Hogenakkal Falls

Karnataka Side of the Falls

After planning with my friends for more than a month, I got a chance to go to Hogenakkal falls on the 14^th of August. This place is around 160kilometers away from Bangalore. We left Bangalore at 10 in the morning; drove down to Hosur, stopped at a highway Kamat Hotel for breakfast, then continued to Dharmapuri; and Hogenakkal was a half-hour drive from there. We were ten of us in two cars. As we had gone on a Sunday, there were a lot of visitors and consequently we had to park our cars nearly a kilometer away. Our three and a half hour journey was spent head-banging to the silliest of songs, discussing college issues, racing with the other car, munching on junk food etc...and we reached the place at 2.30 in the afternoon!

The foreigner holding the pink bag
 referred to this as "Human Trafficking"

The Hogenakkal falls is also known as the Indian Niagara. These falls mark the exit of the river Kavery from Karnataka State and its entrance into Tamil Nadu State. Just like the Niagara Falls, it has a horseshoe bend and it lies on the border of these two states. And hence, we can see the falls from either side of the border.

We hired coracles for 250 bucks per person. The boatmen takes you a kilometer upstream, on road, in a pickup truck. These pickup trucks are overloaded with many people in them along with the coracles which they stack up on top of the truck. One foreigner who was coming with us in our truck correctly said…”This looks like human trafficking”. Nevertheless, you must hire these coracles in order to see the waterfalls from the Karnataka side.

The truck ride was bumpy and slow owing to the innumerable number of tourists walking on the roads in all directions. The truck dropped us off at a point very close to the river and we put our coracles into the river and hopped onto them. These coracles can accommodate 7 people at a time. The boatman we hired was very worried that we wouldn’t pay him properly and therefore wouldn’t talk about anything else apart from money throughout the boat ride.

The boat ride was fun otherwise! Our boatman spun the coracle making us all feel dizzy. We were dropped at a point and from there we had to wade across flowing water to reach the tip of the falls. This is as close as anyone can get to the falls. The sound of the flowing water is thunderous at this point. The gush of water falling down causes so much mist and foam, giving the name “Hogenakkal”.

While standing here in the water, tiny fishes gather around your feet, poking, giving a very funny sensation. Be very careful when you are standing here. If you slip and fall, you’re sure to get washed down the falls.

We spent some time here at the top of the waterfalls taking photographs and enjoying the constant spray of mist on our faces.  And then we had to get back to our boatman who was waiting for us where he’d dropped us. Next, our boatman struggled rowing the coracle away from the main current of the river, and took us around the waterfalls to another point where we could see the falls from the Tamil Nadu side. You will also find a lot of vendors selling fresh-water fish cooked and garnished with some spices. I was chiefly put off by the fish bones strewn all over the place.

Tamil Nadu Side of the Falls

The Tamil Nadu side of the waterfalls is a lot less adventurous. We can see the falls at a distance, downstream. We couldn’t get into the water at this place. The width of the river Kavery forms many small channels where people can get into the water for their amusement.

Although none of us had carried with us a spare set of clothes, we all got into the water and played for a while. By 6.30 in the evening, the water current had increased and it was getting difficult for us to resist the force of the water and so we decided to get out of water and head back to our cars.

It was 7.30pm by the time we reached our cars and we started our journey back to Bangalore. We stopped at a highway McDonalds on our way for a quick bite. It was 10.45 when we reached Bangalore.

One must visit Hogenakkal falls during the monsoon season when the river Kavery flows in full force. But try to avoid going there on weekends as it will be jam packed. The road is excellent throughout the journey. Makes driving very pleasurable!

Bajjis in Jayanagar

Today college got over at 3.30 and the weather was lovely! Aashray and I were joblessly waiting in the parking lot for the other members of our group to finish their lab and join us. The nippy weather added with our empty stomachs, made the wait even more edgy! A frustrating 30 minutes later everyone assembled at the parking lot one by one and we had our most important discussion which we have everyday… to decide where we should go, to eat!

We – Prasad, Aashray, Spurthi, Supriya and I – decided to go to the Bajji shop in Jayanagar 9^th block. At 4.30 in the evening, the shopkeeper would’ve just started making bajjis. Five hours of lecture in college had made me ravenous and I couldn’t wait any longer to devour those bajjis.

While waiting impatiently for the shopkeeper to deep-fry the aloo-bajjis, we started our first course with crispy jalebis which were still burning hot and dripping with oil. Then we went onto relish the baLekaayi bajjis and the meNsinkaayi bajjis. And finally, the first batch of golden colored aloo bajjis came out! Piping hot as they were, I almost burnt my tongue on the first bite. Meanwhile, Spurthi was shrewdly nibbling on the crispy outer layer while waiting for it to cool down!  Quoting Prasad – “This Spurthi is very clever!”  :-D

As fastidious and finicky my friends complain that I am when it comes to food, I can openly claim that the aloo bajjis sold at this shop are undoubtedly the best I’ve eaten so far! Also, the size of the capsicum bajjis sold here intrigues me. They are bigger than tennis balls! The shopkeeper skillfully cuts these bajjis into four pieces and garnishes it with carrots, onions, and spices!

Seven aloo bajjis, six baLekaayi bajjis, four mensinkaayi bajjis, one capsicum bajji and five jalebis later our battery level was back to 100%! Supriya had resumed her impish behavior and Prasad started cracking his wise acre jokes! A slight drizzle followed, and after that we decided to disperse!

Back from a long break

I was jobless today and so I decided to check on my blog! I started going through all the posts I’ve written and I just realized I haven’t written a single post this year, and it's already August! With September just round the corner, it does seem like a long break!

I haven’t blogged for a whole semester! 6^th Semester went by pretty uneventfully. I did just one trip to Shiva Gange! The rest of the semester I spent, cramming extra hours in my college library, for my GRE exam which was scheduled in May! My GRE score turned out more than what I expected, so no regrets! ;-)

And now my final year of engineering has finally started this August! 7^th semester! The semester where we’re supposed to begin campus placements! I’m eagerly looking forward to tackling all the interview rounds and getting placed into the company of my choice!

Fourth week into my 7^th semester and I’m still in the holiday mood! I’m trying to imagine what’s in store for me in the following months! More Road-trips, more blockbuster movies, and anything else… I’m all set to enjoy my final year of engineering to the fullest!

Ramnagar Hills

If you're looking to get away from Bangalore for half a day, Ramnagar Hills is the best place for you. Located 45 kilometers away from Bangalore, you can reach Ramnagar within an hour’s journey on the Mysore-Bangalore Highway (State Highway 17). A sighting of bizarre shaped rocky structures all around, welcomes you into this district.

You will find an arched entrance on the highway, leading inside the suburbs of the city. This road eventually ends at the foot of the hills. Here you’ll find a petty shop selling cigarettes and junk food which I’d suggest you to stock up, to relish with the surreal atmosphere while you’re at the top. There’s lot of parking space here and the guard took down our names and vehicle registration numbers for safety reasons.

The Granite monoliths of Ramnagar, which expand beyond the horizon, have been a picturesque location for many film shoots. You might also be trespassing on Gabbar Singh’s lair! (Yes, SHOLAY was shot here!)

The hike begins with a climb of 200 odd steps which lead to the Ramadevara Temple. The rocky terrain in the midst of cacti begins after you've done your warm-up. The village of Ramnagar is scattered with huge rocks but only a few of them are hike-able.

You’re thrust upon an undulating, winding path as you’re entering the rocky wastelands! The gradient hits harder further ahead. It was a gripping experience to mount vertically up to the highest point by means of railings and steps carved into the rocks. There were a few in the group who were apprehensive to climb up this last part. But, with a little motivation and encouragement, we made sure no one fell behind.

The calmness and the cool breeze at the top urges us to lie down and relax, staring at the blue sky! Surrounded by many cactus shrubs, there is a pond formed out of the rain water which adds to the ambiance! Intermittent showers of rain from the moving clouds made the weather more pleasant and also drenched us slightly.

As we're a group of adventurers who have few or more constraints, chiefly we aim only in completing the trek than exploring and trying different routes. Hence, we trekked down the same way, ignoring the rumored alternative route. The overall trek was moderately demanding and must have taken us about an hour and a half, one way. As this was our first big trek, many of us found the downward climb quite strenuous.

A trip to Ramnagar Hills helps you relive those Kannada and Hindi film moments which were shot here! You could also try night-trekking and camping! Bears can be sighted here after dark. The serenity and beauty of Ramnagar Hills undoubtedly calls its trekkers for another visit!

Skandagiri Hills

An extraordinary place for you try out moonlight trekking is at the Skandagiri Hills. My friends and I went to Skandagiri Hills on a Friday night! As this was the first Night-Trek for all of us, every one of us had brought with us, our own flashlights to play around in the wilderness!

Skandagiri Hills is located near Chik Ballapur City, 60 kilometers from Bangalore. You will have to take the same route you take, to go to the Bengaluru International Airport to go to Chik Ballapur. 

We started our journey at midnight and took around 2.5 hours to reach the place for the reason that we had a sticky encounter with the Highway Traffic police. We’d stopped on the highway at a junction to affirm the correct route, and two policemen found it necessary to bother us at 2am in the night for no particular reason. All of us were asked to produce our bike’s documents and our driving licenses. And because one of my friend’s bikes didn’t have a copy of the registration certificate we were forced to part with Rs. 150 as a ‘penalty’! So, don’t stop on the highway too often as you will be giving opportunities for people (perhaps even cops) to cause you trouble!

A road which deviates to the left from NH7 takes you into Chik Ballapur. There are no significant sign boards indicating the deviation to Chik Ballapur, so I’d recommend you to keep track of your Odometer reading. This deviation comes approximately 28 kilometers after the flyover which takes you to the Bengaluru Airport. Once you’ve entered Chik Ballapur city, keep going straight on the same road till you find Sir M. Vishweshwaraiah’s statue on your left hand side, and take a left turn at that junction. The foot of the hills is approximately 6 kilometers from here. Do ask passersby for further directions. The city wore a deserted look at 2am in the night and there was absolutely no one to ask for directions. Luckily, we found two policemen at the statue who directed us correctly. (These were good cops!)

We were told by those policemen that the place opens only after 3am and therefore we waited at the Vishweshwaraiah statue munching on the condiment snacks which we'd carried with us. Going on road trips with many bikes has a high probability for at least one bike in the group to get a flat tyre! And we noticed that one of the scooters (an Activa) had its rear wheel flat! We had no other alternative but to leave this Activa in Chik Ballapur and head to the foot of the hills by riding triples on two other bikes. We attended to the problem next morning after finishing our trek.

Parking is available for cars and two-wheelers at Rs.25 to Rs. 30 per vehicle. The climb initially begins with tarred road which leads to a temple. Ahead of the temple starts the rocky terrain. The terrain is mediocre but you will have to pass through dense bushes many times during the trek. The trek comprises a fair blend of steep pathways, rock-climbing.

The place is completely dark hence carry flashlights with new batteries as you will need it continuously throughout the climb. There are guides near the temple who will take you up till the peak. Hire a guide as you will have to trek for 2hours in complete darkness. We reached the place and started trekking at 3.30am. The trek gets a little difficult at some parts, but don’t get discouraged! Keep persisting! Throughout the trek, our guide made sure we didn’t lose our enthusiasm by telling us there are shops at the hill top selling hot Maggie Noodles and Omelettes! After taking many breaks, we reached the peak at 5.45am by which time there was partial sunlight.

At the hill top, there are two shops made of tent selling hot tea (the tea wasn’t so great, but you couldn’t expect to get anything better there!) and the repeatedly mentioned noodles and omelettes! The shop guy will even set you up a camp fire for pay.

Due to mist and fog, we couldn’t see the rising sun clearly. The scenery at the top of the Skandagiri Hills is so surreal that it makes you feel the trip was worth it! You also get a distant view of Chik Ballapur and other nearby peaks like the Nandi Hills.

We started trekking down at 7.30am and we were on flat ground within 2 hours. Coming down seemed easier and took much less time than going up. The dampness on the rocks made them slippery and a few of us lost our footing and fell. The steep climb of the Skandagiri Hills which isn’t visible while trekking up could be seen picturesquely while trekking down after sunrise! We were intercepted by a herd of cows which were going up to graze on the mountain early in the morning! Jumping out of the narrow path into the bushes was the only way to avoid a head on collision with them!

At 9.30 on a Sunday morning, the city of Chik Ballapur had come alive buzzing with traffic, pedestrians and many vegetable vendors! The journey back to Bangalore took us another 2 hours.

Trekking to Skandagiri in the night is recommended more because of its scenic sunrise! A Nigh-Trek is definitely very enthralling as you will be curious all the way through to find out what lies ahead!

Antharagange Hills

This is one of the trips which we’d planned in advance and hence we managed to go as a big group! We went to Antharagange on the first Wednesday of November. This place is located very near to Kolar City which is more or less 70 Kilometers from Bangalore. One can simply drive down to Kolar by taking the Old Madras Road – NH4. You'll be passing via Hoskote 20 kilometers from Bangalore. The highway is still not completely laid out and 2-way traffic is merged into a single lane at some stretches. We were fifteen members in our group and we went on 2 Dios, 1 Activa and 5 motorbikes!

Once you’ve reached

Kolar, getting to the foot of the hills isn’t very hard. Just ask for directions to the Kolar city’s main Bus Stand and take a left turn before it. After the left turn, it is one curvaceous road for 6 kilometers which takes you to the entrance Arch of Antharagange. Plenty of parking space is available at this point. Being a group of 15 biking-enthusiasts, we kept stopping enroute to exchange bikes and click pictures. Hence our speed was relatively slow and we took around 3 hours to reach the place.

The lower region of the Antharagange Hills has dense greenery. A flight of steps, giving us good exercise for about 25 minutes takes us halfway up the hill, to the ancient Kashi Viweshwara Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The statue of a bull located beside the temple has mountain water flowing out of its mouth 365 days a year! This place has hordes of monkeys and they’re quite a menace. Therefore put away all polythene bags and food stuff inside your backpacks while going up the steps, otherwise they will definitely try to take away your edibles.

Behind the temple, lies a 2hour trek amidst the scattered boulders and thorny bushes. The mountain water can be seen flowing at only one point while trekking. The peak of the hills gives us a scenic view of the villages lying in the Kolar District. Habitual trekkers should find Antharagange Trek slightly easy. You should find the cave

s of Antharagange Hills once you’re at the peak. We saved the inside tour of the caves for our next visit as we were short of time.

We stopped for lunch at one of the road-side Dhabas on NH4 on our return journey. We were back in Bangalore by dusk.

Trekking in the night is also possible at Antharagange and one can camp out in the caves overnight! A trip to Antharagange should be definitely adventurous and thrilling, and do keep yourself plenty of time to visit all the caves!

Full Throttle!

Sitting through a boring lecture in my 5th Semester Engineering class, I let my mind wander through the times when I'd bunked college and had set out on a Biking Trip without any planning. And as I started enumerating the places I'd been to in the year 2010, it seemed to me that the details of each bike-trip was slowly fading away from my mind. Before I reach the point where I can only recollect the names of the places and no further details, I thought I'd put them down in my Blog for the benefit of those Bangaloreans, who're looking to get away somewhere for a day! These places should be appropriate for you to resort to on your day off or on a weekend. Also, all these places should definitely be a treat for those who love Trekking!

Having gone on several biking trips, here are some things which I'd advice to make traveling on bikes less of an ordeal.

Traveling on the Highway on a bike involves a lot of exposure to dust and air, so I'd highly recommend you wear a jacket or at least full sleeved clothes to avoid dust particles from hitting your arms.

Protect your eyes with riding glasses or with the helmet's visor to avoid black muck from collecting around them.

Setting out early and getting back before dusk is strongly advised, as there wont be any spare tyres in case of a flat tyre.

Take a Backpack.

Carry or buy some snacks and a bottle of water.

Travel light! Take as less number of gadgets as possible! Remember, you do not have a car to stash your gadgets while you are enjoying out there!

If you're going on a night-out, then carry a Flashlight.

Going long distances on the Highway in bikes might lead to strenuous usage of your bike. Taking a break for 5 to 10 minutes after long stretches of riding (1.5 to 2 hours) will help prevent overheating of your bike.

Lastly, always wear a Helmet!

Having said all this, I'd encourage you to go on as many Biking Trips as possible!

I shall write about each place in a separate post to make reading convenient.