Sorry Sir,
I am new to photography, so dont understand 70:30 ratio.... Would be great if you could help me understand it.

And she was just a tourist, standing there admiring the beauty, it made a good capture, so just took her permission and clicked it...

Day 2: Encounter with the Cops

Day 2:

Route Taken: Hampi- Hubli- Dharwad - Haliyal - Dandeli

Route Map

I had hit the bed early yesterday as I wanted to start the day early. The basic idea was to explore Hampi as much as possible and also to check if I can spend one more day here without getting bored because I had a feeling that I might get bored of the ancient temples at some point of time. Also the thought that I wanted to do other places also. There was a continuous conflict between the Biker and the photographer. Both wanted me to give maximum time to them.

I got up at around 6:00 AM and was read to started for Hampi by 6:30 AM. Most of the shops were yet to open so I decided to see some archeologically relevant places before breakfast. I took my riding gear and started, on seeing this the hotel guy commented “ sir you are going just 12 kms, why so much protective gears?” And all I said was ATGATT.

I went to Hampi and from once you enter Hampi you come to a junction kind of point, where if you head straight you will reach Virupaksha temple and if you take a right turn , then the road will take you to Kamlapur. Enroute Kamlapur there are quite a few temples worth a visit there. I just thought of scanning that road first and then go for breakfast and if I find something very interesting then I will come back after breakfast. I went for about 4-5 kms and then decided to turn back as I was feeling hungry. While returning I saw a ‘Nariyal-pani’ wala on the way, so decided to stop there and have a sip of the healthy fluid.
I had an elongated discussion with the gentleman who was selling ‘nariyal pani’. He also enquired about my riding partners, and on learning that I am alone he said that ‘many people come here, but very very rare people come from Mumbai alone. He also gave me a list of the things that I should not miss while in Hampi. I told him that I had planned to go to other places also but cancelled the entire plan because of what the watchman had told me previous night. He then said that if I wait for 30 minutes, then he can come with me and show me all the places in a span of 4-5 hours and then I would be able to carry out with my original plan. He advised me not to fall in the trap of the available guides there and offered his service to show me around. I told him that I will go for breakfast and then will come back to him if needed. Before leaving for breakfast I clicked a few pics .











As I was having breakfast, I decided not to go back to him and just see whatever possible on my own. I asked around a few people and they guided me to the places. I guess the pics will speak more about the next 5 hours.


































At around 12:30 noon I felt that I should start for Dandeli, but the other thought that was coming to my mind was that I have not explored the Kamlapur side and so the Million-dollar question again was? Should I ride or stay back and click.
I choose to ride. I thought that I will come again to Hampi but today I need to reach Dandeli. Immediately I started for Hospet. Reached Hotel and packed my baggage and went for lunch. Asked the hotel guy about the nearest decent hotel. He directed me to a hotel with ‘meals system’ in the same building, saying that the food is very good here and we also have our lunch here only.
I had 3 chapati, 2 kind of sabji, salad, dal, 3 papad and was surprised when he told me the bill. It was just INR 25.00 . I was like WHAT? Just 25?
Encounter 1: Encounter 2:

Very nice pics "Suro". Oh very interesting log. All of a sudden the suspense starts and damn the post is finished. Nice log bro, keep posting and Ride safe

Thanks for the comment... will post day 3 soon...

awesome photographs.. great going ,waiting for the rest..
But 0ne day 3 police encounter , unlike karnataka police .. :P

Yes right now writing log of day 3.. will upload it soon with some more pics...

Suro, great going...
As Iron Had said, day 2 seems to be a suspense thriller, with the cops playing the bad guys, who were behind NS- The Sexy Heroine, And then there was Suro- The saviour.
Will look forward for Day 3 pics and story.

Thanks brother... will post Remaining part of Day 2 and Day 3 soon...

A panaroma of Hampi' Virupaksha temple area...

Surojit, nice log and awesome pictures. I liked the panorama the most.

thanks man...

Sir, your travelogue has kindled a fire in me, that i had started to plan a small ride. And nice Panoramic view.

Hey Naresh,

Thanks liking it...
Whatever you do wherever you ride... just keep in mind "RIDE SAFE".

Day 3

Continued from post #33

Something really bad happened here. ....

I had kept my helmet on my tank, as I always do and moved away from the bike to click it, soon I could hear that the helmet fell from the bike. I immediately ran towards my bike and thanks to the darkness couldn’t find my helmet only. I then turned my bike’s headlight around and saw that the helmet has rolled into the bushes, I picked it up only to realize that the visor was missing. I soon found out the visor also, tried to fit it into the helmet. But then I saw that the visor lock that locks it with the helmet on the right hand side is gone, so it cannot be kept in place and it would keep dangling from the left side. It got really pissed by my ignorance, because my friend Ashutosh always used to tell me not to keep the helmet on the tank. I then thought that on the last day of the trip I will have to do atleast 650 kms and that is not possible without a properly functioning visor. I then decided to move ahead and not waste any more time in the wild jungle.

Soon I reached Dandeli, I inquired for a forest camp and some people directed me to a kind-of resort. Upon entering that resort I got a feeling that it would be too expensive and so was it. Then someone suggested ‘State Lodge’ to me, but still I wanted to camp at the night. I went to the Karnataka state tourism’s guest house, but they said that I need a prior permission to stay there. With no option left I went to The State Lodge. It was decent one, a typical non-AC double bed room costs around Rs 350/-. Booked a room for 2 days, as the plan was to stay there and do some activities. Inquired in the reception about the options available for river rafting and other activities. Got a contact no of the concerned person and got the details. But as always decide that I will take a call in the morning.

Went out and tried to hunt for a good restaurant, but then had to satisfy myself with a not so good masala-dosa and some cold drink. After coming back I saw my helmet, and decided to fix it, luckily I was carrying a black cello tape, somehow fixed the visor, with some limited functionality.




That was all for the day. Did around 290 kms for the day. I was happy that a frustrating day had finally come to an end and hoped that the next day would be better.


Day 3: Change of Plans

Route Map

I got up at 6:30 AM, freshened up, took my camera bag, strapped my raincoat to the pillion seat and started by 7:00 AM. Plan was to go to Ganeshgudi, where all the activities happen. I had also planned to go to the forest camps and visit Supa Dam. Ganeshgudi is around 22 kms from Dandeli. Local people suggested me to take the Barchi road, as it was in good condition and short, approx 5 kms till the main highway. It was still a bit foggy in and around Dandeli, once out of Dandeli the roads started to get bad and this continued till I reached Barchi. In the T-junction at Barchi the road joins SH 28.

I started wandering through any road that came my way now, however after going about 10 kms I realized that I had no cash with me, and was not sure if Ganeshgudi hosts any ATMs or not, hence decided not to take any risk and headed back to Dandeli for cash. The roads were super awesome, apart from the Barchi-Dandeli stretch.

Inquired with a local and he said that the jungle safari and all has been stopped by the Supreme Court. That was one of the most disappointing news that I had heard in recent times.
He also added “You are a bit late if you had come a bit early, say 10-20 days you could have captured the migratory birds that come here every year at this time. Even everyday early morning at around 6:00 – 6:30 AM you can spot some peacocks.”
I was disappointed that I missed it. I inquired further “Can we spot some animals anywhere at this hour?” to which he replied “ Nope, not at this hour but ‘they’ come out at night, so at night you have to be very careful on the roads”. Suddenly I remembered my halt to click a picture last night in the dark, and then realized the risk I took tin doing that. I thanked my stars and the guy and decided to move ahead... spotted some spider webs over there tried to capture them but failed. Still could click a few pics of the NS.












I was enjoying riding through the jungle roads and the cool breeze was adding to that. I wanted to capture lots of things but taking out the helmet and gloves again and again was becoming tiring. I distinctly remember that I wanted to click the huge ant-hills that were scattered alongside the road, but never stopped to click one because I was tired of removing and then again wearing the riding gear. Finally I decided to put my gloves in the bungee net and strap my helmet with the bungee net. I even took some trails expecting to see something beautiful but returned empty handed.



















Ganeshgudi was hardly some distance from this point, and I convinced myself to ride without a helmet saying that “I won’t cross 40 kmph and I will take corners at speeds below 30 kmph.” I just wanted to capture things with my camera. I later started cursing myself for missing out so many good corners. The road is out-of-the-world, smooth tarmac, minimal traffic, tree canopy all around, what else does a biker want. I still controlled myself and rode at the speeds I had promised myself.



On reaching Ganeshgudi, I decided to have breakfast as it was almost 10:30 A.M. I saw a small eatery where a ST bus was parked. I had a plate of idli and while eating I was having a good conversation with the conductor of the bus. Suddenly I recollected something I had said to my colleague “Yaar, I will be going so close to Goa, but won’t be going to Goa”, and my next question to the bus conductor was “How far is Goa from here and how is the road condition?”.
He looked surprised and commented “ it’s around 160-170 kms and the roads are good for bikes”. The next thing that came to my mind was “let’s do it".
It was anyway going to be a boring ride-less day in Dandeli, so why not hit the road and head towards the beach. Apart from the ride the sea would also give me a good chance to capture the sunset. Forget everything else, it GOA. I paid the bill geared up, and started back for Dandeli. This time I knew I could ride as I wanted to. In no time I was standing in the reception of The State Lodge. I told them to return the remaining money as I was leaving for Goa right now.

With a surprised look the receptionist said “Sir, you not doing any activities?”
I replied: “I guess the rider in me overshadowed the tourist in me”.
He smiled and I smiled back at him and went back to my room and packed my luggage.

I again took the same route to Ganeshgudi. On reaching Ganeshgudi I e\inquired about the most scenic route to Goa. I also had in mind the Anshi route, but people suggested that the route via Ramnagar is much better and shorter than the Anshi-Karwar route.

I was supposed to follow SH34 till Ramnagar and then turn left and join NH748 which joins Belgaum and Goa. I was yet again enjoying the ride, I was riding along the Supa Dam reservoir. The ghat roads were enchanting with a wonderful view of the Supa Dam. I slowed down to find a good spot to click , but didn’t find any for a few kms, then decided to make up some distance quickly and in this process missed the viewpoint that was there, which I realized later. After about 10 kms from Ganeshgudi I saw a Y junction, the straight road was for Ramnagar, but there was no board giving information about the road on the left. I stopped for a moment took the left road rode for about a km and found it to be really good. I then decided to take this road, I actually made the following geometrical calculation in my mind :

Ramnagar is in North direction of Dandeli and from Ramnagar I have to turn left, i.e. West, so I imagined these two roads to be the two sides of a triangle and assumed that the road i was in was the hypotheses of the triangle.




























Then I thought that it’s better to explore this not-so-used road than taking the common Ramnagar road. I had a feeling that I had taken a wrong route but still decided to continue.

I stopped a couple of times for clicking the awesome landscape that lay before me. Soon the road turned bad and continued getting worse, but the good feeling was I was alone on the road, amidst the thick canopy of forest I was all alone, owning the entire road, I could ride anywhere I wanted on the road. After about 20-25 kms I came to a railway crossing, the gates were closed and hence I had to stop. A ST bus and a tata sumo were my companion in the wait for the gates to open. As soon I a put my bike on side stand and glanced at my companions I realized that they were looking at me as if I were an alien. The landscape and the sky scape was beautiful. I could make out that there was a station/loading-unloading garage nearby. I pulled out my camera and clicked a few pics. While waiting I asked the gateman, what route I am in and what station is this. He said that the station was ‘Castle Rock Station’ and if I kept following this road, this road would connect me to Belgaum-Goa road. I was so happy on hearing this. My calculations didn’t betray me. The roads after the railway crossing were pretty decent, not smooth but not too bad also.









Soon I was on NH748, and the road threw some lovely twisties to me. I loved this part of the road, super smooth single-lane road. Just like a State highway. I reached Mulem at around at around 1:00 PM, and confirmed the route directions. I actually wanted to go to Palolem beach but nobody was able to direct me to that. Whomsoever I asked pointed me to Margao. So the decision was to reach Margao and then ask for directions.

Just a few Kms before Ponda, where the road converts to a 4-laned road, I stopped again and asked for directions for Margoan, and came to know that there is a shortcut also, which will help me avoid the Ponda-city traffic. The road was pretty bad for the first kilometre but after that it was as good as a highway. And most importantly it had very thin traffic, mostly trucks.

After joining NH566 I could see boards for Margaon, and was happy that I have come in time and would be able to take enough rest before I go out and shoot the sunset. I still wanted to go to Palolem beach, but then I started thinking that tomorrow, the last day, it will add up 40-50 kms more and somehow I didn’t want to do that. On reaching Margaon, I stopped and asked a teenage guy about the nearest good beach and the distance to palolem. He said that don’t go to Palolem if you just want to stay for the night, rather go to Colva beach, which is very near and good also. Then he gave me directions for the beach . On my way to the beach I again stopped and asked a local guy about an economical place to stay in Colva Beach. He suggested Jimmy’s cottage, and told me to mention his name over there, he might give some more discounts.

After some more enquires I finally decided to go to Jimmy’s cottage. I told them that I need the room, just for the night as I will be leaving early morning. They agreed at 500 INR, and I was happy to get a room for 500 INR in Goa. Paid them the full amount and went to my room. The room was a decent one again with clean bedsheets and bathroom. It was around 3:00 PM. Refreshed myself with a bath and then headed out for Lunch.
Had awesome prawns-curry and rice and came back to room and slept for around 30 mins. It was around 4:30 when I went to the beach. I had parked my bike in the common parking and was a bit worried about it. Even Jimmy’s Cottage didn’t have a safe parking, I had to park the bike in open air near the main gate, but the receptionist convinced that its 100% safe.

Rest of the story for can be recited by the pics I guess...


"Mommy I am in no mood for a photo-shoot now"



The Star Studded Colva Beach










I was surprised to see so many star fishes on the beach, I don’t know if they were alive or dead, but they surely kept my camera busy till the sunset.



Did some self-portrait experiments also...













The boat had got stuck because the fishermen didn’t return on proper time and the low tide had set in, so they were dragging the boat, clicked them and then joined them in dragging the boat, they were actually surprised to see a person with a big camera come and join them. J




Finally after the sunset I decided to head back to my room and change and go to Margaon.
I realized that my bike’s chain had become excessively loose and was making a bad noise, hence went to the nearest mechanic to get to fixed, but he refused to fix it as my bike didn’t have a centre stand and he said that he would be unable to do so and directed me to another mechanic, who fixed it. Later I did some window shopping.






Then again had an awesome sea-food dinner and walked on the beach and went to sleep at around 12:30 in the night.

I was satisfied with the ride (~ 280 kms) and the pics for the day.

Very nice pictures "suro" bro . Hope the helmet 'jugaad' was fine till the end of the trip . Nice post and its great of you " helping the fellow fishermans by helping them to dragg their boat. Keep the spirit alive buddy. Keep it coming as and when you can . Ride safe