tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86864802023-11-15T10:35:27.663-08:00Traveling TalesPallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-28313906626069440192007-01-28T02:25:00.001-08:002013-12-12T00:33:09.792-08:00Thenmala - Kerela<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route taken : <span style="font-style: italic;">Bangalore - Hosur-Krishnagiri-Salem- Dindigu -Madurai - Thirumangalam -</span></span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Srivilliputhur - Rajapalyam- Thenkassi- Shencottai - Thenmala</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/371717422" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Sunrise by Pallavi Barua, on Flickr"><img alt="Sunrise" height="240" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/187/371717422_4ca2e5b9b0.jpg" width="320" /></a>26th of Jan was a long holiday and as usual we were itching to go out and explore the country. It was an ideal time to be out of town and that too in Kerela.<br />
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I had by chance come upon an article on Thenmala in one of the airline magazines and I convinced Rocks to venture on this trip. We called a few friends at the last moment hoping that they would be free and yes they were and yes that was the beginning of another travel.<br />
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We decided to do it a little differently this time. Instead of starting early in the morning we started late in the night. It was a tiring day and we wanted to get going and this time we thought we would try our luck driving in the night.<br />
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We were four of us, Doctor Prithvi, Prateek, Rocks and myself. Doc and Rocks would take over driving alternately. But the plan was to reach our destination by late morning.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/371717707" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Kuttralam by Pallavi Barua, on Flickr"><img alt="Kuttralam" height="240" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/180/371717707_da36141106.jpg" width="320" /></a>
We started by 9:30. Prateek had missed his food that day so he was very hungry. We went to a nice Dhaba on our way out via Atibele to avoid the city traffic. By the time we were done with our dinner and headed out it was almost 10:30 PM. Heading out to Hosur, we were driving along with loads of other buses and trucks who seemed to be very much at home. And here we were thinking that it would be relatively smooth driving. Thanks to some four lanes and good driving skills of Rocks and Doc we were past most of the traffic smoothly.<br />
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We reached Madurai early morning and had some hot south indian coffee and continued on to Rajapalyam where we had some hot breakfast. It was about 9:00 in the morning and we were eager to reach Thenmala. After freshening up we continued up to Shencottah, which was the border town of Tamil Nadu and Kerela. After Shencottah we were very much in Kerela. The road condition worsened and the scenery became more and more beautiful.<br />
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We deviated to Kuttralam since we heard so much about the falls and the place. No doubt the place is very pretty but this was not the right time to come to the falls I guess. All it all it was an Okay place. It would be nice place to relax again.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/371718315" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="train on top of the bridge by Pallavi Barua, on Flickr"><img alt="train on top of the bridge" height="240" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/166/371718315_1e27ea6630.jpg" width="320" /></a>
We could almost ignore the roads. As we climbed up the ghats, we came across some old bridge which was built by the British. We stopped to take photographs and then continued on our way. We reached the Eco Tourism Facilitation Centre in Thenmala. We had planned to take up the dorms there but then we saw that they had just a room and some toilets. It was a green room which would be converted to a dorm with sleeping mats. Well after traveling so far we were not so willing to rough it out to that extent. So we went and looked for another hotel.<br />
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Going by the standards the hotel we found was expensive without much facilities but it would have to do and we needed to crash off. We booked Hotel Green Valley which was being advertised in front of the facilitation centre. ON reaching the place, we went to the room and crashed off. I opened my eyes only by evening 6:00. Prateek and Doc were already up. They had an interesting visit from a colorful bird who went on pecking at their window as they seemed to be disturbing the bird in the process of doing something. Later on Prateek found that the little bird was telling them to buzz off since it had its own nest there.. hahah it was cute.<br />
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Evening was spent with having a few good drinks and lots of Kari meen which proved to be more than an expensive affair. We requested the hotel to provide us with a table and chair on the terrace and we were at peace with the river gurgling by and listening to stories of Doc and Prateek. We always have this time of sharing ride stories and it is always interesting. We planned on further trips and more drinks.. and it was a good time..<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/371719507" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="impressed by the organization by Pallavi Barua, on Flickr"><img alt="impressed by the organization" height="240" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/178/371719507_addc9298dc.jpg" width="320" /></a>
Next morning we spent an hour boating on the river cruising along the Shendurey Wild life sanctuary. It was windy and the day started out cool. We were predicting rain. We were blessed with a few drizzles and before we could think about how it would spoil out plans, the rain stopped. The cruise was very pleasant and it cost some 60/- per head. It was a nice and calm experience if I could ignore the locals trying to touch me and trying to make some conversation. By now I was used to this and well I just kept to myself and focussed on feeling the wind on my face and seeing the calm ripples past by.<br />
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After that, we were dropped back to the centre where we booked tickets to the Leisure Zone which promised us a walk of 700 metres and after going through the sculptures we went to the boardwalk and then to the sway bridge.<br />
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It was a nice restful day and we then carried on to the elevated walkway in the adventurous zone where you could also enrol for rappling and rock climbing. We were content with the elevated walkway which would lead us to the top of the trees and back.<br />
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After this, we ate our fill at MFS Hotel and Bakery. I think I have become a fan of Pulicheri which is something like Kadi. Its a good coolant after you have had spicy food.<br />
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After this we started our way back. I drove till Madurai this time and the roads in Tamil Nadu are fantastic.. I must say. In the evening, Rocks took over and we reached Bangalore early in the morning.<br />
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That ended another good trip.<br />
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For more information on Thenmala <a href="http://www.thenmalaecotourism.com/" style="font-weight: bold;">click here</a><br />
For snaps<a href="http://flickr.com/photos/jilmil/sets/72157594504003575/"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> click here</span></a></div>
Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1128491441793150062005-10-04T22:47:00.000-07:002005-10-05T22:26:07.863-07:00RTMC 4A in Yercaud<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: Bangalore - Hosur- Salem - Yercaud<br />Distance - 240 odd kilometers </span><br /><br /><div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/48668247/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/24/48668247_ac9284fe1c_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" > <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/48668247/">view from Pagoda point..</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/jilmil/">Pallavi Barua</a>. </span></div>It was time for celebration again.. RTMC was celebrating 4th anniversary and it was planned in Yercaud. One of the serene places very near Bangalore.<br />We could not take our bike this time since it was running in and we thought to do this trip with our Jeep. So off we went on Saturday morning all packed and ready to hit the highway. We waited for the other bikes to come in and we met Subin and his wife who were also joining us in their car.<br /><br />So off we went. One group had already gone ahead. We caught up with them in Hosur at the regroup point where we would be having our breakfast. They left as we were having our breakfast and we went soon after polishing off some Pongal and coffee.<br /><br />Hitting the road we were soon bombarded with flying grey butterflies. This reminded me of our Yelagiri trip where I saw innumerable butterflies. Maybe it was their mating season or something. They came at us from everywhere… and it seemed like a miniature scene from the movie Birds. LOL.<br /><br />We reached Salem shortly and stopped to take some photographs.. there is a particular hill which swoops down to make a perfect picture and this time it was green.. because of the rains..<br />Lunch was a short affair where we had some BRIYANI (as the label said) and carried on ahead to Yercaud. It would take us some hour or so to reach the destination.<br /><br />Salem was hot and humid and we were aching for the cool breeze that we were imagining high up in the mountains. We drove up 20 hair pin bends and managed to reach this pretty place. Yercaud is small and pretty. That's the first impression that I got about this place. As you explore further, you might be in for a surprise.<br /><br />It is supposed to be known as Poor man's Ooty but I must say that this place is far better than Ooty anyday.. if you compare the commercial aspects and the crowd factor in that place. This is an ideal place to getaway with friends for the weekend from Bangalore. You need just two days in hand and you can relax and go sightseeing and come back to join office on Monday at the same time without any hassles..<br /><br />The 4A affair was well organized and well scheduled but the only bummer was that there were more people that what was expected but that too was managed well. Anil, you did a great job along with your team there.<br /><br />We were greeted by the bikers who already reached there and were relaxing. We met up with the Madras bulls who came in by late afternoon. Ranga and Dosai were fed up of being the sweep and nursing three punctures on the same bike. They left the biker to manage and continued. The said biker.. with a rubber band on his beard.. came strolling in after sometime.<br />Ranga entertained us with his bike stories of Leh. It was fun listening to him and have him pull Chaitra's legs.<br /><br />We took off for a walk to explore the town. On the way we spied Anthony from Mad Bulls nursing a puncture. Well this was definitely not a Mad bull day. We met Dub dub and his pillion Ajit on the way. They seemed to be lost but they got their bearings when the saw the group. The whole town was buzzing with bulls and we definitely attracted attention where we went.<br />The cake was cut and a bike was rolled in by Prashi. I think it was the oldest bike in that lot.<br />The evening brought forth the gaiety and the party started rocking after a while and the dance floor was rocking with dancers… it was fun..<br /><br />The cake was cut and a bike was rolled in by Prashi. I think it was the oldest bike in that lot. The Mad Bulls presented us with a cap each.. Thanks a lot Mad bulls..<br />Amidst this, Rocky took on the job to fix Vijay's leaking tank. That done.. Rocky misplaced his watch and went watch hunting. Typically it was in Muthu's room where he had been to clean up. And to think of it, this was the second time he almost lost his watch and he left it for the second time in Muthu’s dwelling place.. Is there a karmic thing going on between Rocky’s watch and Muthu … heaven knows.<br /><br />Rocky came back to see that he had misplaced his bottle of vodka somewhere and went on a binge with rum and whiskey. The after effects of that potent mix of raw alcohol was not very pleasant for him.<br /><br />The DJ did his job well in playing all kinds of music.. the Tamil songs were great to dance with. Sylvia, Ramat's partner was the busiest dancer of all. She seemed to love dancing and it was a pleasure to join her on the floor with the other gals.<br /><br />It was nice meeting new members who joined us there... Freya, it was a pleasure to meet you. Hope we meet each other again on the highway. Anu, the same goes for you.<br />Sam came in loaded with T shirts for the group all the way from Tirupur.<br />We retired somewhere before midnight when I could not dance or move anymore. It was great fun and the final count of bikes was 84 attending the celebration.<br /><br />Morning dawned with the chirping of birds and breakfast was the occasion to inaugurate the T- Shirts that Sam brought in the night before. Some bikers left early while we waited for two bikes which had some problems. We were giving one pair a lift. Sai and Sudha's TB had some issues with the engine. Sukesh's bike had some gearbox issues. It was decided that the bikes would be transported back by a truck in Salem.<br /><br />We reached Salem during lunch time and the drive down was amazingly beautiful.. the roads were just perfect and we could see lots and lots of monkey families. This place must be a buzzing ground for them cute critters. You could see all shapes and sizes of them critters. Rocky also identified one as a lonestar cowboy hahah !!<br /><br />After the bike formalities were done the group carried on while some of us stopped for lunch. We had <span style="font-weight: bold;">Kuttu Parathas</span>, a speciality of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Salem </span>which involves the paratha being shredded and then vegetables or meat added to it and fried on a tava. It was yummy.<br />We made good distance after that and reached Bangalore soon after 6:30 and laid our tired muscles to rest.<br /><br />It was great fun joining in this event and hope to see more of you all riders on the highway…<br />Arun from Mad Bulls had a bad scrape where he broke his jaw and has to undergo surgery. He was riding pillion and we hope that he gets well soon.<br /><br />For more details on Yercaud you could click these links<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.chennaionline.com/toursntravel/placesofinterest/yercaud.asp">Yercaud- Poor Man's Ooty</a><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.hillstationsinindia.com/south-india-hill-stations/yercaud.html">Yercaud</a><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.travelmasti.com/domestic/tamilnadu/yercaud.htm">More on Yercaud</a><br /><br />There are enough and more lodging places to book yourself in. We stayed at the Hotel Shevaroy and it was a pretty charming place.. On the way to Pagoda Point, we spied some beautiful cottages which you could try...<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.grangeresort.com/">Here is a link</a> which you could try...which leads you to pretty Grange Resorts.<br /><br />here is a collage of the <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/sets/1062343/">party</a>... you could view the scenic shots <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/sets/1058024/">here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/sets/1062343/"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/blog/collage.gif" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">RTMC : We ride therefore we are</span>Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1122895984747865422005-08-01T04:33:00.000-07:002013-12-12T00:19:11.766-08:00Belting to Bellum Caves<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 0; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/30249512/">Suraj on his Karizzzma</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/jilmil/">Jilmil</a>. </span></div>
August 30 -31st 2005<br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">Route : Hebbal Flyover - Yelhanka - Devanahalli - Chickbalapur - Bagepalli- Penakonda - Dharmavaram- Anantapur(Regroup) right turn - Singanamala - Tadpatri - Belum -</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Distance</span> - 290 Kms approx<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/30249512" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Suraj on his Karizzzma by Pallavi Barua, on Flickr"><img alt="Suraj on his Karizzzma" height="176" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/23/30249512_dd1dcba40b_m.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Day 1</span><br />
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We were looking forward to riding to this place since riding had become infrequent for quite sometime because of the monsoons.. we planned this ride to this place since it would be pretty cool . At the outset we had planned for it to be a solo ride but then the word spread and we had a huge group who were interested and we thought the more the merrier. We planned to join the Wanderers from Hyderabad and Mad bulls from Chennai. RTMC would be also joined in by the Bike Nomads and some guys from IBM who had their own bike group. That was new but heck who was complaining as long as it was going to be a great ride...<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/30249292" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Nandi Hills partially covered by Pallavi Barua, on Flickr"><img alt="Nandi Hills partially covered" height="240" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/21/30249292_35f041f68a.jpg" width="320" /></a>
We started at 6:45 and continued on to Yelahanka... and then through Devanahalli. The international airport my dear Bangaloreans would be an adventure to reach.. I guess.. it seems to far away.. SIGH.. It was chilly and slightly windy and the weather seemed just perfect... We passed the Nandi hills the top of which was covered with rain clouds. Anyway we continued on to the highway and stopped at Bagepalli for breakfast of some idlis after which we hit the road. The roads were smooth and there was little or no traffic to our surprise... and we ripped through the highway.. On the way we came across a lot of railway crossings on the way to Penakonda and for a moment it felt like we were going round and round in circles... meeting the same crossings over and over again..<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/30249467" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="TIMBAKTU by Pallavi Barua, on Flickr"><img alt="TIMBAKTU" height="240" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/22/30249467_c206e0fee9.jpg" width="320" /></a>
Just after the final crossing before reaching Penakonda, we stopped for a break.. since we had covered some 80 plus kms. Anil and ourselves were the first to reach the shade since we were doing some good speed. While we waited for the rest, Anil discovered that his tank was leaking. Rocky got to work on the tank.. We thought of chewing gum but that would not hold it for a long time... since it would react with the petrol and heat. So Rocky did the next best thing possible. He took some soap and a tape and glue and worked on the hole. By the time the others arrived the hole was fixed and ready to go.<br />
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I took the time to take some pictures and to my greatest surprise there was a milestone sporting the word <span style="font-weight: bold;">Timbaktu - > 3kms</span>. I could not believe my eyes. The boys also took some pictures on that post. We were off to Penakonda after the break. I spied Kumbhakarna gardens on the way and I told to myself that we would stop to take some pictures on our way back.<br />
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After Penakonda, the railway crossings disappeared ... and we could have a long and smooth ride.. because the roads were good. The landscape was dry and very deserted but it still had an earthy charm to it... and it was really charming to see green grass trying to grow no matter what the weather... just because this place had its share of rainfall.. no matter what .. life does survive.. given a little drop of encouragement.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/30249491" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="018 by Pallavi Barua, on Flickr"><img alt="018" height="200" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/22/30249491_5c762bf799.jpg" width="165" /></a>Unlike other parts of the south, civilization was not that widespread.. you would meet a small village on the way..which would be comprised of dried farmlands and some 10 odd houses.. The land was not worth cultivating due to the dry and hot weather... I guess..<br />
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We reached<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Anantapur </span>which seemed like a decent town and had a decent population. Roads in the city were good and after some distance we reached <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tadpatri</span>. We were some 20 odd kms from Bellum now. Tadpatri was a crowded town full of dust and pollution and not a great place to take a break at all. One of the bikes had a split tyre which had to be fixed. This was a unique problem and we were all stumped. Seems like the seat was nailed from top down which caused a protrusion of the nail and that touched the tyre. Due to the friction and constant touching.. the nail split the tyre right through the middle. The tyres were changed and we carried on.</div>
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Traffic was madness and there were cars and buses coming from all directions. As if this was not enough, the city roads were pathetic with wide gaping holes and full of gravel which made a bike very difficult to apply brakes. We somehow managed to pass this town and continued our way to Bellum.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/30249551" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Walls built of the Special rocks.. called Cuddapah rocks by Pallavi Barua, on Flickr"><img alt="Walls built of the Special rocks.. called Cuddapah rocks" height="164" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/22/30249551_cb82901bc4_m.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
The road had lots of dips and curves and sudden bumps which seem invisible from a distance and it shows itself when you are too near it thus making it very painful for the rider and the pillion..<br />
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The land in this area was made of layers and layers of rocks laid like sheets and people seemed to be making everything out of these well formed polished stones. The whole area was like a stone quarry and it was like being transported into stone age... everywhere you looked, you could find everything from walls to houses to chairs to your daily items made of this particular stone.. It looked like black granite.. but someone told me it was Katpada stones if I got it right. And it was a strange experience to see this town...<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/30251075" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="All lined up by Pallavi Barua, on Flickr"><img alt="All lined up" height="240" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/22/30251075_56a8ade9eb.jpg" width="320" /></a>
This town was also very windy and we saw a row of windmills doing their trick.. and hopefully harnessing good enery for the people out there.<br />
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After some distance, we spotted a white Buddha in a lotus Position and Bellum Caves written on the hill.<br />
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We went and got our rooms and the dormitory was pretty clean. The place reminded me of Hampi's hotel where we stayed. It had a long driveway and a restaurant and a dorm. It boasted of a bar too but when we asked the guys they said that it was closed because of lack of license.. Well what a shame. We found out that we could get drinks from a nearby village. Two of the guys went to get the drinks while the rest settled down. The bike nomads arrived with their Bajaj Pulsar. There was some accomodation confusion but that was sorted out soon.<br />
Just as all the bikes were coming in.. one of the IBM Pulsar riders.. riding right behind one of our Bulls, somersaulted over when the Bull braked. Now it is common sense not to be directly behind a bike at any point of time on the road.. I think it would be a valuable lesson learnt for a rookie.. Riding is just not as simple as applying brakes and accelerator.. There are some natural ethics that a rider should know about when riding long distances but I guess one learns from experience.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/30250846" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="A face ? or an illusion by Pallavi Barua, on Flickr"><img alt="A face ? or an illusion" height="320" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/22/30250846_3f57298bc9.jpg" width="240" /></a>
We freshened up, had lunch in the restaurant.. and after a short respite went to the caves. We were informed that 300 trained police men and women would be coming on an excursion to see the caves.. and we would better hurry and finish our visit.. else it would be chaos.<br />
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Just when we started we saw three buses along with cars driving in... and while the crowd waited for the tickets... we hurriedly went ahead and started exploring the caves...<br />
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As Anil got us a guide, myself, Manoj and Rocks decided to go on our own and explore the caves,... before the crowd started.. The guide seemed to be slow..The cave seemed to be very humid but it was well lighted and well maintained. There were fountains and strategically placed lighting which made it a beautiful experience. walking through it. We quickly made our way through the different crevices in the cave .. explored this and that... went through highs and lows and then thick and thin spaces wondering at the stalagcites and the stalagmites.. that were were formed... We saw a huge replica of a ribcage .,.. formation and my imagination started creating a dinosaur or a big whale which died here.. it was eerie yet a very peaceful place... to roam around.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/30250732" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Stalagcites by Pallavi Barua, on Flickr"><img alt="Stalagcites" height="240" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/22/30250732_5b27e62620.jpg" width="320" /></a>
The caves were accidentally found it seems when the villagers were digging and it has been turned into a tourist destination ... I must say that they had done a great job. As we were exploring it was all quiet and finally we went to the source of the water... which was still flowing... it was so beautiful.. just sitting there... we were sweating like pigs<br />
but it was great at the same time... we left quickly to explore the other sections when we were met with hordes of cackling women... and that was it.. the whole charm of exploration was gone. We made a quick job of getting away from the crowd which proved to be very difficult since just as we got rid of the group of women we were bombarded with an oncoming crowd of men... EGAD...<br />
We somehow managed to finish our visit and came out to take a breath of fresh air... Sweet Jesus.. it was heaven ...<br />
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When we headed back.. we saw that the Hyderabad wanderers had wandered in and it was great connecting with GR and the rest of the riders. The <span style="font-weight: bold;">Madras Bulls</span> had also arrived after that. It seems that they got lost and had some bike issues... we urged them to go to the caves as it would be closed after 6:00 in the evening. They rushed in while we chilled out.<br />
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Evening brought in lot of cheer and it was good mingling with the riders..Manoj introduced me to his staple drink called Black Widow but I stuck to brandy which was a good alternative to my usual Vodka. Indira and myself the only women in the group had some nice conversation going while we clicked some snaps.. and it was good to have another woman around.. Slowly as the night progressed, some continued to make merry while we had a sumptous Andhra dinner and turned in. It was a good night... and it was going to be a long day the next day...<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Day 2</span><br />
<br />
I woke up the sound of gushing water and Bullets revving.. and in my sleep dazed mine vaguely recollected that we were here in Bellum caves and the Bathroom are right next to our room... That jolted me awake... and we freshened up fast and decided to leave by 8:00. Some who had a late night were still dozing while the Madras Bulls who<br />
had a long ride ahead... started their bikes and were on their way. We had breakfast and were on our way some nine bikes.. while the rest started at their own time.<br />
<br />
The highway was spread with good traffic since it was a Sunday and a day for all the truckers to ply their goods through. It was not a good feeling ... because the road kept getting blocked by the trucks and if we had a truck passing us by it would jolt us with fresh wind... and make us a wee unstable.. As we passed the town of Tadpatri, we almost had two mishaps. Jose had to backtrack suddenly because of a cyclist who thought of taking a sudden turn. We almost hit another bike who was bent on crossing the road inspite of seeing us coming forward. Luckily no one was hurt.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/30251262" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Kumbhakarna Statue by Pallavi Barua, on Flickr"><img alt="Kumbhakarna Statue" height="240" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/21/30251262_ade6ed3849.jpg" width="320" /></a>
The winds were stronger today and we somehow managed to keep up good speeds... if you would look at a bike froma distance you would see it lean at an angle as it went... because of the wind.... Atul, one of the riders gave up and slept on his bike after stopping at the side... for sometime before continuing.<br />
<br />
We moved fast till we reached Penakonda. We stopped for a break to take a picture of the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Kumbhakarna Gardens.</span> This garden was named because of the statue of a sleeping Kumbhakarna and rakshasas trying to wake him up.<br />
<br />
We continued till we reached yelahanka. There while taking a diversion, a truck forced us to hit the muddy part of the road and well we were saved because of the slush there and Rocky holding the bike well. I was shaken but then I guess I thanked our lucky stars that we did not face anything serious. No damage to any part of the bike.<br />
<br />
We said our goodbyes and we hit home and crashed.... haveing another trip etched in my memory lane...<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Lessons</span>:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">It is NOT safe to ride with a broken mudguard stay and a pillion to boot.</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">It is not just about riding but also about maintaining your bike well.</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Crosswinds need not take your wind away if you find your position well..</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Nailing down your seat from top down may cause more damage to your tyres than you can ever think.</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Riding directly behind any bike does not pay. It may prove fatal.</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Having control over your bike is the best way to prevent a fall.</span></div>
Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1116409044638685432005-05-18T00:07:00.000-07:002005-05-18T03:59:32.646-07:00Trekking to Kotagiri.... Ooty<strong>Day 1</strong><br /><br />This trek was being planned for a long time and it was decided that we would trek in the Parson's Valley but it did not work out since there was some issues in permission. At a very short notice we could manage a trek in Kotagri courtesy a good friend's relative. So off we went on Friday night. The tempo traveller which was supposed to pick us up came in an hour late with a driver having a surly attitude....<br /><br />We all got introduced to each other.. we knew some of the gang and some were new faces<br /><img style="WIDTH: 395px; HEIGHT: 282px" height="340" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/82.jpg" width="470" align="right" /><br />1. Kapil aka Kaps aka Topi<br />2. Bumboo aka karthik<br />3. BaaBaa aka Kiran<br />4. Rakesh aka Rocky aka Budhua<br />5. Pallavi aka Pal aka Mrs Budhua<br />6. Vivek aka Mr Isolation<br />7. Sujata(Vivek's wife) aka Mrs Isolation<br />8. Suresh aka Billoo<br />9. Preethi aka Sherni THE mombati THE Tubelight<br />10. Rahul aka "Parcelling" aka "Tracking"<br />11. Upendra aka Cricket 12. Hemanth aka Chalu<br /><br />It was almost midnight and by the time we picked up everyone driving all around in Bangalore it was past 1 in the night and we were raring to go. I was hoping that we could sleep but the seats were not comfortable enough to do so.<br /><br />We were on our way to Mysore and halfway down the highway we saw that the driver was falling asleep on the wheel and however hard he tried he could not sit. It was scary watching him drive all crooked off the wheel and almost hitting the median in the middle of the road.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14139653/in/set-342423/" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/1.jpg" align="left" /></a>We stopped him near a shop and told him to rest for sometime before he continued. As our driver slept over the wheel, we sat outside chatting. I was just thinking how to pass the time.. when I spied a dog standing on a short door of the shop and looking at us curiously. I did not hesitate to go and say hello to him.<br /><br />Raja as the dog was named... did not waste time making friends.. shy at first but gained confidence as I talked to it and in that process spied a cat too sitting on a stool...The shopkeeper a middle aged pleasant woman... was one who seemed to love animals.. she was very enthused looking at me taking pics and interacting with the cat and the dog.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14139656/in/set-342423/" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/2.jpg" align="right" /></a>This brown cat had a love hate relationship with the dog. He had a roving eye and like a typical male cat and to stop him from getting hurt he was tied.. I coaxed the woman to untie the cat... she told me that it was for his own good since he was known for his disappearing acts,.. this was a young cat ... very eager to explore the outside world.... Raja never hesitated to play with the brown cat and also tolerated the slaps that he got from it..<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14138505/in/set-342423/" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/7.jpg" align="left" /></a>The shopkeeper ran inside and got her daughter and one more cat with her kittens.. Rani was the feline was called was a wary mother... since the kitten was only 80 days old.. the shopkeeper's daughter also came out and showed me kittens. Rani was anxious about her babies and did not know what to make of my camera flashes... but i assured her that her babies were safe and did not go near her...<br /><br />It was endearing to see this family all busy even at 2 AM in the morning. After saying my goodbyes we boarded the bus and went on our way to Ooty through the Masinagudi ghats which had about 36 hairpin bends. We stopped at the foothills of Masinagudi and had some tea to take away the state of sleeplessness...The tempo climbed pretty easily up the ghats and we reached Ooty soon.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14138538/in/set-342430/" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/15.jpg" align="right" /></a>As we entered Ooty.. we were welcomed with heavy downpour of rain which made us wonder if we could do the trek. Sujata was persistently hoping that we would keep cozy with Antakshiri if it rained .... but no sooner the thought crossed our mind... the skies cleared and we reached our YWCA Anandagiri guest house which was near ATC bus stand in Ooty not far away from the railway station.<br /><br />It was about 11 in the morning and we had to freshen up and start for kotagiri for the trek. Kotagiri was about one hour drive from Ooty. We were all lacking sleep and dying to take a short nap but that was not to be...<br /><br />We all freshened up and started for Kotagiri. Breakfast was good at one of the south indian hotels... where we got fresh idlis and dosas. We had our fill. I stuck to idlis since we would be doing the ghats.. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14138553/in/set-342453/" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/17.jpg" align="left" /></a><br /><br />As we came out of the hotel we could not find our Tempo. The driver had cooly vanished leaving us there since he could not get a parking place. After walking for sometime Kiran aka Baba was sent to the hotel in the hope that the car would be there. And correctly we spied the car there from our end,.. Sheesh .. and then we all continued up the hill to Kotagiri.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14139350/in/set-342430/" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/98.jpg" align="right" /></a>The road seemed to be going round and round and the heavy breakfast took a toll of some of the gang specially Billoo who was not very upto the winding ghats. Baba also was feeling uneasy so he started talking nonsense and I joined him.. knowing his dilema... It was a beautiful road with lots of picture perfect mountains but we were too tired to appreciate it and by this time all we could think of was some sleep...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14138647/in/set-342453/" target="'_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 198px; HEIGHT: 141px" height="119" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/26.jpg" width="173" align="left" /></a>Reached Kotagiri and found the guide who was a part of the Kotagiri Wild life society and who arranged the trek through a friend's help. We also got introduced to Dr Ramakrishna who provided us with the guide. The guide Mr Raju took us to the Estate and told us that he would be taking us to Rangaswamy pillar which woud be some 6 hours trek to and back. Our tempo needed to be repaired and while Rakesh and Karthik were getting the guide our driver took some time to try and figure out what was wrong ...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14138747/in/set-342453/" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/32.jpg" align="right" /></a>We were all excited about it and ready to go. We went and stopped at the base of the hill which was carpetted with tea plantation. It was was a beautiful view. We did not know what to expect but we started the trek through the tea plantation and slowly the road started getting steeper and steeper. It was festival time here and the whole place was full of loud music and colorful decorations.<br /><br />We trudged up the stony path and it became steeper and steeper .. it was a tough climb but after sometime we got used to the momentum of the walk and it was easy to carry on...from there.. we crossed through huge canopies of trees and came out to clearings which were pleasantly surprising.. sometimes it was a pond.. sometimes it was a new hill sometimes.. it was grassland.. it was interesting how the landscape changed after each jungle...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14138837/in/set-342453/" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/42.jpg" align="left" /></a>The crickets were having a gala time in the jungle screaming at each other and if you were in a movie... this sound effect would almost make you go crazy.. the path was scattered with ferns and it was cool though the sun was shining at full force.<br /><br />Upendra who had just watched Kaal could not help compare it to the movie. I guess he was very impressed with the movie. He then told me the whole story of the movie as we walked...<br /><br />We took short breaks on and off and reached the destination after about 2 hours.<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14138848/in/set-342453/" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/44.jpg" align="right" /></a> Rangaswamy pillar which was a huge monolith some 2100 metres above sea level. We were quite awed by the scenic view that greeted us... mountain ranges all around us and we wished we could camp here..<br />Our guide had another local guide with him who had led us here and he was like a mountain goat climbing this way and that. Reminded me of my native place were we used to climb like that ... now it was way past that time...<br /><br />We had our lunch there which was kindly provided to us in packets by the guide. Lunch comprised of curd rice and tomato rice very well made from Hari mess in Kotagiri.<br /><br /><img style="WIDTH: 154px; HEIGHT: 119px" height="139" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/347391138tUPcNK_ph.jpg" width="175" align="left" />Some went down the slope to have a better look at the pillar... a couple of us had our lunch there. Baba who was a little hesitant to go below.. went down anyway but coming up was a problem for him and he got stuck on the rock suddenly realising that there was a sheer drop from where he was trying to climb up... it was a sight to see Baba totally frozen and spread eagled on the rock refusing to let go ... of his legs and hands. We encouraged him up but he remained like that for sometime... Upendra went down again to help him climb up.. Baba by this time had got back his fledging courage and came up the rocks...<br /><br /><a href="http://community.webshots.com/photo/346598414/347384774JjQUrr" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/111.jpg" align="right" /></a>After lunch we started back.. I started first since I was slow compared to the rest of the group and the rest followed some yards behind me... Upendra also was with me and we went on ahead slowly and steadily. The slopes upwards was sheer effort since my legs were quite tired by this time... but i pushed on ahead... till we reached the tea plantation and back to our Tempo.<br /><br />It was a great day... and we were pleasantly tired. The gang wanted to trek some more.. but it was getting dark and we promised ourselves that we would be back to this beautiful place.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14460529/in/set-342453/" target="'_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 211px; HEIGHT: 157px" height="149" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/IMG_0105.jpg" width="175" align="left" /></a>Thanks to the organisers who could ramp up a trek at such a short notice...<br /><br />Kotagiri has many places you can trek.. and see ... and it takes more than a day to complete all of that.<br /><br />Reached Ooty sometime past 9:00 and we stopped for dinner.. We managed to locate a hotel near our guesthouse but all places seemed to be full.. Somehow we managed to get places after discussing and negotiating with the owner.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14138787/in/set-342453/" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/35.jpg" align="right" /></a>Rocky and Kiran had already huddled up in the bar which the hotel sported which seemed to be very shady place... but who the heck cared... I went ahead and joined them since I needed a drink after all that trekking... We hit couple of pegs of brandy and some food which was pretty ok.. The restaurant attached was so crowded that we had people standing staring at you directly urging you to finish your food and get out.. I was happier in the bar.. with Rocks and Baba. The gang however was not so lucky to have good food. A couple went out had something outside.<br /><br />We asked the others to continue while we slowly finished our drinks and the food and started walking back.. it was nice to walk back inhaling the fresh mountain air in the night.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14139025/in/set-342453/" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/61.jpg" align="left" /></a>As soon as we reached the dorm, there was a lot of leg pulling in the gang. Priti's bed just dropped a wooded bar suddenly out of nowhere. Rocky the ever ready fixer... went and tried to fix it with a candle.<br /><br />Baba got the bed which was the next version of a rocking train. We somehow took bath with lukewarm water and went to bed. Before I knew it my the lights in my head went off.. and I was off like a log...<br /><br /><strong>Day 2 :</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14139043/in/set-342430/" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/63.jpg" align="right" /></a>5:30 in the morning and we all woke up to loud banging music... which was definitely not a pleasant way to start the day. We had no option but to get up. The music was blasting really loud now. There was some marriage happening on top of the dorm which was creating all that ruckus. We freshened up quickly.. and meanwhile I spotted horses riding inside the compound.. I was very excited to have a short ride since I had never ridden a horse..and one by one some of us took a ride.. when it was my turn it took some effort and Rocky's help to get on the horse.. and Priti also mounted another horse.. Priti's horse guide left her all alone to follow my horse and the guide...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14139344/in/set-342430/" target="'_blank"><img height="236" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/97.jpg" width="171" align="left" /></a>Priti's horse was pretty frisky and I think he knew that he was free to do as he pleased. So he veru reluctantly brought her up behind my horse which was pretty docile.. just when we were about to go down a slope to reach where we started.. when suddenly the horse just fell down taking down Priti with it... My horse was halfway down the slope. My guide did not know what to do.. Priti was lucky that the horse did not fall on her. After dislodging Priti, the horse happily got up and shook himself..<br /><br />My horse was a more docile fellow.. he stood as I clumsily got down again with Rocky's help. It was a great ride and myself and Karthik rushed to have a short breakfast at a nearby shop..<br /><br />Before we started our journey I took some<strong> </strong><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/sets/342435/" target="'_blank"><strong>shots of the beautiful flowers in Ooty</strong></a>.. We started from Ooty and the plan was to go to Dodabetta peak and then to Pykara falls and then to Bangalore through other route. Dodabetta was a bad idea since it was a Sunday and the whole place was packed with weekenders coming for a break here..<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/14139280/in/set-342441/" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/88.jpg" align="right" /></a>The gang carried on to the viewpoint while Rocky and myself chilled out and took some time to buy herbal oils and walk up to the Toda hut model that they had placed nearby. This place was a 5 minute walk up and we saw all guys trying to take the best picture by the hut.. we went round the hut and when we came round , I saw a guy stripping his T shirt and trying a Rambo pose.. A la Salman Khan.. I wish I could take his picture but we were in a hurry so I asked him to move for a few seconds so that we could take a pic... LOLOL he thought that we wanted his bare chested muskuled pic and was disappointed when I assured him that we needed a few seconds for a pic of us... poor thing..<br /><br /><a href="http://community.webshots.com/photo/346598414/347385211gUEDgo" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/331.jpg" align="left" /></a>We started towards Pykara falls and I had heard lot of stories about this falls, The place itself was beautiful but it was crowded again. In the falls Kiran THE Baba.. decided to cross to another stone... and that was not agreeable to a cop who was standing by but Baba defiantly reported that in that place he was the police.. and finally somehow managed to come back.<br /><br />We also picked up some baby carrots which seemed to be everywhere. It was a tasty snack to bite on the tender carrots. We had a short lunch and went on our way to Mysore and then to Bangalore..<br /><br /><a href="http://community.webshots.com/photo/346598414/347394649NWYetQ" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/444.jpg" align="right" /></a>On the way.. we played Antakshiri which was modified to a sad song special by Karthik. Everybody seemed to have fun. Karthik also played the cassettes which he got last Valentine which he did not open till then...We were passing by the Mudhumalai forest and we also saw lots of deers and a family of elephants waiting to cross the road..<br /><br />After Antakshiri, it was joke time. And everybody started telling jokes. I was the silent spectator who had a great time. When there was a pause... it was PJ time.. And suddenly Hemant pipes up with the joke of how to kill an Elephant series ... which made everybody pull their hair.<br /><br /><a href="http://community.webshots.com/photo/346598414/347394546qCLynl" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/OoTY/555.jpg" align="left" /></a>Sujata was a box of PJs. She ended with a joke of the ping pong ball which seemed to go on for hours.. till we all were ready to get out of the bus...<br /><br />As the joke session ended.. ghost storiies started which made some uncomfortable.. so it was stopped after sometime..<br /><br />We had dinner at Shivalli and then continued on to Bangalore. The driver was as surly as you can get but we did not care. We reached home nice and happy near midnight.. planning for another trek very soon ...<br /><br />And heres till we all get together again... Hip Hip Hurrayyyyy to Kool Trekkers...<br /><br /><strong>Staying in Ooty ( one of the best places to stay which has a range of all rooms from 100/- to 1000/-) </strong><br /><br />YWCA of India projects, Anandagiri<br />Ooty<br /><br />04232444262<br />04232442218<br /><br /><a href="http://www.newctn.com/kotagiri.htm" target="'_blank"><strong>Click here to know more about Kotagiri..</strong> </a>Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1113816622516733362005-04-18T01:13:00.000-07:002005-04-19T22:23:40.260-07:00Hanging out in Horsley Hills ( Madras Bulls 3A) April 16th - 17th 2005<span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: Bangalore- Hoskote-Chintamani- Madanpalle-Horsley Hills </span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/9744645/in/set-241059/" target="'_blank"><img style="width: 235px; height: 176px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/circus/3.jpg" align="right" /></a>Saturday afternoon saw us riding through <strong>Hoskote</strong> to <strong>Horsley Hills</strong> in <strong>Andhra Pradesh</strong>. It was a hot afternoon and after a hurried packing and fitting in things we were later than usual and met a couple of the riders, Pravin Prakash(PP), Muthu, Sam and Jose who were waiting somewhere in Old Madras Road. The plan was to ride to Punnami Resorts in Horlsey Hills for the Madras Bulls Anniversary celebrations. We were looking forward to meeting the gang and this time there would be a huge party and there were plans to have lot of fun. Some of the guys had already reached the place since they started in the morning. We were the last batch to go there but since the place was just 150 kms from Bangalore, we would reach the place bbefore sundown.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/9744659/in/set-241059/" target="'_blank"><img style="width: 260px; height: 189px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/circus/2.jpg" align="left" /></a>We took a left from Hoskote and after some <strong>60</strong> odd kms we reached the small town of <strong>Chintamani</strong>. We took a break here to have some tea. We were used to travelling for longer distance and we took it easy since the place was near. Muthu's horn was giving some problem. Seems like there was some loose connection somewhere. After fiddling with it for some time, we decided to carry on to <strong>Madanpalle</strong> which was going to be our next stop. It was evening and the light was good. We stopped on our way to click some pictures. The roads were bumpy and cracked in between and had some diversions which made for some jerky riding and slowed down the pace but it was ok since there was not much traffic and we could do some good time. On the way we saw some monkeys disregarding the incoming vehicles and feasting on some melons which had fallen off from a truck.Monkeys being monkeys did not bother aboutn being razed to the ground by the buses that were plying on the road. They were more interested getting their share of the melons. We slowed down to swerve between the feasting monkeys and then continued.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/9744673/in/set-241059/" target="'_blank"><img style="width: 222px; height: 166px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/circus/69.jpg" align="right" /></a>We were some 10 odd kms from <strong>Madanpalle</strong> town when Jose suddenly stopped the bike. His chain link had been cut. Muthu did not see us stop so he carried on. Sam, PP and ourselves stopped to see what was wrong. It took some time but the problem was fixed.While they were fixing the chain, I took the opportunity to take some pictures. The sun was setting and it made a different but beautiful picture on the horizon. Scenes like that make it worth the while of travelling the miles.<br /><br />After fixing the bike we made our way to <strong>Madanpalle</strong> a bustling town in <strong>Andhra</strong> <strong>Pradesh</strong>. Muthu was waiting for us there and he had also got his horn fixed there. <strong>Horsley Hills</strong> was some <strong>26 kms</strong> from there. The landscape was rocky scattered with eucalyptus trees and trees sporting red flowers. The sun had set and there was little light and we climbed up the bends without much difficulty and reached the resort. As we reached the resort we saw two bikes heading back. It was Vipin and Vijayraghavan.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/9744685/in/set-241059/" target="'_blank"><img style="width: 215px; height: 162px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/circus/67.jpg" align="left" /></a>We saw a huge number of bikes lined up and it almost another Rider Mania. There were more than 70 bikes in all. It seemed that the <strong>RTMC</strong> members outnumbered the <strong>Madras Bulls</strong>. It was a pleasure to connect with the Hyderabad <strong>Wanderers</strong> who came to be a part of the celebrations all the way from <strong>Hyderabad</strong>. The place was rocking and the party was about to begin. We registered ourselves and took a room. Due to last minute entries, there were dearth of rooms and we had to share it among ourselves. The rooms were big amd comfortable and sharing would not be a problem. The party started with cutting of a sinfully sweet cake which we all feasted on. As I said hello to the guys and the girls, I spotted this deer who was walking around sniffing the food stuff that was in the floor.I could not resist saying hello to this curious beautiful eyed spotted animal who wanted to join in the party. He had a broken horn and he was tamed to roam the premises.It was unique to have the compan of someone who you would expect to be roaming in the wild. It was more interested in sniffing the liquor bottles than in the food. I guess it was experienced with the taste of the liquid. I did not waste time making friends with this quiet shy but frisky animal. Took some snaps and saw it roaming the grounds at its own leisure.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/9744561/in/set-241059/" target="'_blank"><img style="width: 254px; height: 190px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/circus/21.jpg" align="right" /></a>People started hitting the dance floor and one could see many variations of dances. Mani was the star of the show with his lungi dance. He kept giving the crowd a peep show every now and then... ( LOL). The famous Tamil song had everybody jumping in delight and hitting the floor har. Amber was high on spirits and was talking of bashing anyone who diid not do what he said. He was cursing Sameer in his drunken stupor who was trying to figure out the songs and fix the stereo. Sameer after sometime got fed up and went and picked him up and gave him a good shake putting him upside down. It was all a game and I got some good shots in that process. RTMC gifted Madras bulls with a pouch which would carry all the necessary papers along with money and stuff while riding.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/9744510/in/set-241059/"><img style="width: 213px; height: 159px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/circus/40.jpg" align="left" /></a>I personally had downed three pegs of vodka and my small headache was starting to bowl me over. I turned in temporarily to relax planning to come back when the campire would be on. My head was feeling like thousands of soldiers were hammering me with their pins and I was dying to just bury my head somewhere peaceful. After sometime I went back to the campfire to mingle with the rest of the gang. Dodo had just come in. Dosai was happy. It was great meeting Mayur with whom we had a great ride to Wild Valley. Brijesh and myself discussed what books we were reading. I met Arul and a couple of others who actually read my travel write ups for information. That made me feel quite flattered.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/9744699/in/set-241059/" target="'_blank"><img style="width: 231px; height: 172px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/circus/63.jpg" align="right" /></a>Sandeep Dutta and myself got reacquainted. I also got a chance to talk to Sandeep Menon about his North East riding trip. He was one of the few riders who had actually visited my favorite place in the world where I was born and brought up ... Shillong. The very name brings in beauty to my thoughts and I was glad that some had got to experience that what I always keep writing and pining for.<br /><br />Met up with some great gals too and it was nice to see more women in the group. Muthu had a bad scrape when he tripped over a bottle and almost hurt his eye. He narrowly escaped with a swollen eye and a cut beneath the brow. As we turned in, a small group was up talking and listening to Mani's stories. Reminded me of Mahendra who is another great story teller.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Day 2</span><br /><img style="width: 243px; height: 182px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/circus/17.jpg" align="left" />Morning dawned to the sound of Sachin riding or should I say blasting his way through the roadsand waking us all in that process. It was a pleasant morning and we went for a walk to the place where you could spot the valley and admire it... while sitting on the rocks. Took some shots met some more of the gang. As we were heading back, we saw Sachin bring in Amber and few others to ride through this rocky ground. Looked pretty adventurous since there was this sheer drop just a few feet away. The place was beautiful and full of the trees sporting red flowers.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/9744587/in/set-241059/" target="'_blank"><img style="width: 212px; height: 178px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/circus/13.jpg" align="right" /></a>Breakfast was filling and after that we all started to ride back one by one. The Madras bulls had a long way to go. Abhi was waiting for Prashant to fix the JAWA 350 which he was riding. Abhi was kind of worried for it was running only on one cylinder. We made good time though the sun was beating down pretty strong. After sometime, we saw Abhi happily revving up in the JAVA which had made his day I guess. Adrian started late but as usual he made up his time pretty fast which was not a surprise. Muthu was not riding his bike because of his injury. KJ did the honors while Muthu came in the car with Anil.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/9744461/in/set-241059/" target="'_blank"><img style="width: 220px; height: 165px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/circus/54.jpg" align="left" /></a>The whole gang came together every now and then. We were riding with PP and after sometime we lost him. We waited but could not get in touch with him since he had left his phone back at home. Our only consolation was that we had the gang coming on the way and hoped that he was ok. We made our way steadily and reached Bangalore at 1:15 in the afternoon. We later came to know that his bike had run into some problems. Hitting on a bump a bolt which holds the rear hub in place was broken and his rear brakes needed to be dismantled. Prashant helped him out as usual and at the end of it all, he had to ride back with his front brakes. And all this after PP had just done up his bike. But then that is the beauty of the Bullet, even though it breaks down somewhere one can always ride it somehow back to one's home.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/9744471/in/set-241059/" target="'_blank"><img style="width: 245px; height: 180px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/circus/51.jpg" align="right" height="340" width="369" /></a>And thus ended another journey of the connecting with the brotherhood of common passion and the spirit of freedom. <strong>Thank You Madras Bulls</strong> for making our weekend special and it was great meeting you all. The party was great, the organization was great, the company was great and it was time well spent.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Notes: </span><br /><br />A party well organized is a party well enjoyed.<br />Be high but be smart ( dont know how you would accomplish that but however..)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Horsley Hills Details:<br /><br />For enquiry please contact:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Punnami Hill Resort</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Horsley Hills</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Madanpalle</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Chittoor Dist. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">AP </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Phone: 08571-279323</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Fax: 08571-279324</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Tarrif :<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Governor Suites: 1000/-</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Governor's Bungalow: 800/-</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wind Fall: 1400/-</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wild Winds: 800/-</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wind Whistle: 700/-</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Family Cottage:700/-</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Whispering Winds: 500/-</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Single Cottage: 350/-</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Dormitory: 100/-</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span>Rooms are available with modern amenities, though water is a little scarce. A swimming pool is there for your leisure along with a gymnasium..<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><br /></span>Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1112096351978440622005-03-29T02:36:00.000-08:002005-03-30T21:52:39.666-08:00Wilding it out... in Thekaddy and Periyar...<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Route</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bangalore - Hosur - Krishnagiri - Dharmapuri - Salem - Rasipuram - Namakkal - Karur - Dindigul - Batlagundu - Periyakulam - Theni - Cumbam - Kumily - Chakkupallam Estate. </span><br /><br />Distance from Madiwala Flyover -<span style="font-weight: bold;"> 530 kms. </span><br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image-014.jpg" align="left" />A long weekend and the club has planned a ride to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Thekaddy</span>.. this would be a long ride and would need a lot of discipline. The trip was kindly organized by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Muthu </span>and I would firstly like to thank him for the lodging arrangements he had provided for us at his family home and all that great food that the natives cooked for us. It is all these things that makes a trip so memorable... good roads.. good timing.. great place and excellent food.<br /><br />Started at <span style="font-weight: bold;">5:15</span> in the morning which we just about managed to catch. There were about <span style="font-weight: bold;">22 bikes</span> in all with four pillions. Off we went via Krishnagiri and then stopped <span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>for some tea on the way to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dharmapuri</span>. Muthu who was carrying a bag sideways <span style="font-weight: bold;">burnt </span>his clothes on the sliencer since the bag was touching the silencer. He had to throw away his clothes at this point. :)<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image-060.jpg" align="right" />After breakfast we decided to stop for lunch at <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dindigul</span>. The pack of riders seperated into mini groups and kept proceeding... and we all regrouped at a petrol bunk before <span style="font-weight: bold;">Namakkal</span>. Muthu promised us a tasty lunch of <span style="font-weight: bold;">biryani </span>which was well known in that area. Entering the town in Dindigul, we were guided through the small lanes and shopping areas to finally stop at the famous restaurant which boasted of some heavenly biryani and we were not disappointed.. All of us hogged till there was nothing left to hog ... and after a pot bellied lunch we made our way slowly out of the town again guided by Muthu and hit the highway.<br /><br />Meanwhile got to know the riders who were new to this group one by one. There were two ladies who had joined us and it was interesting talking to them. The roads were smooth and uncomplicated and it was one smooth ride. We did not get blasted much by the heat since we crossed the hot areas at relatively good speed and did not feel it too much.<br /><br />Just before reaching Theni, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Prashant's chain broke</span>. We stopped and waited till he fixed it. Typical of Prashant, he was done in a few minutes and in those few minutes we were also surrounded by the village crowd who came in to see the from everywhere it seemed what was and as soon as Prashant finished fixing his bike we were off. I think he is a whizz at fixing bikes and has a great knowledge about Bullets. Given the amount of miles he has covered all over the country it should not be surprising that he would be so well versed with the problems and the solutions of the bike. Again as we were riding, Prashant's kicker just fell off and it was pure luck that it did not get smashed by the huge buses that we had behind and in front of us.<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image-063.jpg" align="left" />Prashant was back on the road and we followed him.. and we all regrouped near Theni and then after that at <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gudalur </span>petrol bunk. It was already cool and it was getting dark. While waiting at Gudalur, we spotted a lot of cute donkeys passing by and I could not resist taking some pics of these fine animals who redefined the meaning of the pharse beasts of burden. I noticed one almost carrying a whole house and walking effortlessly.<br /><br />We hit the ghats and by nightfall we were at <span style="font-weight: bold;">Kumily</span>. Its a bustling town and can be called a central point to travel to many places in Kerela. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Periyar lake </span>is nearby. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Munnar </span>is about 100 odd kms from there, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Kodai </span>is also accessible from here.. and most of the towns seem to be between 100 plus and minus kms on and off. It would be ideal to keep this as a base when you touring this place.<br /><br />Reached the estate house and did one of the most dangerous off roading in the dark. Muthu called it the Endurance Ride... and was it an understatement...The whole path to the estate is laden with big stones which is a nice path to walk in but definitely not something to ride through. After holding my heart in the hands... for what seemed like a lifetime we reached the house, freshened up and chilled out for the evening on ride stories and funny anecdotes.<br /><br />Dinner was served hot and tasty and just at the right time.. with great food and some great drinks it was an end to just the perfect day. As I was dozing off, I heard Adrian and Lloyd rev up to the house late at night.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Day 2</span><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image-096.jpg" align="right" />Morning dawned fresh and cool. We were scheduled to leave for Surali falls and then Periyar Lake. The plan was to travel to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Periyar lake </span>book tickets , take off to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Surali falls</span> and then come back in time for the boat ride. When we reached Periyar forest and booked our tickets, the time went way off the list and we ended up chilling out with beer and a curious monkey in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Periyar House</span>, had lunch and started for the boat ride. We had a small photo sessions by the camera freaks who tried to capture a beautiful black squirrel on their lens.<br /><br />We very well knew that there would be no wild animals and the evening boat ride was fully booked. So we all agreed to the 2'o clock boat ride anyways. We had this breezy boat ride for 2 hours across the lake and many of us fell asleep including me during the ride. Since there were no animals, the camera whizzes decided to take some shots of the sleeping humans. And there was lot of leg pulling. We did spot some wild bisons and deers and wild hogs. After two hours we were back on the road throught the forest. The plan was to ride to Surali falls and it was getting late. Some of the guys decided to head back to Periyar house and have some more beer while we set out with the other group for the falls. While coming out of the forest, "Vodka" aka Harish took a fall where he hurt his hand. He was on his RD 350 and miscalculated a turn.<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image-108.jpg" align="left" />To reach Surali falls early, Muthu took us through a beautiful shortcut. Though the road was good, it was not safe since it was newly laid and the gravel was still fresh. Chaitra took a fall after losing control of his bike. His pillion Sindhu, got hurt but she managed. Inspite of this it was a beautiful ride.. we were trying to make it to the entrance of the forest at the nick of time but even though we reached and bought the tickets.. we just could not make it. On the way, we saw some delicious grapes being sold near the vineyards but gave up the idea of buying them since we were getting late to go back. Two of the riders unknowingly picked an argument with a chai walli out there... which made them late by few minutes.<br /><br />We had to content ourselves with the ride. On getting back to the estate house, we relaxed with some drinks and the other group had kindly remembered to get some excellent tasting beef fry. Some good vodka and some great food which the cooks in the house had thoughtfully prepared ( which had mutton curry, egg bhurji, etc), we had a perfect ending to the day. After eating to our heart's content we retired early since we had decided to leave early in the morning so that we could beat most of the heat and cover more kilometers.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Day 3</span><br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image-146.jpg" align="right" />Rising early we started off at <span style="font-weight: bold;">5:00</span> in the morning and we effortlessly covered good distance.Watched the sun rise as we rode and it was a beautiful experience. While the group regrouped at <span style="font-weight: bold;">Karur </span>and then at Salem, we decided to continue from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Salem</span>. It was <span style="font-weight: bold;">11:30</span> and the heat was getting to us. Rocky and myself decided to carry on and have lunch at Dharmapuri. We reached <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dharmapuri </span>at <span style="font-weight: bold;">12:45</span> .. just in time for lunch and entered <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hotel Sri Rama</span> which laid a good meal. I feasted on curd rice and some more curd to beat the heat. It worked and after lunch we carried on till we reached <span style="font-weight: bold;">Krishnagiri</span>.<br /><br />Meanwhile we got the message that Prashant's rear break had broken and it took him some time to fix that and he managed the distance with his gears and his front break.. Should I say <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bullet Zindabad. </span>It is only with a Bullet that you can take it around at any condition.<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image-164.jpg" align="left" />Took a break at Krishnagiri at a chai place whose owner welcomed us like long lost pals. We waited for some time for the group to arrive but then decided to carry on since th heat was getting to us. She remembered us from the time when we were returning from Hogenakkal . She had a small hut then and now she had her own hotel as she proudly told us. I was happy to see a known face. She makes a mean coffee. After refreshing ourselves with coffee, we carried on to Bangalore and reached home by <span style="font-weight: bold;">4:00 </span>PM. The rest of the group made it by <span style="font-weight: bold;">5:30</span> pm which was a pretty good time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Notes: </span><br /><ul> <li>Rookie riders should always take care of the right gear when riding. </li> <li>Speed does not always thrill. One should know one's bike control and the personality of the bike before taking risks.</li> <li>If you are passing through Dindigul, you must try the biryani place there... for details , contact Muthu.</li> <li>Kumily is a good base to move around Thekaddy. </li> <li>Helmets must have a thermocol covering inside or a proper fall back cushion. Chaitra's pillion got hurt in her head because of the lack of covering or so it seemed.<br /> </li> <li>Jackets are a must while riding. Saves a lot while falling.</li> <li>"Catching up" syndrome does not work with group rides. </li> </ul>Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1109928827982460322005-03-04T01:07:00.000-08:002005-03-08T22:05:02.726-08:00Chilling out in Wild Valley, Feb 26th - 27th , 2005<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/5857319/in/set-146861/" target="'_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 198px; HEIGHT: 150px" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image036.jpg" align="left" /></a>Thats what we did this last weekend !! Went riding all the way to Wild Valley farm which is a valley nestled in the centre of the mountain range.. far from the madding crowd and definitely far from everything techie... LOL...<br /><br />Started the ride at morning seven. Met up with fellow biker Mayur.. By the time we were<br />hitting Kanakpura road it was blasting hot. The heat combined with dryness was pretty<br />tough but we kept on hoping that the destination would be cooler.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/5857358/in/set-146861/" target="'_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 228px; HEIGHT: 159px" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image053.jpg" align="right" /></a>At Kanakpura we met the Bangalore Chapter of 60 kph who were on their way to Coorg..<br />and rode with them for sometime and then went on our way.. since we had to cover good<br />distance and wanted to beat the heat as soon as possible.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/5865827/in/set-146908/" target="'_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 195px; HEIGHT: 147px" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image210.jpg" align="left" /></a>As we hit Kollegal, we took the diversion to the right and carried on. We passed a couple of green tank bunds which had exotic birds feasting on diving and catching fishes... which was a delightful sight to see... As soon as we took this diversion.. it was just a thin strip of fairly good road and lots of dried fields on both sides.. mostly already harvested raggi and maize... and sometimes you would meet a tree or two... Though it was isolated ... it was a pleasure riding without any interference... We started coming across mountain ranges... followed the path which went along with the mountain range. It was like discovering the length of the range which was never ending as we rode...<br /><br />Came up to a small village known as Lokhanahalli which was one of our landmarks. We stopped on and off to push some liquid in our systems.. and then continued.. I took the time to click some pics.. Wild Valley does not have phone connection or signal.. so Mayur wanted to call up his parents to let them know that he was not lost in the wild but definitely reaching there... We had reached the Dhondenling Tibetian Settlement.. at Odeyarpalya, which looked very pretty and which we would check it out while returning back.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/5857480/in/set-146861/" target="'_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 198px; HEIGHT: 262px" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image191.jpg" align="right" /></a>Continued along the same stretch of road through some sparsely scattered native population busy with working with the harvested raggi and finally we reached the checkpost between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.. You do not need to pay any amount while entering Tamil Nadu. That fee is taken care of by the farm. You would have to pay a nominal fee to Daniel when the bills are settled.<br /><br />The road to the farm is pretty rough along filled with uneven highs and lows and a lot of gravel. It will be great if you are going on a four wheeler but i would not really advise caution if you are riding.. Its a short but quite unpredictable stretch.<br /><br />We reached there just in time for lunch. two small groups were already there chilling out. We met Daniel who was very hospitable. He invited us to use to pool which was a cute thing and welcomed us with fresh lemon juice which was really refreshing.<br /><br />After sometime we had lunch.... which was a pretty chilled out affair with home cooked food and all along with fresh farm vegetables..!! One of the guys in one of the groups just wasted the food which was a sacrilege I thought ...If you do not want to eat do not serve it in your plate.. this was like deliberately insulting the chef. After lunch Daniel invited us for a short trek down the stream .<br /><br />We trekked through the boulders and saw lot of fresh foot prints of different animals. The stream was kind of a waterhole where all the animals come to it seemed. As we were walking through quick sand type of soil, boulders, dead branches, it was like we were totally in the wild at the mercy of the peering eyes from inside the bushes.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/5857341/in/set-146861/" target="'_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 192px; HEIGHT: 145px" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image068.jpg" align="left" /></a>Daniel is an experienced farm owner and he has seen different type of hunts.. for example wild dogs hunting a baby deer. It is a different story that the native tribals jumped on the almost dead baby deer.. and made a tasty meal out of it then and there... I was thinking to myself... how are we different from hyenas who wait for someone to hunt and then take the catch away from under its nose...<br /><br />As we neared the stream, the farm guide along with Daniel suddenly told us to be quiet an all of a sudden we were instructed to run since there were wild elephants already in the stream and Daniel did not want to disturb them or rather did not want to get disturbed..<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/5862852/in/set-146861/" target="'_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 228px; HEIGHT: 170px" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image105.jpg" align="right" /></a>In the jungle wild life is rampant thanks to Veerapan who is the process of hiding in the jungle consciously or subconciously protested the animals from being poached or hunted. That made me feel good. It was nice to co- exist with wild life like this where they know their territory is safe and the farm is usually left alone..<br /><br />Daniel told me about the tigers there.. but how the govt does not bother about them anyways.. since it would involve a long drawn out project to protect the tigers. And since the place did not boast of plush accomodation like Nagarhole where they concentrate all the forest research work..this part of the forest is totally ignored... reality bites but thats how it is...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/5857402/in/set-146861/" target="'_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 195px; HEIGHT: 145px" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image114.jpg" align="left" /></a>As the sun set over the mountains the campfire was lit and we sat in a circle on the wisely arranged curved stone blocks.. a bottle of vodka, the starry sky above, them music of different species of birds doing this and that.. and great company... and long stories... just when i was thinking that this was perfect getaway, I saw the moon rise behind the mountains. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen .. In a few seconds the whole valley was alight with moonlight. It was the most romantic time of the day. I thought to myself.. I could easily compose a song or two if i stayed for a week :) . Or write a book for that matter..<br /><br />The other groups were of a different kind. One of the groups got their laptop for music and<br />all.. and the other group... did not bother about anything but making loud noises and<br />having beer which was pretty noisy. In spite of all this we had a great time.. round the fire.<br /><br />It was chilly and after having 4 pegs I went to my tent and tripped off to the ZZZZ land.<br /><br />******************************************************<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Day 2</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/5857405/in/set-146861/" target="'_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 225px; HEIGHT: 169px" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image020.jpg" align="left" /></a>At night we could hear wild elephants trying to come inside the farm. They are pretty<br />insistent mind you but the guys who were on watch chased them away. Daniel also slept<br />in one of the tents.<br /><br />Morning dawned with the chirping of birds. After a long walk around the farm with the help of a guide, we packed our bags, had a fresh bath and great breakfast. We were on our way by 10 in the morning. We planned to go to Dhondenling settlement in Oderyarpalya which was on the way. It was hot to the extent that you coul feel your pores crackle with dryness... The ride was not a comfortable one for me since I was in the process of having a heat stroke.. Reached the Tibetian settlement.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/5857487/in/set-146861/" target="'_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 252px; HEIGHT: 188px" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/image198.jpg" align="right" /></a>Now this place is awesome. It is like a small country in its own . A very well organised village with great farms. The villages were divided into A village, B village, C village... etc. Each alphabetical village would be self sufficient and not far from each other.. they were placed in different areas easily accessible to each other yet having its own identity... between the farming landscape. Its a sight to behold. All the main offices were in the centre of the town. I was amazed by the beauty of this placed tucked away.. at the heart of the mountain range. The Dalai Lama usually stays in this town in his palace when he comes visiting. His palace is also quite colorful though we did not get to see it from inside.<br /><br />After having lunch of tasty momos, and three glasses of sweet curds, we made our way from this little haven ... It was getting hotter and hotter and I was feeling sicker and sicker even though I kept myself replenished with oranges, electrol, water, etc ... we reached Bangalore at 6:00 and I just crashed off for two days... as a result of excess heat. But all said and done it was a great trip and we will do it again when the monsoons make the land greener and more beautiful..<br /><br /><strong><u>Notes:</u></strong><br /><br />Map to get there !!!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wildvalleyfarm.com/getting_there.htm" target="'_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/film%20icons/map2.jpg" align="left" /></a><strong>This seems to be the worst time of the year that you would ride to this place killing to say the least.<br /></strong><br /><strong>Take your own booze if interested.... this place does not supply booze !!<br /></strong><br /><strong>Take lots of water.. and electrol if you are travelling at this time of the year.. the weather is quite bad ...<br /></strong><br /><strong>Daniel owns about 100 acres of land here.. but only 12 acres of land is used for the farm . </strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>He has planted all the trees in this land.. it was a ravine... it seems and had only three trees..<br /><br />Its the ideal place for couples... so make sure you take your better halves... along with you to enjoy the beauty of this place...<br /><br />Its heaven for trekking enthusiasts.. you can choose from the easiest trek to the toughest one which will take you high above the mountains !!<br /><br />This place is not commercial and if you are interested to get in touch... you could get in touch with them through their website or mail me at pbaruah@gmail.com<br /><br />FOR MORE INFO you can <a href="http://www.wildvalleyfarm.com/" target="'_blank">CLICK HERE !! </a><br /></strong>Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1102049910769245782004-11-07T20:56:00.000-08:002004-12-02T21:05:09.306-08:00Hogennakkal Ride<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/39/954/1024/AA011.1.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 2px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 2px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 2px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 2px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/39/954/200/AA011.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a> Another long weekend and we were planning on a short ride.. Informed Praveen who is convincing his better half that riding can be an enjoying pastime, and Lohit ... and we planned the trip to Hogenakkal. Originally we planned Ooty where Kartz asked us to join him in his camping adventures but we decided to ride to HOgenakkal instead since we did not want to ride much.
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<br />Sunday dawned with a very bleak weather. Getting up was a pain and I nearly abandoned the idea of getting up and facing the day.. but Rocks was over enthusiastics about dong the ride. I was in two minds since I was not comfortable about riding in the rain.. and then I thought to myself what the heck...
<br />
<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/39/954/1024/AA008.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 2px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 2px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 2px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 2px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/39/954/200/AA008.jpg" align="right" border="0" /></a> Met up with Lohit in that despairing weather... at 7:30 in the morning which looked like a depressing 5:30 am in a rainy morning !! We rode our way across the highway towards Krishnagiri. We would have to go straight from Krishnagiri and then reach Dharmapuri. The whole highway it was drizzling and well Praveen's wife had a tough time with light clothes and no mud flap on the bike. But she was sportive enough and carried on soaked to the bone, until we could get a dry T shirt for her and after Praveen fixed the back of the bike with a gunny bag... it was a different story that Praveen will never be allowed to forget this ride... ha ha !!
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<br />Met Ambar on the way who was on his way to Waniyamwadi to have the famous biryani.
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<br />After the smooth road down to Krishnagiri we came across lots of bombed roads. Rains, bad roads, aside the ride was pretty ok. After Dharmapuri, we entered the roads to Hogenakkal. Lohit had some issues with his electricals which ws giving out confusing signals.. the guys did some tinkering ... and we were on our way...
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<br />The roads slowly started becoming smooth and we could see a lot of vegetation... suddenly we come across beautiful ghat section which was amazing to behold... small and beautiful.... I may be biased but mountains definitely do something for me.. and nothing like riding the curves on mountains...
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<br />We took a break there,.. talked to couple of smart monkeys... the monkey population seemed to have been thriving here and it was nice to see that . .
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<br />The weather was clearing up and we rode on to through the winding roads through the dense forests till we came upon the sound of water gushing by...
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<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/39/954/1024/AA023.jpg" align="left"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 2px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 2px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 2px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 2px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/39/954/200/AA023.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a> Roads were okay and the weather had started to warm up... we parked our bikes and immediately we were accosted with boatmen who wanted to take us across to the other side... we were asked whether we would like to have a whole round which would take about 2 to 3 hours for 300/- and we took our breath and selected two guys who were not pushing too much ( reverse pschycology or what ) and they led us to their coracles ... and we convinced them that we would like only the half and hour ride and see some part of the falls and not the whole thing.
<br />
<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/39/954/1024/AA033.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 2px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 2px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 2px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 2px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/39/954/200/AA033.jpg" align="right" border="0" /></a> I was not to enthusiastic about the water since I could see a lot of mild rapids... though the others were excited. Praveen spotted fried fish and he wanted to have lunch and then go across .. but then decided that we do the whole sightseeing and then go for lunch.
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<br />Getting on a coracle was a first for me... so I was pretty nervous... somehow managed to get on it... we were three of us, Rocky, Myself and Lohit in one and the other was occupied by Praveen and Aashika. They looked pretty and here I was shitting bricks..
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<br />The boatman took pity on me and assured me that I did not have anything to worry as he would be there to hold me first if anything happens. I need not have worried.. since it was a short but fun ride... we crossed over to the other side where it was crowded with people....but not that crowded too.. in fact the existence of people somewhat reduced my inherent trepidation of the huge falls. And we walked across the pavements where one of the boatmen took us to vantage points from where we could view the falls well...
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<br />There is also a small tower.. from where we can climb and have a birds eye view of the majestic falls...
<br />We took a couple of pics and nearby we spied young boys say maybe 10 year olds trying to dive from a great height... but for 5 rupees.. if you give 5 rupees one of them would show you the dangerously steep dive and you would get a thrill... we decided not to encourage the boys... what does one have to do for money ??
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<br />Anyways.... we crossed back and while crossing back, the boatmen were very nice enough to let us pose in the coracles... they stopped the coracle in the middle and stood for some seconds... And then came one of the most terrifying parts for me... they started to spin th coracle for fun... I was like holding on to dear life... I am not the merry go round type anyways... never was and the water and the coracle made it like WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE... and I was praying fervently while the others had fun !! we could see that many boatmen were having fun... what a way to get a thrill to go circles in rapids...
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<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/39/954/1024/AA037.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 2px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 2px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 2px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 2px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/39/954/200/AA037.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a> After the crossing we paid those guys some 150 per coracle and started for lunch... Lunch was a slow affair... fish fry was fast but the actual meal took a long time in coming. We almost lost our appetite and we had to get back to .. .
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<br />After lunch... we sped our way climbing the ghats and then the weather was pleasant.. the rains had stopped and the roads were also familiar now... we did not have to stop for many breaks and were back in Bangalore by 8:00 ...
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<br />It was a great way to spend a day ...
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<br /><strong>Short Impressions...</strong>
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<br />Bikes need a mud flap specially if it is raining otherwise it is painful for the rider
<br />Pillion riding is not all that easy like it is made out to be..
<br />Rain gear is a definite must for rain rides...
<br />Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1098954715307383502004-10-28T02:09:00.000-07:002004-10-28T02:11:55.306-07:00Back to Bangalore... <strong>Day 3</strong>
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<br /><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">Route - Chennai - Sriperumbedur - Kanchipuram - Ranpet - Chittoor - Palamner - Mulbagal - Kolar - Hokote Bangalore</span></strong>
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/002sunset2.jpg" align="left" />We started early afternoon from Chennai and after a heavy Tamil nadu breakfast at another great joint, we carried towards home. On the way we stopped for a few breaks since the road was good and we did not need to stop very often. At Palamner, Rocks stopped to change our light bulb which was fused and while he was doing that, I spied a little hut by the road, where an old lady was hovering and another old lady was picking peanuts from the tree. I asked in tamil whether Kapi was available. A chatty old man who was sitting by the road came up and said they could make tea but a hotel was nearby if i wanted to go. Along with him was a truck driver who was also resting for the day. We had a conversation with my broken Tamil, Hindi and some good tea. The old man extended his hand of hospitality and offered me peanuts which were freshly picked and some biscuits... the truck driver told me stories of how he would go through small roads and how he would avoid check posts. I asked him a couple of questions.. he seemed to be well travelled guy with the gab and I am was always a sucker for travel stories...
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<br />After a hot cuppa and saying warm goodbyes, we carried on.. and reached home just after sunset. I enjoyed the whole ride at this time since I got to see many different phases of the sunset. And how it played with the clouds... it would have been an awesome capture on the camera... unfortunately I have to wait till some other time...
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<br />Now its time to plan another ride... or a drive.... who knows.. but we are always ready for the highway
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<br /><strong>Notes:
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<br /><strong>Highly reccomended:</strong> A visit to the RE factory. Its worth it... All Bulleteers must go there...
<br />Royal Enfield has opened a <strong>new</strong> <strong>showroom</strong> in Chennai and its a cool place to pass by... you must check it out...
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<br /><strong>Mahabalipuram</strong> is good for a short visit.
<br /><strong>Chennai</strong> is cool during rains..
<br /><strong>ECR</strong> is something you have to ride on... its an experience to be experienced...
<br /><strong>Croc</strong> <strong>farm</strong> is worth a visit...
<br />Many thanks to <strong>Dodo</strong> and the <strong>Madras</strong> <strong>Bulls</strong> who have made our stay in Chennai a memorable and enjoyable one.
<br />Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1098954554033563782004-10-28T01:39:00.000-07:002004-10-28T02:09:14.033-07:00Chennai in the rains .. <strong>Day 2</strong>
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<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/1086776/"><img height="180" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/fishermen.jpg" width="277" align="left" /></a>We woke up to mild rains and it was a beautiful weather. The sun was playing hide and seek with the rain and it was fun to watch who would last the longest.. and the effect of the sun and the rain coming and going over the sea through the clouds was amazing. I was wishing I had a better camera to capture that moment. But maybe some other time..
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<br />We saw that the beach was busy with the fisherman hauling in their catch for the day. Velu one of the fisherman with whom we got talking to.. told us that they leave for their fishing at 3:00 in the morning... and how they had to go further and further away into the sea to catch big fish. They were all a friendly group.. some folding nets, some running to get the fishes in place, some sorting out the fishes, some running to save themselves from the drizzle when it rained. Fishermen here believed in not only co- existing with the fishes but also with other domesticated animals and a good house would have dogs, cows, chicken and pigs with them.
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<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/1086777/"><img height="146" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/fresh-catch.jpg" width="255" align="right" /></a>Velu promised us to take us to the sea for 200/- and show us the five temple which have are under sea. We did not take the risk since it was a wild time for the sea but we told him that we would come back and take him up on his offer. You can also go fishing with them for a small amount if you are interested.
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<br />It was all good since we spend a lazy morning... walking by the beach. We had a hearty breakfast at a nearby restaurant... shared with a black puppy and watched the rain fall ...by the sea.. As soon as it was dry, we left for the shore temple which would be opening in at 9:00. The shore temple displays 6th century architecture. The temples seem to have been built on single stones sometimes... the sculpturers starting their work from top so that they dont do much damage to the structure...
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<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/1086780/"><img height="183" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/shoretemple.jpg" width="288" align="left" /></a>After the Shore temple we moved out of Mahabalipuram and towards the Croc park. We were riding through the ECR. It was a great ride. We met some good sports bike too who were freaking out with their bikes totally opened up. We missed out on the Tiger's cave while coming. The crocodile park has been an experience. I have never seen so many crocodiles at one time .. sheesh !!! it was like that place was infested with them reptiles and well though I dont hate reptiles.. I dont love them either... I have a healthy respect for them...
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<br />We could see snakes and turtles besides crocs... I personally think that this place should seriously try and find a wider space.. or let the crocs go to the wild.. its too much now... BRRRR !!!
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<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/1086769/"><img style="WIDTH: 257px; HEIGHT: 170px" height="181" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/crocs4.jpg" width="283" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/1086767/"><img style="WIDTH: 253px; HEIGHT: 168px" height="182" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/crocs3.jpg" width="286" /></a>
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<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/1086764/"><img style="WIDTH: 262px; HEIGHT: 164px" height="182" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/crocs2.jpg" width="291" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/1086784/"><img style="WIDTH: 253px; HEIGHT: 162px" height="181" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/turtle.jpg" width="273" /></a>
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<br />Then we entered the town of Kovalam which was nothing great so we moved on. On the way we saw another rider in a bullet most probably from the Madras bulls... did not know him but it was good to see another bull on the road.<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/1086775/"><img height="180" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/ecr.jpg" width="272" align="right" /></a>
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<br />In Chennai we were met by Daniel aka Dodo who took us to his house and from then on we went on to the Royal Enfield factory. Dodo also did not know the way to Thiruvattyur... where the factory was. So we went on riding through one of the worst parts of Chennai, a la Majestic in Bangalore.. just add to that less space more trucks and filthy because of the rain....
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<br />On reaching the factory we were made to wait dfor sometime before Ajay Pai came and took us around the place. he explained to us how the place worked and how the machines worked and it was very enlightening for us. We then got to meet Mr Vaiydi, Director, Marketing, if I am not mistaken along with Naveen Malhotra. We had a very nice converstaion where feedback was exchanged and we learnt a lot too. I was more interested in the bullet coming up with an electric start. I would then be able to get myself one.... I am secretly hoping that I dont have to kick start the machine when I buy one.
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<br />After the visit we went to Ponnuswamy's and had a very late lunch... If you are in Chennai, you have to visit this place. For food lovers this is the best Chettinadu Cuisine house that you can get at a very good price. Its is Eggmore. We went on to meet some of the Madras Bulls gang. It was nice of them to catch up with us. We met at Cake Walk by the beach. Bala and Kavita, Dosai(Manoj), Anthony, Jai, Brijesh, Shwetha and her sister were all there... it was great to hog on good desserts and have a nice get together... that continued in Dodo's house where Bala regaled us with body shopping stories from US and his wild life adventures in Kenya. I think I shall plan a trip to this place... his stories have totally fascinated me..he is another avid traveller and its always nice to exchange stories... with such minds...
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<br />I crashed off while the men hung around late.
<br />Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1098884610765859392004-10-27T06:11:00.000-07:002004-10-28T02:35:32.390-07:00Monsoons in Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram and Chennai and a visit to RE factory<strong>Route Taken</strong>
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<br /><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">Bangalore - Hoskote - Kolar- Mulbagal-Palmaner- Chittoor - Ranipettai- Kanchipuram - Chengalpattu - Mahabalipuram</span></strong>
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<br /><img style="WIDTH: 676px; HEIGHT: 205px" height="204" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Bangalore_Mahabs_Chennai_sm.jpg" width="732" />
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<br />This has been a year of continous rains in Bangalore and mostly all over India... so traveling in bikes was not the first option. Just when we thought that it was getting dry and planned the trip to Mahabalipuram, we got news that the East coast was having good rains.. This was going to be our first solo ride and we were looking forward to it.
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<br />But we decided we would brave it out anyways. Unless it was one of those heavy coastal showers which we encountered in our trip to Calicut, it would be fine. We were warned by Daniel aka Dodo to be prepared for rains...
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<br /><img style="WIDTH: 308px; HEIGHT: 191px" height="381" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/AA001A.jpg" width="553" align="right" />
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<br />Anyway we started off early Friday morning heading towards the east... and going past Bangalore and Hoskote, we quickly passed Kolar and reached Mulbagal. We bypassed two three good hotels.. and I thought that we would get to pass by more and continued.. And to our dismay, we could not find any good hotels beyong Woody's.
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<br />We stopped by a nice little inn which said Hotel and thought we would get some coffee in our stomachs at least. As soon as I went inside I was welcomed with a big mug and directions to go to the ladies toilet. I did not know whether to laugh or just stare. Before I could finish my question about coffee, he insisted that I go to the toilet. Again I asked patiently.. and he ultimately said no coffee was not avialable but yes toilets were... hahah !! and we were charged
<br />some 5 rupees to use the dilapidated toilets...
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<br />Since it was festival time, we had minimum traffic... on the way and reached Kanchipiuram without any difficulty. While riding on the State highway, we received some sporadic showers. It so happened that whenever we stopped and wore the raincoat, the rain cloud would pass by leaving us high and dry. We got so tired of wearing and taking off our raincoat, that we finally decided that we would brave the showers as and when they came. Well it was a good decision since the shower was light and would dry up after a few seconds.
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<br />Kanchipuram is a beatiful old city and it was here that we had lunch. Kanchipuram is known for its temples and we reached just in time for lunch. We had sumptous lunch in Kanchi at Saravana Hotel which serves amazing vegeterian thallis. They have good parking space for the bikes too.
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<br />As we moved around in Kanchi we could see that this city had a lot of temple heritage and it was scattered with temples at almost every corner of the street. Old Architecture.. and tanks which must definitely be a historian's delight. After lunch we continued on the highyway to Chengalpettu.. and then Mahabalipuram. After a short while we reached Mahabalipuram or Mammalapuram. Entering this small town it felt good to reach the destination.
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<br />As we entered this town it reminded me of <strong>Hampi</strong> and <strong>Goa</strong>. Hampi for the ruins and Goa for the tourists coming in inspite of the off season time. We looked out for a hotel sine we wanted to rest our backs and start exploring. It was 2:45 and we were ready to check out the town. Our search for an economic hotel near the beach took us through the concrete paved "gallis" to the fisherman's village near the shore temple. Rock s was more persistent in finding a hotel
<br />near the beach..
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<br />We got a good deal for 300/- and the room was basic and was good enough with water running and good double bed.
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<br />The name of the hotel is <strong>Sea Shore</strong> hotel I think. Its a house with room facilities with an attached restaurant.My first thought was FISH FRY and BEER but I was patient. I had read that fish was really cheap here and I was keen on having my fill of fish...
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<br /><img height="175" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/us.jpg" width="270" align="left" /> After refreshing we started off on the ECR to check the town and went and visited Krishna's Butterball, Arjuna's Penance and some other cave temples. We wanted to go visit the Lighthouse but visitors were not allowed so we gave up and made our way towards the Shore temple. We walked through the rows of shops sporting only scultures
<br />and the sound of hammer hitting the stone was constant and it seemed like it was part of nature.. Friends if you are interested in sculpting this is the place to come to. The displays of the sculptures were awesome. ( click on the pics to view the larger versions)
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<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/1088260/"><img style="WIDTH: 287px; HEIGHT: 170px" height="246" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/AA011A.jpg" width="339" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/1086753/"><img style="WIDTH: 270px; HEIGHT: 173px" height="153" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/cavetemple2.jpg" width="261" /> </a>
<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/1086753/"><img height="177" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/cavetemple3.jpg" width="288" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/1086761/"><img height="171" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/cavetemple5.jpg" width="272" /></a>
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<br />I wanted to click some good snaps but since it was already past sunset it did not make much sense to go to the temple. We walked around the beach area and as we were taking a walk, we came across a snake charmer speaking excellent American English ( reminded me of the hawkers in goa). Now this was an interesting sight. I <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jilmil/1088245/"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/snake.jpg" align="right" /></a>
<br />stopped and watched what that guy was doing. He took out one snake and then the other and showed us some tricks.. I was fascinated by the snakes... one cobra and one young snake... the poor cobra was awakened by a pinch on its tail.. poor thing... but it was showtime for them folks.. the charmer...made them turn a 360 degrees for a better close up and he said that he would charge 50/- for the snaps...When I told him that I was not a foreigner, he sobered down and asked me to give him whatever money I could... well who was I spoil his show and he had put up a good one so I gave him 50/-. A good performance has to be appreciated.
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<br />What I could see that they were making lot of money from the non Indians. The streets were scattered with shops specially catering to the people coming from outside India. In some of the places we wanted to eat, the guys blankly said that the restaurant did not have variety... and the moment a foreigner landed up they bend their backs to fulfil the orders... discrimination in our own land... SIGH !!
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<br />We went back to the hotel and s at down to have something to eat. Here I was expecting good meals... but I was mildly shocked to see the prices in the menu. Fresh Catch was displayed but a small fish would cost you 150/- and above. And a small piece would cost you 80/- to 90/-. Though it was not like Goan Beach shacks where Fish curry and rice cost us some 220/- and the same thing away from beach cost us 22/-, it was still not very reasonable price for fish which was freely available ... from the sea. I was thinking to myself that fish was cheaper in Bangalore.
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<br />Now in these restaurants, you cannot expect immediate service since the food is freshly prepared and is served hot at your table. Nothing is kept ready. This is not a fancy hotel but a hotel made from home so service is also slow. This is a place to just chill out. So patience is required, unlike a couple who came here to eat and made a big scene of telling the waiter to get what was ready immediately and thus resulting in confusion and as if this was not enough, the wanted veg dishes to be made... in a hard core non veg fish serving restaurant. Well to serve them right, they had their dished served very late... and by this time the husband was almost entering the kitchen and doing an audit. This provided good entertainment for the rest of the people who were enjoying the food.
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<br />I could also see a lot of Kashmiris who have made this town a good centre of business and they were minting money with their stuff... Went to a handsome fella's shop and browsed through this silver jewellery and other stuff. His
<br />jewellery was awesome and I could not resist buying some. If you pass by this place, be sure to have a looksy at these stores...
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<br />We turned in early since we were kind of tired and the last thing I remember was the sound of the sea lulling me to sleep....
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<br /><a href="http://travellogs.blogspot.com/2004/10/chennai-in-rains.html"><strong>Day 2 In Chennai</strong></a>
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<br /><a href="http://travellogs.blogspot.com/2004/10/back-to-bangalore.html"><strong>Day 3 .. Back To Bangalore !!</strong> </a>
<br />Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1097738785647604822004-09-13T01:25:00.000-07:002004-10-14T06:13:11.073-07:00Irreplacable Memories Day 3Day3
<br />Morning dawned with good sunshine and it was a great time to take off. We decided that we would visit the Tungabhadra Dam on the way. So off we went while the bikers were still getting ready. Heinrich, Indira and Jangs also took off early. While Jangs and his group took off straight we went to the dam walked up the hill and enjoyed the beautiful old construction of the dam.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/94-NH13.jpg" align="left" />
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<br />After that we were on our way.. cruising through the way .. we had Jangs and his group for company. Our Jeep was loaded with the saddle bags of the bulleters ... but it was less this time... since they were taking off late...
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<br />We ripped across the highway. Jangs and the group were obviously faster. We came across many overturned trucks on the highway. It was a pathetic sight. But we carried on.. Reached the outskirts of Chittradurg and stopped at a ncie house like hotel by the highway.. which had a garden restaurant and everything... and we ordered our meals.. Lunch was good but it made us have a big hole in our pocket. We were slammed with a bill of 700 plus for 3 fish thali meals, one vegeterian meal and a starter. When we asked for the menu the manager refused to show us the menu saying that it was outside the menu and they had extra charge... and all that.. and to top it all they were mixing the orders from one table to another..
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<br />This was the same with Jangs and his group and after warning the bikers, we took off. It was a bad experience and we learnt a valuable lesson...
<br />If you are lunching in Chitradurg, please do not forget to ask the price of the orders that come to you..
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/93-Shiva-in-Petrol-Bunk.jpg" align="right" />
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<br />Funnily the food on the whole trip did not cost us that much as we paid for that one lunch fiasco... Still gets my goat whenever I think of it ... One the way we filled gas at a bunk which had this nicely carved statue..
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<br />Anyways, back on the highway, we came across heavy showers of rains which kept us company for a long time till we reached Bangalore... and finally we reached home replete with good memories of Hampi.
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<br />Hampi is a photographers paradise for both amatuer and professional. Make sure you take enough rolls with you if you are like taking pictures !!
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<br />Some important information about Hampi.
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<br /><strong>Map to Hampi</strong>
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/map.jpg" />
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<br /><strong>Map to go about in Hampi</strong>.. Actually its easy to go about in Hampi. You will get local maps and local guide books and the sign posts are vey user friendly to follow.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/map2.jpg" />
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<br /><strong>When to Visit</strong>
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<br />The ideal time to visit Hampi, is from October to March.
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<br /><strong>How To Get There</strong>
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<br /><strong>By Air</strong> : The nearest airport is Bellary (74 km). Other convenient airports are Belgaum (190 km) and Bangalore (353 km).
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<br /><strong>By Rail</strong> : Hospet (13 km) is the nearest railhead. Hospet is linked by rail with Bangalore, Bijapur and Hubli.
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<br /><strong>By Road</strong> : Hampi is 353 km from Bangalore, and 13 km from Hospet. Buses ply regularly to Hospet from Bangalore.
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<br /><strong>Where To Stay</strong>
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<br />Hotel Mayura Vijayanagar, Thungabadhra Dam Hospet, Tel:08394-48270
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<br />Hotel Priyadarshini, Station Road, Hospet, Tel: 08394-48838.
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<br />Hotel Malligi, Hospet-Bellary road.
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<br />Hotel Mayura Bhuvaneswri, Kamalapur, Hampi. Tel:08394-51374 ( we stayed here... and we recommend this highly)
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<br />KSTDC Cottages.<strong>Tel:08394-8108 </strong>
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<br /><strong>Useful Links
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<br /><a href="http://www.meadev.nic.in/tourism/exotic/hampi.htm">http://www.meadev.nic.in/tourism/exotic/hampi.htm</a>
<br /><a href="http://www.indiatravelog.com/factfile/kar6-hampi.html">http://www.indiatravelog.com/factfile/kar6-hampi.html</a>
<br /><a href="http://www.karnataka.com/tourism/hampi/">http://www.karnataka.com/tourism/hampi/</a>
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<br />Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1097738731793257132004-09-11T01:24:00.000-07:002004-10-25T05:22:58.500-07:00Exploring Hampi Day 2<strong>Day2:</strong>
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<br /><img style="WIDTH: 357px; HEIGHT: 240px" height="424" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/187162866rBoOYD_ph.jpg" width="354" />
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<br />We were supposed to get up and catch the sunrise at Hampi but it was not to be.
<br />here is pic of what the sunrise looked like... absolutely glorious!!! This picture is courtesy one of the RTMC members.(I forget the name I am sorry)
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<br />While the others went ahead before 6:00 in the morning, we slept it out and started off after a lazy breakfast. The weather was just great... rain clouds were present but besides some drizzle the day was clear... thus started our exploration... here is pic of what the sunrise looked like... absolutely glorious!!!
<br /><img style="WIDTH: 245px; HEIGHT: 137px" height="165" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/06-Queens-Bath.jpg" width="266" align="right" />
<br /><strong>Queens Bath:</strong>
<br />A old bathing place which the Queen used. It had its own changing rooms and great viewpoints. This bath was open to the sky and surrounded with a moat. Though the building looks quite simple from outside one can only imagine the granduer inside the building.
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<br /><img height="128" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/12-Mahanavami-View-from-Top.jpg" width="280" align="left" /><strong>Mahanavami Dibba:</strong>
<br />This is an enomous area where kings once sat on gem-studded golden thrones and watched processions pass by. The platform sports densely carved bands of horses, soldiers and depictions of the various aspects of courtly life. There is a pyramid like structure which has nice carvings on it.. The irrigation system runs through it..
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<br /><img style="WIDTH: 238px; HEIGHT: 143px" height="154" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/09-Mahanavami-Dibba.jpg" width="261" /> <img height="147" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/19-Mahanavami-Dibba-Bath.jpg" width="255" />
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<br />There is a beautiful tank called Pushkarani which looks like an optical Illusion with its so many steps there... the whole Tank looks like it was built with black granite...
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<br />I explored further and found another amphitheatre like area and a seat where the kings must have sat..and watched some show or the other... or maybe it was another tank for the kings and queens to enjoy the beautiful man made lake...
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<br /><img style="WIDTH: 253px; HEIGHT: 159px" height="152" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/22-High-Seat.jpg" width="252" /> <img height="160" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/17-Maha-Dibba-Carvings.jpg" width="259" />
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<br />This place has lot of other small ruins which you can explore with leisure... I wish I had more time...
<br />
<br /><img height="204" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/38-Hazara-Rama-Rocks.jpg" width="328" align="left" /> <strong>Hazara Rama</strong>: a typical Dravidian temple... and this has lot of sculptures depicting the story of Ramayana in three tiers describing the whole story till after the birth of his twins Lav and Kush.. The sculpting is the wall is worth spending time. There is a hanuman sculpture here.. Hampi was previously also the capital of the Monkey People... and it was known and Kishkinta... thats why the stress on Ramayana
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<br /><strong>Lotus Mahal</strong> : A small enclosure inside huge grounds. the walls which protect this enclosure is still there.. and one needs to see how uniquely the walls have been placed ..One would imagine royalty coming here and relaxing... the mahal itself is a small place surrounded by huge grounds.
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<br />You need to buy a ticket to enter this place which is valid for the Vittala temple too. <img height="141" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/52-Elephant-Stable.jpg" width="253" align="left" />
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<br /><strong>Elephant Stables:</strong> - As you walk through the green lawns in Lotus Mahal... you come across the elephant stables which seem like huge... rooms .. one can imagine how much care they were given ... this being an important mode of transpot there
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<br />
<br /><strong><img style="WIDTH: 171px; HEIGHT: 201px" height="224" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/55-Gaurd-Room-Courtyard.jpg" width="186" align="right" />Guards House</strong> - To one side of the tables there was another huge building which many ignored and went off.. We went ahead .. i was pretty curious what this building was meant for. It had one elephant statue resting at the gateway One of the natives, dangling his legs ... and with a nonchalant attitude told us that it was the guard's house... It was a huge building... with lot of artifacts and a nice garden... the building was at a height... I guess so that the guards could survey what was going on......
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<br /><strong>Nobelman's Quarters</strong>: This <img height="153" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/48-Noble-Mens-Quater.jpg" width="258" align="left" />was a little further from the Lotus Mahal.. and we went ahead to explore the Nobleman's Quarters... a huge space of land with collapsed building blocks... gives the impression of a huge chunk of population might have existed in this area.. you can go up the steps to have a panoramic view of the area... the guards might have stood at that very point to surveyed all the nobleman... or soldiers...
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<br /><strong><img height="230" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/59-Sisters-Rock.jpg" width="177" align="right" /> Sister Rocks</strong>
<br />this is a marvel to see,.. imagine two cards inclined and balancing each other by touching it at the top.. now imagine two huge round stones doing the same thing and touching each other just at a point and standing like that... Awesome.. According to a myth, these stones are two sisters who have been turned into stone.
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<br /><img style="WIDTH: 142px; HEIGHT: 158px" height="199" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/63-Ugra-Narasimha.jpg" width="163" align="left" />
<br /><strong>Lakshmi Narasimha</strong> - A huge monolith statue which is sometimes mistaken for Ugra Narasimha.. A huge piece of architecture which is difficult to imagine that it has survived all the years to be a witness to all of the wacky specimens... like us.... People mistake it for Ugra Narasimha but it has been specifally mentioned that this is Lakshmi narasimha..
<br /><img style="WIDTH: 139px; HEIGHT: 199px" height="230" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/64-Shivlinga.jpg" width="158" align="right" />
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<br /><strong>Badavilinga</strong> : Next to the Narasimha.. there is this amazing 12 ft Shivalinga known as the Badavi Linga.. this has always water around it since a canal passes through it..
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<br /><strong>Krishna Temple</strong>: This is an old temple built by Krishnadevraya in 1523. We found a young boy dressed as hanuman and willing to dance if we gave him money... we shooed him away and took some photographs... of the nice pillars.. what struck me was the eerie silence in these temples... but I could imagine devotees thronging here for their pujas... There are many small temples inside this temple.
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<br /><img height="170" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/66-Gate-to-Hampi.jpg" width="270" align="left" /> This is on the way to Krishna Temple.. thought that the gates with the Jeep looked really cool..
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<br /><strong>Mustard Ganesha:
<br /></strong>This is a huge monolith of Ganesha which you can go and see... we did not wait around this statue as we had a lot of things to cover. This is also one of a kind statue very well made. This statue is 12 ft tall and is placed in the open with a mantapa.
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<br /><strong>Virupaksha Temple:
<br /></strong>This is one of the main temples in Hampi. We did not spend much time insi<img height="243" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/67-Virupaksha-Temple.jpg" width="158" align="right" />de this temple as there was a huge crowd singing and dancing there... The road in front of this temple is flanked by shops and restaurants.
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<br />Here we halted for lunch... in one of the small restaurants which had boldly written captions " <strong>Recommended by Lonely Planet</strong>" . This place caters more to foreigners so if you are ordering toast and omlete you will get it faster. There is a unique thali known as " African Thali, which we did not have the stomach to try. I ordered some pineapple pancakes, lassi and sandwiches which came pretty fast rather than the indian thalis which my friends ordered.
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<br />We called in the gang who by this time were scattered. Some tried to take a short cut and got duped by auto.
<br /><strong>DO NOT</strong> try taking shortcuts. All of the things can be seen one after the other so you can chill out and take your bike around and park and walk where you wanted to see stuff.
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<br />So while the gang was having lunch, we walked by the side of the river Tungabhadra...
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<br />Suddenly for some reason I remembered the song...
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<br /><img height="160" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/71-Hampi-Baazar.jpg" width="347" align="left" /><em><span style="color:#003300;"><strong>By the rivers of Babylon..
<br />There we at down
<br />there we wept
<br />when we remembered the bygones... ( ok i made that up instead of Zion)
<br /></strong></span></em>
<br />Pondering at the ruins and the huge area of what might have been I felt somewhat sad and melancholic.
<br /><strong>Market Place:
<br /></strong>The market place is just opposite the Virupaksha Temple .. This is a huge area and once upon a time it used to be the market area for the people living in that kingdom. At present this place is used as an amphitheatre during dance festivals and all that.
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<br /><img height="171" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/78-Vithala-Stone-Chariot.jpg" width="263" align="left" /> <strong>Vittala Temple:</strong>
<br />This is one of the most beautiful places in Hampi. This contains the essence of Hampi, I must say. It contains a huge area of monuments. The river Tungabhadra flows by its side... Inside the grounds you have the Vijaya Vittala temple containing musical pillars... a guide can show you how it sounds by beating it with the help of the knuckles... clicked some shots here too... This temple is full of beautifully sculpted works of lotus, swans, etc...
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<br />Just in front of this temple is the stone Chariot which is like a work of art. Its reminiscent of the Sun Temple in Konark. It was raining that day.. and though it ws not the right moment for photography.. i could not resist taking some shots
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<br /><strong><img height="159" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/84-Kings-Balance.jpg" width="249" align="right" /> Kings Balance:
<br /></strong>Outside the Vijaya Vittala Temple complex to your right, a few yards away you will find the Kings Balance where the king used to weigh himself with golds and diamonds and that weight used to be distributed among the poor.
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<br />Then to chill out we relaxed by the river banks of Tungabhadra drinking tea from a small shack... it was that time of the day when the birds go home and farmers come back from the fields... bliss...
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<br />We came to back to the Hotel. The gang decided to go to t<img height="161" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/68-tungabhadra.jpg" width="272" align="left" />he <strong>Tungabhadra Dam</strong> where there would be some musical fountain display and all that. Some from the gang relaxed. We did the same... chilled out .. had dinner and waited for the guys to come back..
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<br />The guys were back and they decided that they would light a campfire and have a great time. While I was busy with our friends, the rest of the guys chilled out by the fire with some good drinks...
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<br /><a href="http://travellogs.blogspot.com/2004/09/irreplacable-memories-day-3.html"><strong>Day 3</strong></a>
<br />Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1097738633707084822004-09-10T01:21:00.000-07:002004-10-25T05:21:26.620-07:00On the way to Hampi ... Day 1 <strong>Day 1 ... 10th September, 2004</strong>
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<br />It was a Friday that I was looking forward to... I have been wanting to visit Hampi and dreaming about it from the moment that we decided that we would be going riding to Hampi.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/01-Mekri-Circle.jpg" align="left" />
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<br />Started early in the morning along with the Bullets. We decided to take our Jeep since we had friends with their 2 year old, visiting us and we wanted to share the fun of motorcycle riding with them. The Jeep became a storage section for the saddle bags.
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<br />Hitting the Tumkur highway close to 7:30, we carried on and decided to take a break near the toll gates. After sometime we hear that Vikas one of the riders has had an accident while avoiding a stray dog.
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<br />And well luckily he escaped with nothing but a few scrathes and a broken light bulb.He was pretty sporting about it. Reminded me of Bumboo and our Wayanad trip when he attracted all animals to hit him.. we called it animal magnetism...
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<br />On the way Sagarika who was riding for the first time had a tough time hanging on .. without a back support and a tiny seat... for the pillion. She opted to come in the jeep.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/04-Tungabhadra-Dam.jpg" align="right" />
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<br />Anyways, carrying on towards Tumkur, we had breakfast of soft Thatte Idlis and Vadas and hot coffee in our usual place in Catsandra...which left us feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Continuing along the road which was pretty good and had few bumps... the scenery that opened itself before us was spectacular to say the least. The whole landscape which is usually dry... was lit up with a carpet of green grasses and yellow sunflowers... it was a beautiful feeling to drive along the highway...
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<br />Passing by Mangalore Highway, we took a version to Kudiligi, and then on to Hospet. Took lot of breaks of hot tea and then finally reached Kamalapuram, Hampi where we rested ourselves at Hotel Mayura. I highly recommend this hotel. You can book in advance and you can also go and get a room during off season..
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<br />Rates start from 400 to some 1000/- and the facilities are very useful. They have a good canteen which also caters their version of European food along with South Indian Thalis, veg and non veg. Rooms are clean and water is also good.If you want to destress yourself you could also go in for the ayurvedic massages which the hotel provides... ( they might make a tiny hole in your pocket, but it is worth it.) The hotel itself is situated among huge land area which has a long driveway and lots of green grasses growing.. or maybe it was because it was monsoon time.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Hampi/89-Hotel-Mayura.jpg" align="left" />
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<br />This picture is just the driveway to this hotel... If this is off season for Hampi, I tell everybody to go and visit the place only at this time. You can benefit from the greenery and also from the cool breeze blowing which according to the natives is a rarity since temperature rises up to 44 degrees C.
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<br />Had a decent meal and lazed around in the evening with the kid, and with friends.. You could hear crickets "cricking" away along with frogs coming out of their hideouts... and jumping here and there.. the hotel sports a small tank of fish and two tortoises too which was good entertainment for the kid.
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<br />Weather was just perfect and we were ready to face the next day... we fell asleep to the anticipation of what we would visit the next day...
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<br /><a href="http://travellogs.blogspot.com/2004/09/exploring-hampi-day-2.html"><strong>Day 2</strong></a><strong>
<br /></strong><a href="http://travellogs.blogspot.com/2004/09/irreplacable-memories-day-3.html"><strong>Day 3</strong></a>
<br />Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1097735336451850762004-05-17T23:21:00.000-07:002004-10-13T23:32:02.023-07:00Tamarind Highway Day 2<strong>Day 2</strong>
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<br />Morning dawned with the realisation that the day was getting to be very hot. We freshened up as the rest were still dozing. A couple of us who were up and about decided to go get some breakfast. We had not arranged with the resort to provide us with food. We found a joint very near the resort and had some tea and biscuits and some nice discussion with the Madras Bulls guys... Some of the madras bulls had already left Pondi in the night.
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<br />I guess it was a good ride to and back since it was not too far from Chennai. Since most of the guys were still sleeping when we were back, we decided to strike out to by ourselves to the town. We would not be coming back this side so we said our good byes to the Madras Bulls, Dodo, Brijesh, and all of them who were so cool to sponsor this stay in Pondi. We said our goodbyes to the rest of the guys and left for the main town. The sun was already beating down pretty harshly and it was not even 9:00 am.
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<br /><img style="WIDTH: 572px; HEIGHT: 284px" height="308" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/pondi/06-coming-back.jpg" width="612" />
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<br />We were familiar with the town so wanted to just "surf" the town, lets say !! We went down to the Beach Road where we had breakfast by the beach cafe and chilled out by the sea and then decided to cruise around the colonial area of Pondicherry and in that process did some shopping...
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<br />There is a good market for handmade goods which are pretty cheap and useful ... which become painfully expensive the moment they reach Bangalore...
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/pondi/25_Cool_Shade.jpg" align="left" />
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<br />Do not forget to rest a while by the shades of the big trees in the park near the Beach Raod. We relaxed for sometime there. of all places this is my favourite place to be in Pondicherry.. by the beach road in the evenings and walking through the park in the daytime.. the wonder of it was that while it was burning hot in the sun... the moment you stood under the trees, it was like you had reached natural airconditioning zone.
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<br />I have not experienced this difference in temperature in bangalore when in the shade....that makes you appreciate the summer all the more... Since it was a Sunday many had come down to spend the day in the park and all the sitting areas were full of kids and families just enjoying their Sunday... once side I could see two sisters playing hide and seek, on the other hand I could see a group of elderly people playing cards... and then some women sitting in a circle talking... I guess they were taking stock of the week's work ha ha !!
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<br />But this moment, seeing everybody busy being happy in their own relaxing without the hurrying made me appreciate the quality of life there... Yes I would like to do that someday .. live in that area and go to the ashram, sit by the sea or the park and then just reflect... and then go back... maybe to Auroville... ah yes time to reflect...
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<br />By this time we were having tiny hunger pangs and then mulled over where to go for lunch.. Of all the places Rendezvos was the nearest and the best. So decided to head there... I have become a die hard fan of this place by the way... LOL. By this time the rest of the group also flocked in. Praveen, Mahindra and JFK. Tiwana had decided to go via Chennai. Keerthi and Soup decided to stay back for one more day and enjoy the place...
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<br />We had another amazing lunch here and then headed out to the highway by 3:00 after the guys did some shopping for themselves... courtesy yours truly... I was the only woman in the group and urged them that if they did not take home such nice gifts for their family it would be a sin... hahaha !!!
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<br />Anyways, on and on we went. We had to reduce speed since Praveen and JFK's bikes were running in so we kept a steady but medium speed. We stopped after every hour or so and then carried on..
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<br /><img style="WIDTH: 589px; HEIGHT: 288px" height="270" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/pondi/03-gingee.jpg" width="606" />
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<br />On reaching Gingee, we stopped again for some photographs... JFK did some cool and freaky posing ... and I obliged him by capturing the Alpha male moments .. with a profile and then both the man and the profile... and he was mighty thrilled with the portraits... of him and his new baby... ( he had just bought the STD 500 you see and had got it with him to Pondi for a spin) and you thought that women were narcissistic... LOLOL !!
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<br />Reached TV Malai at dusk and had some snacks at one of the hotels...
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<br />My ordeal started when it was dark.. firstly I could not see anything but the stars and then I was so inspired by the feeling of riding under the starry sky that I thought out a poem... well a sham of a poem which went like
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<br />Under the starry sky as we ride
<br />without a care or a sigh
<br />the cresent moon is shining shy
<br />watching us head home cocooned in its soft light....
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<br />Well guys that was one of the rarest occasions when I could come out with something resembling a poem... I was feeling raelly romantic riding through the wilderness with only the mountains and the stars as witnessess... its a heady feeling...
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<br />Mahendra ( I just got that his name was Mahendra and not Mahindra ... sorry about that Mahendra !!! ) was riding pillion with JFK since he had packed his bike to bangalore. He then took turns in riding Praveen's and JFK's bike.
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<br />Now this guy had the tenacity not to doze off while riding. And I was amazed at that...since he said that no matter what he could never sleep while riding. JFK who was by this time very tired and sleepy just wanted to reach home. He also gave the bike up to Mahindra while he dozed as pillion.
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<br />Mahendra then started to play with him ... just when JFK would go off to sleep he would accelarate and JFK would hit his helmet ..* tak* on Mahendra's and wake up.. Mahendra continued this till JFK came up with a defense policy even in his sleep LOL... mahendra gleefully recounted the phase when we were taking a break... haha to the utmost consternation of JFK.
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<br />Now where yours truly was concerned, she was fighting a losing battle with the sandman and was trying her level best to keep her eyes wide open...but it was a constant struggle...
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<br />The whole time I would try to concentrate on the inky blackness and *tap* I would go off to sleep. And I was also * tak taking Rocks helmet with mine.. Once I almost
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<br />Believe you me !!!! Its no fun sitting pillion at night and the road being so smooth...
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<br />My endless struggle with my sandman and my dream catcher was making Rocks very edgy and he was shit scared that I would fall off and I was trying my best not to fall off.. Little did he know how I was trying to battle the onslaught of sleep...even though every time we would stop and I would wash my eyes with precious water.... nothing was working
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<br />Beat this... you are travelling on a smooth straight road in the inky darkness and the speed is some 50 to 60 kmph and add to it the constant thump of the machine...and cool breeze swhishing by..... even a crazed incomniac would have fallen asleep. And I am a person who appreciates sleep so it was touch and ZZZZzzzzzzzZZZZZz for me !!
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/pondi/TV_malai.jpg" align="right" />
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<br />Anyway this time luck was on our side so we reached the end of the Tamarind Highway pretty fast. Here we took a break and the night and the hour inspired us to think about ghost stories.. JFK told us an almost-ghost story... well my imagination was fired up anyway.. so Mahendra ( the great strory teller ) tempted us with a tantalising ghost story which we were eager to listen .. we breaked for tea somewhere insignificant near the highway and Mahendra started his storytelling which turned out to be a welcome break from the sleepy ride and had us splitting in laughter.... By now I was wide awake... and we had reached the outskirts of Bangalore... soon after we reached home feeling fulfilled and exhausted... yet another journey finished and yet another day ends.... but with warm memories of percolating Pondicherry.....
<br />Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1097671486540666632004-05-11T05:31:00.000-07:002004-10-13T05:44:46.540-07:00Percolating Pondicherry ..Cruising the Tamarind Highway<strong>Day 1, Arpril 24th 04</strong>
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<br />This trip write up was long due and was thinking when I would have the time to put it up .. anyway... this trip was being planned for a long time and we had just done our Coorg trip. We were thinking of giving it a miss. The trip was about Madras Bulls celebrating their annversary and they had invited us for a ride to Pondicherry. It would also be a ride when we would be also remembering Varun, our dear departed friend.
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<br />We were eager to make it but then decided against it. I think both our consciences were not agreeing to that. So after a late party at a friend's place we decided inpromtu that no matter what we would make it and it was about 12:30 in the night and we had not done any packing.. so after rushing in with the packing we crashed at almost 2:00 and after 2 hours of sleep we were up and about putting the stuff in our bikes and off we went to meet the other bikers..
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<br />Mahindra
<br />Tiwana
<br />Sijan ( JFK)
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<br />JFK had brought in his bike with a towing rope fixed on his handle. I teased him about it and he was telling me that it was style... and later on this rope was the one which saved our day.. Kudos to JFK's sense of bike fashion.
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<br />In the meantime some of the riders had already gone ahead the previous day to Chennai and they would reach Pondicherry by the same day from Chennai.
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<br />We met up with the bikers at the Hosur flyover and continued on to Krishnagiri where had a cup of tea and continued on our way.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/pondi/03_Start_at_Silk_Board_Flyo.jpg" align = "right">
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<br />After a while, we took a left deviation to the road which connected to the highway leading us to Pondicherry. This is the best road to ride while riding from Bangalore to Pondicherry. This road is trimmed with tamarind trees on both sides and its a ride worth the while if you just want to cruise. On the other hand it could get somewhat boring.. for the rider and one had the risk of falling asleep if one was not used to riding long roads...
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<br />It was almost noon and we were tremendously hungry. I had got some sweets from home and some oranges. We munched on that. This highway is devoid of any dhabas. We were hoping to make good time and then have some breakfast somewhere but there was no scope of that. We were kind of getting real hungry.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/pondi/22_Tamarind_Tree.jpg" align = left>
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<br />Finally we spotted a small town where we had some dosas and then continued down the highway. The weather was getting warm but as long as we were on the road it was pretty cool . We took short stops and relaxed our behinds beneath Tamarind tree shades.
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<br />The highway is a cool one without the disturbing onslaughts of truck and bus drivers. Nice scenic view.. a little too nice for my tastes... a ride is not a ride without winding roads and some rough roads... :)
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/pondi/21_TV_Malai_Road_Break.jpg" align = right>
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<br />We went through Tiruvanamalai. TV Malai was a crowded town but moving traffic. This place is known for its temples and we crossed quite a few of them. Nestled at the foot of the mountains, this place was a buzz of activity and very soon we left the town behind. Then it was about 3:00 and we entered Gingee. This appreared to be a historical place with Rajgiri and krishnagiri fort on both sides.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/pondi/34_Gingee_Fort.jpg" align = left>
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<br />It was a majestic climb and I could imagine how it was to have lived in those forts with a spectacular view of the state. We promised ourselves that we could explore the fort some other time but now our main objective was to reach Pondicherry which was hardly some 50 odd kilometres away.
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<br />Hardly had we ridden 20 kms, we saw Mahindra stopping by the side of the road. He was telling us that he was having engine problems. We could not figure out the problem since it was inside the engine and no one was stupid enough to open the engine in the middle of the highway. So I just prayed that somehow that baby would run.. We were just 40 kms from Pondicherry. We decided to let the engine cool down a bit and then start again.. So mahindra would ride some 2 to 3 kms and then it would stop... and doing this we were losing time and Mahindra was also getting pissed off. All of us tried to cheer him up... He is a guy who can make your journey very interesting. He has so many stories to tell. He was quiet and brooding since his baby was not functioning well.
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<br />Finally 20 kms away from Pondicherry, JFK decided that he would tow the bike. His stylish towing rope then came into use... the same rope about which we were teasing him. Mahindra was in two minds. Since he was not used to being towed, he did not take to the idea very well. But we including mahindra thought that he could give it a try. We were nearing the town now and it would be getting dark in few hours... so mahindra's bike was tied to JFK's bike and he led him. In the beginning it was like dicey with Mahindra getting pulled and trying to keep balance without his engine working .. Tiwana and our bike kept a close distance. After sometime both of them got used to the towing and they were moving quite fast, to the extent that they manged to overtake a bus in the town... and we were like GAWK with our mouth open.... and just hoping that both of them would make it..and they did quite triumphantly .. haha
<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/pondi/26_French_Acrh_-_Tall_Windo.jpg" align = right>
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<br />The public in Pondi was looking at us wierdly.. imagine... us in the lead and then the two of them in the midle and Tiwana at the rear. That being the situation it did not stop the public from butting in trying to cross between the bikes despite the road but we reached the destination after sometime..Eden resorts ..where we were wecomed warmly by the Brijesh and Harish and others from the Madras Bulls. While Mahindra and JFK went to fix the bike we went ahead to have some foodsince we were starving and I had heard so much about Rendezvous that we decided to try our luck there... Rocks was by this time almost dying of hunger and so was I . Among the three of us , Tiwana, Rocks and Myself, we polished off I Omlette, Shrimp Cocktail, a plate of big chicken sausages, a plate of fish fingers, a plate of mixed grill steak, a plate of hamburger, Butter Chicken and Roti and two scoops of Icecream and the quantity was huge...
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/pondi/41Two_Storey_Shack.jpg" align = left>
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<br />After hogging like pigs we went back and could not find the rest of the crowd. Seems that they had gone for dinner and would be returning in sometime. There was some miscommunication and we missed meeting them on the way.. anyways we crashed off in our shacks while waiting for them.. the resort was just next to the sea and our tired senses were lulled to the land of our dreams. As I was closing my eyes I could see the velvety sky of stars slowly fading.
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<br />Suddenly after midnight we get up to murmur of voices. It was a little after 12:00 and the crowd had returned. Part of the gang with Tiwana, Mahindra, Dodo, Solomon, JFK, us, Praveen, KJ and a cuople of others sat around a circle with the background of sea waves talked and talked... as usual we exchanged stories. We were too touchy to talk about Varun but we remembered him every moment and we knew he would have been there in spirit with us. Mahindra entertained us with stories of how it was like riding in Leh and Solo and Dodo ( Daniel) entertained us with their own stories. Solo is the only member of Madras Bulls who rode with 60 kph which was another bullet club and they have ridden to many a places. Dodo was telling us about his plans to do Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Solo was one of the members who had gone to the Pakistan peace ride from Chennai. Dodo never got enough of teasing Solo about his fascination with Fair and Lovely. LOLOL . It was pretty funny And with that note we all crashed off... I was thinking that though this was the most impulsive ride we had done.. it was worth it.. meeting everyone and how the Madras Bulls had arranged such a nice place for us...
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<br />Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1097670538529638102004-04-23T05:25:00.000-07:002004-10-14T00:17:23.730-07:00Walking among clouds... and coming back to reality... <strong>Day 3</strong>
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<br />This was our last day in <strong>Coorg </strong>and we decided to make most of it. Harini would be coming with us as a guide today and then we would head to Bangalore. That day we planned to visit <strong>Talacauvery </strong>and then <strong>Madekeri </strong>and then head back to <strong>Bangalore</strong>. We wanted to start early but we got slightly delayed since it took some time for Anjali and Mini to reach Harini?s estate. Harini again took them to <strong>Orange county </strong>for a brief visit since they missed it the first evening. After saying our goodbyes, made our way from Siddapur where we picked up some coffee for friends and family.
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<br />After that we drove on to <strong>Talacauvery</strong>. The drive to this place is also very scenic through the winding roads of the ghats. The jeep ambled along pretty sturdily without giving us any hassles. Our ears started popping as we climbed higher and higher and finally we reached the place.
<br />We took a brief stop at <strong>Bhagamandala </strong>where the three rivers <strong>Kanike, Kauvery and Sujyothi </strong>met and carried on to <strong>Talacauvery</strong>. This is the place where the Cauvery river originated. We went higher up climbing some 360 steps to the top of the mountain where the actual source of the river was. Imagine having the source of the river at the source of the mountain. Harini told me that no one knew what path it took to reach the tank where the water actually bubbled up.
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<br /><img height="178" src="http://img17.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/Talacauvery_new.jpg" width="591" />
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<br /><strong>17th October </strong>is an auspicious day when the Cauvery river bubbles up at this place. The top of the mountain is left bare and nothing has been constructed since they were afraid to disrupt the flow of the water which was quite mysterious. The steps that led to the mountain was also very carefully constructed so as to not disturb the flow of water in any way. According to a myth the little pool of water at the top of the mountain should not overflow or else the river would dry up so whenever there was excessive rain? and there was overflowing of water, the people would be going there and lessen the water flow by taking out the excess water by buckets?
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<br />The top of the mountain is beautiful viewpoint and on a clear day one can see the Arabian sea on the other side of the mountain range. When we went it was somewhat cold and there was a little mist but as a whole we had good weather. The clouds were floating by and we felt like we were in movie... where there is a song and dance is going and there is smoke around the actors... he he !! jokes apart it was nice to be standing there and just observing.
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<br /><img src="http://img17.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/group_tala.jpg" align="right" />
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<br />As we came down the ghats, we stopped to buy honey. It is advisable to buy your honey from these little shops which are located in strategic points as you come down the ghats. If you know Kannada you can also bargain to give you a good price. You will get processed and non processed honey. Processed honey will be bottled by <strong>Honey Society </strong>while the non processed ones will be in normal bottles.
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<br />After you come down the ghats you will get flat land where you will see some guys selling some cucumbers. Harini made us stop and have those cucumbers which were really out of this world. They were fresh and succulent and if you are a cucumber freak do not forget to stop by and check it out.
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<br />Well we were quite hungry by that time given the amount of climbing up and down we had to do and we were keen on having <strong>Pandi Curry </strong>(Coorgi pork curry) and rice.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/Tala-down.jpg" align="left" />
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<br />It was almost 3:00 and we were running late. Harini guided us to <strong>Madekeri </strong>and then to <strong>Hotel East End </strong>which was famous for <strong>Pandi Curry</strong>. Unfortunately, it was late and we were informed that they no longer made that and suggested that we try <strong>Hotel West End</strong>. By now we were all famished but we thought that it would be an insult to leave Coorg and not have Pandi Curry. We were quite hungry and decided we would go anywhere to taste the food which coorg was famous for.
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<br />So we drove down to <strong>West End Bar and Restaurant </strong>and had a late lunch there along with pork fry, pandi curry rice and vegetarians had some roti and alu mutter. We also sipped a few beers to go with the delicious lunch. Well friends, as far as this place goes, it was ok but I would not advise you to try this if you are a bunch of girls or if you are with family. If you are a sizeable group who is not fussy about the ambience you can try this place. Despite its shabby look and feel, the food served to us was good. <strong>Hotel East End </strong>is a decent hotel to try in Madekeri and they also provide lodging along with good food.
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<br />That day was a <strong>Sunday </strong>and another thing to remember when you are driving around Coorg on a Sunday is to drive carefully since Sunday is <strong>shandy day</strong>, a day when most of the estate workers after getting their come out to town to make merry with lots of liquor and they walk all over the road . So small town or big Sunday is a day when you have to drive carefully to avoid hitting any drunken person going about his way. The crowd is aggressive and in a mood to party and be wild.
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<br />On finishing a sumptuous lunch we started our drive to <strong>Bangalore</strong>. It was 4:45 pm. We took a different route via <strong>Kushalnagar</strong>, <strong>Hunsur</strong>, <strong>Yelave </strong>( take a left there) to <strong>Srirangapatna </strong>and then <strong>Bangalore</strong>, thereby avoiding Bangalore. It was a scenic route where the roads were flanked by banyan and eucalyptus trees. The road was good with and we did a good speed.
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<br />After taking a break at <strong>Shivali Restaurant</strong> somewhere in the highway to Bangalore, Harini decided to ride pillion on the bullet too and before we could say anything, Ambar was off assuming that we were behind them as usual. Just at Hunsur junction, we took a ride and as we were chit chatting, I realized that the bike was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly we doubted that the bike went some other way and we would be lost? because our guide Harini knew the way and we resigned ourselves to the fact that we would be going via <strong>Mysore</strong>. Just when we thought that the drive was going so well, we all fell silent hoping that we would meet up with Ambar and Harini. We were supposed to take a deviation at Yelave junction to Srirangapatna? iI was praying hard that we see them because one, it was dark and two Harini did not have a helmet. And surprise of surprise we were on the right road and they were waiting for us. Seems that they speeded down the smooth road at more than 100kmph with Harini praying for her life but not getting scared at all (thats what she says). Anyway we all heaved a sigh of relief as we met them and continued on our way. And the conversation was back at full speed... ha ha !!
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<br /><strong>Lesson learnt</strong> : If driving in a group please wait at all the major turns for the rest of the drivers/riders. We thought we missed our group since we did not see them turn at the junction and that almost made the end of the trip somewhat uncomfortable. But I guess lady luck with us that day. From the cool mountains, we were back to the familiar highway and we all were very exhausted cutlets by and wanted to just crash off..
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<br />Reached Bangalore by 10:00 and then after dropping everybody off (which included Mini not being to find her home at night and us driving round and round and then losing the bullets .. but now we were in familar ground so we did not bother much and decided to meet the bike at a common point) we reached home at 12:00pm and crashed off taking with us very fun memories of this beautiful place filled with nature and very kind people.
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<br />We could not thank <strong>Harini </strong>enough for being such a lovely and informative guide about her place and also <strong>Anjali, Mini, Gokul, Ambar </strong>for being such a great and cool company. They kept the group entertained and made the trip a memorable trip. Learnt a lot from the travellers and on the whole it was a very interesting trip.
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<br />Tip: Its good if you are travelling with native friends but if you are a first timer... you could go though
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<br /><strong><a href="http://www.travelcoorg.com/html/about_coorg.html">Travel Coorg</a></strong>
<br />You can book your lodging through this site which is very efficient
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<br /><strong><a href="http://www.karnataka.com/tourism/coorg/">Karnataka Tourism</a></strong>
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<br />And if you <a href="http://www.google.com"><strong>google </strong></a>you will find lots of links to Coorg.
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<br /><strong>Now it is back to banging on the keyboard and going nuts !!! he he !! </strong>
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<br />Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1097670241030098142004-04-21T04:47:00.000-07:002004-10-13T05:30:03.110-07:00Us all "Enthu Cutlets" exploring the diversity of nature that is Coorg and Kerela <strong>Day 2</strong>
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<br />The term <strong>enthu cutlets</strong> was coined by Anjali who along with Mini and Harini who kept us all entertained with their witty and humorous chatter. And I thought that this term defined us to the T and had a good ring to it and thus added it to the title...
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<br />Day 2 started very early since we had plans to visit a lot of places which included a forest <strong>Safari at Wayanad Forest, Irppu falls, Dubare Elephant training camp </strong>and <strong>Valnoor Fishing camp</strong>. We were originally planning for Nagerhole but we were informed that Nagerhole recently fell prey to a forest fire and the forest was closed to outsiders. But their was hope since we were told that we could visit The Wayanad forest in Kerela. The drive to Wayanad was amazing through the winding roads and lots and lots of coffee plantation and lots of colourful flowers.
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<br />Wayanad forest was a 20 kms stretch and it was part of the same forest but the name and the state was different. We started at 6:30 and met Ambar and Gokul on their bikes. We rode on through Gonnikoppai, Ponnampet, Hudekeri, and then reached <strong>High Falls Holiday Homes </strong>where Anjali and Mini had made reservations. This place is a beautiful place to stay. A night there costs about 800 for three beds and food is extra, veg plate is 70/- while non veg plates are 125/- each. <strong>Irppu falls </strong>is very near to this place and you can do a short trek there from this guest house. It?s a home stay again which is typical of Coorg and you will get home cooked food and home treatment too. The people are generally very friendly. If you are interested you could be taken around a tour of the estate. They also have a basketball court where you can amuse yourself with when you are not trekking around that area.
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<br />Wayanad forest is just ten odd minutes from here and once you reach the forest, you have the option of taking your own jeep along with a guide which is economical and cost you some 150/- bucks or go in a rented jeep which will cost you 450/-. Mini took up this opportunity to ride on the bullet. We wanted to let the girls feel what it was like riding through natural beauty... its addictive.. Bikes are not allowed inside the forest so we took Ambar and Gokul along with the guide and as we drove deep in to the forest we enjoyed the sights and sounds of the wild. Everytime we would comment on something or the other, the guide would <em><strong>shh</strong></em>h.. at us and suddenly we would stop and he would show us the animals . It is a definite advantage if you know Malayalam. Gokul was a Malayali and he would translate what we would be informed by the guide.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/Wayanad1.jpg" />
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<br />Anjali had this dream of meeting with her favourite reptile, the <strong>crocodile </strong>and the whole time she was hoping against hope that we would come across this beautiful creature and when she was informed that there were no crocs anywhere she was very disappointed but that did not stop her from craving for a crocodile. Everybody whom we came across knew about her fascination for crocodiles and did not hesitate to tease her but she was vehemently for crocs and I was having thought bubbles with the pic of Anjali spending the rest of her life with her fav crocs and that was not a pretty picture though that Australian guy makes crocs look so sweet. BRRRRR again.. I personally have no dislike against this reptile but I certainly have a heavy dose of respect for creatures-who-can-snap-your-bone-just-like-that-however-friendly-you-are, no matter what... but as I believe opinions and likes differ from person to person and I respect that too....
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/Anjali.jpg" align="right" />The guide told us some stories about how an elephant almost destroyed one jeep and how there was one jeep full of Python babies and showed us a dead bison which the tiger had killed but could not drag it due to its size. As we went deeper and deeper into the forest about 17 kms into the forest we saw a broken down Aiyappan Temple and I was wondering to myself who would take the trouble of coming so deep into the forest and build a temple where it was fraught with danger from wild animals? We stopped at a watering hole took some pics and then continued on round the forest and came out to the main road. The whole drive was an experience but if you really want to see wild animals you have to reach there really early in the morning like say 6:00 am or stay there till dusk when the tigers come out. The guide told us that spotting wild animals is better on weekdays since there are few jeeps moving around and weekends are not a good idea since there are lots of people coming in and going out and the animals stay in their own safe place and do not venture out much because of so much noise. My advice is to stay somewhere near by for a night do the safari and then carry on to other parts of Coorg. You can book yourself into Nagerhole Resort if you wish or a <strong>High Falls Holiday Homes </strong>where you can get a cab arranged for yourself to take you to the forest.
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<br />As we came back from Wayanad, we stopped at <strong>Irrupu Falls</strong> which was flanked on both sides by the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats. One can also go for an hour trek to this range if one is interested in trekking. The falls is a nice one but when we went the water was moderate but yet there was a good amount of crowd flowing in to take bath at the base of the falls. That motivated our specially Anjali and Ambar to go and stand and take a shower despite the fact that they would be dripping wet. Though Rocky was dying to dive in, he was cooly enjoying the view as he forgot his get-wet-in-the-falls shorts... as for me ... i was content splashing around in the cool water at a much more sedate part of the falls...
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<br />Mini struck a conversation with a toddler as we were leaving as to what was that thing floating near on of the stones in the water where we were all enjoying the cool stream of water passing over our feet. Mini very maturely pondered that it could be a spider but then pat came the answer from the toddler that according to the books spiders have 8 legs and this creature had 6 legs... and that set Mini thinking on what could the creature be..... maybe some alien or maybe a spider who lost two legs ... LOLOL..
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/bike_gals.jpg" />
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<br />While returning from the falls, Anjali decided to bike it out with Ambar. Both of them were wet and they thought that the open air would dry them up. We decided to go to <strong>Kutta </strong>to have lunch since that was the nearest town on the way back from Nagarhole and Wayanad. While coming down from Kutta, we bought a quarter bottle of gin and mixed it with half a litre of mountain dew and six of us freaked out with that for the heck of it by the side of the forest. We dropped the girls at their guest houses and I am sure they enjoyed their rides through the cool route. As for Ambar he was one content man for reasons only a man-who-got-the-chance-to-give-a-ride-to-babe(s) knows. LOLOL. ( Our biker friends were very envious of Ambar when they got to know about this ha hah a !! ) Anyways, the gals decided to stay back since the guest house was out of the way from where we were going.
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<br />We carried on to Dubare Elephant Training Camp. We had to cross the river by the boat to reach the camp. From afar as we were softly being rowed across the river, I saw elephants enjoying their bath in the river with the mahouts scrubbing them to glory... what bliss... one wonders !!! I was tremendously thrilled to see that we could enjoy elephant rides after all and guess what !! we were just in time for the ride. It was going to be my first ride and I was very excited. The last riding session lasted from 4:00 to 5:00pm and when we reached it was exactly 4:00 pm.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/43_Dubare_View1.jpg" />
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<br />We met Dr Shivaram ( member of the <strong>Coorg Wildlife Society</strong>), the manager of this camp, who explained to us a few facts about elephants as I enquired about this and that. He was kind enough to talk to us and we got to know that this place was the oldest training camp and now they had some 6 elephants along with two baby elephants that they were training. The life span of the elephants in captivity is longer and lasts to 80 years rather than the life span of the wild elephants who lived approximately to 60 years. An elephant?s molars are very important in contributing to its life span. As soon as the molars break, the life span of the animal comes down since it cannot eat much. If you are there in the morning by 8:45 for the ride, you will get a detailed information about elephants from this knowledgable man. Its a part of the morning ride.
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<br />It was time for our ride and we paid 50/- for the tickets and sat on Vijaya who would be taking us around. In Dubare, there was this guest house which was 107 years old and it is now rented out to visitors. You need to bring your own food if you want to stay at Dubare but the whole ambience of staying in such an old cottage must be cool.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/dubare_durga.jpg" align="right" />As we ambled along with <strong>Vijaya</strong> we were lead by a baby elephant who was 6 years old and very frisky. His name was <strong>Ganesha</strong>. Ganesha, a cute little thing, was more interested in grazing and playing with the other big elephants but he had a job to learn and came with us reluctantly leading Vijaya. He was also being trained to give visitors a ride you see. The elephant ride was the highlight of my trip. They are such gentle animals and so mistreated sometimes.
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<br />Dr Shivaraman told us that it was difficult to capture elephants nowadays and they would capture it only to leave them in the wild. It was too much of an effort to train them and I got to know from Harini that elephants roamed that area of Coorg quite liberally not being scared of humans. Harini?s estate was also raided by elephants and they are attracted highly by jackfruits so the estate owners do away with this tree if there is a risk of visiting elephants.
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<br />Anyway as we finished our ride, we got introduced to this elephant who was taking her bath when we came in. She was all clean and was going back to her place. As she came up the river bank, DR Shivaraman stopped her and told us to take a photograph with her. Her name was Durgaparmeshwari. She was a 55 years old and in advanced state of pregnancy. She was very friendly and raised her trunk when the camera went CLICK?
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<br />We also met <strong>Mr Geoffrey Muthanna</strong> who was a member of the <strong>Coorg Wildlife Society </strong>and he oversaw the Valnoor Fishing Camp. We had anyway planned to go there and it was good to meet the manager in person. He was again a friendly man who invited us to his house. We crossed the river with the help of the old boatman who rowed the boat with a long stick and made our way to <strong>Valnoor</strong>.But not before taking some nice pics as we watched the sun making its descent down the horizon.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/Valnoor1.jpg" />
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<br />Valnoor is very near Dubare. Ideal fishing time is from morning to 11am. You must get your own fishing gear but Mr Muthanna provides you with a pair of fishing equipments if you have not gone prepared. We met him and his family who were very hospitable. They arranged for a guy to take us to the river where we saw a family angling and trying to get a fresh catch. It seems they were fishing for the whole day without much luck.
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<br />We watched the sunset from Valnoor over the Kaveri river and headed back to Siddapur where we crashed off early after having dinner at Harini?s house. One more day to go and I was dreaming of Talacauvery and Madekeri and Pandi Curry... yum yum yum... SNOREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ......
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<br />Us "<em><strong>enthu cutlets</strong></em>" were conserving energy for day 3 which we were hoping would be fun...
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<br />For more Photos you can <a href="http://cheese.blogdrive.com"><strong>click here</strong></a>. Have updated my photo blog with a couple of the snaps.
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<br />Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1097667403715661992004-04-19T04:02:00.000-07:002004-10-13T04:47:39.813-07:00Among Coffee beans and The Western Ghats <strong>Day 1</strong>
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<br />A long weekend and it was time to plan another trip. This time we had a choice between riding to our destination or driving there. We opted for driving. This would be our first driving trip. We were more familiar with riding across the country. I wanted to visit Kodagu better known as Coorg since I had heard so much about this place and I was dying to see this place famous for beautiful people and coffee estates.
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<br />I read up Outlook traveler journals and did a lot of research on the net and finally decided that we would do Coorg no matter what. Luckily we had my husband?s colleagues coming along with us, one of whom belonged to this beautiful place. We had two guys on a Machismo. They decided to ride with us all the way. So we were seven of us , Myself , Rakesh (my hubby), Ambar, Gokul, Anjali , Mrinalini a.k.a Mini and Harini.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/ontheway.jpg" align="right" />Harini was a native from Siddapur and she was also coming along for the weekend to visit her place and she very kindly invited us to stay with her. We were glad to have her with us since it would be easier traveling around this place with her guiding us around some part of the trip.
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<br />We started at 7:00 from Bangalore and went via <strong>Chanrayapatna</strong>, <strong>Hassan </strong>and then took a deviation from <strong>Gorur </strong>to <strong>Kushalnagar</strong>. This route is easy to follow but you must look out for the Gorur sign board towards your left to take the deviation. We almost missed it but we were back on track as soon as we realized that.
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<br />There are a couple of junctions which might confuse you while you are driving but its easy if you ask the native people the way to Kushalnagar. While driving through Gorur, we passed by the <strong>Gorur Dam </strong>which also boasted of a lake blue as the sky. It was a scenic drive as soon as we entered Kushalnagar. The temperature was quite warm and Harini told us that <strong>Kushalnagar </strong>can get very hot since it was near Mysore.
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<br />Anyways, driving past Kushalnagar, we came upon <strong>Bylekuppe </strong>where we went to visit the <strong>Namdroling monastery</strong>. It was noon by this time. This place was famous for Tibetian settlements and all you could see were monks dressed in their maroon and yellow garbs going about their daily business as usual.
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<br />The monastery is an experience by itself. The whole of the place was a kaleidescope of bright colours, warm and welcoming. It is very peaceful and I felt like sitting there and just contemplating. There were three Buddha statues made of Copper plated with gold. Inside the statues there were some holy inscriptions and other religious things pertaining to Buddhism. The main statue of Buddha was about 50ft and it was flanked by two other statues 48 ft of gurus who attained Buddhahood.
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<br />It was pretty crowded with visitors mostly from Bangalore that day since many were off on a holiday trip to Coorg. There was a new monastery being built in the compound and whole monastery was surrounded by the hostels for young monks. It was a pleasure seeing young kids in their monk's garbs running around.
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<br />The whole place was full of colourful paintings which talked about their culture and their way of life. We would have liked it better if there was someone to explain to us the meaning of the paintings. It would have given the visitors a better insight to their culture but I guess they were a closed community and were not interested in spreading the good word unless you were a Tibetian.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/lunchday1.jpg" align="left" />Anyway as we came out of the monastery we realized that we were very hungry and I was keen on having Tibetian food specially momo. We looked around and spied a small lazy restaurant known as Dhege Restaurant run by Tsiring ( meaning long life) . The day was hot and the place was not that hygenic... we literally had to wake the owner up to cook us food... LOLOL... . She was good enough to cook us some delicious beef curry and rice and momos. For the vegetarian she had some nice noodles for them. In this pic you see a group full of a good meal LOLOL. Sitting there having our food, one could not help admire the scenery outside...
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<br />Not satisfied with the food, Anjali decided to buy some chocolates and gorge on them .. she was obviously a chocoholic and the three girls went ga ga and chomp chomp on the chocs..
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/NIsar_b.jpg" align="right" /> After having our fill we made our way to <strong>Nisargadhama </strong>where we crossed the hanging bridge and explored the forest area. This place is not very well maintained but it's a nice place for picnic . You have the option to stay at the cottages in this place too but I guess you have to book in advance. We tried our luck but could not find anything available.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/treehouse.jpg" align="left" />You can go boating too through the meandering river. The forest was full of bamboo groves and it was a pleasure walking through them. We suddenly spotted a tree house and all seven of us decided to climb on it and it was nice to sit there and have a looky at what was going on below. I was not comfortable with the swaying house and was relieved to have come down to rest my feet at solid ground. Getting up was easy but coming down the steps was pretty scary and scared the shit out of me.. I just had to bite and smile as if I was doing the most natural thing climbing down stairs with gaping holes from so many feet above ground level.. BRRRRRR..
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/NIsar_ele.jpg" align="right" />Then I saw kids and families alike taking elephant rides which costed some 10/- but we saw that it was a very short ride and though I was very keen on riding the elephant, I was not encouraged by Rocks and we were running out of time too. I made my way with a long face and on we continued to <strong>Siddapur</strong> passing through <strong>Harangi Reservoir </strong>and <strong>Veerabhoomi villag</strong>e. If you are in that area you must stay there for a night to experience the rich cultural heritage of Karnataka. We decided to try this the next time we visit this place. Harangi reservoir also is a beautiful place to visit when there is enough water.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/Kaveri_river.jpg" align="left" />As we were traveling to Siddapur, we were passing by the river <strong>Cauvery</strong> every now and then and the river appeared to be flowing well but the water level was low inspite of daily rains in that area. Two of our travel mates had made reservations in <strong>High Falls Holiday Home </strong>near <strong>Irupu F</strong>alls and we had to put them in a cab. <strong>Siddapur </strong>being a small town, Harini and her family was well known. At Siddapur she found a known cabbie and we bid our friends Anjali and Mini goodbye promising to meet them up the next day. Meanwhile we went back to Harini's house where we got to know her family and refreshed ourselves. It was 5:00 in the evening and there was still light. Harini wanted to take us to <a href="http://www.nivalink.com/orangecounty/"><strong>Orange County </strong></a>which was just two minutes away from her estate.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/Antharium_county.jpg" align="right" />Harini knew the estate managers well since one couple were staying in their house. One of them was the General Manager and the lady was the Accounts Manager. They welcomed us with their kind hospitality greeting. The resort was 100 percent booked for Easter. We were really impressed with the resort. The place was very well maintained. We enjoyed the green surrounding us and the Tudor styled cottages were out of the world.
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<br />We visited the Antharium garden where they had the largest number of Anthariums growing there in that green house. Anthariums had export value and it was doing great business there. Just as we came out of the garden we came face to face with a flock of white geese who loved all the great attention given to them by the guests.
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<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Coorg/county_ducks.jpg" align="left" />A few distances away we saw a preening turkey. Well I do not know what else to call the proud turkey spreading its wings and standing there as if it was the king of the world. The whole place was a coffee estate shared by seven brothers from Kerela. The Ramapuram Holiday Resorts Ltd, are traditional estate owners, who are originally from a small town called Palai in Kottayam district of Kerala. The Ramapuram family, after establishing itself in plantations, has now diversified into leisure services. The whole estate was made into a resort. Most of the coffee stems and buds which were uprooted to make way for building the layout of Orange County was used for furniture inside the cottages. That way they have utilized their crop in a very economic way.
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<br />We also visited the Ayurveda Village inside the County where the staff showed us around the different methods of workings of the Vaidyashala. The entrance was very grand and influence of Kerela Architecture. I guess its worth all the money that people pay for to spend time at this place. It?s a good place to distress yourself the expensive way. A night there in the cottages would cost you from 6500/- and above.
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<br />Made friends with the dogs which was there in Harini's home and it was a pleasure connecting with them. Knowing myself I could have spent hours and hours with Ricky and Sonu. Had a nice homely dinner which Harini's mom so kindly prepared and crashed off.
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<br />Day 1 ended with dreams of Buddha and the beautiful monastery.
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<br />Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1097735585889371732003-12-31T23:32:00.000-08:002004-10-13T23:33:05.890-07:00Pune.... A stranger in a not so strange world....<strong>Wednesday and Thursday , December 24th/25th 2003</strong>,
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<br />It was 4'o clock in the evening and we were on the first rows of the Volvo us all rearing to go. The driver looked smart and we had a great view of the front the volvo being such a classy bus. Anyways, here I was really excited about the trip and all and we were scheduled to reach Pune at 8:00 in the morning and well I thought after breaking our fast we would roam around the town for Christmas. I was imagining an enjoyable Christmas and the bus rolled to Chitradurg for a break after about 4 hours from Bangalore. The road was smooth and we were all caught up in the movie <em><strong>Vertical Limit</strong></em> in the bus. As it was about 9:30 or so I felt the bus stop half way from Chitradurg... and just when I was thinking that it would be a stop for some leak or something, the driver said something about a puncture... well i was thinking that should be ok since these guys are expert in fixing flats.
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<br />But lady luck had also taken a holiday so the spare had also a falt, the drivers took off for an hour to get another tyre which was not exactly a volvo tyre but would work for sometime and after an hours break off we went and I was thanking god that things were going on smoothly... a few kilometres ahead, we again had another puncture which took some hours to fix... I was still thinking that well trouble comes in threes but hopefully it stops here. It was in Hubli that we fixed the flat the second time and well right at 3:00 ish in the morning the tyre gave away again... now the passengers were losing it one by one but they were very patient since they could not do anything about it. I was like .... YEESHHHH i just hope we reach pune in the afternoon but because of the delay we had to face the worst of the traffic on the highway which was still being built and so all the vehicles were doing single lane and it was difficult to manouvre the bus fast. Then the handy man put on another movie for entertainment and guess what it was <em><strong>Khiladi</strong></em>.... ha ha ha As if I did not have enough to think about than seeing Ayesha Jhulka's poodle face and Akshay Kumar doing his female act.... EGADDDDD... I think some corner my luck was holding when the TV suddenly fused out.... i was thankng the powers that be gratefully...
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<br />We reached Belgaum at 7:00 in the morning and well all were really exhausted by the rough ride and just wanted to go home. The folks were getting cranky and started taking the driver's trip. One of them a marathi guy started hassling the driver for a 200/- refund for the delay and well made a big commotion which was unnecessary I felt and delayed us for some more minutes... god I was by this time just praying for whatever patience I had left.... Ha ha oh yes, since the TV of the bus was also fused out this freaked out the already frayed travellers.... then it was time for some dhinchak music which they put off after all started complaining...
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<br /><img height="85" src="http://venus.walagata.com/w/pallavi/stress.jpg" width="108" align="left" /> Believe me stress can do a lot to your sanity... :)
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<br />I was just praying that a fight should not start right then ..... people were complaining their heads silly... I was praying for deliverance from this situation... had a small tiff with hubby too so I was fuming silently and hungrily.... since rocky did not let me have more food... man i was so pissed... i think the whole situation was getting to us... he he !!
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<br />Anyway we had smooth roads from Satara to <a href="http://www.outlooktraveller.com/aspscripts/insideindia.asp?destname=Pune">Pune</a> and then the Pune Highway Traffic started. By the way my dream of going through the expressway did not realise since we enter Pune before the express way....
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<br />Because of the frustation on the highway our driver let out some of his anger on a truck driver who was not giving way by making the handyman open the door and flung an empty bisleri bottle while overtaking aggressively and cursing all at the same time... I was stunned at the behaivour and the bottle hit the truck driver &%&&&^%$#^@#%#$@Q$#@ right at his face and it was an expression worth observing... LOLOLOL
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<br />Well it was Christmas that day and it all seemed that my plans of enjoying the town would go down the drain. All I could hope for was to reach our friend's place safely.
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<br />At last after doing two tunnels and winding road in midst of the traffice I could see Pune nestled the lap of the mountains.. it looked to me like that from where we were entering Pune and well my first impression was well its just like Bangalore... just a wee bit more polluted and a WHOLE lot of two wheelers, especially Bajaj M80 and M50. This contraption was supposed to be the best thing in Pune and was used by majority of the locals....
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<br />Well after meeting friends <a href="http://www.studiobarkingdog.com/"><strong>Ranjan </strong></a>and <a href="http://www.ryze.com/go/leenarr"><strong>Leena </strong></a>we had a scrumptious after lunch of chicken and rotis and I was starving... we chilled and just took in the breath that was of Pune's.
<br />In the evening after all the excitement settled in we went to dinner at <strong>The Bounty's </strong>in Kalyani Nagar and this place seems to serve the best of the sizzlers and i was not disappointed. YUM YUM is not enough to explain it...
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<br /><strong>Friday December 26th 2003</strong>
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<br />Osho' Ashram and MG Road was on my itenary and well we took off in the morning on Ranjan's Pulsar. After sitting on bullets, pulsar was a bit on the uncomfortable side. But hey who is complaining as long as it takes me to places... LOL. <img height="200" src="http://venus.walagata.com/w/pallavi/camp.jpg" width="300" align="left" />
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<br />Well Osho's Ashram.... one word <b><span style="font-size:130%;color:#800000;">MAROON</span></b>and SPACED OUT.
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<br /><strong>Traveller's Tip</strong>: <em><b><span style="color:#800000;">if you going to Pune please avoid wearing maroon since the locals look at you ina wierd manner which you may not like. Maroon is exclusively for the Oshoites, a friend informed me !! </span></b></em>
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<br />The guides were tired and had a very serious on the verge of rude expression in their faces and well we were told to keep silent for the 15 minute walk inside the ashram. I went through a couple of osho magazines and bought two just to have a feel about what this thing was all about. Got a pink <strong><span style="color:#ff00ff;">I am on Tour</span></strong> label to stick on my dress and well was called for, "we want only pink labels coming in please".. had me wanting to burst out laughing.. but what the heck....
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<br />After a short video clip on Osho and his talks, we went around the campus. I noticed that the campus was very well designed and aesthetically pleasant. And there were people flowing in maroon robes inand out and with their own purpose... as I was walking with the group i saw a beautiful lady in maroon dancing wildly in her own way in the concrete floor which i think is a playground or something....<img height="200" src="http://venus.walagata.com/w/pallavi/cafe2.jpg" width="300" align="right" />
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<br />The funny part was that even though we were asked to keep silent, there was a huge commotion of converstaion all around.... I did not see the purpose... Auroville in Pondicherry also asks the people to keep silent but the surrounding is so silent that one would not like to talk too and there are always some genre of people who cannot stop conversing.... But silence in Osho was not a big deal as everybody was talking normally leading a normal life albeit in maroon.
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<br />Anyway, saw the auditorium from afar and it looked very imposing.. it was in the shape of a pyramid and it reminded me of the glass pyramid of Le Louvre in France. <img height="200" src="http://venus.walagata.com/w/pallavi/audio.jpg" width="300" align="left" />
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<br />So maroon was the highlight of the visit. Otherwise the people there are very helpful more so when you are a foreigner. They thought i was one and the moment I started talking in shudh Hindi they came to their normal pattern of conversation which was " I am not interested either way" Maybe if i would have behaved otherwise I would have got more info ... LOLOL.
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<br />Went to the German Bakery from there and had the famous Apfel Stroodle and Kase Kuchen but the quality sucked. I think the german cafe in Bangalore can boast of better quality food any day. Heard so much about it but my husband says that it is the hangout place for many and well majority were the hippy kind with large tatoos smoking dope and speaking a foreign tongue... In the process I saw some cool modified Bullets in the parking lot and made my day.
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<br /><img height="170" src="http://venus.walagata.com/w/pallavi/girivan.jpg" width="300" align="right" />That afternoon we were off to Girivan.... where we had an amazing time for three days and 2 nights meeting friends and generally having a ball of a time with bonfires and stories from college. The reunion was about the "<strong>animal farm</strong>" my husband's Symbi classmates getting together after ten years... and what a reunion it was... Lot of chaos, authentic Maharashtrian food comprising of Bhaakhri, Pitla, Thetsa, Chicken curry,puranpoli,Kadi, etc, great service, exhange of humourous stories round the bonfire.... the works... I had a gala time clicking snaps.... finished off 5 reels...he he !!! Have to write a detailed account on that ...
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<br /><strong>Saturday, December 27th 2003</strong>
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<br /><img height="170" src="http://venus.walagata.com/w/pallavi/girivan1.jpg" width="300" align="left" />Long morning walks around the mountainous pathways, lemongrass tea, cricket match. exploration of the place and then a heavy lunch after which we went to Pawna Lake and could see the Tikkona fort from afar... was to exhausted to stay awake that night...
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<br /><strong>Sunday, 28th December, 2003.</strong>
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<br />After heavy goodbyes and promise of returning to meet up sooner than the usual ten years, we made our way to Pune and on the way my friend Leena ( Ranjan's wife) took me to the Osho Teerth park ... you can visit the park as a visitor from 3 to 6 in the morning and from 9 to 11 in the morning I think. The rest of the time is for the Oshoites. Well the park is a creative wonder... they have transformed a drain into a park... amazing. I was impressed with the work that they had put into this project.And it was worth the visit. Could not click any snaps... this park was an ideal place for couples who wanted to get away... and could see a lot of them huddles and doing whatnot hanky panky LOLOLOLOL !!! but heck thats life !!! <img height="200" src="http://venus.walagata.com/w/pallavi/park1.jpg" width="300" align="right" />
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<br />Boarded the bus At 7:00 pm and then reached Bangalore at 11am in the morning this time without any mishaps with the sound of Pyar to hona hi taaaaaaaaa ( Remo sings ta instead of "tha"), and Kuch kuch kota hai ringing in my ears.... Finally reached familiar ground namma Bangaluuru and man I was glad to be back home under blue skies and fresh air...
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<br />SIGH it was a good break !!! Am gearing for more in Jan.... to Goa we go on our bikes.... hopefully my bike is ok before that it is still being operated on in the garage... LOL...
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<br />Wishing all my friends a very happy new year !!
<br /><p align="center"><img height="200" src="http://venus.walagata.com/w/pallavi/new-year.jpg" width="300" /> </p>
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<br />Due to some error I have deleted my last post... boo hoo... (
<br />Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1097572437193044222003-10-12T02:03:00.000-07:002004-10-13T04:40:42.396-07:00The Land of Happiness and Peace<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jilmil/Mysore/mysore.jpg" />
<br /><strong>Mysore .... </strong>
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<br /><strong>Pros </strong>
<br />A cool place to chill out in India.
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<br /><strong>Cons</strong>
<br />none as far as I am conecerned.
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<br /><strong>The Bottom Line</strong>
<br />A nice place to just relax and have a historical journey.
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<br /><strong>Mysore</strong> - the land of happiness and peace and history....
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<br />This place has got an old world charm. This review is from the tourist's point of view. I have been to Mysore a number of times. It so happens that Mysore is just three and some odd hours from Bangalore and whenever my friends and relatives come by for a visit to Bangalore we end up going to Mysore as that is the nearest place which we can finish visiting within a day and come back.
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<br />Mysore has a lots of places which you can visit.
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<br />The first stop is the <strong>Mysore Palace</strong> . Its an amazing architecture and this palace reminds us of the culture and tradition. The whole palace is very well maintained.
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<br />One of the most interesting things about this palace are the painting in the walls. Its painted in such a way that from whichever angle you see the painting seems to be looking at you.
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<br />The ceilings have been painted beautifully. Its intricate handiwork leaves with you a feeling of awe.This artwork can be seen only here and this has been replicated in Bangalore's Vidhana Soudha (Parliament) to some extent.
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<br />There are several doors in the palace. Whats interesting about the doors is that each door is carved in a different manner and some doors have been made of silver and bronze with intricate carvings on it.
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<br />The whole tour of the palace is an interesting experience. There are guides taking you through the palace and you can also buy stuff which is typically from Mysore like Sandalwood carving in the shops placed inside the palace. The guides change their accents according to the tourists they get from abroad. I found that pretty interesting :).I had friends coming down from Germany and Japan and the accent of the guide helped them a lot to understand the tour. Well good for all !!:)
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<br />The next destination is <strong>Chamundeswari</strong> temple . This temple is situated on the top of a hill. The journey to the top of the hill is fascinating. The view as you travel up the hill is amazing. You can see almost the whole of Mysore from the top. The roads are good and its a smooth ride up. Once you reach on top, you will get to see a colorful array of shops selling flowers and stuff which can be taken back as souvenirs of Mysore.
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<br />My friends from abroad are always fascinated by the monkeys and the shopkeepers who sell flowers. They look very colorful :).
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<br />The temple is very well built and its typical of South Indian Structure. Besides the temple, the view from this place is awesome.
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<br />As you come down hill you can enter and check out another temple which is known as the <strong>Bull temple</strong>. There is a huge bull residing on this place. This bull is supposed to be the second or the third largest bull in the world. Anyway its a good place to just sit there and chill out. The structure of the bull is worth seeing. Its carved out of a single stone.
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<br />After you have finished this tour the next place to go is the <strong>Brindavan</strong> <strong>Gardens</strong> Or <strong>Krishnasagar</strong> <strong>Dam</strong> . This garden has been built on one side of a dam. This is an amazing place and its a great place to stay overnight. This place is usually kept for last if you are traveling in a package tour. You have to walk for quite sometime as vehicles are not allowed inside the entrance of the garden. This is a huge garden which is very well maintained and it has not lost its charm. The only thing that I did not like about this was that it was too crowded in the evenings. This is because the garden looks awesome in the evenings. Its good a musical fountain show and the whole garden is artistically lit up when dusk falls.
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<br />There are facilities to stay in the garden but I suggest you make the reservations in advance. I recommend that you end your trip in the gardens and stay over for the night and go out of Mysore the next morning.
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<br />For that matter the <strong>Mysore Palace</strong> is worth seeing when its all lit up in the evenings.
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<br />There are lots of other stuff to see in Mysore. For example, the <strong>Philomena Church</strong> which reminds me of the <strong>Great Dome</strong> in Germany. Its built in similar lines. Its a huge church and a tourist attractions.
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<br />The <strong>Mysore Zoo</strong> is a treat for the kids. This is one of the well maintained zoos and you easily while away your kids time... My nieces and nephews went crazy when they saw this zoo.
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<br />Mysore is a good place to buy antiques and work or art. Just opposite the Mysore Zoo you will see a couple of shops where you can check out stuff which you can take home or give a gift to your friends.
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<br />Mysore is famous for its silk too. You can check out the sarees or silk scarves in an Emporium where you are sure to be given a good price. Its expensive no doubt but its worth the price.
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<br />Mysore is very famous for its sweet dish. Mysore Pak.
<br />Make sure you have a taste of this sweet.
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<br />If you want to stay back here, <strong>Hotel Das Prakash</strong> is a very good place to stay. <strong>Hotel</strong> <strong>Ramanashree</strong> is also another hotel where you can stay.
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<br />On your journey to Mysore, I recommend that you make a detour to <strong>Shrirangapatna</strong> which has <strong>Tipu Sultan's summer palace</strong> and his <strong>mausoleum</strong>. The whole palace is made of wood and it has huge lawns which have been maintained well. Tipu's life and achievements have been placed here inside this palace. This whole palace is very picturesque.
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<br />I would recommend that you go on a package tour to <strong>Mysore</strong> but if you have friends its all the more better to move around with them independently. As far as price is concerned Mysore is reasonable unless you are buying stuff like silks and antiques.
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<br />You can check this place out if you want to take a short break. You can also stop by this place when you are going to Ooty from Bangalore. Usually its best to travel by bus. If you are traveling independently you can take a taxi and take tour of the city. It will cost you about <strong>300</strong> to <strong>400</strong> rupees.
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<br />This place is also accessible by train. You can board the <strong>Satapdi</strong> express from <strong>Chennai</strong>. Its one of the best trains in India in terms of facilities and the speed.
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<br />Well I hope I could provide enough information regarding this place.
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<br />If you want more information you can check the following websites
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<br /><a href="http://www.mysore-hotels.com">www.mysore-hotels.com</a>
<br /><a href="http://www.mysore.nic.in/">http://www.mysore.nic.in/</a>
<br /><a href="http://www.karnataka.com/tourism/mysore/">http://www.karnataka.com/tourism/mysore/</a>
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<br />Whenever you decide to visit India, make sure this place is in your calendar.
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<br /><strong>Recommended</strong>
<br />Yes
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<br /><strong>Best Suited For</strong>: Friends
<br /><strong>Best Time to Travel Here</strong>: Anytime
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<br />Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8686480.post-1097735740027485052003-10-10T23:34:00.000-07:002004-10-13T23:35:40.026-07:00Ooty-- Wellington here we comeSniff sniff cough cough i go and i think i am feeling like going and getting cozy in a quilt with a book. Have a heavy head and SIGH !!!
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<br />This is the result of a extended weekend in Wellington and walking in the clouds and then coming back to Bangalore and sitting in the AC i think. But whatever the case might be, the weekend trip was a well deserved break. Myself along with my visiting relatives decided to visit Wellington some 15 kms from Ooty. We have a relative who is in the defense and he was staying in the Defense Staff Services College. We started from Bangalore in a Qualis. We were 6 of us and we fitted well into a qualis with all the luggage. I was having mixed feelings since it was Puja time and well i wanted to celebrate the Puja like a true Bengali but well the option of going up to the hills was irreristible and so off we went. After reaching the outskirts of Bangalore we had breakfast in Kamat Lokruchi which is famous for its food. After having our fill of dosas and sugarcane juice we went on ahead via Mysore and then to Bandipur. Bandipur was pretty dry but the moment we started to drive through the Mudhumalai section it was raining cats and dogs. But after a few kilometres we had dry weather again which was very pleasant.
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<br />Got to see some lovely deers and peacocks and as we speeded up Masinagudi we saw ahead of us the ghats which we were going to climb and which had about 36 hairpin bends. Our qualis was easily lumbering up the ghats and at the top we stopped to take a few pictures.
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<br />I am a picture freak so i do not let any opportunity go by when i see some nice landscape.
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<br />Anyway this route was pretty good and not many were travelling through this route so it was kind of okay. We saved upon the kilometres because of this ghats. the other route is kind of longer. Our driver knew his routes well. I was impressed. We reached Ooty and then Coonor and then Wellington at 6:00 in the evening.
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<br />The next day we came down to Ooty and did some leather shopping there. Leather is cheap there specially if you have some DSSC guy with you. You get upto 40 percent discount.
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<br />The thread garden of Ooty is another thing which was kind of nice to see. I was dying to see some nice landscapes and waited till we could go to Dodabetta peak. It was raining for sometime and i thought that this would put a damper but hey what the heck the peak was all the more beautiful because of the peak. you can see Kerela, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu from this place.
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<br />The Nilgiri hills is so blue and beautiful. Anyway, we clicked a lot of snaps walked in the clouds and had some hot pakoras and coffee.
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<br />As we were having coffee suddenly the clouds cleared and we had a maginificent view there. more snaps followed. You know it was truly like walking in the clouds in the dodabetta peak !!
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<br />The next day we visited Beulah's farm where we would buy some wines and some jams. His homemade wines are famous in Bangalore. So we went and sampled all his stuff and it was a heady hour i must say that we spent. The wine was tasty and as I was tasting the wine I wanted to buy everything but I had to be satisfied with 4 bottles of wine and 2 bottles of Jams. I must say that if one goes that side one must visit this place if one likes to have wines.
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<br />As we were roaming about the hills in our car i was hard pressed not to stop the car and start walking. Such a place is made for walking. Fresh mountain air, pine forests all around you with birds chirping about and a nice winding path, the weather being sometimes rainy and sometimes sunny. I was also thinking that it would be wonderful biking it up here.
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<br />Anyway after a very scenic trip we made our way back to bangalore. And back to the daily routine of work and french grammar but i must say it was a well deserved break and I hope we can do this soon. In fact I am praying that we take off for the Diwali weekend in our bike. Some are saying Pondicherry, some are saying Kodai... anyplace is good for me !!
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<br />So here i am eager to travel again !! I can never tire of travelling.. Love seeing new places and making new friends !!
<br />Pallavihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15142772926587548310noreply@blogger.com