STAY HUNGRY STAY FOOLISH STAY INNOVATIVE

HORN OK PLEASE

2011-11-24T23:03:00.007+05:30

HORN OK PLEASE

version 11.11

Anand Sawkar | Raghu | Ravikiran | Harsha

This time 7 days 3 states Road trip, no reservations one map 4 frustrated IT guys and a Korean Machine running on 4 wheels called as Hundai Verna.

Day 1: 31^st Oct Monday:

Vrrrroooooommmmmmmm toll vrrrroooooommmmmmmm toll vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Breakfast vrrrroooooommmmmmmm toll vrrrroooooommmmmmmm piss vrrrroooooommmmmmmm lunch @ Belgaum road side dhaba vrrrroooooommmmmmmm tea break vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Room hunt @ Wai. Finally a very good dinner @ the most luxurious looking hotel in Wai. But guys don't take Biryani anywhere in Maharashtra as its a sweet dish :)

Pit Stop @ Wai | Trip meter: 750 KMS

Day 2: 1^st Nov Tuesday:

Vrrrroooooommmmmmmm breakfast vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Panchagani vrrrroooooommmmmmmm view-point vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Mahabaleshwar vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm photo session vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Lunch vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm lost way in Pune, finding a way out of Pune to Shirdi vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Jai Maharashtra vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Reached Shirdi late night @ 9 PM a little struggle to find a lodge. Yeah finally got one and settled.

Pit Stop @ Shirdi | Trip meter: 1133 KMS

Day 3: 2^nd Nov Wednesday:

Vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Shirdi temple just 15 Min and we had Darshan thats super LUCK this time. Jai SAI RAM vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm breakfast @ Duplicate Udupi Hotel in Shirdi vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Puna-Mumbai Expressway vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Lunch @ Dhabha on the expressway vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Lonavala-Khandala everywhere chikki chikki chikki vrrrroooooommmmmmmm a bullshit dam and a fantastic view point vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Sunset from Khandala Ghat and a top view of Expressway vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm photo session on expressway vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm VRRRROOOOOMMMMMMMM Verna touches 180 KMS speed VRRRROOOOOMMMMMMMM VRRRROOOOOMMMMMMMM Touch down Navi-Mumbai, Hunt for lodge begins. Found a fantastic luxurious lodge at a very affordable price.

Pit Stop @ Mumbai | Trip meter: 1500 KMS

Day 4: 3^rd Nov Thursday:

Vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Bhaji-Pav for breakfast YUMMM ! Vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Lane cutting fine/BRIBE 500 INR waste of time 1 Hr+Mumbai Police harassment vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Gateway of India and Taj via Victoria Terminus a very good drive vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Marine Drive vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Haji Ali Dargah No parking fine/BRIBE 300 INR waste of time 30 Minutes+Mumbai Police harrasment vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Sea Link just too good vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Lunch @ Road side Dhaba just outside Navi Mumbai headed towards Alibaug vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm piss vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Missed Sunset by just 5 min in Alibaug vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Lodge hunt begins but no use :( headed towards Nagaon, a beach side hippy village 20 KMS from Alibaug vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm finally got a huge cottage to rest at night after a pathetic dinner.

Pit Stop @ Nagaon | Trip meter: 1700 KMS

Day 5: 4^th Nov Friday:

Vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Nagaon beach one of the finest in Konkan cost vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm poha for breakfast vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Kashid beach – super clean and good waves vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Zanjira fort vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Lunch and waiting for the boat as we need to go on the island to see it vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm kamath – Achha Hai Sachha Hai vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Halt @ Bed Bugs special suite in Chiplun.

Pit Stop @ Chiplun | Trip meter: 1910 KMS

Day 6: 5^th Nov Saturday:

Vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Ganapatipule Temple vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm one of the finest drive in Konkan cost vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm beautiful beaches of Arabian sea as we drive towards Goa vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Miramar- Panjim Goa vrrrroooooommmmmmmm beach beach vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Calangute vrrrroooooommmmmmmm chats vrrrroooooommmmmmmm dinner @ beach side shack ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz in cottage.

Pit Stop @ Calangute | Trip meter: 2300 KMS

Day 7: 6^th Nov Sunday:

Vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Full tank in Goa border (Fuel is cheapest in Goa) vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Breakfast @ pathetic Udupi restaurant in Karwar vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm nice beach side drive vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Lunch @ Sirsi my HOME SWEET HOME :) moma special vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm tea break in Kamath vrrrroooooommmmmmmm vrrrroooooommmmmmmm Namma Bengaluru.

Final halt @ Bangalore | Trip meter: 2935 KMS

Stats:

Number of participants at the start of trip: 4 {Anand, Ravi, Raghu and Harsha}

Car: Hundai Verna Diesel

Total Fine paid to Mumbai police without receipt: 800 INR

Fuel cost: 5730 INR

Toll cost: 1490 INR

Total expense per head: 6907 INR {Including food, stay, bribe, toll and fuel}

All 4 people made it to the end of the trip and the car was also safe in working condition till date. All 4 participants have joined the normal routine life again and i am expecting them to get frustrated soon as we can go on one more such trip.

Thanks Harsha for driving most of the time.

Raghu for backing up his driving

Ravikiran for taking the back seat and making it for the trip at the last min.

Men Are Back AGAIN

2011-07-26T23:27:00.005+05:30

Day 1: 14^th July 2011

4 AM we hit the road and our next stop was after traveling 405 Kms via Salem for our first destination on the way to Munnar, @ Amaravathi Dam. We had taken couple of pit stops for a breakfast at Ananda bhavan { and here it starts my count of Masala Dosa's that i had over this trip.}

Amaravathi Dam at Amaravathinagar, 25 km south on NH 17 from Udumalpet, is located in Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in Coimbatore district. It was built primarily for irrigation and flood control and now also has 4 megawatts of electric generating capacity installed. It is notable for the significant population of Mugger Crocodiles living in its reservoir and catchment basin. And there is a small croc park which you can visit for just paying a fees of 50 PAISE {i still have no idea on the logic of taking 50 paise as a entrance fees when parking and all other stuff are free}

The next 76 Kms to Munnar via Lakkam Water Falls and Marayoor - It is the only place in Kerala with natural growth of sandalwood trees, natural caves with murals, and relics from late Stone Age civilisation. The road passes through Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary as well. Most of the time goes in clearing checkpoint you may come across some 8 check posts by forest dept. Police dept. of both the states. Each check post you need to pay some cash for no reason tho{I am not sure if this is some kind of bribe}.

Finally we arrived @ Munnar around 6 PM and landed directly @ Sarvana Bhavan for yet another Masala Dosa {guys don't keep a count of that i will let you know how many dosa i had at the end of this writeup}. And now in the chilling weather of Munnar we needed to hunt for our stay and after several hours of investigation we finally landed in Thayyil's cottages located on Tea county road i must say thats the best location for stay in Munnar.

Day 2: 15^th July 2011

Eravikulam (Rajamalai) National Park, takes almost 3 Hrs as there is lot to see, rare flora and fauna, Atlas moth (largest in the world), lion-tailed macaque, leopards, tigers, The Kurichi or Neelakurinji Flowers turn the hills of Rajamalai blue every 12 years. By the way we could not see most of them as it was heavy fog and there was hardly visibility, at times not more than 20 meters. But we had a good view of The Nilgiri tahr, a very rare type of mountain goat (Hemitragas bylocres) , on the verge of extinction. Half the world population of this rare goat is seen in and around Rajamala. One can actually debate if going to the high peak just to see some goats is worth all the effort or not. However, the walk along the park is very romantic and has some breath taking view of Namakad water falls.

Well to cover Munnar in all direction you need to plan well as every direction has so many places to see. Post lunch we had a drive on Bothamedu view point on Cochin direction then headed towards Top Station Direction.

Our first stop was Mattupetty Lake and Dam, which lie 13 km from Munnar, enroute Top Station, at an altitude of 1700 mt. The lake and dam surrounded by wooden hills and tea plantations, makes a great view. Boating is also allowed on Mattupetty Lake and combined with picnic and trekking, makes for a great outing from Munnar. Our next stop was Kundala Lake, Echo Point, Shooting point. And finally it was Top station view point. This view point lies in Tamil Nadu and you need to trek a bit to go to the final tip to have a breath taking view. Its worth the effort to reach to this final spot.

Day 3: 16^th July 2011

We started early morning with a power Dosa @ Sarava Bhavan again :)

Our next stop was Madurai 153 Kms drive with a very dangerous ghat section to be covered. {And it was a journey from 15 degrees to 35 degrees temprature in 2 Hrs}With couple of pit stops. We reached Madurai, post Lunch had a struggle to find parking near the Meenaxi temple road and our only purpose to visit Madurai was to see the Sri Meenakshi - Sundareswarar Temple since the temple opened @ 4 PM we haaded towards Thirumalai Nayak Palace to kill some time, I don't recommend this place at all. BTW this was the location for Mani Ratnam's super hit song “Kehana hi kya” from Bombay was shot {feathering Manisha koirala and Arvind swamy and super hit music from ARRahman}

After the disappointment at this palace we headed towards Sri Meenakshi Temple.

Synonymous with Madurai is the Meenakshi Sundareswarar twin Temple, the pivot around which the city has evolved. The Meenakshi Temple complex is literally a city - one of the largest of its kind in India and undoubtedly one of the oldest too. The temple grew with the contribution of each dynasty and victorious monarchs, into an enormous complex extending over an area of 65000 Sq m. There are four massive gateways enclosing these two shrines. Even a casual visitor is fascinated by the many paintings and sculptures.

A striking feature of the temple is the astonishing structure know as “Ayiramkaal Mandapam” or the Hall of Thousand Pillars and each pillar features high, ornate, bold sculptures that look life like. View from any angle these pillars appear to be in a straight line, an architectural masterpiece indeed In the outermost corridors are situated the matchless musical pillars carved out of stones. When it is tapped, each pillar produces different musical note.

Our last activity in Madurai was the Murugan Idly. Its just next to the temple lane and its a must do activity in Madurai after the temple visit just taste the Idly's here and those idly's marked the completion of our Madurai chapter of journey :)

Our final stop for the day was Tiruchi. Madurai to Tiruchi 138 Kms was covered in a whopping 60 Min drive. And that was one stretch on NH 45B just too good road done by NHAI. And i must admit tho the toll is pretty high, end of day it saves time and fuel. And that we had covered our destination in less the half the time as expected we decided to move on to Tanjavur and take our night halt there. What next Tiruchi to Tanjavur another express way waited for us and the next 60 Kms drive was covered in 45 Min. By the time we hunted a stay almost whole of Tanjavur went to sleep and we had to compromise on our dinner at a hotel which served us NOT so well done Masala dosa :(

Day 4: 17^th July 2011

Fourth day and our last day of our tour. We had couple of places in Tanjavur and Tiruchi to cover before we had back to B'lore. So before having our breakfast we headed to The Peruvudaiyar Koyil or Brihadeeswarar Temple , is the world's first complete granite temple and a brilliant example of the major heights achieved by Cholas kingdom in temple architecture. It remains as one of the greatest glories of Indian architecture. This temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Living Chola Temples".

This temple is one of India's most prized architectural sites. The temple stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century. The 'Vimana' - or the temple tower - is 216 ft (66 m) high and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. The Kalash or 'Chikharam' (apex or the bulbous structure on the top) of the temple is not carved out of a single stone as widely believed. There is a big statue of Nandi (sacred bull), carved out of a single rock, at the entrance measuring about 16 feet long and 13 feet high. The entire temple structure is made out of hard granite stones, a material sparsely available currently in Thanjavur area where the temple is located. Brihadishwara Temple also popularly known as the ‘Big Temple’ has turned 1000 years in 2010.

After the temple visit we had a taste of Steaming Idly's of Thanjavur and headed towards Tiruchi for the final spot Rock fort. The 83m high Rock Fort is the only outcrop in the otherwise flat land of the city. The rock is one of the oldest in the world-approximately 3.800 million years, which makes it as old as the rocks of Greenland and older than the Himalayas. The sheer abruptness of its rise is a thrill in itself, but the actual center of attraction is not the fort itself, of which very little remains, but the temple at the summit. 344 steps out of rock lead to the top where there are inscriptions dating back to the 3rd century B.C. Hardly anything remains of the ramparts but the Main Guard Gate is still intact.

So finally it was time for another 340 Kms drive back to B'lore. We had a a break @ Saravana Bhavan for another and final Tamil Meals to recharge ourself.

B'lore-Munnar-Madurai-Tanjore-Tiruchirapalli-B'lore Total kms 1453 kMS.

Thanks to Sarvana Bhavan and Anand Bhavan for cont..supply of Masala dosa throughout our tour.

Thanks to Raghu to driving us safely through our the tour, he was the only one who drove throughout safe and sound Thanks buddy.

Prashant thanks for your skill to understand Tamil and Malayalam that helped us to communicate throughout the journey.

Arun pawar for being obedient and giving be the front seat of the car most of the time :)

BhimSen buddy this is your first tour with our gang Thanks for being a good boy :)

{ The total cost of 4 day tour was 3350/- INR per head including Fuel/Food/Stay }

Men Are Back

2011-05-08T09:28:00.005+05:30

This time all credits to Raghu for getting us together for this amazing trip over the weekend. The plan was to cover Kemmanagundi and head back to Bangalore may be in a day or two. But since we had a very good driver in Raghu and a SX4 we did not mind cruising here and there and hunting down places chasing Karnataka tourism board mile stones.

Day 1: 22^nd April 2011

We hit the Tumkur highway @ 6 AM to reach Kemmanagundi. Our fist pit stop for Breakfast at Kamath. On the way we had all permutations and combinations as in which route to take and where to go and all....Finally decide that we will head to Amruthapura.

Amrutesvara temple

The temple is a fine example of Hoysala workmanship built with a wide open mantapa Surrounded by coconut farms, the temple still has its original outer wall with interesting, equally spaced circular carvings. The speciality of the temple are the rows of shining lathe turned pillars that support the ceiling of the mantapa.

After lunch @ Shivamogga we headed towards Sigandur. It is famous for the temple of Goddess Chaudeshwari. This place is located on the other side of backwater of river Sharavathi ( before Jog falls ). To reach this place people have to come to the main city Sagar. Vehicles reach one side of the bank in the river Sharavathi. Launch ( ferry ) service is available from this bank to the other bank to cover a distance of one KM and service charges just Rs. 1 per head :)

Now wait a second....werent we supposed to go to Kemmanagundi ? YES this is what happens when we have a superb car.. money...time...enthusiasm.. and a very good driver in Raghu :) So first day we had a halt @ Shivamogga and Kemmanagundi moved to day 2. I must admit that Raghu is a fantastic driver...perfect.! and Arun is a worst navigate :)

Day 2: 23^rd April 2011

At around 5 AM in the morning headed towards Kemmanagundi Finally :)

Kemmannugundi is a hill station in Chikkamagaluru district. It is located at a height of 1434m above sea level and blessed with silver cascades, mountain streams, and lush vegetation, Kemmangundi’s beautifully laid-out ornamental gardens and enchanting mountains and valleys views are a treat to the eye. For the adventurous at heart, Kemmangundi offers many peaks to scale and intricate jungle paths to explore.

We had our trekking for Z point which is a vantage point at Kemmangundi and can be reached by a steep uphill trek of about 45 mins. from Raj Bhavan and is another favourite place of people who want to view a spectacular sunrise . As it is a walk beware of slippery roads and snakes and also visit shanthi falls near kemmangundi.

Hebbe Falls: A downhill trek of about 8 km from Raj Bhavan takes one to Hebbe Falls where water streams down from a height of 168 meters in two stages to form Dodda Hebbe (Big Falls) and Chikka Hebbe (Small Falls). Jeeps are available from one particular point to Hebbe falls and they charge around INR 700 to 1200 (for an up and down trip depending on the no of people).Just on a caution note make sure u dont drive there on your own vehicle as the is no road u have to find your own road to drive :) Back to Chikkamagalur we visited Mullayanagiri and had dropped Arun there as he wanted to put his base on top of Mullayanagiri, Karnataka's highest peak. We had our stay in Chikkamagalur.

Day 3: 24^th April 2011

Mullayanagiri Tallest peak of karnataka famous for the temple on the peak and for its breath taking view from the peak.

The Veera Narayana temple is located in Belavadi. The temple was built by the Hoysala Empire. Belavadi is located 29 km southeast of Chikmagalur town on the Chikmagalur-Javagal highway. It is located at a very convenient distance from the famous temple towns of Belur and Halebidu and a visit to this quiet town is a rewarding experience.

THESE 3 DAYS, WE TRAVELLED 975 Kms JOURNEY WAS AN AMAZING TOUR FROM HILL STATIONS TO SOME BEAUTIFULL TEMPLES.

The total cost of tour was around 2500 INR. Special thanks to Raghu for driving our car, Arun for guiding us towards rite as well as some wrong directions , Prashant for coming and being a good boy as usual.

Alleppy & Kochi

2010-09-17T00:21:00.003+05:30

This time again Alleppey–Kochi trip for a long weekend but I had Kiddu-Jiji and Sonel-Vishal for a very good company for the next 3 days.

We all met at Majestic and as our train was on time 6-50 PM straight to Alleppy out next stop :)

Well this time the train straight on time but the boat guy who was supposed to pick us up was disappearing...hmmm we waited for him, till then got freshed up on railway platform {details cannot be shared} and had a great breakfast in IRCTC canteen{for a subsidized rates by Indian railways} Finally he turned up after couple of hours.

We took an auto{Its again prepaid here controlled by Kerala police} and headed towards finishing point, Finishing point is the start and end of our house boat journey. BTW its called finishing point coz thats where the spectacular snake-boat races held on the second Saturday of August, every year @ Punnamada Lake in Alleppy Ends.

And here our own Kettuvallam was waiting for us.

Kettuvallam is a house boat widely used in Kerala. Each houseboat is constructed using the ancient principles and techniques of boat building by the local carpenters using 'Anjili' wood. coir ropes are used for tying the wooden boards together. Hiring a houseboat which may cost around 7000 INR to about 35000 INR......yes and its worth it for a 24 Hr ride for 10 people......u get 2-3 bed room house boat .....some boats with first floor having a balcony and some with TFT screen n Dish TV in it. Almost all these house boats have kitchen as they take u 2 a 24 Hr ride they provide u with full time meals n snacks. And the best of all house boat what v saw was a big floating conference room....u get it with all the facilities even AC fitted in 2 a boat....

We had a 2 BHK with AC and a first floor balcony ...to be frank the boat which we hired was way bigger than my Bangalore 1 BHK apartment :)

Alleppy has large network of inland canals earning it the sobriquet "Venice of the east".

These large network of canals provide Alleppy its lifeline.

Our boat started off from Vembanad lake towards Chambakulam.......Its the Kuttanad area......The boat can b stopped anywhere u wish, so our first stop was to shop maggie packets and come cold drinks and ya not to forget we got some DVD of selected FLOP movies :)

On board we had regular food and drinks. We had a Rummikub championship on board I had taken it with me and off course a maggie party{prepared my Sonel and kiddu} at the end of it. Then it was time for some back to back flop movie session :) but the best part is ur having fun while ur floating in those beautiful backwaters of Kerala...it was a awesome experience when u have u best pals with u. I had a great time. Breakfast lunch snacks and dinner all on board.

Best place to stay in Kochi is MG Road. And we had booked a room near MG Road so all went fine. Now it was time to explore Kochi...so after lunch headed straight to Marine drive and took a boat safari....but let me tell u this was my 3^rd visit to kochi and a lot has changed from past couple of years but everything on a positive side of development. The high court Jetty has a new look it took use a long long and very long walk to find it out....but things have changed for good....we had taken a boat cruise that took us to all the important places of kochi rite from Mattancherry Island to its Jew Town and Jewish synagogue. Then to Fort Kochi to its St. Francis Church an 18th Century Church and in and around you will find lot of French styled villas. Walk towards Chinese fish net area. And from the cruise you can see the beautiful Arabian sea and a lot of other commercial ships and Naval ships. Kochi is one of the main ports for Oil import to our country. So there is always room for some new ship yard to come up.

One restaurant that I wanted to take my crew for this trip was Gokul on MG Road and it took me an hour to find it out :) but finally everyone enjoyed the bestest of the best Kerala cuisine here. Yes Kochi has changed a lot, it has become more beautiful clean and modernized now. Every alternate building here is a Silk Saree showroom or a Jewelery shop. Not to mention some Jewelery shops are bigger than some IT parks in Bangalore.

Well these 3 days was truly a great experience in Venice of the east though it was my

fourth visit to Gods Own Country .

The total cost of tour was 3800 INR inclusive of travel, stay n food.

Special thanks to Rasna for booking house boat for us, Jiju for booking hotel in kochi,Titto for getting train tickets for us and Sonel for photographs.

GoA GoA GoA

2010-03-20T22:54:00.005+05:30

Goa is India's smallest state by area and the 4th smallest by population. Located on the west coast of India in the region known as the konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharastra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.

It was summer time and this time it was in GOA....All set and planned for GoA for 3 days .
We left Blore on 12th night @ around 8 PM and as usual I knew we would reach Panaji the capital of Goa at 1 PM next day during lunch time...and ya I was rite this time....We headed straight to Issac villa on Baga beach where we had booked our stay for next couple of days in Goa. We had got a good deal to stay. Normally at this time u would need to bargain @ each and every place in Goa as rates are seasonal here. Had a good lunch @ mayyona's - a river side restaurant in Baga, and then headed straight away for some water sports.
Baga is a fishing beach with brown sand that sees a lot of international tourists sun-bathing in its golden sun, as a grove of palms gently sways in the wind. The Baga River flows along one side of Baga beach.

The main road running through the Baga village is lined with several bars, tandoori terraces and handicraft shops. The relatively newer Saturday flea market of Baga Goa, is a huge success and an occasion of much that lasts well into the night, brightly lit up with lights and paraffin lamps. All kinds of odds and ends, handicrafts, jewelery and snacks stalls can be found at Baga and a temporary stage is constructed for the visiting local musician. Baga Goa's nightlife is the liveliest in Goa and is the perfect expression of the Goan and Western mix of culture.

Baga beach offers plenty of water sports. You can go for parasailing, water skiing, windsurfing and other water sports, but, only if you have enough expertise in it. We tried our hands at parasailing, banana ride, bumpy water ride and water skiing. One need to bargain well with these water sport operators. One advice would be all these people who run are from Northern karnataka so if u know kannada then its a bit handy to bargain and we had Reconz supported by Soumya to bargain a good deal for all these water sports for us :)
We walked all the way to calangute beach which is almost a 1 KM stretch good walk on the beach.

Nightlife in Baga is considered the liveliest in the region. It is home to some of the biggest hot-spots by night in Goa, including Titto's and Cafe Mambo. Visit the Titto's which is highly popular among the tourists because it has the only dance floor and fantastic sound system outside the big hotels of Baga. Enjoy a candle lit dinner on the beach, go for a traditional Goan meal in any beach side shacks or simply take a cup of real espresso coffee. And ya don't miss the chats on street side..the Goan chats. We had chats at calangute, then had dinner and finally reached base. It was a good day with all water sports done :)
Day 2: 14th March Sunday:

As planned we had breakfast in some hotel..its hard to find vegetarian things for breakfast in the morning. Then as planned hired bikes; you get bikes for rent in Goa on daily basis they charge around Rs.200 per day. Then we were all set to explore north Goa on our bikes. We had 3 bike now :)
First we headed towards Vagator beach. The soft white sands, the black lava rocks, the coconut palms, the lush green landscape, nature playing its own music, and the sea turning from aquamarine to emerald green. Vagator and Chapora, overlooked by the 500-year-old Portuguese fort, leaves each visitor awestruck. Yet to be disturbed by the hustle and bustle of tourists, life goes on peacefully, in the background, in Vagator and Chapora.
Hiking up, the lava-bedecked black rock stepping-stones lead to the 500-year-old Portuguese fort, popularly known as the Chapora Fort. It utters the reminiscence of the old Portuguese times giving a splendid view of the sea and hills covered with coconut trees and rice fields. The remaining battlements and fortifications take one down the memory lane, into the times when Royalty ruled the Vagator hue. Dil Chahata Hai was shot here :)

Our second stop for the day was The fort was constructed in 1612 to guard against the Dutch and the Marathas. It was a reference point for the vessels coming from Europe at that time. This old Portuguese fort stands on the beach south of Candolim, at the shore of the Mandovi river. On the way to this port you can see Kingfisher villa :) VM's Goa residence.
Then we headed to Panjim where we had lunch ; then went to Miramar beach. It is the nearest beach to the Goan capital and unarguably the most visited beach of Goa. Hoardes of people, mostly tourists, are found every day flocking to this beach. situated on the Mandovi river, it is a small beach that hosts some events occasionally. Driving down from this beach to Dona Paula is one of the best driving zones in county the road is just beach side and well maintained by tress on either side..no traffic lights gonna stop you. Panjim is a small and charming city.

The beauty of Goa Dona Paula beach has been enhanced by a spooky past which has the tourists thronging to this place. History goes that the beach is named after Dona Paula de Menzes, daughter of a viceroy (in colonial India), who threw herself off the cliff, when refused permission to marry a local fisherman, Gaspar Dias. The myth says that Dona Paula is entombed in the Cabo Chapel of the Raj Bhawan and is supposed to be seen emerging from the moonlit waves wearing only a pearl necklace. This story attracts many tourists and they come here just to feel the sweet pain of love. This beach has also been the location for many Indian movies. Given this dual attraction, Dona Paula Beach has become a popular tourist spots.
On the way back we had hell lot of confusions as Reconz and Raghu lost there way but some how we all managed to head back to one of Baga's best shacks – Britto's. Had a very good fish platter and back to base for a good sleep :)

Do try out your dinner in beach shacks its a wonderful experience.

Day 3: 15th March Monday:

Today for an early morning beach experience, myself, soumya and kutty went to Baga beach @ 6 AM and wow! what a pleasant time to be in the beach. We were there till 8 then took our bike and headed to the world-famous Anjuna Beach which lies to the south of Vagator. The beauty of the white waves rushing to embrace the pale golden sand on the beach can be witnessed in full form at the Goa Anjuna beach. Goa Anjuna beach is a perfect haven for the hippies and you will come across some of them who have been staying on this beach for a couple of months. It is in the late 1950s to mid-1960s that Anjuna beach was "discovered" by the hippies. From then on began the trend of moonlit parties which is one occasion the hippies and now the tourists look forward to.
We had breakfast at one of the local dhabas - the taste was awesome ....u get bread and channa masala and ommlet tea :) it all comes in a very handy package :) and the crowd to accompany you will be the local taxi drivers and fishermen, but from my childhood everytime I go to Goa I always have some snacks from such places so this time also didn't wanted to miss it. But only me and kutty went and had breakfast there. The rest of the crowd was not interested.
We headed back to B'lore from Madgoan at around 9 PM. Goa is not that well connected my B'lore there are only biweekly trains and daily buses will take around 15 Hrs to reach Goa apart for that there are some 3 daily flights that connect B'lore and Goa.

This trip has covered only north Goa will be going to South Goa soon :)
All the price mentioned are subject to change as Goa is seasonal tourist destination.

This trip was more of Fun Fun & Fun so not much photography was tried by me :)
The total cost of our trip for 3 days including stay, food and beverages was 4000 INR.

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish Stay Innovative

North India Feb 2010

2010-02-20T20:29:00.002+05:30

Guys Finally it was again North India for a Week went to attend Kiddu;s marriage in Deharadun then had been to Rafting to Rishikesh, Then visited MahaKumb in hardwar followed my Patanjali yogpeth. Completed my journey by visiting the beautiful temple of Akshardham in Delhi.

All details of Punjabi wedding and Rafting given by my friend Shreyas Do read out guys:

http://shreyjanivar.blogspot.com/2010/02/transition.html

Pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/anand.sawkar/NorthIndiaFeb2010#

Wayanad

2010-01-17T20:15:00.005+05:30

1^st Jan 2010:

What a way to start new year 2010 ..We 4 myself Raseee, megd aka Megha and Ritesh planned for a Wayanad trip and set off as per our plan on the very first day of 2010. This trip was planned so sudden with a short notice period and bookings were almost closed when god just showered some blessings. We managed to get one deluxe room at the beautiful Hotel Mint Flower in Sulthan Battery.

Wayanad is not a town or a city. It is the name of a large district with more than half a dozen towns. In all probability you would be heading to one of its three major towns , Sulthan Bathery , Kalpetta or Mananthavadi

We hit the Mysore highway @ around 9 AM in morning and had our breakfast on highway side hotel ...then straight away the next stop was Wayanad on the way you come across beautiful wild life if you are lucky :) passing through Bandipur wildlife zone, A small river and a short bridge across it marks the Karnataka-Kerala border in the middle of the forest. In a stroke signboards give way to Malayalam. It seems Kerala is in a self imposed competition with other states in who owns the largest number of check posts. You zoom past as battery of check posts as you come out of forest . There is Forest Department check post, commercial tax check post, RTO check post and even a police check post.

The route which we took was Bangalore -Mysore - Gundulpet - Munthanga - Sulthan Battery ( Wayanad)

Somewhere in the end of the forest , you can see the entrance to the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. As usual tourist vehicle makes a mess around the area. Take it as a cue for you to join the crowd or slip out and drive ahead to Sultan Bathery. Now we were well in the Wayanad heartland. Sultan Bathery to Kalpetta, the district capital, is 10 kilometers. From now onwards it was time to set our itinerary for Wayanad. We stayed in Hotel Mint Flower i must say one of the best hotels available in Wayanad zone.

After getting freshed up and after a good fish fry meal we were all set to our first day post lunch session ...But where?? was the big Q as i had set all planes for next 2 days and we knew almost all places in Wayanad come under forest department and are closed for public after 5 PM. And we had just 3 hrs left so thought to explore nearby areas we visited Karapuzha dam and Fantom Rock on that evening...but we were a bit confused to as to why it was called Fantom Rock and what crap was there in that dam as to be declared a tourist place :) but yes we enjoyed both these spots in our own style..singing and posing for my cam Rasee Megd and Ritesh were a gr8 team to be with.

2^nd Jan 2010:

Well 2^nd day itenary was finalized it was time for Kuruva Island first....i was more curious and so were others as i had read and heard a lot about this place. And one important thing to remember is not a single restaurant opens before 8AM in Sulthan Battery, but we found a mid class restaurant called Friends where we had appam (i am not able to describe the food here sorry !!)
So after breakfast we straight away headed to Kuruva Island.

After taking tickets (you need to buy ticket for camera...raft...parking..guide...and for people....so spend some cash for ticket ticket....it comes around 200 INR for 4 people) we need to cross Kabini river on a bamboo raft and get on a main Island we had hired a guide and thankfully he knew Kannada so that i could communicate with him. Well the best and a must try adventure here is the river crossing ...and our guide knew exactly where and how to cross at first we were a bit..hesitated to get in water but after a couple of crossing we got used to water. It was a amazing experience river walk..never heard of it...but it was gr8 walking in river and trekking in so dense forest.

It was almost lunch time so headed back to Kalpetta had lunch and moved towards Soochipara water falls, All these places have been declared as Eco tourism spots by Kerala government and are well maintained.

3^rd Jan 2010:

The 3^rd day also started up early and we needed to head back home on the same day, so started off with Edakkal caves as usual we had our breakfast @ Friends special hotel, and the menu remains same.

Edakkal caves in the Ambukuthy Mountains are not caves in the right sense. It is only a cleft in reality. It is a cleft of about 96ft. long & 22ft. wide in the rock. There are some interesting carvings of pre-historic age. This location is of breathtaking beauty.

After climbing and little bit of trekking we finally managed to reach Edakkal caves and it was a amazing view of Wayanad from top of these mountains.

Our next destination for the day was Pookot Lake, about 13 k ms from Kalpetta, is undoubtedly the most beautiful tourist spot in the whole of Wayanad. The lake nestles in the lap of mountains surrounding it. Boating in the Pookot Lake is a memorable experience. Tall trees and dense forests that line along the pathway around the lake provide a visual treat. This is a beautiful natural fresh water lake surrounded by evergreen forest and wooded hills. Boating facilities, Children's Park and shopping center for handicrafts and spices of Wayanad are arranged by District Tourism Promotion Council. These provides recreational facilities to the visitors.

It was lunch time we checked out of our rooms after 2 days and it was time to head back to B'lore but on the ways we decided to get in Muthanga wild life sanctuary, we needed to wait for almost an hour to get permit pass to enter the safari in forest apart from elephant view from a far away distance and couple of pug marks the forest seemed to be dry.

This sanctuary is located very near to the Karnataka border. Wild forests covering an area of 345 sq.mts. from Muthunga Wildlife Sanctuary, the biggest abode of wild animals in the entire Malabar region, Elephants, Spotted Deers, Bisons, Tigers, Wild Bears… etc. are all sighted here. But again your luck matters here also..

The total cost of the trip was 4553 INR.

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish Stay Innovative

MY Year that was 2009

2009-12-31T18:54:00.004+05:30

Hampi

2009-11-19T21:09:00.012+05:30

Yeah! its time for yet another trip and this time it was Hampi (a.k.a Humpi or Hampe) is both a historic & religious place. This was the capital of the Hindu empire, Vijayanagara, who ruled the south India during 14th to 16th century AD. It's about 350 kilometers (217 miles) north of Bangalore.

Raghu had initiated our trip plan …with Prashant and me, as usual our old gang J We started out journey by taking the majestic Hampi Express train from B’lore on Friday the 13^th {nov-2009} which reached Hospet @ early hours on 14^th nov.

We wished every one on the train Happy Children’s Day!

Without wasting any time in the railway station we headed towards the bus stand coz we had done all our RnD before reaching Hampi as to where to stay and all…so we reached bus stand looked for couple of hotels and lodges and found one called Hotel Shanbhag International…truly one of the best place to stay in Hospet I must say. The rooms cost you around 700 INR and very very spacious…

Got freshen up by 9 AM headed towards Bus terminal and took a bus to Hampi which is around 12 KM from Hospet and would cost you just 10 INR. On the main street of Hampi is the Virupaksha temple we visited that then headed to hire a Bicycle u get lot of Bicycle and mopeds for rent on the main street. A bicycle per day would cost you around 50 INR.

Day 1: Saturday Nov-14 2009

We even saw the riverside ruins on a coracle, a circular shaped country boat to cross the river. A huge floating basket is a more appropriate description than calling it a boat. They are huge flat basket like craft to ferry people & sheep (yes sheep!). About 6 feet in diameter, coracles are made of bamboo, cane, plastic sheets and a fine coating of bitumen to make it leak proof! A coracle ride would cost u around 50 INR. Day 2: Sunday Nov-15 2009 Stone Chariot inside Vittala Temple complex built on a rectangular platform of a feet or so high. All around this base platform is carved with mythical battle scenes. Though the chariot is not resting on it, the four giant wheels attached mimic the real life ones complete with the axis shafts & the brakes. A series of concentric floral motifs decorate the wheels. It appears from the marks on the platform, where the wheels rest, the wheels were free to move around the axis. You can still see the remains of the painting on the carvings of the chariot. Probably because it was relatively protected from the natural wearing elements, the undercarriage of the chariot spots one of the best-preserved specimens of this kind of paintings.

The main highlight of the Maha-Mantapa is its richly carved giant monolithic pillars. The outermost of the pillars are popularly called the musical pillars. These slender and short pilasters carved out of the giant pillars emit musical tones when tapped. Probably these do not belong to any of the standard musical notes, but the musical tone of the vibes earned it’s the name. Unmindful curiosity of the visitors has damaged many of these pilasters and tapping on it is banned for the sake of preservation.

The southern hall is dominated with the rampant mythical creatures called Yalis. The capitals of each of the pillars branches into heavily ornate corbels with terminating with lotus buds. The northern hall is surrounded with a series of pillars with the Narasimha (the man-lion incarnation of Vishnu) themes. The most notable ones are that of Narasimha slaying Hiranyakashipu on his lap. Prahlada is seen sitting at the base in a praying posture. The ceilings of the halls too are of interest with the lotus like carving at the centre. Further west is a closed hall with two porches on either side. Further ahead is the sanctum.

After that we headed towards back to Hospet and had a great lunch @ Waves restaurant {Hotel Mallige} I must say one of the best restaurant after Krishna palace available in Hospet. Evening took a bus to TB-Dam that marked end of our trip and then packed off the bag and waited for our bus to arrive, as usual KSRTC maintained its standard, 10-30 PM bus departed @ 12 midnight J but EOD it was very satisfying journey.

Thanks for Raghu to booking the tickets. Thanks to Prashant for accompanying us.

The total cost of the trip was 1851 INR

The year that was....2008

2009-01-01T23:47:00.003+05:30

Himada Gopalswamy betta

2008-10-06T21:55:00.006+05:30

Trip to

Himada Gopalswamy betta

on 15^th August 2008

Celebrating Indian Independence in Style

Yo folks !!

Had an exciting friday and an amazing Independence day on 15^th August 2008 ,thought let me share it with you all. Read thru the matter and adjust maadi.

Woke up on friday and reached our office by 5 AM. All my crew for the day Shreyas, Vibha, Anisha, Rishii, Saurav and Sundip were all set to go to Himada Gopalswamy betta, close to Bandipur which was another 70 kms drive from Mysore. On the way we had a traffic jam coz an Independence day parade was passing by even we joined the kids from various schools and shouted out some slogans on Indian independence, BHARAT MATA KI JAI....

The literal translation of Himada Gopalswamy betta would be "Misty Gopalswamy Hill". Apparently, it does live up to its name for most part of the year. There is a temple at the top, dedicated to Krishna (I think). It must have been one treacherous trek through forests and hills in the olden days. People were sure, quite dedicated to GOD back then :-)

We reached there at around mid-day but the view from top of this hill is truly breath-taking. It is one of the highest peaks (1454 meters above sea level) in the Bandipur National Park. Herds of wild elephants are seen regularly near this peak. A lake, a few hundred feet below the peak serves as the local watering hole for the other wildlife.

We tried to cross Karnataka border by walk, and b in TN but gave up in middle coz this was the time we planned to shoot some good pics and ya shot 2 videos on some gr8 bollywood songs Pehala Nasha and Pappu cant dance saala. Well the videos r with the concerned ppl. I personally dont take any responsibility if something happens to u guys after watching these videos.

On the way u can see fields covered with sunflowers sunflowers sunflowers sunflowers sunflowers sunflowers sunflowers sunflowers sunflowers sunflowers sunflowers sunflowers sunflowers sunflowers sunflowers sunflowers sunflowers and sunflowers.

Here we shot out 3^rd video of the day from DDLJ, the song Tujhe dekha to ye jaana sanam............Vibha and Shreyas even tried some adventure stuff by climbing a tree house with the help of a bamboo ladder.

Sunflowers sunflowers everywhere everywhere sunflowers everywhere...........

Had a gr8 lunch @ Mysore and visited Chamundi Hills in the evening and way back had gr8 fun talking to each other and gave a pit stop on a Highway cafe-coffee day. And reched B'lore at around 9 PM. It was truly a gr8 relaxation and a must visit place guys.

STAY HUNGRY STAY FOOLISH STAY INNOVATIVE

The total cost of tour was 700 INR inclusive of travel n food.

Special thanks to Shreyas for coming up with this idea and Anisha for arranging the cab.

Nanded

2008-06-07T18:51:00.008+05:30

Religious ROADIES ka TASHAN

version 8.5

JUJAHAR[JUJII] : MANPREET : MOHIT : JASMEET[JASS]

AMITH : BHAJAN : MANINDER : VISHAL : ANAND

Well it was time again to try something different in my life and this time it was Goa yes all set to Goa but no one was willing to come and it finally shifted to Nanded and Hyderabad coz one of my friend Maninder and his friends were planning to have a visit to Hazur Sahib.

So we all Jujahar(JUJii), Manpreet, Mohit, Jasmeet(JASS), Amith, Bhajan, Maninder, Vishal and myself met at around 8 PM to leave to Hyderabad and to all out surprise a special incident took place and my dear friend Vishal had a joyful mood throughout this tour. To know what happened with Vishal @ the bus stop read this until the end.

We left B'lore at around 9PM on 30^th April. Reached Hyderabad at around 8 in morning the next day.

As our first priority was to book for a cab i was on to it and my dear friend Maninder was on to his job searching a &*%$:-)

Finally got a cab and left to Nanded. That was 1 gr8 journey as u see it was around 270 KM from Hyd.

We had a good meal at some Dhaba on highway the road is damm good i can say.....Maninder suggested of Antakshari..and wow....though i didn't gave much contribution in it i had a gr8 time listening to some of the remixes Maninder was making of bollywood songs.....out of all i must say Jujahar has a gr8 voice .....(he is also part of our company singing troupe)..well end of that competition we came to know that Jujahar had actually created almost 3 song composition and sung....and we couldn't recognize it......any ways i didn't recognize almost all of his hindi classics... MAN oh MAN he has a gr8 talent in singing and thanks to his voice quality coz we had a single cassette in out car we played it almost 10 times and now it was his turn to fulfill our song request.....Apart from Antakshari i would like to mention a great debate on some Hindi words by Manpreet/Maninder v/s Bhajan. I still don't know the outcome of that debate :-)and by the way our own Vishal was the only one who had sung almost all bollywood romantic numbers....yes he still had a effect of what happened in on the bus stand in b'lore(wait for the climax). With all this fun it took all most a day to reach Nanded and reached there around 8:00 PM.

Had a stay in NRI-Nivas all thanx to Manpreet who had done this arrangement. After some great food at Langar, Langar is the term used in the Sikh religion for the free, vegetarian-only food served in a Gurdwara and eaten by everyone sitting as equals, including, non-Sikhs.

Now it was time for my first visit to any Gurdwara in my life yes....this was the first time in my life that i was visiting a Gurdwara ......All those who enter Gurdwara hall must remove their shoes and cover their heads before entering.

Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib is the principal shrine at about half a Kilometer from the left bank of the river Godavari, Nanded, Maharashtra. This is about to complete 300 years in November 2008. And WOW what an architecture it has......even to my surprise photography was allowed inside such a main complex. They do Ardas (a Sikh prayer)3 times a day, after Ardas they open this special room which houses artifacts from the days of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji.. (the Sangat are not allowed to touch or enter this room) The artifacts are brought out and shown to all, they show a Sword and Kalangi belonging to Guru Gobind Singh Ji and a sword belonging to Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji.

Next day morning at around 5 AM myself, Maninder and Vishal came to Gurdwara again for early morning prayers. We had our hands on making some parathas at a near by dhaba.

And following that the entire day we covered up all most all the Gurdwara's in Nanded.

Gurdwara Sangat Sahib ; Gurdwara Mal Tekri Sahib ; Gurdwara Shikar GhatGurdwara Hira Ghat ; Gurdwara Nagina Ghat ;Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan; Gurdwara Baba Banda Bahadur Ghat

I got a feeling that it was not in some part of Maharashtra but i am in some core areas of Punjab yes....u can see lots and lots Punjabi people and culture around here. Lots of Sikhs have got settled in Nanded and an equal number of tourist from around the world visit this place.

After the evening arathi @ around 9 PM had our dinner at Langar and left to Bidar which is in the next state (Karnataka). It is 200KM south of Nanded,. It was almost 6 hour journey and believe me the roads in this state were terrible and i did not find any road first of all , it was as if we were going in space in that dark night we were traveling in some space ship and all thanx to Bhajan for making that journey exciting by telling a ghost story. Finally reached Bidar at midnight at around 2 AM and all thx to sManpreet again for we had our rooms booked.

Next morning i.e on 3rd may got up and visited the Gurdwara called Nanak Chira. The site the Gurdwara is built on was once visited by Guru Nanak himself, on one of his many travels.

To the utter surprise of all, fountain of sweet, cool water gushed out of the hillside. The place hence known as 'Nanak-Jhira'. A beautiful Gurdwara has now been constructed by the side of the fountain. The water of the fountain is collected in a small 'Amrit-Khud' built in white marble.

Then at around noon headed back to hyd. and started exploring Hyd as much as we can...first we saw some tombs ....i am still wondering why the hell we went to visit those tombs when there were lots of other places to visit.....then finally i came to know that it was our driver who wanted to visit those tombs not any of us......

Went to Charminar the most famous landmark of Hyderabad and had a gr8 Biryani wow...that marked the end of our tour........"Jo Bole So Nihal...Sat Sri Akal"

Then started the longest journey of my life that i ever done 14 hrs from hyd-bangalore in a Toyota-Qualis backseat...reached Bangalore next day safe and sound @ around 10 AM...with all these sweet memories and got to know some of these gr8 friends .....who still in this modernized world and being in high profile IT industries keep faith in their love towards religion....

**Title courtesy : Gundeep (Jamseyspear).

Skandagiri

2008-06-07T18:40:00.001+05:30

This place is located near Nandi Hills, India

Best time to visit this place is : November to January (Non-monsoon time)

Route: Bangalore - Hebbal Flyover - Yalahanka - Devanahalli - Chikkaballapur - Skandagiri.

About Skandagiri: Skandagri is approximately 65km from Bangalore city on Bellary Road [NH-7 Hyderabad-Bangalore Highway], near Nandi Hills and Chikbalapur. Located at an altitude of 1750 mts, it is every adventurer’s paradise with beautiful night trek, altitude camping, stunning sunrise, serene and swimming clouds.

FACT Files This place is called Kandavara Halli and the mountain is called Kandavarahalli Betta (also called as Skanda Giri). It is located near Chikkaballapura - a small town under Bangalore rural district.

Height -- about 1750m from sea level.

Distance ... From Bangalore 70+ km.

From Nearest Town/Medical Help : Chikkaballapura

Nearest Airport/ Railway station: Bangalore

The Route(Getting there):

There are two routes to Kalawarahalli Betta. One way is to take a turn towards Nandi Hills and go further to kalawara village crossing Muddenahalli. This route is shorter compared to the one from Chikaballapur. Second one is to go to Chikaballapur and then to Kalawara village. From Kalawara village ask for Omkara Jyoti Ashrama / Papagni Mutt. There is a shiva temple and vehicles can be parked there. This is at the base of the hills. Nandi to Kalawara to Papagni Mutt is 6 km. Chikaballapur to papagni Mutt is 3 km.

level of Trekking: Moderate

must carry Water, first aid box, snacks or light foods as nothing available on the top or on the way to trek from papagni Mutt

Its a popular belief that it is fun on a full moon night to start the trekking expedition at 12:30 midnight and aim to reach the top at around 5:30 AM early morning. This timing allows viewing of sunrise against the backdrop of golden clouds.

Rappelling ...and Monkey Crawl..!!

2007-12-15T23:40:00.000+05:30

Saturday 1^st December 2007..

We 6 ...........Sonalika, Rishi, Vikas, Bhavin ,Soumyadeep and myself along with ..Rajendra our guide from Nisarga adventure club b’lore headed to Sawanadurga, a place with a fort on a lofty mountain, about 60 km from Bengaluru. The hill consists of two granite cliffs of 4000 feet tall and 13 kilometres (8 miles) in circumference , one called Bilibetta or white peak, another Karibetta or black peak.

The rocks are challenging. Climbers can endure up to grade 7. It's also ideal for light wilderness treks and camps.

Rappelling is the practice of sliding down a rope to descend a rock face. The technique was developed by climbers, but has turned into a sport of its own……YES and we did it on a 50 feet vertical rock………………..!!!!!!!!

All set down to Go...!!!

Then it was time for a short monkey crawl…….
Well one more adventure filled day added to my list….:-)

All thanks to Sonalika for planning and arranging the whole thing.......

Tour of Allepy

2007-08-27T20:05:00.001+05:30

DAY 1, Saturday 11th August 2007:
This time it was a planned and well executed short tour 2 Alleppy. Its around 71 KM from
Kochi and takes around 10 Hrs by bus from B'lore.
But our purpose of visit was for its spectacular snake - boat races held on the second
Saturday of August, every year @ Punnamada Lake in Alleppy. This competition - the Nehru boat race takes its name from India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who inaugurated in 1952. It is excitement all around as snake - boats , each manned by over a hundred oarsmen, cut
through the waters like wind. This time it was 55th edition of the race & 55 boats participated out of which were 18 snake boats.....A single snake boat(Chundan) will be measuring over 100 feet in length, with a raised prow. And needs 100-117 member crew...WOW thats a lot.....i need not say its a once in a life time must visit event.

Technical Specifications
Tracks – 4 tracks of 10 M. wide from East. Track length – 1400 M
Chundan(Snake Boat) :Amaram- 5 Persons ; Nilakkar-5 Persons
Total no. of team members- 111

The boat race gets away from 2 PM and ends @ about 6 PM ..well we had got a VIP pass
on the island Nehru Pavilion ...all thanks to our freelance photographer friend Salil who had
arranged it for us...... if u don't have a pass then don't even think of coming 2 this place ...well on
this day Punnamada Lake will b jam packed with almost people coming from various parts of the
world 2 visit the biggest boating event in India. Finally it was as usual the Kumarakam boat club
sponsored by SBI which won 4th time in a row....Well even the other boats had sponsors like cox
n kings, Thomas cook.etc...well now thats what i call Globalization. And the people capacity was
around 50,000.
@ around 7 PM v headed back 2 Alleppy town ...now was the time 2 have some Idiyappam
Kadala and Puttu well these r some of the famous dishes of Kerala which i never found in B'lore.
Then headed back 2 KTDC yatri nivas where we had stayed..its pretty economical place 2
stay as a room cost around 385 INR.
DAY 2, Sunday 12th August 2007:
Alleppy has large network of inland canals earning it the sobriquet "Venice of the east".
These large network of canals provide Alleppy its lifeline. Now it was our turn 2 see around.....so u got lots of option 2 move around Alleppy.... well the best is hiring a houseboat which may cost
around 7000 INR 2 about 35000 INR......yes and its worth it for a 24 Hr ride for 10 people......ya
u get 2-3 bed room house boat .....some boats with first floor having a balcony and some with
TFT screen n Dish TV in it. Almost all these house boats have kitchen as they take u 2 a 24 Hr ride they provide u with full time meals n snacks. And the best of all house boat what v saw was a big floating conference room....ya u get it with all the facilities even AC fitted in 2 a boat....

But we had hired a boat for 1000 INR for a 5 Hr journey 2 Vembanad lake towards
Chambakulam.......Its the Kuttanad area......The boat can b stopped anywhere u wish so our
forst stop was for Kappa(tapioca) & fish curry along with local Kallu(Toddy), is a thick white sap
that comes from the bud of the coconut palm. The but is nicked and receptacle strapped below it,
It fills up overnight & is collected in morning. The man who does it is known as the Toddy topped
and he is a good guy 2 know :-)
........Passed around some Paddy fields which lie below water level....in and around u will find
water ....boat......nature......water ....boat......nature......water ....boat......nature......water
....boat......nature......Its a good place 2 hang around from busy citi life......

Got back home packed bags n got back 2 Kochi by train ....now that 1 Hr Train journey can
also b memorable if u stand @ the door n travel.
Reached Kochi by 6PM and had 2 catch a bus back 2 my base B'lore.

Well these 2 days was truly a great experience in Venice of the east though it was my second visit to Gods Own Country this year.
The total cost of tour was 2150 INR inclusive of travel, stay n food.
Special thanks to Salil and Raijo for guiding the tour. Sai and Salil for these extraordinary photographs.

Mysore

2007-08-27T19:48:00.003+05:30

“Always try different things in life and try to take decisions in the nick of time”.
This quote of Steve Jobs inspired us to get off to Mysore .

Some how managed to get Raghu's car few hours before ....and Prashanth as usual was ready for
game and we 3 finally set off on 19th May 2007 @ around 7:00AM from B'lore towards Mysore
without having any preplanned schedule.

Try to catch by NICE junction through Kanakapura road n get in touch to Mysore road SH18.
Have Breakfast @ Kamath's near Janapada Loka which is around 50 KM from B'lore.
Try out early morning buffet which costs around 60 INR with unlimited food.
Reached Srirangapatnam, which is about 30 KM form Mysore @ around 9:30 AM .
Places to see :
1: Sangam - spot where Cauveri and some other 2 rivers club n dance to the beats of nature. Try out Teppa(a small boat made of bamboo) ride which cost 10 INR.
2: Gumbaz – A well built marble architecture where Tippu Sultan's family rests in peace, including Hyder Ali's tomb.
3: Tippu's Summer Palace – Made up of wood n amazing paintings on wall.U will even find Tippus sword n some other belongings like his royal dress, coins, thrown etc..

Then v entered the fort area which had.
1: Ranganathswamy Temple – Ancient temple with amazing Hoysala Arcitecture.
2: Colonel Dungeon – This is the place where Tippu kept his prisoners.
3: Then a place where Tippu's dead body was found.
All these places r well maintained n the parking costs u around 20 INR in each spots which will
costs u around 100 INR but u can compromise for good roads n well maintained gardens.
Then moved to Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary which is around 10 KM from Mysore.
This 0.6 Sq.KM bird sanctuary situated in the bank of river Cauvery. About 25 different types of Birds, Marsh Crocodiles and water dogs also find here. The best time to see is between April to Nov. It costs u around 25 INR for a boat ride with guide.

Moved to Mysore @ around 2:00 had a tight lunch n visited to St. Philomena's Church ,this
church has amazing architecture of roman style.
Then checked out Zoo which costs 25 INR,
SUGGESTION : Well this is one of the best Zoo in Asia, well maintained with lots n lots varieties of animals and birds. Since it takes lot more time to cover the entire Zoo, so checkout the Zoo map first and visit those animals n birds which u have never seen before. U can ever hire a battery driven vehicles available in site Zoo, if u need to cover the whole Zoo.

Then got up with my friend Ajay who helped us to hire a hotel room @ city center. Hotels r
easily available but for ur precaution try to book ur rooms.
He took us on a ride of Mysore city well its truly a drivers paradise with no traffic n good roads.
Had a good hangout on Chamundi Hills which is 8 KM from Mysore where u can get a 365
degree sneak preview of Mysore from top. The best timepass is to count couples hanging out here n there. Well after the couple count the great Mahishasura (a large demon)statue will b waiting to greet u on hill top it is bcoz of this demon that Mysore got its name. Do visit a large Nandi and Chamundeswari on top coz half of the young crowd gets settled here n there.
Got down back to town n visited Dasara exhibition zone.
Day 2 : 20th May 2007
Had a good tight breakfast @ the famous Mylari hotel , well it will b a bit tough to get seats
since the seating capacity is just 20 & its world famous in Mysore our friend Ajay guided us the
route...coz even its pretty tricky to find the original Mylari as in n around u may find duplicate one. Idly n Dosa r the only items available here.
Visited Mysore palace – This is a must visit spot n will cost u 20 INR only.
This palace was build around end of 19th Century @ a cost of 15Laks. Its amazing architecture
comprising of its painting, marble floors, wooden ceiling embroidery, furnitures n the court room with gold coated pillers.

Moved to Somanathpura this place is around 40 KM from Mysore n well maintained by
Archaeological Survey of India(ASI). It has a beautifully constructed Keshava temple built @ 12th century by the Hoysalas. The entry costs u 5 INR only. Its a must visit spot.
Returned back to Mysore n visited Karanji Lake .The entry costs u 10 INR. This place has an
amazing cage where u will b let in to check out birds in their natural habitat. It even has boating n a butterfly island. But the only drawback is u need to walk around 2 KM to get to reach as vehicles r prohibited in the park area.

@ around 5:00 left Mysore n got back to Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS). The root cause of Cauveri
dispute.
Places to see here Aquiraum, Brindavan Garden , Musical fountain & not to miss the giant
KRS DAM iteslf. U can even have a look @ the parking area as it is one of south India's biggest
parking area(Check out the snap,bottom-center)

Headed back to our base Bangaluru @ 7:00 PM with a BANG...
NOTE: We did not cover any modern day hang outs like commercial shopping areas, Bowling alleys, Fun parks etc..etc...such spots r available in Mysore but would b waste if u go from B'lore to Mysore to visit these spots as such places of modern entertainment r available in B'lore itself.
The total cost of 460 KM tour was 1200 INR inclusive of travel, stay n food.
Special thanks to Raghu for his car and driving our car throughout our 460 KM journey . And Ajay for guiding in and around Mysore.

Shravanabelagola , Halebeedu-Belur and Chikkamangaluru

2007-08-15T15:08:00.001+05:30

All of a sudden we decided to move out of Bengalooru on weekends.
This time it was a historic tour to Shravanabelagola , Halebeedu-Belur and

Chikkamangaluru.

Four of us left B'lore @ around 6:00 AM 28th July Saturday on the way 2 Hassan.
On the way u may find around 100 tourist boards provided by Karnataka Tourism to guide u .
Which takes u to Shravanabelagola almost 190 KM from B'lore...we reached there around 11 AM.U need to climb around 650 steps cut-out on rock, to reach One of 7 wonders of India n the Worlds Biggest Monolithic image(57 feet) of Sri Gomateshwara. This amazing piece of Architecture was build @ around 988 AD and still stands tall in its full glow welcoming each one. After reaching on top its time to take ur breath as u will be 470 feet above ground level.
Opposite to that hill u will find yet another hill(Chikka Betta) half the size of this. Here u may find lots of Jain Basadi and some caves here n there. It takes around 3 hours to climb and get back down.

From Shravanabelagola moved to Halebeedu which is around 70 KM from that place.
First thing that welcomes u here is Hoysaleswara temple which was build around 11h century. This place was the capital of Hoysala dynasty which ruled Carnatic zone for about 300 years. The Archaeological survey of India(ASI) has maintained the place in a very good manner n restored the temple beauty as it was 1000 years ago. Its best that u hire a guide, as n when he explains about the magnificent architecture we can just follow up with those art works n try to understand. This place is a must visit. In and around u may find some Jain Basadi, well one of the basadi has well polished 12 pillars where u can see ur own image on each pillar. The pillars has been lathed well that the images differ from one another.

Next @ around 5PM reached Belur which is around 20 KM from there. Here stands the
magnificent Chennakeshava temple. Even this temple was build by Hoysalas. Well we hired a guide here also. A guide will cost u 130 INR. And no entrance fees anywhere where we had visited upto now. ASI has maintained all these places superbly with no cost form the visitors........One of the specialties of Belur temple was all those 54 special statues around temple. One major thing to be visited here is a prototype pillar or we can call it an index pillar, the reason all most all the sculptures which u can find on the temple can be found on this single pillar. As it took more than 100 years to build such temple they had done a prototype of it on a single pillar. There is also a 42 feet gravity pillar standing on its own. This pillar is standing on its own weight for the past 100s of years on only 3 sides from the 4 side u can pass a piece of paper. (This is a great proof for Vastu calculation as at that point there is zero Earth vibration)

The Hoysalas had build around 54 such temples of which only 3 stand tall today Halebeedu,
Belur and Somanathpura (Which we coverd in our last tour to Mysore). We had covered almost all of those now so what next......we still had one more day left..........???? moved on to Chikamangaluru, 20 KM from Belur n halted that night u may find lot of Lodges here so its not a big deal for staying @ night.

Next day 29th July Sunday moved on to check out some coffee estates around Chikamangaluru.
At around 10 KM in any direction u may find coffee estates. But we were on the way to
Baba-budanagiri Hills (BB Hills) which was around 40 KM from there, so decided to check out this place. I had always heard about this controversial place in news. But let me tell u there is nothing much to see in BB-Hills just a cave where u will find datta peetha and darga in a single place so i think u got the controversy rite. But again its a must visit spot for all nature lovers as u can touch clouds and can find water falls here n there. 100% pure Oxygen is available here in nature absolutely free. Guys like us had some breathing problem as there was no pollution in air, this was the time v missed B'lore. But as i told u its a high sensitive area u may find cops almost everywhere. The temperature was around 10-15 degrees. And the visibility is around 10 meters so cant afford to drive above 10-15 Km speed. We stopped at every 10 KM entered some coffee estates....if u find some loopholes in fencing then u may check in some guys coffee estate n pluck some coffee seeds as {Prashanth did} but beware of DOGS.We enjoyed that place till 12 PM then headed back to B'lore. On the way to B'lore u will come
across Yagachi Dam(1 KM form Belur) spend some time here if u have not seen water for long time.
On the way there r lots of sunflower n marigold farms so again {Prashanth} found a loop hole n plucked some flowers for his girl. Well u will find Dhabas from Hassan so no problem for food.
Reached B'lore safe n sound @ around 7 PM to WOW greeted by nice traffic on Tumkur road and WOW what a polluted air. Finally feels good to b home.
From Historic monuments to Hill stations it was yet another joy ride.
The total cost of 650 KM tour was 750 INR inclusive of travel, stay n food.
Special thanks to Lohith for guiding this tour and for a special breakfast @ his house in Channarayapatna.
As usual our Driver Raghu for driving 650 KM for 2 days and Navigator Sheikh for his backup driving.
And special thanks to Mr.Satish Koppar for his 800cc Audi car.

Tour Of Pondicherry

2007-04-15T20:27:00.000+05:30

Yep this time it was to Pondi what we planned on Easter...
So left Bengaluru on 5th and reached Puducherry {Pondicherry}by next day morning 5AM
It takes 6 Hrs by bus to cover 320 KM .
Carry a map with u while heading to Pondi.
The city is divided into French area and Tamil area try to stay @ French dominated area.

6th April 2007
Had a stay @ Ashram Guest house which was reserved for us...Try to find some good sea side hotels as Ashram guest house comes handy i.e 125 INR per day but with no facilities i.e. no AC/TV etc.....
Get a pass to visit Sri Aurobindo Ashram ...pass r available @ Ashrama Bureau Center...
Next thing get to Ashrama Autocare and book ur Ticket to Auroville for 60 INR.
U can even get a coupon for food @ Ashram Dining Room for 20 INR per day.

Aurobindo Ashram since its establishment almost a century back has played a significant role in the socio-economic-spiritual fabric of Puducherry. Therefore it is not surprising that the Ashram and its various branches together occupy some of the best heritage properties in Puducherry. The ‘Ashram Walk’ covers the northern section of French Puducherry, taking u through many grand buildings of French lineage,
1.Ashram Office (starting point) 2. Ashram Library 3. French Consulate 4. French Institute 5. Ashram Playground 6. Ashram Art House 7. Le Foyer de Soldat – Legion half for soldiers who served in the different French wars. 8. Ashram and Samadhi 9. Gloconde – Main residential quarters for the Ashramites.10. Auroshika (shop) 11. La Tienda (shop) 12. Boutique d’ Auroville (shop) 13. Auroshree (shop) 14. Vak Bookshop (shop).

Have a good lunch @ Ashram and walk to Ashram Autocare center a cab will b waiting for u to take to Auroville...

Auroville “The City of Dawn”, is planned for 50,000 inhabitants. It is located on a low-lying plateau a few kilometres north of Puducherry. It was on 28th February 1968 when youth representing 128 countries and all Indian States placed earth from their native places in an urn symbolizing the creation of a city dedicated to human unity and international understanding. Since then Aurovillians have been working tirelessly to realize the idea set by The Mother of a city that will manifest human unity in diversity, a testing ground and laboratory for the next step in human evolution.

At the centre stands Matrimandir, the ‘soul of Auroville’, a place for quiet reflection and concentration. Radiating out, beyond the Matrimandir Gardens, will be four zones – the industrial, cultural, residential and international.

The Ashram guide will explain, and the whole concept of Auroville is also presented to u in a 20 min. video presentation.

Returned back in evening and went back to The 1.5 km long promenade running along the

beach is the pride of Puducherry the best thing here is all mechanical vehicals including 2 wheelers r banned after 5 PM on beach road......wow........! thats one place on Earth u will find such a system and we were really surprised to see that no vehicles for almost 4 hours absolutely no vehicles.......thats a must go spot. The beach is open up to Midnight.

7th April 2007

Hire a bicycle and have a ride towards FRENCH HERITAGE @ AROUND 9:00 AM
Starting Point: Puducherry Tourist Information Centre
Walk ends at : Puducherry Tourist Information Centre Distance : Approx. 2 k.m Approximate time taken : 1 to 1 ½ hrs.
The buildings in French section of Puducherry are an enduring legacy of French history in India. It tells the story of a colonial adventure in a far away land, fighting many odds, overcoming a new and difficult terrain and the historic rivalry between the European powers of the time including the Danes, the Dutch and the British besides the French. The French Heritage walk takes u through streets that are laid out in a well planned grid pattern. The buildings in the French section are easily recognizable by their ornate gateways arches, garden courtyards with multicoloured bougainvilleas and the buildings themselves painted in pleasant hues of lime and peach. The grand French names through unpronounceable, add a certain charm. Bon Voyage!!!

PLACES COVERED 1. Department of Tourism - Tourist Information Centre (starting point) Collect Maps and other information from the helpful information counter. 2. Hotel de Vile - The building housed the town hall during the French administration. It is now the Puducherry Municipal Office.3. French War Memorial 4. Gandhi Statue - The statue of the most popular Indian leader on the beach front is surrounded by eight carved pillars from the nearby Gingee Fort. 5. Toy Museum 6. Old Light House - built in 1836 A.D 7. Nehru Statue 8. Romain Rolland Library 9. Puducherry Museum The museum hosed in a pleasant French period building has some interesting collections including some charming colonial furniture. 10. Raj Nivas This grand building is now the His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor’s residence. 11. Ashram Dining Room 12. Cercle de Puducherry - A privileged members only club, a throw back from the French times. 13. Legislative Assembly 14 .Aayi Mandapam - A magnificent memorial built by French to an Indian Temple dancer who lived 300 years before the French arrived in Puducherry. 15. UCO Bank 16. Puducherry Art Gallery 17. Notre Dames des Anges The Church is built in the Greco-Roman style in 1855 A.D 18. Joan of Arc Statue 19. Church of Capuchians - Now an orphanage, the church is one of the very few buildings that survived the British raid in 1761 20. Lycee Francaise 21. Le Grand Hotel d Europe - The 1891 A.D building housed of the oldest hostelries in Puducherry. 22. Hotel Lagrenee de Meziere - This is now home to the sisters of Cluny Convent. See nimble fingered girls make embroidered master pieces in the latest European styles. 23. Hotel de L’ Orient - This tastefully renovated heritage building is now one of Puducherry’s best heritage hotel. 24. Alliance Francaise - Learn a little French while in Puducherry. View French movies or borrow French books. 25. Ashram Theatre 26. Dupliex statue - A tribute to one of the most successful French governors in India.27. Ecole Francaise d’ Extreme Orient - Visit the institute for information on courses on Indology, History or Architecture.

@ around 11 AM Move towards The Botanical Gardens which are located south of the New Bus Stand. The gate leading to the garden is reminiscent of French architecture and it stands out from its immediate surroundings because it is smack in the middle of the old Tamil town. The Botanical Gardens were laid out in 1826 in the ornate French style, with pruned trees, beautiful flower beds and gravel lined paths and fountains. The French introduced many exotic plants from all over the world, many of which thrived. With over 1500 species of plants, this could actually qualify as one of the best botanical gardens in South India.The gardens also have a musical fountain which is active over the weekends, with two shows in the evening .

@ around 3:00 PM Move towards Chunnambar Backwater

Chunnambar is situated 8 kms from Puducherry, along the Cuddalore Main Road. This tropical paradise is flanked by a quiet-flowing creek on one side.
The beach at Chunnambar also known as Plage Paradiso, is located near the mouth of the backwater. The sand is pristine and the water, clean. It's and ideal place for sun bathing and beach sports.A short, pleasant cruise into the sea which costs 60 INR from here could reward u with the memorable sight of playful dolphins in natural habitat, horsing around. Chunnambar Beach and Backwater Resort, a PTTDC enterprise, has boating, backwater boat tours, trekking and picnics on Paradise Beach for friends and families.The resort offers various kinds of rental boats (speed, motor, sail, rowed paddled and peddalled) in addition to beach volleyball and other beach sports.

8h April 2007
@ around 6:30 AM Left to Mahabalipuram ,the East Cost Road(ECR) towards Chennai take u @ an max speed wow.. that is a journey to b covered by road ,Mahabalipuram is around 80 KM from Pondi.

Places to see @ mahabalipuram r Caves constructed around AD 640-674 there r around 10 caves and a light house in one complex and 5 Rathas in 2nd complex and a Sea shore Temple in the 3rd complex all these 3 sites have been declared World heritage Sites. A single ticket pass by ASI (Archaeological survey of India) which costs u around 10 INR will take u to all these historical places.

The whole place is maintained extremely well. Its worth visiting. And takes u around 6-7 hours. Drink hell lot of water as the temp. here is around 40+ any time of year...

Returned back and packed up to base B'lore...

THESE 3 DAYS WAS AN AMAZING TOUR FROM FRENCH ARCITHECTURE OF PONDI TO THE CAVES TO MAHABALIPURAM.

The total cost of tour was around 2000 INR inclusive of Travel, Stay n Food.

Special thanks to Sri Aurobindo Ashram Autocare Center for Guiding us to all the places around pondi and Auroville.

BOOTCAMP BIKIE

2007-03-17T18:04:00.001+05:30

BIKIE TEAM MEMBERS

Ravikiran Pulsar 150cc Titto {pillion}
Shivkumar Pulsar 150cc Avinash {pillion}
Manoj Pulsar 150cc Anand {pillion}
Ajay Suzuki Fierro 150cc RaviGowda {pillion}
Manju Yamaha RXZ 135cc Jude {pillion}
Soumen Bajaj Discover 125cc Praveen {pillion}
Ashwani Bajaj Discover 125cc Sunderaj {pillion}
Gunjan CBZ 150cc

@ About 7:00 AM Sunday 18th Feb 2007 we gathered @ 4th Block Jayanagar, Bengaluru had Breakfast, Filled up our bikes tanks n then left to burn the roadzzzzzzz ……. Our destination Mekedatu off kanakapura Road.

By the time we had reached Nandi Express-Way one smart guy got n idea to move on to Pandavpura off Mysore Road about 100 KM away. After a small discussion finally our project-Pandavpura was on track. We hit Mysore Express way by 8:30 AM n it was for all these bikers to zoom in @ their MAX well believe it or not the average speed till our first pit stop @ Maddur was 101 KM/Hr.

Pulsar guys Shiv, Ravi, Gunjan had a fair enough deal for touching MAX on their speedometer n they did it…. @ around 9:30 AM had out first pit stop @ Maddur got a fresh taste of Maddur Vada , it’s a must try I guess these vada was originated here.

Second pit stop @ 10:30 AM Mandya…… confirmed our track from the locals n got the way right…… RaviGowda got in CBZ and was in full flow from here…… of course guys it was Mandya after all…. Then even Jude had his hands on CBZ….Praveen n Soumen were swapping now n then.

@ Around 12:00 noon reached Pandavpura n from then moved off Mysore road for about 20 KM beautiful drive through narrow lanes of sugarcane fields of Pandavpura to Tannur Lake. It’s a huge lake at least 200 Meters above ground level. Parked off our bikes and here starts our trek……

Well Gunjan, Ravikiran n Ashwani were the first to stop on basecamp1…. Rest of the team were still climbing… with our specialist guides Anil n Karthik.

The second team with Ajay, Manoj, Manju, Soumen, Jude, RaviGowda n Avinash made it up to top but not extreme top spot which only Myself, Sunderaj, Titto, Shivkumar n Praveen had been. We visited almost all of the rock spot n yep our official photographer Titto was there for capturing our memories… Enjoyed the scenery and after some singing from Ashwani n RaviGowda it was time to leave…@ Around 1:30 PM left to Yedumuri…..

NOTE: Tannur Lake is extremely dangerous for swimming n while rock climbing do it on ur own risk…… some rocks r extremely slippery……..Try to have a glance of some caves found in n around there.

Finally @ around 1:30 P.M left that place n moved on to Yedumuri which was a beautiful check dam on river Cauvery n the best thing was the entry ticket is 2 INR per bike.
On the way to Yedumuri it was time for all the bikers to display their special stunts n for pillion riders to pray for their life….

Well all i saw was Ajay n Ashwani standing n riding their bikes (may b pain in their a$$) n then their was a special stunt by shivkumar its called Butterfly ride... Reached Yedumuri by 2:00 PM, this was the time to show our extreme talent in swimming. Well RaviGowda, Soumen, Ajay, RaviKiran were in a perfect swimwear.........well the girls from our boot camp were not so lucky to have a look @ those hot bodies. Rest of us too couldn’t resist the beauty of Cauvery n dropped in it... But then there were these bunch of guys,(Gunjan,Ashwani,Sunderaj) who were acting as if they r on an Alien planet.
Down there it was a pretty fun in waters RaviGowda n Titto were the best swimmers, Soumen n Ravikiran were just shouting I am still guessing why they were shouting so much…..???? Manju spent his whole time finding a spot where he could swim and when he found one it was time to go.........
Said good back to Cauvery n finally it was 4:30 PM time for one tight Lunch......
Had a super power packed Lunch then hit the roads by 5:30 PM on the way back to base….

After stops @ regular intervals reached Bengaluru by 9:00 PM.….

Well both Tannur Lake n Yedumuri r perfect spots for n outing. No special trekking gears are required for these spots. No need to bother for food as u will find a Dhaba @ every 10 KM on B'lore-Mysore Highway. Even Fuel stations @ regular intervals.

FINALLY ride to Mekedatu was converted to Pandavpura.….. Now this is what we call flexibility is all about.….
This was one joy ride with my entire crew. I would like to thank Ajay n Tour_Manju for guiding throughout the tour. Manoj for his cam n our official photographer other than me Titto and our official video maker Avinash.

Ravikiran Shivkumar Manoj Ajay Manju were the only 5 persons who drove complete 350 KM ……

Yes believe it or not it was 350 KM adventures journey in about 14 Hrs and we all completed it successfully.

TOUR OF HOSANGADI

2007-02-12T13:49:00.001+05:30

After another hectic week in Bengaluru, we 4 of us [Neo, Don, TDP, Bhatta] left for an outing in Hosangadi 400 KM from B’lore on Shivamoga-Kundapur state highway. Left B’lore on 25^th at around 8:45 PM and reached next day early morning to our destination by 6:30 AM.

Day 1,26^th Jan 2007 [Mountain view day]

Had a stay @ Inspection Bungalow [I.B] owned by K.P.C [Karnataka Power Corporation] which we had got through reference from my friend’s dad Mr. Sathish Koppar. It’s the best place to stay around as all the basic facility available.

At around 10 AM Sai reached from Mangaluru to I.B

On Indian Republic day, 5 of us had planned a cool trip on the mountainside.

Left to Shringeri @ around 11AM on our Classic Audi [Maruti 800]

On the way Agumbe hills it’s a must stop place for a picturesque view of mountains.

Reached Shringeri by 1:30 PM. Fish feeding @ Tunga River is a must. Have a view of amazing architecture of temple. Try out temple meals its absolutely free.

Way back traveled through Kudremukh National park and then Karkala.

Visited Gommateshwara statue build around 1432 AD, which stands on top of hill.

Hotel Sagar is a must visit.

Back to base by 10 PM and had a tight sleep.

Day 2, 27^th Jan 2007 [Trekking day]

Around 9:00 A.M Left for trekking @ Basavanapura Forest, guide is a must as u may get lost in those dense forest till we reach Tombattu [Varahi River]. Takes u around 4 KM. Have a nice time in fresh waters of Varahi River then leave back. [Trek on ur own risk as it’s a Naxalite zone and wild-animals can b encountered here n there]

@ around 2:00 PM had a visit to Pump House on the banks of Varahi river

Then it was time for the biggest adventure, trekking to Mettkal Gudda to a height of 1300 ft. and around 6 KM. It’s a must try for adventure lovers. Even the best machines available cannot take u to this place u need to trek to touch skies from Earth. It takes around 90 Minutes for climb @ an angle of 50-60 degree and 30 Min. for getting down. Lord Ganesha will b waiting for u so visit him first n wait for Sunset. The whole of Western Ghat region is visible from top

Day 3, 28^th Jan 2007 [Varahi power plant n Beach day]

Early morning natural bath@ pump house just 2 KM away from IB.

Had a nice Neer-Dosa [Udupi special] it’s a must try for breakfast.

At around 11:00 AM we had been to Varahi Power Plant which u will find after a km drive in an underground tunnel. What we found there was the best example that man-machine ‘n Vishveshwariah’s brain can create amazing project for the benefit of mankind. What we call Electricity is generated in 230 MHz turbines by 2 units operating 365/24/7. They have it 600 Meters under Earth at an angle of 50 degree. Where ground level water is brought through pipes of 15 Meters in diameter, and a 3 Meter pipe in length weights around 15 tons.

The whole engineering process is an amazing team effort. 2 new units are under construction. With a cost of millions of US dollars and Software technology from Germany, Turbines from Australia and Steel from Russia. This was an amazing experience under Earth where u found a whole new city with about 10 KM of tunnels connecting here n there.

This is Asia’s Third largest project and I would rate it as one of the amazing wonders of the World, which earns around 25 lacks INR per day. From a place situated so remote where the population is less than 5000.

[Even High Level reference will not help u to visit this place. We entered inside as a project engineers for IHP-Pune, who were doing there piping works. Please do not even attempt to visit this place if u don’t have any onsite emp ref.]

@ Around 3:30 PM Move towards Marvante beach 12 KM from Kundapur.

It’s a 3 KM stretch on NH 17 where there is Marvante beach on one side and Sawparnika River on the other.

Try out boating with 250 INR on a motorboat for a 6 KM ride Sawparnika River.

Wanna enjoy without shelling money then just cross river by paying 1 INR on a regular

Boat service, which takes u to Padukone Island [Native place of Prakash Padukone and Deepika Padukone].

Moved towards Kodi Beach [4 KM from Kundapur] where Varahi River meets Arabian sea this Sangam spot was the perfect place for us for sunset view and wrap up our tour.

Returned back to IB and then back to base B’lore.

THESE 3 DAYS WAS AN AMAZING TOUR FROM HILL STATIONS TO BEACHES AND FROM RIVERS TO JUNGLES.

The total cost of tour was around 1300 INR.

TOUR DE KOCHI

2007-02-12T13:38:00.001+05:30

Finally after a hectic week ,on 29^th Dec 2006 we left from KBS Bangalore by Airavath (Volvo) at 8:00PM to our tour destination KOCHI.

Had a 12 Hrs luxurious journey to Kochi through Coaimbatur-Salem -Trishur.

One of the best travel service available to Kochi is by bus preferably Volvo as u will have a tight sleep after a good Bollywood movie [we had Janeeman (Night show) and Chupke-Chupke (Morning show)] so that u r in full charge the next morning.

DAY 1, Saturday 30th Dec 2006:

By 8:00 A.M had a stay @ Good Shepherd Tourist Home, M.G.Road the heart of Kochi .Got fresh n left to out first destination Mattancherry island at 10AM. Had a taste of local bus (Fully Naturally Air Conditioned, i.e. without windows) service of Kerala, well its really cheap n a must try and the best way to travel around Kochi even the auto service is damn cheap.

Mattancherry Island @ 10:00 A.M:

We traveled to this island through bus crossing 2 of the major bridges connecting main part of Kochi by paying just 6 INR.

Places to watch Jew Town n Jewish synagogue [Fri/sat Closed] it’s a must watch.

The whole of Jew town (Feels like u r in some part of Israel) was filled with some of the world’s biggest and best antique products, spice shops and perfumes.

Dutch palace [Fri closed]:

Had amazing paintings related to Ramayana and Mahabharatha painted in 14^th Century A.C. It’s a must watch. Such a beautiful palace can be watched by paying just 2 INR.

Walk through the beautiful streets of Jew Town towards Fort Kochi. It feels like coming from Israel to France by walk.

Places to watch in Fort Kochi:

St. Francis Church an 18^th Century Church.

In and around you will find lot of French styled villas.

Walk towards Chinese fish net area.

You will find lot of seaside restaurants. Its time for a good fishmeal.

(Purchase fresh fish of your choice, and get it baked for you).

Best way to travel here is hire a Bicycle…

Moving from Mattancherry Island to Vypeen Island @ 2:00 PM:

Travel cost: 2 INR from Fort Kochi to Vypeen Jetty (Standing service by Boat)

Get ready for some sudden surprises in Kerala, as it is a Communist dominated state in India. 30^th Dec 2006 had another major thing apart from our tour to Kerala. The so-called famous leader Saddam Hussain was Executed in Iraq on that day morning. So there was a super response for it in Kerala. All the transportation services were jammed by noon and locals didn’t know the reason. Tried our luck to hire an auto by paying thrice the charge what they demand, but it was hard luck. After 2KM walk then came a perfect Keralite Literate (Some times its pretty hard to communicate in Kerala as people don’t know other than Mallu Language), who just agreed to drop us to High court Junction for just 20 INR.

High court boat Jetty @ 4:00PM:

Had an excellent boat ride with a DJ Music and look-alike Himesh Reshmiya blasting our ears and a dance floor. The ride takes u through the coastal side of Kochi to Arabian sea via ONGC, Kochi ship building yard, Indian Navy, Kochi commercial port, Wellington Island where u can have a glimpse of Bolgatty Palace (which has been converted to a Taj group resort) etc… All these stuffs @ a cost of just 30 INR.

Evening walk through Marine drive and crossed the cable bridges to reach Royal music footway. Settled down for a while, having a glimpse of sunset with local DJ playing Bollywood music (Pretty surprising…)

DAY 2, Sunday 31st Dec 2006:

Its time for some early morning Kerala styled breakfast, had a good Idiyappam Kadala, Puttu and get back to work.

Travel to Tripuntara Hill Palace [Monday holiday] –

The total time to spend is about 4-5 hrs. Entries charge 30 INR.

It’s the palace of the then Kochi kings. It’s a must watch place. It has amazing collection of paintings, weapons and caravan. It even has a zoo and a life size Dino and elephant carved by wood. The best thing to watch there is a whole heritage village u feels as if u has passed through a time machine and r currently in 18^th century. U can have an Arial view of Kochi from the front balcony of the palace. The best part was the jewels of Maharaja…The Crown, which was worth millions of US $. It was a high security area with no cams n mobile. And the amazing part for those who have watched “Mr. Bean-Movie” you will find the famous lady painting from the French Museum there (It’s a once in a life time chance to see that painting).

Return back to Kochi and have a tight lunch. Book a package for Murunjapura (Backwaters) @ the cost of 350 INR. (Inclusive of pickup and drop from your Hotel)

Its around 40 KM from Kochi.

That was an amazing ride through the backwaters of kerala… some even man made backwaters are found with just 3 feet of water.

Now and then they had stopped to have a glimpse of coir making industry of Kerala.

That was a ride to remember for lifetime.

Back to base by evening New Year party @ full flow in Kochi…but we had a tight sleep as we needed to cover lots more next day morning….

DAY 3, Monday 1st Jan 2007:

The first thing to b seen in this year was the working of Chinese Fishing nets.

We got into the first Ferry service from High court jetty to Custom jetty which cost just 3 INR. There come the time punctuality the first service was about to leave @ 7:10 A.M and the whole 100 seater boat left sharp @ 7:10 with just 3 of us seating…That was a cool journey in the Queen of Arabia.

Walked till Fort Kochi n saw the amazing Chinese Fishing nets that operate on the concept of gravity. No fuel needed they operate for a time of 3 Hrs in morning and evening and catch fish worth 5000 INR in one shift….

@ around 10:00 A.M traveled to Vypeen and from there reached Cherai Beach one of the best beaches u will find around….

Moved towards Kodalur Elephant training Center [Monday-Holiday] Here u can have a Elephant safari for 200 INR. And a small river to cross and a zoo to see.

Finally it was time to pack off so returned back to Kochi in full swing …….

The roads are rubberized so Best way to travel is by Bus which never goes @ less than 70 Mph.

Had shopping @ M.G.Road….

NOTE: There is only one Citibank in Kerala i.e @ M.G.Road Kochi and bcoz Saddam was executed people stormed it and we were running out of cash….SBI cards r the best option to carry during traveling in Kerala (Every 100 Mts u will find a ATM)…….coz u never know when Bin Laden can b found dead…..

Best way to travel is rome around ur self so that u can cover lot of places…..

@ around 8:00 P.M left to base camp B’lore by the same old volvo the only change was the movie we had (Phir Hera Pheri).

IT WAS A SUPERB TOUR FROM 2006-2007 IN GODS OWN COUNTRY (WHERE GOD GOES ON HARTAL (STRIKE) NOW N THEN).

WE COMPLETED THE TOUR WITH 3300 INR.

Good Work by MTV

2006-05-23T11:46:00.000+05:30

Text next to the towers: “2.863 people died”
Next to the old man: “630 million of homeless people in the world”. “The world united against terrorism. It should also be united against POVERTY”.

Text Next to the towers: “2.863 people died”
Next to the kid:: “824 million people starving in the world”. “The world united against terrorism. It should also be united against HUNGER.”

Text next to the towers: “2.863 people died”
Text next to the guy: “40 milllion of HIV infected in the world.” “The world united against terrorism. It should also be united against AIDS”

THIS AD WAS PUBLISHED ONLY ONCE IN USofA

How it all Started

2006-04-24T11:13:00.000+05:30

Well its all bcoz of my friend sai who suggested me to do so well its a cool platform to express my views. Yesturday i.e. on 23rd april we met and i got to know about the BarCamp in Bangalore which he had attended ,well thats a cool stuff which gave chance to promote and express one anothers technological views and conceptual views. Well its not a Page3 party nor a glamour or business makeing news hence its not been published in any of the news papers. But this small initiative can make it a huge technological change in future so all the best guys whoever conducts and sponsers it ur doing a great job KEEP GOING GUYS .
ALL THE BEST