Week Trips: Mutyala Madhuvu (Pearl Valley )

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.
-------John Muir

After a brief hiatus me and badri decided to restart our weekend getaways .After dillydallying between Madhugiri /Pearl Valley we decided to start with the nearest place , pearl valley (mutyala madhu ) , a water fall almost 30km from Bangalore.We decided to test badri's new bike Activa.

The Journey
=============
It was cloudy and the breeze was picking but with a running nose and cough filled chest , I had my reservations.But as we crossed Bannergatta the lush greenary provided a must welcomed respite form the smoke and dust of the city traffic.It was an enjoyable journey once we crossed the city limits.

Mutyala Madhu (Pearl Valley )
==============================
The name of this place comes from waterfall.It is said that on a sunny day when the water falls on the rocky and rebound in air the sun light gets reflect from the water droplets and each drop lets looks like a shining pearl.

Well !! Although the climate in B'lore is cloudy there is not much rain.So I had my doubts about the water fall.
We reached the place by 11.00 Am (2hrs drive ) and I was more than glad to find that the place was not infested with people ;-) . Although there was no sign of waterfall nearby ,but the view was so spectacular we decided to explore the area first before searching for the water fall.

If u folks observe the rocks in the above pic u'll observe a peculiar thing.The surface of the rocks are very smooth (almost like marble) and there are scars and marks on them.This would only be possible when the rocks were constantly being brushed by strong water flow.So I would conclude that may be in distant past this whole area was submerged under a fast flowing river.

The structures of the rocks were simply amazing and also observe there are no sharp edges on them (this supports my theory that these rocks were submerged under river bed ).We explored this area for a good 30-45 min before we decided to go back and look for the waterfall.

We found some steps going down into a valley and decided to follow it ....as we approached the base of the valley i could hear howling and whistling sounds of people .Alas!! people just cannot enjoy nature in peace.They need to behave like this for enjoyment !! .we knew from the howlings that the waterfall was nearby.
And then we reach the source of howling.The place the waterfall was supposed to be ;-)

while this wasn't much of water fall and there was no way to experience the pearls i did find people throwing the eatables and garbage in the water.This place was also infested by monkeys although they were quiet well behaved and avoided any direct human contact...at times i felt monkey were well behaved than humans in nature.

Anyways partially disappointed, we decided to explore the place more and followed a trek path that lead to an adjoining hill.As we ascended the hill the view was so spectacular and amazing .

The ranges of mountains looked like green waves in the sea.

As we reached the top of the hill , huffing and puffing , through the shrubs we were taken aback by a sight.There were many couples seated here and they were ... well I would not go into details ;-) ....its surprising how many couples endure the strainous climb to get few hours of privacy ....We rested for few minutes then started our way back.

There is a KSTDC center at the top of one of the hills.We had our lunch there and started our ride back to the city.

Overall it was a great trip esp scenery wise and there is a hell lot to explore ( if u are an adventurer ) but i would suggest people don't go alone to this place. KSTDC sells whiskey here and there were quiet a few people who were creating a rucks after gulping few pegs.

In the end I would just advice one thing.To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon the verdant green hills is the most perfect refreshment.Let us try not to spoil it.If we can avoid litter and keep the ponds, lakes clean then discovering such idyllic places, we could find ourselves filled with a yearning to linger here, where time stands still and beauty overwhelms.

For More pics click on link below
======================