Murudeshwar and Coorg

So here I am!

Any journey needs to start somewhere and after many many years of confusion and over thinking, today I embark on my first journey which will go into my blog and hopefully this is start of something which will last for many many years in the future. Planning to have something which is useful to me as well as to the fellow travellers who take the same path as I have taken sometime before.

Today we are going to Murudeshwar Shiv Temple. This is nicely located on a beach. However, it is heavily touristy. Lord Shiva’s statue is really huge and humungous otherwise being a temple, it get crowded the same way the other Indian temples do. There is a path behind the temple from which you can directly go to the statue, you can skip the crowd if you are interested only in having a look at the gigantic statue of Shiva.

This is like a 5 hours drive from where we live in Goa, Mapusa. So 5 hours by Google Map but we went through heavy traffic and it took almost 6 hours from Goa to Murudeshwar.

We stayed at Hotel Palm Grove – No frills, better amongst the lot

Day 2

Murudeshwar Temple – Hit

We got early morning on day 2 in an attempt to escape the crowd and have a good view of the temple and the crowd.

Our day already started, we visited in the temple in the morning and then we are starting a drive for the day – the target is Kannur which is 300 km and 7 hours away. Let’s see how much we can do and on the way will see some nice beaches hopefully and very unique drive connecting to beaches outside of Udupi. So we will skip the temples of Udupi and rather as we are trying to focus on Munnar in Kerala, we will pass these to save time and will try to see as much we can on the way.

Mattu Beach – Hit

Right now we are driving on this very beautiful stretch of a few kilometres were we took a diversion from NH 66 and went towards Malpe and then it was a beach called Peace Beach on Google Maps. We drove from this beach at one end to Mattu Beach View Point. We got a very nice stretch of a road which had – on one side no population, addiotionally, the road has sea on one side and backbackwaters on the other. We didn’t need to take a U turn, we continued driving past the Mattu beach and were able to merge to NH 66 and then, we headed towards Mangalore and Kannur.

The view on the few kms of drive is so beautiful and just little bit of litter here on the downside but otherwise not at all populated and not even any restaurant on this road. So it is kind of untouched just some villagers some houses. Highly recommended.

Day 3

Yesterday evening was very interesting we had almost planned to drive to Kannur and we were on the way from Murudeshwar to Kannur, it was a long stretch of 7hrs also we were not sure whether we can make it. So, what happened, by evening, we were taking a chai break at Kasargod and suddenly on the map you realise that Madikeri (Coorg) is just three hours drive.

So, instead of heading towards Kannur, we started our drive for Coorg. One added incentive was – I have never been there before. The drive was wonderful. All the time, it was dark and we have to drive in the lights. it was awesome there was actually there was no light on the road, no public traffic lights. Whatever lights came from car headlights which was shining from the reflectors on the road which were all like in the centre Lane and left and right. when the headlights were hitting them, it was such an awesome trip for like an hour so and there was no vehicle not literally any vehicle for half an hour. This 1 hour stretch was the highlight of the day with Late Goodbye playing in the background. Pure Bliss!!!

Stay – Coorg Homeland Homestay – Hit
Nice chic eatery – Bellis – Hit

Day 4

Then today morning we had a very late start because while sleeping it was almost 12:00am yesterday. So today we had a late start and also we were not sure what all to visit this morning and half day already spent. Sometime after breakfast, we consulted our home stay owner. He told us like four places -Golden Temple to begin with and the last one being Raja’s seat.

Golden Temple – Hit

Inside the temple, it is just awesome and three big statue of Lord Buddha. Great designs on the wall and roof. Huge statues of Lord Buddha and the whole place is grand. Really wonderful.

After Golden temple we were suggested to go to something called Nisargadhama Island. It is an Island formed by River on all sides but it is so so crowded – so many people OMG. We just went in the parking and came out and then I had selected a dam called Chikhlihole dam.

We are here and this is beautiful and just besides us there is just two more groups – two more couples.

Raja’s Seat – Miss

Now for the sunset we have come to Raja’s seat and far too many people here however there is one point from which the view is nice.