Random chat message turned into a lovely car meet of like-minded people
The agenda was simple – eat good food, go for a drive, come back to the stay and chill by the beach.
BHPian SRISRI_90 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Prologue
It was in April 2022 that I got my Team Bhp membership approved. I was so excited that I went on talking about it to anyone and everyone. At around the same time, I joined a WhatsApp group of Bangalore-based Team BHPians. After the initial Introductions, I got in with the flow of the group and absolutely loved the fun discussions and debates.
Conception & Planning
Somewhere in early 2023, an idea of having a physical meet was floated, so that Bhpians could get to know each other in person.
As with any group, coming to a consensus is the biggest hurdle. With all the prevailing confusion as to where and when the trip would happen, Bhpian @mohansrides put his foot down and suggested that a monsoon meet should be planned and the location would be coastal Karnataka, particularly Mangalore/Udupi, as these places come alive during rains.
The tentative dates were proposed as the 3rd or 4th week of July.
In stark contrast to the “Monsoon Drive 2023” where there was a huge queue of people wanting to sign up for the meet, our meet plan had members dropping out left, right and center, we were left begging them to make it to the meet.
After a lot of back-and-forth negotiations among members, July 28th, 29th, and 30th were decided as the days of the meet. Local Members @Thirugata & and I were appointed as the organizers of the meet. With our friendly neighbourhood Bhpian from Manipal @samaspire pitching in with recommendations for stay and food options.
The meeting location and the stay for the next 2 days were finalized as Boloor’s Sea La Vie. A place very close to Sasihitlu beach on the outskirts of Mangalore. It is a beachside penthouse with a big open terrace facing the sea on the front side and a river at the back.
Final schedule
- Day 1 (28th July): Arrival of attendees to meet location.
- Day 2 (29th July): Arrival of remaining Members, followed by Scenic Drive to Lunch location and back.
- Day 3 (30th July): Check out and drive to Bhpian @Thirugaatas house for Breakfast and disperse back to respective homes.
Out of the 45 members in our group, the final headcount for this meet was a ‘Grand’ total of 7 Members (Including 3 Localites)
Final List of attendees
- @Malyaj from Bangalore – Arrived by train to Mangalore.
- @prkiran from Bangalore- Bravely drove his Jeep Compass, despite Landslides in Ghats.
- @Mohansrides from Mumbai – Drove his Honda BRV 900+ km solo to Mangalore.
- @vamsi.kona from Hyderabad – Arrived by flight to Mangalore.
- @thirugata from Surathkal.
- @samaspire from Manipal.
- @srisri_90 from Mangalore.
Notable mention of Bhpians who wanted to attend but dropped out due to various reasons @nikhilb2008, @reignofchaos, @arun_josie, @hserus.
A thought came up of inviting local Bhpians from in and around Mangalore for the meet, but with such a short schedule, we would not do justice to the meet, as we barely had enough time to get to know each other.
On the suggestion of @mohansrides, all members of this meet installed an app called Life360, so that we could track each other’s progress during the entire duration of the trip.
The Meet – DAY – 1 (July 28th)
The thought of hosting my First Team bhp meet was very exciting and I could not wait to meet my fellow Bhpians.
There was a problem though. The 28th of July arrived, but the Monsoon did not. For the entire duration of the meet, Coastal KA barely received any rain. Maybe it did not want to “dampen” our spirits.
The first to arrive was Malyaj, and I drove to the Mangalore Junction Railway station to pick him up. He quipped that he would not return the favour even if I asked for a pick up from the Bangalore railway station. He avoided the drive to Mangalore as he wanted to try the Vista Dome Train via the Western Ghats.
First things first, took him to Hotel Janata Deluxe to relish some Local Delicacies like ‘Goli baje,’ and ‘Thuppa Dosa.’ Washed it all down with a cup of coffee and off we went to the meet location.
Next to arrive was @thirugata, who lives close by.
We three spent the next hour watching the beautiful sunset at the Sasihitlu beach and discussing topics about anything and everything.
As it got darker, we checked into the place of stay, right across the road from the beach. And we awaited the arrival of @Mohansrides, who was driving solo from Kolhapur, having left Mumbai the previous afternoon.
We wrapped up the first day of the meet with a drive back to Mangalore city for dinner at a famous watering hole on the NH 66 aptly named “Route 66”.
Well, that was the end of the day for me, But the rest Moved to @thirugaata ‘s house for a cup of coffee around midnight and later moved to the place of stay.
DAY – 2 (July 29th)
The day when all members would finally meet.
@vamsi.kona arrived on an early morning flight from Hyderabad. @prkiran started from Bangalore at 4 AM and was driving his Jeep Compass. Work kept me busy at the office and I could only join the rest at 1 PM.
By then all of them had done with their formal introductions and were chit-chatting like old college friends, @samaspire would join us later at Lunch.
Lovely view of the Sea and our Steeds from the penthouse balcony.
Rare moment when other members were listening to me
The agenda for the day was simple: Eat good food, go for a drive, come back to the stay and chill by the beach. Must say we stuck to the agenda completely.
The location for lunch was decided by me as The Estate Resort. They have a lovely restaurant, aptly named ‘The Panorama’ with a beautiful view of the surrounding Hills.
We decided to carpool for this drive and it was just Kiran’s Jeep Compass and my Volvo. We had a sumptuous lunch and a nice discussion regarding Team Bhp, it’s past and the way forward.
The meal was interrupted by the arrival of Superstar @samaspire, as he walked in with sunglasses on and his neatly kept ponytail Hairdo.
From Left to Right – SRISRI_90, vamsi.kona, Mohansrides, thirugaata, samaspire, prkiran, Malyaj.
After lunch, the group members requested a short drive on good scenic roads. So we decided to drive to Parashurama Theme Park at Karkala, a monument of a local legend, built on a hilltop offering beautiful views of the surroundings. On a clear day, you could even see the Kudremukh mountains from here.
Unfortunately, the monument was closed for maintenance. We decided to have a small photoshoot with the Hill and the monument in the backdrop.
Despite not being able to visit the top to see the view, all members were in high spirits (no, not what you’re thinking), as the road to the location was wide and curvy, just what the members wanted. We had a blast driving on these roads.
With the sun setting, we decided to head to our stay location by the beach to enjoy views of the calm sea and watch the beautiful sunset. We had a quick drive back to Sasihitlu Beach and arrived well in time to watch the sunset.
A few members pulled out their fancy cameras and started clicking photos of other members and the beach. The golden hour made everything look beautiful.
We spent the next couple of hours by the beach talking about cars, life and a whole lot of Philosophy.
By 8 Pm we were back in our rooftop penthouse continuing our discussions. The cool breeze and the nice view meant that none were ready to drive out for dinner.
Before we knew it was midnight and the end of Day 2. Me, @thirugata & @samaspire left back to our respective homes, while the rest continued their party and crashed into their rooms much later.
Day – 3 (July 30th)
The agenda for the day was simple. Wake up, get ready, head to @thirugata house for breakfast, and disperse back to respective homes. Thanks to a late end to Day 2, Day 3 began late.
I was the first to arrive at his house at 10:30 AM. Bhpian @Samaspire informed us that he could not make it as he was busy with family commitments. The rest of them arrived by 11 AM.
Bhpian @thirugata and his lovely wife Susham had arranged for an amazing breakfast Feast at their house. The Spread included all the local breakfast specials like Neerdosa, Biscuit Rotti, Mangalore Buns, Pathrode, Sajjige – Bajil. It even included some sweets like Banana Halwa, Ladoo etc. We wound up the breakfast with a cup of Strong Filter Kaapi.
Me & @thirugata were busy explaining the various dishes to other members, and they were busy finishing up their plates. It was nearly 12:30 PM by the time we were all done with our Heavy Breakfast. The last hour was spent making travel plans for their return journey and deciding on the best routes to take. And before we knew it, it was time to say goodbyes.
By 1:30 PM all members had started their return journeys and I was the last to sign off from @thirugata’s house.
Epilogue
What started as a random comment in our WhatsApp group for a meet, ended with a beautiful 3 days spent with like-minded Bhpians and a whole lot of fun.
My measure of how close people are, is by the way I eat in front of them. With strangers, I eat very civilly and with manners. But with this group, I felt like it was an old college meet. I was eating without giving a thought as to what others were thinking.
And that for me sums up this whole meet, even though it was the first time meeting them, there were no Inhibitions at all. It was such a lovely time spent together, felt like we all knew each other for a very long time.
Eagerly looking forward to our next year’s meet!
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