Trip to Gopalswamy Betta & BRT
Date: 23rd may 2009 – 25th may 2009
Place: Gopalaswami betta, Biligiri Rangana betta and Kgudi Wilderness camp
The forest always fascinates me and their wilderness .I just love the forest feel, especially the smell of the mud and fresh air, which makes every moment in the forest memorable and magical. There are many good reasons for revisiting Kgudi. The excitement of taking the first appointment with the tiger is still lingering in my thoughts..
We [GNG] started early on 23rd may and reached Mysore by 10 AM. Having dosa in one of Gautham’s favorite hotels GTR, where he always become nostalgic we started off to Gopalaswamy betta. I am always interested in knowing new places so I was keen on seeing this historical temple on the top of the hill. Getting here is easy. It is about 87 kms from Mysore Only an 11/2 hour drive I never took my eyes off the greenery laden mountain ranges till we reached Gopalaswamy temple on the top of the hill.
Gopala swami betta
We entered the temple and it looked like one of those historical monuments. What I really admired the most is the Gopalaswamy murthy which is stunningly beautiful .I still get the picture of the beautiful Krishna even now when I close my eyes. Gargi just loved the place and started running everywhere showing her excitement.
Special moment;
The view from the temple is incredibly scenic .we sat on a rock and gazed and gazed at the mountain ranges of Nilgiris..I wish to thank my MIL for the chapathi rolls and gongora chutney, which we ate on the mountaintop gazing at the mountains. This was one of the special moments which I will never forget about the trip..We strolled around the guesthouse and off we went to Bandipur safari
Bandipur Safari
It was just like any other Safari ‘s I had visited but it was a new experience for Gargi where she was happy to see peacock, deer, and hare at a very short distance. We were a bit disappointed that we couldn’t spot the leopard even though we went twice .By the time we finished our safari it was late evening and we also had plans to visit Gautham’s friends Shivamallappa’s house at Gundlupet. After having coffee at the pagmark restaurant we left to Gundlupet. Initially I was a bit hesitant to stay in malappas house but the hospitality of the all the family members made me feel at home. We had our dinner and rested for the day.
Date; 24th May 2009
We had our breakfast and thanked all of them who were very nice to us during our stay in their house. We gave them few gifts as a token of our gratitude. They happily bid us good bye . We also visited Shiva mallappa’s 150 acres farm and were amazed by his hard working nature and leadership skills. We drank coco water from one of the trees of his farm. Thanked and bid good bye to him .We were excited to go to Kgudi wilderness camp where we had to stay the next two days..
Visit to Navodaya
Kgudi wilderness camp is about 225 km from Bangalore via Mysore and chamarajnagar. Since we stayed at Gundlupet it was only an hour drive.
Special moment;
When we reached the gate of BRhills Gautham was all excited to see one of Navodaya schools in which he studied .He is always in praise of this school as it gives free education for rural children. He wanted to go inside and meet the Principal. As we went inside the gate the school guards surrounded us with a big question mark on their faces. After Gautham expressed his love and concern for the school they were very happy to take us to the principal’s house. The school is cut off from the world and I could feel the sacredness of the place .we were greeted by the principal with a big smile. After a small talk we were treated with fruit platter and delicious tea. What strikes to me the most is the love and affection strangers show to us in our country. Which happens nowhere in the world except in India. When we were about to leave the principal’s wife gave me a bunch of champak flowers and asked me to wear them and also mentioned that these were the flowers from the tree planted by Navodaya children .It sounded to me as you are the flowers and fruits of this giant tree Navodaya watered and nurtured by us teachers .My heart was filled with joy when we bid good bye to them.
Kgudi Wilderness camp:
This is one of the very few resorts in India which is inside the limits of a wild life sanctuary .We had booked one of those tented cottages .It was a nice room with an adjacent bathroom with all the facility to stay comfortably. The ambience was also really good .We had lunch at Golghar and were waiting for the evening safari. It is truly exhilarating to climb on a safari jeep and look for wildlife. Exploring the most biologically diverse land is an adventure .BR hills rich wildlife habitat includes 250 species of birds with tigers, leopards, gaurs, elephants, sambar, chital, wild boar and many more. As we boarded one of the safari jeeps I was overwhelmed by the forest’s exuberant flora and fauna .The forest feel itself is just awesome. Spotting wildlife is like an icing on the cake. That is the reason that even though we couldn’t spot many animals because of the rains we were happy. We got down the jeep and walked into the forest guesthouse. Here they were playing a movie on wild dogs. Gargi who was sleeping all the while during safari suddenly became active seeing the bonda and coffee kept on the table .Hot coffee and bonda was’ The thing ‘ we wanted in this cold .We all ate together talking about the different events that happened in the safari. We made friends with almost all of them in the resort. Special mention to Ramesh and family who were lucky to see the leopard the very first safari. On the whole it was a lovely day.
25th May 2009
There was a knock on the door at around six in the morning. There was an attendant with a cup of coffee. We drank the coffee looking at the mountain right in front of our tented cottage. Man!!What a way to start a day. Later we left for morning safari boarding our jeep. Since it had rained yesterday this safari was unfruitful except for the fresh morning air. We had breakfast and started towards BRtemple. This temple is often visited by localites and it was a nice feeling to visit the temple again. This time interestingly Gargi distributed 5 Rs coins to the beggars waiting outside the temple. They were so happy and blessed Gargi whole-heartedly. I in turn felt happy from within
Special moment
In the evening safari I have a very special moment to share. There were shortage of jeeps and we three opted for an old jeep. This time it was an old jeep with a new driver. As we went deep into the forest I felt conquered by the wilderness of the forest. All of a sudden we spotted elephants moving towards a swamp. There was one matriarch with two of her male cubs. They swam in the water and climbed on one another. They seemed to be relaxing and enjoying the dip in the water. After a while they saw us and mock charged at us .The resonating sound took the breath out of me .We ran into our jeeps and this one event is worth remembering. Back in the resort we met Ramesh and fly that were lucky to see the leopard again which we missed both the times.
The next day we checked out and took a ride on the elephant. Gargi just enjoyed the enthralling ride. We thanked every one there and bid goodbye. The best part of the trip is yet to come. We actually bumped into Ramesh and fly again in one of the restaurants in the evening. They again made us feel J by telling that they saw a leopard beside the road on their way back home. Looked like they had already fixed few appointments with the leopard and as far as we are concerned there is always a second chance. According to me what matters more is when you are back home you have plenty of memorable special moment to share and also remind you of the magic, serenity and wilderness of this beautiful place.
Place: Gopalaswami betta, Biligiri Rangana betta and Kgudi Wilderness camp
The forest always fascinates me and their wilderness .I just love the forest feel, especially the smell of the mud and fresh air, which makes every moment in the forest memorable and magical. There are many good reasons for revisiting Kgudi. The excitement of taking the first appointment with the tiger is still lingering in my thoughts..
We [GNG] started early on 23rd may and reached Mysore by 10 AM. Having dosa in one of Gautham’s favorite hotels GTR, where he always become nostalgic we started off to Gopalaswamy betta. I am always interested in knowing new places so I was keen on seeing this historical temple on the top of the hill. Getting here is easy. It is about 87 kms from Mysore Only an 11/2 hour drive I never took my eyes off the greenery laden mountain ranges till we reached Gopalaswamy temple on the top of the hill.
Gopala swami betta
We entered the temple and it looked like one of those historical monuments. What I really admired the most is the Gopalaswamy murthy which is stunningly beautiful .I still get the picture of the beautiful Krishna even now when I close my eyes. Gargi just loved the place and started running everywhere showing her excitement.
Special moment;
The view from the temple is incredibly scenic .we sat on a rock and gazed and gazed at the mountain ranges of Nilgiris..I wish to thank my MIL for the chapathi rolls and gongora chutney, which we ate on the mountaintop gazing at the mountains. This was one of the special moments which I will never forget about the trip..We strolled around the guesthouse and off we went to Bandipur safari
Bandipur Safari
It was just like any other Safari ‘s I had visited but it was a new experience for Gargi where she was happy to see peacock, deer, and hare at a very short distance. We were a bit disappointed that we couldn’t spot the leopard even though we went twice .By the time we finished our safari it was late evening and we also had plans to visit Gautham’s friends Shivamallappa’s house at Gundlupet. After having coffee at the pagmark restaurant we left to Gundlupet. Initially I was a bit hesitant to stay in malappas house but the hospitality of the all the family members made me feel at home. We had our dinner and rested for the day.
Date; 24th May 2009
We had our breakfast and thanked all of them who were very nice to us during our stay in their house. We gave them few gifts as a token of our gratitude. They happily bid us good bye . We also visited Shiva mallappa’s 150 acres farm and were amazed by his hard working nature and leadership skills. We drank coco water from one of the trees of his farm. Thanked and bid good bye to him .We were excited to go to Kgudi wilderness camp where we had to stay the next two days..
Visit to Navodaya
Kgudi wilderness camp is about 225 km from Bangalore via Mysore and chamarajnagar. Since we stayed at Gundlupet it was only an hour drive.
Special moment;
When we reached the gate of BRhills Gautham was all excited to see one of Navodaya schools in which he studied .He is always in praise of this school as it gives free education for rural children. He wanted to go inside and meet the Principal. As we went inside the gate the school guards surrounded us with a big question mark on their faces. After Gautham expressed his love and concern for the school they were very happy to take us to the principal’s house. The school is cut off from the world and I could feel the sacredness of the place .we were greeted by the principal with a big smile. After a small talk we were treated with fruit platter and delicious tea. What strikes to me the most is the love and affection strangers show to us in our country. Which happens nowhere in the world except in India. When we were about to leave the principal’s wife gave me a bunch of champak flowers and asked me to wear them and also mentioned that these were the flowers from the tree planted by Navodaya children .It sounded to me as you are the flowers and fruits of this giant tree Navodaya watered and nurtured by us teachers .My heart was filled with joy when we bid good bye to them.
Kgudi Wilderness camp:
This is one of the very few resorts in India which is inside the limits of a wild life sanctuary .We had booked one of those tented cottages .It was a nice room with an adjacent bathroom with all the facility to stay comfortably. The ambience was also really good .We had lunch at Golghar and were waiting for the evening safari. It is truly exhilarating to climb on a safari jeep and look for wildlife. Exploring the most biologically diverse land is an adventure .BR hills rich wildlife habitat includes 250 species of birds with tigers, leopards, gaurs, elephants, sambar, chital, wild boar and many more. As we boarded one of the safari jeeps I was overwhelmed by the forest’s exuberant flora and fauna .The forest feel itself is just awesome. Spotting wildlife is like an icing on the cake. That is the reason that even though we couldn’t spot many animals because of the rains we were happy. We got down the jeep and walked into the forest guesthouse. Here they were playing a movie on wild dogs. Gargi who was sleeping all the while during safari suddenly became active seeing the bonda and coffee kept on the table .Hot coffee and bonda was’ The thing ‘ we wanted in this cold .We all ate together talking about the different events that happened in the safari. We made friends with almost all of them in the resort. Special mention to Ramesh and family who were lucky to see the leopard the very first safari. On the whole it was a lovely day.
25th May 2009
There was a knock on the door at around six in the morning. There was an attendant with a cup of coffee. We drank the coffee looking at the mountain right in front of our tented cottage. Man!!What a way to start a day. Later we left for morning safari boarding our jeep. Since it had rained yesterday this safari was unfruitful except for the fresh morning air. We had breakfast and started towards BRtemple. This temple is often visited by localites and it was a nice feeling to visit the temple again. This time interestingly Gargi distributed 5 Rs coins to the beggars waiting outside the temple. They were so happy and blessed Gargi whole-heartedly. I in turn felt happy from within
Special moment
In the evening safari I have a very special moment to share. There were shortage of jeeps and we three opted for an old jeep. This time it was an old jeep with a new driver. As we went deep into the forest I felt conquered by the wilderness of the forest. All of a sudden we spotted elephants moving towards a swamp. There was one matriarch with two of her male cubs. They swam in the water and climbed on one another. They seemed to be relaxing and enjoying the dip in the water. After a while they saw us and mock charged at us .The resonating sound took the breath out of me .We ran into our jeeps and this one event is worth remembering. Back in the resort we met Ramesh and fly that were lucky to see the leopard again which we missed both the times.
The next day we checked out and took a ride on the elephant. Gargi just enjoyed the enthralling ride. We thanked every one there and bid goodbye. The best part of the trip is yet to come. We actually bumped into Ramesh and fly again in one of the restaurants in the evening. They again made us feel J by telling that they saw a leopard beside the road on their way back home. Looked like they had already fixed few appointments with the leopard and as far as we are concerned there is always a second chance. According to me what matters more is when you are back home you have plenty of memorable special moment to share and also remind you of the magic, serenity and wilderness of this beautiful place.
Comments
Beautifully written!!! Despite the length of the post, it kept me captivated till the last word. You are a good story teller and as always sweeeeeeeeeeet..
Lovely pics too. I immediately made one of them my desktop background
Welcome to blogosphere... Waiting to see you write more and travel more..
tata...tc
Beautiful...
Thank You,Nanda
Thanks ...i write as i like reliving the happy moments of my life .Nothing can give me more joy than the thought of my writing being an inspiration for you to write .