Crazy for Coorg! (Part 1)

The most recent weekend trip I took was to Coorg, also known as the "Scotland of India." Coorg or Kodagu literally means "dense forest on steep hill" and is about 5000 feet above sea level.

What has become my traveling group [me, 3 coworkers (Kaveri, Ajay, Murali), 2 MIT interns (Richard, Sean)] booked a car/driver for the weekend and made the 6 hour drive to Madikeri, the district headquarters of Coorg. The drive over was beautiful - acres of lush forests, misty hills, and coffee and tea plantations.

First destination - drive through Nagahole National Park, where our car was slowed down by an elephant on the side of the road.

We had planned on going on safari through the park, but weather and time didn't permit, so we moved onto the next stop - Iruppu Falls. We had to do some hiking to get to the waterfall, but it was beautiful, set amid thick green forest and mossy boulders.

We stood there for a few minutes, admiring the power of the water as it crashed below. A few people were under the waterfall, holding on to a steel beam that had been put into place for that reason I assume. I immediately regretted not bringing a bathing suit. Richard had brought shorts, so he changed into them and joined the few others under the water. One by one the guys in our group decided to follow. Kaveri and I had a real dilemma! We had no bathing suit, and for women swimming in just your undergarments in India is a big no-no to say the least. We sat on the moist rocks, but as I watched the others I couldn't take it anymore - "I'm going in!"

Those of you who know me well know that I'm not exactly the type of person who swims under waterfalls fully clothed, but I feel like my trip here has been marked by things I wouldn't normally do, and the words came out of my mouth before I even thought about them. I looked at Kaveri "I'm going in, you comin?" She smiled and her eyes lit up - "Let's do it."

We crossed the slippery rocks and slowly let ourselves into the water (so cold!). We waded over to the falls to join the others, and I kept my balance by gripping the steel beam.

What a feeling! The pressure of the water was so heavy against my head and shoulders, and it felt like each rush pounded more and more of my thoughts outside of my body until I was left with nothing but this feeling. I had to remind myself to breathe, since the wind was continuously getting knocked out of me. I gripped the beam tighter, closed my eyes, and let the water wash everything away.

After changing into some spare clothes, I let my hair out and let it dry in the wind as we drove off. We sang our favorite songs as we headed toward our next destination. Great music, new friends, beautiful scenery...what more do you need?