Places To Visit In Karnataka: Falling Off The Map At Sakleshpur

It has been a long and boring haul from Chennai, and the final 40km of NH48 is one pothole after another, till you land in the last one and its Sakleshpur. When I finally drag myself into the Gypsy and head for Hulivana deep in the hills, it's well past seven in the evening and there's a full moon rising. As are my spirits. It's secretly quite a kick when you are in a place where nothing but a cliché will do. I roll my tongue satisfied around the words and say it aloud "The hills are bathed in moonlight." Wave upon wave of the Sahyadris is awash in a silvery light that has transformed the scene into a surreal moonscape.