Coffee, carom and Coorg

-Brian Mendonça

Driving down from Mangalore (Mangaluru) to Coorg seemed to be a good idea. Famed for its coffee plantations and its pork preparations, Coorg is eulogized as the Scotland of India.

Enroute, at Sullia, D.K. (Dakshin Kannada), we picked up a crystal glass vase for our home. There was rain along the way and some of the roads were bad. As we climbed into Coorg we were literally among the clouds. A landslide on the Sampaje ghat road made our hearts miss a beat. But we made it to forestvalley.in home stay at Madikeri which entailed a steep 45 degree drop into the property.

It was chilly when we arrived. The roaring sound of the waterfall just behind us was unnerving. Everything was dark - and silent.

The next day we began to soak in the place. ‘Dada, play carom,’ Dwayne reminded me. Tucked near the entrance to our room was a carom board with pieces. Dwayne and I hauled it onto the plastic table. As we sat down, I could sense his happiness. I was glad for this time together. We played a board and he seemed content. As we emptied the pieces from the tin onto the board, a number of fireflies tumbled out.

After we left, we headed to Raja’s Seat, picturesque park with an imposing view of the valley below. We then went to see the museum housed inside a church. Lunch was at Taste of Coorg which specialized in pork dishes. While leaving Coorg we made sure to pick up the famous coffee.

We opted for the route via Shimoga (Shivamogga) on our return journey to Goa. This route takes you across some lonely stretches joining villages, where cow, bulls and goats are seen in plenty.

After meeting our friends in Shimoga we made a dash to Jog Falls. We had two hours of daylight left. We made it in time to see the awesome fury of the waterfall in the gathering twilight.

Now came the business of finding a place to stay nearby. Suddenly, the hills which looked spectacular in the day looked menacing at night. With all rooms full at Mayura Hotel, my spirits were in the soles of my shoes.

We tried at Hotel Prakruthi (Yatri Nivas) and were most relieved to get a room. We even got a view of Rani Falls just in front of the hotel.

When we left our hotel we had to negotiate a steep descent with hardly 20 metres visibility. Enveloped in mist, with edges of the road peeling away, we heaved a sigh of relief when we were on level ground.

As we got on National Highway 69, we made good time on the good roads skirting the Shravathi Wild Life sanctuary. At Honnavar we joined National Highway 66 (earlier NH 17) and sped home via Karwar. We had driven a total distance of 1170 kms. on the trip after we set out from Goa.

Travel-log

PLACE	Kms.	NH	Time (A)	Time (D)	Hours taken	Average speed (with stops)	Notes
Mangalore	0			10.30
Madikeri	136	NH 275	16.30	11.45	06	23 kms.	Day 1
Shimoga	255	NH 73 & 69	23.30	16.25	12	21 kms.	Day 2
Jog Falls	103	NH 69	19.08	10.25	02.5	41 kms.	Day 3
Porvorim	257	NH 69 & 66	19.15		09	29 kms.	Day 4

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Published in Gomantak Times Weekender, St. Inez, Panjim, Goa on Sunday, 15 September 2019. Pix: Early morning frost on our room window at forestvalley, Coorg; and outside our log cabin (both 5/9/19); At Rani Falls, Jog (both on 7/9/19)