Nandi Betta Again
It was a long time since I had driven faraway from home. Just to get back the hang of driving I drove to Nandi along with a friend. Very close to the city, it takes hardly an hour to reach our Bangalore's very own 'Hill Station'.
The first time I had been here was in May 2005 . This time I had to overcome two hurdles during the drive on the hills. One each while driving up and down.
The roads leading to Nandi are very challenging for any driver. They are really steep and some of the curves are very sharp. The Tirupathi ghat section according to me is the best and the safest of what I have seen.( Ooty Ghat Section is an other one I have travelled in) I guess Tirupathi is the only one in India to have two seperate roads for going uphill and descending down. Unlike the temple town, Nandi betta ghat roads are really narrow which is a two way track. So the horn has to be used constantly at all the curves to alert the approaching vehicles from the top.
The first hitch was when I was about a kilometer from the summit. The roads towards the end are very very steep . In one of these almost vertical roads, okay no exaggerartions, say like 50 degree slanted road, my car which I was driving in the 2nd gear came to a sudden halt. A Tata Qualis which I led right from the start stopped behind me as there was no room for it to move. I applied the hand brake and started the ignition and in tandem pressed on the accelarator while applying the first gear and releasing the brakes. This may not describe the enormity of the situation. I did not realise it myself that time as I didnt panic. But my heart beats later made me realise it was pretty risky.
While coming down in the evening, my battery had almost discharged as I had not swithched of the ignition . As a result the car would not start. I got the car sligtly pushed by a good samaritan and voila I was moving downhill without the engine running and the car in 2nd gear and my legs on the clutch. I had no prior experience in starting the car in this fashion. It is dangerous to go downhill without the engine running as the brakes wont apply. I luckily managed to get the engine running and successfully overcame this vigna too.
A murder captured on camera :) Just kidding.. A group of guys trying to give their friend a memorable birthday bumps.
This flower bud caught my eye.
All in all it was a memorable drive to the Nandi hills. An ideal spot, close to bangalore for a getaway from the din of the city.
The first time I had been here was in May 2005 . This time I had to overcome two hurdles during the drive on the hills. One each while driving up and down.
The roads leading to Nandi are very challenging for any driver. They are really steep and some of the curves are very sharp. The Tirupathi ghat section according to me is the best and the safest of what I have seen.( Ooty Ghat Section is an other one I have travelled in) I guess Tirupathi is the only one in India to have two seperate roads for going uphill and descending down. Unlike the temple town, Nandi betta ghat roads are really narrow which is a two way track. So the horn has to be used constantly at all the curves to alert the approaching vehicles from the top.
The first hitch was when I was about a kilometer from the summit. The roads towards the end are very very steep . In one of these almost vertical roads, okay no exaggerartions, say like 50 degree slanted road, my car which I was driving in the 2nd gear came to a sudden halt. A Tata Qualis which I led right from the start stopped behind me as there was no room for it to move. I applied the hand brake and started the ignition and in tandem pressed on the accelarator while applying the first gear and releasing the brakes. This may not describe the enormity of the situation. I did not realise it myself that time as I didnt panic. But my heart beats later made me realise it was pretty risky.
While coming down in the evening, my battery had almost discharged as I had not swithched of the ignition . As a result the car would not start. I got the car sligtly pushed by a good samaritan and voila I was moving downhill without the engine running and the car in 2nd gear and my legs on the clutch. I had no prior experience in starting the car in this fashion. It is dangerous to go downhill without the engine running as the brakes wont apply. I luckily managed to get the engine running and successfully overcame this vigna too.
A murder captured on camera :) Just kidding.. A group of guys trying to give their friend a memorable birthday bumps.
This flower bud caught my eye.
All in all it was a memorable drive to the Nandi hills. An ideal spot, close to bangalore for a getaway from the din of the city.
2 Opinions:
The last shot is amazingly beautiful...well taken!
It is not worth taking risks for silly photography. Life is more precious and also think of people whom you matter
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