SubscribeFor information on how to get there and what to expect check out "Skandagiri on wknd.in"
Overall it was a good experience thanks to Som for searching the net.
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| Skanda Giri |
Showing posts with label bangalore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bangalore. Show all posts
Skandagiri - Night trek
Skandagiri is situated 70kms from Bengaluru and is a popular night trek spot. Its been referred to as a place to go to walk on the clouds. Its also known as Kalavara halli betta.
For information on how to get there and what to expect check out "Skandagiri on wknd.in"
Overall it was a good experience thanks to Som for searching the net.
For information on how to get there and what to expect check out "Skandagiri on wknd.in"
Overall it was a good experience thanks to Som for searching the net.
Jog Falls, Worlds 7th largest
I was helping Som, to reach Bengaluru early from his scheduled Mangalore trip and ended up having a new itinerary and I also joined the trip. Plan was to visit Jog Falls via Shimoga and then visit Murdeshwar via Sharavathy valley and then take a train to Udupi along green route on Konkan railway. It was ambitious, packed and I was keeping my fingers crossed.
Trip started on a disastrous note. It was raining cats and dogs on Thursday night and there huge were traffic jams everywhere. Ended up walking 3-4 kilo meters to the railway station and thankfully train was delayed and we reached just in time. Wonder how many missed train,bus.. What about people planning to travel with kids? How many would venture to travel out after this kind of experience. There are hardly any sign of improvement in the condition of infrastructure in Bangalore.
We had booked First Class AC as that was the only available category. This was the first time I travelled in 1AC. Seat/Bed/Berth was certainly more comfortable and surprisingly there is socket for charging laptop with 110V and US type socket. Also there is a rest room status indicator in every cabin. Cabin can contain 2 or 4 berths. After the long run I did not feel the cold but was hungry at midnight along with body pain. The train does not have pantry car. Reached Shimoga at 6:20 AM with a cloudy weather. Car we had booked was waiting for us. |
| Elephants at the entrance of Aghoreshwara Temple, From Jog Falls |
We had a packed schedule and there was only one our to get ready and have breakfast. Coloured hot water came out of taps for taking bath. I convinced Som that the colour was due to the fact that locals treated the water with herbs to make it soft and usable. He realized I was joking only when he was explaining it to Santosh and I told him the truth, which was well after the trip. We got into the car at 8:15 AM to see Jog falls. We quickly paid a visit to Aghoreshvara temple and then rushed to Jog falls, worried that heavy rains can potentially spoil the fun of watching falls. All along the road we were greeted with green cover on both the sides and cool climate. To add some difference to the ambience every now then there were breif drizzles and children marching on with the flags celebrating independence day. Looking at those children we got nostalgic and regurgitated memories of independence day celebration we were part of as kids!
On the way we went past the now closed railway tracks of only "Rail bus" in the world. It had only two carriages and one would buy ticket once you got into the train. There used to be a conductor moving around issuing tickets on the way! Amidst all the talking we reached mist covered Jog Falls. There were hundreds waiting for the mist to clear up as falls played hide and seek behind. Little a bit of waiting and we got glimpse for few minutes with people cheering around and hordes of photographers who were waiting for this minute so that they can have somebody to take an instant photograph with falls on the backdrop. It was precious business time for them. |
| Raja, Roarer, Rocket, Rani From Jog Falls |
After having some hot Maggi Noodles at a small shack in tourists complex, we visited other view point below travellers bungalow. One can go really close to the mouth of Raja, one of the 4 falls from here. After some diligent walking we reached the mouth and took some good photographs.
From here the next stop was Murdeshwar through Sharavathy valley. Its a treat to drive through this valley. Even at 2:00 PM it was covered with mist. Atmosphere was cold but not chilling. There are numerous baby falls, view points and zeals on the way with forest on both sides of the road. Traffic is low and as it is ghat section one can slowly move, looking at the surroundings. |
| Fog covered Sharavathy Valley From Jog Falls |
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| Murdeshwar Beach From Jog Falls |
We had our lunch at Honnavar and reached Murdeshwar around 4:00 PM as planned. We spent some time at park with Shiva statues with cool breeze passing by. Visited the temple and then went to the beach and touched the chilling water! It was so good, long time since I went to a beach during monsoon.
There were already people thinking of settling down there, but for we had a train to catch at 6:30 PM. Reached Udupi around 9:00 PM by Madgaon Passenger of Konkan Railway which is one of the beutiful routes to travel on. That was end of the trip for me, but for Som&Jayeeta there were more places to be covered before they started to bangalore on Sunday afternoon from Mangalore.
How to reach
We took Shimoga express which leaves bangalore at 11:40 PM and reaches Shimoga Town at 6:00 AM in morning next day. Note that there are two stations Shimog town and Shimoga, later is a deserted station with hardly any amenities. Make sure you get down at Shimoga town station which is well connected and easily one can get Auto or a Taxi. There will also be Buses to Sagar from here and one can catch a bus to Jog from Sagar. We had booked a car which took us around and dropped at Murdeshwar via Honnavar on NH 206. From Honnavar one can travel north and go to Gokarna, Karwar, Goa etc.
Where to stay
Sagar is ideal place to stay but as there are really few hotes it is very tough to get accomodation during monsoon. Check out the link to notes for phone numbers. We stayed at Mathura residency in Shimoga just enough amenieties to freshen up and have breakfast.
What to see
- Tyavarekoppa lion safari - A few kilometers from Shimoga on the way to Jog falls.
- Ikkeri - 4 kms from Sagar has Aghoreshwara Temple built 500 years back with carvings on the outerwalls. Supposed to built in Vijayanagara Style architecture built by Keladi Nayakas Though I saw royal emblem of Hoysala among temple carvings style distinct from other Hoysala Temples. The main diety of Shiva with 32 hands was 300 hundred years back and is placed outside the temple. The existing "Shivalingam" along with "Nandi" was installed 200 years back. Preist told that In India one can rarely see a temple platform so high from the ground. There is small Akhilandeshwari temple is next to this temple.
- Keladi - Though we could not visit due to lack of time and bad raods, its worth visiting if you want to see some more ornately built temple. Its 25 km away from Sagar.
- Singdhur Choudeshwari temple - Around 10-15 km from Sagar and Situated on a island fully covered with forest. Supposed to have very scenic view and one has to catch a ferry to reach the temple. Our driver emphasized about the ferry ride than the temple. We could not visit this place.
- Jog Falls - Has 2 main view points. From the first one can see all the four falls Raja, Roarer , Rocket and Rani. One can also trek down and see the falls from bottom, but not during the monsoon as it is not allowed. Other view point is below the travellers bunglow and if the water is low one can up till the mouth of Raja and also hear roaring sound made by Roarer. Side view of othere 2 falls is also very good from this view point.
- Sharavathy Valley - NH 206 passes through the valley and there numerous small falls and zeals on the way. There are also couple of elavated view points watch the valley.
- Murdeshwar - is on the beach with Shiva Temple and statue park.
Yercaud
Visited Yercaud on 19th and 20th of July. After the Yelagiri experience I had convinced myself to not to set too high expectations. Especially considering that we were visiting during off-season. But did not repent on Som's choice. Yercaud situated on Shevroy hills close to Salem is approximately 1500 ft above sea level. We started by 7:00 AM and managed to reach around 12:30 PM despite taking multiple breaks.
We could not manage a home stay as we always do. But after checking out couple of options and nice south Indian meal settled for recently opened small lodging place.
After small nap moved to see Botanical Garden maintained by Botanical Survey of India. To our disappointment it was closed on all Saturday and Sunday. I had read that it is closed on Sunday and we wanted to check this out first so that we wont miss it. I was very eager to see insect eating plants. It also boasts a third largest orachidarium in India. Next we visited Pagoda Point, Ladies Seat, Gents Seat. Best part was the hot Bajjis available almost all the places. Bajjis with onion rings spread on them and masala powder sprinkled tasted awesome with instant chutney made out of curry powder and oil. That was the best part of this trip! We had Chilli Bajji( Shimla Mirch or Muluga in the local lingo) and banana bajji(made out of raw bananas). Every point is accessible from the centrer, big lake.
We spent the evening discussing about the upcoming confidence vote and things to do next day. Had a nice dinner at Star Holidays full of Dosa and Parotha. Looked like we were the first ones to get up early based on the vehicles outside our lodging place. First we visited the Kiliyur falls. The road is narrow and there is a watching point after 3 km travel. There was a small well laid road next to the watching point there was also a small sign indicating no vehicles on that road. But that looked as if vandals had put that sign. We ignored that sign and took that road only to repent later on. The road was narrow, has sharp turns and at point really long slope. We had to struggle to come up that slope. There was very little room at the end of the slope to take a U turn. From the place we parked the vehicle it was around km trek to the falls. It was not worth the anxiety we had gone through thinking about going back. May be we had parked the vehicle at watch point we would have enjoyed falls better.
Next stop was Rose garden it was a treat and I managed few of my best macro photographs. Then we went for a boating ride, dont know why they charge 10 bucks for the camera during boat ride. Had some more Bajjis and skipped the dear park, Anna park, aqurium rtc. It was time to start to go back home.
For information on How to get there and Things to see check out "Yercaud on wknd.in"
Things to Do :
There lot of options for stay and food for every budget. We ate south Indian food. But there are a number of multi cuisine restaurants. For a simple south indian meal go to Star Holiday. Lake forest has European options.
We could not manage a home stay as we always do. But after checking out couple of options and nice south Indian meal settled for recently opened small lodging place.
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| From Yercaud |
After small nap moved to see Botanical Garden maintained by Botanical Survey of India. To our disappointment it was closed on all Saturday and Sunday. I had read that it is closed on Sunday and we wanted to check this out first so that we wont miss it. I was very eager to see insect eating plants. It also boasts a third largest orachidarium in India. Next we visited Pagoda Point, Ladies Seat, Gents Seat. Best part was the hot Bajjis available almost all the places. Bajjis with onion rings spread on them and masala powder sprinkled tasted awesome with instant chutney made out of curry powder and oil. That was the best part of this trip! We had Chilli Bajji( Shimla Mirch or Muluga in the local lingo) and banana bajji(made out of raw bananas). Every point is accessible from the centrer, big lake.
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| From Yercaud |
We spent the evening discussing about the upcoming confidence vote and things to do next day. Had a nice dinner at Star Holidays full of Dosa and Parotha. Looked like we were the first ones to get up early based on the vehicles outside our lodging place. First we visited the Kiliyur falls. The road is narrow and there is a watching point after 3 km travel. There was a small well laid road next to the watching point there was also a small sign indicating no vehicles on that road. But that looked as if vandals had put that sign. We ignored that sign and took that road only to repent later on. The road was narrow, has sharp turns and at point really long slope. We had to struggle to come up that slope. There was very little room at the end of the slope to take a U turn. From the place we parked the vehicle it was around km trek to the falls. It was not worth the anxiety we had gone through thinking about going back. May be we had parked the vehicle at watch point we would have enjoyed falls better.
Next stop was Rose garden it was a treat and I managed few of my best macro photographs. Then we went for a boating ride, dont know why they charge 10 bucks for the camera during boat ride. Had some more Bajjis and skipped the dear park, Anna park, aqurium rtc. It was time to start to go back home.
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| From Yercaud |
For information on How to get there and Things to see check out "Yercaud on wknd.in"
Things to Do :
- Take a boat ride on the lake. One has the option to choose peddle or row boat. Make sure you have the energy peddle for 1/2 an hour before you take one.
- To reach Killiyur falls one has to trek around 1 km in uneasy terrains.
- In the morning go birding at Rose garden. Its larger than expected and saw many birds and herd chirping of the birds.
- 52 weekend gateways by Outlook suggests going for night walk to ladies and watching mettur dam from the telescope available there. Avaialability of telescope might be based on your luck !
There lot of options for stay and food for every budget. We ate south Indian food. But there are a number of multi cuisine restaurants. For a simple south indian meal go to Star Holiday. Lake forest has European options.
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| Yercaud |
Yelagiri - The Cardmom hills
This was another of the plans which was planned a while back but did not realize. We were hesitant will it be good ? Are we going to like it ? It may be hot or it may not be. There were many reviews varying in opinion on the net. Finally I and Prem decided to give it a try due to alluring trek to Swamimalai in the vee hours. Prem was determined to drive on good roads! This was the option which was nearest. 6th April 2:00 PM we set off to Yelagiri from Koramangala.
After wading through the busy traffic to electronic city, we were greeted with refreshing winds on good roads with scarce traffic. We cruised along, enjoying the scenic views and occasionally cursing the drivers who did not follow the lane discipline.We took breaks at Krishnagiri and just before the winding roads to Yelagiri. We were little early and started climbing the hairpin bends close to 5pm. After 10th hairpin bend we found a place to park the car and enjoy the view.
So far it was going as per the plan and we reached Yelagiri around 5:45 and our plan was to get a place to stay then go to the boat club. We got attracted by the posters of Rhythms resort which offered a lake view and followed the directions. Only to find that it will be ready for occupation in another 10 days. That was just the beginning of search. Some people told us there was accommodation available and then retracted and some told us it was not there and then showed us some not so good rooms for exorbitant prices and some right way told that is not available. So we set off to Rainbow Resort. We traveled along the not so motor able roads in the interiors. We thought we lost it .. then again asked for directions and some how we managed to find it after couple times moving back and forth. The first guy out there showed us a nice room which can accommodate 4 people easily. As we were just two we were not too convinced to take that. Soon arrived Mr. Bernard aka Rajesh and offered us to show some dingy rooms for a lesser price. We saw those rooms and found it bright and manageable for a night. Only to realize that there was no fan(which was not a problem due to cool breeze) no tiles on floor and no wash basin either.
Rajesh talked about his past, his farm over a cup of coffee we were having in the vast open space infornt of our rooms. We were told that there will be a night trek and party all night with bonefire and music. It was then I recalled the reviews read on mouthshut.com about the resort. But then it had happend and this was the only guy who could give us accommodation with a "smile", "hospitality" and lots of talking about stuff all around the globe.
We spent the evening with the pretty costly drink Rajesh managed to get and discussing the possible reason for bumble bees getting attracted towards tube light. There was no conclusion to discussion with too many possibilities coming out. There was also discussion if were right on rushing through the night on our coorg trip. In the night we ate homely food with rasam being truly relished and then we walked to take some clicks of the moon. Disappointed with the cancellation of night trek we slept waiting for the morning trek. The weather was cool in the night and it got colder towards morning.
Next morning some how managed to get up at 5:15 AM, and started off to Swamimalai at 5:45. We reached the place around 6:15 but we were late and the sun was already coming out. We parked vehicle near temple and hired a guide who fell upon us and we were not able to decline.
Though the guide was pretty old, he was much faster than us. Path was clearly visible and through out there was steps. Here and there we stopped for watching the birds. Guide was very enthusiastic about showing us the bee hives("Thena" in Tamil) and digging by bears("Karadi" in Tamil). Though initially he had told us that there were bears, we understood that only after seeing the digging. This discovery made me wonder what will happen if a sloth bear suddenly emerges out of the dense bushes flanking our path! There were plenty of bul buls and we sighted paradise fly catcher too. We were torn between watching the birds , finishing the trek before sun becomes too harsh and then there was the hunger factor. On the way were worried not to see anybody else trekking on the way. After nearly an hours trek we reached the top. On the top there is temple and plateau to to watch the the surroundings. One has to climb to the plateu using the shaky iron ladder. I guess the view would have been much better just after monsoon or as Rajesh said Jan/Dec when there is sesame flower bloom in the fields below the hills.
After spending couple of minutes on the plateau we started climbing down. Half way through we started meeting other trekkers. Though it was not an Olympic race we were rejoiced to know that we were the first to reach the peak that day. Also there was a doubt in the mind if we had really climbed Swami-Malai or some other peak, all that was put to rest by the inflow of the people. When we reached temple where we had parked our vehicle, only thing that was on our mind was breakfast. Based on the suggestion of driver of the tourist vehicle behind us, we went Hotel Hills and were disappointed by the food. We thought we will have coffee at another place and reached Hotel Yelagiri. Yet again we were disappointed know there was no coffee available there.After making couple of STD calls we were back at the resort.
At the resort Rajesh gave us directions to find the guide (Thatha) who will take us around the forest. It was a eucalyptus forest devoid of animals and birds. But it was dense all around with thorny bushes.We had a pleasant walk with almost next to silence under the shades occasionally meeting bunch of children who were collecting dry woods. Only thing that was making noise was our foot steps.
Back from the walk we took bath and some simple homely lunch. Then we were back on the track to Bangalore.
For those planning to visit
To find how to go and what to see check out "Yelagiri on wknd.in"
When to go ?
Though Outlook traveller suggests that its all around the year, I would say its best after the monsoon and till may be Jan. If you are going after Jan plan such that you reach the place in the evening and do all the activities in the next day morning and you can leave before the sun gets hot in the afternoon. There is cool breeze in the evening and it gets colder by the night. We slept without the fan and started feeling cold around morning. Afternoons can be hot during the months Feb to Apr. Post monsoons it is supposed very pleasant climate. Compared to Ooty(1858 m) , Kodaikanal(2089m) and Yercaud(1500 m), Yelagiri is situated 1410 m above sea level.
Stay and Food
Though we were visiting their on off season period, almost everybody turned us down for the accommodation. Then if you see the search the net lot of complaining about accommodation too. There is Hotel Yelagiri, Nigress, Hotel Hills and Sterling Resorts. Most of these also have their own restaurant. It is advisable to book in advance. When were searching for stay, some initially said rooms available then backtracked or some said no and then showed us pricey options which not worth that much money. If you are planning a early morning trek to Swami-Malai, ONila might be the closest. Then there was Rythms supposed to open in couple of weeks, offers a lake view. There are also home stay options, if you inquire at the shops or STD booths you can easily find one.
We stayed at Rainbow Resort in a room with limited facilities surrounded by forest and enjoyed the stay thanks to a walk through woods in the morning (The resort also also provides rooms with more facilities). The food served though simple was much better than we tasted else where in Yelagiri. We always had Rajesh to talk about this and that and always smiling at your help resort staff.
Outlook Traveller recommends Hotel Diana at Hotel Hills as the best option for food, but we did not like the breakfast and it was not worth the price as well. The food at Hotel Yelagiri was better but there was no coffee/tea served on that day. To sum it up be prepared for food or stay not matching your expectations if you are not lucky.
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| Yelagiri |
Bannerghatta Buttterfly Park - An afternoon with winged jewels
Inspired by the last trip to Hogenkkal I along with Som and Prem were eager to go out on a short trip during the weekend. Due to the Cauvery issue we had limited options. As usual lot of there were lot of discussion around the possibilities of visiting a place which can be covered in a day and is not on the mysore road or Hassan road. (May be we love to discuss, discuss and discuss )Options boiled down to Anthara Gange, Devarayana Durga and Butterfly park. As Som had personal work, I and Prem decided to visit the Butterfly Park.
As we had started off pretty late in the day(11:45 AM) we were expecting very less traffic on the Bannerghatta Road. To our surprise Bannerghatta road was another airport traffic junction(before the flyover thing happened) in the making. Or rather surprises make the trip better ? Listening to the traffic signal music concerts (pom pom, honk honk) we moved slowly till the Meenakshi temple (?) After that we had less crowded and better roads. Talking about jungle surrounded by concrete jungles and the animals visiting the villages we reached BNP at around 12:30 PM.
Butterfly park is an initiative of National Bioresources Development Board and Department of Biotechnology (GOI) and was inaugurated in November 2006. The number of visitors is far less though we reached the park at 12:30 we were the only people inside for quite a some time. At any given point of time you will not find more than 10 people. Most of the people have a quick walk and take snaps standing on the small bridge over the artificial stream of water. On its way to becoming Patel's Point of BNP ? Hardly one or two will be taking snaps with patience! Or may be we went at the wrong time ? Jakub Jasinski in his article Get the most from your butterfly hunt says that early morning is the best time to visit. This is when you will find butterflies sitting. Otherwise it is hard to find a butterfly which is not moving unless it is mating. We managed to find 3 such pairs and capture photographs. But I had come to know the butterflies were mating only after another person clicking the photographs pointed at one pair. I was suspicious that they might be planted ones like the flowers they have planted for butterflies to sit and pose for the photographs. Suspicion arose as 99% of the butterflies were moving and hardly one or two were sitting ! After sometime I visited the same spot again to make sure that they were alive and left the place.
The Butterfly Park has a display area with facts about butterfly, specimen and kiosks with puzzle. A 20 minute documentary about butterflies is also shown. I felt that it would have been better if we had watched video before chasing the butterflies. Its very informative, more than the variety of butterflies that can be seen, one should visit for information on butterflies.
We ended visit with a grand safari in the sanctuary. When we are about to leave couple of people were asking us as can they take the car inside and watch the butterflies from car ? Were they looking for carnivorous giant butterflies ? No wonder number of people visiting the park is less. Certainly butterfly park can not be taken on the lines of tiger and lion safari ...
Visitor Information
Where : Just before entrance for the safari on the tar road along the car parking area at Bannerghatta National Park. BNP is 20km from bannerghatta road flyover in BTM/Jayanagar.
When : 10 :00 AM to 5:00 PM except for Tuesdays. As the sun hots up, butterflies will be very active. Its better go when its not so hot.
As we had started off pretty late in the day(11:45 AM) we were expecting very less traffic on the Bannerghatta Road. To our surprise Bannerghatta road was another airport traffic junction(before the flyover thing happened) in the making. Or rather surprises make the trip better ? Listening to the traffic signal music concerts (pom pom, honk honk) we moved slowly till the Meenakshi temple (?) After that we had less crowded and better roads. Talking about jungle surrounded by concrete jungles and the animals visiting the villages we reached BNP at around 12:30 PM.
Butterfly park is an initiative of National Bioresources Development Board and Department of Biotechnology (GOI) and was inaugurated in November 2006. The number of visitors is far less though we reached the park at 12:30 we were the only people inside for quite a some time. At any given point of time you will not find more than 10 people. Most of the people have a quick walk and take snaps standing on the small bridge over the artificial stream of water. On its way to becoming Patel's Point of BNP ? Hardly one or two will be taking snaps with patience! Or may be we went at the wrong time ? Jakub Jasinski in his article Get the most from your butterfly hunt says that early morning is the best time to visit. This is when you will find butterflies sitting. Otherwise it is hard to find a butterfly which is not moving unless it is mating. We managed to find 3 such pairs and capture photographs. But I had come to know the butterflies were mating only after another person clicking the photographs pointed at one pair. I was suspicious that they might be planted ones like the flowers they have planted for butterflies to sit and pose for the photographs. Suspicion arose as 99% of the butterflies were moving and hardly one or two were sitting ! After sometime I visited the same spot again to make sure that they were alive and left the place.
The Butterfly Park has a display area with facts about butterfly, specimen and kiosks with puzzle. A 20 minute documentary about butterflies is also shown. I felt that it would have been better if we had watched video before chasing the butterflies. Its very informative, more than the variety of butterflies that can be seen, one should visit for information on butterflies.
We ended visit with a grand safari in the sanctuary. When we are about to leave couple of people were asking us as can they take the car inside and watch the butterflies from car ? Were they looking for carnivorous giant butterflies ? No wonder number of people visiting the park is less. Certainly butterfly park can not be taken on the lines of tiger and lion safari ...
Visitor Information
Where : Just before entrance for the safari on the tar road along the car parking area at Bannerghatta National Park. BNP is 20km from bannerghatta road flyover in BTM/Jayanagar.
When : 10 :00 AM to 5:00 PM except for Tuesdays. As the sun hots up, butterflies will be very active. Its better go when its not so hot.
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