IndiaJP

Getting Ready for Departure - October 27th

Ever since my one-month motorcycle tour of Karnataka last year, I've been thinking about my next bike tour. I've even bought a new motorcycle in preparation.

Initially I had planned to head north from Chennai into Andhra Pradesh, then work my way west through Karnataka to the coast.

But the storms and floods in Andhra and Karnataka in early October did a lot of damage to the roads, and I was advised to avoid that area. So instead I'll head west from Chennai, stopping at Vellore to visit the Golden Temple, then on to Yelagiri Hills for my first night stop. Next day, via Krishnagiri, into Karnataka, bypassing Bengaluru to the south-west using the Nice ring road, then heading north-west on NH 4, via Shimoga and Jog Falls to Gokarna.

Further plans are to attend Royal Enfield's Rider Mania in Goa in November, then head down the coast, inland to Kodagu, down to Kerala in December, and back to Tamil Nadu in January, arriving home after Pongal.

I've been postponing my departure, originally intended for mid-October, to finish my house renovations and move into my new digs on the top floor of our house. My "small son" Sathish is an apprentice pujari at our local temple, and he determined that an auspicious day for the opening puja was Friday 16 October, the day before Diwali. He made all the preparations, including hiring a senior pujari to officiate, and we had a wonderful ceremony. I slept in my new suite of rooms for the first time that night.

Part of the reason for the timing of my tour is to avoid the monsoon season in Tamil Nadu, which is usually from mid-October into December. I've been watching the weather forecast carefully, and the time to make a move is now. So I've been packing today, and I'll head out on Tuesday morning (27th).


Stage One - Days 1, 2, & 3 - Chennai to Sri Adichunchanagiri Mutt

Well, I didn't quite manage to avoid the opening salvo of the north-east monsoon. My last night at home, I awoke at 3am to thunder and rain. We had a good downpour, which started clearing up about 9am. I finished my packing, and left home at 9:30, not quite the early start I had intended, but I didn't want to start out by driving in the rain.

Made a stop at the Royal Enfield service shop in Adyar to get a couple of things adjusted and checked before hitting the highway, and was driving west on NH 4 by noon. Stopped for a stretch break at the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial at Sriperumbudur, and walked around the grounds. A light rain started, so I put on my new set of raingear for the first time. Turned off the highway at Vellore, and drove to the Golden Temple at Sri Puram. Couldn't find a suitable place to stay near the temple, so drove 6 km back to Vellore to take a room for the night. About 200 km today.

Wednesday morning I drove back to the Golden Temple, and joined the queue. They are certainly set up to handle crowds there, with grilled-in walkways and holding pens. You can bypass those by buying one of the special darshan tickets. The grounds and gardens are remarkable, and the temple itself is magnificent. Left there about 10:30, and took the older road, SH 122, instead of returning to NH 46.

A pleasant drive, road in pretty good shape, but I had to stop to kit up with my rain gear. It was raining when I passed the turnoff for Yelagiri Hills, so I'll save that for a drier time.

On to Tiruppattur, then Krishnagiri where I stopped for lunch. It was raining lightly as I left, and got onto NH 7, but half an hour later it really started to pour. Got to Hosur about 16:00, and took a room for the night. I had to unpack completely and put my stuff and bags out to dry. 200 km today.

Lazy start next morning since I wanted to get to the outskirts of Bengaluru after the worst of the morning rush. Not a very warm welcome in terms of road conditions when you cross into Karnataka -- NH 7 turns into a construction zone most of the way to B'luru, down to a single unpaved lane in a few places. It'll be great when it's finished, but now it's a pain. Lots of slow, bumper-to-bumper traffic.

After passing Electronics City, a huge new overpass is being constructed, and a couple of kilometers later is the bypass highway turnoff to the west. It's a great road -- for a few kilometers. Then there's a poorly marked diversion through a semi-urban area, until you can finally rejoin the expressway. From there it's clear sailing, right around to the NH 4 to Tumkur -- which is also a construction zone. Toll is Rs 30 for a bike.

Missed my turnoff on NH 48 and had to backtrack a few km (no signage for the turn is my excuse, and I'm sticking to it). NH 48 is being four-laned too. Reached Sri Adichunchanagiri Mutt mid-afternoon, my first staging stop (Vellore and Hosur were "technical stops"), and took a spacious and spartan room at the guest house, with a great view to the west. I was here a year ago on my last Karnataka tour, and really liked it, so I'll stay here a few days before heading to the coast.

This was another 200 km day. If I came direct from Chennai without the little side trips, it would be about 500 km, so I could easily do it in a day -- once all the highway construction is complete.

Stage Two - SACM to Gokarna

I left Sri Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt early Tuesday morning, heading north-west via Turuvekere, joining NH 206 at Tiptur. Stopped in Arsikere to fuel up and have breakfast, and continued via Kadur, Tarikere, and Bhadravati bypass to Shimoga.

There's a confusing intersection at the outskirts of Shimoga, one sign saying turn left for Jog Falls (the Agumbe road), and a few meters later another sign saying straight ahead. I asked two people; one said turn left, the other said straight ahead, into the city. Maybe there's a bypass if you take the turn to the left, but I went into the city, which is one enormous road construction zone. What a mess.

Finally got through town and en route to Jog Falls, my planned overnight stop. Took a basic room at the Tunga Guest House right near the entrance, and strolled around the grounds. They are doing a lot of renovations at the moment. 300 km today.

In case you are carrying a clock (or anything else) that you don't want to lug around with you while visiting the falls, there is a "Clock Room" available, with a notice "Keep Your Matrials Authorise Clock Room". :-)

Last year a fellow biker had suggested the road between Jog Falls and Bhatkal, rather than NH 206 via Gersoppa to Honavar, so I took that route next morning. Although paved, the road surface is not very good for a lot of the way, and I did most of it in 2nd and 3rd gear. Three hours for 80 km. Ok for one time, but I wouldn't want to drive it again. Had lunch in Bhatkal, and on to Murudeshwar to take a room at the RNS Guest House with an ocean view. 100 km today, 1000 for the trip so far.

RedWing is running like a charm. A sheer delight to drive. I've done over 2000 km total so the running-in is officially complete. Still haven't gone above 80 klicks. Petrol economy is a satisfactory 50 kpl.

("Klicks" is Canadian slang for kilometers - either speed or distance.)

Thursday morning I lollygagged around, had breakfast, and strolled along the beach, then into the town to look around. Checked out at 14:30, had some lunch, and drove to Gokarna. NH 17 is a bit dodgy, especially around Murudeshwar -- you can barely drive a kilometer without having to slow down for broken pavement and potholes. It really needs to be resurfaced. North of Kumta it gets noticeably better. The road from the highway into Gokarna is also in pretty bad shape. Took a room at Vaibhav Nivas where I had stayed last year. I plan to spend at least a week in Gokarna before heading north to Goa. 80 km today.

Stage Three - Gokarna to Goa

Grand Tour 2009, Stage three - Gokarna to Goa
I spent a leisurely and relaxed ten days in Gokarna. Took a morning yoga class the last week of my stay. Spent a few afternoons at the beach, and drove to Om Beach one day.

There was quite a bit of rain in the middle of my stay, thanks to the cyclone in the Arabian Sea; it was nicer to be hunkered down watching it from my balcony than to be driving in it. I tried out several restaurants, and found that my favourite was Prema, right on the beach at the end of the road, opposite the Zero Kilometer marker.

The weather had mostly cleared by the time I was ready to move on, and I left early on Sunday afternoon. My intention was to cross into Goa and then find a place to stay, which I did at Palolem Beach. Although it's early in the season, Palolem was humming and busy. Many shops and restaurants, and lots of tourists without it feeling too overcrowded. If the global economic downturn is affecting tourism adversely, you wouldn't know it from the amount of activity here. Very heavy downpour in the evening, lasting nearly an hour.

Early start next morning, and took back roads via Agonda, Cabo de Rama, and Belim to Margao. It's a real pleasure to drive in Goa; the roads are generally very good, even the back roads. Stopped for lunch in Old Goa, and looked through the Cathedral, then headed for Vagator Beach, my next staging stop, where I'll spend the next four days at Royal Enfield's Rider Mania. Took a nice room in a guest house about a kilometer from the event venue, and spent the afternoon at Little Vagator Beach.

Stage Four - Goa to Mangalore, interior Karnataka, Kodagu and Mysore

I enjoyed my five day stay at Vagator in Goa attending Royal Enfield's Rider Mania. On the first day I connected with a fellow biker from Mangalore, so had a companion to share the activities with. There were lots of thumping bikes to admire -- new ones, old ones, customized ones, stock ones. The new Bullet Classic 350 and 500 were on display, with the opportunity to go for a test ride. (I did -- and decided I prefer my Thunderbird.)

One intrepid rider won three first prizes in the various biking competitions.

Apparently Royal Enfield is planning to make this an annual event at this location, so I have it in mind as I plan for my 2010 tours.

Heading south after the event, riding with my Mangalore chum, we stopped at Benaulim Beach for the night, to meet and exchange ideas with Tommy, a fellow biker I'd met online through IndiaMike. He suggested the Cavalosim ferry route and then via Agonda instead of NH17, which we did the next morning. He also warned us that the Goa police at the border crossing into Karnataka will try to shake you down for "beer money"; so when we got to the border, and the guy raised the gate but told us to pull over to show our papers, I shouted "go man go" to my companion, and we drove off. They didn't chase us. Such a scoff-law I've become!

We had a pleasant ride to Gokarna, where we got our rooms, left our luggage, and rode to Om Beach for lunch and an afternoon swim.

My chum drove home to Mangalore the next day, but I stayed on in Gokarna for another week, and rejoined my morning yoga class.

Next I headed south on NH17 (the road condition is especially bad in and around Bhatkal) to Malpe Beach, where I spent four days at Silver Sands Beach Resort, and then rode south-east via Udupi, Manipal, Karkal, and Mudabidri to Vamanjoor, a suburb of Mangalore, where I stayed for a few days with my Rider Mania buddy. We rode into the city every day, and visited his relatives as well as exploring the (limited) attractions of Mangalore, including Ullal and Panambur beaches.

My route next took me north-east into the interior of Karnataka, via Karkal and Kudremukh National Park to Sringeri, where I took a room through the Mutt's central accommodation office. They assigned me to the TTD unit, down the road just past the fire hall, and I had a room at the back one floor up -- a fifty rupee room with a thousand rupee view, overlooking fields and the river, with mountain peaks in the distance. I liked it so much there that I stayed for a week, before moving on via Shimoga to visit friends of my son's near Chanagiri. One day we rode in a convoy of three bikes to Chitradurga to explore the fort -- a most impressive structure taking full advantage of the hilly terrain to make an impregnable fortress.

I returned to Sringeri for a few days, then rode via Kudremukh and Kalasa to Horanadu, a temple town nestled in the hills, for a night; and next day via Charmadi ghat and Ujire to Dharmastala, an enormous pilgrimage centre. I asked at Saketh Guest House for a room, but they refused since I was on my own; they only let families stay there. The singles accommodation I tried next was cheap but too spartan for me even for only one night; so I tried one of the other guest houses. This time, I told them a room for two please, for me and my wife; and after settling in and then going for a walk to explore the town and the temple, I got a chuckle out of the idea that the desk clerk might be keeping an eye out to make sure I DID bring a woman back to my room!

I had been planning to stay at Honey Valley Estate near Kakkabe in Kodagu, but as I was riding south (via Puttur, Sulya, Bettagiri and Napoklu) I phoned them, only to find that they were booked solid for the next couple of days. I made a reservation for their first free date, and called Palace Estate Home Stay, which is not far from Honey Valley, and fortunately they had a single available. The hosts are a Kodagai family which has owned and cultivated the property for generations, and they provide a warm welcome and great home cooking. I stayed there for three days, and then headed down the road to Honey Valley's rendezvous point for the jeep ride up to the estate. (The road is NOT bikeable; only 4WD can make it up.)

But I had a little mishap. They provide a secure parking area for their visitors, but it's up a steep gravel driveway. I made my approach too slowly, and when I stopped on the slope from lack of momentum, and put on the front brake, it couldn't hold on the gravel, and I started sliding back. Of course, fully loaded with gear, that's about as much trouble as you can get into at slow speed, and I inevitably took a spill. I shouted to a couple of guys nearby who came and helped me lift up the bike, and I found that the left-side main footrest had snapped off, and the left side mirror was bent but not broken. I should have listened to this warning from the universe; but instead I took another run at the driveway, successfully this time, parked my bike and put on the rain cover, loaded my gear into the jeep, and we drove up to the estate. As you can imagine I wasn't in the best frame of mind, wondering how on earth I was going to get my bike repaired. And when we reached the estate, and they showed me the two rooms which were available, neither of which were very appealing, I decided that I would not enjoy my stay there, and took the jeep right back down the hill. I phoned Palace Estate, and my room was still vacant, so I returned there for a few more nights.

I still had to figure out what to do about the footrest. Although Ok for a few kilometers, it wouldn't be practical, comfortable or safe to ride any distance without it. But after looking at it carefully, I saw that the front and rear footrests were identical, and that it should be possible to remove the rear one and move it forward. The next day I found a local bike mechanic who was able to do just that; and since I wasn't planning on carrying a passenger, I was fine to go.

A friend from Canada (whom I hadn't seen for forty years) and his partner and their daughter were on a three-week tour of India from their current home in New Zealand, and we had been exchanging emails and planning to meet up in Kerala. They were in Mysore while I was in Kodagu; and when I got a phone call from another friend in Mysore, inviting me to his wedding in a few days, I decided to head to Mysore instead of braving the bad roads to Kerala. I got there the afternoon of December 24th, and met my friends on Christmas Day at the Green Hotel, an ecofriendly operation in a former Maharani's palace. We hired an autorickshaw for the day, and explored the city including Chamundi Hill, Lalith Mahal, and the nature park. We went to the Palace, but the crowds and lineups were too much, so we didn't go inside the grounds.

The next day I found the authorized Royal Enfield dealer, and got the mirror and footpeg replaced. My friend's wedding was the following day; and then I was ready to move on from Mysore to Kerala, where I had arranged to meet some internet friends, a couple from Canada, for New Year's Eve at Cherai Beach.


Stage Five - Into Kerala

I left Mysore early in the morning on December 29, planning to spend the night somewhere in Kerala, and make it to Cherai Beach on the 30th, when my Canadian friends would be arriving. The road was great until just past the entrance to Rajiv Gandhi National Park, where there was a detour for about 20km through broken and dusty side roads until rejoining the highway. On the next bit I saw an elephant casually crossing the highway ahead of me, so I slowed down until it was safely into the forest again.

Crossed the border into Kerala, and found that everything was closed. It was like driving through a series of ghost towns -- all the shops had shutters closed, and there was no traffic. Yet another instance of an old Kerala tradition -- the state-wide bandh/ hartal. I flagged down two guys on a Bullet (the Royal Enfield riders' fraternity, you know) who helped me find an ATM and then took me to a small restaurant which was closed at the front, but open at the back for those in the know. By the time I finished lunch word had spread, and there was a crowd waiting beside my bike, eager to offer advice and see me on my way.

I had decided to make a slight detour northward in order to go through Mahe, an outpost of Pondicherry on the Kerala coast, to stock up on some good cheer to celebrate New Year's Eve, and by the time I reached there it was late afternoon, so I made it my overnight stop.

Next day I was ready for an early start, since I wanted to get to Cherai Beach by early afternoon, and Kerala roads are not made for fast riding. But now, the first major problem I've had with my bike.

The bike was warming up, and I was making the final adjustments to my gear, when suddenly the engine stopped. This had never happened to me before. I checked that the petrol cock was turned on, and tried to start the bike, but no luck. There was no horn or neutral light, so I surmised an electrical problem. Checked the fuse box, found a burned-out fuse, replaced it with the spare, and tried again. Still no electrical. Checked the fuses again, and the replacement fuse was also burned out (I know it was good when I put it in), so I clearly had a short circuit somewhere. My guest house called a nearby bike mechanic who came over in an hour or so to have a look. He started examining the wiring, and showed me that the entire electrical system had shorted out, with melted insulation and bare wires everywhere. This was beyond what he could repair. We called the nearest Royal Enfield dealers, in Kannur and Kozhikode. The Kannur shop said they were short-handed and fully booked, and couldn't touch it until next week. The Kozhikode shop said bring it in, but said that there was an authorized freelance mechanic in Tellicherry, only a few kilometers away. We contacted him, and within half an hour he was there on his own bike. He started replacing the wires and testing the circuits, and within about an hour was able to start the bike up. And for this work and his commute time too, he charged only Rs 50!

My early start in tatters, but at least with a driveable bike, I was on my way by early afternoon. Reflecting on the incident, and looking to see the positive side, I realized that if it was going to happen, it did so at the best possible time and place, where I was at least able to get competent assistance. If RedWing had given up the (electrical) ghost on that dusty detour in Karnataka, or even in strike-bound Kerala, I would have been a lot worse off.

Since the bike was now running fine, I decided not to stop at the Royal Enfield service shop in Kozhikode, but rather to push on to Cherai Beach. I passed through Guruvayur about sunset, so had to ride the last couple of hours after dark, which I really don't like to do, but it seemed a pity to stop so close to my destination, which I finally reached by 8pm. Met my friends who had arrived earlier that day, and had a nice dinner and a cold beer.

The next day, New Year's Eve, we walked from our guesthouse to see the elephants gathered at Cherai Beach for the celebrations, but didn't stay long. We had arranged for our hosts to prepare a special dinner for the occasion, and with a couple of bottles of wine that I had picked up in Mahe, and a few beers and a bottle of whiskey, we had a fine celebration together, watching the fireworks down the beach at midnight.

And so ends the 2009 portion of my Grand Tour. I took another month to get back to Chennai, but, that's another story that I'll write at another time.

Aryan

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