My World of Food and Travel

The long awaited weekend had finally come. I was to break away from the shackles of office life and domestic duties and breathe in the fresh mountain air in my favourite getaway – Coorg. The husband had thoughtfully booked our room at Honeycomb estates, a piece of paradise tucked away in the lap of nature amidst the rolling hills. I sat down with a content smile on my face as the husband took the wheels of our sturdy Tata Safari Storme on an early Saturday morning, way before the crows woke up in Bangalore. Within a few hours we were speeding past vast green water-fed fields, the sun’s mellow orange rays peeping through the dark clouds in the horizon. Rain or Sun? Which was it to be today, we wondered. By lunch-time (yes, that is how I count my hours), we had started our ascent to the hills. The sun had lost its battle by then and was relegated to a little corner where it sat glowering softly. A slight drizzle brought about a nip in the air and I drew up my window a little. Quaint ...

(Warning! Tons of images ahead!) This has been the best birthday gift to me by the husband (though a little belated). Two days of respite from office work and domestic duties, to breathe in the fresh mountain air and forget all the worries in the world. I was also promised uninterrupted reading hours, good food and a break from taking care of the little brat. The last one, I realized later, was a joke.  The birthday gift? Two nights (21-23 September) in Honey Valley Estates in Coorg, once again. The last time we were there, we could not spend much time in the estate itself as we were out gallivanting all over Coorg. At that time I had expressed my wish to spend time only in the homestay, and nowhere else. It came true and turned out to be one of the best birding experiences of my life!  The drive to Coorg from Bangalore was a beautiful experience. A thick veil of mist engulfed us as we started our journey uphill. It was like being in a wonderland, cleaving our way thr...

Image source: Google Images I am petrified of leeches. The sight and even the mere mention of those ‘worm with suckers’ sends a shiver down my spine. My childhood memories are filled with images of tiny red leeches crawling across our lawn and verandah. We used to call them ‘cheena jook’ in Assamese, which meant, believe it or not, Chinese leech ! Blame it on our penchant to attribute anything and everything to the Chinese. We used to alternate between staying in Manas Wildlife Sanctuary and our grandmother’s place for schooling. It was no better in my grandmother’s place than in the jungle – there were plenty of the red cheena jook s at her place as well. It was a joint family and we were nine kids altogether. Every evening, after play time, we would return home and undergo a sharp examination of our feet. More often than not, one of us would be carrying home a member of the leech family. Loud exclamations would ensue, both from the carrier and the examiner, and soon an au...

This has been a long pending post. It was supposed to follow my post on TG Halli but dengue fever took over the reins and we had a lengthy battle against it. Finally, when we recovered a bit, we took off for Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary once again and wrote about it . Poor Manchanabele kept on getting postponed further. I also had to write something about food in between. And now my son and I have viral fever (I think)! But, I shall not push away Manchanabele back any more. What if I forget everything? I already had some trouble recollecting things when I looked at the pictures clicked there. Age and sicknesses are fast catching up on me, I guess.  View of Manchanabele Dam Anyways, let’s get on with my tale. First, the checklist: Destination: Manchanabele dam (also known as Manchinabele) Distance from Bangalore: 50 km (approx.) Route taken: Bangalore – NICE Ring Road – Magadi Road – Manchanabele Dam We have been to Manchanabele dam twice till now – the first time on...