Sublime Coorg, disappointing Tala Cauvery
Our next destination, Coorg, is a hilly district in the southwest
of Karnataka, a world of its own. Also living in a world of their
own are the Coorgis; fair and light-eyed for the most part, the
women with their distinctively draped sarees and shining luminescent
skin. There is a fierce pride among them for the region they live
in, and more often than not, they will happily agree with you
that Coorg is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
And so it may well be. As soon as you enter the district, you
are drawn into a world of rolling plantations of cardamom, coffee
and rubber. Beauty is everywhere. Madikeri, the capital, is spread
along the ridge of a mountain, at 4,000 feet above sea level.
It is an unassuming town, mainly catering to the needs of the
surrounding estates. There are excellent walks to be taken in
all directions from the town, the walk to Abbey Falls being truly
special.
Accommodation in Madkeri is readily available. The KTDC's hotel
is disgusting and best not even thought of. But the options are
plenty. At the top end, the Hotel Coorg International is a pleasant
enough place to stay, though for Rs 800 a night it sadly lacks
character. Fortunately, there are a few places in Madikeri where
you can try original Coorgi food. This is basically fried pork,
eaten with rice-flour pancakes. Delicious.
Tala Cauvery is an excursion well worth doing from Madikeri. This
is the source of the Cauvery river. What's special about this
outing is the drive itself, through Coorg's villages and estates,
ending with a steep climb to the actual source.
Tala Cauvery itself is a disappointment, a little stone pond with
some stagnant water. It gives no clue of the mighty river that
is spawned here, worshipped by millions as it flows from these
western ranges to the eastern sea, whose coveted waters are the
cause of great bitterness between states.
To return to Bombay, we had decided to get to Mangalore, and catch
the western coastal highway once more. The drive from Coorg to
Mangalore brings you gradually down to the palm-fringed coast.
Ullal, 10 km south of Mangalore, is a good place to break journey.
The Summer Sands resort has large detached cottages on the
beach, a pool and a restaurant serving authentically spicy Mangaloreanfood. All this for Rs 400 for a double.
The beach at Ullal is
dangerous because it drops away suddenly. So only those who are
confident swimmers should attempt it. But there's the pool, the
staff and management are eager to please, and there's lots of
space to space out in.
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