India JP

Update on my travels: April to June; Spring Tour 2011, Stage Two

2011-09-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

I left off the narrative of my Spring Tour in Mysore in early April. Took two days for the ride back to Chennai with an overnight stop in Hosur. After a couple of days at home, did two short rides within Tamil Nadu, one to Mayilaiduthurai and another to Namakkal, timing my ride back to Chennai to meet up with the Madras Bulls Motorcycle Club in Yelagiri for their ninth annual anniversary meet at the end of April.

A couple of weeks at home, then mid-May left for Mysore, to join Bulls of Mysore for their second anniversary ride, up to Silent Valley Resorts in Kudremukh. At the meet I connected with several riders from Shimoga, and rode back to Shimoga with them, where I stayed for a few days with Kenneth, founder of the Bulls of Shimoga club.

On the way back to Chennai I stopped overnight at the APTDC Resort in Horsley Hills in southwestern Andhra Pradesh. At Rs 1500 it was a bit more than my usual budget, but worth the splurge. Nice swimming pool, disappointing restaurant.

Didn't get away until noon the next day, which was a mistake with the long ride I had to get home, via Tirupati, Puttur, Periyapalayam and Ponneri, so the last hour to home was after sunset, which I hate to do. But there was no point stopping en route so close to home.

And after this Mysore-Kudremukh-Shimoga-Horsley Hills ride, I really felt I wanted to take a break from touring for a while. So apart from a brief ride to Mayilaiduthurai in early June, and several shuttle trips to Tiruvallur to the Foreigners' Registration Office for my annual visa renewal, I'm planning to veg out at home for a few months, until it's time to leave in late September for Grand Tour 2011, otherwise known as my annual "avoid being in Chennai during the north-east monsoon" bike tour.

Update on my travels: February to April; Spring Tour 2011

2011-04-08T22:10:00.000-07:00

After three weeks at home near Chennai, I left mid-February for Spring Tour 2011. First stop was a brief visit to Mamallapuram (where I found that Rocks Motcha Cafe, 18 Ottavadai Street, has free wifi for customers); then a 480-km ride in one day via Kanchipuram, Hosur, Bangalore by-pass, and NH48 to Sri Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt, where I stayed at the ashram guest house for a few days of relaxation and meditation.

Work on the four-laning of NH48 is progressing. Even where all four lanes are open, there will frequently be two-way traffic on both sides of the divided highway.

Then via Turuvekere - Tiptur - Arsikere - Shimoga (overnight stop), and as an alternative to the Sagar route to the coast, I rode Shimoga - Savalanga - Shikarpur - Siralkoppa - Soraba - Sirsi - Mirjan - Gokarna. 220km in just over 5 hours. Almost exactly the same distance and time as the Sagar - Gersoppa - Honavar route.

Road conditions mostly good to very good. Only a couple of stretches, maybe 20 km in total, that are a bit rough on the Shimoga to Sirsi sector. The last 15km before Sirsi are great riding. Beautiful road surface, and almost no traffic.

Sirsi to Mirjan is about 2/3 recently resurfaced; those parts are excellent. The older sections of pavement aren't too bad, even in the ghats. Much better than the Gersoppa ghat road.

In short, a good alternative route from Shimoga to the coast.

After a few days in Gokarna, I rode up to Calangute in Goa for the Bike Nomads Tenth Annual Meet. Great to connect with so many fellow bikers that I had only known electronically. Had the good fortune to share digs with Roy Skaria of Cougar-rides.com (link).

See Roy's writeup on the AMX here (link)

I left my bike in Vasco, hopped a train to Chennai, and met up with the intrepid travellers of the Great Circular Indian Railway Challenge at Chennai Central. (link)

I joined the GCIRC for the southern circuit, Chennai Egmore - Rameswaram - Kanniyakumari - Trivandrum - Kovalam Beach, and the Rajdhani up to Margao; said my farewells to the GCIRC crew; picked up my bike; stopped for a couple of days at Patnam Beach in south Goa (Roy's excellent recommendation); and then rode to Gokarna to settle in for a couple of weeks.

Roy and Ashok rode down from Goa to meet me there, and we had a great couple of days together before they rode on to Bangalore.

My next destination was Kodagu, too far to do comfortably in one day, so I stopped for the night at Malpe Beach, then continued the next day, via NH17, Mangalore bypass, NH48, Puttur, Sullia, Sampaje, the "closed" road, Napoklu, to Palace Estate Home Stay near Kakkabe in Kodagu.

Road construction work starts as soon as you turn off NH48. It's rideable but pretty rough in spots, for about 100 km. The last 10 km or so as you approach the Bettageri turnoff are completed and the road is wonderful. It will be great when it is finished, but that certainly won't be this year.

I've read a couple of articles in the Deccan Herald about how the Kodagu police are making a fortune by charging motorists Rs 100 to 200 (and more for lorries) to allow them to drive on the closed road. (Two-wheelers don't have to pay.)

I think I would have been better to continue south on NH17 from Mangalore into Kerala, and turn inland at Talipparamba (or Kannur) to Iritti, then on the new road to Virajpet. Longer but probably faster.

Spent four delightful relaxed days at Palace Estate Home Stay, my second visit there. Highly recommended. (link)

From Palace Estate I rode south to Virajpet; and just for the hell of it rode down to Iritti in Kerala. The road is now great on the Karnataka side, although it's not 100% finished. Had a quick visit with a friend in Iritti that I had met a couple of years ago; rode back up to Virajpet; then via Ammathi, Siddapur, Guddehosur, Cauvery Nisgardama (where I stopped for lunch), Kushalnagar, Hunsur, and an overnight stop in Mysore.

Next a few days at Adichunchanagiri; a spur-of-the-moment ride to Shimoga and Jog Falls; and on the way back to Mysore, just by serendipity I discovered a great bit of road to ride. Lots of ups and downs and twists and turns. Recently resurfaced, and the pavement is flawless. It's SH57 between Tarikere and Chikmagalur. About 55km.

If you were riding from Bangalore to Shimoga, take NH48 to Haasan, then north on SH57 via Belur and Chikmagalur. It's about 50km longer than via Tumkur and NH206, but better road conditions.

I'll get my bike serviced at Royal Enfield in Mysore this weekend, then head back to Chennai on Sunday, for a brief stop at home before continuing with Spring Tour 2011, Stage Two. Stay tuned.

Update on my travels: November to January

2011-04-07T04:07:00.001-07:00

My apologies to my faithful readers (all three of you) for the long delay in updating my blog. Since my last entry, I have:

- completed Grand Tour 2010-11
- had a 3-week break at home near Chennai
- started Spring Tour 2011
- joined the Great Circular Indian Railway Challenge for the southern portion of the circuit; and
- resumed Spring Tour 2011.

I left you hanging out at Royal Enfield's Second Annual Rider Mania at Vagator Beach, north Goa, in November 2010. Here's a write-up about the event on the Royal Enfield web site (link).

For me one of the highlights of the event was the group ride, with a couple of hundred bikes on a 20-km tour of the vicinity.

From Vagator I headed south to Agonda Beach for a short stay, before moving on to Gokarna. I wound up spending a full month in Gokarna, which has rapidly become one of my favourite destinations in India.

Spent Christmas in a friend's village near Shimoga, and New Year's with a friend in Coimbatore. Pongal was at a friend's village near Kumbakonam. Home to Chennai by the end of January, officially completing Grand Tour 2010-11. About 4000km in three months.

Grand Tour 2010 -- Stage Two, Mysore to Goa

2010-11-19T22:09:00.001-08:00

My planned route leaving Mysore was via Bilikere, Krishnarajanagar, Holenarsipur (yes, that’s really the name), Hassan, Belur, Chikmagalur, Aldur, Balehonnur to Sringeri. The road conditions were great up to Hassan, dreadful through Hassan itself with mud, potholes and traffic galore, great again up to Belur, and a bit rough in spots thereafter. Since I had topped up with petrol leaving Mysore, at Rs 59 per litre, I was a bit annoyed to see it at Rs 45 just outside Hassan. How can there be such a discrepancy within the same state?

There were broken clouds and sunny patches when I left Mysore. The forecast was for afternoon showers, which indeed started just after I passed Aldur. The shower turned into a real downpour, so I sheltered until it let up, but my beloved RedWing (my Royal Enfield Thunderbird TwinSpark) suddenly developed engine trouble, and although it would idle ok, it cut out and there was no power when I tried to rev up. Somehow I managed to limp a couple of kilometers to the next village, asked around for a Bullet mechanic, and was referred to Ravi just down the road. He pulled out the sparkplug, said it was ok, and started disassembling the carburetor. After half an hour's work, he said there was some blockage which he couldn't fix, but that I should now be able to ride to Balehonnur, about 10km away, where there was a better equipped Bullet mechanic that he recommended. I asked him to accompany me for a bit just in case I broke down again, and he did so, and since RedWing was running ok now, albeit a bit roughly, I waved him goodbye after a couple of kilometers, and made it to Balehonnur. I found the shop with the aid of some helpful locals, explained the problem to the mechanic, and since it was now late afternoon, I left RedWing in his care, went off to find a lodge, got a decent room for Rs 220 at Asha Lodge, took an autorickshaw to fetch my luggage, and settled in to unpack and dry out. 235 km today.

My bike was ready next morning. The mechanic had replaced the sparkplug (probably unnecessarily) and cleaned the carburetor, which he said had had some water, whether from bad fuel or yesterday's rain I don't know. Anyway, with a smoothly running bike I was soon on my way to Sringeri, where I stopped just outside of town at a shop where the owner had been very helpful last year in giving me advice on local road conditions. We chatted for a while, then I proceeded to the temple's guest house booking office, and asked for and got the same room I had stayed in last year, TTD #19, the "fifty rupee room with the thousand rupee view". Later I went to see another friend whom I had also met on last year's trip, and we had a nice visit. Unfortunately he was quite busy working on a project so we didn't have as much time together as I would have liked, but we were able to meet briefly a couple of times over the next few days. Only 39 km today.

Then it was time to move on again, and I rode via Koppa, Thirthihalli (excellent roads to this point), SH1 to Riponet (quite rough in some spots), joined NH206, which was very good except through and around Sagar, and was at the Jog Falls turnoff by early afternoon. The weather forecast was calling for heavy afternoon rain especially in the ghats, so I decided to make an early stop and stay in Jog Falls, which I had also done last year.

There are three levels of accommodation to choose from. The KSTDC runs the Tunga Tourist Home (basic doubles at Rs 300 with a view of the parking lot), and Hotel Mayura (nicer doubles at Rs 450 with TV and morning hot water, with a view of the falls). A little higher up is the PWD Rest House, with huge two-room suites with bay windows and a fabulous view for Rs 500 (24-hour hot water but no TV). I treated myself to the PWD. There was a brief but heavy downpour about sunset. 169 km today.

Next morning was the ride down the ghat road via Gersoppa to Honavar (very bad in some spots), then NH17 via Kumta and Karwar into Goa. NH17 is greatly improved since last year. I considered stopping for the night in Gokarna, but since I'm planning for a longer stay there on my way back south, I decided to keep riding on to Goa. If I had known what was ahead, I would have stopped, but ...

Shortly after crossing into Goa, the rain started. I sheltered under a tree until it let up, then continued, but had to pull over again as the rain got worse. It turned into a real storm, with thunder and lightning galore, and the rain so heavy you could barely see across the road. I got completely drenched. Eventually it abated, and I continued on, bypassing Palolem Beach, where I had stayed last year but found too commercial and touristy for my taste, and rode on to Agonda, which I had looked at briefly last year and got a very favourable first impression. The first couple of guest houses I looked at were overpriced for what they were offering, but I lucked out and found a very pleasant room at Franter C Guest House near the church for only Rs 350. They have one large two-bedroom suite on the main floor, and three double rooms upstairs sharing a large verandah, with a view of the ocean through the trees. I settled in and unpacked to start drying out. 207 km today.

It was so pleasant in Agonda that I stayed a day longer than initially planned, and early on Friday 19th November I headed out via Cabo de Rama, NH17, Margao, and Mapusa to Vagator Beach. Just as in Agonda, the first couple of places I looked at were overpriced, but, third time lucky, I got a great, clean room with hot water (no TV) at Robert's Place for Rs 350. After a minimal unpack, I headed over to Hilltop for Royal Enfield's Rider Mania, the reason for coming to Vagator. 90 km today.

It was very nice to be greeted by name while walking from the parking lot to the registration desk -- thanks, Praveen S of Royal Enfield, for making me feel so welcomed! So here I am at Rider Mania until Sunday, when I'll head south for Grand Tour Stage Three. Stay tuned!

Grand Tour 2010 -- Stage One, Chennai to Mysore

2010-11-06T05:21:00.000-07:00

After weeks of deliberation and planning, on Tuesday 26th October I finally set out on Grand Tour 2010, otherwise known as my third annual "avoid being in Chennai during the north-east monsoon" motorcycle tour.

This year I managed to get out of Chennai ahead of the serious rain, and avoided getting wet on my first day. After a false start (I realized after 15km of wretched riding conditions on the Minjur-Manali Road that I had forgotten to bring my Thermarest inflatable seat cushion, which is essential for comfortable travel, and had to go back home to fetch it), I was on my way by late morning, with a wasted extra 30km on the clock. And all because I had forgotten to run through my pre-departure mental checklist one last time.

Had breakfast and lunch at stops along the highway, and reached my planned overnight stop of Hosur by late afternoon. 330 km (+30 km) today.

Day two dawned with overcast and showers. I was in no hurry, and waited till the rain stopped at noon before moving on. Had to pull over soon to put on my rain gear, which I should have done before leaving. But it was only a brief shower. The highway from the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border up to Bengaluru is now finished, a great improvement over last year. Took the NICE Ring Road (which they still haven't finished, although the detour at the first exit is shorter and with better road conditions than it was last year) for a toll of Rs 42 around to the Tumkur Road, which is also much improved. Here you can take the inner lanes of the toll road (no charge for 2-wheelers) up to the Mangalore turnoff just past Nelamangala onto NH 48. The rain caught up with me a bit later, after lunch, and was intense enough that I pulled over and sheltered until the downpour was done.

There is still a lot of work left to do on the four-laning on NH 48. Getting through Kunigal is a real bottle-neck; it will be much improved when the by-pass is opened.

One last downpour to slow me down a bit, and by late afternoon I was at Sri Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt, where I took a room at the ashram guest house. 165 km today.

After a couple of days of contemplation and relaxing, I moved on to Mysore (95 km), where I got my bike serviced at Royal Enfield, and stayed a few days, meeting friends and getting to know my way around the city a bit more.

And now a non-biking detour. Just before Diwali my son phoned me from Kerala and asked if I could come and meet him there on an urgent family matter. The trains were all fully booked for Diwali, and I didn't fancy riding to Kerala and right back, since my tour plan is to head north and west, so I booked the overnight Volvo A/C luxury bus from Mysore to Trivandrum. (Rs 700 one way; 10% discount on the return if you book it at the same time.)

It's a 14-hour trip, faster than the train, and as comfortable as you can be on the sometimes dreadful roads. The route is Mysore, Gundulpet, Sulthan Bathery, Kozhikode, Trissur, Ernakulam, Alleppey, Kollam, Trivandrum. I did the overnight outbound up to Kollam; did my visiting and family stuff and stayed a night at Yatri Nivas in Kollam; took a late afternoon train to Trivandrum; had dinner at the architecturally fabulous Indian Coffee House; and caught the overnight return trip. I'll stay in Mysore a couple more days, then move on to Sringeri and the coast.

Grand Tour 2009/10, Stage Six - Kerala and Tamil Nadu

2010-03-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

On New Year's Day my friends and I took an autorickshaw from our guest house at Cherai Beach to the My Gothuruth festival in a nearby community. There was a museum-type display of cultural and historical items, and some local food specialties on offer. There was a cultural festival scheduled for 7pm; but first, a few words from our local dignitaries and guests of honour ...

Indian public figures, a microphone and a captive audience are a deadly combination. By 8:30, with the festival performers still waiting in the wings, the speeches showed no sign of being done, so my friends and I summoned our auto driver and headed back to our guest house. Pity, I'm sure the cultural festival would have been interesting, if only the visiting big shots could have been persuaded to shut up. Organizers of next year's event please take note of this sure-fire way to drive visitors away in dismay.

After a couple more days relaxing at Cherai, I rode to Muvattapuzha to visit some friends, then headed via Munnar to Maraiyoor for an overnight stop. With the electrical system still jury-rigged, RedWing had been running Ok up to this point; but wouldn't start when I was ready to leave next morning, and I had to get a push start. It konked out a couple of times en route to Namakkal in Tamil Nadu, my next stop, but at least I was able to kick-start once the engine was warm. (The electric start was completely dead. I think the battery wasn't charging properly.)

After a week visiting friends in Namakkal, I pushed on to a friend's small village near Mayiladuthurai, another of my favourite visiting spots, to spend Pongal with my friend's family. Then a brief stop in Mamallapuram, and the final leg home. As I rode up Rajiv Gandhi Salai into Chennai, RedWing started cutting out frequently, and I probably should have headed directly to the Royal Enfield service shop in Thiruvanmiyur. But it would have been a real hassle to take my bike bags home on the bus and train, so I managed to limp the last few kilometres to Minjur, arriving home after my three-month, 5000 km adventure.

I took RedWing for the 6000-km service as soon as I could book an appointment; it took them two weeks to replace the wiring harness and set things right again. Cross my fingers, RedWing now seems to be running fine. All part of the challenge of being a proud Royal Enfield rider.

Grand Tour 2009, Stage five - Into Kerala

2010-02-28T18:24:00.000-08:00

I left Mysore early in the morning on December 29, planning to spend the night somewhere in Kerala, and make it to Cherai Beach on the 30th, when my Canadian friends would be arriving. The road was great until just past the entrance to Rajiv Gandhi National Park, where there was a detour for about 20km through broken and dusty side roads until rejoining the highway. On the next bit I saw an elephant casually crossing the highway ahead of me, so I slowed down until it was safely into the forest again.

Crossed the border into Kerala, and found that everything was closed. It was like driving through a series of ghost towns -- all the shops had shutters closed, and there was no traffic. Yet another instance of an old Kerala tradition -- the state-wide bandh/ hartal. I flagged down two guys on a Bullet (the Royal Enfield riders' fraternity, you know) who helped me find an ATM and then took me to a small restaurant which was closed at the front, but open at the back for those in the know. By the time I finished lunch word had spread, and there was a crowd waiting beside my bike, eager to offer advice and see me on my way.

I had decided to make a slight detour northward in order to go through Mahe, an outpost of Pondicherry on the Kerala coast, to stock up on some good cheer to celebrate New Year's Eve, and by the time I reached there it was late afternoon, so I made it my overnight stop.

Next day I was ready for an early start, since I wanted to get to Cherai Beach by early afternoon, and Kerala roads are not made for fast riding. But now, the first major problem I've had with my bike.

The bike was warming up, and I was making the final adjustments to my gear, when suddenly the engine stopped. This had never happened to me before. I checked that the petrol cock was turned on, and tried to start the bike, but no luck. There was no horn or neutral light, so I surmised an electrical problem. Checked the fuse box, found a burned-out fuse, replaced it with the spare, and tried again. Still no electrical. Checked the fuses again, and the replacement fuse was also burned out (I know it was good when I put it in), so I clearly had a short circuit somewhere. My guest house called a nearby bike mechanic who came over in an hour or so to have a look. He started examining the wiring, and showed me that the entire electrical system had shorted out, with melted insulation and bare wires everywhere. This was beyond what he could repair. We called the nearest Royal Enfield dealers, in Kannur and Kozhikode. The Kannur shop said they were short-handed and fully booked, and couldn't touch it until next week. The Kozhikode shop said bring it in, but said that there was an authorized freelance mechanic in Tellicherry, only a few kilometers away. We contacted him, and within half an hour he was there on his own bike. He started replacing the wires and testing the circuits, and within about an hour was able to start the bike up. And for this work and his commute time too, he charged only Rs 50!

My early start in tatters, but at least with a driveable bike, I was on my way by early afternoon. Reflecting on the incident, and looking to see the positive side, I realized that if it was going to happen, it did so at the best possible time and place, where I was at least able to get competent assistance. If RedWing had given up the (electrical) ghost on that dusty detour in Karnataka, or even in strike-bound Kerala, I would have been a lot worse off.

Since the bike was now running fine, I decided not to stop at the Royal Enfield service shop in Kozhikode, but rather to push on to Cherai Beach. I passed through Guruvayur about sunset, so had to ride the last couple of hours after dark, which I really don't like to do, but it seemed a pity to stop so close to my destination, which I finally reached by 8pm. Met my friends who had arrived earlier that day, and had a nice dinner and a cold beer.

The next day, New Year's Eve, we walked from our guesthouse to see the elephants gathered at Cherai Beach for the celebrations, but didn't stay long. We had arranged for our hosts to prepare a special dinner for the occasion, and with a couple of bottles of wine that I had picked up in Mahe, and a few beers and a bottle of whiskey, we had a fine celebration together, watching the fireworks down the beach at midnight.

And so ends the 2009 portion of my Grand Tour. I took another month to get back to Chennai; stay tuned.

Grand Tour 2009, Stage four - Goa to Mangalore, interior Karnataka, Kodagu and Mysore

2010-01-25T04:55:00.000-08:00

My apologies to all my faithful readers (yes, both of you) for the delay in updating my blog in recent days.

I enjoyed my five day stay at Vagator in Goa attending Royal Enfield's Rider Mania. On the first day I connected with a fellow biker from Mangalore, so had a companion to share the activities with. There were lots of thumping bikes to admire -- new ones, old ones, customized ones, stock ones. The new Bullet Classic 350 and 500 were on display, with the opportunity to go for a test ride. (I did -- and decided I prefer my Thunderbird.)

One intrepid rider won three first prizes in the various biking competitions.

Apparently Royal Enfield is planning to make this an annual event at this location, so I have it in mind as I plan for my 2010 tours.

Heading south after the event, riding with my Mangalore chum, we stopped at Benaulim Beach for the night, to meet and exchange ideas with Tommy, a fellow biker I'd met online through IndiaMike. He suggested the Cavalosim ferry route and then via Agonda instead of NH17, which we did the next morning. He also warned us that the Goa police at the border crossing into Karnataka will try to shake you down for "beer money"; so when we got to the border, and the guy raised the gate but told us to pull over to show our papers, I shouted "go man go" to my companion, and we drove off. They didn't chase us. Such a scoff-law I've become!

We had a pleasant ride to Gokarna, where we got our rooms, left our luggage, and rode to Om Beach for lunch and an afternoon swim.

My chum drove home to Mangalore the next day, but I stayed on in Gokarna for another week, and rejoined my morning yoga class.

Next I headed south on NH17 (the road condition is especially bad in and around Bhatkal) to Malpe Beach, where I spent four days at Silver Sands Beach Resort, and then rode south-east via Udupi, Manipal, Karkal, and Mudabidri to Vamanjoor, a suburb of Mangalore, where I stayed for a few days with my Rider Mania buddy. We rode into the city every day, and visited his relatives as well as exploring the (limited) attractions of Mangalore, including Ullal and Panambur beaches.

My route next took me north-east into the interior of Karnataka, via Karkal and Kudremukh National Park to Sringeri, where I took a room through the Mutt's central accommodation office. They assigned me to the TTD unit, down the road just past the fire hall, and I had a room at the back one floor up -- a fifty rupee room with a thousand rupee view, overlooking fields and the river, with mountain peaks in the distance. I liked it so much there that I stayed for a week, before moving on via Shimoga to visit friends of my son's near Chanagiri. One day we rode in a convoy of three bikes to Chitradurga to explore the fort -- a most impressive structure taking full advantage of the hilly terrain to make an impregnable fortress.

I returned to Sringeri for a few days, then rode via Kudremukh and Kalasa to Horanadu, a temple town nestled in the hills, for a night; and next day via Charmadi ghat and Ujire to Dharmastala, an enormous pilgrimage centre. I asked at Saketh Guest House for a room, but they refused since I was on my own; they only let families stay there. The singles accommodation I tried next was cheap but too spartan for me even for only one night; so I tried one of the other guest houses. This time, I told them a room for two please, for me and my wife; and after settling in and then going for a walk to explore the town and the temple, I got a chuckle out of the idea that the desk clerk might be keeping an eye out to make sure I DID bring a woman back to my room!

I had been planning to stay at Honey Valley Estate near Kakkabe in Kodagu, but as I was riding south (via Puttur, Sulya, Bettagiri and Napoklu) I phoned them, only to find that they were booked solid for the next couple of days. I made a reservation for their first free date, and called Palace Estate Home Stay, which is not far from Honey Valley, and fortunately they had a single available. The hosts are a Kodagai family which has owned and cultivated the property for generations, and they provide a warm welcome and great home cooking. I stayed there for three days, and then headed down the road to Honey Valley's rendezvous point for the jeep ride up to the estate. (The road is NOT bikeable; only 4WD can make it up.)

But I had a little mishap. They provide a secure parking area for their visitors, but it's up a steep gravel driveway. I made my approach too slowly, and when I stopped on the slope from lack of momentum, and put on the front brake, it couldn't hold on the gravel, and I started sliding back. Of course, fully loaded with gear, that's about as much trouble as you can get into at slow speed, and I inevitably took a spill. I shouted to a couple of guys nearby who came and helped me lift up the bike, and I found that the left-side main footrest had snapped off, and the left side mirror was bent but not broken. I should have listened to this warning from the universe; but instead I took another run at the driveway, successfully this time, parked my bike and put on the rain cover, loaded my gear into the jeep, and we drove up to the estate. As you can imagine I wasn't in the best frame of mind, wondering how on earth I was going to get my bike repaired. And when we reached the estate, and they showed me the two rooms which were available, neither of which were very appealing, I decided that I would not enjoy my stay there, and took the jeep right back down the hill. I phoned Palace Estate, and my room was still vacant, so I returned there for a few more nights.

I still had to figure out what to do about the footrest. Although Ok for a few kilometers, it wouldn't be practical, comfortable or safe to ride any distance without it. But after looking at it carefully, I saw that the front and rear footrests were identical, and that it should be possible to remove the rear one and move it forward. The next day I found a local bike mechanic who was able to do just that; and since I wasn't planning on carrying a passenger, I was fine to go.

A friend from Canada (whom I hadn't seen for forty years) and his partner and their daughter were on a three-week tour of India from their current home in New Zealand, and we had been exchanging emails and planning to meet up in Kerala. They were in Mysore while I was in Kodagu; and when I got a phone call from another friend in Mysore, inviting me to his wedding in a few days, I decided to head to Mysore instead of braving the bad roads to Kerala. I got there the afternoon of December 24th, and met my friends on Christmas Day at the Green Hotel, an ecofriendly operation in a former Maharani's palace. We hired an autorickshaw for the day, and explored the city including Chamundi Hill, Lalith Mahal, and the nature park. We went to the Palace, but the crowds and lineups were too much, so we didn't go inside the grounds.

The next day I found the authorized Royal Enfield dealer, and got the mirror and footpeg replaced. My friend's wedding was the following day; and then I was ready to move on from Mysore to Kerala, where I had arranged to meet some internet friends, a couple from Canada, for New Year's Eve at Cherai Beach.

Remembering the Tsunami - A Narrow Escape

2009-12-31T23:39:00.000-08:00

(I wrote this in late December 2004)

I lost my cellphone. I could have lost my life. Thousands did.

I arrived in Varkala, Kerala, on the south-west coast of India on Christmas Day 2004. The next morning I went for a swim with another resident of my guesthouse. It was a perfect morning, the sun warm, the ocean bracing, with gentle swells.

We swam out about half a kilometre from the shore. If one of the waves was a bit higher than the others, we didn't notice. It was only when we swam back in to shore and found that someone had moved our gear to higher ground that we noticed that almost the entire beach was damp. I remarked to my companion that I had never seen the ocean come so far up on the beach. But we said no more about it.

As we strolled back towards the guesthouse, I didn't notice that the beachside restaurant where I had enjoyed my solitary Christmas dinner had been flooded, along with the neighbouring tailor shop and handicrafts store.

I stopped at a bistro for a bite to eat, and when I left the restaurant I had to make a quick choice -- left to return to the beach, right to go to the internet cafe to check my email and read the newspaper. I went left.

This time I headed south, along a trail between the sheer cliff face and the sea. It was a good trail last year, to a less crowded cove and beach, but erosion during the recent monsoon had brought down rock slides; parts of the trail were newly formed, with loose stones making footing unsure. One slip and I would tumble to the boulders along the shore. Perhaps it would be better to descend to the narrow beach. But the ocean was capricious. At times it drew back, leaving a wide strand exposed. But a few minutes later it would be churning at the rocks, covering the sand completely. It looked, I thought, like the pattern of a tsunami, but on a very small scale. But I didn't twig that I might be in any danger.

The sea drew back again, so I scrambled down to the exposed sand, and walked along the beach to the cove.

I noticed a crowd of people on the clifftop pointing out to sea, and wondered what they were looking at.

I made my way further along the shore, then put my gear at the high-water mark and waded into the surf. A youngster nearby told me all his stuff had just been washed away by a wave; then suddenly he shouted a warning to me as another huge swell came in. I clung to a huge boulder as the waves pounded me and tried to pull me from my perch. When it retreated I splashed along the rocks to check on my gear. Everything had been soaked, and a few items had tumbled out of my bag, but I managed to retrieve almost everything except one missing sandal, which a passerby found for me a few minutes later. I clambered up a trail carved into the cliff face, and spread my stuff out to dry.

My cellphone was in my shirt pocket and had gotten soaked along with eveything else. But miraculously that was the only casualty of my brush with the tsunami. It was only when I returned to my guesthouse and saw the news reports on the TV that I realized how close I had been to disaster.

By a fluke of the geography of the Kerala coast, Varkala was spared. Hundreds died in towns to the north and the south.

When I return in January to my home in Tamil Nadu on the east coast, which bore the brunt of the wave's impact on India, I don't know what news of missing friends and acquaintances will await me. As the death toll mounts (over 80,000 as I write), and I see photos and news stories from many of the places I've visited in south Asia, I ponder my brush with death and marvel that I was spared.

And I'll keep my dead cellphone as a reminder of my escape.

Grand Tour 2009, Stage three - Gokarna to Goa

2009-11-16T08:00:00.001-08:00

I spent a leisurely and relaxed ten days in Gokarna. Took a morning yoga class the last week of my stay. Spent a few afternoons at the beach, and drove to Om Beach one day.

There was quite a bit of rain in the middle of my stay, thanks to the cyclone in the Arabian Sea; it was nicer to be hunkered down watching it from my balcony than to be driving in it. I tried out several restaurants, and found that my favourite was Prema, right on the beach at the end of the road, opposite the Zero Kilometer marker.

The weather had mostly cleared by the time I was ready to move on, and I left early on Sunday afternoon. My intention was to cross into Goa and then find a place to stay, which I did at Palolem Beach. Although it's early in the season, Palolem was humming and busy. Many shops and restaurants, and lots of tourists without it feeling too overcrowded. If the global economic downturn is affecting tourism adversely, you wouldn't know it from the amount of activity here. Very heavy downpour in the evening, lasting nearly an hour.

Early start next morning, and took back roads via Agonda, Cabo de Rama, and Belim to Margao. It's a real pleasure to drive in Goa; the roads are generally very good, even the back roads. Stopped for lunch in Old Goa, and looked through the Cathedral, then headed for Vagator Beach, my next staging stop, where I'll spend the next four days at Royal Enfield's Rider Mania. Took a nice room in a guest house about a kilometer from the event venue, and spent the afternoon at Little Vagator Beach.

The Great Circular Indian Rail Challenge

2009-11-14T21:58:00.000-08:00

Two weeks on Indian trains, virtually non-stop, nearly 12000 km, literally all around the country, visiting the westernmost, northernmost, easternmost, and southernmost stations, and all four of the major metros. Is anyone crazy enough to do such a trip?

Apparently so, and I'll probably be one of them. The GCIRC is the brainchild of Mark Lester, who posted an invitation and a challenge on IndiaMike a couple of months ago, and already has more than a dozen Indianrailaphiles marking their calendars (February 2011) and arranging to join him.

The web page is here

You can follow the discussion on IndiaMike here

Grand Tour 2009, Stage two - SACM to Gokarna

2009-11-05T07:29:00.000-08:00

I left Sri Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt early Tuesday morning, heading north-west via Turuvekere, joining NH 206 at Tiptur. Stopped in Arsikere to fuel up and have breakfast, and continued via Kadur, Tarikere, and Bhadravati bypass to Shimoga.

There's a confusing intersection at the outskirts of Shimoga, one sign saying turn left for Jog Falls (the Agumbe road), and a few meters later another sign saying straight ahead. I asked two people; one said turn left, the other said straight ahead, into the city. Maybe there's a bypass if you take the turn to the left, but I went into the city, which is one enormous road construction zone. What a mess.

Finally got through town and en route to Jog Falls, my planned overnight stop. Took a basic room at the Tunga Guest House right near the entrance, and strolled around the grounds. They are doing a lot of renovations at the moment. 300 km today.

In case you are carrying a clock (or anything else) that you don't want to lug around with you while visiting the falls, there is a "Clock Room" available, with a notice "Keep Your Matrials Authorise Clock Room". :-)

Last year a fellow biker had suggested the road between Jog Falls and Bhatkal, rather than NH 206 via Gersoppa to Honavar, so I took that route next morning. Although paved, the road surface is not very good for a lot of the way, and I did most of it in 2nd and 3rd gear. Three hours for 80 km. Ok for one time, but I wouldn't want to drive it again. Had lunch in Bhatkal, and on to Murudeshwar to take a room at the RNS Guest House with an ocean view. 100 km today, 1000 for the trip so far.

RedWing is running like a charm. A sheer delight to drive. I've done over 2000 km total so the running-in is officially complete. Still haven't gone above 80 klicks. Petrol economy is a satisfactory 50 kpl.

("Klicks" is Canadian slang for kilometers - either speed or distance.)

Thursday morning I lollygagged around, had breakfast, and strolled along the beach, then into the town to look around. Checked out at 14:30, had some lunch, and drove to Gokarna. NH 17 is a bit dodgy, especially around Murudeshwar -- you can barely drive a kilometer without having to slow down for broken pavement and potholes. It really needs to be resurfaced. North of Kumta it gets noticeably better. The road from the highway into Gokarna is also in pretty bad shape. Took a room at Vaibhav Nivas where I had stayed last year. I plan to spend at least a week in Gokarna before heading north to Goa. 80 km today.

Grand Tour 2009, Stage one - Days 1, 2, 3

2009-10-30T05:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't quite manage to avoid the opening salvo of the north-east monsoon. My last night at home, I awoke at 3am to thunder and rain. We had a good downpour, which started clearing up about 9am. I finished my packing, and left home at 9:30, not quite the early start I had intended, but I didn't want to start out by driving in the rain.

Made a stop at the Royal Enfield service shop in Adyar to get a couple of things adjusted and checked before hitting the highway, and was driving west on NH 4 by noon. Stopped for a stretch break at the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial at Sriperumbudur, and walked around the grounds. A light rain started, so I put on my new set of raingear for the first time. Turned off the highway at Vellore, and drove to the Golden Temple at Sri Puram. Couldn't find a suitable place to stay near the temple, so drove 6 km back to Vellore to take a room for the night. About 200 km today.

Wednesday morning I drove back to the Golden Temple, and joined the queue. They are certainly set up to handle crowds there, with grilled-in walkways and holding pens. You can bypass those by buying one of the special darshan tickets. The grounds and gardens are remarkable, and the temple itself is magnificent. Left there about 10:30, and took the older road, SH 122, instead of returning to NH 46.

A pleasant drive, road in pretty good shape, but I had to stop to kit up with my rain gear. It was raining when I passed the turnoff for Yelagiri Hills, so I'll save that for a drier time.

On to Tiruppattur, then Krishnagiri where I stopped for lunch. It was raining lightly as I left, and got onto NH 7, but half an hour later it really started to pour. Got to Hosur about 16:00, and took a room for the night. I had to unpack completely and put my stuff and bags out to dry. 200 km today.

Lazy start next morning since I wanted to get to the outskirts of Bengaluru after the worst of the morning rush. Not a very warm welcome in terms of road conditions when you cross into Karnataka -- NH 7 turns into a construction zone most of the way to B'luru, down to a single unpaved lane in a few places. It'll be great when it's finished, but now it's a pain. Lots of slow, bumper-to-bumper traffic.

After passing Electronics City, a huge new overpass is being constructed, and a couple of kilometers later is the bypass highway turnoff to the west. It's a great road -- for a few kilometers. Then there's a poorly marked diversion through a semi-urban area, until you can finally rejoin the expressway. From there it's clear sailing, right around to the NH 4 to Tumkur -- which is also a construction zone. Toll is Rs 30 for a bike.

Missed my turnoff on NH 48 and had to backtrack a few km (no signage for the turn is my excuse, and I'm sticking to it). NH 48 is being four-laned too. Reached Sri Adichunchanagiri Mutt mid-afternoon, my first staging stop (Vellore and Hosur were "technical stops"), and took a spacious and spartan room at the guest house, with a great view to the west. I was here a year ago on my last Karnataka tour, and really liked it, so I'll stay here a few days before heading to the coast.

This was another 200 km day. If I came direct from Chennai without the little side trips, it would be about 500 km, so I could easily do it in a day -- once all the highway construction is complete.

Grand Tour 2009, Stage Zero - getting ready for departure

2009-10-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

Ever since my one-month motorcycle tour of Karnataka last year, I've been thinking about my next bike tour. I've even bought a new motorcycle in preparation.

Initially I had planned to head north from Chennai into Andhra Pradesh, then work my way west through Karnataka to the coast.

But the storms and floods in Andhra and Karnataka in early October did a lot of damage to the roads, and I was advised to avoid that area. So instead I'll head west from Chennai, stopping at Vellore to visit the Golden Temple, then on to Yelagiri Hills for my first night stop. Next day, via Krishnagiri, into Karnataka, bypassing Bengaluru to the south-west using the Nice ring road, then heading north-west on NH 4, via Shimoga and Jog Falls to Gokarna.

Further plans are to attend Royal Enfield's Rider Mania in Goa in November, then head down the coast, inland to Kodagu, down to Kerala in December, and back to Tamil Nadu in January, arriving home after Pongal.

I've been postponing my departure, originally intended for mid-October, to finish my house renovations and move into my new digs on the top floor of our house. My "small son" Sathish is an apprentice pujari at our local temple, and he determined that an auspicious day for the opening puja was Friday 16 October, the day before Diwali. He made all the preparations, including hiring a senior pujari to officiate, and we had a wonderful ceremony. I slept in my new suite of rooms for the first time that night.

Part of the reason for the timing of my tour is to avoid the monsoon season in Tamil Nadu, which is usually from mid-October into December. I've been watching the weather forecast carefully, and the time to make a move is now. So I've been packing today, and I'll head out on Tuesday morning (27th).

RedWing and me

2009-10-26T02:19:00.000-07:00

Shopping for a new bike

2009-10-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

I've been very satisfied with the performance, economy and reliability of Black Beauty, my Bajaj Discover 135 DB ES (disc brake, electric start). Since purchasing in December 2007, I've done 25,000 km in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

But for the amount of touring I like to do, I decided to upgrade to a bigger bike.

Since I've been pleased with Bajaj, my first test ride was on a Pulsar 150. Nice to drive, but it didn't seem worth the expense and hassle for an extra 15cc. In retrospect, I should have bought Pulsar in the first place, instead of Discover.

Next ride was on a Honda Unicorn. Very nice handling, comfortable in city traffic, but again only 150cc, so disqualified.

Next to try was the Pulsar 180. Aha, a potential winner. Enough extra performance, good petrol economy, good trade-in offer for my Discover. There were a couple of changes in the new model (UG4) which I didn't like -- toe-only shifter, and no kick-start. To my mind these changes were drawbacks, not improvements. But I found a UG3, which had the configuration I wanted. I was close to closing a deal.

Then the new Bajaj Pulsar 220 was released, so I had a look and test-drove it, but, like the P180-UG4, it has toe-only shift, and no kick-start. Disqualified.

I also looked at the Apache, but the thing that turned me off was the external linkage of the gearshift. It looked to me as though the designer had forgotten about it and had to cludge something together later. And again a toe-only shift, which I don't like.

But I kept getting hints from the universe, "Check out Royal Enfield." I hadn't considered the Bullet before; I'm not a hefty guy and I didn't want a bike that felt bigger than I am. But I went to the showrooms a couple of times, first the one on Anna Salai near Thousand Lights, and then the Adyar factory outlet.

I looked at the different models, and felt that the ThunderBird TwinSpark sang to me. So I took it for a test drive in Besant Nagar, and it felt just fine, although a bit noisy.

I mulled it over for a couple of weeks, reading comments from several sources, considering the finances, and made my decision. In August I placed my order with a Rs 10,000 deposit. And on 09-09-09, an auspicious date, I took delivery of "RedWing", my beautiful new red ThunderBird TwinSpark.

P.S. Yes, I know that the Detroit hockey team is the Redwings, but that wasn't the reason for my choice of the name.

Firstly, my bike is red, and "ThunderBird" associates with "wing"; secondly, after the redwing blackbird, which as a family joke was referred to as "Mommy's bird", because the fieldguide says "its identification is unmistakeable."

Chinglish as she is writed

2009-08-25T23:21:00.000-07:00

I recently bought a novelty item that's very popular here in south India, a pen with a built-in flashlight, for about USD 0.25. Made in China of course.

The instructions say: "Usage the thumb be then light to press button can illuminate."

Very, er, illuminating.

Also, "Function characteristics: The electric power is ample, give out light to hold out for long time. Write flowing freely, a thing two use."

And, "Assemble high can the battery electric power hold out for long time and can continue to give out light 2880 minutes."

It's made by Ningbo Xinboshi Culture Thing Factory Manufacturing.

Medical costs in India

2009-08-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

When I lived in Canada, I was of course covered by the Canadian government health care, and was quite satisfied with any dealings I had to have with the system.

Now that I am settled in India, I don't have (or need) any health insurance coverage. I just pay cash on the spot for medical treatment. The other day I had to consult my doctor for two things: a recurring upset stomach, and a small spur on my left heel that I'd had for some time but which was starting to get tender. He gave me a prescription for the stomach upset (which has now cleared up completely), and did minor surgery on my heel right there in his clinic. The medicines cost about USD 3; the surgery fee would normally be USD 6, but he gave me a courtesy discount and charged only USD 2. Had a followup consultation two days later where his assistant changed the dressing on my heel; total cost USD 1 for some antiseptic powder to use the next couple of times I change the dressing myself.

I also see a naturopath for occasional accupuncture sessions. He normally charges about USD 4 per treatment, but I am his only Western patient, and as a "courtesy for visitors", he refuses to charge me.

Guardians at the gate

2009-06-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

Leo and Pepper on guard duty.

A Feline Genealogy

2009-04-21T19:09:00.000-07:00

In the beginning was Kat Katzenjammer, a beautiful gray striped tabby with white face, chest and paws. Kat is now the matriarch, affectionately known as Mama Kat.

Kat's first kitten died young, and was posthumously named Patient Zero. Her next, another singleton, was KitKat, white and tabby like her mom. Then came two boy kittens, Salt'n Pepper. (Salt'n has more white than tabby. Pepper has more tabby than Salt'n.) KitKat went AWOL some time back. Salt'n has adopted our sister who lives next door. Pepper continues to guard the home front.

And just last month (in March) Mama Kat had a litter of three: Tigger, Popo (short for Potpourri), and Dal (short for Dalmation). Unfortunately, Dal didn't stay with us long. But Tigger and Popo are happily romping around getting into mischief. Tigger is pure gray striped tabby; not a speck of white. Popo is a mixture of orange, gray tabby, and white. Dal was mostly white with a couple of tabby spots.

Soon after Kat adopted me, Kub Katzenjammer, an orange tabby, joined the family. Kub's first two kittens were named Orange Pekoe and Earl Grey. (I'll leave it to the reader to guess their colour.) Her next two were Tigger and Tiger, both striped orange tabby. Then came Roo and Roo Too. Her fourth litter were named Roo Two and Roo Two Too. All the Roos were orange, and approximately identical. Only one of the four Roos is still around today. All her other siblings have left home to follow their own adventures. Mama Kub has found another home too.

So the current home team lineup is Mama Kat, Pepper, Roo, Tigger and Popo.

Update: A couple of months ago Roo started showing a suspicious bulge, so we began calling her "Preggers Roo", expecting that she would soon earn the sobriquet "Mama Roo". Well, the big day came, but it was a very difficult delivery, and she clearly wanted to distance herself from these three little creatures that had caused her so much pain. Mama Kat helped a bit as a midwife, giving the newborns their first wash, but couldn't or wouldn't nurse them; and Roo ignored them completely -- no maternal instinct in evidence at all. With no loving mommy to care for them, what chance would these poor little guys have? They hung on grimly for a couple of days, but eventually closed their tiny unopened eyes for good.

Just last week another small kitten turned up and asked if she could stay. She is almost exactly the same colour as Popo, but about half the size, so she can't be more than a couple of months old. The other cats didn't object, so the newcomer was allowed to join the family, and was christened "Pooh", after the A.A. Milne bear; the name also sounds like the Tamil word for "flower".

So with Tigger, Roo, and Pooh in the family, as well as Mama Kat, Pepper and Popo, I'm wondering if I should change my name to Christopher Robin.

Some notes for prospective visitors to India

2009-04-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

I provide personalized introduction and orientation tours of south India for Western visitors as a hobby. I've been living full-time in India for the last five years after retiring from UBC, and have chosen to spend the rest of my life here. I love to show people around India.

Costs will depend on the level of comfort you would like in terms of accommodations and modes of travel. I don't charge anything for my services as a guide; I just ask that you pay for our travel, accommodation and meals. If budget is an issue, and you don't mind "roughing it" a bit, you could manage on Cdn$50/day (total for both of us). Or we could travel in splendid style on $100/day. Airfare (from Canada) is about $1,500 return, so you could do a month-long trip in comfort, and spend less than $5,000 for everything. I'd suggest a minimum of a month; six weeks or two months would be better still.

The best season to visit India is December through March. Plan to fly into and out of Chennai (Madras) in Tamil Nadu. Here is a suggested circle tour: Mamallapuram, Mysore, Ooty, Kochi, Alleppey, Varkala, Madurai, Pondicherry, Auroville, and back to Chennai. But that's only a preliminary suggestion to get the juices flowing. If you have some special place you have read about or had recommended, we can include any part of India you like. I specialize in south India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Goa) because that's where I live, but I have been to northern India several times and would be glad to travel there if you like.

Health concerns should not be an issue, as long as you are in generally good health, and are careful about what you eat and drink here.

Please, fire away with questions. I'd be delighted to help you plan your trip and travel with you.

My Karnataka trip - stage 7

2009-04-12T07:17:00.000-07:00

I got a late start from Raichur, since I had to get my bike serviced in the morning, and took the route via Manvi and Sindhnur, and arrived Siruguppa about 4:30pm. I should have stopped there for the night; it seemed a very pleasant town; but instead I pressed on to Bellary, arriving just before sunset. Some of the roads in Bellary are dreadful, more pothole than pavement. The first few lodges I looked at were either above my budget, below my standards, or full, but I finally got a decent room at about twice the price I thought it was worth. All the more reason I should have stayed in Siruguppa.

Continued south the next day on very good roads via Halakundi, Rampura, Hanagal, Molakalmaru, and Chailakere, arriving Hiriyur about 4pm, where, having learned my lesson the day before, I stopped for the night. It's much nicer to stop with a couple of hours of daylight left, rather than press on till sunset or later.

I wanted to avoid the heavy traffic on NH 4; the smaller roads are much more pleasant to drive, as long as the paving is good. My route took me via Huliyar, Chiknayakanhalli, Turuvekere and Maisandra; and just as I was thinking about where to stop for the night, not wanting to push on to Mysore that day, I saw an enormous temple complex just off the highway, and went to have a look.

It was the Sri Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Mutt, and they have a large guesthouse, so I took a spartan room for Rs 200, and climbed up the broad steps to explore the temple. It's newly built, officially inaugurated earlier this year, although the older temple further up the hill has been there for centuries. There was a special puja that evening, so there were lots of visitors, plus many of the 3,000 students from the school and college hostels which are also part of the complex.

The next day I climbed up to the old temple, and then continued to the very top of the hill. For the last stretch there are iron pegs set into the rocks to help you scramble up, and the view is spectacular. I stayed at the summit for a few hours, and was joined briefly by a school group on a day outing. Since it was late afternoon when I climbed down, I stayed another night at the guesthouse. A most interesting place to visit, and I'd like to go there again some time.

Then on to Mysore via Nelligere, Nagamangalla, Pandavapur and Shrirangapattana. I stayed in Mysore for a couple of days, then returned home to Tamil Nadu on Christmas Day after a wonderful month exploring Karnataka.

My Karnataka trip - stage 6

2009-04-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

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.

My Karnataka trip - stage 5

2009-04-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

I spent a week in Gokarna, which is delightful.

I fell into a sort of electronic black hole during my stay. There was no cell phone coverage (Tata Indicom) in the town, although my phone worked at the beach, and my laptop died the first day, and refused to boot up. It seems the universe was telling me to get away from the keyboard, and enjoy the sun and sea instead. So I did.

There's lots of accommodation in Gokarna and the nearby beaches, from primitive to very comfortable. The season was just getting started (and may not improve much; see my comment on the IndiaMike forum here) so lots of rooms are available, although a couple of places I looked at were full.

The nicest place by far in the town is Nimmu House, very close to the beach. The budget rooms (Rs 300 to 500) are in the older building, and the deluxe rooms (Rs 800 to 1200) are in the new building. Very nice garden. Tea and coffee available on request. (08386 256730)

On the main road, close to the bus stand, is Hotel Shri Sai Ram, very clean and well maintained. Rs 300 to 500. (08386 257755)

I stayed at Hotel Vaibhav Lodge, not far from the bus stand. A real bargain: only Rs 125 for a double room with balcony. (08386 256714)

Hotel Gokarna International is Ok but getting a bit shabby.

Drove to Om Beach one day, and had an excellent lunch at Namaste Cafe. Another day I walked to Kudle Beach, also very pleasant. Twice I walked north on the main beach; and once did a day trip to Ankola.

Gokarna is definitely on my list of places to visit again..

My Karnataka trip - stage 4

2009-04-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

From Kollur I returned to the coast and continued to Murudeshwar. I took a cheap (Rs 200) room in the town; but first I should have checked out the two RNS places right on the beach behind the Shiva temple and statue. The upscale RNS Residency has rooms for Rs 1500 to 5000, and the cheaper RNS Guest House charges Rs 650 to 2000. Although it's more than I like to pay, I could have stretched my budget to stay at the Guest House for one night. It would have been worth it just for the view. If I had stayed another day I would have moved; but there wasn't enough of interest to keep me there. If I come back, I would certainly stay at the Guest House.

Next day I continued up the coast to Gokarna.

My Karnataka trip - stage 3

2009-04-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

Roads have generally been pretty good. Parts of NH 17 north of Malpe are a bit ragged.

From Malpe I drove to Maravante, and looked at Turtle Bay Beach Resort, but felt it was too expensive for what was offered. A couple of other so-called beach resorts a little further up the highway were dismal and overpriced. So I continued on to Kollur, which is a delightful little pilgrimage town nestled in the mountains.

There is lots of accommodation in Kollur. I lucked out in finding the Bhagirthi Tourist Home, only 200 m from the temple, but completely isolated from the bustle of the town. There's a stream running past my balcony, and nice views of fields and hills. (Rs 200 to 400).

Kodachadri: There are shared jeeps (8 pax @ Rs 175) that leave from the autostand opposite Kollur police station. (I had to wait from 11am to 1pm mid-week for the jeep to fill, so an earlier departure would have been better.) It's 40 km each way. The first 25 km, up to the Kodachadri turnoff, is well paved; then 5 km of so-so road; but the last 10 km is four-wheel-drive only, not bikeable. That last stretch is the hands-down first prize winner of The Worst Road I Have Ever Travelled On In My Life Award. There is a PWD Rest House and a temple at the end of the road; and you can hike another 1.5 km up to a small temple at the summit. Great views, very peaceful.

Next day I went to the Andjari Nature Camp a few km south of Kollur. Entry for the day is Rs 40 for Indians and Rs 80 for foreigners. (The guy on duty only charged me Rs 40.) There are double bedded tents and double bedded cabins for overnight stay, from Rs 400 to 1200. You can swim in the stream, and wander the nature trails. The sign at the gate says you have to get advance permission to enter from the Forest Department office opposite the bus stand, but that's not accurate; just turn up and the attendant will sell you a ticket. Bring your own food.

My Karnataka trip - stage 2

2009-04-12T06:25:00.000-07:00

Stage 1 was Mysore to the coast, via Sravanabelagola, Belur, Sringeri, & Agumbe to Malpe beach, where I stayed for several days, at Silver Sands Holiday Beach Resort. (Half a dozen cottages, 200 m from the beach. Tariff Rs 600 to 1800 high season; discount for longer stay. Very helpful and friendly host Sunil; mobile 98860 91616. www.freewebs.com/silversands )

Malpe beach is about 2 km north of Malpe port. The upscale Paradise Isle Beach Resort dominates the beach. (Tariff Rs 1200 to 8500.) Silver Sands is another 500 m north.

I took the ferry boat over to St Mary's Island for the day. Very beautiful and peaceful place. Well worth a visit. The ticket office for the ferry is at the far end of the paved road into the harbour area, quite a hike from the bus stand. Tickets are Rs 70 return. The office opens at 9:30am, and the first sailing is by 10:30am, or sooner if they fill the boat. It's a half hour to get to the island, and the ferry stays one hour. You can go back on that sailing, or wait and return later. I stayed until late afternoon. There are three boats, which go when they are full. The last sailing from the island is by 5:00pm or so. You can buy bottled soft drinks on the island, but no food.

Next I'll head up the coast, turning inland to Kollur; back to the coast at Maravanthe; on to Murudeshwar; then to Gokarna. All these will be overnight or longer stops.

My Karnataka motorcycle trip - stage 1

2009-04-12T06:21:00.000-07:00

In November/December 2008, I did a one-month motorcycle tour of Karnataka. Started from Mysore. My first stop was Sravanabelagola. Stayed at Hotel Raghu in the centre of town. Rooms from Rs 100 to Rs 250, some with balcony, TV, A/C. Very clean & friendly. Good veg restaurant on the main floor.

Drove through Hassan next day. Charmless with bad roads. Wouldn't want to stay there, although there is a good selection of accommodation.

Stopped in Belur. Stayed at Sumukha Residency, Temple Road. Rooms from Rs 250 to Rs 600. Very clean, good location close to the temple. Close to the KSTDC Hotel Mayura, which charges Single Rs 300, D/400, T/500 plus tax.

Stayed a couple of days for the weather to clear. Made a day trip to Halebid.

Then I'll go via Sringeri to Udupi and Malpe and up the coast to Gokarna.

A few more price comparisons

2009-04-12T06:12:00.000-07:00

We're currently building an extension to the house: a two-room unit on the roof, with ensuite bathroom, which will be my fiefdom. Recently we paid the work crew for their week's labour: 3 men x 7 days at 10 hours/day. Total bill, including their travel costs (they live 300km away): USD 100, about five bucks a day each. (We provided their meals of course, and a floor to sleep on.)

These guys got the walls up, the roof on, and the window- and door-frames installed, in about two weeks.

Electrician starts work today, putting in the conduit. Estimate for the electrical work: materials, 200; labour, 200; connection fee, 200 (USD).

Plumber next. Then the inside finishing crew comes in.

Busy turning bank computer electrons into a perfect living space ...

Some price comparisons

2009-04-12T06:11:00.000-07:00

One of the factors that prompted me to retire overseas is the considerably lower cost of living here in India. The local newspaper had an article recently on current wholesale vegetable prices at the central market (in USD per kilo):

- tomatoes .08

- onions .22

- cabbage .025

- beans .16

- carrots .06

Hardly seems worth planting a garden at these prices! Nevertheless we are busy doing so. Our first tomato of the season should be ready in a couple of days.

I share a four-generation family home with my adopted Indian family. We are eight adults and four children. Our total monthly budget, including food and utilities, is about USD 200. My share is USD 30, for which I have my own room and ensuite bathroom, and two (vegetarian) meals a day, breakfast and dinner.

I usually have lunch in the nearby town for less than USD 0.50 for a vegetarian meal, or USD 1 for non-veg.

Petrol (gasoline) prices have come down recently; now about USD 3/gallon.

My pension goes a long way here!