Long weekend: All roads lead to Kodagu

Madikeri :

On Friday, all roads from Bengaluru and surrounding areas led to the picturesque town of Madikeri, with weekenders packing their bags to make the most of the extended holiday.

Homestays, lodges and resorts did brisk business. Tourists who came to Madikeri without bookings had to return disappointed. In fact, many small restaurants ran out of food.

On Saturday, the small town saw a snaking line of vehicles and massive traffic jams with police on their toes, trying to control the steady inflow of tourists.

It took more than an hour to cover the distance from Sudarshan Circle to Mangerira Muthanna Circle, just 1km apart. Madikeri DySP Rajashekhar told TOI that 25 traffic constables, six Home Guards, three SIs, three ASIs, a Kaveri mobile squad worked round the clock to ease traffic. Ten persons were injured when a jeep toppled at Mandalpatti tourist centre near Madikeri.

Homestays Association president Nali Achaiah said many of the homestays had to turn away tourists as they had not booked in advance. “Most of the guests tucked into Coorg cuisine. In fact, our cuisine is not too spicy, which suits most palates,” she added. Nali had a word of warning for homestay owners. “Don’t take in guests who have not made bookings or paid for it. Recently, we had a case where the owner and his wife were attacked and robbed by tourists who checked in as students,” she added. She urged all unregistered homestays to get themselves registered.

Adventure sports, too, were a big draw over the weekend, as the unseasonal rain failed to dampen spirits.

Cheyanda Satya, head of Travel Coorg, said even luxury resorts were fully booked for the weekend.

“The major inflow is from Bengaluru and Chennai, with some tourists from Mumbai and Hyderabad. We did get complaints of homestays overcharging and taxis fleecing unsuspecting tourists. It’s most unfortunate, and the tourism department should interfere in such situations,” Cheyanda Satya said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / TNN / May 03rd, 2015

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