Kudremukh Trek..
Though all our trips are planned almost a year in advance, there are occasions where we surprise ourselves by planning a weekend trip just two or three weekends in advance. Ahem! I think the day we plan a trip in the morning and start in the afternoon will probably never come - i think that is being too impulsive - for my character. So, that was how the trek to Kudremukh was planned for the weekend of Pongal, only after the year began. One moment R said shall we go, second moment a call went to our friends S&L and 3rd moment the search for homestays and 4th moment the homestay confirmed.
The toughest part was to convince the little ones to bunk school on Monday. I think by now they have gotten to use just how irresponsible parents we are when it comes to have 100% attendance in school - that they did not kick much fuss.
All was good. Early morning, packed to the hilt we started off in our little red wagon, enjoying the awesome weather and drive to Kudremukh. On the way we stopped for breakfast at a new place called "Dhruvathare" suggested by S and it indeed turned out to be a lovely place with good food and nice restrooms and a small play area in the front for the kids. It was also packed to the hilt and we actually had to wait to get a place to sit.
A little after this stop, we encountered and awesome sight. The area was so fogged that we could hardly see 50 meters in front of the car. We drove this way for nearly 2 kms and it was great fun.
Most of the journey was on the Chikmagalur Road. At Kottigehara, we took a turn towards Kudremukh to enter the ghat section. This section of the road , until we reached Kalasa is one of the most beautiful ghat sections that I have driven on. We could not enjoy the onward journey as much as enjoyed the return because of Little Mili's motion sickness and throwing up issues. We managed to stop at a beautiful road side tea plantation and too some really cute pictures. On this route is a very charming little Coffee shop - which sells one of the most amazing coffee powder I have ever had. Their house - which is a vision of green - is adjacent to the shop and is a wonderful place to view. And the best part I found recently is that he can ship the powder to Bangalore also.
Soon we reached Balagal. Here we parked our cars and got into the Jeeps that our "Resort" provided to reach their place.
I have been to my fair share of these homestays that are situated high up in the hills or low down in the valley (Jhari Eco Valley) , that the only means of transportation is their own Pazhai kalam jeeps (the types that Rajesh khanna would go about singing - Mere Sapnon ki rani .. or Chala jaata hoon ... except that the driver would be nowhere comparable to Rajesh Khanna). But this is my far the most bumpiest and most toughest ride I have ever experienced.
The ride is about 2 - 3 - 4 Kms ? sorry i forget the number; but it feels like eternity - before we reach the slope that deposits us in the feet of the homestay.
My feelings about the homestay started with something and changed into something else over the course of our stay here. Mind you, like I do as usual, this time I had done no research about this place that the Mr. had booked. So let me start from the beginning. A flight of rocky steps lead upto a big large courtyard , where there were coffee beans scattered in a neat long patch to dry. We found a few tents set up around the courtyard.
We reached there at about 3 in the afternoon and the place was totally deserted.
There was a huge house with a large verandah and a couple of rooms set away from the house adjoining the verandah. On the first floor we could see large rooms akin to a dormitory.
The entire place was surrounded by greenery and mountains as far as the eye could see.
It seemed more like a house than a homestay - if you get what i mean. After calling for a few mins, a tiny lady came out and we managed to convey to her that we have come to stay for two days and would like some lunch. Unfortunately for the "communication" skills of the Mr. , apparently it seemed that they did not expect us for lunch and we were STARVING!!! ... She said she will arrange something and went in. When you are keenly waiting for something , time just seems frozen and it was the same for us and no matter how much we tried, we could not make any small talk.
Then she arrived with few buckets, followed by another man helping her with some more buckets. It was a very simple meal - rice , sambar , palya, buttermilk and papad. But boy! was it the most tastiest meal that we had ever eaten. Almost all of the adults took more than 3 servings !!! The Mr. who would not touch rice with a 10 feet pole ate 4 whole servings !!!!
The place is a very very simple and rustic place. The two rooms that we were given were quite dingy and the bed very simple and small. They dont have a great mattress or pillows. Since the beds couldnt accomodate us 4, when we asked he directed us to use the thermocol sheets that would serve as mattress. For the average tourist who has never trekked or stayed in "trekky" places, this would be a big put off. But there is a reason why the place is so rudimentary. As Mr.Rajegowda explained - this place is only used by trekkers and predominantly in the moonsoon season where the entire place is crawling with leeches - it made no sense in investing in good mattress etc - which would never clear well nor dry well in incessant raining periods. When he put it that way it made sense.
There was a very 'Alice hole' kind of bathroom attached to the rooms where there is no hot water. But there are two common bathrooms outside the main house where the hot water is just too amazing - fed from wood fires. Especially after a long sweaty tiring trek. Though it is a shame that the trekkers just dont bother to dispose off their soaps packets / shampoo bottles.
The food is very simple - mostly consisting of Rice, a sambhar and rasam , palya , papadam and very watery curd. If you request they make the most awesome egg burji and a non veg dish - i cannot vouch for the taste of this one. Coffee and tea that is served in the morning and evenings is very sugary. It was the first time that the kids were eager to drink the beverage - no doubt!!!
Rajegowda, his wife and the few helpers they have around are very helpful folks - of course you must know Kannada to converse with them. Rajegowda can manage a bit of Hindi. We found them to be very obliging to any reasonable requests we had.
In the evenings it became very very cold and by around 6 we would start to shiver. We would wait impatiently for the next half hour to pass and darkness to fall , for then would light up the bonfire. There are very few chairs around in that place, so we would first pounce and get all the chairs and occupy them and spend the next 2 hours or more roasting in front of the first, impatiently waiting for hot dinner to be served. Dinner was mostly the same fare as lunch with rotis and one subzi added extra. Once again - very simple yet very tasty food.
Now the Trek - It is probably one of the most beautiful treks I have ever been on. Mainly for the fact that no matter which part of the trek you are in, you will be able to see your destination looming clearly ahead of you. It is also a very beautifully maintained trail - thanks to the 'No Plastic' rule and the fact that there is a guide that is appointment by the government to accompany you.
The mountain is called so because it is shaped like the profile of the back of a horse - with trees dotting the mountain to look like the horse's mane and tail. It is a moderate to strenuous trek with many climbs and descents - both of them being quite steep. It is better to start for the trek very early in the morning - we started at 7:45, as the amount of cover along the way is limited and very sparse. Despite reaching the top at 11:15 and starting back nearly at 12 and having hats - we adults all got sun burnt on our head or shoulders. The first time I even got sun burnt - so did not even know it was sun burn that was causing my shoulders to burn.
Almost after halfway the walk up, there are few streams that you can refill your bottles from. There is enough flat space on the top to sit and enjoy quiet moments.
We came back from the trek, tired and famished - to enjoy some nice onion pakoda and sugary coffee. Refreshed after a very hot bath - we settled in front of the fire again and enjoyed our last night at the homestay.
I am almost tempted to want to do the trek again in monsoon, but just cannot stand the leeches. Let us see if there is a change in mind.
The toughest part was to convince the little ones to bunk school on Monday. I think by now they have gotten to use just how irresponsible parents we are when it comes to have 100% attendance in school - that they did not kick much fuss.
All was good. Early morning, packed to the hilt we started off in our little red wagon, enjoying the awesome weather and drive to Kudremukh. On the way we stopped for breakfast at a new place called "Dhruvathare" suggested by S and it indeed turned out to be a lovely place with good food and nice restrooms and a small play area in the front for the kids. It was also packed to the hilt and we actually had to wait to get a place to sit.
A little after this stop, we encountered and awesome sight. The area was so fogged that we could hardly see 50 meters in front of the car. We drove this way for nearly 2 kms and it was great fun.
Most of the journey was on the Chikmagalur Road. At Kottigehara, we took a turn towards Kudremukh to enter the ghat section. This section of the road , until we reached Kalasa is one of the most beautiful ghat sections that I have driven on. We could not enjoy the onward journey as much as enjoyed the return because of Little Mili's motion sickness and throwing up issues. We managed to stop at a beautiful road side tea plantation and too some really cute pictures. On this route is a very charming little Coffee shop - which sells one of the most amazing coffee powder I have ever had. Their house - which is a vision of green - is adjacent to the shop and is a wonderful place to view. And the best part I found recently is that he can ship the powder to Bangalore also.
Soon we reached Balagal. Here we parked our cars and got into the Jeeps that our "Resort" provided to reach their place.
I have been to my fair share of these homestays that are situated high up in the hills or low down in the valley (Jhari Eco Valley) , that the only means of transportation is their own Pazhai kalam jeeps (the types that Rajesh khanna would go about singing - Mere Sapnon ki rani .. or Chala jaata hoon ... except that the driver would be nowhere comparable to Rajesh Khanna). But this is my far the most bumpiest and most toughest ride I have ever experienced.
The ride is about 2 - 3 - 4 Kms ? sorry i forget the number; but it feels like eternity - before we reach the slope that deposits us in the feet of the homestay.
My feelings about the homestay started with something and changed into something else over the course of our stay here. Mind you, like I do as usual, this time I had done no research about this place that the Mr. had booked. So let me start from the beginning. A flight of rocky steps lead upto a big large courtyard , where there were coffee beans scattered in a neat long patch to dry. We found a few tents set up around the courtyard.
We reached there at about 3 in the afternoon and the place was totally deserted.
There was a huge house with a large verandah and a couple of rooms set away from the house adjoining the verandah. On the first floor we could see large rooms akin to a dormitory.
The entire place was surrounded by greenery and mountains as far as the eye could see.
It seemed more like a house than a homestay - if you get what i mean. After calling for a few mins, a tiny lady came out and we managed to convey to her that we have come to stay for two days and would like some lunch. Unfortunately for the "communication" skills of the Mr. , apparently it seemed that they did not expect us for lunch and we were STARVING!!! ... She said she will arrange something and went in. When you are keenly waiting for something , time just seems frozen and it was the same for us and no matter how much we tried, we could not make any small talk.
Then she arrived with few buckets, followed by another man helping her with some more buckets. It was a very simple meal - rice , sambar , palya, buttermilk and papad. But boy! was it the most tastiest meal that we had ever eaten. Almost all of the adults took more than 3 servings !!! The Mr. who would not touch rice with a 10 feet pole ate 4 whole servings !!!!
The place is a very very simple and rustic place. The two rooms that we were given were quite dingy and the bed very simple and small. They dont have a great mattress or pillows. Since the beds couldnt accomodate us 4, when we asked he directed us to use the thermocol sheets that would serve as mattress. For the average tourist who has never trekked or stayed in "trekky" places, this would be a big put off. But there is a reason why the place is so rudimentary. As Mr.Rajegowda explained - this place is only used by trekkers and predominantly in the moonsoon season where the entire place is crawling with leeches - it made no sense in investing in good mattress etc - which would never clear well nor dry well in incessant raining periods. When he put it that way it made sense.
There was a very 'Alice hole' kind of bathroom attached to the rooms where there is no hot water. But there are two common bathrooms outside the main house where the hot water is just too amazing - fed from wood fires. Especially after a long sweaty tiring trek. Though it is a shame that the trekkers just dont bother to dispose off their soaps packets / shampoo bottles.
The food is very simple - mostly consisting of Rice, a sambhar and rasam , palya , papadam and very watery curd. If you request they make the most awesome egg burji and a non veg dish - i cannot vouch for the taste of this one. Coffee and tea that is served in the morning and evenings is very sugary. It was the first time that the kids were eager to drink the beverage - no doubt!!!
Rajegowda, his wife and the few helpers they have around are very helpful folks - of course you must know Kannada to converse with them. Rajegowda can manage a bit of Hindi. We found them to be very obliging to any reasonable requests we had.
In the evenings it became very very cold and by around 6 we would start to shiver. We would wait impatiently for the next half hour to pass and darkness to fall , for then would light up the bonfire. There are very few chairs around in that place, so we would first pounce and get all the chairs and occupy them and spend the next 2 hours or more roasting in front of the first, impatiently waiting for hot dinner to be served. Dinner was mostly the same fare as lunch with rotis and one subzi added extra. Once again - very simple yet very tasty food.
Now the Trek - It is probably one of the most beautiful treks I have ever been on. Mainly for the fact that no matter which part of the trek you are in, you will be able to see your destination looming clearly ahead of you. It is also a very beautifully maintained trail - thanks to the 'No Plastic' rule and the fact that there is a guide that is appointment by the government to accompany you.
The mountain is called so because it is shaped like the profile of the back of a horse - with trees dotting the mountain to look like the horse's mane and tail. It is a moderate to strenuous trek with many climbs and descents - both of them being quite steep. It is better to start for the trek very early in the morning - we started at 7:45, as the amount of cover along the way is limited and very sparse. Despite reaching the top at 11:15 and starting back nearly at 12 and having hats - we adults all got sun burnt on our head or shoulders. The first time I even got sun burnt - so did not even know it was sun burn that was causing my shoulders to burn.
Almost after halfway the walk up, there are few streams that you can refill your bottles from. There is enough flat space on the top to sit and enjoy quiet moments.
We came back from the trek, tired and famished - to enjoy some nice onion pakoda and sugary coffee. Refreshed after a very hot bath - we settled in front of the fire again and enjoyed our last night at the homestay.
I am almost tempted to want to do the trek again in monsoon, but just cannot stand the leeches. Let us see if there is a change in mind.
Comments