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
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
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
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.
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.
