Okay, it is not quite that. But given the incredulous looks I got from people when I told them where I was going for the weekend, and the fact that neither hubby nor the friend who accompanied us were enthused with the place as much as I was, I guess that is what it should be called.
Masinagudi is often called the poor man's Ooty; but to me it is anything but that. I think it is a much richer place in terms of peace, quiet and scenic beauty. It is located at the foothills of Ooty, just 36 kms away from the famous hill station, about 15 kms off the Mudumalai Sanctuary. I had visited this place years earlier with my father on his usual trips to the forests and though I don't remember much of it I do recall that I was much impressed with the place. I realized that over the years the feeling hasn't really changed. Unfortunately though, the day I left Hyderabad I came down with fever, cold and cough. We took the train to Bangalore on Tuesday, and it was particularly bad in the train that night. I don't usually pop pills for every and any ailment immediately, but this time I did so.
M and A came to the station next morning with our bus tickets to the place. We refreshed in what was called a "rest & relax" lounge at the Bangalore Bus Station and boarded the bus at 10 am. The bus journey was rather arduous. Much has already been said about the pathetic state of Bangalore roads; the rest of the roads in Karnataka are no better. The ride was bumpy and dusty all through, and it only increased my respect for the roads and infrastructure within my own state. The same can be said about the state buses as well; the Karnataka State Road Transportation services cannot hold a candle to the services offered by APSRTC. I probably am being really harsh in my judgement, and the same could have been slightly influenced by my own physical state as well, yet I do think that the infrastructure in Karnataka leaves a lot to be desired.
Getting to Masinagudi is not tough, but it isn't really easy either. There are no direct buses from Bangalore, and since not many have heard the place asking for directions isn't easy. We booked ourselves upto Gudalur, but I knew we would have to get off someplace in between and take local transportation. We just weren't sure where, and the driver and the conductor had absolutely no clue what we were talking about. Help came in the form of a roadside dhaba owner, who not only heard about the place but also could direct the driver on where to let us off. This was at Theppakadu, the headquarters of the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, about a 100 kms from Mysore. Getting local transportation was not really difficult. As soon as we got off, we were surrounded by drivers who not only knew Masinagudi, about 15 kms away, but were also familiar with the Wild Haven - the place we were staying at.
Wild Haven, John - owner of the place told us - used to be a hunting lodge once upon a time. And he has tried to retain its pristine glory as much as possible. Located in the lap of nature - towards the south one could see the Nilgiris, while the other sides were covered with thick forest areas - the rooms have been revamped and slightly modernized. What I liked about the rooms was that they were comfortable and homely, plain and unpretentious. There were a few more guests at the place - an Indian born and brought up in the UK was spending time there with her parents, and also looking at some of the charity projects she could work on; there was a Spanish lady who said she was there for some project without elaborating on what exactly she was doing. Over the next fews days we also realized that the place had a constant stream of visitors, especially towards the evening - all of who were John's friends.
Early mornings were particularly beautiful - foggy and misty. In fact, right outside the room we could constantly see deers and peacock. Unfortunately we didn't see any other animal, though we were told that the night we landed there a black panther was prowling around the place. We also took a Safari ride through Mudumalai - again, no luck. While on the ride I was reminded of the many such rides I took with my father, and saw distinctly the difference between travelling as a person of the "inner circle" and travelling on one's own. With my father, we invariably got to see many animals. In fact, the entire trip reminded me of the various trips I used to make to the forests with my father.
The idea was to chill out over the next few days, and that is what we did. I liked the place particularly - absolute quiet and peace, cut off from the rat race of the world completely (even my cell phone didn't have network there). However, Hubby and S, who accompanied us, were a weebit bothered by the extreme isolation. "Not even a TV!", was their constant peeve. We however had some music, a camp fire every evening and little bit of trekking. We couldn't really trek much because of my sickness and also because we were constantly told that it wasn't very safe.
Finally, so as to keep hubby and S happy, we left the place a day earlier and made our way to Ooty. We have been to Ooty before and it isn't necessarily one of my favourite places. I prefer out-of-the-way, quiet little corners anyday. But the best thing about the trip to Ooty this time was the Tea Factory and Tea Musuem we visited on our way back from Doddabetta. This factory and musuem had started about 6 months back, and showcases the origin and history of tea over the centuries. It was very interesting and informative to say the least. In the factory, one could also see the different stages in the making of tea.
We booked ourselves on to a Tamil Nadu Road Transport Corportation bus to Bangalore. Did I say earlier that the Karnataka buses were bad? Well, I take my words back - the TNRTC buses are even worse. A super deluxe bus that we got onto was as bad as the red buses we have here. And hence, it was an even more tortuous, arduous ride back - all that chilling out and relaxing in the wild, it seemed, came to nought as a result.
However, it still was a wonderful trip and I would recommend it to everybody - one needs to get away from the stressful lives we lead once in a while. And to that design, Masinagudi is a perfect weekend break.
Masinagudi is often called the poor man's Ooty; but to me it is anything but that. I think it is a much richer place in terms of peace, quiet and scenic beauty. It is located at the foothills of Ooty, just 36 kms away from the famous hill station, about 15 kms off the Mudumalai Sanctuary. I had visited this place years earlier with my father on his usual trips to the forests and though I don't remember much of it I do recall that I was much impressed with the place. I realized that over the years the feeling hasn't really changed. Unfortunately though, the day I left Hyderabad I came down with fever, cold and cough. We took the train to Bangalore on Tuesday, and it was particularly bad in the train that night. I don't usually pop pills for every and any ailment immediately, but this time I did so.
M and A came to the station next morning with our bus tickets to the place. We refreshed in what was called a "rest & relax" lounge at the Bangalore Bus Station and boarded the bus at 10 am. The bus journey was rather arduous. Much has already been said about the pathetic state of Bangalore roads; the rest of the roads in Karnataka are no better. The ride was bumpy and dusty all through, and it only increased my respect for the roads and infrastructure within my own state. The same can be said about the state buses as well; the Karnataka State Road Transportation services cannot hold a candle to the services offered by APSRTC. I probably am being really harsh in my judgement, and the same could have been slightly influenced by my own physical state as well, yet I do think that the infrastructure in Karnataka leaves a lot to be desired.
Getting to Masinagudi is not tough, but it isn't really easy either. There are no direct buses from Bangalore, and since not many have heard the place asking for directions isn't easy. We booked ourselves upto Gudalur, but I knew we would have to get off someplace in between and take local transportation. We just weren't sure where, and the driver and the conductor had absolutely no clue what we were talking about. Help came in the form of a roadside dhaba owner, who not only heard about the place but also could direct the driver on where to let us off. This was at Theppakadu, the headquarters of the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, about a 100 kms from Mysore. Getting local transportation was not really difficult. As soon as we got off, we were surrounded by drivers who not only knew Masinagudi, about 15 kms away, but were also familiar with the Wild Haven - the place we were staying at.
Wild Haven, John - owner of the place told us - used to be a hunting lodge once upon a time. And he has tried to retain its pristine glory as much as possible. Located in the lap of nature - towards the south one could see the Nilgiris, while the other sides were covered with thick forest areas - the rooms have been revamped and slightly modernized. What I liked about the rooms was that they were comfortable and homely, plain and unpretentious. There were a few more guests at the place - an Indian born and brought up in the UK was spending time there with her parents, and also looking at some of the charity projects she could work on; there was a Spanish lady who said she was there for some project without elaborating on what exactly she was doing. Over the next fews days we also realized that the place had a constant stream of visitors, especially towards the evening - all of who were John's friends.
Early mornings were particularly beautiful - foggy and misty. In fact, right outside the room we could constantly see deers and peacock. Unfortunately we didn't see any other animal, though we were told that the night we landed there a black panther was prowling around the place. We also took a Safari ride through Mudumalai - again, no luck. While on the ride I was reminded of the many such rides I took with my father, and saw distinctly the difference between travelling as a person of the "inner circle" and travelling on one's own. With my father, we invariably got to see many animals. In fact, the entire trip reminded me of the various trips I used to make to the forests with my father.
The idea was to chill out over the next few days, and that is what we did. I liked the place particularly - absolute quiet and peace, cut off from the rat race of the world completely (even my cell phone didn't have network there). However, Hubby and S, who accompanied us, were a weebit bothered by the extreme isolation. "Not even a TV!", was their constant peeve. We however had some music, a camp fire every evening and little bit of trekking. We couldn't really trek much because of my sickness and also because we were constantly told that it wasn't very safe.
Finally, so as to keep hubby and S happy, we left the place a day earlier and made our way to Ooty. We have been to Ooty before and it isn't necessarily one of my favourite places. I prefer out-of-the-way, quiet little corners anyday. But the best thing about the trip to Ooty this time was the Tea Factory and Tea Musuem we visited on our way back from Doddabetta. This factory and musuem had started about 6 months back, and showcases the origin and history of tea over the centuries. It was very interesting and informative to say the least. In the factory, one could also see the different stages in the making of tea.
We booked ourselves on to a Tamil Nadu Road Transport Corportation bus to Bangalore. Did I say earlier that the Karnataka buses were bad? Well, I take my words back - the TNRTC buses are even worse. A super deluxe bus that we got onto was as bad as the red buses we have here. And hence, it was an even more tortuous, arduous ride back - all that chilling out and relaxing in the wild, it seemed, came to nought as a result.
However, it still was a wonderful trip and I would recommend it to everybody - one needs to get away from the stressful lives we lead once in a while. And to that design, Masinagudi is a perfect weekend break.
6 comments:
Emma, it sounds like exactly my kind of place for a weekend getaway.
It seems unfair to call it the poor man's Ooty... it holds its own charm, and at times, has more riches to give to the traveller!
we lodged in Teppakad and visited Masinagudi around 2 months back.... and I wish we had more time to explore... gotta go back again!
BTW.. The roads in Karnataka are not that bad either... the one going to Bandipur - Mudumalai is particularly pathetic. Please don't strike a blow to poor Karnataka's tourism :))
By the way, this is a very good post! :)
[shruthi] Honestly, no offence meant. I know I should be more objective but I guess I was suffering from a Hyderbad/AP-hangover. And when you compare them with the roads I travelled on in Karnataka (I once drove through Karnataka on my way to Goa as well), the latter leave a lot to be desired. I was just being candid; not my intention to strike a blow at anybody :).
Thanks for the compliment.
Nice post, but very unfair to call Masinagudi a poor mans ooty..Its in fact denser than any of the wildlife sanctuaries that Ive seen in south..I have been there more than thrice and even lived in a tree house ( a 300 acre estate with just two tree houses ) and its an amazing place..Buses are an issue as roads are bad- but now they have become better .
BTW, people will know the villages around masinagudi better - like theppakadu or bokkapuram ..
Post a Comment