My Karnataka trip - stage 6

From Gokarna I went a few km south on NH 17 to Mirjan, and took the Devimane ghat road to Sirsi. Great views, great road, with the occasional pothole to keep you alert. Sirsi seemed pleasant, but I only stopped for lunch. The road from Sirsi via Katur and Mundgod may be the shortest route from Sirsi to Hubli, but it isn't a pleasant drive. Only one lane in some places, so on-coming traffic slows you right down. And very bumpy and tiring. So I stopped early for the night in Mundgod. Maybe from Sirsi I should have gone via Yellapur. Oh well, too late for this time.

Next day I continued to Hubli, then via Gadag and Ron to Badami, arriving just before sunset. The road from Gadag to Ron was one of the nicest I've driven: perfect road surface, no traffic, gentle curves, passing through lush farmland. From Ron to Badami was almost as good, except for a few trenches dug right across the road, sort of inverted speed breakers.

Next morning I explored the Badami cave temples; stopped for a while at the delightful Mahakoot temple; continued on to the temple complex at Pattadakal (a hefty Rs 250 entrance fee for foreigners, vs Rs 10 for Indian citizens); and finally to Aihole/Aivalli before returning to Badami for the night.

A long haul next day on generally pretty good roads via Guledagudda, Hungund, Mudgal, Lingusugur, and Sirwar to Raichur, to reconnect with a friend I had met earlier in the year. We had a nice reunion, but unfortunately the next day there was a death in his family, and he had to leave for Hyderabad, and with no other reason to stay in Raichur, I started the final leg of my Karnataka adventure, heading back to Mysore.