Story of 5 Bullets and a Pulsar – Bangalore to Yercaud to Munnar & Back

(Guest posted by Sai.. Great post man !!)

“Sun Soaked Departure – Rain Lashed Arrival”

Any trip log starts with the description of an ‘itch for a ride’ reason. So, lets go ahead and say that a bunch of bikers/wannabes wanted to ride and ride long.

[image above: the team]

Introducing the riders (from right to left)
1) Kamlesh aka ‘Sherpa Kamli’ –> the snow trekker –> Bullet 350 (Standard)
2) Guru aka ‘Guru bhai’ –> ice cool biker –> Bullet Machismo 500
3) Sai aka ?? –> Pulsar 180 (UG3)
4) Nasir aka ‘Nazi bhai’ –> team photographer, fog clearer, super entertainer, official account keeper (MBA works!!) –> Pillion on Kallu’s bike
5) Joe aka ‘Joe Rocket’ –> globe trotting navy man –> Bullet 350 (Electra)
6) Calvin aka ‘Kallu mama’ –> true dreamer (the one responsible for all 7 of us in the above frame) –> Bullet 350 (Electra) (getting a pillion who does not happen to be your girlfriend is a true achievement … its friendship … hats off to you)
7) Sumesh aka ‘somer sault man’ –> official timekeeper –> Bullet 350 (Electra 5S)

Very Scenic Mullayanagiri to Baba Budangiri Hills Trek, Karnataka

[Image above: Trail from Mullayanagiri to Baba Budan Giri (located near distant mobile tower seen above)]

Mullayanagiri is part of the the Baba Budan Giri Hill Ranges. It stands at 1930 meters and is the tallest peak in Karnataka. There is a small temple (matta) on top of the hill. The small hillock in the temple compound is the highest point in Karnataka. It is around 250 kms from bangalore and 12 kms from Chikmagalur.

Baba Budan Giri : takes its name from the Muslim saint, Baba Budan, who resided here more than 150 years ago and reared coffee from the seeds he had secured from Yemen. The Baba-Budan range has taken its name from the 1895 meters high Baba-Budan Giri, situated just 28 kms north of Chikmagalur town.

Baba Budangiri shrine is also called Dattatreya Peeta. It has been controversial due to communal tension (claimed by both hindus and muslim groups).

Tandiyandimol Trek, Coorg, Karnataka

 

[Image above: Tandiyandimol, the highest peak (5,724 ft) of kodagu district, Karnataka]

As usual we took the Rajahamsa bus of KSRTC to Virajpet (a town in kodagu district). We started from bangalore at 10:30 pm and reached Virajpet at 4:30 am. We checked into a local hotel to freshen and take a small nap. However, due to few people oversleeping, we checked out of the hotel, quite late at 8 am. Sorry about that, I had to work late the previous night.

Memorable Himalayan Trek at Dayara Bugyal, Uttarakhand

[Image above: Gang at Dayara Bugyal, Uttarakhand]

The journey started from New Delhi, after waiting for 3 hrs at the bus terminal in the dead of the night. We parked ourselves in the front seats of the bus to Haridwar and had the scariest bus journeys of our lives. After a bit of clear roads, the fog literally started to flow onto the roads. Our driver turned out to be a brave one (to our shock) and drove with ease even without a metre of visibility. His plan was simple, watch for the dim lights of the vehicles from the opposite direction and just pass to the left of them (in the process, sometimes confusing two truck headlights for two bikes and just managing to steer away in time). Once, he even tried to chase down a car which managed to overtake him (and piss him off) in this extreme weather. I hereby, nominate him for the national stupidity award and request the Uttarakhand Govt to please take him off the force. Add the bitter cold to all this and this bus journey was quite an adventure in itself.

Air (Deccan) Dhakkan’s air buses.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we welcome you on board Air Dhakkan, er, Air Deccan.

Air Dhakkan Deccan is India’s 2nd largest carrier – and we follow a thousand ways in which to cut corners costs so that you get to fly cheap. We mean really really cheap.

We’ve cut costs so much that our fare for a ticket can start as low as Rs 7. (pre tax, which becomes more than 1000 Rs post tax n other charges). Now thats cheaper than a bus ticket no? Yup, you can FLY cheaper than a bus. But dont worry saar, madam (henceforth myadum), we replicate the total feel of the bus, totally.

For example, our in flight crew have been taught to smile the same way your headmaster did when he caught you doing mischief in 2nd class. They talk to you like a bus conductor would too, saar. Ask anything twice and they frown – or snap.

Trek to Chembra Peak, Wayanad, Kerala

[Image above: The gang resting on chembra peak with other peaks visible in the background]

We took the bangalore trekker’s official transport the (KSRTC) Rajahamsa to Kozhikode, Kerala and got down at Kalpetta, Wayanad District, Kerala. There, we checked into the PPS Tourist Home for freshening up, where we also met our guide for the trip, Mr. Pavithran.We took a jeep down to the chembra estate which was the starting point of the trek, which is about one hour from the hotel. The trek starts through a route which was a beautiful valley on one side and a lush green tea estate on the other.

Silent Valley Resort, Kudremukh, Western Ghats

Kudremukh is a mountain in Chikmagalur district, in Karnataka, India. The name literally means ‘horse-face’ and refers to one picturesque view of a side of the mountain. It is noted for its scenic beauty, located in midst of mountains. Three important rivers, the Tunga, the Bhadra and the Nethravathi are said to have their origin here.

Journey Begins:

Two buses started from our office at around 10 pm. One of the buses, watched the movie X-Men2, while the people in the other bus partied and danced to kannada, tamil, telugu and hindi songs. The bus route was Bangalore – Hassan – Belur – Mudigere – Kalasa – Kudremukh. The morning mist and cloud covered valley was just amazing.

Kumara Parvatha Trek, Karnataka

Kumara Parvatha peak with a height of about 4000 ft is the second highest peak in Karnataka after Mullayanagiri, but is said to be the toughest trek in karnataka.

[PHOTO ABOVE: Kukke Subramanya temple with cloud covered Kumara Parvatha hill in the background]

The trek starts from Kukke Subrahmanya, which is an important hindu pilgrimage center.

Kukke Subramanya can be reached by road (we took a KSRTC special dasara bus) from bangalore. The route to Kukke is off NH-48 at Sakleshpur. We reached Kukke around 7.00 am. After freshening up and an idli-vada breakfast, we started the trek at around 9.00 am.

Monsoon Adventure @ Kodachadri, Karnataka

More Kodachadri Trek Photos at BubbleShare

[travelogue of trek to Kodachadri Peak (near Kollur-Mookambika Temple, Coastal Karnataka)]

The gang of 3: Nara, Kamu and me (sumne), took the Sugama Travels “J” bus (why not just Kundapura bus, nearly missed the bus, when I thought it was the “G” bus) from Bangalore to Kundapura (Rs. 300 x 3) which left Jayanagar 4th block at 8:15 pm. The bus reached Kundapura at 11.30 am late by 3 hours. Blame it on the bad roads from Bangalore to Mangalore and the caravan of trucks parked on the ghat sections (of the all the places), while the truck drivers slept, causing massive traffic jams. And I thought, I had left the traffic-jams in bangalore

After refreshing ourselves and a quick breakfast, we took a local bus (Rs.25 x 3) to Kollur which reached there at around 1.30 pm. We then hoped on an autorickshaw, which dragged itself about 14 kms upto the starting point of our trek Gari-Katte (Rs. 170). The local bus would have been too late for us, which would have charged us Rs. 30 (Rs. 10 x 3). The Kodachadri peak is about 10 km from here.

Adventures @ Chic-Maglur, Karnataka

[IMAGE: the lovely tree house]

DESTINATION:

Eagle Eye Holiday Home is located at Hoscodu Estate, which is a sprawling 130 acre plantation land situated in Chikmaglur District in Karnataka, India. Eagle Eye Holiday Home is exactly 48 Kms. from Chikmaglur and approximately 300 Kms from Bangalore.

CONTACT:

G.H. Monis, Managing Director, Eagle Eye Holidays
Hoscodu Estate, Kadavanthi, Sangameshwar Pet Post, Chikmagalur 577136, Ph. 08262-252153 Cell. 9448317760

HIGHWAY STARS:

The journey began with antakshari. It was the front-seaters Vs. the back-seaters. The songs ranged from loud enthu songs by the backers and almost audible senti-numbers by the fronters.

Songs were being created on the fly.. Papa Kehte bada naam kare ga, “QA” mein apna naam karega.. a bit of techi-touch there. Courtesy: Gurvinder Paaji.. Later Antakshari was followed by shayari with the famous radio line “Babar Sher”..