My time in Madikeri, a 3.5 hour ride from Mysore, was mostly a waste. I went a day late, mostly because I was sick and also wanted to hang with my friends in Mysore. Well, this helped to defeat me. A person goes to Madikeri to trek in the Coorg (or Kodagu) region of Karnataka. I wasn't there long enough to do that. I arrived in the evening and found a cheap hotel. The next day, I went wandering throughout the city like I normally do. I ended up at the Sri Omkareswara Temple, which amazingly blended Islamic and Hindu themes and architecture together. Something I loved was that Mosques and Temples were EVERYWHERE, though the population was predominantly Muslim. Then, after looking here and there, I once again wound up somewhere unexpected, the Madikeri (or Mercara) Fort. The ramparts had nice views of the city and the surrounds. In the distance, I spotted Gaddige, the Raja's Tombs, and started on a trek to find them. I ended up at a travel agency chatting with a local named Vinod for a couple of hours. Actually, he did all the talking. He expressed interest in starting an NGO dealing with HIV/AIDS, and whenever I tried to tell him that I knew someone I could connect him to, he never let me even start. Sheesh. Still, he was a very nice guy, kept calling me his new American friend, and bought me chai. Eventually, it was getting so late, I had to get going. I finally made it to Gaddige, and had a good time watching local boys hang out and play soccer. By this point, it was getting too late in the day to head over Raja's Seat, which was supposed to have amazing views of the Coorg valleys. Oh well. And the next day, I had to leave for Hassan, on a bus that supposedly left every half an hour and arrived after only three hours. I got to the bus stand by 1:30...no bus came until 5pm, and the trip took four hours. Damn...
So, most people go to Madikeri to visit places like Raja's Seat, trek over to Abbi Falls, and climb up Pushpagiri. Not me...
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