[akbaree]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

BTW, just a note of caution: Cauvery can be very deceiving and dangerous at Mekedatu. Many people have lost their lives owing to the strong undercurrent on that section of that river, one such was from my College and his body was never found :-(

I came across at-least two boards put up by friends of the people who had lost their lives at those spots. So yes, please be wise.

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Wow. Nice pics. Nice write up even. Must visit. Ok that goes in the to-do list.

Thanks @prince_pervez


Continuing with the travelogue...

The sight at the base was enchanting to say the least.


The only turn off was the boozers. They were toppling all over and creating a scary, uncertain and accident prone environment.




We could finally take a corner where there were steps (now submerged in water) to let my son play.



It suddenly started raining and to my surprise most of the people started taking cover. Most of them were already enjoying in water and I didn't understand why they had rush to save themselves from rain. May be they were worried about their belongings. But it freed up some spots to play around.

My son was enjoying his day out with the river the most. And he was giving us tough time in maintaining a balance between enjoyment, safety and adventure.


To give you a better perspective of the spot above here's my wife's picture at the same spot taken some time later.


Then it was time for some kodak moments...






While coming back, we decided to take the bus. My mom was in no mood to trek back. She has knee pain.

I, and my son & father decided to take ride atop that bus. 10 minutes and amlost dozen mild scrappings from the tree branches we were back at Sangam. I had a slightly torn t-shirt but that was a small price to pay for that wonderful ride in fresh clean air. My son enjoyed it too...


The coracle ride took us back to other side of the river. This time the coracle handler was a smarter guy and decided to do some whirlpools for us. Such tricks also helps them asking for a tip.

My son trying to focus again after one of the whirlpools...


The return journey was quite uneventful untill Bangalore was 30 kilometers. We saw a toppled Sumo and blood all over the car. The driver was looking critical and only a miracle could have saved his life. The ambulance was on its way and so we left. In such situations language is a huge barrier. Even otherwuse, I feel completely unprepared to offer any help. I believe emergency management/response should be taught to all of us. It can critically help in situations that need quick decision making. I know there is a thread on t-bhp on this and I have taken a vow to equip myself for such situations before I take my next weekend break.

We stopped for coconut water in front of this temple...


They have got the look of Hanuman all wrong. He is looking miffed, I don't know why...


And finally the steed that allowed me to have thrill while driving. It may not be a city car after all but IMHO there's no better highway car even at double the price points. Only if it had airbags, it could have been equally safer as well. The authority with which it manages bad roads is rare and it sails on good roads to glory. On Indian roads you have only two options - either crawl in 1st gear scraping the bottoms of your cars, or cruise in 3rd gear and invite awed looks towards your Fiat Adventure.


Thanks for reading...
Signing off, till the next drive....

[abhijitaparadh]

Nice travelogue.

May be I missed some part, but what is MJ ? How is it related here?
When I saw it first in title of thread, I thought of 2 persons, mjothi or Michael Jackson

EDIT
Just read from start again

The gusty winds, a partially cloudy sky, the beautiful SH86/NH209, and Michael Jackson music playing at a volume just enough to make me feel that the roar of FFE is part of the background score - was too much for me to stop and take any pictures. Damn the pictures, just enjoy the drive: my heart kept on saying.

So I guessed right !

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Nice pics.
I see happiness on grandpa's face having fun with grandson.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by akbaree

Sanjay, unfortunately bus and jeep service extended by the forest department is the only option to reach Mekedatu except trekking. Those guys fill the bus to the brim but as the journey only takes 10 minutes the young crowd generally don't mind giving comfortable seating to the older people. You can try the jeep service as well.

All this time I had thought the buses was run by private operators. I don't know about the jeeps though (wasn't there when I last visited).

[rajakumar]

Very nice travelogue. I wish to replicate your trip in the coming weekend. The only sore point being the boozer's throwing up themselves and spoiling the environment.

[akbaree]

Thanks everyone and I am glad that you liked the travelogue...

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

All this time I had thought the buses was run by private operators. I don't know about the jeeps though (wasn't there when I last visited).

I am not sure now. But how does it matter? I believe a license or approval from forest department would be a must anyways even if they are private operators. AFAIK the region falls under protected forest range of Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.

Originally Posted by rajakumar

I wish to replicate your trip in the coming weekend. The only sore point being the boozer's throwing up themselves and spoiling the environment.

Let the boozers not discourage you. You will surely have a nice time. There are lot of people who come there for pure fun.

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

see happiness on grandpa's face having fun with grandson.

So true! Actually both of them enjoy having fun with each other.

[ramki067]

@akbaree, very nice travellogue. Short and sweet trip

And by the way, your son is too cute