This is a travelogue of my ride through south India on my Royal Enfield Motorcycle, riding through 3 states of Karanataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The write up is in basically in two timeframes i.e Pre-trip and Post-trip.
PRE-TRIP WRITE UP
The Motivation:
I don’t know where to start this. Well, the urge to go for a ride, a long ride, a longer ride has been there for quite some time. Not that I was unfamiliar with rides; I had done quite a few – with friends & solo during college days but I never considered them as serious biking for obvious reasons. I have done a few short rides on my Suzuki Fiero (I love this bike) while I was in Chennai. The route that I have done the most would be Bangalore to Chennai, mostly on my RE Thunderbird (I love this one too) and that too because I would take my official work related tours to Chennai as an excuse to ride. Colleagues would be bewildered as to why one would punish their arse riding all the way to Chennai on a bike rather than opting for the company sponsored ticket for a Volvo A/c Bus! Well.. it’s my arse and my saddle.. I am glad I did it! Lately though, I realised that I have not really gone out of my comfort zone to do a long ride, mostly wrapping up at 350-450kms rides. This feeling used to be amplified even more when I would go through motorcycling forums, travelogues, documentaries and books reading about fellows who have been to umpteen places. I can’t help but mention watching ‘Riding Solo to the top of the world’ by Gaurav Jani – what a fellow.. What a journey he accomplished! All this coupled with the monotony of daily work life, was motivation enough to decide on going for long ride. WHERE & WHEN were the next two questions.
Where & When:
Although being a Kerala born fellow ( I grew up elsewhere), I never really got a chance to travel much in ‘God’s own country’. So Kerala was the choice – call it the cosmic connection with one’s birthplace. Not to mention that me being in Bangalore would have to travel through 3 states i.e Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Kerala to do this journey, which opened up ample possibilities to explore few other places as well. Gradually the ‘Where’ question became ‘Where all’.
The WHEN question is what troubled me a bit. I had started to think of doing this ride as early as Feb’13, and was hoping to ride in March. But soon gave up the idea considering the summer heat which could dilute the riding experience. So the next plan was to let the summer pass and do it in July. But fate had ‘Dengue fever’ in store for me that month. Considering few days of hospitalisation and rest, the July plan had to be dumped with great pain. Next chance to do the ride was during August. The monsoon rains would be at their best and so would be the greenery. I pulled up the calendar and checked the possible dates. What better time to start the ride than 15th Aug, Independence Day. I imagined myself tying the Tricolor to my bike and riding away to glory.
Back to reality.... When one wants to do something really badly and wholeheartedly, it seems like the whole world conspires against it and makes sure that one really struggles and sweats it out to achieve it. In somewhat similar lines, I had to give up my idea of 15th Aug. This time due to some unavoidable official and personal commitments and compulsions. This was a real dampener for me as I had done more than half the preparations for an Aug 15th ride. But I guess, if you wanna ride, then be prepared to have Mr.Uncertainty to be your pillion. He might give you hell but will damn sure make the journey memorable. Thus not giving up, I planned for the next possible date to start the ride and zeroed in on 12th Sept. Applied for leave again with my boss - he relented, again. This time I have a feeling that on 12th Sept, my arse will be gliding about 3 feet above the roads which will lead me through my journey. Fingers crossed!!
The Route :
Before deciding on the route, I was very clear that I will not be travelling from point A > B and back B > A; commuters do that!! It had to be something like A > B >>C>>>X..W..Q,O..P,J>>>> > A.
After reading stuff online on the various routes that could be taken and doing extensive research on Google Maps (glory to whosoever invented this cool thing), this is the rough route map I decided (rather intended - not to forget about Mr.Uncertainty) to take. The entire route should be about 1500 kms, but I guess I would travel a bit more than that.
Bangalore > Kanakapura > Shivasamudram (possibly have a peek at the waterfalls here) > Kollegal > Mettupalayam > Coonoor > Ooty (some exploring and shut eye for the night) > Gudalur > enter Kerala > Nilambur > Perinthalmanna > Reach the west coast and ride along the shore > Ponanni > Guruvayoor > Kochi > Cherthala ( to see a friend) > Alappuzha > Adoor (Meet few relatives in the nearby areas for a few days. Time to return) > Pathanamthitta > Gavi > Thekkady > few places in between > Munnar (explore and shut eye) > Udumalaipettai > Avinashi > Mettur > Dharmapuri > Krishnagiri > Hosur > Bangalore.
Preparations :
> The Machine : RE Thunderbird
Proud to say that my bike has always been kept in tip-top condition. However, its only prudent to get a thorough service done before a long ride with your trusted mechanic and I make it a point to be there in person while the bike is getting serviced. I try to learn from my mechanic the basic fixes that can be done in case of a minor breakdown on the way. An oil change , Oil filter change, Brake shoes, Brake fluid, Air filter, Carb cleaning and tuning has all been done. Checked both the tyres. I did the servicing a good 15 days prior to my trip so that I have a chance to do any adjustments or tuning as required instead of discovering a fault in the middle of the ride. The bike has been ridden about 150 kms post the service and everything seems to be spot on.
> Riding Gear :
I had been using any good old jacket I can lay my hands on for rides till now. But this time around I decided to buy myself a proper riding jacket. I got it from CRAMSTER in Cunningham Rd, Bangalore. It comes with armored padding at vital places, reflective strips, waterproofing element and a whole lot of zips; a bit heavy but sure feels safer. Also got a pair of riding gloves and knee gaurds. And my old helmet was good enough.
> Luggage Gear :
I opted for one saddle bag and a tank bag (again from Cramster), an optional tail bag and some bungee cords and nets to hold everything together.
> Other essentials :
I plan to carry a small tool kit, first aid pack, raincoat and some tarpaulin sheet to cover the bags in case of rains.
> Gadgets :
I plan to carry limited gadgets which are bare essentials. A smartphone with GPS (wish I could afford one of those Map My India GPS units). Anyways I feel google maps is sufficient enough to navigate around. A small laptop. The most important - Camera. Not only do I intent to take snaps but capture on-board video of the ride. And since I am solo, I would need a camera mount of sorts. On doing some research, seemed like a ‘GoPro HD’ camera is ‘THE’ thing made for this purpose as it comes with all those mounts which can be used to mount the camera on the bike, chest, helmet,etc. But I am a man of limited means, and after looking at the price tag, instead of ‘GoPro’, I decided to ‘GoCheap’... ofcourse with the help of some ’jugaad’. And as they say - if ‘Necessity is the mother of inventions’ ; then a tight budget is the father of a ‘Jugaad’. So with some help from YouTube, I made myself a Helmet cam mount on which I would mount my tiny little point ’n’ shoot camera. It doesn’t look stylish and all but sure serves the purpose. |
| The Jugaad |
Now everything in place, just waiting for the day to saddle up and vrooom….
POST TRIP WRITE-UP :
Well yes I was able to complete the trip and I am mighty glad I did so. It was a 10 day trip that I had planned, off which the major riding was done on days 1,2,3,9 & 10, which I will cover in this write up. So this is how it went…
Day 1 (12th Sept’13):
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| Ready to go.. |
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| Saddled up |
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| Day break at NICE road |
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| Barachukki Falls |
By the time I was back on my route it must have been 9.30am. I passed the small town of Kollegal in quick time and was soon at a place called Yelandur. From here the common route towards Sathyamangalam (fondly known as Sathi) is to go to Chamarajanagar and then towards Sathi which is a little round about way. But I had marked out a shorter route which avoided Chamarajanagar and would take me directly to the entrance Sathyamangalam forests section. Unfortunately Google maps on my phone started misbehaving such that even though I knew where I was i was not able to find the direction in which i was moving. So I decided to take some local help - a vegetable vendor. He understood the route I am asking for and very confidently misguided me to take a left and move in a certain direction along a small road. Only after riding for about 8-9 kms on that route, it seemed to get narrower and didn't seem to go anywhere I intended. Fortunately google map was back working. When I checked, Google map screamed at me saying that “the vegetable vendor screwed you!” I tried asking a group of villagers who were curious to see someone motorcycling on their turf. They couldn't understand my broken kannada. Tried with Tamil, malayalam and Hindi but to no avail. Finally decided to go back to Yelandur where the vegetable vendor had misguided me. This time I figured out the route on google map. Turned out that may be the vegetable vendor didn't know which is left and which is right in English. In his bid to guide me in English directions he told me to take a left instead of a right! Back on track, a few Kms later, the road which looked like a decent state highway on maps was getting narrower and before I knew it turned into a dirt track.
Anyways I decided to keep going laying aside the doubts and apprehensions in my mind. The road was so bad with potholes and slush that I couldn't ride any faster than 10-15kmph mostly with support from my feet. I realised that taking this shortcut was the first mistake I had made on this trip. The road passed through some tiny villages becoming worse with each km. On the way one old lady started shouting and abusing me for no apparent reason that I could understand. May be she hated bikers! The suspension took a beating on this road and so did my buttocks. Somewhere in the middle of this road I felt completely lost and was thinking of re-routing when I approached a group of lady workers sitting by the side of the road. I asked one of them for directions.. she had no clue and neither did the entire bunch. Just as I was about to move came running a Lungi clad old man who was with the group of ladies. He knew Malayalam!, and he assured me that the route was indeed a shortcut to Sathi and explained me the remaining directions to take. After crossing a couple of more villages lined alongside the dirt track, I saw, to much relief, a stretch of leveled black tar - the Sathyamangalam Highway. I stopped at the first tea shop I found and decided to rest while sipping some tea and munching biscuits.
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| a terrible short-cut |
It must have been 12.30pm by the time I was back on the road. Soon I entered the Sathyamangalam Forest range. A board warning you of wildlife crossing the roads welcomes you. These are also the forests where Veerappan and his gang used to be very active. The initial ride through the forest comes with empty road with slight ascents and descents with the forests lining thickly on both sides. The road is good enough to go fast, very fast ; but one can enjoy the greenery only if you are cruising at a moderate speed. I had never experienced such peaceful riding ever.
Shortly I was climbing up the ghat section ; its a short ascent and I didn't even know that I had reached the top. There is a dramatic change in the climate. I could see a light fog even in the middle of the afternoon. As i started the descent on the twisties, the air was so laden with moisture that it started drizzling. I must admit that I was little shaky while negotiating the twisties and the hair-pin bends as I was not very used to it and also because at the back of my mind I have always had this thing that the Thunderbird’s handling and grip on the surface is not trustworthy on wet, winding roads. (of course this was proven wrong is due course of my ride as I gained confidence about the bike’s capability). As I reached the base of the mountains after crossing the Sathyamangalam forests and mountains, the feeling was that of pure joy. Little did I know that this was just a miniscule part of the exciting ride that lay ahead of me through the Nilgiris (Western ghats)and further.
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| Entering Sathyamangalam forests |
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| Heading towards the ghats |
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| Mountains near Sathyamangalam |
Shortly I was climbing up the ghat section ; its a short ascent and I didn't even know that I had reached the top. There is a dramatic change in the climate. I could see a light fog even in the middle of the afternoon. As i started the descent on the twisties, the air was so laden with moisture that it started drizzling. I must admit that I was little shaky while negotiating the twisties and the hair-pin bends as I was not very used to it and also because at the back of my mind I have always had this thing that the Thunderbird’s handling and grip on the surface is not trustworthy on wet, winding roads. (of course this was proven wrong is due course of my ride as I gained confidence about the bike’s capability). As I reached the base of the mountains after crossing the Sathyamangalam forests and mountains, the feeling was that of pure joy. Little did I know that this was just a miniscule part of the exciting ride that lay ahead of me through the Nilgiris (Western ghats)and further.
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| Foggy Mountains |
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| Its deeper than it seems! |
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| The First Twisties of the ride |
Next up was another short cut I had planned before the ride, cutting across just before Sathyamangalam town and directly reaching Mettupalayam. One more reason to take this shortcut was that Bhavanisagar dam which was nearby. Irrespective of my previous experience with ‘google maps shortcut’, I decided to take a chance. This time around the road was good though. I was able to take a quick view of the Bhavanisagar dam. I couldn't find an access to the reservoir though and didnt waste time trying to find one and carried on towards Mettupalayam. The tamil nadu heat was catching up and the sun was very bright. I found a road side dhaba on a very deserted stretch of the road and decided to take a stop hoping to have some food. But there was nothing in the so called dhaba other than its aged owners and a few biscuits. Anyways I bought some tea, biscuits and relaxed under a tree. After some time the old couple from the shop came out and asked my whereabouts and where I am going to, etc. The final question was ‘This is an Enfield, right? Which model? how much does it cost??’ to which I replied and told them that I bought the bike for about 1.25 lacs. The old man frowned. Shortly after, the lady gave me a pitiful look and said (in tamil), “ Why you bought a mere bike for that much money??? If you were smart, you could have bought a nice car itself!! you wasted your money young man!” (at this moment she gives a sheepish smile partly looking at at her husband, as if she had given a good preaching to a person (me) who had lost his entire wealth buying lottery tickets - looser!). No words or patience to answer her… I am not going to buy a Nano!… Ssheww! Time to start the engine and disappear.
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| Bhavanisagar dam |
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| Bhavanisagar |
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| Approaching Mettupalayam |
It was still quite hot when I reached Mettupalayam town. Now I headed towards the hills - towards Ooty via Coonoor. Again as soon as I started the climb towards Coonoor, the climate changed drastically. There was no sun and I could feel the chill in the wind. The hairpins were challenging especially while climbing. Then it started drizzling which I thought was temporary and carried on. Suddenly, out of nowhere there was a sudden downpour and I got completely drenched. I wasn't wearing the inner waterproofing lining of my riding jacket and by the time I could stop somewhere to wear it I was already wet. So I continued the ascent hoping that the rain would stop. It was difficult to stop on the way as the road wasnt very wide and there were vehicles coming behind. The sides of the road were eroded due to heavy rains. As I climbed higher it became colder, and the wind would give me chills. My gloves and shoes were filled with water. After about infinite number of hairpin bends, I reached Coonoor while it was still raining The time must have been 4.30pm. My body was frozen and exhausted. I wasn't prepared for it and thought it unwise to ride any further although the plan was to reach Ooty by EOD. I just rode into the first lodge I found and took a room for the night. Its at the lodge that I came to know that I couldn't have timed a better or worse day to enter the hills - the day it recieved maximum non-stop rainfall in the recent season. As I was dripping wet, I quickly changed into a dry clothes. There was no chance that my shoes, jeans, jacket, tshirt, gloves, socks and whatever I had worn would dry overnight, but anyways I squeezed them as much as possible and hung them. My saddle bag and tank bag were also partially wet. The first couple of hours in the room were spent shivering inside two blankets until my feet felt a little warm.
I planned to take off early next morning by 5.30am in the hope to cover up for the shortfall. I had to refuel the bike as it had little fuel left and the next morning no petrol bunks would be open in the area before 10am. Reluctantly I got out of the blankets to go out and refuel, but the damn rail hadn't stopped. Anyways I went out filled the bike, had a quick dinner, came back to my room. Alarm fixed. Lights off.
Distance covered - 355 kms
DAY 2
Even though the body was feeling fatigued, the prospect of riding through Ooty and then into Kerala was motivation enough to wake up by 5am. Outside it was still raining, infact it had rained the whole night. The thought of again getting wet put me to sleep for another half an hour. By 5.30 am, the rain had eased out and it was just a light drizzle. The lodge guys provide hot water only by 6am, so I had to wait. Took a quick hot bath and got ready. Unfortunately I had to live with wearing wet shoes, a damp jacket and gloves as I didn't have spare ones of these. Saddled up the bike, a quick coffee and settled my bill at the lodge. I was again on the road by 6.45 am only while it was still drizzling lightly. Only in the daylight was i able to see how pretty the place was. As I started the further ascent towards Ooty, the scenery became more and more interesting. i stopped at lot of places to take snaps. The mountains have their tips covered by clouds with the greenest grass spread like a carpet. The numerous hills are dotted with tiny houses in different colours. One has to be there to experience it, words can’t do justice to that experience. I passed through Ooty town towards Pykara. Took a break a small little tea shop. The weather was awesome with no signs of rains unlike the previous day. I decided to put on my helmet cam set-up. I started filming the ride then on as much as i could.
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| Ooty down below |
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| Colourful houses dotting the mountains |
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| Add caption |
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| Out of focus |
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| true blue |
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| descending down to kerala |
I was riding at a good steady pace enjoying the views as I started the descent towards Gudalur. Although I was riding at a good pace the descent never seemed to end. You keep going down and down through the never ending loops and hairpins. Thats when I realised how high I had been from the mean sea level. Saw a tea shop and stopped to have a good cup of chocolate tea. The shop also had various types of local grown tea for sale. I bought a couple of Kgs of the tea and started off again. Soon I had descended down to Gudalur and took left to enter Kerala. Once in Kerala, the narrow road passes through some dense green forests and due to the rains the road was quite damaged. I passed by many a small landslides along the road. Till I reached the first noticeable town i.e Nilambur, the road condition was pretty bad. Once I hit the towns, the first thing that dawned on me was that although the roads were better now, the traffic had increased. The biggest threat being the buses which ply on these roads, both the State transport and private buses. The drivers of these buses take unbelievable chances while driving with bus loaded with passengers. I had heard about the terrible bus driving in this state, but I couldn't digest as to how they could take such risks when I saw it in person. The next town to reach was Perinthalmanna and time was already 2pm. Considering that I had to cover another 250 odd kms as per my original plan by EOD, I was well behind schedule. The delay was primarily because of the road conditions while entering Kerala and the various halts I had on the way down from Ooty to enjoy the views, take snaps and videos. I was feeling a bit tired and knew that i wont be able to stick to my original plan of reaching the destination by the 2nd day, so I decided to ride on until daylight and my body permits. In the next few hours I managed to traverse from the eastern border of Kerala to the western sea side. Crossed the town of Guruvayoor to hit NH17 which runs parallel to the shore. After passing some very scenic backwaters, by about 5pm I thought it was time to call it a day. Passing through the small towns on NH17, i had much difficulty finding accommodation. After asking many locals I finally found a place which was a basic cheap budget lodge, not at all the cleanest places to stay for a night. But I settled for it, as it was getting darker and I had no energy to go hunting for an alternative place to lodge. The night at the lodge was quite difficult but the fatigue made sure that eventually I slept like a baby.
Distance covered - 260 kms
DAY 3
An early morning buzz from the alarm at 5.30am to wake me up.. and the sight of rain from the window to put me back to sleep again. Yes, the rains had again spoiled my plan to start early. The rain ceased by 6.30am and I was again on the road by 7am. I took regular exits from NH17 towards the beach through narrow tracks and back to the highway. The early morning pleasant climate coupled with the beaches were making my day. I had only about 130 kms to cover and an entire day with me. I decided to treat myself with a wholesome breakfast, and on one of the beaches I found this small eatery, known as ‘thattu kada’ in malayalam facing the sea. I had a serving of the famous ‘Pottu kadala’, few freshly prepared dosas, a couple of vadas, few bananas and large glassful of ‘chaya’ (tea). What else could I ask for? Hand on my heart, this was the best breakfast I had in a very very long time. Sadly though, i had forgotten to charge my camera and the phones the previous night and was not able take pictures of any of these. The shop guy was a pleasant chap and had no other customers to attend to other than me. He was very eager to know about my whereabouts and about the bike. His only problem seemed to be the fact as to why am i riding alone… and where is my gang. I guess he had seen various local Biker club guys zooming past in bunches and thought I was one of them too.
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| Allapuzha beach |
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| The text book green |
Back on the highway I had hit the cities of Ernakulam and Kochi. Took the bypass but still couldn't chuck the traffic. Finally out of the city limits I took an exit to go to a place called Cherthala to say a quick hello to a friend. As i had a heavy breakfast, i was more than happy to skip lunch to continue riding lazily towards Alappuzha. Once reaching Alappuzha, again I took an exit to the beach as very soon I would be again riding inlands and would not see the sea again. parking the bike on the desolate beach, I took a quick nap on the sand. It must have been 3pm, before I was on the road again. A short ride and i was at Kayamkulam. Here I took a left inland. I was very familiar with the place as i had been here many times during my holidays. A 30km ride and I was at Adoor town. As I rode towards my grandma’s home, the feeling I was experiencing was a mixture of joy, accomplishment and relief. For a while, I couldn't fathom that i had indeed finished half my journey, safe and sound.
Distance covered - 170 kms
DAYS 4-5-6-7-8
The next 5 days (day 4 to 8) were spent riding short distances, visiting friends and relatives about which I would rather not write here.
Distance covered - 300 kms
DAY 9 : The return journey starts...
After a refreshing 5 days in Kerala, my journey back to Bangalore started from Pathanamthitta town where I was put up at a relatives place. Starting early morning I headed north from the town. The plan was to take SH44 towards Pamba and Sabarimala. The road passes through some hilly and jungle terrain. Although the map shows this to be a state highway, the road is no broader than 30 feet on most parts. There were two more challenges added, one was continuous rain and second was that my saddle bags were now a good 4-5 kgs heavier as I packed in some eatables and other stuff I picked up in Kerala. I had difficulty balancing the weight in the saddle bags on either side. Took me couple of stops on the road to shift stuff here and there from both the bags before I was able to get a good balance. Most of the ride towards Pamba was uphill and slippery. Here too buses would ‘fly’ past spraying water all over even while approaching tight hairpin bends at considerable speed. God! whats wrong with these guys?? By 10am or so the rains had disappeared as I entered the jungle ranges intermittently lined by huge rubber plantations. The next move was to take an exit on the state highway onto a narrow road which leads to a place called Gavi which is supposed to be quite beautiful close to the Periyar Tiger reserve. But as I approached the exit, few forest rangers blocked me from going saying that the road had been damaged due to heavy rains and that its too risky to allow bikes on the route. The situation was so bad that it seems only a couple of buses and few jeeps were allowed in a day to take the route. Unfortunately there wasn't any alternative route to Gavi and I had to forgo the idea. Continuing towards Pamba, I noticed a small road on the map which was a shortcut and could save me about 8-10 kms of distance. I took this road. It turned out to be a small jungle road which was covered fully by trees and a stream running on one side. I thought it to be a good idea to film this part of the ride and set up the helmet cam. As i covered the first 100mts or so, I realised that the road although a treat to the eyes, was very isolated and if something was to happen to me, there is no way anyone could notice. Anyways as I continued down the road, after about half a km, i was found a big tree that had uprooted and fallen right across the road thus blocking it completely. I thought I could somehow manage to slip the bike through the sides but there was just not enough clearance and it seemed a risky proposal as even if i cross this block, there was hardly a way to return back in case this road had more surprises in store. So i had to turn back and hit the highway again. Check out this video...
Continuing on SH44, i was again greeted by a group of forest division officials. The news was that heavy rains had caused the Pamba river to overflow and the road ahead was submerged under water and that it would take a few hours before the water recedes and the road is safe. Stuck again! Google map showed no other promising route.
This was the third time in the day that nature stopped me from taking a particular route. Gradually the number of vehicles waiting to pass increased and so I too decided to wait it out. Went to a nearby tea shop for a break. While talking to the tea master about the blockade, he told me that there was a round about way to go past the blockade which can be traversed only by bike. Fortunately the small bridge on this road over the Pamba river was still in a condition to be crossed. I quickly took note of the the route he suggested. It was pretty simple.. I just had to take left > left > left > left wherever I see a turn and i should be back on the state highway. I took the route which passed through some small village. Along the Pamba river, some distance before the bridge one could see a big chunk of the road swallowed by the river. So the villagers had made a small path through the neighbouring rubber plantation through the trees so that they could walk past. No wonder that this road was only doable by bike. Took the makeshift path and finally I crossed the small bridge and continued on to reach the SH again. Hail the tea master!!
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| Pamba river |
The rains had again resumed and the road had taken a beating, so the going was slow. Moving towards Kattapana, the road goes through some hilly area. Dense fog kept hampering the visibility. On one particular stretch while going uphill, I glanced to my left side to see a gaping straight fall down the valley without any barrier along the edge of the road. As scary as it was, I couldn't stop myself from peeping down and each time, the hair around my neck and hands would be raised.
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| long way up |
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| visibility in the fog |
Crossing Kattapanna, I was moving steadily towards Munnar. I passes through ‘Cardamom Hills’ and as the name suggests, the road passes through Cardamom plantations. The aroma of the ‘queen of spices’ has a presence all throughout the road here. Another snack break and few kms later I was approaching Munnar, getting drenched all along. After the cardamom its the Tea aroma that takes over as one enters Munnar. Finally I entered Munnar. The climate was wet and chilly and finding an accommodation without getting paying through the nose was making things difficult. Every hotel/lodge I went to was either full or charging a huge premium. I spotted a poster add on a wall of a building advertising accommodation for tourists. i called the number and within 10 mins a person came to the spot where I was to escort me to the “room’ which he was offering. He took me almost till the edge of Munnar town to take me to a small dilapidated building which has rooms for rent. Again the room was not really cozy for the money I was paying. But I needed a place quickly as I was wet and cold. It must have been 5pm by the time i settled down for a quick nap. Even with two blankets I couldn't stop shivering. For an hour or so I couldn't sleep due to the cold. Wondering what I could do, I took out my laptop. Mine being a prehistoric laptop, acts more like a heater than a computer. Put on the laptop and had it with me under the blanket. AAahh some relief. Woke up after 2 hrs to a high fever and killing body ache. I guess all that rain and getting drenched took its toll on me. Had dinner, pooped in a paracetamol tablet, applied a tonne of pain relief balm and went to sleep hoping I would feel better next morning. Just before sleeping, I was thinking that i would be probably riding another 2 days before reaching Bangalore, totally 3 days as was the case while i went from bangalore to Kerala. But then i started thinking of making it in 2 days. i would have to stretch a bit, but it was doable. With a firm resolve to finish the ride by the end of next day, I switched off the lights.
Distance covered - 240 kms
DAY 10
Yet again the day greeted me with rains. Fortunately, my fever was down. A quick exit from Munnar towards the Tamil nadu border was the priority. But the twisting roads through the numerous tea plantations were so stunning that a quick exit was not possible. I have never seen so much green, the text book green, in my life. i always thought mountains were supposed to be soily brown in colour. Here the mountains are a velvety green. Every other hill has a small waterfall oozing out like milk. Each view was wallpaper stuff!!
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| Munnar |
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| Snaking road through tea plantations |
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| velvety green cover |
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| Tea break by a waterfall |
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| hide n seek |
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| The tea turns |
Stopping and halting many a times to take pics and sip tea, I gradually came down the tea mountains approaching the plains that would lead me into Tamil nadu. Reaching the Kerala - Tamil Nadu, I passed through the Chinnar Wildlife sanctuary. The ride through the sanctuary was easy and serene. Soon I was at the state border check post. Here I was asked to put my details on a register and my luggage was checked before letting me pass. As soon as I entered Tamil nadu, the difference in the terrain was very noticeable. The landscape was more plain and rocky and less green. The sun was very bright and the temperature was comparatively higher now. By 11am, I was at the town of Udumalaipettai in TN. Better roads were a big relief. I have to agree that TN had the best roads of all three states i had been through. Even roads connecting small towns and villages were very well laid and broad.
Looking at google maps, there was a mesh of roads going in all directions and I needed a refresher on the route I had planned to take. So took a tea break and checked the route. Udumalaipettai > Perundurai > Bhavani > Mettur > Dharmapuri > Krishnagiri > Hosur > Bangalore, and I had to cover this distance in the same day. The roads were so much better that I was regularly clocking 80-100 kmph and covering more ground than I expected. At a stretch near to Perundurai I guess, there are a large number of Wind Turbines. As far as I could see there were these huge fans spread across the horizon on both sides of the road. A grand sight indeed. The wind was not only rotating these huge wind turbines but also pushing against me. I was wearing an open face helmet. As i was negotiating with the cross winds, I could feel my helmet rising a bit. Its one of my old helmets I had been using and because of constant use is no longer a snug fit on my head and thus quite loose and very comfy. I had the strap fastened and could feel the strap against my lower chin while the wind was raising the helmet. Just as I was thinking as to how strong the wind is, my helmet flew off my head! The strap had given away, not from the buckle but from the spot where it attached to one side of the helmet - the stitchings had come loose over time I guess. Fortunately the helmet landed on some dried bushes on the side of the road and survived for another day from the wind tragedy. No wonder this place has so many wind turbines!
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| windmills |
Soon I arrived at Bhavani, and moved on till a realised that took a wrong turn and instead of moving towards Mettur, I was heading towards Salem. I had come on this road so far that turning back was not a good idea, so I continued onwards and just before salem took an exit through a village road such that i was back on the original route. Had a quick lunch at roadside dhaba at Omalur to proceed towards Dharmapuri. By about 3pm I had just crossed Dharmapuri, and reaching Bangalore by sundown was quite possible. At Krishnagiri, I started having difficulty riding as my butts had gone numb. I had to take a break and eventually I ended up taking an extended 45 min halt. I knew I would be stretching myself and the bike to reach Bangalore. I took small walks and rest before I started again. The engine was quite hot and so i decide to mellow down on the throttle for the rest of the ride going at 60-70kmph. It was well after sundown that I reached Hosur. From Hosur onwards the last few Kms to Bangalore was infested with traffic. By 8pm, it was touchdown at HSR layout, Bangalore… The end of my ride. Its then that i noticed how dirty me and my bike had become, but we had accomplished a wonderful ride and as they say.. A little bit of dirt won't hurt!
Distance covered : 530 kms
TAKE AWAYS FROM THE RIDE / SUGGESTIONS TO FELLOW RIDERS
> Try not overplan you trip. Although basic planning is necessary, i felt, I had overplanned a bit. Incidentally it was the unplanned bits that i enjoyed more. This may depend from person to person.
> Take good care of your bike. This is very important. Treat her good before, during and after the ride and she shall reciprocate the way (if you're not very unlucky). I felt so proud of my bike, that it had completed the entire journey without a single hiccup. The total distance covered was about 1850 kms, the longest ride I had done till now. The bike returned a mileage of 42 kmpl on an average, which is pretty good considering the ride for the most part was through hilly regions and less often on straight highways.
> For longer rides (>500kms) always carry a few spares - spark plugs, head light bulbs, clutch cable, basic tools, etc. I also carried with me a small 100ml parachute bottle, filled with lubrication oil for the chain. You’re supposed to oil the chain every 500 kms, especially on an Enfield as the chain doesn't have a cover and is exposed. The chain can get quite dry on long rides.
> If you are going to hit rainy areas, then better have proper rain coats and protection for you and your luggage. This is one mistake that i committed as i thought I could reduce some luggage and manage by taking shelter somewhere in case of rains - not happening!. Also before the ride get an idea of the places where you plan to halt for the night in case of multiple days trip. try to find out the kind of accommodation that you can expect. This was another mistake I did.
> About the riding gear i had mentioned in the beginning. But what you’re wearing inside, rather innermost side also matters. Instead of wearing briefs or trunks (which can get quite uncomfortable .. you know what I mean!), I opted to wear boxer shorts under my jeans. Trust me, it makes it much easier for the associated parts of the body during the ride. This is a cue I took from a fellow riders travelogue on a forum. May sound silly, but quite helpful.
> Be friendly with locals that you may meet on the way. They will make you feel good (mostly, forgot about the old dhaba owners) and most importantly, they might have information quite useful to you.
I wasn't able to take as many pictures as would have liked to because most of the time it was raining and my camera would get wet. Moreover since I was riding solo, it was time consuming to stop every now and then to take snaps. I regret that i was not able to capture some of the best views i experienced on the way.
All in all, this ride has been in some ways a small achievement personally, especially as it was a solo ride. It was a much needed break from the regular and I am glad I did it. I am sure that I will be riding much more in the future.
Keep Riding….
