207) Madakasira Fort Trek : (13/7/2024)

 Place: Madakasira Fort Trek

Distance: 150kms x 2 = 300kms

Directions: Bangalore > Dobbaspete > Madhugiri > Madakasira

Krew: Madhu > Karthik (Sp)

Bikes: Pulsar                                                                                                   

Previous Visit: Nijagal Trek.

Budget: Rs 500/head

IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:

Alright, July 2024, here we go. A classic trip to Madakasira aka Boa Fort. This pristine fort trek lightens up one’s spirit as it is easy and more of an exploration. Our trip was nothing but it. The highlight of the trip was we missed a turn and headed into AP for 30km before we realized we had taken the wrong route. Oops! And another highlight would be cleaning up the hillock of plastic residues, to make mother nature feel more natural – a good initiative from Madhu. Cheers let's go!

INTRO & PLAN:

It was 5 days since our visit to Nijagal trek. Wasn’t very sure about a trek, texted Madhu and asked “trek/rest?”. And the reply came back “trek”. And it hence this run was executed. Place unknown. Keeping things simple, clean, and old school.

TIME: 16:00 (12/7/2024)

ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:

Oh yeah, woke up by 3am. Stretched out a bit, had a sip of coffee, was ready by 4am, texted Madhu. Listened to music for about 1.5hrs and once Madhu arrived at my home, requested him to park his bike at my place and we took off on my bike.

TIME: 06:00

RIDE 1: (Bangalore – Dobbaspete – Madhugiri – Madakasira Fort)

This was about 150km butter smooth ride. As we left Bangalore, we could feel ourselves slightly cramped amidst traffic. But as we started reaching the outskirts, our wings started opening up and we could feel lighter and in better control. The air was unsually cold as it had rained last night. Shivagange could be spotted afar shrouded in mist. As we reached Dobabspete, we took right turn towards Kortagere and we pulled over for some elixir of tea. After the tea, we felt so lifted up. It was like taking some life in a syringe and shooting you with it. Going 10-15km ahead we pulled over at our regular hotel for breakfast.

TIME: 07:00

After a nice two-round breakfast, we hopped on the bike and it was no-nonsense riding. Every 50km we pull over but 50km stretches to be covered at a good cruising speed. The scenery throughout the stretch was good. A lot of jackfruits could be seen for sale. This stretch is known for Jackfruits. We pulled over at Madhugiri for a break, post which we hit Medigeshi. Waving a big HI to the beautiful hillock, we pushed further to cross AP border. Asking the locals in Telugu, we managed to enter the town of Medigeshi. Navigating the narrow roads and asking the starting point of trek to the friendly locals, we parked the bike in front of a home and with Astral Goat’s spirit high, we began the trek.

TIME: 09:00

MADAKASIRA FORT TREK:

It took about 45min to reach the top. We played around the entire stretch. Okay, have divided the trek into three phases.

i)                    Initial gateways.

ii)                  Brown fortress.

iii)                Final climb.

So, try keeping up with me on this one. Here goes:

i)  Initial gateways:

The trek began with a narrow path leading out of the town and into the ancient footsteps. And slowly as we ascended, the civilization began to disappear, and we felt at home. Decent rainfall had lifted the whole hue of the place. It just felt great navigating through the gates.

ii) The Brown Fortress:

This is the core of the trek. The main fort with its twisted fort walls lies at this stage. When viewed from afar, this looks like a boa constrictor coiled up after a heavy meal. We explored the place and decided to hit the final stretch as dark clouds began to drift towards us.

iii) Final climb:

The last stretch of this trek is the most intense. I mean not all parts, but two crucial traverses. We could spot the final point from the previous phase.  The place was so alive and was filled with butterflies and bugs. As we began the final ascent, the two tricky spots lay one after the other, we navigated these two spots with caution and had fun as well.

TIME: 09:45

TOP:

We were greeted by huge boulders on the top, which formed the perfect shelter. Then moving ahead we found the final point, a small structure at the tip of the hillock. The wind speeds were off the charts. Standing up straight was a challenge. We sat in the structure in silence taking in the view and all the slapping from the winds.  Madhu got busy drawing and I rested. We spent about 45 minutes at this place and then decided to head back.

TIME: 10:30

TREK DOWN:

Well, the trek back down took us about 30-40mins. But it was different this time. Madhu had an idea to pick up all the plastic bottles and take it back to the town to dispose it properly. It was a noble and wonderful idea. So, we packed as many plastic bottles thrown away into a bag and slowly, we navigated down to find a heap of rubbish just before we entered the town, we threw all the bottles and decided to say tata to Madakasira. It was a beautiful day spent.

TIME: 11:30

RIDE 2: (Madakasira – ?? – Madakasira – Madhugiri – Whity Dhaba - Bangalore)

This was supposed to be a 150km but turned out to be a 200+ km ride. Multiple roads lead into Madaksira, all look familiar. We took the wrong one, it looked exactly like the one we had taken into the town. A dog almost stopped us, the universe has strange signs to suggest. We continued further and further, but we couldn’t spot Medigeshi. That’s when we pulled over and asked locals for directions to Madhugiri, when they said, to go back 30km to Medigeshi and then take left, our jaws dropped.  That was a hammer fall on our face. We tried to fight the situation by taking some interior routes, but it spit us back right onto the same highway.

We accepted the situation first and decided to ride 30km back, it was like Madaksira was not done with us, she wanted to see us one final time. We rode back 30km and said a proper “Tata” and then switched on cruise no non-sense mode riding.  We rode continuously until Madhugiri and had some egg puffs and sting. This felt so freaking good, with new energies we locked on towards Dobbaspete. Cruising at a decent pace we pulled over at Whity dhaba for some lunch.

TIME: 15:00

After spending about 1-1.5hrs at dhaba relaxing, we left back and reached my home. From where Madhu headed towards his home.

TIME: 17:00

CONCLUSION:

“Goof-ups are part of trips. That is what makes them fun. We always learn the hard way. Shutting and accepting your situation helps."

Until next time, Cia and CHEERS \m/

206) Nijagal Betta: (7/7/2024)

Place: Nijagal betta trek

Distance: 60 x 2 = 120km

Directions: Bangalore > Nelamangala > Dobbaspete > Nijagal Betta

Krew: Dileep (koof) > Karthik (Sp)

Bikes: Pulsar                                                                                                   

Previous Visit: Medigeshi trek

Budget: Rs 150/head

IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:

Nijgal is a small hillock situated 50km from Bangalore. This hillock offers an easy climb and is a perfect trek if you are unsure about a trek for a weekend. This place can be submitted via two routes, we usually take the easy one to the top and take the mildly challenging one back down.

INTRO & PLAN:

It was one week since our nice trek to Medigeshi. So, we had no plans to trek, but a meet up scheduled for the first week of July. Hence a Saturday passed away lazy watching The Shield. Then asked Koof if he was up for a small trek, and we decided to go to Nijagal once he agreed.

TIME: 19:00 (6/7/2024)

ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:

Oh yeah, woke up by 3 am, did a few stretches, and warmed up. Had a sip of coffee and was waiting for 6 am. At around 5:45 am left my home picked up Koof from his place and left Bangalore.

TIME: 06:15

RIDE 1: (Bangalore – Dobbaspete - Nijagal)

This was a clean 50-60km ride, a very smooth one. As we departed Bangalore we stepped on the gas and accelerated.  Cruising at a comfortable pace we zoomed pass Nelamangala. Since both of us were not very keen on breakfast, we skipped and directly headed towards Niajagal.

The starting point of Nijagal is slightly tricky. You can spot the hillock from the Dobbaspete Bridge itself. But after the HP petrol bunk, one must take a route under the railway track to reach it. This time it was flooded with water, hence parked the bike near the railway track and decided to walk up.

TIME: 07:15

NIJAGAL TREK:

Alright, Nijagal is one of the smallest treks but offers a pleasant view throughout. For a Sunday morning, yeah this is good. It took us about 30 minutes to reach the top.  I have divided the entire trek into 4 phases which include the descent via different route.

i) Initial walkway

ii) Hike uphill

iii) Dark Caves

iv) Lost Ruins

Ok, so, let us finish this, eh?!

i) Initial walkways:

The initial walkway is through a gravel-filled muddy trail. The route is straightforward, the view of Shivagange lifts you. The weather was cool, and we kept moving at a controlled pace.  At the end of this initial stretch is ancient gateways and the place really opens up after that.

ii) Hike uphill:

Once the initial stretch is done you get a very good overview of the place. The center of all is the ancient temple in complete ruins.  We took the path towards the right, which led to steps, and this took us uphill. This is the easier route to the top.  Once we reached the top, the view all around was very uplifting.

iii) Dark Caves:

But the highlight of the place is the huge boulders on top. It had become a thing, a few years back nobody knew this hillock, but now quite some people were present. Asked Koof if he wanted to sit at the cave, finally opted to sit at the cliff with a view. A monkey came slowly towards me, Koof warned me about the monkey, but I just sat there aligning my breathing with it showing I’m no harm and beautifully it also sat in peace alongside me observing the view. It was a magical moment.

iv) Lost Ruins:

We spent about 45 minutes on the top. After which I told Koof, we head down a different path which would lead us to the ruined temples. And trust me guys, this good route. The rock of this Nijagal is slightly slippery, so cautiously we made our way down. We did encounter a few tricky spots and it was super fun negotiating all of it.  Once we reached the ancient temple, it looked beautiful like always. This place kind of hits you differently, with Shivagange staring from afar. Once we rested a little bit at the temple, we decided to wrap up this chapter.

TIME: 09:45

RIDE 2: (Nijagal – Nelamangala – Bangalore)

Ok, to be very honest we were super confused on what to do the rest of the day. I suggested we have breakfast on our way back, then go home, and then again meet at Blue Wings. But Koof we finish off all together. Hence the ride back was a dash, we pulled over near my place for some nice breakfast, after which we headed to Ble Wings and chilled for an hour so, after which I dropped Koof and reached back home.

TIME: 13:00

CONCLUSION:

“This was the perfect chapter for a lazy Sunday, rather than sitting at home or chilling at bar, this just fell into the slot perfectly!”

Cheers, until next time \m/

205) Medigeshi Fort Trek: (29/6/2024)

Place: Medigeshi Fort Trek

Distance: 150kms x 2 = 300kms

Directions: Bangalore > Dobbaspete > Madhugiri > Medigeshi

Krew: Madhu (Simha)  > Karthik (Sippy)

Bikes: Xpulse 200                                                                                         

Previous Visit: Kabbaladurga trek.

Budget: Rs 615/head

IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:                                                             

When a trip starts with a good tea and breakfast, you know it will be good! Yeah, this was one such trip where everything fell into the right slots and all we had to do was keep moving. Medigeshi is a small town situated on the Karnataka-Andhra border.

INTRO & PLAN:

Okay, with 2024 rolling out well, and the treks flowing in smooth, decided next up would be Medigeshi. Madhu and myself had visited Ratnagiri last month, so Medigeshi was a slight tougher trek than Ratnagiri, hence the choice of place.

TIME: 15:00 (27/6/2024)

ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:

Yes, I was up by 3:30am, stretched out a bit, had a sip of coffee and was all set to go. Madhu has a 25km ride to my place through the city. He reached my home by 5:45 and left the town with clouds hanging low down in the skies.

TIME: 06:00

RIDE 1: (Bangalore – Dobbaspete – Madhugiri – Medigeshi)

This was a 135km ride, I would say it was one of best this year so far. We made it out of the city limits at a slow pace. But once we hit NH-4 we picked up speed, once we reached Dobbaspete, we took left deviation towards Madhugiri and had a tea. The tea shot some fresh energy into us, it was so good. After thanking the person we continued our journey.  

A lot of hillocks flood this place, and all the top of the hillocks were covered with clouds. It was something magical. The skies felt heavy, and the temperature was cool and the whole air was gloomy. It was almost like, If I could prick the clouds with a pin, then a downpour was given.  This made the ride extra special. We cruised along smooth and we decided to pull over at our regular place about 10-12km from Dobbaspete for some yummy double round breakfast.  

TIME: 07:15

With our tummies full, and the weather superb we cruised along at a decent pace absorbing the cool ambiance that was offered to us to reach Madhugiri. From Madhugiri, Medigeshi is about 25-30km on butter-smooth roads.

TIME: 09:00

MEDIGESHI FORT TREK:

It took us about 45 minutes to reach the top. The trek as such is not so difficult, but there are a lot of instances one can lose their way. But hey, this is what makes it fun right? Even after visiting this place 4 times, the last time we visited we had lost our way. 

i) Initial forest– 10 to 15mins

ii) Rock Face – 10 to 15 mins

iii) Final gates – 10 to 15mins

i) Initial Forest:

The trek begins with a walk through the forest. One gets a feeling of walking into an ancient kingdom in ruins. This stretch is easy and enjoyable. The lush green forests and the sounds of the chirping birds lifted our energies and we took it all in with a happy smile.

ii) Rock face:

Once out of the forest, we found ourselves on pure rock face. With the entire town of Medigeshi behind us, we started ascending the rock in a slow and composed manner. We could spot a lot of buildings in ruins, pillars fallen, fort walls torn down, must have been a bad invasion.

iii) Final gates:

Last phase of this trek is to go figure out and go through a couple of more gateways. But to get to the gateway we had to climb up a steep face of rock. Now, we had two options, take the steps or climb up free style. We chose the later as it would be more fun. So we studied the rock face and plotted a route up that would join back the steps just below the entrance of the 4^th gate. 

And boy, was the climb fun. It is these moments in which you are forced not to think other than your next step. Simply a beautiful climb, few places it turned risky, but that is what makes climbing fun.  After joining back the route, it was a peaceful walk to reach the top and spot the iconic building of Medigeshi constructed in Indo-Islamic style.

TIME: 09:45

TOP:

We spent about an hour at the top. We skipped the main building and directly ventured towards the spooky tree behind. To our surprise, the spooky tree was all alive and was sporting green leaves for the first time. In all our previous visits we had seen only a skeletal structure.  But the place was seriously spooky this time, with no one around, and under the tree was dark and scary. And over all this, we found a nice stone bench in a corner.

We sat on the stone and relaxed having some water. Madhu pulled out a notebook and started drawing some amazing sketches. I played blackjack for a while and then slept off. As we stopped talking, the silence set in. Then trust me, we started hearing sounds. The whole place came alive from all sides. Insects chirping, wind blowing, it was beautiful and scary at the same time. We enjoyed nature talking to us in its purest way, but we also realized we weren’t fully prepared to have a full-fledged conversation. Once we both started speaking, it was like a veil disappearing from all sides of us, sounds receding, and suddenly the place went silent. We decided it was time to hit back, as we spotted some clouds coming from afar right towards us.

TIME: 10:45

DESCENT:

The descent was quite straightforward. We took no breaks in between, oh yea we didn’t on the way top as well. The descent took us about 25 minutes. We visited the building and spent few minutes there and from then on it was straight down.

There were a lot of instances where we lost our way, that is common, but we knew we had to just keep going down. And things fell in place, we found pathways back recollected few landmarks and made it back down.

TIME: 11:30

RIDE 2: (Medigeshi – Madhugiri – Dobbaspete - Bangalore)

The ride back was on again the butter-smooth roads. This time I thought I would give a shot riding the X-pulse and boy was it fun riding it. Cruising at a decent pace of 70-80kmph, we cut through the well-laid smooth highway to reach Madhugiri. Here we had a “sting” off late it had become a custom to have one after a trek. Then we reached Dobbaspete, took a short break, and then reached our regular “Whity Dhaba” for some light lunch and drink. We spent about 2 hours at the Dhaba, relaxing, and then rode back to reach our homes.

TIME: 16:00

CONCLUSION:

“Excellent tea to kick start things, a yummy breakfast to set our energies, a great ride with captivating views all around to take us to our destination, then the whole process of the trek was relishing, then the butter smooth ride back – a day well spent! “

Until next time Cia \m/