One Day Adventure Trip Around Bangalore: Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve and Madhugiri fort

With a weekend in hands, bike in garage and camera lying next to me on bed, the only thought that woke me up that night was what to do with all of these? The answer was floating around in Google and hence I decided  Jayamangali Blackbuck reserve is the best place to exercise everything. With none of my friends willing to join, I was almost sure to go alone, but just one day before the actual plan, I decided to put it up on meetup.com. To my surprise I got great responses, and finally two people Rajath and sameena were ready to join me on the visit. I asked my college mate Anupriya also to join and hence we were four to rock towards Madhugiri. We left bangalore by 4 am to make sure we reach the place by sunrise, probably the best time to spot animals.

                   So in a famous saying sannate ko cheerte hue we were riding towards Madhugiri. We took the NH4 tumkur road and followed it on till 40 km from bangalore, where there is a right turn below the fly over for Madhugiri. The temperatures were too low and thanks/curses to a mad driver who showered filthy water on me and Anupriya. We stopped there and that was the moment when Rajath realized how badly he was missing his Jacket. Had a cup of tea and went ahead on the dark roads to the destination. For about 20 km the road was fine but then the Karnataka government showed it true colors and the state highway adventure was on. Dawn was at the corners and the graphite monsters of the region were haunting with their black shadows. The road gives a feeling of riding along a valley and the pre-morning weather really adds to the flavor. To avoid freezing breezes from making us senseless we were riding slow and hence saw the sunrise before reaching the reserve. Around 6:30 we reached Madhugiri another 30 km from there was the blackbuck reserve. The road starts vanishing after that as the local farmers use it to dry hay, and I wondered, am I the first one to use this road as a road?  We reached to the last 4 km for the reserve which is marked by a sign board. As soon as we took that right turn, the curious Blackbucks welcomed us. We saw a huge group running from us, and decided to reach the place with thoughts that they will be more there. The forest office there is just one room, which even offers place to stay. We went ahead for a walk along the forest and discovered there is no water here and hence pretty hard to actually observe any creature out here. We saw an observation tower and rushed towards it. The view from there is ecstatic, for few moments you would just be with yourself, no disturbing sound, no signs of pollution and a lush green spread of crops enhancing the view.

There we got the first close looks of a blackbuck grazing, but that was probably the lone grazer there. With the sun proving Rajath's decision of not bringing jacket good, we decided to get out and look for blackbucks where we originally spotted them. To our surprise even after 9 30 they were waiting for me take their clean shots, and this time I didn't miss out.

We kept on walking on the small trails of path in the jungle to spot more and more of them. The calmness of that place was making it hard for us to decide leaving it. But we eventually did and left for Madhugiri. Reaching there we realized there is not even a single decent place to eat out. We ended up having dosa and idly at a chai shop/restaurant and it did turn out tasty. It gets pretty hot by the noon and all the locals suggest to start the trek by morning 8 something so that you have ample time to spend there and come back. We decided to go ahead and let's see what this place has to offer. From the base of the fort one can not make out how hard and long the trek can be to the top. There are in fact nine levels of walls to the top of the fort, and after reaching to the 3rd we were already looking towards the way down.

         Well, hope is a wonderful thing and is a must grab tool too, be it come from any source, come on any moment, come from anywhere. There He walked down where we sat down with a fickle mind whether to proceed or not. He looked like an ordinary man, carrying a backpack with a 1 litre bottle, head shining like a aura in sun, spects crowning like a jewel on Him, and a determination to climb any fort in vision. And as expected He rides on a THUNDERBIRD. We asked Him how far is it going up from here, and He replied in simple words, "2 hours of continuous walk up and 1 hour of a smiling walk down". We just kept listening to His stories, He kept on sharing his experiences, and within few minutes of interaction He was a hero. Trekking alone just to make sure He climbs every fort He knows exist. He motivated us to the brim of our taking and we were all set to see what's there on the top. We were short on water and with every level up we tasted water pretty slowly. There we saw the mighty walls of the fort, standing tall through times and weather, without APEX ULTIMA :p.

The view from the top was pretty cool, but the cooler thing was the availability of water there, not sure whether was drinking water or not, but yes we did drink it. Ignoring the crawling creatures on the sides of the tank we went ahead drinking the sweet cold water. Sat there for an hour, shared stories, discovered lot of common interests among us, promised to travel together again and started walking down.

Ruins of the Fort

We were on our way back as soon as we touched the ground. On way back to bangalore, there were few beautiful lotus ponds and a small lake which was quite a photogenic place, and me and my camera just love such places.

The trip ended with a nice interaction with some fellow travelers, joyous exploration of a scenic place, and some unforgettable memories to cherish forever.

Escape from soliloquy: When I Missed Home

When you are away from home, nature can provide you with the best alternative. With this belief in my mind, and the companionship of my friend Vipul, I was all set to explore the milky mighty Dudhsagar waterfalls. I started from bangalore on 10th November after a day bike trip to Chunchi falls and Mekedatu. I took bus from Bangalore to reach belgaum. Vipul came to belgaum on his yamaha fz. We met near Belgaum railway station at around 10 pm. Hired a small dormitory for an hour to get fresh and started our way towards Goa from Belgaum. We followed the NH4A via Angol from Belgaum. The first 70 km from Belgaum was mapped with awful road. As soon as we entered the Goa border the condition of the road significantly improved and to our luxury the weather was also not hot on that day. We reached the Baga beach by 3 30pm and sat down for a nice beer and view. The beach was just getting prepared at that time for the coming season. All the places were building their DJ floors and beach side eating place.

We hired a place to sleep at night near the beach only, 600 rs per day and then left to explore the night life of GOA. We left for the Anjuna beach where there is a secret pub called Curley's. You can not reach there on car. You will have to park it around a km before the actual place. The ambiance at the place was just ecstatic, with a mixed Indian and foreigner crowd, the place was too good for the prices quoted. We had another pint of beer, checked about the dance party every night there. It was scheduled to start by 10 30, so we thought we won't join it, as we wanted to start early morning next day towards Dudhsagar. Came back to the baga beach grabbed a bite and then went off to sleep.

           Next morning we started towards Castle rock station, around 80 km from Panaji. To reach dudhsagar falls, one has to do trekking atleast for 2 km. There are 4 routes to reach the place, of which the Castle rock railway track trek is the longest 14 km and the best one too. We opted for the best. Reaching Castle rock by 9 30. We got ready for the trek, by giving away the extra luggage at a food shop on the station. Took idli from the shop, and started our trek. It was difficult to walk on the track and there was no parallel way to walk on. The enthralling views and the desire to reach the destination kept us moving.

The route is having the maximum density of tunnels, and each one adds to the route's beauty. The tunnel number 2, is the longest around 500 m. There were times when we were walking inside the tunnels with no clue of what's ahead us and what's following us. Lot of small waterfalls, valleys, over bridges garland the way.

After 4 km we crossed the Karnataka border and entered GOA. 2-3 trains crossed us on the way, and we reached the Carlzone station around 8 km from the Castle rock and around 6.5 km before Dudhsagar. The last train from Dudhsagar to Castle rock was at 5 30, so we thought it would be better if we hop on to any train which comes next and reach Dudhsagar on time. A good's train came and we ran to catch it in Kachche Dhaage style.

We finally jumped out of the train about 500 m before the Dudhsagar station. Even after Dudhsagar station, you have to walk for about 500 m more and between the 12th and the 13th tunnel, there is a way to go down to the base of the falls. We reached to the base but were on the opposite side of the pathway to the falls. The way to cross was like 500 m more from there so we decided to cross the stream and slippery boulders and reached to what is called Dudhsagar falls.

We took a nice bath at the waterfalls, the water was cold and there is a nice pool to swim too. We followed the same route back up by crossing the stream. From castlerock it took us another 2 hours to reach belgaum. I had my bus back to bangalore and vipul decided to ride back to pune, though not a good decision, as he fell asleep in the middle and did face a fall too. Thanks to his biking gears!!! All in all a nice trip where again nothing was planned and turned out good. One lesson I learned, that you can never be alone in this world, coz the world itself is a great companion.

Doomsday to XMAS... Merry Merry Merry (Wayanad-Kannur trip)

A crazy person who travels is better than a wise man who lies down idle. With our mind stuck on adventure, and our hands whirling our bike's accelerator we started our trip towards Kerala early morning at 4 am. With no solid plan of our trip the 8 members, Ashish, Pankaj, Pawan, Nand, Atul, Awadhesh, Vipul and me were riding through the dark towards Mysore from Bangalore.

Just getting out, 3:00 am

 It was too cold and after sometime the hands were no longer part of our body. We stopped after Mandya, and it was still dark, grabbed a cup of tea and went ahead. With mysore coming closer, the next morning to Doomsday was greeted by the first rays of sun. The fields around mysore and srirangpatna were all glittering with the sun rays. It took us sometime to reach Mysore as we had two first time riders with us. We had breakfast at Mysore, and our opportunists Pawan and Pankaj, utilized the waiting time to their fullest.

We headed towards wayanad via nanjangud- gundlupet- sultan batheri- kalpetta. The road was very nice and scenic. Infact after Gundlupet, we entered the Bandipur forest area, though late during the day but still the road was pretty awesome. Alas, that we were not able to spot any animals at that time apart from the regular dog, cows and  monkeys.

Though the time was not favorable but the route surely was. We reached Sultan Batheri by 2:00 had kerala meals there, our first choice for lunch and luckily the food was also OK OK. After a tummy overflowing lunch we headed towards kalpetta, and had no idea where to go from there. We had an idea of camping overnight somewhere in wayanad, and wanted to select a riverside location. There is when GPS came in, and I was looking at all the small streams close by to us. With no proper location in sight and the overhead sun going for the kill, we decided to move on towards Soochipara falls. The route to falls from Kalpetta is all what wayanad is about. Small curvy roads in the midst of tea gardens with the chembra peak peeking from every nook and corner made our day.

We reached Meppadi, a small town from where most of the tourist spots are close by. A right turn from Meppadi and a 13 km drive along the tea gardens took us to the falls. There is a ticket entry to the waterfalls but the money given is worth it as the government has made pretty nice arrangements and pathway to the falls. The waterfall itself is a pretty nice experience setter. The water was pretty cold and hence served a nice Jacuzzi for all of us. A nice experience of waterfall after the Jog falls.

By the time we left the waterfalls, it got pretty dark. We straight away headed towards our camping spot which was about 2 km down hill from the waterfalls. Set out the tent and started our work for a campfire.

The night in the tent was a pretty hard experience as the temperatures were quite low and and we were not equipped with blankets. The cold night went by and a goldish morning woke us up. The morning troll along the tea estate was an awesome and a must not leave experience.

The morning after packing we went to Meppadi where we hired a room, got fresh, had some breakfast and then left for Edakkal caves about 25 km from Meppadi. The root again was nice, via Vaduvanchal and had Kanthipara waterfalls, Meenmutty falls, all along the way. But the caves themselves had nothing to offer. Sunday afternoon, a big rush was there and a huge queue in the sun made it a very bad spot selection.

Painting from the Edakkal caves

After that we decided to go to the Pookote lake which was 40 km from the caves. On our way we found the phantom rock too. It's a rock standing on the cliff of a small hill, giving it's name. We went ahead towards the lake and got across Vythiri, a small hill station and a nature's gateway in wayanad. The resorts in vythiri are simply ecstatic. We reached the entrance of the lake and there was a police checking going on there, 2 of us were not wearing helmets and hence were fined. The lake is not that great a place but the self row raft boat truly made it worth a place to visit. There is a nice park surrounding the lake where you can get elephant rides too. There is an aquarium and a small nursery too. 

Next to the lake is a beautiful sunset view point called as the Calicut view point. It's a stupendous combination of human architecture and nature's. The hill point where the descend to Calicut starts and in that valley you can see the sun setting. Though we missed the sunset but the essence of it was still there.The next morning we decided to go to Sunrise valley, which is about 13 km from Meppadi on the way to Vaduvanchal. There is a right turn about 8 km from Meppadi towards vaduvanchal for the sunrise valley. Sign boards are there to guide you. the road after that is very bad, with a lot of bumps and holes, and there is a sudden end to the road. We reached the end of the road by 5:30 am and it was still pretty dark. We were not able to spot the way to the valley and there was only jungle visible. We saw a lady walking around her house, so we asked her about the way to the valley. To our surprise, she called her husband who came with a torch and showed us the way to the view point along the jungle without asking for any favors. Hats off to Kerala is what we exclaimed at that moment. You can slide down along the view point to get a clear picture of the valley, there is a stream flowing below which adds to the beauty and ambiance  Be careful while descending and ascending though!!

After that we headed towards Chembra peak as we were sure that none of other mates would have woken up by that time. The road to the peak is very bad but compensated by breathtaking views of the hill and valley. You have to take a ticket though to go to the top, even as a visitor, some 20 rs per person, and if trekking than 500 rs per 10 people. Unfortunately we were not able to make the trek due to shortage of time, but even driving in the morning breeze along that so called road made our effort look valiant.

A colorful parrot spotted on the way to Chembra peak

After that we were on our way to Kannur, a 120 km drive, but the route was pretty bad and the overhead sun made it even worse. We left meppadi by 10 30 odd, and reached kannur by 4. A horrible time lapse and  a pretty slow pace. We followed the way to kalpetta-tharuvana- kuttiady- thalassery- kannur. The road at some places was from the cities and had to go through city traffic, somewhere the road was under construction and then it was a 10 hair pin bend road through the periyar forest reserve. As we reached Kannur, our friend Rohith joined us there, and took us to Kannur fort. A fort built by portugese in 1505. Not much of a construction there but a beautiful view of Arabian sea made it worth watching.

Arabian sea face at the fort

Rohith Awadhesh, JAI and VEERU

A view from the fort wall

Full moon sky at the drive in beach

After the fort we headed towards the Drive in beach in kannur, about 10 km from the main city, a paradise for the leisure lovers. A beach made to drive vehicles on, with no immense crowd and a platform to sit and relax. We landed on a resort there, which was quite cheap to it's standards, and crashed the whole night there. Next morning was when we did the photo session of the action at the drive in beach.

 We left kannur by 11 after having breakfast, and followed the way to Kannur- Iritty-Virajpet-Hunsur-Mysore-Bangalore. As soon as you enter the karnataka border the next 80 km of road is horrible and pretty hard to drive on at a brisk pace. On my way back, my bike got jammed just about 30 km before bangalore.
Shockingly had to park the bike at a petrol pump in bidadi and took my way back on a bus. Next day went back just to get the bike repaired.

A beautiful lake near Iritty

All is well when end is well, though in the end we had a mishap of bike not functioning, but still the trip was too good, with the main highlight of the drive in beach where we sat late night drinking beer and sharing stories. The beautiful roads which we drove on and hence another place conquered in south India on bike.