Wednesday 29 November 2017

Chikmagalur two days getaway from Bangalore in Rs 2400 /-



Hello Guys,

My yet another exciting trip from last weekend was to Chikmagalur. If you want to enjoy the Forest, Hill station, Waterfalls then this could be the best option for a perfect weekend doing just that. Chikmagalur is located at the foot of Mullayanagiri hills in Karnataka state.


Places to visit in Chikmagalur are bit longer in distances so it's convenient to have a private vehicle.

How we reach there :

This time I was lucky to have too many new friends. We were a group of 12 guys. We booked a TT Cab (Tempo Traveler) which was lightened interiorly with Blue and red LEDs lit interiors giving the effect and feel of a disco with nice music.  

This cab we booked Rs 12 per Km.
Cab Driver Name: Murthy 
Contact No: 08494944944



Chikmanglur is around 245 KM from Bangalore which takes approximate 4:30 Hrs to reach via Belur. An added advantage of taking this route is that we can visit "Belur" which is another tourist attraction.
So this trip started at 11:30 PM and reach to Halebidu at 5:30 AM.

At Halebidu, with the contact of our driver, we manage to get fresh and Bath. He arranges lodge for us who took 50 Rs /- pp only for the morning.

Now we were ready and excited to explore this place.

What to See

 DAY 1:
1)      Halebidu Temple :
Its construction started around 1121 CE and was complete in 1160 CE. The Hoysaleswara temple is a Shivism tradition monument, yet reverentially includes many themes from Vaishnavism and Shaktism tradition of Hinduism, as well as images from Jainism. It has two Nandi shrines outside, where each seated Nandi face the respective Shiva linga inside.

Halebidu Temple
   
2)      Belur Temple :
Halebidu Temple to Belur distance is approximate 17 Km. Belur temple also is known as “The Chennakeshava Temple”. It is famous for its carving and sculpture. The temple was built over three generations and took 103 years to finish.
Belur Temple
We were interested to go actual Hill stations of Chikmagalur but it was already 12 PM and this time was not proper to go  Hills and Trekking. So as per driver suggestion, we moved towards Sringeri to see one more temple. But the ride through this route was exciting due to a thick and green forest.

3)      Annapurneshwari Temple :
The Annapoorneshwari Temple is located at Hornadu, Karnataka 100 km from Chikmagalur, same from Belur as well in the thick forests and valleys of the Western Ghats of Karnataka. It’s ambient is very good. Surrounded by forest.
Here you can have a Prasad which will be enough for your lunch. Also there is no nearby hotel you will find here. So this is a good place for visitors J

4)      Srimane Water Fall :
Yes, we were tired to see all these temples. So was looking for something interesting. Next option we found was Srimane Waterfall. It is 50 Km from the temple. We really felt restful to reach this spots.  Rout to visit here is a really thick forest of “Kudremukh”.

Srimane Waterfall


5)      Tea Farm :
While reaching to above waterfall on the way we got a nice Tea farm. It was a photogenic place. So took a lot of pics. Natures peacefulness you will realize here.



6)      Sringeri Temple :
After roaming this complete day we were entirely tired and needed for rest. But on the way, we visited this temple as well.

It is also called as “Sharadamba” temple. It’s an 8th-century temple, founded by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. It has a sandalwood statue of Shardamba in a standing posture, which was installed by Adi Shankarachaya until the Vijayanagara rulers and Sri Vidyaranya (12th Jagadguru) installed a seated gold statue of Sri Shardamba in the 14th century.
Temple is on the bank of “Bhadra river”. Ambient is pleasant. Also, the river has one bridge by standing there one can get a nice view of the river.


Night Stay :

We booked a lodge in Chikmagalur from online. This was very good, neat, Clean and new property.
Lodge name: Galaxy Inn
Contact name: Hameed
Contact No: 8884669994
Charges : 550 Rs/- PP

This person was very cooperative. He arranged Wifi, Hot water also in the early morning. He guided us on our Day2 trip spots. Also gave a proper route map to visit the places. We got a nice rest here.

DAY 2 :


Today we have to cover all trekking places so left the room at morning 6:30. Lodge’s person provided us below rout map and we followed it.

1)    Mullayanagiri Peak (15 Km from Chikmangalur):

It’s an altitude of 1930 m above the sea level, Mullayanagiri peak is located in the Baba Budan Giri Range of Western Ghats. It serves as the highest peak between the Nilgiris and the Himalayas offering its visitors a relaxed environment with temperature ranging between 20 - 25 degrees Celsius. Known for its peaceful ambiance and nature's raw beauty.


The driver dropped us at the starting point of Mullayanagiri from where we started our trekking. On the way, you have to cross two small hills and the third one is Mullayanagiri. While trekking you can enjoy photography because there are more places eyes catching.

Mullayanagiri


2)   Baba Bhudan Giri

This place is around 30 KM from Mullayanagiri. It’s a mountain in the Baba Budan range of the Western Ghats.

Baba Budangiri


3)     Butter milk Falls : 

This is also known as “Jhari Falls” 11 KM from the Bhudan Giri hills. This is one more place where to reach you have to walk around 2.3 KM through a side scenery of Forest, Hills, and Peace. Here you can take a joy of Bath in falls. It was an awesome moment to shower with a very high cascading water. 

Buttermilk falls (Jhari Falls)

This was our last spot and time was at 4 PM. So after finishing this, we left towards Bangalore. 

As I already told places to visit here are on long distances, this total trip ride went around 1100 KM from Bangalore. In our Day-1, we added Kudremukh and Shringeri additional rides which were not planned. But due to Temples visit it went until Afternoon and so it was of no interest to go on Trekking so we chose Day-2 for this. 

Photos :







Saturday 18 November 2017

A short trip to Pondicherry

Hello Readers,

When I told my friends about my one day trip to Pondicherry in approximately Rs. 900/- they just laughed at me and said I was crazy. But if you really have a craze to travel, and are curious to explore the beautiful places and since in Pondy the most visited spots are nearby the centre of the city, it is indeed possible to cover a lot in just one day. The only thing you need is a “Glucone-D” packet of Rs. 35/- to get you energized J




Let’s go through following details to find out more about how I achieved this :

Source Station: Yeshwantpur Junction - Train (Friday Chalukya Express 21:30 hrs), Fare 130rs /- for General, 260rs /- for SL coach. Journey start time 9:30 PM.
Guys, if you choose to travel in a General Seat, don’t worry because you will definitely get a seat. The logic is, this train is coming from Mumbai, Maharashtra. So most of the crowd will get down at Yeshwantpur. Only passengers going down South will be travelling further. What you need to do is reach the station at least 30 min before train arrives, and you will easily be able to grab your seat. Particularly, if you are looking for more comfort and privacy, take the upper seat. There won’t be much crowd to bother you.

We reached Pondy station at 7:30 AM.  Of course now we had to freshen up. One advantage is that, since Pondy is last station for your train, it will halt there for more than 30 min. Also this train is well maintained, neat and clean. So all the morning activities we completed in the train itself. Except for taking a bath. If you want to take a shower, you can use waiting rooms at the railway station as well J 
We had our breakfast at a nearby hotel. Also took a few snacks with us. We were really excited and ready to go.

Now that we were happy that we reached Pondy comfortably, we were ready to explore all the tourist spots.

Places we visited:

1.     Basilica of the Sacred
2.     Rock Beach
3.     Gandhi Memorial
4.     Botanical Garden

All these places are on a route of approximately 3.5 km. One can easily walk while having fun. Beaches are better to visit during the morning hours before the hot sun rises. We had a really relaxing time at the beach.

We can opt for a time-specific private tour buses which you can board from Pondicherry tourism office which is near the Gandhi Statue. They will charge around Rs. 200/- per person. But walking on the beach is a better option, as we could enjoy a lot more.

We could cover all the above listed spots within 3hrs which was sufficient time to spend on beach.


Pondicherry- Local Spot- Near to City Center 



Lunch: After visiting all the above spots it was time for lunch. There are many restaurants within the city. As per your convenience you can have lunch at any of these restaurants. Some, I found, were not clean or well-maintained. So choose a good place after careful inspection. We spent about an hour having lunch and left for our next destination.

5.     Paradise Beach :
Paradise beach is the most famous and beautiful spot in Pondy compared to all the places we visited in the morning. We reached there a little after 1:00 PM. 

Getting there: It is about 6.5 km away from the city center. But there are a lot of buses from the city, it takes nearly 20 min to reach there. Just ask for the Paradise beach stop. The bus fare is approximately Rs. 10 – Rs. 12 /-.

Pondicherry City to Paradise Beach



Once you reach, you will find a long queue which is for a Cruise ticket which take us on the beach. Depending on the crowd you may have to stand in the queue for at least an hour.  Cruise ticket costs about Rs. 100 one way. We bought a two-way ticket for Rs. 200/-.
It’s a 10 min journey to reach the beach. But the journey is a lot of fun. There was a nice view of the back waters. You can really enjoy the back drop of a beautiful, relaxing nature, enjoying the waves against the sand, and the cool breeze. You can also taste a variety of sea food, like fried fish along with some refreshingly cool coconut water.
We spent about 2 hours experiencing the beauty and decided to leave around 5 PM because we had a train to catch.
We took the public transport from same spot and got back to the Pondy railway station. Bus fare was same around Rs. 10/-

Dinner: If you manage to make it back in time you can enjoy a filling dinner at any restaurant. Otherwise do make sure to carry a parcel because remember we have to grab a seat in train by reaching the station early.

Return Journey:      Pondy to Yeshwantpur Junction - Train (Saturday Chalukya Express 20:50 Hrs), Fare Rs. 130/- for General, Rs. 260/- for a Sleeper Coach. Journey time 9:10 PM.
We were able to catch the same train by which we came the previous night and were at the station an hour early. The train will already be there with more vacant seats because Pondy is origin station. There was no crowd. But because we were completely tired, were a little sleepy. Nonetheless, this was an exceptionally fun trip and worth every penny we spent.
We reached Yeshwantpur Junction the next morning at 6:00 AM.

Note : There are many other temples to visit in Pondicherry. But since we didn’t have much time, we could only cover a few specific spots. If one wants to take rest and want to enjoy the beaches in the evening, you can book a hotel in the city center for the night, as it is worth to sit on the rocks at the beach in evenings and night. The market displaying home-made and hand crafted stuff opens in the evening. If you are a shopping buff, you wouldn’t want to miss it.

Photos :








Overall Trip Review :

Trip review i'll give 3.9 Star. If you want real joy of Beaches, Goa is the best place to visit. I will come soon on how to manage Goa trip in low cost.



Princess of Hills, Kodaiknal 2 Days trip Rs 2200 /- from Bangalore

Hello Guys,

“Nature is the Art of God”. This statement never felt more true until I was lucky to visit Kodaiknal, well known by the name “The Princess of Hills” which forms the lower ranges of Palani Hills Forest Conservation Area in Tamil Nadu.


We were group of three friends visiting Kodaiknal during the cold weather in July with a min 18℃ and max 28℃

Lets go through the below details to find out more about this :

Source station : Bangalore ( Train- Tuticorin Express- 21:00) In General, fare is approx Rs. 170 /- and SL Coach Rs. 350 /-. We chose to go in the general coach. We were delighted to see many vacant seats and were even able to sleep well. So this outbound journey was very comfortable. We arrived at “Kodaikanal Road” station exactly at 6:40 am.  

Kodaikanal  Road to Kodaikanal (80 km):

 On the platform there will be many taxi drivers making a rush to take us in their taxi to Kodaikanal which is about 80 km from the station. If you choose to take these taxis it will cost you around Rs 1500 to Rs 2000 /- depending upon the type of cab you are booking. We just came out of station and saw one small hotel, where we had Puri-Sambar for breakfast, but I must tell you, it wasn't that tasty. The Puri was very hard and the hotel wasn't  hygienic. I wouldn't recommend you to go there.

We had to reach Kodaikanal. We didn't take the taxi because it was expensive. So the next best option was the private bus which goes towards Kodaikanal. But the taxi guys won't allow these private buses to stop here. They fight and create a scene as they don't want to harm their business. We were a little scared, to be honest. But remember to be patient, and wait for the public bus which arrives at 8:15 am. We waited for an hour and were relieved to see a bus coming.

This bus will take you from “Kodaikanal Road to Batlagundu” which is approximately a 20 km journey. Batlagundu has it’s own bus stand. You will get another bus for Kodaikanal from the same bus stand which is another 37 km ahead. This local journey will cost you only Rs 70 /-.

During this bus ride you can enjoy the road which passes through the Ghats and a forest on either side. Small villages in Kodai, their beauty and pleasant calmness of the Hills is breathtaking. As you travel and go towards Kodaikanal you will feel the weather getting colder.

We reached Kodaikanal near Lake around 12pm which is in the center of the city. We reached our hotel with the help of GPS.

Hotel :

We booked a deluxe room at “Hotel Wood Palace” online for Rs 900 /-. Since there were three of us, he arranged an additional bed for us at no extra cost (Remember to ask for an extra bed while booking itself). so basically it cost us Rs 300 /- per person. Pretty cheap deal huh?
This hotel is 400 m from city center and it’s ambience is really good as you are surrounded by greenery. If you are taking your own vehicle the hotel has its own parking too.

Hotel Wood Palace, Kodaikanal

The hotel also has a good restaurant. There are many good restaurants outside too where you can have tasty food.

How to book a tour Cab :

There are affordable local tour taxis are available here if you are in a group. Almost all the taxi guys have a one day tour package which is similar to the one shown below. But be careful to make sure they don't over charge you. Let me also tell you that the amount printed in these tour package list is a little high and you can bargain with the drivers to get a cheaper deal.


One day tour package should not cost you more than Rs 900 /-
We found two really nice taxi drivers there named Bala and Satish. They were very helpful. We were able to decide upon a deal for Rs 1800/- for the first and third two day package in an Etios (4 Seater). Here are their contacts.

1)     Contact Name : Bala           Number : 8344806018
2)     Contact Name : Satish        Number : 9524384440

These two guys really made our day in Kodaikanal.

What to See :

DAY 1 :

Day 1 Plan
All the tourist spots shown in the map are listed below.

1)     Coaker’s Walk :
Coaker’s Walk is a lovely pathway built and created by Leigh tenant Coaker. in 1872. It’s built such a way that the beauty of valleys are visible while walking along the pathway.


Coaker's Walk


 2)     Green Valley views and Pilar Rocks:
Green valley views is also known as Suicide Point. These points offer a breathtaking view of the plains, deep valleys and hills. You will love this place if you are a nature lover.


Pilar Rocks

 3) Guna Caves :
It is also popularly known as devil's kitchen. Here you will see large trees, roots buried under the ground and antique stones.

Guna Caves


 4) Pine Forest :
In pine forest you will get to see tall pine trees. It's also good photogenic place.

Pine Forest
5) Moir Point :
This is one more view point where your eyes will be pleased to see beauty of Valleys, Hills and Forest.
Moir Point
6) Golf Club : 
On the way to the above listed view points, we came across a Golf Course. But only the Club members are allowed in. Ther isn't much to do but you can do a lot of beautiful photography here.

So Day 1 was done. We were satisfied our travel thirst and were looking for ward to the Campfire and music arranged for us at the Hotel Wood Palace for free:) This was really very exciting ambience. It was open for all guests and there were people dancing and enjoying their drinks.


As we were tired from all the travelling during the day, we had our dinner at the hotel's restaurant and hit the bed. We had an early morning the next day.

DAY 2 :

Day 2 plan, Kodaiknal


1) La Saleth Church :
Day 2 started at 9:30 am. Our first spot was La Saleth Church which is 100 years old. We spent around 30 minutes at the church. It was peaceful and we also took a lot of photos.


2) 500 Years old tree :
This wasn't all that interested to us. We just took a glance from inside the taxi and moved towards our next destination.

3) Lion Caves and Bear Shola Fall :
Those who love trekking in the forest will love these spots. We need to be a little careful as the ground is slippery.These spots are about 300m apart from each other. 
Bear Shola Fall
4) Eco point and Dolphin nose :
This requires a trek of about 1km along the rocks. Both are beautiful view points. It is a little scary to take pictures here as it is on the edge of the mountain. But wasn't any less thrilling.
Dolphin Nose
 5) Upper Lake view :
Although this view point is nothing compared to going to the lake, it is still a beautiful place to view the Lake and Kodaikanal.
Upper lake view

End Of Trip :
We were also done with day2. We had a lot of fun and the  beauty of the place was breathtaking beyond our expectations. This is one of the most luxurious trips with hotel and a cab but it wasn't that expensive as we had planned the trip way before we left Bangalore.

Kodaiknal To Bangalore :
This is approximately a 460km journey. The bus fare is Rs. 450/-. Our taxi driver friend Satish booked our tickets along with a minor booking fee. The bus stand was close by and we bpoarded our semi-sleeper coach at 6pm and were in Bangalore the following day at around 5:30 am.

Overall Trip Expense per person:
Here is a breakdown of the trip expenses per person.
Train- Rs 170 + Local Bus-70 Rs + Tour taxi Rs 600 (2 days) + Hotel- Rs 300 + Food- 500 (4 time) + Return Bus Rs 450 = Rs 2100 /-


Gallery :

















Sunday 12 November 2017

Nelliyampathy, Kerela a day trip

Hello, guys, this is my first post on a Blog about my travel. My intention is to make your trip budget low as possible. Please don' mind this blog is only for real adventure and who are crazy to roam around in minimal expense. This is not for who is looking for luxurious trips.

So let's see how I commenced this Trip :

Source station: Bangalore- Train (Daily-Kanyakumari Express 20:00), Fare 150rs /- General, Approx Rs. 300 SL reservation, Journey time 8:30 Hrs.

I reached Bangalore railway station 1:30 hrs before to grab the seat in Train. If we are boarding from a source station of Train no doubt you should get a Seat on a Train, doesn't matter how rush it would be. 8:00 pm journey started and I get down at 4:30 am exactly to Palakkad junction.

If you are so hungry don't hesitate to take heavy breakfast here on the station itself. On some railway station, they purposely take more rate of food but here I took Idli-Vada plate just in 50rs /-. It was very good and sufficient.

At Palakkad junction only we took a bath and get refreshed. Here public Bathrooms/Toilet was really neet and cleaned, also cost less to use, no rush. (On many stations this would find dirty and even would charge to use) . So I took this benefit. I appreciate government to make this facility for people like me ☺.

Palakkad to Nelliyempathy: This distance is approx 60 km. So Just from 2 min walk outside of Palakkad station from the highway, we have to catch the Bus. You may get a KSRTC (Kerala) Bus but are very time specific and rare which take us directly to Nelliyampathy (Approx fare 70rs /-). No worry there is so many private buses just the thing is you have to break your journey in three steps like Palakkad stop -- (7rs/- )Stadium stop -- (20rs/-) Nenmara stop-- (35rs/-) Nelliyampathy.

Guys our trip fun actually started when journeying from Nenmara to Nelliyampathy. This takes us toward the hill and forest. It's 28 Km rout. Awesome scenery, the light cold weather was giving a bliss feel. Also, the views of "Pothundi Dam" which I got from midway of hills was so pleasant. So around 9:30 am I reached Nelliyampathy.

Nelliyempathy local places visit: We were five people so booked an Auto which was comfortable for us. We paid 200rs/- each so total 1000/- rs for Four/Five spots he took us. If you are more numbers can book Jeep also which will cost you 2000rs /- and trust me guys it's very worthful to opt.

So places he took us are :
1. Nelliyampathy Hills two viewpoint
2. Palagapandi estate
3. One bridge point

The journey to all above places only hilarious. I just feel like to roam in heaven. All forest is really well maintained and further development is still going on to facilitate the tourists.

Lunch: For food and all I don't see hotels there. But our Auto driver only suggested us one family shop who offers a food. We took proper Kerala food (Kerala rice+ Sambar_Papad) which was around 50rs /-.

Return Journey: We were so satisfied with this much trip only and decided to return on same day. We were lucky to get a KSRTC (Kerala) bus from Nelliyampathy direct to Palakkad at 3:15 pm. It charged 47rs /- pp. Also, of course, we were tired with this journey and needed the comfortable journey to return back to Bangalore.

On Palakkad Bus station we booked KSRTC Non- AC-Semi sleeper bus. It cost us 410rs /-. Even it was Semi sleeper but Seat was really good to get it pushed enough and we can sleep well with complete back lying on Seat (Normally only Push back seats are available).

Overall Trip review :

Overall I will give 4.5 to this location. It is really worthful to visit. So many places I visited in South India but this was something typical. People can opt for One day still if they want to be more relax and want to enjoy more. Stay cost here should not be more than 500 rs /- PP. You can contact and ask to any local guy here to manage Stay. They are really helpful.

Photos : 


















Kashmir, Heaven on the Earth - Part 2

Dear Friends, in the first part I have shared my solo travel experience about Srinagar. So, before going to the second part, If anybody of y...