So much can be written about Coorg...it really is a most beautiful area in the western Ghats about 250 km from Bangalore, a good five to six hours drive away. However, Coorg and its district capital Mercara were anglicized by the British now having reverted back to the indigenous names, which is Kodagu for Coorg and Madikeri for Mercara. Many still refer to this area as Coorg!
Coorg is westwards of Bangalore and the state highway is good, you have to pass Mysore to reach Coorg. The first interesting spot to look out for is Ramanagara, just before Channapatna which is the famous toy town where these wooden toys are crafted. Ramanagara is the place where Sholay the movie was shot. This was such an iconic movie of the mid seventies!
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| Ramanagara, where Sholay the movie was shot |
Then down to Mandya which is the district headquarters and a major sugar centre for agriculture. Further down is Mysore where there is so much history and the famous palace of the Maharaja of Mysore and also Tipu Sultan's palace. The place is teeming with history! After Mysore, still heading westwards, you come to Kushalnagar where there is a large Tibetan Buddhist community.
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| Beautiful View of Madikeri |
Soon we came to Madikeri and turned inwards from the Cariappa Statue we travelled about a couple of kilometers and came to this lovely homestay called Victorian Verandaz, run by Diana & Tim (short for Thimmaiah). We were celebrating our thirty third wedding anniversary so this short weekend getaway was marvellous, made all the more by this beautiful place and their lovely owners!
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| The Verandah outside our room overlooking the coffee planation |
The owners took us around and served great meals. The trip around the plantation was quite a walk but the beauty of nature was overwhelming. Tim had a Willys jeep which was so familiar to me because when I was very young and my father worked in the forest department in Himachal Pradesh, he had these old Willys jeeps in which we used to accompany him on occasion.
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| The Willys Jeep ride on the golf course atop a hillock |
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| The huge pond in the middle of the coffee plantation |
We went to the fort in Madikeri itself and had dinner at one of the restaurants serving authentic Coorgi cuisine. The fort has got ramparts you can walk around on and has a wonderful view.
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| The fort in Madikeri and the view from it! |
Coorg is a beautiful get-away home-stay resort and worth a visit. We had a wonderful time there.
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| Having our anniversary dinner at this restaurant....the food was good! |
