AMBOLI

My husband and I wanted a weekend getaway without the hassle of too much of planning, packing or spending too much money.  From Hubli - Karnataka (which is where we were staying then), Amboli - Maharashtra is about 160 kms.  That was just an hour and a half drive.  So we took off.  As we hit the borders of Maharashtra it was raining and pleasantly lifted our moods.  The roads were narrower but lined on both sides with paddy fields, teak plantations and then a huge stretch of forest.  A little after - the weather was foggy and there was very little visibility.  Then we reached Amboli.  Amboli is a hill station along the Sahyadri Hills.  It's on the Ghat section, so expect winding roads, fog, rain and tiny waterfalls along the way. 

The "Sunset Point" -   Since it was foggy we couldn't quite see the sunset but the place is worth making a stop at.  Experience the pure bliss of looking at the lush green valleys and listening to the whistling woods. It is definitely worth a mental picture.  Along the road you have many small waterfalls that run down from the hills.  Do make a stop for the pure pleasure of bathing in clean water from the mountains.  It is more refreshing that you can imagine. 

The Big Waterfall - Do find your way to the biggest waterfall in the area.  It is a huge ravine and had two huge waterfalls running into it.  It was windy and raining on the day we went, so the waterfall running down the hill was splashing back upwards.  The feeling of the tiny water droplets on the face is pure pleasure.  The drive back from the waterfall to the main road is just plain GREEN.  It is beautiful. 

Do take your cameras and an umbrella if you need it.  We preferred getting drenched. 

BENGALURU - HUBLI HIGHWAY DRIVE

BENGALURU - HUBLI HIGHWAY

We travel from Bangalore to Hubli and vice-versa atleast three to four times a month. The Bangalore - Hubli highway runs through Neelamangala-Tumkur-Chitradurg-Davangere-Haveri-Hubli. It's approximately 420 kms (plus or minus a few kms depending on which part of Bangalore you start from. There are multiple toll gates along the way. So ensure that you have sufficient change inorder to make a quick move at the toll booth. The highway is super smooth for most part of the journey. However, there is portion of the highway where six lane is underway and the traffic is streamlined to the corners of the road. This portion is not discomforting for the drive though, because most the road is pretty much free of potholes. But this will cut down on the usual highway speed.

About a 100 kms off of Bangalore, there is a Cafe Coffee Day. We stop for a cup of coffee to keep us going for the next 5 hours, get a few snacks for the road and empty bladders if need be :). Most part of the highway is agricultural land. When I traveled this road for the first time in April, the endless stretches of land was dark brown and barren. I hadn't imagined that the earth would transform itself in the days to come. As months passed, we could see farmers sowing on these lands, tractors and bullock carts on the sides. And as the south-west monsoons made it's grand arrival, around June, the endless stretches of land turned lush green. All sorts of farms from Paddy, Jowar, Bajra, Chillies, Tomatoes, Onions, Peanuts, Corn and many others were being grown.

THE FLAMING ORANGE BED:

One day, along the way, between the multiple shades of green paddy fields stretched over hundreds of acres until the eyes met the horizon, there was a sudden burst of orange – flaming orange. It instantly caught our attention and we stopped to figure what it was. It looked like a flower bed but was atleast about 3 kms away. So we couldn't pinpoint on what it was. We decided to take a detour and drove in towards the orange bed. As we got closer, we couldn't believe our eyes. It was a Dahlia farm with hundreds and hundreds of Dahlias. Bright orange blaze of glory for a city dweller's eyes. As we drove further, there were many other farms of Dahlia. It was delightful to see the number of shades of just one kind of flower. There were lighter shades of orange, some bright orange and some were dark orange color, rather closer to red. As Ganesh Puja came around, the flowers were plucked and packed off in truckloads to the adjoining city markets.

BLACKBUCKS:

Somewhere between Davengere and Haveri is a place called Rannebennur. This little town has a Blackbuck Deer Sanctuary. Though we have never been to the sanctuary, one of the times that we were passing by Rannebennur, we pulled over to take a break. In a faraway farm it felt like something moved near a tree. I thought it was a goat since it was too faraway. I immediately took out the camera so I could zoom in and see what it was. To my surprise it was a herd of spotted deers and blackbucks grazing in the field. It is unusual to see deers so close to the highway unless you were driving through hills. It was a spectuacular site.

WINDMILLS OF CHITRADURG:

Chitradurg is precisely half way between Bangalore and Hubli. It's called the “City of Forts”. As you approach Chitradurg you will see hills that are widespread and atop of these hills are a line of windmills, strangely synchronous, yet not. Not just one or two, but hundereds of them. It's a serene sight during the day and starry eyed during the night. The skies are studded with blinking lights almost like stars. As you get closer, you'll notice these are the center lights of the windmills running across the hills. And these blink as the fan blades of the windmills circle. It's a pretty sight. Also, running along one of the hills is a huge fort wall. Almost looks like the Great Wall of China from a distance.  Yes I've been to China!! :D

POCKET FUL OF RAINBOWS:

Between June and September, the southwest moonsoons arrive. During this period, it rains abundantly and so the fields and farms are full, healthy, luscious green and is a nature lover's paradise. And catching a rainbow is almost predictable. It rains when the sun is shining – well this is anybody's guess. Breathtaking, is when on one of our drives, we caught a rainbow arching beautifully across with the highway right at the center. The second time we saw a rainbow from the balcony of our house and the third time was the best when saw a double rainbow. One full rainbow and a half rainbow. Never heard of that? Well, there is nothing like being caught unaware - colourfully.