[sabsubs]

Wow!!! beautiful photographs. I am glued to this thread and would be following it intently.

[Mafia]

Fantastic thread..!!

awesome pics!!

[SmartCat]

Thank you sabsubs & Mafia!

Pics of our Bangalore - Mangalore - Bekal Fort (Kerala) - Athirapally Waterfalls (Kerala) - Valparai Ghats - Coimbatore - Bangalore trip.

We went Mangalore for an old classmate's wedding. From there, we headed down to Bekal Fort (an old hangout place of Tipu Sultan) and then to Athirapally Falls - famous for Aishwarya Rai's waterfall song Barso Re Megha from the movie GURU.

YouTube - Barso Re - Guru

Pic 1: While manufacturers equip our cars with safety systems like ABS and airbags, women equip them with something far more effective - idols of Gods & lucky charms. After hearing about my drives, a friend of mine gifted a golden idol of some God (or Goddess) while a cousin of mine gifted a 'sailing ship' talisman. Both of them truly works like a charm



Pic 2: After a hearty wedding meal in Mangalore, we headed towards Bekal Fort in Kerala, about 50 km from Mangalore. Ganne, Myself and Niri at the fort entrance. Niri is the Borra Caves amateur photography guy.



Pic 3: This spider has seen lots of wars. Cannon hole of Bekal Fort.



Pic 4: Inside the Bekal Fort. Russell Crowe's 'Gladiator' opening scene style tall grass inside the fort.



Pic 5: Pretty sure Tipu Sultan installed a huge cannon here to take potshots at the passing ships.



Pic 6: Walking up and down this slope a couple of times is a quick way to lose those extra pounds around the waist.



Pic 7: View of a beach from Bekal Fort.



Pic 8: Sunset at the beach.



Pic 9: YC poses for Niri. Old camera trick - man swallowing the setting sun.



Pic 10: We sit and wonder about the true meaning of life.

[MX6]

Now that you mention about Aishwarya's barso re, Bekal is the famous place for Manisha's Tu Hi Re. I was smitten by that song and immediately made a trip there, unfortunately in peak summer. Was a big let down as the the place looks much departed from what I saw in the movie. Been planning for ages on a monsoon visit still!

[ramsnavy]

Originally Posted by iceman7

The slimy thing is a jellyfish for sure.

And INR 500 per night at Haathi Mahal is a steal. It is one of Goa's finest.

Oh yes, its a steal alright. Have stayed at Haathi Mahal a couple of times and everytime its a dream experience.

One doesnt need to leave the resort except for going down to the beach which is just a 5 min walk

[SmartCat]

You should use this ready reckoner -

Monsoon - Coastal Karnataka/Kerala/Maharashtra
Summer - Deserts like Rajasthan/Gujarat (Rann of Kutch), historial places like Hampi/Khajuraho etc - because there is no difference in the way the place looks across seasons
Rainy - Hill stations like Ooty, Khandala etc for the misty look.
Winter: Himalayas, Beaches

By doing this, you will not only get the best photos, but also the best room rates - because it's all "off-season".

[MX6]

Originally Posted by smartcat

You should use this ready reckoner -

Monsoon - Coastal Karnataka/Kerala/Maharashtra
Summer - Deserts like Rajasthan/Gujarat (Rann of Kutch), historial places like Hampi/Khajuraho etc - because there is no difference in the way the place looks across seasons
Rainy - Hill stations like Ooty, Khandala etc for the misty look.
Winter: Himalayas, Beaches

By doing this, you will not only get the best photos, but also the best room rates - because it's all "off-season".

True. But those days there was no planning. It's like you see something, you just get on a bike and hit the road! You know how bachelor life in college days were like!
And I enjoy driving a 4 wheeler so much that sometimes weather and seasons are secondary. Drove around Scotland during blizzards. Drove from Boston to NY when Yuan blew over halifax, Drove around Florida when 4 hurricanes ripped through. All those are reserved for future travelogues. Inspired by you, I'm gonna start off a thread. 100K kms in US in 1.5 years.

[SmartCat]

And INR 500 per night at Haathi Mahal is a steal. It is one of Goa's finest.

Oh yes, its a steal alright. Have stayed at Haathi Mahal a couple of times and everytime its a dream experience

Are you two "club members" of Haathi Mahal?

When checking out, they charged us Rs. 20 for a glass we did not break

Drove around Florida when 4 hurricanes ripped through. 100K kms in US in 1.5 years

This ought to be interesting - with those hurricanes chasing you from behind.

[MX6]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Are you two "club members" of Haathi Mahal?

When checking out, they charged us Rs. 20 for a glass we did not break



This ought to be interesting - with those hurricanes chasing you from behind.

I once saw a tornado striking down close to a walmart parking lot near Melbourne, FL, while I was on I95 south, driving to Miami. It touched down and didn't form a full tornado, but immediately raised and disappeared. People stated that it might have touched a water surface to weaken. Had it hit the car park, the effects could have been devastating on a saturday morning!

And regarding the glasses you didn't break, you should have gone back and taken those glasses as souvenirs as you've paid 20 bucks for them.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by MX6

The Chennai Bangalore leg of NH4 is amazing. I drove at an 100 - 110 in that route last time. Traffic was low as well. I was amazed at the results.
I left home at 5 pm and reached hosur at 9 pm. That included a break at vellore where we had dinner at Saravana bhavan (costed a bomb there). I was amazed because, I kept a constant speed. Travelled around 314 kms in around 3.5 hours.

I averaged 110-120 Kmph from Hosur (Ashok Leyland Factory) to Chennai (Avadi) of about 296 Kms in 3 hrs 25 mts without any break.

Did you do that in 4 hours with a break? I'm sure your average should be more than 120.

@smartcat - Thanks for showing the glimpse of Bekal fort; will try to make there someday

[MX6]

Originally Posted by aargee

I averaged 110-120 Kmph from Hosur (Ashok Leyland Factory) to Chennai (Avadi) of about 296 Kms in 3 hrs 25 mts without any break.

Did you do that in 4 hours with a break? I'm sure your average should be more than 120.

@smartcat - Thanks for showing the glimpse of Bekal fort; will try to make there someday

Your Avadi is the spoiler here. I left Ashok pillar, and within 10 - 15 mins I was on poonamalli high road. Traffic was surprisingly low on 100 ft road that day! Of course I jumped a signal near CMBT and a cop tried waving at me. I kept driving and didn't look at his direction at all.

[ramsnavy]

[quote=smartcat;1745870]Are you two "club members" of Haathi Mahal?

When checking out, they charged us Rs. 20 for a glass we did not break quote]

You guessed it right friend and too bad that you had endure a glass shattering experience

But frankly, it is one of the better holdiay resorts around Goa. I have also been to Club Mahindra at Goa and Haathi Mahal scores a few brownie points over Club Mahindra

[SmartCat]

Oh you don't mind these little things when you are paying Rs. 500/day. Probably they were cross with us for using their facilities for a week and not taking their club membership

I once saw a tornado striking down close to a walmart parking lot near Melbourne, FL, while I was on I95 south, driving to Miami. It touched down and didn't form a full tornado, but immediately raised and disappeared. People stated that it might have touched a water surface to weaken. Had it hit the car park, the effects could have been devastating on a saturday morning!

Any teaser tornado/hurricane pictures?

@smartcat - Thanks for showing the glimpse of Bekal fort; will try to make there someday

Mangalore coast is already getting hotter every day. Try to make it to Bekal Fort a month after the monsoon ends. The weather will be pleasant, the grass in the fort will be tall & green and the sea water will be calm.

[MX6]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Any teaser tornado/hurricane pictures?

Will try getting my old laptop up and running to hunt for pics. The problem is that I have a dell inspiron 2200 where the photos of US reside. The adaptor has gone for a toss. I tried with two replacement adaptors. Both went for a toss too. I have to resuscitate that hard disk someway so that I don't lose out on over 6000 photos taken 7 - 8 years back!
sorry for the

[SmartCat]

Bekal Fort - Athirapally Falls - Valparai Ghats trip continued:

Pic 1: We leave Bekal Fort, drive down south and call it a day at Mahe (union territory). Don't remember how much, but petrol was very cheap here. We have Idli Vada in the morning.



Pic 2: A few things you'll notice driving on the main NH hugging the Kerala coastline. 1) There are two types of bus drivers in Kerala - one with murderous tendencies and the other with suicidal tendencies. 2) The city never ends, or the highway never starts. Population is so densely packed on both sides of the highway that you'll never know when you are approaching a town, and when you are leaving it.



Pic 3: We decide to hit the beach. Any beach. So at the first signboard that said "blah blah beach", we turned the car in that direction. The fisherman heaves and throws his fish net into the sea.



Pic 4: I look up to see which bird was responsible for the white stuff on my car.



Pic 5: We reach Athirapally Falls and are greeted by this Voodoo-like sculpture.



Pic 6: Athirapally Falls at sunset.



Pic 7: Athirapally Falls is on Chalakudy river.



Pic 8: Aishwarya Rai is a daredevil. How did she get on those rocks and dance?



Pic 9: Niri playing "Twister" to get the best possible shots of the waterfalls.



Pic 10: I get inspired, and try (& fail) to get an artistic car shot with the waterfalls.



Pic 11: Roads around Athirapally Falls has an European feel to it - not that I have ever set foot on Europe to say that with conviction though.