OUR JOURNEY

Me and eight of my college friends gave the college a miss on 22 August 2009 and decided to visit this place. We decided to go by bikes. We started planning days before our departure, finding the route, arranging bikes (as everyone did not have one), arranging money!!
We lied in our houses that we would be going on an industrial trip! (as our parents certainly wouldn't let us go in bikes).

Finally we managed to arrange 5 bikes - Pulsar 150, Apache 150, 2 TVS Flame's and a TVS Victor. We were surprised the last three bikes made the return trip successfully as they were 125 cc bikes and couldn't be relied upon for a long journey of 450 kms.

We had planned on leaving Bangalore at 7 a.m and reaching the place by 11 a.m. and decided to return home by 7.30 p.m . But things never go as planned ( not with us atleast !). We had a delayed start at 7.30 a.m. We stopped at "Maddur Tiffany's" at Maddur for breakfast. We had our breakfast by 9 a.m and the next stop was at Mysore (exchanging bikes n stuff...). A few unnecessary stops here and there put us behind schedule.

We were on a roll but then it started to rain heavily after Nanjangudu. We had to slow down. Finally reached Gundlupet at 12.30 p.m. Since there was no food available near the hill, we decided to get some parcel and stopped by a hotel. Unfortunately I was the only vegetarian in the group. There was a reasonably good non-veg hotel but vegetarian hotel??? Found one, but felt the place unhygienic and decided to settle for goodday biscuits and few kurkure packets..

We finally reached the place at 1.15 p.m. We were stopped by a few guards at the check post at the bottom of hill. There was a small board which said:
" Visiting hours : 9 to 5, carrying non veg items, liquor, plastic covers to the hill prohibited"
He checked our bags which contained all that was indicated "prohibited". We were refused enterance. So we decided to finish our lunch at the bottom of the hill itself.

We then paid an entrance fee of Rs.25 per bike. Then came the shocker:)
The guard said that we could only spend only 1 hour at the hill top. How could anyone spend only 1 hour at such a beautiful place. We thought for ourselves - " what the hell?? 5 hours travel of 220 k.m all for an hour??"
He also warned us not to enter the forest behind the temple.