[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by marlinspike

which petrol pumps are best to use on round trips between blr-hassan-kuke/dharmastala section.

If you go into Hassan, there are a couple of IOC bunks on the main BM road.

Kenchamba Service Station and M K Swamy & Sons. The second one is just before you exit the city towards Mangalore.

IOC bunk just before Sakleshpur (after Ossoor Cafe).

Originally Posted by laluks

1) Can civic go via shiradi if driven carefully these 6 to 20 oddkilometers? or is it still unsafe?

Yes you can take your civic via Shiradi, but you may have to travel the width of the road to find a suitable passage without scraping the underbelly at one or two places.

Originally Posted by Samurai

I'll have to disagree with this part. There are naxals in this area, but never heard of them bothering the tourists. I drive through this road all the time, often in night, the Someshwara forest (33kms from my home) after the ghats is very tame, you can't even find wildlife here.

I put it in since I was advised not to travel on that road by a friend who used to stay near Sringeri. but anyway it is reassuring to know that it is safe. Regarding the wildlife, as you said, everytime I traveled on this road, I hoped to see some sort of wildlife, but have never sighted anything :-(

OT: By the way, I went through your travelogue and the pics are just amazing. But I seriously believe that pictures will not do any justice to the real beauty of the monsoons. You have to experience it yourselves

[prajwalkashyap]

Hi guys!

I just rode down to Mangalore with another rider on 2 bikes (unicorn & pulsar). We came via Madikeri. The approach roads to Kushalnagar are great! but the road from Kushalnagar to Madikeri and about 30 kms from Madikeri towards Sampaje are backbreaking to say the least! That's about 65kms of backbreaking roads! We took almost 3 hours to cover Kushalnagar to Sampaje. However, the roads from sampaje onwards to sulya-puttur-BC road are like a dream! Again due to construction from BC Road to Mangalore is full of dangerous chicanes and dusty and was the most tiresome part of the journey. and that's just about 20kms! Total journey time was 12 hours (including about 2 and half hours in breaks)

We plan to return via sringeri (since my friend is staying in Udupi, i'm riding up to Udupi to sync with him). How are the roads on this route:

Udupi - Sringeri - Shikmaglur - Hassan?

We'r starting tmrw (22nd April) early morning around 4:30am.

Waiting for ur inputs.

Cheers!

Prajwal

[lohithrao]

Prajwal, the roads are good, you will enjoy this road on bike.

btw its "Chikmagalur" am sure it was a typo

[prajwalkashyap]

Originally Posted by lohithrao

Prajwal, the roads are good, you will enjoy this road on bike.

btw its "Chikmagalur" am sure it was a typo

Yes, it was a typo. u r right. I had meant "Chikmagalur".

Prajwal

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

OT: By the way, I went through your travelogue and the pics are just amazing. But I seriously believe that pictures will not do any justice to the real beauty of the monsoons. You have to experience it yourselves

Thanks, right now it looks too dusty, check out these snaps from last month near Someshwara.

It is not greenery, but brownery.

Originally Posted by prajwalkashyap

We plan to return via sringeri (since my friend is staying in Udupi, i'm riding up to Udupi to sync with him). How are the roads on this route:

Udupi - Sringeri - Shikmaglur - Hassan?

We'r starting tmrw (22nd April) early morning around 4:30am.

This may be too late, unless you check before you start. This route is of acceptable quality, nothing to worry about.

[laluks]

Thanks Samurai for the pics of the road. It had given me an idea what to expect.
So to say this areas are green during rains and brown otherwise

[prajwalkashyap]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Thanks, right now it looks too dusty, check out these snaps from last month near Someshwara.

It is not greenery, but brownery.
Attachment 128274

Attachment 128275

This may be too late, unless you check before you start. This route is of acceptable quality, nothing to worry about.

My trip has been postponed for tmrw morning (23rd April). So u r not late!

Prajwal

[laluks]

bye the way is it raining near the coast? Bangalore has become pleasant with evening rains?

Will Shiradi stay through this rain?

[lohithrao]

Yes occasionally but monsoon is yet to arrive.

In Bangalore every summer this happens, actually this year its little late.

Shiradi might not hold up, i think its good for couple of months.

Originally Posted by laluks

bye the way is it raining near the coast? Bangalore has become pleasant with evening rains?

Will Shiradi stay through this rain?

[chandan]

Last evening,I saw some Volvos plying on Shiradi ghats.If Volvos can manage,so can any car

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by chandan

Last evening,I saw some Volvos plying on Shiradi ghats.If Volvos can manage,so can any car

I saw a Volvo plying on the road around 2 weeks back (see my earlier post) and hopefully the road will hold during the monsoons

[marlinspike]

I'll hit the Shiradi ghat section on April 30 on my way to Kuke. Hopefully it get away with a few scrapes to the underbelly of my Fiesta S.

[manojgautham]

I am going to Goa with few of my colleagues on 30th April, we wanted to try a different route this time. We wanted to pass through Maravanthe and travel from there towards Karwar. We are leaving Bangalore at midnight and thought we will go through Mangalore, Udupi. Shiradi I feel is the safest road at night. Isn't it? What is the condition of the road now. Is it driveable for an Optra Magnum? Please advice

[lohithrao]

Manoj, can expect a lot of traffic on shiradi at night, considering you leave by 12....NH48 aint easy to drive at that time since lots of bus traffic(oncoming)

Shiradi is not smooth and with the bus traffic wont be easy to drive.

any how if you are comfy driving at night then it should not be a problem.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by lohithrao

Manoj, can expect a lot of traffic on shiradi at night, considering you leave by 12....NH48 aint easy to drive at that time since lots of bus traffic(oncoming)

Shiradi is not smooth and with the bus traffic wont be easy to drive.

any how if you are comfy driving at night then it should not be a problem.

Especially because Charmadi ghat is closed all the traffic from there has been diverted to Shiradi. and since Shiradi is the main gateway to the coast, you can expect a lot of traffic