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7 Days; 3 Riders; 1887kms and an Unforgettable South Indian Trip

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  • 7 Days; 3 Riders; 1887kms and an Unforgettable South Indian Trip

    The planning of this trip had started 2 months back, majorly by Girish and me, though the actual plan was of Santosh. Several places were included, several were left out, several route maps were made using google maps during the productive hours of office. Finally we had stick to one and later changed to other just a few days before the trip.
    Our trip on the map:

    Bangalore-Bandipur-Ooty-Coonoor-Coimbatore-Munnar-Madurai-Dhanushkodi-Thanjavur-Pondicherry-Bangalore

    Riders and their bikes:
    Abhinav(myself) - Apache RTR 190(Joel'ed)


    Santosh - Apache RTR 180


    Girish - Honda Unicorn
    .

    When we started planning we were 4 bikers. The planning went on for few weeks when Sashwat( 4th biker ) said he cant come with us. We tried to convince him a lot but all in vain. Now we were left with only 3 of us.

    My planning also included tires change which had already covered 30k kms. Also got myself a pair of knee guards, as safety is top priority for me during these trips, got the bike polished just a day before the trip, new memory card for the camera, a rope to tie the bag on the bike and servicing of the bike 2 weeks before the trip.

    Day1

    Day2

    Day 3

    Day 4

    Day 5

    Day 6

    Day 7.
    Last edited by Abhii46; 09-12-2011, 01:31 PM.
    sigpicMy triplog of South Indian Trip.

  • #2
    Thread approved
    Happiness is finding you have another Gear left....

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    • #3
      Day 1:

      Our plan was to leave on 27th Aug morning at 5am from Silk Board but I left my home only at 6am, which was 20kms from SB. After that I had to meet Santosh at Marathalli, the guy was even more late than me. Finally we reached Silk Board at 7am, called Girish and asked him to come directly over there.
      I was carrying 2 bags, one tied on the seat and other one as backpack. The backpack was making me very uncomfortable and I knew that I wont be able to carry it like this for the whole trip. At SB Santosh gave me an idea, to put some of the things from my bag into his bag, which still had some space left in it, and rest of the useless things, along with the bag at Karun's room( Our college friend, he stays in BTM ). When Girish came to SB we told him that we need to go to Karun's room for few minutues and asked him to follow us till there. By the time I had given I had given several calls to Karun, the bugger was still asleep and didnt answered even one call. After we reached Karun's home I transferred all the imp stuffs in Santosh's bag and left my backpack over there. Now I got the nature call on top of that, that means another delay of 15 mins or more. Girish had missed following us and he was waiting for us before the Jayadeva hospital. After we left Karun's house we went to the signal where Girish was waiting. He was tying his bag again which had became loose. Then I realised I have forgotten my phone charger at Karuns'. Again I had to rush. It was already 8 when I came back. We were late by 3 hours. We decided to take NICE Road from there, I insisted on that because I had to check the top speed as I had recently got the bike Joel'ed. Touched 133kmph, with full tank and a loaded bike. Could have gone more.
      Our pic at NICE Road:


      We had our breakfast around 10am on Mysore road and headed towards Mysore from there.
      Mysore Road ( SH 17 ):

      By 12 we were at the signal which is just at the entrance of Mysore.


      Asked for route to Ooty from there and people advised us to take it from inside of Mysore. A small incident happened inside Mysore. While I was riding there were few college guys, with no respect to safety (riding without helmet ), riding in front of me. Once they saw me, their discussion started, as if I was some alien, riding with big riding jacket, helmet, gloves, knee guards, bag tied at the back and of-course FFE. Since they had completely blocked the road, I gave the horn and passed them with increased throttle. They took that personally, I think, majorly because of the sound. One of them came in front of me and attempted stoppie, another came two fast and passed me too close( he had K&N ). Another biker and the pillion gave me a look and passed me. I was enjoying that. They tried all the stuff but I didnt gave any response. We left Mysore around 1pm after having a bottle of Maaza. Now our next stop was to have lunch. Around 3:30 we stopped for it roadside and had biryani, egg burji and chapati. As it was raining, we bought 3 rice packets from that dhaba to cover our bags. He sold it for Rs 10.
      From there we left towards Bandipur forest. Driving inside was forest was an amazing experience which cannot be matched. The only thing one hears is the sound of the exhaust of his own bike. And the lush green color makes the ride more beautiful and enjoyable.



      From Bandipur we entered Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

      Stopped for some more pics as the place was too beautiful and one just cannot stop admiring it.



      After taking some pics we moved forward and after some distance saw many cars and few buses stopped at a place. A herd of elephants was crossing the road. It was a sight which cannot be expressed in words.
      From there we headed towards Ooty. It was already 5pm and we knew we were getting late. So we paced up, but then again, at the sight of first hills we had to stop. You cant just ignore them and move.





      Some more pics taken on that route.








      At the start of 36 hairpin bends:



      After we left from the hairpin bends we moved straight to Ooty as it was already getting dark. We took a room in a hotel just outside Ooty, thought it will be cheaper over here. Got a room for Rs400 for a night. It was already 7:30 and we were too tired to go anywhere else. Went to the room, got our dresses changed and moved for dinner. Ooty was really cold. We had ridden almost 300kms. After dinner went for a small walk and came back to the room.

      From Bangy to Ooty the roads were really good, all way long and the scenery was awesome.
      Last edited by Abhii46; 09-12-2011, 01:37 PM.
      sigpicMy triplog of South Indian Trip.

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      • #4
        Great Trip you had there, waiting for the remaining pictures esp., Danushkodi
        All the wise men of the world are called wise only after they spoke their mind, so dont keep the ideas to yourselves!

        Comment


        • #5
          I'm going to rate this thread 5* even before reading; reason being that, you guys have covered 3 states & most important places to visit in a circular fashion; quite a planning should've gone in.

          Makes me wonder what's there in Thodupuzha; what did you guys get into KL for?
          Skill is what keeps you on a Motorcycle
          Awareness + Skill is what keeps you out of harm's way
          ATGATT + Awareness + Skill means you might Live To Ride another day

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          • #6
            Nice trip,Me too covered almost same route
            Waiting for more details

            Cheers
            Biru
            MyTravelTales-India
            Australia||Thailand||Nepal||Singapore||Finland||Estonia||Norway||Latvia||Lithuania||Poland

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            • #7
              Originally posted by rakesh_zmr View Post
              Great Trip you had there, waiting for the remaining pictures esp., Danushkodi
              Thanks mate. Ya will upload more pics. We had some good pics from Dhanushkodi. Will upload them soon.

              Originally posted by aargee View Post
              I'm going to rate this thread 5* even before reading; reason being that, you guys have covered 3 states & most important places to visit in a circular fashion; quite a planning should've gone in.

              Makes me wonder what's there in Thodupuzha; what did you guys get into KL for?
              Thanks a lot yaar.
              No we didnt went to Thodupuza. It is just showing on the map. We went to Munnar.


              Originally posted by beruoist View Post
              Nice trip,Me too covered almost same route
              Waiting for more details

              Cheers
              Biru
              Thanks. When did you had your trip?
              sigpicMy triplog of South Indian Trip.

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              • #8
                Day 2:

                Next day we got up around 6:30, but of no use. We came to know that we will get hot water only between 7:30 and 8:30. After getting ready we went to the parking area where we had parked our bikes. Since it was cold, bike refused to start, but after some attempt succeeded. We first headed towards Botanical garden. Took some pics over there, got myself a muffler and also a Rs150 water-proof bag. It was much better than which I was already carrying. Had our breakfast after that and went to buy a new and longer rope to tie the bag, since the one we had was not sufficient. It took us hell lot of time, finally we got it after riding a lot inside Ooty. We had to check out at 12 so we went back to hotel. We checked out at 12:30 and tied our bags again( it takes at least 15mins ).
                We headed towards Coonoor, as someone told us we will get lot of good views during the ride. And they were right. Riding inside Ooty itself was so good, with lot of curves.
                While going towards Coonoor the roads were mind blowing, they were so smooth and so curvy that we didnt wanted to stop but once again the view was such that we had to.

                Few pics:






                From there we headed straight towards Coonoor. Saw a hotel with the same name as my company's .

                A small video of the ride
                A small ride in Ooty - YouTube

                The ride towards Coonoor is smooth with very good turns and very smooth road. From Coonoor we moved forward towards Lamb's Rock View and Dolphin Nose. The few patches of the road were bad but the view was scenic.









                Some pics from Dolphin Nose view:






                From there we moved back to Coonoor as we had to ride towards Coimbatore.
                The ride from Coonoor to Mettupalyam gives you a feeling of riding on tracks. Roads are too curvy, too smooth and too scenic. Its a 34kms of paradise. One cannot just resist to bend on them. I tried a lot but was not satisfied. Then recalled few of the cornering videos that I had seen on youtube. After that gave my best. I was shifting my butt from right to left and vice versa at every corner, figuratively hanging from the bike. And when I stopped, Santosh came to me and said, "I have never seen you leaning so much, at few places your knees were just few inches above the ground. I was more than happy but too tired. Didnt stopped much during that ride, because one just wants to keep on riding such roads.
                Few pics:







                Stopped for a Coconut water break.


                Just 5kms before Mettupalyam we stopped for dinner. It was already 6pm and we didnt had anything solid after 10am in the morning.
                2 pics from outside the restaurant.



                By the time we finished our dinner it was already 6:45pm. We thought to stay in Coimbatore for a night and leave for Munnar next morning. Coimbatore was 40kms from there. Roads were ok but once we entered Coimbatore's boundary they became pathetic. We searched for lodges. Few of them were expensive but in the end got one for Rs300. We went out for tea and some snacks and came back to room and slept.
                Last edited by Abhii46; 09-12-2011, 01:40 PM.
                sigpicMy triplog of South Indian Trip.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Really nice ride guys ! The pictures are beautiful. As you said, the route is so scenic that you just keep clicking ! It's really nostalgic for me as I've done that route many times.

                  Kudos ! Keep Riding & Ride Safe !!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by ridermax View Post
                    Really nice ride guys ! The pictures are beautiful. As you said, the route is so scenic that you just keep clicking ! It's really nostalgic for me as I've done that route many times.

                    Kudos ! Keep Riding & Ride Safe !!
                    Thanks for the comment.
                    This route surely deserves more rides.
                    sigpicMy triplog of South Indian Trip.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Nice photos and great ride... expect more photos...

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Day 3:

                        We left from Coimbatore at 8am. Though it wasnt in the plan but we were riding in Coimbatore for the next 1 hour, finding our way out. From Coimbatore we took the Polachi road. The road was almost straight but with good tarmac.

                        Few Pics:





                        We had our breakfast in Polachi, finally I got Paper roast. From there we headed towards Udumalaipettai. From there we had to take a right turn and after riding for some time we got a road which took us staright to Munnar.
                        After riding for few kms we entered another wildlife sanctuary, I think it was Chinnar. The forest was dense and for few kms and almost for half an hour we didnt saw any other soul, except us. Once we started riding on the hills again, the route became breathtaking. We had to stop again. You cant escape from there without taking pics.






                        We moved forward towards Marayur. I had to get the bike's tank filled. Clicked some more pics, the whole place was too scenic.







                        As we moved forward the scenery turns into lush green color. It was also raining at some places in between and while we reached Munnar we were totally wet.

                        Few pics of the place.














                        A small video of the ride.
                        Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.


                        Once we reached Munnar, we got a room for Rs600 a night. Had our dinner, went for walk, saw the nearby places and came back to room.
                        Few more pics:









                        Munnar is one of the most beautiful hill station in the South. The ride to Munnar was our 2nd best ride of the trip.
                        Last edited by Abhii46; 09-08-2011, 04:14 PM.
                        sigpicMy triplog of South Indian Trip.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by lenin View Post
                          Nice photos and great ride... expect more photos...
                          Thanks. Will upload more photos.
                          sigpicMy triplog of South Indian Trip.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Day 4:

                            The next morning we got up early but it was raining heavily, so we could not go anywhere till it stops. Finally around 10am it slowed down. We left the room to visit Mattupetty Dam. It was 11kms from there, and it was the best road in and near Munnar( w.r.t tarmac). We could not stop anywhere to take pics because it was raining continuously. We took few pics at the dam.








                            From there we headed back to have our breakfast. By 12 we reached our room and started packing. But again it started raining heavily. By the time we left the room it was already 1:30. We started moving towards Madurai. The ride from Munnar to Madurai was the best ride I had ever done. It was also the best ride of the trip. The scenery is just too good. In rain it looks even more amazing.
                            We stopped at many places, even though it was raining.

















                            A small video:
                            Munnar - YouTube

                            Stopped at a waterfall.



                            From there we moved towards Pooparra. Few more pics from the midway.




                            The ride to Pooparra involves thin road at most of the places but very smooth roads. Once we reached a junction in Pooparra, we stopped to release some fluid from the body and for few pics.





                            Now from Pooparra to Munthal was the best route of the trip. We were coming down from the hills. I didnt stopped to take pics, the route was so good that I just could not control myself and kept on riding. We got lots of great right and left turns, many chicanes, smooth tarmac, everything was perfect. The route is too good, all the way to Madurai.
                            Few pics of the route:





                            If I had time I could have ridden there all day long.


                            Just 8kms before Madurai we made a call that we will spend night in it and will leave for Rameshwaram next day and will also go to Thanjavur on the same day, covering 450kms.
                            We got a good room in Madurai but the place was too hot. Had our dinner, took bath and dried our clothes. Watched TV and went to sleep.
                            Last edited by Abhii46; 09-08-2011, 10:22 AM.
                            sigpicMy triplog of South Indian Trip.

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                            • #15
                              Day 5:

                              We left from Madurai around 8:30am. It was already very hot climate for us. For the first time the bike started in first attempt and it was making sound as if it is an angry beast. Rameshwaram was 160kms from there. After riding for 4 days in hills we were tired only in the first hour of the ride. Stopped for a juice and moved forward, but again had to stop as we had to empty our bowels. So we made our stomach empty again at a petrol pump. From there we moved forward, road was good but the other vehicle drivers were not et all. Two times I was pushed out of the road intentionally, moreover many SUV's drivers didnt even bothered to gave horn while overtaking us. We crossed many towns in between and finally stopped at a city, Ramanathpuram, 56kms before Rameshwaram, to have our lunch.
                              While riding towards Rameshwaram we could feel the breeze getting stronger, and also the urge in us to see the ocean. We stopped at first sight of it. One suddenly feels small and overwhelmed when one see something of that magnitude.

                              Few pics:






                              Pamban bridge:







                              From there we moved forward to our next stop, Pamban bridge. Its a 2.2km long bridge, which connects India to Rameshwaram.
                              Few pics of it:


                              Railway track parallel to it.










                              We moved forward towards Dhanushkodi, visiting temple was not in the plan. Dhanushkodi was farther by almost 22kms from there. By the time we already had too much salt on our face.
                              Dhanushkodi was destroyed in 1964 by a cyclone, the whole village was wiped out.
                              The place was mesmerizing. Everything was looking like a natural painting.

















                              point closest to Sri Lanka:


                              The only other vehicle that we used.


                              The stone that was used to build Ram sethu bridge. You cannot drown it and cannot even lift it. Its too heavy.


                              Dhanushkodi's destroyed village.






                              When we reached back to the place where our bike was parked it was already 5. Now we had to leave for Thanjavur, 250kms from there. We thought we will cover first 100kms atleast before sunset. We were so naive. While leaving rameshwaram the breeze from the ocean was so strong that it was pushing us on a two lane road from one lane to another. While I was riding above 50, it pushed me onto an opposite lane, in front of a bus. Slowed down, and controlled my bike. Once we touched ECR, the road was too good for almost 120kms but suffered a little over 40kms after that but again it was ok for remaining part.
                              Finally reached Thanjavur at 12am. Booked a room and slept. We were too tired after driving for almost 450kms on that day.
                              Last edited by Abhii46; 09-08-2011, 05:09 PM.
                              sigpicMy triplog of South Indian Trip.

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