[Travel Series] From Kabini to Coorg: An interesting bus journey

Karapura

I said goodbye to the wild and exotic green of Nagarahole National Park to enter the green aroma of coffee; my next destination was the city of Coorg.

The challenge of the crossing was getting to Coorg by public transportation, but there was no direct bus; a previous consultation with the AAO Hostels team, however, indicated the route to follow.

I was 123 kilometers away from Coorg. The interesting thing was that, to get there, I had to take 4 different buses.

The Kabini staff dropped me off at the nearest bus station, and there, under a tree, I waited for what might have been the only bus in the small town of Karapura.

I had waited about 10 minutes when a bus rolled up in front of me, so I picked up my backpack an squeezed into a narrow space in which I traveled standing for about 10 kilometers.

I was standing, I was happy, and I was attentive to every detail of my surroundings. The view from the sides of the bus was beautiful, along with every little house with bikes next to the doors and the children playing on the sidewalks; the green scenery was also the backdrop for flowers of radiant colors.

At the beginning of the ride, I wished I had done the journey on foot, so that I could have slowly contemplated each of those scenarios that materialized fleetingly before my eyes.

My thoughts were interrupted by the bus fare collector; he was carrying the typical electronic machine characteristic of KRSTC buses. The time to pay for the majesty of the sights seen had arrived: the fare of 30 rupees was waiting to be paid.

I had to change buses in the city of Hondpost, which was easy to identify, since it was the last bus stop. Right in the terminal!

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Photo #1: Everything seemed very colorful in Karapura, besides, I like to see familiar moments.

Hondpost

The village of Hondpost seemed to be bustling; the motorcycles protruded and there were fruit stands on the side of the road.

The villagers at the bus station were astonished to see a foreigner prowling around the area; their kindness was exuberant and thanks to them I managed to board the bus on my way to my next destination: HoDo Koke.

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Photo #2: Indian villages have a very beautiful and attractive lifestyle.

HoDo Koke

Contrary to the previous bus, this time I took a seat. I was sitting by the window; the breeze brushed my skin and I felt full of life.

As I sat, my aura emitted waves of light so strong that the bus fare collector came next to me and requested the 5 rupees for the ticket.

Hensur

Now I was in the town of Hensur.

Hensur seemed to be a city with greater vehicular traffic; the number of commercial establishments had increased compared to the previous sites, which was good, as, it was time to have lunch.

While I was looking for a place to eat, I walked through the streets of the city. I soon found a hardware store and seized the opportunity to buy an electricity adapter.

I enjoyed meeting the inhabitants of Coorg and making eye contact with them; everyone was so different and at the same time so similar!

Lunch was a blend of curry and spices. Everything tasted like India!

I still had last bus to Coorg to go. It went the farthest – 100 kilometers – which came out to 70 rupees.

The distance was long but worthwhile. I saw how the landscape changed and how a plant that I recognized perfectly began to appear more frequently.

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Photo #3: The restaurants had many choices on the menu, I did not know which dish to choose, it was always a surprise, but it was fine, beca

Coorg

Coorg, officially known as Kodagu, is the most affluent hill station in Karnataka. It is well known for its breathtakingly exotic scenery and lush greenery. Forest covered hills, spice and coffee plantations only add to the landscape. Madikeri is the region's centre point with all transportation for getting around starting from here.

It was the coffee plant; I recognized it by its still-green beans! Coorg welcomed me.

Coorg was rural and the coffee was a good icon. Anitha told me so, she went to visit me at the hotel and explained a bit of the town’s history to me. “Here, we all know each other.”

I felt the harmony of their temple, joining two of them as I participated in a Hindu ceremony. I also saw their streets by tuk-tuk.

The night was rainy at Hotel Mayura Valley View and the attention of the staff was superb.

How could I deny the beauty of Coorg as I observed its green mountains from my room?

Spotting Coorg’s Life

Scotland of India: Coorg was called Scotland of India by the Britishers during their visit in the 19th century to this quaint little town of Karnataka. Once you enter the geographical boundaries of this hill town, you will realise the place has done true justice to its nickname. Coorg is famous for the surreal beauty of nature and the hills of the Western Ghats covered by the mist of clouds and accompanied by the pleasant weather.

Coffee Plantations: If there is one thing that defines Coorg the best, then it has to be the infinite regal fields of coffee plantations. Coorg is one of the highest producers of coffee in India.

Local Food in Coorg: Coorg is the home of authentic Kodava cuisine. Like most areas in and around the town, the platter revolves around the staple rice. A speciality of the area is Sannakki, a fragrant kind of rice. Non-vegetarian preparations of pork, meat and fish are also popular.

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Photo #4: It was raining in Coorg and the temple is still so beautiful. I liked to appreciate how intense the pink color was.

Some Useful Information

Coorg is a part of the Tropics and thus the weather of Coorg is Tropical Monsoon Climate.

The wintertime in Coorg is chilly, but quite pleasant. The average high temperature during the winter in Coorg is around 20°C with lows averaging in the neighborhood of 15°C.

During the summertime in Coorg, the temperatures generally go high as 35°C and drop to a low of 20 to 15°C in the evenings and nights.

Monsoons, however – are the forerunner to splendid greenery. The onset of the monsoon season is in June.

Between the months of June and August, Coorg faces some heavy rainfall that leaves the weather of Coorg humid, wet and cool.

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Resources

http://www.coorg.com

https://www.holidify.com/places/coorg/

This is an article from the Aao hostel travel fellowship series