[megazoid]

https://youtu.be/EjJR_iwkABs

A small compilation of the day

Since the beginning of Covid-19 and the lock-down restrictions, travel itself had taken a backseat. But with each passing day, the urge to move around a bit without being irresponsible was getting compelling. In the wee hours of a cloudy and windy Saturday, we (me and wife) set out for the banks of the cauvery near sathanur to see if we could make that our base for a few hours. The drive was very easy and relaxed for it was pre-dawn hours and we were among the handful of road users. Due care was taken to carry adequate snacks with us, This included a rather nice breakfast, a flask full of hot water and enough coffee to run a store. In addition we had a stove for any eventuality and plenty of water too. The previous evening was spent tanking up the GTI and I had the misfortune of seeing 99 RON sold at 100.76 Rs a litre. A 10 litre can was also filled in addition to the 45 litre tank for contingencies. The tire pressures also got checked and adjusted at home as is the norm before any drive.

As for the drive itself, we quickly dispatched the uninteresting sections and got to more secluded road sections that we could enjoy. After a couple of hours of windows down motoring, we reached the banks of the cauvery. Parked the car, took the camera and moved around to catch the beautiful morning sights and sounds of the forest The highlight certainly had to be the trees with their mighty roots. They were in all shapes and sizes and it was as though every tree had a story to tell about the river that exposed its roots a wee bit each passing day. Was constantly reminded of the Kenneth Anderson stories as I waddled around the big roots under the canopy of branches.


The clouds playing with the car


The roads were a delight


The morning sun and the bitumen



















The energetic monkeys gave us good company and an odd bird looked on curiously. After spending considerable amount of time struggling to get some nice pictures and videos and admiring the might of the river and the eco system it so well enabled, we decided to make the breakfast plan a reality. The only fly in the ointment were the monkeys where we had parked our car. Snacking was an impossibility with the monkeys around, so started the drive to a more conducive place for the breakfast stop and it came pretty soon. All the morning hard work had made us hungry and we tucked into our breakfast. After polishing off the aloo, roti and mircha, it was time for some good coffee.


Breakfast halt


Coffee by the road


Breakfast

The morning was cold and cloudy with the sun barely able to hold its own against the clouds and wind. Decided to move around to another place where we could see some sunflowers for this was the sunflower season.

I had to do something wrong on such a beautiful day and left the Gopro strapped to a branch at the breakfast spot. Had completely forgotten about the camera over breakfast and had to retrace considerable distance to get the guy back but all was well and it was perched at the very same place we had left it, still recording the world diligently.

Drove on more B roads towards gundlupet where we hoped to catch the sunflower bloom. The morning air and the relatively empty roads made for a good drive. After driving for a good two hours and more, we saw the first sign of the sunflowers. They were in a beautiful bloom and the whole landscape looked picturesque. The season starts around June and lasts till the end of August and is a delight with the crowd each year.

After meeting a friendly villager Nagaraju and his family, we took their permission to take pictures in and around their field and what a sight it was with the flowers swaying in the heavy wind and the fields stretching on one after the other. They were extremely nice folks and we were all trying to out do each other in getting some good shots. Spent a lot of time walking along the fields and enjoying the bloom.


What a lovely setting for work


Nagarau and his wife


the miniscule boot holding assorted items

All the walking and photography got us in a mood to indulge in one more round of coffee and snacks at a rather picturesque spot which by now was a common enough sight.


The food


crammed insides



Catching some rest after a good drive

While spending time here, a young village boy walked up and requested us to not make the place dirty. This was quite an eye opener for us as the folks in these remote locations were getting fed up of tourists dirtying their neighborhood. We assured the boy that we would be very careful and kept our promise when we wound up and drove on after the brief halt. This is one aspect of travel that needs a fair bit of improvement from a significant chunk of our population unfortunately.


When will we ever learn! Perhaps this was worrying the boy.

We had started at 4.30 am and the time by then was 2.00 pm. Decided to head back home which was still a good four hours away. Had to stop en route and use the 10 litre Jerry can to make it home. The drive back was uneventful and the new brake rotors and the pads weren't exactly giving a good feeling. I felt it to be a bit spongy and the bite not too great. Need to bed them in better and perhaps bleed the lines too once again. Made it home by twilight and all in all the day felt great.

It was a surprise to wake up the next day at home hearing the phone ring. It was Nagaraju, our farmer friend who called to check if we had a safe journey back and to thank us for the pic we had sent him. Amazing folks!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Thanos-VV]

A very soothing written to start a day with. Thanks a lot. Superb photography that really showcases the nature in its true form. And of course glimpses of GTI

[jkrishnakj]

Nice one Megazoid.

My wife and I went to the exact same place on the 29th May. More of a sudden decision to just go somewhere, and we said that we will hit the Cauvery banks and drive back. And that's all that we did. A good 219 KM round trip and it made both of us happy !.

[krish3]

Good thread @Megazoid. Glad that you are making travelogues out of your beautiful drives to interior roads. Makes it easy for lazy buggers like me to follow your footsteps at leisure.

[klgiridhar]

Incredible pictures. Such a soothing place. Thank you for sharing it with all of us.

I am getting more addicted to the amazing travelogues on this forum nowadays, increasing my bucket list daily.

[Highh5]

Nice, short and crisp travelogue. Beautiful set of pictures and the love the cinematic video.

[apalbag]

Hi, nice travelogue. I'm also looking for a place to drive to next week. Can you please share your route.

[mankuthimma]

A well planned and executed short road trip !! The early morning shots of the river side are so serene,,!! Drone shots makes the locations look even more beautiful..
Is this the Muthathi area ? It looks so clean now.. From there to Gundlupet is quite some distance.. but it was very well worth it I guess going by the photos of lush green surroundings and the awesome looking sunflower fields..

[Mile_Breaker]

Great video and photos ! Seems like such small day trips are going to be the new normal in coming days. In 2018 Dec I visited Mysore with friends and families. Went for a day trip and visited Talakad, near the banks of River Cauvery. Apart from the archaeological significance of the temples of Talakad, the bank of Cauvery was extremely beautiful. Spent an hour playing in the river with kids. Thanks for bringing back the beautiful memories.

[CountryDriver]

A nice and enjoyable review about a well planned one day trip👍. Loved the photos with the GTI and can imagine the smile on your face while driving that beast of yours .

[Artyom]

Can you share the location and how to reach?

Perhaps something we can search on google maps to make things easy :-)

[KP56]

That looked like a perfectly planned short and sweet trip ! And not to mention the beautiful pictures.
Seeing all these posts is just increasing my itch to hit the road again.(we have a extended lockdown here at Chennai ) I just hope all these situations come back to normal soon.

Continue enjoying your GTI!
Cheers

[megazoid]

Originally Posted by CountryDriver

A nice and enjoyable review about a well planned one day trip👍. Loved the photos with the GTI and can imagine the smile on your face while driving that beast of yours .

There were some good roads to drive on and the weather and the early start
made it quite enjoyable.

Originally Posted by apalbag

Hi, nice travelogue. I'm also looking for a place to drive to next week. Can you please share your route.

The cauvery shots are from Muthathi and the sunflower fields are from Gundlupet. Lots of bloom that side. Pick anyone that you like and you have it right there.

Originally Posted by krish3

Good thread @Megazoid. Glad that you are making travelogues out of your beautiful drives to interior roads. Makes it easy for lazy buggers like me to follow your footsteps at leisure.

Thank you Krish3.

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Nice one Megazoid.

My wife and I went to the exact same place on the 29th May. More of a sudden decision to just go somewhere, and we said that we will hit the Cauvery banks and drive back. And that's all that we did. A good 219 KM round trip and it made both of us happy !.

These little gems are worth their weight in gold.

Originally Posted by Thanos-VV

A very soothing written to start a day with. Thanks a lot. Superb photography that really showcases the nature in its true form. And of course glimpses of GTI

Thank you! Much appreciated.

Originally Posted by klgiridhar

Incredible pictures. Such a soothing place. Thank you for sharing it with all of us.

I am getting more addicted to the amazing travelogues on this forum nowadays, increasing my bucket list daily.

Glad you liked.

Originally Posted by Highh5

Nice, short and crisp travelogue. Beautiful set of pictures and the love the cinematic video.

I too loved capturing it as much you liked watching it.

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

A well planned and executed short road trip !! The early morning shots of the river side are so serene,,!! Drone shots makes the locations look even more beautiful..
Is this the Muthathi area ? It looks so clean now.. From there to Gundlupet is quite some distance.. but it was very well worth it I guess going by the photos of lush green surroundings and the awesome looking sunflower fields..

Yes. The river is beautiful. We have always had a fascination for the Cauvery and having it so close to home presents many opportunities. Clean surroundings is a hit or a miss thing in such a varied population and is the single biggest setback for tourism in my view, be it on a himalayan trek or a western ghats hike. It presents a problem everywhere. We need to tackle it from an awareness and a punishment perspective rather urgently.

Originally Posted by Artyom

Can you share the location and how to reach?

Perhaps something we can search on google maps to make things easy :-)

Muthathi and Gundlupet. Straightforward locations for navigation. Forest gates opens at 6am.

Originally Posted by KP56

That looked like a perfectly planned short and sweet trip ! And not to mention the beautiful pictures.
Seeing all these posts is just increasing my itch to hit the road again.(we have a extended lockdown here at Chennai ) I just hope all these situations come back to normal soon.

Continue enjoying your GTI!
Cheers

These are what keeps ife going!