Far from the madding crowd

Let me relate our 3 day trip to Chikmagalur last summer. While Ooty and Mysore are well known haunts,Chikmagalur is more scenic and much quieter.  It is a hill station ,about 5 hrs drive from Bangalore. Chikmagalur literally means" younger daughter's town".  Legend goes that the land was given as dowry to the younger daughter of a famous chief. The road trip was quite smooth. The small group included my parents,my hubby,my 2 sons aged 6 and 3 and me. We took a break at Shravanabelagola, where the famous Bahubali statue stands proud and tall atop a hill. You have to climb 600 steps to catch a glimpse of the statue. I managed the climb, though I was huffing and puffing. The mammoth statue is impressive. We all burst out laughing when my sons wondered why he had no clothes on. At Chikmagalur,we stayed at the Taj resort, which is very cosy. The staff was friendly and the food was fabulous. They arranged a bullock cart ride which the kids really enjoyed. My hubby and son went trekking up the beautiful Chemmungudi hills, while the rest of us took a bus ride thro' the scenic hills and visited the mysterious Shiva temple ,again atop a hill.It was nature at its best-valleys,green lush hills,streams,wild animals and fresh air. The next day,we visited a coffee plantation and learnt about varieties of beans and the history of coffee. We went on a safari at a wildlife park nearby which the kids loved. The evenings,we cooled off at the hotel .My older son swam with his dad,while my mom and I enjoyed a game of basketball with the other guests. We went for long walks and before we knew it, it was time to return to civilization. Enroute,we stopped to admire the temples of Belur and Halebid which are famous for their architecture.We all had recharged our batteries after this trip.It made me realize that there are so many hidden beautiful nature spots within India. My sons too got a chance to appreciate Mother nature. I would recommend a trip to this beautiful place to everyone to just break the daily monotony and bring some freshness back.