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How do you celebrate New Year ? Some party, some sleep, some take up resolutions and some travel. This is an account of one such travel. For New Year 2011, a group of us decided to visit Nandi Hills. For someone like me, who had not yet visited Nandi, this was an interesting opportunity. So me, with my two cousins, who had come to Bangalore for New Year jumped in and the trip began.

Nandi Hills is famous for Nandidurga, the fort built by Tippu Sultan. The beautiful hills on the outskirts of Bangalore is supposed to get its name from the ancient Nandi Temple on the hill. The hills are located about 20 km from NH-7 after Devanahalli town. We started at around 4:30 in the morning of January 1. Mounting 5 bikes, 4 of them Unicorns and one Activa, we rode in the chilly weather of Bangalore to watch the glorious sun rise over Nandi Hills. It was freezing and all of us had multiple layers of clothing. One thing we noticed going out of Bangalore was the sky. Devoid of pollution, the night sky was speckled with stars and planets. Like tiny diamonds placed upon a vast ocean of darkness, it enthralled us all. We practically stopped the bikes for some stargazing. We reached Nandi just before sunrise and then began the waiting. The guards were unmoving and they refused to open the counters until 6, well after the sun has risen. After what seemed like hours, we got the tickets and we rushed atop the mountain.

We were welcomed by one of those scenes that Mother Nature throws up rarely. There was mist all over, and the sun was slowly peeking out, washing the surface with golden rays. A lot of people had come to visit Nandi. It was soon picture time and everyone began clicking away. Oh, yes, we did photograph some strangers as well :)

Tippu’s old fort was equally good. The place was crawling with monkeys. One old monkey, who got a Thumbs Up plastic bottle from our hands found a way to tear up its bottom and drink it all.

Everyone was hungry by this time and we searched around for food. The only joint we could find was where they sold Maggi for Rs. 30/- Finishing up the crappy Maggi they offered, we rode back. Reached Bangalore at around 9:30 and soon everyone was sound asleep.

For me, this was one of the best New Year I had.

Trip to Nandi HillsBy Rahul Pisharody