<p>Everyone deserves a good weekend getaway to unwind, away from the city buzz, the mundane traffic woes and the long hours spent in front of a laptop screen. A magical two or three day getaway to some place far and peaceful which prepares you for the roller coaster of a crazy corporate life.<br /><br />We began our journey early on a cold Saturday morning with the ever so familiar ‘Suprabatham’ playing on the radio while cruising on the highway. The perks of starting early include getting to see the night sky fade off and welcoming the streaks of morning light from the horizon. There is almost no traffic and more importantly, you reach your destination early. We made a pitstop at a crowded Adyar Ananda Bhavan on the highway and had a quick breakfast before heading off to Sakleshpur. Tea estates, old temples, trekking, breathtaking views and some fresh air — we were so looking forward to this!<br /><br />How did we go?<br /><br />We drove down to Sakleshpur, which is roughly 250 km from the city. We took National Highway 75 from Bengaluru. The roads were very good except the several toll stations which we had to pass through. We reached Sakleshpur by 11.30 am. Tea estates began to welcome us to this beautiful place. There’s something so amazing about the lush greenery of a tea estate. We stayed in a cottage 20 km away from Sakleshpur, inside the biggest tea estate of Sakleshpur, The Kadamane Tea Estate. The cottage is called ‘Sinna Dorai’s Bungalow’.<br /><br />What did we do?<br /><br />We set off on a small trek to a hill near the place we stayed at through beautiful tea estates. We reached there just before sunset and saw the sun setting inside the clouds giving the valley a rich golden colour!<br /><br />The next morning, we took off to the most magical lake/ river in between the forest. The place felt serene with the sounds of flowing water and chirping birds. Little turtles and fish were seen in the clear waters of the lake. This place was something you’d dream about. <br /><br />We were sitting on the wooden bridge, feeding the fish and enjoying an amazing packed lunch. It reminded us of a certain Windows screensaver! After a hot cup of red tea in the evening, we went for a little walk through the tea estates behind our cottage. We spent time with several jolly tea pluckers who were very happy to pose for pictures and give us valuable tips on how to pluck tea. The next day, we went for the tea factory tour in Kadamane Estate and were taken through the process of how the packed tea powder is prepared from scratch.<br /><br />On our way back to Bengaluru, we decided to visit the famous Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebidu. It was a short 30 km detour. The walls of the temple have different depictions from Hindu mythology, animals and dancing figures. Apparently, no two sculptures of the temple are the same. The great historical architecture left us <br />in awe.<br /><br />Our trip lasted two nights and three days. All in all, Sakleshpur was refreshing, beautiful and interesting. A perfect place that you must visit to chill and get your dosage of clean air!<br />Kitty Iyer<br />The author can be contacted at <br />kittyiyer@gmail.com</p>
<p>Everyone deserves a good weekend getaway to unwind, away from the city buzz, the mundane traffic woes and the long hours spent in front of a laptop screen. A magical two or three day getaway to some place far and peaceful which prepares you for the roller coaster of a crazy corporate life.<br /><br />We began our journey early on a cold Saturday morning with the ever so familiar ‘Suprabatham’ playing on the radio while cruising on the highway. The perks of starting early include getting to see the night sky fade off and welcoming the streaks of morning light from the horizon. There is almost no traffic and more importantly, you reach your destination early. We made a pitstop at a crowded Adyar Ananda Bhavan on the highway and had a quick breakfast before heading off to Sakleshpur. Tea estates, old temples, trekking, breathtaking views and some fresh air — we were so looking forward to this!<br /><br />How did we go?<br /><br />We drove down to Sakleshpur, which is roughly 250 km from the city. We took National Highway 75 from Bengaluru. The roads were very good except the several toll stations which we had to pass through. We reached Sakleshpur by 11.30 am. Tea estates began to welcome us to this beautiful place. There’s something so amazing about the lush greenery of a tea estate. We stayed in a cottage 20 km away from Sakleshpur, inside the biggest tea estate of Sakleshpur, The Kadamane Tea Estate. The cottage is called ‘Sinna Dorai’s Bungalow’.<br /><br />What did we do?<br /><br />We set off on a small trek to a hill near the place we stayed at through beautiful tea estates. We reached there just before sunset and saw the sun setting inside the clouds giving the valley a rich golden colour!<br /><br />The next morning, we took off to the most magical lake/ river in between the forest. The place felt serene with the sounds of flowing water and chirping birds. Little turtles and fish were seen in the clear waters of the lake. This place was something you’d dream about. <br /><br />We were sitting on the wooden bridge, feeding the fish and enjoying an amazing packed lunch. It reminded us of a certain Windows screensaver! After a hot cup of red tea in the evening, we went for a little walk through the tea estates behind our cottage. We spent time with several jolly tea pluckers who were very happy to pose for pictures and give us valuable tips on how to pluck tea. The next day, we went for the tea factory tour in Kadamane Estate and were taken through the process of how the packed tea powder is prepared from scratch.<br /><br />On our way back to Bengaluru, we decided to visit the famous Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebidu. It was a short 30 km detour. The walls of the temple have different depictions from Hindu mythology, animals and dancing figures. Apparently, no two sculptures of the temple are the same. The great historical architecture left us <br />in awe.<br /><br />Our trip lasted two nights and three days. All in all, Sakleshpur was refreshing, beautiful and interesting. A perfect place that you must visit to chill and get your dosage of clean air!<br />Kitty Iyer<br />The author can be contacted at <br />kittyiyer@gmail.com</p>
