Bangalore: 

PANORAMA: Kodachadri, near Shimoga, offers the most amazing expanse of forest, clouds and mist Pics by author

Kodachadri is a place known for its beauty, and yes, also for leaches! We left Bangalore, early in the morning for the eight-hour drive to Kodachadri, near Shimoga. We took the Tumkur Road and later got on to Arsikere Road. The lush landscape and the pretty clouds were picture-perfect. Along the way, we came across a beautiful field of sunflowers, compelling us to stop and take pictures.

Our first stop was Shimoga, after which we headed towards Kalgod village, near Hosnagar. Once there, we stopped at a friend's place for what turned out to be an amazing lunch.

On the way, we stopped at the Veerappa Nayaka Fort, by which time it was pouring. But this made it more fun as we danced in the rain, just like children. I had a great time taking lots of photographs of my friends as willing subjects. We were soon joined by a gang of Bullet bikers who kept us company.

We soon zoomed towards Kodachadri. As we neared the foot of the hills, we saw a huge line-up of Mahindra jeeps ready to take people to the peak. It's an 11 km trek to the top of the hill, but we were certified non-trekkers and so opted for a jeep. We would need to walk 2 km to the top after the ride.

We had no idea what lay in store for us. The jeep started slowly and steadily. The higher we reached, the curvier the road got. We had our hearts in our mouths as we looked over one side of the jeep, realising that we were just inches from slipping off the slope.

The hill was covered in fog and full of leaches. The driver told us this was where the famous Kannada film, Gaalipata, was shot. I could just imagine the excitement the film crew must have felt, especially being a photographer, myself.

We were soon on the last leg of the journey, which was also the most dangerous. We reached the Inspection Bungalow, where we couldn't see a thing, as the whole place was blanketed in mist. We prayed at a temple before we began on the two-kilometre trek to Sarvajna Peetha. Legend has it that Sarvagna, the legendary Kannada poet, used to compose his verses here.

The walk made us sweat heavily. The hour-long trek was enjoyable.

The only thing that was running through my mind was how much I wanted to capture every moment on my camera. I took as many pictures as I could. After spending some time at the top of the hill, we began our trek back. We had to remove at least a dozen leaches every few feet. We soon returned to the IB, where we realised just how hungry we were and treated ourselves to a hearty lunch, prepared by the caretaker.

The return was a roller coaster ride but we returned safely, our cool driver who we paid Rs 1,000 an amount well-spent! This was one of the best experiences of my life.  It was a journey in which I felt I had touched God's feet.