Nandi, Lead the Way

Nandi Hills is just outside Bangalore by about sixty kilometers. You see, sometimes you do not have to travel far to have a great motorcycle ride and see something spectacular. The view from Tipu's Drop, looking down from the mountain to the plateau, is something to see, even on a hazy day.



Eight kilometers to Nandi Hills


Jain Temple

On the way, we stopped at a Jain temple, on the outskirts of Bangalore. This temple has ceased construction for reasons the guards did not know, but it was under construction for about ten years and is used for active worship. It is built in the Rajasthan tradition and has extremely nice marble work for its temple flooring. No photos are to be taken within the outer wall, but a guard wanting money for coffee allowed me a couple in exchange for a few rupees.



Marble floor of the Jain temple




Inside the walls of the temple grounds


The Hills

Anjali took some photos from the back of the bike, which turned out great. Here is what we saw on the way up.



Starting to see some hills




Large hill in the distance




Looking up to Tipu Sultan's Drop


Picnic

That morning, we threw some toasted bread, cut cucumber and some spicy cashews into a bag as a snack to share on the way. Halfway up the winding roads leading to the top of the highest peak of Nandi Hills, we stopped to eat.



Stopping roadside for a snack


It was hard to capture just how crazily winding the roads are, but here are some photos of the traffic coming up and down the hill.



Bikes coming down from the peak




Slight bend in the road going up the hill


Let's Take It From The Top

Ah, the view.



View from Tipu Sultan's Drop




Looking down on a bend in the road


Monkey Business

One thing you will see a lot of on Nandi Hills are the monkeys. Lots and lots of monkeys!



One monkey family




Rickshaw driver




Uninvited guest in a parked car


Getting Lost

Part of the fun of taking a trip without being completely sure where to go is when you get lost. The course we took home was not the reverse of our way to Nandi Hills, but we managed to find our way by stopping every so often and asking for directions. The ride there took just over one hour. The return took an extra hour, but we got in some added ride-time that way. The total journey gave us five hours away from home, a nice walk up many steps, an awesome view of the villages below the drop and a long bike ride. A great day, to be sure.