[sj_koova]

Excellent captures and coverage of Western Ghats "bordeaux".
Of all these, Vagamon is still my favorite. Pristine and less crowded even after a lot of encroachments.

[praveen_v]

Thats an Amazing trip captured wonderfully in pics, videos and words. Really liked the way you expressed your experience throughout the trip. The western ghats are truly magical.

[STraiTDriVE]

The travelogue is excellent in coverage but more than that I really appreciate your endurance for such long trips. Looks like, you not only have incredible energy levels to travel across such long tours but equally incredible energy in sharing your experience with us. It was very distinctive with the videos and snaps… the city has always been a reliable machine.

[ashphil]

Lovely travelogue ! Beautiful photographs! thank you for sharing. Could you share home stay contact detail please.
regards,
Ashok

[rapid_fire]

Nice travelogue. Reading your thread took me back to my college days. We had visited almost all these places from our college hostel
It is not the highest point to which you can trek in Chembara peak. You can actually go upto to the top. But the top portion is walkway really narrow and dangerous. We had visited that place in 2006/07. I am not sure now they closed it or not.

[anuragbagur]

Excellent write up and great pictures to complement the travelogue. You indeed have covered all tourist spots relating to western ghats in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. And yes, you do have an enviable job! Any plans of covering Karnataka as there are also equally mesmerising spots / locations for a nature lover like you?
P.S: You City VTec seems to be doing duty very well post 1 lac on the odo. Keep revving :-)

[AUTO_ZING]

The speed of your car makes me feel you are ready to hit the F1 circuit. Nicely thought of and edited video's.

[bordeaux]

Originally Posted by Ananthc

Amazing travelogue. You are indeed a lucky guy to do these long trips!!

Thanks.

Originally Posted by procrj

Great thread bordeaux and what a way to spend your summer

Envy your job. If I had a similar job, i would probably rent a place far far away from bangalore and breathe clean air

Thank you! We want to take that step when we are done traveling. Like 50 years down the line

Originally Posted by procrj

The next time you plan to bypass North Bangalore using Nice road, use this route as the railway crossing on ORR is always a pain and sometimes results in hour long jams.

I wish I asked that question earlier. But yes, will definitely try to avoid Yeshwantpur next time.

Originally Posted by sj_koova

Excellent captures and coverage of Western Ghats "bordeaux".
Of all these, Vagamon is still my favorite. Pristine and less crowded even after a lot of encroachments.

Spot on Sir. Vagamon is THE best. We couldn't stay there for long because I need to be online on weekdays.

Originally Posted by praveen_v

Thats an Amazing trip captured wonderfully in pics, videos and words. Really liked the way you expressed your experience throughout the trip. The western ghats are truly magical.

Yes, Western Ghats are indeed amazing. From Igatpuri till Vagamon and beyond, so many cultures, varying terrains and food. Instead of doing this in segments, we should probably plan to cover this all at once. That'll be another level high.

Originally Posted by STraiTDriVE

The travelogue is excellent in coverage but more than that I really appreciate your endurance for such long trips. Looks like, you not only have incredible energy levels to travel across such long tours but equally incredible energy in sharing your experience with us. It was very distinctive with the videos and snaps… the city has always been a reliable machine.

It took me like three years to get an account on Team BHP. Every time I explored some new place, a new road or terrain, I so wanted to share it with you guys! And finally, I am able to.

Originally Posted by ashphil

Lovely travelogue ! Beautiful photographs! thank you for sharing. Could you share home stay contact detail please.

Here you go.

• Kodaikanal - Syamantac Homestay
• Marayoor - Sailsbury Manor
• Vagamon - Holiday Vagamon
• Meppadi, Kalpetta, Wayanad - The Jackfruit Tree
• Kalpetta, Wayanad - Villa Kaffee Bohne
• Masinagudi - Secret Ivory Guest House
• Ooty - Cypresswoods

Note: We have no business association with any of the mentioned home-stays and guest houses.

Originally Posted by rapid_fire

It is not the highest point to which you can trek in Chembara peak. You can actually go upto to the top. But the top portion is walkway really narrow and dangerous. We had visited that place in 2006/07. I am not sure now they closed it or not.

VSS guide told us that they have closed it and it's reserved for some organic farming (herbs etc). We didn't really want to push it. Other groups were also returning from the Heart Lake itself. But yeah, at the top, it'll be a different story altogether.

Originally Posted by anuragbagur

Any plans of covering Karnataka as there are also equally mesmerising spots / locations for a nature lover like you?

Yes, we are totally bombarded with the places we can visit but we are so short of time. Difficult to believe? Trust me, won't lie here at least.

Originally Posted by anuragbagur

P.S: You City VTec seems to be doing duty very well post 1 lac on the odo. Keep revving :-)

I picked it up at 49,600 KMs. I say I have absolutely no complaints. I'll be the happiest man alive if I could raise it by 10 mm without compromising on handling.

Originally Posted by AUTO_ZING

The speed of your car makes me feel you are ready to hit the F1 circuit. Nicely thought of and edited video's.

Na man!! I don't really want to shame them. With my 6x speed, I can beat them F1 cars with my City.

[josebi]

Wonderful travelogue.

Enjoyed it thoroughly. you have covered almost all the hill stations in that area, that too in a single journey. envy you for the lengthy trip that you could manage.

[amiya.c]

Feeling entertained after reading this travelogue, thank you very much for sharing this. A start with the video was the best aspect of this travelogue.

[Sachi]

Very well written. Your immense patience(both in doing this trip and writing this travellogue), sense of humor and love for driving are immediately evident to anyone who reads this.
Just wondering how you managed to work,sleep and enjoy this trip all at the same time for more than a month continuously!

Looking forward to a Himalayan travellogue from you soon.

[bordeaux]

Originally Posted by Sachi

Very well written. Your immense patience(both in doing this trip and writing this travellogue), sense of humor and love for driving are immediately evident to anyone who reads this.
Just wondering how you managed to work,sleep and enjoy this trip all at the same time for more than a month continuously!

Looking forward to a Himalayan travellogue from you soon.

I am glad you liked it It was fairly easy. Sleep at 4:00 AM. Wake up at 11:30 AM. Daily routine + Lunch + Travel till 6:00 PM. Get back to home-stay and start work at 6:30 PM. Repeat. With the same routine, we have done several trips ranging from one week to 4 months. We (me and my wife) are used to it now. It's the home that makes us feel uncomfortable now. Groceries, cleaning, cook food, and then one day the shower will break You know the drill.

We have been planning for an Himalayan trip for so long. Things are just not falling in place. Plus our vehicle (Honda City) with ultra low GC is allergic to Himalayan roads.

[SKavuri]

Originally Posted by bordeaux

[b][i]Hyderabad See you next time.

Hi Bordeax,
Very nice travalogue! Loved all the pictures and videos. Videos looked a bit low-res. One particular video made my dizzy with the fast motion through winding roads.

The home stays - does one book them through the regular booking portals or how is this done?

[bordeaux]

Originally Posted by SKavuri

Videos looked a bit low-res. One particular video made my dizzy with the fast motion through winding roads.

Technically they are 720p but somehow my Thailand bought ultra cheap DVR is not doing a good job. Thinking of replacing it for some time now. Tried several phone mounts but they didn't live up to the expectations as well.

Originally Posted by SKavuri

The home stays - does one book them through the regular booking portals or how is this done?

The ones those are on AirBNB can be booked via the same site. But you have to verify yourself by uploading a valid ID proof to the site. That may sound bad for privacy but then you get a peace of mind knowing that the home-stay owner also followed the same process and you are not going to get stuck with some random thugs. Also, most of these home-stays are available via regular portals like Booking.com/Yatra/Cleartrip etc. Do check reviews on Tripadvisor before making any booking.