Gone but not forgotten!

Years ago this day, she was happily attending her Uncle’s wedding. As a school going girl, she was over excited about the wedding. She was wearing a pretty lehenga choli which her Daddy dearest bought and there she was running all around the convention hall.
Only after a while had she realized that her mother and brother weren’t in the reception hall. They weren’t to be seen anywhere. Every guest that arrived, repeatedly questioned her where was her little family. She had no clue. Shortly after the wedding ceremony, she went on asking every other relative of hers if they had seen her mother, to no avail.
She strolled home which was a few kilometers away. Shockingly, there were none at home but her Grandfather. He then informed her, they were at the hospital. She certainly had no idea about what had happened. She inquired about the Hospital, which was again a few km from her home.
She walked to the hospital she was told about. As soon as she entered she saw many of her relatives in the hospital. There she saw, her mother grieving inconsolably. She saw her uncles talking to her mother. She looks here and there, she saw her brother in another corner. Running here and there with some hospital slips.
As an 11 year old, she barely had any clue about anything happening there. She walks closer and closer.  She saw two of her aunts standing close to a private room, around which the hospital staff is running about. She tried to enter the room and nobody let her to. She now became more and more anxious. Her heart beats are at a varying rate now. When she finally entered the room pushing everyone aside, there she saw her father in tremendous pain and agony. She could only see the cries in and around the room. He was crying in pain. He wasn’t able to move. The doctors around were giving him the injections. Nothing seems to be serving anymore. He wanted to pass the urine but he couldn't. He cries in pain. She was allowed to stand barely for 2–3 minutes in that room. He was immediately rushed to an Emergency. She was sent away.

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As an 11-year-old, once again she was clueless and crying. She was sent home with a relative of hers. When she reached home, the newlyweds were brought into the house. she went and locked herself in a room. She did not get out of the room until that night and surprisingly none even noticed it. At night, she walked out of the room only hearing her mother cry out loud. Her Father passed away that night suffering from Hepatitis B, until that day of which they were unaware of. 

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And that marked the worst 2 minutes at the hospital and the worst day in her life. Something she could never forget and something that would stay in her heart until the end of her time. Healing has its own way and it takes its own time. For every girl, her father is her first hero and for her, he lived up to every bit as a hero, a guiding light, a teacher, a superman and an amazing Daddy. He gave her the wings to fly and the vision to dream endlessly. The memories of endless love and the warmth make her all cold today. She is strong but tired. She wants a warm hug and a pat on the back. She wished if he could come back. She snuggles into her blanket and yet she is frozen. 

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She turns to the other side of the pillow as this side is already cold hiding her secrets. She slips into the sleep only to meet him again in the world outside this, the world of her dreams. 

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For he was the most beautiful thing she preserved in her heart and was her hardest Goodbye! Gone but not forgotten! 

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Love,
Vj (Nutty Wordsmith)

An Evening in Paris

There are so many dreams that are still waiting to see a sunrise, while one of mine saw it coming after yearning for years. For the heart that always desired to see sunrises in offbeat places, I aspired to help it out a bit and keep the heart and mind at peace.

I think I've found my super-symmetric friend years ago, who always made it a point to ensure my untold words are apprehended and put a smile on my face no matter what. Let's call her "Ssh". Who wants 50 odd friends when you and your BFF can exchange 100 texts and decide where to meet next? This is exactly what chanced the last September and our dream of 5 years to meet outside India was a thing for real. 

BFF Goals!

Life is good you know. So I infer you get one. The soul comforting experience when you see a new place that includes new people, food, tradition and a new you is amazing. This year I had no desire to do anything but to focus on my serenity and contentment. I like real conversations, I like places, I like genuine people, I like vacations and I like fantasies. For the Universe has perfect timings for everything, I guess things take their own sweet time to reach you. 

Ssh asked me "Where do you wanna go and what do you wanna see?" It is bad manners to keep a vacation waiting, consequently, the first thing I uttered was "Paris". That's how the planning began. I live in Bengaluru and my journey started from here. My first destination on arrival at Europe was Amsterdam. Europe tour started from there. We went places before reaching France. From our previous destiny Belgium we made our way to Paris. This was by road with Euro Line.

I stayed at Hotel Campanile, Porte de Bagnolet. We reached Paris by evening, For we were enough tired to hit the bed, we chose to explore the city. Paris is a very well connected network when it comes to public transport. The subway system looks like a mystery to me, yet I felt home using the public transport. All that you have to do is, pick a map from the hotel and look for the metro connections. Best thing is even to ask the hotel reception for a rough idea to cover the places in a logical sequence. There are around 15-16 metro lines. All that you have to do is either follow a color code or a numbering system, not even once we waited for more than 2 minutes in any station. We freshened up and took our first metro ride to Trocadero. The best thing as soon as you walk out of it is one of the wonders of the world. 

The Eiffel Tower

I don't know, since when was I dreaming of Eiffel Tower. To even an extent I had multiple Eiffel Tower themes on my phone back then when I had the first smartphone. I even don't know what about it made me go crazy over it, definitely not Raani from the movie Queen. It was even before that I had a fancy dream of witnessing a sunrise and a sunset at Paris. And I could successfully make it with her around, who is my favorite person. 

There I am!

While I was there, much before it was a beautiful sunset, I made only a couple of calls to the ones who are dear to me. I still remember my mum's face when she was proud of me and was watching the Eiffel with the help of technology. My brothers and a friend were also equally delighted when they saw it. Even though people say, Paris isn't a safe place, we were careful and alert all the while. Our entire stay was a pleasant one. 

Namaste India brings in a smile!

Do not panic if some random men approach you and say "Namaste India", just keep walking. It's just that anywhere and everywhere we are recognized as Indians and no big deal about it. Just be alright and walk. When we ended our day 1, we found an Indian Restaurant run by a Srilankan. A full meal after starving for veg food in Belgium. 

The next day, we took a metro ride again to begin our excursion in Paris. From Galliene we headed towards Montmartre. Montmartre is a dream in itself. A small village in a town. A beautiful dome on a hill. A narrow street with daunting cafes and shops on either side. A village with aging apartments. A walk to the top and A majestic view of the city from there. Brightly painted buildings, Bougainvillea and the glass lamps greet you here. All that you want is, the time to stop and stay there for a long time. 

Streets of Mont Martre

City view from the hilltop

Once a little medieval village in the country, Montmartre has an old-fashioned charm with an avant-garde edge. As you walk through the streets there are plenty of stores to shop and eat. The hanging flower pots from the building are colorful and warm. Once you climb up the hill is the Basilica of Sacre Coeur. This majestic structure is also called as a wedding cake for its very appearance from any distance. It was built as a symbol of hope after a Franco-Prussian war. Montmartre usually houses musicians near the basilica. It's a bliss to get oneself lost in. A perfect weather, on top of a hill, a cake like a monument and a magical view the city. What more could one ask for? 

The musicians engaging the tourists!

Montmartre!

Our next destination was a war memorial. As we see The India Gate, a war memorial to 82000 soldiers of the undivided Indian Army who died in the period 1914-21 during the First World War. The Arch de Triomphe is dedicated to the victorious French armies of the Revolution and the First Empire. The mighty building was built in 1806 by the orders of Napoleon but he who did not live to see its completion in 1836. At the foot of the Arch de Triomphe is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, dedicated in 1921 as a memorial to the dead of World War I. Every evening at 6:30 pm, a small delegation of soldiers rekindle the flame at the tomb. The feeling I guess would be the same, as you stand at an unknown soldier's tomb. The structure is iconic with war figures bigger than life-size structures carved on it. When I stood in front of it, it was nerve chilling experience realizing what a havoc World Wars have been in the history. For anyone, death is a pain, while the tomb of a soldier is even more painful to watch. We can as well climb up a 250+stairway up and view the exemplary architectural structures that are encircled at Arch de Triomphe. There are so many ways that lead to the other part of the city from here. The boulevards are just beautiful for a walk. 

Arch de Triomphe

Champs-Elysées? Sounds familiar? Kangana from Queen struggling to get there? We Indians I tell you, we get the Bollywood references quicker than anything else. Champs-Elysées Avenue is beautiful. Because Paris is a place of public squares and parks, the public squares look amazingly breathtaking here. It is a wonderful place to stroll, eat and shop (provided you are rich :)). The Champs-Elysées houses beautiful French cafes and the brand stores. The main shopping attraction here is Louis Vuitton, Zara, Boss and other elite brands. No, no, I'm not rich and just window shopped there. For all the very obvious reasons it is one of the most famous streets in Paris. This street connects the monumental Arch de Triomphe, Grand Palais, Petit Palais, Invalides, Air France museum, Alexandar Port, Invalides Port, Eiffel Tower and The Louvre Museum. We walked for about 6 km to cover this stretch. 

Boulevards of Champs-Elysées!

Champs-Elysées shopping square!

The Petit Palais!

Grand Palais

Pont de Alexandre III at night!

Pont de Alexandre III

Also, the Luxembourg Gardens are just around the Alexandar Port (Pont de Alexandre III). 

Petit Palais gardens

Luxembourg Gardens!

 The next thing was to be on the terrace of one of the wonders of the World. Eiffel Tower terrace gives an astonishing 360 degrees view of the city. A river so calm, serene and beautiful - Seine River flows just across the sides of Eiffel. Apart from being famous around the world, it is the most emblematic of Paris. The Eiffel Tower was designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel and built for the Paris Exhibition of 1889, which marked the centenary of the French Revolution. The tower consists of 15,000 steel sections held together by 2.5 million rivets. The terrace still has an apartment where Gustave Eiffel hosted prestigious guests. There is a depiction of Mr. Eiffel, his daughter Claire and Thomas Edison seated showcased with lifelike statues. There is a wine stall and then there is a place to Kiss.

Just around the tower!

Panoramic view from the terrace!

An apartment at the Terrace of Eiffel Tower, where Mr Eiffel hosted his guests!

 An evening in Paris is incomplete if you do not walk crossing Seine river and witness the night lights on the tower. 

Paris Lights by the river side!

Cruises at River Seine!

By the river Seine!

An exceptional coincidence on the day of my visit was Paris Fashion Show at Trocadero. Just opposite to the tower on the other side of the tower. Though I'm not a very fashion enthusiast types, the show appeared elite and marvelous to me. To be honest all I could see was supermodels walking on the grand ramp with a prompt that looked like a mere pillow to me. Then there were 1000 of delegates and fashion industry that is all gathered and all delighted. The tourists make no move until the show is over. It's funny how people were glued at the ramp, while I thought they are walking expressionless with a pillow thingy. Individual perspectives you see. 

Paris Fashion Week!

The last thing to do before the night was getting longer was to visit Madam Mona Lisa or Mona darling. Musée de Louvre is where she stays with many other from her societal class. The Museum in itself is a maze to me, while I was also amazed. All we were interested in was Mona darling. It's customary ritual kinda thing to meet her if you are in Paris. Yes, we quickly took a metro towards the Louvre.  One of the world’s largest repositories of priceless art and antiquities. As the title suggests, the Louvre is like a city unto itself, a termite compound of bustling human activity. 

Rings a bell? The Da Vinci Code?

The Musée de Louvre wasn't originally a museum but was a fortress built in 1190. In the 16th century, it was turned from a fortress into a royal palace. It was only in 1793, after the French Monarchy moved to the Palace of Versailles, that the first Louvre museum was opened to the public, and offered just 537 paintings. 

So we are going to her home! 

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is undoubtedly one of the most famous pieces of art in the Louvre, with people from all walks of life traveling to the museum to catch a glimpse of the world-famous painting. What you may not know about the Mona Lisa is that it isn’t as big as everyone thinks, as the dimension of the painting is actually just a little bit larger than an A2 piece of paper. The Mona Lisa also has its own bodyguards and is protected by the bulletproof glass; however, it was stolen in 1911 before being returned to the Louvre just two years later.

There she is! All safe and secure, confusing everyone with her smile!

My laugh at myself moment at Louvre is undoubted - One where people from all the walks of life just stand there in awe and look at the masterpiece as if it were to be God and granting everyone their wishes. The mad hatter, that I'm, stood there wondering what are they actually wishing for? I wondered if she could come alive and just fulfill their wishes. Jokes apart, it is a masterpiece and I do not have that thing in me to analyze those expressions on her face. Mona Lisa is a mystery where none could ever think why is she smiling the way she is doing it. 

Duh! Selfie with Mona Lisa!

The Louvre’s galleries are displayed across 652,300 square feet – which is nearly 15 acres! The galleries contain approximately 7,500 paintings, and 66% of them were created by French artists. The galleries are also divided into eight departments: Near Eastern Antiquities, Egyptian Antiquities, Greek-Etruscan-Roman Antiquities, Islamic Art, Sculptures,  Decorative Arts, Paintings; and Prints and Drawings. 

Another course of Indian meal for dinner and that calls for an end of the day 2.

Today, when I sit sick and pen down my experience in Paris- I almost overlooked my sickness as tons of memories flashed back like a cinema. If you only saw Eiffel on the fabrics, books, blogs, phone covers, coffee shops and craved to be at the boulevards of Paris - Go for it. Everything aside and an experience like this last a lifetime. A best friend and a backpack are the best companions while you walk on a different piece of land somewhere else on Earth.

Quick Tips:
1. Paris Ticket - To use the hassle-free public transport. And a ticket to go to the Tower Terrace. 
2. Eat something different while you are in a new place, simply a struggle if you are vegetarian like me.  
3. There are too many migrants that try to trick you at Mont Martre, just escape from the trick.
4. Be like 100% sure to walk safely in a new place, anything fishy - hop onto a public transport and reach your destination.
5. Shopping - Almost what we get here unless very different and special turn down the plan. Expensive place.
6. Carry a map wherever you go. English reading and speaking ability are enough to manage.
7. Wear like the weather permits. 
8. Buy scarfs, books, posters, and postcards. Bargain if you are buying Souvenirs.  Go to the coolest bookstores in the world. 
9. Plan your shopping list and area in advance if you are a shopaholic and it fancies you to buy expensive brands outside.
10. Be Safe. 

With yet another promise to come back with another piece of my blah blah! 

Love,
V (Nutty Wordsmith)

Kruthi - The Diamond That Could Never Be Cut!

Fiction # 4 -- Strong Is The New Beautiful!

Anthara was scrolling through her phone gallery, pausing here and there and smiling occasionally. She could close her eyes to reality but not memories. Memories for that matter are very insane and drive you crazy at times. After a good 20 minutes, she stopped at a picture and stared at one distinct picture for a long time. A picture of a couple of weeks fetus in a scan. A picture of a soon to be arriving niece/nephew. That very thought of another member coming into the family is exciting. Meantime, Anthara looked back to the days when Krisha was about to be born and how excited Kruthi, her best friend was. Having a best friend is the best thing ever.That was the coolest thing that befell, only if the storm had not hit their life, she thought.

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Kruthi was a very pretty and innocent girl. She was overly pampered by her parents and extended family. She was an apple of their eye. Kruthi was a lively and joyous girl among her friends. She was known for her impeccable dressing style and the food she carried from home. Kruthi was adored by her friends for the girl she was. Sooner than the family thought she was into her bachelor's degree. Every other family member made sure she was at her utmost ease when she stepped into her college. Although Kruthi was from a very sound and affluent family, her behavior had inherited no influence from the family status. She spent her time with friends from every walk of life.

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For Kruthi was a beautiful girl, she had gotten more alliances than any of her friends did during her college. However, there was no rush until she graduated but her soulmate arrived sooner than expected. For she had a very beautiful soul too she had agreed to marry a business man who was an average looking man. The very first proposal and she agreed to her parents' choice for her. Anthara was happy for Kruthi. For Kruthi always spoke about Varun, her fiancé and what a great guy he was. Every single time Kruthi told everyone how Varun never forgets to make it a point to surprise her, for he lived on another continent across the oceans. The love never found any excuses. It blossomed to be a beautiful flower by the time it was the wedding time.

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Anthara was enjoying every bit of how Kruthi had turned out to be a responsible woman who is just about to be graduated. While everyone else including Anthara was just the college going irresponsible and about to be graduated chicks. Immediately after graduation, Anthara moved out of her city for a job and Kruthi stayed home preparing for her big event.  As Anthara joined a new job, undergoing a training and was writing her exit exams, she couldn't be part of the big day. But she was very excited for Kruthi and made sure her family attended the event.

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After the wedding, Kruthi flew away with Varun. She called up Anthara and told how a great city she was living in and what was it to be married to Varun and living with him and making her new home. Anthara always hoped and prayed that Kruthi is this happy now and forever. Days passed by and months too. Anthara could only look back to the memories of college and could no longer live there. However, she was getting accustomed to new life and new people and same were the cases with Kruthi in the States. They moved on with their lives happily, one was building the career and another a family.

Life seemed like a garden of roses, until one day when the storm hit their life hard. Anthara was on a lunch table with her colleagues when she received a message. The message was from Kruthi that clearly stated - "I'm very sorry to leave this earth rather soon. I cannot live like this anymore. I am very sorry Mom, Dad and you all. Good Bye".  Anthara dropped her phone and started weeping inconsolably. Her colleagues read the message and tried to console her. Her Boss even asked her to leave ASAP and check on her friend. It was only a few days that Kruthi had moved to Bangalore. She was living all alone in a PG in spite of having a big family and house. The depression had made its way into her life.  Anthara made innumerable calls to her, to no avail. She then started calling Kruthi's mother, casually enquired how was everything. Her mother started crying and informed about the message they had received and then there was no conversation with her anymore.

Anthara lost no hope, she hired a vehicle and made her way to the place where Kruthi lived. Her mother gave some idea about the place. And then there is a trouble of searching the PG, where Kruthi lived. She informed her brother and a friend to start and search for her until she reached. The boys went searching in every possible direction, however, there were many Kruthis who lived in every area and the boys were not allowed to enter and check. This made it only impossible to reach on time and make sure things were fine. Anthara called for the (n-1) times, this time the phone was picked and she was only hoping it was Kruthi and none else. The tension that had built up over the last hour was beyond the imagination unless you have gone through it. Kruthi broke down the minute she received the call and only said she doesn't want to live and disconnected the call. This made it even worse to imagine the unimaginable by the time they could trace her. The minute Anthara entered the room, she was almost surrendering herself to the worst.

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Kruthi had surrendered to depression after a whole year of domestic violence. Kruthi's mother-in-law had made her life much worse than she could ever imagine, husband did not stand by her.  On the day of her 1st anniversary, she was in the courtroom for the divorce hearing. Every single day had been a hell to witness. For the girl just out of college, who was always being pampered by family this situation was unacceptable. She went on telling Anthara what had she been put into.
Anthara cried all night after hearing the trauma her friend was into.

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Kruthi was later sent to her husband's place. Things slowly started changing, for good. But however, mother-in-law did not surrender herself to any kind of changes. She once even left the entire house to get packed with LPG. It was only by luck, Varun entered the house from outside and got Kruthi out of the danger. That's when they decided to stay without Varun's mother. Eventually, after a year or so Kruthi conceived with Krisha.

Things were so different all of a sudden, just like the days when Kruthi was just married. Krisha's arrival had changed everything in everyone's life. The first time Kruthi smiled in a while was when Krisha's arrival was confirmed. Anthara could still remember when Kruthi's mother informed her of the news. Everything first that happened because of the baby was special. Every time Anthara spoke to her friend, she was never tired of the little baby's rantings by mumma. Anthara enjoyed hearing Peppa pig more than any other song now. Baby's first snow, her first walk, her little ramps, her first Krishna avatar everything appeared to be so special. Then on there was no looking back for Kruthi.

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Today Krisha is almost 3.5 years old and she knows there is a baby in mumma's tummy. Anthara keeps looking at Krisha's pictures now and then. It's no longer only Krisha now, there is another niece/nephew to arrive soon. Anthara who is now a successful working woman only looks at Kruthi and feels proud of her best friend of how courageous a girl she was. Anthara looks at Kruthi every time and realizes how to bounce back after the storm. Definitely, when the storm rips her into pieces, she had to decide how to put herself back together again. Being tested makes you much stronger than you ever were.

Part of Kruthi's life's mystery is how was she so calm in the storm. It was what she chose to become when she was walking through the fire. Every time a window closed, she ran to the next one and possibly broke open a few doors. As Buddha said, Pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. Today Kruthi makes a house of a 3 with the 4th one coming soon and stands much taller than what she was with all the pride. Varun is now a doting father to Krisha and keeps Kruthi very happy.

"New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings." says Lao Tzu. All's well that ends well.

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Kruthi: Hello, hey we had a scan and I'm sending you the pictures.
Anthara: Really?? Waiting.
Kruthi: Maasi we miss you.
Anthara: Maasi loves you guys!


Love,
V
(Nutty Wordsmith)

Destination : Kodagu (Coorg)

Monsoon is the season that wide opens its arms to welcome you into Nature's habitat. There are places that owe to its weather all throughout the year. And Kodagu is one such place. An affluent hills stations of Karnataka. It occupies an area of 4,102 square kilometers (1,584 sq. mi) in the Western Ghats of southwestern Karnataka.

I always wanted to visit Kodagu for the past 6-7 years and had never gotten an opportunity. For Kodagu (Coorg) is known as the Scotland of India. If you are a nature lover, then Coorg is the place to be to enjoy the exotic scenery and lush greenery. For this was my yet another summer trip, I chose to write about it only during the rainy season. Early February was not the very pleasant season to enjoy the place and weather as it could have been now.
Kodagu is girdled by Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Mysore districts of Karnataka and Kannur, Wayanad, Kasargod districts of Kerala. The weather and nature are substantially close to that of Wayanad. Kodagu has always been a topic of talk for its coffee, spices, nature and its people. Kodava culture, heritage, and tradition are very rich. Kodavas are the predominant people here.

Coffee Blossoms

In every walk of life, I have had a diverse set of weirdos as my friends. I once read, "Become friends with people who aren't your age. Hang out with people whose first language isn't the same as yours. Get to know someone who doesn't come from your social class. This is how you see the world and this is how you grow." This was a complete check. All the criteria met. All the weirdos in closest vicinity caught. It’s a different feeling to be with a set of people younger than you. You can be extra demanding, extra dominating, you can take undue advantage of being older, you can shhh shhh them and act like a wise person even if you are not.

My Weirdos!

This was one such trip where I could act like old and wise in spite of being young and stupid. My friends call it as an instant plan and a successful one. However, every single time the planned trips were a real flop except for this. We started our way to Kodagu from Bangalore on a Friday night. On a chilled weather night, eight of us went to Kodagu. On our way, we halted for an hour or two at a Café. Had a midnight supper, played Uno and started again. Leaving moderately late from here, we still endured reaching Kodagu by early morning 6'o clock. The most pleasant weather to welcome us. The aroma of coffee that spreads across miles is something that makes your heart dance in joy.

Coffee Beans

We stayed at a Homestay near Kushal Nagar. A single house encompassed by acres of coffee estates on one side and a highway on the other. It looked merely surreal. So close to nature and so close to the heart. After a quick walk around the homestay, we got ready and started our excursion. Food is not a problem here at all. The non-vegetarians get a plentiful amount of varieties to have, while the vegetarians can still manage with a decent and good food.

At the Homestay

Kodagu is packed with ample of tourist attractions like Namdroling Monastery, Abbey Falls, Iruppu Falls, Dubare, Nisargadhama, Talakaveri, Bhagamandala, Tadiandamol peak, Raja seat, Omkareshwara temple, Brahmagiri, Honnammana kere, Nagarahole etc. Depends on every individual as to what is their primary preference to pick up the places, as 2-3 days aren't just enough to cover all the places. We covered a bunch of them and below are from my basket of memories.

Namdroling Monastery, Bylekuppe: It is situated just 6 Kms from the town of Kushal Nagar and around 35 Kms from the Madikeri. It belongs to the Sangha community. The temple is termed "golden" because of the golden work done on every painting. It is yet another beautiful Tibetan monastery. The monastery is presided over by an 18m-high gold-plated Buddha. Children are also taught outside the temple. The paintings inside the temple describe the gods, demons, culture and some of the phases of Buddha's life.

Monastery Entrance

The Big Bell

Padmasambhava Buddhist Vihar

Buddha Vihar

Kids These Days!

Abbey Falls: It is a very beautiful and well-known waterfall in Coorg. It is very close from the city like around 5km. For any waterfall, the monsoon is the season and right now, I feel this falls looks much more beautiful than any other time of the year.

Abbey Falls

Cauvery Nisargadhama: Nisargadhama is a manmade island and it looks beautiful. It takes a small bridge to cross over the Cauvery river flowing to go on the other side of the nisargadhama. There are animals that look calm, there are lush groves of bamboo, sandalwood and teak trees. This also consists of a Deer Park and a Children's park. This has some cottages alongside the Kaveri river.  This is located just 2-3 km away from Kushal Nagar. Yet another tourist pull that cannot be a miss.

Rabbits in the Nisargadhama

Never too tired for a picture

Tiny Bridge across the river

Dubare reserve forest and elephant camp: For if my fate wasn't really a bad one, I could have enjoyed this place much much more. There is an elephant training camp where one can actually go for rides. Also, the elephants come across the other sides of the forest to drink water at the Cauvery banks. I'm sure this looks great now with many more elephants than then. Definitely, a must visit. Pay a few bucks and you get a chance to feed and bathe the elephant along with rides. It is also said that the Mysore Dasara elephants are trained in this camp.

Source

Dubare

Elephant Camp

There is a river rafting facility available during the heavy outflow of river Kaveri. The place is beyond beautiful. Amazing weather and a beautiful place are all it takes for an escapade into nature.

River Rafting

Shopping: After the day-long visit we stopped at various places for shopping. My pick was the spices. Stop anywhere in Coorg and you find shops for spices. These shops have a lot of spices, medicinal herbs, coffee, honey, homemade chocolates, varieties of Wines and what not. Pick the store wisely, do not just go by the look of them. They cheat you if you don't know the prices already. Check in a couple of places before you make huge purchases. 

The Spices all over the city

                       

Shopping options around the monastery

End of Day 1: Campfire at the home-stay. 

As the sun set on the west, the chirping birds return to the nest. We returned to the home-stay. Just so that you know it was in the middle of estates. Where there is none around except us. Perfect conditions for narrating horror stories. That’s what I do perfectly when given a chance. But even before that, we had a campfire arranged by the home-stay. Celebrated KB Bhai's birthday and then some music.

Campfire

You must be special to me if you can only get me to dance with you!

Before everyone could hit the bed, we played a few rounds of UNO. A few games and when everyone wanted to go to bed, there was this cool breeze. Once a while the sound of a passing by vehicle from the nearby highway and it faded away sooner than expected. That only pulled me into narrating some cool horror stories. The problem raised only after that. The fading away vehicles, the noises from the jungle kept the girls awake. The boys quietly made way to their floor. Overall everyone so afraid of everything, none even dared to walk to the washrooms. Nish stayed awake all night and felt there was someone staring at her all night. And the next morning I had a baby sleep until 09:00 am.

How to narrate a story? May be!

Day 2: Talacauvery

Our first visit for the day was Brahmagiri hills. On the slopes of the Brahmagiri hills is the birthplace of River Cauvery(Kaveri). It is located amidst the lush greenery and on a mountain side. The drive to Talacauvery is a beautiful one. On a morning visit, when it is still not very sunny the clouds are right on top of you. Misty weather with dark fog that makes it worth the visit. Talacauvery has a religious importance with temples in it. There is a worship place where the Cauvery originates, along with temples of Lord Ganesha and Agasthya Muni.

Talacauvery Entrance 

Anytime for a picture

The river originates from here and is worshiped dearly.

Talacauvery as seen from the stairways

After the 300th step, we still smile!

After visiting the temples some of us chose to climb the 300 steps to have a look at the serene beauty while others chose to meditate at the temple shelter. On top of the mountain is the peace all that your inner-self endures enjoying the nature. Slight drizzles would make it even more beautiful.

The serenity! 

The Batman left behind his daughter, may be!

Because there is some inner peace here that heals the soul!

Raja Seat:

Raja's seat or the King's Seat is yet another attraction in Madikeri, Coorg. It is basically a sunset point. A garden with seasonal flowers and fountains. The view from here is amazing. The view offers the breathtaking experience when one watches the towering hills, valleys, and fields amidst which runs the highways. There is a 4-pillared structure which is said to be the place where the Rajas of Coorg sat and watched the glorious sunsets.

Raja's Seat

Just outside the Raja seat is the toy train station. Just remember, you are never too old for some crazy toy train rides. It is okay to be a child at heart. Grab that ticket of 10 bucks and get into the train. For if nothing, at least for the child in you will enjoy the ride.

And the toy train!

Post the day long moving around we went for another round of shopping. This time it was another round of spices fo my mother. All the varieties of spices of a better quality and a better price. A passion fruit flavored wine for Octopus. Chocolates for people at the office. And loads of memories.

You name it and you get it

For there is a Scotland of our own here in our land why crave for another land? The right weather and the right place to go to. Pack your bags and tie the shoe laces. Escape into the serenity. For this time go to Coorg may be with a better plan than ours which was rather very random as it was a last minute escapade. Pick your choice of places and then get set goooo!

With a promise to return with another story!

Love,

V

(Nutty Wordsmith)