Re: Riding the Rains: 1085Km of rain riding though Jog/Murudeshwar/Agumbe

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Re: Riding the Rains: 1085Km of rain riding though Jog/Murudeshwar/Agumbe

I covered your day one route during 15th august weekend, and yes, the season was awesome. bring on the rest.

Re: Riding the Rains: 1085Km of rain riding though Jog/Murudeshwar/Agumbe

less than 50m is an overstatement. When I went there a couple of months ago and the rains just started, the visibility was less than 10m. Should be worse now.
Anywho, waiting for the log and the rest of the pics. bring it on

Re: Riding the Rains: 1085Km of rain riding though Jog/Murudeshwar/Agumbe

Thanks for the quick approval.

I saw your ride thread. You had one awesome ride.

Yes at times visibility was quite low, forcing me to go as slow as 15-20kmph.

Re: Riding the Rains: 1085Km of rain riding though Jog/Murudeshwar/Agumbe

Couple of more images while I work on the log


Tea gardens near Chikmangalur (Yes I was surprised too since the place is famous for coffee)

A break in the rain near Batkal

Re: Riding the Rains: 1085Km of rain riding though Jog/Murudeshwar/Agumbe

Finally the first day's log. Sorry for the delay.


Same applies to riding. In the quest to read reviews, watch videos and discuss specs on online forums, we forget the joy of riding. It is more fun to let the rain caress your brow on a 100cc rather than watch a youtube review of 1000cc.

Prologue
Another long weekend; another opportunity to hit the road. Initially I was not sure of where to go. Finally decided to make it the next in my meandering series of rides.

A meandering ride, as the name signifies, takes a winding route; and like a river eventually ends in the ocean. For the ride, a general direction is decided and everything else is left to impromptu decisions on the road.

Solo riding suits itself well to a meandering ride. And given the weather, there wasn't much enthusiasm in my riding friends.

The only open item was the direction. A process of elimination helped with that. Given that I had never headed North-West of Bangalore, it was the obvious choice. Not to mention that the rain drenched western ghats would be an added bait.

The preparations required were minimal. Bike was already in good running condition. Did some inquiries on road conditions and purchased a rain pant from Decathalon


Route Map (Day 1: Dark Blue; Day 2: Light Blue; Day 3: Red)

Day 1 (Aug 29) : Bangalore-Hasaan-Chikmangalur-Traikere-Bhadravati-Shimora-Sagar-Jog Falls

The early morning traffic at 0400hrs was heavier than usual. I guess the reason being the start of the long weekend. The city was left behind at a quick clip. At Nelmangala, I decided to turn towards Hassan as that would be the shortest route to the hills. While dark clouds threatened rain, none happened. Soon I was cruising easily towards Hassan. Traffic was light and the divided road pretty good.


Early morning on the Hassan Highway

Hasaan was reached soon enough. Rather than take the Sakleshpur direction, I turned to Belur planning to ride to Chikmangalur. The divided road gave way to double lane highway. Traffic was sparse and progress was good.

By the time I reached Belur Cross, hunger had crept in. Hunted for a breakfast place, but there was none other than bakeries ans tea shops. My inclination was towards something hot like idli/vada. So started towards Chikmangalur.

Green fields bordered the road and riding was fun. Rain was yet to show its face.



Greenery all over


Marigolds

The top priority for Chikmangalur was some pet-puja. Cold and hunger don't go well together. Parked the bike outside the first Darshini I spotted. Idli/Vada/Doasa washed down by double coffee was gone in minute.

By the time I stepped out, the pitter-patter of rain had started. I was in two minds on whether to take out the rain gear or wait for the rain to get heavier. I decided against it and headed towards Tarikere.

Within minutes of leaving Chikmangalur, the rain had intensified. From then onwards, the rain hardly left my company till I rode back into Chikmangalur again.
Parked under the tree to take out the rain jacket. Fortunately it was large enough to fit well over the riding jacket.

The much recommended road to Traikere, first climbed up the hills skirting the numerous coffee plantations and then descended down to a picturesque valley.


The woods are lovely dark and deep...

As the road winded among the coffee estates, the rain became quite heavy. Stopping under another thickly foliaged tree, I put on the newly purchased rain pants. Between the rain jacket and rain pant, I was well protected, or at least I thought so. I was yet to encounter the real heavy rain. But that's for later.

Dotting the road was several cafe, many closed, catering the to the urban tourists. It was tempting to stop at one of them to sit a drink a hot coffee watching the rain drench the landscape. But I had far to go. The day was young and I was hoping to hit the cost by nightfall.

The rain slowed to a drizzle as the road descended to Udeva valley. Feeling a little tired, I stopped by an abandoned shed to take some rest. The 20min power nap did good and I woke up refreshed.


Winding road down to the valley

As road reach the valley floor, potholes appeared. All along the road had been in pretty good conditions.From here till Tarikere, bad road continued.
At Tarikere, I tanked up on fuel and turned left to join the main Shimoga road. This is the main road joining Tumkur to Shimoga. Though not divided the road was in pretty good condition.

By the time I reached the Bhadravati bypass, the rain has intensified again. Hearing a kat-kat sound from the chain, I stopped for an inspection. The chain was covered in muddy slush. After cleaning the chain with a wet cloth, I sprayed some chain lube. The sound was gone and drive a little smoother.

Come Shimoga, the rain had turned into a deluge. My collar was all wet due to water seeping in from the opening between the jacket and helmet. So were the gloves. Shoes were also full of water which had seeped in from the ankles.

Shimoga to Sagar route is another good one. Barring some patches near towns, the road is good and flanked by fields or forests.
By Sagar, the constant rain had worn me down and I decided to stay there. The plan was to find a room. dump my stuff and ride to Jog Falls.

As I was entering the city, I found a hotel on the left side of the highway. While the person said, he had rooms available he was not willing to give me till 4PM. Since I had an hour, I headed to Jog.

Few Km before Jog I saw a board for Matunga homestay. Decided to check it out on the way back.

At Jog there was little water, little visibility and hoards of disappointed tourists. The stairs that lead down towards the bottom of the falls were closed. After checking out the waterfall, I enquired about the rooms in the KSTDC hotel at the falls. None was available and so I headed back to Sagar.


Jog Falls Shrouded in Fog


Sharavathi River near Jog Falls

On way back to Sagar, I stopped at the Mathunga signboard and called the number on the board. No one picked up the phone.
On impulse I decided to drive in and check out in person. A mud track lead to a newly build house surrounded by Areca nut trees and pineapple fields. Seeing the number of cars parked outside, I did not have much hope of getting anything. The first person that came out said that there was no room. However a second person came out and mentioned that there was a room without attached toilet. I couldn't care less and promptly deposited my stuff in the room to change into dry clothing.

After resting a little, I stepped out to see the sun peeping out. The rain still hadn't stopped, though it was reduced to a drizzle.

I planned to try my luck at the falls again. Given that the falls were only 8Km from the homestay, it was an easy decision. Just before the falls, there is a small bridge over the Sharavati river. I stopped there to click some pictures. The occupants on an oncoming car also stopped and I happened to ask them about the visibility at the falls. Disappointment was all over them as they lamented that nothing was visible.
I took a u-turn towards the comforts of my room.

Realizing that I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast at Chikmangalur, I checked for food. Dinner was several hours away. The cook however was nice to make some alu pakoras to tide my hunger for a while.
With the stomach at ease, I settled down in the verandah with Runskin Bond's Green Book. The quote at the beginning is from that book.


Greens fields before Jog Falls

The rain intensified again but I couldn't care. Tucked in comfortable I oscillated between reading the book and watching the rain lash the Areca Nut trees.
Dinner was a simple affair spoilt by the crowd and lack of seating arrangements.

Re: Riding the Rains: 1085Km of rain riding though Jog/Murudeshwar/Agumbe

Day 1 (Aug 29) : Bangalore-Hasaan-Chikmangalur-Traikere-Bhadravati-Shimoga-Sagar-Jog Falls


Day 2 (Aug 30) : Jog Falls - Bhatkal-Murudeshwar

After covering 485Km on the previous day, the mood was to take it easy.Woke up late around 0600 and had a leisurely coffee.

Most guests were having tea in their rooms, so I was all by myself in the verandah. After raining incessantly though the night, the rain had stopped for a while. Bird had emerged from their shelters and the cacophony among the trees was pleasant.


I noticed that unlike a regular homestay, this was more like a hotel with individual rooms/cottages and a set of staff to cater to them. The only homestay like association was a common dining room. Guests too stayed in the confines of their rooms and came out only for food.


Over the second cup of coffee I made my plans for the day. The plan was to ride to the coast and find a place to stay somewhere between Udipi and Gokarna. There were two options to get to the coast, one straight to Honnavar and the other to Bhatkal. Looking at the map, the Bhatkal road offered a longer drive through the hills.
So Bhatkal was where I decided to go. And it turned out to be a good choice.


Deciding to skip breakfast, I took a bath and got ready. While I was getting dressed, the rain started again.


Soon I was out riding though the slight drizzle. As I turned off from the Honnavar highway towards Bhatkal, the rain intensified.



Geared up for handling the rain


The road to Bhatkal was mostly in good conditions with some isolated patches of roughness. The surroundings were beautiful. There was hardly any traffic and I could stop where ever I wanted to take pictures or just to take in the scenery.


I will let the pictures speak for themselves on the beautiful landscape.



Smooth tarmac surrounded by dense jungle



Picture postcard scenery



Mountain lakes with submerged boats too



A 5 shot panorama in the Sharavati Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.



Sometimes one needs to park the bike on the side and sit down to take in the views.



"So long had I travelled the lonely road..." - credits Wilfrid Wilson Gibson


After a while the decent to Bhatkal started and along with that came the waterfalls. Every seasonal stream was now a raging waterfall. The road condition also deteriorated
.


Silky smooth cascade



Another raging waterfall


Just before Bhatkal the terrain flattens out like a plateau with the road snaking though lush green landscapes dotted by seasonal ponds. Unfortunately the place seemed to be popular with the tourists. Paper plates, cups and napkins were strewn everywhere messing up the beauty of the place.



The plateau before Bhatkal


At Bhatkal, I turned North towards Murudeshwar. I had seen several pictures of the large Shiva statue and wanted to have a look. I was also hoping to find some accommodation so that I could dump my luggage and then ride on to Gokarna.


Murudeshwar is a small village dominated by the Shiva temple. Near to the temple there are numerous lodges. This being off-season I easily found a room at the RNS guest-house at 50% discount.


The room was nice with an excellent view.



Room with a view


After dumping my stuff in the room, I changed into dry clothes and stepped out for lunch. I realized I hadn't eaten anything since the morning tea. Given the heavy rain, I walked down to nearby the Naveen Beach Restaurant. The South Indian food section was packed while the upstairs North Indian section was pretty much empty. I should have taken a hint, but the lure of better view from up made me climb the stairs.


While the view was nice, the food was not. I managed to finish enough to satisfy my hunger. Given the heavy rain, I decided to skip the Gokarna plan. The objective of hitting the coast had already been reached.


Going back to the room I settled down to watch the rain hammer the waves.


Once the rain slowed down, I planned to see the temple and walk about the village.


Towards evening, the rain slowed down to a drizzle and I stepped out to check the temple and the village. I first took a circuitous route around the Shiva statue and then took the elevator up the Gopuram. On the 18th floor there is a viewing platform with windows on all four sides. From here one can see quite far on the coast.



View towards the North from Murudeshwar Gopuram



View of the idol from Murudeshwar Gopuram



View towards the South from Murudeshwar Gopuram



View towards the North from Murudeshwar Gopuram


After getting down from the Gopuram, I strolled down the coast watching the fishing boats unload their catch for the day. The dinner plans were decided - fresh fish.



Fishing boats lined up after days work




Lone fisherman



Scavenging stray


The village market was dominated by a temple half way down the street. Small shacks sold shell jewellery and Chinese made plastic toys. Owing to the rain, there was scares activity.


Coming back to the guesthouse, I climbed to the terrace and took some panoramic pictures.



Murudeshwar Gopuram & Idol



Murudeshwar Gopuram & the coastline


Back in the room I watched some TV till it was time for dinner. Stepping out for dinner, I asked around for good place to eat fish. Nair's was the recommended by almost everyone. So I trotted down the street to find the place.


This was a small place with 4 tables. The crowd validated the recommendations and so did the fish.


Post dinner some long exposure night photos.



Illuminated Shiva idol



Long exposure of the waves


Overall an easy day covering just 100Km through a beautiful terrain under heavy rain.

Re: Riding the Rains: 1085Km of rain riding though Jog/Murudeshwar/Agumbe

Stunning!!

Beautiful pics Sir especially of day two.

Re: Riding the Rains: 1085Km of rain riding though Jog/Murudeshwar/Agumbe

Superb pictures, south coast of India is a heaven in monsoon...

Re: Riding the Rains: 1085Km of rain riding though Jog/Murudeshwar/Agumbe

Thanks. Even in other seasons it is quite pretty. The rain make it even prettier.

Thx.

Thx. That one came out pretty well.

Re: Riding the Rains: 1085Km of rain riding though Jog/Murudeshwar/Agumbe

lovely pics

Re: Riding the Rains: 1085Km of rain riding though Jog/Murudeshwar/Agumbe

Lovely pictures and some beautiful terrain cleansed by the rain

Re: Riding the Rains: 1085Km of rain riding though Jog/Murudeshwar/Agumbe

Beautiful pics.. Must have been amazing to ride the west coast in the rains..