Solo travel. I never knew something of that sort existed till I landed accidentally ( luckily ) on one such travel blog. Ever since that I was curious to explore the joy of traveling solo. Eventually I happened to see many of that kind in Twitter and FB who preferred to travel solo which increased my curiosity to try it atleast once. But as always laziness and procrastination made sure I didn't.

Champakadhama swamy temple

I had borrowed the 17-70mm macro lens to shoot flowers at the Lalbhag flower show. We also planned a ride to Bannerghetta National park the next day hoping to shoot some butterflies in action before returning the lens.  Owing to laziness everyone backed out at last moment and surprisingly me being the most laziest decided to ride solo. I started at 8 AM and the initial signs of traffic free roads, soothing breezy weather and added solitude made the ride more enjoyable. Thanks to the pleasing climate the speed never clocked beyond 50Km/h. To add to the bliss had Idly Vada drenched in Sambhar for breakfast.

Pleasant Surprises

The first surprise of the solo travel happened when I took a wrong turn which lead to a temple instead of park. Wrong route leading to a temple seemed like a divine blessing, I switched plans and decided to explore the temple. The CHAMPAKADHAMA TEMPLE dedicated to incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The atmosphere and lighting was good, and with the cloud patterns inviting for a HDR shot, I clicked few shots of the temple.  I got to know there was another temple at hill top. It took about 10 mins of uphill trek to reach NARASIMHA SWAMY temple. Amused by my photographic antics, the lady selling water bottles outside the temple suggested me to visit the ANJANEYA temple located at a distance of 3 Kms on the other side of the hill.

The trail looked suspicious as I couldn't see any traces of  crowd heading towards the temple. I still took my chance and walked for 2 Kms into the forest till I spotted this.

Beware - Bear ahead

All alone in the jungle, unable to read kannada, my mind interpreted the poster as BEWARE - BEAR AHEAD. Mission abort, I said to myself and returned back. Disturbed a couple asking route who were trying to have some private time in the jungle. The grandpa who was looking after his grazing cows assured me that I was on the right path which prompted me to start all over again. This time it was a 4 km walk till I spotted a similar sign board with a TIGER in it. No more adventure. Walked back all the way to where I started. Luckily when I almost called it off, I met a passerby who was heading towards the temple. I requested her to take me along and she gladly agreed. She doesn't know English and in my case its "Kannada baralva". But we still managed to have conversation which lasted for 30 minutes. As the long walk came to an end, I took some photos of the temple and I bid adieu and thanked her for making my trip more memorable. I also clicked a pose of her. She certified that my Kannada ain't that bad. I was back at the base around 11 AM and as planned I visited the butterfly park and caught some butterflies in action too.

"5 varusa, ee kannada sakku" , She said.

Did I enjoy traveling solo ?

Well I did enjoy. There was ample time for introspection, freedom of taking decisions, relaxing and most importantly getting lost in the nature. And as always happiness is not in the journey but the experiences that you encounter in the journey. The experience of being helped out by a stranger,  joy of conversing in a fairly known language made my day.

Photos

Valley of Tridax seen on the way to Anjaneya Temple

Narasimha swamy temple

Sculpture of Lord Anjaneya carved on the footsteps of the tank

Sacred threads tied around tree in Anjaneye temple

I did visit the butterfly park

When was the last time you ran ?? Let me guess, was it to catch bus, may be at your school sports day, probably on a lonely night chased by stray dog. Ever thought about running a marathon ? No ? Me neither.

But I had an opportunity to photograph one such event which ultimately changed my perception towards running. Ananda yana translating to "happy journey" is a marathon event organized by a running enthusiastic group named "Runners high". keeping aside the objective of the run which is for a social cause, few moments left me with a great interest for the sport.

Age - Just a number
This was my first marathon experience and given my preconceived notion that marathon is meant only for physically fit runners, I was surprised to see people from all age groups participating in the run. Kids accompanying their parents, well built-fit-adults and to my amazement watching the age old grandma's and grandpa's in action with their beautiful smile was a perfect bliss. When there is passion and determination, age becomes just a number.

There is no secret ingredient

Marathon can make a great picnic spot too

Every participant deserves to cross the finish line
While many of them were professional runners who managed to complete their run, there were a few inexperienced finding it quiet difficult. With their body starting to give up few meters before the finish line, these runners went back and joined them clapping, encouraging, motivating and kept pushing them to complete the race. The very gesture of ensuring every participant deserves to finish the race is a great moment to watch. And photograph too.

Spreading positive energy
Nevertheless to mention about the environment, it was so energetic. The mood was very pleasant and energetic with volunteers actively cheering, the music band with high volumes, people dancing to the music, kids helping runners with water, there was so much of joy and energy all around. Though I was never a part of the run, I could feel the positive energy and the enthusiasm in me.

Passion
One common factor which I observed and can relate to is their passion towards running. No one worries about the outcome. It doesn't matter whether they run fast, run far, finish first or last. They just run. It is not the result but the process they enjoy doing. Once you are passionate about something, the process excites you more than the results.

When people ask why do I photograph, I really don't have an answer. Its quiet difficult to explain how I feel creating a picture. So I asked the same question to google - "Why do people run?" and ended up with this quote.

It felt good being an observer. May be I should run a marathon to experience how good it really feels.

Cheers,
`Prem.

Kodachadri trek is unarguably one of the scariest & most adventurous trek I ever did till date. Hope it remains the only scariest trek. Ever since Kumaraparvatha happened, we always wanted to relive the experience of carrying the backpacks through the foggy mountain trails with lush greenery on either side. Thus Kodachadri happened.

Refractions of Nature

Route - Bangalore -> Shimoga -> Jog Falls - > Kollur -> Kodachadri -> Hidlumane -> Nittur -> Bangalore

Jog Falls & Mookambika Temple - 

The experience at the Jog falls wasn't very great. It was a not-so-much-monsoon season and there was hardly any water in the falls. Bad time to visit Jog falls. Special prayers & poojas were happening in Mookambika temple, Kollur. The temple was over crowded & took a long time in the queue to get darshan. Interesting trivia about this place is that only males without any clothes on top are permitted to enter.

Raja stream at Jog falls

The mistaken identity - 

It was approximately 12th or 13th break, we decided to have lunch before the chapati masala cross its expiry time. Running low on water, and still 5Kms more to reach the peak, we were cautious not to waste water. The lunch was filling & when the water bottle was taking its turns amongst us, Mohan was lost in the conversation and involuntarily reached out to the bottle on the other side of the bag which had the Diesel for the camp fire. Dharani was quick in pointing out, but not that quicker in preventing Diesel reaching his stomach. Mohan took over the rest of the water bottle, goggling & burping all along the way.  Muthu meanwhile worried about the reduction in quantity of the Diesel for camp fire.

Into the wild

Scary Adventure - 

Unaware ( rather I should say careless) of the fact that camping is prohibited, we carried heavy tents all the way up. Being warned by the locals that the rangers on rounds will take away the tents, the only option we had was to opt for stay in Battermane. But that would make all the efforts of carrying the backpacks all the way up go void. We found a flat surface 3 kms trekking down & laid the tents by 6 PM. Unfortunately Battermane had no parcel services & we were asked to be there at 8.15 PM for dinner. It was completely dark by 7 PM, we started climbing through the forest. 12 people trekking in the forest at night with small LED torch lights surrounded by complete darkness, it was scary. The most scariest of all came after completing dinner, when we walked to the terrace. It was complete pitch black. We trekked down very carefully on the narrow trails, each one ensuring the other doesn't get lost. Could have been a cakewalk for Bear Grylls, but still one of the scariest episodes. It was a great sense of relief after reaching the camping site. Scary adventure indeed.

Condition of my shoes upon reaching the top

Windows Xp'd

Hidlumane Falls -

The timing at which we reached Hidlumane falls was perfect. It was long walk, scorching sun chasing on top, hardly any shades to hide and finally at the end of a tiresome trek you find this hidden treasure awaiting. The bath at Hidlumane falls was very much refreshing taking away all the tiredness in the trek. Personally I would suggest to trek from Kollur, so that you can experience the sheer joy Hidlumane Falls offers. We spent around 2 hrs at this place.

Lost in Nature

Trek Information -

Total days - 3. Dec - 29 to Dec 31.
Day 1 - Jog Falls in the morning. Sight seeing at Moogambika Temple and stay in Kollur.
Day 2 - Trek from Kollur to Kodachadri.
Day 3 - Trek from Kodachadri to Nittur. Return to Bangalore.
Trek Routes - 1) Via Kollur  2) Via Nittur 3)  Jeep Route.
Distance - approx 20kms.
Contact Numbers - Rajendra ( 9449145540 )
Network Signal - zero. 
Food & Accommodation ( Day 1 )  - Hotels in Jog falls & nearby places. Kerala style restaurants in Kollur. Plenty of lodges in Kollur.
Food & Accommodation ( Day 2 ) - Packed lunch ( we got chapathis ) at Kollur. Yummy dinner & breakfast at Battermane on the hill top. Accommodations available at Battermane & PWD house on pre-booking. Dinner at Battermane gets served at 8 and you need to tell in advance. Couple of Buttermilk vendors along the trial route. Not much of water streams due to lack of rains. 'Hotel Santhosh' at 5kms if you trek from Kollur. Accommodation available at Hidlumane( 5kms ) if you trek from Nittur.

Cheers,
Prem.

Most of the travel plans happen when you are there, sitting in office & suddenly the life-getting-monotonous feel strikes a chord inside you. This time the search for weekend getaway ended up in 'Lepakshi'. Lepakshi is a small village located in Anantpur District, Andhra Pradesh. It is approximately 125 kms from Bangalore.  Anything less than 250 kms in single day is a perfect choice for bike drive. So we set out for a Saturday ride on 4 bikes.

Someday before the trip happened, I stumbled upon this inspirational video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXkQT-w5Km0 by Dewitt Jones where he says while photographing a geographic location, he questions himself  - "What am I falling in love with" ?. I decided to try that out & the results were pretty amazing. So instead of going on a spree clicking the photos of the temple, we tagged along with the guide listening to history behind the architecture. Few portions were unclear as the mode of communication was Telugu. But nevertheless after the tour, I had a fair idea of what should I photograph.

The history behind the name 'Lepakshi' is that, when Sita was abducted by Ravanan, the bird Jatayu tried to help her. It got injured during the fight & fell dying in this place, later found by Ram & Laxman. Hence the name Lepakshi which in Sanskrit is 'Rise o Bird'.

The Veerabhadra temple located in Lepakshi is built in Vijayanagar architectural style. Each sculpture carved has a piece of history associated with it, which sometimes is unbelievable yet interesting. We were amazed to see the modern design patterns that we use in our interior decorations carved in the pillars dating centuries back. On the road, there is a huge Nandi, carved entirely out of single monolithic stone.

Bhringi , a three legged is considered as the dance master of gods. The story goes like he is an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva, he ignored to worship Parvathi. Parvathi being outraged cursed Bhringi to become thing and completely emaciated. Bhringi became so weak that he could not even stand in his own legs. Shiva moved by Bhringi's request, granted him an additional leg. Hence Bhringi is always seen in all sculptures with 3 legs.

The swing pavillion placed to the north of the temple. Four tall pillars support a square roof surmounted by a circular vimanam. A Hanuman slab is placed inside.

Carved out of a natural boulder to the west of the shrine, this seven-hooded Naga shelters a black-polished lingam cradled in its ribbed coils. A saptamatrika panel is placed below to the right.

The story of Unfinished Kalyana mantapa is very interesting. Virupanna, the king's treasurer had an idea of building a temple & laid out the execution plans while the king was away. As this place was nearing completion, the king returns just to see his treasury empty. He aborts the construction & orders the treasurer to be blinded. He being loyal, blinds himself & throws his eyes to the wall across. You can still see the stains of two eyes on those wall near the Kalyana mantapa, which are said to be the marks made by his eyes which he himself dashed against the wall.

One of the main attractions of Lepakshi is the hanging pillar. It is of great architectural importance that, one of the British rulers wanted it to fix it & a slight movement has caused damages & cracks in the adjacent pillars. We literally tested the hanging pillar by passing a towel cloth right through it. Marvelous indeed. You can find the image here.

The kalyanamantapa is the place where the wedding between Shiva & Parvathi is assumed to have happened. There are rich information carved in the sculptures depicting  the presence of God's like Brahma, Devas & others present during the wedding.

The big granite Nandhi bull is on the main road, about 200 metres from the temple. It is carved out of single monolithic stone.

Route - Bangalore –> Yelahanka –> Devanahalli –> Chikaballapur –> Bagepalli –> Lepakshi
Distance - 125 Kms from Bangalore
Approx time - 2.30 hrs
Travel - Started from Bangalore @ 9 AM and reached Anantpur by 2 PM. ( Including multiple pit stops for coffee). Started back @ 6.30 PM and reached by 8 PM.
Road condition - Except for the last stretch of 2 Kms, its a complete NH drive.
Food - There are quiet a few Dhaba's on the highway close to Anantpur junction.

A must visit place if you are in & around Bangalore.

Cheers,
Prem.

It was a much awaited reunion amongst our friends after a long gap of  2 years.This time it was 3 day trip to Coorg. Unlike other trips, where the decision of place & time happens couple of days back, this time we started the planning well in advance. Multiple mail exchanges , googling for resorts , homestays, enquiring travel cabs, reading blogs , etc .. Finally we zeroed in on Capitol village Resort, a homestay with 4+ rating in tripadvisor, recommended by friends dad. With his government-employee-banking-sector discounts, we were told that rooms were booked. We left Bangalore by 12 mid night & reached Coorg at 6 AM.

Coffee plantations

First disappointment - Among 3 who planned to start late owing to work, unfortunately one missed the train. He took the next train to Bangalore.

Second disappointment - Adding to it, the evening train too trolled our plans by a 4 hour delay.

Third & the Best - Coorg at 6 AM was very refreshing & exciting until the shocking news came - "Cauvery Lodge" is where the rooms are booked & not luxurious "Capitol Village Resort". There is a reservation office opposite to the lodge named "capitol village" and hence the miscommunication.

Our Homestay

No one was in a mood to stay at lodge. Despite early morning drizzles we were in hunt for a homestay, and managed to find rather cheap one at 6 Kms away from the bus stand. It's not exactly a homestay. The cardboard + thermocol typed house had 8 cots & the attic of owners house had 8 cots. The homestay is located at mountain base. The view from the homestay is very scenic with green agriculture fields running through the base of the misty mountains. The homestay took care of the food as well. (4Kg of Chicken & Fish + Rice + Rotis).

The Attic

We relaxed on day 1 waiting for the latecomers to join. Trip started with visiting TalaCauvery. There were occasional rains throughout the journey. It was all foggy, usual hill station effect. We climbed till the mountain top, had a refreshing Bajji & Tea before called it a day.

Enchanting entrance to Tala Cauvery

On day 2, We packed lunch & traveled all the way to Somwarpet till the base of Kumaraparvatha. After finishing up the lunch, we did a quick & short trek for around 3 kms before rains started. It was "Malalli falls" for the later half of the day. One of the breath taking waterfalls that I ve seen. To reach the falls, you need to do a 6km trek into the forest. Then again 5 Kms downside to get to the base of the waterfall. The water levels were very high that we got drenched standing 50 meters apart. It is a must visit.

Majestic Mallali falls

Checked out the home stay with a group snap on day 3. The plan is to visit Bylakuppe and Mysore palace on the return. Had our breakfast at Kushalnagar and reached Bylakuppe by 11. It felt like entering into an all together different world. The place is calm , beautiful & vibrant. Spent almost an hour or so admiring the beauty and debating the architecture and history. Lack of time meant the Mysore palace visit was cut short to 30 minutes. Finally we reached Bangalore by 8 PM.

40 feet high Buddha statues at Golden Temple

The expenses came around 3K per person. More than the journey & sight seeing, break from the regular life schedule, without laptops & gadgets, spending time with friends, made the trip memorable. Few more snaps from the trip.

Refreshed by rains

View from Tala cauvery

Vibrant Kumaraparvatha

The trails at Kumaraparvatha

Cheers,
Prem.

The Plan:
2 bikes, 4 people , 60Kms, 1/2 day.

The Route:
ORR -> Old Madras Road -> Hebbal -> Devanahalli ->  Nandi Cross -> Nandi Village

The Lodge rooms in the entrance

The Travel:-
Heard people saying you should be reaching the hills by 6.30 to enjoy the sunrise & view. Nevertheless we reached late around 7.30, but we had a great experience of driving through fog & mist. Its monsoon season, so no clue about sunrise. One of the simplest routes, hit hebbal flyover, drive straight. We stopped near Manyata Tech Park to fill fuel, and made another stop at Devanahalli for morning tea. Watch out for the route board reading Nandhi hills on the left, missing to do so took as additional 2 Km's. Keep straight on the Nandhi road thru the Nandhi village till you reach the T junction. Nandhi hills on the left & Bhoga Nandeswara Temple on the right. We headed back to Bangalore by 2.30 PM.

ORR -> Old Madras Road -> Hebbal -> Devanahalli -> Nandhi village -> Nandhi Hills

The Place:-
Nandhi Hills:-
This place is a perfect bikers paradise for a weekend getaway. This is my first time experience driving thru the mist & fog. So it was thrilling & exciting. Ideal time I would suggest is 7 or 7.30 , so that you can get a feel of fog & by the time you are done with exploration, the fog clears around 10. This place attracts quiet a lot of people. Spotted few bicyclers & handful of Kawasaki Ninja's. Main spots are the water Tank, wood houses, Tippu's fort & 850 year old temple on the top of the hills. We reached the base by around 11 & had breakfast & headed to Bhoga Nandeswara Temple.

Misty mornings

The huge tank with mist cleared.

Bhoga Nandeswara Temple:-
Located on the right side of the T junction, takes about 15 mins to reach this architectural place. Interesting fact of this place is that these temples were built by kings of 5 dynasties. The perfect symmetry of the inside tank & the surrounding speaks for themselves. Here is more info about the place- http://bangaloregetaways.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/bhoga-nandeeshwara-and-arunachaleshwara-temples-nandi-grama/

A must visit, if you are in Bangalore.

Bhoga Nandeswara Temple

Fog and the mood.

Cheers,

Prem.