Our Native Village

Our Native Village is a resort close to Bangalore - about 1 1/2 hours drive from Bangalore, off the Bangalore-Tumkur highway. This resort is nestled in the quite villages. The resort is themed to provide village experience with modern amenities. A pretty decent resort, and fun for a weekend getaway with family and friends.

We planned for a 1N/2D stay in the last week of February. This was our first family vacation without Shree. Vacations are never the same without all the members of the family. We missed her but knew she was having great time with her friends.

We started relatively late after a breakfast at Adiga's close to our house. We took the NICE road and exited on Tumkur road. We followed the directions given by google maps. Once we reached Nritya Gram, we realized the road specified by google maps was closed. We spent about 30-45min calling Native Village to give us directions. Since there are no concrete landmarks, following direction was difficult. Finally, one of the staff from Native Village came to Nritya Gram and picked us up. There was no way we would have figured that route without the help of the staff. It was mud ridden road through the fields. The resort is literally middle of no-where.

Once we reached the resort, we were offered butter-milk which was refreshing. After the check-in formalities, we were guided to our room. The rooms are huge with an attached balcony. Room was pretty cool even without an AC or Fan (rooms are fitted with AC and fan - but didn't feel the requirement). We had some time to spare until lunch. We played some games like catapult, basketball, cricket. It was fun. By now it was pretty hot on the ground and we were hungry too.

Lunch was great. They had lot of dishes. It was a set menu served on the table. We wished the menu could have been more native - inline with the resort's theme rather than a standard North-Indian cuisine. Nevertheless we had a good full course lunch of soup, salads, starters, curries, rotis, rice and desserts. After a heavy lunch, me and Pankaj dosed off. Shrishti took to her reading.

Around 2:30-3PM, there was pottery activity, which we happily participated in. We made some small pots and mugs. After pottery, went on a bullock cart ride. There was milking the cow activity too. We felt tired, after these activities on a hot afternoon - even though we didn't do much. Now it was time to get into the pool for some cool relaxation. And that is exactly what we did. Playing and swimming in the pool was fun and relaxing.

Later in the evening, there was a camp-fire and some music under the stars. This was great time to meet fellow residents of the resort. We would have liked it if there wasn't any electronic music and one could just enjoy the calmness and some sounds from the insects. I guess, this was one other thing apart from native food, which the resort can take up as a change. One of the activity mentioned on their brochure was "Night walk". We were interested in this and signed-up for it. This was planned after dinner.

We had dinner, which was buffet style with great variety of food. Post dinner we were all ready with out jackets and shoes for the walk. Weather was pleasant but a thin jacket was required to keep us warm. As directed, we were at the gate on time.  Soon we realized we were the only ones for the walk. It wasn't any formal activity. One of the security guards with a powerful torch led us. Four dogs (Gabbar, Mallika, Sheetal. can't recollect the name of the fourth dog) from the resort followed the security guard to guard all of us :) This turned out to be one of the best night walks we have ever experienced. After about half a kilometer walk from the resort we reached a place full of trees. We further walked about a kilometer or so through these trees and then we hit grassland. Complete open space - a 360 degree view of the star-lit sky. This grassland goes on and on. The view was similar to the dome-theater experience in any planetarium. It was around full moon time, the moon wasn't yet up high in the sky. Which kept the sky almost without any light except the stars. Watching countless starts amidst the grassland with no one around except us, the security guard and the four dogs was an amazing experience. Absolutely no sound. Even the dogs stayed quite through out the walk. Every few minutes the guard would shout the dog's name and they would pop-up from no where. It was unbelievable that we were just about 60Kms away from Bangalore city.

We didn't feel like going back to the resort. But we had to as it was pretty late and we were tired too. As we started our walk back, we noticed a big peach colored balloon in the sky. We were wondering what it could be. When the security guard said it was the moon, we couldn't believe our eyes. The moon was just rising and it was huge.  Through out our walk back to the resort, we noticed how the moon started rising up and re-sizing. A beautiful sight to end our night walk and the day!

After a good night sleep, we started our day with a small leisure walk around the resort area. The resort is literary middle of no-where. We were back in time for some hot breakfast. Post breakfast we spent some time playing some more games like gilli- danda, top, cricket, aadu-puli etc. It was now time to head back home. We had booked tickets for "Gully Boy" 4PM show and didn't want to be late for it:)

In all a great place for a weekend getaway!

K Gudi Jungle Lodges - Total Relaxation

Kyathadevara Gudi Wilderness Camp - popularly known as K Gudi wilderness camp is one of the wilderness camps from Jungle lodges (http://www.junglelodges.com/kyathadevara-gudi-wilderness-camp/). This is one of the unique resorts from Jungle lodges. It is situated midst of B.R.T Wildlife Sanctuary. B.R Hills is very close from the camp - it's about 30 min drive from the camp. This is the place where the Eastern Ghats meet the Western Ghats.

View from B. R. Hills

Tents - JLR K Gudi

Of all the JLR properties, this is one of those properties which hasn't been commercialized yet (compared to others). Since the forest is very thick, spotting wildlife isn't very easy. However, the place itself is very beautiful and is definitely worth a visit for total relaxation.

We had been hearing from our friends and frequent travellers that since this particular camp is amidst the jungle it is likely to shut down as some laws have been passed. We were wanted to have a small break where we could just relax and spend some time together. And this was the place we decided to go before it closes (if at all - hope it doesn't).

Its not very far, about 4 hour drive (225 Km) from Bangalore. We started at 7am, stopped for breakfast on Kanakpura road. The road was in rather bad state until we reached Mallavalli. After that, the drive was beautiful. Even in peak summer (April), there was greenery everywhere. Once we cross the entry gate of B. R. T Sanctuary, the drive is very scenic. It takes about 40min - 1 hr to the camp from the gate as it has lot of hairpin curves.

We were at the camp by 11:30am. Fresh lemonade was served, before we were shown to our tents. We had booked 2 tents. Kids decided to have a tent for themselves. All accommodations over look the forest. It is beautiful and quiet. The only sound one gets to hear is the birds chirping.  There are hammocks and tyre swings everywhere. We dumped our luggage in the tents and each one got hold of a hammock to relax.

Lunch was standard JLR lunch - simple food of salads, rotis, curries, rice and sambar. This was one of those breaks where we had not planned to do anything. Just read, eat, chat, sleep and go for safari. And that's all we did. We went for 2 jeep safaris. Did not spot any big cats. However, during the evening safari, we saw a fresh kill of Sambar deer by a tiger. The kill was left half eaten. We saw the tiger pug marks around the kill. Sambar deer are supposedly favourites of Tiger.

Half eaten Sambar Deer - Tiger Kill

As the evening set in, it got very chilly. By the time we returned from the safari, we were cold. Hot tea/coffee along with some pakoras were served. This was very refreshing. Each of us got our favourite books to read and enjoyed uninterrupted reading until dinner time.

After a good night sleep in the tents, we were given a wakeup call at 6am for the morning safari. First thing on safari our driver took us to checkout the status of the kill (which we had seen yesterday). And what we saw, was shocking. The entire Sambar deer was eaten, except for its guts which were left. We also saw the tiger's poop which had all the undigested Sambar deer hair. The sight was scary and disgusting. Scary - because we knew the tiger was somewhere close by, probably watch us. Disgusting - because, the site of all the uneaten organs and stench was not very pleasant. Our naturalist/driver mentioned that the tiger usually finishes the whole deer in a day and then hangs around a water body to quench its thirst. We waited near the water body which was very close to the kill for sometime hoping to see the tiger, but alas no sign of the cat.

Left over guts of the Sambar Deer - Tiger Kill

Tiger Poop - Sambar Deer Fur (undigested)

We saw lot of other animals during the safari - Spotted deer, Sambar deer, barking deer, langurs, mongoose, Malabar squirrel, a Bison pair, wild boars, serpent eagle, owl etc. After the safari it was time for breakfast. Breakfast was of good spread. We eat leisurely as we had no other plans before we checked out.

 

It was now time to checkout. We drove to Ranganathswamy temple which is located on top of B.R. Hills. The temple is about 30min (20KMs) drive from the camp. The temple was closed for renovation. However the views from the hill top are beautiful and definitely worth visiting. After this it was straight drive to Bangalore. Since Kankpura road was under repair, we joined Mysore-Bangalore highway at Madduru. We stopped at Kamath Lok Ruchi for Bhakri Oota (North Karnataka Meals). Love this food - reminds us of home town. We were home by 5pm.

Ranganathswamy Temple Gopuram - B. R. Hills

A Date With Fireflies @ Rainforest Retreat Coorg

Rainforest retreat at Galli Gudda Coorg is an Eco Resort (http://www.rainforestours.com/index.htm). This plantation is an unique project that combines eco-tourism with organic farming and believes to the core in having an environment with bio-diversity. The whole farm is self sufficient with water (there are streams running through the plantation), power - solar generated power, food - most vegetables and fruits are grown organically at the farm and remaining grains/pulses are sourced directly from farmers. Checkout their website for more details. Icing on the cake about this place is - there is absolutely no network. The phones are operational only from a point on a hill within the property and WIFI is available only between 2pm-5pm in the office area with minimal bandwidth. Because of heavy rainfall during monsoons, the property remains closed during Monsoons.

When we were planning for a trip this summer, we were looking for places which would be little different from the regular homestays or resorts. We had visited Coorg several times, hence wanted to find a place which was different and would give us a WOW feeling after the vacation. Once we went through the details on the website, we fell in love with it. Awesome reviews on Tripadvisor helped us make the decision faster. Apart from it being an eco-lodge, the deciding factor was the "Fireflies" at night. Because of the unique bio-diversity and organic plantation, the property is blessed with thousands of fireflies during the month of April and May. These fireflies lit up the whole valley in the property once it gets dark. It is just mind blowing.

Cardamom Plantation

We were 2 families (each with 2 adults and 2 kids). We decided to take a Deluxe Cottage and 2 Plantation Cottages. Deluxe cottage are big and can accommodate 4 adults easily and are very close to the dining area. Plantation Cottages are about 500m walk with some climbing. Plantation Cottages are in the midst of the forest and at a higher elevation. These are not recommended for families with small kids and elder members. However, trust me these are the best cottages in-terms of every aspect - location, privacy, views, weather... They are very rustic and blend very well with nature.  Power is provided only by solar, which is 12v and is available only at night. But the rooms and bathrooms have got good skylights and ventilation. Best part is, if you are travelling in month of April and May, you get to see the fireflies right from porch of the plantation cottages. Which is a huge plus for the plantation cottage.

Firefly in the daytime

Deluxe cottages are big and comfy and right opposite to the dining area. Hence it is easy to come over for all meals and breakfast. Also it is closer to the parking area. On the other hand, to go to Plantation cottage one needs to cross the road and then walk for about 500m with some climbing - but definitely worth it.

We started from Bangalore at 6AM, stopped over at Kamat Lokruchi for some yummy breakfast. Our next stop was Bayalukoppe - Tibetan Monastery. Since Maithree and Goldie had not seen this, we stopped over here. Lots has changed in the last couple of years. Tourists aren't allowed fully into the main Monastery. Some of smaller temples were closed for public. It was blazing hot when we reached here. We quickly checked the place and left. We stopped over at Shanti Bites - Kushalnagar for lunch. The food here was good and very reasonable. After lunch, we went straight to "Rainforest Retreat". It was 3:30PM, when we reached here. Not much sign-board for Rainforest retreat. One needs to reach Galli Gudda and then we saw a sign-board. It is beyond Club Mahindra - Coorg. As soon as we reached the property, Shivani greeted us. We did not expect a young lady as a manager in middle of nowhere. This was the first unexpected thing. Little did we know that there were more surprises. We got to experience a lot of good, new and exciting experiences in the next couple of days.

Sunset from Sterling Hills

We checked into our cottages. Meera and Venki preferred the Deluxe cottage. However, their daughters wanted to stay at the Plantation cottage. Hence Meera and Venki stayed at Deluxe cottage and among the 2 plantation cottages, girls decided to have one for themselves and we took the second cottage. The plantation cottages and tents are on the other side of the road from the main office, dining and deluxe cottages. These are remotely located into the forest and are perfect is all sense. We just fell in love with them immediately. As the plantation cottages and tents are at an elevation and surrounded by forest, it is much cooler here. We had to use blankets in the night and early morning - even during peak summer.

After refreshing with a hot cup of coffee, we went to explore the surroundings of the property. Very beautiful place and totally secluded from the outside world. We only heard birds, crickets, bees and rustling of dried leaves when the wind blew. Absolute silence. We literally had to reduce our volumes as it sounded very loud in this environment.

Around 6PM we went to Sterling Hills - this is a small hill right next to Plantation cottage. The views at Sunrise and Sunset are amazing from here. Only on this hill one gets mobile network. So if you have to make any calls, you need to go to this hill. We spent some time here, chit-chatting about some random things. As the dusk set in, the sky looked beautiful. Once it started getting dark, we came down and walked to the dining area.

At the dining area, we met 2 more girls - Shreya and Amrita, who were interning at the plantation. It was fun chatting with these three girls - Shivani, Shreya and Amrita. All of them were bubbling with lots of environment related information, why organic, general topics etc.  Soon we spotted a couple of fireflies and we were excited. Shivani told us, she would take us to the valley around the plantation coattages after dinner, where we would get many more fireflies. We happily agreed!!! Little did we know what she meant by MANY MORE...


Until dinner time, we played some card games. At plantation, they also had some interesting drinks - Cardamom Rum, Vanilla Rum, Beer etc. We had a delicious dinner made from organic ingredients. Salad, tasty brown rice, nice sambar with tons of veggies, curries and payasam. After dinner, we were given solar powered torches to help us find our way. With all the excitement, we started following Shivani and Shreya to the valley. And what a sight it was -  just superb. It cannot be expressed in word, nor can it be captured in a camera. It just needs to be experienced. Thousands of fireflies had lit up the whole valley. The trees in the valley looked like Christmas lit trees. With just the moon light and the light from fireflies we walked around the valley to the plantation cottages. From the porch of the plantation cottage and tents, the sight of fireflies was mesmerizing.

The funny part was, we were living in such natural habitat and there wasn't a single mosquito. There were all kinds of insects - flies, moths, spiders, tons of butterflies, frogs, snakes, birds. But NO mosquitoes. We spent about an hour sitting on the porch of our cottage, admiring the beauty of nature without having the mosquitoes to bother us. It was pure BLISS!!!

Meera and Venki walked back to the Deluxe cottage and we and kids stayed in the plantation cottage. By now, the weather was pretty cool. Morning was cooler. There was lot of mist. We got up early and went straight to the Sterling hills. Since it was cloudy, we could not see the sunrise. But the view of clouds floating below us was amazing. We also saw lot of different species of birds.

Sunrise from Sterling Hills with Drongo Bird

We had good breakfast of Idlis, whole wheat bread and home made jam, and fresh fruits. After breakfast, we headed to a 3 hour trek. Ravi (he plays different roles at the property - guide, helper, caretaker...) agreed to take us on a good trek and he kept his promise. The trek was just right for us. Not very strenuous at the same time took us through different areas - grasslands, forest, valley. He stopped at places to show us some interesting plants and trees. The spot overlooking the valley was picturesque.

View on Trekking Trail

We decided to head out to Madekari town for lunch and check out some place. In the hindsight, we felt we should have just stayed at the plantation. Madekari town was blazing hot. There was hardly any water at the Abbey falls. There was a time when we could get into the waters at the foot of the falls. As the number of tourists have increased, so have the accidents. Because of this, the authorities are forced to close the provision to get into waters :( Raja seat, also has lost its charm. Too many tourists and also stalls/hawkers. We did not wait for the sunset. The sunset view from Sterling hills was much better.

We planned to have campfire and barbecue at night. We shopped for some vegetables and stuff for marination and headed straight to the plantation. Ravi had got things ready for campfire and barbecue. We enjoyed making and eating some yummy barbecues on the campfire. It was fun with family and friends. The team of Rainforest retreat gave us good company. It felt as though we knew them from a long time.Dinner was served at 8:30PM. After dinner, it was time to checkout the fireflies. This time we went on our own. It was as beautiful as previous day.

Hardly any water @Abbey Falls

Next day, it was time to check-out. But before we checked-out, we had an epic plantation tour from Shivani. She showed us around the bio-diversity that has been cultivated around the plantation. How each tiny insect is helping other living organisms. This was an ecological session for all us. This gave us a glimpse of effort that has gone in from Anurag and Sujata (owner's of this plantation). They really have put lot of effort to get the plantation to this eco-friendly state and still maintaining it. They have set an amazing example for all of us to follow and think before we spray pesticides.

Half-heartedly we had to part. We wished we could stay for one more day in this lovely place. This reiterated that simple living admist nature gives more joy that any material living. The whole trip, left us thinking on how we can make a difference in our own small way to this planet. For starters, we decided to go organic. Hopefully, we will be able to keep up this.

Kuderemukha - The Green Carpet

Kuderemukha is in the western ghats of Karnataka. About 290KMs from Bangalore. It was earlier known for the famous Iron Ore mining. This place is in abundance with natural resources. The mighty Bhadra river swells in monsoons and gives life to lot of waterfalls. Since this place falls under the western ghats, except during summer months, the whole place is otherwise lush green. After one crosses the Chikkamagular town, the drive is enchanting. There are small water streams dripping all along the road, all the trees are fresh and all the hills are covered with green. It looks like somebody has put a green carpet on all the hills. Since mining has been banned for more than two decades, this place has very less population. The roads are deserted and one will not see anybody for kilometers together.

This October, because of lot of tests/classes, kids got a vacation only for a week. Hence we wanted to do a chota- recharge. We decided on Kuderemukha thinking we will trek to the peak of Kuderemukha. But after talking to a few people and reading lot of reviews, we decided on doing a smaller trek to Galigudda. Trek to Kuderemukha peak will take about 8-10 hours. Many people said because of the duration, it could get tiring and boring for the kids. Hence we dropped the idea of trekking to the peak. But we wanted to do some trek - even if it is just for couple of hours. The place is so scenic - one cannot resist trekking.

Green Carpet - Western Ghats

Unlike Chikkamagular, Kuderemukha does not have many homestays/resorts. We booked our stay at Bynekaadu (http://bynekaadu.com/). We booked the wooden cottage. The location of the resort is great. Bhadra river flows right infront of the resort. Because of bad monsoons, there wasn't much water in the river. The cottages however are basic. Don't expect some fancy beds and comforts. They have 2 wooden cottages, which share a common wall. This can get annoying if the neighbours are noisy. Though they categorize themselves as homestay, I would think otherwise. The food is prepared at some other location and bought at the site. We kind of did not like this. Food was basic nothing to rave about. They have some indoor games like volley ball, badminton, carom etc. Also a personal campfire is provided right in fornt of your cottage. This was great. We stayed here for a 2nights/3days.

Scenic Drive

We started Bangalore at 6AM and reached Bynekaadu a little beyond Noon, with a break for breakfast at Mayura on NH48. We were served welcome drink of lemonade. It was refreshing after a long drive. The drive was very scenic. Chikkamagulur is one district where you don't want to stop driving. Its calm, quite and serene. After checking in, we relaxed for sometime and were served lunch. At 3PM, we were taken on Jeep drive to a waterfalls where we could swim. On the way, it started raining. Though we tried not to get bitten by leeches, but couldn't avoid :(  The waterfalls was secluded. It was just us and another couple. We were given life jackets before we got into the water. We had loads of fun in the water. The water was pretty cold but very very clean and clear. We spent an hour or so. By now it started raining heavily and our guide/driver told us to start so that we reach the resort before dark. This part of Chikkamagulur is pretty deserted. It is recommended to avoid driving after dark as it is difficult to get any help in case of emergency. We reached the resort around 6PM. We played some badminton and soon it was pretty dark.

Waterfalls - where we could swim

A warm camp fire was lit and we were served hot pakodas and some fresh masala banana and jackfruit chips. The resort/homestay is owned by group of 4 friends. One of them, joined us at campfire and we started chit-chatting. It was fun hearing how they started the resort. We spent the evening under star lit sky with warm campfire and some music by DJ Shree and Shrishti. This is always one of our best part of any vacation - campfire, star lit sky, no TV, no network, some remote place, with some snacks and a good drink, each one fighting for their favourite song to be played and just sitting and chatting on random topics.

Trekking @ Galigudda

Next day, we had planned to trek Galigudda. We had an early breakfast and left for the trek. One can experience walking on the green carpet here. It's a beautiful trek. The hill is covered with grassland and as one walks, one can see lots of shrubs with different colour flowers. We can also see the vast western ghats from here -  till your eyes can scan, one can see the lush green mountains. The wind blows pretty strong here and as you reach higher, it just gushes on your face. There is absolutely no one here. When we went it was just us and the driver. Since we wanted to trek, we asked the Jeep to drop us at the base. The Jeep can be taken up to the peak. We got dropped of at the base and started trekking. Loved every bit of it. I was a little disappointed when we decided to drop the idea of trekking to Kuderemukha. But the trek to Galigudda quenched that thirst. Hopefully few years down the line, we will be able to trek to Kuderemukha peak - once the kids are older :)

Hanuman Gundi Falls

After the spending enough time amidst the green hills and soaking ourselves into the majestic western ghats, it was time to head back. Since we had some time on our hands until lunch, we planned to stop by at Hanuman Gundi waterfalls. There are around 320 steps to reach the falls from the main road. It is definitely worth a visit. The steps are well laid and is surrounded by forest. All falls around this area are beautiful. We went down the steps and spent some time with our legs immersed in the cool waters. It brought back memories of 10years back when the kids were younger and we had carry them to get to the falls. It was so tiring then. Now it seemed so easy with everybody walking on their own :)

Hanging Bridge

Scenic Drive from Hanging Bridge

From here, we stopped at a hanging bridge which is built over Bhadra river. Nothing much to do here - it's just a scenic point. This is very close to Kuderemukh Iron Ore factory. Views from here are great. We captured few good pictures and headed straight to our resort. The drive from here to the resort was the most scenic drive. Absolutely not a soul on the road, very good roads, and lush green hills all around with the streams playing hide and seeks through them. It was one epic drive. By the time we reached the resort, we were tired and hungry. We had a good lunch and rested for sometime. By late afternoon, we were ready to venture more. We checked with the resort guys on what else we could do. They suggested we could drive to another view point, but it could be late. We said, we were fine, even if it got late and headed to the view point.

Getting a peek into the steep valley

This place is called Balrayanadurga and is a must visit. Cars cannot be used to reach this place. 4-wheel Jeep is a best option. The driver took us through some great roads to reach this place. Once we reached here, we were left spellbound. Superb location. On one side are the majestic hills and on the other side is a deep steep valley. The driver, held our hand to get a peek into how deep the valley was and Gosh! it was scary. One can trek to the top of Balrayanadurga peak. There is a fort on the top. It is a good 1/2 day trek. Had we know this earlier we would have planned to trek it. We decided to do it in our next trip. It was sunset time and was getting darker. Since it was very cloudy we could not see the sunset. The driver also told us, we can see the coastline of Mangalore from here on a clear day. It was very windy and cold here and it soon started raining.

Balrayandurga View Point - Landscape

By the time we reached the resort, it was 7pm. We had some hot tea/coffee and some refreshment. A campfire was lit in front of our cottage and we found ourselves relaxing and enjoying around the campfire. After dinner, we just crashed.

Next day, we decided to check out the famous Annapurneshwari temple of Hornadu. This is about 20min drive from Bynekaadu. To avoid long queues, it is recommended to visit the temple before 8AM. Since this was close to Bynekaadu, we went around 7:30AM. There was hardly any crowd. We quickly finished visiting the main temple. I was actually disappointed with the amount of construction that has come up around the temple. 10 years back, when we had visited this temple, there wasn't so much of construction. It was beautiful temple complex, surrounded by hills all around. When we visited this time, the construction around the complex has takenover the view of the beautiful hills :(
On the way back to the resort, we stopped by to buy some coffee and spices. The shopkeeper was very friendly and spent some time chatting with us. This is what I like about non-urban places. Life here is  simple and people generally have time and inclination to talk to other people. The shopkeeper even offered us some tea. We returned to the resort in time for breakfast. We had a sumptuous breakfast, so that we don't get hungry until lunch time.

It was time to say good bye to Kuderemukha and head to Bangalore. Another version of Chikkamagulur was explored and as always it left us with lots of fond memories and experiences.

Shanti Kunj - Chikkamagulur

Shanti Kunj (http://www.shanthikunnj.com/), another homestay in Chikkamagulur. Though they claim it as a homestay, I beg to differ as the owners don't stay at this place. The place is maintained and managed by the staff. The resort is at a very good location. It is surrounded by trees and the river flows right infornt of the resort. They have different variety of accommodations. The best is "Glass House" which overlooks the stream. The log houses are also pretty good. They are really huge and can accommodate 4 adults easily. We found the food below average. This was disappointing as one expects good food - especially in homestays. Also they played really loud music at night, which defeated the purpose of staying in a remote place.

View from Glass House

Since we visited this place with another family (Venki, Meera, Maithree and Golide), it was fun! We had booked 2 log houses and 1 glass house. All the 4 kids decided to stay in the glass house. The log houses seemed really huge with just 2 adults.

Shringeri Math Temple at Sunset

We reached the place around lunch time. After lunch, it was time for relaxing. Adults too a nap and kids had fun exploring the homestay. Late afternoon, we drove to Shringeri Math and temple. This time the temple wasn't crowded. We spent some time here to explore the temple and the math.

Late evening was time for some card games. After playing for sometime, we went to check out the campfire. A campfire was lit close to the dining area. We always look forward to campfire during our homestay vacations. However, we were disappointed here. They were playing loud music and the coloured light streamers glared in the dark. The snacks served were also disappointing. We walked back to our rooms as it was quieter there. It was nice chatting up on different topics - atleast we could hear each other. Dinner too was not great. I feel the biggest disappointment at Shanti Kunj was food :(. Apart from the food and loud music during campfire - everything else was great here.

Trekking Mullaingiri Betta

Next day morning we started very early to trek to Mulliyangiri Betta. During summer months, it is advisable to start early as it get really hot at the top of hill after 11am. This time, we trekked from the base to the top. It was a good 3 hour trek. Though the distance is small, we spent lot of time chatting and taking breaks to click pics :)

Having fun in Bhadra River

After lunch, we decided to do the water activities. We were taken by Jeep to a spot where we could swim in the river. This was fun. Playing/Swimming in the cool waters of Bhadra on a hot April afternoon was very refreshing. Each of us were given a life-jacket and we could swim in the river. Farther part of the river was very deep. We decided to play along the banks. None of us wanted to get out of the water. After playing in the water to our heart content, we returned to the resort. Here we went for Coracle ride along the stream infornt of the resort.

Hike Around the Resort Area

Next day morning, we did a good guided hike around the resort. This was really good as the guide took us through paths which initially started as coffee plantation walk but later we were amidst forest area. This hike was for couple of hours, but worth it.

At the end of the hike, we were really hungry and thirsty. We had a good breakfast and it was time to head back to Bangalore.

Bheemeshwari Adventure Camp - Jungle Lodges Resorts

Bheemeshwari Adventure Camp is a resort/camp from Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR) (http://junglelodges.com/bheemeshwari-adventure-and-nature-camp/ ). It is about 100KMs from Bangalore and is very easily accessible. Best season would be anytime from June - Mar. April and May are also good, however the water level in the river would be low and Kayaking would not be possible. There are plenty of huge trees in and around the camp which makes is very pleasant even in summer.

This  resort provides Day trips, Adventure Day Trips and Stays. I only wished JLR was not so expensive. The prices are per person and you pay a premium for the location. They do have most of their resorts in very good locations. 

This time, we took the adventure day trip with Pankaj's extended family and it was a blast. If planning for an an overnight stay, then, I would recommend to stay in Log Huts - these are in very good location facing the river. Thanks to Whatsapp - which helped in planning the whole thing. The plan was to start early so that we reach Bheemeshwari at 11AM. But like most plans with big groups, the timings went for a toss. We managed to reach the resort only by 1PM. But no regrets - we had loads of fun in the van. With around 15 people in the van, it was a blast. We played lot of games like charades, 20 questions, guess who, etc. 

Getting Ready for Ziplining

 

Walking on Burma Loop

Parallel Walk

Once we reached the camp, they served us some cool lemonade. This was much needed after all the shouting and talking we had been doing in the van. After the registration formalities, we decided to have lunch and then start with the activities. We were pretty hungry and had a good lunch. There are various adventure activities offered here, like Zip lining, Elephant walk, Burma loop, parallel walk, rappelling, kayaking etc. We started with Zip lining. Some of us chickened out because of the height. Hopefully by next time I will build enough courage to do the Zip Lining and Parallel Walk. However was able to do the other activities. Most of the others did all the activities. Even the kids did all the activities.The activities are pretty good and are really adventurous. Kids above 8yrs can also do these activities. Some of them could be a bit scary - it will depend on the kid though. 

Kayaking

Coracle Ride

It was 4PM, by the time the whole group finished the adventure activities. We then walked to the river to do some Kayaking and coracle ride. After all the adventure activities, it was refreshing to do some water activities. Kayaking was indeed very refreshing. Evening breeze over the river was relaxing and each of us took turns to do the kayakying as there were only 3 kayaks. After that we went for a nice coracle ride. The Naturalist/Guide helped us identify some of the birds.
  

Climbing the Jungle Net

The resort also has a huge jungle net tied across huge trees. It is great fun to climb these. Kids also spent time on the long swings which are put up on huge trees. Resort closes at 6PM for adventure activities. We had tea and some snacks and started back to Bangalore. We played more games on the way back. It was 10PM by the time we reached home. In all we had a great fun filled adventurous Sunday!

Belur and Thotadahalli Homestay @ Chikkamagulur

It is monsoon time and best time to visit Chikkamagulur. This time, it was time to explore yet another homestay. We booked our stay at Thotadahalli Homestay (http://thotadahalli.com). This homestay is owned and run by a couple Prakash and Pallavi. An excellent place to spend an extended weekend. The location is superb, the food is yum yum (my mouth is watering even as I am writing), the drive to the property is excellent. It is just perfect!

Friday Aug 8^th was holiday for kids on occasion of festival (Varmaha Lakshmi). Since this was a long weekend, we planned our stay at Thotadahalli for 2N/3D and we had a lovely time at the property. They have 5 rooms, one of the rooms has an attic which accommodates a separate bed for kids. We had booked this room. The rooms are very big and comfortable. All rooms are good and open into the dining and garden.

Belur Temple

We started from Bangalore at 6:30AM on Fri 8th Aug. The road to Chikkamagulur is pretty good and would take about 4 - 4.5 hours. Good place to stop for breakfast is Mayura, halfway between Bangalore and Chikkamagulur. Since we had some time, we thought of visiting the famous Belur temples. We had seen them about 10 years back and thought it would be good to see them now as the kids may appreciated and enjoy it better - now that they are old enough to know some history.

Narshima - At Belur Temple

Belur temples are of Hoysala style and have fine carved temples. The temples are a must visit and would take about 1 – 1 ½ hours to cover. A guide to explain the details is a must. The pillars, carving on the temple walls and the sculptures are very artistic. 100+ years was spent to build the main temple. It took 3 generations (started by the grandfather and completed in the era of grandson). We explored the temples with the guide giving us all the details and it was enthralling. Chikkamagulur is not very far from Belur. We reached Thotadahalli Homestay by 1:30PM.

Homestay

Though we visit Chikkamagulur almost every year, it still provides the same freshness, relaxation as ever. It just connects you with nature. The coffee, the pepper, the greenery, the foggy Mulayangiri , the rains, yummy malnad food – the list is endless. The property is relatively new, but very well designed. There are games like fose-ball, chess, Chinese checker board (big ones), carom  to spend time with family. They also have friendly dogs. We trekked within the property. They have huge coffee estates. There are streams running in the property and morning treks within the property are very-very refreshing.

Bonsai Collection at Homestay

Once we reached the homestay, we had hot lunch and just relaxed at the property. Our room was with the attic. The kids were very happy with the room.  Around the property they have lots of fruit bearing trees and also vegetable garden. Most of the food is prepared with what is grown on the property. They also have a huge collection of Bonsai plants. Late afternoon we went on a small trek within the property. Walking amidst the coffee estate, with orange trees popping here and there was exciting. The dog on property followed us through the trek. It started raining in the evening and we spent playing games, reading and chatting with fellow tourists who were staying at the homestay. We had nice dinner and slept.

Trek Within the Property

Next day, we went for a long walk in the morning within the property. We came across streams, falls and lots of interesting insects. After a refreshing morning walk, hot breakfast tasted even more tasty. We had a good breakfast, relaxed for some time and drove to Mulayangiri betta. We parked our car at the parking which is at the base and then started our climb. It was a long trek. During our last visit, we had taken our car to the top of Mulayangiri and just climbed the 400+ steps to the top point. This time, we wanted to do more trekking, hence parked our car at the 1^st point. From here it is 3KM trek to the foot of the steps which lead to the top point. We took total of 3-4 hours - to trek, climb the 400 steps and back to the car. Weather was good – it was quite chill, but luckily not raining. We really enjoyed doing this trek. Walking gives a different kind of connect with the nature. You can absorb more and the experience stays much longer in the memory.

Entrance to the property

Mulayangiri Betta - covered in mist

Trek to Mulayangiri Betta

Herekolele Lake

After the trek, we were really hungry. We came back to the homestay (luckily the homestay is very close to Mulayangiri Betta) and attacked the hot food. We had a good meal and spent the afternoon relaxing. In the evening, we just drove by Hirekolel lake. The kids wanted to get in the water. They were playing by the banks and there was lot of slush. Shrishti’s leg got stuck in the slush and her leg was almost knee deep in the slush. We had to pull her, get her cleaned. She was crying and laughing at the same time.

Evening was fun. The hosts served some home-made wine (Red and White) from some berries. It was amazing. We ended buying few bottles to carry back home. We spent evening playing lot of games, sipping wine and munching hot snacks which were served. Could not ask for more – it is raining, you are in a beautiful place with your loved ones, assorted snacks are served, you are sipping home-made wine and having fun with your family. We had a lovely time here – very memorable, fun and relaxing.

Next day was pack and get back to Bangalore. We accumulated as much clean oxygen as we could and then returned back with more memories and fun experience to remember and relish!