Bangalore to Kodaikanal - A must have experience

After rounds of Yes & No, we finally decided to visit Kodaikanal for Independence Day Long Weekend trip. Kodaikanal is about 480 kms from Bangalore and is one the most beautiful hill-stations of India situated in the state of Tamil Nadu. At an altitude of 2133 mts ASL, the place is cool round the year with a lot of greenery and nature around. Not being very close to the two major metros (Bangalore & Chennai), the place still has untouched feeling left unlike its only other sister from Tamil Nadu, Ooty. There is a lot to do in and around the town and even a 5 days/4nights trip is not enough to do all that you can.

On the day of Eid, we met Uttam, Khusbhu(Uttam’s wife), Duggu (Khushbu’s 1.5 years old son) and Sweety (Khushbu & Sweety are Anjana’s cousins) convincing them to join us for the trip. So the D-Day decided was 14th August and we were supposed to leave town by 4.00PM.

The Route –
First day plan decided was Bangalore to Karur(Night Halt) at about 300 kms on NH7. Since the road is flat and smooth, we expected to cover it in about 4-5 hours on our Linea. Day 2 plan was to travel another 180 kms to Kodaikanal via Dindigul and Batlagundu with most part of journey in Ghat section. Return route was same without a stop at Karur

As we start…
Going by Indian tradition, we left at 6.00PM from Khushbu’s house(in JP Nagar) towards Hosur Road. One of the worst time to hit Hosur Road, we got stuck for almost 3 hours in maddening rush uptil Krishnagiri. The Road condition of Bangalore to Krishnagiri is also not very good with occasional diversions and rough patches due to ongoing work on NH7. Having travelled on this road a number of times, my advise would be to either leave early morning or in the afternoon to cover this stretch faster. We crossed Krishangiri by 9.00PM and after about half an hour or so we stopped for Dinner. We had a long menu for dinner courtesy Anjana and Khushbu(Noodles, Paneer Masala, Kachori, etc) but due to rain, we had to take shelter under one line restaurant and thus ordered some food from there as well. After getting refueled, we hit the highway again. All the fairer occupants in the car started asking to break the journey at Salem(199kms from Bangalore) itself but I knew its outcome the next day with stretched journey in Ghats. A 50 km drive in Ghat section can do equal fatigue as 300kms in plains. So a 280 km drive was too much for the next day. After a lot of convincing, we finally reached Karur by 1.00 AM and retired for the day in Hotel Perrys (Non-AC Rooms Rs 600+Taxes and AC Rooms at Rs 1000+taxes).

Day 2 is always most exciting part of a trip…
We left Karur by 10.00AM. The morning was bright and beautiful and moods were high. We stopped at Dhabba(they spelled Dhaba as Dhabba) restaurant for breakfast but the restaurant proved it’s a Dhabba(a black spot) among restaurants as they had nothing to eat or drink. After turning right towards Kodaikanal from Dindigul, we stopped in a coconut plantation to enjoy the food we were carrying with us. While we were savoring on cucumber, watermelon, sweets & namkeen, Sweety was busy stealing some dry coconuts which may have fallen-off from trees. She managed to steal about 5-6 of them. We continued further to Kodaikanal and finally reached our Hotel (Hotel Springs Valley – 750+taxes for deluxe room) at 3.30PM. After leaving our bags at hotel, we left immediately to have lunch. We found  Hotel Paradise Inn which served us really delicious Lunch at a reasonable price (about Rs 700 for 5 of us). The restaurant has a separate veg and non-veg section with a big, airy seating area. Duggu was enjoying the place as he was stuck in the car for a long time.

Post Lunch, we went straight to Kodai Lake. Sweety, Uttam and I took bicycle on rent(Rs 20 for half an hour single-seater and Rs 50 for double-seater) and took a round of Lake, a 5km ride with markers on the road to tell you how much you have already covered. It’s a very relaxing walk/ride alongside the lake with lots of eating and shopping joints. Finally we came back to hotel and retired for the day.

Day 3
We (Anjana, Sweety and I) left for Dolphin’s Nose in the morning for some trekking. We actually trekked down about 1.5kms on a way formed by roots of trees. En-route, we found an abandoned house on the way which must be haunted in the night. After clicking some haunting pics, Anjana and Sweety started walking back uphill. I walked further down and found out a small trekking path through deep forest which leads to old Kodaikanal Town. Few locals told me that it was a good trekking route of about 3 hours one way. Having no trekking partner, I had to give up the idea.

We came back to hotel by 9.330 AM and all of us got ready for a day full of sightseeing. We went to Hotel Hilltop Inn for Lunch (or say breakfast which was late). Taste was really good however, quantity was extremely compromised. Still we managed Lunch for 5 adult and one infant for about Rs 800. As per Kodaikanal standards, it was slightly expensive bill.

Post that, we left for sightseeing tour of Kodaikanal. We took Upper Shola Road to visit places like Guna Caves, Pillar Rock, etc. However that was wrong road. This is a long circular stretch which leads you to multiple sightseeing points like Pine forest, Pillar rocks, Moir Point etc. However, the local administration has create a one way policy to visit these places to keep traffic in a system as it gets really crowded on a weekend on public holiday. Still there are no markers saying one-way and not even locals will tell you that. So always take Observatory road to start your sightseeing. This will take you to all sightseeing point in the right order and without facing crazy traffic. Further ahead on the route, you will reach back to main Kodaikanal town near the Lake.

We really liked Guna Caves which was foggy and misty. We climbed up till the top and spent some time there. You can actually spot those huge rocks from top which you will later see from Pillar Rocks point. While returning back, it started raining and we took shelter under a omlette vendor’s tarpaulin. We also enjoyed hot coffe/tea with tasty omlette to get a little warmer in the cool weather.  After visiting all other sightseeing spot, we hit Upper lake view road from where you can click some real beautiful photograph with lake in the background.

Greatest Adventure of the Day
I was exposed to one very interesting side of human instinct. In the morning today, Sweety and Anjana were involved in stealing Pears from several pear plantations which is in abundance in Kodaikanal. It was maybe that time of the year, when every tree was full of hundreds of small and big pear. It tempted Sweety and Anjana to try their hands on a few unprotected plantations. In the afternoon, when we were returning back, Sweety was accompanied by Khushbu also and Anjana played role of watchmen. I declared if anybody is caught, I will refuse to even identify them, leave alone protecting them. Sweety, the master thief, provoked even Uttam to join the gang for high quality steal from a big private plantation and thus, we had about 2-3 kg of pear with us. I was now playing the role of the one partner in crime who awaits the gang with car ignition on. So initially it was Sweety alone who was doing it but towards the end, every single person (leaving Duggu) joined her and enjoyed the loot.

We came back to hotel after Sweety reported pain in her back. Anjana and I left again for a walk uptil lake (around 7.00PM) and later did cycling there. Right at the junction of bridge and Lake, there is a Chicken Kebab point where you can buy some real tasty chicken tandoori and kebab items. I got some chicken packed for me and Sweety (all others were vegetarian). Uttam and Sweety resorted to Hotel paradise again for dinner due to clean and open space where Duggu was comfortable.

Day 4 –
I woke up in the morning and headed straight to Forest Department Office (opposite Al Baiq restaurant) to get permit to visit Berijam Lake. It is a simple process to get the permit. You should have an ID proof with you along with some cash. A form(available there itself) needs to be filled with detail of car and travelers and submitted there with some cash payment(for vehicle pass) as per your mode of transport (We paid about Rs 150 for our car permit). No charges for travelers.

We left the hotel by 9.00 PM and hit Astoria Restaurant for breakfast. The place is really crowded in the morning and so we had to wait. In the meantime, ladies with us found out a wholesale chocolate shop named ‘Lords’. It is right inside the Kodaikanal main Bus stand waiting complex. I remember we bought home-made chocolates from Ooty for about Rs 500/ kg, the same chocolates were available here for only Rs 250/kg. We bought some chocolates later in the evening.

Astoria though a good place again, had the same problem of quantity. The food was tasty but quantity as per the price was really less. We packed some food for lunch also. We paid about Rs 650 for having Masala Dosa and Puri sabji(4 plate packed also) with some coffee. We felt the place really expensive.

We reached the Forest check post which is right next to Moir Point (so take the same road as Day 3). We entered the deep dark forest which was really beautiful. We were a little upset with crazy drivers driving in that forest with one hand continuously on horn. We really felt the need of educating people about not blowing horn. It was mostly the Tamil Nadu numbered yellow plate(Taxi) cars. They were in some kind of hurry and most irritating part is that all of them had got some really loud horns installed in place of original company horns and when I said loud, they were really deafening. This was throughout Kodaikanal. Being in Bangalore, where you don’t get to hear so many horns even on a traffic signal, it was too much for us. To add, it was a single lane road so every time you have a car overtaking you or coming from other side, one of you have to get off the road.

We stopped at Silent valley which at the first look was really confusing as in what is this place. We went where everybody was going and then we found it to be beautiful. However, the story continues. There is way down the slope where nobody dares to go due to its feel like a horror movie set of forest (wrong turn). But when you walk down the slope, you find a small water stream flowing down the valley like a waterfall. The thing is you will be at the top of the waterfall and not under it. And it is actually scary but equally beautiful and a must not miss type place.

We drove further and reached Berijam Lake which was truly awesome. Set amidst mountains from three sides or say all sides, the lake was playing hide and seek with us and foggy cloud. We were carrying all camping stuff with us but tents and that day we really felt the need. It was raining in parts, which was good and bad both. You have to leave the car a little ahead and then walk down about 500 mts to reach the lake. By the time we reached the Lake front, rain stopped. We enjoyed food (we carried with us) and clicked several photographs in different angles possible. Please carry your own food and water as you will get here nothing. After about 2 hours, we said good bye to the place and drove back to Kodaikanal. Please note that the permit given to you will be collected by the forest department at the time of exit. So please don’t throw it after you get entry.

We reached our hotel by 4.30PM and all of us preferred some rest. We left again for last ritual of any trip which is shopping. We bought some chocolates, some oils and spices. Our last dinner was again at Hotel Paradise only as everybody voted for the place. Back at hotel, this night, we played some cards also we had bought on day 2.

Day 5 – Oh the pain begins
We left hotel and started our return journey by 9.30 AM. Plan was to visit Madurai before heading for Bangalore. We stopped in twice before reaching Maudrai by 1.00PM. A big disappointment was waiting for us in the face of closed doors of temple. The temple is closed between 12.30 and 4.30 PM. No choice left, we headed for lunch in Madurai only and then started return journey. Bangalore was about 433 kms at 2.45 PM when my Linea touched NH7. The road is completely free till Salem so you can really drive fast till then. But after Salem, suddenly there is a rush of vehicles on the road so your average speed comes down drastically.

Finally we reached back Bangalore by 9.30PM. We reached home by 11.00 PM after dropping Uttam and Sweety in JP Nagar and Banashankari.

Facts to share –

Bangalore to Kodaikanal – 480kms approx
Time – 9-10 hours
Road – Smooth throughout
Ideal number of days to spend – atleast 3 nights and 4 days
Best places to see – Berijam Lake(must see), Guna Caves, Silent Valley, Byrant Park, Kodai Lake and cycling at Kodai Lake
Best time to go -  Almost round the year
Hotel budget – Keep about 500-5000 per night as per your taste
Food to try – Try Tamil Nadu delicacies like Chicken Chettinadu
Adventure – Try stealing some pears
Must carry – Warm clothes and ear covers during cycling
Turn off – Terrible road condition inside Kodai town and blaring horns of Tamil Nadu registered Taxis.

All for now, I shall come back again soon with my next experience

Yelagiri – A hill station you must miss

Bangalore to Krishnagiri to Vaniyambadi to Yelagiri to Hogenakkal to Bangalore – 550kms

Temple on Swamimalai Hills

Once Again-This time its Yelagiri
It was more than 2 months now since we went on a trip. I was also trying to search for places near Bangalore where we could camp (mount a tent) and spend a night or two. Though unsuccessful, I found out this place called Yelagiri in Tamil Nadu.

Yelagiri is promoted by Tamil Nadu tourism as hill station however staying at Bangalore at an altitude of 950 meters(approx), 1040 mts ASL Yelagiri did not excite us enough still we decided to give it a visit.

The D-Day
We decided for a day visit on Sunday 14th April. Yelagiri is about 170 kms from Bangalore and the road is mostly smooth. From Bangalore you have to take NH7 or Hosur Road till Krishnagiri where you change towards road to Chennai uptil Vaniyambadi. You have to take a right from Vaniyambadi and then take a small left to the hilly road (signboard at this left turn). 

Transportation was again our Linea. So I spent a busy evening on Saturday cleaning my car in and out.

Take a look at me now

We got up sharp at 4.00AM on Sunday morning. This time Pinky (Anjana’s sister) was able to join us and we were to pick her up at 5.00AM in the morning. Pinks watched IPL match last night followed by extra innings which left her with just 2 hours of sleep and so while she was asleep, she was praying to god that the trip gets cancelled but woke up to declined request.

Our idea was that we will try to reach Yelagiri by 7.00AM and go for trekking at Swamimalai Hills, a 3km long trek route in the hills (more detail later). Post Electronic City, most of the road sections were good, however flyover and repairing works at several places slowed us down intermittently. We were too slow to achieve our set target. The most irritating part happens when you have to pay toll (I paid about 3 tolls – 55+25+70 one way) for the sick road sections.

Our first break at 7.00AM

Anjana took my goggles

Anjana convinced us to take our first break for tea and some breakfast right after Krishnagiri. We had tea, biscuits, omlette and egg dosa. Surprisingly, the bill at this place was hardly 85 bucks after having 5 tea, 2 omlettes and one egg dosa. We felt Ram Rajya (Lord Rama’s rule and time) is back.

Our first and in fact last place we visited – Swamimalai Hills
Moving ahead, we took right turn at Vaniyambadi (please notice 1} the signboard will show Elagiri instead of Yelagiri 2} it will first ask to turn left instead of right. You have to take left first and then turn right under the flyover) towards Yelagiri. After negotiating with 14 hairpin bends, we reached Yelagiri and headed straight to  Swamimalai Hills.


There is a narrow lane going through a small village which leads you to Swamimalai Hills. You have to leave your transportation outside this village and then walk the distance. I fed a dog some biscuit and he

The dog with whom I had a deal. I gave him biscuits in return

agreed to take care of our car while we are away. Trust me he was there when we came back sitting next to the car and I gave him 2 more biscuits in tips. While I shared this dog idea to Pinks, she made a very funny statement – yeah the dog will say to a stranger , ”Iss gaadi tak pahunchne se pehle tumhe meri laash par se gujarna hoga” (you have to kill me before you touch this car)

View from the top of Swamimalai Hills, Frankly worthless. You will have better view from Nandi Hills instead

We started trekking up and after about 500 mts, both the ladies camped next to a fruit vendor. I understood what they were trying to mean and so I continued my journey further up. It was indeed a tough trek as there were countless steps(more than a feet high) made of boulder stones and then some steep climb ups. However, if you compare it with Scandagiri trek, it was easier. I was really fast and reached up in about 30 mins time with one break. Due to excessive sweating, I took a break of about 10 mins to enjoy the breeze at the top. I had to start back quickly as I had two beautiful and hot responsibilities waiting down at the foothill. I took about 20 mins time to reach back. For an average person, it should take about 1.5-2 hours to climb up and about 1.15 hours to climb down at a moderate speed. So you can keep a total of 4-5 hours for this place.

Enjoying watermelon

All of us had juicy watermelon from the fruit vendor. I borrowed slingshot from a kid there to test my shooting skills. Realising that I am still good, I asked Pinks to click some pics of mine as I was posing with the age old humans favorite hunting weapon. We had run out of cash and so I offered (which he readily accepted) a Bingo wafers pack to the kid in return of the favor he extended to me (it was a fair barter).

Posing with slingshot

Oops !!! No cash
We started back to the main town area of Yelagiri to find an ATM. Please must carry cash with you as there is only one SBI ATM in the town. Luckily for us after 2-3 restarts, SBI ATM worked and we had cash again with us. It was about 12.45 at that time. After having lunch at a small eatery, we headed next for Punganoor Lake which is extremely boring place. It is a small artificial lake created which is even smaller than Bangalore’s smallest lake. We rushed out of the place in about 10 mins time and then headed back towards Bangalore as there was nothing more to do there.

The most boring artificial lake

Yelagiri is not at all a hill station and my advice would be if and only if you have nowhere else to go, you can spend about half a day here. Locals do not understand any other language other than Tamil so you must have a Tamil speaking friend with you. Also, you should not travel to Yelagiri thinking you will feel anything cooler here. It is as hot as Bangalore is.




This is not done, let’s go to Hogenakkal

Crazy rush at Hogenakkal. Imagine how will it be when its peak season

We were extremely dissatisfied with our trip and so by the time we reached Krishnagiri, Pinks and I decided to go left instead of right to Hogenakkal. It was around 2.30PM and yeah there we go again. The road from Krishangiri to Dharmapuri (where you have to take right to Hogenakkal) is extremely good 6 lane highway. After Dharmapuri to Hogenakkal, the road is median less but in amazingly great condition. We reached Hogenakkal by 4.00PM

The best couple

after paying some 60 bucks for entry and parking. Hogenakkal was HOT, really HAAWWWTTTTT and the place reminded me of Delhi. It is much commercialized and people were allowed to take their vehicles almost upto the falls which was extremely irritating when you are walking on the same road. Hogenakkal though considered a great fall, this time of the year, it hardly had any water. People were washing from soiled plates to even their underclothes in the same water and so taking dip was out of question.

Entering Hogenakkal

You can try fried fish from one of the several fish stalls alongside the road. However be careful while buying as they all have fish fried a while ago which would not be anymore hot. So better go for fresh consignment. We ended up having cold fish with cold drink sitting in the car as it was

The Hanging Bridge

unbearably hot outside. Pinks went for sleep in the rear seat and we started driving back to Bangalore. We took one stop after Krishangiri for tea and snacks. It was hardly 7.00 PM so we sat there for one hour just watching vehicles speeding up on the highway and chit chatting. It was good fun. (I checked there was an alternative route to Hosur from Hogenakkal via Muluvanapalli and Denkanikottai which saves more than 50 kms in total but not sure about road condition)

Ohh!!! It came to an end

The Ladies camp after 500 mts

We dropped Pinks at 9.30 PM and retired at our place by about 10.00. Though the destinations were too boring the fun was all in the journey and the companions. It was more of like a long drive than a trip to a hill station. Thanks to Anjana and Pinky for being sport and enjoying the boring destination identified by me. Yelagiri is a definite No No. Hogenakkal a yes only in winters after monsoon. We will come back again very soon to make up for the fun loss in this trip.

Quick revision
Destination – Yelagiri Hills
Distance from Bangalore – 170kms(approx)
Route – Bangalore to Hosur to Krishangiri to Vaniyambadi to Yelagiri
Best time to visit – Winters after monsoon
What to see/do – In fact nothing but to name a few Swamimalai Hills, Punganoor Lake, etc.
Must carry – Cash as only one ATM. Food if you are fussy about it
Yelagiri to Krishangiri  - 80 kms(approx)
Krishnagiri to Hogenakkal – 90 kms approx

Kannur and around – A perfect place to laze and relax

Bangalore to Srirangapatna to Hunsur to Kannur to Calicut to Wayanad to Mysore to Bangalore 1000kms

THE PLAN

Republic Day long weekend was close and we were contemplating on the location and companions for our trip. Pinky (Anjana’s sister) gave a yes along with one or two of her friend. Place decided was Gokarna and transportation was our Fiat Linea.

Due to some urgent office work, Pinky dropped out and so did her friends. So now just two of us were there and we decided on a closer beach location, Kannur in Kerala.

PLANS ARE MEANT TO BE SCRAPED

Anjana at Thottada Beach. Notice the occasional rocks

Kannur is located in the Malabar region of Kerala. It is about 70kms North of the famous town of Kozhiokode alongside the Arabian Sea. Kannur witnessed several changes of power controlling the city. Dutch, Portugese, British, Arakkals to name a few.  Kannur was also called as Cannanore during the British rule.

Malabari food is famous and you can try the same in one of the restaurants. Theyyam happens to be the most religious art of this region. Kannur is 6^th largest town of Kerala so we thought we are going to a small place (6^th largest town of one of the smallest states of India). However we were awed by the richness of the town and the level of development they have managed and I really understood what happens when you have a literate population. We saw most luxurious car brands showroom in this town. So by no means you dare to think that you are going to a small place.

ON THE GO

The Grand Plunge

We started our journey on Friday, 24^th Jan morning around 8.00AM after pushing us a lot. This day I realized we are getting old. In college, if we had to go for a trip, I was infamous for goading lazy bums like Jasjiv Paji from 5 in the morning itself. The day before, I had my car’s brake pads changed and so I maintained low speed till we got out of the city. By the time we hit Mysore Road on clean patch, it was already 9.15AM. Anjana had got some Aloo Parantha packed for breakfast. So we stopped by at a chai wallah and sipped tea with Paranthas. This was around 11.00 AM.

We bypassed Mysore around noon. Just after Srirangapatna, you have to take a right towards the famous Mysore Bird Sanctuary on KRS Road. You have to follow this road towards Hunsur. Road is going to be a little rough after this however, the beautiful countryside will definitely make up for the pain. In case you have got packed food, you can enjoy a quick picnic anywhere on this road as there were many isolated corners with green all around. Journey till Hunsur was really easy and good.

WRITE AN ESSAY ON INDIAN ROADS- THERE YOU GO SIR

Satin Sand Beach resort - Good for nothing

Post Hunsur, you have to take road towards Madikeri uptil Periyapatna and then take a left from there. Road uptil Periyapatna was really amazing (I belive coz the road goes to Madikeri). Post Periyaptna, Welcome to Hell. The State Highway 21 from Periyapatna till it hits Virajapet Mysore Road was in the most terrible condition I have ever seen a road. You should be really careful if you are planning to take this road as there were big potholes where even an SUV will bruise its belly, forget a Linea which is infamous for its low ground clearance.  We had terrible time driving and even after taking extra care, I scraped my car’s bottom atleast 5 or 6 times against the road. In some section, road work was going on at Snail’s pace. My estimate says that atleast for next 2-3 years, this road is going to be the same.

Finally we came out of the worst part of our journey. The next worry was lunch and it was already 2.45 PM. Anjana heard an oracle that a few good restaurants were coming up ahead and so we were banned from eating just anywhere. One thing I must say, the road till Gonikoppal after this was very scenic as if we were in Madikeri. Coffee plantations covered the both side of the road and the misty sky made a perfect ambience for a romantic drive. However, hunger was overcoming romance and so I finally stopped at a very small and dingy looking restaurant neglecting Anjana’s oracle. Fish fry, parotha, rice and rasam finally changed the way I was looking at that place. I ate a lot and got 4 pcs of Rs 8 per fish parceled for me for my enroute refueling. Anjana dint touch anything and we moved ahead when we saw a diversion to Virarajendrapet(too long name, I could not pronounce) as the straight road was getting constructed. At this small town, we found a big superstore, where Anjana got cold drink, biscuit, bread, butter, curd, etc.

LAKE PLACID WITH TINY MONSTERS

The Lake just before Kerala Border

We moved further and as we were getting closer to Kerala border, we found one beautiful lake tucked away in green surrounded by mountains from all sides and only one side open to us. We stopped here and enjoyed the food both of us were carrying. We spotted many strange black marks floating in the lake so we got closer to surprise us with shoals (there were many) of small black fish. We threw some bread in the water but we were surprised again by sudden attack of brown fish (don’t know came out of where, maybe from lake bed) on bread while no movement from the black shoals. I smelt racial discrimination.

OH YES, WE ARE THERE
Finally by 6.00PM, we reached Kannur. Level 1 complete.

Our ordeal began with search for stay. We never go with a plan and so we never book anything in advance.

We knew there were beautiful beach resorts near Thottada Beach(about 10 kms from Kannur Town towards South). So we straight away headed for the place. However by the time we reached, it was already dark and so we could not dare to drive in the single lane road leading to beach to explore resorts. We decided to move further down south on the main highway and reached Thalassery (also known as Tellicherry about 25 kms from Kannur Town). Here we got a beautiful place (Hotel Paris Presidency) to stay at a very reasonable price. After dinner, we hit the bed for a tight sleep.

SOMETHING'S FISHY IN THALASSERY

Fish market, see those big prawns - just Rs 240/kg

Day 2 – Next morning we got up a little early and walked to Thlassery Fort and the beach. Thalassery Beach is not a great place to be unless you love fish. We saw tons of fish getting unloaded from the innumerous fishing boats. The place had a strong smell which not everyone could stand (Anjana managed though). I checked the price of Big Prawns in the connecting fish market and it was dirt cheap (Rs 240/kg). So in case you are carrying your own stove with you, this is the place to be as atleast I can live on Prawns for 5 days straight.

Thalassery Fort was not as mighty a fort as we have in India. It was built to provide British cover for their safe trade.

The veg restaurant

While walking back to hotel, we stopped by at a vegetarian restaurant which Anjana dint like (we had only coffee there, so don’t go by her like). I must mention something here that Kerala is not a very friendly place for vegetarians as all restaurant serve non-veg here and most of them also serve beef and other red meat products. So jump on any veg restaurant you find if you are fussy about this.

MUZHAPPILANGAD BEACH - THE BEST AND THE LONGEST DRIVE-IN BEACH IN ASIA & INDIA

Next plan was to hit Muzhappilangad Beach(about 14 kms from Kannur Town towards South), the longest and the best drive-in beach in India and Asia. I must confess here that I had never been to drive-in beach and so I was too excited to be here. And I must also admit that the actual experience surpassed the expectation by many points. I was amused to see the long stretch of beach and a wide space alongside the water to drive. There is a small entry fee at Muzhappilangad Beach of Rs 20 valid for a whole day collected by some very nicely behaved smiling security person. This beach does not have any eatery or stalls where you can buy food, so carry as much food, water, beverages, etc with you. We drove through almost 4 km long beach thinking we will come back again here.

THOTTADA BEACH - A PUBLIC BEACH WITH PRIVATE EXPERIENCE

At Sunset

Next, we proceeded to Thottada Beach which was tucked away in curvy single lane road narrowed down further from both side by dense bushes, where hardly my Linea could pass through. We drove through some road but could not find any beach. There were, however, many resorts on our right side which felt like calling us inside. But we still could not understand where the Beach is. Suddenly we saw two foreigners jumping a wall on our left and then we realized the beach was on the other side of the wall. We immediately parked the car and followed them. And WAAAAHHH, this was The Beach. It felt like a private beach with hardly anyone around. We saw 2 foreigner couples lazing under the sun. So we also decided to camp here today. But we had no food so we decided to go to the market, buy lot of food and then come back here. But on the way, we found an attractive homestay (Satin Sand Beach Resort) alongside the beach which looked welcoming. After discussing a lot among us, we booked the place for next day.

Muzhappilangad Beach - The Longest Drive-in Beach in Asia

Now since we had more than half a day left, we thought of exploring the city beach in Kannur which was also very famous. We had some food with us in the car with which we reached Payyambalam Beach. It was too hot as we reached there around 12.30PM. We took mattress and food and went to Beach. Hardly after 30 mins we came back running to car to save ourselves from the scorching sun. Next we headed back to Muzhappilangad Beach, but this time, we bought a lot of food & beverages. I parked the car in a way that it created shade for us on one side. It was around 2.00PM or so. We ate a lot and then I took a brief nap while Anjana honed her deteriorating photography skills.

We spotted lot of small crabs on the beach and many out of them were mating. They used to quickly dig up small holes in the sand and disappear within seconds only to allow waves to bring them up again to surface. It was a beautiful thing to watch. I could not stop myself appreciating their continuous and determined fight to hide under the sand to keep them protected from humans. It was inspiring.

We left the beach when it got dark and exactly when a police jeep came to ensure the beach is emptied as there was no light. It is really scary to be on this beach in night so my advice would be to leave the place before it gets dark. We came back to hotel and retired for a good night sleep.

A PERFECT DAY FOR LEISURE & RELAXATION

Our makeshift arrangement at Thottada Beach - Notice the privacy???

Day 3 – Next day morning, we got up late and after breakfast, went directly to the Satin Sand Beach Resort. After having lunch there, we went to beach and created a makeshift arrangement for us right there on the beach (take a look at the pic). We spent rest of the day and evening just lazing there. On this beach we spotted big crabs (really big & many of them) who did not allow me to get closer to them. The moment you even move a bit, they will dig up a big hole and go inside or run away into the water. Locals said, they never hurt humans but still neither of us could take the risk of diving in the water. Once I went in the water till knee level but after some alien touch to my feet, I rushed out immediately.

It was a truly rejuvenating day as we did nothing but relaxed. Our host seemed like ill equipped with food as well as manpower and so we were served very limited amount of food (it was included in the charges) and my vegetarian wife had almost nothing to eat. We somehow managed and went to sleep.

WHERE IS THE PHOTOGRPAHER

Crab - these were the smaller ones

SNAIL

Day 4 – the moment, I got up, I hit the beach (the reason why we stayed in this place). Anjana joined in a while and we were taking some pic shots. I also clicked a snail and a small crab. After spending about 2 hours here, we came back to resort. We left after having again a very limited breakfast served by the only old man in the entire homestay. Our recommendation would be a NO for Satin Sand Beach Resort.

I love flying

Since we had a terrible experience on Day 1 of the road we came from, we took the road via Kozhikode, Wayanad, Mysore to Bangalore. It was little longer but it was better. On the way, we stopped at Kappad Beach (about 20 kms from Kozhikode) which is again a nice place to be. We bypassed Kozhikode and kept driving straight towards Wayanad. You have to take left from Kozhikode towards North East to reach Wayanad. We reached Wayanad by 2.00PM. We stopped at a Udupi which served a third class lunch and first class price. Never go to this Udupi in Wayanad town which is on main highway only. Since we were very hungry we stopped at this first option. Later, many more good restaurants came but we were already full.

We had our dinner just before Mysore at Kamat Upachar which is really worth. We always stop here as they serve real tasty food.

Finally , we reached Bangalore at about 10.00PM and thus retired to bed.

Quick Facts

Shortest distance to Kannur from Bangalore – 325 kms approx

Total run of our car – 970kms

Best time to go – Nov till March

Best thing to do – Lazing on the beach

What is famous – Theyyam Dance, Malabari food, lungi

Go with lots and lots of food, water, beverages and not to forget sunscreen.

Bangalore to Mysore to Ooty to Bangalore - 800kms

There we go again!!! This post got delayed because of my laziness but finally I have brought it up.

Dad and Shubh (my nephew)

So this was Dussera time when my parents came down to Bangalore to meet us. So our original plan was to go to Goa. Idea was that we will go to Mysore on Dashmi to witness the Royal Parade at Mysore Palace and then we will catch a train at night from Mysore to Dharwad. And from Dharwad, we will take taxi or some other roadway to reach Goa.

It is to be noted that this can be a wonderful itinerary to visit Bangalore, Mysore and Goa in a short span of time. Bangalore to Mysore is approximately 140kms which takes about 3 hours time. If you start early, you would prefer to visit Srirangpatna which has got more historical relevance than Mysore. It is the place where Tipu Sultan died while fighting with British. Mysore to Dharwad train journey is overnight so if you are booked on a 3 AC or even sleeper class on Indian railways, you will reach at 6.00AM in the morning. Good thing is you will always find seat available in this train(dont know if it will be availble after my blog). Dharwad to Goa is about 160kms or a 3-4 hour journey on train. You can board any train in ageneral class and reach the place in no time. To mention, the train journey is extremely scenic as it crosses through the western ghats.

Coming back to our plan, because of leave problem of Anjana (my wife) and Bhaiya (my elder brother), we had to cancel the Goa plan. So the next plan which came up was Ooty. Ooty is also called Queen of all hill stations, is located in north western part of Tamil Nadu. Not very far away from Bangalore, Ooty always see a high rush on weekends and holiday season.

So we started on Mahanavmi for Ooty. The day before, we visited Durga Puja pandal at Koramangala which is maintained by Bengali community. It was truly beautiful and the food arrnagement inside the pandal area was simply superb. Bapu(my father), Bhaiya and I went on for Kosha Maans and Luchi (Mutton Curry and Indian bread). Taste was really good and so we continued till all of us were completely full. The after effects of this eating spree came the day after when I found Bapu a little low. But he took some medicine and he was back on track.

I had hired a Toyota Innova 6 seater. Never knew that 6 seater was actually 5 seater with captain seat in middle row. So Bhaiya(about 90kgs), Anjana (cant share the weight) and I(again about 90kgs) had to go back to last row. I was feeling I am travelling in an auto. Our driver took special care of our SAFETY by driving the car real slow till Mysore. we took almost about 4 hours time to cross Mysore.

TIME CHECK  - We started at 2.30PM from Bangalore. We took our first tea break almost 10 kms after Mysore which was at 6.30PM. I gave personal counselling to Driver and made him understand the thin line between driving fast and driving rough. He was now fully charged and we felt that in the next stretch of journey. We crossed the Tamil Nadu border at Masinagudi at around 9.30 PM. Now from masinagudi, there are two ways to reach Ooty. The shorter one saves you almost about an hour/35 kms by climbing up the mountain through hairpin bends. However, since it was too late in the night, this road was closed. Kindly note that road is not closed exactly at this crossroad. So if you are driving in the night, please dont take this road as you may find this road closed much ahead of this point and you may have to drive back all the way.

So we took this road via Gundlupet. The road is little rough till the Tamil Nadu check post. Smoother roads welcomed us ahead with a few wildlife spotting as well (we spotted an elephant, a sambar deer and some monkeys). Finally we reached Ooty by 11.00PM. Me and my brother searched for a hotel and we got a decent one after some effort.

Lemon Tea and Bhajji

Day 2 - We started for Ooty local sightseeing. Our first point was Doddabetta Peak. The place is definitely a must see. It was drizzling when we went there. We tried salted, boiled peanuts with Indian spices. It was extremely good. We also tried some more local stuff followed by lemon tea which was awesome. Anjana got some bhajjis which added to the taste.

chocolate factory

While returning, we stopped at a tea manufacturing unit of Tata Tea. It was defunct I believe, but experience was good. My mom, dad and bro got busy in buying some local tea here while rest of us moved ahead to the chocolate factory.

Next stop was The Botanical Garden. This place is huge and you really need some stamina to take a complete round after so much exploration before. Some funny thing happened here which I would want you to watch yourselves in the video.

After having lunch at a South Indian joint (Durga Restaurant), we proceeded to the famous Ooty Lake. We went for pedal boats(2) Mom chose to stay back. Dad took a quick nap on boat itself. We also enjoyed a small toy train ride which cost just 10 bucks per person. Boat ride was about 250 per hour per boat.

Finally we came back to hotel and we found Mom not so well. She got fever due to tiredness(too much for her in one day). We got her some medicines.

On the way to Dolphin's Nose

Day 3 - Next day was planned for Connor. Connor is about 18 kms downhill of Ooty towards Mettupalyam. You can go by Toy train also which runs from Ooty to Mettupalyam. You can check the schedule and timings here . This journey is extremely scenic and it takes you through deep Nilgiri forest and you may spot some wildlife also. Overall it is great fun.

However, we chose to go by road. We had breakfast at a South Indian joint at the very begining of Connor. The coffee and their Puri Bhaji was just amazing.

Afterwards, we headed for Dolphin's Park & Lamb's Nose. This place is definitely worth a visit. When we reached, fog was playing hide and seek with us. Visibility used to come down to hardly 5 meters all of a sudden and the next moment, you have sunlight. We could not see either of the two points as it was totally covered under cloud and fog.

Next we headed for Sims Park. One thing which I noticed about Ooty is it's huge parks. Sims Park was no disappointment to this fact.

The Nice Kerala family who offered Dad tasty food

One interesting thing happened this day. While we were coming down from Dolphin's Park, we stopped by at a small waterfall. My Dad saw some tourists having tasty fish and rice there. He thought someone is selling food and he went ahead and asked the guy. It turned out that they were tourists from Kerala who brought their own food and was enjoying it near the waterfall. My Dad got embarassed and apologised for the confusion. However, now, the family insisted him to try their food. They offered him a plateful of rice, tasty fish curry and some dish based on fish eggs. I also tried the food and must admit, it was amazingly good. They came down to us with a second plate of food. We were amazed to see the humbleness and hospitality of this family. That day I realised the reason why Kerala stands number 1 on tourism map.

We came back to Ooty town and took a walk in the main market area in the evening where we also had our dinner. After coming back to hotel, Anjana and I went our for a late evening walk to the nearby Cafe coffee day. Ooty is a very safe place and you can think of walking even in the darkest street without the fear of getting stalked. People here are very helpful and they come to guide you for anything you need. Be a little careful with reveler tourists who can at time create some nuisance.

Day 4 - We started back for Bangalore and took the same route back. Midway, we stopped at the shooting point (many bollywood movies were shot here), Pykara falls and one more small lake. All three were worth visiting. We further continued to Bangalore and stopped at Udupi right after Gundlupet for lunch.

We reached back to Bangalore around 9.30 PM.

Ooty could be a great place for a weekend chill or even for a longer stay to just relax in the lap of nature. Avoid during August and September as there could be some landslides due to rain.

Over and out for now.

Bangalore to Neelamangala to Hassan to Chikamagalur and Back - 32 hours

"Manish! we really need to do this, I cant hold it any longer" Anjana (my wife) told me while riding on  M.... (Dont get any ideas)... Motorcycle.

It was more than 3 years, we did any long rides on Motorcycle because we had shifted to Delhi. We came back to Bangalore and there we are on a highway(Old Madras Road) trying to plan our BIG ride again.

Day decided was Sunday(14th Oct, 2012) morning 4.00AM. But 13th night, because of tiredness, Anjana gave up the idea of tour. And we got up only at 10.00 AM on 14th. By 12.30PM my wife's inner self bounced back and here we are on Tumkur road at 2.00PM. So my travelougue begins now

14th Oct - 1.45PM - I stuffed my saddle bags with necessary utilities and fastened it on my bike. I got one soft double bed blanket as seat extra padding on my Avenger 220. We took Outer  Ring Road from Kamannahalli signal towards Hebbal and further onto Yeswantpur. At Hebbal we got some cash for our journey ahead.

Time check at 2.15 PM - We were on a surprise flyover (atleast for me) bypassing entire Peenya's maddeing traffic and dust which I faced 4 years ago while my trip to Mumbai. And in no time, we were on Hyderabad open highway. I had already checked map on my android device. Anjana was doing cross checks at turns and signals.

We reached Neelamangala by 2.30 PM where took a left towards Hassan. Please note for Neelamangala you have to exit the highway/flyover at Neelamangala. if you go on that, you may have to take a long turn before you come back on the track.

First pic of the journey. Notice the blanket on seat for extra cushioning

Ohhhhh the highway was smoother than ever. and my bike was touching 110kmph on Speedo. We stopped at one point after thte toll as the blanket beneath us was slipping towards left. We got down and took our first break and picture too.

Dhaba where we had lunch. Shacks at back

Journey continues when we stopped at a Dhaba (not very great) for lunch. It was around 3.10 PM. Oh I missed this. We had to stop once again as it had already started drizzling. We got our rain suits on. Coming back to Dhaba, we ordered Dal fry, Veg Kolhapuri, roti, rice and cold drink. food was ok but it was paradise for drunkards as there were small shacks built for them to have all the privacy and darkness. At this point, heavy rain came down pouring on us( we were under cover). We waited for sometime but we had to move. So we moved on.

The Big Fat Dude

When we started we thought its over, but it was just the begining. Hardly 10 kms ahead, we were intercepted by the most terrific rain I ever faced. it was literally impossible to see even 10 meters ahead. I was feeling like 20 needles are pierced into my each hand at once(no gloves). Still we drove as stopping was not a solution. And that was the key. We drove for about 20 kms or so and the rain was over as it never rained. I believe we were near Kunigal.

We got rid of our rain suits, packed it back in the saddle, got the soft blanket out to provide us extra cushion and there we go.

Again my bike was kissing 3 digits on speedo when I suddenly realised that vehicles on other side have started coming on same side as I was. I abused Indian traffic but then I realised that construction was going on the other side of the road (future is good).

So to update you, the good great highway stops at somewhere near Dadaga. And then the pleasure of single road begins,

I was 110 kms past Bangalore and I drove for about 77 more kilometers to reach Hassan from this point.

At Hassan, I left the main highway and entered the town which is terrible. The roads are worst than my village in Bihar and it was too dusty also. We were there at about 5.00PM. We took a right at Hassan and now headed to Chikamagalur.

Hardly about 10 kms past Chikamagalur, Anjana revolted for a cup of tea/coffee. And I had to give up. We stopped at this place called Green Food Court. It was again boozer's paradise. We had a cup of coffee and water. Coffee was really good.

We started again and within minutes it was dark.  I was facing problem driving in the night as my bike's headlight was not properly adjusted. Suddenly one Honda CRV passed me over and I got an idea. I followed CRV like a tail and thus saved my eyes from several high beam lamps coming from the other side. CRV was quite fast but following the car was not a problem for me. I am sure the driver/passenger  must be susceptible by now as I followed them for almost 30 kms. Almost 75% of my last 60 kms was over when I lost the car. I drove down further and reached Chikamagalur by 7.00PM.

We went to Chikamagalur thinking it is a hill station. It is anything but a hill station. We saw everything but mountains on our way. both of us were really disappointed. Also, we had no info on homestays or any stay option as till last minute Anjana was pushing for Madikeri which I refused. And now I was also under the burden of proving that I brought her to a right place. We took shelter in a city restaurant, ordered bhajjis and tea. I opened google maps and tripadvisor on my mobile and searched for homestays. I called up about 20 numbers and all waste. We left the restaurant and tried searching hotel in th town as we needed a place for night. we found a normal budget hotel asking for unreasonable amount of money for a non-AC room. We left that place and I again tried on google maps when I found a place called spectrum. I called but it went no answer. Hardly after 5 mins I got call back from a very nice lady called Ms Jaya. She offered a reasonable price for her place with all meals.

We drove for about 13 kms or so ahead of the town in dark forest. you will find this homestays signboard on the way. I took a right turn there and we entered a 8 ft narrow lane with coffee plantation on both sides. We met Kaaliya dog also on the road.

And we finally reached the homestay. It was lovely and beautiful. We had to climb a few steps before we reached our tastefully decorated rich interiored room.

We got freshen up real fast as dinner was already served. Just to note, there is no phone network here other than cellone and reliance. So i drove back for about 2 kms to find airtel network and make some important calls. We were standing in the middle of forest with one street light at 10.30 PM in the night when power went off. It was complete dark and silent like any horror movie. I completed my calls and started back for homestay when power came back.

We slept tight in the night as we were hell tired. I had set an alarm for 5.30 next morning as I wanted to see sunrise at Mullayanagiri peak, highest point in Karanataka

Me and my Machine on the way to Mullayanagiri peak

Guess what, I woke up at 6.30 when Sun was already beaming in my face through room's window. I am sure hangover was strong from last day ride. we got ready and left for Mullayangiri. It was breathtaking as we kept on riding hills to finally reach the steps count of 600. We stepped up and reached at the top. I checked in into google maps here. 

Road was all ours

We reached back to our stay where tanked up ourselves with idli, chutneey, sambar and some form of rice khichdi. Plus 2 cups of coffee each.

Then we started for Jhari waterfall. It is a private waterfall but unimaginatively beautiful. We drove for about 20 kms from our stay towards Kemmanagundi. You have to leave your vehicle outside only and then walk down about 1 kilometer to the falls. No charges.

We reached fall and to our surprise and amusement, we were the only occupant there. Without even waiting for a minute, we got rid of our shoes and valuables and jumped under the water. the water was so refreshing and soothing, both of us literally danced there.

We clicked pictures in most funny poses. You can see a few samples yourself.

Must try waterfall

Back at our stay, we had a fulfilling lunch before we started our journey back to Bangalore.

We stopped in town to meet an acquaintance and thus finally started for Bangalore around 4.40PM.

After facing several rain blows and headlamps glitter, we reached Bagalore at around 9.50 PM.

Quick Facts -

Bike first tank up - Rs 800/10.5 lts petrol (approx)
I did about 320 kms on this (very bad mileage)
Second tank up - Rs 600/8 lts (approx)
I did about 240kms on this.
Bangalore was still 45 kms ahead.
So total run of about 600kms

Bangalore to Chikamagalur - 240kms
time - approx - 5 hours
Road condition - 2.5/5
Suitable time -round the year
Stay- Homestays recommended (try the road to Kemmanagundi from Kaimara junction). there are many
Food - go traditional South Indian
Clothes - One set of warm clothes desired

Hope this helps you plan your journey to Chikamagalur.Signing off now.

Cheers!!!