12 days and 2500 miles in the US

You all know about my travels upto Flagstaff, the base point for several interesting places in Arizona state of US. This is one of the desert states and there are national parks, canyons, American-Indian reservations, ruins of old (10,000 years plus) habitations. Large numbers of the original inhabitants the red-Indians aka American-Indians very virtually massacred and killed by the whites as they started settling in this continent.

But today American establishment and society is slowly, reluctantly and grudgingly recognising the fact that there were original residents and societies in the continent which were destroyed by the invasion of whites. In a bid to make up for their old mistakes the government is doing quite a bit in the form of perservation of old ruins, establishing reservations and offering special privileges to American-Indians.

Anyway let us come back to where we went and what we saw. We stayed three days in Flagstaff going in and out and north and south of the city visiting various places of interest. Our first stop was the Grand Canyo, one of the natural wonders of the world. The drive to Grand Canyon was through vast expanses of pine forests, we saw several signs warning us to drive slow and not to hit wild life such as deer, elks etc but didn't see any wildlife at all. The drive was highly soothing, it was the first time in America that I had passed through such long distances of desolate, uninhabited and quiet regions. It is quite unlike India where finding a 5 km stretch of road without any human intervention is rare.

We passed about 80 miles of forest and reached the entrance of Grand Canyon National Park, sited at the Grand Canyon village. Entry fee per vehicle is $25, the pass is valid for one week (7 days) and the fee remains the same irrespective of the number of passengers inside. It is amazing how much value the National Parks Service, wing of US government has created for visitors inside the park. Every cent of the $25 is worth it when we consider the facilities and features of the park. Once we pay the entry fee there is no further fee, yes expenses will be there like if you wish to buy stuff, there are several souvenir shops which sell Chinese made Grand Canyon souvenirs such as pictures, fridge magnets, key chains, crystal desk pieces, and what not, the array is simply amazing. One can easily blow up $500 on these trinkets and souvenirs. There are shops selling food, cafetarias for food and water, swank hotels and restaurants and virtually everything a tourist could ask for.

One major difference I noticed between Indian tourist attractions say Jog Falls and Grand Canyon is the cleanliness and the courtesy of the staff. In India the noise and clutter and ubiquitous trash gets to our heads. On other hand the ultra polite NPS staff; squeaky clean trails, paths, roads; quiet ambiance enables us to spend a quite moment amidst nature.

We went to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and walked the Rim Trail which took us along the rim for about 3 miles. The views of the canyon is simply fantastic. The Yavapai Museum is sited bang on the trail and it contains some interesting information about how the canyon was formed. Telescopes placed in the museum help visitors to view within and across the canyon, which is about 477 miles long and average width is about 10 miles. I was surprised to know the width was 10 miles, when we stand and look from south rim, the north rim appears as if one can just reach out and touch it. Definitely not 10 miles wide, but the fact is that it is.

Grand Canyon is best enjoyed hiking the numerous trails, we were not prepared and time was not on our side, hence we decided to just look around and return another day to hike the canyon. Camp at the Phantom ranch in the heart of the canyon, visit the Yavapai falls, walk on the 442 ft hanging rope bridge builit across the river Colorado, take a boat ride down the river etc... so many things to do and so little time...

The Grand Canyon
The Canyon Beckons with open arms
I want to go there and roam and explore its charms
Walk on trails,
Explore the thrills
examine the unique formations
marvel at the intricate undulations.

Oh the grand canyon's grandeur,
Is a wonder to every wanderer
who seeks adventure
and is willing to risk going yonder
Take your bags and come hither
to escape the mundane office theatre

For here is something
which makes life worth living
and career worth making
for without money
nothing is possible honey!

I sign off with this for now... will talk about other things I saw around Grand Canyon before we returned to Flagstaff in my next post.

For now help me get better by leaving your comments here!

Grand Canyon Picture Gallery

First Long drive on American Highways

We started off yesterday morning from Pasadena towards Grand Canyon, speeding in the overloaded Saturn on I-210 (interstate highway 210). The traffic was pretty high but the wind was higher. We had barely crossed 50 miles when we saw the sky overcast with dark clouds and the wind pushing the car towards right. Wondering what was happening we forged ahead and before we reached Barstow (70 miles) we had seen three large long haul trucks toppled beside the road. Reason: heavy winds.

Apprehensive we stopped at a fuel station for refilling and enquired about the conditions ahead. The lady said it was ok up the mountain but bad in the valley, since we were headed out onto the mountains, it was ok for us. We just surged ahead switching to I-40 and heading towards Kingman, Williams where we were supposed to take a detour on I-86 towards Grand Canyon.

At Kingman we stopped for lunch and visited a quaint museum (entry $ 4) which displayed exhibits about old Indian settlements in the region. The museum was undergoing renovation and hence a small area was closed but otherwise the maintenance is impeccable. Clean carpeted floors, airconditioned interiors, well lit exhibits and more than everything very very courteous staff.

We conversed with the staff who were too willing to give us more information about exhibits and the American-Indian settlements, reservations and how things worked way back a 100 years ago and how they work now. It is amazing... I had always wondered about how such a young country had grown so well and achieved economic prosperity so quickly. It is primarily due to the attitude of its people. They want to please every client. We were one of the few visitors to the museum and the staff were only too happy to talk to us and explain about the various facets of the exhibits and the history of the small town. Kingman is a town which is not even as big as a C class city in India, but the people are well educated (I don't mean academic degrees but have received a solid foundation in their primary and secondary schooling), speak good English, are very courteous.

I could write a lot more about what we saw and how we missed an exit and ended up in Flagstaff instead of Williams. An experience of buying a car in US and the foot massage in Singapore Airport etc etc. Unique experiences just working in my mind. Will write them up soon. For now see these pictures and enjoy.

Two days in America

It is over 48 hrs since I set foot in this continent sized country which comprises of 52 states and is 5 times the size of India. I am truly amazed by the sheer size of everything in this country. Everything is big here except perhaps the population (about 301 million). Big roads have big cars, buses, trucks and bikes travelling at high speeds on them. For example one can buy small, regular or big coffee and a small coffee is about 250 ml. I wonder what a big coffee will be like. It is sheer indulence and consumerism that drives USA. When the whole world is reeling under oil shortage and oil price increases, Americans drive around in big cars and super big SUVs. It is amazing how the economy is managed.

Super markets and their parking lots are bigger than airports in India and everything is maintained clean. Though for the nit-picking one can find traces of dirt, litter on the lawns and sidewalks. Though enormous amounts of trash... both bio-degradable and non-biodegradable is generated in this country (perhaps 10 time the volume that is generated in India) the waste management is impeccable and we don't get to see trash on the road. If this management were to be introduced India, our country would be cleaner than US but are we interested? we are not, we Indians seem to have an ideological objection about keeping our country clean.

Anyway, I have gone around Pasadena city and yesterday we drove to El Monte, a predominantly Hispanic and South-East Asian population dominated neighbourhood full of used car markets and not-so-prosperous blocks. As I walked in and looked around at couple of used car markets, the sales men there thought I was a Mexican and addressed me in Spanish. One of the sales guys was so aggressive, he said 'No license, no social seurity number, Buy the car I will give it to you' it was difficult to extricate myself from there anyway finally I thanked him for showing me the cars and walked out.

As we drove towards El Monte we passed a procession of vintage cars, these Fords, Morris, and other brands were lovingly maintained and restored, seemed as if they were rolling out of the showroom. Their gleaming bodies and strange but beautiful shapes was a treat to the eye. I have seen vintage car rallies in Bangalore, India. But the cars are not as well restored and maintained as the ones I saw yesterday. These are just like showroom cars. But the cars in rallies in India are just not that well maintained. Everything these people do has a distinct quality conciousness around it, a quest for perfection, a striving to achieving excellence, which is one thing I think most Indians lack. We have this "Chalta Hai" attitude which is good in some ways but bad in most others.

One thing that strikes me here is the absence of traffic cops in any of the traffic intersections/ lights but I am yet to see someone break the rule, jump the signal or commit any violation. As I waited in the car in one of the red lights I remembered my motorcycle tour of South Asia earlier this year when in Lucknow (UP) we had stopped at a redlight and people behind us were honking badly asking us to go. When we pointed out that there was a red light they just abused us and overtook us and went off jumping the signal while the cops beside the road looked on disinterested and unconcerned. This is the difference between the attitudes of the two populations. Another thing in the past two days I have heard only one or two people honking otherwise, drivers here just drive on without a squeak.

I wonder when we will become law abiding and make things easy for ourselves.

Finally in USA

After a long and arduous journey on Cathay Pacific's air bus we landed in Los Angeles airport at 9.00 pm. The immigration officials were very courteous, helpful and friendly. Though I was one of the last visitors in the serpentine queue, the visa officer spoke to me patiently and joked about how every visitor from India is an expert in computers. On knowing that I am a travel writer he said "You need time to stay in America if you have to write about our country. I will give you six months visa so you can see the entire country. Enjoy your stay."

All the sordid stories I had heard about the visa process, getting immigration clearances etc were repeatedly proved false. American visa officials are sticky about rules, documents etc but I have found them to be very friendly and well mannered. This basic courtesy is absent in most government officials who interact with public back home in India.

Once out of the airport, the superwide roads, big cars etc flabbergasted me. This city is really big and has been planned well. Though the government can sit back and enjoy the setting, they are continuously working/ commissioning new works to improve road and other infrastructure. I noticed at least three places where one or two lanes had been closed and work going on in a hectic pace. This is what I admire about western societies and culture. It is high time our politicians learn about sharing wealth and making life easier for people and not themselves.

I am going to sign off now... will try to update the blog as frequently as possible. Meanwhile you guys enjoy yourselves wherever you are.

Hi everybody,
This is me in Singapore's Changi airport sitting around without anything to do.
We went on a FREE (yes free) but and boat tour of Singapore. The super short (3 hrs) tour conducted for transit passengers by the Singapore Tourism Board is pretty occupying. They offer three different types of tours "Cultural tour", "Colonial tour" and the "City tour". Basically to entice air travellers transiting the city state to return to the city and spend money in the swank hotels, shopping malls etc.

We took the 'Colonial Tour' which introduced to the Singapore built by the British. The victorian style buildings including the Asian Museum, Victoria Memorial Hall, Old Church, The City Hall etc, capped by a boat ride on the Serene but very very dirty Singapore river. I had heard about Singapore being a clean and green city which prides itself in maintaining clean water bodies, parks and roads etc. But the river was a disappointment. It was greenish in colour like our very own Ulsoor lake. The boats which are used on the river are old kerosene engine boats which create lots of noise and air and water pollution. I wish the tourism board and government takes cognisance of this and changes systems.

But coming back to the tour per se, it was capped by a boat ride/ cruise on the Singapore river which was a good thing. It gave us a birds or should I say fish eye view of the colonial part of the city. There is another tour which will take visitors through 'little India', 'China Town' and another area I don't remember... reportedly older parts of the city state.

Interestning city and highly developed thanks to the patriotic politicians and highly conforming citizenery who love their country and want to keep it neat and clean. I wish Indians could become like that.

Changi airport is a city in itself, large and fully airconditioned, carpeted and what not. No Indian airport will come anywhere near this. I wonder if India will ever have an airport like the Changi or at least 50 percent of the standards..... :) Think about it friends.

I am starting the day in front of the computer. This is how I have been starting my new days over the past couple of months. I won't go into poetics today like couple of days ago when I was.

My first book is more or less ready. Tentatively titled "Concise Guide to Educative Holidays", the book will be released by early December. The 468 page full-colour volume contains 43 essays on destinations in India, neighbouring countries and four travelogues. Once it is out you could place orders with EducationWorld Books for the same. Watch this space for updates on the book launch. If you want more details about the book feel free to e-mail me. The title and the cover page of the book will be modified/ redesigned to suit the theme better.


Well that is all for today. I need to get cracking and working. Check this space for more updates.

It is a brand new day
and I am ready to in my own way
To face the sway of work
and the pressures of home
I am sure I will emerge a better person
at the end of the day
like it is said
there is always light at the end of the tunnel
the way every day turns out it at your disposal
you can choose to be grouchy
and the entire day you will remain grumpy
you can choose to be cheerful and happy
and your day will be positive and productive
it is often said that the most powerful will win
but in the real world the winner is the one who thinks he can
no amount of power, strength and intelligent can help the one
who thinks he can't...
Start the day with a smile
the world will smile with you
Nobody likes a person with a frown on his face
everybody is affable to the one with a smile
Don't put on a false smile because your eyes will give away your deceit
Smile genuinely, wish heartfully,

Ok ok... that is enough of my attempt to be poet banter....
let met get up and go out into the world...
like a knight ventures on his steed with his lance to conquer
I venture out on my iron horse with my pen to do business
and add value to my clients projects

Praying to the lord almighty to bless the world on this day like he always does day in and day out...

hi friends,

The long weekend came and it is almost over now and I didn't stir out of my home during the whole of Sunday and Tuesday. Was out at work on Saturday and Monday trying put our magazine EducationWorld to print.

As I was holed up at home doing some writing work and managing my blog etc was on my priorities. I was also casually browsing the internet to find if there are any paid blogging sites i.e. sites where I could blog and they pay me for blogging. And Yes I did find one such site. Pay-per-post-dot-com promises lot$ of money to bloggers who write/ discuss about their client(s) products and services and provide online links. Amounts start from US$5 (not much anyway) and rise up to US$50 and higher (there you are talking some $$$$).

I decided to sign on and see if I can make a few extra bucks which could come handy in paying my bills. The website claims that over 50,000 bloggers are already signed up and earning lots of money. "Join over 50,000 other bloggers who have started a new blogging revolution! PayPerPost is an incredible new self-service marketplace that allows you to get paid to blog about the products, services and websites you love. You can easily earn $500 per month or more with your current blog!" says the site. Video testimonials of successful bloggers are displayed prominently and it seems too good. So I am trying this out and let us see how much richer I will be thanks to http://www.payperpost.com.

For now I am back to work on the comp. All of you enjoy your week of work. Will catch you later with other posts.

It has been long since I updated the blog. Have been travelling hectically on work and for personal reasons. Had been to some amazing places including Coutrallam Falls, Sri Villipuththur and Madurai in Tamil Nadu.

Was looking through some old pictures of my travels and found this one and felt that I must share it with all of you who visit my blog. This was shot more than a year ago at Devarayanadurga hills about 80 km from Bangalore.

Weekend plans - June 24
This sunday we are planning a day trip to Y.G. Gudda Dam about 80 km from Blr... off Ramanagar... This is a hidden dam flanked by rugged rocky hills on one side... lush green countryside and a small village on one... and fields on the other two sides...


It is a beautiful place and we will have loads of fun on the rocks and in the water.. I have been there twice and enjoyed myself amazingly.... view of sunset from there is quite good... and not to mention the quiet and tranquility that pervades the place... So get your hiking shoes out and get ready to move... looking forward to having all of you on the outing...

Rakesh can you get the car??? or should I get mine??? please advise. Only 5 people (including the driver... ME) can fit into my van... and the ride will be definitely bumpy... both because of my rash driving and bad roads...

Tentative schedule of events for Sunday:
6.00 am: Meet up at a pre-determined place on Sunday Morning 6.00 am (latest 6.30 am). If getting up early is going to be a pain, we could go on Saturday night and camp by the lakeside and early morning head to the hills. But then if it rains we have had it....
6.30 am: Start drive to Bidadi... have breakfast of Thatte Idlys and then reach YG Gudda dam at about 9.00 am if we leave Bangalore at 6.30 am.
9.30 am: we start trekking, climbing and exploring the hills around the dam.
1.30 pm: Return to the dam and break for lunch.
2.30 pm: Get into water and have a great swim
4.00 pm: Start drive back to Bangalore so we can avoid peak hour traffic OR
6.30 pm: Watch sunset and start return drive...
8.00 pm: Reach the city and debrief.


Things to carry (MUST):
1. Water bottle (preferably 2 litres or 1 litre two)
2. Food (lots of it) - because everyone will feel deadly hungry after trekking - Note last time everybody ditched in this area... make sure nobody ditches this time... prepare well... I don't want to be hungry... and after swimming I will feel all the more hungry....
3. Towel to wipe off
4. Change of clothes for those who plan to swim (ME) --- Note guys... the water is very very deep and there is only a small area of shallow water... so whoever gets into water HAS TO KNOW SWIMMING otherwise wear the life jacket.
5. LIFE JACKET FOR JYOTHI :) because I will push her in water...

Optional
1. Camera
2. Knife
3. Binoculors (it is a good place to do birdwatching (feathered variety).

See you enroute Y.G. Gudda

Plans for the forthcoming Weekend (May 27)
We are planning to trek up the Bilikal Rangaswamy Betta:


A hill overlooking the town of Kanakapura. It is one of the tallest hills in the area. Known as Bilikal betta due to the whitish rocks near the summit that is visible from a long distance. At the apex is a small temple and a house where the pujari lives. The pujari's house has an elephant skull which is quite interesting for the first time visitor. However, the temple is very popular with local villagers and it would be best to avoid visiting the place on a festival day if one is looking for a quite day out.

The vegetation is quite thick especially post monsoon season . The adjoining forests are known to harbour elephants and other wildlife endemic to the area.

Approaching the base is a good experience. We need to cross a village, lush green fields, now brown maybe due to summer and a gurgling stream... hopefully the stream will have water even now....

The view from the top is very picturesque as one can see the hillocks from the surrounding Kanakapura range.


Tentative schedule of events for Sunday:
5.00 am: Meet up at a pre-determined place on Sunday Morning 5.00 am (latest 5.30 am). If getting up early is going to be a pain, we could go on Saturday night and camp by the lakeside and early morning head to the hills.
5.30 am: Drive to Koonalu Doddi (base of Bilikal Rangaswamy Betta) - we will reach there at about 7.00 am if we leave Bangalore at 5.30 am. A section of the road is really bad after we turn off from Harohalli so we must leave early. We could stop for breakfast enroute or carry and eat breakfast in the car.
7.00 am: Reach the village and park cars and start walking towards hill
7.30 am: we start trekking through the thick forests towards the summit of Bilikal Rangaswamy Betta
12.30-1.00 pm: Reach the top of the hill and spend time (eating, talking and walking).
3.00 pm: Start descending down.
4.00-4.30 pm: Reach down and start driving back to Bangalore.
6.00 pm: Reach the city and debrief.

Things to carry (MUST):
1. Water bottle (preferably 2 litres or 1 litre two)
2. Food (lots of it) - because everyone will feel deadly hungry after the hard climb
3. Towel to wipe sweat off

Optional
1. Camera
2. Knife
3. Binoculors (it is a good place to do birdwatching (feathered variety).

Hope to see you guys on Sunday. If you need any clarifications do mail me @ srinidhilv@gmail.com or call on 98455 27011 (Srinidhi).

Our Ultra Mobile PC - fantastic technology partner

We have been on the road riding our bikes across South Asia for the past 120 days. One of the major concerns we had before we left Bangalore on December 3, 2006 ASUS R2H Ultra-Mobile PC our technology tool which has given us the best in Mobile Computing.

The Asus R2H Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC), one of the first to be launched, is a result of combining Intel's low power technology leadership with Asus' expertise in delivering innovative platform solutions. The first generation of this exciting category - a PC companion that allow users to communicate, access information, be entertained and stay productive on the go.


The R2H is the first UMPC from ASUS and has a stylus, which should be used together with Microsoft’s Touch Pack software. This unit recognises handwriting and converts what is written on screen into text.

It’s 7-inch LCD touch screen with handwritten input support and solid security protection, the UMPC has been very useful for basically three things: internet-based communication, website design and computing our expenses.

Launched in Taipei, Taiwan on August 25, 2006 by ASUSTeK Computer Inc. (ASUS), one of the world’s leading providers of high-performance notebook computers, the latest R2H Ultra-Mobile PC has everything that a modern-day on-the-move high-profile executive would possibly want. Its features include a built-in high-resolution (1.3 MP) webcam, global positioning system (GPS), biometric fingerprint authentication, handwriting and voice recognition capabilities. This ultra compact PC is perhaps one of the best things to happen in mobile computing area. It’s possibly the first all-in-one mobile device that enables users to stay connected, productive and their data secure wherever they are in the world.

One of the unique security features of the R2H is total data protection with both software and hardware solutions including fingerprint authentication which scans fingerprint pattern from the live layer of the skin, bypassing any common skin surface conditions.

The R2H runs on Windows ® XP Tablet PC Edition and is preloaded with Touch Pack software and ergonomic hardware interface complete with function keys laid out on both sides of the front panel, for ease of including a full set of control keys, mouse, scroll buttons, hot keys as well as on-screen keypad.

The UMPC is packed with computing, multimedia and connectivity functions such as built-in Bluetooth 2.0 EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), wireless lan and a RJ 45 interface for wired lan.

Additional features include a satellite GPS provides a comprehensive travel guide eliminating the use of paper maps or ask for directions! The foldable GPS antenna facilitates convenient storage. Summing up the UMPC is a must use tool for anybody on the move who wants to be in touch while on the move even if he is in some remote corner of the world.

R2H Specifications
Processor: Intel® Celeron® M ULV Processor (900MHz)
Operating System: Windows® XP Tablet PC Edition
Memory: Onboard 256MB, DDRII 533, 1x SoDimm socket for expansion up to 768MB DDRII 667 DRAM support
Monitor: 7" WXGA touch screen LCD, ASUS Splendid Video Intelligent Engine
Hard disk drive: PATA 1.8" HDD 4200PRM 20/30/40/60 GB
Communication facilities: Bluetooth® V2.0 + EDR, 3 USB ports, 1 SD Card-Reader
1 GPS
1 Finger Print Reader
Physical dimensions: 23.4 x 13.3 x 2.8cm, 830g

Looks and feels really sturdy and after having traveled nearly 10,000 km in the tank bag of my motorcycle through all kinds of roads ranging from super highways, state roads, potholed field like trails, trek routes I can say that it is indeed strong as steel. The look and feel is simply great with its brushed metal finish and easy to use neatly laid out buttons and highly responsive and easy to operate controls.

Rocky hill near Chittor

Rocky hill near Chittor
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

This rugged rocky hill appears to the right side of the road on the Chittor Bypass. Every time I go to Tirupathi I see this hill and wonder when I am going to climb the hill but still haven't gotten around to climb the hill. Hopefully Will do it someday soon. Winter would be the ideal time to climb the hill as the weather will be congenial and not too sultry. Summers can dehydrate you and it can be traumatic to climb this hill.

Hiking, Trekking and Rock climbing enthusiasts... are you listening???

Chandragiri Palace

Chandragiri Palace
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

The fort and headquarter of the erstwhile rulers of Andhra Pradesh and the dynasty most responsible for the British East India Company to acquire and establish the modern day city of Chennai (Fort St. Geroge).
Sited barely 20 km from Tirupathi, Chandragiri hosts a massive rocky hill at the base of which is built this beautiful palace and several other monuments. Currently being lovingly restored and protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, the Chandragiri fort also presents a sound and light show every evening at 7.00 pm (Telugu) and 8.00 pm (English). Entry fee costs Rs.30 per person but the show is worth every penny you pay for.
I had the opportunity to see the sound and light show this time and was thrilled.
This palace also houses a museum, which displays objects d' art and treasures and trinkets of a bygone era.

Chandragiri fort ruins

Chandragiri fort ruins
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

One of the well preserved buildings in the vicinity of the palace in Chandragiri fort. Need to visit again and explore more of this fort. Chandragiri has so many attractions which will educate, entertain and make you feel proud of being in this country.
But sadly like most other historical places this also suffers under promotion and lack of awareness. Millions visit Tirupathi temple, but only a few hundred visit Chandragiri. Isn't it time we changed this status and start visiting interesting and historical locales like these and try to understand and appreciate our history and heritage???
Think it over.....

Temple in Chandragiri fort

Temple in Chandragiri fort
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

Over the weekend (May 4-5) I rode down to Tirupathi with a few friends. Enroute since I had sometime I decided to check out Chandragiri fort, a venue which I had wanted to visit since several years. A beautiful hill-fort built at the base and along the face of the rugged cliffs, Chandragiri has several heritage monuments currently in the vicinity.
The Archaeological Survey of India is currently doing a great job restoring the monuments. I hope soon this site will also be granted a World Heritage Status, akin to the SriRangapatna and Pattadkal in Karnataka which were granted UNWHS status today.
This ancient temple is being restored. This is a great example of Vijayanagara style of architecture. Quaint but beautiful the stone temple is a delight to everyone who likes art and sculpture.

This is a video of my riding the thunderbird in 2002 I have uploaded on Youtube.

blog-5

blog-5
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

Well.... this picture shows my parents, sister and friends who had come to welcome me back to Bangalore after my South Asian Motorcycle Odyssey.

Now I have visited five countries and here is a link to the new world map which shows the countries I have visited.



create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide

Returning to Bangalore

blog-1
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

This picture shows Kishore and me riding on Old Madras road (NH-4) as we returned to Bangalore completing our 4½ month, 19,000 km journey across south Asia. We were escorted back to Bangalore by a few bikers who rode to Kolar and met up with us at the Woody's restaurant.

blog-4

blog-4
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

This was taken soon as we returned to Bangalore after completing our 4½ nonth, 19,000 km motorcycle ride across south Asia. Me and my partner Kishore Patwardhan travelled across five countries (India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh) on motorcycle and completed the expedition. It was a touching and rousing welcome from TVS heads, family and friends and other bikers from Bangalore who turned up and waited for us at MG road to welcome us back to Bangalore.

Home coming

Today I returned home after being 4½ months on the road with my riding partner Kishore Patwardhan. It was nice to catch up with my family and friends. Some bikers from Bangalore rode all the way upto Kolar and welcome-escorted us back to Bangalore. It was a nice event with our entire office staff waiting for us at MG Road along with the heads of TVS. Mr. Chandramouli, Arvind, Krishna etc were all waiting for us at the venue and after a quick welcome ceremony and lots of photo sessions we proceeded back home.

More chatting with family and trying to catch up with things. I hope to start blogging again soon. So my dear friends welcome me back with comments and do visit our website www.borderlessbikers.com.

Riding on NH-5

Riding on NH-5
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

hi friends,
Even as I hit the last leg of our South Asian Motorcycle Adventure which started on December 3, 2007. Kishore has become a more experimental photographer. This picture a little shaken was taken when both the bikes were travelling at 60 km per hour on the super smooth National Highway 5 between Nellore and Tada.

Visit our website http://www.borderlessbikers.com for more details and to view more pictures of our tour.

sri

sri
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

Testing whether the picture gets blogged or not.

For all those of my friends who read my blog. This is a quick update. As most of you would know that I am on my dream motorcycle sojourn across South Asia.

We have been on the road for the past 22 days and have covered about 4,500 km from Bangalore to Ahmedabad with lots of detours, back and forth riding, weaving in and out of cities, winding through lush green forests, gliding through the depths and heights of ghat regions, and meeting lots and lots of different people.

Some relatives, long lost friends, new friends, newly established friendships, mechanics, puncture fixing experts, ultra suave businessmen who run TVS dealerships, enthusiastic students, shy villagers etc.

Here is one of my pictures shot on the road near Baindur, Karnataka, where the road is flanked by the roaring sea on one side and the cool backwaters on the other. Fantastic scenery and great weather. Wish I had more time to spend out there... some other time definitely with friends or even alone... it is like biker nirvana when one hits these kind of roads. The bike and rider become one and enjoy the scenic vistas of the road.

More later...

sri

sri
Originally uploaded by srinidhilv.

I had been for a large mammal census through Wildlife Conservation Society of India during January 2005. It was a wonderful learning experience of one week trekking through remote and far flung forests which are otherwise inaccessible to common men. Thanks to the census I was able to get to these inner most pockets of the Bandipur jungles, stay at anti-poaching camps, interact with forest watchers/ rangers/ officers.. great experience.

I visited the hill fort Makalidurga and snake temple town Ghati Subramanya on the previous weekend and conquered forts at Madhugiri, Kortagere, Siddarabetta and Channarayanadurga even as we marvelled at the serene waters of Tumbadi and Iraksandra dams and awed at the massive stone well in front of Chelur temple.

A detailed report with pictures is yet to be posted as I have been quite lazy. Will do it before this weekend. Till then happy browsing other blogs.

Outing of last week... report next week..

For now I want to tell you all about how many countries I have visited and what all countries I will be visiting next year. Starting this December 3, I am on a RTW tour on motorcycle along with two of my best friends Kishore and Kuttappa. Visit our website www.borderlessbikers.com to know more about this tour and help us if possible.

Countries I have visited.


create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide

Countries I will be visiting next year on my motorcycle

Hanging out with friends on July 23...

We had decided to go camping last weekend, but since I was working till late evening on Saturday and everyone except Dev had something or the other to do we all decided to meet early morning on Sunday and proceed with our original plan.


We were six of us on four bikes. Anand and Jyothi on his spanking new, gleaming Bullet, Dev and Urmila on his splendour, Dilish on his refurbished Yamaha YBX and yours truly on the trusty TVS Victor. We headed out on the Bellary road and were hoping to cover three destinations Avathi, Vijayapura and Nallur.

Avathi about 46 km on the NH-7 was our first halt. Since we met up in the early morning (6.30 am) at Mekhri Circle, all of us were famished... stopping at Devanahalli we polished off a breakfast of piping hot Idly-Vada before we proceeded towards Devanahalli on the smooth pot-hole free road. After Avathi we turned left and as we headed out of the main road into the countryside, the change in surroundings, weather, sounds and sights was radically different.

Thimmarayaswamy Temple - Avathi

From Avathi it is about 2 km to Gautama Giri Kshetra and the narrow road takes one through some nice scenery. Narrow roads, tall rocky cliffs, lush green fields, quaint temples, cattle and simple village folk on the road and most importantly pollution free air. The USP of GGK is a the quiet hill and the ancient Vijayanagara Style temple dedicated to Thimmarayaswamy aka Lord Venkteshwara aka Vishnu. Other attractions in the hill include couple of water sprints, a deep cave and a small ashram. A narrow but steep road snakes up the hill from the base till the temple entrance, from here it is a 30-minute climb over a moderate rocky gradient to the top of the hill. I visited Avathi first in 2002 and there are some changes happening now... I don't know when the temple mafia will stop converting natural hills into 'Real-Estate Colossiums'.

We spent a good 2 hrs wandering around the hill stopping at every good place to sit and talk and exchange views. Anand recounted the interesting and hilarious experiences he has had with his Bullet and et al.

From Avathi we rode on the country roads back to the highway and took a detour at Devanahalli towards Vijayapura, a medium sized town about 10 km away. Vijayapura doesn't have any great tourist attraction but the Nagreshwara temple which is a unique blend of Shiva and Vishnu temples in one compound. The temple located in the centre of the town and accessed through a narrow bylane.

Nagareshwara Temple - Vijayapura

Unfortunately the Temple Mafia is in full control of the ancient shrine and this has resulted in total transformation of an ancient sculptural marvel into a modern eyesore. The old stone flooring has been replaced by shiny marble tiles, attractive stone pillars have been whitewashed. Original stucco images in the Rajagopuram is being painted in myriad colours without any sensitivity for retaining the antiquity of the place. Anyway I have lots of cribs... we spent about half an hour there and headed towards Nallur on the Vijayapura-Budigere road. The narrow road is quite pathetic and bad and at places it is a stretch of mud with several potholes of all sizes and depths.

Nagareshwara Temple Pillars - Vijayapura

Finaly after a bone rattling ride of about 12 km we reached the ancient Tamarind groove of Nallur. There are over 150 tamarind trees in the groove of which several trees are believed to be older than 80-100 years. Some trees have fallen down and are still yielding fruits. These look like large giants taking rest after serving humanity for over a century.

Three ancient chola-style temples dot the groove. One of them which is the best in terms of sculptures is the most neglected. One of the walls has collapsed, roof has come down and the temple might in all probability last another 10-15 years. We explored the temples and Dev took the initiative of climbing to the top and we all followed.

Sat down on the broken walls of the shrine and talked... talked.. and talked.. about the place.. travel... etc... all things under the sky till the biscuits we had carried finished. Then we all started back towards the city and after stopping over at a Dhaba for lunch we reached back home well in time before evening.

Biking in Bangalore's backyard - Part II

Well it has been long since I updated my blog... have been out twice since then... so thought I'd add remaining parts of the July 3rd outing with Anand.

From Muneshwara temple we proceeded on passing Sri Sri Ravishankar's Art of Living ashram and ahead towards Harohalli. As we were approaching Harohalli an interesting and funny incident happened.

There was this guy on a Honda Unicorn who was furiously following us and we stopped next to a lake for a breather and to take couple of pictures. The Honda guy stopped a little away and parked his bike and came back... patted Anand's gleaming Bullet and walked all round it. "Saar! Eshtu Mileage Barathe? (Sir, how much mileage does it give?)" he said. "30" said Anand to which his expression changed to a surprise and indignation. "Madras Motors Alli 40-45 kodutthe andhru," he retorted to which I remarked "No bullet will give you mileage above 35 km pl".

He then went on to recount his sob story of how he had purchased a Bullet and sold it after just 2 days because the bike's mileage just didn't cross 20 km pl. He had lost 15 K in the bargain and settled for a Honda Unicorn which was giving him 50 km pl.... We cursed him and told him if he had informed me or Anand one of us would have bought it... Anyway tough luck...

From there we proceeded to Kanakapur and then to Satnur through some beautiful countryside roads and quaint hills and also crossed a huge dam (will find out more about it later) to reach Dodda Halahalli where we turned right on the Sangam road and travelled for about 8 km and turned left at the Chunchi falls welcome arch. From here is it is about 8 km to the roaring waterfalls via narrow and confusing country roads.

Chunchi Falls

Chunchi Falls - rugged surroundings

The water fall is sited in a starkly rocky and rugged terrain. I haven't seen such rugged terrain anywhere around Bangalore. Even Ramanagar and Savandurga fade into oblivion when one looks at the stark landscape at Chunchi falls. Beautifully rugged and scary because one slip on these rocks would leave one with broken bones and bruised limbs and maybe even fatal as at some places the water is really deep between rocks.

Anand clicked some great pictures of the falls and surrounding countryside before heading back towards Satnur.

Me at Chunchi falls

From Satnur we decided to return to Bangalore on the Mysore road via Chennapatna, Ramnagar etc. But the first major place we reached was Kabbal village sited in the shadow of Kabbal Durga hill fort. The Kabballamma temple here attracts thousands of devotees during weekends. I visited Kabbal first in 1996 to participate in an advance rock climbing camp, where I had honed my rock climbing skills. At that time we stayed at Kabbal for four days and we noticed that there were hadly any visitors to the temple or the fort. This hill fort has by far some of the best routes even better than Savandurga and Ramanagaram. Perhaps due to its distance from Bangalore (100 km) and the remoteness (nearest decent hotel/ accommodation 22 km), Kabbal has not become popular among adventure tourists.

Kabbal durga hill fort

Now in 2006 the picture is totally different. Kabbal was full of vehicles, the road leading to the temple was almost choked with vehicles - 2, 3 and 4 wheelers of all brands, colours and types were there. The queue of pilgrims for darhsan was around half a km long. It is amazing how development transforms a quiet sleepy village into a teeming pilgrim centre in just a decade.

Since it was too hot in the afternoon we decided to skip climbing the fort, just took pictures of the temple, hill and couple of hero stones placed near the temple and started our journey towards Chennapatna and then further to Bangalore.

Kabbalamma Temple with the fort background

Biking in Bangalore's backyard

Rocky cliffs around Kanakapura

Yesterday (July 2, 2006) was one of the better outings, I have been on in the past several weekends. The Original plan was that Dev, Anand and myslef would get together with our iron horses and of course Anand's is a Rhinocerous not a horse, and steer them towards Kanakapura and roam in the wilderness, climb a mountain, swim in a river and ride back home by evening.

Dev and I were scheduled to meet at 6.30 am at my place and then head towards Basavangudi where Anand would join us at 7 am. At 6.15 my mobile starts ringing and it is Dev on the other end. "Hey Sri, there is an emergency in the office. It seems our editor quit his job last night and they have called us all at 11 am for the meeting. Why did he have to quit yesterday, couldn't he quit on Monday?" said Dev ruefully adding that he wouldn't be able to make it and wished us a good time. After exactly 5 minutes Anand smsed saying he had already left from home. I got ready and proceeded towards our meeting place and reached there in good time but there was no sign of Anand.

After about 10 mins Anand chugged in and then we started off towards Jayanagar for breakfast of Idly and Sambar at Pavitra Paradise. Having filled ourselves we decided to head out and get out of the city asap. And get out we did.... our first stop was at the Vajramuneeshwara temple just out of the city off Kanakapura Road. The NICE BMIC has just missed this ancient temple by about 200 meters.

The temple had been famous in the recent years for elephant attacks on human beings and had even killed couple of farmers in the region. But now with the NICE road coming up I am sure elephants wouldn't dare to venture here. Anyway coming to the tepmple per se... like all Muneswara temples this too is an open air temple, sited at the fringe of a beautiful forest and hill region. There are two large banyan trees under which Lord Muneswara is consecreted.

Vajramuneshwara temple

The descent to the temple via a short flight of steps transports one to a different world altogether. The temple has stone flooring and a roof of leaves and branches, there is a small shrine dedicated to Shiva, and a natural spring provides drinking water to visitors. We were pretty early and there was hardly anybody at the shrine. Only the temple authorities cleaning the mess inside the temple and dirtying the forest around. A stream runs in front of the temple about 100 meters away amidst thick almost inaccessible forest.

We decided to skirt around the temple and explore the forest as we heard the call of peacocks and sounds of other animals. Truging through the forest we saw a check dam being constructed close by, the roads being built by NICE and the Vaderahalli lake far away. Again we heard the Peacock... this time very loud and close. We followed the sound into the bushes and there in front of us about 100 meters away was a single peacock gracefully walking, weaving in and out of the bushes. Taking in these sights we moved and returned to the bikes at the Muneswara temple, where by then a large crowd of people with sacrifices of Chicken, Lamb etc had accumulated and were ready to perform the ghastly act of killing innocent animals in the name of god.

Chicken ready for slaughter

From here we decided to head to Chunchi Falls and from there to Kabbal before finally returning to Bangalore via Chennapatna, Ramanagaram and Bidadi. Look out for the next post coming soon.

Outing to Devara Betta (Thevar Betta) in neighbouring Tamil Nadu

Devara Betta temple atop the hill

Sunday dawned bright and crisp and was I raring to go.

The destination was towards Tamil Nadu and the plan to visit Devara Betta and Navadarshanam an ecofriendly farm community whose members are living as per natures ways.

Starting off early in the morning at 5.30 am I was lucky to get out of the city before the morning picnickers and others started their journeys. Hosur notoriously famous for traffic jams and unruly driving was strangely empty and the smooth flow of traffic with cool breeze hitting my face I made good progress.

Soon I was at Chandapura circle where I turned right and sped on towards Ankal. Unlike Bangalore city, here I could see rural folk fully active, farmers taking their bulls to the fields, some already at work in the fields, women drawing water from wells, some carrying sack loads on their heads and walking towards the bus stop, perhaps to take produce to the city market to sell.

Anekal was a little chaotic because of the election happening, there was all parties trying to put up stalls to canvass for votes right on the main road. Luckily I moved out of the city quickly and soon was on the Thali road heading towards Devara Betta. From Anekal it is only 7 km to Gummalapuram which is on the other side of the border. From Gummalapuram one has to travel further about 20 km on Thali road to reach Gopasandra and turn right there for Devara Betta.

Soon after crossing Ankeal the road becomes quite bad, and potholed. But after Gummalapuram there is no road at all, there is only a semblance that there might have been an asphalted road sometime in the distant past. But anyway the scenery flanking the road is well worth the bumpy ride. Lush green fields, far hillocks, punctuated by quaint temples take away the road fatigue.

Damaged Herostone at Gummalapuram

Before reaching Gopasandra, I stopped at a small viragal (Herostone) temple and to my surprise found two more damaged herostones in the fields close by. Though the herostones are attractively carved they are neglected and most of them are lieing here and there without any attention being paid to them.

One thing is surprising, everyone here speaks fluent Kannada without even a hit of Tamil accent in their voices. And like all villagers in India, they are highly helpful and provide good directions. At Shamanatham village one of the villagers informed me that the road to Devara Betta from Gopasandra was a completely tar road. Expecting a smooth road I rode on but that was not to be, the road from Gopasandra to Devarabetta must have been tarred some 20 years ago and today it is falling to bits. Only potholes and jelly stones greeted my tyres and suspension.

Devara Betta hill and temple atop

But the panoramic view of the distant twin-rocky hills crowned by temple kept me going. After a 30-minute, (7 km) ride I reached the base of Devara betta and was dismayed to find that the temple mafia had already established base here also. But fortuntely being sited at the edge of the Thally reserved forest, not much damage has been done to the greenery and environment except building of several concrete structures which successfully obstruct the view of the hills.

There is a large modern temple complex, two rainwater harvesting tanks and several modern buildings in the valley between two tall rocky cliffs. The left one is Devara betta crowned by the Shiva temple. There are no steps and one has to scramble up to the top by the easiest way suitable for him. The climb is well worth the effort as the top of the hill offers fantastic view of the Thally reserve forest. The quaint temple atop is open only on saturdays and festive occasions. Otherwise devotees just pay obeisance to the lord through the grill door, rest a while and head back.

Devara Betta hill and temple atop

Due to some strange belief villagers who come here lay a cairn of stones and return back. Cairn is a small construction made of rough stones laid one above the other. It is believed that if one seeks any specific desire to be fulfilled he/ she has to place a cairn atop here and it will be fulfilled. Looking at the number of cairns I am sure God has a tough task ahead fulfilling the desires of so many people.

From Thevar Betta I retraced my journey till Gummalapuram and turned left to visit Navadarshanam farm. Navadarshanam (‘new vision’) ashram is the brainchild of a few people who dared to defy the stringent demands laid down by a consumerist world. This is a place where a group of people have chosen to live one with nature, learning the lessons it has to offer and sharing their experiences with society. Fifteen years ago this 110-acre piece of land had fallen prey to man’s deforestation spree and desertified. But today Today, the land is home to over 100,000 trees, which play host to a variety of species of birds.

The farm generates its own electricity through solar, wind and other energy sources. They grow their own food and water is from the borewell.

“Nature has its own ways of healing. We din't plant a single tree in this land. All we did was to stop grazing and rest was done by nature,” says Ananthu, a post-graduate in systems design from Stanford University, who, with a group of like minded people, started Navadarshanam - an offshoot of a study circle in Delhi many years ago and to put the Gandhian thought and ideals started this farm.

It was a wonderful experience interacting with Ananthu and going around the farm. According to Ananthu, they have only fenced off 25 percent of the total land area and remaining part is left for nature to heal itself. This has resulted in excellent growth of greenery and trees and several herds of Deer, wild boar and other animals have already made this green acres their homes.

My aim is to do something similar, I hope I will be able to achieve it in future.