A trip to Mudigere
Hi friends,
Wishing all of you peaceful and good days this last month of this year. As with every year, this year too has almost whisked past us forcing us to welcome the approaching year and to look back this year with introspection. As always, I am the person who not only like to travel, but record the details of the journey to a new place. This year also, travel was restricted due to the deadlier second wave of the pandemic during April-May. It was heart-wrenching to witness many youngsters and middle-aged people in India die of Covid. As a result of that, there were crowds in the Government health centers and hospitals to get vaccinated at the earliest. Lucky people like us could wade through the second wave, hoping and praying there won't be any more waves and human losses.
Our leisure travel was also restricted this year. In the beginning of this year, we had gone to Mysore and renewed the details of that wonderful city again. After that, it was more of commitment travels. One place in my wish list is to visit the hill station Sakleshpur, which is more than 200 kms away from Bangalore. This is a hill station that is recently becoming popular with our folks, and I saw one of my friends describing it as 'Switzerland of India', though it sounded a bit exaggerated. But, Google gives us images full of greenery when we type 'Sakleshpur'!! We ended up going to a hill resort in a place known as Mudigere which is closer to Sakleshpur. This was because my husband had signed up to run an 80 km ultra run in Malnad , which is in the vicinity of Sakleshpur. Though, this was not the kind of trip I was looking for, it turned out to be a relaxing one, at least for me. One of the runners in our group had booked homestay in Kambalkaad resorts in Mudigere, which is 45 minutes away from the race location.
Some photos of Kambalkaad resort below...
The run was held on November 27th and it was the 5th edition of the event which was started in the year 2016. This is considered as one of the toughest endurance runs in the midst of nature and wilderness, with some areas having the elevation of more than 2000 metres. Those who finish these runs, be it 50 kms or 80 kms, consider themselves to have reached the next level in their running. My husband who finished the 80 km run in 13.14 hours, is still on the top the world. I did not go to the race location, as one has to start off at the crack of the dawn to reach the location in Malnad. I decided to chill out in Kambalkaad resort, which was nothing short of heaven. This resort had very few home stays which included one dormitory room, and it was surrounded by coffee plantations and surrounded by huge mountains full of trees and plants.
Though the distance from our place to the resort was only about 230 kms which can be covered in 5 hours, our group decided to go to Belur Chennakeshava temple on the way. This was in my bucket list for a long time, though I had seen it many years back. That day, fortunately, it was not crowded. A guide was hired for half an hour for 400 Rs. He explained to us the stories behind those sculptures and the intricate carvings, and how it was restored from destruction after being originally built by the Hoyasala dynasty. Few temples like this one will be found in India and it is one of the most visited temples by the tourists. This one and Halibeed temple which is 30 km from Belur temple is worth visiting many times. I felt like I was transported to ancient Hindu temples in Cambodia or Thailand! Now is the best time to visit temple , if for tourist interest. During summers, it will be quite hot.
Belur Temple's timeless architectural beauty!!!
Before heading to the resort, we stopped at Rock Garden restaurant to have a sumptuous lunch. After reaching Kambalakaad resort by evening, the ultra runners, which included my husband had early dinner, so that on the race day they could start off early. I stayed back just to spend a day slowly by watching coffee plantations outside and sipping coffee in the dining hall. There were no televisions in the rooms, but we do not miss any of it. Food is prepared everyday which is fresh from the kitchen, less spicy and oily and hence good for the stomach. I read some pages of non-fiction from my kindle. I took nature trail walks in the resort, and amidst the vastness of the nature, I felt so humbled and thankful. It was a day well spent. The staff were quite friendly and cheerful and they make one feel at home.
I will just write some sentences about Malnad ultra marathon in which my husband participated. First of all, I wish I was qualified enough to participate in that, but the race is quite tough because of distance and various levels of elevations. If I had the speed and pace in running which my husband has, I would have written some blogs on my running journey! But my pace is not great and it is going to take a long time to cross some landmarks like 1st full marathon. I have run a few half marathons though , and I will persist in running as it is one of my stress busters. My husband, along with his team, trained hard for a few months which included workouts in gym, running some full marathons almost every week which included a couple of 50 kms. Their hard work paid off , though it was challenging to finish the 80km distance!! My husband fell down while running downhill and ended up with minor bruises around 20 km, but that did not stop him from completing rest of the 60 kms. To achieve big goals in long distance running, I learnt that one needs to have a respectable pace and a good team to support you throughout. I have neither of that, except persistence . So, if circumstances persist, I may reach higher goals in running. Other thing which I noticed is that, women coming for running is comparatively very less due to morning commitments and the lack of support system here. This is comparatively better in the western world.
The awesome team of ultra marathon finishers!
On our way back, we took a slight deviation and visited a Shiva temple in Devar Mane. Close to that temple, we went for a short trek which offered breathtaking views from the top of the mountains, though it was a challenge to brave the strong winds while trekking.
Until next time,
Deepa.
P.S. Hope these photos wont detract you guys from reading....Happy reading and viewing photos!!
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