Kalpeni

After cruising for more than 15 hours on MV Tippu Sultan, I was feeling that it was high time to be on land rather in water ;) I reached the deck by 5AM itself with all my gadgets. All that enthusiasm did pay off! The sun raise was the most beautiful that I had ever seen. The huge red ball raising out of the sea was definitely a spectacular. At a distance I could see a small island full of coconut trees welcoming us into Lakshadweep. Hmmn... it was very different from my expectation :( I was expecting lagoons and huge beaches, that was what I read about this place. Well, after coming all this way... going back was just not an option :) All I could see through my binoculars was coconut trees and four pointed cement structures which were put there to control the soil erosion. From the ship to the island, there were these beautifully looking boats plying people to and fro. That time I had no clue that these beautiful boats were going to give us a memory for life time, I guess it would not be an exaggeration even if I put that as the worst nightmare!



I got myself ready with all the necessay things and started on one of those boats. It was not looking too deep there but I was sure that it was more than my expectation. At some point it felt, whether we were going in a sea or in some well maintained swimming pool. Water was very clear and we could see the stones at the bottom. As we reached the island, there were few trucks waiting for us to take us to the resort. I had no clue what to expect so blindly followed the crowd. That resort was small and there also there was no beach! :( Somewhere I was cursing myself for taking this trip. Mean time we were offered coconuts, the one I got was not tasty at all :( I just went and sat on one of those cement blocks like a lost soul. After all, these experience can't be that bad! I got up and started looking for any information that will give an idea about the program for that day. Then I found a notice board detailing the plan for the day. I was happy to learn that we would be going on a boat to another island near by! There were few islands at sight, not too close from where we were standing. Slowly I pulled out my camera and started clicking few photos.



The boats were ready and it was time to start. I kept my camera back into the bag and started waiting for my turn. Mean time, the organisers over there got some kayaks. Somewhere I felt that they were calling me for a ride. By the time I kept my bag at a safe place and reached there all kayaks were taken. I asked one of those organisers whether it was safe to kayak till that other island. He only said, "It depends on your confidence!". Was he challenging me? by looking at my small built! May be not... Later I came to know that he was one of the senior instructors for marine life studies. Finally I got one kayak, guess I might had scared the person who was using it. Well... I waited enough, it was time for action!



As usual, I started slow and it took me a while to understand how to maneuver the kayak with that paddle. This learning by experimenting took me quite far from the shore. I tried coming back to the shore for few minutes. But the shouting from the daredevil me was so loud that I had to yield to him. Slowly I turned back and started kayaking towards the other island! It was not very difficult, just that one had to have some guts. As I was kayaking, I noticed my bag to be going in one of those boats! The friends I made on board the previous day were convinced that I was not going to return back and were nice enough to carry my bag to the other island. There were moments when I almost gave up and wanted to ask for help. But NO, I have that tenacity to continue to be a daredevil. At last I reached the destination :) Now I felt the obligation to return that kayak back at the other shore! If I had known that they were going to get all those kayaks back to this island, I would not had taken that pain! I looked at it as another challenge for myself and started my adventure back. By then I became an expert with that :) Instead of returning back to the place where I took the kayak I went to another island near by and from there I returned to the starting point. It was a great fun! I was really thrilled :)



Now like a nice boy I got on to the boat and reached the island safely ;) The rocks were too sharp, after all they were all dead coral reefs. I was glad to find my bag at a safe place. Everyone was getting ready to enter the water. I had no clue then, what was it store for us in those waters. The description I saw at the notice board said 'Sea bath at Tilakkam islands'. I was thinking, "Am I supposed to take bath now? if so, why was everyone preparing themselves so much?" It was hard for me to control the temptation to get into the water in my jockey thongs! There were no changing rooms, so went behind some of those bushes and very reluctantly changed into my swimming trunks. There was one other organiser giving snorkels to everyone getting into the water. It looked cool and I collected one and was all set for a great experience!

After taking the instructions on how to use the snorkel, I started swimming in those shallow waters. Initially I did not pay much attention to the device, it did not take me much time to realise how wonderful invention it was! It was the window to that underwater world. Once I got the glimpse of the beauty underwater, I stopped swimming and started walking with my head underwater. There were small colourful fishes in different shapes. For a moment I thought, how insane are we to eat those wonderful creatures... cruel humans! I could not stop myself from taking an extra helping at lunch that day. I must acknowledge that those fish were yummy! See... what a hypocrite I am :( May be that's why I don't think I even like my own self either. Ok... let's come back to snorkeling :) I went on few hundred meters like that along with few friends, not knowing any details about what we were looking at. It was definitely a great experience, for the first time looking at a different world. After going that far in water, we met this nice guy who gave us a nice tour about everything underwater. He later turned out to be one of the organisers who took care of our food arrangements that noon. He was very knowledgable and showed us various live corals and the marine life around them. He stopped us at one point and told us that we must return as there were some poisonous algae beyond that point. He was really of great help, we tried to tip him during the later part of the day to which he simply declined. Here I must mention about the hospitality of those islanders, I had never come across such nice people... simply amazing. Slowly we walked back to the shore, but it was so tempting and a wonderful visual feast that we got back into the water again. This time we gathered all those who were hesitant to venture into the water and got one instructor as well to accompany them. We let the instructor took care of them and we started exploring other areas, each one was better than the other. As we understood little more about them, we started getting closer to these corals and started playing with the fish around them. I want to try it again some time soon :) After an extensive exploration we reached the shore. There we had something even more interesting waiting for us. The guy who challenged me for kayaking was there inviting us to explore another part of the reef. We gladly followed him. He showed us some places where there were innumerable fish of same type concentrated in one small area. He started giving us a more detailed technical explanation, which none of us could follow. We were very glad that he showed us some very interesting parts of the reef. While returning from that island, my good friend wanted to try kayaking back. Seeing his enthusiasm I gladly accompanied him. I guess we reached back the starting point before the motor boat could reach :) Great achievement, more than that it was a great experience.





Later we had freshwater bath and a sumptuous lunch. By the time we were done with luch they and arranged a nice dance program to entertain us. For some time we were spellbound by that music and the movements. I clicked many photos but could not get any nice shot worth posting :( As soon as the dance program was over I wanted go for a walk into the island, but they had different a plan to take us around some interesting places inside the island. Finally they dropped us at the beach... Yes it was a WOW kind of beach! By then I was so exhausted that I drank a full bottle of water in one shot. In that excitement my Rayban sunglasses took a high jump and landed on a rock! This was nothing new to them and I also handle them roughly. But this time I had to bid goodbye, it was a bit painful to miss them. Well, nothing lasts forever! Slowly I gathered myself and walked into the beach, still gloomy :( These goggles had accompanied me in many trips and sometimes even helped me in making good pictures. I sat there at some solitary place for few minutes in silence as a mark of condolence!











Everyone had left leaving few of us at the beach! I was sure they were going to send few vehicles to collect us, but I thought I would walk back that distance. It was a pleasant walk and also it was getting dark. Just then I saw the vehicle which collected the missing ones at the beach and hanged on to it literally to get dropped near the resort. We packed up all our belongings and headed to the boats that were supposed to take us back safely on to the ship. As it was almost dark the tides were more than normal. All of a sudden the announced that it would be the last boat so all must adjust in that. As we started in the boat, we could not go much further from the shore, the tides were in full swing. The ship was visible at a distance and the shore also, but the tides were giving us an experience of yoyo! I covered my backpack with all weather sheet and was enjoying the ruthlessness of nature. It became very difficult for the parents, as the kids started crying loud. Most of the old folk started some bhajans. I was very sure that almost all those who believe in God had started saying all kinds of prayers. And there I was sitting silently so detached and romancing with that ruthless nature. Finally after a great struggle the boat men got us close to the ship. Then started the real problem! There were two embarking points on either side of the ship. The tides were so high... suppose if we had reached one side of the ship, that tide could easily flip the boat and collided with the ship causing all of us to go under the ship! On the other side, by the time anyone could embark they would fly into the sea as the boat would easily move away from the ship. Seeing this state they had started the ship and kept it moving leaving us behind. This caused another panic situation on the boat. Few had started shouting at the ship thinking that it was going to abandon them in the middle of the sea! WOW... it was amazing, how the human mind thinks :) At last, the ship and the boat managed to find a convenient position so that all could embark safely. Very soon we were onboard carrying with us a wonderful experience!

Kavaratti

I had been eagerly waiting for this day since the time I came to know that scuba diving is available on this island. Not just that, it costs just Rs. 500 for the introductory dive. I could not believe when I heard that price, I was jumping out of joy since then. I crosschecked couple of times to make sure that what I heard was right. Someone on the ship had asked me whether I wanted to try! Was that a question at all? Well... they would not had known that they were travelling with one crazy freak :)

The ship was stopped in the main channel. Like the previous day, we got into small boats and reached the jetty. On that way itself I spotted our welcome point and decided on my preferred way of reaching there. After getting down at the jetty, I did not wait for anyone or any instructions. It felt so nice to walk on that beach with small tides touching your feet so early in the morning. All others were carefully walking away from the water. The interesting thing... I was not walking on the sand! It was the powder of dead corals. If you do not already know, corals are animals!

One of the organisers walked up to welcome, but only to be stopped by one question, "Where is the scuba diving place?" He showed us the direction and also suggested that we rest for some time and listen to a speech which detailed about the coral reef formation and the speciality of these islands. Mean time, everyone was served with tender coconuts. I must mention that they were yummy. I always enjoy drinking directly for some special reasons ;) You try and experience, don't ask me about those special reasons!

They gave us various options like swimming, kayaking, boating in glass bottom boats & scuba diving. Needless to say where I headed to, I was the the first one to register. We were told that there will be a half an hour of theory session, 10 minutes of underwater practice and 20 minutes of guided dive. I prepared myself and started waiting... Very soon I realised that I was the only one who was so eagerly waiting :( The instructor started taking registrations one after the other and it went on and on and on... After waiting for more than an hour this instructor started his session. It was a very good, informative and learning session.

"Who would get to dive first?" I got really pissed off and demanded that it better be done in the order of registration. Obviously he did yield to my tone. I handed over my big camera bag to someone who would most probably not get into the water. All of a sudden someone from nowhere popped up claiming himself to be from some news paper and asked that instructor to pose. That instructor was too much of a media friendly person. He went on with that photo session for more than half an hour with all his staff.

Finally we reached the diving site. It took them little time to tie the weights to my narrow waist. All scuba gear was put on to me and was made to do some breathing practice with SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus). I asked for some adjustments so that it suited my breathing rhythm. Now that I was all set... 1... 2... 3... and there I went underwater :) By the way, I was the first one to go underwater!

Once we were underwater the instructor made sure that I was comfortable with the increase in pressure and breathing. From here on all communication was only in sign language. During his theory session he made a point that not to touch anything that you see underwater as some could be poisonous. I was very cautious and kept my hands very close to myself. As I got more comfortable with scuba, I started looking around to experience this world underwater. I was amazing to find myself surrounded by different coloured fish in different sizes and shapes. All of a sudden this instructor blocked my nose and asked whether I was alright. It was to ensure the pressure inside the ear drums was balanced. I got accustomed to that new environment very quickly and indicated to him that I was perfectly fine. He took me to a live coral and started playing with the fish around there. The biggest among them came and started biting his fingers... then I slowly let my hands away from me trying to play with those brown and white colored fish. As we moved further he indicated that I turn back and look at the other divers! WOW... it was an awesome sight. We continued further to see more of this wonderful world. On the way he indicated that I pick up one of those live sea cucumbers, it felt so soft and spongy. While returning we were swimming over the underwater grass, I was not very comfortable with that as I could not see what was hiding inside that grass. We came back to the same coral, It was covered by green mass and there were a lot of violet coloured tubes kind of arrangement fluttering at the center of that coral. This time he put my hand directly into that... Ooo... it was definitely an experience! Here again that big fish came to bite my hand. Though I did not let it happen, it was really fun. As we were walking, I noticed some creatures digging themselves into the sand and disappearing! Very soon he indicated that we were going on to the surface and there we were into this world.

This diving place was very close to the shore. So we had to jump over a lot of cement and iron blocks while underwater. Initially I thought that he would take us in a boat to somewhere in the middle of the sea and make us dive over there. And also if it were away from the shore there could had been a good sighting of more underwater creatures. May be I was expecting too much from that introductory dive. Over all it was a great experience. I would definitely try that again with my someone special ;)

As we came back to the camp, lots of people were curious to know how the experience was and was it safe to try and all kinds of questions even from some really old woman. I tried my best to give as many details as possible. As usual I am never good at engaging myself in such conversations. I escaped at the earliest chance and got back to water. This time it was kayaking!

With the experience of previous day at Kalpeni, I became an expert at kayaking in those waters. By the time I reached there all kayaks were occupied. I asked few of them whether they are done with their part of kayaking. Obviously no body was willing to get tired of it :) As I was waiting for some kayak to get free, I enjoyed swimming in those shallow waters. Then I noticed two brothers in life jackets, trying to maneuver their kayak as it got filled with water. One of them had given up and the other still wanted to spend some more time on that. As he saw me swimming towards the kayak he felt very happy and asked me whether I wanted to join. I was sure that he did notice all the crazy things I did the previous day. My answer was very obvious and I hopped on it. We agreed on who was going to do what and I took the kayak straight towards the main channel. As he noticed that we came too far from the shore he requested that we should return. I got him back to the shore and made him feel comfortable. We did kayaking near to the shore till he got tired. As he got down, I had another friend waiting at the shore waiting for a kayak. He was the same one who accompanied me in the previous days adventure. It was a good combination and we started experimenting all kinds of maneuvers on the kayak very close the main channel. At some point we realised it was getting beyond our control and slowly managed to move away from the main channel. We still had not gone for boating on glass bottom boats. As we noticed one of those boats returning to the shore, we also got our kayak back to the shore and hopped in to the glass bottom boat.

Boating in that glass bottom boat was just out of the world experience. The experience you get in snorkeling and scuba diving is limited by your own ability to manage yourself in that environment. However this was more like some aquarium or TV kind of experience, just that you were physically very close to them and you may get to see them next to you in water. What if that glass breaks? Very interesting thought, but I chose not to think about that :) As we were moving far from the shore the scene through the glass bottom was getting better and better. We got to see innumerable variety of corals and fishes. All of a sudden we noticed them to be making some formations underwater. Later we realised that one of the boat guys was throwing some food for them. At some point we were amazed to see all these beautiful fish swimming along the boat and we could see them next to us instead of through the glass. Soon we reached the main channel only to get shocked. Through the glass it looked very deep blue and the boat guy told us that it would be easily few hundreds of meters deep. one could clearly see the difference between the coral reef and the main channel, it was an amazing sight. The boat guys were not in hurry but were very nice and gave us a detailed tour of the world underwater. Slowly they got us back to the shore, leaving us with a great memorable experience.



They offer this one week course on Open Water Scuba Diving for Rs.15,000. Other expenses like accommodation and transport might cost another Rs. 10,000. The cottages they have are very decent. The only phone that works over there is from BSNL. The whole place looks blissful. Over all, one of the best destinations to be with the someone special ;)

Lakshadweep - Trip sheet

12th November 2006 - Fort Kochi
13th November 2006 - M V Tippu Sultan (Arabian Sea)
14th November 2006 - Kalpeni (Lakshadweep)
15th November 2006 - Kavaratti (Lakshadweep)
16th November 2006 - Minicoy (Lakshadweep)
17th November 2006 - Fort Kochi
18th November 2006 - Kalpatta (Wayanad)
19th November 2006 - Wayanad to Bangalore

Lakshadweep

This was the trip that I gifted myself for my birthday!
I will try to write about everything I had experienced... Let me see how many days I would take to complete this trip :)

Kalpeni


Kavaratti


Minicoy

Day 3 (October 22, 2006)

Woke up quite early so that I can get myself out of that place. My initial thought was to visit the temple before I headed out of Madhurai. I just did not feel that connection that day! I collected my driving license which I had deposited at the reception. Again the guys over there were demanding tips, which was ridiculous. I tied all my bags on the bike and was about to start. Then I realised that I did not unlock the handle! Made one of those guys to unlock the handle and got him to get the bike out of parking place. It made me feel little better as he did something for the tip I gave. Checked the map and directions once again and started off, leaving Madhurai behind.

Riding on NH7 was not so thrilling, except for the time when I almost ran into a huge kite. Eagle family is something I love. It felt very different to have breakfast in typical Tamilnadu style on banana leaf with those idlis and sambar. One thing I liked there was, one has to dispose off that leaf oneself. I got another tank full at Tirunelveli. As I was getting close to Kanya Kumari I could see thousands of windmills all around. These were smaller in size compared to the ones I saw after Pollachi. This highway is close to two wildlife sanctuaries (Kalakad & Mundanthurai). The view towards my right was very good with these wildlife sanctuaries at a distance. Before I could completely enjoy that place I had reached Kanya Kumari. I was looking for blue water all around... but I could find nothing of that sort! For a moment I got a doubt whether I travelled in the right direction or not! All I could see was something like a green mountain range all around. After some time I realised that it was water, cloudy sky was making the water look in a different color. It was ok, but not like something that I had expected before I started my ride :(

It was like any other tourist destination... big crowds, lot of shops, some places of attraction... over all busy busy! However I managed to find a nice accommodation just outside the temple with a nice sea view. Here again I did not feel like going into the temple that day and went around Kanya Kumari. That time I was not knowing that there was a great experience waiting for me on the next morning. It made my whole trip worthwhile.

Day 5 (October 24, 2006)

My day started before the alarm could wake me up. Contrary to my expectation, that village did not wake up early. Effects of urbanisation... did not give me a good feel. I got myself ready and tied my bags to the bike and pushed it back on to the highway. I pushed the bike only few meters and then noticed this onlooker who got very amused at my plight. It was natural, even if I were in his place I would had felt the same. I told him the whole story and asked him what help is available around. This guy could speak in my mother tongue. Later I learnt that he lived for sometime in my state. This language bond worked out as it would normally work out at any part in India. All I asked him was, whether I could find someone from this village who could help me push the bike till the next town. He thought for a while and decided to help me himself. He went around and checked with couple of other villagers to get some better ideas. I felt happy inside as I got some help in pushing this 200 Kg iron horse through those uphills and downhills.

He was very nice and asked me to sit on the bike and started pushing it till we reached the top of the uphill and asked me to continue. My bags had taken the complete space on the pillion seat. I rode that down hill as long as I could and parked the bike by the side of the road. On the other side of the road I noticed one small dried out pond which was looking very beautiful. I went and sat by that waiting for this guy who was walking slowly. So mean of me! I had corrected my mistake in the next stretch. We pushed the bike again till we reached the top of the next uphill. This time I offered him to rode and thought I would walk. But we somehow managed to fit us on the bike and rode that down hill. I was feeling very awkward but I knew that had to adjust as he was helping me out of the way. On the way we checked with another mechanic whether he could do something with the clutch. He politely acknowledged that he knew only how to fix the punctures but not the vehicles. Finally we reached the next town. The auto spares shop was just open. I only showed him the clutch. He needed no further stories, but just jumped in to action. All he took was about 10 minutes and he replaced the broken part of the clutch. All was set and good to go. Guess, how much he charged me? Rs 35 only!!! If it were in city, it would had costed me few hundreds easily :) I dropped this nice guy back at his place and resumed my journey.

From then on the ride was too smooth to narrate. Stopped for breakfast on the way where I refreshed myself and had some nice dosas. On the way I noticed few accidents by Tamilnadu buses. It was just as expected. Good that I stayed back near that temple! The traffic became very annoying as I reached the city, taking away all the pleasure I had in riding earlier that day. At last I reached my place clocking 1600 Kms. I missed that 2000 Kms mark :(

Well... there is always the next time. The thirst for riding the Bullet is always insatiable!

Day 4 (October 23, 2006)... Continued

Before I made myself ready to spend that night over there, I peeped in through the doors to see what temple it was. One was for Kali and the other was for Nava Graha. It definitely did not make me feel any comfortable. There was a small cement bench between those temples towards the road. I had removed all the valuables from my body and kept them inside my bags. I put those bags on the bench and slept over them. I went into deep sleep immediately after lying down. Guess I was very tired and needed that sleep. I did not know how long I slept, but woke up sometime in the middle of the night. The techie me also woke up along with me to fix the clutch. I pulled out the tool kit and started checking for any possibility of fixing the clutch in place of front break! If it had worked out, it would had been a deadly combination, but functional ;) Clutch and accelerator on one handle with only rear breaks. All my efforts were in vain. I was little disappointed and returned back to rest on the bench. Then I noticed someone was going on the bike and I started waving at them. Obviously they did not stop, they must had thought that there was some ghost near the temple waving at them :)) I set the alarm to wake me up by 5 and slept off as if it was my home.

Day 4 (October 23, 2006)

After the experience at the temple, I was in a semi conscious state. I packed up my stuff within no time started my journey back. Before I came out of that town, I went around the road which was adjacent to the seas and ocean. They were just empty very unlike the previous day evening. It was very pleasant and the people of that town were just starting their day. While I was roaming, at one of the scenic locations I noticed some group of people dancing. Later I came to know that it was some movie shooting. These things are never of my interest. It is the end of land, I was wondering how would be the train station at the end of the track! I robe by the train station, it was interesting to find the train station almost perpendicular to the track! Slowly I left Kanya Kumari behind me. It was a worthy trip!

The road was just plain and unexciting. It was no fun in riding back on the same road you traveled only a day before. I wanted to stop for breakfast at Tirunelveli. Through out that route I was looking for my kind of food place. I found one but only to realize that they don't serve breakfast, so I continued. I was feeling hungry but there was no place in sight. Actually there were many but not of my kind. Why compromising when you can afford not to :) At last, before reaching Tirunelveli I found it, simply beautiful, empty and just on the road. Breakfast also was good, I was very happy that the not compromising did pay off :)

From there I reached Madhurai, it was just too smooth to talk about. After reaching Madhurai I made a blunder of entering the town. That traffic, crowds and pollution, I just hated. After taking too many turns and asking too many people I managed to find myself near that 3 star hotel which showed me stars two day back. I got another tank full before leaving the town. It is was very exhausting to ride through that town. The ride had become very boring till I crossed Dindigul. It was past lunch time. I was looking for a nice place for lunch, but in vain. Adding to that it started raining. Then I thought it was wise to finish lunch before all shops get closed. Having spent day in a boring ride, I thought I should try something different for a change. I stopped by a food place where he was making parotas. It was that kind of a place where I would never stop by in my normal senses. The parotas were very tasty and I had a second helping as well. People around were very nice. By the time I finished my lunch, the rain also had stopped. Next target was Karur. It reminded me of my earlier drive through 5 elemental shrines.

Post lunch, the ride was very interesting. There was a hill range where all clouds were getting accumulated. It was a beautiful scene. The ride was through some very scenic landscapes. I had some prior experience in studying the clouds. It was a very interesting to follow each cloud and make a calculated guess on when it was going to rain and and for how long it was going to rain. I was enjoying this through out till I found myself under a huge cloud which I knew would give a heavy rain for more than half an hour. Having studied that cloud for quite some time, I was just thinking that it should start raining by now and I was also looking for some shelter near by. I was just few meters away from a small petrol station, it started pouring and it was coming towards me. I was quick enough to go under the shelter just in time! Except for the vehicle cover, I was carrying almost nothing which was water proof. After reaching the shelter the first thing I did was to pull it out and kept that ready. As expected, it was a heavy rain and pouring from all different directions. Just before it drenched my iron horse, I managed to cover it and myself with the vehicle cover. It did work and protected us perfectly from that rain. After about half an hour that cloud had shifted way from my route. Back on the road, heading towards Salem.

By the time I reached Salem it was 7:30. I knew that there is one nice place after crossing Salem bypass where I could take rest, if I wanted to. But I was not sure how far I need to go to reach that place. I rode into a Reliance petrol station and asked them for this A1 Plaza, which is also from Reliance. From them I came to know that it was about 50 Km away. I continued my journey hoping to get some good food and a nice place to stay. That bypass was good and I guess I covered more than 50 Kms but this A1 plaza was no where in sight. I got a bit worried and started looking for people on the highway to cross check with them. After riding for few more Kms I spotted a human on the road and checked with him. Everyone was saying that it was near but no one knew how near it was. The good road came to an end and the later stretch was the worst I had seen in that trip. It was so bad that my bike fell off for no reason. I managed to lift it up and started riding it with extra attention and effort.

Finally I reached my destination. First thing I did was to get a tank full and parked the bike at a safe place. I stretched for the first time in that day. I ordered food and relaxed for a while. I had two choices then, one was to stay back in that place and start next day morning. They had beds and good toilets, very comfortable place to spend that night. The other choice was to continue the journey and reach Bangalore by midnight, as I was just 200 Kms away. I tried getting the idea on the road condition from the folks over there, but in vain. It it were a Dhaba, you could be sure to get the exact picture of the road. The crazy me woke up then, he started pursuing to continue the journey. After all he was also right, riding from Kanya Kumari to Bangalore non stop is a prestigious guy thing ;) This time I had given in to him and decided that I'll resume my journey at 10. Dinner was served and I had got enough time to relax. I was not knowing then that there was a damn crazy experience waiting for me few Kms away! During dinner I had ordered a water bottle and completed the whole of it before I started from there.

I started from that place in a heroic manner, thinking that I would reach Bangalore by mid night and would have one full day to unwound and get back to the city lifestyle. After getting back on to the highway I realized that the road condition was really bad. Adding to that the driving sense of Tamilnadu bus drivers was lethal. I narrowly missed twice that day. I managed to ride 20 Kms in that horrible stretch. I started feeling pressure in my bladder and I had to take a leak :) side effects of drinking one whole bottle of water! I tried to park the bike by coming down the highway. The mud was so loose and the bike fell off as I was getting down. I never thought that I could lift my bike when it was completely flat in the mud. I had more strength than I thought that I had. I could lift it by myself and managed to put it on stand. I ran to the edge of the mud road and relieved myself from the pressure in my bladder. I came back to my bike and tried to start... then I noticed. Battery was hanging from the bike... Petrol was all over... and the clutch was no more! Yes... it broke completely. The clutch was hanging to the the clutch wire away from the handle. First thing I did was to fix the battery back in it's place, second was to clean the spilled over petrol. I had also tried starting the engine, it was roaring perfectly. I was happy that I was left with only one problem... clutch! How to fix it... ha ha ha... I did not know and I had no clue either. I tried tying that hanging clutch to the handle to get any ply, it was absolutely of no use. I had give up... the only option left with me was to push the bike and continue as much distance as I can. If I had tried that, how many days it would take for me to reach Bangalore... dropped that interesting idea and started thinking in little practical manner!

Ask for help... but from whom? One source was to stop the vehicles passing by. Ok... how could they help me? They might be able to give me a lift to the nearest town or till Bangalore. That would mean to leave my iron horse behind... just out of question! Take help from local people... good idea! Guess where I was stuck... in a forest range on some up hill... and it was almost midnight. Somewhere inside I was very happy to get a chance to experience such weird thing... crazy me! Then I noticed one guy walking on the other side of the road, immediately I hailed at him and asked him whether he can do anything to help me. He did help me! He came up to the place where I was standing and gave me the complete idea about that area and also what was available and what was not. From him I came to know that if I went ahead in that route next village was 4 Kms away, If I chose to go back then the other village was 7 Kms away. The 4 Km stretch had two up hills, each was about half a Km. He also indicated that there might be some robbers in that 4 Km stretch as it was a forest range. He had declined from accompanying me for those 4 Kms, After all how could he trust me! After considering all possibilities the best option I felt was to make a halt at the nearest safe place. Temple...yes... that was the best idea! I vaguely remembered crossing one before this whole incident had happened, but was not sure how far it was. I asked this guy whether I could find any temple near by. There was one, just 100 meters away. He also recommended that it would be a safe place to spend that night. I thanked him for his help and pushed my iron horse till that temple and I collapsed.

(to be continued)

Day 2 (October 21, 2006)... Continued

As I continued my ride towards Munnar. I found myself in going through huge hills covered with white clouds. They are so beautiful and tempting! ;) Before I could fully appreciate that raw beauty I had reached Chennur reserve forest. Gate was closed and I thought I was supposed to make an entry and pay the fee. The gaurd over there gestured that I can go around the gate and proceed further. He also conveyed that no entry was needed as it was a two wheeler. There were couple of cars near that gate while I was entering. I presumed that they would follow me and was checking for them every few minutes in my rear mirrors, in vain. I was not sure whether I was in the right route! I then stopped for few minutes to get myself ready for that weather, it was cold and very pleasant. I was all set to experience the heaven!

It was surprising to find someone sitting on the road with small baskets and selling something in the middle of nowhere. As I approached them I found some vehicles parked at the right side of the road. I was about to stop but something inside told me that I should not. I always listened to the inner me! As I went ahead little further I found a milestone with Munnar written on it. I was glad that I did not miss my route. From then on... every moment was a great pleasure. My first surprise was another check post at the turn. Few cars were were waiting at the gate and guards were checking and making some entries. The experience at the previous check post told me that those formalities were not for me and passed under that gate. There was a nice colorful board, "Welcome to Kerala". I always wanted to experience the so called 'Gods own Country'! It was just getting realized.

From here on... the best of the best narration will be as good as one sand particle in a desert. It can only be experienced! The road was taking innumerable turns as it was climbing into those gorgeous landscapes. Peaks, valleys, water falls, huge trees, colorful flowers... all over the place. I stopped at few points trying to come out of that trance, but in vain. I was then wondering, how it would be to stop for breakfast in such serene surroundings. It was too much of a luxury to ask for in such no man's land. Guess what... I was rich enough to afford such luxury. Food was not a priority, but the experience definitely was. I was enjoying every moment of the ride, suddenly I saw few houses at a distance. I was hoping to find something to eat. As I took one of those steep turns, there was a nice water fall and a small house immediately next to that. I felt that It was the absolutely perfect place to stop for breakfast. I was lucky to find a small shop next to it. I managed to park my iron horse there and asked that lady whether I can get some breakfast. And the breakfast was served :)

The place I was sitting is at one of those steep turns. Just in front of me there was a green valley with some farms. Towards my right there was a road leading to that village and all those small houses with red color house tops were giving a beautiful contrast to the various shades of green around. Exactly behind the place where I was sitting, there was a nice water fall. In cities, we build big over head water tanks to have the running water. Can you guess how the arrangement was there!... They had kept small tubes on the slopes of that water fall. They collect the water and you have the running water, interesting setup! I had a nice cup of tea in those serene surroundings, appreciating every bit of it. It was a blissful breakfast time :)

As I had to cover a long distance that day, I started my ride very reluctantly. In few minutes I found myself in that town Maraiyur. Slowly I managed my way out of that busy place. As I was going away from that human population I started feel better again! As I continued my riding, I found myself in a HUGE tea garden. That was the best stretch I ever rode. Then I notice that road was leading to another water fall. There was a small bridge to cross that water fall. I guess, it is one of the tourist spots on that road. As I was approaching the bridge, there was this guy who was waving at me to stop. He was not looking like one those local guys who were selling various food items. I slowly stopped few yards away from him, thinking that he might want some information. He walked up to me and asked me whether I was on a biking trip. He is another guy like me, who was on his way to Munnar from Chennai on bike. He asked me whether I would be interested to try some trekking near that water fall. I would had loved to, but decided otherwise as I wanted to experience that ride more than anything else. Trekking in that place is just an irresistible temptation, on the other hand waterfall was so inviting. Then I changed my mind and started trekking towards the base of the waterfall. By then this guy had already paid for the entry tickets for both of us. It was very small trek, just enough time to catch up with each others expeditions. I felt glad to know that he did that himalayan odyssey, a dream for any real biker. After a very brief photo session, he decided to join me till Munnar.

Back on the bikes through that amazing landscapes. The road was leading us into clouds, we stopped at couple of turns to appreciate the blissful surroundings. Soon we found ourselves at a sign written 5500. Needless to say, that was the altitude we were at. The road was still going into the clouds and we could hardly see anything through those thick clouds. They show all these kinds of settings in fairy tales, and there we were experiencing it for real. We continued our ride through those clouds into Munnar. There was a big crowd and long queues at the entrance of the national park, who came all the way to see Neela Kurungi flowers. These flowers bloom only once in 12 years. Seeing that crowd, we had decided to try it some other time. It was just about lunch time, by the time we reached Munnar. After debating on where to stop for food, we thought of going around to check out. Few meters from there we found a nice looking empty restaurant. After going around the market we came back to the same restaurant. We ordered item after item and had a very heavy lunch. By the time we finished our lunch, that whole place got crowded and many were waiting for the tables. It was raining when we came out of that place. I got myself ready to proceed further even in that rain. We took each others contact details and parted.

My next destination was Thekkadi. I had to cross Devikolam before entering Cardamom hills. The route from Munnar to Devikolam was very beautiful and a bit dangerous. It was better than the best I had experienced earlier that day. All I can say is that experience was beyond words. Probably, few photos might be able to give the glimpse of that heaven. One my way, I saw one bike with only one wheel and a small boy guarding that. Obviously the wheel had gone for a puncture fix. I don't know what I would had done if that were to happen to me! After crossing Devikolam, the forest was becoming thicker and thicker. I rode very carefully for the next four hours. The roads were bad, thick forest all around and no human habitation! On that route, there are couple of view points giving just out of the world experience. Again, it's beyond words! Finally, by 5:30 I found myself at the entrance of Periyar national park at Thekkadi.

Initially when I planned my trip, I decided my route only till Thekkadi. Later I left that open as I could not make up my mind whether to travel through Tamilnadu or Kerla. From morning I could cover only about 200 Kms with an average speed of around 30 Kms. I was still 400 Kms away from my final target, Kanya Kumari. I had to decide in the next few minutes, and I knew it was going to affect my entire schedule. It was almost dark I was in the middle of a forest. One option was to stay at Kumli itself, but again the same question, what do I do for the rest of the day? Seeing the ghats and road condition I felt that I would slip my schedule, if I chose to ride through Kerla. Finally, I made up my mind to make Madhurai as my next target. It is 150 Kms from there. I did not waste a single minute as I wanted to get out of the forest before it gets completely dark. And then it started raining, I did not stop till I crossed that forest range. It was a relieving to find myself on a flat and straight road, I was then sure that I can reach my final target with no slippage in the schedule. At the first town itself there was this huge Reliance pertol station. I rode straight into that to get a tank full. Guys over there assured me that the road was good and Madhurai was about 3 to 4 hours away.

Time was 6:30 and it was Diwali night, my target was about 150 Kms away. It was no point to take any break then, so started my iron horse and resumed my journey. Roads were good and just that I had to maneuver my iron horse through all the crackers set on the road, whenever I passed by a village. It was interesting to find myself in dark and middle of nowhere on Diwali night. May be, that was what I wanted when I started for this trip. Taking a right turn as per the road signs at a wrong junction had become the flavor of the day! However the intuitive me was alert enough to correct me timely :) At last, I reached Madhurai. At one of the petrol bunks I asked the to suggest me a nice place to stay for that night. I did not know what they saw in me but showed me the way to a 3 star hotel. It did not make sense to spend 2000 for 8 hours or so. The guys at the reception were good enough to show me another place near by. Then I thought, let me use the lonely planet guide. There was a mention of one budget hotel very next to the temple. I thought it would be a good bet thinking, if time permits I could visit the temple as well.

I rode straight to the temple and went around that to find this place. I was about to get out of that area and I then I found this place which was about to close. I went in and asked if I can get a room for that night. That guy at the reception was so rude and started all kinds of nonsense. I had to deposit my driving license to get a room. At that hour of the day I did not want to roam around looking for an accommodation as that whole town had already slept. That room was bad, I could not imagine how this lonely planet guys recommend such bad place. Then I started feeling hungry and went to check at the reception. As expected the response was some nonsense. I had decided to walk around that place to find anything to eat. Not a single shop was open. After walking quite a distance I found some guy selling something on a push cart. I could get some boiled peas and badam milk from there. That was my dinner on Diwali. Went back to bed recapturing the day... heaven to hell, sumptuous lunch to no dinner, huge variation in the terrain I left behind... that's the way of life. I enjoyed every bit of it.

Day 2 (October 21, 2006)

Staying at luxurious accommodation has its own advantages. I had a very good sleep and also pampered myself in that very spacious bath room with hot water and showers. Unlike the previous day that lazy me was nowhere around. After going 350+ Kms away from home if he tries to tell me to laze around it would be only insanely foolish of him. He is not that foolish after all :) While checking out, the guy at the reception asked me where I was going and where I had come from. He gave me a crazy look, don't know what he might had thought but gave me directions to get out of that town towards Munnar.

It was second time I did the same mistake of taking the right turn at a wrong crossing, but the intuitive me corrected my course within few Kms after deviation. All I had in my mind was to cover as much as possible before I stop for breakfast. Early morning... pleasant weather... empty roads... scenic landscape... fully recharged me... great going iron horse... It was so perfect, I was enjoying every moment of that. Before I started this trip I read someones travelogue to Munnar. It had a mention about this stretch of road and a warning to the bike riders. I was then thinking what could that be. Within few minutes I realized what that was. Wind mills... that area was very windy. There are few wind mills just adjacent to the road. They are SO... HUGE... each is about the hight of 10 floor building and these HUGE blades rotating at a decent speed. Adding to that these are not just one or two in number... but in hundreds or may be thousands! Look anywhere you will find a swarm of huge windmills all over the place! Passing next to those huge marvels is a humbling experience. Humans are so minuscule in size but their ego and mind are so gigantically selfish and destructive. I hate myself to be born as human.

Soon I found myself in Udumalpet. I managed to find my route to Munnar from the center of the town. That road was good with a lot of trees on either side. At couple of junctions I cross checked my route to make sure that I was going in the right direction. I kept on looking for a place where I can get some breakfast... but in vain as those villages were waking up only then. At one of those turns there was a huge crowd and most of them looked worried!

There was an accident just few minutes back then. Ambulance and Press had just arrived. The person had died on the spot and the bike was lying next him totally deformed. I guess that bike rider did not pay attention at that turn and went head-on with the tree. It was early morning and he must be from one of those near by villages. One mistake... and he was no more! Just then one of those 'what if's popped in my mind. I told myself, 'you made up your mind for anything, why are you worried now!' So true... nothing matters anymore.

(to be continued)

Day 1 (October 20th, 2006)... Continued

After having nice lunch I tied all my bags back onto the bullet. Weather was very pleasant, roads were lot better, tummy was full, landscape was getting better as it was leading into a forest range. As I kept on going, the sighting of humans became a rarity especially after crossing some check post. It gave a nice feeling that I was getting closer to nature! Greenery all around and road was taking nice turns with smooth up hills and down hills. While I was enjoying my being there, I noticed the road to be wet as if it rained. I even had to wipe the helmet to get better visibility. After few minutes I realized that was riding through clouds, when I found myself on top of a hill in Satyamangalam forest. WOW... it was an amazing sight. I stopped at couple of view points to appreciate and experience the beauty of nature. There are about 24 hairpin turns in those ghats. On my way I noticed few lorries with heavy loads making their best effort to climb up the hills. While taking one of those turns the view from top showed some straight line dividing the forest range. As I went on maneuvering those hairpin turns one after the other the view in my rear view mirrors was getting better and better. Finally the ghats were over. I stopped for a quick two minute break to appreciate the whole beauty of the nature around.

By then I had covered around 200+ Kms and it was around 3 in the evening, but it was like 6. Though I was very sure that I had enough fuel to reach Coimbatore, still I got the tank filled. Petrol over there was 4 rupees cheaper! It feels safe to have the tank full while you are riding through some unknown terrain. I resumed my journey towards Munnar, I was not sure whether I would be able to make it. I rode for an hour or so and surprised to find a big change in the weather, It was very sunny and hot. I stopped by a tea stall for a cup of tea. It tasted so different, so unlike the tea! For reaching Coimbatore I was supposed to take the right turn at some crossing and I took it but at another wrong crossing. I found the road to be really good and I was going at a good speed. Suddenly I felt that I was going in a wrong route, the intuition thing! It was right, when I asked some one on the road, he told me that I was going towards Ooty and Coimbatore is on the other direction. I had to take a U turn and head towards Coimbatore. By 5 I was in Coimbatore, I felt that I can ride for few more hours before I need rest. Even if I had stopped, I did not know how to spend the rest of the evening. I went ahead thinking that I would stop in the next big town. I continued riding for two more hours and reached Pollachi. Riding during the twilight is the difficult part anywhere. I found a decently looking hotel and took rest. I should say that it was luxurious!

Makronahalli Dam (RTMC)... Continued

We continued to enjoy the ride for some more time. After few Kms we were supposed to take a left turn to reach the dam. Slowly every one stopped there one after the other, for no reason. I guess some of the riders were expecting few more friends to join who might had started late from the city. Anyway It gave me an opportunity to buy a film roll. Otherwise I would had missed some interesting shots during the later part of the day. From there we started off without the Point or Sweep. It is a good road but just one lane. Within no time we reached the dam. We took the mud road so that we could park our bullets on the dam. We reached the destination so quickly! Well... the thirst for bullet riding is insatiable :)



It was a scenic landscape... dam was not full and the water was inviting us from a distance... on the other side there were nice long trees giving it a nice pattern to the landscape... the sky was blue with a lot of beautiful white clouds... unlike the start of the day it was just sunny... over all it was one of those perfect scenes one will remember. I left everything on my iron horse and walked towards water with my camera. Walking on the edge of the dam and clicking some nice landscape shots was a pleasant experience. Two of the riders (Das & someone) started roaring their bullets directly towards water, very interesting scene. It got even better when they realized that the whole area to be a marsh. With a great difficulty they managed to find some hard surface and parked their bullets. Seeing these two fellow riders doing an adventure few more got excited and started on their bullets. Trying to be helpful the first pair of riders started waving at others to stop and convey not to come any further. Well... who listens, everyone wants to learn it hard way. But finally they managed to stop themselves at a safe distance on a safe patch of hard land. After walking all the way to the water I met these two guys, one is into photography (Shrikanth) and the other one (Jagdeep) a designer. I had my nice time clicking the landscape with the iron horse in the foreground. We slowly started walking back only to find a very interesting happening which delighted many of us for the next one hour or so.

One of the members of RTMC came in his Chevy Forester with his wife and small baby. Seeing the bullets and riders close to the water, he drove his SUV straight into a marsh. It has AWD, which is supposed to be safe for any terrain, may be not for this kind of marsh. The more he revved, the more deeper the wheels were getting into the mud. Most of the riders were very helpful and tried their best to get the vehicle back on to a safe ground. Everyone tried their own techniques... few gatered small stones to put under the tyres... few shook the vehicle to clear the mud off the tyres... someone found a bamboo mesh from somewhere... few even tried to push the vehicle out of mud. All efforts were in vain, most of them got themselves covered with mud all over. I was simply trying to capture this spectacle from different directions. I heard someone was commenting, all this seems to be a photographers delight. They were so right :)

Finally one of the riders was realistic enough to go out and fetch some villagers around who carried some planks and plows to help the vehicle out. They also struggled hard along with the other riders, but obviously with better tools this time. Everyones struggle had finally paid off. One amazing thing about this whole experience was... everyone had a great time, I don't remember seeing any single worried face! I like the spirit of such group.

Everyone got themselves ready to start the ride back. Guess what... that was our introduction time! Everyone was asked to introduce oneself with name, nick name, work place, bikes rode and the details of long rides. It was a fun time :) After listening to all that, I felt very happy to find myself among those few who did 1500+ in one ride. My last ride to Kanya Kumari was definitely had its place in the toppers list. It's one of those proud moments!

Some wanted to have lunch on the way back and some wanted to rush back home. But everyone agreed for a tea break after crossing Kunigal. The hotel owner took ages to make around 25 cups of tea. We could had finished our lunch in that time. During that time everyone helped them selves a nice stretch and few a nap as well. Couple of the riders could not take that delay and left us heading back to the city. It got cloudy after we started, ride was very pleasant till it started raining. We stopped for few minutes only to get ourselves ready for the ride in the rain. From then on non stop still we reached Metro. I felt that stretch in the outskirts of the city to be pathetic. Well couple of bad stretches are part of the ride :) To put it philosophically, the same applies to life!

We concluded the ride with one group photo, after exchanging numbers. Reached back home around 3:30 pm. A day well spent :) Happy me!

Makronahalli Dam (RTMC)

After a long wait, I was glad to see this ride announcement from RTMC. I wanted to experience this cult thing which everyone talks about. Long rides are not anything new for me but riding along so many bullets is a great experience.

From RTMC-Makronah...

We all were supposed to meet at 6:30 am on Mekhri circle. I kept two alarms one at 4:30 and the other at 5:00... nothing could wake me up as I slept late exploring D80. I woke up around 5:30 and got myself on bullet by 6:00. By the time I reached MG Road it started raining, I thought it is going to add more fun to this ride! On my way I saw few bullets at Cubbon park, I was sure that they are part of this ride. I did not stop, but continued to Mekhri circle just to be on time. Got little disappointed to find nobody over there! Then I saw one bullet (Sri Ram) standing on the other side of the road. Within couple of minutes there came 5 bullets roaring :) I was glad to take my bullet and park it next to the other bullets. Within no time that whole area got full with different kinds of iron horses ;) I could not resist myself from taking out the camera to capture these wonderful beasts.

From RTMC-Makronah...

We had few brief introductions while everyone helped themselves with hot cup of tea. There were two different bikes, Beamer (Sam) and Karizma. Later I came to know that those two guys are founder members of this club, who upgraded their bikes after experiencing different kinds of bullets. Finally the ride captain announced the rules; 1. Everyone to keep the lights on 2. None shall overtake the pointer (Beamer) 3. Sweep (Kartik) will ride last to ensure nobody is missed out. We all roared our bullets and started off... :) I felt very happy!

From RTMC-Makronah...

Our first stop was Shell petrol bunk on Tumkur road. I wanted to pick one film roll, but they had no stock. After everyone picked whatever they needed, we started off again. Few of the riders who had reached Nelmangala cross were waiting over there. By the time I reached there, the point had just started off, so I continued without stopping. Weather was perfect... route was scenic... the ride... amazing experience! Some of the riders had stopped at Kunigal to appreciate the procession of school kids marching with flags and music band. It was a very brief stop before we headed for the breakfast stop. There was a heavy rush for breakfast at that hotel. We all waited for about 15 mins for our turn only to find the idlis to be finished. We had to settle for some vada and puri. Had some tea before starting our ride. There were about 25 bullets parked all over, the passers by and the folks of that small town were appreciating that spectacle :)

(to be continued...)

Day 1 (October 20th, 2006)

Set the alarm for 3:30, hoping to start off by 4:30. But the lazy me did not cooperate at all. He was shouting at me to cancel everything and take rest at home. After a lot of struggle I managed to win over him by 7:00.

I drove only till inner ring road, found the left mirror moving like a flag. I stopped and tightened the mirror, hoping that it will not bother me any further. Till I crossed the city, it kept on troubling me. Finally I had to fix it by force. By the time I crossed the city I was totally exhausted... horrible traffic, irritating mirror, hot sun and adding to that, the lazy me had not given up his fight.

Before starting this trip itself I had decided that I am going to eat only local food and drink only normal water. Still I carried a bottle of water from home. After crossing the city I noticed that the luggage was not tied properly, which was causing discomfort to the ride. I stopped by the side of a big tree and started retying the luggage. Thats when I noticed my blunder, that tree and the whole area had lots of monkeys. I managed to tie it fast and slowly slipped off safely, just lucky! The riding comfort got better and I started increasing the speed, suddenly there was some sound... something fell off... it was my water bottle. I stopped to check whether it was in any usable shape... but in vain. Some passer by picked it up and showed me how bad it was. I sighed and resumed by journey.

The body clock was telling me that I should stop for breakfast. Through out the trip I followed the body clock! Every day I woke up by the same time... breakfast, tea, lunch, tea & dinner almost at the same fixed time everyday. I was never so punctual when in city. Finally I found some place for breakfast. This time it was crows, I had to almost fight with them to finish my breakfast. May be, I should have left something for them to eat... I did not! I drank whatever water he gave me. Now with renewed energy I started again full throttle only to be stopped by pot holes. I guess I rode through some scenic route but I was too busy escaping one pot hole after the other. Finally I managed to reach Chamrajnagar for lunch.

(to be continued...)

Day 0 (October 19th, 2006)

Tomorrow is the journey... Bullet and Map are the only things which are ready for the trip. I myself am not sure whether I really want to do it! It's a 1600 Km solo ride. I don't know whether the route I chose will be safe. Too many thoughts... too many possibilities... too many what ifs... Finally I told myself, worst case scenario is that you will never return! Yaa...Hoo... What else can be better :) Now I am all set for my expedition.

Fear is important! You may have guts to do ANYTHING, but what keeps you in control is the fear.

I had to empty all my monies from all bank accounts to fund this trip. First thing I did was to buy a tank full of petrol. Second thing was to buy cycle tubes to tie the luggage. Third thing... happily slept off!

Normally I do my packing just before the start.

THE BEST OF THE BEST

(23rd October '06) This was the day I started my journey back...

Finally I managed to convince myself to make a visit to the temple! It was not out of devotion... there is something very unique about this Goddess, She is the only unmarried deity I know of. I told myself to visit her as a friend and also to see her famous diamond nose drop.

The next major choice I had to make was, what to wear! Like in many south Indian temples, here also men are not allowed to enter the temple with their shirts on. Though I did not want to visit temples in this trip, I still had my silk attire in the backpack. I love wearing it in different south Indian styles. It makes me feel good and it also looks good. This time I thought I should try the Tamilnadu style. I chose a style which will keep me covered fully and also will not violate the rules of the temple.

Here let me say something about about this attire; This is nothing but two pieces of cloth! The real magic is in the way you drape it on you.


The place I stayed is just outside the temple. I kept aside enough time as it is common that you end up waiting in long queues whenever you visit a temple. I gathered all the change I was carrying and put that in my pocket before I started for temple. I walked barefoot and as usual there was a crowd of tourists all over. From the time I reached the main entrance, I noticed one person observing me closely. After entering I was looking for the way to get inside the temple. All temple priests were dressed in white lungis, one of them showed me the direction. Only till this point I was very conscious of everything around me!

I was about to take a step in the direction showed by that temple priest, all of a sudden the person who was observing me appeared in front of me and said, "Special darshan... come with me!". He did not even wait for my response and made way for me shouting at the temple priests and the crowd around. He was dressed in red lungi, not sure whether he is one of those temple priests or someone else! On the way, I saw one board written in tamil with two numbers 50 and 100. I think it was for special darshan. I tried stopping this person to tell him that I don't have that much money on me to give him. I guess all I had was around 30. He took me directly to the gate of sanctum, bypassing all queues. He opened that gate and asked me to get in. I found a big queue inside, people paying respects to the Goddess one after the other, who were allowed to stand in front of the deity only for couple of seconds. The temple priest sitting over there was giving each of them kunkum as a blessing.

The very next moment I found myself in front of the Goddess. I was spell bound. I am short of words to describe. She is standing about 5 feet tall in some parrot green clothing. She is looking amazingly beautiful, more than that the expression on her face is very pleasant and soothing. Her diamond nose drop is shining very bright lightening her face. I had never met such a friendly and beautiful female so far. She made the whole trip worthwhile.
She is THE BEST OF THE BEST

Kanya Kumari - Trip Sheet

Day 1
Start Time - 7:15 AM
End Time - 7:00 PM
Total Kms - 375
Route :
Bangalore > Kanakapura > Halaguru > Sattegala > Collegal > Santemarahalli > Chamrajnagar > Binakauahalli > Dimbum > Satyamangalam > Punja Pulivampatti > Annur > Kovilpalaiyam > Coimbatore > Kinattukkadavu > Pollachi
Breaks :
Breakfast - Halaguru
Lunch - Chamrajnagar

---

Day 2
Start Time - 7:00 AM
End Time - 10:00 PM
Total Kms - 360
Route :
Pollachi > Udumalaippettai > Manupparm > Amaravatinagar > Maraiyur > Munnar > Devikolam > Udumbanchola > Painavi > Kallar > Vadamettu > Thekkadi > Melgudalur > Kumbam > Uttamapalaiyam > Chinnamanur > Virapandi > Teni > Auttippatti > Usilampatti > Sakkanurani > Madurai
Breaks :
Breakfast - Maraiyur
Lunch - Munnar

---

Day 3
Start Time - 7:00 AM
End Time - 12:00 PM
Total Kms - 240
Route :
Madurai > Tirumangalam > Virudunagar > Sattur > Kovilpatti > Kayattar > Gangaikondan > Tirunelveli > Palayankottai > Munradaippu > Nanguneri > Vadakku Valliyur > Panakkudi > Karungulam > Kanniya Kumari
Breaks :
Breakfast - Virudunagar

---

Day 4
Start Time - 8:00 AM
End Time - 11:00 PM
Total Kms - 740
Route :
Kanniya Kumari > Karungulam > Panakkudi > Vadakku Valliyur > Nanguneri > Munradaippu > Palayamkottai > Tirunelveli > Gangaikondam > Kayattar > Kovilpatti > Sattur > Virudunagar > Tirumangalam > Madurai > Vadippatti > Dindigul > Vedasandun > Aravakkurichchi > Karur > Velur > Paramati > Namakkal > Kalangani > Mallur > Salem > Suramangalam > Omalur > Toppur
Breaks :
Breakfast - Tirunelveli
Lunch - Vadippatti
Dinner - Suramangalam

---

Day 5
Start Time - 8:00 AM
End Time - 12:00 PM
Total Kms - 175
Route :
Toppur > Adiyamankottai > Dharmapuri > Karimangalam > Kaverippattanam > Daulatabad > Krishnagiri > Sulagiri > Hosur > Attibele > Bangalore
Breaks :
Breakfast - Dharmapuri

New beginning...

Is it really a new beginning... may be not, 'coz I've been a traveller... may be, 'coz I made up my mind to share my travel experiences...

I've been pondering on the idea of riding all the way from Bangalore to Kanya Kumari. It's a long ride, I've got just 5 days to complete the journey to and fro... I might have to pursue this all alone! Well, it's not easy to find another crazy one to join along.

Got my bike serviced only last week... hoping that it will keep my company through out this trip...

Next important item is map... I went out to get this "India Road Atlas" in the middle of my working day! I'll be stretching couple of extra hours to balance it out.

Today I'm very excited... bike and map are in place... guess I need to put together few more items before I start...