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Monday, December 11, 2006

Trip to Bilikallu Rangaswami Betta and Chunchi Falls

Eight guys and a girl.....
Eight bikes.....
200 kms....

Yep, that was what we did today. My first ride with Bike Nomads, was very exciting.

6.00 AM, Metro on Kanakpura road was the rendezvous. I was the first to reach there, at 5.50 AM. Was not sure about the location and did not want to hold up the others. Everybody was there by 6.15 AM. One Eliminator, two Avengers, two Karizmas, three Pulsar 150s. That was the line up.



After a quick photo session, we hit the road. The ride to Kanakpura was pretty smooth, except for a few patches of road work happening. Glad they are ensuring a better ride next time we pass by. 

The group reached Kanakpura at 7.30 AM. After parking the bikes at Kanakpura Bus Station, we headed off to Vasu Hotel for breakfast. After masala dosas and coffee, we left there at 8.00 AM.

When we asked for directions to Bilikallu Rangaswami Betta, the local junataa told us that there was a road leading all the way up to the hill top. Little did we realize what we were headed for. Renu kumar who had been there before, did not let the cat out the bag either. After about 15 kms of partially black topped and partially rough road, we reached the base of the hill and took the road leading up the hill and the fun started. It was serious off-roading. Sand patches and loose stones added to the fun. And for extra effect we came across a few elephant droppings. This was turning into serious fun. The bikes were fishtailing all over the place.

Soon enough, we were at the top. There is just one huge rock, looking as if someone placed it on top of the little temple and a small living quarters for the caretaker. Not that there was much to take care of…..

The view from the hill top was spectacular. It was a really soothing experience to see the earth covered in a green carpet in all directions. Makes one wonder how much we have screwed up the environs in the name of development. After soaking in the scenery and another photo session, it was time to head back to Kanakpura. The downhill ride was not any less exciting. I had a first hand experience of the low end torque of Avenger. I am sure the Pulsar 150s would have had a better low end torque, but cannot say the same for the ZMAs. But the return to Kanakpura was much faster and before long we were back having another cup of coffee in Kanakpura.

Over coffee we decided that the next place would be Chunchi Falls. Thirty mins and 22 kms later, we were at the falls. Here we were in for some serious off-roading, not for the bikes this time though. We had to trek down the water polished stones to reach the actual falls. These stones apparently get covered in water when the river is in full spate. But we were only treated to moderate water flow, which was spectacular, nevertheless. The water falls into a hollow, creating a natural dam cum swimming pool and then proceeds to overflow in to different waterfalls, about 50 feet in height. No man made water decoration could have been prettier.

After about an hour there, sadly, it was time to leave. The trek back to the bikes was breathtaking – literally. Arriving back to a much welcome treat of tender coconut, it was time to kick the bikes back into action and off we went.

Back in Kanakpura after a quick lunch, we set off to Bangalore, bringing a very enjoyable ride to an end. 6.30 PM, we were back to the concrete jungle and exhaust fumes that we call home.

Looking forward to the next ride…..

Bilikallu Rangaswami Betta and Chunchi Falls - revisited

Guess I was quite tired last night when I posted my blog. Here are some more pictures:



Click on photo to open album.

While we were riding with headlights on for better visiblity to each other, it was funny to see so many people point out to us, that we had our headlights on during the day..... Guess they think we will get a hefty electricity bill next month!!!!!