Safari or Roller Coaster?

Late afternoon, good weather, friends, vehicle with full tank, zest to go out, good old memories - I think are enough to drive you outta home and seek adventure. As it is not  good planners, there was little that could hold us back at home. We hardly realized when our initial plans to go out on weekly grocery shopping turned into adventure trip to the Bannerghatta National Park. Flying over the new Electronics City express way and onto the nice road, we joined the Bannerghatta Road somewhere near IIM Bangalore. Headed straight for a while and took a right turn towards the National Park Office. Not sure of the exact route, I think we took the one right earlier than what we should have taken, continued for a while, and a while more, through some two or so small villages, before landing up at the park entrance. We were just on time for the last safari trip, and managed to grab the the tickets and headed straight for the queue.

A few minutes of wait and soon we were on the shabby safari bus. The driver choose to wait till he had enough "passengers" aboard before sprinting into action. Yes you got that right - "sprinting". I think he shared the genes with Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Loeb to a large extent, just happened to be born at the wrong place at the wrong time. The bus itself was almost in ruins - there wasn't any surface which did not sport couple of dents, there was no window glass that did not rattle, there was no seat which was not squeaking and swaying away to glory, and last but not the least - the combination of missing shock absorbers and the rally road inside the park - literally enhanced all the (mis)adventure! Almost all of the time I was protecting my camera from dashing it against the swaying seats or hitting the ceiling with me along flying off my seat, than enjoying the view and the ride. The only exceptions being the few predetermined stops enroute where the so-called-wild animals could be sighted because of the feeding centers in the proximity. Something is better than nothing - took the very opportunity in those exceptions to get a few clicks.

I guess our prayers were soon answered and the ride came to an end. For five minutes after getting off the bus we were still feeling the sway and the wobble. Awesome ride indeed, never to be tried again for sure. To make up for it, ventured in the zoo section, checked out a few cages. Cobras, Pythons, Rat Snakes, Peacocks, Parrots, Deers - Sambar, Chital, Black Bucks, a lone Zebra, Elephants, Jackals and Leopards were definitely a relief from the earlier joyride through the park. Though not anywhere near the quality and standards that one would expect from a national park, lotta people from different walks of life have adopted the various animals by pledging a donation for the upkeep of the facilities and the animals themselves. Thats is something really appreciable, though looking at the overall state of the park, we were not sure if the collections were really put to good use. It was already late in the evening, the twilight was fading away soon and we decided to wrap up the day and return home. Safari or Roller Coaster - it was definitely fun.     

Exploring the wilds..

Taking a break from the otherwise monotonous modern lifestyle does bring in excitement. Specially if the break is into the wilds, has tempting drives and awesome scenery. Thats what exactly we did over the last weekend. The wee hours of morning, may be not for everyone but surely for us - 04:30 am - were as hard to get up at as they were scary to think of in discussions the day earlier. Dragging our feet to the restrooms and constantly reminding and motivating ourselves about the trip that early in the morning, did pay us back by constraining our start up delays within 1 hour of the projected time. 06:30 am, and we were rolling fast on the Electronics City expressway to catch the NICE road just before Phase-I. The Mysore highway is virtually an extension of the NICE road in the early morning hours with very less traffic and enabling you to keep up a fast pace. A quick coffee break at Barista just before Maddur wakes up everyone for the upcoming trip, while the Rich Choco Shake revitalizes the body and the mind. Passing through Mysore city was faster this time - we did not lose our way even a single time as we have had multiple times in past!

It was the first time that I saw Sunflower plantations alongside the road on this route. Fascinating vast yellow fields full of sunflowers all looking in one direction at the same time is quite a view. We could not help choosing one such spot for breakfast which we had carried along. A bed spread in the open field with teak and coconut trees on one side and sunflowers on the others was a picture perfect setting. The weather complimented it all with cloudy sky and cool breeze. Back again on the road, we made a final stop at Gundlupet to grab a quick tea and headed straight for the forest.

The road between Gundlupet and Bandipur check post which was earlier a dirt track has now transformed into a neat road. From an average of 20kmph over earlier visits, we could now zip at 60kmph average. Both the Bandipur and Mudumalai were much greener due to rains, but still not "lush green". Perhaps it would take a few more rains from this monsoon to get into that state. No matter how many times you go through this route, you can't ignore the scenic beauty of the forest. Herds of spotted dears shying away from the onlookers, peahens crossing the road, to loner male elephants busy munching away on the forest vegetation, are abundant in these forests and a common sight with passer-by vehicles stopping over to have a glimpse.

Arrived at New Mountania at around 11:30 am and occupied the 3 rooms on the 1^st floor reserved for us. The hospitality of the staff is one of the best in the place. Settled down a bit, adored the place, and rested for a while before heading for the lunch at the cafeteria. Lunch, a bit spicy though, was full of variety and delicious. A little drive through Bokkapuram side, and a small walk from the Bokkapuram Temple till the Glen View resort, took most of our post-lunch time. The whole place looks carpeted in green with thick lush vegetation all around, cloudy weather with cool breeze gave it a quite a serene feel. Back to our resort for a quick tea and hopped on for the Night Safari through the forest. Stretching the limits of vision to scan through the forest vegetation in the hope of seeing some wild life in indeed tiring. But we finally managed to come across couple of elephants groups who saved our stretch-vision efforts from going waste. Seeing them up-close in the wild is quite an experience. Wrapped up the day soon with a camp-fire dinner and were off to bed in no time.

The day started early - in the wake of seeing deers in side the resort, who unfortunately decided not to turn up. But the monkeys with their early morning fun and frolic kept us entertained. A relaxed breakfast, settled up the bills, and we are on our way to Ooty driving through the 36 hair pin bends. Stopped at the Bison Valley to enjoy the view, clicked a few quick snaps before arriving at Ooty. Since it was still early for a lunch, decided to head towards Dodabetta before returning to the city. For some unknown reasons, the place was over crowded and flowing with lots and lots of visitors, which for sure gave us hard time finding a parking lot. Otherwise, the scenic beauty was at its peak - full cloud cover on one side, sunshine on the other, with clouds flowing swiftly in between. With weather becoming more pleasant, the road back to the city was full of flowing clouds among the tall trees on both the side giving a mystic touch to the scene.

Its Lunch time! Two amazing family dosas at the Nahar Hotel ensured that no one went hungry. After shopping lot of Ooty tea varieties and Ooty Chocolates, we soon started off the return journey via Gudalur. The Pykara lake was next on the list. We mistook a tourist spot for the lake, and started our climb up the hill thinking that the lake would be visible or approachable from there. Unfortunately, the lake was a 5km walk from that point. Fortunately, we were treated with the most amazing scenic view of the trip from the hill top. The breeze had turned into wind and the chill was beginning to show now. Stayed there on the top for sometime and enjoyed the view. The Frog Hill View was the next pit stop over the rest of the way through the forest. Stopped at the Gundlupet Coffee Day for refreshments and then straight at Mysore Palace for the the beautiful view of the lighting which makes the whole palace glow to its fullest glory.

The dinner was on our way back near Maddur - the MacD and Kamat are side by side at a petrol bunk and offer a decent choice. The night drive on the highway is fast - thanks to the neat roads. Reached Bangalore almost at the midnight. Tiring, but another great trip on our list! :)

Visiting God's own country..

Planning is something without which things don't seem to appeal to the better half.. And as usual, planned things don't quite really turn out as planned! Flight plan changes at the last minute, and we had to go ahead with the weekend getaway without the planned company. But sometimes unplanned things fall perfectly into the failing plan and give it a good shape again.. yes, another couple decided to join us, and we have company! :)

Had it not been for dependency to pick the other people, we would have slept for couple of hours more and been late as usual. It was almost midnight for us, I mean around 5 in the morning, when we left our house to pick up friends and start zipping away from Bangalore.. this time to God's Own Country - Kerala. Actually, its Wayanad we were visiting.. Sultan Bathery to precise.. Chulliyode to be more precise! :)

The whole idea of driving though the Bandipur National Park had us thrilled and excited over the trip. Yes, it was our first drive through a national park.. and yes we had imaged a lot many things that we would see on the way in the 'jungle'. Drove through the regular Mysore route.. fantastic roads.. clocking 140kmph whenever I got a chance.. later to realize that we had a minor case of motion sickness at the back seat.. Dropped the speed to more comfortable level and stopped en route at places for refreshment.. After final halt at Gundlupet Coffee Day which in on the highway itself, we diverted towards Wayanad and soon entered the Bandipur forest.

Still away from Monsoons, it appeared little dry.. Green but not as expected.. quite a lot of bamboo.. definitely a good drive at 30kmph throughout.. a little disappointed due to lack of wild animals which we thought would be roaming around freely in the forest and on the road during the broad daylight. ;) Besides that, the drive was quite fascinating with good road, forest all around, and cool breeze. We crossed the Kerala border soon.. the forest thickened a bit more and we were in the God's Own Country!

The drive through the beautiful Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary lead us into Sultan Bathery town and we took sometime to figure out the direction to our homestay at Chulliyode. The roads became narrower and little rough, but fun to drive through the countryside. The homestay was on the main road itself - Techno Green - with loads of plantation inside. Actually its an estate with tea plantation, coffee, pepper, beetle nut and rubber, occupying one complete hill side. The scenic views are very pleasing with good accommodation for a comfortable stay. Without wasting time we took to our rooms to freshen up and be back at the common dining areas for tea. Had a small walk through the estate to explore and have a feel of the place and please ourselves with as much fresh air as possible. The good news is that the place is coming up with new set of rooms, suites and tree houses which would soon be open for accommodation too. The night started to bring in a little cold and soon had a delicious home made dinner from a very humble and caring staff.

Time for some adventure - how about a drive through the forest once again? We drove back into the forest in the dead of the night.. with a hope to see some wildlife.. which perhaps, we missed during the day. We drove on, followed different routes through the jungle, only to spot a few deers and a Nilgai (Antelop). Moonless night offered us a slim chance to spot anything more substantial. We returned quite late and don't remember when we hit bed.

We woke a bit late, fresh and ready to explore again. The morning walk through the estate was a blessing. After we had collected a few coffee pods and pepper pods (thank god we did not go for the rubber!), it was time for some breakfast. A few tourist spots were on our list - Edakkal Caves and Kuruwa Dweep - had heard a lot about them from the local people and our net surfing. And soon we were heading towards them. The spots were rather disappointing - with maddening and unruly crowd. There was complete loss of any sort of management and people were happy pushing each other of the slippery rock slopes while climbing onto the entrance of the caves. We had not come prepared for this and were definitely not game for losing our lives in a stampede or to uncivilized acts we Indians display at such places.

We thought again about the next destination - Kuruwa Dweep, but the hunger pangs broke the whole process. We had a good lunch on the way in the town at a decent restaurant and decided to go ahead with the plan. It looked like we were driving on and on, and decided to ask for direction. We relied completely on the sign language with two locals on a bike who lead the way to the destination. Finally we arrived at the island situation on Kabini river. Water levels were low.. and at places little stinky. But it did have a very nice view around it, very quite and scenic. It was already late in the evening, there were no boats available to cross the river and go to the island (dweep). We spent sometime near the water.. enjoyed a freshly brewed tea and coffee, and headed back to the homestay.

Done with the dinner, we though of venturing into the estate in the darkness of the night. With no moon to shine light, we relied on a small flashlight which proved good for nothing. The plantations were full with many different varieties of noises as if the whole jungle had come alive. All the time we could think of the 2m snake skin that we had found earlier in the day while taking a walk in the estate. After around a 100 meters, we decided not to push ourselves to the limit and returned to bed! :D

Morning was quite and beautiful as usual.. After a little breakfast and settling the bills, we headed for a short trip to a local nursery which we had spotting while searching for the homestay on arrival. Few quick picks, adjustments in the boot, and we were headed back to Bangalore. To keep the spirits high, she offered to drive a bit - her first drive on a highway if I remember correctly. Besides one or two scary moments, the drive quite good and substantial for the first time. With original driver back on his seat, Bangalore was not far away.. :)

Weekend Getaway..

Rossi barges in a day in advance - we are going to Yercaud, wanna join? Why the hell not? Yes, we are game. Thats how my plans generally get made, unlike the preferences of the high command. All set, lets go!

First weekend getaway.. no real planning.. just a quick research on the net for accommodation, and we had hit the road already. Rossi had some last minute delays and decided to come with us instead of the rest of his gang. Took around an hour to struggle through Bangalore EC traffic followed by a super cruise from Hosur till Salem on NH7.. Wonderful road for a perfect drive - all thanks to the TN government! Just kept to the left in Salem and in no time we were going from 400m to 1400m above MSL on the Yercaud Road [Map].

Reached late evening.. had some trouble finding the resort in the dark.. hilly roads.. no street lights.. or neon signs.. but managed to home in - Grange Resort. Rooms were a delight, better than expected. Night outside was cold.. clear sky with brightest collection of stars we had seen in a long long time. Already dark, decided to crash early in hope to wake up early. Yes, we needed blankets to keep warm inside the room too.

We are not used to waking up early, so we did not! :D It was quite eight past something, may be nine-ish, when we decided to rise and shine.. mostly because breakfast had a limited time slot. Expectations were beaten.. food - though simple - was superb! Yummy English toasts with butter, and delicious idli-wada-sambhar. We were now realizing the beauty of the place - surrounded by coffee estate, the rooms were right in the middle. Lush green all around tempted us so much that we took to an after-breakfast morning walk through the estate enjoying the much missing vegetation in Bangalore. The estate also had an in-house coffee pod extraction machine.. Great to have a first hand view of the process before the aroma entices our olfactory system!

Time to catch up with the rest of the gang. Met over lunch.. chatted.. planned for the day.. started with Pagoda point.. and soon realized that sight-seeing is not adding much value to the trip.. geared up for ATV ride? Quite a costly affair considering the time and span of the ride. As not many fancied the ride, decided to head for the nearby Kaliyur falls. Theres not much of a pathway to reach the falls.. mostly single person track.. with quite a few steep steps.. and vegetation.. but the destination was worth it! Common with all water spots in India, you find men doing the best they can - getting wet, shouting and showing off in their own special ways.. which mostly works out as a deterrent for normal people to go for these spots! :)

Spent some time clicking and wrapped up for dinner in the town at Shevaroys. Pretty decent place, but more brick-n-cement and commercialized.. Yercaud is a place to enjoy natural beauty.. and unless you are in the lap of nature, you are definitely missing something. Lights on, and so are the drinks before we called it a day. Interesting things happened over the drinks at the Inn where the Gang was.. and we learnt about that the next day. No, I am not discussing those here! ;)

Wakie-wakie! Time to go.. Decided to check out the Grand Palace hotel atop a hill on our way back which caught our attention when we came in and as we were running around the town. Seemed like a good place, with nice view.. decent bar - Clound9.. definitely worth a consideration if you have a budget. No trip is complete without plants for the house! Nurseries offer amazing deals on saplings and small potted plants that we had to do major shuffling of stuff in the boot to make room for the new species!

Ride back home was not that interesting.. I guess the desire to stay back at the resort for couple of more days was still high.. hard choices are there to be made, and we were back from the mesmerizing place.. A definite weekend getaway for now on.. Lets hope we hit it again soon..

A Swift trip..

Planning usually fails.. so it did this time too.. A flight booked 18 hours earlier had to be canceled.. Reason? We take the road! :)

She was already there since last weekend - Sun28Sep - taking care of some medical urgency in the family.. major, but nothing serious.. work & issues restrained me at home.. and planned next long weekend on the other side.. nothing confirmed..

Finally booked my sector 24h in advance to keep the liabilities low.. came back from work.. tied up with baldy for dinner.. what about the road? worked out the feasibility.. physical, material, economical.. 850kms.. 15h stretch.. hmmm.. more of less same.. better put on slightly lower side.. and definitely with added energy..

Rossi confirmed the next day.. 18h to go.. sector canceled.. plans made.. maps printed.. navigation in place. An 'I might' from the Master of Broken Fingers (MOBF).. yes, there's lotta space.. the more the merrier.. what else? picked everyone up.. had a late drink & dinner to fix up last minute details.. 1300h n' we hit bed.. alarms popping up at 1500h.. congested eyes opened.. two set of cloths in a bag.. Swift loaded and up for the run at 1600h..

The trip started with navigation failure within the first 70kms.. ha ha! we wondered whats in for us for the day.. back on NH4 with some extra effort.. pepped up navigation skills.. desperately trying to keep average speed to 60kmph.. with almost devastated roads.. big potholes.. constant jarring in the ears at 80kmph.. still recovering from sleep(less) cycle.. roads smoothed out a bit after 120kms or 3 hours.. and we pushed the gas..

All smiles with our average hovering above 60kmph.. touching 120kmph at times.. first pit stop at Renibennur.. HP petrol pump Dhaba.. decent meal and we are awake now.. munching some Dharwad pedas, lets push in some more gas.. average speed seemed rising fast.. with frequent bursts of 140kmph.. sometimes even 160kmph.. quite sometime spent chasing and getting chased by a Merc.. the only vehicle that whizzed past us! the scenery improved with time.. started having the feel of ghats.. destination was near.. all the time she was waiting for the flight to take off for the 1.5h trip.. yes.. the flight was delayed.. by 2h or so..

One point the tank almost went dry.. MOBF was sure there is no pit stop for next 200kms.. somehow found one - which seemed to be the only one - on the roadside.. no shelter.. no counter.. no tyre change crew.. just a lone pump.. filled up for next 200kms.. and viola! the next 10kms just had bunks.. and nothing else! MOBF at his best! ;)

Eventually entered the city.. first drop point.. the only (at least assumed so!) in-city navigator MOBF was at home and we on our own to navigate to our destination.. maps were quite accurate.. finding nemo was not much of a hassle.. asked her to check the flight from the balcony.. and there was a mixed feeling.. I guess seeing the chao-chao did the trick!! :)

12h 45m drive, Thu02Oct.. and we were home.. strangely enough not tired! The emergency was already resolved.. though not normal, things were better.. another 1 month for full recovery.. 3 days before we return from quick migration..

Evening was very eventful.. In Pune and no Bhael? Is that really possible? Even if it is, she won't let it take happen! At home, another fav of mine awaited my night out.. loading windows could be painful with limited resources with limited disk and not so legal softwares.. trust me. ;)

Morning arrived fast.. Rossi had already taken off to meet local clients on office work.. We lazed around a bit.. some touch-ups to the laptop.. rushed up to catch lunch with Don - the Lucky7 comrade.. Yoko's was where we all refueled.. Cutie pie #1 was the attention getter.. Coffee Day was the evening rescue.. roamed around the city a bit more.. which looked cleaner than ever before.. returned home after a small shopping festival.. hit bed to wake up again and wander around..

Sat was lazy again as usual.. basic chorus around the house took half the day.. final touch-ups to the laptop.. finally managed to push ourselves out on the streets.. handed over the rejuvenated machine.. Cutie Pie #2 was adorable indeed.. off from there and into a mall.. i guess in or around MG.. more food.. more fun - was what on our minds! :D

Caught up with Don one more time.. final goodbyes as had to leave early morning.. went to MOBF.. confirmed the start route for the return trip.. back home.. dinner.. packed up.. hit bed.. hmmm... was a short trip.. wished we had more time.. alarms went off at 3.. shall we or just 5mins more.. 5mins turn into an hour.. and all last minute things left us hitting the road at 0445h.. straight to MOBF.. never knew he had another 30 mins to wrap up!

The journey was on.. screeching corners on the ghats.. 160kmph bursts.. good roads.. bad roads.. good potholes.. bad ones.. all seemed like a video game.. couple of pit stops to keep eyes open.. and the zillion reps of - "One thing I like about Pune is the hills!".. whizzing past trucks.. trailers.. cars.. bus.. carts.. No one to overtake us? and there was the A4.. young driver.. not much skilled.. but fast.. may be it was the car.. more bhp.. more traction.. more pull.. gave it a good chase till a final break at the Kamat.. the last meal was heavy.. not only on the stomach.. but on the head too.. Rossi had to complete the last lap home..

Touch down at 1800hrs.. MOBF took the 3-wheel chauffeur driven limousine.. all we knew was bed and the alarms popping in our heads for the next days office!

1840kms on petrol.. 15.54kpl.. Quite a Swift trip..