The road less travelled. That's what this group of young professionals seek every time they think of a holiday. Not the regular spots bustling with tourists and company groups taking a 'noisy' break, but something that is truly exciting.
The group comprises Siddharth from AdapChain, Rajiv C from Oracle, Surovi B from IBM, Vineeth Y S from Dhurva, Madhavan M from Accenture, Tabitha from HP, Nikhil from Mphasis, Ragini from Sicom, Rachita, architecture student from M S Ramaiah College, Rajan from AdapChain, and Bhavana, advertising professional from O&M.
Off and on other friends too join in, depending on how big a group can go at one time.
"There's no point going in large groups and making a noise and disturbing the silence of nature," says Sid.
Earlier they did the usual tourist spots, but soon they discovered the pleasure of these unusual spots.
Currently, they don't want to look beyond Karnataka and maybe Kerala and other places in the south.
"There's so much to see in our state and we want to do as much as possible," Sid says.
Surovi says, "The weekend holidays are to get away from the mundane, and when it comes to choosing a destination, it can't possibly be a place milling with people and tourists. It has to be some place where one has personal space and where one can chill out and yet enjoy adventure activities like treks, rafting, kayaking. All these places are tucked away in the hills or forests. They are mostly home-stays that offer you the perfect break from the hustle and bustle of the city, yet are a home away from home."
"The thing about home stay is that you can move all over the house and do whatever you want," says Rags.
Off the tourist map
The intrepid techies have explored:
Jhain Khan, Chikmagalur
Kemmangundi, Chikmagalur
Woodways, Chikmagalur (http://www.woodwayhomestay.com/)
Palace Estates, Coorg (http://www.palaceestate/. co.in/)
Planter's Camp, Chikmagalur
"These trips give us the whole experience of the place. They are low-key and non-touristy. We don't like to stand out and just watch the goings-on. We kind of try to blend with the place, its food, its culture, everything."
Rajiv, Oracle
Expect the unexpected
Working out the nitty-gritty of travel
Siddharth from AdapChain says the group keeps an eye open for websites and blogs on the Net.
The Youth Hostels Association of India site offers a lot of low-cost trips, both in the city/state as well as other states. Usually, the trips are planned to places not more than 200 to 250 km from Bangalore. That will be a drive of about 5-6 hours with many breaks in between. The cost factor works out to roughly Rs 2,000 or 2,500 (or less) per person for a weekend trip.
"There are many more places we have visited, but we don't want to reveal all the details! Why spoil the beauty by sending too many people? Some of the places are the homes of people and they do not want publicity."
Rachita, Student
Precious finds
Bandaje
This is a small village close to Dharmastala in the Western Ghats. The waterfall is a beautiful sight to behold. Well-connected from Bangalore by buses, the village has its share of enthusiastic trekkers. "We contacted Narayan Gowda, who took on a gruelling 4-hour, non-stop trek in the rainy season. We could not sit anywhere because there were leeches everywhere," says battle-scarred, nay, leech-scarred Sid.
Fringe Ford, Wyanad, Kerala
Fringe Ford is a small place with just 4-5 rooms. The USP here is the amazing food.
Edakkal Hermitage, Wyanad
Located near Edakkal caves in Wyanad. "There is a tree house at this place which wobbles like crazy. But it's good fun," says Surovi.
Wellington near Ooty
From Wellington, you can drive to the Kodanad viewpoint. The drive is picturesque. Tea estates, villages and waterfalls add to the scenic beauty.
"Each place has a character of its own. What's common is the unspoiled woods, the virgin forests, the music of the crickets at nightfall, the mist descending on the horizon at dusk, the lone moon and the countless stars in the night sky, and the blissful feeling that comes with all this. Each trip is a unique experience."
Surovi, IBM
