Day 2:
We managed to get up by 7;15am, had a hot bath and got ready by 8:30. The break fast buffet was just 45 Rs. unbelievable!! The route to Eddakal caves were pretty simple to figure out. After Sulthan bathery, take the first big left and after that the route is well marked.
Bikes were not allowed till the top, but one can hire a KTDC jeeps. We decided to walk. The route was steep through out and very steep some times. En route we found a lot of resorts and one or two camping sites. If one is on a Leisure trip I would suggest camping/Staying there. the route is about 1.5km long and approximately 400m high. One good thing is that there are a lot of shops for snacks en route. approximately every 250 m we have one shop that sells some refreshments.
Uff tired!
The jeep coming up
There is a small downside were one can relax ;)
After the cemented road ends, the steps on the rocks starts. The entry fee was 10 per head and 50 for a cam.
The instruction board
After you cross the KTDC booth, again there was some climbing needed. By this time my T-shirt has half drenched in sweet. At one point, just 150 meters before the cave, there was a heavy human traffic coming down the steps. We waited for a long time there. She felt not to continue and decided to rest.
I let her sit there and moved up for some pics of the cave. At first I could make anything from the carving. so decided to take some pics and leave
Soem Strips
Some circles
When I was about to leave, I saw her coming up. The path was free and she came up fast ;). When I re-entered the caves, when the carvings were viewed from a particular angle/frame it made a lottt of sense. Check these
My interpretations
King
Queen
A family pic :D
a Bishop/ head Guru
some ppl/soldiers
Again the crowd started gathering, so we decided to move down. Uff climbing was difficult as there was a lot of upcoming traffic. But some ppl let the other ppl coming down to continue. Thanks to them. This is the entry to last stretch of the cave.
After we came out, we had a some butter milk(reminds me of the meenmutty falls, horror trip ;P) and some pineapples soaked in salted water. The return walk was easy as its all down. ;)
Filled petrol at Sulthan bathery. Xtra premium costed just 46 Rs. Was shocked to see the mileage of the Comet. We have covered 425km and it just took 13L/600Rs. That means a mileage of
32.5kms/L. The battery change really brought back the mileage figures.
We reached the hotel by 12:15, check out the room and came for lunch. Again had some fish fry(my last chance for the day) and moved towards Mysore. On the way back I took a wrong turn and went into Ooty route. Released it after a few kms. When back tracking I kept saying to myself, 'dont try to make up for the lost time' (lesson learnt from the My India Ride
'Day 1 - Hard luck struck early'. A localite showed us short cut route that will connect to the mysore road. The short was just 5kms and pretty effective, leading us just before the commercial check post, saving some 15 kms. We then entered the forest and sun was that its best. Did play with a few corners :P
After we exited the forest, rain looked pretty eminent. The winds were heavy and the Gopalswamy betta was completely invisible from the road. We then switched to our rain gears. Uff It was tough to ride at 90s, with huge cross winds. At times her helmet visor started swinging up and down. reached Gundelpet and it was gettig ready to rain. Quickly moved to Nanjangud to our relatives house. had some chappatis and chicken there.
We left around 5:45 from there. I wished to cross the Mysore before the head lights were switched on. We reached Mysore in no time. On the way we encountered a red maruthi Swift. he rode so insane as if the chick beside him was giving him some job. Then another white maruthi Swift joined. uff! I Slowed down for a while for those junkies to disappear well ahead. In the ring road, the swift was slower, good it was driven by a different guy.
Then a kid started racing on the Rx 135. Saw him in the mirrors and slowed down. He over took me and stopped. Gave him a cheerful smile and moved away. Then the infamous ride on mysore-bangalore road started. The speed breaker were reduced in size. The cars and bikes had to stop but the buses tok joy in jumping over then. So wouldnt get any clue from their break lights. After we crossed maddur. Rain looked very eminent. Sneaked into MCD just before the rain started.:-P had some hot coffee there. Rested for some 30 mins. The traffic reduced and has slowed down. So we decided to carry one. The all weather HID made riding easy. maintained a speed of 70s and was very careful. As it is the first rain, sure there would be lot of oils floating. Just after some 5kms. A splender in front of us skidded, he had a fall. His friend in the discover/platina moved in front of him, so he beaked. It jamed, skidded and a fall. Then again within 3 mins, there was a huge thud sound, like 5 tubelights broke, from the opposite lane. As far as I remember, I saw a single light follwed by 2 lights, So a car should ve hit that guy. After a while the rain had varying intensity. The tires gave me nice grip. Thanks a lot to them. and its worth spending 15K onthe tires and the HID.
We reached our home by 9:15. So a good, memorable first long ride :)
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