@arjun-gowda
5am starts, idli by 7.
Kolli Hills, 70 hairpin bends
Seventy numbered hairpins, one after another, and every one has a view. You lose count somewhere around 40. Fuel up in Namakkal before the climb. Go slow on the descent; the bends are tight.
The Rameshwaram Cafe
Ghee podi idli and a dosa the colour of honey, eaten at a standing table with half of Bangalore. The queue moves fast; don't let it scare you off. Order the ghee podi idli first.
Nandi Hills sunrise
Riding up the hairpins in the dark, then the sun comes up over a sea of clouds. Everyone goes quiet for a minute. The gate opens at 6. Leave the city by 4:30 to beat the queue, and carry a jacket.
Maddur vada at Maddur Tiffanys
Crisp, onion-loaded Maddur vada, eaten in the town that named it. Worth the 80 km on its own. Eat two there and pack a dozen. They're still good when you get home.
Dodda Alada Mara (Big Banyan Tree)
A single banyan tree that's become a forest, 400 years old. Riding in at sunrise, there's no one else there. Combine it with breakfast on Mysore Road on the way back. Easy, flat ride for beginners.
CTR (Shri Sagar), Malleshwaram
Benne masala dosa, crisp outside and soft inside, dripping with butter. Nothing else in the city comes close. Shout your order at the counter and wait for your token. Be there before 8 on a weekend.
Bidadi thatte idli
Plate-sized idli, fluffy and steaming, with a dollop of butter, eaten next to the bikes on Mysore Road. Leave by 6 and you'll be eating before the traffic starts. Get the butter, always.
Yercaud via Salem
Smooth highway to Salem, then twenty hairpins of cool air and coffee estates. Lake, mist, and hot bajji at the top. Go up via the main ghat and come down via the Kuppanur road for a quieter ride.
Skandagiri night trek
Climbing by torchlight and reaching the top just as the clouds turn pink. The best sunrise near Bangalore, and I've tried them all. Book the forest department slot online, then go with a group for the night climb.
