Ram and I had just finished a trip to Belur, Halebid and Shravanabelagola using Harsha's wedding as an excuse. Two weeks later Ram again started off with a plan for another trip to Sringeri and other nearby places. We asked Sathish. He readily accepted and suggested that we make it a bike trip. Though that was a casual suggestion, that was the root of the plan. We asked Bhanu. We hadn't mentioned that this was a bike trip. But he said, "Im coming only if this is a bike trip". When we told our plan he accepted without a moment's thought. So it was 4 people now.
Later, Ram dropped as he had a few things at the office to be taken care of. Bhanu, Sathish and I discussed a lot of things (places to go, dates, etc.) and decided on the dates 9, 10 and 11 May. It was getting exciting (for me) as the dates neared. Reason being, I have never been on a bike trip in my life.
The plan was was this,
Day 0: Leave on 8th afternoon to Hassan. Stay for the night.
Day 1: Leave for Chikmagalur on 9th morning, check in to a hotel and go to Mullaihna Giri, Bababudan Giri and Kemmanagundi.
Day 2: On 10th go to Horanadu and Kudremukh.
Day 3: Leave for Bangalore on 11th morning. Chikmagalur would be our base camp.
3 guys, 3 bikes, 3 days and 1 hell of a trip.
Monday, May 26, 2008
The Bike Trip - Day 0
8th May
We asked Ravi for permission to leave at 3 p.m. He said ok, but someone else said no! Mother nature unleashed her fury in the form of heavy rains. She said "Thou shalt wait for two hours". We did. Many of our team mates knew about our trip just then and were wildly jeering at our delay. One of them was even praying that the rain never stops (we had informed him at the last minute and he couldn't make it). So nice of him!
I told Sathish and Bhanu that we leave now or we will never make it. After all, it is the first step that takes the most courage and determoination. We left when the rain had slowed down. We drove sathish's room picked up his stuff and left. It was raining intermittently as we drove towards the outskirts of Bangalore. Traffic, bad drivers and slushy roads made it a real pain in the whatever to cross the Nelamangala.
Once we crossed Nelamangala, we stopped at a Hanuman temple and prayed for a smooth trip.
After we sought his blessings , we started our drive to Hassan. By then it had become dark. We had decided on a formation. Sathish drives first, me next and followed by Bhanu. This had become an unwritten rule throughout the entire trip.
We kept driving for almost 2.5 hours with a few breaks to take a leak or ask for directions. When we reached Bellur Cross, it had started to drizzle. Bhanu was completely against driving in the rain. So we took a room in the only lodge in the area. The great SBG Logde. The double bed room costed Rs. 310. The guy even refused to provide an extra bed for money. Since that lodge was the only one around, the guy made his rules. One either had to abide or get lost. We abided.
We then went in search of hotel to get something to eat. And to our horror all shops were closed due to a bandh in light of the upcoming elections. With some asking and searching we stumbled into a idly hotel. The hotel was a midsized hut. It was lit solely by a petromax lamp and the door was closed (opened) in such a fashion that the locals could find it. To the untrained eye it would be just another house. We ordered for 15 idlies and 4 vadas. We went to the room to feast on our hard found dinner. And man, wasn't it delicious! The chutney was the best I have ever had in karnataka. But it wasn't enough, so Sathish and Bhanu went to get more of the sumptuous idlies.
After the heavy and filling dinner, we had a tough time sleeping. We had to squeeze ourselves on the uncomfortable bed. The room had a colony of mosquitoes and to make things worse, the fan was working in a slow mo mode. We were a good 40 kms short of our target for that day.
We asked Ravi for permission to leave at 3 p.m. He said ok, but someone else said no! Mother nature unleashed her fury in the form of heavy rains. She said "Thou shalt wait for two hours". We did. Many of our team mates knew about our trip just then and were wildly jeering at our delay. One of them was even praying that the rain never stops (we had informed him at the last minute and he couldn't make it). So nice of him!
I told Sathish and Bhanu that we leave now or we will never make it. After all, it is the first step that takes the most courage and determoination. We left when the rain had slowed down. We drove sathish's room picked up his stuff and left. It was raining intermittently as we drove towards the outskirts of Bangalore. Traffic, bad drivers and slushy roads made it a real pain in the whatever to cross the Nelamangala.
Once we crossed Nelamangala, we stopped at a Hanuman temple and prayed for a smooth trip.
After we sought his blessings , we started our drive to Hassan. By then it had become dark. We had decided on a formation. Sathish drives first, me next and followed by Bhanu. This had become an unwritten rule throughout the entire trip.
We kept driving for almost 2.5 hours with a few breaks to take a leak or ask for directions. When we reached Bellur Cross, it had started to drizzle. Bhanu was completely against driving in the rain. So we took a room in the only lodge in the area. The great SBG Logde. The double bed room costed Rs. 310. The guy even refused to provide an extra bed for money. Since that lodge was the only one around, the guy made his rules. One either had to abide or get lost. We abided.
We then went in search of hotel to get something to eat. And to our horror all shops were closed due to a bandh in light of the upcoming elections. With some asking and searching we stumbled into a idly hotel. The hotel was a midsized hut. It was lit solely by a petromax lamp and the door was closed (opened) in such a fashion that the locals could find it. To the untrained eye it would be just another house. We ordered for 15 idlies and 4 vadas. We went to the room to feast on our hard found dinner. And man, wasn't it delicious! The chutney was the best I have ever had in karnataka. But it wasn't enough, so Sathish and Bhanu went to get more of the sumptuous idlies.
After the heavy and filling dinner, we had a tough time sleeping. We had to squeeze ourselves on the uncomfortable bed. The room had a colony of mosquitoes and to make things worse, the fan was working in a slow mo mode. We were a good 40 kms short of our target for that day.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
The Bike Trip - Day 1
9th May
We woke up at 5:00 in the morning and started our journey to Chikmagalur. We had to reach Hassan. From Hassan Chikmagalur was 40 kms. The ETA at Chikmagalur was 9:00 AM. The drive from Bellur Cross to Hassan was beautiful. The road was perfect. There was no vehicle to overtake. The road was ours. And we claimed it by driving at the fastest possible speeds. I even touched a 100 kmph on a Bajaj Platina. Imagine what a Pulsar or a Bullet could do. We stopped at Channarayapatna for a tea break.
Then we headed to Hassan. We only stopped at Hassan for directions. If the road to Hassan was beautiful. The raod to Chikmagalur was even better. Karnataka government did a good job in laying the roads. We again stopped for a few snaps at a shady place. We risked standing in the middle of the road for some snaps.
We drove for some more time before we got our first glimpse of the western ghats. We again stopped for more snaps. This time we had some friendly farmers, who were more than happy to pose.
Some time from then we reached Chikmagalur. We checked into Soundarya lodge, showered and had breakfast. At 10:30 we started to Mullaihna Giri. The narrow, winding roads and hairpin bends made the drive a very challenging one. The last kilometre of the drive was the most challenging. There was no proper road, just loose gravel and the slope was quite steep. We made the last kilometre only to find a very beautiful place called Mullaihna Giri. We parked our bikes in a clearance and climbed a couple of hundred steps to reach the peak. Atop the peak was a Shiva temple. The view from the top was breathtaking. The hills looked like the ones we usually see in movies.
Under the temple was a cave. The cave was wide mouthed in the entrance and within a few feet the cave was a wide enough only for a kid to crawl through.
We made a downward journey on the treacherous road with great care and fear. We drove towards Bababudan Giri. The drive was really good. But the place was not worthy of mention, except that it has a samadhi of a muslim religious leader. The place was very badly maintained. People threw garbage with little care for nature. We had a lunch consisting of only sambar rice and left for Kemmanagundi, the last destination for the day.
This was probably the worst roads in our trip. The road to Kemmanagundi ran along tea estates was riddled with potholes. We endured 20 kms of such road to reach Kemmanagundi. Enroute, we drove through Bhadra wildlife sanctuary. That part of the route was decent, at least, the view of the beautiful grass covered hills was pleasant.
We reached Kemmanagundi at 5:00 just in time for the sunset. That is what Kemmanagundi is quite famous for. After a cup of coffee and few winks of sleep, we waited for the sunset. Only to be disappointed. There was a thick cover of clouds behind which the sun hid itself.
Next came a jolt in the so far good trip. Sathish lost his bike key! Bhanu and Sathish went in hunt of the key while I stayed behind. After 15 minutes of frenzied searching the key was found in the hotel where we had our coffee. We enquired about alternate route to reach Chikmagalur. There was one and that also required us to drive throuh the bad roads for atleast 10 kms. As we left Kemmanagundi the mist was starting to wrap the mountains around. We drove for the next 10 kms like we were being chased by a bunch of gun wielding psychopaths. A puncture or a fall on that road would have meant only one thing. Screwed. Luckily, we did not get screwed. After a stop at a petrol bunk for refuelling Bhanu's bike, we headed to Chikmagalur. When we reached the hotel, my shoulder, back and of course the butt hurt very badly. We had driven 140 kms that day.
We woke up at 5:00 in the morning and started our journey to Chikmagalur. We had to reach Hassan. From Hassan Chikmagalur was 40 kms. The ETA at Chikmagalur was 9:00 AM. The drive from Bellur Cross to Hassan was beautiful. The road was perfect. There was no vehicle to overtake. The road was ours. And we claimed it by driving at the fastest possible speeds. I even touched a 100 kmph on a Bajaj Platina. Imagine what a Pulsar or a Bullet could do. We stopped at Channarayapatna for a tea break.
Then we headed to Hassan. We only stopped at Hassan for directions. If the road to Hassan was beautiful. The raod to Chikmagalur was even better. Karnataka government did a good job in laying the roads. We again stopped for a few snaps at a shady place. We risked standing in the middle of the road for some snaps.
We drove for some more time before we got our first glimpse of the western ghats. We again stopped for more snaps. This time we had some friendly farmers, who were more than happy to pose.
Some time from then we reached Chikmagalur. We checked into Soundarya lodge, showered and had breakfast. At 10:30 we started to Mullaihna Giri. The narrow, winding roads and hairpin bends made the drive a very challenging one. The last kilometre of the drive was the most challenging. There was no proper road, just loose gravel and the slope was quite steep. We made the last kilometre only to find a very beautiful place called Mullaihna Giri. We parked our bikes in a clearance and climbed a couple of hundred steps to reach the peak. Atop the peak was a Shiva temple. The view from the top was breathtaking. The hills looked like the ones we usually see in movies.
Under the temple was a cave. The cave was wide mouthed in the entrance and within a few feet the cave was a wide enough only for a kid to crawl through.
We made a downward journey on the treacherous road with great care and fear. We drove towards Bababudan Giri. The drive was really good. But the place was not worthy of mention, except that it has a samadhi of a muslim religious leader. The place was very badly maintained. People threw garbage with little care for nature. We had a lunch consisting of only sambar rice and left for Kemmanagundi, the last destination for the day.
This was probably the worst roads in our trip. The road to Kemmanagundi ran along tea estates was riddled with potholes. We endured 20 kms of such road to reach Kemmanagundi. Enroute, we drove through Bhadra wildlife sanctuary. That part of the route was decent, at least, the view of the beautiful grass covered hills was pleasant.
We reached Kemmanagundi at 5:00 just in time for the sunset. That is what Kemmanagundi is quite famous for. After a cup of coffee and few winks of sleep, we waited for the sunset. Only to be disappointed. There was a thick cover of clouds behind which the sun hid itself.
Next came a jolt in the so far good trip. Sathish lost his bike key! Bhanu and Sathish went in hunt of the key while I stayed behind. After 15 minutes of frenzied searching the key was found in the hotel where we had our coffee. We enquired about alternate route to reach Chikmagalur. There was one and that also required us to drive throuh the bad roads for atleast 10 kms. As we left Kemmanagundi the mist was starting to wrap the mountains around. We drove for the next 10 kms like we were being chased by a bunch of gun wielding psychopaths. A puncture or a fall on that road would have meant only one thing. Screwed. Luckily, we did not get screwed. After a stop at a petrol bunk for refuelling Bhanu's bike, we headed to Chikmagalur. When we reached the hotel, my shoulder, back and of course the butt hurt very badly. We had driven 140 kms that day.
The Bike Trip - Day 2
All of us slept well and were quite refreshed for the second day. The plan for the day was to go to Horanadu and Kudremukh. The drive to Horanadu was both good and bad. We reached Horanadu at 11:00. Horanadu is a very very beautiful place located in a perfect valley. As it was summer, it was hot. I think post monsoon, it must be a really wonderful place.
The Annapurneshwari temple in Horanadu is very famous. Also famous is the annadhaanam (simply put, free lunch) at the temple. We had a good darshan of the goddess and proceeded to the lunch. The food was served a la Dharmasthala style. The boiled rice was pulled in a trolley while the brahmins served it using large ladles. The food was absoolutely delicious. We couln't budge even a bit after the heavy meal. We rested for sometime and started our drive to Kudremukh.
This is where there is an intersting thing happened. Bhanu got lost! Sathish and Bhanu went ahead of me when I stoppped for a few photos. I drove a little fast to catch up with them. They weren't waiting for me in Kalasa. I assumed they went ahead. I proceeded on the road to Kudremukh. For the next 5 kms, I expected two bikes to be waiting for me at every curve. But no, there were none. I was getting worried. I stopped and with my little kannada speaking ability managed to ask some people if a Bullet had passed by. They said no. I started to panic. My mobile had no signal (that was in the mountains, duh!). I turned and traced back the route I came only to find Sathish driving in the opposite direction. Again I turned and caught up with to ask what happened. Then he said, Bhanu had driven into a differenrt route and they were searching for each other. They had found each other and, Sathish had guessed that I would only be heading to Kudremukh. In a minute Bhanu joined us. I felt relieved.
We drove to for around 20 kms to Kudremukh. This road, I would call the best in our trip.
We stopped at Hanumangundi falls. We had to descend at least 300 steps to reach the waterfall. But it was worth all the trouble. We dipped our feet in the cold waters and it did some magic on our sore feet. We did not bath as we had no spare clothes. A bath probably would have been more refreshing. After an hour we left the falls.
Again climbed up the stairs, and yes, I was out of breath by the time I reached the top. I asked one of the photographer guys to take a photo of the three of us. He asked me what make is my camera, when I told him Panasonic FZ50. He said "Wow! Thats a very nice model". I had goose bumps. After some more photo sessions enroute, we drove to Sringeri.
This was not on our inital plan. But to reach Chikmagalur from Kudremukh, one has to go via Sringeri.
In the Sringeri temple, we prayed to godess Sharadamba. Then we saw the age old tradition of fish feeding in the river. The fishes were huge growing upto a feet in length. People feed the fishes with puffed rice. This has been happening for ages. Sometimes I wonder if those fishes ever get bored of the food.
I took a photo in the same place where I had one taken 15 years ago when I came with my parents. It was nostalgic.
Then came snacks time. Sringeri is quite popular for the hometels, bhotels run by a family in their own homes. We went to one of those and binged. The only items that were available were idly, vada and poori. But they taste so delicious!
After the "light" snack we began our way back to Chikmagalur. It was dark already. The winding road slowly became more and more scary. No signboards, no milestones, no lights. At one point we stopped and I told all of us to switch of the lights. We freaked out. We couldn't see even other person's face. It was pitch dark! It looked like someone had painted black all over my eyes. We rushed the rest of the 90 kms to Chikmagalur. When we checked into the hotel, it was 10:30 pm. I noticed that I had severe sunburn. The skin had turned red. The part that hurt the most was my butt. Other parts seemed ok. We had driven 310 kms that day. Twice than the previous day.
The Annapurneshwari temple in Horanadu is very famous. Also famous is the annadhaanam (simply put, free lunch) at the temple. We had a good darshan of the goddess and proceeded to the lunch. The food was served a la Dharmasthala style. The boiled rice was pulled in a trolley while the brahmins served it using large ladles. The food was absoolutely delicious. We couln't budge even a bit after the heavy meal. We rested for sometime and started our drive to Kudremukh.
This is where there is an intersting thing happened. Bhanu got lost! Sathish and Bhanu went ahead of me when I stoppped for a few photos. I drove a little fast to catch up with them. They weren't waiting for me in Kalasa. I assumed they went ahead. I proceeded on the road to Kudremukh. For the next 5 kms, I expected two bikes to be waiting for me at every curve. But no, there were none. I was getting worried. I stopped and with my little kannada speaking ability managed to ask some people if a Bullet had passed by. They said no. I started to panic. My mobile had no signal (that was in the mountains, duh!). I turned and traced back the route I came only to find Sathish driving in the opposite direction. Again I turned and caught up with to ask what happened. Then he said, Bhanu had driven into a differenrt route and they were searching for each other. They had found each other and, Sathish had guessed that I would only be heading to Kudremukh. In a minute Bhanu joined us. I felt relieved.
We drove to for around 20 kms to Kudremukh. This road, I would call the best in our trip.
We stopped at Hanumangundi falls. We had to descend at least 300 steps to reach the waterfall. But it was worth all the trouble. We dipped our feet in the cold waters and it did some magic on our sore feet. We did not bath as we had no spare clothes. A bath probably would have been more refreshing. After an hour we left the falls.
Again climbed up the stairs, and yes, I was out of breath by the time I reached the top. I asked one of the photographer guys to take a photo of the three of us. He asked me what make is my camera, when I told him Panasonic FZ50. He said "Wow! Thats a very nice model". I had goose bumps. After some more photo sessions enroute, we drove to Sringeri.
This was not on our inital plan. But to reach Chikmagalur from Kudremukh, one has to go via Sringeri.
In the Sringeri temple, we prayed to godess Sharadamba. Then we saw the age old tradition of fish feeding in the river. The fishes were huge growing upto a feet in length. People feed the fishes with puffed rice. This has been happening for ages. Sometimes I wonder if those fishes ever get bored of the food.
I took a photo in the same place where I had one taken 15 years ago when I came with my parents. It was nostalgic.
Then came snacks time. Sringeri is quite popular for the hometels, bhotels run by a family in their own homes. We went to one of those and binged. The only items that were available were idly, vada and poori. But they taste so delicious!
After the "light" snack we began our way back to Chikmagalur. It was dark already. The winding road slowly became more and more scary. No signboards, no milestones, no lights. At one point we stopped and I told all of us to switch of the lights. We freaked out. We couldn't see even other person's face. It was pitch dark! It looked like someone had painted black all over my eyes. We rushed the rest of the 90 kms to Chikmagalur. When we checked into the hotel, it was 10:30 pm. I noticed that I had severe sunburn. The skin had turned red. The part that hurt the most was my butt. Other parts seemed ok. We had driven 310 kms that day. Twice than the previous day.
The Bike Trip - Day 3
We woke up at 6:30. The plan was to leave at 8:00 to Bangalore. We started at planned time and checked out of the hotel. We went to Town Centre Canteen to have the famous Benne Dosa (butter dosa). After the sumptuous breakfast, we headed to Bangalore. But on the way we saw the board "Belur 1 km ->". Sathish wanted to go, so we went to Belur. It was my third time and the second time in a month there. We didn't spend much time. We went around the temple admiring the architecture. And as anyone could guess, we went to Halebidu also. There too we spent only little time.
We resumed our journey to Bangalore. We crossed Hassan around 12:30. After driving on the lonely ghat roads for two days, it was difficult to drive on normal roads. We lunched at Kamat Upachar and refuelled at the petrol bunk nearby. To our utter dismay, we found they dont accept cards. After filling the fuel! I was pawned at the bunk while Sathish and Bhanu went to Channarayapatna to get some money from ATM. We paid up and stated the most boring and dangerous drives. The drive back home. Here we dint have steep slopes or hairpin bends to worry about. We had over speeding lorries, unruly car drivers and mindless pedestrians to worry about. But we managed to reach home safely.
We had driven more than 1100 kms in this trip. Not even once, the bikes caused any trouble. We are grateful to them. And thankful to Hanuman for having been with us throughout the trip.
We had driven more than 1100 kms in this trip. Not even once, the bikes caused any trouble. We are grateful to them. And thankful to Hanuman for having been with us throughout the trip.
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