -

Get to know what class of people India perceives to be corrupt - http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/jun/05/slide-show-1-whos-who-of-corruption-in-india.htm

Our traffic now needs bridges built over seas - http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/jun/05/slide-show-1-mumbai-sea-link-set-to-open-on-june-16.htm

You'd all know by now that I enjoy spending time at Elliots beach in Chennai. This article on saving India's beaches resonates with me - http://news.rediff.com/interview/2009/jun/05/the-fight-to-save-indias-beaches.htm

Was at IIM Bangalore in the evening today when I got caught in a thunder shower. The swirling wind and the moisture was a welcome break from the hot summer days. The PGP section of the campus where I was trapped had been built to let nature into the buildings and it was a nice place to enjoy the sudden rain.

 

Starting out to office on an autorickshaw after the heavy downpour, it was no wonder that traffic was clogged on Bannerghatta road, on Outer Ring Road, and on Inner Ring Road.

 

Bing it on :) http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=bangalore+rains&FORM=BIFD#

Microsoft has finally got it right with Virtual Earth - by adding to it my recent fave Microsoft product Photosynth -  http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9132675&intsrc=news_ts_head

 

Imagine whirling around virtual earth and selecting a spot. The place is then presented to you as it looks, by stitching together all images of that place giving you great scope to change angles, zoom in, and enjoy the images of that place. Here's hoping it;'s a great way to travel without leaving your chair! :)