WHAT GUDI?!

was the question asked by both, my mom and dad, when we told them we were going to Masinagudi for the long republic day weekend. Cubby still has too much Baergatta hangover to acknowledge Masinagudi often. But he has his moments!

As usual we kept thinking of having a plan without actually making an effort to see it materialise! By Tuesday before the weekend, I started making phone calls and every place around the city was full with no acco available anywhere. Show me the recession people! Then M remembered Masinagudi, which was highly reccoed by the cousin who had gone there recently. The websites looked inviting and it was not like we had a lot of choice anyway, with everything being full of over enthu Bangaloreans. (Digression: People in Bengaluru really take their weekends seriously and its so heartening to see that! :)

As part adventure / part slumming it out, we decided to drive down. We have a 800 and its not the best car to do 250kms one way kinda trips. But M wanted to try his hand and Cubby n me were all for it! :) The car gave us a mean mileage of 22kms/litre on this trip. Kala tika! :D

So we made the bookings at this place, transferred the money etc and did packing in bits and pieces every evening since the plan was to hit the road latest by 730am. With a kid to take along we are nothing if not realistic. Ofcos imagine our horror when the alarm didn't ring and we woke up at 7 when the maid rang the bell. I was in a shitty mood because of the delay, but it turned out to be blessing because we had slept longer and were eventually in better moods.

Taking a short break to just stretch our legs!

M being like all other men, would rather ask Internet the route rather than other human beings. So while going we took a route that was more potholes, than road. M kept wondering how come we had no other company all the way. We realised we had taken a wrong route only when we spoke to another couple at the resort and they told us the regular one. So people, Yahoo maps sucks! We are not in the US with awesome GPS systems. So just ask other people who know! :)

The cottages! :)

We reached the place at around 3 and fell in love with the resort. Pretty stone cottages with high ceilings, that kept the extra heat and cold out, clean beds, a GORGEOUS garden juts outside with a stupendous view of the mountain, The Nilgiris from window and the balcony. We had managed to have lunch on our way and after freshening up a bit ordered chai and onion pakoda. It was such bliss to just sit out on the balcony looking at all the pretty flowers in the garden and being awed at the magnificence of the mountains that seemed within walking distance.

There was a bonfire in the evening and we warmed ourselves and made some friends. Cubby now looks at lit agarbatti and says Fiirree thanks to seeing enough Fire the two days we were there. Dinner was buffet and though not exceptional, was quite nice and filling. Funny thing was the guy used to come and tell us the menu rattling off a thousand things out of which we saw about one or two. Hehe.

The view in the morning. Can you even imagine the mountain is right there hidden by the fog? Garden outside the room!

Next morning there was so much fog that I actually thought I had imagined seeing the mountains. It was like they had disappeared overnight. As we had chai sitting in the balcony and the sun started shining more brightly, the fog gave way to the mountains, yet again. Cubby and we walked on the grass barefoot and tried playing ball. The things with greenery in Masingudi is its a l'il dry. So you don't see those soothing lush greens nor is the grass that soft. But its still more fun than tiles and concrete. :)

Check out Cubby's hep hand me down jacket. Got it just in time!

Is this picture perfect or what?! Except me ofcos! :p

We decided to have lunch someplace else and got out of the resort to just look around and figure out our options. I had also tried getting acco at this place, and though they offered a room l'il too late, the girl was sweet enough to ask us to join em for lunch if possible. We called them and after bit of discussion they said, we could come over. Oh! The place is beyootiful. They even have a swimming pool. The food that cost us almost as much as our resort was delicious to say the least and the restaurant really pretty. And imagine my delight when I saw chocolate ice cream as dessert. I get so annoyed with seeing vanilla ice cream (which is not even a real flavour for crying out loud!) at every buffet. All in all, a great decision! Maybe we will stay there next time we go. Though I must say, our resort was high of pretty factor too! :)

Aren't the mountains magnificent?!

We tried sleeping in the afternoon, but Cubby is his enthu best at this time and we didn't really get much sleep. We just chilled, walked around the resort, got amazed by just HOW MANY stars there are in the sky. You can just sit and keep looking and counting.

Blacky or Blaaki as Cubby call it.

Next morning, it was already time to leave. As we came out to pay bills etc, we saw a cat there. Cubby had never seen a asli cat. Remember, how he insists on calling cat a dog just to annoy me. Well, now he doesn't. L'il Blacky (the cat) made sure he/she convinced Cubby of it's existence. One of the uncles picked it up and let Cubby touch it and Cubby's glee on hearing an actual Miaow was just so cute! :)

He also got to hear cows moo because every evening the cows would be mooing away to glory as they returned home after grazing. So now we also get to hear cow goes moo often. He played with goats and was totally fascinated by the kids (goat babies). He saw asli donkeys and now calls horse, a horse instead of donkey! We got to hear rooster too and he does his version of cock-a-doodle-do! :) I realised even more strongly that books might teach them to point at the right thing, but seeing and experiencing the the same things has much deeper and more meaningful impact! :)

We did not do safari etc because it was too hot and we had done it before at Nagarhole Wildlife sanctuary and from what we heard later, it was a good decision! :)

Money paid (less than we expected, hence making us verry happy), we got set to to come back to Bangalore. This time it was a normal road and with enough breaks (a niiice fish lunch at a deserted place called Fishland and coffee and sandwich at CCD on Mysore road) we reached home by around 6pm after 6 and 1/2 hrs on the road.

First scared and then thrilled in the Hammock! :)

Cubby was on good behaviour most of the time except food time and I lost my patience ever so often. I still can't get over his being so difficult when it comes to eating. There was an occasional rona-dhona session in the car because he wanted M to hold him when he was driving, but that was okay simply because if we as adults get bored in such long drives, a kid very obviously will be.

I cooked up simple pasta dinner and we went to bed early, exhausted, but very happy. We are thinking about going to Halebid at next opportunity! :)

Here is the propah travel guide I wrote!

My picture feature! :p

Yes Mummy! Kya ho gaya?!

Accha Ruko toh. Leme finish the pakodas at least!

Ok! Now you can take my picture! :)

Ok! Now lets take a walk! Isnt it niicce, Mummy?! :)