Turahalli & Omkara Hills

On 5th Of August, I rode my favourite Bicycle route again. Beginning the ride at 5 AM from my house, I headed towards Turahalli forest, off Kanakapura Road. It remains my favourite place in Bangalore to view the sun rise. There has been some changes to this place now though. The place has been fenced and any type of adventure sports here is prohibited.

After relaxing at the hill for a while, I took the trail to the other side of the forest. This is a shortcut to the village on the other side and connects to the road to Omkara hills. 

At Omkara hills, young Vedic students were chanting Stotras. Here, I took a break to eat some tasty Theplas that I had packed and after which, I heading back. 

Bicycling time - 3 Hours for 27kms

Hand Painted T-Shirts

The idea of painting a T-shirt occurred to me first in 2014, while I was walking by the Kovalam beach. Among several shops by the shore, there was this small outlet filled with hand painted T-shirts. In the middle of the store, sat the artist, immersed in his work, oblivious to the window-shoppers. The idea of painting my own T-shirts seemed fascinating. But then, as usual, I procrastinated its execution for a long time. But, once things are on my To-Do list, no matter how long it takes, it is always executed. So, finally, I managed to gather some confidence to experiment on some, not so expensive T-shirts. I chose to paint with Artist Acrylic paint. 

At first, I tried the multi-layered Tree; a technique with Filbert brush that I have learnt recently from a Youtube video. 

Then it was time to try something more. How about a Minion?

And later, it was time to get a bit more creative and create something original. Splash!

Tikona Fort

Next morning, Ganesh Bhai, Deeksha and I woke up early and left the farmhouse at around 7 AM. We directly drove to the starting point of the trek to Tikona fort and became the first ones to be there. Intermittent rainfall did not seem to bother us much. After all, the view was spectacular and the air was fresh. It was an enjoyable trek. I think, I shall let the pictures speak for itself.

At the last leg of the trek, slippery staircases and steep climbs made the hike seem challenging  Thankfully, ropes tied to the walls aided the climb. 

At the summit, it was just us and two other small groups. Drifting clouds seemed to play hide and seek with us, constantly covering and uncovering the view below. 

During our descend, we came across several people who were making their way up the hill. It was a pleasure to meet Jyo, with whom I had been on a trek, the previous year (Ratnagad to Harishchandragad). She is now a trek lead with the group that had organised that trek. Thats great!

After breakfast, we decided to head back to Mumbai early to avoid the traffic. We stopped near Lohgad for some Bhakri lunch before heading back to Panvel. 

Bedse Caves

I was in Mumbai a few weeks ago. On a weekend, along with my sister, my niece and a friend of ours, I drove to Tikona. The day had to start by tasting some delicacies at the famous Datta chats in Panvel. It would be a sin to return without tasting these dishes in Mumbai -

Vadapav

Misal Pav

Kothambri Vada

Khanda Poha

Karvas

The monsoon had painted the Sahyadris all green and one breathed freshness in all direction. Every year, I try not to miss this nature’s work of art. 

On our way, we stopped at Bedse caves. A short walk of 20-30 minutes from the car park will take you to this magnificent Bhuddist caves built around 1st century BC. 

At the base, we stopped for some quick tea and pakoda at a Tapri, it was an idyllic setting out there. 

Later, we drove the farmhouse - Sadabahar moments in Mulshi district. It was already 2 PM when we reached there so we headed directly to have some much needed lunch - Bhakri, Junnka and fried eggplant dish. 

After lunch, we played snooker and took a short nap before heading to the Sai Baba temple. It seemed appropriate to join the devotees in ending the day with prayers.