Maujaan..(during the Trip Spree)

These days some of the burden of work seems to have been taken off and we can be seen roaming/racing around Mangalore. Since 2 of our roomies are leaving we planned to visit whatever places are left unexplored in and around Mangalore. Planned to rest this weekend, so taking time to write about our experiences in the past 2 months.
For the past 2 months, we have been visiting a lot of places. Can call it a trip spree. Have been to Hassan, Bekal Fort, Piligula and Manipal.
Hassan
Had a plan for a bike ride to Goa, but it started raining when we got up in the morning. As 3-4 hrs were wasted decided to go to Hassan for a coffee (though had tea and some snacks too). It’s around 180 kms from here ☺. But journey nowadays seems to be more important than the destinations. The journey was awesome, tiresome; but in the end the feeling was like “tripti” for the soul.

Started towards Hassan through a bad highway road and came back through a worser one. But encountered a dream track, which stretched to around 30-40 kms from Hassan to back home. It looked like a racing track with greenery all around. Looked like scenes out of a fairy tale. But the journey after that stretch was one laden with blind curves, amidst huge mountains with thick vegetation and dark clouds. The nature looked beautiful and dangerous at the same time. The NH-13 highway road stretch looked like a god-forsaken road though the scenes around conveyed the opposite. The most tiresome journey every encountered but the most fulfilling too.

Bekal Fort
The next trip was to the Bekal fort, a place we had been planning to visit for the past 2 years but missed it somehow everytime. This one was another picturesque journey; though this time around, the destination was even more beautiful. Bekal fort seemed to be a place ideal for shooting desktop wallpaper material. The vast blue Arabian sea, a railway track running parallel to it, a fortress guarding the land and out of the world beaches with a backdrop of natural vegetation was a rare sight to watch. Mother Nature seemed to have settled here. We couldn’t stop enjoying. The wallpapers are still gracing my desktop.

Pilikula
The next one was to Pilikula zoo. One of it’s kind; this zoo has it all. Ranging from dangerous snakes to beautiful deer; to the ever so ROYAL tiger. It has a variety of snakes, from pythons to cobra to green colored poisonous snakes. Looking at the cobra, one gets to know why is it called the KING. It was huge (around 10 meters long), jet black with graceful yet quick movements; another example of dangerous beauty. On the other hand, the tiger showed what Royal means. Its royal walk was the one, which made our trip. The tiger is easily one of the natures’ most beautiful creations I have every witnessed. Couldn’t stop looking at it. Unfortunately, couldn't capture these in the camera as it was raining heavily that day.

Manipal
The following week we marched to Manipal, my second trip there. There’s something about Manipal; it’s a masterstroke by T.M.A Pai. A beautiful city crowded with youngsters (one can find the youngsters from all over India as well as abroad here). Wonderful infrastructures (out of India, if not out of the world infrastructure), hilly mountains, cool climate and youthful energy; this place has it all. We moved towards the end-point. I always used to think of end-point as the seashore, though it turned out to be Manipal’s end point. Another picturesque venue, apart from beautiful gals jogging there, there was ample beauty to get lost into. It has lush green stadiums, felt like sleeping in the middle of the cricket pitch. The river flowing downward was a sight to behold.

The bike
There’s been one thing common in all these recent bike trips, the bike. It’s Thunderbird but it’s not mine ☺. This bike carries that Royal heritage Enfield bikes are famous for. Easily the best cruiser bike the country, it spoils you as you can drive with one gear up or down without any effect on the engine. The power, the balance, the elegance, the beauty and the speed it has all. It’s one of the reasons, journeys seem to better than the destination.

Waiting for the Harley to come to India. Would love to own and compare a Harley against the ever so ROYAL Enfield.