Lunching in Old Manali

Naggar had been an utter disappointment. I had expected something more grand, more opulent, and certainly more derelict. Naggar was supposed to be home to a haunted castle, and hence the expectation, however, all that we found was a rather well kept bungalow being passed off as a castle - forget haunted. The Roereich estate was a damp squib too. To lift up the spirits, I was looking forward to a good lunch. Didn't want anything too fancy, just some paranta and curd/dhahi. Some butter would do fine too. And so, with thoughts of good food occupying our minds, Vatsa and I made it back to Old Manali a little after noon.

Old Manali can be a very depressing place. It is over crowded. Tourists here, tourists there, tourists every where, and my pet peeve - one ways! Manali beats Bangalore in the number of one ways. I was reminded of Bangalore. Hmm....

If you search for food - your eyes will catch South-Indian meals advertised all over. What the..? You didn't travel from South-India to Himachal Pradesh to eat Taai-Sadam or Idly vada and Masala Dosa. You need your Parantha's and stuffed Shimla mirch.

Vatsa was also of the same opinion. No south Indian idly-vada-dosa for us. So, our first quest of the afternoon was to find a Non-south Indian restaurant. We were probably the few desi tourists who openly referred to the Lonely Planet - India guide. Don't get me wrong, it is a fantastic guide, but most desi's would consider it an affront to use it ;) "Its my country, who are these firangs to tell me about it?" will be the first response, which will be soon followed by "You paid 1000 rupees for that book??? What?? Are you out of your mind??". So, to avoid the risk of being ridiculed by my country men, I discretely opened my copy of the guide, and looked under "Eating - Manali"....

Cafe Amigos, hmmm.. Spanish?? Nah... it is a German bakery! Defies logic if you ask me, but that is besides the point. I am not critiquing Hotel names, I am merely trying to find a nice North Indian place to eat. So, no German/Spanish bakeries please. Next.

Chopsticks - Chinese place, specializes in Tibetian... hmm... no good, will taste that in Leh. Not now.

Mayur - waiters fussing over napkins. What the efff?? Nothing pansy for us... (Not to mention too expensive...)

Mom's Kitchen - "tastes like Mom used to make back home". Hmm... "Back home", as in Mangalore or as in England?? My guess was England, something the next sentence confirmed - "tasty mashed potato". The only place for mashed potato is inside a paratha or pani puri or Masala Dosa.

I'd almost given up by now, and next one in the list irked me some more - Swamiji's Madras Cafe. Aaarggh! I wouldn't go to a hotel which advertised itself so blatantly as a Idly-Vada-Samabar place. Even if it were the only surviving hotel during a nuclear winter. "Why O' God why? What sin did I do that you make me eat Idly-Vada-Sambar in North India?", I thought.

Now you know why any self respecting, normal, desi dude would look down on The Lonely Planet. It just wasn't written for us! The target market is totally different. You have to be an Idly or continental cuisine fanatic, and I qualified as neither.

The next two restaurants in the list saved the book form being consigned to the closest garbage bin. And of course, the paucity of the aforementioned garbage bins in public places coupled with my misplaced civic sense would have prevented me from throwing garbage in public anyways.

By a method of elimination (i.e. lack of other alternatives) we zeroed in on Kwality Sher-e-Punjab and Original Sher-e-Punjab. The names themselves inspired confidence of being able to provide quality Dal Fry and Alu-dhay-paranthay. "These two restaurants abut each other, one on the left, one on the right, perhaps even share a common kitchen", said the guide. I think the author of the guide was just trying to get done with the "Indian" section in a hurry. Can you think of any other explanation?

My mind began chanting the words "Sher-e-Punjab. Sher-e-Punjab. Sher-e-Punjab....", and in its echoes it effortlessly drifted to a roadside dhaba run by a friendly Sardarji welcoming me with a glass of tall cool lassi, and that is exactly what I began searching for. The concept of being in the middle of a bustling town was lost on me. I yearned for the open roads, and the roadside shacks which routinely serve hot rotis and lip smacking dal fry. The reality was... hmm.. well... quite disappointing. Sher-e-Punjab turned out to be this hole in the wall, and definitely adjacent to Original Sher-e-Punjab. Kwality was more gaudy, and both were equally choc-a-bloc with people.

Waiting outside gave us a sense of what to expect on the inside. Honeymooning couples coo-chi-cooing, while feeding each other Bhel puri; hyper active kids demanding ice cream before their full course meal of - soup, starter, masala papad, one butter naan and one sabji. It was the suburbia that we all thought we had left behind.

Back to the first detail - Honeymooning couples... nah forget them, they seem to be everywhere. And so does Bhel Puri, even in Sher-e-Punjab! Yup, serving Bhel Puri in a hotel called Sher-e-Punjab. Blasphemous! You might as well serve masala papad in an Italian restaurant.

Our expectations from Sher-e-Punjab considerably lowered as we entered, for we were struck by uncanny resemblance it had to the "Darshini" from down south. Exact look and feel, minus the standing crowd. Square bathroom white tiles on the walls; a picture of Balaji adorning the cashier's desk. The works! Continuous parallel mirrors lined facing walls from waist height and above. It gave a sense of being at a barber's shop. Maybe it was really a barber's shop before the Original decided it could do with some expansion and bought out the barber, with a wicked ransom. Someone must have told them about mirrors making the place look larger. Yes, that must be it. Sigh. The waiter was in no hurry to reverse our assessment either. He explained very politely, "We do not make Alu-de-paranthe. "

Yes. I repeat. Sher-e-Punjab no Alu Parantha. It took us a while to make our peace with this cruel joke and settle for at least roti and Baingan Bhartha. Incredulously, the waiter replied, "Sir, we do not make Baingan Bhartha either".

"How can you not have Alu parantha and Baingan Bhartha in a hotel claiming to the pride of Punjab?", we indignantly asked the waiter.

"What to do sir, most of the crowd wants Pani puri and Mysore Masala Dosa these days", the waiter lamented.

Market economics... sigh... what a crappy situation. But then we got to got deal with it, so we just ordered for some Naan, some paneer and some dal fry. The usual ghantan gopal that you order at the around-the-corner-restaurant in your home town. Is that why you traveled all the way across the country? To eat Masala Dosa? Who are you? Campus Man*?

It is with regret that I must inform you, that you really cannot get authentic north Indian food in the hotels of Manali. Chinese - yes, Korean - holy cow - yes, Israeli - what the? - yes, Greek - who visits from Greece? - yes!!! No kidding, you can get pita bread, falafal, pasta and vegetable balls in all the hot garlic sauce in the world. More easily than Dhahi and Alu Paranta.

If you really must eat foods of north India, either you befriend a local cook or you cook it yourself. The only edible Himachali thing you can easily get your hands on, are the apples and pears which still abundantly line the roads and streets! Thank god for small mercies.

P.S. If anybody does know where I could get authentic North Indian food in Manali, please do write to me! I would like to try it the next time I go visiting.

Just for the record - the author is not anti-south Indian or anti-European or anti-Indian or other anti-blah blah person. The author loves eating Masala dosa, Vada sambar and Uttapam - as long as it is made in a Mumbai Udupi Restaurant or at home :) The author has no issues with European/Mediterranean cuisine either - he is know to have soft corner for Pita bread and Au-Gratin. The author also loves authentic Chinese food, and is know to have a soft corner for delicacies from the Hunan province.

* A mythical superhero from Manipal, who dared to eat the Masala Dosa of the MIT Cafeteria. A Cafeteria, which sadly doesn't exist anymore.

Lunching in Old Manali

Mysore Dassara '08 - Fairy Queen

One of the star attractions at this year's Dassara celebrations is the vintage/heritage steam Locomotive "Fairy Queen" - the world's oldest running steam locomotive.

It was built in 1855 by Kitson, Thompson & Hewitson. Forty years later it was imported into India by the erstwhile East India Railway. It still retains its old East India Railway service number - EIR 22. It saw active service hauling light mail trains between Howrah and Raniganj. It retired from service in 1909, and spent the next 34 years on a pedestal outside the Howrah railway station. In 1943 the Railways shifted (relegated) it to Chandausi Railway Zonal Training School as a curiosity item (ouch!)

In 1972, a century after it was built the Indian Government declared it to be a piece of heritage, and a national treasure. This eleveated status saw it being shifted to the National Rail Museum, where it was the first exhibit. In 1997 it was overhauled and revived for working on the mainline.

In the same year, it saw its first commerical trip in 88 years ferrying tourists from New Delhi to Alwar as the Fairy Queen Express. The Guinness book of records recognized it as the world's oldest running steam locomotive in 1998.

Ten years later, it still runs. Although the railways consider it prudent enough to send a diesel locomotive at a discreet distance behind the Fairy Queen Express to lend a helping hand if required ;)

An old gentleman commented - "Just like I have come with my grandson, this engine has come with its grandchild. To help if we oldies trip and fall down... hahaha..."

This year it ran on the Mysore - Nanjangud sector for three days as part of the Dassara Celebrations. It ferried two coaches full of VIPs and Gold Pass holders. Others queued the stations and the railway crossings to get a glimpse of the ancient engine. The engine drivers were enjoying themselves, despite being constantly fogged and steamed by the ancient boiler. The jolly fellows were seen waving and egging the spectators to cheer and wave some more ;)




Seeing this little and ancient engine roll by evoked memories of a childhood almost forgotten, those carefree and wonder filled days!

Mysore Dassara '08 - Fairy Queen

Mysore - Dassara '08 - pre trip

Dassara and Mysore are synonymous. One cannot imagine one with out the other. There are other blogs and links which would've covered the subject to death, so I am not going to delve into those details.

Even though Mysore is my dad's native place I haven't seen the fabled Dassara procession even once in all these years. I remember going to the exhibition when I was a small kid. Mirchi Bhajjis is all that I remember though. The place was lit everyday as it usually was every Sunday evening. And that itself added to the festive spirit.

Anyways, this post is neither about Dassara, nor is it about what to do in Mysore during Dassara. How would I know? All I do during Dassara, if I am in Mysore, is sleep on the sofa at my granny's home! I hope to make amends to that anomaly this year. So, I am heading out to Mysore this afternoon.

The bike fuel tank had a hole, the same one that sprung a leak during the Cloud Valley ride. Had that gas welded this morning. The Ramzan and Roza holidays meant that my tank was held captive at the mechanic's garrage for the past three days. It is with a little trepidation that I will set out - what if the hole springs a leak again? I am carrying MSeal to mitigate that risk. But what if the bugger has not cleaned the tank properly? What if I have allowed moisture into the engine? What if... what if....

Tenshan nahi leneka. What ever will be, will be. Deal with it! Hopefully, I will have something worthwhile to write about once I get back!

P.S. A little birdy told me that our Olympics heroes are also headed to mysore today. Maybe they left early in the morning... Maybe I will bump into them en route, who know man!

Mysore - Dassara '08 - pre trip

Bababudangiri - A Stay that wasn't meant to be

Bababudangiri at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail:GPS Geotagging

At the very edge of the Western Ghats, in the district of Chikmagalur is a place holy to both Muslims and Hindus. Some call it Bababudangiri, others Dattapeeta. It screams "Up yours" to all the divisive forces which have been trying to split our tolerant and multicultural country on religious lines. It is perhaps the most beautiful place in that section of the Western Ghats.

Please note, I said - the most beautiful place in that section of the Western Ghats. Not the entire world. Just the Western Ghats. But if you know the Western Ghats, you'd probably say, "Every section of the Ghats is beautiful! You are a jackass to single out just Bababudangiri. You %$#@$%!!!". Point taken. But seriously man, go check out Bababudangiri. It appealed to this "average Indian biker", so I guess it will appeal to a lot other people as well :P

And so, without further ado, I shall dive right into the boring details ;)

We got to Chikmagalur at around 4 pm. We being - Jishnu, Kudz, Vance and yours truly. We had stopped earlier in the day at Halebeed and Belur, so we were pretty much already done for the day. Riding through the narrow roads of Chikmagalur is a little surreal. You see so many many Fiat Unos on the road. As if all the Unos of the world decided to congregate here. If you ever feel like buying a Fiat Uno, you know where to look! And if you thought Bangalore was a one-way traffic mess, you got to look at Chikmagalur.

But then, we saw that sign board on IG Road. Hang on. Lets rewind a bit, IG road? Before you remind me to fix an appointment with my optometrist, I did say IG road, and no, I did not mistake MG road for IG road. IG stands for Indra Gandhi. She was elected MP from the Chikmagalur constituency in 1978, and the folks here, they adore her, nay, love her. Of course! They even renamed their most important road, which incidentally is now a one way, in memory of their "Dear Leader". Freaky huh? Must be the only town to have its best road called IG road. Come one man, we are talking modern Indian tradition here. The best road in town has to be MG Road. Didn't they teach you that stuff in 6th Std. Civics?

And yes, Karkala was a part of that constituency back then. Something we like to remind Kudz every time we talk politics.

Back to the sign board. It said - "Kemmangundi - 40 kms". Just 40 kms away. Very tempting. But Kudz was, "Array yaar, ruk jathe hain yaar. Chai vai pee kay chalthay hain...". So, we halted at a road side joint just outside Chikmagalur.

40 kms, at the rate we were traveling, was doable in hmm.... well... half an hour. You see, we were between 100kmph - 110 kmph most of the time.... but well, thats another story... :)

You really don't feel like you are in the hills in Chikmagalur. Just FYI, it can get really hot in the summers. You can see the Western Ghats rising a little beyond the edge of the town. And we hurried on the plain smooth tarmac towards the rising range without a care in the world. The first zig-zag section on the road heralds the beginning of the ghats and the coffee estates.

A section where someone's bike would run out of fuel at 11.45 pm later that night. Muhuhaha.

A little after that is an almost unnoticeable fork in the road. You go straight ahead and you'll be in Shimoga sooner than you can list all the Indian Prime Ministers. That is not where you want to go. You want to go to Bababudangiri, so take that left turn and into the dark green canopy topped road. We visited this region in July, a month traditionally know for copious quantities of precipitation. Ignorance is indeed bliss.

At any clearing you could see these cloud covered hills, and a slight hint of drizzle. The sight was mesmerizing, as always. I have stopped carrying my camera with me on these trips. Don't ask why. And I am beginning to regret that decision. For what it is worth I take a few snapshots with my phone camera. Anyways, this section reminded me of the ride from Kalka to Shimla.

We almost got run over by this crazy mo-fo in a black Indica. This bass-gital was taking blind curves like he was Louis Hamilton himself. Jackass drivers make life difficult, but one learns to live with such incidents ;) One better learn! hehe..

We stopped to take photos and put on the rain gear. As everywhere, the local people got interested in these bikers with strange riding gear. They milled around, and the questioning session began, "Where are you going?", "Where are you coming from?", "Why didn't you take the bus?"

These are hard working, simple folk from rural India. Picking coffee for a living. They are the backbone of the Indian Coffee industry. Picking coffee is back breaking work. Most coffee workers in Chikmagalur are migrant workers from North Karnataka and Andra Pradesh. They live in a world so different from ours. It is difficult for us to comprehend their life, and for them, ours. Yet in a weird way our lives are interdependent. We love our coffee, and they help grow and pick that coffee.

We asked them, if there was some place to stay nearby and they said, if you are headed towards Bababudangiri, then you'll find rooms there. For free. And that is when we decided to halt at Bababudangiri.

A few hundreds of meters later, the road deteriorated. First more gravel than asphalt. And then more mud than gravel, and then just mud with the odd hint of asphalt hidden a few millimeters under the mud. The heavy precipitation makes this region prone to mudslides.
We found that perfect spot where you can see the plains below. For as far as the eye can see. The silver oak hid in the late afternoon shadow of the hills we were climbing. They covered acres of coffee estates. It was the just the place where if you peed, then your pee would probably not touch the ground below. I think at least a 50 feet vertical drop, and then sloping at almost 70 degrees for god knows how many more 100's of feet below! Jishnu, the motographer in the group had a gala time. See image below.


The ride upto this point is fairly sedate, nothing too exotic that you'd want to write home about. What transpires next is what really makes this ride worthwhile. The road snakes up the hill. 500 meters of straight roads a hair pin bend and another 500 meters of straights and another hair pin and some more. You get into this mental rhythm, only to have it disturbed almost instantaneously by this 10 meter pass. You go through and bham, you see the other side of the hill, the valley, and more hills rising in the distance. The mind takes a snapshot to preserve and remember. I can still remember that scene. Very vividly. Any attempts, by me, to describe that one fraction of a moment in time will fall flat. I felt like I was riding on the clouds, not through, not with but, on them.

The roads on this side of the hills were considerably more narrow, more muddy and more damp, and consequently more slushy. It didn't help that the cow herds were getting back home, and the road was the natural thoroughfare for even our bovine friends, so we had no option by to drive through these herds. Around 10 kms from that breathtaking entry into the hills, we arrived at yet another fork in the road. One leading to Dattapeeta and other to Kemmangundi. If we thought that the roads couldn't possible get more narrow, we were in for a surprise. The road got more narrow and it more slushy. Perfecto! The incessant climb up Dattapeeta was the most scenic section of that day. The clouds below, the hint of precipitation and the steady drop in temperature.

Before we knew what was happening we were at the gates of Bababudangiri/Dattapeeta. The gate proclaimed "No alcohol. No meat." Possibly keeping in mind the religious sentiments of both the believing communities. There is a parking fee to enter the gates. We got in and asked for the caretaker. The caretaker politely told us we were not welcome to stay there.

"The rooms are old. There is no bedding. There is no water. There is no rug. There is no pillow. If that is ok, I can show you the rooms. Food is at this canteen."

We stayed a while at Bababudangiri. The road doesn't end here. There are higher places one can go. But the caretaker warned us that it was getting late and there was no point going up these places when it is dark, plus if it rains then we are on our own.

We were so bummed, we didn't even take a snap at this place. I don't recall what made us turn back so fast, but we did. The ride back to Chikmagalur was the best ghat ride ever. We were quite slow to climb, but on our way down - we flew! No kidding! We were in that 80-90 range at most points bar the hair pins. Narrow or wide, tar or mud, it didn't matter. But in our defense, we were always in control. There was no rash riding, and well... alls well that ends well!

It was almost 7pm by the time we got back to Chikmagalur and settled in at the hotel. Different story that we checked out in less than 3 hours. :P But, that story is not for this blog.

So, is Bababudangiri worth riding to? Yes! I know I will return some day, but with proper camping equipment :)

Bababudangiri - A Stay that wasn't meant to be

Belur - Halebeed : Ancient Engineering

In the past 4 years I have visited Belur and Halebeed more number of times than any other place. Except Mysore. And every time I've been there, I've learned something new. Fascinating place. One could spend days, nay, years studying the two temples and still be enthralled.

My most recent visit was in July ;08 (12th-13th), during the bike ride to Chikmagalur with Vance, Kudz and Jishnu.

For those who came in late : Halebeed and Belur are two temple towns (~ 16kms apart) near Hasan. The temples built by the Hoysala Dynasty in the 12th Century. The temples took more than a 100 years to build. The sculptures are magnificent and painfully elaborate. Knowledge of Indian mythology is required to understand the meaning of the carved figurines. It is rumored that when the Muslim invaders came pillaging in the 16th century, the local rulers covered the entire Belur temple in huge mound of sand to protect it. For those of you who are vastu inclined, the temple is built in accordance to the rules of vatsu, complete with water body in the North-West. The works.

I am no historian, so my versions may be a little skewed. I am not a gifted writer either, so my accounts may not be as vivid as I hope they will be. I advice you to make time and visit these places. That is the only way you can remotely comprehend this splendor from ancient India.

Slip and slide
The figurines that adorn the exterior walls of the temple are not carved into the walls. Neither are they carved on the structural elements directly. Instead, they are carved onto a panel, and this panel fits into the wall. Like a LEGO brick!

Of course, it isn't exactly like a LEGO brick, maybe wall hanging is a better description. The front of the panels were sculpted and the rear had two hooks. The wall had receptacles where these hooks could fit in. Sounds like a very configurable temple! Wonder if they placed the statues at different locations for different occasions...

In the ancient days, people were not keen on stealing from a temple. You know, face the wrath of God was not what you wanted to do those days. Ever since the figurines started fetching a handsome price in the auction homes of Europe, perhaps the God's wrath idea started sounding like an old wives' tale. And pieces started disappearing with alarming regularity. Such was the severity of the problem, that the Archaeological Survey of India stepped in and cemented the remaining figurines into place.


Take a look at this image. They have connected two slabs of stone, as a carpenter would, using something similar to a sliding dove tail joint. Those slabs must have been heavy. They must have used elephants / mules to do the lifting or pushing. This totally impressed me.

Placement
Again, the placement idea was quite a hit those days. They even took a huge pillar and placed it. Yeah! Placed it. No mortar, no binding agent, just placement. Now, take a pen, and place it vertical on the table. Like that.



The temple vicinity doesn't experience high winds it seems, and even at the winds the temple experiences, the pillar has been stationary for the past 1000 years. How cool is that! Our guide informed us, that the only thing capable of felling this pillar is an earthquake. Hmm... point to ponder about.

Turning and the lathe.
A lathe is a machine tool which spins a block of material so that when abrasive, cutting, or deformation tools are applied to the block, it can be shaped to produce an object which has rotational symmetry about an axis of rotation. It is a bigger and badder version of the pottery wheel. In pottery you place the clay at the center of a wheel. Turn the wheel, and the blob of clay at the center also turns, now while the wheel is turning, you can shape the clay with your fingers into a symmetrical vase or pot or anything else you fancy.

The temple interiors are adorned with several load bearing pillars. No two pillars being alike. In Belur especially, the pillars are cylindrical, i.e. circular in cross section. The surface of these pillars is so smooth, you could be excused for mistaking it for polished metal. Even after all these years you can see your reflection in the dark stone. How did they do that? How did they get that perfect circular cross section? No one had a lathe back then.

The guide informed us that they used an elaborate contraption consisting of a giant pottery wheel, some horses to pull/rotate the wheels and an abrasive. Now let loose your imagination. I can almost drift back in time....

The clamor of chisel on stone fills the hot summer afternoon. Bare chested sculptors sitting in line, leaning over a section. A section they have worked on for more than ten years. Somewhere in the background you hear an elephant trumpet. The sound of protest as he pulls and heaves a massive block of stone. A little closer, you can hear the stomping hooves of an angry horse.

He should have been out in the field, training with the rest of the army. If only he hadn't thrown his rider off during the army selection. Luckily for him, he was still alive. They said hard work would break him in. But what kind of a life was this? All he did was pull. He pulled all day, and he pulled in circles. His life literally revolved around that black stone. When he had started a year and a half back the stone was a mere block. Now, under the watchful eyes of the temple architects, it was slowly taking a circular shape....

Ah... how idyllic life must have been back then. Simpler times, but one must remember the average life span was no more than 35, so i'd be over middle aged by now. :P Anyways, imagine how long it must have taken to get that 10 feet high 3 feet dia pillar into shape. Imagine the amount of coolant that must have been used. Did they use water? did they use some vegetable/animal oil? Questions, questions, and more questions. I can only wonder and speculate. Perhaps one day, some one will show me a blog with the answers, for I am too lazy to read an ancient history book ;) Or, for that matter, even search on google for the answers :)

Ball bearings
As if having cylindrical pillars was not enough, they decided to have a rotating pillar inside the temple as well. Like those revolving book shelf/tower that most book stores seem to sport these days. What did that thing have to do with the temple? For what joy did they install this revolving pillar? Was it a Tibetian Buddhist prayer wheel rip off? I can't even imagine, neither could the guide.

And guess how those things revolved? Its ok. Take a wild guess. Yes sir. Ball bearings. The pillar doesn't turn anymore. Why? Because the ASI damaged the top of the pillar during renovations some time in the early 20th century. So now all that remains is an old story, passed down from one generation to the next, of the revolving pillar. A story you'd want to believe when you see the pillar.

More tid-bits as an when I remember them.... I need some pictures of the circular pillar and the revolving pillar.

The grit and foresight of the Hoysala rulers is something a lot of us can do well to learn. ( I hate to sound preachy! ) It took them three generations to complete these temples, (well, one is still incomplete). The first generation most likely never lived to see the completion of the work they commenced. What motivates one to do such things? I don't know, but it most certainly isn't greed.

The ancient engineering techniques all seem so simple, uncomplicated, yet they have endured a thousand years. A thousand years which has seen the region plunging in and out of chaos, and these structures have seen them all. They will see the future unravel, for longer then any of us will. Humbling thought.

Belur - Halebeed : Ancient Engineering

Magadi - Savandurga - Ramnagara

Waiting of ages at endless traffic signals, or weaving through slow trucks, inhaling their toxic spew isn't exactly what I like. But, that is exactly what I have had to go through, every time I've taken the Nellamangala route towards Hassan. I don't favour potholes either!

That's why, last November, Kudz and me decided to "explore" other options. This was on the Diwali ride to Mangalore. And we "discovered" the Kunigal-Magadi-Ramanagara section. In July '08, we "discovered" the Bangalore-Magadi route. It was perfect announce ride material. Short, beautiful, and well laid.

So, when someone on the RTMC forum wanted to know if we would have an announce ride this September, and if yes, then where to, I had no hesitation in suggesting our "discovered" route. And, that is the route we took today.

We started from ISKON at 0630, with the almost customary 30 minute delay.

Took the Chord road - Modi Road - 1st/9th Cross Road route to join Magadi Road.
Since we were moving that early in the morning, we did not face the usual hustle bustle that one normally associates with the narrow Magadi Road. The road opens up after the intersection with the NICE road. A few patchy stretches here and there, but nothing one feels like complaining about. The road has enough and more turns, blind curves and even one hair pin bend! The environs were green and the cool air added to the feeling of being somewhere in the western ghats :) Ok, now maybe that was a bit too much...

The first regroup point was the old bridge on a right hand turn. The photographers got out their equipment and did their thing. The people who had to pee peed. Those who wanted to smoke smoked. Those who did not want to do anything did just that. Those who spotted the chai-shack had the chai. One micro-mini cup of chai for Rs 2. I remembered that "singular" event involving a similarly priced coffee while riding back from Belum, and the subsequent refund.. hehe... Anyways, we resumed after the Kutti chai break.

The 2nd regroup point was the at the left turn off towards Savandurga and the 3rd at Savandurga. At Savandurga, we didn't trek or do anything very Savandurga specific. It was just another regroup point. We found a clearing a couple of hundred meters away from the temple at the base and had our announce ride intro session.

What happens at these sessions, is that a regular RTMC rider introduces RTMC, gives the usual gyan about how we are a non-profit, non-affiliated, non-political, only-for-fun biking group. The two step eligibility criteria etc. etc. Then all the riders introduce themselves, after which the new riders ask their questions which range from who is the best mechanic to where do I get that riding gear :) Ditto for this ride. The other highlight was the distribution of - "Bharat Parikrama" DVD (A journey around India). Kart got a bag full of these DVDs to give away.

We decided to have breakfast at Kamath Loka ruchi, so headed towards Ramanagara on some more kickass windy roads. We halted before the Ramanagara - SH13 junction to allow everybody to regroup. We reached Kamath at 10.30 am. Breakfast was nothing out of the ordinary. A couple of glasses of watermelon juice, puri bhajji and some gup shup.

We left Kamath Loka Ruchi at around 11.30 am, and regrouped at The NICE road-SH 13 intersection. We were waiting in the boiling heat (in our boiler suit) when we recieved an SMS from Menon- "Vijay's bike tyre punctured. you guys proceed." So, we took a group snap, Ok! a couple of group snaps (Will post that up once I get it), shook hands and thanked each other for the safe ride, and went our separate ways.

The route -
Start: Bangalore, ISKON temple 0630 hrs
Via Point 1: Old bridge on Magadi Main Road (38kms)
Via Point 2: left turn off to Savandurga on Magadi Main Road
Via Point 3: Savandurga
Via Point 4: 500m before merge onto SH-13 at Ramanagara
Via Point 5: Kamath Loka Ruchi on SH-13 CAUTION: Turn right towards Mysore!
Via Point 6/End: SH-13 - NICE intersection (Kengeri)

The route was a little over 150 kms, including the city riding.
The good things - no one rode dangerously. No one belted the usual patrang way. One rider had a minor fall. But, we all got home safe. And that, is very important!

Magadi - Savandurga - Ramnagara

Leh - the bare necessities

I could be accused of reinventing the wheel with this post. There are probably a million websites and blogs, telling you that you need to take sanitary napkins, 4 sets of undies, a tooth brush, shaving cream/foam, toothpaste and other mundane items on your visit to Leh and Ladakh. I won't repeat that same list here, I will however tell you about other Leh - exclusive ordinary little items and the rationale behind packing those little items. These little things came to our rescue at various points in time on our bike trip (Delhi-Manali-Leh) last year.

Chap stick / lip balm - Yes, sir. Chap sticks. The air is so dry up there at 14000+ feet, that your lips will start cracking as soon as you leave Manali and cross Keylong. Some people also like using
Borosil / Vico turmeric, but then I think I rather liked the taste of strawberry on my lips.

Cough drops - Dry throat can be an early symptom of Acute Mountain Sickness, and do not ignore it, at the same time you may want to relieve your discomfort by sucking on some cough drops.

Chocolates, and peppermints - Instant source of energy, consume on every break, and ration it well :)

Electral or Rehydrating Salts - May be mixed with water and consumed. At the higher altitudes, you tend to lose a lot of water, i.e. dehydrate faster. This happens usually via expiration (breathing out) , and for some people like me you just pee a lot more often. Electral or the rehydrating salts help reduce the frequency of your pee-stops, but they also contain some manganese salts which may increase the blood pressure, so kindly consult your doctor/physician on this one.

Toilet paper - If you feel like taking a crap, this is your best companion. The water is quite cold and your butt will thank your for not freezing it.

Baraclava - If you are going by bike, this fella is going to protect your neck from the piercing sun, your throat from the chilly winds and keep your ears warm inside the helmet.

Jerry Cans - To carry 10 liters of extra petrol, since the last petrol pump will be at Tandi on the route from Manali to Leh. A good 400 odd kms away from the next petrol pump, and the mileage can plummet at those altitudes.

Toothpowder - Haha caught ya. I told you I wouldn't mention toothpaste, so you have tooth powder, the reason being at these higher altitudes, the toothpaste tube will burst at its seems. so carry a 1/2 empty tube. The same holds for canisters of deo or whatever that you use. I resorted to deo sticks, not even roll-ons. Any thing that may be impacted by the low pressure.

Minimal Clothes - Carry only minimal clothes, in the 5 days that we took to go from Manali to Leh (yeah.. we really went slow, and enjoyed every bit of it) we never once took a bath, may be not even change of clothes, but what you wear must keep you warm. Recommend wearing three or four tee-shirts over a thermal. :)

Oxygen cans - Yeah, one of the fellow travellers we met, Amey, recommends carrying small O2 bottles. He said, you can get a 2L bottle for Rs2,000 in Mumbai. Not sure, but it is quite useful. We had to take Vatsa to the Military Hospital at Sarachu to inhale the magic gas.

Diesel - In case you want to camp out and cook on your own, then do not rely on petrol, use diesel, it is less explosive. Also you may not get dry wood every where, so think about it - a diesel stove or something like that. Do not attempt to boil eggs at these altitudes. It is futile and a definite waste of time. Also ensure that you have plenty of clean water before you start. Spoons and plates are best if they are paper ones.

Water - Bottled water is expensive on the mountain, but you'd rather drink that than get a tummy upset. We had an allocation of 2 liters per person per day. you have to have to drink that much, other wise it is an open invitation to dehydration and AMS. Drink more it you want to ;) Drinking water during riding can be a pain, so you may want to buy a rehydration pack, but i guess it is too expensive for one off biking trips.

Harddisk / HDD Handycams - Read the user manual / tech specs very carefully. Some models of HDD Handycams carry a warning that the Hard disk may not function at altitudes exceeding 11900 feet, and you will consistently be over 13000 feet, and if you visit Khardung La even reaching 18700 feet.

And yes! If you are planning on riding, then you'd do well to ensure that you cover yourself up, otherwise the dry air and the UV rays of the piercing sun, will give you a fair dose of sun burn and raw skin. The same goes for the eyes, get yourself a UV 400+ sunglasses, preferably ones which cover the entire eye, even from the sides. For this I prefer a riding jacket + gloves + baraclava + UV 400 sun glasses.

Bungee chords, tyre inflation unit, spare tubes are essential. Do not carry a clutch plate or what ever, since even if you break down there will be no mechanic to fix it for you. Figure out what spares you need, and only carry the essentials. Carry minimal luggage, so that the next friendly cab driver or bus driver does not think twice before inviting you on board.

Leh - the bare necessities

Cloud Valley

One kickass weekend to remember! Will give the updates slowly, the usual style :) But in the mean while here are the GPS tracks from the Bangalore University to Cloud Valley in coorg. The points are truncated for your viewing pleasure, but if you need the entire set, feel free to ask me ;)

Here is the link to the website maintained by the owners. The pictures are in no way reflective of the true beauty of the place... very green... very quite... and extra extra super trooper onlee!

To Cloud Valley in Coorg at EveryTrailMap created by EveryTrail:GPS Geotagging

Cloud Valley

Madhugiri - RTMC Announce ride

For many reasons, yesterday's ride to Madhugiri will be one that I will not forget too soon. It was perhaps one of the best one day rides I've ever been on.

I reached the designated start point 20 minutes late, and with barely enough petrol in the tank. Felt lousy, making the entire group (31 other bikes) to wait for me to tank up. This is the first and last time that my tank was/will be empty before I head out.

Madhugiri - RTMC Announce ride at EveryTrailMap created by EveryTrail:Share GPS tracks

The traffic jam from Yeshwanthpur to Dasarahalli was hellish, it took us almost an hour and half to negotiate that stretch. Mostly in first gear. We were, I am certain, the center of attention for other similarly disgusted and stuck occupants of the road. One couple were heading towards Goa - and they made sure they told me about it. Weird, how suiting up, makes utter strangers roll down their windows and chit chat genially at traffic signals. "I wish I could swap places with you"; "I hate these jams"; "Are you all together?"; "Where are you guys headed?", being the usual theme. More often then not, it'll be an older gent or a young girl, initiating such an across-the-window-conversation.

May isn't exactly pleasant to ride, and worse to be stuck in a traffic jam. I was cursing all those buffoons who didn't fill fuel or arrived late - including myself. I just hoped that it'd all be worth the wait.

We regrouped outside A1, just before Nellamangala the toll gate on NH-4, only to realize that we should've regrouped after the tollgate, an error which was quickly resolved.

Breakfast was at Kamath's near Dobspet. Nothing spectacular about the place - it could accommodate all of us; and at the same time, that was the biggest plus point. But service, was a little slow.

From Kamath's we headed towards Kortagere, bypassing Tumkur. The route was scenic and fairly engrossing - you never knew when a pothole or a muddy patch would catch you off guard. Things improved after Kortagere, and in no time we were at Madhugiri. Soup, had arranged for a very interesting reception party for us - full flower, garland and the works! Undi got the Kuthagie mele Flowers treatment, the rest of us were offered a red rose - Chacha Nehru style. One band-baja troupe was missing onlee :P



The next stop was the black buck sanctuary. A place, one assumes, relegated to an obscure appendix of a neglected register placed in a forgotten corner of a dusty government office. Many of us got to spot a black buck, some of us... ahem ahem.. a few of us got to trek through the park with a guide, who showed us some more black buck - brown though and a wild boar. A naturalist ( Krishna's pillion) among us also pointed out the presence of the brain fever bird. Very interesting bird, called the hawk cuckoo chirps "brain fever". Didn't spot it, but certainly heard it. Learn't something new!

Lunch was arranged at "Bakkar Saab ka Bangla", a structure from the Raj era nestled in the midst of a forest, approachable by a muddy road from a non descript turn off on the Madhugiri-Sira state highway. Seldom you'll find off-roading part of an announce ride, but this one sure included it :) The guys loved it. The food was fantastic. Soup did a fantastic job of organizing the whole thing.

Madhugiri - RTMC Announce ride at EveryTrailMap created by EveryTrail:Share GPS tracks

After the usual round of introductions, we started back by 5 pm. The return leg was fairly uneventful. We did have one bike with a broken accelerator cable, something I had no clue how to fix. But then stepped in Shayam and the KA-18 and KA-19 bike dudes, who did a great job sorting out the mess. On the way back, after Kamath's, Kudz and I clipped in the dark, and whatafun it was! I must say, Kudz rode great, kept sufficient distance and yet didn't lose me!

Caman the more rides onlee!

P.S. GPS tracks from my blue tooth GPS unit + E51 :) and pics from the lousy cam on the E51

Coincidence - Almost 3 years ago, I burnt my shoe on Deverayana Durga, and this time I burnt my jacket on Madhugiri... and never in between - both in the same vicinity...
http://su-on-the-road.blogspot.com/2005/09/burnt-rubber-loose-rivet-and-docile.html

Madhugiri - RTMC Announce ride

Gopalswamy betta - route map

Here is the route map to Gopalswamy betta. I see a lot of people getting to this blog hoping to find the route to gopalswamy betta. I hope this helps. This will take you from Gopalswamy betta to Mysore.

Gopalswamy betta to Mysore at EveryTrailMap created by EveryTrail:Share GPS tracks

Gopalswamy betta - route map

25000 views for the Football plane

Last year, on my way back via the Bangalore express*, I noticed that the plane in which I'd be traveling had its nose painted like a football#. Plus it was raining at SFO, so puddles everywhere. Puddles + jet exhaust = ripples and, I took a video and posted it on youtube. Surprise, surprise a year hence, its had 25000 views! A vid like that and 23,584 views - wtf? Strange indeed are the ways of the world, but what the heck, looking forward to the day when it crosses 25000, which I suspect is not far away. Muhuhaha...



* Lufthansa - SFO to Bangalore, 23 hrs with one pit stop at Frankfurt :)
# yaya... soccer ball onlee, just that some viewers @ youtube got confused
An article (with a cheesy title - "Making Money, the How-To Way") in the nytimes talks about people raking in the moolah by posting their how-to videos online... hmm.... now thats a thought :P

May 2nd '08 - views is 25,463. Don't know when it crossed 25K, but then one milestone achieved - now caman the 50K

25000 views for the Football plane

Lion Bullet

Came across this funky brass worked 350 Std Royal Enfield outside the Power Grid office, on race course road today. I hadn't seen anything like it before, so I thought I'd click a few snaps and post it. Lioness in the front, and a lion at the bottom :) Sher-Khan's bike...

Wonder it is was just brass paint....

Again, pics from the Nokia E51, so quality is so-so

Lion Bullet

The Big Banyan Tree

I had been to the Dodda Aladha Mara a.k.a. Big Banyan Tree this morning. It is 8 kms North from the Rajrajeshwari Dental college on the Bangalore - Mysore State highway #17

To the Big Banyan Tree at EveryTrailMap created by EveryTrail:Share GPS tracks

As the name suggests, it is just a big banyan tree. Just standing there. Doing nothing. Harming no one. But civilization seems to have been a bit harsh on it. Men have erected a compound wall around it, as if to tell the poor thing that it shouldn't grow beyond those confines. To make things more clear to the old tree, they've built a road around it, abutting that compound wall. Lakshman rekha pei ek aur lakshman rekha. And, when the time comes to widen the road, they may even contemplate cutting the majestic thing down.

As I approached the tree, I spotted plenty of nurseries and plant shops along the road. I told myself that I'd stop on the way back, but never kept that promise - I thought it was pointless to stop. Me on a bike. What if I like a plant, how can I possibly get it back to Bangalore. So, can't say much about the quality... so if you are a plant kinda person, go by car, not by bike.

Back to the tree - as one enters the banyan enclave, and if one is lucky enough not to have a noisy bus or honking jeep go past, one can hear the mynas singing, the squirrels whistling, and the wind murmuring. Stereophonic.. nah... surround sound style - 1001.1 channel. At night, I am sure this would be one scary place. No wonder you find a temple smack in the center, to do what it is supposed to do - ward of any evil spirits :) On the garbage front, the place was fairly clean, couldn't spot any plastic or garbage anyplace, maybe it had to do with the time - 9.30 am.



Sitting on the abundant benches within the "park", one cannot help but imagine oneself as hair lice, infesting the roots and branches of the majestic tree. Think about it... the roots look like hair (Hello?? Remember Dreadlocks?), and I didn't belong there... And no, I sure was't high on crack or grass... Anyways, I could also imagine myself sitting there in the cool shade, reading a novella, or perhaps a novel, if it were that gripping. However, I was currently handicapped - by not possessing either of them, so I chose to just sit down, and do nothing for a while. Which by the way, proved to be quite difficult and being alone didn't help either. If only I was the contemplative kinda guy...

My advice to people going here, or planning to go here - Take a book, an interesting book. Plenty of water and some snacks to munch. Food per se may not be available close by, but you'll find plenty of shops selling biskoots and the likes just outside the park. That said, beware of the rouge monkeys that infest the rootwork.

How to get there? As I had mentioned earlier, there are buses plying this route, and plenty of them. You could get here from either the Mysore road side or via the Magadi road side. Your own vehicle, is what I'd recommend as it'll let you be flexible vis-a-vis timing and other things.

Pics from my Nokia E51. Quality of pics is pathetic, but looks good at this size:)

The Big Banyan Tree

What Caves?

It has been more than four months since my last bike ride. Didn't even go to Mysore! But then, that doesn't mean I haven't gone anywhere since Nov' 07! Had been on a Kumara Parvatha / Pushpagiri trek. Then for a Goan X'mas, which turned out to be a tragic trip. I intend to chronicle the KP trek, someday.

To fill in the blanks - a lot has changed in these past few months, professionally that is. As a direct consequence, I can see myself riding or traveling a lot less, compared to last year. But then, fingers crossed!

Anyways, four months is a long abstinence from riding. Looking at the RTMC mailing list just makes me feel J. All over the place. So, this time, when the guys posted a ride to Belum Caves, I just had to, had to say yes. Can't explain that feeling.

The little bit of Googling and Wikipedia has revealed

• Belum is 100 kms from Kurnool and 270 kms from Bangalore
• It is a 3 km long underground cavern, with stalactite formation.
• The only acco, is a 32 bed dormitory run by AP-Tourism Development Corp.
• Must see the musical cave, where the seven notes can be produced by striking the stalactites.
• Don't know if we can camp nearby.
• These caves have been discovered, ok rediscovered, as recently as 1982 and thrown open to public view only in 2002.
• The nearest towns are Banganpalli and Tadipatri.

My favourite map site - mapmyindia, sorry Google Maps - you are no. 2 now, has revealed that Belum is 297.6 kms from Bangalore, which is what the RTMC mailing list claimed. The site, unfortunately doesn't let me display the route on my blog, so it will suffice to say that we head north on NH-7 towards Hyderabad, and then take a right on the Anathapur bypass to travel 84.7 kms on inside roads to Belum via Tadipatri. Unfortunately, I will be getting the GPS unit only in the week following the ride :(

Yennyways! Can't wait till the new weekend.... Itching to go onlee! Caman the rides! Caman the enjaiment!

Update -
Route map with google maps

View Map on Google Maps - Did you know blogger has a bug with google maps?

What Caves?

A murky sunset at Agumbe

Diwali Road Trip - Part II

Last year was Part I - the Coorg Waynad ride, and I couldn't let that glorious tradition die, now could I? So, I embarked on another ride this year that took me to Tumkur, Lakkavalli Dam, Agumbe, Karkal, Kudraemukh, Hanuman Gundi, Belur, Savan Durga and back.

The entire ride distance (home to home) of 920.8 kilometers was covered over two days with Kudz on his brand new Thunderbirde for company...

View a larger map on google maps

Day I - distance 428.3 kms, travel time - 8 hrs
Bangalore - Nellamangala - Tumkur (breakfast at Pavitra's Tatte Idly is yummmy) - Gubbi - Tiptur - Kadur - Berur - Tarrikere - Lakkavalli (281 kms) - Kuvempu University - Shimoga - Teertahalli - Agumbe - Hebri

The Lakkavalli dam looks tiny, but the reservoir is absolutely enormous! A sight worth seeing.
We were at Agumbe in time for the sunset (which was the plan), but some erratic stupid clouds messed up the otherwise spectacular sunset. Again, a sight not worth missing for all the gold in the world.

The roads to Mangalore were excellent, bar for a few kilometeres (around 50 kms totally) near Tarrikere and Shimoga.

Day II, III and IV was spent at Mangalore (via Hebri - Karkala - Moodabidri - Bajpe; travel time = 2hrs; distance = 80 kms) at my parents home (and Diwali)

Day V - distance 492.5 kms, travel time = 13 hrs
Hebri - Karkala - Kudremukha - Kalasa - Magundi - Balur - Bidarahalli - Gonibeedu - Belur - Hasan - Kunigal - Magadi - Savan Durga - Ramanagara - Bidadi - NICE Road - Kankapura Road - Bangalore

The Western Ghats are absolutely fantastic! The greenery, the early morning mist, the coffee estates, the tea gardens, the sheer silence, the hair pin bends... what else could one ask for!

On the way back only the roads near Mudigere on NH - 13 were sad. Real sad. A total of 10 kms out of 492.5 kms was sad. The rest were excellent.

If you want to enter south Bangalore from Hasan side, you must take the Kunigal - Magadi - Kengeri route over the Nellamangala route. The roads are empty for one and recently laid (as of nov 11th '07), so they are excellent. We took a wrong turn at Magadi and reached Ramanagara instead of Kengeri, which meant we traveled 50 kms and 1 hr more than we should have.

Since, I have given up on ever completing a post... I'll leave this one right here... I shall attempt to finish the Kodachadri night trek and then get back to this ;)

20th Nov 2007 -
Kudz is doin' his write up on this ride on his blog....
Part I - Dream: the journey - the beginning

Part II - 2

Part III - 3

Photos

A murky sunset at Agumbe