Blue Hues
Did you ever dream of waking up to the gentle caress of sea breeze and the sound of waves?
Did you always want to spend a lazy weekend in a cozy nook watching the symphony between wind, waves and sunlight?
Blue Matsya at Kapu is a beautiful property right at the beach. Swati the owner ensures that she sets expectations upfront and you are aware of what is in store. No AC, No TV, No Wifi – all you have is a lot of books, endless supply of ocean breeze and the sound of waves.
Food can be arranged if required or you can always step out onto NH66 and grab a bite at any of the eateries. We ended up going to Woodlands in Udupi a few times as well as Pabbas in Mangalore for their delicious ice creams. Wonder why we don’t get such simple but mouth watering ice cream in Bangalore?
Henry the house dog is fun to run around with and will keep you entertained with his crab hunting skills. On the whole, its the perfect place to unwind during the weekend and get some sun, sand and sea.
In and around Kapu
Light House @ Kapu – Built in 1916, this still does have the original brass fittings and the only thing that has been modernised is the light source. Lanterns have been replaced by 3 x 125W bulbs. The view from the top is amazing but you will have to jostle and joust your way to find some space on top during sunset.
Yard beach – While the Kapu beach is right outside Blue Matsya, it can get quiet crowded during the evenings. If you are looking for a quiet place to watch the sun go down, then yard beach would be your best bet.
Gomateswara @ Karkala – We also did drive all the way to Karkala to take a look at the Gomateswara statue. Do not miss driving on padubidri – karkala road. Folks driving hatches and sedans might not enjoy the drive thanks to the rumble strips but those in a UV will absolutely enjoy the wide roads, sparse traffic and the meandering tarmac. The statue in itself does not hold a candle to the one at Shravanabelagola but it still a beautiful work of art. From the top of the hill, you can see Chaturmukha Basadi, which we did not visit. Do note that you will need to climb about 100 odd steps to the top of the hill to view the statue. If you are lucky, then the road to the temple is open and you can drive your steed right up to the top.
Goshale @ Neelavar – an orphanage/old age home for cows. The temple situated in the middle of the cow sheds is a quiet piece to spend a few minutes contemplating anything.
Beach road @ Malpe – Kapu – this stretch was highly recommended by the owner of Blue Matsya as well as some other friends.While its a decent stretch of tarmac with the sea on one side and backwaters on the other, we didn’t really enjoy the drive. There is just too much activity going on all around the stretch of road for it to be enjoyable.
Route & Road Conditions
Route taken: Bangalore – Hiriyur – Hosadurga – Ajjampur – Tarikere – Shivamogga – Mandagadde – Thirthahalli – Agumbe – Hebri – Udupi
Bangalore – Hiriyur: Beautiful 6L roads
Hiriyur – Hosaduraga:
- Beautiful 2L stretch till the Vanivilas Pura turnoff
- After that the next stretch of 5 kms is narrow and you might find yourself getting off the road for larger vehicles
- Another rough stretch of 2 kms at the halfway mark to Hosadurga
- Post that its butter smooth roads till Hosadurga
Hosadurga – Ajjampur – Tarikere: butter smooth roads all through
Tarikere – Shivamogga: 25 kms of heavy traffic on the 2L road till bhadravati bypass, after which its a breeze all the way
Shivamogga – Mandagadde: butter smooth twisty road but do watch for unmarked speed breakers. These are the platform type speed breakers with a ramp, flat top and then a ramp down. If you see a patch of concrete white amidst dart tarmac, you can be sure that this is a speed breaker.
Mandagadde – Thirthahalli: Apart from the few stretches of WIP metalled roads, the rest of the route is super fun to drive. I was not sure if my timing was right during both onward (10 am) & return (1 pm) but I found very very sparse traffic and hence was able to speed through this stretch
Thirthahalli – Agumbe – Hebri – Udupi: Again good to very good roads with manageable traffic. The last 15 kms towards udupi does tend to be slower vis a vis the Hebri – Agumbe stretch.
Total drive time both ways was about 7 hrs 15 min and it took just about 4 hours to reach Shimoga via Hiriyur – Tarikere route
Preferred Pit Stops
- CCD, Sira
- Essar fuel station, Ajjampur Cross (clean restroom)
- Sri meenakshi Bhavan, Shivamogga (yummy dosa + coffee) –
- Hotel Mayur, Someshwara (good neer dose & kokum juice)
- Hotel Seethanadi
- Woodlands, Udupi
- Dream Ice cream Parlour, Udupi
Best Time to Visit
October – February would be the ideal time as it would not be very hot.
Other Places of Interest en-route
- Vani Vilas Sagar Dam – https://goo.gl/maps/nZ3oEg9Yo2N2
- Amruteshwara Temple, Amrutapura – https://goo.gl/maps/QhvWQvwPFVJ2
- Sakrebyle Elephant Camp, Sakrebyle – https://goo.gl/maps/ig7wtwDb5mz
- Varanga Lake temple – https://goo.gl/maps/FLaGyv5KzDR2
Man, Machine & Wanderlust 