“A melting pot of so many cultures, empires, fortresses, beautiful colonial buildings, palaces and a world-class nature. This combined with local guides who can deliver customer service to a high level, every day, and where every restaurant is a culinary adventure. I can recommend everyone to make this trip!” said Jozef Verbruggen about his trip through southern India.
Arriving in millions of metropolis Mumbai (Bombay in other times) you immediately enter the melting pot that India stands for; exotic, bohemian, beautiful buildings and a totally unknown culture and cuisine for us Europeans.
My guide Ramaman – a guru who grew up in the Manhattan of India – shows me the way to the beautiful buildings. It’s Sunday and the main square is saturated with thousands of cricketers. We make a trip to ‘Elephanta’ where I get a first impression of Shiva. Ramaman sings some songs, a lament with huge reverberations in the ancient temple.
A flight through Bangalore takes me to Hampi, the ancient Vijayanagar Empire with beautiful temples and ruins. If restored, Hampi certainly wouldn’t be inferior to Angkor Wat.
India Scotland
Coorg, the Scotland of India, is occupied by green hills, coffee plantations protected by tropical tree species that are overgrown with pepper climbing plants. Morning by day and dew out of bed for a birding trip. It is foggy and similar to autumnal days of autumn I can imagine so.
In the afternoon a plantation excursion. This is also my first introduction to wildlife this trip, the plantation is often visited by elephants. Coorg is part of the Ghats where several thousand Elephas Maximus can be found. The hills extend to the beautiful ever green Kerala, known for tea and coffee.
Phantom of the forest
Kabini is my next destination, located on the edge of Nagarhole National Park; a totally different experience than Pench or Kanha that I was allowed to visit last year, with higher temperatures. It’s pleasant here. We look for the ‘phantom of the forest’, the black leopard that is often spotted here. Also Kabini has one of the highest numbers of tigers.
Mysore – unknown to me – houses the fourth largest palace in the world. This is India at its best. Inhabited by the King of Mysore with centuries-old tradition. Great.
Virgin and tropical
I end up doing the virgin tropical Andaman Islands, ‘Where the world can’t find me…’ These are the Seychelles but without the hordes of tourists. A thousand islands where you can only set ashore on five feet. Tropical trees that go 70 meters up and this combined with beautiful hotels and a beach that is not inferior to the pearly white beaches of the Seychelles but with the advantage that one is often alone. There should be no construction on the beach. Magic.
Melting pot
I can recommend anyone to make this trip, southern India with Bombay as a gateway. A melting pot of so many cultures, empires, fortresses, beautiful colonial buildings, palaces and a world-class nature. This combined with local guides who can deliver customer service to a high level, every day, and where every restaurant is a culinary adventure.
