Recap 2012, Welcome 2013

I traveled a fair bit in 2012 and to many new places and to some familiar jaunts. Overall, the year has been very productive and eventful :)

A long pending visit to Thattekad finally happened and was a very productive trip along with Amit.

Nature and Bird watching trails done covering many lakes on the peripheries of Bangalore – Bannerghatta, Hulimangala, Kaggalipura, Gulakamale, Madiwala, Hesaraghatta and Markonahally lakes with the UGS group (Usual gang of suspects as Deepa Mohan calls it) and others.

Much awaited and long overdue moment of owning a bullet transpired – a proud owner of a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350cc bike – time for the biker in me to evolve!

Owning a bike and no rides…!

So happened bike rides to Bandipura, Ramanagara, Jalamangala (the only ‘trek’ of 2012) with Guru and a solo ride of about 1000+ kms to Ganeshgudi (Dandeli) and back.

Team outings were scarce and had a good time with the group at Ganeshgudi in March. No more team events, hope for more team outings in 2013!

Attended couple of Indiblogger meets in Bangalore and had a good time and met lot of new people. Took part in lot of contests this year and was rewarded with vouchers and hampers for the same. Being in the top 10 and winning a Samsung phone was another highlight, courtesy Cinthol’s new campaign propagating alive is awesome.

Went with the family on a pilgrimage to the holy temple town of Badrinath in the Himalayas and that was another memorable outing.

Went around Bengaluru city to capture the old-time towers that were the boundaries of the city, the Kempegowda towers that are now almost bang in the centre – how big have we grown!!!

A weekend spent at one of our favored destinations - BR hills.

Took time out to volunteer for wildlife conservation and took part in activities at Gopalaswamy betta and Melagiris forest ranges and the Turahalli habba.

Interest in macro photography and also reptiles/amphibians took me to Goa and Coorg (Honey valley estate). Wish more people visit Goa for its wilderness rather than the beaches and wine!

Visited Hampi and Daroji (for the Sloth bears) with a new team and was a fun trip all along.

Prashanth, a college mate working in Dubai – met him after 10 long years (connected back through Facebook) and him having similar interests helped matters the more.

November was a quiet month with only a drive to Ganeshgudi happening with KKT, who again is being introduced to wildlife and photography by self.

The highlight trip of the year – maiden solo trip for a fortnight to Gujarat happened in December and was very enjoyable and eventful, had a lifetime experience there and traveling solo has its pros and cons. Heartfelt thanks to Falguna Shah (from Ahmedabad) for helping me out on this and many others whom I met through the course of the trip.


The blog has evolved more over the year and has gained me more friends, more audience, more followers and has gained more popularity. Sincere thanks to all who take out time and come here to read this, I hope to live up to the expectations!

Watch out – much more to come!

2013 looks promising and I hope it brings with it more travel, new locations, new people and overall more growth as an individual :)

Some Frames from Goa!

Goa is not only about wine, women and beaches, it is one of the greatest reservoirs of biodiversity in the world and the wilderness in Goa supports a rich variety of flora and fauna.

I'm glad to present few nature frames from Goa...

A lovely stream...

Water strands...

'Cycling' on water... :)

A 'Praying Mantis' in the water...!

A lovely stream next to the Tambdi Surla temple...

Watch out... much more to come :)

Rann'ed...

The state of Gujarat is one among the few emerging states of India and is famous for its investment friendly government and the infrastructure as well as the plain lands of the Kachch and the vast coastline. For those unaware, the state of Gujarat has been one of the main centers of the Indus valley civilization and its per capita GDP is higher than the national average. In short, its an emerging state.

Coming to where I’m interested, Gujarat has about 7.4% of its total geographical area under forest cover. It has four national parks and 21 sanctuaries. It’s the only home of the endangered Asiatic lions outside Africa. Detailed discoveries and researches have shown that Gujarat is home to one of the largest clutch of dinosaur hatcheries in the world. From the tourism perspective, Gujarat is one of the most popular states in the country for tourism with the attractions being the Gir lions to the Marine National park to the plains of Kutch and being home to personnel like Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhai Patel.

I’m currently on a wildlife and birding tour of Gujarat covering the below places. Yes, I’m skipping Gir this time that has a plan to be covered separately with my friends.


Blackbuck Natioanl Park, Velavadar
It’s situated in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat and spreading over a area of 34sqkm, the grassland is home to the Blackbuck Antelopes, the Wolf and the endangered Lessar Florican among others. During the winters, large number of migrant birds like the Harriers, Falcons, Kestrels roost in the grasslands that also signifies its importance as a biodiversity hub supporting vast forms of life.


Jamnagar
Lying in the Jamnagar district and just south of the Gulf of Kutch and is also known as the Oil city of India. Khijadia bird sanctuary located just 10kms from the city is considered one of the important sites for ecological research and education. It’s a combination of freshwater lakes, saltpans, saline land and mangrove scrub habitats supporting vast varieties of birdlife, both resident and migratory. India’s first marine sanctuary, the Marine National Park is located here in the Arabian sea and is famous for its coral reefs and mangroves.


Little Rann of Kutch
Its primarily a salt marsh and is famous as the world’s last refuge of the Indian Wild Ass conservation and is also know as the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary. Its an ecologically important area for wildlife and many local and migrant bird species that refuge here. The traditional salt panning activity is one concern that is threatening to destroy the entire ecology of the region.


Greater Rann of Kutch
The GRK is a seasonal salt marsh located in the Thar desert in the Kutch district of Gujarat and is reputed to be the largest salt desert in the world. This is one of the hottest areas of India with summer temperatures peaking up to 50degC and winter temperatures often going below 0degC. In winters, GRK is a breeding ground for flamingoes and pelicans and is the only place in India where flamingoes come to breed. The marshes are also a resting place for migratory birds and are home to over 200 species of birds.

Ciao soon :)

Festive look – the SHOPPERS STOP way!

Let me clarify – this is an entry for a contest hosted on Indiblogger.in for Shoppers Stop and I just couldn’t resist putting up a post for this ;)

My Festival Ensemble

Festivals are always a reason for the families to get together, pray the lord, sweets and savories, new clothes and gifts and winter is always a peak festive season here with a line up of festivals, weddings, peak holiday season and culmination with the farewell of the year.

Creating an ensemble is a rather difficult assignment for me as I’m one impatient guy and satisfying my needs and choices (for colors & designs specifically) are a little difficult for any brand or store.

Browsing through the shoppersstop online portal, I’ve listed out the below combination that works just well for the entire festive season, be it a festival, wedding, get together or for the ethnic days at office/college.


I. Manyavar Kurta Pyjama set

II. Manyavar ethnic Jutis

III. Manyavar ethnicwear Stoles

IV. Revv Ring

V. Watch from the Titan-Classique collection

Hope the ensemble does justice when flaunted during the festive season!

Butterflies Part IV

Part I here
Part II here
Part III here

Let's have a look at some more of the beautiful winged jewels with those intricate patterns and designs and that flutter and soar with all pride and glamor in front of you :)


Malabar Banded Peacock butterfly
The Malabar Banded Peacock (Papilio buddha) is a species of swallowtail found in the Western Ghats of India. The wing expanse is 107–155 mm making it a large butterfly. This probably is one of most beautiful specimens I have seen till date.

Common Sailer butterfly
(Neptis hylas), sometimes known as the Common Sailer, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in South Asia and Southeast Asia. It has a characteristic stiff gliding flight achieved by short and shallow wingbeats.

Blue Mormon butterfly
The Blue Mormon (Papilio polymnestor) is a large swallowtail butterfly and endemic to India and Sri Lanka. In India it is restricted to the Western Ghats, Southern India and the East coast. It is often seen even in the gardens and sometimes in the middle of busy traffic in large cities such as Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore. The butterfly is most common in heavy rainfall areas, such as evergreen forests. Commonly found in deciduous forests and wooded urban areas, primarily due to the cultivation of its host plants, i.e. the Citrus species.

White-bar Bushbrown butterfly
The White-bar Bushbrown (Mycalesis anaxias) is a species of satyrid butterfly found in South and Southeast Asia with a wingspan of 51–60 mm.

I refer http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/ and Wikipedia for information about the butterflies.

Uganiyam, Melagiri - KANS activity

With nothing to do on a weekend in September, I casually called up Deepa (http://deponti.livejournal.com/) who is the head and the organizer in the group for any activity or walks happening, she informed that we could go to Uganiyam for KANS activity and I readily agreed. I was not aware much about the place or the activity we would be doing until we met the other members of the Kenneth Anderson group on that day morning.

(forest track in the Uganiyam range...)

I had volunteered earlier with KANS for the mammal survey in the Hosur forest division a couple of years ago and have been a fan of Kenneth Anderson and monitoring the activities of the group closely. My cupboard hosts the Kenneth Anderson's books that gives you goosebumps while reading, riveting and involving I should say.

(patterns created by the caterpillars/moths)

The activity was about data collection from the preset camera traps at specified locations in the Uganiyam forests in the Melagiri range that’s along the Cauvery river near the temple of Dabaguli that is infamously famous for the annual “Dabaguli jathra” that happens. From the last few years, members of KANS (Kenneth Anderson Nature Society) camp near the Dabaguli temple area during the mela and ensure the forests are not raided and kept clean by collecting the litter, great job being done!

The reserve forest area we went to is about 130 odd km from Bangalore that is in the Tamil Nadu state and across the shore is the forests that belong to Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in the Karnataka state. APC’s are located prominently opposite to each other so that patrolling can be done effectively and in co-ordination. The entire Melagiri range is an important elephant corridor and hosts a variety of wildlife (as seen from the camera traps) and also rich in all forms of life. Myself and Deepa went along with the regular KANS members Karthik, George, Prem and Ashish who are doing a tremendous job regularly.

(Luna moth, I had a hard time to figure out the head and the lower part)

The activity involved visiting the traps laid, downloading data from them and relocating them if required and we did this across 4 different locations in the Uganiyam range. Checks of the data collected revealed presence of wild boars, lots of spotted deers, sambar deers, langurs, elephants, leopard and “cattle”. Good amount of promising wildlife but the “cattle” infestation is a problem and yet no signs of the big cat (tiger) so far, but hope remains!

(beautiful colors...)

Deepa, as usual was behind all forms of life and now to see, she has made an amazing collection from the outing and I was also behind those lovely butterflies in their migration period as we could see hordes of them all around. The area was full of birdlife too that started on the way and the richness in the Uganiyam range was fantastic.

(Red-tailed skink)

Sighting of the herd of elephants led by a huge alpha female, otters in the Cauvery river, a juvenile white bellied sea-eagle and the butterfly congregation was the treat for the hard work put in for the day. It was also humbling to see the vast, rich evergreen forests divided by the river Cauvery that flows with grace all along without any human disturbance or talks about border issues; truly the forests and the rivers have no borders or boundaries. Karnataka state on one hand has been more proactive in declaring the area as a wildlife sanctuary while the Tamil Nadu part of the forests is still a reserve area; tremendous efforts are put in by the KANS team to preserve these rich, contiguous forest areas that supports amazing wildlife.

Thanks to George (for that wonderful ride in his jeep), Karthik (I had met him earlier too), Prem, Ashish and Deepa Mohan (for taking me along). Will be back soon!

(Camera trap being opened, picture courtesy Deepa Mohan)

Kenneth Anderson Nature Society can be found here:

KANS - http://kans.org.in/

Yahoo groups - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kennethanderson/

KANS Facebook group - 

Deepa’s write up - http://deponti.livejournal.com/936683.html

Deepa’s FB album of Uganiyam - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151075004538878.448835.587058877&type=3

Another album - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151073011533878.448395.587058877&type=3

(Acacia flower)

KANS needs the service of volunteers, donors for their activities, interested people can contact them directly. Save the forests!

Honey Valley Estate - Monsoon weekend

A monsoon weekend in search of frogs...

Reptiles and Amphibians are found in plenty during the rains and June-September is a good time going in search of them. Coorg is a diverse, diversity rich location and Honey valley estate is one such place full of life forms, both in the day and night! So, it was no surprise that we chose to visit the place again specifically for frogs and snakes in the rains. Jagdeesh drove me, KKT and Sandesh in his Indigo to Kabbinakadu junction and back.

Coorg / Kodagu come alive during rains, you can literally breathe the greenery around and the vistas of greens everywhere are a sight to behold. Rains during monsoon are continuous and sometimes pretty heavy, you need to be prepared to get wet and move around in the rains else you would be pretty much stuck indoors without anything to do. Leeches are again very active during this time and you need to take care as to minimize the number of bites you get ;)

Driving overnight, we reached Café Coorg near Hunsur at dawn and had a good rest before moving on as the road conditions deteriorate thereafter. We avoided taking the Gonikoppal road for two reasons, bad roads and elephant menace. Tackling elephants in the middle of the night in the rains traversing on bad to worse roads is not at all a good idea! So we chose the other route via Siddapura, Ammathi that was pretty much in the same condition, a restless rattling rain drive.

Our agenda at the estate for the day and a half we stayed was very simple, to be out in the field with your camera, you never know what you would find where and when! We checked in, had some nice tea/coffee and off we went on a trail looking for everything we could see, flowers, insects, moths, caterpillars, bees, birds, mushrooms, butterflies, shrubs, vines, trees, each and every thing that was on offer around us. If you have keen and sharp eyes, there are so many interesting things to see and observe that we generally overlook around us. 

The rains had held up for a small duration with the sun poking out teasing us and making us sweat on the trail. The estate has many trails mapped in a small book that you can choose to go on and come back safe without any guides. Each of the trails are interesting and with full of life. The sun soaking up the fresh green moss on the trunks of the tree made for some amazing vista’s that I can’t describe further. Those little droplets of water look like diamonds sparkling with the sun’s rays falling on them and the entire moss covered branch glows in the sunlight.

Rains couldn’t be far behind and while tracking our way to a waterfall nearby, we were drenched completely in the heavy downpour that lasted all of just 10 minutes! Luckily, we were pretty prepared with all rain covers, leech socks and enough wear to not get wet and not let our cameras get wet too! After a long trail and hot lunch back at the estate, a quick nap ensured all the energy was back for the night trail. In the meanwhile, while I was lazing in the courtyard enjoying the rains, a pretty Emerald dove made its appearance and vanished as quickly as it came, I could locate it no further anywhere else.

Soon after the sun sets and darkness envelops, the nocturnals make their presence felt with croaking, shrieking and hissing sounds all over the place. Crickets, Cicadas and Frogs are very vocal and their calls can be heard almost at every place. Night trail in search of frogs is very tricky if you are not aware of their behavior. In general, frogs are small in size and very skittish, the move around their territory calling aloud and warning intruders or attracting females. As soon as they realize, they are spotted they go silent and it’s a pretty long task to figure out where they are perches, either on a leaf, or a branch, or under the leaf, or on the ground…

Finally, after extensive searching and tracking, we got to see a lone Yellow Bush Frog (Raorchestes luteolus) located on a bush under a leaf croaking away to glory. The specimen’s croaking sound was so loud that you could hear it reverberate in your ears but when you see him, it’s a tiny little frog! This was the only specimen we found and we could not trace out any snakes or other frogs on our trails.

After a long productive day, we were late to bed but early to wake up the next day. Again, we went on a trail to a stream area nearby and it was pretty good the see just the stream flow, the cold water trickling down the boulders and stones making whirlpools and small rivulets, I had a good time capturing them with long exposures getting that silky effect of the flowing water stream. We got to see the same variety of frog again but in a different location and for the first time I held the tiny little fellow on my hand and it was a pretty good experience ogling at the fine details on the frog in your hand.

We left the estate at noon after bidding a customary bye to uncle Suresh Chengappa and his son and on the way we came across a dead Coral snake, pretty rare and venomous, heartbreaking indeed! At Virajpet, we met a kind hearted doctor, a brilliant photographer and a down-to-earth person, Dr Bishen Monappa (his works are amazing) at his residence. Further, on the return we took a different route to pass via Nagarahole national park. 

The entry closes by 6pm and we just made it in to pass through. The drive has to be slow and being dusk, a lot of wildlife movement happens and you need to be careful not to scare them or bump into any. The road was littered with numerous frogs and the atmosphere full of croaks and we also saw a couple of Russell’s viper on the road. Luckily, as we were ahead, we could stop and allow them to cross over being subject to some irate honking from the vehicles behind us.

Place: Honey Valley Estate

Contact: Mr Suresh Chengappa

http://honeyvalleyindia.in/

Phone: 08272-238339/200325

Route: Bangalore-Srirangapatna-Hunsur-Periyapatna-Siddapura-Ammathi-Virajpete-Kabbinakad junction (a left here on the cement road will take you to the estate about 5kms away)

Return: Kabbinakad junction-Virajpete-Srimangala-Kutta-Karmadu-Hunsur-Bangalore

Awesome Waterfall locations for that awesome adventure

Location: Unknown falls located in the Sakleshpur area of the W.Ghats, Karnataka

(a hidden falls, photo by the author)

A falls located close to a motored road yet not known to many, the falls that is all about serene and serendipity yet not many travelers are aware of it, the falls where you can get lost for hours together yet not many to disturb your peaceful stay, the falls whose clear, pure waters can fill you with freshness and life, yet many people don’t take a dip, an adventure missed by many, an adventure experienced by many, an exotic adventure bathing location that makes you quiver alive is awesome.

Location: Unknown falls nestled deep in Coorg, Karnataka

(the estate falls, photo by the author)

Coorg is one of the most preferred destinations to visit for a relaxing holiday, for that hill station getaway, for an adventure weekend, for river rafting, for virgin forests and lush green estates, for that rich wildlife and colorful birdlife, for those trekking trails and for more alive is awesome experiences.

A remote falls located within a lush green coffee estate in Coorg - aptly called the Scotland of India that can be visited any time of the year and reaching here needs a mild trek worth all the effort and time. The falls gorge down from a decent height and located in Coorg, the waters are chill enough to send shivers down your spine and bathing / swimming here is sure an adventure in itself. Standing below the plunging falls, soaked in the creamy white waters, exhaling those roars of joy; the pains and pangs vanish with the flow of water infusing you with freshness, energy and life every time you take a plunge making it an alive is awesome experience none the less.

Location: Sangama and Mekedatu, Karnataka

(the wide river before narrowing, photo by the author)

This cannot be classified as a waterfall location but merely a flowing stream at Sangama that becomes wild and adventurous as it reaches Mekedatu making it a destination for adventure here. While the river Kaveri flows wide enough for bathing and swimming at Sangama, the river shortens to flow through a deep narrow 10 meter wide gorge thereby increasing the force and intensity of the flow and it flows through a deep ravine of hard granite rock making it an extremely dangerous place to get down into.

Adventure, when in limits and with safety measures is a thrill and memorable but when done without the concern of safety leads to loss of life and this exactly happens here. But nevertheless, for all the people who take care of themselves and stretch to their adventurous limits, it’s an awesome location that is a true example of having an alive is awesome experience. Watch the video to live the alive is awesome moments from Mekedatu.

Also do have a look at these amazing alive is awesome videos from Cinthol:

1. The Polar Plunge Bath

2. The Geyser Bath

3. The Desert Shower Bath

4. The Ocean Bath

5. The Deep Cave Bath

6. The Elephant Bath

7. The Waterfall Bath

8. The Village Bath

Tube Rafting – Staying Alive!

Rafting is very popular and considered an adventure activity. Over the years as it has become popular, so have the safety measures to ensure the safety of the rafter. How about rafting all alone... on a tube... on a rousing stream... with just a stick... with nobody to help... you survive to live... you turn turtle to drench... the adventure is all about the mini version of the rafting, if you can call it!

Place: Deep in Western Ghats near Sakleshpur

Setup: Flowing water (river, canal or a full stream)

What you need: A tube, lifejacket and a stick and loads of guts

Wear the life jacket and enter the flowing stream (the cold water makes you scream…). Place the tube and hop on to it in a sitting position so as not to fall till you are comfortably seated. That’s it! The stream or the river takes it from there and it’s up to you to decide to live or not to, all of your energy needs to be utilized to move ahead and not spin off or turn turtle and keep praying the tube does not burst hitting the rocks or any sharp branches, the only spirit of being alive keeps you moving and conquering the challenging hurdles as you wanna shriek aloud being ‘Alive is Awesome’ – you need to fight each turn, each, hurdle, each obstacle, each rock that comes in your way to stay afloat and keep moving forward.

By this time, you would be drenched in the cold waters to the core and to the last bit of clothing you have, to unnerve each and every nerve of yours, to the last strand of hair on you that has been spooked, to the last teeth in you that has been unable to stop chattering, to the last drop of water that is oozing out from your ears, eyes and the nostrils, to those shivering hands that are fighting to control the movement of the tube with the stick, to those legs that are been savaged hitting the rocks in all directions, to that moment when you are praying to stay afloat and alive, to the moment you realize being alive is awesome, cursing your friend who pushed you in deep shaky waters and as you surge ahead fighting like a warrior, a wry smile, a moment of glory, the sings of courage, the happiness of being alive, the pride of doing it, the moment of feeling alive is awesome engulfs you as you come to a standstill on placid waters and try to get off the riveting adventure you had and recollecting those moments when you barely ‘lived’.

Now with confidence oozing out from everywhere, you stride ahead with big steps, chest beating and ready for another saga of the adventure to live it, do it, come out alive and feel alive is awesome again and again…

Beach bath – awesome experience

Location: Bekal fort shores, Kerala

On our visit to the Bekal fort, we were captivated by the shores on the far end, never ending Arabian sea till your eyes can see, the lone ship in the middle of nowhere, the dark clouds hovering threatening to open up anytime, the mighty sea eagle swooning over for a prey, lovely couples posing for the shutters, little kids playing around, a lone man sitting on the rocks and drenching in the waves, fishermen and their huts on the far end, it just goes on and on… you just can’t describe all you see and feel in words, you have to be there for that experience, for that awesome feel.

(the bathing waves, photo by the author)

I rarely visit sea shores and if done avoid the salty waters, it sticks and the after cleansing and changing is a lot of worry for me. I stand at a distance, watch those mighty waves crashing on to the rocks and the shore, enjoy the beautiful sunset over the horizon, watch the birds hurrying home, envy/pity the sailors who live on the waters; I ‘feel’ every moment of being there, I ‘get lost’ in that feel that makes me happy and alive.

As always, we were on the rocks at the shore, off the fort watching those incredibly mighty waves crashing on and retreating back, coming again and hitting, coming and going; they never give up, they keep coming and going tirelessly be it day or night and once they get wild, tsunami’s happen J The waves hitting our feet was cool and so relaxing that we forgot that those were salty waters. Whenever you are in good waters, the feet come alive and glow after being cleansed by them and it’s so soothing and healing. As we were busy shooting, the fun moments started with huge wave after waves rising up, up and in an instant showering upon us mercilessly, leaving us zombied and yelling at each other, a moment of fear, a moment of awesomeness, a moment of happiness, a moment of being alive, the alive is awesome moments.

The waves rose so high and came on us unexpectedly that we had no option but to get drenched along with our cameras (see the video to feel it…), we started enjoying the moments, the feel of goodness and freshness engulfing us, I would have shrieked aloud awesome, alive is awesome!

Solo Ride to Ganeshgudi (Dandeli)

500kms, 10 hours, awesome roads, monsoon weather, intermittent rains, lush green forests, you and your bike…!

Yes, recently in August I completed my first solo ride to Ganeshgudi (Dandeli) about 500 kms away from home, not planned but spontaneous.Independence day weekend, on a boring Thrusday evening, as I sat in boredom, needing a break, my bike needing a long ride, I just got up and rode to the bunk, filled up the tank, came home and announced I’m riding to Dandeli tomorrow!

Mom asked – how many, I replied alone and she made a quick nod and walked away, I could hear a frown from my dad sitting on the sofa, expected reactions and a witty smile on my face!

5am – I was running around loading bags and tying them on to the rear seat, filling up the bottles, and those last minute rushes! Mom walked out and said ride safe, ride slow, I nod again with a grin :) Of late, my parents are supportive enough as they know my adamant nature and my quest to do things differently. August is peak monsoon month and I was expecting rains to be my companion, I badly needed to soak in the rains as Bangalore was literally dry and hot with no signs of rains at all, a total monsoon failure this year!

Still the early morning truck and cab traffic on Tumkur road, NH4 took me more than an hour to clear and face the open winding highways. Riding on the highway, it feels like home on a bullet. The bird is a real cruiser, you don’t struggle and the bird never goes out of steam however long the ride may be. The little bumps and humps, bad patches and those curves don’t deter the bird and rationally the speed never comes down, frequent use of the clutch not required unless the roads are horrible. The needle on the speedo kept on nearing the 3 digit mark and I had to often control the urge and reduce the speed, yet I maintained a consistent speed of 70+ all through the ride. Incidentally, I took an alternate route to Ganeshgudi through the country side that consumed more time as the roads were pretty bad but was compensated with stunning views providing relief to my sore eyes. Dressed up in camouflaged dress and with the long boots of Woodlands to protect my ankle and riding gloves completing the gear, I was the object of attention for every curious villager and the kids waving at me :) I was so obsessed with riding the bird that I often relented to stop and take out the camera that I now regret (wish I could have captured those stunning country side vistas with my bird in the frame…!). Anyway, there is always a next time ;)

Black clouds were hovering all along but somehow the rains were reluctant to shower on me and they only came down after me covering 450 out of the 500 odd kms on the bird. Once you bypass Dandeli, the vista’s have a dramatic changeover with the teak plantations taking over and forests all along the way replacing the barren lands along the highway. The road to Ganeshgudi after Dandeli is laden with beautiful curves and you ride through the reserve forest all along. I stayed at my regular jaunt, the Old Magazine House campsite run by the Jungle Lodges (www.junglelodges.com) and the staffs were no less happy in welcoming me back again there. I was completely drenched riding the last stretch in rains as I had no intent of stopping too; in fact I was hoping to ride in the rains :) It rained pretty much the entire time I was there and I was happy to just loiter around, eat, sleep and relax without any care in the world.

On the ride back, I started off late due to the rains and yet again I loved the ride in the rains, but the ride was slow as I was busy feasting on the beauty of nature when it rains. Three hours of riding in the rains and next seven without it ensured that I was completely dry by the time I was back home, not an inclination that I had rode in the rains. Stops were few more on the return journey for that hot cup of ‘chai’ to fuel me along and to check the baggage as not to let them fall (the spring chords had lost a little of their elasticity that made the weight of the bags shift to one end). Again, I was so engrossed in the ride that I forgot lunch and only stopped for a late heavy snack at dusk time. The last couple of hours ride was all about riding in the dark and the only thing I felt unsatisfactory on the bird is the weak headlamp, highly insufficient on the highways, barely manageable.

Back home, much to my and parents’ surprise, I was active and showed no signs of fatigue as I always do when back from a trip however comfortable it may be. Signs of comfortness and more biking rides on its way :)

‘bird’ in the article refers to my bike – Royal Enfield Thunderbird, 350cc

Route – Bangalore-Tumkur-Chitradurga-Davanagere-Haveri-Ranebennur-Bankapur (turn left off the highway)-Mundgod-Kalghatgi-Haliyal-Barchi(bypassing Dandeli)-Ganeshgudi

Note: No tolls to be paid for any bikes; the leftmost bay is for the bikes to ride away.

For Biking:

A good riding jacket and a sturdy helmet

Ankle covering boots

Riding Gloves (and knee protectors)

Lots of Water

Sturdy bags / backpacks that sits on the rear seat

Ropes (preferably elastic with hooks) or the typical Saddle bags

Rainwear (if riding in rains/monsoon)

Tool kit (I need to build one now)

All documents and Id cards

Read this post by Sankara to know more here - http://www.beontheroad.com/2012/10/packing-tips-for-your-motorcycle-trip.html

Ride safe! Ride slow! Enjoy your ride!