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PJ

Entry 27 Coonoor

Entry 27 Coonoor

Entry 26 Ooty

Entry 26 Ooty
The cycle up the mountain was despite the road conditions fabulous. I headed off earlier than usual and enjoyed a wonderful mornings cycle. The guy selling the vegetables in the picture grows them in a garden just out of view and it struck me as a rather idyllic life, living in your garden and going to its edge to sell your produce.


There are a number of small communities scattered around these hills at various elevations, and some of the school kids have pretty interesting ways to school.

I stopped at a small place for an early lunch, where there was quite a quite a tourist industry going on. The junction was for some waterfall/ Dam and there was even a chocolate shop. I tried quite a few and so felt obliged to purchase some despite it being rather poor chocolate. But this sugary concoction did help in the last push upto Ooty where I met an English bloke on a Thorn bike heading down the hill, he was lightly packed and had a most excellent bike, but lets say he wasnt really using the bike to its full.



Coming into town is quite confusing as its widely dispersed over a number of ridges and both the road maps and the LP maps were pretty useless. I eventually got myself down to the boathouse area and found Reflections lodging which is perhaps not a quiet as the guide books would have you think, but for Ooty it was pretty quiet. I stayed two days as I had foolishly given the washerwoman my clothes as they had a washing machine and after 3months of hand washing my clothes really needed a serious wash cycle. Sadly I didnt spot that she left out my nylon long sleeved white t-shirt which is essential for stopping my arms burning. Anyway I would have left after the first night had she not been in possession of my clothes. Eating was difficult as I find it odd paying such high prices in the tourist areas, so I decided to head to the poshest Hotel in town and even the tuktuk there was expensive. On arrival I liked the place, large quiet grounds etc etc, but the restaurant wasnt yet open, so I went to the bar to wait. There were two tables and a bar, the three couples filled the place with no conversation between them, this didnt bode well for dinner where we four groups would rattle around the large dining room like four rusty nails in an old tin.



The last G&T I had was about Rs60 and I was willing to pay more in this place but not Rs240. Rs 120 each for the Gin and the Tonic.I had thought the Rs120 was for both. When the bill came they had added VAT bringing the price to something astronomical for India and I realised I had enough cash for the drink but not for dinner, so finishing my drink I headed back into town on the bus which dropped me very close to Reflections so, loathing the walk upto Charring cross I decided to eat there as breakfast had been good.





Sadly the crippled old woman on duty (one of a number of disabled people who valiantly run the place) was less than enamoured by my arrival and even more distressed by the arrival of a French couple. Dinner was lousy as the Americans would say, the worst Indian food Ive eaten in India. Im certain it was microwaved but the conversation was good and the Indian/ French girl one of the most beautiful women Ive ever seen which made up for the deficiencies in the food.

Naduvattam

Entry 25 Naduvattam
It seemed to be slow going today, and it was a steady ascent from the start, a few undulating hills but mainly uphill so it was 16:30 before I reached Gudalur, but it was grey noisy and although having a lodge I had no desire to stay, so headed further up into the hills. The tea plantations started even before Gudalur and dominated the views until a Eucalyptus plantation that was a year older than I, though I seem to have grown more girth than they have.




I arrived in Naduvattam as the sun was setting and it was instantly clear that there was no chance of finding a lodge/ accommodation. So I asked the guys hanging around the bus stand what was available and after much discussion had convinced one of them to get me the key to youth hall, less than ideal but there was a cot and it would be warmer inside it than it was outside. Despite working hard climbing the mountain I had been feeling the cold since Godalur and the damp and additional altitude in Naduvattam was making itself felt.



Eventually Basuvaraj's son Suresh arrived and took me to their home which was a welcome surprise. Basuvaraj is a tea planter, his son Suresh whos guest I became is studying chemistry and wants to be a lecturer, his elder son who arrived for a visit is an artist, but works as I driver.

I was cold, pretty dirty and smelly and my ablutions took place at the rear corner of the house where a pipe brought crystal clear stream water which would have been wonderful had the air temperature been above 10degrees and the water temperature a little higher.

But Ive gotten used to cold showers and shivered my way quickly through this one and retreated to the only slightly warmer room and donned all my available clothes, which I was later to sleep in.



The family left me alone for a while, then after chatting with the two brothers and seeing the sketch book of the elder we shared dinner. Well I had food brought to me in my room and the rest of them eat together. Afterwards I had asked to take their photograph and was briefly invited into the main room of their home.



It was soon bed time as they would be getting up from 05:30 and I agreed to sleep until 08:00 but they decided 07:00 was late enough. We shared tea and I got myself on my way, I hate lingering in the mornings and it was good to finally start the final ascent to Ooty.

The wildlife warden and the bloody foreigner

Entry 24 The wildlife warden and the bloody foreigner

I headed off in good spirits today, the road ahead was looking interesting, hilly jungle and I was well on my way to Ooty. My first surprise was crossing the Kerela border, I hadnt noticed the border curls around here anyway the second and more interesting surprise was passing the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.

I had a quick chat with the chap manning the gate and he said there was no way for me to take the bike in but if I waited I could go in a jeep four hours later.... There was nothing to do for four hours and Im certain a jeep is no way to see the wildlife so I headed on. It was a good quiet road and I noticed while crossing over a stream an old bridge and there branching from the main road was a dirt track and a bamboo observation tower beside it.



The dirt track had a chain across it, but no markers of any form, so nimbly I sidestepped the chain and headed down this unmapped road with the intention of only going a few hundred meters and coming back up.


Well a few hundred meters became a kilometre and one kilometre became two, it was all downhill for the first kilometre and as I was heading into the wind. My silent, scentless approach surprised plenty of fauna. I saw boar, two types of deer, later the spotted deer which are surprisingly large were running ahead of me for a few kilometres, lots of birds, a few troops of large silver grey monkeys and eventually elephant dung and ravaged bamboo.



Just before the traces of elephant was a flat open area that was a little too quiet for my liking, while crossing it a male buffalo bellowed a few times at me but he kept his distance. I had fanciful images of a tiger watching me from the undergrowth, but sadly or luckily I didnt see any.

A few kilometres or so on I could keep heading south or head west back over the river towards the public road, after over an hour in the park without being caught, I decided it was time to head out so crossed the river and passed an old couple and their mixed domestic troupe. The old guy tried to warn me that the rangers were up ahead but I could not understand him. The two rangers I met were very friendly and astonished at me appearing over the rise. They were so shocked I nearly got past them, but as I was heading they called me back and long radio conversations ensued.


The three of us headed towards the road and were met at the gate by another four guys in a Jeep. I kept a straight good natured face and they were all very friendly but escorted me to the assistant warden who scolded me, looked at my passport and visa and then explained the various rights he had to detain me, one of them involving incarceration of up to 11 years. So I looked suitably shocked and admonished and was out in five minutes with a promise not to go into the forest without permission.
The three guys in the photograph were in the Jeep, the two guys who apprehended me were called into the office by the assistant warden in rather stern tones as I was leaving so I didnt get their picture, I think he was annoyed at their friendliness towards me.
The guys in the photograph then explained to me that only two weeks before a Dutch couple on motorbike had been attacked by three wild elephants and were still in Hospital.

They had been on the road and must have been pretty stupid both to be caught and probably by their actions annoyed the beasts. Not that I would have much chance against them on a bike, but I would at least try and hide in a bamboo thicket and make plenty of noise as I seem to remember that backing down is the wrong thing to do, fire and lots of noise the best deterrents. But thats all very easy for me to type.

As I spent quite a bit of time in the park and disentangling myself I didnt get so far today.

Sultans Battery
Ive been looking forward to getting here, and luckily in Panamaram at a cross roads I checked with the locals and they said that indeed I could go right but it was 20km shorted to go left on the unmapped road, which I of course did. The name Sultans Battery is quite interesting, but the town is a little drab, there is a reasonable hotel, but its cheap rooms were full and there was no way I was paying Rs800 for the night, luckily I found Brothers Lodge and they gave me a room for Rs150, as the bloke wasn't around the next morning I ended up paying my deposit which was Rs200. It was a little noisy and warm, but clean enough, though I awoke at one point during the night and had both a cockroach and mouse in the room for company. I ate dinner and breakfast at the Hotel. Breakfast was a pretty good buffet with both Indian and Western options, I of course had and enjoyed both.

Srimangala

Srimangala
I headed to the Palace before I left, although small its quite a place, it reminds me of Chinese/ Japanese buildings, it has two separate bedrooms and bathrooms for the king and queen, there was even a secret hiding place. I liked the place and when built was deep in the jungle and it was late in 1834 before the warlord surrendered to the English.
As I stopped to go in the kids in the school gave me no rest endlessly repeating Tata so I went to speak to them first and took their photograph which delighted them as usual.

I enjoyed my days cycle, with the views of the upcoming mountains coming closer and closer.
Dinner was entertaining, Srimangala is a very small town and I didnt realise there was Lodging here so on spotting the Inspectors lodge, spent some effort getting access. This was a little difficult as the old guy insisted calling head office but the phone lines were down. Eventually we got an answer on a mobile and I was cleared, then we had to discuss the price a little and I eventually got him down to Rs200. He made a big deal of forging the register, but there was no way I was paying six times the going rate.




I had some cold veg curry at the very grotty Hotel/ restaurant where I also enjoyed breakfast served by a breathtakingly pretty girl.





I bought a couple of beers in the bar and this is the first place Ive seen women hanging around the bar, they didnt seem to be drinking or haranguing their husbands either.

A fairly uneventfully evening.

Kakkabe, Palace Estate

Kakkabe, Palace Estate
I eventually got my act together today and left, it was I must admit difficult but it was expensive staying at The Rainforest Retreat and time I saw some more of Coorg. I had a slow breakfast not to break with tradition and had finally said my goodbyes by 11am and was once again working hard getting the bike up the steep rough roads and back to Madekeri.

I eventually got some cash after some minor hassle and the associated delay and finally headed out towards Kakkabe. As I was leaving I spotted some tourists and it was the delightful German couple from the Green Hotel. We had a brief chat about various blah blah and I happily headed downhill for the first time in a while. The route was excellent, Madekeri reminds me a little of an northern Italian village in the hills without the wine, roads or hygiene. Certainly its not my favourite town, I cant really say why but noise, dirt and congestion are part of it. The road to Kakkabe was fabulous, the uphill stretches were not that tough, the downhills severely speed restricted due to the poor road surface.

The day was a little light on distance and effort, a good first day after so many off, but still a little light. I was invited to a festival in some small village which turned out to be a Muslim wedding, so I had a little rice, chicken and mutton, but didnt stay that long as somehow the welcome extended by the villagers didnt seem to be extended by the groom.

Kakkabe came and went without me realising it, its a small place with lots of Jeeps & drivers hanging around. Just out of the town I stopped at a bus stop junction to check where I was heading. The very expensive Rs4000 Misty Woods was heavily signposted and a local woman confirmed the Palace was up the road/ track, what wasnt up the track I was later to discover was the Honey Valley Estate where I was supposedly headed.

Passing the Palace I asked at the small shop where Honey Valley Estate was, 4km back the way you just came was the less than welcome reply. Luckily one of the staff of the Palace Estate was at the shop and he encouraged me to come and see what was available. I have a small simple room beside four annoyingly loud Bangalore holiday makers. The owner is a charming man and we came to an undisclosed agreement for full board, dinner will be served in half an hour and Im very much looking forward to it as Ive eaten very little today.

Its a pity the Indian guests are just so noisy as the location is excellent as is the owner. It is a little too much like a resort and that spoils it for me, this does have one good point, I am certain to leave in the morning.

There is a waterfall just up the hill through the coffee plantation and I practised my flute there briefly. There is a Czech family here and they turned up too listen and were very pleasant company though I stopped playing when I realised all three were there and not just the father who I had spotted about half way through my practice.


Dinner was good, plenty of it. The daughter of the Czech family struck up a conversation and I managed to get myself a share in the only beer for 100km! The father runs some software/ hardware house that makes vehicle tracking devices, so we had an interesting chat and I pointed them in the direction of The Rainforest Retreat and split early to bed.

Rainforest Retreat/ Cat shit coffee

A neighbour

Robusta Beans

After a restful day at Dubare and a lazy morning I was feeling a bit stronger and headed off in the direction of Madekiri. I was certain to make Madekiri irrespective of the terrain, but I wasnt certain to make the Rainforest Retreat.

Another densien

I didnt know which road I was on as I had followed directions from the locals and most of the roads I had used were not on the map. I expected to turn left and should have, as it was I followed the road back to Kushalnegar and the directions of a local. The climb wasnt too bad, certainly nowhere near as tough from Gokarna to Sirsi, but the quality of the road was much much worse and it took me three hours including a break for lunch. Madekiri sprawls busily over a number of ridges, I spent a little time in town trying to send some post and as it was 16:00 and only another 6km to the Rainforest retreat, even if there was no lodging I could make it back to town before dark so I decided to head off.

The road out was fabulous, especially after leaving the road and following the track here, it really is in the jungle. It was a fair bit from the road and I flagged down a van to ensure I hadn't missed the place and thats how I met Don, his pet name, we had an excellent chat that was sadly shortened by a jeep wanting past. Its not often I get to chat with the locals who dont repeat the same questions, he even new about Scotland and our loving relationship with the English and he pointed out the similarity with India, so as you can guess we got on.

Luckily the Rainforest Retreat had a room, a little more than I wanted to pay but its rather spiffing, right amongst the coffee and Cardamom, I had to carry the bike up some rock steps and over a couple of rickety bridges to get it to my room but nothing drastic. There is a service hut with a fire and hot water which is fabulous and Ill be washing all my dirty gear tomorrow, my wash with hot water tonight was excellent.

I met one of the owners, the woman, she was a little aloof, I suspect my enthusiastic arrival high wasn't refined enough for her, nevertheless (greetings earthling) the deal includes full board and some guided walks through the plantation. There were not so many views from the road on the way here sadly and I was pretty concentrated on the climb and avoiding the white and blue buses, who's drivers seem to think I am a target of some sort. There is one driver who I would be angry enough with to get medieval on his stupid ass. The truck drivers were pretty good today, with the exception of course the three wheeler Piagios but they are always crazy, I think the drivers all have a chip on their shoulders about having only three wheels.

This is by far the best place Ive stayed. The water is membrane filtered and a wonderful change from the clinically clean bottled stuff, the food is good, the tea could be better, the mint tea is fabulous. I also had some fresh Palm Toddy, which is excellent and good for you when its fresh but as the day goes on becomes more and more alcoholic Hurrah!

My first night was spent in the cottage which was fine, but the internal wall is open at the top which meant each time the couple in the room next to me farted, it sounded as though they were in bed with me, so I moved to the tent for the remainder of my stay which I think is the best place to sleep here.

I liked most of the people I met here, it seems to attract interesting groups, however it gets tiring telling the same story each night as more people arrive. I especially enjoyed Wanda's company, she guided me through the forest pointing out various birds and plants which was much better than going in a larger group.

Rabbe

Susan who's head can be seen in this picture was excellent company and had an brilliant sense of humour despite being Canadian. Rabbie is in the lead followed by the Turkish woman and Dutch guy, they and an English couple were the only ones that didnt interest me so much. There was a group of “Golden girls” from the states who were lots of fun and there was one bloke whos name embarrassingly escapes me, Mark I think who was very good company indeed.

There is a small local cat a Civit that eats various berries including the coffee, which is very highly prized, as once it has passed through the cats digestive tract its supposed to taste fabulous. I was telling this story and no one would believe me until one of the owners told the same story the next morning. It was funny and yes you had to be there.

Dubare

Dubare
I had Hunsur or Bylakuppe in my sights for today, depending on what the roads and incline were like, I made it to Bylakuppe but again conflicting with my guide the Monk receptionist at the lodging across from the Golden temple said I needed a permit and as that takes three weeks, so I had to move on.

I was pretty eager to see the Golden temple especially as the sun was begging its journey towards the horizon, but without accommodation I find it difficult to rest or relax at this time of the day, so headed towards the next town Kushalnegar where I was assured I would find accommodation and intended returning to the temple in the morning.

Arriving in the town there was a sign for Dubare which according to my map had been my destination for tomorrow, however the sign said 15km and it was 17:50 I decided to go for it, the Golden temple would have to wait for my next visit.

My favourite time to cycle is early morning or dusk and the journey here along the forest road was fabulous. I eventually arrived at the Dubare Inn as the last light of the day was shining on the water. At the end of a small track, off a secondary road and it was 17km back to the town I was really a captive audience and paid the rich Rs1000. The room is of a good standard, the bathroom a little small and lacks a shower nevertheless its an excellent location with very little traffic and it only gets noisy for an hour or two around 13:00.

The food is surprisingly rather good, especially the pakora and tonight my second night Im going to chance a little chicken kebab. The elephant reserve this morning was excellent, things did go a little pear shaped when they wanted Rs600 for the interaction program, so I elected to pay the Rs50 to watch but as you can see thats not what happened.

When a middle aged and pregnant elephant turned up I and the rest of my small group went to greet her, the mahout told me to beat it in no uncertain terms and this at this hour was enough for Mr. grumpy to pay a visit.

There had also been some discussion about change etc and I went straight to the guy I had paid and demanded both my change and an explanation. As nothing much was happening I decided to sit out of things for a while to let the grumpiness subside, but it was rather clear to the Mahout that we had entered blood feud status.






Then Uday arrived.
He introduced himself sorted things out and started to explain all about the camp, the elephants etc and made the whole experience wonderful. He introduced the Mahout who from nowhere suddenly became apologetic and friendly, the explanation was that he thought I was the start of a foreigners onslaught.

Anyway I chatted to, washed, scrubbed and fed the elephants and had an excellent time hearing about the reserve from the very knowledgeable Uday.