Post lockdown monsoon wanderlust - Nagala

 

 

Introduction

With all the pent up energy from the previous weekends trek to BM betta still surging through me, I knew I had to do something the following week as well. It wouldn't matter if it was another one-dayer or the typical 2 day jaunt with the usual overnight bus journeys and one night spent camping in the forest.

So I decided to enquire with some of my old trek buddies if they were ready to do a two day thing. A few conversations over two days, and a plan was baked and ready by Wednesday evening. It was going to be 7 of us. The plan was more or less the same, i.e for easy treks. Get into the eastern stream at Nagala, show the newbies the sights, the pools, waterfalls and all, spend ample time at those places and then call it a night with warm soup by the stream. The next day cook some happy breakfast, indulge in some sliding, diving, frolicking around in the pool, get a fish pedicure, and do some underwater exploration. Check out the other pools nearby, and exit early in the evening. At least, that was the plan!

Day 0

It was Friday evening, and I was all packed and ready for the trek. I was ecstatic as this was to be the first full blown 2 day trek after months of lockdown. I left for the Majestic bus stand in Bangalore all exuberant and cheerful, listening to my favourite mashup tracks on Youtube. I had booked the 11 PM sleeper bus to Tirupathi. 

I arrived at the bus stand quite early and had lots of time to kill. So I made a few calls to some of my trek buddies and we talked about the good old days of trekking. Not the days before Covid-19. But the older days, where everyone trekked almost every weekend, and no one was married or had other commitments to attend to. Those were the days!

Continuously blabbering on the phone, I was totally oblivious to the time and before I knew it, it was already time to board my bus. I got to the terminal, reached the bus and read out my PNR number to the conductor. I climbed into the bus and stopped at the third stair. I gazed into the eyes of the person who I was going to hand over my life to for the next 6 hours. He looked straight ahead with a blank stare on his face, and didn't as much as give a slight tilt towards my side when he (must have) noticed me staring.

Did I really have to connect with him on that level? I didn't have to, as I later saw what a smooth driver he was. Not once did I feel threatened or get woken up during the entire journey, and I can confidently declare that it was one of the smoothest bus rides I've ever taken to a trek.

                                        

 

 

 

 

 Day 1

I arrived at Tirupathi early Saturday morning. The rest of gang was to get in from Hyderabad. And it was only then, that I got to know that they'd be joining me directly at Nagala instead of the main Tirupati bus stand. But as it often happens on treks, plans got changed at the last minute and they landed up at Puttur, a town not very far from our main destination. And again, as fate would have it, they ended up getting on the very bus that I was on. So with pleasantries and introductions completed, myself and Anil got around to discussing the itinerary for the day. And that's how the rest of the bus ride to Nagala went.

Once at Nagala, we got around to purchasing vegetables and chicken for the Biryani that was to be cooked by the stream at night, along with some processed stuff for Sunday afternoons lunch. The weather was quite salubrious owing to a week of continuous rain, as told to me by one of my contacts at the town. One could easily make out it that it had been raining as the soil was damp, and there were lots of puddles all over the place. It was also exceptionally cool and breezy that day. It is usually hot and humid in Nagala for most part of the year.

 

After purchasing the requisite foodstuff, we moved towards the bus stand to hire an auto to take us to the dam, the start point of the trek. The scenery on the way is definitely something you do not want to miss out on. Although the SS Puram road is in a pathetic condition right now, it's an absolute pleasure and joy to cruise on otherwise. You'll be mesmerized with stunning views of the majestic peaks in the distance, while breathing in the fresh forest air that lingers en route the main village. After an extremely bumpy ride in the auto, we arrived at the breakfast point on the road with all our joints intact.

Fresh piping hot Idlis, dosas and Puris welcomed us into the miniature eatery, as vehicles whizzed past us on the road below, blowing the rising steam from our plates into our faces. The red hot chutney, or "kaaram" as it is called, burned my senses as usual and stirred up poignant memories of my earliest days at Nagala. How so many generations of people I've trekked with have now gone ahead with their own lives, leaving me to trek here with the ever floating population, that is the trekking community in India.

I took care not to overeat unlike previous treks where I'd always end up taking a dump somewhere on the trail before the trek could even start. The energizing essence of the Kaaram and other chutneys can turn even the most disciplined eaters into gluttons who will overeat and bloat themselves out. If it were for anything, I'd come here every weekend just to have Idlis with the different varieties of chutneys they have to offer, especially the fiery red Kaaram.

It was 9 by the time we got into the first pool and began playing in the water. The first-timers to Nagala couldn't contain their excitement, and started yelling and screaming their lungs out on spotting the waterfall at the end of the pool. We spent close to an hour there and then took the call to leave as more groups shuffled into the area and started crowding the pool. 

The initial trail to the first pool was overgrown with shrubs and was teeming with life in the form of mushrooms, flowers, reptiles and insects. We even saw a snake dart across a pool right in front of our eyes. Luckily, I captured part of it on my camera.

We left for the dead-end pool, and reached there in less than an hour. There was another group of 5 here who had the same plans for the night as us. We'd be seeing them again later in the evening at a common campsite. We all got into the water and swam over to the other side to feast our eyes on the majestic gorge and waterfall. We spent close to 3 hours at the dead end pool, jumping, swimming, and just lazing around in the pool, exactly the way one is supposed to relax and rejuvenate themselves on a weekend. After tiring out our bodies with all the fun and frolic, we dived into our lunch packets with gusto and then settled down to a nice long nap. There was no need of a "power nap" for once, unlike the rest of the 99% of treks I go on, as this was a relaxed foodie trek.

It was early evening by the time we decided to make a move for our campsite, the magic pool plateau. I was tricked into thinking it was sundown by the low hanging monsoon clouds, and started hurrying the group up to pack up and start moving for the campsite, when one of them reminded me that it was just 5 in the evening.

Oh you mischievous monsoon clouds! You tricked me again, didn't you?

 

 

By around 5.30 or so, we started packing up and moving from there, one by one, to regroup at the cave and then head for the sliding pool as a single unit. 

We arrived at the campsite exceptionally early and I was able to get two hours of rest before joining the others in the kitchen. But instead of food, I was welcomed by the sorry sight of everyone desperately trying to get the fire started. They were trying to get the wet logs to burn since the last 2 hours and had failed every single time. I immediately sent some of them to go get a bunch of dry logs which I caught sight of at the cave on the way up. We then got the fire started, made our meals and hit the sack at around 11 in the night. Still not too late for a trek. Funnily enough, it is sleeping early that is an issue on most treks. People either keep chatting all night to get themselves to sleep, or wake up extremely early next morning to relish and bask in the silence of dawn when everyone's still asleep.

The moon rose high up into the sky behind one of the many beautiful hill formations of Nagala and shone brightly into everyone's faces negating the need for flashlights. This was the best part of camping on the magic pool plateau and I knew it. There were intermittent clouds playing hide n' seek with the moon like they do with the sun during the day.

 

 

Day 2

The second day began with long yawns and droopy eyes as most of us hadn't slept well. I remember watching the others slant precariously on a steep slope when I had gone to fetch water some time after midnight. I was the only one in the group who found flat space to sleep, yet barely managed to get any sleep at all. It was the constant buzzing of insects and their antics that kept me up for most of the night. Then at some point - I have no idea when - my body just gave up fighting with them and crashed. But I woke up terribly drained as if I hadn't slept at all. 

With a different set of insects (along with the sun) now thwarting my second attempt to sleep, I decided enough was enough and got up for the day. I changed into my swimming trunks and descended to the magic pool which was on the other side of the plateau. 

Trek or no trek, an early morning swim always does the body wonders! 

A few steps above the pool, some folks from the group were seated on the rocks and engaged in soft early morning conversation. I greeted them as I got down, lowered myself into the water, and let the blissful cold envelop me as I swam. After moving around for a while, I stood still and let the pedicure fishes do their thing. The others were still seated on the rocks and engaged in conversation, while checking on me every now and then. After a while, they got up and went to the campsite. 

I waddled in the water for a few more minutes and then went to join them. I was disappointed with the news they had for me. After the previous night's stunts with the fire, and with most of the ingredients for the fresh food spoiled, none of them were in a mood to cook. And we now had to make do with whatever processed stuff we had. This was a total bummer as this was supposed to be a foodie trek with lots of fresh food involved. I didn't want to have any dry processed stuff right at the beginning of the day, and so just gulped down a few mouthfuls of glucose powder along with some water for an energetic start.

 

It was at that moment that another impromptu change was made to the plans. Here we go again! 

It was decided that one of the organizers and I would go back to the dead end pool as he wanted to experience the gorge one more time, while the rest of the gang would stay at the sliding pool to slide and play in the water. We decided to meet at a common point on the eastern stream at 1 in the afternoon, and then break for lunch at the first pool. Some in the group were trying to push for an early exit in the afternoon, but since I'd already booked my tickets for the night, we deferred our exit to the evening.

I mean, what was I going to do all alone at the Tirupathi bus stand for 6 whole hours anyway? Even If I decided to stay back, it would be a terrible waste of my time lounging around in the pools just to push for a late exit. Both groups promptly made it to the rendezvous point at 1. We then discussed how much time we'd like to kill at the pool before starting for our exit. Since they wanted to get out of the forest in the afternoon, and with me pining for a late evening exit, we decided to do a middle ground and exit at 4 in the evening. Keeping that in mind, we had our lunch at the first pool, and spent the appropriate amount of time at the rest of the pools on the way out, so as to get out by 4.

Being Sunday, there were a ton of trekkers at the first pool, with more groups entering and leaving as we were there. It was clear that the amount of trash on the boulders around the pool had significantly increased, and I made a mental note to come clean it up some time like I've done in the past. We arrived at the dam just as the clock struck 4, and there were intermittent low hanging clouds sprinkling water on us every now and then. The droplets were clearly visible on the vast area covered by dam water. But it never rained. We arrived at a local village house to eat the Bondas and Bajjis we had ordered the previous day. And boy did they taste heavenly after two days of trekking!

I tried to capture the stillness and tranquility of the backwaters as the droplets fell: 

We got into the auto at the dam, reached the village home where we'd ordered food, and sat down to some scrumptious bajjis and bondas with coffee. We spent close to 45 mins here gorging on the Bondas one after another, and they tasted absolutely divine after a trek. It was 6 by now and we decided to make a move for it, as the guys wanted to catch an early train departing from Puttur for Hyderabad.

At the Nagalapuram bus stand, we again got into a private auto who took us all the way to Puttur. I had never rode on the main Puttur-Satyavedu highway in an auto and this was the part of the trip that was most euphoric for me. The view of the wide highway, majestically flanked by mountains on both sides, which is usually covered by the bonnet of a car or the windows of a bus for the majority of times I've been here, was now open and unhindered. This stretch is a trekkers playground and definitely must be on the bucket list for all the diehard fans of trekking and exploration. It was absolutely mesmerizing and captivating to be surrounded by mountains on all sides, especially when the scenery is painted by the colours of dusk. 

We arrived at the train station just as the train blew its departing whistle, and I saw them off in total filmy style, without even as much as getting a chance to say goodbye. They had to make a wild dash for it from the auto, and the last of them boarded the train like how the heroes do in movies, running and jumping into it as it rolls out of the station. I sauntered back to the Puttur town area amidst all the noise and cacophony of the market area. Too much to take after two blissful days spent in the tranquility of nature. I plonked myself at the bus stand as I waited to hop into any bus going to Tirupathi. I got one in a few minutes and arrived at Tirupathi in an hour or so. 

At the Tirupathi bus stand, I was in for some major disappointment. The AC waiting lounge was no longer there, and I couldn't relive my memories of 10 years spent waiting there for the sleeper bus to Bangalore. I badly missed the Telugu movies with its uber loud speakers enveloping the entire lounge with the movie being played as the AC froze you over, completely blocking out all the cacophony of the bus stand, with the constant air horns of buses and yelling of conductors unable to penetrate inside.

I then remembered that I hadn't had my dinner yet, so I could somehow kill time doing that. I walked out of the bus stand, found a Chinese place by the main road and sat down to some very mediocre fare. I should have trusted my instincts and gone for the traditional food on the cart. But how much cart food could one possibly have? As trekkers well know, the craving is for something tangy and filling after a trek.

I finished it quickly, got back to the bus stand and boarded my bus back to Bengaluru. Not bad for a first trek to Nagala. After months of lockdown, it sure felt like a breath of fresh air!

 

Kavaledurga - An enchanting monsoon sojourn

Kavaledurga. An enchanting historical fort nestled so deep inside the western ghats, you are bound to feel like you've time-travelled. The meditative drive on wide, empty highways with stunning views in all directions, the hike up the secluded and undisturbed fort, the silent introspection at the peak as you take in the mesmerizing views of the river in the distance snaking its way through patches of forest; and if you're lucky, the feeling of the clouds whooshing by your face, will all coalesce together to accord you with a renewed sense of vitality and enthusiasm for life.

I was spellbound the moment we touched the curvy ghat section, with its roller-coaster kind of ups and downs. We zoomed along bridges that took us across, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, ravines, wetlands, swamps and marshes. We also traversed coffee and tea estates, dense thick jungle, open grassland, and mini settlements. The road to Kavaledurga has it all! If you are a photography enthusiast, you do not want to be the one in the drivers seat. Make sure you are a passenger, carry a ton of juice, and ensure there's ample free space in your camera. You are going to be assaulted with photography opportunities!

Oh and by the way, don't blame me if you lose a part of yourself here. Coz I sure as hell did!

Day 1 - The drive to Shimoga

Hmmmm, how do I even begin with this particular place? It has so many facets to it!

Kavaledurga is a campers dream, a trekkers picnic, a workaholics vacation, an artists canvas, a photographers landscape, and a history buff's encyclopedia. You can be assured that Kavaledurga will morph and transform you into one of the above mentioned personalities that you aren't, and you might be turned into a multifaceted thrill seeker. If the location and the drive does not bring out the child in you, I don't know what will!

Even long-drive lovers and biking enthusiasts will not be left out. This place is 400kms from Bangalore. What more do you need? What starts with wide, open, 6-laned national highways in the beginning, turns into 2 lane state highways, which further blend into mountainous ghat roads with no dividers. Once the twisties began, we were half regretting going by car, instead of on bikes. The adrenaline rush is too good to be missed out on. Bikers can get a good dose of adrenaline on the twisties, apart from enjoying the thrill of riding in the rain of course.

My choice of poison: desolate ghat roads

The drive begins:

We started from Bangalore at around 5AM on a Saturday morning and were well on our way without any major hiccups.

After driving for more than 250kms, with 200 more to go, we decided to take a break. I started driving slowly as the others were busy hunting for eateries on both sides of the road. We finally got to what I'd call some semblance of civilization when we arrived at a bridge. We were apparently crossing the Bhadra river. I was surprised to find the bridge having a pretty wide carriageway. At the very end of the bridge was a forest department hut with a gate, and ahead of that was a junction. Towards the left of the junction there were shops and eateries on either side of the road. We decided to park there and then get back to the bridge to admire the beauty of the river and click photos. The river was a muddy brown colour and looked stunning in the backdrop of green hills, blue sky and forest. The tufts of clouds neatly spaced from each other only added to the beauty of the scene.

So first we arrived at a crossing for the Bhadra river, went ahead, parked the car and came back to the bridge to take pictures:

Into the wild

Lost in time

At the very other end of the bridge was this gate and a hut with forest department livery painted all over it. Even the trees around it were painted the same.

After taking a couple of pictures, we started walking back towards the junction. All we could hear was the rustling of the trees, the birds, and the sound of the river itself. We got back and spotted a coffee shop on the other side of the road. Exactly what we've been looking for! So we sat down and ordered cool drinks and coffee.

Taking a break after a really long drive with a nice hot cuppa ☕:

During this time, some of us were using our phones and checking out the location info of where we were. We got to know that there was a bird sanctuary just 4 kms away, and so decided to pay it a visit before continuing with the original plan.

After we felt sufficiently rested and ready to move, we started for Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary.

Signboard for the bird sanctuary:

Since we were quite ahead of time for our original destination, we knew that we had the time to do some extra-curricular sightseeing.

So off we went, and reached the spot in less than two minutes:

Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary

There were a couple of Herons and Egrets nesting by the large mounds of sand on the lake. I could spot them on the shores in the distance. We parked the car, got off the main road, and went to check them out. There wasn't anything different about this lake. It has the same scenery as any city lake, so we barely spent a few minutes here.

Having given the place the amount of time it deserved, we moved from there and continued on our journey. It was almost 70% done by this time I guess. The route was such that we had to go back to the coffee shop, and proceed straight from there. So we took a U-turn, said goodbye to the coffee shop, and proceeded with the journey.

From here on, we encountered sharp curves, coupled with exhilarating jumps and declines. This sent us flying to either sides of the car, and took us off our seats as well, for a bit. We were catching some serious air on every twist, turn and fall, and we got maximum thrills out of it. Since I was the driver, it was me who was enjoying it the most, along with my friend in the front seat. The ones sitting behind were quite terrified as they were being tossed around like footballs. 😉

On the other hand, I never wanted this to end. There was just a single episode of rain, which passed by fast, or rather we got out of quickly. The rain battered the car like crazy, and provided additional excitement to the already existing euphoria of flying on the twisties.

When it got over, we rolled down the windows again to breathe the aromatic forest petrichor.

Within an hour or so, after all the twisties got over, we arrived at this beautiful meadow which was on our left, and decided that it was too appealing to be skipped:

There was an embankment kind of thing next to it. We descended the steep stony surface and got down to the meadow to feel its vastness. We got some really great snaps here.

The meadow with stream flowing in the centre:

A vast expanse of solitude

The undulating, vast greenery of the meadow was too captivating to let go. It conjured up images of childhood where we played cricket and football in such expansive fields.

The roads we've been flying on all the while:

Wide open roads, to let loose the child in you

The spot where we parked the car to go check out the meadow:

Introduction to Kavaledurga

Kavaledurga Fort is situated in Thirthahalli in the Shimoga district of Karnataka. It is built on a hilltop with multiple layers of fortification that follows the natural contours of the hill. It was built in the ninth century and was a stronghold of the Vijayanagar empire. It apparently has 7 layers of fortification with two at the village itself, which we crossed in the car. You'll cross the other layers as you progress along the trek. You can read all about the history of Kavaledurga here.

I am of the opinion that this entire itinerary and place can only be appreciated by those who have a very deep esoteric taste in nature. Yes, party freaks are welcome too, but remember, there is no commercialization here, so don't expect homestays, resorts, or anything of the sort. We just threw up a tent and soaked up nature alpine style.

After departing from the meadow, our next stop on the way was a bridge which had sandbanks on either side of it. It looked so primeval and tribal, that we just couldn't go without getting out of the car and experiencing it right then and there. There were many such sandbanks we'd crossed that day, but this is one that totally blew my mind.

Sandbanks always give off a primeval, mysterious and eerie vibe to themselves. I am always visualizing our ancestors living on sandbanks sustaining themselves by the resources of the river. Maybe I watch too many Hollywood jungle movies. I don't know! 😉

Sandbanks: an enigma of sorts

We arrived at the village where the fort was located and realized that there were still 2 hours to go for sunset. With that kind of time on our hands, we decided we could do a quickie that day itself, in addition to Sunday's trek, which was already on the cards. We had to cross at least a kilometre or so of slushy mud road before we could arrive at the gate where the trek began. The others got out of the car to make it easier to drive this section. This was also to protect the car chassis in case there was a hidden pothole in the slush. While they hiked up that 1 km section, I enjoyed the slow drive in the waterlogged mud trail. We arrived at the gate and saw a few groups returning from their trek. There were a few who were waiting to begin their trek as well, smoking at the tea shop near the gate.

We inquired about permissions at the tea shop and they said this was our last chance if we wanted to go up that evening itself. They were to close the gate soon, as sunset was fast approaching. So with that, we swiftly got back to the car, changed into trekking gear and began the hike. We decided to keep all the photography for the next day and just enjoy the trek that day. There was no time for anything else. We only went up till the second fortification, and decided to cover the rest the next day.

The rain which had stopped more than an hour ago started again. Although I used the word 'stop', what I actually mean is the rain had reduced to a drizzle. It never really stops here, not at least during these months. So it became heavy again as we were descending and I planned to keep the same clothes on till we hit the sack for the day.

There was a gorgeous Arecanut plantation right at the start of the trail. It added variation to the scenes we'd been seeing all day long:

Arecanut......next to a rice plantation?

Further ahead we noticed a small pond towards the right side of the trail:

 

We got back to the tea shop and were welcomed by piping hot Pakodas and Bajjis. Being soaking wet and shivering to the bone, there was nothing more one could have asked for right at that moment. There was quite a crowd at the shop due to the rain, as it was the only shelter around. I felt quite claustrophobic, and picked up my share of snacks to have in the open space next to the shop. This small patch of grass was to be our campsite for the night.

This was the view from our campsite:

We were waiting for the rain to stop so that we could get around to pitching tents. Finally after an hour or so, the rain let up. We knew we had an extremely small window of opportunity to set up camp. By the time we were down to setting up the second tent, it started drizzling again. Just as we finished setting it up completely, the drizzle turned into a full blown shower. We left the tents there and ran back to the tea shop for shelter.

By this time, everyone had left and the shop was closed. We were standing under the tarpaulin roofing that covered the front of the stall. Along with us was a man who said he was from the house on the opposite side of the road. He said we were welcome to get into his compound and use the toilet if needed. The rain never let up that night. It just kept moving back and forth from light to heavy. We used the drizzly times to go get all of our food and cooking equipment from the car. By now I was soaking wet and it really made no difference to me whether I got out in the drizzle or heavy rain.

Since there was no other dry spot, we had to cook under the shelter of the shop. We used a miniature gas stove, since there was no firewood available, and sat down to piping hot noodles. The cold caught up to all of us when we sat down to eat, since we were not generating body heat anymore. I couldn't stand it any longer and I rushed for the tent the moment I finished eating.

The night was uneventful, with the sound of heavy rain pounding the tent every now and then. There would be really quiet moments where all you could hear were the crickets and cicadas, and then there would be the sound of the heavy downpour which instantly blurred out all of the other sounds. It kept alternating between the two. I barely slept a wink because of the excess tea I drank due to the cold. That amount of caffeine is bound to keep anyone up, if taken during the second half of the day.

Day 2

We woke up to a chill, misty morning with thick black clouds still present all around us. The rain had let up for a while and that gave us ample time to complete morning duties and dismantle the tents. We decided not to cook, as we neither had the time, or energy to do so. We just ate whatever processed stuff was in our bags and called it breakfast. With that we began the hike at around 7 or so. There were tourists arriving to the parking spot just as we were folding up the tents and packing our bags. We wanted to get a head-start to them so that we could be alone and get some amazing pictures.

The trek up Kavaledurga is quite easy, undemanding, and is most apt for someone who is just getting back to the game after a long break. It is totally doable by newbies who have minimal trekking experience. It's only in the monsoons where things get a little bit dicey and challenging. This is the time where unseasoned tourists and non-trekkers must watch their step. The trail is clear cut, with most of it being stairs, either carved into the rock or separately laid. Regular trekkers who are looking to take a break in between difficult treks, newbies who want to try out trekking for the first time, and even  total couch potatoes can do the Kavaledurga hike.

Here's some history for all you history buffs:

And here's some warning boards from the Archeological Survey of India for those of you who go to such places to monkey around:

And with that, we passed through the 5 fortification walls one by one:

View of the fort from another temple on an adjacent hill

It should take the average trekker not more than an hour to ninety minutes to reach the peak, with plenty of breaks in between. Even if you lounge about and take a lot of pictures, you will have time to explore all the beautiful nooks and crannies of this majestic fort. Just like most forts in India, it has a multi-layered protection system in place. So when you've finally crossed the 5th and final wall, you know the peak is just a few meters ahead.

There is a gorgeous swimming pool somewhere after the fourth wall that made us too stunned to move. I recall resting and checking out that place for more than 20 minutes at least. The dark green of the moss inside, the light blue and white reflection of the sky, all fused together to create an artists masterpiece. Just before reaching the pool, you will come across the ruins and remnants of fallen stone pillars and walls. Some of them were still intact, while the others were broken. These remnants of the Mughal Empire are sure to intrigue every history buff and wanderer who come here.

I did not get around to finding out the story behind those fallen pillars and stones. You will find many artifacts of ancient significance here, such as the pool, the tub, the striking architecture and fortification system, among many other such artefacts. Of course, the most striking architectural marvel is the temple itself located inside the fort, which is located after you cross one of the fort walls. We, along with some other groups, took the longest break at these two points (the pool and fort). There isn't much of a trek left after you've checked out these two attractions on the way, so you'd might as well laze around here, and take in some history.

Before you reach the pool, or ruins or any such stuff, you arrive at the fort itself.

History buffs and architecture enthusiasts, feast your eyes:

There are these tall ancient pillars right opposite the fort, which look regal and majestic:

Notice the pillars opposite the fort

After exploring these, you'll continue climbing for a few more metres towards the fourth fortification wall:

You'll then arrive at the ruins:

And then you'll finally arrive at the swimming pool:

Notice the colours blending into each other

Surrounding the pool, some at the same level and some at higher points, we noticed more architectural creations. We had no idea what they were built for, or what purpose they served:

Then you'll arrive at the final stairway before you reach the peak:

Once we got to the peak, we were treated to mesmerizing views of the entire range below. Between the intermittent cloud movement, we could notice the river snaking its way through serene lush patches of forest:

After steeping ourselves in the wind, rain and mesmerizing views, we started heading back to base. We got back to campsite the and parking spot in less than an hour, as we barely took any breaks on the way. Immediately, we began for our second destination which was to be another fort.

We were visiting not just one, but two forts on the same day. But not before we could have a sumptuous meal that we were all craving for. We were living on instant food since the last three meals, and this came as welcome relief.

We stopped at a very quaint village en route that had just a handful of people moving around:

pin-drop silence

The homely eatery

Brunch

I gorged on two plates of this

I gulped down as many Idlis and dosas as I could. They were in fact so good that I overate and felt heavy after that.

Getting to the waterfall:

After finishing breakfast, the plan for the day was to visit a waterfall, another fort, and then head back to Bangalore. We had plans to visit a hydroelectric power plant too, but got to know that it was closed for visitors after reaching there. So with that, we took a detour for the waterfall, and after another thrilling session of the twisties for another two hours, we arrived at our destination. We had to park to the side of the road to get to the falls. We could already hear the sound of gushing water from the road itself, which greatly raised our excitement levels. The others got out and I had to move the car a bit to park it properly. I then quickly changed into my swimming trunks behind the car, and then caught up with the others who were waiting for me at the trail.

There was a rapidly flowing stream that preceded the falls. Some of us got into the stream a few metres before the falls, where the water wasn't flowing as rapidly. The water was bone chilling cold and it completely wiped away all my sleep deprivation, preparing me for the long drive back to Bangalore. I felt refreshed and rejuvenated after that dip. There were some people downstream of the waterfall, and so we too decided to go there next.

The stream preceding the falls:

Almost got swept away :D

View from above the falls:

After getting down, we were able to take pictures with the falls behind us:

The waterfall was just too magnificent and imposing to let go. It flowed at such speed and ferocity, the spray coming out of it could be felt from a distance. I could have spent much more time here, but we were getting late to leave for Bangalore. If you find any waterfall off the road in the Western Ghats, definitely make sure to spend as much time there as you possibly can. Those are the places where you definitely do not want to save on time.

Second fort and return journey

After the waterfall visit, we started for the second fort. It wasn't too far from this place, and was just a pit stop on our return journey. So with that, we left and got to the second fort within an hour or so. This was probably the first time in 2 days that we saw such a huge conglomeration of people at a single place. From the beginning of the trip, right uptil now, we'd never been to or around such touristy places. It almost felt like we'd left the Western Ghats and had gotten back to civilization. There were huge crowds of families and groups of youngsters, all milling around at the entrance to the fort and the sides of the road leading to it.

We got some stunning grassland views at this fort, considering that was all that was inside it. This fort is not isolated like the Kavaledurga fort. In fact, it is located off the main road and hence the crowds.

Due to the rains, the number of people were less, but it was still high considering how remote the place is. There was a bit of water logging right at the entrance of the fort. I made the mistake of coming barefoot here, and instantly regretted it. From the entry, I noticed that it was slushy inside the fort too, as the mud had soaked up all the rain water, and the excess had piled up on top. So I quickly hollered to the others to go ahead and that I was going to go back to the car, to put on some footwear. I got to the car and noticed that my shoes were still soaking wet from that mornings trek and I was in absolutely in no mood to get into wet, mushy shoes. So I put on the same slipper which I was using to drive, and then caught up with the others.

It is quite a massive fort if you ask me. It spanned almost a football field in size and had some pretty expansive views of the meadows, once you climb to the top. From one side of the fort, you can view the main road below with a spectacular view of the cars snaking through the single-laned ghat roads surrounded by greenery everywhere. Trust me, you can just sit here and watch the cars pass by all day and still not get bored of the beauty of the place. This place really is timeless!

I was a bit disappointed as I managed to get just a single leech on me during the entire trip:

Even with hordes of people around, the place managed to look barren and solitary. Due to its vastness, I guess the people were evenly spread out everywhere. This gave everyone privacy, along with a chance to take photos without strangers appearing in them, which is usually the norm at most tourist attractions.

Since this place was so huge and there wasn't much chance of encountering any issues related to safety, I decided to explore the place on my own and moved away from the group towards a different direction. Later, when I got up to side of the fort, I noticed that the group had further split up and they too were enjoying the place all by themselves. This was so cool. It was unspoken, yet understood and appreciated, without any hard feelings. We later signaled to each other from wherever we were and grouped up again, this time to exit. With heavy hearts we bid goodbye to the beautiful fort and the western ghats.

We got back to the car, and the trip was pretty much uneventful from then on.There were no stops for dinner on the way as this highway is not as commercialized as the other highways leading out of Bangalore. There was a stretch of road, in fact the very same road which we used while coming here, that was completely dark, with no streetlights at all. This is the one place I struggled with the drive. The blaring headlights from the opposite direction not only makes it difficult to discern what kind of vehicle it is, but also how close it might be while crossing. Quite risky I would say !

We arrived at Bangalore late in the night due to the delay on the unlit section. It was only after getting onto the 6-lane highway that we were able to get back to our original cruising speed and make up for lost time. I got back home, after dropping the others to closest points where they could take a cab from. While driving back home, I was terribly sleep deprived and was almost dozing off in the car itself. Despite this, my mind was busy contemplating where to trek or which place to explore the next weekend. My crazy restless mind!

Disclaimer: The stunt performed at the waterfall is not by a professional, but you still shouldn't try it at any cost. I am not at all responsible for anything that might happen if you do. 😂