The day of the elephant god

What better way to invoke divinity than some fine twisty roads, weather which puts you in two minds over whether to nurse a cup of coffee over a book indoors or hop onto the saddle and an eager terrier of a motorcycle which wants nothing more than to be let loose on curvy tarmac. With that in mind, the day devoted to the remover of all obstacles – Ganesh Chaturthi, saw me on my corner carving R15 and a biker buddy on his big bad HD 750 set off for BR Hills. For those who are unfamiliar, pls see 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biligiriranga_Hills

We took the straightforward Kanakpura road via Kanakpura-Malavalli-Kollegala-Yellandur-BR Hills route and those who are familiar with this route would know that while the traffic between the city and Kanakpura could be a pain (today it wasn’t thanks to the festival) the route onwards is just sublime, especially for riders. It took us just about 4 hours to get to the destination, take some quick pictures and dash back for a late lunch. One of those rides where everything just fell into place!

Appended is some useful information on the place and of course, pictures!

http://www.karnataka.com/mysore/br-hills/

http://kgudiwildernesscamp.com/

https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Shell+Rimula,+Kanakapura+Main+Road,+Yelachenahallli,+JP+Nagar,+Bengaluru,+Karnataka+560078/B+R+Hills,+Karnataka/@12.4488031,77.0194045,10z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x3bae155d59406c79:0x1a1c1a8db1f7678a!2m2!1d77.5724133!2d12.8980728!1m5!1m1!1s0x3baf265242887f3f:0x74b32de1c8940438!2m2!1d77.142764!2d11.9956324

By the river, in Goa

Decided to ride down to Goa to 1) celebrate my 36th birthday, 2) check how worried should I be given that am creeping steadily towards the forties. As it turned out, did 1200+ kms over 3 days with most of it being covered on the straight dash to Goa from Bangalore and again on the way back on the third day. Wanted to try a different route from the Tumkur-Chitradurga-Haveri-Hubli bypass-Yellapur-Ankola-Karwar-South Goa which I usually take and had initially decided the Anmod Ghat route, known to be a bikers wet dream on a wet monsoon day. But given the rains and that my destination was south by south Goa, stuck to the beaten track. The route was the usual lip smacking tarmac with frequent sharp drizzles adding to the fun.

I had stumbled upon a place called Talpona while researching where to go. This is in the Canacona district of south Goa better known for beaches line Palolem and Patnem. As it happened, I had discovered a hidden gem; nothing more than a sleepy fishing hamlet by the confluence of a river meeting the sea. There are a couple of small beaches here including a turtle nesting site. Stayed in a modest homestay by the river with a village pub down the road. Lazed two days away nursing a few beers with the sound of the rain pelting down on the shack!