IandMyBackpack

Always fascinated to see riders? You get that sparkle in your eyes seeing bikes like Royal Enfield and Harley? Well why don't you get up and just go try them.... That's what we did. I and my friend - two immature riders. One who usually rides his car and other who try practicing bullet whenever she gets chance. He had the confidence with the recent Khardung La ride he did on bullet and she just went with all the confidence she could gather. Route - Chikkajala - Hebbal - Tumkur - Hassan - Tumkur - Hebbal - Chikkajala 470KM - 12 hours No Destination No Plan For us it was all about riding the RE Classic 500. Thank to FunBykes in HSR layout, Bengaluru, from where it was rented. Their FB Link  - https://www.facebook.com/funbyk/?fref=ts  We decided to ride towards Chikamangalur via Hassan. It was almost 19:30 by the time we reached Hassan. We had little problem riding in the night so to be on the safer side I started riding on my extreme left. Because of my stu...

Every time I look at these.... my day is made. Credits: www.tripoto.com

Buses for kerela are available at Satellite Bus Station. We took local ksrtc bus to Mysore - 95/- on Friday afternoon at 1 You can go for Delux Kerela transport buses which goes straight to Wayanad - 290/- and preferable. From Mysore we got frequent buses to Wayanad - 110/- in which we were all the time in air flying over the bus seats. Not advisable for people with backpain problem. We decided to get down and stay in Kalpetta 11 KM before Wayanad as it was nearby to Chembra Peak where we wanted to start our Saturday morning with a Trek. We reached late to Kalpetta around 9:30 PM and we had friends from Poland and Brazil. To our surprise foreigners were not allowed to stay in any of the Dormitory - 200 per bed with big and clean bathrooms or Hotel due to some permission issues. We tried our best to find a place, convince hotel people and police as well. But no use. The only hotels with Foreigners stay permit were 3 Star and 5 Star and on a backpacking trip no one wish to stay an...

Looking for adventure? Thinking of trying a trek? First time trekking experience? But don't know where to, how to.. with whom? Chennai has a trekking club open to all - from freshers to pro. Register in the below link and you will receive mails with event details planned every week. https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/sachennaitrekkingclub/join Register in the event link mentioned in mail and wait for getting shortlisted. The group is not limited to Chennai alone. People from other places can also join. treks are organized almost all over India. A group of 18-22 members go for a single trek. The organizers are well experienced trekkers. If you are shortlisted you will get a detailed prep mail. Nagalapuram Freshers go for a Easy level trek. Moderate+ and difficult trek is strictly not advised. Make sure you start exercising a week before going for any trek. This group made me a adventurer and backpacker. I hope you find a traveler inside you as well. H...

The "backpack and a sleeping mat" attire do help you get the respect from local people.  Work on your communication skills with strangers  to get place to sleep and eat for few complimentary bucks or nothing at all. The moment you see any new place, take time to feel and appreciate instead of running for your camera.  If someone doesn't speak your language, that's your problem, not theirs. And please don't take "talking louder" as an alternative. Always eat food hot to avoid any bacteria. Carry a shower curtain or plastic dining table cover to be used as an alternative to sleeping bag which wont occupy much space in your backpack and if crashing in a hostel or someone's room, it can be easily used as bed cover or a rain cover during unexpected rains. Do not feel shy to ask first the cost of anything you want to eat. Sometimes food that might look cheaper may turn out to be super expensive or vice versa. Accommodation will never be a problem ...

Time out with Monks Bylakuppe – first thing came in my mind, is this a place’s name. When I went through the details found on internet it was hard to believe that it is a Tibetan settlement in Karnataka. I was ready right at that moment to visit this place coming weekend. North east India has been my favourite place and staying in south India it was difficult to plan a trip all the way there. That was the reason I was super excited to find Bylakuppe here in south 248 KM from Bangalore . You can catch any KSRTC bus going to Mysore or Coorg as BK is on the way which takes 4hours 30min from Bangalore. Only one private bus is available on Red Bus. I and my backpacker travel mate and friend booked private bus as we were travelling late night and was not sure about the place. We got down at BK around 4:45 AM. It was still dark and a tea shop was open near the small Bus stand. As BK is famous for its Golden Temple we asked them the way to Golden Temple and started walking with o...