Coorg - The Scotland of India

Starting Point : Kasaragod, Kerala.
Destination : Madikeri, Kushal Nagar.
Travelers : Salam,San,Gadfi,Faisal,Rouf,Tahsir,Arjun,Subin,Hegde & myself.
Travel Mode : Motor Bike.


Wow !!! What a trip it was...really fabulous..thrilled to see the golden temple, abbey falls and kicking green color hills while sun sets.... With five motor bikes we ten guys started from Kasaragod town around 4.30 pm to Coorg, “The Scotland of India”. On the way, we stopped near a small mobile kitchen (Tattukada) for dinner and tasted a special item called “chellam”. We started an eating competition and my friend Salam won the battle breaking all the records. After the heavy dinner we continued our ride. It was around midnight when we reached Madikeri. After an hour of search we found an affordable room to stay and we spent rest of the night there. My friend Gaddafi planned everything for the next day and we all were so happy as he knows the place well, so we decided to head out early to visit Abbey falls. With a time agreed, and the lack of sleep fast catching up on me it was time to retire for a goodnight sleep.

Early morning after breakfast we went to abbey falls. It is located 10 km from the town of Madikeri. Lush green paddy fields surrounded by coconut and Areca palm trees with clear sky welcomed us in the morning and all along the way. Though the road was little bumpy in some stretches, it didn't deteriorate our mood and excitement. This 10 km drive consists of beautiful narrow road with lot of curves and hollows surrounded by all sorts of trees, colorful grass and surprise appearance of some beautiful waterfalls adding to the excitement. Rain god has also boosted us with some sudden showers which turned the nature even more beautiful. Since the road was narrow and crowded, tourists are encouraged to maintain low speeds and use horn.

                                           

Around 9 am we reached near abbey falls. The waterfall is located between private coffee plantations with stocky coffee bushes and spice estates with trees entwined with pepper vines. The roar of the falls can be heard from the road. We parked our bikes and started walking slowly towards the falls. Suddenly the falls appeared, the water cascading over rocks into calm pools. A hanging bridge constructed just opposite the falls comes in handy for the Tourists. There is a Kali Mata temple on the other side of the bridge and Coffee and Black Pepper trees on the other side. Several streams combine, swelling with the monsoon rains and plunging down the mountain slope at enormous speed, hitting the huge boulders hard and forcing through the crevices and ravines. A misty cloud hangs over the falls. From here the water flows into the Kaveri River. During the monsoon season the water flow is very high. During the dry seasons the flow is considerably diminished. We had an open air bath in the calm pool below the falls. After spending two hours there, we moved to Kushalnagar which located in the east of Kodagu district.

We had a decent lunch from a small eatery just few kilometres before Kushalnagar, where these Buddhist Monasteries and golden temple were located. This temple has a very big and wide hall filled with silence and the walls are decorated with beautiful paintings of 25 disciples of Buddha who attained high realizations through the practice of the Dzogchen Teachings, along with the paintings depicting the life story of Lord Buddha and 12 teachers of Dzogchen. We spent considerable time in the premises and inside the temple.Since this is very well known, it'll be crowded generally, but there's one more temple just few kilometres away from this temple, nobody was there, may be due to heavy Honey Bee Hives in the premises. But it was worth visiting this temple amidst the honey bees flying around.The ‘Golden temple’ is just a spectacular place. The calm surroundings in the monastery transport us to another world. This temple has a huge complex, very well maintained and landscaped.  After taking in the beauty and tranquil atmosphere at The Golden Temple, we left for our next destination.

While coming back from Golden temple, we planned to drive through the beautiful and must see Harangi Reservoir which is roughly 9kms away from Kushalnagar, as my friends insisted to visit this and indeed its a lovely experience watching the reservoir and nature beauty so closely and colourful. It was scenic especially from the top of the reservoir as the water is flowing from the gates as the waves hit them. On the way return from the dam, we have spotted a beautiful flower garden just in front of a small house with tiny Ganesha idol in the middle of it. They have as many as 30+ different varieties of flowers.

 We enjoyed a lot and it’s already 6 in the evening so had to return home. At mid night we reached back to our home town and it was one of the best trips in my life.

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