Sameera Nandi's blog

It has been almost a month since my last post. I was definitely more prolific a year or so ago.  I used write one post a week. So, what is different now? I think maybe I am overthinking it. Maybe I feel that I am getting repetitive. That I do not have anything new to say. The fact that not so many people end up reading my posts may be another factor. But, if I pause to think, I started this blog just for myself. People reading me was the bonus J

I guess the tone of my posts have been morose, depressed, down-in-the-dumps type. Many of my ilander friends have noticed that. I suppose my posts are a reflection of what is happening in my life. Maybe I have been looking at the world through dark glasses. So, the world looked dark and bleak to me. I could so trade these glasses for rose tinted one, but I guess I am just too skeptical for that.

Someone suggested that I should register on secondshaadi.com and perhaps try and get married again. Thanks for the suggestion, but I am very much in the “once bitten, twice shy” group of persons. The first time around has given me so much pain and grief, I do not wish to repeat it. I do not think that all guys are bast@rds or anything like that. I am sure that there are a lot of good guys, but I have doubts if there is anyone out there for me. There goes the pessimist in me. I would say “realist”. I wish that there was someone for me; someone to love and cherish. But, I haven’t found anyone like that, yet. Perhaps, I have given up on love and all that jazz. It is better than being repeatedly disappointed.

Life is kind of chugging along. Nothing remotely exciting is happening. The other day, we had a reunion of college buddies. It was nice to meet some of my friends after a long time. I wonder why we don’t meet more often.  I have no idea. Maybe everyone is busy in their own world (including me). I also got the feeling that I was somehow not part of the club. The “Married and have kids” club. Again, this doesn’t make me wanna dash of and try and get remarried and maybe have a couple of kids of my own. No sir, I have no such plans. I only felt like an odd man (woman) out, but what the heck. Isn’t that what diversity is all about. It takes all sorts to make this world and I am just one of them.

I hope you guys watched “Inception”. That was one hell of a movie. What a premise!! I salute the guy that thought of it and also the director for executing this movie. Other than that, there has been a drought of movies at the box office. I have kept myself entertained watching re-runs of serials like SATC and Prison Break. I also watched some movies on DVD. I watched an old classic called “All about Eve”. I tell you, some of these old Hollywood classics are absolute gems. The divas look so beautiful and ethereal in black and white. “All about Eve” showcases Bette Davis so well. There are some memorable dialogues like

“Fasten your seatbelts, its going to be a bumpy ride”.  I liked the movie.

The problem with old classics is that when you watch them you feel “what is so great in this?” That is because so many movies have copied from that classic, so by the time you watch the original, you may think “what’s new?”

I do not know whether getting married again will solve my problems, but I do know that finding a purpose to my existence and working towards that will make me happier. But, I know as well as you do, it is easier said than done. You know what, I sometimes wish my life purpose would hit me on the head or something, like the apple fell on Newton’s head J

The title has been borrowed from the great bard himself, Shakespeare. I have not been visiting iland in some time. And it looks like no one is visiting me either J

Woo hoo L Just one comment for my previous post. Where have all my readers gone? I guess , they would turn around and ask me, where has Sameera gone?  I have been somewhat busy at work, much uninspired and generally sulking, I suppose. 

No good movies to blog about either. As far my own life goes, it is about as interesting as watching paint dry. As those who follow my posts would guess, I have not exactly been feeling very great lately. I do not blame anyone or anything for this. I did write a hate mail to God, I know. But after some rumination, I have reached the conclusion that I am the root cause of my unhappiness. Or rather it is what I think and what I say to myself that has got me in this state. 

“Bhala uski saadi meri saadi se safed kaise” – remember the punchline from that Ad for a washing powder. I used to find it funny and think to myself, whoever goes around comparing how clean their laundry is with the other person. But, there is a hidden message there, I realize. The ad-makers where trying to capitalize on that feeling of comparison that I think we all have. It might not be the white “saadi”, it could be the job, it could be pay package, it could be looks. Come to think of it, I also am guilty of comparing myself with others. It is when I fall short in the comparison that I start feeling inadequate. Then that feeling that “life sucks” start to take root. 

Why is it that we (I) tend to make upward comparisons? As in, we tend to compare with those whom we think are better off than us? Why would I want to compare what I have with that of say, a beggar. Of course I would be better off. But would that really make me feel better about myself. It would be so good if I was content with what I have, who I am. Why is that so difficult? I read somewhere about “competing with oneself” That is kind of idealistic and what does that mean anyway? Try to become better. I don’t know. Where has it been written that you will get better? Maybe I was at my “best” years ago and I am just getting worse as the days go by. What a depressing thought that is! 

Another cause of misery is wishing too much for something. The dream job, the dream vacation, dream guy. Not all dreams are destined to come true. Some dreams just don’t and that is a fact of life. Crying over broken dreams is one more way in which I make myself miserable. Sometimes I think, why is it that I cling to this dream, so much? How do I know for sure that this or that will definitely make me happy? I do not know. But I do know this, that if I dreamt of something and it did not materialize, I feel very crushed.

This much is true, as long as I am alive and I am able, I can see new dreams and search for new avenues that make me happy. That option is always there.  

So, the note to myself is to stop mooning over the things that didn’t go as planned. Just find some new way of being happy. Or something that I might have done in the past, that could restore my smile and cheer.

Thanks, reader, for reading my rants.

Cheers,

Sameera

All the poets and writers who waxed eloquent about how great it is to be home are absolutely right. Folks, I’m back home, back in Mumbai J I cannot put into words how great it is to be home. I could have asked for better weather. But still, even though it has been raining incessantly since I got back, I am not really complaining. The rains seem to reflect my mood. Although the weather in Bangalore was much better, less humid etc, I don’t know why, but I’m happy because I’m home. The humidity and rains are incidental. The important thing is that I am home. 

It has been seven months that I was in Bangalore. Although I used to visit every month, it usually was a rushed affair. Trying to do “n” number of things in the course of a weekend, I never could really be “home”. Now, hopefully for a couple of months, I can be home. From time to time, I used to feel like I need a change. I need to get away from Mumbai and try something new. That is what I did in Bangalore. But my return to home couldn’t be at a better time. No better place to lick your wounds than home. The feeling of familiarity, that feeling of security which wraps you up like a cocoon. The best hotels in the world could not match this feeling. So, I am glad that I can be home to recover from my recent setback. 

Last weekend, we were practically rained in. It was raining throughout the day. I was glad I could stay in and watch the rain from the comfort of my home. There was no work to go to, no need to brave the rains and get out. I just chilled at home with TV and movies. And my thoughts. I watched “Tere bin Laden” on Sunday. It had an interesting concept and ok type comedy. Quite OK for a one time watch. I want to watch “Inception” and “Udaan”. I have seen some favorable reviews of those.  

I watched the movie “Brick lane” on UTV World movies. It is based on Monica Ali’s novel of the same name which had made it to the Booker’s list in 2003. Satish Kaushik’s acting is superb. He is cast as the husband of the protagonist. I was reminded of my own homesickness when I saw in the movie how Nazneen longed to go back to Bangladesh. Maybe it is our recollection of what home means to us, that makes us want to go back home, when we are away from home.  

The protagonist’s affair with a younger guy is portrayed quite well. Yet again, like Cougar Town, I wondered how it would be for me to take a lover much younger to me. You see, people my age are married and I do not want to do married guys or committed guys. It is an integrity issue. I do not want to be the “other woman”. That leaves the younger guys, who are not in a relationship. But such things are easier said than done. I think that I have issues with trust that stop me from getting into flings. But, there are times when I contemplate the idea of getting into a “no strings attached” kind of relationship. Then again, I think I am just not ready for that yet. 

Dear God,

Since I do not, I’ll just punch away my anger on my blog page. I know it will do me no good. Because if YOU in your might have chosen to whip me, I probably will get whipped some more for the hate mail. 

But, I do believe that keeping anger inside is just bad for health. So, I will just let it out.  I frankly don’t care about the consequences.  

I have always had this image of you as the Caring, Benevolent One. The Father/ Mother figure that watches us human beings from the heavens. I thank you for all the good things that you have blessed me with. What I can’t understand is why you let the bad things happen. 

The small bad things I can handle, it is the huge bad things that generally crush me. I try to be a good person. I haven’t knowingly harmed anyone in my recent memory; still you let bad things consistently happen to me. I thought I always prayed to you to keep me out of harm’s way. But you seem to be sadly failing me. I almost want to say that I hate you for this. I don’t think you would care, because after all you are God!  

I don’t get you. I seriously don’t. I’m beginning to wonder if you even exist.

Yours truly,

Sam

As you may have guessed, I am not going through the best of the times in my life. Things have been particularly uphill for the last month or so. That explains the long absence from iland. 

Today I thought, I should come here and maybe give God a piece of my mind. How crazy is that!!  I know life isn’t fair and shit happens. But sometimes the sh*t gets too much to take and one tends to snap. Maybe that time is right now for me. 

I cannot quite say how angry, frustrated and hurt I am feeling right now. Yesterday was possibly one of the worst days of my life. Or maybe it was the culmination of a series of bad days. But, it is nice to have come on the other side. Maybe the saying “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger” is right after all. 

I still feel angry, frustrated and all that. I also feel a strange sense of calm. It is quite funny.  I feel tearful and weepy too. Crying is good too I suppose. It does help you release some of the bad feelings. I feel quite helpless too and believe me, that is not a very good feeling to have. 

I am quite a skeptical person, but I wouldn’t call myself an out and out pessimist. There is still a sliver of optimism left in me. And I am counting on that to see me through.

Have a good weekend ahead, people.

I am back to blogging after a small break.Since there is nothing much happening in my life, I thought I might as well blog about the movies I watched. The sad thing is that, it’s been ages since I watched a decent film in the theatres. I was hoping that post IPL there would be good movies in the theatres. I was wrong. Gurinder Chaddha disappointed with “It’s a wonderful afterlife”. What was she thinking? The movie was gross. Iron Man 2 was not great either. 

I just watched “Rajneeti”, yesterday. The multiplexes all over Bangalore were charging Rs. 350 for a ticket on the weekend of its release. Don’t you think that is a bit too much. That is why I decided to not see it on the weekend, but on a weekday. 250 bucks made more sense. I left work early to catch the movie and guess what my boss, who most times forgets I exist, called me twice. The getting to theatre and making it on time for the movie was quite an adventure. I did not understand for the life of me, why PVR at Forum in Bangalore insists that you leave your laptop at the baggage counter. I can understand about cameras or something. What harm could I do in a movie theatre with my laptop?

I was just on time for the show and the security guys insist that I deposit my laptop at the baggage counter on the ground floor. Somehow I put an “abala naari”act and they bought it and allowed me to go in. They went and kept the laptop in baggage counter on my behalf. Phew!! 

Now, coming to the movie itself. I think those who liked “Sarkar” and movies like that would like it. I think the movie was OK. It never got boring. At times, the political moves were oversimplified. Maybe the director thinks that the Indian audience would not grasp the nuances otherwise. I read that Katrina Kaif tried hard to act well in this flick. She still speaks Hindi with accent. Brave effort, but somehow some of the dialogues from her sounded almost comic when they shouldn’t have. She does look regal in sarees. The comparison with Sonia Gandhi and all the rumours. But this movie has nothing to do with the Gandhi family story. It was more a family feud. I couldn’t help but notice the parallels with Mahabharat. Warring cousins. The story of “Karna” was very apparent with Suraj as the son of the charioteer, nay the driver of the family. And this time Shakuni mama was with the Pandavas and not Kauravas. The surprise package was Arjun Rampal. He had quite a big role. I had forgotten what a handsome man he is. After “Rock on”, this one is good movie that he has done. Ranbir was alright. All in all, it is a watchable movie, if you like drama.  

Other than movies, these days I’m glued to the tele between 9-11 pm. Zee café has started a new series called “Cougar Town”. It is quite hilarious, I tell you. It has kind of put ideas into my head. Older woman, younger man. You get the drift. More on that later. Till then, have a good week. Just 2 days more to go for the weekend J 

I think my life has become too routine and I am not finding things to write about. I still have my pet grouses and usual rants, but I didn’t want to repeat myself. I marvel how I was able to churn out one post a week in the past.

Anyhow, the update from my side is that as I had planned, I visited some of the places around Bangalore. I went to Ooty and took a one day tour of Mysore. So maybe I could regale you folks with my travelogue. Ooty seemed to be a good place to escape the heat of the Indian summer. Bangalore is supposedly cooler, but I guess we experienced a hot summer here as well. So off I went to Ooty in an Airavath bus. This is the best in class bus from KSRTC. But I was quite disappointed. The seats were small and the driver had this annoying habit of switching of the AC in the middle of the night. When he did that it became so stuffy inside the AC bus. He halted the bus for 2 hours, so we could reach Ooty at daybreak. And when the bus was halted, AC was off, so I had a miserable night. Now I wished I had opted for a day journey. It is only 6 hours from Bangalore to Ooty.

          So, I had a bad start to my Ooty trip with the horrible bus journey. Thankfully I had booked a good hotel, so at least I had no complaints about my stay. The other good thing was the weather in Ooty. It was cool and pleasant. What I did not like were the crowds. The place was filled with tourists .In fact I did not even venture to the main tourist spots like the Botanical gardens and the Boat club, just to avoid the crowds. Standing in Qs and jostling through crowded tourist spots is not my idea of a vacation.

          Somehow, I guess once you are in a tourist spot, you feel obliged to go do some sightseeing. In hindsight, I think I should just have enjoyed the cool weather and curled up with a book. Ooty had the usual hill-station like “spots”. I tried to go to the less crowded ones. Somehow, crowds were a distinct turn off for me. No wonder so many travel guides advocate off beat places to vacation in. It makes absolute sense to me now. I should have tried some lesser known hill station for vacation.

          The best tourist attraction that I found in Ooty is the toy train. I took the ride from Ooty to Coonoor. Believe me, the train chugs along a very scenic track. It is truly mindblowing. I thoroughly recommend this. Don’t do anything else. Just take this train ride. But I must warn you, you may need to stand in Q at the ticket window and tickets run out fast. It is a small train.

          As for Mysore, in this heat, it was not such a good idea. I did not even get out of the bus to see the Zoo. Walking around the 6 km odd area in the afternoon was not my cup of tea. The other sore experience I had was at the Mysore Palace. The palace is grand and all that, but for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t let us go in with our footwear on. It was not like the Palace is a place of worship or something. The mad scramble at the place to keep footwear and retrieve them was terrible. It spoiled the whole experience. I did not get enough time to enjoy the beauty of the palace L

          So, all in all, I tried to get a way from the maddening crowd of the city but found them wherever I went vacationing. This experience has taught me to stay clear of tourist places in peak season. I shall try and head for more peaceful places next time I go vacationing.     

Thanks, Moe for calling me a “wonderful blogger”. I’m touched. I didn’t blog for a while because I felt that I was getting repetitive. I was and perhaps am still feeling quite lonesome and blue. Things have not gone the way I planned. That is a big downer for me. I’ve been missing home and aamchi Mumbai, here in Bangalore. I didn’t want to write yet another “I’m depressed” post. So, I was waiting for something or someone to cheer me up. 

I don’t know if it is just me or others also experience this sort of thing. I’ve got this feeling that I’m the one making all the phone calls and effort to stay in touch with my so-called friends. They never call back or inquire how I am doing. They never ever make plans to get together with me. I felt like I am the one chasing after them to meet up. Am I that bad and boring? Are these friends of mine so caught up with work and family that they have no time to call me or meet me? I was so disgusted that this time when I was back in Mumbai, I just switched off my cell and just kept to myself and my family. I did not call anyone, I just stayed by myself. It was not a bad experience in itself. Truth be told, I feel pretty let down by my friends (except a handful). 

Anyways, I had an unexpected encounter. I met a young girl on a bus. We both got off at the same bus stop. She seemed very happy and she started talking to me. Just like that. She said that she is feeling very free because today was her last day at work. I replied politely that you must be having a better offer in hand now. She said “No! You must think I am crazy, but I just couldn’t go on working in this place, so I quit”. Hmm..I understood the feeling and thought to myself, this girl is brave to do what she did. I hope she finds a new job soon. We exchanged phone numbers and she said, if you want to eat home cooked food, do come to my place. I nodded and went my way. A week later, she emailed me and then called me. She was desperately trying for another job. I referred her in the company I work in. Then one day, she called me to say that she is leaving for her native place, but she wanted to meet up with me for dinner. So we met and she treated me to dinner in the best restaurant in the area. She wouldn’t let me pay. I felt very bad, but she said it was her treat. She was jobless and I would have happily foot the bill.

That evening, I had a nice time. We chatted and had some good food. It was like we knew each other for ages. Just the kind of thing that I would have liked to have done with my “friends” in Bangalore. But my “friends” from Bangalore do not have the time of day for me L After meeting this girl, Neha, I felt that maybe God must have pitied me and sent me a new friend. So, at least for a few days, I found someone to talk to, go out with.

This is one of the better experiences that I have had in Bangalore. 

Another incident restored my faith in people. One weekend, I decided to take a walk and run some errands. I also went and had a pizza at Dominoes. That night, I realized that one of my gold earrings has fallen off. Frantically, I searched in the room, but no luck. The earring could have fallen anywhere in the course of the walk. I was very sad because of the loss. There was no chance I could retrace my steps and maybe find the lost earring. Two days latter, I was around the very same Dominoes outlet. I decided to ask the crew there, just on a whim. I had zero expectation that I would get my lost earring. But, what do you know? They had indeed found the earring and not just that, they were honest enough to return it. I was touched by their honesty and integrity.

The above two episodes, somehow made me rethink my opinion of the world. It might seem to be a cruel, uncaring and bad place at times. But the world is not devoid of kindness, goodness or beauty. It is not such a bad world , after all. J

In my opinion, my previous post was just an outburst. A collection of thoughts that were running around in my restless mind. I’m pleasantly surprised to find so many of my friends were patient enough to read through it all and comment too. I am touched. Thank you all. 

Now, to my new post or the topic “Naked”.  What inspired me to write this post is that I went for a full body massage at a nice spa called the “Asian spa”. This is not the first time I have got a body massage done. But as I got out of my clothes and lay almost completely naked for my therapist to begin, is when I thought of writing this post. How comfortable are we being naked? Especially if there is someone who sees you in that state? How many of us look at ourselves, fully naked in a mirror? Not me. I hardly ever do that. And when I do, I kind of feel like I do not conform to what beauty magazines would call the ideal body. My breasts are too squishy, my bottom is too wobbly. I could definitely do with model like abs. Having well toned arms wouldn’t hurt. I say, looking at oneself naked or have someone see you like that, takes a whole lot of courage. I bet even the best looking models and actors must have moments of insecurity when they see themselves naked. 

That being said, there is also the part of being comfortable in your own skin. To not compare with the ideal figure or models and just accept your body for the way it is. It might not be anywhere near perfection, but it is the only one you have. Like someone said “ Your body is the best piece of equipment you will ever own”. It is for us to try and keep it in the best shape possible or not. I had to really work on being less conscious of my body. I probably have one of my lovers to thank for this. I used to be painfully shy of getting naked. I had quite a negative body image. But like I said, with some work, I was able to be comfortable just the way I am. No more switching off all the lights before getting down to your birthday suit J

 I guess once you have had at least one person see you completely nude, some of the inhibition goes. I feel married people (women) seem more at ease being undressed in front of strangers even. Maybe not in front of men other than their hubbies, but definitely OK if there are only women around. I was very embarrassed when I had to strip to be examined by the gynae, but what I tell myself is that I am just one of their hazaar patients and there is no need to feel awkward. I guess the same goes for massage therapist. It is their job and they are not there to judge your body. And even if they do, why should it matter.But I guess undressing in front of some guy is a different thing altogether. Or even in front of family or friends. It can definitely get tricky.  

That was about the physical part of being naked. I think like we hide our nakedness with clothes, we hide our thoughts, emotions and who we really are behind masks. Getting emotionally naked would take more courage than getting physically naked. We hide what we truly feel behind carefully constructed words. We smile at people that we hate. We do all sorts of things to hide our true selves from the world. But, amidst all this, somewhere, we do wish to find a kindred soul. Someone we could trust. Someone to love. Someone we did not have to pretend with. Someone we could be naked with, body and soul. 

Today I was feeling nostalgic. About rediff iland. I was wondering how I could go back in time perhaps and read all those wonderful bloggers I used to read. I went to my “Friends” list and was happy to find that my friends are still there on my new iland page. I went and read some of my old favourites. Most of them don’t seem to be writing any more. All the same, I read their old posts. I re-read all the comments they got, including mine. It was a journey back in time for me. I read the concluding part of “Everybody cheats”. I remembered how I used to wait for the next installment of that by Sid. I am a sucker for stories. Too bad this new iland doesn’t have a “Favourites” section. That way I wouldn’t have to search through my friends list. 

Anyways, the fact that I’m visiting old friends on iland and reading blogs shows that I have some time on my hand. I have been a bit un –busy at work. I do not have too many new friends at work here, so passing time was becoming a chore in itself. That is when I decided to come and have a look around iland. I used to spend so much time here, once upon a time. Like I mentioned in my previous time, this shifting to a new place has kind of unsettled me. I feel somewhat uneasy and restless. I do not know what it is that ails me. Is it one thing or a collection of things? I do not know. But something is amiss. I haven’t felt happy in some time now. 

I had taken the trip to Coorg to get my mind of whatever’s bothering me. Travel always makes me happy. I was initially happy and thrilled to be there, but as the day passed, I could not keep my thoughts away. Is happiness about getting what one wants, the way one wants it, when one wants it? Maybe, may be not. I keep feeling bad about not getting the things that I hankered after. I also know that what has gone, is gone. There is no way to turn back time. I know this logically, but still at an emotional level, it makes me feel bad, whenever I reminiscence. I do not know if there is a cure for this. A way to stop feeling bad about the past. Of being able to look at the present and future afresh. Of not having that nagging feeling in your head that the future will just be a repetition of the past. It is rightly said that heaven and hell are inside your own head. I am tired of this constant struggle to not sink and keep myself afloat. 

This is what really bugs me. I have it good. I mean I have a good job. Not much tension. Earn decently and have caring family. Then why is it that I am so unhappy and miserable. I so wish I could just clear away whatever it is that makes me unhappy with a magic wand. But I know that is just wishful thinking. It is not possible that all my wishes and desires will come true. So, I need to learn to be thankful for what I have and stop making myself miserable because something or the other didn’t turn out the way I would have liked it too. Gosh, my sentences are long and rambling. Just like my thoughts. It is my thoughts that I need to work on. I cannot make the world to do what I want it to. But , I sure can start with my own thoughts. It should not be such a tough thing to be happy. To want to wake up each day wanting to face the day. To just be happy to be alive and be grateful for the life I have. 

I am going to try and do just that. I wish you all a happy weekend. Have fun, be happy..be good! J

 
It has been about a month since I last visited iland. I had wanted to write something for V day, but somehow didn’t get around doing it. It doesn’t seem like I was missed. Very few people seem to read me these days L

Still I am thankful to all those who do stop by and leave comments. These are the days when I long for friends. As I have mentioned in my previous posts, since the beginning of this year, I have moved away from my base location in Mumbai. In this new city, I find myself quite alone. I just have one colleague and am working on a small project, so not many people that I get to interact with. Staying like this is driving me nuts.

I know, it is not all that bad being on your own. Gives you lots of time to think. To contemplate. Maybe that is why I am feeling blue and all I do is think about what is not.

Anyways, I thought maybe a break away from B’lore would do me good. I have heard so much about Coorg and decided to go there.

Thankfully, I got the reference of a Homestay from a colleague. It was run by a lady and she assured me that it would be perfectly safe for me, since I was going on my own. I later learnt that she also manages a lodge. The room was neat and clean, although a

bit small for my taste. Madikeri is about 5.5 hrs away from Bangalore by bus. Had taken a bus and since I had made the reservation at the last minute, I got seats at the back of the bus. The road for most part is OK, but there was one particular stretch right before Madikeri, that was very bumpy indeed.

The journey to Madekeri was quite an adventure. I almost missed the bus because of the much talked of Bangalore traffic. There were some major goof ups on my part. One of them being that I forgot to pack a change of undies, so I had to buy some from the local shop. This was especially stupid, because I could practically open a lingerie store and forgot to pack for the trip.

I engaged a private cab for the two days I was there. That was a bit too expensive I felt. A taxi for just one person (me) was not really cost effective. But it was comfortable. I could have done the sightseeing in an auto rickshaw (like in Munnar).

Coorg is very green and hilly. There are some nice spots that you can visit. I was quite amazed at the sheer variety of trees and shrubbery. The place is so damn green!! It is close to the birthplace of the river Cauvery. That is a really good scenic spot called “Tal Cauvery”. You have to climb some 350 steps to reach the summit. They say that you can see the sea at a distance. This place is close to the Kerala border.

I also liked the Triveni spot. There is a Shiva temple there, where they serve you lunch at the Devasthanam.There is Raja’s seat in Madikeri , from where the view of the hills is magnificient.

There are a couple of waterfalls close to Madikeri. Abbey, Irrupu etc. There is also the elephant training camp at Dubare. I did go there, but I’m not sure it was worth the effort. Unless you are a huge animal lover. I don’t fancy elephant rides, so I didn’t see much point in going to the camp. Too sacred to feed the pachyderms. So all I did was walk around a bit and click pics.

I also went to Nisargdham. This part of the year, the bamboo trees looked kind of dried up. I guess this place will look more green after the rains. There is a small deer park here. You can get an elephant ride here as well if you want to.

I was looking forward to seeing the Tibetan camp in Kushalnagar. This because I was quite fascinated by the Tibetan culture after my visit to Dharamsala. The Golden temple with the golden statues is nice. But somehow, this place seemed a cheaper version of Dharamsala.

Two days went just like that. At the end of it, I wished I had just sat down somewhere and enjoyed the beauty of nature. I rushed myself around too much to do the touristy thing. So, I have decided that next time I go to Coorg. I shall just relax and enjoy nature with no sightseeing.