Day 1:
Last night we decided for a trip to Wayanad so I kept the alarm at 4 AM. After purchasing my first car(ford Ikon) this is my first long trip. As second service is due for my car, I thought of burning some rubber. We started from Chennai at 6 AM. It is a pleasure to drive early in the morning no traffic snarls and the climate is pleasant at that time. Within no time we reached Sriperumbudur, where I filled the tank. Compared to Kerala and Kanataka, diesel price in Chennai is less. Around 8 we stopped at a Motel. It was very clean and nobody was there. Food was above average. Next my plan was stop at Hosur. The road from Chennai to Hosur via Vellore, Krishnagiri requires no introduction as many of you could have driven in this road. I was able maintain an average speed of 100 Kph. I thought of avoiding Bangalore so I took a road to Thali. To take Thali road you need to turn left after passing Hosur Bus stand. My plan was to visit some place en route to Mysore. The road to Thali is motorable but from Thali to Kanakapura the road is really in bad shape. Lot of potholes. This road is also a part of Elephant corridor. I think this road is near the Bannerghatta and Anekal forest range. At 1'o clock, I reached the Bangalore-Coimbatore highway. My plan is to visit Shivanasamudra (Gaganachukki). Around 2, I reached Malavalli. Finding a decent restaurant was difficult. In case if you plan your trip, I would recommend you to have food in Kanakapura. From Malavalli, Shivanasamudra is 20 minutes drive. There was a check post in the entrance of Gaganachukki. The place from the check post was beautiful but the climate is really hot. I think Kerala and Karnataka experiences early summer. There are two view point, the main view pointone and one near the Dargah. We went to the main view point. The roaring sound of cauvery waterfalls and the view is breeathtakng. I heard from the locals that during monsoon and when water is released from KRS and Kabani Dam, the flow will be magnificent.
We thought of moving to the next destination. My plan is to visit Talekad panchalinga temple. For more information you can visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talakad From Gaganachukki, i took the road towards Malavalli, Before Malavalli there numerous signboards pointing the direction towards Panchalinga temples. But the raod condition is really pathetic. Road construction is going on. But the stretch was a time consuming one. Around 4 I reached Talekad. The Keerthinarayana Temple has some excellent carvings.You can avail guide service for 100 rs. But we did not opt for a guide. There are enough signboards the only difference the guide can offer you is the stories behind the place. Walking in the sand dunes was difficult with slippers. Next we went to Pathaleshwara temple which is small in size but this temple gives the glimpse how much the sand covered and recovered. Maruleshwara temple is just behind the Keerthinarayana temple still you can see the excavation going on in this place. Mallikarjuna temple and Arkareshwara temple are other temples but we avoided and thought of spending some time in River Cauvery. The river is 1 Km from the temple here you can see the shallow cauvery with the Maximum depth of 6 feet. This is an ideal place for picnic and swimming. We took the coracle ride for 10 rs per head and the ride was really a memorable one. I would recommend not to miss this place. We spent some time in shore and at 6 we started to Somnathpur. To Reach Somnathpur we took the T.Narsipur road and from T. narsipur we headed towards the Bannur road. Road in this stretch is somewhat better than Malavalli-Talekad Stretch. We reached at 6.45 at Somnathpur but we were dissapointed to know that the temple was closed at 5:30. This temple is maintained by Archaeological department. With a heavy heart we headed toward Mysore for Night halt. Around 8 we reached Mysore. The road from Bannur to Mysore was good. Thank god we booked our hotel (Hotel Bombay Tiffany). The tariff is 750 per day. We checked in and took little time to refresh and went for a dinner. I Forgot the name of the hotel but the food was really good. we are back to bed at 9. We are little bit tired so see you tomorrow. Good night.
Day 2:
Even though I was tired yesterday but I was determined to reach my next destination at 6.30 A.M. So we ensured we checked out at around 5 A.M. But car parking in Bombay tiffany is really congested. Someone parked a car behind my car. But the receptionist had the key so I had responsibility to remove and park the car.We had a tea in the nearby shop. At early in the morining Mysore market area was busy with flower vendors. The street to the Hotel is very congested and narrow. The rooms are clean the only negative is the parking area and the narrow street. By the time I reached the main road, It was around 5:30. My plan is to reach Nagarhole by 6:30. I took the Hunsur road, this is a very good road, but visibility was poor due to heavy mist. I reached Hunsur by 6:30 and loaded the car with 500 Rs diesel. You need to take left turn to Nagarhole. By 7 we reached the Forest Check post at Nagarhole. Still mist prevailed so sighting of animals from the watch tower and on the road was difficult. I entered the details in the check post and started slowly. I have been to this forest many time. We spotted lot of spotted deer, black faced langur and a barking deer. We crossed a tribal area, where I captured two beautiful tribal kids. Then we proceeded slowly in the forest area. Now the mist is not there and because of enough sunlight the visibility is really good. All of a sudden my wife spotted a wild elephant. We know pretty well elephants when in the group is less dangerous compared to the singles. I stopped my car and the only sound which is prevailing is the sound of the nature. Slowly the elephant crossed the road. For each and every step the elephant exercised caution. We were delighted. After ten minutes we proceeded further to the Nagarhole Forest Office. But by the time we reached, the last safari in the morning was over and the next safari starts only at 3:30 PM. in this check post
