Coorg

After all the rush and running at work and a colleague visiting from the US, a decision was taken last friday evening to head out of the madding crowd. The last minute decision meant , it would be hard to find a place . However all my apprehensions was put to rest when I got a quick response to my email from Rainforest Retreat at Coorg .The next step was to find out the last passenger in the car.  With all things taken care of was all set for the road trip.

We (Shreyas,Jomy,Michael) started the journey the next day ,a little late than usual  at 830am , loads of traffic greeted us even on the State Highway ,however some great music and good company that I discovered made it a breeze

(Rodrigo y Gabriela)

Stopped at Cafe Coffee day ahead of Mysore for a steaming cup of coffee and a bit of break from driving.

Its a great drive to Coorg with ghat sections ,steep curves and uphills. We reached Madikeri and asked around to find out way to Rainforest Retreat just in time for lunch. The last 4-5kms was a road with huge craters and the Polo withstood all that and its ground clearance got tested thoroughly.


The retreat is set in a middle of plantation and is just the place where one could relax away from the modern world , with no television, mobile network or even electricity. The place is powered by solar lanterns .  We were greeted by the sounds of cicada .


After a short rest post lunch, we went about for a plantation walk and a short trek around that area. Couple of us also had to face leech attacks on the trail.



Fireflies took over the place in the evening with its speck of glimmering light twinkling in the dark .

As dinner was being served , heavy rain came pouring down.  It's just what one would have wanted in the middle of the forest.

Woke up early to walk around  a bit and breathe in the fresh air and smell the moist red earth .

After another great piping hot meal ,we started our journey back to the modern world

Bylakuppe monastery and nunnery was our interim stop 

After a coffee break at Maddur as we started our last leg of the journey, the clouds burst with strong wind and heavy downpour and I had to drive with very poor visibility on the highway .

We were back in the city sunday evening after a great weekend and a wonderful place to just relax.


More pictures here :
Rainforest Retreat
Bylakuppe

Directions to Coorg:

There are few ways to reach Coorg,  we took


Bangalore -Mysore – Yelwal – Hunsur – Kempalapura – Piriyapatna – Bylakuppe – Kushalnagara – Suntikoppa – Madikeri .
>>Save time by avoiding Mysore city,take the Bypass onto SH 88..  You should turn right at Columbia Asia Hospital Signal  

More info on the route here

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