This trip was no different.
Trip Summary
Distance on the odo: 1,514 Kms
Days: 2 and a half
Farthest place: Kozhikode
Objective: To ride
Achieved: Bliss
The moment: A wild elephant herd in clicking/striking distance!
Prologue
It had been a long wish, that to ride and ride long. Rewind to September 2010 and that evening, when I had made all the preparations for myself and the bike, only to meet disappointment as I could not go ahead with the trip due to some personal reasons. For about 2 years now, every time I came across a ridalogue on xBhp or other forums, I would turn green. It would be infuriating on the inside. The urge to get on the saddle for hours together, passing through green fields, broad roads, misty mountains was haunting me. As the first line of this log goes, the ride had to happen now.
Day 0
It is Thursday evening, I still have not spoken to my manager about taking a leave on Saturday. (Friday was a holiday). 5 PM and I slowly walk up to my manager, spin a story about an all important family function and get a nod. I was not very excited even now for I didn’t know the destination yet. The valparai – Athirampally stretch has been in mind for a few months now but attempting it alone on a bike will test the limits of sanity. There’s only a thin line between being adventurous and stupid, and I didn’t want to find myself on the wrong side of the line. Ever since I had made a wayanad trip (on a car) last year, I wanted to ride on the gorgeous NH212 through the green forests. So option A was Valparai without doing the stretch to Athirampally and B was to ride to wayanad. But I still hadn’t chosen between the two. Now another question – Should I start after office and make it to Vellore for the night or start afresh tomorrow? The choice was tough as I was always for gaining time since this was my first long distance ride. Eventually I convinced myself that a fresh early morning ride would be much more productive than a risky night ride after a tired day at office.
Day 1
Trip meter - Start: 0 KM
Trip meter – End: 645 KM
Route covered: Chennai – Mysore - Kalpetta
It was 5 10 AM in the morning, still dark, very dark, a lame drizzle to worsen things and I set off on my maiden big ride on my black machine. A few minutes and it turned into a heavy drizzle and I was all wet even before I could cross the outskirts of Chennai. Little did I know that I had to endure this all the way until vellore. Started praying God for 2 things – daybreak and no rain. Wiping the visor every now and then was an ordeal. Wet roads meant low speeds of 60’s. I am basically a cautious rider and get even more circumspect with wet roads. At around 6 30, the first wish came true. Post a tank-up at vellore, the skies heard my call. It was cloudy and the weather was pleasant. The roads were dry and it was a breeze until Krishnagiri.
Krishnagiri had to come because that’s where I would make the decision of where to head to. And finally I approached the turn-off. It came down to a split second. Taking the right meant wayanad and left meant Valparai. On the back of the mind, I did not want to do Valparai without doing the famed 80 km forest stretch to Chalakudy. So the impulse was to take the right and I did. After a good breakfast, started out from Krishnagiri at 10 and headed towards Hosur. And ya, I got to see and was amazed by the different kinds of trailor trucks on the highways. First time experience and hence!
After Hosur, I was a little too conscious and kinda over-anticipating the diversion to the toll road (NICE road) towards Mysore; as a result, unnecessarily wandered into some diversions expecting the road and lost some time. But eventually took the road and woah, was it beautiful. It wasn’t as smooth as the NH4/HN46, but I did a constant 100 kph only here. The signboards were placed well at the Banneghatta road junction. And yes, paid the first and only toll here (twice) on this road. Having used to bypass every toll by the left, I was suddenly perplexed when the toll guy stopped me here! Finally reached SH17 and took a break. The time, to my amazement, was just 11 40. Now all I had in my mind as the day end target was Mysore, the farthest. I was never sure if I could do even those 500 kms at a stretch. But now I started thinking further. The thought of touching the west coast lured me. I decided to take it step by step. In fact that’s how I went about the whole trip. At start, I imagined my destination was vellore. At vellore, Krishnagiri. This way, it was the de facto fourth leg of my trip. I decided to get to Mysore and then decide if I should attempt the final leg till wayanad. SH17 was much traffic-less than how I had experienced it earlier. Bidadi, Ramnagara, Chennapatna – all the towns having their own share of speed-breakers – were done and dusted. I wanted to refresh and have a snack and remembered the McD in the BP bunk.
After some rest and ice-tea, the cruise resumed to hit Mysore by 2 15. Tanked up again and headed to the mysore palace entry for some pics.
And the road to Nanjangud – the most pathetic stretch of the entire journey! Narrow 2-lane road, broke road all the way till nanjangud, heavy traffic meant nothing but lots of time and energy wasted. Fortunately though, after nanjangud, it was the opposite - Less traffic and a smooth road. After crossing Gundulpet, the adrenaline got going as I knew the very purpose of taking this route was going to be fulfilled – the drive through the sanctuary. The Karnataka checkpost for Moolehole WLS was passed and I could smell the forests. Quite literally. I am here, finally. And on two wheels.
The traffic was sparse and that certainly added to the eeriness. The trees seemed to be trying to convey something to me. The twisty roads with the jungle setting were as elegant as a VVS Laxman flick. It’s any nature lover’s delight to ride in such a setting. Poetic to say the least. Traveling alone on a motorcycle through a forest road (never mind that it’s a NH) is an experience in itself. I have had it before when I rode a rented bike through Mudumalai/Bandipur and Masinagudi. It was dry season then and hence even more scary. The speeds were down to the 40’s and the evening was setting in. Every bend seemed to hold a surprise, which wasn’t to be. But when alone, you would want and still do not want it. The roads were good and I was glad they were. After all, I did not want a flat tyre at the end of the day in such a place. Stopped somewhere in the middle for a few snaps. Spotted a couple of deer inside the woods. Soon I was into Kerala.
After a while, the woods gave way to plantations and fields. I was in Wayanad district. A good reminder that you are in Kerala is when you are on the road. I have no clue why drivers in this part of the country drive the way they do, with absolutely no mercy for other vehicles. Whatever be the reason, I decided to head to Kalpetta than stay at Bathery as I wanted to put up at the hotel we stayed earlier over there. Unfortunately, the rooms were full and had to settle for another hotel. Had some snacks at Walnut Cakes, a popular bakery in the town and settled in the room for some movie on the television, accompanied by room served dinner. I was thrilled that I had done 650 kms in a day on my first big trip. The previous max kms per day was 320 km – the ride to pondy a few weeks earlier. Soon, the movie slowly faded from vision, so did the room, in a bliss I was and it was 7 AM.
Day 2
Trip start: 644 KM
Trip end: 987 KM
Route covered: Kalpetta – Kozhikode – Kalpetta – Mysore
I had planned a leisurely start today as Day 1 and day 3 demanded early starts and hectic rides. So when I finally started from my hotel, it was already 8 30 AM. But wait, the same issue – I did not know where to go - Kozhikode or in and around wayanad? Finally decided to hit the west coast. The road till entering the ghats was well laid and smooth. Little did I know there wouldn’t be a road at all after that. Stopped at a popular view point for a short break and some pics. The next 12 kms on the thamarassery ghat road were horrendous. But I was at least thankful that there was no mist or rain. Visibility woes on the back of bad ghat roads would have been disastrous.
There were huge craters every now and then and the joy of riding in the ghats was almost taken away. Patchworks have been started in places now. After Adivaram town (the base), it was the typical 2-lane Kerala highway with vehicles driving as though there’s no tomorrow!
The last few kms to Kozhikode beach had worse traffic with traffic signals. And I started sweating - indication that I was closer to the Marina-like conditions – the west coast is here.
Actually I did not make it to Kappad – the reason I had it in the title was just to give a name to the west coast. The Kozhikode beach was sparsely crowded. I stopped the vehicle, clicked a few pics. 720 kms I have traveled, just to spend a few minutes in this city and turn back. Foolish, some would say. But the journey, as they say, is as or more important than the destination. Tanked up in the third state and headed back towards wayanad amidst a lot of traffic. Missed the ghat road after thamarassery and went on another route for about 10 kms, when I realized that the ghats had still not begun and the route was unfamiliar. Time and fuel wasted, got back on track to experience the craters again.
Kalpetta at around 2 PM meant there was sufficient time to get to Mysore before dusk, search a hotel and hit the sack early for an early start tomorrow. Stopped at a mechanic shop just after the town to lubricate the chain. He asked me where I was from and refused to take any bucks for the same. Proceeded towards Gundulpet and had no big hopes on the forest stretch as it was still afternoon and it’s not a great time to expect any denizens of the wild come out. Luckily, I was wrong.
After crossing Kerala border, there was a truck approaching me slowly from the opposite side. The driver stuck his head out and indicated something to me in some God-knows-what language (or God’s own language, for all you know), which I couldn’t understand. But if there was something he was going to convey at that place, it was going to be a sighting. A few metres ahead and a wild elephant herd right in front of me on the right side of the road, their faces turned to the other side. The brakes were on. There was an elephant calf in the family. From my little knowledge of the wild, I knew that it’s dangerous to be in the proximity of an elephant herd with a calf or a lone tusker. Elephants are extremely protective if they have a calf in their herd and will tolerate no intrusion whatsoever. Since the elephants were so close to the road, I had no idea whether they had already crossed the road or they were about to. So I decided to stop a good 150-200 metres behind, kept the engine on, maneuvered the bike in such a position that a u-turn was going to be easy, should there be a mock charge. As they say, its always better to hope for the best and be prepared for the worst. Had my camera in my shirt pocket exactly for this moment; took it slowly, ensured that the flash was off, clicked from the distance. The advantage I had was that the elephants were not facing me. A couple of clicks later, kept it inside and just then a SUV comes in the opposite direction and stops, right by the side of the elephants, surely at striking distance. Morons they were, not knowing how different spotting animals in the wild is from doing it in the zoo. I was frustrated since I was sure that the herd would start feeling uneasy. I decided to slowly start and roll as the elephants were only on the right side and that too a few feet away from the road, and they would have to cross the SUV to come to the left. Just as I started, so did the SUV moron and good that he did, because as I was crossing the elephants, one of them started the charge towards the slowly moving SUV. Trust me, witnessing a big elephant initiate a charge was scary. The charge was in the opposite direction and yet, it was chilling. The SUV would have fled the scene. So did I, atleast for the next km or two. I had just experienced the high moment of the trip and it will be unforgettable for the rest of my life, probably.
The rest of the ride through the forest was eventless but I wasn’t complaining. The sheer proximity to nature was more than enough to bring a broad smile on to the face.
Found a group of tourists stop their bus in the middle and picnic (having lunch) by the side of the road inside the sanctuary. Another type of mindless morons. After exiting the forests, the fields started appearing. Stopped for a break and plugged the music onto my ears. The elephant sighting was still sinking in.
Started ripping again and stopped at Nanjangud for some pics. Ah, the bad roads are back. Reached Mysore close to 6 PM and hunted for an affordable hotel with secure parking for almost an hour. Finally found one on Irwin road, settled, had the dinner, and hit the bed. Early start tomorrow. Today was great except for bad roads. I have done what I had been dreaming for long, with my own share of adventures too. Good night.
Day 3
Start trip: 987 KM
End trip: 1,514 KM
Route covered: Mysore - Chennai
The alarm buzzed and I was up in a jiffy. I wasn’t sure about the fitness of the machine and myself after 2 days of tiring ride. So planned to roll by 6, keeping in mind the chill. It was cold, very cold on SH17 but I couldn’t resist the 90’s. Whenever I slowed down to the 60’s, I felt a lot better but I didn’t like it. Witnessed a wonderful sunrise on the way to Maddur.
It was still cold and there was virtually no traffic in this direction, while on the other side, it was already heavy.
Also came across some convoys of superbikes on the other side but the relative speed was just too much for me to identify them. Breakfast was planned at Kamat but I somehow seemed to have missed it. So stopped at Hosur for some breakfast. After hosur, it was plain cruising all the way until the outskirts of Chennai. 6 15 AM at mysore and 1 15 PM at Poonamalle meant I had made good time. This also meant I had some part of the Sunday left to take some well deserved rest.
I was home with a never-felt-before satisfaction all over me. It was perhaps foolish for a first-timer to do this all alone, but never mind I thought, I had after all completed it and had no complaints. The black machine scored brownie points for offering a glitchless ride and some great company. Hope it continues to do the same in the future. Bye for now, to the highways and the riding gear. See you soon. I am already smelling Pongal. And some tea.
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