Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Jainism...!!

The last time I had been to Chikmagalur, i missed out on the beautiful Hoysala architectures at Halebeedu and Belur. So with these two lovely heritage sites in my mind I squeezed in Shravanabelakola to make it a lovely triangular trip. With my steed always willing to travel anywhere, I didnt think much and set out on a beautiful heritage ride to the land of Hoysalas. The roads were single lanes for most of the part and with the work for double lanes under progress, my ride was quite a mixed one. Cafe Coffee Days are omnipresent and NH-48 wasnt devoid of them making them my pit stops enroute.

                                

Halebeedu, which was earlier known as Dwarasamudra in yesteryears is known to be the heart of Hoysala architecture. Built during the 12th and 13th century, this beautiful temple is covered with stunning stone carvings. There are 2 temples namely Hoysaleshwara temple and shantaleshwara temple which are joined together by a single platform. The temple has been dedicated to Lord Shiva. With extraordinary carvings, this architectural creation can well be compared to the works in Konark and Khajuraho. The carvings have wonderful tales behind them and each carving has a story different from the next.

Half a kilometer from here is the Kedareshwara temple and the Jain Basadi halli. There is hardly anything else that one can do at Halebeedu other than admiring the amazing works and gasping at their beauty. History lovers can venture deeper into the stories behind each carving with the help of tour guides who are easily available at the temple.
 

32 kms from Halebeedu lies Belur, where the very famous Chennakeshava temple is located. According to history, this temple which is dedicated to Lord Krishna was built to celebrate the Hoysalas victory over the Cholas. The exterior of this temple  is also covered by beautiful stone carvings. There are also a lot of small mandaps around the temple. The inner sanctum has numerous pillars which are well carved out. There are a lot of shops around the temple selling paraphernallia. I bought a small ganesha carved in stone for my table top.
Both Halebeedu and Belur are like twin towns and a visit to one is incomplete without going to the other.

On my way back I took a deviation at Hirisave and headed towards Shravanabelakola. This is one of the most important pilgrimage centres for Jains. The 60feet tall monolithic statue of Gomateshwara is world famous. Mahamasthabhisheka is held here once in 12 years during which thousands of litres of milk is poured over the statue. There are around 600 steps which are carved out on Indragiri hill that you need to climb to reach the statue. However, once you reach the top and stare at the massive Gomatshwara, you would very well say that the climb was worth it.

Hassan would be the ideal place to have an overnight halt for a weekend trip to the 3 places. This also helps one to go in detail with respect to the stories regarding the carvings and also for the  photoshoots. I missed out on Belawadi, which is 13kms from Halebeedu due to shortage of time. This triangular heritage trip was covered in a day but I found it to be too tiring and ran out of time at all the 3 places.

Chikmagalur is just 22 kms from Belur and I was quite tempted to turn my steed after seeing the sign board. All the three places are very famous for their extraordinary works and a visit to all of them is a must for any traveler. Let the landscapings and the waterbodies take a back seat and lets indulge ourselves into a bit of  history and architecture.

Signing Note: These centuries old man made creations are simply breathtaking.

Route: Bangalore- Kunigal- Channarayapatna- Hassan- Halebeedu- Belur- Hassan- Channarayapatna- Hirisave- Shravanabelakola- Hirisave- Kunigal- Bangalore

Distance : Bangalore to Halebeedu- 233 kms

                Bangalore to Shravanabelakola- 160kms

Country roads take me home...!!

Even though this was not my first bike ride from Bangalore to Cochin, the excitement to ride that far and to be on my steed for the whole day gave me goosebumps. Since it was monsoon season, I decided to avoid the Mysore-Wayanad route and instead settled for the well laid out NH-7 via Salem. The chances of getting drenched on this route was minimal. My earlier ride to the same destination 3 years back was however via Wayanad which is more scenic. The reason behind this ride was to be with my folks for Onam.

I left Bangalore at 5 am and had my first pit stop at the Coffee Day after Hosur. The sun was not out till then and the the piercing headlights from the opposite side made me ride slow. However after my first coffee break i maintained a good speed of 75km/hr. In total I took 7 breaks, each after a distance of 75 to 80kms. I reached Salem by 9.30 and stopped there to have my breakfast. There was this curious traveler whom I met during one of my breaks and who was traveling from Bangalore in his car with his family. He was quite impressed about me traveling from Bangalore to Cochin and wanted to know many things like how much time I took, where am I coming from, where am I headed to etc. With a thumbs up sign he wished me luck and left. A lone rider with a backpack does bring a lot of curiosity; at least for a few in this world. I had an early lunch at Avanashi and an early evening tea near Walayar, which was in fact my last pit stop.

With my huge backpack transforming itself into a backrest my ride was smooth and my intention to enjoy the ride rather than rushing in, made it even more joyful. The whole day was cloudy and gloomy and even though i traversed through 3 different states, the climate remained the same throughout. This was something that I was not expecting and this indeed helped me reach my destination without much tiredness. The roads from Bangalore till Avanashi was smooth and wide with well laid out tarmac. To compensate this, the roads after Avanashi, especially after entering God's Own Country was in a sorry state. To add more misery to this there were a lot of  flyovers which were being constructed near Chalakudy and this had made the so called roads into massive craters. The final leg of my journey was the most butt-breaking one as the roads were bad and the traffic jams were even worse. However after 13.5 hrs of burning fuel and rubber I reached Cochin.

After enjoying a wonderful Onam with my family I took the same route back. I in fact took breaks at the same places where I had stopped during my onward journey. It felt so nice to see the same faces i had met a few days back, grinning at this traveler. People feel weird and scary when I narrate them about this wonderful ride of mine. I instead have a small laughter inside me thinking about my steed wanting to see Cochin again.

Signing Note: A long, lonely and heavenly ride to God's Own Country... 

Route - Bangalore- Salem- Avanashi- Palakkad- Cochin

Distance- 562 kms

Solo ride to Horsley Hills...!!

The destination was decided, the people were decided and a time of 5am was also decided. However when I got up at 7am, the people weren't there and the alarm didnt buzz. Suddenly I realize that if I get out of my bed am gona make my first solo ride. Got up in a jiffy and left for Horsley Hills by 8am.

I dint know much about the route and the destination. However with the help of the locals and the sign boards I hoped to reach Horsley Hills. The roads till Hoskote were quite bad as there were a number of flyovers that were under construction. At Hoskote I took a deviation towards the left and headed to Chintamani, a small town on the way. From Hoskote, the roads were decent enough despite being single lanes. I crossed Chintamani and had my first tea break at a small tea shop. I asked the shop keeper for directions and he guided me well. He also gave a remark that there is hardly anything to see in Horsley hills. I told him that I just wanted to enjoy the ride. His next question was why I had come all alone and where my friends were. However I just replied that with a smile and headed for Madanapalle, which is another small town enroute Horsley hills. I passed by many villages, paddy fields, bullock carts, beautiful trees, red soil, curious on-lookers and enjoyed my first solo ride. Bliss...!!

After crossing the Andhra border near Rayalpadu, I never had to ask anyone for the directions, as the AP tourism boards were displayed very frequently with the directions and the distance to Horsley hills. There were a lot of turnings and deviations that had to be taken and I almost missed a couple of them. At the base of the hills, a huge gate welcomed me. I was in for a disappointment as there were only a couple of hair-pin bends. However, the roads were quite winding and the views got better as I went higher. At one view point on the way you can see another hill which is known as Gurram Konda. The solo ride became all the more lonely as I didnt see any vehicle on the way till I reached the top.

At the top of the hills, there is a resort run by the AP tourism dept. I went around the resort and found that infact there is nothing much other than the resort and a children's park. Towards the left of the resort is a huge slopping rocky area from where you get wonderful views of the hills nearby and the valleys below. This place is known as Gali Bandalu in Telugu. Its a nice place where you can enjoy the surrounding scenery and the lovely winds. After a couple of photoshoots and a nice lunch at the resort, I started my return journey.

I stopped at the same tea shop for a break while returning. This time the shop keeper just offered me tea and did not ask anything. It started getting cloudy after Chintamani and I ripped to make sure that I dont get drenched. However the rain Gods werent that kind enough and it started drizzling after Hoskote. A lovely ride to the hills came to an end with a beautiful shower. 

Horsley hills is nice little hill station, where you can head to if you have a day in hand and are tired of the more famous and frequently visited places. It can well be defined as an off beat destination from Bengaluru.

Signing Note: Destinations are not the only reason for travel because sometimes the ride to the same also becomes equally significant.

Route: Bengaluru- Hoskote- Chintamani- Madanapalle- Horsley Hills

Distance- 165kms.

Lepakshi...!!

A bike ride was on the cards for a long time and I asked my travel buddy if she wanted to join. She was more than willing and we headed to this little known place called Lepakshi on a sunday early morning . I was on my pulsar and she on her activa and we left by 6 am. Lepakshi is off the NH-7 and we reached this place taking a detour immediately after crossing the Andhra pradesh border at Kodikonda.    

I had never travelled on NH-7 beyond the Bengaluru International airport at Devanahalli and that was the main reason for selecting this small temple village. The tarmac after the turning towards the airport was absolutely butter smooth and we had a splendid ride. I did push up the needle of the speedometer on my steed a couple of times to check whether it could still achieve the bradmanseque figures. However it wasn't surprising that the steed responded by cruising at my intended numbers.

We had a small break for breakfast after Chikballarpur and then headed towards the Andhra border. The well laid out roads made us stop and take photos of the same. However the disadvantages of such roads is that you end up enjoying the ride and forget about the destination. Infact this is what happened to me too. I was enjoying my ride and completely forgot about the detour that had to be taken after the toll gate at Kodikonda. After about 5-6 kms from where we were supposed to take the deviation, I had this feeling that we had missed the point. I stopped and asked the next person whom I met on the road for directions to Lepakshi. However my broken Kannada couldn't help the situation and his Telugu was making things worse. However when I said Lepakshi, he muttered something in Telugu and showed me the direction with a wave of his hand. Sign language does help even in the 21st century...!! After turning back and reaching the junction, we took the turn and entered the village roads. This road leads to Lepakshi  and on the way if your lucky enough you could spot painted storks. However i didnt see any.

History says that Lepakshi is the location where Ravana fought with Jadayu after he had abducted Sita. Before you reach the Veerabhadra temple there is a huge stone structure of Nandi which is supposed to be one of the tallest in India. The Lepakshi temple has a lot of carvings, mural paintings and architecture which is a delight for both historians and photographers alike. This is a 16th century temple which was built during the Vijayanagara empire and the carvings on the pillars depict a lot of history.

After a couple of photoshoots around the temple we entered the inner sanctum. The priest who was performing the pujas also acted as a stand-in guide as he explained to the devotees the history behind the temple and its formation. To my amusement he asked each devotee whether he was a Kannadiga or Tamilian or a Teluguite so that he could explain to them in their respective languages. Malayalam is a tongue twister language is what most people say and I am sure the priest would agree to it.

It was time for us to leave and we headed back the same route. This time there was no missing turns and we hit the NH-7 through the semi-tarred village roads. Once back on NH-7 we were back to the zenith of smooth riding. Even though the sun was out we didnt feel the heat and we rode on and on till we touched the traffic-filled Bengaluru by afternoon.

Lepakshi is a nice getaway from Bengaluru if you like architecture, history and beautiful roads. Though there isnt much to see other than the temple, the ride to the place will surely make anyone relaxed.

Route: Bengaluru- Chikballarpur- Kodikonda- take left after toll gate- Lepakshi
Distance: 126 kms

Signing Note: Lovely tarmac doesnt always help the traveller, but it surely does bring immense joy to the rider.     

Pondicherry- The French Rendezvous...!!

My friends and I got a 2 day break and we wanted to get out of Bengaluru. After a lot of discussion we zeroed in on Pondicherry. Even though I had been to pondicherry 2 years back, I didn't mind going to that coastal town again. We took the overnight bus from Bengaluru and reached Pondicherry the next day morning.

Pondicherry which is also known as Pondy and Puducherry is one place that is filled with a lot French flavour despite being in India. The people, the food, the streets, the language - everything has something to do with its old colonial rulers. I could feel their presence everywhere. Pondicherry has a very relaxed and leisurely approach to life and this is exactly the reason why people come here. Pondicherry is divided into the tamil quarter and french quarter by a canal which separates them. The french side has french names to its roads and buildings. The beach and the hotels also come in this part of the town. However all the shopping areas are in the tamil quarter.

Even though there isn't much to see around Pondicherry, a visit to the Aurobindo ashram/ Auroville is a must. We hired a couple of bikes and left for Auroville. It is situated in the outskirts of the town and we passed through serene localities before reaching there. We did a study tour of the place and then moved on to the lovely restaurant which served delicious french food. After some finger licking business we checked out the shops which sold curios, souvenirs, candles and different kind of hand made goods.

From the ashram we headed straight to the beach road, which is one of the most frequently visited roads in Pondicherry. There is a huge statue of Mahatma Gandhi on one side and a statue of Joan of Arc towards another end. With a lot of coffee shops and vendors around, this is a favourite spot with both the residents and the tourists. The road was also filled with evening walkers as this is a vehicle free road. We had some hot coffee and listened to the waves thrashing itself against the rocks. The icing on the cake was however the sea breeze blowing across our face taking us to the zenith of serenity. We didn't leave the place until it got really dark. Pondicherry lost this lovely beach to the Tsunami in 2004 when it swept across the east coast of India. The beach is now covered up with rocks and boulders to make sure that the waves dont start eating up the remaining piece of land. However people still sit on the rocks and enjoy their evenings. After the evening stroll it was time to gobble down some french food. We went to a french restaurant which was completely lit up in the night and helped ourselves to some lovely cocktails and a tasty french dinner.

The next day morning we visited a couple of churches of the 17th and 18th centuries. The churches have some lovely glass paintings and beautiful architecture which makes them a must visit for all tourists. Pondicherry also has a lovely museum and a french war memorial which are worth a visit.

Our next destination was Chunambur which was away from the town. We had to take a small boat ride across a big creek to reach the Paradise island beach. It is a lovely beach with absolutely no commercialisation except for one shop which provides refreshments for the visitors. It began drizzling while we were at the island and there was no place where we could get a cover. We returned back after an hour of fun at the beach. Pondicherry is known to be a shopper's paradise and we didn't want to miss out on it. After a small round shopping and lazying around, it was time for us to wind up our short trip to the lovely beach town, Pondy.

Whether you call it the French Riviera of the East or the Goa of the East Coast, Pondicherry has its own charm which makes people go back to her again and again.

Signing Note: French names, french culinary, french culture...Oops!! I missed out on a french madame.

Hampi- Reminiscence of an empire...!!

Geography has always excited me, but this time I decided to take the historical route. The best place to plunge yourself into a historical study is the ruined Vijayanagara empire at Hampi. I took an overnight bus journey to Hospet, the nearest town from Hampi. The climate was quite hot and dry for most part of the day. For long, Hampi has been considered as a hippie's hangout with a huge number of them heading there from Goa ( a hippie's PARADISE).

This world heritage centre has a lot of historical importance as it showcases the beautiful ruins of the 16th century Vijayanagara empire, situated on the banks of Tungabhadra river. I hired a qualified guide who explained the historical relevences of each and every sculpture and carving. Without him, I would have ended up staring at every stone, creating my own stories of history.

Though I stayed only for a weekend there, most of the major sites were covered. The list included Virupaksha temple, Vittala temple, Queen's bath, Elephant stable, Hemakuta temple, Hampi bazaar, Sule bazaar, Mahanavami Dibba, Kodandarama temple, Lakshmi Narasimha statue, Hazara Rama temple. My guide said that incase anyone wanted a detailed Hampi tour, a minimum of 7 days was required. This is mainly becuase of the fact that most sites are quite far from each other. A vehicle and a guide is a must for the tourists in Hampi.

A coracle ride on the Tungabhadra river gave a closer glimpe of the fine figures chiselled on the rocks along the banks of the river.After a lot of study on history, I headed to the Mango tree hotel for lunch. The hotel had a fabulous view of the Tungabhadra river and I enjoyed my tasty lunch with the flowing Ms.Tunga. I would reccomend this place to all the people who are headed to Hampi. I also lazed through the hampi bazaar picking up a a couple of artifacts and souviniers.

With its rocky terrain, huge rocks and broken sculptures, Hampi could well be termed as a heaven for archeologists. The excavations are still on and it seems there are lots more to be unearthed. The sculptures and carvings are so beautifully and carefully carved that it must have taken many chiselling years in the making. Staring at the lovely boulders who have been silent witnesses to the fall of the majestic Vijayanagara empire, I visualised a 16th century empire at its prime.

Signing Note: Head to Hampi and transport yourself into the world of Kings, Queens and Courtesans.

Kovalam- God's Own Beaches...!!

My Best friend was getting married on the 31st of December 2009 in Thiruvananthapuram and I had to find a place to spend the New Year’s Eve. Kovalam was the first destination that flashed into my mind and I gave no second thoughts to it.

I had asked many of my friends to join me; however after a lot of discussions and phone calls, the count was just 4. We boarded the new multi axle Volvo bus on December 30th night. These buses do travel at amazing speeds and the proof to the same is that we reached Thiruvananthapuram in 12 hours time. After attending the wedding we left for Kovalam by 31st late afternoon. It is hardly a half an hours drive from Thiruvananthapuram to Kovalam. The cheapest and the best option was the KSRTC and we had no qualms about it.

Kovalam has three beaches namely Samudra beach, Hawa Beach and Light house beach. Not quite sure where to get down, we ended up at the samudra beach, not knowing that we should have got down much earlier for the Light house beach. We decided to walk from Samudra beach to Light house beach via the Hawa beach. It was approximately a kilometers walk and the hot sun was not helping us. Samudra beach is a calm, quite and secluded one. As we reached the Hawa beach we could see that the most famous one amongst the three was also the most crowded of all. Light house beach is where you have most of the resorts and had lesser crowd than Hawa beach. The name Light house beach comes from the fact that it has a light house towards the end. Pappukutty Beach resort on Light house beach is where we had made the reservations. The resort is right on the beach front with an amazing view of the Arabian Sea. There are a lot of resorts, restaurants, souvenir shops and ayurvedic massage centers for the tourists to explore.

After a quick change we leaped into the Arabian Sea and had a lot of fun and playing in the waters. The beach is quite well maintained and the safe guards make sure that things are within their control. Being the holiday season I could see a lot of bikinis in different sizes and shapes on the beach and I had no option but to ogle. The firangis fly in huge numbers to this lovely beach town between the months of October and February. With the sun setting we headed back to the resort for the New Year’s party. The walkways were well lit up for the New Year’s Eve and had a lot of cops roaming around to make sure there were no hooliganisms on the beach. The shops and restaurants were open till late night and the people were swarming into them. Our resort had a rooftop dance floor and the party was all about boozing and dancing. With the clock striking 12, people started shouting, howling and wishing every other soul present there. The resort had a lovely pool and we couldn’t resist the temptation of jumping into it after the party. A dive into the pool after gulping down a few shots of whisky gives you a lovely sleep. Happy New Year 2010...!!

Next day after breakfast we started the New Year’s morning with a lot of beach roaming and window shopping. After that it was time for us to fill our bellies with beer. January 1st was a dry day and to avoid the cops we were served beer in coffee mugs. With the beer flowing down my throat and sea breeze kissing my face I had an amazing high. We gulped down beer till the evening before heading into the sea again. After a dip in the sea it was time for a dive in the pool. We spent a lot of time swimming and playing in the pool. A tiring day came to an end with a good dinner (rice and fish curry) and a peaceful sleep.

Got up early next day and headed straight to the beach to witness the sunrise. The beach was so calm and peaceful at the break of dawn. All I could see were a few joggers and the fishermen getting their boats ready for the day's catch. It’s a lovely sight to see the way the fishermen go about doing their work. We did want to do a bit of snorkeling but gave it a miss as there were no authorized people for it. After a bit more of roaming around the 3 beaches, we headed back to the resort and packed our bags. We had a lovely auto rickshaw ride from Kovalam to Thiruvananthapuram. From there my friends headed for Bengaluru and I caught a train to Cochin.

Kovalam is one of the best beaches in India and the most famous tourist spot in God's Own Country. With a lot of good resorts, restaurants and ayurvedic massages available it is well recommended for all beach lovers.

Signing Note : An amazing New Year with the 3Bs- Beach, Bikinis and Beer. What a cocktail...!!

Yercaud- Mist, mist and more mist...!!

Until I researched about Yercaud in Wikitravel and google, it was a boring destination for me. I never felt the urge to go there. However everything changed ever since I planned my 2 day visit to the Poor Man’s Ooty (That’s how Yercaud is known as). Its jus 230kms from Bengaluru and my pulsar was more than willing to be vroomed. Sky Roca with an amazing view from its rooms is the most recommended place to stay in Yercaud. Even though it was a long weekend, I somehow managed to get a room there.

Wanted to leave at 5 ‘o’ clock in the morning, but a slight drizzle delayed my start by 45 minutes. It was indeed a very light drizzle and I didn’t want to delay my start any further. With the hope that it would stop drizzling once the sun is out, I kick started my pulsar. For a change nature had different plans. It kept on drizzling till I touched Krishnagiri. That was infact a cool wet ride of 80Kms. I did take a couple of tea breaks in between and once the rains stopped, went at a constant speed of 75 kms/ hr. NH-7 is indeed one of the best national highways in the country. It is wide, smooth and the urge to push the needle up on the speedometer is always there. Being a weekend a lot of holiday-makers were out heading towards their various destinations.

Just before you touch Salem, the sheveroy hills appear on to your left. Yercaud is a further 30 kms from Salem. The ghat section starts as soon as you leave the Salem town and the monkeys are there all over welcoming you to Yercaud. With a total of 20 hair pin bends it is a beautiful ride up the hill and slowly the mist shows up everywhere. I suppose it was the right time (September) that I visited Yercaud. As soon as I crossed the 17th hairpin bend, the chill breeze hit me and I suddenly found myself biking through the mist.

Sky Roca is at the 20th hair pin bend, 2kms before Yercaud town. Even though it was a long ride of 6 hours, I never felt tired as the ride was simply amazing. (Thanks to NH-7 and the lovely ghats).Reached the resort by 12 noon and had a quick lunch at the restaurant. The resort is one of the bests that I have ever been to and the way it has been constructed is fabulous. The view from my room was that of the valleys, the winding roads and the Salem town way below. The resort does have an open sky restaurant which is called Sky Walk. It is a wonderful feel to have coffee out there just staring at the mist. The view from there is of the valley below and you have to literally wait to have a view of the same as the mist hardly gives you a chance. I did manage to see a magnificent sunset from there. It gets very misty and chilly in the evenings.

There isn’t much to explore Yercaud other than a few view points and the lake. However the view from those points is mind blowing. All the places are well marked with sign boards and hence you really don’t have to ask the people for the same.

As further towards the town from Sky Roca you get the deviation on to the left which leads you to Killiyur falls. The falls is approx. 3kms from the town and you need to walk down further a kilometer from the parking slot. I went down the narrow path a few meters and then climbed back. It was getting cloudy and I did not want to take a risk. I could hear the water falling below, but decided to give it a miss to escape the rain.

From there I headed straight to the lake which is right in the middle of the town. The lake looked serene, but being a weekend it was quite crowded. However boating was fun and I went pedaling for half an hour. Even though Yercaud doesn’t boast of a great shopping market, I did a couple of rounds through the area before heading to the resort for a lovely sunset view amidst the clouds.

Next day I left for sheveroy temple early in the morning. At more than 5300 feet above sea level, this the highest point in the whole of Yercaud. It is just hills surrounding a small temple in the middle.

A deviation of 6kms from the lake will take you to Pagoda point from where you get a wonderful view of the hills and the mist. The winding narrow roads to the point do test your riding skills. It’s a must visit for all coming to Yercaud. I also did visit the Ladies point which is another viewpoint which I should have given a miss as it doesn’t have anything much other than a few monkeys littering around.

With all the viewpoints and misty rides done, I left Sky Roca by afternoon and touched Bengaluru by 8pm. That was indeed a long ride and there were two reasons for the same. The first one being that the rain gods wanted to have a little more fun. It poured heavily for 20 minutes while I was crossing the Krishnagiri hills. Without even a shade to rest I decided to take on the rains. I was drenched to the last thread on my body. At last took a small break at the Café coffee Day on the way. The second reason for my long ride was that my pulsar had a flat tyre. However found a puncture shop immediately and that saved me from pushing the 150cc monster.


Yercaud is a lovely hill station which many people miss out in the midst of Ootys and Coorgs. I am happy that even though a bit late I didn’t miss out on the Poor man’s Ooty.

Signing Note: Misty hills, winding roads and the rocking Sky Roca makes Yercaud one of the best getaways from Bengaluru

Coffee, Wines and a Silent New Year

"Wooaahh"..thats what my hosts said when I told them I came riding from Bengaluru to Coorg. 280 kms on bike was not that far a ride was my response with a smile.

I have always loved my bike rides and I would like to add this trip of mine from Bengaluru to Coorg on my list of favourites. Reached Madikeri by lunch time after leaving Bengaluru at 6.30 am sharp. It was my second trip to Coorg and my first on bike. The roads from Bengaluru till Kushal Nagar were smooth and the ride through the coffee estates till Madikeri was mind blowing. Made Madikeri the base so that other places could be covered easily ( not sure whether that was the right decision as I did miss out on a couple of places). My accommodation was booked at Gowri Nivas, a beautiful home stay in Madikeri. Must say this is a beautiful home stay with wonderful hosts.

After a cup of refreshing coffee headed straight to Abbey falls late in the afternoon. It’s hardly 15 min. ride from Madikeri to Abbey falls. You need to walk down through a private coffee plantation from the parking area to reach the falls. It’s a perfect picnic spot for school kids and I found a lot of them running up and down the steps. The steps take you down to a hanging bridge from where you can view the water gushing down. The last time I visited (that’s more than 3years back) the bridge was not there and we could go down to the base of the falls. However this time I had to be content with the view from the bridge.

Known for its mesmerizing sunset viewpoint, Raja seat was the next destination. This point is in fact inside a park from where you get an amazing sunset view. It’s truly a treat for your eyes. Make sure you don’t move places as you have people of all ages pushing you from all sides to have a share of the same treat.

Later headed towards the town to check out some nice home-made wines. I was in for a surprise when the shop keeper pulled out a variety of them like rice wine, beetle wine, pineapple wine, apple wine, sugarcane wine etc. With wines for company I spent the night gulping them down. The dinner by the hosts needs a special mention here. It was delicious.

Day 2 was set aside for visiting places and I started off with Dubare Elephant camp. It is approx. 35 kms to Dubare from Madikeri. I decided to give my pulsar a break and hired a cab. Avoided the normal Kushal Nagar route and took a deviation into the winding roads through the coffee plantations that take you to the elephant camp at Dubare. A small boat ride takes you to the other bank where you have the elephant camp. Had a lovely time watching the elephants spraying water all over and a few tourists giving the pachyderms a rub on their back. It was fortunate that I visited the camp in the morning itself as it closes by afternoon. The wait for the elephant ride was quite long as there were just two elephants being used for the same. Even though the ride was a small one lasting hardly 15 min., the experience was quite memorable (It’s a royal feeling when you are on top of that giant..!!).

From the elephants to the monastries... Yup, that was my next stopage..Bylakuppe, the largest tibetan settlement outside Tibet. The feel of being surrounded by thousands of budhist monks is tremendous. The Namdroling monastery is a must-see for anyone heading to Coorg. The golden statues of Budha inside the monastry give you an exceptional mixture of serenity and solitude. I cant imagine anyone else who has got a more calm face than Lord Budha..!! There are a number of shops outside the monastery from where you can purchase a few tibetan artifacts. That was it for the day and headed back to Madikeri in search of a traditional Kodava knife. I was quite disappointed that I could not find one anywhere.

Late evening again ventured out hunting for more wines and picked up a couple of them. Tasted the different varieties of wines and then slept off. It was the new year eve and certainly one of the quietest one that I have had in the last couple of years. As my eyes shut, I could hear a few crackers burst and people shouting, celebrating and welcoming the year 2009. The third day was the return journey back to Bengaluru. The return journey is always long and tiring and this was no different. Mounted on my pulsar and left the home stay by 10 am. Reached Bengaluru by 7.30 pm with many breaks in between, and the one at Barista near Mandya was the longest.

With the aroma of coffee, amazing landscapes and hospitable people, Coorg is ideally the best getaway from Bengaluru. Since the time was short and the distances were long, I did miss out on a couple of places like Tandiyamol, talcauvery, etc.

Signing Note: The aroma of coffee makes me feel that my third visit is not far off...

Varkala- The land of cliffs, beaches & bikinis..

Varkala has always been there in my list for a long time and the two day break was apt for me to head to the small fishing hamlet.

Being in the southern part of kerala, traveling from bangalore was indeed a long journey. 14 hours was quite a bit of time but the excite ment grew as I got down at Kallambalam. It is a deviation of around 10 kms from this point off the NH 47 to Varkala. This is approximately 45 kms before you touch Kerala's capital, Thiruvananthapuram.

The auto rickshaws will drop you near the helipad from where you can see the clear blue sea. The south cliff is towards the left where you have a couple of resorts. However all action happens on the north cliff which istowards the right of helipad. I would recommend that any tourist who visits here should head for the north cliff rather than the south cliff in order to be in the middle of the action.
To be frank I have not seen so many foreign tourists at one single place as I saw in Varkala. You hardly find any Indians other than the locals who run the shops and the restaurants. Being february I could feel the heat slowly catching up. The best time to in fact visit Varkala would be September to January.

The cliff is a long stretch of about a kilometer and half with the sea on one side and the shops & restaurants on the other. The shopkeepers lure you with all sots of articrafts which you can carry back home. Everything from woodworks, bangles, chains to apparels can be purchased from here. Though they price it high, make sure to bargain before you take your wallet out. I ended up entering almost all the shops before settling down on a small rudraksh for my wrist.

Do not expect the markets to shut down with the sunset as the night life is simply amazing and it goes on till midnight (Bengaluru needs to learn a thing or two from Varkala). All the shops remain open and the restaurants display their fresh catch for the day to lure the tourists in the evenings.
Drinking beer and having the sea breeze hitting my face in the darkness of the night with a tinch of music in the background gave me a high which no cocktail has ever given till date. The restaurants are quite expensive but never restrict yourself from exploring the delicious sea food. They do have live bands and they keep playing and dancing till midnight.

Rarely do you find a cliff next to a beach, but, Varkala is where you can say, YES...its right here. From the top of the cliff steps take you down to the clear blue waters. Must appreciate the authorities for the way they have maintained the beach. It is the most well kept beach that I have ever been to. The waters are not very deep for about 100 meters. However the tides are quite strong. The tourists frolic the beach from the morning. I found people doing yoga, practicing karate, taking a sun bath, jogging etc. I actually found many just playing with the tides the whole day. With safe guards always roaming around tourists found it all the more safe.
With so many bikini clad firangis around me I had doubts whether I was in Varkala or in Miami.. :) . The sunset view from the top of the cliff is one of the best you can ever see.

This is one place you should go to if you want to just laze around. The feel of going back home would never be there. I just did not feel like leaving the clear blue waters, the fine sand and the beautiful babes.
Must say this is the best beach I have been to and for the sheer beauty of the place I will go back again for a longer vacation.


Signing Note: A beach lover's paradise (a bikini lover's too)..