[Photo Feature]: A 100cc braves up the Meanest Ghat-Finally Updated. Pics in Page-2,5 - Page 2 - xBhp.com : The Global Indian Biking Community

Praful · 02-11-2009, 02:43 PM

The first pic has come out looking like something else, in a good way that is!

!

Bring on the rest ASAP!

PS: Poor splendor+, you probably scared the living daylights outs it by taking it to the naxalite infested areas!

shadez · 02-12-2009, 12:15 PM

@chicane: still waiting...

diffuser911 · 02-12-2009, 12:26 PM

Yeah, bring it on bhai!!

chicane1879 · 02-12-2009, 03:55 PM

A 100cc braves the Meanest Ghat!!

Now this was unplanned in my not so long list of biking lesiures or trips.My mom was in Berhampur(Southern Commercial city of Orissa), so i had to escort her back to Bhubaneswar.But while i was there in Berhampur we got a call from my cousin sister about her wedding anniversary celebration.She lives in Bhanjanagar, a small town 80kms off Berhampur.So then,we had to board a bus so as to reach Bhanjanagar.Now this small town(in Ganjam District) is not exactly vibrating with people but the natural beauty it exhibits is nothing short of exemplary.Now from past some days the shutter bug has bit me and i was pretty reluctant to capture something special.And to satiate that desire,the evil mind of mine was busy assessing possible places to visit.After sometime i zeroed in on Kalinga Ghat which i visited 5 months back and that was a trip made on a car.At that point of time, it was raining and i was enthralled by the beauty but in a cage there was not much to enjoy as we didn't halt anywhere except in a temple which comes midway.So i wanted to give it a shot on two wheels which incidentally would be my maiden ride on a real Ghat!!

The destination in question is 35kms from Bhanjanagar.But what about the mode of transportation, i didn't have one so the only option was an archaic Bajaj chetak being used by my uncle.But later i came to know that he has replaced it with a new glistening red Hero Honda Splendor+!! Ahh a bike..My joy knew no bounds,then!!

So Kalinga ghat it is what was moving inside my mind and i had a talk with my cousin brother who agreed to accompany me.Now this Ghat actually spans across 10kms of numerous hills/mountains and divides the Ganjam district and the infamous Kandhamal district.Now for the unawares this is the very place which is infested by Naxalites.As a result, we constantly hear about the innocent killings/attacks on Churches and what not.Initially i was a bit worried to venture into that area because of the obvious reasons.So me and my brother decided to sneak out(i did inform mom and aunt,the night before) early morning as this point of time it's really foggy so i thought of trying some HDR shots from the top of mountain!!

Time:7:15 A.M

It was time to move on.Got ready in a jiffy and we started riding with my bro being the rider and me the pillion as i had to operate the shutter and get some visuals which i was anticipating.The atmosphere was really foggy but at the same time it was not all that chilling.The only thing which hindered was the fog particles along with dew which were making things wet for us.

After snaking through the town roads we finally reached SH-7 which according to me is the best state highway(road surface as well as the visuals) i have ever been.

Somewhere after covering Bhanjanagar town limits!!

We were constantly maintaning speed of 40-45km/hr and didn't want to miss out of what the nature has to offer.So all the time i had the camera ready to capture anything special.After 7 kms, there comes this particular forest which spans either side of the road and we were greeted by some breathtaking views. I couldn't remember how many times i asked my brother to stop the bike so that i could freeze some shots!!

Cornering Anyone!!

Stunning Visuals gripped us.Pic taken while the bike was in motion!!

Posing time(Bro)!!

Mix of twisties as well as straights kept us entertained!!

Now after riding for about 6-7 kms we come across this particular sign which grabbed our attention and to our amazement it was a perfect place to get pics for NGC!!

Never before in my life i saw a forest so vast and deep.It was really creepy because there was hardly any traffic at the place and the atmposphere was dead silent which further heightened the fear!!

NGC Pic#1

NGC Pic #2

There was this tree which was standing tall on a secluded hill patch which caught my attention and the result are those pics!!

Some of you must be wondering why did i had a photo shoot of the Splendor, well for me anything which has a soul(engine) in it qualifies/deserves to get the shot, only if it's "clean"!!

The first view we get after slithering out of the covers of the forest was nothing short of breathtaking.Even the fogs were cleared off and all we saw was clear blue sky.

The start of the Ghat.Now the real fun begins!!

Monkeys greeting us!!

A HDR try..I admit it's a bit overdone!!

Now the ghat is decently paved so the surface was not much of concern and the new bike(3500kms on odo) was not exactly sluggish near the foothills but as we were moving higher up, the bike gradually felt losing steam and i remember at some spots we had to move the bike at 1st gear!!

A temple and a waterfall(active only during rainy season) enroute!!

Now the problem was the constant fear lurking within about the naxalites because we had heard they don't hurt riders/drivers but instead they steal two-wheelers,cars and leave the people stranded on the highway.They are only concerned about the valuables but any resistance to them would mean, well you know!!

But thankfully, we heaved a sigh of relief after a seeing a Police patrol which boosted our confidence and we continued our journey.

So we decided to move on and have breakfast at Kalinga after descending the ghat.So all the time i was busy earmarking places so that i would be able to take pics during the return journey.

As a result not much of pics were taken enroute Kalinga, the intended pics and lots of them were taken only in the return trip.

...Will continue in my next post because too much pics would be an overkill in a single post!!

Return journey..Will soon be updated!!

pranay · 02-12-2009, 04:00 PM

Beautiful pics, bro!! (except the overdone HDR

, pic gave me colorblindness!)

And a good write up as well.

archistar · 02-12-2009, 05:08 PM

fantastic swagat..... so southern part of orissa is now your target, any plan with naxals!!!

thanx for sharing the beautiful pictures.....

HDRI work very well where there is a play of light and shadow and there is a good depth of the subject. The NGC series is really good... loved it...

forgot to mention about the sky.... it's a beutiful one and try HDRI out of it and also BW.....

inder.cool · 02-12-2009, 08:14 PM

Whoah...so many HDRs at one place....amazing....

EL LOCO DIABLO · 02-12-2009, 08:39 PM

<Long low whistle> What colours man!! Beautiful simply beautiful there is no other word for it

diffuser911 · 02-12-2009, 09:18 PM

Way to go with the pics buddy!! But do try sharpening your HDR skills and we would soon be seeing a lot of awesome pics on display!!!

And cool destination, along with the words...So much I still don't know about Orissa

.

Serpentkillers · 02-12-2009, 11:08 PM

Really Cool Pics Man!!!! Beautiful Scenic Location...

Cheers!!!!!!

02-11-2009, 02:43 PM	#11 (permalink)
Praful Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,033	The first pic has come out looking like something else, in a good way that is! ! Bring on the rest ASAP! PS: Poor splendor+, you probably scared the living daylights outs it by taking it to the naxalite infested areas! __________________ LoneWolfRides® : Re-Initiation to Biking Ladakh: A Journey that Dreams are made of... Western Ghats - A Small Weekend Getaway Lone Wolf Rides® - Beaches/Mountains/Forests My bike went Home! - Bangy-Goa-M'bai-Pune-Bangy 'Biking', is more than just 0-100-0 !!! Get out of your Couch ... The 'World' is waiting ;-)

02-12-2009, 03:55 PM	#14 (permalink)
chicane1879 Feel the S U R G E!! Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Bangalore>>Bhubaneshwar Posts: 2,383	A 100cc braves the Meanest Ghat!! Now this was unplanned in my not so long list of biking lesiures or trips.My mom was in Berhampur(Southern Commercial city of Orissa), so i had to escort her back to Bhubaneswar.But while i was there in Berhampur we got a call from my cousin sister about her wedding anniversary celebration.She lives in Bhanjanagar, a small town 80kms off Berhampur.So then,we had to board a bus so as to reach Bhanjanagar.Now this small town(in Ganjam District) is not exactly vibrating with people but the natural beauty it exhibits is nothing short of exemplary.Now from past some days the shutter bug has bit me and i was pretty reluctant to capture something special.And to satiate that desire,the evil mind of mine was busy assessing possible places to visit.After sometime i zeroed in on Kalinga Ghat which i visited 5 months back and that was a trip made on a car.At that point of time, it was raining and i was enthralled by the beauty but in a cage there was not much to enjoy as we didn't halt anywhere except in a temple which comes midway.So i wanted to give it a shot on two wheels which incidentally would be my maiden ride on a real Ghat!! The destination in question is 35kms from Bhanjanagar.But what about the mode of transportation, i didn't have one so the only option was an archaic Bajaj chetak being used by my uncle.But later i came to know that he has replaced it with a new glistening red Hero Honda Splendor+!! Ahh a bike..My joy knew no bounds,then!! So Kalinga ghat it is what was moving inside my mind and i had a talk with my cousin brother who agreed to accompany me.Now this Ghat actually spans across 10kms of numerous hills/mountains and divides the Ganjam district and the infamous Kandhamal district.Now for the unawares this is the very place which is infested by Naxalites.As a result, we constantly hear about the innocent killings/attacks on Churches and what not.Initially i was a bit worried to venture into that area because of the obvious reasons.So me and my brother decided to sneak out(i did inform mom and aunt,the night before) early morning as this point of time it's really foggy so i thought of trying some HDR shots from the top of mountain!! Time:7:15 A.M It was time to move on.Got ready in a jiffy and we started riding with my bro being the rider and me the pillion as i had to operate the shutter and get some visuals which i was anticipating.The atmosphere was really foggy but at the same time it was not all that chilling.The only thing which hindered was the fog particles along with dew which were making things wet for us. After snaking through the town roads we finally reached SH-7 which according to me is the best state highway(road surface as well as the visuals) i have ever been. Somewhere after covering Bhanjanagar town limits!! We were constantly maintaning speed of 40-45km/hr and didn't want to miss out of what the nature has to offer.So all the time i had the camera ready to capture anything special.After 7 kms, there comes this particular forest which spans either side of the road and we were greeted by some breathtaking views. I couldn't remember how many times i asked my brother to stop the bike so that i could freeze some shots!! Cornering Anyone!! Stunning Visuals gripped us.Pic taken while the bike was in motion!! Posing time(Bro)!! Mix of twisties as well as straights kept us entertained!! Now after riding for about 6-7 kms we come across this particular sign which grabbed our attention and to our amazement it was a perfect place to get pics for NGC!! Never before in my life i saw a forest so vast and deep.It was really creepy because there was hardly any traffic at the place and the atmposphere was dead silent which further heightened the fear!! NGC Pic#1 NGC Pic #2 There was this tree which was standing tall on a secluded hill patch which caught my attention and the result are those pics!! Some of you must be wondering why did i had a photo shoot of the Splendor, well for me anything which has a soul(engine) in it qualifies/deserves to get the shot, only if it's "clean"!! The first view we get after slithering out of the covers of the forest was nothing short of breathtaking.Even the fogs were cleared off and all we saw was clear blue sky. The start of the Ghat.Now the real fun begins!! Monkeys greeting us!! A HDR try..I admit it's a bit overdone!! Now the ghat is decently paved so the surface was not much of concern and the new bike(3500kms on odo) was not exactly sluggish near the foothills but as we were moving higher up, the bike gradually felt losing steam and i remember at some spots we had to move the bike at 1st gear!! A temple and a waterfall(active only during rainy season) enroute!! Now the problem was the constant fear lurking within about the naxalites because we had heard they don't hurt riders/drivers but instead they steal two-wheelers,cars and leave the people stranded on the highway.They are only concerned about the valuables but any resistance to them would mean, well you know!! But thankfully, we heaved a sigh of relief after a seeing a Police patrol which boosted our confidence and we continued our journey. So we decided to move on and have breakfast at Kalinga after descending the ghat.So all the time i was busy earmarking places so that i would be able to take pics during the return journey. As a result not much of pics were taken enroute Kalinga, the intended pics and lots of them were taken only in the return trip. ...Will continue in my next post because too much pics would be an overkill in a single post!! Return journey..Will soon be updated!! __________________ India's first acceleration video of RTR 180 (0-120km/hr)-NEW!! http://www.flickr.com/photos/34047693@N08/

02-12-2009, 04:00 PM	#15 (permalink)
pranay Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Posts: 1,811	Beautiful pics, bro!! (except the overdone HDR , pic gave me colorblindness!) And a good write up as well. __________________ DoN\'t LivE tO DiE, dIe tO LiVe

02-12-2009, 05:08 PM	#16 (permalink)
archistar ..... Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: bhubaneswar-delhi Posts: 714	fantastic swagat..... so southern part of orissa is now your target, any plan with naxals!!! thanx for sharing the beautiful pictures..... HDRI work very well where there is a play of light and shadow and there is a good depth of the subject. The NGC series is really good... loved it... forgot to mention about the sky.... it's a beutiful one and try HDRI out of it and also BW..... __________________ http://archi-star.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/archistar

02-12-2009, 08:14 PM	#17 (permalink)
inder.cool Senior xBhpian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 4,891	Whoah...so many HDRs at one place....amazing.... __________________ 16 Days\|Mountains\|Lakes\|Smooth/Off Roads\|Leh Road-trip Saga 2010

02-12-2009, 12:15 PM	#12 (permalink)
shadez Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 672	@chicane: still waiting...

02-12-2009, 12:26 PM	#13 (permalink)
diffuser911 Sunil Singh Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bahrain! Posts: 1,104	Yeah, bring it on bhai!!

02-12-2009, 08:39 PM	#18 (permalink)
EL LOCO DIABLO X-( Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,025	<Long low whistle> What colours man!! Beautiful simply beautiful there is no other word for it __________________ I'm too intelligent to the unintended, and too dumb for the obvious.

02-12-2009, 09:18 PM	#19 (permalink)
diffuser911 Sunil Singh Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bahrain! Posts: 1,104	Way to go with the pics buddy!! But do try sharpening your HDR skills and we would soon be seeing a lot of awesome pics on display!!! And cool destination, along with the words...So much I still don't know about Orissa.

02-12-2009, 11:08 PM	#20 (permalink)
Serpentkillers Its Smokkin!!!! Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bangalore Permanant: Palakkad, Kerala Posts: 82	Really Cool Pics Man!!!! Beautiful Scenic Location... Cheers!!!!!! __________________ __________________________________________________ ______________ Enjoy & Ride Your Heart Out Like There Is No Tomorrow !!!!

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