Ganalu Falls Ride: Insane, Epic Monsoon Ride Challenge | Chapter 177 (Aug 21, 2019)

Place: Ganalu Falls & Shivanasamudra

Distance: 150 x 2 = 300km

Directions: Bangalore > Bidadi > Channpatna > Sathnur > Halagaru > Ganalu > Shivanasamudra

Krew: Chinmay (Big Show) > Ashok (Moms > Karthik (Sp)

Bikes: Pulsar > Enfield                                                                   

Previous Visit: Shivagange – Into the clouds

Budget: Rs 508/head

IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:                                                  

This was one crazy trip, the main highlight of the trip was the insane ride back in on of the heaviest rains seen on our road trips. Ganalu falls was in our radar since some years, but had never had manged to tick it off!

INTRO & PLAN:

With waters being released from KRS dam and rain showers every day in Bangalore, thought it had been quite some time since we did a ride in heavy rains. So with only one objective in mind – “to ride in heavy rains” we set ourselves. Chinmay & Moms were the two on confirmed list. So, with no concrete place in mind we decided to meet at Bidadi and then decide.

TIME: 22:00 (19/8/2019)

ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:

Yeah, I was up at 4AM, did a few push-ups & sit-ups. After a sip of coffee I left home towards Bidadi. This was 30km ride and boy Mysore road had changed a lot, but nevertheless had that charm it had since we first set foot on it back in 2009. Pulled over at Bidadi for some yummy breakfast.

TIME: 07:30

RIDE 1: (Bidadi – Kabbaladurga – Halguru – Ganalu Falls)

Once we finished our breakfast, we cruised along at a decent pace on Mysore road. Since it was a weekday, the traffic was somewhat less. After reaching Channpatna, we took the country roads towards Sathnur. The temperatures turned down, the air became pleasant and oxygen rich and greenery flooded both sides of the road pleasing our eyes. We slowed down enjoying every bit of the surroundings. It was not long before we spotted, or did we spot? We could see on outline of the mighty Kabbaladurga totally shrouded in mist. She looked somewhat mystic and scary at the same time. Saying a big hi to my favourite hillock, we took a 30mins break in the fields nearby.

We joined the Kanakpura road as we reached Sathnur and continued towards Halaguru. At Halaguru we pulled over at a bakery and bought some coffee chocolates, honey cake, jamoon, lolly-pop and you know why :P

     

Asking the locals for direction we deviated from the Kanakpura road and the off-roading began. Once the deviation to muthathi was past us, the ride turned into a really chilling one. We saw a board which said “You are entering forest premises” But no guards, the roads were muddy and filled with gravels and stones, the vegetation on either side started turning thicker and thicker, not a soul around. Finally we spotted the rocky stones and we knew we were at Ganalu falls in the middle of absolute wilderness.

TIME: 10:45

GANALU FALLS:

We were slightly disappointed and confused as to why there was not much water. But the place was just perfect, totally in the middle of the forest with no humans for kilometres together. We started making our way down the rocks. The descent was steep and on sharp edged rocks. Cautiously negotiating each step, we explored the place and found a nice place to sit and light some stuff.

We spent 1.5hours joking, laughing our asses off and remembering college days and various other incidents. Finally we decided to leave as it had begun to drizzle and we didn’t want to get stranded on the rocks in rain as we had left our shoes near the bike.

After reaching the bikes, we took off towards Shivanasumdra totally in goom mode.

SHIVANASAMUDRA:

Shivanasaudra consists of two falls Gaganachukki & Barachukki. As the waters were in full flow in both the falls, people were prohibited to go near the falls. Hence only see the falls, admire it and return was the plan. We covered both the falls in about an hour as we were totally afloat. We had some tomato masala, nippat masala, churmuri and cane juice as snacks as we had plans to eat Buyyondoddi Fish Dry. 

TIME:14:50

RIDE 2: (Shivanasamudra – Mallavalli – Sathnur – Channpatna – Bangalore)

This was the rain ride and the highlight of this chapter. As we left Barachukki we were still feeling afloat. About 15kms prior to Malavalli we witnessed a sight that got us thumping and pumping but at the same time sent chill down our spines. We were riding in sun and warm winds, ahead was thick, black clouds all over the sky. We knew it, we were in for some buffalo mode riding.

We pulled over at Malavali, with all thick clouds all above is and winds were chilling and icy cold. We put all our phones into a zip cover, called up the Buyyondaddi fish guy and asked him to keep 4-6 fishes aside and we looked at each other and we were set for the rain ride.

As we began the rain came down mercilessly, it was so heavy there were no bikes on road. We cruised along at a decent pace until a point where wind speeds also started picking up, now this was dangerous and we took a call to pull over for some time for some tea. The rain falling down in full speed on the asbestos sheet above was rattling our ears deaf. Had never seen such intensity of rains.

After some light tea, we took off and as we rode on once my shoe, socks and undies all had drenched in rain, there was nothing to lose all we could do was keep calm, ride and most importantly enjoy it after all that was the whole purpose of this chapter. 

Even though the rain intensified, we kept a decent pace of 60-70’s gliding through the blanket of falling waters from the skies. Such a joy it was! As we reached Sathnur the rains decreased. We pulled over infront of Kabbaladurga once again for a small breather. Called up the Fish guy and told him we would not be able to make it and promised him a return soon.

We decided to re-join Mysore road as it was the safe option considering the on setting darkness. We re-joined back at Channpatna and pulled over for a second tea stop as we had skipped lunch.

Ride back from Channpatna was descent, as we approached Bangalore, we took the NICE road and exited near College and stood there was 15-20mins still shivering from the cold but what a great feeling it was.

TIME: 19:30

The TWO incidents :

As I reached back home, camera had stopped functioning. I realised at Channpatna I had taken out the camera and put it my waterproof jackets pocket and then forgot to close the zip of the pocket :P. Kept the camera in a bag of rice and sealed it tight. And lo behold, on the next day morning it was working fine. Chinmay had lost his ring, and we didn’t know when and where, the rain ride had kept us focussed and it was quite disappointing. Once he reached home, he also found the ring in his pocket which we had searched earlier.

Sometimes everything just sets right by itself. It was quite strange two incidents I thought worth mentioning. Guess the rains were happy with us withstanding their onslaught.

Until next time, Cia \m/

⬅️ 176. Shivagange Trek 178. Gundal dam ➡️

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Shivagange Trek: Slippery Ascent Into the Clouds & Fog | Chapter 176 (Aug 7, 2019)

Place: Shivagange (Shivaganga) Trek

Distance: 60 x 2 = 120km

Directions: Bangalore > Nelamangala > Shivagange

Krew: Chinmay (Big Show) > Datta (Daattu) > Ashok (Moms > Karthik (Sp)

Bikes: Pulsar > Enfield                                                                   

Previous Visit: Ratnagiri Fort Trek

Budget: Rs 337/head

Our latest 2025 trip: Shivagange - Foggy steps.

IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:

This had to be one of the craziest rain treks done. We had almost turned down the plan and were about to return back, but then decided to begin the climb and pulled this one off. With foggy winds all around and drizzle throughout, it made climbing up and down, quite risky and challenging. But treating every step with importance we pulled this one off. A great chapter to be cherished for some years to come!

INTRO & PLAN:

The last visit to this place was very significant with Deefu. So decided to climb this hillock during monsoon. Dattu was in China and we were awaiting his return. Once he returned asked him, once he confirmed, Momz and Chinamy as well did. So with a crew of 4 people, we were set. Plan was simple, Go > Climb up > Come down > Come back.

TIME: 22:00 (6/8/2019)

ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:

Yeah I was up at 04:30 sharp, had begun running for 4km everyday and was in good shape. As the meet up was scheduled at kamdhenu hotel, I left my home picked up Dattu and begun our ride towards Kamadhenu.

TIME: 07:00

RIDE 1: (Bangalore- Nelamangala – Dobbaspete - Shivagange)

This was a 60kms ride, on the smooth highway of Tumkur road. But this time it was quite different, it began to rain in the morning itself, it was something new. The rains were not so heavy but we had to slow down. After reaching the hotel, Chinmay and Momz joined in a few minutes and we started a light tasty breakfast.

TIME: 07:45

After the breakfast, we rode back a few meters and took a right deviation and the rain really intensified here. We could see peacocks dancing and flying around in the rain, it was a beautiful sight. But the rains were quite worrying. Shivagange has steps throughout, but it is on a rock face and rains and rock faces don’t go very well. We entered the town and parked our bikes near a bakery near the base of hillock and the rains really intensified.

    

The Dilemma & 2 hours wait:

Okay, as the rain intensified, the bakery people warned us not to attempt the summit that day as it would be very dangerous. Also they told the monkeys turned rogue and snatched away 10,000rupees from a tourist the day before. I asked if all were okay to cancel the plan and return back some other day or take our chance, wait for few hours and go ahead and climb. When all said lets push it and finish it, we waited for about 2 hours and once the rain had turned into drizzle, with somewhat shaky thoughts we began our trek.

TIME: 10:00

SHIVAGANGE TREK:

As far as the trek goes, this has to be one of the craziest treks done till date. The fog, the strong winds, the rains made the trek quite challenging and different. We really enjoyed the change we experienced during the trek. And guess what, it took 1hour to climb to the top inspite of all the resistances. I guess we were not slow after all, but that is not the point, we took our time and enjoyed the trek. Like always, I have divided the trek into the following sections:

i) Initial stretch

ii) Battle Monkey Stretch

iii) Final Stretch

So, what do you think. Try to keep up with me, here all!

i) Initial Stretch:

So the trek begun and as be began to gain altitude, a cloud came cruising in and made the view of the base land disappear. And the hillock as such was shrouded in misty clouds as well. So we were basically entering into a cloud and it was quite an experience. The terrain was easy to start off, there is steps throughout. None of the shops were opened owing to the weather. As we reached the Shiva & Parvathi statue the initial stretch came to an end.

ii) Battle Monkey Stretch:

Okay, this stretch was totally covered with mist and we could hardly see 5-7 steps ahead of us. And this was the place we had got attacked by the monkeys. So told everybody to pick up and stick and no matter what, not to freak out and try to run incase the monkeys start an attack. But fortunately for us on that day all monkeys were fast asleep in the cold and misty weather. But nevertheless we kept our guard up and ascended the steep steps with caution.

iii) Final stretch:

In the final stretch, the steps get real tricky and narrow. You have to climb cross-foot and its quite fun. The weather had not faded and the mist of intensifying with every step we took. Once we spotted the Nandi, I was actually surprised we had made it to the top.

TIME: 11:00

TOP:

The Nandi statue looked so mystifying this time, covered with a blanket of mist he sat peacefully. As we reached the top, the wind speed hit the roof and we were being dragged around. It was too intense, but step by step taking cover amidst the boulders we visited the Shanthala drop and sat near a boulder just admiring the beautiful weather. Never had we experienced such a trek off-late. Then moving near the stupa (pillar) proved to be real challenge amidst the harsh winds. Just the act of standing was a challenge trust me. After spending about 30mins at the top, we decided to venture down.

TIME: 11:30

   

TREK DOWN:

The climb down was actually smooth, but one wrong footing would have ensured a bad day. The steps were slippery and we had to doubly cautious while descending. As we began our descent, the gang of monkeys were all set to attack us. But then remembering Deefu’s trick, we went on hitting the railings and rocks with a stick and none of them dared to attack us. Momz amazed by the trick said “Deefu has told you WHAT to do, now I shall explain WHY it works?”  All ears were on momz as he took some while before the next statement came out of his mouth. Momz continued “once you start hitting the stick to the railings and rocks, the monkeys think you are blind person trying to climb the hillock and forgive you :P” All of us burst into laughter, and the monkeys kept staring at us wondering what happened. Slowly but steadily we descended, as the rain began to intensify. We made to the bakery and had some light tea, thanked the bakery people for holding onto our helmets and we took off.

We pulled over at a field near by for some stuff stop. We sat in circle amidst the grass fields, floating away in our heads, we admired the mighty Shivagange covered in mist. Simply beautiful she looked. As we felt at ease and slightly afloat, the hunger began to kick in and it was time for some dhaba lunch.

TIME: 14:00

RIDE 2: (Shivagange – Nelamangala – Bangalore)

As far as the ride back goes, it was smooth ride. As we reached Nelamangala, we were surprised that Chandu Dhaba was demolished. But we spotted another Dhaba – Whitty Dhaba next to it. And boy was it a good find!

TIME: 14:30

After spending about an hour at the dhaba afloat and lot of laughter we had traditional rasam to settle down. And we rode back smooth, Chinmay and Moms headed back towards BEL. I dropped Dattu off at this home and reached my home safe to open my pigeon canteen :)

TIME: 16:00

Guys do remember, water is an option but a stick in your hand is a must. And never let your guard down and remove your wallet, camera without looking around!

Until next time, Cheers \m/

MAPS:

ALL PHOTOS:

⬅️ 175. Ratnagiri fort 177. Ganalu falls, Shivanasamudra ➡️

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Huthridurga Trek: Easy Navadurga Climb to the Face Rock Illusion | Chapter 163 (Dec 1, 2018)

Place: Huthridurga trek

Distance: 100kms x 2 = 200kms

Directions: Bangalore > Bidadi > Ramnagara > Jalamangala > Huthridurga

Krew: Datta (Dattu) > Ashok (Momz) > Madhu(Howle) > Karthik (Sippy)

Bikes: Enfield > Pulsar                                                                   

Previous Visit: Kodachadri & Kavaledurga Trek

Budget: Rs 250/head

IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:

Alright, hey there, this was a short and sweet trip to wind up, what I must say a lousy 2018. Huthridurga is one of the Navadrugas which surround Bangalore and is one of the most easiest to climb, but hey it’s tricky as well. Known for the great escape of James Bristow post the 1758 peace treaty, this fort hill is deceitful and hence a pleasure to climb.

INTRO & PLAN:

Since 2018 was already limping, I decided to close off well by going to a nearby place which would offer a decent climb. Huthridurga was the place of choice. The crew on board were Dattu, Ashok & Madhu.

TIME: 23:00 (30/11/2018)

ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:

Yeah I was up at 04:30, did a few push ups & situps, had a cup of coffee and called others and woke them up as well by 5:30. Picked up Maddhu from his home and we headed towards Mysore road as the meet up was scheduled at the Decathlon on Mysore road. Ashok and Momz arrived at about 7AM as per schedule as usual wearing gleaming smiles.

TIME: 07:00

RIDE 1: (Bangalore– Bidadi – Ramnagara – Jalamangala - Huthridurga)

This was about a 100km ride on the Mysore road. Finding the place turned out be a little tricky as it had been some years since we had roamed around these lands. Okay as we left Bangalore and as it was a Saturday, the road was flooded with traffic. We cruised at a peaceful pace and pulled over at our regular hotel on Mysore road for some yummy breakfast.

TIME: 07:30

During the breakfast it was fun catching up with Dattu and Modhu. Dattu had returned from Hongkong few days back and had some crazy stories (if you know what I mean :P)

And momz as usual was picking on Madhu making him a character in all of the jokes and pulling his leg pretty bad.  After the breakfast we continued further to reach Ramnagara.

    

After reaching Ramnagara, we missed the first turn itself and ended up on a whole new route. Asking the localities for direction, we made onto a surprisingly freshly laid country road with almost zero people on it. It was a fantastic and peaceful ride.  We pulled over at a bakery near the foothills, bought a water bottle and some cream buns – one of the best things for a day’s hike.

TIME: 09:30

HUTRIDURGA TREK:

It took us about an 45mins to reach the top. The climb was easy and we spent more time exploring the place and the top of the fort.  Like always, have divided the trek into the following section, hope you enjoy reading it!

i) Initial path way

ii) Rocky terrain

ii) Grasslands on top!

iv) Face Rock

Alright, the sun was up, skies were clear, the air was cool, what else was missing, oh yeah the GOAT within us. Awaking the spirit, we were all set for the climb.

     

i) Initial stretch:

The initial stretch consists of lot of gate ways and twists and some plain bare climb on the rock phase. But this part of the stretch take around 10-15mins and would be one the most thrilling parts of the climb. The first fort wall which had tricked us pretty bad during our first visit was a puzzle given to Dattu and Momz as it was their first time at this place.

ii) Rocky Terrain:

After passing through the gates, it opens up into a somewhat barren rock surface. Steps are now carved clearly suggesting the direction to be heading towards. The scenery of the surroundings begins to lift up from this point on.

    

iii) Final Grasslands

As you begin to reach the top, the grass keeps getting thicker and higher and at one point you will not be able to see the person in front. Finally there are two spots you can head on top. One is the Shiva temple which is the actual top and conclusion of the trek and then there is the what we have called “Face Rock”

iv) Face Rock

Last time we had visited the Shiva temple on top and quickly descended without exploring much. This time we decided to explore the top a little more. ( just a little not too much)

As we proceeded further, we found some old cave routes, dried up grass lands – where we started imitating WWF starts (not E – always from the Attitude Era), finally we ended up on a parallel top.

TIME: 10:30

TOP:

Cool winds greeted us at the top. It was steep rock face, so yeah we couldn’t get lazy or too drowsy. We started munching on the cream bun and had some water. As we stared down the fort hill into the lands below enjoying the view, something weird caught us. The face of the rock hill adjacent to us actually looked like a face made up of rock. I mean weird teeth, strange eyes – perfect clustering illusion :P Resting for about 30-40mins on top we decided call Deefu and asked him if he was free to meet us all at White Horse.

TIME: 11:00

    

CLIMB DOWN:

The climb down was a smooth one. We hardly took any breaks, but we did meet a group of people making their way to the top guided by a person. Saying hi to all of them we continued on at a smooth pace to reach the base. An emergency came up and Madhu had to return home early. Hence we called up Deefu again and asked if he could pick me from the Magadi road. T

TIME: 11:30

RIDE 2: (Huthridurga – Magadi - Bangalore)

Yeah the route we took back was via Magadi road. The roads are narrower but tickled our memories of us visiting the TG reservoir with our lunch boxes during engineering days about 9 years back. I hopped onto Deefu’s bike and told Madhu I’d collect my bike from him latter in the evening.

TIME: 12:30

Stayed at WH until 9PM, met Madhu, collected my bike and decided to close our innings for 2018. 2019 – I want you to be different!! NO WAIT, I will make sure you are different!

Until next time, Cya! \m/

PICASA ALBUM:

MAPS:

⬅️ 162. Kodachadri and Kavaledurga Trek 164. Kabbe hills Trek ➡️

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