Coorg - Day 2 Part 1

Okk this post was a-long-time-overdue.. So without further ado here it goes.. Coorg trip contd'

28th March '09

Now as I'd already mentioned we reached Civet Creek in the wee morning on 28th and all we did after that was crash on our cozy beds.. although P was extremely excited and wanted to wait and watch the sunrise amidst the lush greenery which.. umm.. could never haapen.. :D









Our cozy tents in the shacks were awaiting us.. :)














This is what P captured while the rest enjoyed their sleep..


We woke up only at 9 and got ready in a jiffy.. for we were supposed to go on a trek. It was one of the greater highlights of our trip. Shabari made sure all of us had a healthy breakfast before we left. She also send long a guide (muaahh!!) who would not only direct us, but was also capable enough to negotiate in case somebody sued us with charges of trespassing into their coffee estates growing wild. He knew how to swim, mountaineer, treat snake-bites and do first-aid in case we were "attacked" by "leaches" or "spider". Yes..!! That was the most dreadful calamity that could strike us according to A !! Leave apart the fact that we were trekking into an unknown forest and we easily could sprain/break a bone-or-two by tripping over rocks, get bitten by poisonous snakes or in the worst case "get eaten up by a tiger that came to the river to quench its thirst" according to BPS.. Imaginations.. Sheesh !!
P.S. #1 : A and Dee did land up getting bitten by leaches and A howled so loud we thought it did wake up the blood-thirsty tiger..!!! :D


"we" march on..


















This random kid we met on the trek just wanted us to click him.. I guess A spreads the pose-y virus wherever she goes.. :D












Dash poses too (with the waterfall on the Kaveri river we trekked upto in the background)








"we" + our Guide +our driver Manju



After trekking-jumping-walking-climbing-monkeying for some 3-4 hours we eventually returned back to Civet Creek at around 3 in the evening and had some amazing Coorgi delicacies for lunch. Shabari and her parents were such sweethearts, for they knew precisely well what our tastes and desires were. Tired and hungered by the trek.. "we" hogged like pigs and rested for a-while.




Next, we were supposed to go to Talakaveri - the origin of the mighty river Kaveri which is as sacred in southern India as the Ganga is in the north (so-much-so that in the morning trek somebody had enthusiastically declared - "one dip in the sacred river and all of us would have washed-off all our sins committed in south India" Geez..!!). Anyways the ride to Talakaveri was long-yet-breathtakingly beautiful.












We took some lovely pictures on the way..










I had never seen the origin of any river before, although I remember having studied in school that rivers begin in streams and tributaries which merge to form the parent river, but we were sure in for a big shock. When we entered the temple complex we saw a wishing well..err..a tank.



We had just 1 coin and the 7 of us wanted to make wishes.. :( i guess our wishes got divide 1/7th for each.. :(


After the customary visits-cum-prayers at the numerous temples we headed on to where the actual origin was, or what we knew back then the origin was. There was a staircase with some zillion stairs (trust me, it ain't an exaggeration.. I climbed them all) leading to.. umm.. nowhere..!! Yup.. we couldn't even figure out the upper limit.. it was all covered up in clouds..!!








Ya, we had to climb up all to the top to see how river Kaveri originates and One cheekily commented that in case we die while climbing up it would take us less time in reaching heaven. Sheesh :/




So we started climbing.. and climbed.. and climbed.. and climbed.. everyone around us was also climbing to nowhere.. but still climbing and climbing.. and climbing some more.. we paused to gasp for some breadth and then again climbed.. and more.. and I kept dreaming of all the escalators in all the malls.. :( .. and it made my climb more difficult and sad.. we panted.. drank water.. posed for pictures.. and climbed again.. but all the way up there was no sign of any river..??!! "The origin thing better be worth it" Dee scowled.. and what did we see when we reached the end of the 4000mts ascend..??!!??





Ohh Mann!! a water-hole!! thats it!!... Whhaattt??!!

We still pose.. only pairs of our feet showing huddled around the "Origin".. Geez..!!





Somebody suggested that may-be-there-may-be (ya so many maybe's) there was an underground trench running from that point all along the depth of the mountain to meet the actual river..!!
S wondered (aloud..!?! and thankfully in English coz the local crowd there seemed very detached to the language) what-on-earth-would-happen if we threw lots of pebbles and stones in the water hole to close it.. (Sheesh :/) talk of imagination running wild.. "It would certainly solve all the Kaveri water issues", pat came someone's reply (Double Sheesh :/)
















Guess what we saw on the descend..


We got back to Civet Creek again tired and miserable.. and hogged again to glory. Only this time it wasn't Coorgi food.. It was something we managed to cook-undercook-overcook-burn... :|


you'll hafta wait for it till my next post.. and i promise i'll make it quicker this time..

P.S. #2 : One DID-NOT bribe Dee into making all the compliments she made in this post. "we" do know what compliments m talking of.. right guys.. :D

- Dee