Sivasamudram & Talakad

Sivasamudram & Talakad [Dec 2008]
Genre: One day trip

Distance From Bangalore: 140 kms

Reaching the place
Car, Bike (if you’ve a good one), Hire a cab, KSRTC
Ø Via Mysore Road. Will be taking a deviation in between post which roads are pathetic

Duration – 3 hours by cab

Water Falls at SivasamudramBharachukki
Gaganachukki
You could get into the water at Bharachukki, but not at Gaganachukki

At Talakad
Banks of the river Cauvery which is as good as a beach. You’ll be surprised to see the sort of sand which definitely will remind you of a beach!
Nearby, there is a temple that’s low lying and gets covered with the sand which as per the myth is a curse. The authorities try to excavate it, but each time the sand properly covers it again! Read more about it from the links. Interesting J

Other interesting factsIt’s a pretty remote area, a village by all means
Road-side vendors there sell refreshments. My personal choice: Tender coconut water and that is the best after the steep climb of steps back after you visit Bharachukki

My Pictures

http://picasaweb.google.com/jerrymukkadan/SivasamudramTalakad#

Useful linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sivasamudram#Waterfalls
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talakadhttp://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/dec102007/1495.pdf

Charming Coorg!

Coorg [Dec 2008]
Genre: Multi-day trip





Bangalore to Coorg
Buses – KSRTC
Hire a cab

Duration – 6 hours by cab via Mysore Road

Places to Stay
There are multiple home stays available [Check the links for details]
We stayed at Palm Era Cottages. A two months old place with 3 cottages pretty well furnished. They’ll arrange for a camp fire also on request (Address: Sunnadakere Road, Kushalnagar, North Coorg, Email: palm_era@rediffmail.com, Phone: 97407 96989, Proprietor: Sachin T Soman)
Attractions/LocationsTibetan Monastery – One of the most beautiful temples I’ve ever seen! Seems as if they’ve used all the colors in the world and the ‘Golden’ statues standing tall at 60 feet inside the temple takes you to a different world altogether!
Abbi Falls – A small waterfall, 7 kms from Madikeri (Mercara), the largest town in Coorg. There is a suspended bridge facing the falls which, surprisingly is more beautiful than the falls itself J
Nagarhole/Rajiv Gandhi National Park – A reserved forest, but unfortunately not many animals to see and the road to the place is so pathetic that it took 4 hours for us to cover 90 kms!
Raja’s Seat – A high altitude place where you could appreciate the beauty of Coorg from top. There is a toy train there which will take you around a small hill. Also the road side vendors sell mouth watering mangoes and chaats!
There are a couple of other places too which you can visit, the details of which are available from the links below. But in general, the place is good for a relaxing sort of a trip, not much is in store for sight seeing.
My Pictures

http://picasaweb.google.com/jerrymukkadan/CharmingCoorg#

Useful linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coorg
http://www.coorg.com/
http://www.shunya.net/Pictures/South%20India/Coorg/Coorg.htm
http://www.gocoorg.com/kushalnagar.html
http://www.karnataka.com/tourism/coorg/
http://www.travelcoorg.com/html/places_to_see.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagarhole_National_Park

Glorious Gokarna!

Gokarna [Nov 2008]
Genre: Multi-day trip

Bangalore to Gokarna
Buses VRL/Sea Bird/KSRTC
Train – A station 6 kms from Gokarna
Ø Roads are really bad. If you plan in advance, take a train

Duration – 10 to 12 hours by bus

Local Travel – Auto – Expensive – You could bargain
Almost 10 kms from Gokarna town to Om Beach
BeachesOm Beach – Biggest with multiple cafes
Kudle Beach – Water is better
Half Moon Beach
Paradise

Places to Stay
Namaste Cafe – At Om Beach – Pretty nice bath attached rooms with electric power & good food – Rs 400 to 600 per day
Skylark Cafe –Solar powered Shacks – Common Bathroom – Rs 200 to 300 per day
There are many other cafes around (Dolphin Café, Sunrise Café)
If you prefer to stay at some luxury resorts, you do have some options for that too there.
Other interesting factsThere’s a German café on the Kudle beach
You could trek and reach the other beaches around, which is fun. Alternatively you could take the boats available which will cost you Rs 50 per head
Ensure that you’ve the usual beach wear stuff. An all-terrain-footwear will definitely help, especially while trekking. The trekking path has plants with thorns.
It’s a good place for 2-3 days trip
Weekdays will be better since it’ll be sparsely crowded. You’ll see more of foreigners than Indians on weekdays.
The place is a heaven for photography enthusiasts J [Trekking gives you lots more opportunities]

My Pictures

http://picasaweb.google.com/jerrymukkadan/GloriousGokarna?authkey=HyJfBmgoHDA#
Useful linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gokarna,_India
http://wikitravel.org/en/Gokarna
http://www.anitabora.com/blog/2005/10/03/sun-sand-surf-two-days-in-gokarna
http://www.travelchacha.com/hotels/gokarna_hotels.htm