Travelogue: Sharavathi Valley Backwaters
There are some amazingly awesome places in Karnataka which need the right guidance and facilities to attract tourists. One step forward in achieving this is made by Mr. Sampath who is responsible for the revival of tourists flowing into the Sharavathi Valley Backwaters. All you need to do is inform Mr. Sampath a week in advance, the number of people in your group and rest is taken care by him.
About the place: Sharavathi Valley backwaters is formed as a result of Linganamakki Dam constructed across the river Sharavathi which later flows down the hill and results in Asia’s highest waterfalls, the Jog. Due to the sudden rise in water levels because of the construction of the dam, many low lying areas around the path of Sharavathi are submerged resulting in formations of a number of islands. The slow flowing water provides the perfect platform for swimming, boating, kayaking and other water sports. A small hill of moderate trekking difficulty gives the aerial view of the wonderful backwaters.
Getting there: At a distance of about 300km from Bangalore, Sharavathi valley is a minimum of 2 days trip. Take a bus to Sagara and then hire a local taxi guy who takes you GubbaGodu, 20km from Sagara. Make sure you reach GubbaGodu well within 8 30am in-order to make the rest of the day enjoyable. Since our bus reached Sagara by 6 30am, we decided to view the Jog and proceed towards GubbaGodu. Heavy rains played spoilsport at the Jog and much to our disappointment, none of the gates of the Dam were opened.
Things to carry: Here is a list of accessories you *must* carry in-order to help yourselves during your stay in Sharavathi Valley.
- A proper BackPack. (A bag which can be put on our back and other kinds of bags wont do).
- A plate with a spoon for eating food. (Must)
- One cup for drinking water, tea etc. (Must)
- One light & thin bed sheet, Foam sleeping Mat will be arranged by them.
- A small hand torche. (Must)
- A 1 ltr. water bottle.
- Well worn in sports/canvas shoes/sandals.
- Toilet kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, comb)
- Sun cap and Sun lotion.
Please carry only items mentioned here. Carrying extra stuff might just discomfort you.
Day 1: GubbaGodu – Mr. Sampath’s men were waiting for us with Hot steaming Idlis with Chatni and Khashaya. The experience of sipping hot Khashaya on the river banks is bliss. One thing needs a mention here. There are no basic facilities for freshening up in these islands. Be mentally and physically prepared to get yourself up and going amidst the woods. Atleast you can tolerate that to see nature’s heart. Boats were kept ready for us and we proceeded towards another island. Everything here is environment friendly and that means you should not expect motor boats. Rowing your way all through these islands is the only means. For the first half hour you would enjoy the rowing, but afterwards you need the villagers to take you through. I tell you rowing against the current is not an easy task. Half way through some of us dared to swim across the river and repented heavily for it. The distance what you see is actually way too much less than what it is, and we ended up swimming half the distance. By the time we reached the shore, there was nothing left in us. We could barely walk. Sampath’s men then setup tents for us and we took some time off to rest from travel fatigue and swimming disaster. In sometime Sampath’s men prepared lunch and for the rest of the noon we spent time admiring nature.
By 4pm we set out to another island which is said to have a wonderful sunset point. Again rowing ourselves through a rather calm Sharavathi we reached the place which is another treat to the eye. As the sun went down behind the hill we felt the much needed relief from city life. Took some amazing photographs and headed back to the camp island. To our surprise Mr. Sampath’s men had readied the campfire. Now you are in the an island lit by just the moonlight, pitch silence, campfire and surrounded 360 degrees by water admist a forest. This is pure awesomeness. Hospitality of the best of its kind when we served Hot tea and Mirchi(Chilli Bhajji) at the campfire site. Could not ask for more. Sung, danced and screamed like no one was hearing or seeing us and not to forget the heated argument on Rahul Dravid vs Adam Gilchrist. We were then served dinner and the tents were setup with mats for out sleep. Most of us just roamed around till midnight and just passed off.
Day 2: Awesome breakfast which included Ragi Dosa and Akki Rotti with hot Khashaya. We had boats ready for kayaking. Put on our life jackets and entered the water — fun unlimited. Half the day was already over when we were done with the water sports. Had awesome Pulav for lunch and left for the main Island near GubbaGodu. No sooner we reached there, we set off on another mission — trek the hill which gives a breathtaking aerial view of the backwaters with islands. With heavy backpacks we had to walk nearly 45 minutes nonstop to reach the base of the hill. After recollecting some energy we started the trek which takes not less than another 45 minutes to reach the top. I promise you every step is worth its weight in gold. The scene from the top is just not expressible. With some final photography with the lowest of batteries left after two full days of life with no electricity.
We literally ran our way down the hill to catch the last bus to Sagara and then headed back to Bangalore from there on. To say the least the effort of Mr. Sampath is just remarkable. The price he charges is very nominal. You actually feel that you really got more than what you actually paid for. Here are his contact details -
- Mr. Sampath Kumar
- prapancha@gmail.com
- facebook.com/prapanchas
- sharavathi.blogspot.com
For the complete photoset click here.
A hundred thousand page views
In just over 18 months of its existence this blog has received a hundred thousand page views. It really amazes me that a lakh people have found something interesting and visit back on a regular basis.
My sincere thanks to those who spend a lot of their valuable time on this blog commenting and discussing matters that would directly or indirectly influence other readers. While most people just take benefits and never return once their task is done or the information they need is found, submitting a thank you would not take much effort. On the other hand there have been readers who actively post comments which on a few ocassions have resulted in mild flame wars (which I enjoy). Keep them coming folks. There are also instances where I have not replied to some requests via comments/email as many a times the answer would be in the previous comments. Please spare some time to read them before asking. That said if a comment really needed a reply I would definitely not miss out on that. Special thanks to Akismet for blocking spam and making my life easier.
My journey with WordPress has been wonderful. Matt and his team are doing a wonderful job to provide new features that makes WordPress the world’s best blogging software. For example WordPress released a bunch of features under a week on which I recently twittered.
Finally, no matter who you are and why you are here I extend my sincere thanks to you for visiting this blog and inspiring me to write more. Do keep coming back as I have much more interesting stuff in store for you. Incase you feel I should write about a topic feel free to contact me. For the time being its time to celebrate the six figured stats. *Drumrolls*
Independence Day – WordPress Logo
Today, on the 15th of August, we celebrate the the completion of 62 years of Indian Independence and I found a WordPress India Logo which just sets up the mood for the ocassion.
WordPress India Logo
Happy Independence Day, fellow Indians 
Photo Courtesy – Allan Fernandes
Fiat Grande Punto – Review in a nutshell
Here comes the super hatch killer in India. The Fiat Grande Punto. Since its release, I have seen a few on the roads and envied it. I thought I have waited a lot and yesterday just took off for a test drive of this Diesel beast. I’d like to share a few experiences.
Looks exterior: One word describes it. Awesomeness. Fiat’s allround design beats the ugly Ritz and A-star. The front grille, the rear finishing and the side doors all give this car a superb touch. You’ll surely fall in love at first sight.
Looks interior: Not very much impressed. I’ve always tought Fiat has to hire interior designers from Hyundai or Honda. They have always been giving the customers crappy interiors and still have’nt learnt their lessons. I drove the top end Emotion Model which had an inbuilt Music system whose contols seem like an old transistor. The Air Con vents and the sliding controls are just too primitive. Its all black-black inside. The door side handles are’nt eye pleasing either. Fiat, its time. Change your inner wear. It matters. x|
Comfort: Great. You go inside and feel you are in a super big sedan. There is no way that 5 big sized adults could feel even the slightest of the cramps. With Steering level controls and seat height adjustments provided, a 6 foot guy need not worry about his comfort inside. Same with a guy who weighs a 100 Kilos. You’l fit inside with utmost ease.
Engine: The Fiat 1.3 MultiJet Diesel is a gem. Its Gold. I need not speak about it. Its a proven champion.
Acceleration: Here’s something you have to worry. Fireup the first gear, a slight push on the Gas would kick start the Punto. Then, you move on to the second and third, the car does not move until you push the Gas Pedal fully. An unpleasant surprise, but that’s the fact. I do not know whether it was a problem with the test drive vehicle, but if its not this is a serious issue. Press the Gas fully and leave the rest for the engine? I felt like a moped.
Braking: Its time that Indian car makes start giving us ABS as a compulsion and not as an option. With roads these days wider and better, and with a masterpiece Diesel Engine, you tend to zoom in fast and brakes are your life savers. Aren’t they? If thats not possible atleast give us all four Discs. That said, Punto’s brakes are not bad either. They show good response at speeds of 100kmph but never tested with 5 adults and luggage fully loaded.
Power Steering: The motor driven power steering responds well for a fairly bulky body like the Punto.
Air Conditioning: 1.3 Diesel does not bow down to an Air Con. You feel instant chill and it reaches out the rear passengers as well.
Dashboard: Ugly. What Fiat thought by placing the fuel and the temperature indicators at the center is still a mystery. Who on earth, while driving needs to keep looking at the Fuel Indicator going down all the time? I was very dissapointed. People are used to see the speeds and RPMs while driving, so put them at places right in front of the eye. Placing them where the edges of the steering cover them is foolishness. And next time, please change that italic font on the speedometer. It sucks.
Mileage: Punto gives you a highway mileage of 20 kmpl and a 17 kmpl in city conditions. I would accept this any day.
Gear Box: The new improved Fiat Gear Box is good. No complaints. All gears fall just right in place.
Top Speed: I always test drive Fiat vehicles at the Mysore Road, Concorde Motors so that I can zoom away in the Highway. Punto accelerated within no time and reached 100 – 120 kmph and stayed as stable as ever. Punto’s Aerodynamics and Geometry are the best available today. Go, press that accelerator and feel the rush
Tyres and Suspension: Tubeless tyres and Good suspension. Fiat won here.
Boot Space: Ample boot space to accomodate enough luggage for a family of four for a week long tour. No complaints here.
All in all, the Grande Punto is another step forward towards Fiat second innings in India. Given a chance to choose, I would rate the Punto over the Swift. Anybody now buying a Skoda Fabia is nothing less than a fool. Its very interesting to see how the 4 different cars – Punto, Indica Vista, Swift and Ritz fare at the market with the same 1.3 Multijet inside.
Find more pictures of the Punto Here. All the best Fiat.
