Travelogue in new year started with ride to Thattekere lake, a place located around 25 kms from Bangalore. It has been in a long time to-do list, ever since reading the eye catching trip report of Prashanth. Also it has been close to 8 months ever since I took my Yamaha out of the city for a ride.
Earlier plans to start by 6 AM has been pushed to 7 AM owing to the laziness & the weather ensured that we start by 7.30 AM. Meanwhile, the two bicyclers were in middle of their first journey in cycle which started around 5 AM. Amidst the weather which constantly made patterns of dew in my helmet fibers, we set out in three bikes with two pillion riders. We made two stops before reaching the Bhannerghatta Road - one at HSR petrol bunk to fill fuel for the bikes & one at Tea shop near Shoppers stop to fill fuel for our stomach.
Its a straight route from Bhannerghatta road without any turns till you hit the Bhannerghatta National Park deviation. Turn left and head straight for about 7 or 8 kms until you spot the next deviation. Take right, which me missed to do so, causing an extra 5 kms travel before we realized that we took the wrong route. From that its pretty much a straight road for around 10 kms, travelling into the villages with a scenic view. Its better when in doubt ask the villagers for the route.
The Enchanting Lake Entrance
Around 8.30 AM , we stopped for breakfast at some roadside hotel in Bhannerghatta. Reached the lake by 10.30 AM. The last stretch of ride thru the village roads is just awesome. Will be more enjoyable, especially if the weather is bit cloudy. After a few inquiries, finally we reached the much awaited place, kept out of the city, less occupied by people and obviously clean & calm. On the entrance you find Madheswara temple and few steps down the slide, the scenic lake. The bicyclers went in for a swim to get rid of the tiredness of 5 hrs of cycling. We just wandered there for some time , took some snaps & started back.
The bicycle tales
Lake View
Some more from the Lakeside
Lakeside View
On the return, we made a visit to Bhannerghatta National park, & my desperate attempt to capture a butterfly finally got fulfilled. We reached back home by 5.30 PM.
The moment
Pack foods, drive in with family, eat, spend time, watch the birds, & what more, Thattekere makes an ideal picnic spot which you will not regret visiting.
Almost a year, ever since I updated my travelogue. There has been a couple or more bike rides happened in the mean time, but acute laziness in me has kept me off from updating them. Rode on wheels to weekend getaway spots in Bangalore, starting off with Mekadatu, followed by Kanva Reservoir, and an adventurous ride to Br Hills & GopalsamyBetta, but were forced to cut short it to BR Hills. Luckily the travel stories were documented & blogged by Ram & you can find more of his travel stories here.
This time it was a 3 day trip & with various suggestions flying around for, we finalized the plan for Chikmagalur & Kemmankundi. Nature Nirvana Home Stay was booked for accommodations and we started around 10 PM , hoping to reach by 5 AM. Driving in the hassle free NH made the driver excited & with the speed he was driving we would have reached Chikmagalur by 2. We stopped at Coffee day around 12 for a break & chitchat & finally reached Chikmagalur by 5.
The adventurous or rather scary I would say, is the 7 km descending ride to the Nature Nirvana Home stay. With poor roads which only Jeeps can make it, foggy morning where nothing in front is visible & and the probability of making a slight slip being extremely high, it took around 1.5 hrs to travel 7 Kms.
The Route -
Nature Nirvana Plantation Home Stay :
The place - Except for the tiresome ride , the place is very calm, scenic and pleasant.Great mountain view. The people here deliver a great hospitality & comfort. Camp fire with unlimited barbecue in the cold is a pure bliss.
The food - Awesome , Unlimited, non-veg, different varieties, most importantly filling.
Activities ( Indoor )- Within the premised there is Shuttle court , Basket ball , Cricket. Given the dampness of the ground extra care is needed while playing else you mind end up injuring your knees.
Activities ( Outdoor ) - They organize day trips to Kemmangundi , Baba budengiri and other travel spots. Also close to the stay, there are couple of places at walk able distance. Spent day-1 on exploring the nearby places ,the waterfall where we spent most of our time relaxing, ending with a sunset at viewpoint. Day 2 was more of a uphill trek to the close by peak and some encounter with Leeches followed by great gyan session by one of a fellow friend.
Chennakesava Temple, Belur -On the return, we had a visit to Chennakesava temple, Belur. The history behind the constructions & carvings of the temple left us dumbstruck. If you are visiting this place, I would recommend to have a guide explaining the history behind this masterpiece. Winded up our lunch at Kaamath on the way & reached Bangalore by 8 Pm.
The Cost - It costed around 5K per person, for 3 days. Inclusive of travel & accommodation.
To sum it up, except for the 7km ride, it was a fun filled and relaxing weekend.