Ride Summary: Distance: 225 kms Total Time: 8 hrs 30 min
When you carry so many electronic devices, charging each one of them before the ride can be pretty painlful. It becomes a part of the morning rituals. My old laptop that I am carrying has 3 USB ports and I make complete use of them because some hotels don't provide multiple charging points. In addition, packing and mounting the bags on the bike, every single day, is also quite annoying. It's like an addition to your bowel movement routine in the morning :)
Mysore, the next destinaton, is about 125 kms from Madikeri. Hence ride-wise, it was comparatively a short day. I was lagging behing on blog writing; hence finished my Day 3 blog and then we started. The connectivity speed is also an issue; hence uploading pics on the blog is quite time consuming. We were just 15 kms from the ride from Madikeri and stopped for some Dosas, for breakfast. I then realized that my knee pads/guards are missing. This is my 1st road trip that I am using them. On my Ladakh trip, I used riding pants. Hence I am still not used to remember; and there it was. The 1st experience of 'Leaving things behind'. Since it was a rountrip 30 additional kms, I decided to go to the hotel room and bring them back. They cost around 2000 Rs. hence the additional 40 min was
certainly worth it. And the more important point was safety since I wasn't sure if I can find something similar in Mysore.
We had read reviews about Dubare Elephant Camp on tripadvisor; hence decided to stop there. It's only a 40 min ride from Madikeri. And thanks to the republic day holiday, it was crowded. We still decided to give it a shot. You need to cross the Cauvery (Kaveri)river; hence they arrange a small boat ride, which is completely unnecessary because the depth is around 2-3 feet. They could just have built a ramp and people would have walked. But I guess they do it for some business (money). The camp is a little bit of a disappointment. Other than an elephant ride; there isn't much to do. I read on the internet that if you stayed as a package from jungle lodges, it's a good experience as you get a chance to interact with the elepants for a day. Since we spent all this time coming here, I still decided to go ahead with the ride.
A crazy incident that happened here is some government official turned up with his family and decided to abandon the queue (note: it was crowded). A lady began fighting with that man about line cutting, and hell she was right. It got quite noisy and then the official decided to stop the ride. Luckily, I was done by then. But such incidents are common across India I imagine where people are crazy about using their power for illegitimate reasons.
We stopped for lunch in Kushalnagar and filled up our tanks. The low fuel prices are certainly helping me in this trip. A south Indian Veg meal has become our staple lunch diet on the trip. And the rassam! Oh boy! I love it.
A Tibetan monastery is ranked #1 in attractions near Kushalnagar, Coorg. Hence we decided to pay a visit. And what a beautiful and peaceful place. We loved every bit of it. It's located in Bylakuppe and is the second largest Tibetan settlement (outside Tibet). Looking at the monks, I suddenly felt as if I am riding in the Leh-Ladakh region. Brought back so many memories of that trip. Nitin and I decided to donate a small sum to the temple. We also bought a few souvenirs. And yeeeeee! Flags for my bike!
The temple has some signs (similar to Puneri paati). But even if people are literate in India, some don't seem to be educated. Look at this guy, almost sleeping on this bush as if he is starring in a Yash Chopra film. No wonder the temple monks had to write explicitly that this temple is not for entertainment. When will we learn?
Mysore was only a 75 km ride from Bylakuppe. We stopped for a refreshing coconut water break. After a bit of tiredness, coconut water is so rejuvenating. Wonder why we (including myself) have surrendered ourselves for crap like Coke.
We had decided to do a homestay in Mysore and found this amazing place -- Tulips Homestay. The owner has carved out studio apartments in his bungalow in Vijaynagar. And the property is no less than a 5 star. We reached around 6:45 pm and I asked the owner if the Mysore Palace will be illuminated. First he said no, because it's not a Sunday. Then he mentioned that since it is Republic Day, it will be illuminated but only till 8 pm. We dropped our bags and rode to the Palace. We saw it illuminated for only 10 mins or so but it was totally worth it. What a piece of beauty! 
Awesome !
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