Reviving a blog after an year and a half takes a lot of motivation. Here I am, back again, not knowing how long this would last.
Balur is a small town near Mudigere, and it is around 5 hours drive from Bangalore. So, if you ask me what made me go there, I'd just say "Tripadvisor". Whenever I plan a vacation, that's where I look for good places to stay. So, out I went, driving, along with my brother and his wife to Balur, all the way hoping, that the reviews were not forged. And, I would say, this was a happy happy vacation, in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
The drive to the estate bungalow was a very scenic one. The bungalow is an old, well maintained (as a matter of fact, extremely well maintained) place to stay. It has a cottage, outside, right next to an ancient swimming pool, which also helps keep the place cool.The tranquil bungalow has a long old-style veranda, overlooking beautiful green hills - beauty that can blow your mind off. We were told that we could trek up one of the hills, but we didn't have the time. What surprised me the most was water in bottles that looked like wine bottles (That seemed like a very innovative concept). The bungalow has a small, interesting library - in fact, I found a film fare magazine from the 90's which spoke about Sunny Deol and his affair with Sushmita (really? How many of us have even heard of this ?). Apart from all these, the bungalow is filled with antiques (worth a lot of $$), which makes us feel we're staying in a royal palace.
Personally, for us, what made the trip even better was the company. Jishnu and his family ensured that we were treated with nice music throughout, especially at the camp fire.
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| The bungalow and the cottage |
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| Site of the campfire |
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| The veranda |
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| View from the veranda |
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| Water in customized Balur estate wine bottles :-) |
The moon looked beautiful that day. I don't think I have ever felt as romantic before on seeing the moon. I just wanted to lie next to the pool, and gaze never-endingly at the beautiful moon, that was occasionally being stolen from me by the dark clouds.
And, the sun-set point. The clouds played satan on the two days when we went to watch the sun set. But the view from the sun set point was worth a million dollars. The winds only brought smiles on our faces.
Small treks around the estate (with a guide, unless we have plans of getting lost) was a plus. We went to a nearby lake, spotted some wild peacocks, and a few birds. In fact early in the mornings, all you can hear are the bird cries, and wild peacock noises. The peacocks come very close to the bungalow when it rains, and that makes it all the more charming.
The most exciting part of the trip was the scooter, and cycles. We had a great time going short distances on the cycles, and playing with the scooter. That was the first time I ever used a scooter, and it was an amazing experience. They have a mini golf kit too. And, if they could get a foose ball table, nothing could beat the fun we can have there !
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| The scooter |
With a heavy heart, after 2 nights, we left the place - sad that we had to get back to the daily grind of work, sad we had to leave all the greenery and nature behind, but happy, that we made a decision to go to a place which was worth my time.
Date of stay: April 6th, 2012
Recommendation: Cottage for a couple, the bungalow for a large bunch. Ensure that the doors of your room are locked. Food is great, don't hesitate to make your preferences clear, as they accomodate your preferences.
