WoodWay Estate - ChikkaMagalur

Wood Way Estate - ChikkaMagalur

It all started with a plan for a Team outing and I sat on http://www.holidayiq.com/ hunting for nearby hill stations and comparing the tariffs. Chikkamagalur was pending for quite a long time on my travel list and this web search helped me find a home away from home. Yes ! it was the Wood Way Estate which proved there exists a home away from home.

Though the mail sent by shreedev@woodwayhomestay.com had all the details regarding the route, we took another route which was not so bad but our vehicle took a hit.
Bangalore-Nelamangala-Tumkur-Gubbi-Kadur-Chikkamagalur as against Bangalore-Nelamangala-Chennarayapatna-Hassan-Belur-Chikkamagalur as suggested.

We (Myself,Ron,Joe,PK & Rufi) started at 0330 Hrs on 21st May 2009 from ITPL.Untill Kadur I could see the Santro speedometer hitting 100's & 120's,Rufi was at his best.The Kadur-Chikkamagalur stretch was broken with patches of tar rather than tar itself. Not too sure if I can call that a pothole or a crater but we had to run over it at 60kmph and we had to stop with a thud.Guess what! all the four rims were now bent and I could hear Rufi say "thank God the tyre is tubeless,else it would have bursted".

Ron gave a break to Rufi & took the wheels.I was now the navigator and it was a long 23kms that we covered to reach our destination - Wood Way Estate.

As described by Sushmitha ( she owns the place with her husband Shreedev ) it was love at first sight. Santosh,the care taker welcomed us with a warm smile and the first question he asks us, how about a cup of coffee ?- Oh man! the strong coffee from their own estate with wills from ITC was the best way to start a day. We were lost in the sight of the mountain ranges opposite to the estate & that's when we heard a maruthi gypsy come in. Shreedev who was all smiles introduced himself and this was the first time I saw a host who was all passionate about what he does for his guests.He quickly shared the plans and recommeded what activities are possible within the short stay that we were there.

The moment Santosh led us into the rooms,we were all praise about the interiors,the details that were taken care of,the wardrobe with a dressing mirror and most importantly the cleanliness of the restrooms.We all wanted to hit the shower first,but the sound of breakfast pushed it further.
Ron & Joe fell asleep amidst nature on the hammock and I could sure say - they were in an out of the world experience.

I spent some time with my camera and the greenery of the place and also made friends with other guests who had checked in.Time was sure flying coz it was already lunch time.Lunch was a combo of urban & traditional dishes which included kessa(made of a leaf which looks similar to plantain leaf) and jackfruit paliya.

I was shaken awake by joe and it was actually Santosh who wanted us to go trekking to the mountain opposite to the Estate.We were accompanied by Shivappa who led us on the trekk.On the way uphill,we were able to guage how much of a toll smoking has taken on us ? Rufi had taken it big time I guess,he was the last man following. Trekking is always fun when you encounter something by surprise, I spotted a snake skin, a green scorpion and Joe spotted some fruits and berries.

It was a short rock climbing and we were on top of what seemed so huge from the bungalow. We enjoyed the sight of mist passing through us and the wonderful cloud formations. We hardly sat for 20minutes and it started raining.We did wait for 5minutes to see if the rain would stop as there was heavy wind too.But we were wrong and there was nowhere to hide.I was apprehensive about the Sony camera that I had in my pocket and hence took off my t-shirt to cover it around the pocket so that the camera is safe.

When was the last time you did something for the first time ?
Though I have different answers everytime, this would top the list of my favorites untill I find a better one. It was a great experience with the rain hitting you from all angles and you're walking half bare in the middle of nature saying to yourself-what a nice way to get kissed this way :)

Our evening was as adventurous as it could be and the dinner that followed was awesome,not to forget the IPL match between Bangalore Royal Challengers and Hyderabad Deccan Chargers in which RC won against DC.

I slept not knowing I actually slept for 8 hours straight whereas back in Banglaore I hardly sleep for 3-4 hours.I did not want to wake up & feel the pain of heading back to Bangalore.We spent time walking through the coffee estate and playing with browny & blacky,two dogs of the estate. But you know it well, I was home away from home and had to return back to the traffic and the chaos of the city life.

On our return trip, unplanned stop at Belur and that was indeed worth it.

Now that adds WoodWay to the list of places to be visited again before death.Thanks to my friends who made it happen,Sushmitha & Shreedev for running a beautiful show and to all the staff at WoodWay that make it so special and of course to Rufi's Santro who was the beast of burden and who took the hit yet managed to get us back home safe.

All pics on this link : http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0BbuXLFm2ZsWMO