CYCLING TRIP TO HENNUR BAMBOO FOREST

As the distance between Human and nature is increasing day by day, here comes a place in Bangalore completely man made for eco conservation and environment upliftment. Hennur Bamboo Forest is a man made forest situated approx 18 Km from Hebbal Flyover, Bangalore.(Google Maps Location)

Me and My friend Nayan started at around 4 AM from Hebbal to visit Hennur Bamboo Forest. The roads are tricky and after approx 10 Km, we were passing through village roads free of pollution and urbanisation. We thoroughly enjoyed the route through villages, had coffee on the way to forest.

The place was scenic and perfect for cycling surrounded only by Bamboo Plantations everywhere. As Google Maps do not support inside the forest, one need to keep track of entry and exit points. Also many people were coming to the place for walking as well. The place is very isolated and far from urbanisation. It is advisable to be in a group and carry own food and water. It will give you a feel of wild not so far from Bangalore. If reached early, you will be lucky enough to have view of Peacocks, wild birds etc. Some institutes also organise marathons inside the forest during Dec to Mar every year.

We enjoyed the time spent at Hennur Bamboo Forest as the place is having apt Biking Trails and you can test your biking skills at that place. But you have to take care of the thorns as once punctured, there is nothing till 5-6 Km from the forest. Also please avoid Rainy season as it becomes quite muddy at approach roads and in the forest as well.

Enjoy and take care till next time…Byeeeeeeeeee…..

Central Tiffin Room or CTR or Sri Sagar Hotel is a restaurant in northwest Bangalore started in mid 1920’s. It is notable for its Masala Dosas which come in butter and non butter variants. It is situated at the 7th Cross Road corner of Margosa Road, Malleshwaram, opposite to the Malleshwaram Grounds.(Google Maps Location) Apart from the Dosas CTR is also known for its Idly-Vada, Poori-Saagu, Kharabath, Kesaribath, Mangalore Bajji , Maddur Vada and filter coffee. It has won awards including the Times Food Guide “Best Benne Masala Dosa in Bangalore” and Burrp.com’s “Best Benne Masala in Bangalore”. (Courtesy Wikipedia)

I and My friend Nayan on authentic dosa scavenging in Bangalore reached CTR or Hotel Sri Sagar early morning on our cycles and ordered Ghee Masala Dosa. At morning 7.00 am, the place was already beaming with customers. 

The order was attended bit slow compared to other places we reviewed (Vidyarthi Bhavan being the fastest).

Review of Ghee Masala Dosa – If you like your dosa crispy, then this is the one. The dosa made here was the crispiest among all dosa’s we had ate till now in Bangalore and also understood the delay in serving as the dosa takes more time on pan to make it that crispy. Taste was good and ghee in masala dosa was prominent. The side dishes like sambhar and coconut chutney were good but not upto mark as we expected. but Ghee Masala Dosa was ultimate.

Take care and Bye till next time.

Part 1 of this series covered Vidyarthi Bhavan- one of the iconic eatout in Bangalore catering since ages.

This blog is focussing on Janatha Hotel, another iconic eatout surviving the fast paced urbanisation and modernisation of Bangalore City. Janatha Hotel is situated in Malleshwaram, Bangalore. (Google Maps) 

Hotel Janatha is a pure veg south Indian breakfast home which serves you authentic dosas, idli, vada and speciality of this restaurant is that they serve authentic Maddur Vada and Mysore Pak which I think is not available in other restaurants nearby. It is also famous for its crispy vada and of course crispy butter dosa.

As we were more interested to taste the Ghee Masala Dosa (which we have made a standard to compare), we ordered the same. After waiting for some time, we were served our orders. The dosa were the crispiest I had ever in Bangalore till date, the best part was the accompaniments – Sambhar and Chutney. They were best.

You can really experience the old Bangalore here, be it the wooden benches to sit or the self service menu which is fixed since ages.

I feel all the food lovers should visit this restaurant once at 8th Cross malleshwaram, Bangalore and enjoy the past. This place still maintains its originality.

Bye and take care till next part of Dosa Scavenging….

At Hoggenakkal Falls fish market

Good thing in Hoggenakkal falls is that there are local ladies (Lady Chefs) roaming in the market who will offer to cook fish for you at some rates which you have to Bargain. We purchased 2 kgs of Local Fish (Black Rohu) and then bargained with a local lady to cook for us. She agreed for Rs 500.00 to provide us Rice, Fried Fish, Curry Fish and Rasam by 2.00 PM.( It was already 12.00 noon by then)

After finishing our arrangements for lunch we then proceeded to the Hoggenekkal Falls Bathing Area. We changed to our bathing dress and then indulged under the falls. The force of water was very high which was giving a natural massage to our bodies. We thoroughly enjoyed our Bath for approx 1 hr and felt relaxed having indulged in the water like children.

At Hoggenakkal Falls Bathing Area

After a hour, we went to the lady Chef for our lunch which was ready and served hot. The food was delicious, may be due to culiniary skills of the lady or being cooked on wood fire. Anyhow we enjoyed the food and after a while started our journey back to Bangalore. Also you may enjoy parisal boating in Hoggenakkal Falls which we didnt do as we were too tired after bathing.

Having Lunch at Hoggenakkal Falls

It was a journey to cherish and remember, be it the scenic route swirling through mountains and small ghat roads or the flow of River Kaveri, everything was there to be enjoyed.

River Kaveri (Before Hoggenakkal Falls)

Note: The route is very short if you come out of Bangalore City Limits. Also once you enter Tamil Nadu Limits, TN Police will be on the roads to penalise you for not wearing seat belts or not having proper documents. Please take all with you. If your intension is to visit only falls, then visit just after Monsoon or if you love Boating, then visit in dry months like Feb and March 2020.

Thanks and stay safe.

As you are aware that we always plan to roam around in Bangalore in our cycles. For Vidyarthi Bhavan, we started from Hebbal early morning at 5.00 AM. We reached Vidyarthi Bhavan at around 6.40 AM (route map) and were astonished to see that so early in the morning, the food joint is bustling with activities and orders on high. In fact the seats were almost full. So we rushed to capture two of the vacant seats in Vidyarthi Bhavan. At one glance, you could only admire that the place has not changed itself with the fast paced lifestyle and we could feel the vibes of old heritage place. We were excited and hungry after cycling for more than 15 kms. One of the attender took our order and before we could think our order of two Ghee Masala Dosa was served steaming hot before us. On service parameter, 10/10. 

At Vidyarthi Bhavan

The Ghee Masala Dosa was crisp and mouth watering. The best one we had in recent times and certainly justifies the hype around it and certainly Vidyarthi Bhavan lives upto its name and reputation by this. But looking at the menu, they do not mention Ghee Masala Dosa. So we were inquisitive and found that the item Masala Dosa is the same we were served and the quality is above standard compared to many other food joints in Bangalore.

Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine is situated in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and is approx 60 Km from Jammu City. The shrine is open 24 Hrs for Darshan and needs little bit of planning and motivation for visiting Maa Vaishno Devi.

Yatra Parchi (Permission for visit the shrine) can be taken online by furnishing ID card details of all Pilgrims. Yatra Pachi can also be taken offline after reaching Katra at many places but it is advisable to take Yatra Parchi online as online parch is valid for 24 Hrs for starting journey from Base to shrine but in offline one you have to start journey within 6 hrs of issue of parchi. Peak season for Mata Vaishno Devi visit is between April to June and September to October. Heavy rush of pilgrims may be encountered during the above periods.

Ex Bangalore, we have many ways to reach Katra

1. Flight from Bangalore to Jammu and then by Bus/Cab/Train to Katra (Flights from Bangalore to Jammu are costly)

2. Flight from Bangalore to Delhi and then by Bus/Cab/Train to Katra (Most economical and Time saving option)

3. Train from Bangalore to Katra

Hotel options are numerous in Katra and can be booked from any online booking sites. Also Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine board has a lot of accommodation options and needs to be booked early for reservations. 

Clothes to be taken depends on period of the year you have planned to visit. It is advisable to carry cold weather clothes if you plan your journey between October and February. Also it may snow in December, heavy weather clothes are preferable.

Katra is base camp for Mata Vaishno devi Shrine and there is considerable temperature difference between Katra and Bhawan (Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Temple area is called Bhawan also). From Katra to Bhawan, there are a lot of points ie Banganga, Charanpaduka, Ardhakunwari, Himkoti, Sanjho Chat and Bhairo Baba Temple. Ardhakunwari Temple is midway between Katra and Bhawan. Distance from Katra till Bhawan is approx 14 km. 

If you start ascend from Banganga, several options like horses, mules and carriages are available on rent till Bhawan. Rates are quoted at Banganga entry point. If you prefer walking, you can start from Banganga or Tarakot Marg. Tarakot Marg is a new way which is available only for walking pilgrims from Katra till Ardhakunwari. This new way is easier to climb and safe. After reaching Ardhakunwari, electric cars are available to reach Bhawan (Heavy rush is observed for tickets). Also you can book online tickets for electric cars. Helicopter facility is available from Katra till Sanjhichat. From Sanjhichat, Bhawan is 2.5 Km which can be covered by walking or by horses on rent. Also Helicopter option from Katra to Shrine needs to be booked early minimum 3 months in advance to get confirmed reservation. (Though Helicopter flight is not guaranteed due to ever changing weather near Shrine) 

After reaching Bhawan, Yatra parch needs to be stamped and if heavy rush of pilgrims is observed, then group number is given in the Yatra parch and you have to wait till your group number is announced to have Darshan. There are free lockers available in Bhawan to keep all the belonging. Shoes, leather items, cameras and luggage not allowed inside Mata Vaishno devi Darshan place.

You can have most authentic details and can do booking of accomodation from Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine official Website (https://www.maavaishnodevi.org/).

Ardhakunwari Shrine view from Katra Railway Station

At Katra Railway Station

India is slowly embracing the new word, a way of life Electric Bikes. Electric bikes, scooters, cars buses are future of India for varied reasons. First of all slowly all the hydrocarbons from which petrol or diesel are being derived will slowly become scarce and costly. Second to reduce carbon foot prints all nations are taking serious steps. Vehicles consuming petrol and diesel will slowly start to become costlier as they have to pay for keeping environment clean.

I purchased a Cosmic Crux 29″ cycle in Jun 2019 and started using the cycle for my daily exercise regime. Me and my friend Nayan (Nayan uses Schnell Cycle by the way since May 2019) are using the cycles for our daily rides and long rides.

As Bangalore terrain is having a lots of crests and troughs, I decided to invest in a electric bike kit to convert my cycle to a e bike without investing in a new cycle. ( Main reason being to keep pace with Nayan as I am on the bulkier side of weighing scale😏).

It was kind of research for months to zero in on an ebike. I searched everywhere from Aliexpress, Bangood, Gearbest (All Chinese) to Amazon India, Flipkart but no result. I found all the available kits either sub standard or they are not giving warranties. Some of them were not responding to my queries or giving unsatisfactory replies. I wanted to convert my cycle but with some specifications like I wanted the same gear configuration and the same brakes (disc brakes) with in line brake sensors. All the indian suppliers were clueless about the details. 

My research on the electric bikes zeroed in to two indian startup companies- Lightspeed from Ahmedabad and Eaddict from Pune. Eaddict was providing the motor for front hub only and lightspeed had both the options- for Front and Rear Hubs. Also both companies were providing in line brake sensors and also a lot of personalisation in the kits. As I was not confident on front hub motors, I decided to go with Lightspeed with rear hub motor. 

I ordered Lightspeed Kit on 21st Oct and recieved the Kit within 7 days. I ordered the kit with personalisation with 7.8 Ah Battery, Dynamic Display with 5 pedal Assist, 250 Watt rear hub motor with thread on cassette, 29″ rear double alloy wheel, thumb throttle, inline brake sensor and Front Headlight (Price can be referred in their website). Rushad from Lightspeed was always prompt to clear my doubts. After delivery, I took the kit and my cycle to local mechanic for fitment. Only issue with lightspeed which I found is that they do not provide any printed document for fitment and Lightspeed informed that engineer will be on line while fitting to clear any doubts. 

After fitment I had driven the ebike for nearly 400 Kms in last two months and I love the same for doing short trips to long trips. The Kit on fully charged gives a range of approx 40 to 50 Km in Pedal assist ( Not tried full throttle mode Yet) and takes only Rs 1.50 to Rs 2.00 to fully charge the battery. Lightspeed has given one year warranty on Battery and two years on other parts like motor. In fact I have shed my Motor Cycle for any small work nearby and I am loving it.

Please contact me for any query regarding the same on my contact page. I will be delighted to help on any issue.

Bangalore aka Bengaluru is really infamous for its traffic in this 21st Century, also known as Silicon Valley of India is now not so fast city. The average speed of vehicles at peak hours is approx. 15.5 Km/hr, which is 3rd from bottom ranking among Indian cities. So the answer to this may be zoom across in cycle may be a ebike. You will reach faster to your destination with negative carbon footprint to boast off.

I have been using a cycle for my exercise regime since 2018. Cycling is always excitable and enjoyable in group. 

Cycling Trail….Near Heserghatta Lake

I will below state some of the enjoyable cycling trails which will be elaborated in ensuing posts of the same blog. We have considered starting point as Hebbal (near to CBI office). We have covered all these locations with passion and love for nature….

1. Hebbal to Sankey Tank (Approx 6 Km)
2. Hebbal to Cubbon Park (Approx 8 Km)
3. Hebbal to Ulsoor Lake (Approx 9 Km)
4. Hebbal to Rachenhalli Lake (Approx 9 Km)
5. Hebbal to GKVK (Approx 10 km)
6. Hebbal to Avalahalli Forest (Approx 17 Km)
7. Hebbal to Hennur Bamboo Forest (Approx 19 Km)
8. Hebbal to Hessergatta Lake (Approx 20 Km)
9. Hebbal to Turahalli Forest (Approx 21 Km)