It has been just over a week since my last official day at PV and I am nearing the end of my trip as a whole.
On Tuesday I left for Coorg at about 3pm. I had planned on leaving at 11pm that night for an overnight trip, but when I went to purchase a ticket, the lady sold me one for 3pm, so I went. The journey started out with the ticket lady spelling my name Suuoy when I said w, but they conveniently don't check ID on the bus and as long as you pay you are good to go. For the first hour of my bus ride, I was one of two passengers on the entire bus. I of course thought I was on the wrong bus or misunderstood the ticket saleswoman (seeing as that already happened a few times before) but I proceeded without asking questions for a while longer. We stopped about an hour in, and many more people joined on, still for the entire 7.5 hour journey I remained the only female. As the bus ride continued I nonchalantly read my Indian People Magazine and listened to my iPod, only to be disrupted by our bus ramming into another truck's protruding sugarcane stalks. Luckily, no one was hurt and we continued on our way without evening slowing.
When I arrived in Coorg, it was about 10:30 at night (it was only supposed to be a 6 hour drive, but we tended to stop every 5 minutes for one reason or another). Throughout the trip I had been in correspondence with the home stay that I planned on staying at, and to my surprise the owner was waiting at the station to pick me up right when I arrived. From then on out I had only the most pleasant encounters with my host family. They were so incredibly kind and warm and went out of their way on multiple occasions to suit my needs
After my first night in Coorg I woke up and had a delicious homemade Indian breakfast. Then, the owner dropped me off at a park called Raja's Seat where I could hike around and enjoy the beautiful views. Of course, I ventured off the beaten track a bit and managed to step in a huge pile of poop! Luckily, there happened to be a faucet at the top of the hill that I was able to clean up with. After Raja's Seat I hopped into an auto and asked the driver to take me to Madikeri fort, where my host had recommended I see, but unfortunately there was a miscommunication and he dropped me off at Madikeri court. It was no big deal though, I just walked down to the shopping area and wandered around the little town...and a few hours later Kathleen arrived!
I met up with her back at the house and soon after we headed off to an Indian wedding with our hosts! It was a beautiful occasion, and I was so thrilled to have had to opportunity to see a wedding. I have been itching to go to one since I arrived, but I had come to terms with it remaining a lofty dream. We weren't able to see the ceremony but as soon as we walked in, we took photos with the bride and groom and ate a delicious, traditional Indian lunch.Our hosts seem to know absolutely everyone who lives in Coorg, probably because the family owns and operates the local newspaper. And we met a bunch of their employees at the wedding.
After the wedding Kathleen and I took a rickshaw ride up to Abbey Falls where we were able to see a beautiful rushing water fall! She and I later wandered about the town some more and managed to cover everything in just over an hour. For dinner we went to a little hole in the wall that to my surprise, was not that tasty. They stuck hard-boiled eggs in plain rice and called it egg briyani (which is typically an Indian rice dish full of spices and vegetables). We didn't have a ton of options for dinner seeing as the town is really tiny, and so we made due with the eggs and rice. On our walk back to the house there was somehow music was playing throughout and as the rain poured down (as it often does in Coorg) I felt like I was in a Bollywood film.
The next day there was a city-wide strike so all of the stores were closed and none of the transportation was running. Supposedly, UNESCO is fighting with the town because they are trying to protect its biodiversity by putting regulations on the development. But, the townspeople are unhappy because they want to be able to develop and create more jobs. It was pretty disappointing that everything was closed and we essentially lost a day, but our hosts helped make the best of it and took us to their coffee estate. On the car ride there, I was sure I was on Indiana Jones in Disneyland!
Friday, however, fully made up for all of the lost time! We started out by taking a bus to a few towns over to a town called Kushal Nagar where we went to Dubare Elephant Camp. Here we were able to watch retired elephants, that used to work for the forest department, get fed and bathed and then we had the opportunity to ride them! After the elephant camp we headed to Nisagradam where we walked around a beautiful park that lines the Cauvery River. It is quite a trek getting from Dubare to Nisagradam, but Kathleen and I got really lucky when we found Manu, the auto driver. He dropped us at Nisagradam and waited patiently while we spent time there. Afterwards, he took us to a Tibetan village where there are 9 camps and thousands of Tibetan monks who fled from China for refuge. The highlight of the village was seeing hundreds of monks praying in the Golden Temple, a hugely ornate Tibetan monastery. On the ride there Manu stopped and let us walk around a large pond to see giant fish swimming about. After the monastery, we went deeper into the villages to shop around and get lunch. Our bus back to Bangalore was much later that night so we tried to waste as much time as possible in Kushal Nagar. I didn't want to loiter around our hosts' home and be a burden while we waited for our late night bus.
We finally, we went back to the home and as always, the couple welcomed us with open arms. When it was time to leave the wife gave us snacks, coffee (which is SO incredible in coorg considering it is known for its coffee plantations) and gifts! Not only that, but the husband drove us down to the bus stand. It was such a terrific experience, and if anyone is ever in Coorg they should definitely look into Alpen Glow Homestay.
After waiting a bit at the bus station we were able to get on our bus back to Bangalore. We arrived at 5 in the morning! And here, most things don't open until at least 9am so the one time we welcomed an untimely arrival, we came in right on time. The bus dropped us at the train station for some reason, and seeing as it was the only thing open, we joined with the countless people littered about the ground and propped ourselves against a wall. We ended up falling asleep here for a few hours while we waited for the morning to progress. Finally, we made our way back to Mathyoos, the apartments we were staying in before and where I am staying for the next few days. When we came in breakfast was being made and it felt so wonderful to be back in a familiar place.
Earlier in the trip I got in touch with an ashram where I would be able to practice yoga for the next few days that I am here in Bangalore. So after I got cleaned up and fed I ventured off to look for the ashram. After a pretty long auto drive, and a decent walk I was able to find it. The owner and I had a bit of a miscommunication over what sort of practice I was seeking, but it ended up working out really well! He thought I was just looking for a studio to practice in, but I was actually looking for a class. He ended up talking to me for about 30 minutes about the ashram's rituals and the religious side of his practice. I had trouble personally connecting to his religious views, but I appreciated all the time he took to explain it to me. We went on to practice one-on-one for 2 hours and I really learned a lot. He showed me breathing and meditation techniques and different asanas. He was quite curious about my previous practice in the states even though I assured him that it was far from extensive. He asked me to show him some of the poses that I know and so I demonstrated my version of the Sun Salutation and some of the Warrior poses. At the very end of the session he asked me to show him the Sun Salutation again because he wanted to learn from it. I was really excited but also super nervous because I feel like I have no idea what I am doing. He was really encouraging though and thought it was wonderful. There are countless versions of the Sun Salutation so it was interesting to compare our two. Plus, if I messed up it wouldn't be the end of the world because there are so many different ways of going about it.
After yoga I headed back into Shanthi Nagar, where I am staying, to meet up with Kathleen. We went out to an early dinner at Mavalli Tiffin Rooms which is supposedly the oldest restaurant in Bangalore. Its been acclaimed by all these different newspapers as the best Indian food in town. What a shame that we found it so late in our trip! We ended up sharing a table with two women who recommended the masala dosa and it was so delicious, I am going to try to go back once more before I leave Bangalore.
After dinner Kathleen was off to the airport. So, for the next few days I'll be exploring all by myself. After weeks and weeks of having really positive encounters throughout India and of having really productive exploration of myself, I am eager to go back home to California and be with my family. I arrive back on Tuesday, but will try to update once more before then!
On Tuesday I left for Coorg at about 3pm. I had planned on leaving at 11pm that night for an overnight trip, but when I went to purchase a ticket, the lady sold me one for 3pm, so I went. The journey started out with the ticket lady spelling my name Suuoy when I said w, but they conveniently don't check ID on the bus and as long as you pay you are good to go. For the first hour of my bus ride, I was one of two passengers on the entire bus. I of course thought I was on the wrong bus or misunderstood the ticket saleswoman (seeing as that already happened a few times before) but I proceeded without asking questions for a while longer. We stopped about an hour in, and many more people joined on, still for the entire 7.5 hour journey I remained the only female. As the bus ride continued I nonchalantly read my Indian People Magazine and listened to my iPod, only to be disrupted by our bus ramming into another truck's protruding sugarcane stalks. Luckily, no one was hurt and we continued on our way without evening slowing.
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| View from Raja's Seat |
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| Alpen Glow Homestay |
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| Abbey Falls |
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| Abbey Falls |
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| Wedding! (sorry for the blurriness) |
The next day there was a city-wide strike so all of the stores were closed and none of the transportation was running. Supposedly, UNESCO is fighting with the town because they are trying to protect its biodiversity by putting regulations on the development. But, the townspeople are unhappy because they want to be able to develop and create more jobs. It was pretty disappointing that everything was closed and we essentially lost a day, but our hosts helped make the best of it and took us to their coffee estate. On the car ride there, I was sure I was on Indiana Jones in Disneyland!
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| Coffee Estate |
Friday, however, fully made up for all of the lost time! We started out by taking a bus to a few towns over to a town called Kushal Nagar where we went to Dubare Elephant Camp. Here we were able to watch retired elephants, that used to work for the forest department, get fed and bathed and then we had the opportunity to ride them! After the elephant camp we headed to Nisagradam where we walked around a beautiful park that lines the Cauvery River. It is quite a trek getting from Dubare to Nisagradam, but Kathleen and I got really lucky when we found Manu, the auto driver. He dropped us at Nisagradam and waited patiently while we spent time there. Afterwards, he took us to a Tibetan village where there are 9 camps and thousands of Tibetan monks who fled from China for refuge. The highlight of the village was seeing hundreds of monks praying in the Golden Temple, a hugely ornate Tibetan monastery. On the ride there Manu stopped and let us walk around a large pond to see giant fish swimming about. After the monastery, we went deeper into the villages to shop around and get lunch. Our bus back to Bangalore was much later that night so we tried to waste as much time as possible in Kushal Nagar. I didn't want to loiter around our hosts' home and be a burden while we waited for our late night bus.
Earlier in the trip I got in touch with an ashram where I would be able to practice yoga for the next few days that I am here in Bangalore. So after I got cleaned up and fed I ventured off to look for the ashram. After a pretty long auto drive, and a decent walk I was able to find it. The owner and I had a bit of a miscommunication over what sort of practice I was seeking, but it ended up working out really well! He thought I was just looking for a studio to practice in, but I was actually looking for a class. He ended up talking to me for about 30 minutes about the ashram's rituals and the religious side of his practice. I had trouble personally connecting to his religious views, but I appreciated all the time he took to explain it to me. We went on to practice one-on-one for 2 hours and I really learned a lot. He showed me breathing and meditation techniques and different asanas. He was quite curious about my previous practice in the states even though I assured him that it was far from extensive. He asked me to show him some of the poses that I know and so I demonstrated my version of the Sun Salutation and some of the Warrior poses. At the very end of the session he asked me to show him the Sun Salutation again because he wanted to learn from it. I was really excited but also super nervous because I feel like I have no idea what I am doing. He was really encouraging though and thought it was wonderful. There are countless versions of the Sun Salutation so it was interesting to compare our two. Plus, if I messed up it wouldn't be the end of the world because there are so many different ways of going about it.
After yoga I headed back into Shanthi Nagar, where I am staying, to meet up with Kathleen. We went out to an early dinner at Mavalli Tiffin Rooms which is supposedly the oldest restaurant in Bangalore. Its been acclaimed by all these different newspapers as the best Indian food in town. What a shame that we found it so late in our trip! We ended up sharing a table with two women who recommended the masala dosa and it was so delicious, I am going to try to go back once more before I leave Bangalore.
After dinner Kathleen was off to the airport. So, for the next few days I'll be exploring all by myself. After weeks and weeks of having really positive encounters throughout India and of having really productive exploration of myself, I am eager to go back home to California and be with my family. I arrive back on Tuesday, but will try to update once more before then!
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| Crossing the River to Dubare Elephant Camp |
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| Gaduge, found this while wandering around Coorg It is the burial site of King Raja |
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| Coorg! |
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