[vnabhi]

Here are some more pics from the top of the Gol Gumbaz--from outside the dome:-

[pulsar56]

Nice pictures Venu sir.
The picture of Calangute Beach reminds me of the morning I spent there sitting alone and staring at the rising sun!

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by pulsar56

Nice pictures Venu sir.
The picture of Calangute Beach reminds me of the morning I spent there sitting alone and staring at the rising sun!

Thanks Nazim. I agree that Calangute beach has its own charm. However we could not see sunset there owing to clouds and rain.

I've seen sunrise so many times at Vizag beach, but sunset only once, that too in SFO. Never got to see sunset in India, except very long back in Mumbai.

A beach has always held sway over my emotions, and I recall driving to the beach many times at night in Vizag and sitting on my 2-wheeler for hours, staring into the empty darkness beyond the sea, and listening to the sound of the waves----nothing can be so soothing.

[vnabhi]

After spending an hour at Gol Gumbaz, we set out for breakfast, and asked the security guards the route to Gulbarga via Jevargi. We came to know that we were already on that road, and needed to turn left from the gate towards Jevargi.

We turned right and had a so-so breakfast at Kamat Hotel nearby. We topped up premium fuel at an IOC bunk nearby and then started the return journey at around 1045 hrs.

The 140 kms stretch from Bijapur to Gulbarga via Jevargi was a bliss to drive on---part of it had NH milestones, and some parts had SH milestones. I remember Zappo's statement that the State Highways in Karnataka put many National Highways to shame. Turned out to be very true.

Soon we spotted a Captiva that turned onto the highway from a side road. Meanwhile, we changed drivers-- I took the wheel and started chasing it, though it was not visible as it had dipped beyond an up gradient far ahead.

The road being so darn good, I started ripping the car, and watched the speedo reaching 150. I did not dare to go beyond that as I was not sure if the road would continue to be so good, and also because there were some twists on and off.

Despite spirited driving, we could not spot the Captiva. I did not know that an SUV like that could go so fast! Or perhaps he had turned off to Sindgi.

We turned left at a T Junction at Jevargi and the road was still good all the way till Gulbarga. There was one great spot where the road dips gradually onto a culvert and slopes up again---it is fully straight and you can see the up slope far ahead nearly 5 kms away---quite similar to the straight roads one gets to see on the LA to Vegas road.

We turned right towards the Gulbarga bypass and realized that we'd covered the distance in less than 2 hours.

It was then that we came across a horrendous stretch near the railway crossing for nearly 1 km, where we scraped out bottom 3 or 4 times.

We touched NH9 around 1330 hours at Homnabad. Since Hyderabad was only 3 hours away, we decided to turn left near Zaheerabad and visit Bidar, though it was not in our itenerary.

We reached Bidar at 1400 hours and visited the lovely, sprawling Gurudwara there. Had lunch at a nearby Punjabi hotel and then set off to the Bidar Fort. My family had never seen it and were awestruck by the sprawling complex and the beauty it beholds.

After spending an hour there, we set out towards Hyderabad at 1730 hours (after buying some vegetables for cooking dinner). We reached BHEL at 1930 hours, and it took us 45 minutes to reach home via Gachibowli. It felt great to be back after 6 full, fun-filled days!

We wined and dined after a refreshing bath, bid adieu to our pal and crashed to bed. The next 3 days were holidays so we had plenty of time to recover from our exhaustion and to reminesce our lovely moments of a family outing after so many years.

Will post pics of Bidar soon.

[Majic]

Venu Sir, i just spent the last two hours reading this thread, absolutely fanastic both the narration and also the photos, both captivating. Looking forward to more from you!

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by Majic

Venu Sir, i just spent the last two hours reading this thread, absolutely fanastic both the narration and also the photos, both captivating. Looking forward to more from you!

Thanks Majic. Please hang on---will post the rest soon!

[pulsar56]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Thanks Nazim. I agree that Calangute beach has its own charm. However we could not see sunset there owing to clouds and rain.

Oops.. I had typed morning & sun rise! Don't know what I was thinking about at that time I posted!
Thanks for correcting, Venu Sir!

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by pulsar56

Oops.. I had typed morning & sun rise! Don't know what I was thinking about at that time I posted!
Thanks for correcting, Venu Sir!

Perhaps you typed those words soon after a Team BHP Hydeez Meet!

[vnabhi]

Sorry for the break, guys. Here are some random pics of Honnavar and Karwar.

The unmatched comfort of the rear seat of the Sonata



Waterfall between Sagar and Honnavar



Pictures of Karwar beach, alongside NH 17.

[vnabhi]

Here are pics of Bijapur, Bidar Nanak Jeera Gurudwara and the ruins of the majestic Bidar Fort

The water-logged Canon at Gol Gumbaz compound



The Nanak Jeera Gurudwara

[vnabhi]

Here are a few pics of Bidar fort, including some lovely flowers in it

[Akadian]

Hi vnabhi,

The Hampi pictures are simply spell-binding. Actually, I feel it was the best course of action to pay that poor guide some money in exchange for much better-informed sight-seeing

[vnabhi]

Akadian--Thanks for remindind be about this thread---I just realised that it needs to be completed.
Yes, if you are visiting Hampi for the first time, a guide is a must have---as the ruins are spread over a large area, and it is very time-taking to cover all the routes without a guide.

[Jayant..B]

Nice Pictures and nice travelogue..... Amboli in rains is an experience of a lifetime...

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Here are some more pics from the top of the Gol Gumbaz--from outside the dome:-
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[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by Jayant..B

Nice Pictures and nice travelogue..... Amboli in rains is an experience of a lifetime...

Exactly my feeling too. Next year we are planning to go there in mid-July. We were told that there are 100s of people thronging that place during monsoon, and sometimes the queue extends for 3 kms!!