Skull caps / Balaclava

Another on the list of essentials for a biker... again, something I've been trying to lay my hands on from a very long time, but was too lazy to go search :)

The Skull cap, is something that you wear over your head, before putting on a helmet. Think of a monkey cap.... right... the exact same thing, but in cotton. Balaclava is the term....

The plus points of this underestimated fella are

1. It absorbs all the perspiration, keeping the helmet a little cleaner
2. The back of the neck, which is exposed in most helmets gets covered, so no more nasty sun burns there ;)
3. If you are riding in the cold, it keeps the face a little bit warm

As usual, they are available in a few shops on Lalbagh Rd. Click here to see the location on google maps.

Skull caps / Balaclava

Bungee cords in Bangalore

So, I had been looking all over the world for bungee cords... I confess, my search was quite myopic :-(

All I had to do, was search on Lalbagh road. The first shop I got into, had these cords. How convinent! My goldfish memory has ensured that I have forgotten the name within 2 hours of visiting the shop, so the only useful information is

a) The shop is opposite Urvashi... Look at the google maps link.
b) It sells for Rs 50. Haggle a bit and it will magically come down to Rs 30. I didn't haggle much, so I paid Rs 160 for four chords
c) They are available as in mesh, single or double cord variety.
d) The shop keeper will not understand bungee, he'll use the word "elastic" ;)

Happy shoppin..

Bungee cords in Bangalore

Bheemeshwari - My 1st RTMC announce ride

Bheemeshwari is a sweet little place nestled in the hills bordering Cauvery, or what ever is left of her, as she meanders downstream from Shivanasamudra. There are quite a few trekking trails to explore, if one has the inclination. I am quite certain, camping is possible here, given the proximity to water and blah blah. Alternately, one could book with the Jungle Lodges. Catch the Masheer, or get snapped at by a Maggar. Not that we did either, but we could have, but we didn't... get the drift? ;) Anyways...

Route - Bangalore - Kanakpura (NH 202) - Sathnur - Muthathi - Bheemeshwari
Distance : <100 kms
Road Quality Index : 6 on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the Mumbai-Pune express way and 1 being the Shiradi Ghats - Sakleshpur to Uppinaangadi


View Larger Map

Vatsa and I were planning a short ride before the Leh trip. At around the same time I received a mail from the RTMC announce list about their ride to Bheemeshwari. In the few years that I have been doing my trips, I have never been on one with a club. So, I did the 1 + 1 = 3 calculation and we joined the RTMC folks. First time with these folks, and hopefully not going to be the last :)

Although, bumpy and windy, the route is quite scenic. Water tanks abut the road at many sections. Where there are no tanks, the road is lined with Gulmohar tree. They were in bloom! The red petals were strewn alongside all along. As if nature had rolled out a red carpet welcome to all those who cared to travel. A very Royal treatment indeed for the RTMC riders! There is something with red that makes me... hmm... well... feel good... must be the red carpet... hahaha...

Then, there were the assortment of fauna that crossed our paths. Swooping kites, rummaging dumping grounds near Kanakpura. Green parrots darting from one Gulmohar to another. Mongoose scampering across the road. Confused looking jungle quail scurrying into the sanctuary of thick bushes. Herds of cattle and sheep. We actually drove through at least three different herds of Hallikar Cows. Imagine floating amongst a sea of horns - each 2 feet long, and quite capable of disemboweling you with a quick flick. Hehehe...





The forest department, or whoever, has done a neat job by erecting watch towers - which incidentally, are not accessible to the general public. We were trespassing. We weren't aware of this transgression until a few weeks later, where one from the group was chased away by forest guards.

To reach the watch tower we had to do some off-road riding :) It is actually quite a (short) trek from the main road. Once up in the watch tower, we could see the rains lashing Shivanasamudra, upstream. A constant reminder of the wretched ride back from Badravathi. That apart, the watch tower provided a 360 degree view of the surrounding hillocks - which anyways isn't much of a deviation from the purpose for which it was built!

After a round of intros etc etc... we headed back to Kanakpura for lunch... then to good ol Bengaluru...



At 198 kms, this has to be the shortest weekend trip ever. Nobody was complaining though, except for the pillion riders... lolz... The Thunderbird pillion seat is just not designed to carry an adult body!

Bheemeshwari - My 1st RTMC announce ride