Sathyaprakash Dhanabal's Travel blog

Trip to Mainz, Germany and visited a music festival (openohr.de)

2011-07-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

Place: Mainz, Germany
Date(s) of Travel: June 10 - June 13, 2011

You can read more about the place(s) here: Mainz, Germany

My Experience:

1. On my way back to India, I decided to take a stopover in Frankfurt, germany to visit my friends...When I reached frankfurt, my friends told me that we will be going to a music festival (www.openohr.de) in Mainz which is 40 kms from frankfurt and also we will be camping there over the weekend..That sounded like a fantastic idea and we headed to Mainz...

2. The festival venue was totally awesome and we made our tents in the camping site...This is the first time I camped in tent and it was a good learning experience for me... The whole festival was full of young german people from all over germany...It was so much fun to be part of a big festival...

3. Met lot of hippies and they all have visited india some or the other time...some of them spoke hindi fluently...i was amazed and even one guy from venenzula talked tamil...he became my good friend...Interacting with them was an quite a eye opener kind of experience towards relationships, money, travelling, communism...hope i took some best out of them and apply in my life...

4. Lot of bands/groups performed in the festival...Totally kickass...drinking beer and even i managed to meet some young people who shared some weed with me...holy moly...enjoying the music with a pint of beer was totally awsome experience...

5. There were lot of small shops, eateries, tattoo place, antiques, indian dress shops by the hippies inside the festival grounds...there was a small indian food shop and the guys became so friendly to me over the three days...german people are loving indian food but with little less spices though...

6. Took some time off from the festival and walked around the city mainz...it was a small but beautiful city...Hope i visit the festival next year and meet the beautiful people again...

Thought of Day:A person starts to live when he can live outside himself. - Albert Einstein

Trip to Frankfurt, Germany

2011-07-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

Place: Frankfurt, Germany
Date(s) of Travel: April 30 - May 3, 2011

You can read more about the place(s) here: Frankfurt, Germany

My Experience:

1. The last time when I did a small trip to europe, I stayed in youth hostels wherever i went...It was an awesome experience of backpacking and i met lot of people and made good friends...i promised one of the friend that if i get a chance to visit germany, i will visit frankfurt and meet you again...As promised i made it to frankfurt...

2. Frankfurt is a beautiful city and it has the river mainz going thru it. You can walk the whole city in a day and have some pint of beers in the river side...as i mentioned in one of my earlier blog post, germans are one of the most friendliest people..may be next to indian people...

3. Stayed with friends from germany and god!..that was one lovely place and the german hospitality was awesome...The only thing was german people eat lot of bread....Met sandip, one of my college mate who is working there...went to a small indian restaurant where the food was awsome...heard the stories of the indian people how they settled in germany...quite fun...

4. There are quite a places to visit in frankfurt...lot of art museums, river mainz..i visited a dance club in lokalbahnhof with my friends on may 1st eve..which they call as "dancing in the may"...quite fun and drank lot of german beers and some wheat beers...And also for a relaxed walk, one can go to Sachsenhausen...it was one hell of a beautiful place...i just loved the place...

5. I visited goethe university and listened to some of the german world war stories...that was sad though...but people have moved on from the sadness..if you visit any of the festivals or nightclubs you get to meet lot of young happy people...they all love to visit india...you are all welcome guys...

Thought of Day:The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking...the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker. - Albert Einstein

Short trip to london and India world cup victory celebrations in trafalgar square

2011-07-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

Place: London, UK
Route: Tallinn - London - Tallinn
Date(s) of Travel: April 1 - April 4, 2011

You can read more about the place(s) here: Trafalgar Square

My Experience:

1. I had some personal work in London so I thought April 1st weekend would be the right time to go as I was in Tallin which was 2.5 hrs away by air. But my goodness, India reached world cup cricket final and they were about to play against sri-lanka in April 2nd, Saturday.

2. After meeting friends and finishing the personal work I went to a sports bar on saturday with my colleague to watch the cricket world cup final..It was very nervous and all the time I was sipping guinness without taking my eye out of TV.

3. The moment dhoni hit the six and India won the match... I shouted crazy and running around here and there..Did some nadal fist pumping to some of the white guys who invented cricket...damn you guys and pakis...we are the world champs...

4. We know there will be huge celebration in trafalgar square and we ran to the place from picaddly circus...god! that was one crazy night...everybody was shouting india and holding indian flags...Got to meet lot of desi chicks...shouting, vuvuzelas, candle lights, dancing crazily in joy....all for india and being indian...

Thought of Day:Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. - Albert Einstein

Business Trip To Tallinn, Estonia

2011-07-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

Place: Tallinn, Estonia
Date(s) of Travel: March 14 - June 10, 2011

You can read more about the place(s) here: Tallinn, Estonia

My Experience:

1. When I reached Tallinn for the first time, I felt.. oh god this cold is killing me..Straight from 35 C (Bangalore, India) to -15 C in 24hrs is quiet a thing to adjust both mentally and physically...

2. I stayed right in the middle of old town which is a happening place in tallinn all the night..Initial days were really boring as hell as I was very alone other than sharing dinner with my colleagues everyday... But slowly i started moving around the old town everyday to have a feel of estonian culture..

3. Lot of good restaurants from all over europe and few Indian restaurants are also there...Prices are little bit high though(at least for me).. But there are plenty of bars to drink and plenty of nightclubs(dance) to hang-around during nights. The good thing is you get Guinness and Corona everywhere...The local beer from estonia is saku which is quite good though...

4. When it was very cold and few sunlight, I found people were kind of depressed and not so friendly..But once spring/summer started people were opened up (both dress and friendly)...Made a lot of friends and hanging out in alfredo's (mexicano) house was quite fun...

5. Flying remote controlled planes was awesome though i was just watching and even made a motor bike trip to country side which was very beautiful...There were few shopping malls available and my favourite is solaris where there are good foodchains like lido and vapiano available as well as a movie theatre and a big grocery store..

6. There are few beaches around tallinn..i have been to estromi and piritia...where the later has good life...Getting around tallinn in cycle is a good idea as it is a small city compared to other european cities...It was a very hard feeling to leave the place as i enjoyed so much there...but tallinn..i will visit you

Thought of Day:If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut. - Albert Einstein

Trip to Gopalaswamy Betta and Balmuri Falls

2010-11-02T04:29:00.000-07:00

Place: Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, Karnataka, India
Mode: Car Trip (Bangalore - Mysore - Gopalaswamy Betta - Balmuri Falls - Bangalore)
Date(s) of Travel: November 1, 2010

You can read more about the place(s) here: Gopalaswamy Betta

My Experience:

1. Since it was a holiday, myself and colleagues decided to go to gopalaswamy betta near mysore for a one day trip. We started at around 7 AM in the morning from bangalore.

2. It was lot of traffic even in the early morning on the Bangalore-Mysore highway. We had a heavy buffet breakfast at kamat restaurant on the way. Having awsome breakfast in the morning is a bliss.

3. We reached gopalswamy betta around 12 PM and there is big temple at the top of the hill. The priest in the temple arranged us lunch, which was yummy. Lot of tourists were on the top of the hill.

4. We trekked a hill which is adjacent to the temple and the view of the bandipur forest from the top was so awsome. People said, there are lot of elephants and it is risky to trek further.

5. While coming back to bangalore in the evening, we went to balmuri falls near KRS dam in mysore. We had a good time there having bath. Finally in the night, we reached bangalore before hitting a coffee day shop for dinner in the highway.

Thought of Day:The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking. - Albert Einstein

Bike Trip to Shivanasamudra

2010-10-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

Place: Shivanasamudra, Karnataka, India
Mode: Bike Trip (Bangalore - Maddur - Shivanasamudra - Bangalore)
Date(s) of Travel: October 10, 2010

You can read more about the place(s) here: Shivanasamudra Falls

My Experience:

1. Me and my friend decided to do a bike trip to Shivanasamudra which is around 140 Kms from Bangalore. We started around 12.00 PM and reached Kamat hotel after channapatna around 1.30 PM. The lunch was simply too good.

2. The bike ride was very smooth till maddur but after maddur it was horrible. We reached Gaganachukki around 4.30 PM and there were lot of water in the falls.

3. From there we travelled another 10 Kms to Bharachukki falls. We got down the steps and went to the falls to take bath. We even had a koraikal ride where they will take you near the waterfalls which was thrilling.

4. It became pitch dark around 7.00 PM and we started back to bangalore. But there were heavy rains till maddur and it was almost impossible to ride the bike because of the pot holes. We reached bangalore around 11.00 PM with having a stop in Coffee day near ramnagaram. It was a nice experience driving the bike in Mysore road.

Thought of Day:Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. - Albert Einstein

Trekking from Kodaikanal to Munnar

2010-10-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

Place: Kodaikanal, TamilNadu, India
Mode: Tempo (Bangalore - Kodaikanal - Munnar - Coimbatore - Bangalore)
Date(s) of Travel: September 24, 25 & 26, 2010

You can read more about the place(s) here: Kodaikanal Munnar

My Experience:

1. Me and my colleagues boarded the nagercoil express train at around 11.00 PM from bangalore to kodairoad. We reached kodairoad at around 8.30 AM the next day and we arranged for a tempo traveller to kodaikanal.

2. We reached kodaikanal around 12.30 PM and it was drizzling which was so pleasant. We met our trekking guide "Kodai mani" who organizes this trek. He is a money minded guy and never guides people. That is the experience we had from that guy.

3. We travelled by another tempo to Berijam which is the starting point of our trek. The view on the way from kodaikanal to berijam was quite beautiful. We started trekking around 1.30 PM and after sometime we were quite deep inside the forest. It started raining after sometime and it never stopped. The whole way was full of leeches and everybody was so freaked about that.

4. After three hours we stopped near a lake for our lunch. Then again we started to walk and reached a village around 6.30 PM. After having some refreshments in a tea shop, we bought some raw materials for dinner. From there we started walking towards another village called Naatampatti where we gonna camp in the night. We reached the place around 8.00 PM and it was a forest guest house.

5. After having good dinner and some camp fire, we hit the sack. It was very cold in the night. Next day around 8.00 AM we started to trek towards Kovizhur. I would say, we walked a lot and crossed a few waterstreams. It started raining so heavily and lot of people started getting cramps. The last stretch of reaching Kovizhur was so thrilling as it was very steep and muddy due to the rain.

6. Finally we reached Kovizhur around 7.30 PM and everybody was so tired as we dint had lunch. From there we went by a jeep to munnar. We stayed in a small hotel which was pretty comfortable. Next day morning around 11.00 AM we started to coimbatore by jeep. The three hour jeep ride from Munnar to Chinnar was so beautiful as there were tea plantations everywhere. We spotted some waterfalls on the way and it was quite scenic.

7. In the night, we boarded a bus to bangalore from coimbatore.

Thought of Day:If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut. - Albert Einstein

Trip to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne - Europe

2010-10-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

Place: Europe (Paris - Brussels - Amsterdam - Cologne)
Mode: Bus, Train (London Victoria Bus Station - Paris, France - Brussels, Belgium - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Cologne, Germany - Paris, France - London)
Date(s) of Travel: August 09, 2010 - August 21, 2010

You can read more about the place(s) here: Paris, France

You can read more about the place(s) here: Brussels, Belgium

You can read more about the place(s) here: Amsterdam, Netherlands

You can read more about the place(s) here: Cologne, Germany

My Experience:

1. I decided to do a shoe string budget trip to Europe for 11 days. My plan was to travel in eurolines buses (which are cheap across Europe), trains (little costly) and to stay in youth hostels and meet as many people possible and experience different cultures.

2. On August 9th 2010, I started to Paris from London Victoria bus station at around 8 AM. Eurolines buses are too good. The bus reached Dover, England around 11.30 AM. It went inside a train to cross the English channel. That was an kick-ass experience. Within 25 minutes it reached Calais, France at the other end.

3. In the evening around 4 PM reached Paris and I checked-in to the http://www.montclair-hostel.com hostel. It was a quite nice place and met lot of people. I should say some places of Paris are simply superb but some of them are really shady. I stayed in Paris for 4 days and went to Eiffel tower, Louvre museum and few places. I also met my friends whom i met them back in Thailand two years ago. Traditional french dinner with Duck and Wine...oh man..its so nice.

4. On August 12th 2010 afternoon, I started to Brussels, Belgium by bus. I stayed in the http://www.2go4.be/quality/ hostel. The city center of Brussels was quite beautiful. In the hostel met some friends from Argentina and Germany. They were so friendly and even we did a night out in a local pub. It was an unforgettable experience.

5. Next day morning, I roamed the city and did some local sight seeing. In the evening I started to Amsterdam, Netherlands by bus and reached around 10 PM. My friend dinesh who studied with me in college, currently works in Amsterdam, came to pick me up. I decided to stay in Amsterdam for few nights because I heard its a kick-ass place for bachelors.

6. In Amsterdam I went to lot of pubs, live shows and even drove a boat in the canals. I smoked weed which was like feeling heaven. I can't explain in words, how good Amsterdam was. I have some plans to stay in Amsterdam for a month. Lets see, how it goes.

7. On August 17th 2010 morning, I started to Cologne, Germany by train. I traveled in train because I was running short of time and only few bus services to cologne. In the afternoon, I reached cologne and stayed in the http://www.koeln-hostel.de hostel. I would say, Germans are the most friendliest people I have ever seen in Europe.

8. I roamed cologne and went to few places like Cologne Dom, Sculpture park, Panorama. In the evening I went to some pubs where they were playing live rock bands. It was kick ass. On August 19th 2010 evening, I started to Paris by train because I need to catch my night bus back to London.

9. On August 20th 2010 morning I reached back London with lot of beautiful memories. I made lot of friends and I am still in touch with them through facebook. Indeed the world is nice.

Thought of Day: Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school. - Albert Einstein

Trip to New Forest - England

2010-10-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

Place: New Forest, England
Mode: Train Trip (London Waterloo Station - Brockenhurst - London)
Date(s) of Travel: July 31, 2010

You can read more about the place(s) here: New Forest, England

My Experience:

1. I heard about the beauty of new forest, so I decided to go there and enjoy the summer. Early morning, I left from waterloo station and reached Brockenhurst which is one of the city in new forest area. When I reached brockenhurst it was drizzling and weather was near perfect for walking/trekking.

2. I went to local tourist information centre and bought a walking trail map and started walking towards Lymington (another city in the area). I would say it is the beautiful ever country side I have seen in england.

3. Then I went to Beaulieu which is a very beautiful place where the National motor museum and the palace house located. It was a very nice experience to see a wide variety of motor cars from olden days till the modern ferrari.

4. Finally I reached Lymington and had few beers. In lymington there is a car showroom which had lot of ferrari cars and maseratis. Just to have a view of black ferrari was like bliss. Hope one day I will have a chance to drive a ferrari.

Thought of Day: Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding. - Albert Einstein

Trip to Brighton - England

2010-07-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

Place: Brighton, England
Mode: Train Trip (London Bridge Station - Brighton - London)
Date(s) of Travel: July 10, 2010

You can read more about the place(s) here: Brighton

My Experience:

1. Due to high summer I decided to go to a beach and ended up in brighton. Brighton was filled with lot of student tourists and young people. So it was full of energy. For people who don't know, brighton is the gay capital of UK.

2. First I went to sealife aquarium which was pretty decent. Seeing people feeding sharks was very thrilling and under water walking through glass tunnel was also very exciting.

3. Next went to devil's dyke which is a valley near brighton. Thr bus takes you through brighton city in open top and seeing the green valleys and breathing the fresh air was welcoming. After relaxing for sometime in the valley and watching people flying kites I decided to do a small trek around the valley.

4. After the small trek came back to brighton and went to brighton pier. The pier had lot of gaming shops and fun rides. First time in my life went in a roller coaster and it was thrilling.

5. After a long day travelled back to london with lot of memories.

Thought of Day: A person starts to live when he can live outside himself. - Albert Einstein

Trip to Edinburgh - Scotland

2010-06-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

Place: Edinburgh - Scotland
Mode: Train Trip (London Liverpool Street - London Stansted - Glasgow - Edinburgh - Glasgow - London Stansted)
Date(s) of Travel: June 11 - 13, 2010

You can read more about the place(s) here: Edinburgh - Scotland

My Experience:

1. Almost everybody who travelled to scotland tells you that it is a beautiful place. So we decided to experience scotland. We started around morning 7.00 AM from london and reached edinburgh around 3.00 PM after a small break in glasgow city.

2. Edinburgh is a beautiful city with lot of history attached to it. In the evening we decided to do a small trek which is adjacent to scottish parliament. The view from the hill towards the city and the seashore is so beautiful. In the evening we decided to do some pub hoping.

3. Next day we went to South Queensferry and did a boat trip to one small island. After that we did a city bus tour which was so good as they explain lot about the city history. In the evening we decided to go to the edinburgh castle but we were short of time and couldn't go.

4. We decided to climb the Scot monument which is built in memory for a famous scot poet. Climbing the 287 small circular steps till the top is little scary. The view from the top is so nice. Then we went to a pub to watch the world cup match between USA and England. No body in Scotland were supporting England and they were supporting USA just because they hate being part of UK and ruled by England. That was a very different experience.

5. Next day morning we went to a service in St.Giles Cathedral. It was a very old church and we met some scottish people asking about India and the religions we follow. Then we went to National Art Gallery followed by Edinburgh Castle. We spent some four hours looking around the castle which was nice.

6. In the night we left to London. We should have done northern scotland trip but due to time and plan we couldn't do it. But Edinburgh was a nice experience.

Thought of Day:Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. - Albert Einstein

Road Trip to Wales

2010-06-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

Place: Bath - England, Cardiff & Snowdonia - Wales
Mode: Car Trip (London Heathrow - Bath - Cardiff - Dolgellau - Snowdonia - London Heathrow)
Date(s) of Travel: May 29 - 31, 2010

You can read more about the place(s) here:
Bath - England
Cardiff - Wales
Dolgellau - Wales
Snowdonia - Wales

My Experience:

1. Since it was a long weekend we decided to do a roadtrip to wales. We started at 10 AM and after initial glitches with tomtom (GPS) we finally hit the motorway around 11.30 AM. It takes some time to adjust to use GPS. Finally we reached Bath around 3.00 PM and it was little bit cloudy.

2. I should say Bath is a very beautiful city. The landscapes before entering the city and the central city was so good. We went to the roman baths which is a natural warm water spring and its been well preserved till date. The early engineering used by romans were just amazing to see.

3. Then we left for Cardiff. We reached cardiff around 8.00 PM and we stayed in a youth hostel. The hostel was right before the Wales millenium stadium and it was a too good experience. We did pub hoping and it was so much fun drinking till early hours.

4. Next day we went to local market and had some breakfast. In the local markets you meet lot of countryside people and its nice to meet new people. We started at around 11 AM to Dolgellau. The drive from cardiff to dolgellau through lot of hills was simply good. Finally reached dolgellau around 7 PM and we stayed in a country side hostel. Actually it was a camp site with some dorms.

5. We decided to do some walking around dolgellau town and we dint see anybody in the road. Then we went to a pub which had live music and it was so much fun. The whole people in the town was in the pub.

6. Next day morning we started to snowdonia one of the highest mountain in wales. We saw lot of tourists on snowdonia and lot of people were hiking. Mountain railway is a famouns thing in snowdonia but there were no tickets for the whole day. We did the electric mountain trip which is a visit to one of europes biggest hydroelectric powerstation. That experience was so good and thrilling.

7. In the afternoon we started to London and reached in the evening.

Thought of Day:We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. - Jawaharlal Nehru

Trip to Dover - Kent, UK

2010-06-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

Place: Dover - Kent, London, England
Mode: Train Trip (London Bridge Station - Dover Priory - London Victoria)
Date(s) of Travel: May 23, 2010

You can read more about the place(s) here: Dover - Kent

My Experience:

1. In the office some of my colleagues and myself decided to go to some place in the weekend and we zeroed in to Dover. We started at morning around 10 AM from London and reached Dover after an hour. The scenery during the train journey towards dover was so good and the sea at the last 5 minutes is so beautiful.

2. After having Brunch in the city (which is pretty small) we went to the dover castle. The view from the castle towards the sea is too good and one shouldn't miss the underground wartime tunnel guided tour.

3. Inside the castle there were people enacting as the king, prince and princess. We interacted with them and they looked like wax figures for me initially. The prince gave me some tips to woo girls. Yay.

4. Dover is very famous for its white cliffs and we did a small trek on the cliffs. From the cliffs, the view to the Dover port was amazing. Some people were even mountain biking. I envy them, coz they are damn fit. From the cliffs, you can the see the france.

5. After spending some time on the cliffs we went to the beach. In england, there are lot of pebble beaches, so not good. The view from the beach towards the white cliffs are good. It was worth time spending one day in dover.

Thought of Day:A picture is worth a thousand words. - Napoleon Bonaparte

Bike Trip to Yelagiri

2010-03-07T04:58:00.000-08:00

Place: Yelagiri Hills, Tamil Nadu, India
Mode: Bike Trip (Bangalore - Krishnagiri - Vaniyambadi - Yelagiri)
Date(s) of Travel: March 06 - 07, 2010

You can read more about the place(s) here: Yelagiri Hills

My Experience:

1. I decided to go by bike for the office party which happened in yelagiri. Since its a 170 km (one way) ride, I lended a Apache RTR 160 from my friend.

2. Since the summer started, I started around saturday 3 PM from bangalore. It was so freaking hot these days. Since the whole journey is on highway I was able to push the bike @ 80s constantly.

3. The Hosur-Chennai stretch is so superb that you would love biking. After reaching Vaniyambadi took a right turn which takes us to the yelagiri hills.

4. By around 5.45 PM I reached yelagiri since I haven't stopped anywhere. Yelagiri is a small hill station and its commercially growing. Having said its a hill, its not cold at all. Roamed here and there in bike and went to a temple which was nearby where I was staying.

5. Enjoyed the party and started the next day afternoon to bangalore.

Thought of Day:Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. - Russel Baker

Trip to Dandeli and white water rafting in Kali river

2010-01-27T06:20:00.000-08:00

Place: Dandeli, Karnataka, India
Mode: Tempo (Bangalore - Hubli - Dandeli - Bangalore)
Date(s) of Travel: January 23 & 24, 2010

You can read more about the place(s) here: Dandeli

My Experience:

1. Me and my colleagues started at around 10.00 PM from bangalore to Dandeli. Till Tumkur the traffic was very bad since some bridge construction was going on. After Tumkur, our tempo van driver felt very sleepy and he took some power nap for 2 hrs :(. During that time we were playing some music in the portable speakers on the highways.

2. Next day morning just before Hubli we had breakfast and I forgot the place name. Finally we reached Dandeli only at 12.30 PM, since the distance between bangalore and dandeli is around 500 kms. (blame the driver)

3. We arranged for home stay which is after Kulgi Nature camp around 12 kms from Dandeli city. The stay was too good and water streams flowing behind our house. The home food they prepared was too good and we just went on a rampage.

4. Just outside our house we spotted a big squirrel in a tree. We also spotted some jackals. But we couldn't spot any other wild animals.

5. In the night we had campfire and some music and I should say it was a pleasant one. The walk on the moonlight in the road was an thrilling experience, but we didn't go very far.

6. Next day morning we reached Jungle Lodges and resorts where we took a jeep to the Kali river for white water rafting. The early morning drive from dandeli to Kali river was sexy. It was so cold and green everywhere.

7. Doing water rafting on the Kali river was so good. I have no words to explain the awsomeness we experienced while rafting. Floating on the water with life jacket was simply good. We spotted lot of wild birds.

8. In the afternoon we went to a place called Syntheri rocks which is a natural granite sedimentary rock. Then in the evening we had plans to do jungle safari but time din't allow us to do that. Finally reached bangalore next day morning around 5 AM with dinner break at Rani Bennur town.

Thought of Day:Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing. - Albert Einstein

Trekking in Kudremukh National Park

2009-12-09T10:55:00.000-08:00

Place: Kudremukh, Western Ghats, Karnataka, India
Mode: Tempo (Bangalore - Hassan - Kalasa - Kudremukh - Bangalore)
Date(s) of Travel: December 5 & 6, 2009

You can read more about the place(s) here: Kudremukh

My Experience:

1. Me and my colleagues started at around 11.30 PM from bangalore to kudremukh. We arranged a tempo traveller as we were 10 of us. I would say it was very comfortable in the whole journey.

2. Reached a small village which is situated between Samse and Kudremukh. This is the starting point of our trek to Kudremukh National Park. From there to reach the base camp village we travelled by jeep and the travelling experience was good.

3. We have arranged for a home stay. There are some three homes and they provide food, take care of the forest permissions and guide for the trekking.

4. After having the breakfast and packed our food for the lunch we started to trek around 10.30 AM. On the way we found lot of water streams and vertical stretches. After some rest here and there, reached the peak around 3.00 PM. The peak was awsome.

5. Since we have no plans to stay at the top we started trekking down around 3.30 PM. It was getting late and we want to reach the basecamp before sunset. We spotted a bison in a long distance, hurray.

6. But I started having groin injury and one other member was unable to walk becoz of knee injury. So our phase started slowing down and it was complete dark and still we were only half-way through.

7. Then the fun started as we were having only one torch. But somehow managed to reach the base camp around 8.00 PM. After some hot bath had some good dinner.

8. Next day we went to Kudremukh town and Lakya dam. We went to the Hanumanagundi Water falls but we couldn't make it in time as it was closed. After some rest started back to bangalore and reached around 2.30 AM the next day.

Thought of Day:It is not talking but walking that will bring us to heaven. - Matthew Henry

Trekking in Agumbe

2009-11-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

Place: Agumbe, Western Ghats, Karnataka, India
Mode: KSRTC Bus (Bangalore - Shimoga - Agumbe - Chikmagalur - Bangalore)
Date(s) of Travel: October 31, 2009 - November 1, 2009

You can read more about the place(s) here: Agumbe, Narasimha Parvata

My Experience:

1. We started by Friday Night to Agumbe by direct bus(Rajhamsa Executive). Since the bus goes through the shimoga route, the road was pretty bad as you can't even sleep for a minute.

2. We reached Agumbe around 7.30 AM and it looked like heaven. Agumbe has very few shops and houses. It was the place where the famous Malgudi days shoot happened. We went to the Malgudi days home and took snaps. I still remember one or two episodies from my childhood memory.

3. From Agumbe we took an auto to Malandur which is the base camp for the trek. We met our guide Thimmappa who is a localite in the village. After having a little break, we stared our trek around 10 AM.

4. After some walking, we entered the dense jungle. It was full of leaches. As we had applied salt on our legs and shoes, it was ok. It was sunny, but since we were trekking inside the forest, the trees were giving us shade all the time.

5. Around 1 PM, we reached a big water stream. We decided to have lunch over there itself. At the end of the stream, it was a big water falls. Standing on the top of the falls and seeing down was like too scary but it was fun. Again we started trekking towards our place where we have planned to stay overnight.

6. After some few steep hiking and mountain hoping we reached the small house. The view throughout the trek was awsome. Lot of people got so tired because of the dehydration. Seeing the sunset from top was a nice one too.

7. We had some camp fire and enjoyed our dinner. Next day morning 9.00 AM we started towards the Kiga village and reached around 11.30 AM.

8. We took a local auto and went to Srimane falls which was too good. We went to sringeri and had the god's blessings. That night we started back from sringeri and came to bangalore.

Thought of Day:No great discovery was ever made without a bold guess. - Isaac Newton

Bike Trip to Hogenakkal Falls

2009-11-05T04:54:00.000-08:00

Place: Hogenakkal, Tamil Nadu, India
Mode: Bike Trip (Bangalore - Dharmapuri - Hogenakkal - Salem)
Date(s) of Travel: October 15, 2009

You can read more about the place(s) here: Hogenakkal Falls

My Experience:

1. I was planning to go to coimbatore for diwali. One of my colleague said why not we do a bike trip till salem, as he stays in karur. Then the plan was on for going to Hogenakkal too. Thatz how this trip happened.

2. We started early morning around 5.30 AM from Domlur. Driving pulsar 180 on the empty road was fun. It was little bit traffic until the outskirts of the city. Once we crossed electronic city, we pushed our limits.

3. We had few breaks in-between and reached Hogenakkal via Hosur, Dharmapuri around 11 AM. When we went to see the water it was like a heaven. Water Water everywhere. The beauty of cauvery reaching tamilnadu was an amazing view.

4. We hired a parisal and did boating on the river which is above the falls. You won't believe we spotted a crocodile. Sitting above the waterfalls in a rock and viewing it was a fun experience.

5. After tasting the local fish, we headed towards salem. Driving on the NH7 from dharmapuri to salem was like kick ass. The road was too good.

6. Overall the trip was too good and tiring.

Thought of Day:Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving. - Albert Einstein

Trip to Malai Mahadeshwara Hills

2009-10-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

Place: MM Hills, Karnataka, India
Mode:Car (Bangalore - Kollegal - MM Hills - Bangalore)
Date(s) of Travel: October 2-3, 2009

You can read more about the place(s) here: Malai Mahadeshwara Hills

My Experience:

1. Myself and two of my colleagues started to MM Hills around 8.00 PM from bangalore. We had a heavy dinner at hotel kamat on the mysore road. We took the road before Mandya to Kollegal. Finally we reached MM Hills around 1.00 AM after taking few breaks.

2. We couldn't find a place to stay at night and slept in the car itself. That was too tiring.

3. Next morning, we took a jeep which takes us to the base village of nagamalai. The jeep journey was so awsome and adventurous. Actual plan was to trek to palaar through the dense forests of MM hills. The trek to nagamalai was good as we could see lot of adjacent hills. It was bit sunny though.

4. After reaching nagamalai, we enquired some local villagers about helping us reaching pallar. They weren't ready as they said it's risky becoz we might experience elephants. And also they said, forest officials will question us. So we dropped the plan to reach pallar.

5. Had blessings from the shiva temple in nagamalai and reached back bangalore the same day.

Thought of Day:
God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant, and the cat. He has no real style. He just keeps on trying other things. - Pablo Picasso

Trek to Visapur Fort and Lohagad Fort in Lonavala

2009-09-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

Place: Visapur and Lohagad Fort - Lonavala, Maharashtra, India
Mode:Bike Trip (Pune - Malawli - Visapur - Pune)
Date(s) of Travel: September 12, 2009

You can read more about the place(s) here: Visapur Fort and Lohagad Fort

My Experience:

1. At the last moment, we arranged for a bike to reach the village. The drive
from Pune to Malawli village(On the Way to Lonavala) was quiet calm.

2. The village has quiet a few shops and we could see a lot of people who came
to visit the Lohagad fort. We started our trek from the Buddha caves on the way
to Visapur fort.

3. From the back side of caves, we started trekking towards visapur fort.
Walking through the water streams was quite difficult. On the way through the
fort, we could see a very small village and their main business is cattle
breeding. Since it was monsoon, all the small paths to the fort were so dirty
because of cow marks.

4. Finally we reached the Visapur and I enjoyed walking above the walls. It was
really good. From there we started trekking downwards to Lohagad.

5. In the Lohagad base, there is a village and they serve awsome food. After
finishing our lunch we started trekking to Lohagad. The trek was quite simple as
we just need to climb the steps. Once we reached the top, we could able to see
the Pawna river, Tung fort, Visapur fort from the fort top.

6. We reached back malawli in the evening and I was exhausted. Pushed the pulsar
to its limits and reached back pune in quiet a short time.

Thought of Day:
Winning is important, but what brings real joy is the experience of
being fully engaged in whatever we do - Phil Jackson

Trek to Tung Fort - Lonavala

2009-09-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

Place: Tung Ghat - Lonavala, Maharashtra, India
Mode: Bike Trip (Pune - Lonavala - Tung Ghat - Bhushi Dam - Pune)
Date(s) of Travel: September 5, 2009

You can read more about the place(s) here: Tung Fort

My Experience:

1. In Lonavala it was raining all the time. Driving from Lonavala to Tung thru INS Shivaji was an awsome experience.

2. One villager helped us guiding the correct path to reach the base. In the base there is a Hanuman temple. The Trek was easy and we reached the top in an hour. The whole mountain was green and were water streams everywhere.

3. There is a Ganesh Temple in the fort entrance. When we reached the top, it was raining heavily and we hardly see each other. It was fun though.

4. Reached Bushi Dam and had some Corn Pakoda. It was yummy. People littered the place like anything. So sad to see them...

5. Back to pune in the evening.

Thought of Day: Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. - Maria Robinson

Bike Trip to Khandala, Maharashtra

2009-08-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

Place: Khandala, Maharashtra, India
Mode: Bike Trip (Pune - Lonavala - Khandala - Pune)
Date(s) of Travel: July 25, 2009

You can read more about the place(s) here: Khandala

My Experience:

1. Driving on the Pune - Mumbai old Highway was fun. It was raining all the time. Wet Driving is fun :).

2. Awsome view of the mountains on both sides of the road. Waterstreams everywhere.

3. Lonavala Chikki (Kadalai Mittai) was bad and good. Corona was costly and traffic sucks in Lonavala main road.

4. Police catched me and I had no documents except my license. It was atirek's bike. Spot fine 100 bucks but no bill. :(

5. We went to Khandala Railway station and started our small trek to Duke Nose. Walking through the railway tunnels was an awsome experience.

6. As usual Ganesh Majji screwed us. Lost the path and ended up reaching a Thermal power station :). Came back to pune in the evening.

Thought of Day: A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love. - Henri B. Stendhal

Monsoon Trek to HarishchandraGad, Maharashtra

2009-07-13T08:50:00.000-07:00

Place: HarishchandraGad, Maharashtra, India
Mode: Bike Trip (Indica) [240 Kms] (Pune - Narayangaon - Junnar - HarishchandraGad - Pune)
Date(s) of Travel: July 11-12, 2009

You can read more about the place(s) here: Harishchandragad

My Experience:

1. Me and my colleagues started from office around 8.00 AM from pune. We went through the Pune-Nasik highway and it was raining all the time during the drive. It was lush greenery all the way and the ghat road was simply awsome.

2. We reached khireshwar which is a village on the foothills of HarishchandraGad around 12.00 PM after having few breaks. Parked all our bikes in a house and we ate some hot pohas which was fantastic.

3. Started trekking around 12.30 PM and we went inside the forest. The trek totally contains three phases. The first phase was little bit difficult as there were lot of rocks and stones on the way. But the view of the adjacent mountains was awsome as we could see lot of falls and land slides. Since it was raining heavily, the path that we went through had lot of water streams.

4. The second phase was too scary as we have to climb and crawl through rocks. But we did it with atmost care and it was fun too. In some places while climbing when I looked down, there were some butterfly effect in my stomach.

5. Then the last phase was walking, walking and simply walking all the way to other mountains. During that we crossed some dense forests and i was little bit scary about leeches, but luckily there were none. On the way we could able to see some crabs too.

6. Finally we reached the top around 4.00 PM and it was full of mist. We went to the Shiva temple and the beauty is, the whole temple is covered by water streams. Then we went to a cave where we finally decided to stay for that night. The cave had a huge Ganesh sculpture and it was glowing in the night due to fluorescence paint.

7. Adjacent to the cave there was a water falls and we had good fun taking bath. And there were some villagers who prepare Tea and Rice/Roti/Dhall. The food was awsome and they charged very little which made me think a lot about the city life.

8. Next morning we started to trek down around 7.00 AM. On the way, we went to the Kedareshwar cave in which there is a big Shivlinga. And I heard that during Shiv Rathri, there will be a huge function. Finally reached the foothills back around 10.30 AM.

Thought of Day: Backpacking is the art of knowing what not to take. - Sheridan Anderson

Car Trip to Nagerhole and Trekking to Thadiyandamol

2009-07-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

Place: Nagerhole, Thadiyandamol, Coorg - Karnataka
Mode: Car Trip (Indica) [650 Kms] (Bangalore - Nagerhole - Thadiyandamol - Bangalore)
Date(s) of Travel: June 27-28, 2009

You can read more about the place(s) here: Nagarhole
Thadiyandamol

My Experience:

1. Me and my friends started around 10.00 AM from bangalore. Banaglore - Mysore highway is very scary. You have to be extra careful while driving in the road. We had breakfast at Kamat hotel and it was awsome.

2. We reached Gonikoppal in coorg around 2.00 PM. We used the Srirangapatna - KRS - Madikeri highway to reach gonikoppal. The weather was awsome and it was drizzling.

3. From Gonikoppal we started to Nagerhole national park and we reached there around 3.30 PM. There is a forest guard at the entrance of the park and he does nothing. Above all he was recommending people for some hotels to stay. The sad part was, we saw some people just drinking and littering beer cans inside the park. If the guard could have inspected the vans, they could have been stopped at the entrance only.

4. We saw hell lots of deers. Then we took a bus ride inside the forest. We could able to see only some deers and sambars. I should say the bus ride was a disappointment.

5. Then we stayed overnight at virajpet next to gonikoppal ie on the way to madikeri. Next morning, on the way to chelavara falls we had a nice breakfast in a small hotel. We saw a big black cobra crossing the road. Finally reached chelavara falls and it was awsome.

6. After nice bath in the falls we started to Thadiyandamol and reached the foothills around 11.00 AM. We went to Nalknaad palace and the guard explained about the architecture. It was awsome. But the sad thing is people have screwed up that place as much as possible.

7. We started trekking to Thadiyandamol around 12.00 PM. Everywhere it was green and the climate was f***ing awsome. We were so hungry and some fellow trekkers gave us some food. Around 2.00 PM we reached halfway and it started raining. The rain became heavier and the paths we went through looked like water streams. So we decided to go back and reached the foothills. Then found that we got bitten by leeches. It was scary and the blood was not at all clotting.

8. Finally reached bangalore around 10.00 PM. It was a fun filled experience.

Thought of Day: Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bike trip to Mahabaleshwar - Maharashtra

2009-06-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

Place: Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra
Mode: Bike Trip [300 Kms] (Pune - Panchgani - Mahabaleshwar - Panchgani - Pune)
Date(s) of Travel: June 4-5, 2009

You can read more about the place here: Mahabaleshwar

My Experience:

1. Me and my colleagues started around 9.00 PM from office and reached the Pune-Bangalore highway at 10.00 PM. We had four bikes and all are pumped with petrol to really cruise. There are lot of dhabas on the highway and we had a nice non-veg dinner at a dhaba. Awsome food. :)

2. Just 20 kms on the highways, you will find a 1.5 Kms tunnel which was awsome to watch. I had seen these kind of tunnels on the Kulu Highway in Himachal.

3. On the way to Panchgani, we stopped at a place and did a small night trek. It was so slippery, and we decided to end it halfway. From that hill, we could able to see a fort which was amazing at the moonlight.

4. Reached Mahabaleshwar around 2.00 PM and there were fog everywhere. Stayed overnight there and reached tapola in the morning which is around 25 Kms from there. The way to tapola was awsome as you could enjoy the beauty of western ghats. In tapola, we did some boating on the Koyna River.

5. Started back to pune around 5.00 PM. When we hit the highway, it was raining. Wet driving was dangerous and it was more fun too. Finally reached home around 8.30 PM with some pain in the back. :(

Thought of Day: Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves. - Albert Einstein

Cycle Trip and Trek to Purandar fort, Maharashtra

2009-06-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

Place: Purandar fort, Maharashtra
Mode: Cycle Trip [120 Kms] (Pune - Saswad - Purandar - Saswad - Pune)
Date(s) of Travel: May 30, 2009

You can read more about the place here: Purandar

My Experience:

1. Me and my office colleagues started to Purandar from Pune around 4.00 AM. We reached Saswad around 9.00 AM. Riding the cycle in the 4KM ghat was a horrible experience. It was almost impossible for me since my stamina sucks.

2. Reached Purandar village around 12.00 PM. It was hot like hell. Even then I made my mind to take the trek and managed to reach the top around 1.00 PM.

3. Started back to Pune around 2.00 PM and reached back around 7.00 PM. But it was tiresome to ride around 120 Kms in a day. Tried some glucose, electrol nothing worked. Other Avid cyclists were encouraging me a lot and that kept me pushing and able to finish the trip as well as trek.

Thought of Day: Life is like riding a bicycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving. - Albert Einstein

Trek to Kodachadri (Western Ghats) and Trip to Udupi

2009-01-02T07:43:00.000-08:00

Place: Kodachadri and Udupi, Karnataka
Mode: Bus Trip (Bangalore - Shimoga - Kodachadri - Kollur - Udupi - Bangalore)
Date(s) of Travel: December 24 - 28, 2008

You can read more about the place here: Kodachadri

My Experience:

1. Me and my office colleagues started to Shimoga from Majestic Bus stand, Bangalore at Dec 24, 2008, 11.00 PM. We reached Shimoga the next morning 6.00AM and again boarded a bus to Kollur by 6.10 AM. We got down at Kodachadri cross at around 10.00 AM. The Bus travel between Shimoga and Kodachadri cross was so tiresome as it was going through western ghats all the time. By the time I got down, I was so tired and worried about the Trek. :)

2. From the Kodachadri cross to the foothills, it was around 4-5 Kms. On the foothills there is a hotel called santhosh and we ate breakfast over there. Food was bit costly, but was good.

3. Then we started to trek through the hills around 11.30 AM. The mountains are filled with lots of trees and because of this we didn't felt the heat. We did take a lot of breaks. We have to cross mountains by mountains and the picturesque hills was so good to see and experience.

4. We managed to reach Kodachadri by around 2.30 PM. There was a temple and few shops were also there. There is a mud road path too where jeeps can travel. We stayed at a priest house, where they provide food at a minimum cost.

5. We went to Agasthiyar theertha, which it is a small stream where we took bath. The water was freezing cold and rocks were so curvy. In the evening we went to the peak also called Sarvajna Peetha to experience sunset. We could see a small temple of Adi Shankaracharya where he did meditation.

6. We stayed overnight at the priest house and it was damn cold outside. It was a nice experience. Next morning, we started to trek down at 8.30 AM and reached the hotel at the foothills by 10.00 AM. From there we went to kollur, which is 20 Kms from Kodachadri cross.

7. In Kollur, we stayed at a hotel for sometime and went to river to take bath and went to Mookambika temple. After taking Darshan, I alone started to Udupi Via Kundapura by 7.30 PM.

8. I reached Udupi by 10.00 PM and when I started looking for a hotel, it was a big shock for me. I checked around 7 hotels and no rooms available in any hotel. But with gods grace, I could get a hotel in a place called Parkala which is around 10 Kms from Udupi.

9. Next Day Morning, I went to Malpe beach. From there I went to Malpe Shipping Harbour and could able to see a ship building yard too. Then, I went to St.Marys Island by boat which is around 40 minutes drive from Harbour. The Island was too good and the water was clear. There is a shop in the Mid Island where they sell fried fish. In the evening I went to Krishnan Temple which is very famous. After that, I boarded a overnight bus from udupi and reached bangalore next morning.

Thought of Day: Brahma (God) is real, the world is an illusion, Jeeva (atma) and Bramha (god) are same, not different - Adi Shankaracharya.

Night Trekking - Skandagiri (Kalavarahalli)

2008-12-08T07:30:00.000-08:00

Place: Skandagiri, Karnataka
Mode: Bike Trip and Night Trek at Kalavarahalli
Kms: 75 kms from Bangalore
Date(s) of Travel: December 7, 2008

You can read more about the place here: Skandagiri

My Experience:

1. Me and my colleague Chethan started from Palace Grounds by bike at Dec 6, 2008, 11.00 PM. We went through chikballapur route and reached foothills by around 1.00 AM.

2. On the foothills there is a temple and a mutt. There is a pay and park facility available and there are few guides also available. Since chethan has already been to this place we choose to trek by ourselves around 1.15 AM.

3. It was damn cold and fog everywhere. The hill was bit steep and rocks everywhere, but trekking in the night with Torch was a nice experience. We took some rests in few places. We could see a lot of people and there was traffic jam over there too.

4. We managed to reach the peak by around 4.15 PM. There were group of people everywhere and even some having campfire. It was almost like seeing a new civilization.

5. There were some people who sell hot tea and Omelette. It was freezing cold over the top and I started even running nose. There is a Lord Ganesh Temple at the top and we sat there for sometime to protect ourselves from cold.

6. Around 5.30 AM, Sun started to come out. We could see the clouds very near to us and it was a thrilling experience.

7. Around 8.30 AM, we reached back the foothills and back to Bangalore by 9.50 AM.

Thought of Day: Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time - Steven Wright.

Business Visit to Seoul, Korea and Vacation in Bangkok, Thailand

2008-04-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

Place: Seoul, South Korea
Mode: Thai Airways (Via Bangkok, Taipei)
Date(s) of Travel: Feb 2, 2008 to March 23, 2008

You can read more about the place here: Seoul

My Experience:

1. G. Prabhu and Krishnamoorthy helped me a lot during pre-travel activities like purchasing and send-off. Thanks da. Thanks Navaneethan for lending me a digi-cam.

2. First time flight experience was good. But I feared almost all the time.

3. First to Bangkok, Thailand. I had only half-hour to catch the connecting flight to seoul, but the boarding pass queue was very long. Finally flight got delayed by two hours.

4. Flight did a stop-over at Taipei, Taiwan for 45 minutes. I roamed around the Airport for some time. It was good.

5. Finally I reached Incheon, Seoul. When the flight got landed, every korean in the flight shouted "Welcome to Korea". They love their country very much as like everyone in the world.

6. Immigration people didn't allowed me and put me in the suspect room. Oh my god, I couldn't understand their language. [:)]. Finally, police verified and allowed me. (Reason: HP Business in Korea and I had a long colored hair in the Passport Photo).

7. It was -10 Degree C in seoul and I could experience snowfall. Traveling in Subway Train was a real good experience. Lot of people asked me, "Are you an Indian". When I say yes, they reply with joy "We love India". Oh Great.

8. I tasted korean dishes like Kim Baap, Vivim Baap(My favourite), Pibim Baap, Kimchi and Bean Soup. Soju Drink and Sundae are really great to have. I too tasted Mexican food. You could find a lot of Indian restaurants too. Korean people love Indian food.

9. While coming back, I took a three days vacation in Bangkok. It was nice experience roaming around the city. Khao Son Road night life was ultimate. Simply Thai is great.

10. Finally came to Bangalore. Same Traffic all the day. :)

Thought of Day: Travelers Never think thay they are the foreigners. - Mason cooley.

Team outing to Ramanagaram

2008-02-17T04:36:00.000-08:00

Place: Ramanagaram near Bangalore.
Mode: Bus.
Kms: 50 kms from Bangalore. (On Mysore Road)
Date of Journey: January 30, 2008, Wednesday.

Read about the place here: Ramanagaram

My Experience:

1. I woke up late in the morning, but Nishi dropped me so I could managed to catch the bus.
2. Since we went on a weekday, we were only there. That was good.
3. The whole place is surrounded by mountains and forests.
4. There are some shops at the entrance, where you can get drinks, and some food stuffs.
5. The activities like Rappelling, River crossing and Rock climbing are organized by skilled people. They are providing this service as a whole package including food and camp fire.
6. Everyone was enjoying a lot, except the day was too hot.
7. Night Trekking was really good, but lot of people did not turn up becoz of tiredness.
8. In the evening, camp fire was good as I was watching only :)
9. The dinner was good with some drinks sponsored by one of the section manager. :)

Next day, I could able to go to office only in the second half. Overall it was new and a fun filled experience for me.

Thought of Day: Known is a drop, Unknown is an ocean.

Bike Trip to Nandi Hills

2007-08-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

Place: Nandi Hills near Bangalore.
Mode: Bike Trip (HH Splendor+).
Kms: 70 kms from Bangalore.
Hill Ride: 8 Kms.
Date of Journey: July 15, 2007, Sunday.

Read about the place here: Nandi Hills

My Comments:

1. You can enjoy the place if you go by bike.
2. You can see Greenery everywhere.
3. A good place for trekking.
4. Airtel Signal is too good even at the top of the Hill.
5. You can see a lot of people come by bike (with their GFs).
6. Riding in the Six Lane Hyderabad Road will be a nice experience for anyyone.
7. On the FootHills, some shops are there.
8. You can get good grapes, fresh from the garden on the sides of the road.

Overall it was a Nice Experience, but with lot of aches in the next day due to extensive travelling of around 200 kms.

Thought of Day: "Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control,these three alone lead life to sovereign power." - Alfred, Lord Tennyson