A spur of the moment plan had got a bunch of us women deciding to do a
driving holiday to Chikmagalur/Halibedu/Belur from Bangalore. Lack of time and
planning (being a long weekend for Easter break) saw us having to revise plans
and look for options. Once again chance and a spur of a moment decision (and
lack of stay options anywhere in Chikmagalur) had us booking a stay in Hassan
(being the closest option to getting to Halibedu) at Riverdale, a Stay Simple
(http://www.staysimple.in/ ) resort for a night. Never heard of this before,
but never regretted it either. They had a resort in Sakleshpur too that was
available and was just an hour odd away from Hassan. The roads were open and we
had wheels. So off we went. And the NH 48 from just outside Bangalore (off
Tumkur rd) all the way to Sakleshpur through Hassan is a dream drive.
True to its name Sakleshpur is a nature lover’s delight – a panacea for
the mind, body and soul. It has something for everyone – luxury plantation
stays for just chilling, smaller ones for budget options, B&Bs for bikers
and trekkers.
Typical of most hill stations, there really isn’t all that much to do –
nature hikes (not too high for good treks), water falls, a number of ubiquitous
temples, an old unkempt fort (this was Tipu sultan’s land). Though quite
content to just chill, we did chance upon a couple of really interesting things
to see and do. One was the Bette Bydeshwara temple, which is a quiet little
temple tucked away practically in the middle of the rain forest. Take a short
hike up a path next to the temple, and the view from up there is breathtaking.
We took a picnic bag with us and made a good morning of it. A small pond near
the temple is also a refreshing pit
stop. The other for the more adventurous
is the Green route trek. This is along an abandoned railway line that runs from
Sakleshpur town to Subramanya Road station.
Some said that there was a ban on trekking on the track, but it’s worth
checking out. This stretch of the track with length about 52+kms has around 50+
tunnels and bridges with length varying from few meters to 0.5km and height
varying from few meters to few hundred meters. Alternatively one could
just ride a train that runs on the new track (not too many pass this way; but
there’s one in the afternoon) between these two stations. And you have one of
the most picturesque 
One thing about a driving holiday is that since you have the wheels, you
don’t need an agenda – you could decide to do or not to do something anytime.
The trick to a really enjoyable drive is to club the open roads with an open
mind. Be willing to be flexible on food, stay, things to do and see. If you are
with like-minded people then it works great. You may come across a not very
pleasant experience, but what the hell, just drive on.
It does pay to be prepared in terms of a spare tyre or extra fuel (just
in case you’re lost in the middle of the jungle and the nearest bunk is 30kms
away). BSNL works best in remote areas (Airtel 3g/4g) picked up zero bars. So
have at least one phone with a BSNL card. Do research on routes beforehand, GPS may not
always work. Brush up your local
language vocabulary with some essential words (sometimes nothing else works);
we knew our resort was near a dam, so knowing the local word for dam helped.
Some essential snacks, water to tide you over till you get to some eatery. Get
early starts so you have spare time to get to destinations before dark,
especially if you are a bunch of women driving alone.
Travel is more about the journey than the destination.
So just enjoy the
ride. 