MTB Himachal 2007

There is so much interest for mountain biking on RFL-Bangalore group that we started a new Bangalore bikers groups Through Nagaraj I came to know about MTB Himachal 2007 This is a 9 day race starting from 4th Oct 2007 from Shimla to Manali. This year they are having a COMFORT version, in which you don't compete but you are doing it just for fun. Also you can opt for 3/6/9 days. I was not very confident initially to do the EXTREME race, but now I don't want to miss a single day of race. have a look at this video to get a feel of what to expect. find more

No Onion nor Garlic still Sakaath Hot

I was looking out for a bold and honest fiction for some time. something close to English, August or Cuckold in its form. Browsing books at Landmark store is always fun. They have good collection of Indian writing in English. There I found what I wanted No Onion nor Garlic. Published in 2006 its very fresh n crispy, bold, hot and honest...

On my recent Kolhapur trip I brought four plays by Vijay Tendulkar. Its strange that I like reading plays. They are usually small and to the point. I finished Ghashiram Kotwal its brilliant. now I want to watch it. The play is set in history but very relevant in any era or country, just like Tughlaq. Again its terrifically bold and what they say, brutally honest!

Kodagu (Coorg) Trip > 1 MAY (Day 5)

I had plenty of time to see Madikeri. Early morning I took a bus to Bhagamandala and from there Talakaveri is 8 KM. Talakaveri is the place where Kaveri originates. Heavy concretisation of this place has started happening and the new temple doesn't have that appeal. Climb few hundred steps from here and you are on Brahmagiri. The view from here is superb.

I came back to Madikeri by 1 PM. Abbey falls is near by but wasn't really interested to go there because of crowd. In the evening walked to Raja's seat. You can see the mountain range from here. You can see flowers of different kinds here in the garden. I took lots of photographs.

MY bus came at 8.30 PM and it was the usual Rajhamsa bus but had luggage space at the rear so transporting bike wasn't a problem. Reached Majestic at 4.00 AM. bike was all right. This is the first time that I haven't taken auto or bus from majestic to home. I peddled it :-) sure I would like to carry it to Kolhapur next time I go...
11.00 AM, office. Some moron has scheduled one more boring status meeting, back to normal life...

Kodagu (Coorg) Trip > 30 APR (Day 4)

I started at 6.00 AM towards Dubare Elephant camp. It is 12 KM from Kushalnagar. The terrain had changed drastically now. Green hills on all the sides and riding was pleasant. Kushalnagar to to Siddapur road is newly done. Reached Dubare in half 45 mins. You have to take the boat and cross the Kaveri to reach the camp. The Camp starts from 8.30 AM so I had plenty of time. This spot is amazingly beautiful. There are 5 cottages in Dubare Inn and Jungle Lodges & Resorts have few cottages on the other side in camp. But they were all full as expected. You have to do booking in
Bangalore to stay here. At 1600 Rs./night this place is worth that. By 8 AM the tourist influx started and this place was like any other spot then. I got a feel of what it would be inside camp in few hours. So changed my mind and decided to ride to Siddapur which is around 15 KM from Dubare. I had a heavy breakfast in Dubare Inn.

This was the first time I was in hilly terrain on mountain bike. I was expecting that it will be tiring and exhaustive. Not at all! This was when I actually enjoyed riding! Dubare - Siddapur stretch passes through some dense forest and coffee estates. Morning views were superb. I inquired for home stay at few places but its tough to get when you are single. Ideally I would like to stay here in the traditional Kodava house in the midst of forest and do nothing. Just hang out for a week.2 KM before Siddapur you will get a road to Madikeri on your right. I stopped here for water and inquired about the road condition and distance. The tea shop Ajja suggested me to go back to kushalnagar and take the Madikeri road since that is not very steep. That distance was around 45 KM. Where as Siddapur - Madikeri road is around 35 KM, it is very steep but its extremely scenic. I was here for mountain biking so my choice was clear. Entire Siddapur - Madikeri road has coffee estates on both sides. Clearly they have destroyed the forest for coffee plantations and thats why there is lot of buzz in Kodagu for wildlife conservation by the same guys :-) This entire stretch I was riding in 1-2-3 (lower gears) got lots of opportunity to climb on 1st gear. My bike has 7X3=21 speed combinations, at two places even that wasn't enough; I felt that my bike should have few more gears. Where as on Bangalore - Mysore road I used only top gears 6 & 7. Took few snaps on this road but you have to be there to get real experience of the natures beauty.

Traffic is very very less on this road. You will only see Mahindra Jeeps and few buses. Kodagu has a very efficient public transport mainly run by private operators. I took a break at Murughodu and one more place after that. Had some mangoes on the way and reached a small place 4 KM to Madikeri. There was a board "Shanthi Estate" which I knew from Outlook guide provides accommodation. I took there private road which was going down the valley, this was extremely steep and it was just a mud track. I couldn't see anybody even after going half a KM. and the road was going down for another 1 KM. The thought of climbing it up if no one is there came to mind. My left knee was paining badly by now.

That slight injury at Srirangapattana was un bearable now. So I came back to main road totally exhausted. This 4 KM stretch to Madikeri is a extremely steep climb so I have to walk most of that. The milestone was showing that only 1 KM is left but I could not see any house, people or vehicles. That was surprising for me because I knew that Madikeri is a big town & its a district place so have to have a large population. And it is a big town! as soon I reached the top I could see the entire town!

Hotel Atithi is one of nice restaurants, serves veg buffet for 30 Rs. I had a heavy lunch. The tough task again to find accommodation. There is a tourist info center next to Atithi run by a beautiful & polite lady. Its actually a gift shop and info provided is free. She gave me 4 phone nos and all of them were full. BTW this lady was not at all impressed that I have peddled all the way from Bangalore :-( in fact no one gave me weired look or asked why I was cycling, after Kushalnagar! On the 5th call I got the room at Hotel Kaveri. Evening I went for a walk and visited
Omkareshwara temple. It was calm here, felt really good. I was not in a state to ride further as my knee was paining badly, So decided to head back next day. All VOVLO buses were full, its easy to transport bike in VOVLO. I had no choice but to book the 10 PM Rajhamsa before it gets full. I noticed that Rajhamsa buses don't have carriers on top and not all Rajhamsa will have luggage space at rear. So went to bus stand and inquired the matter. The 9 PM Rajhamsa is a new bus which has VOLVO like luggage space. So canceled the old ticket and booked the 9 PM bus.

Kodagu (Coorg) Trip > 29 APR (Day 3)

I left the hotel at 5.00 AM. took ring road and reached the Hunsur road. A 10 KM stretch from ring road is in a worst shape (Good for my bike!) and probably thats why everybody advised me not to go to Madikeri. after that stretch road is excellent till Kushalnagar. I took first major break at piriyapattana. The 20 KM stretch till piriyapattana was the tough one. It was just climb, climb and climb for 20 KM. The gradients were not very steep but very very long stretches. Did breakfast at Piriyapattana and took rest for half an hour. Kushalnagar is around 25 KM from here. This was easy ride.




5 KM before Kushalnagar you get a diversion to go to Bylakuppe on your left. Take that road and go for 6 KM you will reach Golden Temple. Bylakuppe hosts Refugee camp for Tibetians. Here you will feel as if you are in Tibet! The golden temple is a must see. This has become a crowded place, still worth a visit. Had good (actually heavy) lunch at Bylakuppe. Kushalnagar is just 4 KM from here. I reached Kushalnagar at 2 PM. I decided to halt here since getting accommodation at Dubare was next to impossible. Also Nisargadhama is just 3 KM from Kushalnagar. So I could visit it and come back.


Nisargadhama is a man made island formed by diverting the flow of Kaveri. you can do boating, take elephant ride, take a dip in Kaveri and take a walk in the woods. Again it was too much of crowd here. people talking on mobile phones, lots of plastic/ garbage. yack...
Came back to lodge and took a bath. this lodge wasn't that good but ok for 120 Rs. there are quite few decent lodges in Kushalnagar. I realized that I need to shave while looking at the mirror. I was not carrying shaving kit to reduce weight. This was the first time in my life that someone else shaved my beard! That guy used 1/10 th the shaving cream I normally use and rubbed it for 15 mins to get enough foam out of it. whooosh.... Next time I won't mind carrying that extra 100g weight :-)

Getting accommodation was going to be difficult in this tourist season so best option was to go to Madikeri next day. From outlook guide I figured out that there is a road from Siddapur to Madikeri. Siddapur is known for coffee estates. Plan was to stay in Siddapur if I get home stay at all or reach Madikeri.

Kodagu (Coorg) Trip > 28 APR (Day 2)

This was a rest day. I went to Chamundi hills early in the morning by bus. Later I came to know that Madhu and gang (from RFL group) were running here. Missed out a nice opportunity :-( It was getting crowded slowly at Chamundi hills. The flux of crowd gave a good idea of what will be ahead in the day. Then I went to Palace, spent couple of hours there. The artistry is magnificent here. The entire palace has sandalwood smell! glass paintings, tiles, woodwork is just amazing.


Took a bus to Srirangapattana, which went straight to Sangam. Actually Kaveri splits at Ranganathswamy temple into two streams, which meet here again. There was too much crowed here and is not very clean. I hired a auto for 200 Rs to see places. It would have been better if I had come here for a halt and ride on bike. Then Went to Karia Ghatta. this place gets less crowd so its clean. A bath here can totally rejovinate you. Even though depth was less, current was very strong. I slipped from a stone and hit on knees. That didn't pain much at that time. Then went to Gomez, the place where Haider Ali, Tipu, his sons and other family members tombs are situated. From there I went to Dariah Daulat Bagh, that is Tipu's summer palace. Autowalah dropped me at Ranganathswamy temple at 4 PM. Afetr taking darshan I headed back to Mysore.

First thing I did was to check if my bike is still allright. Informed the Chacha there that I will come to take the bike next day morning at 4.30 AM. I was skeptic that if there would be anybody early in the morning. Still had lot of time so walked to Devaraj Urs road. the upmarket shoppping area of Mysore. You can see all modern multinational brands on this road. I liked city very much. it is similar to Kolhapur in many ways. I felt very comfortable being in Mysore.

Now it was time to decide next days plan. Nagarhole or Kabini could have been done in a day but finding accomodation would have been a challange since this was peak time. So I decided to reach Kushalnagar next day check out nearby places and decide further plan. Manager of the lodge gave me direction to reach Hunsur road.

Kodagu (Coorg) Trip > 27 APR (Day 1)

Breeze was cool and there was no traffic on the road towards Banashankari (except few ubiquitous call center cabs). I took slow start and was checking gear shifters / breaks in between. A autowalah esquired where I was going for which I had no definite answer so just kept peddling. After I crossed Banashankari Big Bazaar there is a big slope, I was riding very fast now and suddenly hit a wide speed breaker, I could not see it. I applied both breaks but front one is pretty strong. As a result the rear wheel went up in the air about a feet! I released the breaks and managed to hold the handle bar steadily at that speed. Landed safely and came a big scream from bottom of my stomach! this was awesome and sent jitters in the spine!

At around 5.00 AM I reached Rajrajeshwari Dental collage after which I saw the first milestone "Mysore 129" took a snap here. My immediate target was Ramnagaram. I reached there at around 6 AM and took 5 mins break. I wanted to eat something but shops were not open yet so kept peddling. The view of the hills was awesome. This is the place where "Sholay" was shot. I didn't take any pictures on the way at many beautiful spots b'coz I had to take the camera out of bag and keep it back which loses the momentum and flow. I guess there will be a camera mount accessory for mounatin bike.

Next stop was at Channapattana. took a 15 min break, eat two banana and had water. The shop keeper asked politely why are you cycling? and my face was blank... Peddled for another hour and I reached Maddur at 8 AM, the place famous for vada. I had breakfast at Maddur Tiffany which is just off the road, pretty decent place. After upload and download headed to Mandya, 40+ KM from Maddur. I was in Mandya at around 10.45. The saddle post was getting loose. I had misplaced the Allen key at home. Which is enough to fix 95% screws on my bike. Got the Allen key at one cycle shop and fixed the saddle. This cycle mechanic was extremely impressed with bikes design and its simplicity.

After Mandya you can see lot of paddy fields around you. Looks absolutely green everywhere even in the midst of summer. Now it was getting hot and hotter and it was climb till Srirangapattana. I had tender coconut water at few places but that doesn't really quench the thirst. Only and only water can quench the thirst and bring back energy in this heat. I could get cold packaged mineral water every now and then on express highway. 1 liter of water was the fuel for me :-)


"Mysore 12 KM", thats when I realized that I have done it! another half an hour peddling and I was in the city. I reached Mysore at around 1.30 PM. Decided to stay at lodge, had enough time for rest before going to reception.
Got a decent lodge near bus stand for 300 Rs/ night. Food was delicious at Abhishek's wedding reception and live carnatic instrumental music relaxed me completely.

Parking my bike makes me nostalgic. it always worries me at the back of my mind. The lodge did not had parking space. Found out a paid parking garage and paid him 30 Rs for 2 days! I went to sleep still thinking if bike will be safe there.

Yella Ok Cycle trip yake?

The marriage season is on and so came Abhishek & Reshma's invite for wedding reception at Mysore. Abhishek had teased me a lot when I bought my mountain bike and had enticed me to ride Mysore - Bangalore many times. I needed a good break from my work very badly so this was a gr8 opportunity. decided to do it in plain old style trip, "NO PLANS". Going solo was not really a choice :-) After this trip I can say that I really really love traveling solo! "Outlook 52 Weekends from Bangalore" was a faithful friend as usual. I marked few places around Mysore. Kabini,Nagarhole, Siddapur, Kakkabe and Madikeri etc. So it was going to be Kodagu (Coorg) trip, but no details worked out.

FRI 27 APR 4.00 AM was the start time, so that I can reach Mysore well before 7 PM when reception starts. but it wasn't that easy to start. I had to attend a cousins wedding at Hospet (7 Hrs bus journey from Bangalore) the previous day and come back to Bangalore by mid night so that I can do packing and take few hours of sleep. I managed to escape from wedding hall at 4 PM, got a direct bus and reached home at 1 PM. There was a new drama by autowalah this time. I gave a 100 Rs note and three 10 Rs to him, a moment after he says that I have given him four 10 Rs notes. Sravan had
told me his similar experience happened two days before that, so I knew his trick. Being in Bangalore for more than two years I know how to handle them. This was the easier one...

I had set three alarms, two in cell and one in my watch so that I wake up before 3.30 AM in any case. Got up at 3 AM, did all the packing and set out exactly at 4.00 AM. I was carrying 4 T's, 1 Jeans, Kurta for reception, water bottle,pump and puncture kit, outlook 52 weekends guide, 4000 Rs, sports watch, cell phone etc...(read underwears). I did not have front/rear lights and trip meter. Riding on highways early morning is tough without lights, it’s dangerous :( and that’s why blessings of Raagi Gudda Anjaneyya was a must (temple is at 1 min ride from my home!). Finally there I was out on the road. 4.05 AM

Flash back

So many things happened after NRF that I did not get any time to update my blog.
I was planning for Mumbai Marathon for almost two months and no chance that I would have missed that. So I decided to run despite the fact that I was out of practice for 3 weeks and still had jet lag and there was a big blister on my right feet. This visit was after more than two and half years!


My timimg was 02:45:55. check out Search for "java". For records I was 2 mins faster than Bangalore Marathon 06. After KM 12 that blister started paining badly. There was only one way out, keep running faster! You can see the result
Visited my favorite spots like Gateway, Marine Drive and had dinner at Samrat. That delicious Gujju thali tastes exactly same!


After Mumbai Marathon it was time to reward myself (or my legs really?). So one fine day I went to that firefox showroom on CMH Road, Indira Nagar and bought TREK 3700 mountain bike. Well it did cost me a bomb but its worth that. I started commuting to office on my bike but that is not it is made for. So decided to do a trip to Big Banyan Tree near Ramohalli. Which is around 30 KM from my home. I traced the entire route on WikiMapia! someone has put all the tags there.



The mashup I had built in December was selected for IBM WEB 2 Conference in Kolkata. Sam pitched in to build the WPC service and the demo was Live! We won the best paper award!(must be first time I have won any award :-))
We visited Gharia Bazzar and did some shopping. Kolkata has a very strong sense of its culture and identity compared to any other Indian city. You can see some very nice traditional paintings even in shopping mall.



The very next day 31st Mar was BarCampBangalore 3 This time IIM-B was host to the event. This was my first unconference, though I was not presenting anything I just dropped in to check out what really happens at barCamp.
I got chance to meet Dr. Ashwin Mahesh of Mapunity, folks from Active Mobs and saw many cool demos/technologies in mobile space. Lots of good work is happening in Bangalore.
Since barCamp was in a educational campus it had its effect. Class rooms are not at all suited for unconference. I hope that will change next time. Also felt that the guys who are organising this want it in "controlled" way, why do they want more people for event?
The kind of passion and enthusiasm that exudes here is just amazing. No nonsense, just stuff and have fun!