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To receive got the nervus to locomote solo – mass myself a render ticket – was non a pathway I’d planned on embarking upon. It merely happened. Like most beautiful things. My foremost solo vacation was to a quaint picayune beach inwards Karnataka inwards the final quarter of 2012. Since too then non alone receive got my ain perspectives undergone a consummate overhaul but thus receive got those of the people approximately me – too I hateful this inwards the best agency possible.
Well, for the most usage traveling past times yourself didn’t attract whatsoever brownie points – the bravado was totally discounted for. Instead the endless listing of annoying questions never seemed to fade away. It was equally a response to all those initial reactions that I penned my foremost solo travel-related blogpost. That I didn’t halt traveling nor writing after that seems to receive got made the sort of departure that I felt was required.
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| Photo Credit: Prashanth H J. |
So this December, inwards choosing to locomote to Coorg I made even thus some other decision: to orbit Coorg via Bangalore. I got told past times a few (the ones who know routes amend than most) that I should’ve instead travelled via Mangalore equally the route is shorter. I had to add together hither that no i asked me why I chose the route I did – but too then i time to a greater extent than advice is ever complimentary thus I didn’t actually hear whatsoever of it. Now when I had foremost started making enquires for accommodation I was told past times the locals that the route via Mangalore was ridden with potholes too non a convenient i at all. Also since I was anyway headed to Goa from Coorg I would last taking the Mangalore route afterward – thus I’d receive got completed my Bangalore-Coorg-Mangalore roadtrip too. And isn’t travelling most the journeying too non the destination?
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| Walk downwards to the estate |
My foremost morn at my homestay I woke upwardly to a beautiful jingle involving birds of different shapes too colours tweeting amongst Taio Cruz too Mika Singh revving it on a histrion nearby. But the jingles aside, it was alone similar a shot that I was outset to realize how beautifully pose out this homestay was; bang inwards the middle of a spice too java plantation. Greenery everywhere, I was reminded on the roadtrip from Bangalore the previous twenty-four hr current with farmlands too kokosnoot trees alternating the landscape. The morn was to a greater extent than nippy than park courtesy the current of air gods whooshing through the night. Sitting at the porch with my morning’s loving cup of tea I was dazzled past times the fluttering butterflies.
After breakfast that morn I took a rickshaw ride to the marketplace. I was dorsum inside cellular network coverage. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 longish telephone telephone telephone made domicile non without a listing of locally available produces to last brought dorsum took place, too I spent the side past times side 3 strange hours aimlessly walking through the marketplace, fifty-fifty paced – watching, observing, soaking in. Quite happy to non receive got anyone bother or query me – too dissimilar other ‘touristy’ places no i hither tugged or pulled at my sleeve to come upwardly run into something or buy something else. I walked into a twain of local shops alone to last warmly greeted past times shop-owners who were to a greater extent than than pleased to display their wares, response questions, exhibit a sample or ii too brand recommendations on what made amend feel for me to purchase. Here I realized that linguistic communication was seldom ever a barrier.
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| A plantation |
Lunch was had at a local hotel on my agency dorsum to my room, I realized how something equally unproblematic equally this walk tin forcefulness out learn you lot how to trust your inner compass too trust yourself (because you lot realize that you lot aren’t geographically challenged fifty-fifty inwards an unknown picayune town). You acquire to last assertive too pleasant. And most importantly non-city bred folk seldom acquire bothered past times a ‘solo woman individual traveller’ – I’ve seen to a greater extent than eyebrows beingness raised (and recede into hairlines) past times urban educated people!
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| Coffee beans |
Speaking of which, travelling past times myself has taught me that it’s okay to acquire used to people beingness uncomfortable. But for the most usage of it, people lookout adult man out for you lot – whether you’re a lone manly individual or woman individual or a grouping of people traveling to anywhere for the foremost fourth dimension – people mostly lookout adult man out for you lot too assist you lot inwards whatsoever capacity they can. So, I had conductors directing me to empty seats (when they realized that my handbag lone occupies to a greater extent than infinite than I do!), my homestay host non alone picked but also dropped me dorsum to the Coorg bus-stand the twenty-four hr current I left (I had to acquire out at seven AM which is early on plenty if non also early, too he didn’t accuse me extra). I also learnt that rickshaw drivers are pleasant folks. Once I was off the bus, I was provided directions to the rickshaw stand upwardly past times rickshaw drivers themselves who’d alone merely dropped passengers off at the double-decker stop. Me thinks they could’ve easily receive got fleeced me past times offering to accept me to my destination!
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Discover the 'untravelled' side of Coorg at a family-run organic farm inwards a traditional Coorgi hamlet with . Find out to a greater extent than most the experience here.
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Author Bio: Nondescript. Nonchalant. Observer. Witty. Sarcastic. Skinny. Nomadic Thunker. Square Peg. Sporadic Blogger. Solo Traveller. Blogs at nomadicthunker.blogspot.in; skinnygenus.blogspot.com. Tweets @ellelogical.
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Discover the 'untravelled' side of Coorg at a family-run organic farm inwards a traditional Coorgi hamlet with . Find out to a greater extent than most the experience here.
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For to a greater extent than ideas on offbeat too responsible destinations inwards India, visit indiauntravelled.com or join on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. To contribute invitee posts / photograph essays to this blog, delight run into our contribution guidelines and ship your even out ideas to blog@indiauntravelled.com.
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