[atrisarkar]

The new Figo had just arrived and it was her first weekend. Parents had also come for a couple of weeks and they along with wifey were really pestering me for a weekend trip. Now came the tough question. Where do we go? Coorg? Wayanad? Chikmagalur?
Most of these places needed at least a couple of nights. I didnt want to just rush in with the trip. Relaxing was my 'second' primary objective. First obviously being spending some quality time with my Figo
After browsing through the travelogues, I found my answer. Bheemeshwari. It seemed perfect. 100 kms from bangalore. Called up JLR and they said 'sorry, booking is full for saturday night. Sunday night available'. I though well, that doesn't sound too bad and went ahead with the booking.
We had to reach bheemeshwari at 11.00 AM, Sunday. I thought of leaving early as I wanted a leisurely drive. The fully loaded Figo with me, wife,mom,dad,aunt left Bangalore at 7.00 AM sharp.

I decided to took the
Bangalore -- Kanakpura road (via Harohalli) -- Kanakpura -- Sathnur Junction -- Muttati -- Bheemeshwari
route as suggested in this thread. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...emeshwari.html

Took the NICE road from gottigere and drove till the Kanakpura Junction. From there took the Kanakpura road. Drive till Kanakpura was a breeze. At kanakpura came the surprise. The road was cut due to some tunnel construction and the entire traffic(KSRTC busses, taxis, private cars et.al) had to be diverted through some really thin alleys. It felt like I was driving through the courtyards of the houses. All this 'tamasha' lasted for around 30 mins and finally we were relieved to see the highway again. From there again it was a cruise till Sathanur, where we had to take a left turn towards Mutatti. The road from Sathanur was through remote villages and the terrain was starting to get a bit rough. We started to get sort of heavy for the Figo and her underbelly got hit at least 3-4 times. And each time my heart skipped a beat(no punn intended ). Anyways, finally we reached Bheemeshwari.

We had booked 3 log huts which had A/C as we were told that it might get a bit humid. The JLR guys were really quite proffesional and there was nothing we could complain about. They had a fixed day plan which included coral ride, joy fishing etc etc which were pretty nice. The rooms were really spacious and the best part was the view. It directly overlooked the Cauvery. Each hut also had its own hammock and swing so that you don't have to drop a handkerchief in it when you are out for lunch. The food was really good as was the evening barbeque. Overall everything was just perfect for relaxation. The jungle with all its beauty slowly started getting into my head as if saying 'Buddy, this is where you belong'.

Next day 12 o clock we were polietely asked to leave by the staff as well as by the friendly monkeys. My aunt was too very sad to leave the place so she went ahead and asked how much it'll be to stay for one more night. She started packing all the more quickly after we answered her.

Dad drove while coming back and the kind of driver he is, made the journey back seem all the more short. After coming back I told my wife that night 'You know what. It feels like the Cauvery is calling me.' She got scared.

Now its time for some pictures. All of them were shot by my wife as for me I'm a pictures-are-only-for-those-who-have-short-memory kind of a person.

All set to go:




View from the rear window. I feel happy after seeing this pic about not choosing the beat above Figo.



Traffic jam on the way to Mutatti



Entry area at the resort



The log huts where we stayed




All so relaxed.


Evening skyline


Jungle Barbeque


This is for the bird's eye-view. I had doubts regarding the strength of the tower.


Next day 12 o clock. What are you guys still doing here? It said.

[ampere]

Good cleanNgreen weekend fun you had. Nice snaps.
How is the Kanakpura condition?

[atrisarkar]

The trip was around couple of weeks back. While we were returning, the road was still dug up. However by the kind of work going on I don't think it'd have taken more than 2-3 days for the main road to reopen.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by atrisarkar

The trip was around couple of weeks back. While we were returning, the road was still dug up. However by the kind of work going on I don't think it'd have taken more than 2-3 days for the main road to reopen.

How is the status of potholes? There used to be quite some. Are they all gone now?

[MX6]

The figo looks cool. Thank god your dash is black and not red. I somehow didn't like the red colour dash. How did the figo handle in this stretch?

[atrisarkar]

Originally Posted by ampere

How is the status of potholes? There used to be quite some. Are they all gone now?

The route we took till Sathanur didn't give us any problems. From there onwards there ware a few potholes but the usual ones you see in the village roads. In fact I was happy to see the way they have maintained the roads. It didn't look so old, so it might be that they have re-constructed it recently.

@MX6 :

Thanks. No way I could have taken the red dash.
Overall the Figo handled it well. But it did have the usual complains which we hear about regularly i.e problem with ground clearance, squeaking noise from the rear. Regarding the ground clearance issue I think I got used to it after sometime and judged the speed in which to cross the bumps depending on the load of the car. However, definitely this is an added headache when compared to say Swift which has the almost same ground clearance on paper but I never faced such issues.

[happy.tripathy]

You also hear squeaks from the rear of the Figo? My Figo started squeaking since yesterday, I thought its one of a case and would be fixed in the first servicing. Checked everywhere but could not find the source of the squeak, wonder where it comes from. GC may be same as the swift, I guess its the long wheel base that is the problem. Anyways how did the FIGO perform on the highway? I am planning to take mine on a highway run this weekend.

[jacs]

Simple travelogue, but no wildlife spottings in and around the river?

[atrisarkar]

Originally Posted by happy.tripathy

You also hear squeaks from the rear of the Figo? My Figo started squeaking since yesterday, I thought its one of a case and would be fixed in the first servicing. Checked everywhere but could not find the source of the squeak, wonder where it comes from. GC may be same as the swift, I guess its the long wheel base that is the problem. Anyways how did the FIGO perform on the highway? I am planning to take mine on a highway run this weekend.

I took my Figo to the dealer today regarding a probable silencer issue. During this time I also reported the squeaking issue. He said that it'll need a bit of lubrication which will be taken care of during the first servicing.
The highway performance, I must say that its definitely the best among the contemporary hatches. The superb handling and way its planted to the ground makes you feel 'in command'.

Originally Posted by jacs

Simple travelogue, but no wildlife spottings in and around the river?

Yes of course. When we went for the coral ride, we spotted a croc resting near the sandy banks with a part of its body under water. The boatman asked us to be quite as he started rowing near it. Seeing us the croc slowly came into the river. The boatman then quietly started rowing in the opposite direction. Quite thrilling it was!
Another kind of sad sightings were of dead fishes floating in the river. So many of them. The locals said that they have died due to the heat. We picked one up and it felt like as if holding a stone.

[StarVegabond]

Nice place, i added it to my list of Must visit places.
Thanks for sharing

Can you please post some details about the room tariff and booking process

[rags]

The fish is killed by blasting dynamite in the water . it is a regular feature in the cauvery river banks by gready villagers. This causes many river creatures to die due to shock waves.

[atrisarkar]

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

Nice place, i added it to my list of Must visit places.
Thanks for sharing

Can you please post some details about the room tariff and booking process

Booking can be made through the JLR website. Here. There's a bit of quirkiness to the online booking process. If you see the "Post Enquiry" button while booking that means there aren't any accommodation available for that day. Else you'll see a "Book Now" button. They charge Rs.3250 per person per night on an twin sharing basis for the A/C log huts.

Originally Posted by rags

The fish is killed by blasting dynamite in the water . it is a regular feature in the cauvery river banks by gready villagers. This causes many river creatures to die due to shock waves.

Thats really sad. Its the way of life for them I guess.

[rejoycjohn]

@atrisarkar ,
Good pics and the words do say that you had a nice trip .

Even I am planning to do for one day . As in to go in the morning and to be back by evening . So I want to know , - well a couple of things .
with the route that you mentioned , how much time would it take ?
Does JLR have a day package as we wont be staying there during night .
Do you have any contact with whom I can enquire this ?

[atrisarkar]

Its very much possbile to go in the morning and come back the same day as the journey won't take more than 2-3 hours.
JLR does have a day package which includes lunch,sight seeing and some other activities. I think they charge close to Rs.750 per head for that. The contact information is mentioned in their website. You can call them up and get the details. They're pretty courteous and professional. But make sure to book in advance as they don't have spot bookings at the resort.

P.S : Give the overnight stay a shot as the real beauty of the jungle comes out during the night.

[rk_sans]

Originally Posted by rejoycjohn

@atrisarkar ,
Good pics and the words do say that you had a nice trip .

Even I am planning to do for one day . As in to go in the morning and to be back by evening . So I want to know , - well a couple of things .
with the route that you mentioned , how much time would it take ?
Does JLR have a day package as we wont be staying there during night .
Do you have any contact with whom I can enquire this ?

@rejoycjohn,
I was there on 4th july and opted for a day package. It costs Rs.1000 per head, below 5yrs no cost, childrens above 5yrs Rs.500 per head. It includes a welcome drink, a small trek, lunch, Corcale ride, snacks and coffee/tea. All this would be from 10 am to 5 pm. It was pretty neatly organised also.
Here is the link to JLR.
Jungle Lodges & Resorts Eco Holidays