I swear!! I didn’t go to Samse for some big mountain trip. I just wanted a simple ride because it had been a long time since I moved from my native. But the moment I entered the route, I knew I messed up. The roads after the rains were horrible. Every few minutes I was thinking “why the fluff” did I even come here. And on top of that, I was scared about my tyres. I already had three punctures on my brand new Apollo tyres. THREE. On new tyres. So the whole ride I kept thinking please not another puncture. Last time they fixed it with a mushroom patch and I didn’t want to deal with that again.
I even wanted to turn back at one point. But that entry pass didn’t let me leave. Once you go in, you can only exit at the other gate. So basically I was stuck inside, forced to continue. The start feels okay, but once you go deeper, the road shows its real face. Potholes, broken sides, random bumps everywhere. And it had to be a Sunday. All I saw were couples, families, and groups of friends happily enjoying the drive. And there I was, all alone on my bike, acting like I don’t care but inside I was like why do I keep doing this nonsense 😂.
The greenery is good. The hills look nice. But honestly, when you are dodging holes every few seconds, you stop caring about all that.
By the time I reached Samse, which is a peaceful and green place, I was already tired. The village is nice, but the ride drains half the fun before you even get there. Just to be clear, this wasn’t a trek. If you want to trek, you can book it from their website – https://aranyavihaara.karnataka.gov.in/
A bit about Samse, Samse is a place located near Kudremukh, in the Chikmangalur district of Karnataka, India. Now, there is a temple right in the spot and few tea shops. So, the Lakshmi Narayana Temple is dedicated to Lord Lakshmi Narayana, which is essentially a form of Vishnu. Vishnu, as you might know, is the protector and preserver in Hindu mythology, and his consort Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity.I didn’t actually go inside the temple, though, because you have to remove your shoes, and I was there alone, so I just skipped it. But from what I’ve heard, the real vibe of temples like this one hits when you spend a few minutes praying and then sit down to meditate. There’s something about the calm atmosphere that really connects you to the place and about that peaceful energy that you get when you just pause.
If you’re planning to go, try to visit between October and February when the weather’s a lot cooler. It’s way more pleasant, especially if you plan on sitting for a while. Below are few images that I took while I was on the way. Also, when you enterthe National Park, you would need to get permisson from the forest officers and they would hand over the pass to enter the reserve forest and keep our forest clean!
