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-   -   Civved : Goa, Yaana, Jog, Murdeshwar, Maravanthe, Mangalore... (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/47136-civved-goa-yaana-jog-murdeshwar-maravanthe-mangalore-16.html)

Day 1: 11th July 2014

A few pictures of beautiful Sathodi waterfalls




















We were in search of a safe place to take a dip


It was all rocky and the flow was high




Finally Ddrive finds a safe place


And we join in!!


We were swimming near a cliff, there was somewhere a huge beehive which we were little scared of!!


Continued...

Day 1: 11th July 2014

By 12:00 we started our return back to Yellapur. Plan was to finish lunch and head for Sykes point and Syntheri rocks, before heading to Dandeli Supa Dam and to Mollem. But nature had different plans for us.

We were stopped by a small tree fall


We removed the obstacle and continued on


It was sometimes quite misty


We had to stop, he looked quite concerned


An electric pole had fallen down, the lines were live:Shockked:


It broke from the base




On checking ahead we found a huge tree had fallen down in the rains and had taken a couple of electric poles with it. This being a remote road we were scared that no one would turn up to clear up and we would have to stay there for the night. There was no other exit, it was a dead end.



It was 12:30

To add to the woo, there were no network connectivity there. We spoke to the localites, who was kind of feeling nothing about the scene as they were used to it. Finally we get a gentleman coming from the other direction who had "contacts". He climbed a small hill keeping mobile like HEMAN ups his sword! And by the power he gets someone in line.

He looks at an impatient me and points towards a temple. He says "Relax at the temple, in 1 hour somebody will come and start clearing it up". I could not believe this very words I heard, though in my wind I wanted the same.

We picked up a rope from the temple and walked towards the poles. By this time a few others have gathered with wood saw and knives. We tried what we could, finally from the crowd there emerged three heroes. They used the wood saw to cut the tree to pieces thereby clearing the big tree of the road. A Max truck used his tow rope to move the poles to one side.

Finally with a round of applause and thanks to the heroes we were able to leave by 16:00 hours.



We were the first to leave the scene


Look at the tree trunk, cutting that was not a joke!


Finally we said bye to the place and moved with our rescheduled plan


We really needed lunch, and we went back to restaurant where we had breakfast in Yellapur. Thankfully they had meals, and we all munched on our much needed lunch!

Continued...

An awesome 24x3 of Living and Civing together, and this time its not virtual as usual, but real :eek:.

Thank you Lalu Sir, for accepting my request and taking me in on one of your drives, thats another-one down my bucket list.
Oh what a drive, what a drive, and what a drive it was, Just couldn't be better.

Hi Lalu

Nice to see your detailed travelogue.As always it's great to read your adventurous stories and trips.

Keep going mate.. :)

While coming back there is a right deviation just after Devanahalli which leads to Manujguni. There is a historic Venkataramana Temple which is a nice place to visit. They also serve lunch (Prasada Bhojana) between 12:30 and 2:30 PM. From here Sirsi- Kumta road is around 8 Kms and You would have reached near Bandala. The road is in good condition and you could have saved atleast 40+Kms of extra drive.

DDrive, thanks for coming along. My plans normally are hectic with many points to cover on such trips. Kudos to you who started your journey by noon the previous day on the train to next day 22:00 hours till you could see a bed to relax! You had easily done over 1200Kms and 30 hours before the rest!

Oh! Oh! now that is off the list there will be no more trips together?

Thanks Binford.

That drive to Yaana was in 2008, i must check out the place you mentioned on another drive soon :)

After submitting my reply i saw the date you posted. My home is just about 5 kms from Hegdekatta so I know all the routes. I will be more happy to help you with any of your queries in and around Sirsi. There are many undiscovered places around which are more beautiful.

Day 1: 11th July 2014

After a late but sumptuous lunch we left Yellapur by 17:00. We were heading towards Supa Dam. We reached Supa Dam around 18:30, but we were not allowed to go towards the dam. It was restricted and we did not want to try too. All were exhausted by now. For me it was the need to reach the resort before dark. I hate the Londa Mollem Road for the enormous potholes it has till the Goa Check post. Being dark and heavy rains I will have many parameters to handle, and that at the end of a 24 hour driving session was not very much welcome. So I kind of started to drive with destination in mind!

But then before leaving the Supa Dam Check Post I did ask, whether we would be able to see the reservoir in our onward journey and the reply from the guard was in the affirmative.

We drove on, and soon we saw a sign board. We immediately aligned our distance and time of arrival at the resort. To me it looked like we would reach by 21:00 hours at the resort. But I kept telling the team 20:00 hours would be more like it.

I was upset that we would be the last to arrive. I was upset that we would have to crash land into HVK gathering in the middle of a happening dinner, I was upset that at the end of the day it is a mad rush for time. But I tried not to show my anxiety!

But anyways the drive has to continue, we had some 60 odd kilometers of which nearly 30 was pathetic!

Ramnagar will join us to the Londa Ponda state highway


I was quite anxious about the drive ahead


But the view of Supa Reservoir and cool breeze along with the drizzle was amazing


This was the last photo stop for the drive


It was 19:15 already, 60 odd kilometers to go, and I definitely am worried. The rains started to pour, high beams, low beams nothing seemed to help, but I was still keeping a good pace. The team mates kind of pitched in with support, I now had 3 more pair of eyes. Finally without much issues we joined the Londa Ponda Highway. Confirmed the same with a chai wallah and we moved on!

I really don't know how many times I kept on telling to myself and to the team, never ever come this way to Goa. The road is absolutely in shambles, truck traffic, the curves in the ghat sections have potholes that can swallow a small hatch, oncoming traffic never cares about you, they are always on high beams, add to it the rains - you are doomed!! Yes I indeed was feeling the word DOOM. But I had a mission I had to reach the resort before it is too late, before the HVK team disperses at least. Now I was starting to forget dinner also! But I kept on telling the team we will reach in style for the get together.

I looked at the time for one last time, it was showing 20:00, my first promise was broken. Team seemed to have noticed that, but they trusted me, what else could they do! Signboard says 30 to Mollem, and what happened afterwards was one of the best dirt track driving I've ever had in my life. Team, I believe was thinking it was normal to me, but it wasn't. I've completed that entire section in third gear with both hands on the steering and dedicated legs to accelerator and brakes. I had wheel spins, tyres screeching, rpms over 4K, speeds under 60, but that was one hell of a drive!!

Finally when I arrived at Dudh Sagar Resort and parked with a sense of accomplishment, the clock stayed put at 20:30 hours. It seemed time stood still for me! I walked out of the car, and asked the designated car parking lot to the alert security of the resort. He points to me to a secure location and I took civvy and parked there.

That was an 814KMs for the drive, 24 hours that was what it was!!


It was raining and was a 22 degree at Mollem, the entry to Goa.


I wanted a bed, forget dinner, I rushed to the resort reception. A very welcoming resort staff greets us and asks me the first question "How many cars are expected? How many were with you? When will they reach? " I stood there :Shockked:

Something's not right! I did not want to call HVK. Definitely not now. I called Jeep Captain, Jeep Girl answered. They were some 1 hour away from the resort, they were towing a broken down Scorpio for the last 100 KMs or so!! But I got assurances that they are going to be there soon, but the others must reach earlier.

Fair enough, I was dead tired. What else could I do. Ordered some refreshers and sat down looking towards the road! A funny looking black Fortuner with no bumpers and big tires landed up there. I could not hide my amusement and my laugh, it looked funny! It reminded me of a Chicken without feathers ready to be cooked, may be a fat duck!!

But before my amusement was over an ambulance turned up at the resort. They were asking for the route of the convoy to some resort staff. I was confused, I ran down to get some info. Seems a biker in the convoy had a fall and that was all we know.

Impatiently I occupied my seat overlooking the road, our team silent.

Finally by 21:30 Jeep Captain lands up declaring how heroically he towed a Scorpio for over 102 kilometers in the bad roads under heavy rains. Yes indeed it is a commendable support in tough times, but that was not what I wanted to hear. Finally some one broke the news that the biker had a fall, and had a fracture and hence the ambulance, but he was quite Ok, nothing as we all feared seeing an ambulance.

Slowly the group started trickling in, all headed directly for the dinner spread. I saw a tired HVK coming in. He acknowledged me in the crowd, and I left him be since I can get him relatively free the next day morning. Everybody seemed to be too tired for a greeting and I thought it was best for us to finish dinner and retire.

We finished off dinner and presented ourselves to the designated member of HVK O team for our room keys. He acknowledged and gave the keys the very next minute. Stunning co-ordination and planning had gone in there.

We all took our bags and walked to the room. There were 4 beds already made and waiting. I just dumped my bag and crashed on to a bed. I never even realized that I was already sleep walking before I hit the bed!!

Tomorrow is another day, but for today I needed my sleep! I deserve it! Absolutely!!

Lalu, Amazing pics and write up as usual.clap: We were lucky when we went to Magod last week. It was foggy but fortunately it got lifted for few minutes. This is what we saw!



You should have stopped at serene Kavadikere lake two KMs from the highway on the right side. It is just lovely.

Thanks Fauji for that picture. Saves me another trip :D

Great pics laluks. Reading your travelogues related to the Civic is like reading a adventure book based on one's favorite hero.:thumbs upPlease keep the updates and new threads coming.

:eek: Oh what a question that was Lalu sir?
Who on earth will say no for a drive together with you?
Anytime, anywhere, Im just around the corner.
And thats my pleasure.

Thanks sumeethaldankar

Ah! I am relieved now :)


The route for Day 1 is attached.


Routes for Sathodi and Magod Falls, and the road via Supa Dam to Mollem


Route marked in the box was a disaster

Day 2: 12th July 2014

We woke up lazily around 9 and went directly for the breakfast spread. Some items were on menu, and picked up and settled down. Most of the team which came in for the drive were around there. A few had taken bikes to visit DudhSagar falls. Since I had already visited the falls in one of the peak monsoons in August 2012, I gave it a skip. You can read about the Dudh Sagar Visit here

Met HVK in leisure and chatted for a while. Met some common friends too, met some more with whom I've had only virtual interactions. Overall it was nice to finally attach faces to names.

By 10:30 we decided to travel to Goa to chill out. We were told about the resort to reach for the evening and we took note of it before we left.

It was drizzling when we left the resort to Goa. It was 26 degrees


Ddrive and another member was in Goa for the first time, hence I made a plan to show them a few places en route before settling down in a shack.

I stopped by at Old Goa. It was 12:00 by then.


Team mates took a visit to the old church, while I had a call to attend to


After the call I went inside Basilica of Bom Jesus and waited for the team to arrive after their visits to the churches. It is a World Heritage Site

Basilica of Bom Jesus


Interiors of the Church






















The basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier








By 13:00 we left Old Goa towards North Goa via Panaji, the famous long bridge on Mandovi. It was by now raining heavily.

Mahatma's Statue got my attention, I've never seen any statue of Mahatma with a kid like this.


Continued...

Day 2: 12th July 2014

We found this fellow on Mandovi


I took them to Sinquerim


Some disaster in the making!


A few clicks from Sinquerim






We picked this guy from Aguada jail :D




Civvy posing at Aguada Fort








Entry to Aguada Fort





All green!!




Somebody once told me this mansion belongs to some one in Bollywood


It was 14:30, we were all hungry and decided to head to some shacks and settle down.

But before heading to a shack to chill out, I wanted to check out the resort in Candolim, so that it'd be easy to land up after dark when HVK convoy reaches back.

I was told a name and landed up there. I was shocked since there was no parking. I called up one member in the O team, he said he'd call back. He never bothered to. I checked with the resort, they had no clue about any booking.

Finally I called up HVK to confirm the name of the resort. He too says the same name. I double checked if it is at Candolim, and he says yes it is. So I was completely confused, as there was no parking places and a convoy of this magnitude cannot be staying there. But before leaving I found a resort with another name behind it which could take a few cars, I figured out it could be some arrangements there and left the place. After all it is no big deal to find an accommodation in Goa with a car park, and it never bothered me in any case. Probably HVK was thinking that I wanted a room to relax when I was enquiring about it, but what to do, the O Team designate left us confused.

By 15:00 hours we headed straight to Baga beach. I left the team to check Calangute, but heavy rains seemed to have deterred them. Finally then we moved to Baga.

Continued...