Sunday, May 14, 2017

146) Tadiandamol trek, Dolmen Circle & Chiklihole Dam: (29,30/4 & 1/5/2017)


Place: Tadiandmol Trek, Dolmen Circles & Chiklihole Dam (Shiva Temple)
Distance: Round Trip of 750kms.
Directions: Bangalore > Kunigal > Arkalgud > Dolmen Circle > Somwarpet > Chiklihole Dam > Virajpete
Krew: Ashok (Momz) > Pavan (Pavi) > Deepak (Deefu)> Datta (Dattu) > Karthik (Sp)
Bikes: Enfield > FZ > Pulsar                                                           
Previous Visit: Hosaholalu Temple.
Budget: Rs 5000/head (Last minute home stay booking! Should come around Rs 2000-3000/-)

IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:
It’s actually difficult to sum up these kind of chapters in 50words (Crap, just wasted few of them as well). Okay an awesome awesome 3 day trip this was. Tadiandmol, well was the big fish of the trip. But the hoodoo place of Dolmen was spooky and scary. And well the brilliant Shiva temple which had risen out of the reservoir after 33 years felt like icing on the cake. Moreover the home stay and the hospitality offered (no phone connectivity for 3 days) was just the thing needed.


INTRO & PLAN:
As far as the planning goes, it was Deefu who initiated the plan. Then when we both froze upon Tadiandmol as the main destination. I told him about Dolmen’s Circles as well. On my way to office  a junior was reading newspaper and something caught my eye. An ancient Shiva temple in water has revealed itself after 33 years. And BaM! we had another place, looked like a substantial fit for the 3 day trip instored. Dattu, Pavi & Ashok made the perfect list for the chapter planned.


But one thing we struggled here is searching for homestay in prior. All the homestays were booked finally Deefu through his contacts booked a new homestay (we inaugurated the place I guess :P) with no name. But the homestay, to its name turned to be more like a home.
TIME: 20:00 (27/4/2017)
Have divided the article into 3 segments (day-wise) hope you enjoy reading it, Cheers!

DAY-1: (Initial struggle always bears sweeter fruits!)
ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:
The three day plan was for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. But I had taken leave on Friday as well, just to set myself up mentally and physically. On the reckoning day I was up at 04:30 did a few push-ups and sit-ups and was all set to go. The meet up was scheduled at Dattu’s place and I had thought the departure would be at around 07:00. But to my surprise everybody arrived on time and we departed Bangalore.
TIME: 06:15

  

RIDE 1: (Bangalore – Kunigal – CR Patna – Arkalgud – Somwarpete - Virajpete)
This was a long ride, but a fun one too! The plan was clear and simple, start off on Hassan road to avoid Mysore road traffic (long weekend) plus cover off Dolmen and Chiklihole on day 1 as the tension would ease out as the trips progresses.  Day 1 we rode almost 350kms from Bangalore to Virajpete.
As we left Bangalore, we fuelled up as we were sure we wouldn’t be stopping much in between until CR Patna.  We rode non-stop until the Hassan road deviation near Nelamangala. Once on the Hassan road we even though the traffic existed it was not evident as the roads are pretty freaking wide. We pulled over at our regular hotel for some yummy breakfast.
TIME: 07:30


Ashok (Momz) was full on god mode at the hotel. Munched down Idly vada, Dosa Vada, Kesari bath, and wait even I lost track now! After finishing a light tea outside we departed and cruised full on as the traffic got thinner. The “Ola game” we went on playing all throughout and it was not long before we pulled into CR Patna.
TIME: 10:00
Proceeding towards Holenarsipura we realised we had taken a good decision of coming via this route. The roads were damn good and the surroundings were peaceful and flooded with coconut trees. It was a very scenic route and we could also cover good amount of ground. Then we began “Dirty word” game and yeah we were laughing our asses off for much of the journey before we lost track of the road hehe. Asking the locals for direction we re-routed ourselves and finally ended up at the Doddmalathe road.
TIME: 12:30

DOLMEN CIRCLES:
Dolmen is basically a pre-historic rock formation dating back to 3000-4000BC. Also, people say they are places to summon the super natural spirits. In Karnataka, this is the only place discovered with these formations. Trust me, it was f’n spooky!
We asked the locals, for the directions, but unfortunately they were also as lost as we were. Finally getting a little guidance we got into an estate, from then on we explored the estate and finally we found the place.

  

A serene silence dwelled all throughout the place and the clouds had covered. A light drizzle began to shower down as we explored the place. There were all kinds of rock formation and small shelters spread across a good amount of land. About 50 dolmens exist at this place.
Trying the prince of Persia – running on walls thing to actual summoning of spirits we spent about an hour at this place before our tummies began to grumble. Also, we had to cover still around 100kms for the day. We pulled over at a hotel in Somwarpete for some yummy lunch.
TIME: 14:00


After a heavy lunch asking locals for directions we proceeded towards Kushalnagar. The roads were curvy and ran through the jungle. It was a sheer pleasure riding this stretch. But as we approached Haranagi Dam, a bridge was under construction and we were asked to take a detour. This route ran right beside the canal and the glittering waters were something that soothed our eyes. Finally joining back the highway we reached the Chiklihole dam premises.
TIME: 15:45


CHIKLIHOLE DAM:
No doubt it was the place, but we were not able to find a way to the waters. Then as we rode further into the town, I kind off got a sneak peak of the temple afar. Immediately we pulled over and asked a guy if we could go through his house to the reservoir, he gladly obliged. The reservoir did have good amount of water, but the claim was the Shiva temple has unveiled because of the lack of water. We ran towards the temple and it was really astonishing. There was this old well, which also was submerged earlier. Here there was some water left and what took us back was a statue of a sage present within the well. It was actually pretty spooky.

  

We explored the place and then crashed in front of the temple. After turning into Shivas ourselves we decided to play Frisbee (which dattu had got).  Ashok and myself decided to get a bottle of water as our throats began to feel parched. The walk was never ending and finally we realised we were going in the wrong direction hehe. Grabbing some chocolates and a bottle of icy cold water we returned back to the site to find others inside the temple. The place was great and after having spent about 1.5hours we decided to head out further as we wanted to crash into the homestay before sunset.
TIME: 17:00

As we approached Virajpete, black clouds covered the sky and down came the ruthless Kodagu rain. We pulled over at a juice shop and loaded our bags. The rain never looked like it would subside; hence we decided to ride in the rain itself as searching for the homestay after sunset would be really difficult.  We called up the home owner and requested him to come to a bakery and following him deep within the estate we reached the homestay.
TIME: 19:15

It was a damn good home stay and we were all dripping wet.  As it was already dark, we decided not to explore in the night. The rains had died down and the campfire and snacks were ready by the time we got freshened up. We sat beside the campfire munching on the snacks and discussed the plan for the next day. As were all tired and worn out we decided to crash early.
TIME: 00:30
So, that was Day-1. We did well to tick off two places off the list. Only one remaining was the big fish – Tadiandamol Trek. You set? I am!

  

DAY-2: (Hold of the Big fishes!)
I was up by 04:00 (Insomnia!) Took a bottle outside and sat outside as it was cold and nice. After about 2hours Deefu & Ashok joined me outside and were already afloat. We dried out socks over the dying the campfire which surprisingly lasted overnight. The breakfast and coffee arrived at about 08:00 and after belting some 5-6 dosas we decided to freshen up and head out to conquer the mighty peak.
TIME: 10:00
Tadiandmol was about 30kms from our homestay. The roads were super curvy and nice to ride upon. The last part of the stretch was bumpy. We parked our bikes a little before the actual entrance and decided to walk. Registering ourselves at the entrance we began the trek. (Slightly gui gui)
TIME: 11:00

TADIANDMOL TREK:
We took about 2hours to climb up. It was calm and pleasant trek of easy difficulty. A straight trail runs right to the top with viewpoints here and there. It was more of a walk, but a very long one. Hence carrying sufficient water is of high importance. The trek can be segmented distinctly into the following sections:
i)                   Initial walk
ii)                  First Base
iii)                 Forest Zone
iv)                 Final Leap
Alright those were the 4 section, try to keep up with me here!


i) Initial walk:
After the registration of the names we entered the trail. A peak far away we could see right from the start. This trail runs through trees and shade, so one can actually cover this stretch pretty fast. After which the canopy the trees opened up leaving us at the mercy of the burning sun. Here Ashok and I had a race. We dashed away on the muddy path. This was done for another reason – to get away from one of the crowds who kept blabbering, it was kind of irritating.
TIME: 11:30


ii) First base:
This was the major part of the trek. I would say it was around 50-60%. It was this semi-steep easy stretch which offered breath taking views all along. The terrain was similar to that of Skandagiri. It would be harsh on the hiker if it was monsoon, but nevertheless the slippery gravel made us loose our footings a couple of times as well. We did rest a couple of times during this stretch to catch our breath.
TIME: 12:15


iii) Forest Zone:
Another shade was like bliss. We were short of water and as we entered this zone, the temperatures dropped and we could feel it clear cut. It was very pleasant under the trees and we rested again here sipping on the water we had. Dattu and myself decided to head further earlier to give heads up.
TIME: 12:30


iv) Final Leap:
This was the last stretch. It is steep compared to the other stretches. Carefully manoeuvring we raced away to almost the top then sat back and waited for the others to join us. Once the others joined us we ascended the top.
TIME: 13:00

TOP:
At the top there are a lot of breath taking viewpoints. We crashed in one of those and rested to restore our energy levels. As the sun was burning away in all its glory we slept for sometime and decided to head down after about 30-45mins at the top.
TIME: 14:00

  

TREK DOWN:
The trek back to the base was a quick one. It took us about 1h and 20mins with two rest stops in between. We made it down the Final leap cautiously. After which it was just hopping from stone to stone dancing our way all the way into the forest zone. After a quick rest here, we proceeded seamlessly down balancing from rock to rock taking one step at a time. The long stretch was covered in a matter of 20-30mins. The last stretch was actually kind of like a time wrap. We kept walking thinking the end was near but it was never turning up hehe. Finally we reached the checkpost, drank about half a litre of butter milk each and proceeded to reach our bikes.
TIME: 15:30

The ride back was a pleasant one. Kept asking others “Guys, this route only we came haa, u sure?” :P We finished out lunch in one of the towns on our way back. After which we purchased the necessities in the next town and reached back our homestay.
Bodies were slightly busted, so had a good hot water bath and slept for an hour. We came out of the homestay, sipping on some good coffee we began to play cards sitting on the grass. Dattu introduced to a new game and BAM it took off as it involved beating the crap out of each other if somebody loses :P

  

Once the campfire was underway for the second night, the kababs and the pakoda arrived and then the card game intensified. We got into a good argument about crazy shits but the highlight as usual was Momz’s tailor made jokes. Once the food arrived we had and again got back to the campfire. Finally after a long session we decided to crash as there was no pressure for the next day.
TIME: 01:30


DAY-3: (Trickster ride back!)
I was up at 04:00 again and sat back with some juice until 06:00. By then Ashok had awoken. We were in a dilemma to take Mysore or Hassan route. But we chose Mysore route as we would be ending up in the noon, hoping the traffic to be thin. The fog was pretty dense so holding a cup of coffee we wandered into the estates into a small lake (fish breeding). Once the breakfast arrived, we gulped it down and then packed up and were all set to go.  We thanked the hosts whole heartedly and decided the bid adieu to the wonderful place unwillingly.
TIME: 09:30

RIDE 2: ( Virajpete – Gonikoppa – Hunsur – Mysore – Bangalore)
This was the final ride back to Bangalore. It stretched for about 300kms on a mixture of forest roads, country roads and highways. I knew the route via Gonikoppa was an awesome one as we had travelled on this route on our Mahe trip a few month earlier. But this time the traffic was pretty dense and it eased out as we approached Mysore. From Mysore we rode non-stop and reached our regular dhaba near Mandya for some lunch.
TIME: 14:30

   

After the lunch, we could see the dark clouds making its way into the sky. So, we decided to head back early as we didn’t want to be caught in both traffic and rain. The ride back was smooth and well-orchestrated.  We took exactly two stops and made back to NICE road junction. From here we split our ways to reach back our homes respectively.
TIME: 17:15

CONCLUSION:
This was one awesome trip. 3 days without phone and with school friends felt really nice. Moreover the trip events fell into right slots as and when it progressed. Perfect synch and acceptance of each other’s abilities was the true factor which made us execute in a butter smooth manner”
Until next time, Cia \m/


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Saturday, May 13, 2017

145) Hosaholalu temple & Markonahalli Dam: (22/4/2017)


Place: Hosaholalu temple & Markonahalli Dam
Distance: Round Trip of 350kms.
Directions: Bangalore > Magadi > Kunigal > Markonahalli > Nagamangala > KR Pet > Hosaholalu > Srirangapatna > Bangalore
Krew: Ashok (Momz) > Madhu (Barci) > Dileep (Koof/Isro) > Karthik (Sippy)
Bikes: Enfield > Pulsar                                                                   
Previous Visit: Pavagada Fort Trek.
Budget: Rs 750/head

IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:
This was fun ride actually to drop koof to Mysore. But I kind of planned a small detour.  This was the same bunch which pulled of Wayanad in March 2017. Hosaholalu temple is a mind blowing place if you’re into architecture. It is situated almost at the mid-point between Hassan and Mysore.

INTRO & PLAN:
As far as the planning goes, was lazily lying on the bed watching some TV series, then parents came and asked me to show me Hosaholalu temple on the net. After looking at the pictures, they looked at me and said “go to these kind of places, not some haunted fort and all”. I gave a wicked smile. Just then asked others if they are in for the weekend, when Koof told he had to go to Mysore, I formulated a whole new plan. Ashok & Madhu also confirmed their spots for the trip.
TIME: 20:00 (20/4/2017)


ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:
Alright I was up by 04:30, my usual time of awakening (ok wait before that 11PM, 1AM, 3AM too!) had a sip of coffee, did a few push ups and sit ups and was all set go.  I called up others and woke them as well (I am going to hell, I know!). Okay, I left my home and picked up koof, then we met Ashok and Madhu at Madhu’s place and decided to leave Bangalore. Just then, Madhu suggested a breakfast near his place – “Kaape Katte” and we caved in on some yummy yummy breakfast.
TIME: 08:00


RIDE 1: (Bangalore – Magadi – Kunigal – Markonahalli Dam)
This was plain 100kms ride to this wonderful reservoir on a completely new route. Off late wandering into the unknown had become a hobby for me. So, yeah took the Magadi rode as Madhu suggested and the ride was decent. Traffic yes, was there but hey, was a different route. One funny thing that happened at the Nagarbhavi junction was :
Madhu – “hey lets take  Magadi road, it will go straight to Kunigal
Sp – “ sure ha?
Madhu – “Yes.
Sp & Ashok – “ Are You sure?
Madhu – “ yes goes in the same direction na?”
Sp, Ashok & Koof – “ ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SURE?
Madhu – “ Barappa muchkond, normal route nalley hogona” (Shut and come, lets go in normal route only, I don’t know)
Thing is we also knew it would join, but asking him thrice to confuse him – priceless! :P
The route was decent and we covered good ground inspite of the dense traffic to reach the Hassan road 8kms before kunigal. We reached the Markonahlli dam and started searching for the kottu shop. People started smiling us but gave us honest direction. But when everything was closed, we decided to head into Yadiyur. And lo behold, at the entrance we were welcomed by not one but 3 shops (all open! :P). Packing the needed, we reached the sparkly Markonahalli dam.
TIME: 10:30

MARKONAHALLI DAM:
The dam as usual had very less crowd. The waters had clearly depleted to a great extent. Ashok as usual began his kick-ass jokes session. Finding a neat place below a huge tree we settled in to float away for the next hour or so.

   

After munching down on some of the snacks we had got we went near the water to have a closer look. The sands was swampy just then Madhu said “ this sippy noe? should be pushed into a thing like this kikikiki (laughter)” Only thing he forgot was I right behind him and BAM, I pushed the mighty Madhu into it. Well he tried to chase us holding a stick for the next 15mins but ran out of breath hehe! Then the epic skipping stones began for another 10-15mins. Then we decided to leave Markonahalli.
TIME: 12:30


RIDE 2: (Markonahalli – Belur Cross – KR Pete – Hosaholalu Temple)
After a nice session at Markonahalli, we decided to ride via Belu cross. And the roads trust me were amazing. This was the same route we had taken way back in 2011 when we had travelled to Melukote. Excellent roads with good scenery throughout. As kept cruising ahead, a deer from nowhere came running from the trees and took a huge leap over the road the disappeared into the woods again. Madhu and me looked at each other and confirmed it had just happen, no doubt about it. Asking the locals for directions we reached KR pete by noon, when the sun was burning in all his glory. Hosaholalu temple is just a few kilometres from here.
TIME: 14:00

HOSAHOLALU TEMPLE – Sri Lakshminarayana Swamy Temple:
The temple is three shrine temple built in 1250 C.E. The entire temple is constructed on a platform about 1m above the ground. At the bottom it has 6 layers of decorative carvings narrating stories when read in clockwise direction, very similar to that of Belur and Halebidu. Most of the images carved represent Vishnu. For art lovers , this is the place you gotta visit. A lush green grass surrounds the temple where one can sit and relax. We sat the temple and actually slept for a while and then decided to move ahead as our tummies had begun to grumble.
TIME: 14:45

  

RIDE 3: (Hosaholalu – Srirangapatna – Ramnagara – Bangalore)
This was a good 170kms ride back home with a major lunch stop in between. As we left the temple, we pulled over at a bakery in KR pete to much on some puffs. After a light snack, we rode non stop towards Mysore road. This was pretty harsh considering the time of the day and the damn hot temperatures. Once we reached Mysore road we pulled over at a new dhaba for some second round session and lunch.
TIME: 16:00


The lunch was pretty good and reasonable. After about 1.5hours we left the dhaba totally afloat. As promised we dropped Koof to the Srirangapatna Bus stand where he could catch a bus to Mysore. We thanked him for making it for the day as well. Then koof pointed towards Mysore and asked us to head back safely, we all looked at each other and burst out laughing. Asking him to confirm his safe reach to Mysore, we took off. The ride back was a no non-sense ride, maintain a constant speed in between 75-85km/h, dodging the slowly increasing traffic we made it back home.
TIME: 20:30

CONCLUSION:
Funny kind of trip, I must say. It was a smooth run and felt good unveiling another jewel of a place! And hey, listen to your parents :P”
Until next time, Cia \m/


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