We woke up early in the morning, hoping to check out and head for Chamundi hills. The person at the desk was unavailable and we decided to have coffee in the meantime. A small cart by the roadside was where we ended up for coffee. As we sipped the hot coffee we saw a man cutting tomatoes. The speed and accuracy with which he was cutting was a treat to watch. When my friend decided to take his picture he was quite embarrassed and happy at the same time.
Having finally checked out of the hotel we took off for Chamundi hills. It was a beautiful drive all the way up. Before the crowd could build up we managed to get Goddess Chamundeshwari’s darshan. We walked around a little enjoying the magnificent view.
By now we were hungry and rode back into town. We were hoping to find a restaurant but we hit the highway to Bangalore instead. Luckily we found a small hotel where we had our breakfast. Our plan was to visit Mahadevapura. Off we went in search of the place.
On asking for directions a gentleman informed us that we had missed a turn. So we went back and took the turn towards Mahadevapura. Yet again the drive was, to say the least, serenely beautiful. Large coconut groves swaying gently, fields filled with water and people going about their daily routines had a calming effect on us.
Passing through one of the villages we saw an old lady sitting right next to something drying on the road. It was only when my friend told me that it was fish that was being dried did I realize what it was. It was curious to see these small little things being dried in the Sun and they were of different colors too.
It was confusion and more confusion when we reached one of the crossroads. People gave us directions and they were all different. Inspite of all this we did manage to reach Mahadevapura. There is a temple and Cauvery flows right next to it. There was lot of water and we walked along the bank. There is a Ramaswamy anekattu and few people had gathered around. We looked for a place where the crowd was relatively smaller. We sat down and watched a little egret standing in the water and sun bathing.
Hibiscus like flowers caught our eyes as we strolled back towards our bike. On closer inspection they were not. Question about what flowers these were kept bouncing around my head even as I focused the camera on the flower. BINGO… right next to the flower was something that … dimaag ki batti jala di
It was then time for us to move on. We stopped at a small shop for coffee and the shopkeeper told us we can reach the Bangalore road by going to the right. We did and we repented listening to him. We should have gone back the way we came. The road was non-existent and it wasn’t long before both of us were wishing for some soft pillows. However the fields, the birds and curiously shaped tree trunks kept us going. More pictures of ibises, tree pie, bee eaters and pond herons kept us smiling.
Inspite of stopping along the way for coffee at a roadside shop in one of the villages we were desperate to have some good coffee. During our recent trips we have noticed a phenomenon which has left us exasperated quite literally. If you were to watch us while we drive, you might notice us eagerly eyeing the tea / coffee shops for one which still has a kettle on the kerosene stove. These little shops are now equipped with thermos flasks. Ugh!!! Talk about technology. Trust us… given a choice we would never drink the tea from a thermos which tastes anything but like tea. I wonder if the proximity to Mandya, the sugar bowl of Karnataka, has anything to do with the coffees and teas being prepared in sugar syrup instead of water.
Since we didn’t find any of these little tea shops with a kettle on the stove we happily walked into Maddur Tiffanys. Quite an interesting question here… what would be the reaction of the people inside the hotel if we had given in to our temptation and driven our bike right into the hotel? It was lunch time. I ordered for meals and my friend ordered for masala dosa. But hey, we were in Maddur and how can one not eat Maddur vadas. Yep, we ordered them too.
Having finished lunch we hit the highway and we were glad that we won’t have to suffer bad roads anymore. Alas! It was not to be. The road to Kanwa dam was being relaid. It was a horrifying ride. It almost made us turn back and give Kanwa dam a skip. But having come so far we decided we will take a look at it anway. The water level was much higher and the dam had been painted. There were a few people who had come for a picnic but on the whole it was pretty isolated. A red wattled lapwing entertained us for some time. There was no place where shade was available for us to sit. This prompted us to head back and we saw a lot of bee eaters. We even saw one bee eater happily devouring an insect.
It was a long ride back home as thoughts of the city life flooded back. Yet another wonderful trip came to an end. There was a heavy sinking feeling. Yet two days of being ourselves without worrying about the worldly responsibilities had rejuvenated us to an extent.
For viewing the Day 2 pics Click Here
Having finally checked out of the hotel we took off for Chamundi hills. It was a beautiful drive all the way up. Before the crowd could build up we managed to get Goddess Chamundeshwari’s darshan. We walked around a little enjoying the magnificent view.
By now we were hungry and rode back into town. We were hoping to find a restaurant but we hit the highway to Bangalore instead. Luckily we found a small hotel where we had our breakfast. Our plan was to visit Mahadevapura. Off we went in search of the place.
On asking for directions a gentleman informed us that we had missed a turn. So we went back and took the turn towards Mahadevapura. Yet again the drive was, to say the least, serenely beautiful. Large coconut groves swaying gently, fields filled with water and people going about their daily routines had a calming effect on us.
Passing through one of the villages we saw an old lady sitting right next to something drying on the road. It was only when my friend told me that it was fish that was being dried did I realize what it was. It was curious to see these small little things being dried in the Sun and they were of different colors too.
It was confusion and more confusion when we reached one of the crossroads. People gave us directions and they were all different. Inspite of all this we did manage to reach Mahadevapura. There is a temple and Cauvery flows right next to it. There was lot of water and we walked along the bank. There is a Ramaswamy anekattu and few people had gathered around. We looked for a place where the crowd was relatively smaller. We sat down and watched a little egret standing in the water and sun bathing.
Hibiscus like flowers caught our eyes as we strolled back towards our bike. On closer inspection they were not. Question about what flowers these were kept bouncing around my head even as I focused the camera on the flower. BINGO… right next to the flower was something that … dimaag ki batti jala di
It was then time for us to move on. We stopped at a small shop for coffee and the shopkeeper told us we can reach the Bangalore road by going to the right. We did and we repented listening to him. We should have gone back the way we came. The road was non-existent and it wasn’t long before both of us were wishing for some soft pillows. However the fields, the birds and curiously shaped tree trunks kept us going. More pictures of ibises, tree pie, bee eaters and pond herons kept us smiling.
Inspite of stopping along the way for coffee at a roadside shop in one of the villages we were desperate to have some good coffee. During our recent trips we have noticed a phenomenon which has left us exasperated quite literally. If you were to watch us while we drive, you might notice us eagerly eyeing the tea / coffee shops for one which still has a kettle on the kerosene stove. These little shops are now equipped with thermos flasks. Ugh!!! Talk about technology. Trust us… given a choice we would never drink the tea from a thermos which tastes anything but like tea. I wonder if the proximity to Mandya, the sugar bowl of Karnataka, has anything to do with the coffees and teas being prepared in sugar syrup instead of water.
Since we didn’t find any of these little tea shops with a kettle on the stove we happily walked into Maddur Tiffanys. Quite an interesting question here… what would be the reaction of the people inside the hotel if we had given in to our temptation and driven our bike right into the hotel? It was lunch time. I ordered for meals and my friend ordered for masala dosa. But hey, we were in Maddur and how can one not eat Maddur vadas. Yep, we ordered them too.
Having finished lunch we hit the highway and we were glad that we won’t have to suffer bad roads anymore. Alas! It was not to be. The road to Kanwa dam was being relaid. It was a horrifying ride. It almost made us turn back and give Kanwa dam a skip. But having come so far we decided we will take a look at it anway. The water level was much higher and the dam had been painted. There were a few people who had come for a picnic but on the whole it was pretty isolated. A red wattled lapwing entertained us for some time. There was no place where shade was available for us to sit. This prompted us to head back and we saw a lot of bee eaters. We even saw one bee eater happily devouring an insect.
It was a long ride back home as thoughts of the city life flooded back. Yet another wonderful trip came to an end. There was a heavy sinking feeling. Yet two days of being ourselves without worrying about the worldly responsibilities had rejuvenated us to an extent.
For viewing the Day 2 pics Click Here
No comments:
Post a Comment