AMANVANA - A REJUVENATING EXPERIENCE

               Bored with the mechanical life of bangalore , we decided to take a 2 day break from the everyday hustle . Not wanting to tire ourselves with a very long distance travel , we zeroed in a resort in Coorg , a 4 hr drive from Bangalore ( oops its now officially BENGALURU ) . A break for breakfast at hotel kadamba ( after channapatna town ) for some steaming hot kanchepuram idlis and crispy vadas . And we headed straight to our destination.

               Coorg , a beautiful place tucked away in the breathtaking Western Ghats . 

  

                 

                          

                             

                           

                    

                             

      A place known for the birth of River Kaveri . Talakaveri is the place that is generally considered to be the source of the river. It is located by Brahmagiri hill near Bhagamandala . It's 1,276 m. above sea level . 

                                     

                                  

           Coorg is also famous for their coffee estates . The coffee estates ( inter - planted with pepper and cardamom) , tea garden and the processing establishments are the life blood of the district , not to forget the Eco- friendly environment created by the planned planting of trees .

                        

                                 

                                   

                                 

              

                                  

           Doesn't it sound like I'm blogging about coorg ...... Let me get back to our destination ...AMANVANA ........I just needed to blog about this resort maybe because I was so impressed with their property . I needed this kind of space to fill myself with pure air , rather than the pollution of bangalore . I wanted to hear the birds as I was tired of the honking sounds . And more than anything I wanted to share the photos in a better way rather than just posting them on Facebook .

         Just after we crossed Srirangapatna , we took a right turn , a road which leads to the bird sanctuary Ranganatittu . A few kilometres on a rough road lead us to KRS road and further ahead it lead us to Yewala . AMANVANA resort is about 80 Kms from there .

                               

                               

Not to forget that we sighted a bus with Dr.Rajkumar's latest re- release of KASTURI NIVASA in colour .....

                                   

                                      

Just after Bylakuppe , the Tibetean settlement in the Kodava land , is Kushalnagar . Known for tourist who visit Kaveri Nisarghadhama . A few yards from Nisarghadhama is AMANVANA ..... our destination ......

                               

                             

We were so excited to experience this resort , as we had stayed in a lot of resorts in Coorg . The only concern was hope it would not let us down in any way . I was all set with my Camera ...... A regular security check at the entrance... And we were right in the property ......

                               

                               

                                  

                               

                                   

                                 

I must admit it was love at first sight . Maybe because of the tranquility of the property . 12 acres of flora and fauna , birds , water and fresh air .The front office staff were very courteous as they guided us through the check in process . The lobby looked good .

   

                                  

                                

                          

                                 

                                      

                                   

                                      

                                   

                                      

                                   

                                      

                                   

                                      

                                   

                                      

                                   

The resort staff guided us to our bungalow ( rooms are called bungalows here ) , as they look like houses with independent fencing ...... On the way to our bungalow.... 205...

                                   

                                   

                                      

                                   

                                      

                                   

                                      

                                   

                                   

                                      

                                   

Here we are at the first look of our room ..... First impressions always lasts ..... The living room .....

                                     

                                    

The bedroom .........

                                     

                                    

The most fascinating part of this bungalow is the bathroom ...... Interiors are made of wood and different kind of stones , which are said to have a healing touch . Books on the shelf , I believe every room has a copy of ALICE IN WONDERLAND ...... I felt the whole resort is inspired by this book . The skylight is the attraction here ..... U can watch nature while soaking yourself in the tub ....

                                       

                                     

     

                                      

                                     

After a quick freshen up , we headed to the restaurant .... Must say , yummy food . Very simple , yet delicious ...

                                     

                                        

                                           

                                         

      

                                         

       

                                           

         

                                           

       

                                           

      

                                            

  

                                            

             

                                            

Wouldn't one wanna take a nice nap after a sumptuous meal .... ;-) .......

The resort looks lovely in the night .... Come on let's have a look ....

                                           

                                              

                                           

     

                                           

            

                                           

    

                                           

All I remembered was I tucked myself in and I was fast asleep  ..... The morning bought a surprise visitor at the window next to me ... The birds ..... That woke me up at 6 .... It was perhaps the right time to go out and explore every nook and corner of the resort .... Here it is for all of you thru my lenses .....

                                             

                                           

                     

                                           

                      

                                             

                                           

                         

                                           

                                            

                                           

                                          

                                           

                                               

                                           

          

                                           

                                              

                                           

             

                                           

                                              

                                           

                     

                                           

                       

                                           

                               

                                           

                

                                           

              

                                           

          

                                           

                               

                                           

The pool .......

                                    

                                           

                             

                                           

             

                                           

                                              

                                           

 

Rabbit holes ........

        

                                             

            

                                           

                   

                                           

          

                                            

River Kaveri .......

             

                       

                                           

            

                                           

                       

                                           

                             

                                           

                                              

                                           

                                        

                                           

                             

                                           

    

The spa ........

              

                                           

                      

                                           

Make yourself comfortable........

                              

                                           

                               

                                           

                                    

                                           

            

                                           

The Coffee Hut ......

                            

                                           

                

                                           

                     

                                           

The flora and fauna around the resort ....

                                

                                           

                 

                                           

                

                                           

       

                                           

              

                                           

               

   

                                           

       

                                           

      

                                            

               

                                            

       

                                            

       

                                            

        

                                            

                

                                            

The vegetable and fruit garden ....

    

                                            

         

                                            

            

                                           

                                           

                     

                                           

          

                                          

  After a two hour walk ... I'm famished .... Let's see what's on the menu .....

             

                                         

       

                                         

     

                                         

           

                                         

        

                                         

     

                                         

               

                                         

            

                                         

        

                                         

                   

                                         

       

                                         

          

                                         

         

                                         

Quite a spread for breakfast ......

 It's time we check out of this wonderful place .

Would have loved to stay back but......

The only regret is that we couldn't go for the 8 Island walk organised by the resort . But yes I want to go back to experience more and rejuvenate myself .... 

                                   

 

   

                                    

                                              

            

                                             

                                               

                                      

                                     

           

                        

                                  

                

                                     

                                     

                                       

                                    

            

                  

KODBALLE - CRISPY RICE FLOUR RINGS

                           

                                    

INGREDIENTS 

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Rice flour.                            2 cups

Maida.                                1/2 cup

Freshly grated coconut.        1 cup

Freshly chopped coriander.   1 cup

Green chilli.                         10 - 15

Jeera.                                 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

METHOD

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1 . Grind freshly grated coconut and green chilli in a mixer .

2 . In a bowl , add rice flour , maida , jeera , salt , freshly chopped coriander and the grinded coconut chilli paste ( don't add water while grinding ) .

3 . Mix all the ingredients adding a little water to make a soft dough .

4 . Make small balls of the dough . Make long sticks of the dough by rolling the dough on a rolling board .             

              

5 . Roll the dough sticks into rings .

         

                           

6 . Deep fry them until they turn brown . 

DID YOU KNOW..........

1 . Mayonnaise is said to be the invention of the French Chef of the Duke de Richelieu in 1756 . While the Duke was defeating the British at Port Mahon , his chef was creating a victory feast that included a sauce made of cream and eggs . When the chef realised that there was no cream in the kitchen , he improvised , substituting olive oil for the cream . A new culinary masterpiece was born , and the chef named it " Mahonnaise " in honour of the Duke's victory .

      

2 . In ancient Egypt , onions were an object of worship . They symbolised eternity for those who grew them in the garden . The anatomy of the onion suggested a circle within another circle ad this structure symbolised eternal life .

3 . Beethoven  , who was a coffee lover , was extremely particular about his coffee . He always counted 60 beans in each cup when he prepared his brew .

                                                             

4 . The ancient Egyptians recommended mixing half an onion with beer foam as a way of warding off death .

  

5 . Louis Pasteur , whose work on wine , vinegar and beer led to pasteurisation , had an obsessive fear of dirt and infection . He refused to shake hands and carefully wiped plate and glass before dining.

                                  

                                   

6 . In the French court of Louis XI , the fine ladies lived mainly on soup because they believed that excessive chewing would cause them to develop premature facial wrinkles .

                                                                

7 . Tablecloths were originally meant to serve as towels with which guests could wipe tier hands and faces after dinner .

8 . In ancient  Greece  , tossing an apple to a girl was the traditional proposal for marriage. Catching it meant she accepted .

9 . In 1945 , Percy Spencer discovered that when popcorn was placed under microwave energy , it popped . This led to many experiments with other foods , and ultimately , the birth of the microwave oven .

                         

                                    

10 . Chocolate syrup was used as blood in the famous 45 second shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's movie PSYCHO.

                             

                             

11 . Chocolate contains phenylethylamine ( PEA ) , a natural substance that is reputed to stimulate the very same reaction in the body as falling in love does .

                               

                                 

12 . It has been proved that apples are more effective than caffeine at keeping people awake at night . This fruit contains a chemical that's stronger than caffeine .

13 . An apple , potato and onion all taste the same if you eat them with your nose plugged .

14 . One has to eat 11 pounds of potatoes to put on one pound of weight - a potato has no more calories than an apple .

15 . Jelly fish are considered a delicacy by many cultures . After they have been dried and de-salted , they reportedly are not only delicious , but low in fat , calories and salt and rich in nutrients .

                              

16 . When potatoes first appeared in Europe in the 17 th century , it was thought that they were disgusting , and they blamed for starting outbreaks of leprosy and syphilis . As late as 1720 in America , eating potato was believed to shorten a person's life .

17 . Some farmers in Japan have learnt to grow their watermelons into a square shape . They did this to conserve shelf space .

18 . The first vending machine in the United States were installed on New York City train platforms in 1888 and dispensed chewing gum .

19 . In Japan , it is considered extremely impolite to pour one's own drink when eating with others - you pour your companion's drink and your companion pours yours . On the other hand , it is considered ok to make loud slurping sounds when eating noodles .

20 . Fried chicken is the most popular meal ordered in sit - down restaurants in the US . The next in popularity are roast beef , spaghetti , turkey , baked ham and fried shrimp .

21 . If you put a raisin in a glass of champagne , it will keep floating to the top and sinking to the bottom .

22. The English word " soup " comes from the word " sop " , which means a slice of bread over which roast drippings are poured . The first evidence of soup being consumed dates back to 6000 BC , the main ingredient being hippopotamus bones .

23 . Beer was not sold in bottles until 1850 . Before then , if you wanted beer , you had to bring it home from the local tavern in a bucket made especially for it .

TOMATO SHORBA

                

                                

INGREDIENTS 

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Tomatoes.                  8 - 10 medium size

Ginger.                       1 piece

Garlic.                        3 - 4 cloves

Fresh Red chillies.      4

Curry leaves

Coriander seeds.        2 teaspoons

Turmeric powder.       1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil.                             1 tablespoon

Cumin seeds.             1/2 teaspoon

Mustard seeds.           1/2 teaspoon

METHOD

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1 . Wash and halve tomatoes .

2 . Peel , wash and chop ginger and garlic . Remove stems , wash and chop fresh red chillies . Wash curry leaves . Roast coriander seeds.

3 . Take 4 1/2 cups of water in a deep pan . Add tomatoes , ginger , garlic , coriander seeds , turmeric powder and half of the curry leaves and bring to boil . Lower heat and simmer for half an hour . Strain .

4 . Reheat the liquid  , add salt and simmer for 15 minutes .

5 . Heat oil in a pan , add mustard seeds and cumin seeds . When they crackle , add fresh red chillies and remaining curry leaves .

6 . Sauté for a minute and add it to the simmering shorba . Stir well and serve hot .