Take a weekend off from Bangalore

Having spent a year and half at Bangalore, I know pretty well that weekends over there can become a huge problem. After slogging for a week in office, one looks for some excitement over the weekend. A newcomer to the metropolis can initially have good fun, especially if coming from a small town and even more if he/she is fond of "madira sevan". Bangalore has a happening crowd and some damn good pubs.

All that is okay but I started feeling bored after a couple of months. After all, how much bird-watching can one do on Brigade Road. And now days, the whole Bangalore heads to FORUM on the weekends, so chances are that you will bump into all the familiar and unpleasant faces from office. And above all, the traffic situation at Bangalore makes one think a zillion times before stepping out of home.

I was getting immensely bored and not surprisingly, I was not an "endangered species". There were several others in my friend circle who were facing the same problem. Collectively we made a plan that we should do SOMETHING INTERESTING on the weekends. We found out that there are several places around Bangalore that one can go over a weekend. Here are some suggestions (I have been to all these places and many more around Bengaluru. If you are ready to take out some time, the weekends can get every exciting);

1. Mysore (Check out the Mysore Palace and the Infy Campus)
2. Ooty (Everyone knows that Ooty is beautiful and I second that)
3. Kemmanagundi Falls (Not really too much fun but go with loads of friends and you will enjoy the journey)
4. Mangalore & Udupi (I liked Udupi more. It has a nice beach but the sea is very calm. Do have the "Outlook Dosa" at Mitra Samaj."
5. Bandipur (see picture) (Bandipur is a national sanctuary. I stayed at Tusker Trails resort over there, which is run by some royal family. It is a nice place to stay at. The cottages, food, swimming pool....everything is good. They conduct safaris too. There is a Jungle Lodge resort and Bush Betta resort. Jungle Resort is government owned and only their safari vehicles have the permission to go off the route into the jungle. Do not be too optimistic about a tiger sighting. The driver of my safari vehicles had not seen a Tiger in two years!!!! To go to Bandipur, one has to hire a vehicle from Bangalore/Mysore. Otherwise one can get take a bus for Ooty and get down at Bandipur.)
6. Nandi Hills (This summer residence of Tipu Sultan is just 60 kms from Bangalore. Go there to watch the sunrise. Breakfast can be arranged over there.)
7. Cauvery Fishing Camp, Bheemeshwari (This is a nice resort where in cottages and tents are available. Nice way to relax away from the maddening crowd of Bangalore. Their breakfast is something to look forward to.)