I FEEL YOUR TOUCH ON MY BODY,
COLD AND HARD WITH MUSIC ON YOUR EVERY DROP,
SINGING THE EARTH SONG,
 MAKING THE TREES DANCE,
YOU REMIND ME OF SO MANY MEMORIES,
THE WALK TO MY SCHOOL,
THE DRIVES ON THE WET ASPHALT,
THE KISS UNDER THE TREE,
THE TEA NEAR THE ROAD

On the Roads Again : Daringbadi

Every time or other I used to get this Question, “Have you visited Daringbadi?” Can you give us some tips about it? The answer was No.  Somehow the label Kashmir of Odisha didn't excite me enough to Visit Daringbadi. My heart lies with Koraput as known to all, which gets its equal share of frost, fog and falls. 

I was not super impressed with the Images found on Google but still decided to give it a go. Plans were made, hotel booking was done online, a few minor repairs on RE a 350 Thunderbird and we were ready. My Co-rider in this trip was Udipt Ranjan, my partner in UDstudios who was going to do his first maiden long distance trip on his RE a 350 Classic. 

Udayan Smiling Behera with Udipt Ranjan

8^th Feb 2017

We started around 6 Am in the morning, filled petrol’s in our RE up to the brim, had some tea and biscuits and off we go. 

 

Biscuit and Tea still a better love story than twilight

The climate was great with no surprisingly no fog at all, we cruised along and stopped at Tangi (Khordha) for another set of Tea and Water.  In a long journey it is utmost necessary to keep your body hydrated and take necessary breaks, the idea is to enjoy and not to push hard unless required. Our second stop was at Keshpur for some yummy Breakfast. 

Yamma Yumma

From Khaliote Ghati, there are two roads to go to Daringbadi if you are travelling from Bhubaneswar, one is via khalikote and other via Berhampur, Road from Berhampur is a longer but roads are good, where are the one Via khalikote is not bad but occasionally bumpy with congestions. Follow the road to meet at Biju Pattnaik Chakk in Asika and continue on that road up to Soroda. The roads are lovely and scenic in this part.

From Soroda follow the Tikabali road till Daringbadi, Some parts of roads are under construction here I hope they would be over by this summer. No whenever in doubt do ask for directions from the locals they are extremely helpful.

As the sun gradually came hovering above our head, our pit stops increased, taking breaks. I genuinely missed a Go-pro mount on this tour which is on my list now before my next trip. I have been to too many places in Odisha and genuinely speaking most of the main roads are in pristine conditions with proper road and place indications all over. 

Probably the first adventurer, Lord of the apes

From the hanuman statue, Daringbadi takes about 1hr or so, the best part of this road is the Ghats through the jungles of course which starts after Raskijodi Temple. Now in almost every part of India you shall find one small else big temple before or at the end of ghat roads, this is because ghat roads were not safe to travel and people used to pray before ascending the Ghats.Still a common practise among the drivers for a safe ride along the ghat. 

Just keep Praying

Finally we reached Daringbadi and checked into our Hotel Padma around 2PM. Can’t call it a proper hotel but a lodge with no restaurant. Other options in Daringbadi are Hotel Utopia, Deers Eco Resort; don’t forget to get your booking prior to your trip.

As I told the hotel had no restaurant we had to venture out for our lunch. On local recommendation we stopped at Dhaba called Hotel Hill View. Wonders how everything is called a hotel: \? The food was okay, but good thing was WIFI: D. forgot to mention, cellular service providers in Daringbadi are limited to BSNL, Reliance JIo and Feeble amount of Airtel.  

Time for some Sightseeing

Instead of sleeping in our rooms we decided to roam nearby areas. The suggestions we got?

Hill View Park (the name is getting clichéd here), Nature View Park, Coffee Plantations, Doluri River Picnic spot, Lovers Point, and Dasingbadi Waterfalls. 

Enter the Dungeons

We opted for Coffee Plantations first but sadly the park was closed for indefinite time because of Coffee harvesting. 

But the Pine and Nilgiri Plantation are good enough for a small walk. 

Bae Loves to pose

Opt to plan B Nature View Park and Hill View Park, on the gates of this park we had a shocker, the place was swarming with tourists and it was nothing more than a park. 

Prakruit Darshan

 

Pahadi Darshan 

I’m sorry to say this but we didn’t went inside, being from Sunabeda, a man made park is the last thing we would like to visit.

Plan C, Lovers Point.

All the love you need

Lovers point is around 15kms from point B on the Phulbani Route. Sun was getting low as we hurried to this place, planning to get some twilights shots of the fall. Upon reaching the place I realized it contrary to its name, it was just a small cascade with gentle water flowing. Again I drew a comparison between Daringbadi and Sunabeda, why exactly is this place famous for? Instead of Kashmir of Odisha, Daringbadi should be named Ooty of Odisha.
After a long tiring day, it was time for some tea and some serious planning for our tour.
If you want to rest and retire have a time out far from the city with pleasant climate then Daringbadi is for you, else you would be bored for sure. 

Day 2
Morning was a bit chilly in Daringbadi, and our hand almost collapsed on the ride to Dasingbadi Waterfalls.

Exactly when you need it

On the Coffee plantation route continue on straight path round about 12kms to reach the Dasignbadi water. The signboard is in tatters still serves it purpose.  

Roads are good enough for Four Wheels to cross but I doubt it won’t be in Rainy Seasons.  

 
Finally a place where we could open our Camera and mount on tripods.

The fall was small and beautiful and we  had a great time there. 

But first,  lemme take a  pic of me

may be also of him

Shot from Camera D810, Dasingbadi Waterfalls 

 

Dasingbadi Waterfalls , Shot from Camera 

Stairway to the falls of Dasingbadi

Dasingbadi Falls from above

 

In love with the roads

To be Continued...  On the Roads Again : Phulbani

Duduma Waterfalls

We woke up at 5that day with a wake-up call from our client, it was her VIdaai. I'm a wedding photographer by profession, me and my partner were at Jeypore in Koraput Odisha for this wedding shoot. 

Morning Bliss 

We were done with the shoot and instead of cuddling the bed for some rest we decided to go Duduma waterfalls which is around 70kms from Jeypore. Luckily,this time, I had decided to take my Thunderbird for the shoot for convivence, plus it was Thursday morning, just a few Kms from Duduma waterfalls there is a place called Onkudelli, where you can find Bonda tribes especially females in their traditional attire on Thursday mornings. apart from weddings, I'm inclined towards travel photography, a thing which I enjoy a lot apart from my wedding shoots. 

There are two roads leading to Duduma waterfalls one can be accessed from Jeypore and the other from Semlliguda via Nandpur with meeting point at Lamptaput, I suggest the later route for a pleasant journey as this road is under construction accompanied by loads of dust and bad roads. We started around 6am to avoid the darkness and the desolate ghat that falls in between. I have been to these place before so finding the roads wasn't difficult . for newcomers, take the road straight from Gandhi Chakk at the entrance of Jeypore towards Gupteswar, upon reaching the Kota Junction take the left. There is an old iron bridge at Kota junction built by the British's so finding it won't be a problem, at the crossroads one should take the right following the signboards towards Lamptaput. People from Semliguda can take the road near bus stand towards Bheja Chak, from there take right following the countryside to reach Lamptaput, don't hesitate to ask for directions, the people are always helpful. 

Dusty Roads 

Back to the tour, we stopped for tea before leaving the city limits, as it was still winters, the morning ride was a bit chilly, the new jacket was particularly helpful :D. Even if you are riding in a hot sun, don't forget to wear a windcheater at least, this shall protect you from Sun and breeze, plus don't forget your helmet. Safety is a must. We stopped again at the iron bridge of Kota Junction just after Patraput, Jeypore City limits to take some photos. The bad roads were about to begin 

Breakfast 

Stop here for Directions

It took us 1hr to reach Lamptaput through the bad roads, where we stopped for some breakfast. Duduma is around 25kms from there thankfully was a better road. 

Countryside

You won't find many options in the Breakfast but the place is decent. From there we headed towards Onukudelli to click some Bonda tribes. You can also find many foreign tourists in this place for the same but they are not allowed to click the tribals anymore. Many foreigners used to pay before clicking images of these tribes, so don't be puzzled when someone asks you for some when you click them.And yes I paid Rs50 for two pics and rest 10 for none  and my partner 50 for 1, it all about the way you deal with them. Caution never argue with any locals. 

Iron Bridge of Patraput 

Beautiful Drive from Lamptaput to Duduma

After that, we went to see Duduma waterfalls, which we had glimpses of while we were moving to Onukudelli. The Duduma Waterfall which is about 175 metres (574 ft) high is formed by the Machkund River. Duduma waterfalls is one the third highest waterfalls in Odisha after Bareihipani and Khandadhar waterfalls. Here comes the best part , here you can find three waterfalls from 3sides of the gorge. one from Odisha side and the other from Andhra, the third one is an artificial waterfall formed due to drainage of excess water from Machkund Hydroelectricity Power Project, now how good is that ? Check the images below. few images are from archives from my previous visits to this place. 

Add caption

The Artificial Waterfall

View of three waterfalls is not visible from the viewpoint, one has to trek down for the better view. There are stairs that lead halfway, I won't advise you to venture unless you are physically fit or alone.
I wish to see sunset at this point or may be a starry night, but it's not advisable for tourists to be in this place because of Maoist threat and Black Cats combing operations. Saying this, the place is perfectly safe from morning till 5Pm :D. 

Panaroma of the Machkund Resrvoir 

View of the Gorge

River Machkund

Duduma Waterfalls

The sun was too harsh when we reached Duduma, not at all suitable for photography, so we headed back after clicking some selfies :P. Alas, I would be back here in Monsoon, that's when the clouds play orchestra on these mountains. 

Wannabe Daredevil

Best time to visit - Winters and Monsoon.
Mode of Transportation-  Best option is to hire taxi from Jeypore else from Semliguda.

Where to Stay in Jeypore -  Hotel 180Degrees ( Budget hotel but good service) Hotel Hello Jeypore, Hotel Apsara

Where to eat in Jeypore-  MG road has a variety of local street foods especially south Indian for Breakfast. Flavors Resturant in Bell Road is a new hit in town. 

Where to stay in Semliguda- Hotel Lemon Castle, Hotel Apple Villa 

Bonda Woman

Where to Eat in Duduma- Take the roads towards Nandpur from Lamptaput, the Dhabas provide excellent meals. 

Some Selfies

Ask your hotel to book for Cab. 

Day-3_ On the Top of Eastern Ghats

Discovering Secrets of Nagas- Nageswar Caves

It was a chilly morning when we went out, People looking at us as usual; we had our breakfast in Semiliguda itself and proceeded towards the Nageswar Caves near Nandapur.

The Journey was pleasant, with the fields covered with yellow Niger flowers, distant Blue Mountains, blue sky and pleasant wind blowing, you feel as if the nature is singing lullaby to you.

This day of course I had the camera in my hand and we took all possible time by clicking the photos.

Partha on the Top Left , Roads to Nandapur on the right top corner , Niger Flower fields at the bottom

It’s about 40kms from Semiliguda including the twists and turns scenic roads via Nandapur.

We reached the footsteps of Naga Caves around 10:30am and started the ascend . Naga Caves were about 4000ft , where one can see the mystical caves and a plateau like surface above the mountains . Exploring this was our main motive along with the view from 4k feet above.  The road was rocky but we expected to be better roads ahead, what we got is more bad roads, there was literally no road. There was a grin when we were riding up through these. We were enjoying the off road biking till it started to get worse and it got even worse up ahead. We stopped at a point, giving rest to our bullet, kissing it and taking pride in being a bullet owner. Any other city bikes would have died a long ago in these hills but here we are deciding to go on further.  After the engines cooled off a bit we started again, this time the road was even worse, we were driving on a walkway made my walking over these hills where the stones were all drunk and came down when the tires hit them. It was scary at a moment when my bike started skidding, with the both the brakes applied, one leg on the ground and the bike in first gear, it kept on skid till I got my leg on a solid rock, though I was laughing but yes I was scared to not about me, but about my camera and bike in case I lose balance and fall. There was visible tension in the face of Partha when he saw me , it grew even bigger when I said my clutch wire seems loose a little after .That was it , Suddenly the environment seemed pretty hot for both of us , we decided to stop as moving further is like inviting more danger  .

Scenic and Dangerous - Road to Naga Caves

 Naga caves were more 5kms to go in the uphill , we could have trekked the distance but we dint wanted to be late on our schedule too i.e. go to Deomali a plan which can't be jeopardized with  .  So we agreed mutually to return back. We took a shed nearby and found a Lil stream too to quench our thirst. The road was never made of asphalt but was a Kachha Road and thanks to the recent rains it was washed up to the core left with the bare essential mountain road.   We heard some weird sounds of the jungle, a Raptor up high in the air and what we dint wanted is to run into a Bear. It took both of us to turn each bike towards our decent. Though we both had different techniques for our descent i.e. I kept my engines off, ND Partha didn’t, we tip topped with the bike till the end of the Ghats. A video on how we rode down .

P.S doesn't try this until you are riding a Jcb. Btw we plan to trek the caves the next time we both are in Koraput.

Partha Spent 6yrs of his childhood in a place nearby called Padua. We went in there to make him Nostalgic about the place and relive his childhood memories. He showed me the place where he lived, where he studied, played, hang out and even attend the social gathering parties (an oil British bungalow now in almost ruins). Yes also saw the Yellow billed Babbler (a bird endemic to the southern India only) which has such a sweet voice. 

Anyways were back from Nandapur soon. We reached Semiliguda around 2. We were actually late for deomali. Initially Partha had called his friends to accompany us to the mountains but none came up. We waited for Siddu (Partha’s younger brother) but he was late, waiting for him would have made us more lately which we dint wanted.  

Yellow Billed Babbler @top left , Scenery Surrounding the British Bungalow (Bottom) 

"After all it’s you and me buddy -let's go." I said.

Koraput Long Haul _The Dangerous Ghats _Day2

Flash Back
 
I won't eat anything, I won't be vomiting in an empty stomach right?
I won't be staying empty stomach, that would make me vomit!
Where are my medicines? I want two of them, that won't make me vomit .
It's handy, keep two-three poly-bags in case one feels sick .

The above lines are pretty gross I know but these were the sort of conversations that used to happen when people were about to travel the Sunki and Salur ghats. Don't know if it was because of the altitude or the driving that made the people vomit .

During the monsoon , the view of the distant mountains. 

But the scenery's from these ghats are breathtaking. One should visit them in the monsoon time; the clouds, the fogs the road and the drizzles making the road look painted as black. The distant mountains, the greenery and the streams flowing one can enjoy a lot more if he could cope up with his fears. The risks in the ghat roads are numerous; shooting stones, landslides, blind turns. If you don't pay attention while driving, well you can very well reach the bottom of the mountains very soon .

An old Record shot during the monsoon :D 

Day 2

The alarm went blaring when it was 6 AM . I dint care to snooze, I switched it off instead. After all we are on a holiday. Don't know about Partha but after he silenced his phone he reverted back to his snoring. We planned to leave Brahmapur as soon as possible around 6, but we managed to get our body moving at 8. We searched near the bus stand to relish local South Indian tiffin. Idli , Poori , Upma with tasty Sambhar (don't know why even the costliest restaurants in Bhubaneswar fail to provide the taste and quality in this department) followed by a hot tea . I was searching for cobbler to do a stitch work on my woodland shoe. This shoe of mine has been my trip partner since 7 yrs and no I'm not a miser to buy a new shoe but I am not comfortable in any other shoes than this. Plus it matches with my leather brown jacket which I wore in the trip :D. The stitch work was done And we headed back to our lodge. After checking out, we tied our bags with the bungee cords tied hard into nooks and corners of the bullet back seat. It's wasn't an easy job to tie those cords, and one has to be absolutely sure that they won't fall up in the ride, because if it does the consequences could be devastating. Anyways we did make sure they won't fall off by punching hard into the bags, checking their stability.
The lodge owner came out to bid us farewell, asking questions out of curiosity, where are you going this and that and finally concluded that we were in search of adventures or sort. We were out of Brahmapur town soon and stopped at the nearest Petrol pump to fill the tanks .

Near the Petrol Pump_ Clicked by a random smoker near the shop :P

Probably Spot Billed Pelicans

Finally we started our journey towards Koraput around 10 AM IST running 4 hrs late from our scheduled departure no more than 300 kms away from our destination , after all its Indian Stretchable time :D. On the second day journey we were more confident. The level of anxiety had come down and was  filled with eagerness to reach our destination as soon as possible. We tested the very name of The Royal Enfield, Made like guns, goes like Bullet. The road was almost as straight as an arrow, with no traffic, clear weather with perfect temperature what else does one need to enjoy the highway? Cruising went along and we tried to make our individual landmark records on the RE, 100 was the average speed this time and we barely came low on the acceleration. After a hundred  odd kilometers we decided to rest our bikes and have some water (which we weren't carrying), the place was somewhere in Andhra Pradesh. This was the place where Partha spotted Pelicans (probably spot billed). And it was his idea to swap the bikes up to till we reach Srikakulam which was about 100 odd km from there. We rested for about 20 mins there and started the journey again after we exchanged the bike. We reached Srikakulam toll gate around 12 noon. If anyone is taking a road trip to Koraput via Andhra, then remember to continue straight on the highway from Srikakulam (without taking left to enter the city) towards the next toll gate you find, where you have to take the right to enter the Rajam Road. It was quite an individual felt that we covered so much in so less time, but this part of the journey was painful for the four of us , that's me Partha and our both RE. Both Partha and I felt pain in our back and waist due to the driving. We sat on our respective bikes and  came to a conclusion that swapping is never a good idea be its the bike or wives :D.  My bike refused to Self start and I kept on apologizing that I won't repeat this again but no avail. The battery was down and I couldn't figure out why it happened. After all the battery recharges itself in a long run but here it was low as zero watt bulb. Kick made the job and the bike started and Partha said we can do a check up at Jeypore. We were 70 kms away from Rambhadrapuram the junction where we had planned to have our lunch.

It was around 1:30 pm when we reached Rambhadrapurm. Stomachs growling like the engines, we parked our rides in front of the hotel and every eye was looking at us. We grabbed the window seats to keep a look at our luggage. Partha fulfilled his last night wish to eat Biryani, I was more interested in slurping a plain meal with Sambhar and Rasam (unlimited :D). I asked Partha to eat the Biryani with Sambhar. Initially he was skeptical but liked the taste I guess in the last. We eat till our neck and were in no mood for driving. We searched and found a perfect place under a tree with cemented slabs, birds chirping around, the perfect place to lie down. Partha wanted to rest for 5 mins but it was another 30 mins after which we started again.

We Reached Salur Soon and it was time for us to face the ghats. With music bud plucked in my ears, I was enjoying the scenery and the songs. I asked for the blessing from the deity at the start of the ghats. In India almost before every ghat road there is a temple where people seek blessings for their safety. It's basically a matter of belief and depends purely on an individual basis and faith though. Partha was far ahead of me. He took out his camera for clicks. Mine was dug deep in the dungeons of my bag, plus its very uncomfortable to hold an SLR while driving where the lens manages to get banged to the tank of the vehicle. The sun was at its ease and was gradually painting the surrounding golden. The song in my playlist came up "Kesharia Balaam .. Aao Padharo Maare Desh .." Was just perfect to boost up my good feeling.

View of the Ghats , click By Partha

After all I was driving all alone up to these ghats in a bike, a wish that I had since my childhood and no I didn't vomit at all. Partha was my man, he clicked with many photos, including me and yes I returned the favor too with a video of his  riding in the ghats. Would share the link soon :) ***** .  My Mom asked me to stay careful and yet I was here driving the ghats in one hand. I know it was kinda stupid but who cares, I'm safe after all .

Partha and the Bandana

Partha's love with the camera and the scenery's continued till it was dark and we stopped for a tea at Pottangi, which is about 35 kms from Semiliguda our destination for day 2.  The tea had a peculiar flavor don't know if it was the cow's milk or others, but I dint enjoyed it. Anyways, the gates were over and as we moved towards semiliguda. We were greeted by the cold waves that we were missing for long.

Reached Semiliguda around 6 pm , and searched for a hotel. I used to live in Sunabeda which is about 3 kms from there and had a bit knowledge about Semiliguda. If one is looking for a good hotel with good food then Hotel Lemon Castle would be the perfect choice for you . If you are on budget , hotel CnC is just fine in which we stayed .
After throwing our bags in the room, I took Partha for a city ride of Sunabeda and some evening snacks. We both agreed Sunabeda should be seen in the daylight. We saw a bird that was very uncommon there. Black, glossy, with long beaks. Before we could identify it flew away. We searched our field books later on but couldn't get to a conclusion. I also took Partha to the HAL museum, where one Flying Coffin (MIG-21) was resting in peace, with the museum contained historical picture's of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited factory Photos.
We went back to Semiliguda. I demanded to have some soup to enjoy the cold weather. Sadly the restaurant in CnC was crowded like a trade fair with family's were dining like the serials of Ekta Kapoor. The decibel level was high and no we didn't enjoyed this time. After we gulped down the soup we decided to have our dinner in our room only, for we dint had the patience and ears to hear those loud laughs. The room service delivered the food within 30 mins. We ate our food happily with the sweets old songs going on in the TV and slept off.

SleePy 

DAY-3
To be continued ..