Madikeri - Bike trip ....wroooomm

I had a nice time for last weekend (30 Sep06 to 2 Oct06) at Madikeri. I went on my bike Yamaha Crux R :-) Journey to Madikeri from Bangalore is about 260Km. I started on Sat 30 Sep in morning around 0745 hrs. My friend Praveen gave me 2 routes and suggested to take shorter one:
- mysore (140km) take a right turn just after you see that big pipeline on your head across the road.
- yelavala
- bilikere
- hunsur
- koppal
- piriyapattana

then 2ways
1) left shorter
- bylakuppe (north coorg) fill petrol here. very few petrol bunks afterwards
- suntikoppa (here be careful ghat section)
- madikeri
2) right - long
- tittimati
- amatti
- gonigoppal
- balugodu
- virajpet
- madikeri

I took shorter one as I had to visit Bylakuppe which is Tibetan settlement. On the way I stopped at a shop for sweet coconut water. Friendly Nariyalwala....wonly 7Rs. Take 2. :-)

Bylakuppe land seemed to be blessed one. Very nice landscape. Golden temple is their main temple. Monks were doing prayers sitting in 2 rows in front of god. At one of the temple which I suppose was of some goddess they had placed Coke, Pepsi, etc bottles. I was surprised to see that :-) I didn't ask them about that. Please visit some shops of handicraft near main temple. I hope you will like them.

Then I crossed Kushal Nagar. On the way to Madikeri just few km after Bylakuppe you can see a board "Nisarga Dhama". I didn't go there. Then I saw a board "Dubare Inn and Harangi Dam". Dubare inn is on left side and its an elephant camp.
I went to Harangi Dam which can be reached by a way going on left. Its about 6.5 km from main road. It is very nice. well maintained lawn, etc... I couldn't enter as I had a camera and I didn't want to keep it with those security personnels.

Then I directly headed for Madikeri as it was already around 3-4 o'clock. I entered madikeri around 5pm. It was pleasant weather. Then it started drizzling. I didn't have any reservations so I stopped at a coffee estate and thought that I might have to spend the time there itself :-) But rains stopped. and i also had raincoat so no worries.

Now i had to look for accommodation. I called up some agents for help. One of them told 2750 for 2 days. its after discount of 250. :-)) I went to KSRTC bus stand and found that there are some lodges. I got into Shree Lodge. It was for 400 per day. Owner was saying its 'season' so costly. I had to pay 600 Rs :-) 200 night + 400 for next day. I saved 2000!!! yahooooooo
..... My room had a TV, 24 hrs hot water (to be taken from tap outside), attached toilet. What else do you need.

That evening i went to Raja Seat to enjoy the mist! It was so romantic, I called my girl friend :-) Then I went to West End hotel but they had mostly non-veg dishes. only 7-8 veggy. Lets go to Crystal court (around 1km from city center) for dinner. i think i chose wrong dishes. i didn't like it much. Outside it was quite dark and calm ...utterly calm. Took a stroll in city. There were some lights which said "Welcome to Dasara 2006"!!! I have a snap of that. :-)

Back to hotel now .... city was still buzzing in the central part but I think most of it in the interior was sleeping in the warm blanket :-) and me too..

Goooooooood morrrrrrrrninnnng..........Still misty outside the window and its now 6 o'clock. I got ready. last day I had inquired at Crystal court about breakfast. They serve buffet. I went there and I was very satisfied with service as well as quality. Crystal Court - good and economical.

Time to travel now....I went to Tal Kaveri. curvy roads in the Ghat....surrounded by lush green paddy fields and trees.... I was very enthu and fresh. I reached Bhagamandala (sangam: Kaveri, Kunike and mysterious Sujyoti). I could only see two streams Kaveri & Kunike. Ppl take holy dip here. Kaveri is supposed to be one of the 7 holy rivers in India.
I am yet to reach the source of Kaveri. I started for it..
On the way i stopped at a spot as some birds called me. :-) scarlet minivet + its female, there was a dead snake also. This is where i saw the snake vertebra for the first time. I have a snap :-)) I thought of coming back to this spot on journey back.

I reached Tal Kaveri, birth place of Kaveri..... Continuous happy birthday!!! :-)) hahahaha
A small "Kund" with some decoration of a deity. warning placard "Don't touch holy water". We are unholy. ;-) But not Panditji, who is sitting there day long with a umbrella in his hand. He gave us "teerth" and I moved ahead. There are 2 more temples: Ganapati and Shiva recently built.... Still some constructions going on.
There is a reserved forest area near the temple for medicinal plants with the statues of Dhanvantari and Sushruta at the entrance...quite thoughtful :-) I liked it. and a snap :-) smile plz!

Back to base journey....ooops these flowers are calling me again. Are those orchids? I don't know... there is a spider also. Shoot them.... :-) I think somewhere I got a leech. I still don't know about it. I stopped at a shop to buy Coffee, Cardamom, Cumin seeds...
Aaaaaaaahhhh ......there is blood on the ground and leech is skidding away. Shop owner killed it and asked me was it was on me. I said I don't know. I didn't realize. We had a nice talk. (Shop owner had some connection to Pune.)

Ooohhh no.....ohhhh yes. It started raining.... my loyal rain coat is in work now....
It was raining heavily on the way back. I loved it. Time please on way back :-P....

Did i mention that there was a "view point" about 5-7 km from Tal Kaveri to admire scenic beauty.
I couldn't stop at my favourite bird spot. but if you get a chance I can describe it for you. while going towards Tal Kaveri on your left you can see a red coloured shelter (Bus Stop). There is a way going downwards on left just behind the bus stop. On your right is a cliff about 50 ft....There will be left turn ahead.

Back to Madikeri town.... Its still sunny out here, No rains....wow....wait for some time.....
I went back to hotel put the things there and freshen up.... oooppps whats this... blood on my left leg. hmmmm now i can really call it "bloody leech" :-) no probs.... i called my doc... he said don't worry take a tetanus when back to bangalore.

And back to town for food hunt. I read about Atithi on net. so i dropped in. the one part just touching the road will give you only rice and curd rice. ooops....there is another section behind it. go below on right side. Buffet....just for 35. It was ok quality. I am still yearning for good food. I am really choosy about food. yummy :-)
Its raining now. hahaha.....Museum is closed. what to do now.... lets go to Abbey falls.. some said its not so good. But beggars don't have choices. :) I went there very nice road. its about 8km from city. I could hear the roaring sounds coming to me...but where is it? hmmm we have to go inside the jungle :-) hahaha its not a jungle but a thick patch. its roaring even more now.... there it is. Very broad....due to heavy rains it was showing some good looks. I was enjoying that site for quite some time..... I couldn't take photos :-( its raining and i don't want to waste my lenses...

Alto....i mean lets go... again some flowers. :-) i was driving at my pace... i mean quite slow.....
Back in town. what to do? take a stroll in city again.....hotel....took some rest. Out for food hunt. Basic thing human beings are doing since ages :-)) hahahaha .... I wanted really very good food this time.

Went to Rajdarshan.... it doesn't serve dinner before 19:40 hrs. thats what the waiter told me. When I went there for dinner. waiter told me that he will be back and later when he was serving others I asked him can he bring the menu. he said that they don't serve dinner before 19:40 hrs. :-( what the ......! bad manners.

Destination Hotel Coorg International - dinner = best!!! it is some star hotel. I didn't care. very nice food, well behaving waiters. I luv it..... Buffet for 300..... I would like to recommend it to all. Wish i had known that place last night. :)

You know what I missed having an SLR camera with me:
1) Photographing kodavu women in their traditional dresses. They were looking cute.
2) Abbey falls....drip...drip...drip.
3) Sunrise/Sunset at Raja seat! (but I had a misty view)

ok... nice sleep now...

Helloooo wake up....
We have to check out.... going back to Bengaluru. this time no big stops... in my raincoat...
Happy journey! .....wrooooommmmmmm....wrooooommmmmmm ...I again stopped at the same shop for sweet coconut water.
I saw elephant on way back, eating bamboo. It must a pet one. as there were some quarters for forest officers..

then bangalore-mysore road......i luv it. for that matter any biker would.

I reached bangalore around 1330 hrs....but just the boundary. i reached home around 1400 hrs. Its Dasara so have some sweets!

I liked this trip.

Sachin