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Eastern Ghats Getaway

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  • Eastern Ghats Getaway

    The winter in Bangalore was surely coming to a close. The days were getting hotter and the nights so much warmer. Sweaters and blankets, washed, packed and put into storage for the next winter. Bangalore winters are special, not unbearably freezing like the North but just the right amount of chill to make it truly enjoyable. Clear blue skies during the day with mild degrees and nippy nights just right to get cozy. Misty, foggy mornings to wake up to and all flights are delayed again; welcome to Bangalore! Yes, those 3 months (Nov, Dec & Jan) is definitely the best quarter of the year. Inevitably, the circle must go on, hellos and goodbyes, that’s life.





    The fog! I’ve always loved the fog; I love the air of mystery and intrigue it carries. Apart from harried business travelers fretting over missed meetings and irritating traffic logjams there is a totally romantic side to this “smoky” phenomenon, call me an eternal romantic but the ultimate fog is on the moors of England and the Victorian streets with their cobbled sidewalks where horse drawn carriages went clikety clack and mysterious men in long coats and top hats cast eerie, distorted shadows through the ever present fog. There’s mystery and adventure at every turn. OK Sherlock, enough romanticizing, this is a new age biker’s forum, remember? Adie hard romantic, that’s me.











    OK, so the winter must go where she must and we just have to thank her for those glorious months gone by. We ( wifey & I) have what you could call a war room, boardroom or “throw your thoughts around” room which actually is our urban rooftop. It’s where we chill out in the winters and where we thrash out our ride plans mostly. Whatever the topic, a ride plan mostly comes up. I guess we all need an island to retreat to.






    Coming up... The Ride & Chilling on the Hills
    Last edited by ridermax; 03-03-2014, 03:41 PM.

  • #2
    Re: Eastern Ghats Getaway

    Travelogue Approved

    Lovely to see your updates from the road again
    Biking is not about what you have between your legs, its all about how well you use it!!!!!!!

    Give your details here if you want to help your fellow xBhpian stranded in your city

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    • #3
      Re: Eastern Ghats Getaway

      Cool pics sir, would like to see more text and narration from your side.



      All the very best big b,

      Ride safe


      Regards, SACHIN (ZaK)
      Regards,
      Sachin Satheesh
      xBhp Pathanamthitta

      Guys if you like to make your hands dirty and make your ladies rule the road. Then this Face book group will be the place you would be looking for:

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      check it out bros!
      sigpic

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      • #4
        Re: Eastern Ghats Getaway

        Originally posted by The Monk View Post
        Travelogue Approved

        Lovely to see your updates from the road again
        Thanks a lot Avinash

        And so we talked about the departing winter and as conversations go we said “we need to grab a little bit of this winter before she disappears”. “Let’s take a ride” ( Aah! the beautiful song I’ve heard like a million times and love it more every time! ) Let’s grab a little bit of the departing winter at least for a day, let’s feel the chill one last time, a year is an eternity and time’s running out. So, Ooty ? Done so many times in our lifetime but can never tire of it, this time we decided to give the ‘blue hills’ a miss. Then we thought of Yercaud, ( yeri = lake and kaadu = forest {Tamil}) hard to resist that combo ! Been there but rarely, close enough to rush to, 20 hairpins, will do!






        The Night Before:
        Okay, been there, done that so many times, I’m starting to lose count, but every night before a ride, short or long seems to remain the same, the triple As : Anticipation, Anxiety and Adrenalin: try as we might, it returns like a friendly ghost before every ride and though it may cut short a good night’s sleep, this pre ride rush is so much a part of the ride, as bikers I guess we need to settle for the whole package.





        So on a misty morning we take off on a ride looking for the elusive chill, and boy did we get it? Sure we did. Once on the highway, the chill hit us and it was jackets zip up time. Apparently Miss Winter was still wagging her tail and quite vigorously too I must add! Generous Mother Nature seems to always give us a lot more than we asked for. But then, we said, this is what we came looking for didn’t we?? Enjoy it while we can, we know for sure in a couple of hours it will get hot.







        We stop for breakfast at a little shack near Krishnagiri. We love to check out these little joints, may not look the cleanest of places but serve hot, authentic stuff quick and with a smile. Nothing like some smiles on a lovely morning. And of course the by now customary curious looks at our gear and wondering where these nutty, ‘not so young’ couple are heading to.





        Shortly we are at Salem and as expected things start to warm up, literally. We need to ride through Salem town for a bit before reaching the Yercaud road. It’s soon the start of the always enjoyable climb with the added incentive of it getting cooler with every curve. There are 20 hair pins and numerous curves to relish.











        The air starts to get cooler as we climb and the views from above calls for some stops for clicks and shortly we reach the quaint little town and reach the place we are to spend the weekend. The weather is already quite nippy and we know the night would reward us with the chill we came looking for.



        Chilling On The Hills.... coming up

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Eastern Ghats Getaway

          It's always a treat to go through your tlog sir. Be it hills, be it sea, you always keep me glued to your updates on this section of the forum. A big kudos to you and your wifey . Respect!! Waiting for more pictures and updates from you sir.
          I Ride to Forget the World, and Sometimes I Ride to Forget Who I AM.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Eastern Ghats Getaway

            Originally posted by zakisback View Post
            Cool pics sir, would like to see more text and narration from your side.



            All the very best big b,

            Ride safe


            Regards, SACHIN (ZaK)
            Thank You

            We get to our room and freshen up a bit before heading out for lunch. The weekend crowds are mostly around the lake and park and after lunch we head out to explore. It’s always great to get away from the crowds and go looking for the quieter places. It’s mostly coffee, pepper and oranges grown here and it’s always a pleasure to ride among them. It’s cool even in the afternoon and the air feels fresh and rejuvenating.













            One special aspect of most of these hill stations are the flowers, they bloom everywhere adding their brilliant colors and radiance to the landscape. They seem to be everywhere, in gardens, on fences and on the roadside and its impossible not to stop and admire them.













            After riding around for a while and visiting a temple on the way, we return back to our room. Dusk is slowly settling in a mist wafts in bringing with it a nippy chill, it’s sweaters on I guess







            As the sun finally disappears over the hills and darkness settles in, the silence of the night takes over except for an occasional night bird call. I walk out into the night to feel the chill, a light breeze blows in and I suppress a shiver as I zip up my sweater. It’s the end of February, I remind myself and this surely must be goodbye winter. As I look out over the hills watching the mist moving in slow motion, I reach out my arms in grateful embrace for those wonderful moments.





            Tomorrow, Sunrise at the lake and a memorable school visit !

            Cheers Guys !
            Last edited by ridermax; 03-05-2014, 12:19 PM.

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            • #7
              Re: Eastern Ghats Getaway

              Oooooh your words sends chills through my spines sirji..
              Exceptionally better log than a 12th std student like me(obvious)
              Please continue..
              Waiting patiently for the next part

              cheers👍

              my first travelogue in xbhp-my dream ride to ooty

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              • #8
                Re: Eastern Ghats Getaway

                Gud one... I am reading and watchin the pics again and again.... #Respect...
                Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast !!!

                My Ladakh Journey

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Eastern Ghats Getaway

                  Originally posted by SuvraGanguly View Post
                  It's always a treat to go through your tlog sir. Be it hills, be it sea, you always keep me glued to your updates on this section of the forum. A big kudos to you and your wifey . Respect!! Waiting for more pictures and updates from you sir.
                  Thanks a lot SG

                  Originally posted by protodude222 View Post
                  Oooooh your words sends chills through my spines sirji..
                  Exceptionally better log than a 12th std student like me(obvious)
                  Please continue..
                  Waiting patiently for the next part

                  cheers

                  my first travelogue in xbhp-my dream ride to ooty

                  http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/2...xcd-135-a.html
                  Thank You

                  Just like sunsets, sunrises too can be amazing on the hills, provided the mist and fog decides to clear away soon but mostly they hang around for quite a while almost hesitant to part giving the sun a tough fight to get through. Once the fight is won, the morning light shines through bringing with it warmth, hope and promise of a new day.






                  I never tire of those early morning rides. As the sun rises, the light is glorious casting beautiful shadows and embracing everything with a soft and warm light. I take a ride to the lake nearby and I know this would be the perfect time to admire the views. Being a Sunday, the tourists would soon throng the place; I needed to get out before that.






                  The water is still, like glass and the shadows of the trees perfectly reflected in the early morning light. It truly is a glorious sight and I couldn’t resist numerous clicks









                  Finally I break away, we planned to visit a residential school whose principal happens to be an ex colleague of my wife (a teacher by profession) . Our plan was just to meet her friend and leave, but once there she wanted to show us around the school, what can we see in a school I thought, but the residential area of the boarders was a truly memorable sight, especially the toddlers dormitory (1st and 2nd std kids) It really was one of the cutest sights we had seen. The colors of the beds, the teddy bear dolls and the cute little mugs with their tooth brushes and soaps, all in such order and neatness straight out of a fairy tale, it truly warmed our hearts. I was thankful for the chance to witness these simple but very special sights. It’s not every day we’ll get an opportunity like this one!











                  We finally say our goodbyes and leave with a warm feeling in our hearts. May the school continue their good work and may the kids, one day, go out into the world and make us all proud

                  We plan to return back to Bangalore by noon so that we can be home by evening. Once back to our room we pack up start the ride back down. Soon we are at Salem and stop for quick lunch and later it’s on to the NH.

                  So after the Up, Up ! It's now Down, Down !






                  Near Dharmapuri there was a traffic block and we later found out that a couple of trucks had tilted over. One was spilling some kind of fuel on to the road and the other had its goods strewn around. We just hoped that the drivers and helpers were safe.





                  By evening we are back home after surely getting a taste of the departing winter and some warm memories to remember and share.
                  Until The Next Ride….






                  Cheers & Ride Safe
                  Last edited by ridermax; 03-07-2014, 07:56 PM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Eastern Ghats Getaway

                    Wow.. those dorms looks like hogwarts

                    Sent from my Q1000 using xBhp Connect mobile app

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Eastern Ghats Getaway

                      Sir, did you go on Yercaud trip on 23rd of Feb by any chance? I too was coming back from Valparai and encountered these two accidents on the highway (It was sometime in the evening and there was massive jam out there). Loved the pictures of the lake (truly a gateway to heaven) and the mugs with brushes in it . Another awesome trip by you comes to an end, hoping to see another tlog pretty soon .
                      I Ride to Forget the World, and Sometimes I Ride to Forget Who I AM.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Eastern Ghats Getaway

                        Nice & crisp trip log just like the weather in Yercaud.
                        Even I always say goodbye to the nice bangalore winter with a heavy heart

                        Ride safe.



                        Growing old is compulsory - growing up is optional
                        So many roads, So little time
                        RIDE for PASSION

                        See us & our global rides at:
                        www.rideforpassion.com

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                        • #13
                          Re: Eastern Ghats Getaway

                          Originally posted by SuvraGanguly View Post
                          Sir, did you go on Yercaud trip on 23rd of Feb by any chance? I too was coming back from Valparai and encountered these two accidents on the highway (It was sometime in the evening and there was massive jam out there). Loved the pictures of the lake (truly a gateway to heaven) and the mugs with brushes in it . Another awesome trip by you comes to an end, hoping to see another tlog pretty soon .
                          Thanks Suvra ! And yes, we were on our way back from Yercaud on the 23rd (Sunday), in fact we clicked that picture at exactly 2.42 pm. I guess you passed that way later in the evening (?). The little kids dormitory was really special, had such a fairy tale feel to it, a real departure from the museums and parks

                          Cheers & Ride Safe

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Eastern Ghats Getaway

                            Originally posted by Aniruddha Shinde View Post
                            Gud one... I am reading and watchin the pics again and again.... #Respect...
                            Thank You ! Glad you like it

                            Originally posted by protodude222 View Post
                            Wow.. those dorms looks like hogwarts

                            Sent from my Q1000 using xBhp Connect mobile app
                            Yes, those dorms were straight out of a fairy tale

                            Originally posted by Haroon View Post
                            Nice & crisp trip log just like the weather in Yercaud.
                            Even I always say goodbye to the nice bangalore winter with a heavy heart

                            Ride safe.
                            Thanks Haroon ! And you're right, the Bangalore winters are truly so special for us and we'll always miss it till it returns

                            Take Care & All The Best !

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