Mysore-Bangalore road unfolded like a smooth black band interspersed with patches of yellow light from the headlights of passing vehicles. Our Toyota Innova sped along smoothly. We were going to Madikere 350 kms away from Bangalore.
It all started one Friday evening as we came out from office at 8 p/m to have a quick tea on the terrace.Nulu suggested that we should leave for Goa immediately and spend the weekends there.
Suddenness of the idea amazed us and we were not at all prepared.But we prepared ourselves within two hours to go to Madikere if not Goa.
We were eight people inside Innova excluding the driver.Vimal , Nulu , Ramesh, Tarun , Prabhat , Vikas , Vineet and me -> travellers of this trip . Cuddled and huddled up inside with booming music ,undying tempo , amidst laughter and jokes we sped along.......
We reached Madikere at 6:30 a.m .After freshening up and filling up us with some Malayali breakfast , we started for "Raja's Seat" .,the first spot on our agenda .As the name aptly suggests, it consists of seats in the middle of a beautiful garden , at the top of a hill, from where we can get a marvelous view .The seats were placed under cool shade of trees , where you lie down like a Raja , and enjoy the view. Lush greenery,blue sky,cool shade,roads cutting into hills,farmlands,brick kilns ....behold the beauty as u lie down in peace!!!!!!!
We could not wait for the second spot on our agenda.It was "Abey Falls".We reached there at 11:30 a.m. It was not a very high waterfall and the place wasnt crowded too.Water appeared green with lots of pebbles , stones underneath .We jumped into water.Water was cold and refreshing , falling rather speedily down the steep slides into a pond-like beneath.We were virtually divided into two groups :- People who knew less swimming and people who knew least swimming with former giving training to the later .We bathed for nearly two and half hours...
We fueled us up with a good lunch and moved ahead for third spot "Tala Kaveri".Its the place from where the great Kaveri river originates. A new temple is being constructed there.There,s a flight of steps which seems like "Stairway to Heaven".We were around 2000 ft above sea level.We ascended the steps.We were amidst clouds.Our hair was moistened with water droplets .It was around 3:30 p.m afternoon but it seemed like 4:30 a.m of a cold winter morning.It needs to be seen because words fall short of describing this with visual extravaganza.Clouds,Clouds everywhere....Clouds were Keats' muse and point of interest and i realized why was it so.......
The fourth spot was a huge Buddhist Monastery .It was huge and artistically decorated to the inch.Inside there were three huge statues of Buddha .Walls were full of paintings, a serenity prevailed inside ...We sat down on the floor and lost ourselves in silence and in awe of supreme Buddha.
Four Different places, one trip and an enriching experience .We returned to Bangalore the same night with
Eyes feasted with visual sights
Ears resounding with gushing sound of Abey Falls
Mind filled with memoirs and recollections
Feet tired of climbing Tala Kaveri' steps
Body aching with continuous traveling,
face bright with accomplishment of a trip which we hadnt managed to do previously inspite of repeated plans..
and most importantly
Heart....
Yearning for more...more and more...........................................
