A Car, a Thar and a Tea Estate!
This weekend, we drove to Kadamane Tea Estate near Sakleshpur, KA, and explored the tea plantations and numerous off-road trails in the nearby areas. Our place of stay was the well-known Sinna Dorai's Bungalow at Kadamane Tea Estate
(http://sinnadorai.com/kadamne-experience.aspx).
Our group was the usual friends and family group - myself and my better half in our BMW 320d, and
@robimahanta and his better half in, wait, no not his BMW M340i. Since our main agenda at Kadamane was to explore the landscapes and the off-road trails, a 4x4 vehicle was a necessity. And therefore, Robi drove his Thar!
Thus, our usual two-car convoy was a bit unusual this time. We had a BMW 320d and a Mahindra Thar Petrol AT giving each other company. To be honest, the BMW was used only to reach the Bungalow. After that, it was parked there for the rest of the weekend. The terrain surrounding the bungalow requires a proper 4x4 vehicle, and a BMW is not of much use there. On the other had, the Thar was the ideal vehicle. The terrain and Thar were made for each other (or so it felt). All four of us traveled in Thar in the surrounding areas, and the Thar managed some quite challenging trails with ease! It felt totally at home in those trails and in those landscapes. Thus, this travelogue is primarily a Thar story. Thar is the hero of this story. The BMW can at best count as a supporting actor here.
Given that this is a story of a Thar, which is one of the most photogenic cars around, and also a story of the beautiful landscapes, I will tell this story using pictures. I will keep words to a minimum, and I hope the pictures are worth a few hundred words if not a thousand words.
With that prologue, let me begin this "photolog" covering our fun-filled weekend where I got to experience the magic of Mahindra Thar first hand!
The two cars somewhere near Sakleshpur in our onward journey:
Where this lovely
Gulmohar tree enchanted us and provided for such photo opportunities:
A bit ahead, a random photo of the two cars on a side of the road:
While entering the tea estate, Thar was at home on these roads already, and the BMW managed to follow it on some mild bad roads:
Arrived at the lovely Sinna Dorai's Bungalow:
The two cars parked next to our cottage there. The BMW would just stay put here for the rest of the weekend and never moved from here till when we started our return drive:
The Bungalow is simply fantastic (more on the Bungalow later). We had a great homemade lunch, took a short powernap, and then we were ready for our evening adventure. We would drive the Thar (all four of us went in the Thar) to a nearby viewpoint known as "5 Acres Viewpoint". The weather was lovely.
Although it was May, it felt like July. There was some drizzle in the air. The skies were overcast. The temperatures were pleasant around 22C. There was lovely breeze flowing around. The air was fresh and crisp. The landscapes were lush green. And to top it all, we had lovely trails that were perfect to enjoy a Thar ride and reach the viewpoints.
Thar enjoying these trails that would take us to the "5 Acres Viewpoint":
Atop the viewpoint, with mist and fog for company:
A random shot of the Thar atop the viewpoint:
From the viewpoint, a look back at the trails that we drove on to reach there:
Thar overlooking the beautiful valley below:
A close-up of the wheels that can conquer any terrain (I think Thar's wheel design is one of the best of any OEM wheel designs):
Lovely views all around from that viewpoint:
The valley below was engulfed in clouds:
This lone tree looked mesmerizing for some reason:
Thar enjoying the scenery and the clouds (I can not imagine another vehicle that would fit so perfectly in this scene):
While returning, we found another location where we could not resist getting down and taking pictures next to the tea plantation there:
Finally, a parting shot of the Thar at that lovely location:
On the way back, Robi generously offered me to drive the Thar, and I enjoyed the drive back. This Thar is a lovely machine. It managed the trails and the terrain with ease. It would be an understatement to say I enjoyed driving the Thar on that terrain.
Back in our cottage in the evening, we could see the fog settling down and the lights glowing bright in that dim ambiance:
Final shot of the Day, with a blanket of fog and mist covering the property, and my red BMW quietly parked there while Thar deserved all the attention for that day:
![A Car, a Thar and a Tea Estate | Our weekend drive to Kadamane Tea Estate, KA-20220514_183454.jpg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/travelogues/2308393d1686895327t-car-thar-tea-estate-our-weekend-drive-kadamane-tea-estate-ka-20220514_183454.jpg)