Travel journal
Coorg
Seven friends. Marathahalli to Coorg. Rain, wine, a river, and three days that still feel short.
Seven of us. Marathahalli. 17 August 2022.
Sunil, Sridhar, Sonali, Bharat, Sukumar bhai, Anil, and me.
Sonali was new to Bangalore then. I knew her from a previous company, so I introduced her to everybody.
We met in Marathahalli. Autos to Satellite Town. Then the bus.
I booked the tickets. Still, Sridhar and Sunil landed on another bus. Five of us on the first one. Those two on the next. We couldn't talk on the way. That's how it went.
We got down in Coorg. A house we had booked ourselves. Three rooms. Light rain.
We took rest. Local wine.
Then Raja's Seat. A view, a park, mist sitting on everything.
AnilSukumarAnandBharatSunilSridhar
We stayed a couple of days. Walked around. There is a museum in Coorg. We went.
Night: more wine. Some dancing. That year it was mostly wine.
There was a bike standing outside. Not ours. I sat on it anyway. A few photographs. That was it.
Next day, kayak. A wide river, moving water. In the middle we jumped in, then climbed back on. Cold. Good.
The food in Coorg was something else.
A few temples. Other small places around. I wish we had more days. We didn't.
I think we came back by train. I don't remember the return as clearly as the going.
Three days. Very nice.
The company
The people who made the trip
The calm one.
A quiet, composed person who rarely gets angry and never seems interested in unnecessary drama. Bharat is the kind of guy who stays cool, gives sensible advice when someone needs it, and somehow manages to remain relaxed while everyone else is making noise. And then there is his other talent — cooking. Give him almost anything and he'll find a way to cook it.
The one who makes everything more fun.
One of the funniest people in the group, but also incredibly talented. Whether we're laughing, arguing, getting lost, or just doing nothing, Anil somehow makes the whole thing more entertaining. A trip with him is simply different. Even the fights become stories later.
The calculator.
Whatever he does, there is probably a calculation behind it.
Sukumar thinks things through, works out the details and somehow manages to calculate everything before making a decision. Every group needs someone like that — especially when seven people are trying to decide what to do next.
The one I've known forever.
My cousin, and someone I've grown up with since childhood. There is a different kind of comfort when you travel with someone you've known for that long. He's talented, familiar, and already knows enough about me that I don't have to explain much.
Looks lazy. Probably isn't.
He has mastered the art of looking like he doesn't want to do anything. Most of the time, he seems completely relaxed and lazy, but when something actually needs to be done, he's surprisingly active. He knows what he wants and, somehow, gets there in his own way.
Me.
The good guy. Obviously.
I booked the tickets. I introduced Sonali to everybody. I sat on a bike that was not ours. I am the one writing this down, so the three days don't turn into a blur.
Places we visited
- Marathahalli
- Satellite Town
- Raja's Seat
- The museum in Coorg
- The river
- A few temples nearby
What we did
- Autos from Marathahalli, then the bus
- Two buses instead of one
- A three-room house we booked ourselves
- Local wine, rest, a little dancing
- Raja's Seat in the mist
- The museum
- Kayak. Jumped in the river. Climbed back.
- Ate well
What stayed with me
- Introducing Sonali to everybody
- Five on the first bus, two on the next
- Sitting on a bike that was not ours
- Wishing we had more time
Trip notes
- When
- 17–20 August 2022
- Who
- Anil, Sukumar, Anand, Bharat, Sunil, Sridhar, Sonali
- Start
- Marathahalli