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Old 16th December 2018, 16:23   #16
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Re: Wanderlust Traveler : Kudremukh township & Bhagavathi Nature Camp

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Originally Posted by mpksuhas View Post
I walk in, to check the hotel. There was a dried up swimming pool behind the hotel, however I decide to head inside the hotel and see.
This brought back so many memories, I had been there in 1993 when the township was flourishing and at its peak. We stayed at this place and used to swim in the dried swimming pool you mentioned. This guest house was built by the British and each room has an attic with a reading area and is lined with teak. Apparently the reading attic area is a colonial architecture where the designers worked while the family slept in the room we were told then.

Sad to see it this way, but ultimately it was detrimental to the nature and that's all that matters.

Thanks for sharing this !!!

Last edited by ampere : 20th December 2018 at 09:14. Reason: compacted quoted post
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Old 17th December 2018, 10:35   #17
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Re: Wanderlust Traveler : Kudremukh township & Bhagavathi Nature Camp

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Originally Posted by snaseer View Post
Beautiful place indeed, reminds me of Mandalpatti at Coorg.
From where can we get the transportation Jeep to take us to the top of the Kyatanamakki Hills?

Transportation can be found at Kalasa Town. They charge around Rs. 1600 for the trip.
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Old 18th December 2018, 14:02   #18
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Re: Wanderlust Traveler : Kudremukh township & Bhagavathi Nature Camp

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Originally Posted by mpksuhas View Post
Children's notebooks lying around
..
As per news reports, the school had 172 students and was working for 30 years. It was closed in 2014 when KIOCL stopped funding the school.
The similar thing happened to the Synthetics & Chemicals (aka Rubber Factory) factory in Bareilly (where I belong to). The rubber factory was shut down, leading to loss of jobs, school closures and what not. The beautiful campus went down to ruins. My father was also an employee there but by God's grace he left and joined another organization before this debacle happened. But I could relate to other people who were working there at the time of closure.
Its like a deja-vu when looking at these pictures.

Apologies for being off-topic but could't resist.

Cheers!

Last edited by ampere : 20th December 2018 at 09:15. Reason: compacted quoted post
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Old 18th December 2018, 18:03   #19
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Re: Wanderlust Traveler : Kudremukh township & Bhagavathi Nature Camp

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Sahyadri Bhavan

Location

For a hotel catering to an industrial town some 3 decades back, this is a luxurious place.
I visited and stayed at this place in 2013. It was open and had acceptable food, excellent badminton court along with a billiards table. The rooms weren't the best, but we weren't able to find accommodation at Bhagavathi due to it being new year and decided to settle for this. However, quite unfortunate its now permanently closed, leaves us with Bhagavathi Nature camp and few homestays.

How good were the roads when you drove ? Is it manageable in a low-slung sedan like Jetta or am I better off in a hatch ?
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Old 18th December 2018, 20:12   #20
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Re: Wanderlust Traveler : Kudremukh township & Bhagavathi Nature Camp

Very detailed travelogue and good pictures.

I have a few things to share.

- There are many from Kerala who were doing hard labor like welding, fitting jobs at KIOCL. Now most of them run small tea stalls or sell fruits on the roadside. Very bad living conditions.

- We met a German architect who was asked to design the KIOCL township in 1970s. He declined considering it is a disaster to the nature. He lives at Auroville now and we met him at Kodaikanal. Small world huh?

- My friend left his IT job and picked up the project of scrapping of KIOCL in 2013. No idea if the work is completed. But I remember him saying the quote is better than an IT job.

- We used to live at Samse for a year in 2012, so happen to know many hidden beautiful places in and around.

Last edited by Romins : 18th December 2018 at 20:13.
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Old 19th December 2018, 12:27   #21
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Re: Wanderlust Traveler : Kudremukh township & Bhagavathi Nature Camp

Good detailed travelogue, mpksuhas. TFS.

Very sad to see Kudremukh township in such a dilapidated state. Yes, it is a win for nature and the strip mining that was going on there was an ecological disaster, but the effect the closure of KIOCL had on its employees and their kids is something really pathetic. I had been there about 15 years ago and it was already on the decline, but there were still a lot of locals and tourists around. I remember Kudremukh park being really well maintained and having a lot of different trees and flowering shrubs. I think Nehru circle was where the main bus stand was located and was the hub of all activity in the town. All said, visiting ruins and abandoned townships has its own charm and evokes a sense of sadness.

On a side note, what's up with your camera? I see a lot of dust marks all over the photos. Sensor issue or simply a dirty lens cover?
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Old 23rd December 2018, 20:03   #22
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Re: Wanderlust Traveler : Kudremukh township & Bhagavathi Nature Camp

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How good were the roads when you drove ? Is it manageable in a low-slung sedan like Jetta or am I better off in a hatch ?
Absolutely no issues with road. The only 'bad' section that I can think of is couple of hundred meters inside Hassan town. I was also bit sceptical of road conditions considering how rains were this year, seems that is applicable only to city roads.

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All said, visiting ruins and abandoned townships has its own charm and evokes a sense of sadness.
Yes, Nehru circle is next to old bus stand.

True an entire township in ruins is sad, though it was necessary considering the ecological damages.

Quote:
On a side note, what's up with your camera? I see a lot of dust marks all over the photos. Sensor issue or simply a dirty lens cover?
Multiple issues. Dust + fungus on sensor, thankfully no more new fungus spots are coming up, but damage is already done. I tried removing the spots using lens cleaner last year or so, however it didn't work out. Need to take it to professional cleaning, thinking of Nikon center near Kanteerva stadium. However driving down there on a weekend is not an intresting idea.

On top of that, I feel the sensor is not reproducing colors as earlier. Contemplating of purchasing a point and shoot as a secondary camera for regular pics.
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Old 23rd December 2018, 22:55   #23
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Re: Wanderlust Traveler : Kudremukh township & Bhagavathi Nature Camp

Lovely TL and pictures, @mpksuhas. Loved the to the hilt. I started my career in Steel Industry in Vizag in 1982, and our MD had joined from KIOCL. I remember it was under Steel Ministry or was a subsidiary of SAIL.

I'd heard enchanting stories about the township and the jungle around it from some colleagues who were recruited from there. I feel very sad to see the township is such a dilapidated state. My heart goes out to the people who lost their jobs.

Thanks once again for evoking nostalgia.
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Old 27th December 2018, 14:33   #24
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Re: Wanderlust Traveler : Kudremukh township & Bhagavathi Nature Camp

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Originally Posted by mpksuhas View Post
Multiple issues. Dust + fungus on sensor, thankfully no more new fungus spots are coming up, but damage is already done.
It can be cleaned by a service center professional. Though a bit expensive, better to go Nikon service center. Talk to the guy and make sure he knows his craft. Workmanship is really important when it comes to cleaning an SLR.

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On top of that, I feel the sensor is not reproducing colors as earlier. Contemplating of purchasing a point and shoot as a secondary camera for regular pics.
Currently, I use a compact camera- which is going to be an obsolete product because of smart phones. Today, there is no compact camera with manual mode in the market. I used to own a Canon Powershot A70 for almost 5years, which had aperture and shutter priority, and full manual modes
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Old 27th December 2018, 20:16   #25
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Re: Wanderlust Traveler : Kudremukh township & Bhagavathi Nature Camp

What luck !
I was bored sitting at home since the 24th and was casually checking out some JLR places and found this one free for tomorrow night, and i promptly booked this, given my past experiences with JLR have always been pleasant.

Its only when i went to our home page and typed 'Bhagawathi' did i chance upon this travelogue from Suhas. I didnt in the least expect something as detailed on this place from tbhp. Wow !.

I look forward to my trip tomorrow. The route as i see it is Bangalore - Nelamangala - Hassan - Belur - Mudigere - Kalasa - Kudremukha. If this is not the right one or if there is something better that others know, please do respond back.

And Suhas - thanks for this travelogue. Quite useful and i am hoping i have a good experience with my family when i head out tomorrow morn.
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Old 28th December 2018, 01:55   #26
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Re: Wanderlust Traveler : Kudremukh township & Bhagavathi Nature Camp

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Workmanship is really important when it comes to cleaning an SLR.
Yes, sure. However, I was trying to delay it as much as possible to avoid traveling all they way till service center and also due to worry on of lack of proper cleaning will end up messing up the camera further.

Quote:
Currently, I use a compact camera- which is going to be an obsolete product because of smart
Agree. Even DSLRs are looked at bit strangely by the Instagram generation. Anyways, I was thinking in Nikon P900 range.

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Originally Posted by jkrishnakj View Post
What luck !
I was bored sitting at home since the 24th and was casually checking.
Glad that it helped you.

As I mentioned, this is not your average JLR, however it's a good place to spend your holiday.

Yes the route mentioned is correct.

Have a great trip.
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Old 30th December 2018, 13:17   #27
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I had an excellent drive and a lovely stay at this place. Came back last night. I couldn't do the Trek to the peak because i didn't realise it takes 7 hours back and forth. We did have a good time. Cozy place. Simple food. Lovely river place to take a dip. Fresh waters. No mobile network. No TV. No electricity. Couldn't have found a better place. TWanderlust Traveler : Kudremukh township & Bhagavathi Nature Camp-imageuploadedbyteambhp1546155933.757166.jpgWanderlust Traveler : Kudremukh township & Bhagavathi Nature Camp-imageuploadedbyteambhp1546155959.013019.jpgWanderlust Traveler : Kudremukh township & Bhagavathi Nature Camp-imageuploadedbyteambhp1546155977.314407.jpgWanderlust Traveler : Kudremukh township & Bhagavathi Nature Camp-imageuploadedbyteambhp1546155992.144735.jpg

The roads were good through out. The Fastags worked like a charm everywhere and was so useful at the tolls. The roads were super crowded and therefore the names highway restaurants had loads of people as well.
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