[Chandler Bing]

Sep 2 2013 was the day I fell in love with a girl. Fast forward and it has been 10 years of our relationship and we decided to embrace it, cherish it and look back at how far we have come. And what could be better than doing the same amidst nature?


We chose Mudigere as our destination. A quick search for travelogues on our team-bhp helped me draft a plan. There were 4 of us aboard on the journey with only me behind the wheel for the entire journey.

A full tank of petrol and a quick check on the tyre pressures and we were all set. Any fans here for the analogue instrument cluster? I just love to see that needle going up!


Day 1 : Bengaluru - Sakleshpur - Donigal

Started off the day at 6 in the morning to avoid traffic. Picked up rest of the friends and we hit the road around 7.

A mandatory pit stop at Dhruvatare for breakfast.


Any Masal Dose fans here?


The next stop was at Manjarabad Fort. The road from Bangalore to Hassan was a breeze and a joy to ride. From Hassan to Sakleshpura it gets a little bad but it was still good for most of the part. There was nothing much at the Manjarabad Fort to write back home. We could spot couples at every corner of the fort busy clicking pictures.




It had been almost 12:30 pm and the sun was right on top of our head. Unfortunately, this year the state has seen very less rains in the monsoon. We continued our journey towards our homestay at Hesgadu which is very close to Devaramane.

Homestay : https://goo.gl/maps/fCQxXepZDsaPU2zn7

The homestay is at a very pristine location offering great views from all the cottages. The hospitality of the staff was really great. The food was very delicious and there was variety in the menu every day.


Team Baleno or Team i20?


P.S.: Someone was busy checking out the Baleno and i20. Maybe he was planning a purchase?


Spent the rest of the day relaxing and some celebrations.

Day 2 : Ettina Bhuja and Devaramane

Woke up in the morning at 6:30 to this beautiful view from the balcony.


Had breakfast and headed towards Ettina Bhuja. The road was good till the parking lot. In fact it was better than expected.

Started trekking and we were at the peak in less than an hour. And nature decided to play peek-a-boo with us (I just wish I could have uploaded the time-lapse)The peak was covered with fog for most of the time. Sat there for an hour waiting for nature to show us her beauty. After a long wait we decided to leave the place and just when we were about to turn our backs, nature decided to open up herself for a couple of minutess to show her beauty. No words or camera can justify what our eyes could see. Clicked some pics and we left the place.


Later we headed back to resort, had a good meal and took a quick nap before we hit the road towards Devaramane. The roads leading to Devaramane is a mix of good and bad roads. Sedans might find it difficult to make it at some points. But my Baleno sneaked in effortlessly. The view at Devaramane made us spell bound. It truly felt like God's home (Kannada translation of Devaramane). It was nothing like I had ever seen before. Pictures just don't justify what our eyes could see.


From the moment we reached Sakleshpur, we were longing for the rains . Scorching heat had made us tired and disappointed. At 5 in the evening the Gods decided to show some mercy on us and it started to pour at Devaramane. The view + the rain + loved ones, it was truly a magical experience. Wrapped up the day getting drenched in the rain.

Day 3 : Rani Jhari - Bengaluru

Someone was really not happy when we were checking out from our homestay.


Rani Jhari was on our plan for Day 2, but unfortunately, we could not make it on Day 2. On Day 3 when we were having breakfast we had a discussion if we really had to visit Rani Jhari. Looking at some pics on Google maps we decided it might not be a worthy journey for 2 hours from our resort. But boy-oh-boy we were wrong! I would have regretted this decision if I had not visited the place.

We took the Kottigehara - Kalasa road and it was a pleasure driving through that route. After a deviation at Sunkasale the road shrinks and gets patchy. The last mile for about 1-2 kms is very patchy. I couldn't make it to the parking lot and had to park my car roughly 500 m away from parking. The roads were really bad.

After a quick walk for another 700 m, we reached the Rani Jhari viewpoint. As the viewpoint started to open up my heart started to beat fast. And the view from there was spectacular, it was 10x more than what we saw at Devaramane. Once again, photos do no justification for what our eyes could see.


Stopped at Mudigere for lunch and headed towards Bengaluru. Reached home around 9 pm after dropping everyone at home. Even though my physical self was in Bengaluru, I left my heart at Devaramane.

Not to forget the machine which took us to these beautiful places. It took everything I threw at it, be it good roads, bad potholes or steep inclines.

[raptor_diwan]

So, I peeped at the beginning and thought, "Ah, looks like we're in for a little love story mixed with some travel adventures!" Nice one on the travel tales, buddy!

[Kkumar]

Great way to spend time with your dear and near. Beautiful photos and nice travelogue. How old is your ride and how many miles have you munched till now. Keep on exploring.