Family getaway to scenic Sakleshpur (23rd - 24th February 2011): Trip Travelogue

It had been around a month since I last went out for a vacation. Moreover, my parents were also complaining that they needed a break from their monotonous office life. I couldn't agree more with them. We were scouting around for possible getaways around Bangalore, preferrably some place where we could drive to in our car. After a few google searches, I chanced upon this site

http://www.mugilu.com

This was a coffee plantation estate just beyond Sakleshpur town in the foothills of the lush green Western Ghats. The distance from my home to this place was around 250km, which meant the distance could be covered in 6 hours flat, if we went by car. What's more, the folks who run the homestay there even allow pets to be taken along on the vacation! This seemed like a perfect recipe for a 2-day vacation for my family, including my dog :-)

It was around the first week of February when I called up the owner of the estate, Sapna Gurukar and found out about availability for my family. When she told me all the weekends were booked out in February, I had no choice but to convert my (once-planned) weekend vacation to a weekday vacation and I had to apply leave to make this happen. I made the advance payment to the owners of Mugilu homestay and discussed a possible set of dates with my parents for this. We finally arrived at 23rd and 24th of February which happened to be wednesday and thursday! Sounds bizarre to take a mid-week vacation, doesn't it?

Since my parents had to take care of a lot of advance planning (we run our own business enterprise for retail supplies of FMCG products) before they could entrust the supervision of activities to a senior employee in the office, it was quite a bit of work for them even till the night prior to leaving for the holiday.

Coming to the preparations on Tuesday - after tanking up the car with shell petrol, I checked air pressure in all 5 tyres (stepney included), cleaned the air filter and checked the coolant levels. The Accent was good to go, for a 500+ km drive. There wasn't much of packing to be done since our plan was just 2 days and 1 night in the coffee estate. Luckily, my mother took care of the entire packing so I was spared the trouble. I bought some goodies from a nearby bakery, to munch along the car journey. The only packing I did was my dog's food, food bowls, brush and a harness into a huge carry bag. I then proceeded to give the car a much deserved wash and polish. By the time the car started gleaming, all my energy was spent and I went to bed on tuesday by around 12 am!


Day 1 - The drive to the scenic coffee estate at Mugilu, Sakleshpur, exploring the estate, followed by an evening of total relaxation

I had barely slept for 3 hours when the alarm went off at around 3.30 am. After getting ready, I proceeded to dump the luggage into the car's boot, while my parents took up the task of locking the room doors and main door. After taking my dog to answer nature's call, it was time to leave. We finally ended up leaving at 5.15 am. We took the kanakapura road route and reached NICE road entrance by 6 am. After paying the toll fee, we hurtled down at a decent 100 kmph and completed the entire stretch from Kanakapura road - Tumkur Road exit in less than half an hour. From here the Nelamangala NH-48 entrance was a mere 10 minute drive. With the help of google maps, we confirmed our GPS positions on entering NH-48 and proceeded.

By around 6.45 am, I took a short break for my dog's sake, who suffers from motion sickness during very long drives (similar to how some people feel). Tumkur road was being converted into some sort of expressway. At patches half of the road is unavailable and both directions of the traffic use the same side of the road. In 1 particular 20-25 km stretch, the road was horribly scarred by almost foot-deep potholes. Ouch! Hit one of them and your car is doomed! ;-) Fortunately this 25km horrorway stretch didn't last long and again it was the on-off expressway road. After around 150km from Bangalore, the expressway stretch was over and it became a regular 2-lane highway road, bad in patches but quite possible to keep up decent cruising speeds of 70-80 kmph. We observed a huge number of Dharmasthala temple devotees, draped in orange dhotis and shalyas taking the pada-yatra and walking all the way from Bangalore to Dharmasthala. There were separate, independent groups of these devotees, in pairs, with friends, with groups of friends, with family members, etc. They used to stop at certain (possibly predefined) points, open food packets, eat them and proceed. We even observed some tempo traveller vehicles reaching those points earlier and cooking food for the devotees before they arrived.

The NH-48 highway is largely under construction, from Bangalore to Hassan

After a short stop at 8.30 am to have some snacks and to give my dog another break, we continued our drive. After another relentless half hour of driving, we reached Kamat Upachar (10 km from Hassan) by around 9.00 am. Since we had Ginger along with us, we took turns to have breakfast. She is not used to being left alone in the car for a long time, and this was the first time she was travelling outside Bangalore as well. First my parents went in to eat and after they came out, I went and had my breakfast alone. We departed Kamat Upachar by around 9.30 am and took the NH-48 bypass road to avoid passing through Hassan city.

Stopping for a break on NH-48

The roads were quite empty, given the fact that it was a weekday. Apart from the occasional petrol tanker, there were very few traffic delayers we encountered. Sakleshpur was a 1 hour drive from Hassan. As soon as we exited Hassan city, the straight highways started twisting and turning as we approached the Western Ghats, the scenery turned a shade greener and the air started to feel fresher. After a couple of breaks for my dog who was now going dizzy with the twisting and turning roads, we quickly passed Sakleshpur town by 10.30 am.

I gave Sapna a call and took directions from her to get to the estate. The directions were quite simple - keep driving past Sakleshpur town till you reach a board which says 'Manjarabad Fort'. We had to take that deviation away from the main highway (which proceeds to Subrahmanya and Mangalore). As soon as we entered this deviation. there was a milestone on this smaller road (perhaps a state highway?) which read 27 km. According to her instructions, we had to wait till we reached the milestone which read 20 km (7 km from the highway deviation). Lots of Maruti Omnis and tractors thronged this road.The road was quite narrow and I had to get off the tarred road and into the gravel on several occasions to avoid getting hit. The arrogant drivers here seemed to have no respect for the opposite traffic, or perhaps they didn't want to lose momentum. Either way I was the one left fretting.

After counting 7 km on my car's odometer, I saw the (20 km reading) milestone approaching too. I had to take a right turn at a board which said "Bugadahalli" and proceed for 1.5 km. The path was stone-ridden and I had to drop speeds to 5-10 kmph. There were a few sharp stones, crevices and some nasty protrusions which I definitely didn't want my low-slung Accent caressing. After another call to make sure we were on the right path, we continued at the same 10 kmph speed and came to the entrance gate of Mugilu Estate by around 11 am, where Sapna herself was waiting to greet us.

Reaching Mugilu estate

They had 3 dogs at the estate - Shunti - a fawn colored Mongrel, extremely friendly and sweet. There was a Rottweiler named Keechu - it looked extremely ferocious but was in fact very friendly with guests. The third dog to welcome us was a 9 year old German Shepherd named Chervo, which was quite neutral- neither very friendly nor ferocious, yet adorable. After a round of introductions amongst the people (and the dogs) we were escorted by the staff to our pretty little cottage. There were 3 cottages in total and the other 2 were green-themed and orange themed respectively (the cottage interiors' color themes). We got the second one (which was blue themed). All the 3 cottages were aesthetically designed and had balconies overlooking the green coffee plantation.

Our pretty little cottage at Mugilu

The interiors of our cottage wore a blue colored theme

Balcony overlooking the estate plantation

Shortly after having a wash, we were assisted by Govindayya and Mahantesh, the friendly staff at the homestay, in transporting our luggage from the car to the cottage. After taking a little bit of rest, we went out to take a look around the estate at around 1 pm. Food was still half an hour away. While on the walk, we met the estate owner Chandan Gurukar, a young man in his thirties, dressed in casuals and a cowboy hat. By the time we introduced ourselves and chatted for a while, lunch was served buffet style. The food menu, although not very elaborate, was astoundingly tasty. Dessert was also delicious - home-made Gulab Jamuns. Hats off to Sapna's cooking! We couldn't have asked for more. The hosts also joined us for lunch and post lunch, my parents and my dog retired to our cottage and preferred to take a nap in the hot afternoon. I grabbed the camera and went alone to a vast expanse of meadows adjoining the estate boundaries. However, a few cows on the meadows didn't like my presence, or perhaps it was my bright blue t-shirt that irked them. One of them chased me and almost head-butted me for no reason. I decided enough was enough, and got back to my cottage for a nap. Chandan had promised to take us out on a short hike through the meadows by around 5 pm so we had lots of time left to idle away.

The open dining section at Mugilu

Moss adorns most of the stones in this high-rainfall region

A Cinnamon tree

The meadows adjoining Mugilu estate - sadly this "green" place was brown due to lack of rains in this season

Another view of the plains next to Mugilu

Meadows next to Mugilu

By around 4.30 pm, coffee and tea were served at our rooms and the staff asked us if we wanted to place any orders for bajjis, bondas and pakoras to go with the tea. We ordered for some bajjis and onion pakoras to be served after returning from the hike, freshened up, wore our shoes and went to the dining area where Chandan was supposed to join us and take us for a short hike through the meadows, as he had promised in the afternoon. However, nature had other plans in store for us.

Getting ready for the evening hike

Exploring parts of the estate trails

All of a sudden, it started raining heavily by around 5 pm and the downpour continued till around 5.30 pm. This just goes to show how unpredictable the weather can be in the Western Ghats, even during this time of the year. The rain made the plantation look even more beautiful than ever before. We were close to the open dining area and we darted there for shelter. The bajjis and pakoras were served right there and we ate them whilst watching the heavy rains - another experience that I will never quite forget.

Chervo - the 9-year old german Shepherd at the estate

Keechu - the friendly Rottweiler at Mugilu

My parents with Shunti, the friendly dog

Amma and I, with Ginger and Shunti

Sun begins to set at Mugilu after the unexpected evening showers

The plants look greener than ever, after the heavy rains

After it stopped raining Chandan took us all out for the hike. We were joined by his 3 dogs as well. The dogs had a great time running through the vast open area and we had some great fun watching them playing with and chasing each other through the meadows. The meadows which are normally lush green after the monsoons, had turned into a shade of brown, owing to the almost zero rainfall in February. Chandan had lots of information to share with us, about life in the estate, about maintenance of the cottages, the problems they faced with labour and so on. This place was really as though we were staying in a close friend's house rather than at a homestay. Such is the hospitality of this young and cheerful couple. Being an engineer and she being a PR professional, both had no prior experience in running/managing an agricultural setup but they have had the guts to follow their dreams and give up all the fancy city-life stuff and settle for this wonderful kind of life in the estate. I envied them and at the same time decided that some day in the near future, I would like to buy a coffee estate as soon as I could manage to afford one ;-)

Ginger and Shunti at the meadows

A picture with Keechu, the Rottweiler

A picture with Keechu, Shunti and Ginger

Amma and me

My parents at the meadows adjoining Mugilu, during the evening hike

All the 3 of us at the plains

It was dark by the time we returned from the evening walk, perhaps 7 pm. We got to our cottages and relaxed for a while. Meanwhile, the staff served a home-made beverage prepared out of gooseberry and ginger, to pass the time. We went to the dining area by 9 pm and introduced ourselves to the other guests at the homestay that evening. They were an old couple, probably in their early 70s and had come mainly to visit Kukke Subrahmanya temple (around 90 km from Mugilu) and had stopped here at the estate for the night, before getting back to Bangalore the next morning. The host had made some delicious Malnad style Akki rottis and we just couldn't resist serving ourselves extra helpings. After some chit-chatting post dinner, we finally returned to our cottage by 10.30 pm and hit the sack. As we would soon find out, the night turned pretty cold all of a sudden and I was almost shivering sometime in the midnight. An extra blanket solved the problem and I went back to my sound sleep amidst nature :-)


Day 2 - More hiking through the meadows of Sakleshpur, time to depart from Mugilu and return to our concrete jungle a.k.a Bangalore

I woke up to the chirping of birds at dawn. It was still pitch dark outside and the air felt heavy. One look outside the balcony proved there was nothing to look at. Fog enveloped us on all sides, reducing visibility to a few metres in front. There was a knock on our cottage door, and one of the staff delivered flasks of hot tea and coffee. After a cup of hot coffee in the balcony and freshening up, I left for a walk / photography session around the estate. I tried dragging Ginger along but she was content with sleeping in her cozy corner, and did not even budge an inch. We had to leave Mugilu in the afternoon so I gave Ginger her morning meal early (to prevent nausea for her during the return journey by car). After her feeding, she went back to sleep and I wore my shoes, took the camera and walked towards the estate gate. Shunti (the friendly estate dog) joined me as well. I managed to get some pictures of that breathtaking misty morning there in the western ghats.

Sipping a hot cup of coffee in our cottage, overseeing the foggy proceedings

Fog envelopes Mugilu estate

A thick fog blanket envelopes Mugilu estate

Leaving for the morning walk

Misty morning, walking through the uncultivated area outside Mugilu estate

Dew drops!

After about an hour, I met Chandan who also had come out with the other 2 dogs. He showed me a few birds that I could photograph, we spent around an hour walking around the estate as he explained about the kinds of birds, insects and wildlife which populate this region, and also explained about the climate of this place and chatted in general about automobiles, etc. (being a fellow member in team-bhp, the automotive forum where I am present too) I then went back to our cottage by 9 am and got ready. My parents were already dressed up and were waiting for me. Shortly after, we went to have breakfast at the dining room. The other guests were just through with their breakfast and they settled their dues, bid goodbye to us and left for Bangalore. Breakfast was Puri, Sagu, lemon Shavige bath and chutney. All the items were lip-smacking as usual and we ate more than we could manage.

Multiple spider webs

A circular spider web amongst the coffee plants

A Red-Whiskered Bulbul - a species endemic to the Western Ghats

Coffee flowers begin to blossom following the previous day's heavy rains

Post breakfast, Chandan instructed one of the staff, Govindayya to take us on a long hike around 5 km from the estate, through the meadows and through a small hamlet. Ginger and all the 3 of us left by around 10 am and were joined by Shunti and Govindayya. My parents carried sticks along for support, just in case they found difficulties in climbing a steep section of stones near the stream. The sunlight was making the day scorching hot and we regretted not carrying water bottles. Ginger and Shunti galloped along the meadows enjoying the limitless running space. The steep 10% section towards the end of the hike (to reach the stream) was a little too steep for my parents and they stayed right there in some shade.

Ginger and Shunti running in the vast open space at the meadows

During the 2-hour long morning hike

Ginger enjoyed running around in the vast expanse of land - something rarely possible in Bangalore

Parents decide to stay back and take rest at the shady area

I went with Ginger alone for the remaining 100 metres through a jungle-like section ridden with leeches and decaying leaves. Parts of this downward climb were steep and slippery, owing to the downpour of the previous evening. After reaching the stream, the 2 dogs quenched their thirst and played around for a while, splashing water and chasing each other around. For Ginger especially, this was a totally new experience, this being her first trip. She thoroughly enjoyed playing around in the stream. The stream was hardly 1-2 feet deep. Govindayya told me this stream was replenished by water from a neighbouring town and the stream never goes dry. I was a bit shocked to know this. I had imagined this stream to be some kind of rain water collection phenomenon which would go dry during the non-monsoon months. We soon returned to where my parents were waiting, and then started our return journey to the estate. By around 11.30 am, we were back at the estate.

The small stream flowing through the meadows, where the dogs enjoyed splashing around



A picturesque village house setting near the meadows

Making our way back up the meadows to the estate

We proceeded to pack up all our luggage and the staff were there to carry the bags to the dining area. We would finish lunch and then load the luggage into the car before leaving (the dining area was close to the parking lot). Chandan took us into the plantation for a short informative session and showed us the lengths and breadths of the 10 acre cultivated land in the estate plantation. He showed us different kinds of Cardamom plants, coffee plants, pepper and explained how they graded and separated different quality categories of their crops, treat the crops and get the finished products ready to be sold/exported. He was even kind enough to give us lots of estate produce (samples) to carry home - a large bunch of bananas, some bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, coffee powder and pepper.

A short walk through the estate plantation

Chandan, the estate owner explaining a few things about the cardamom and coffee crops

Ginger waiting for us to join her on the walk to the dining area

As we made our way back, we could smell delicious food which was kept in the dining area. We proceeded to have our food together with the hosts Sapna and Chandan. After another post-lunch round of chatting with them (they were really great company), we proceeded to settle our bills, wrote in their feedback diary, took a photograph with them and slowly moved all our luggage to our car boot. After saying gooodbye to the hosts and thanking them for their unmatched hospitality, service and food taste (slurp!), I went in the car first to the meadows and took a few clicks of the car with the meadows in the background. After that was done, we departed Mugilu estate by around 3.15 pm.

A picture with Chandan and Sapna Gurukar, our hosts at Mugilu estate

My Hyundai Accent conquering the plains of Mugilu, Sakleshpur

We made a short stop on the highway right after Sakleshpur town to pick up some spices at a wholesale shop. The clouds were closing in and it looked like it would rain cats and dogs in the next 1 hour. As we started from that shop, rain struck Sakleshpur at full blast. Another hour of driving in the ghat section with my windshield wipers swishing to and fro at the highest speed rate, saw us complete the Sakleshpur - Hassan stretch. As we entered Hassan, the rains stopped almost as if it was magic. After passing Hassan, We stopped for tea by around 5.30 pm at the same Kamat Upachar that we had eaten breakfast at, the previous day. Shortly after, we stopped by around 7 pm for another break for an early supper at Hotel Mayura near Bellur cross, around 100 km from Bangalore. After eating the delicious Masala dosa and vada here, we continued our journey to Bangalore. The NH48 stretch was horrifyingly dangerous at night. Umpteen deviations where constructions were going on, stretches where 1 way roads became 2 way traffic only made things worse. Road barricades sprang up all of a sudden on multiple occasions. The fact that I had my headlights on in high beam and I was cruising at 70-80 kmph made it possible to avoid any untoward incidents. The road authorities need to to seriously give a thought about safety on this stretch - it is possible for many cars at higher speeds to ram into one of the ill-placed barricades, if the driver fails to notice them.

By around 9 pm, we made it back to the NH-48 and NH-7 junction at Nelamangala. After taking the toll road (elevated expressway) at Nelamangala, the road was world class and we were at the NICE road entrance in 15 minutes flat. In fact, NICE road (whose Toll is more expensive) was in fact a bit patchy in sections, compared to the Govt-run toll road expressway at the Nelamangala stretch!! After a half hour high speed blast at 120 kmph on NICE, we were at Kanakapura road by 9.45 pm and made our way slowly through the weekend traffic, finally reaching home by around 10.30 pm. We had completed close to 530 km in 2 days, and had a refreshing break from the mundane working life. Mugilu was one the best places I have stayed at, undoubtedly. The hosts were amazing and totally cool; the place was incredible too. I will definitely visit Sakleshpur post-monsoon, when the western ghats are at the most beautiful lush green after the rains. Needless to say, Mugilu would be my obvious choice for stay!


Cheers,
KK