LIKE NOTHING I’VE SEEN
It was summer holidays. After a long wait of 2 weeks we finally reached Guruvayoor, our
hometown. Days and weeks passed by and all I could think of was about the Mysore trip our
family had planned with my uncle.
Finally the day had come and we set out from home early at 3:00 in the morning. It was a
Sunday morning and soon we were climbing hairpins in Kerala when the sun slowly rose to a
beautiful cold morning. We stopped at a roadside dhaba and had hot chaiwith snacks. The
perfect combination of an Indian road trip. The next thing we could see was a breath taking
view from the high mountains down to the greenery all around.
We climbed higher and higher until we could see the board which welcomed us to the state of
Tamil Nadu. We were then travelling through a small town which was quite busy. The place
was very cold and the air was filled with fog and mist.
We crossed small towns and then we were stopped at a place and then began the fun. Our
vehicles were checked and we were warned about what we were going to witness for the next few
hours. My brother, sister and I were the most excited about what we were about to see. We
drove through the area for some time and waited for what we wanted to see all that while…..
Lots of wild animals and birds. Our vehicle was even blocked several times by huge animals
and all we could do was wait for them to cross. It was dangerous yet extremely thrilling! We
crossed thick forests and drove through them for hours. Wild deer, elephants and lots more.
We soon entered the state of Karnataka. After a drive of an hour we reached Mysore and
booked a hotel room. Without wasting any time we started the day. None of us could wait to
visit the Summer Palace and the Palace of the Mysore Tiger, Tipu Sultan. The tomb of Tipu
Sultan and other prominent rulers were among our other destinations. Walking through these
places where great Indians shed their blood for our country made me immensely proud. The
very thought of the historyof these placesbrought chills down my body!
Our next destination was Coorg, in the Kodagu district of Karnataka, about 100 km away
from Mysore. This place’s temperature is known to be always really low. The water there
was ice cold. The unending, heavy rain that we experienced from Coorg will always be an
unforgettable experience for me, living in Dubai.
These four days spent with my family in a different place with different experiences, different
atmosphere, the different people, different cuisines, different culture…what more could I ask
for a perfect vacation!
-Aliya Sultana Shafiq
Grade 10