I have been on a lot of small trips before but have never written in any forum. So, this will be my first travelogue. I havent been on any long trips recently, mainly because of the accident I had last year and ended up with a broken fibula, tibia, and because of the rupture, they had to remove my spleen. I had to have a lot of surgeries, after three months on crutches and two months in the hospital, I was back to normal. And haven't been on motorcycle since. Hopefully, it will change soon when i get some time.


This was the helmet I had on the day of accident, planning to get it framed





This thread will be a merger of two travelogues as one is too short for a proper thread. One was a trip I did last year during the monsoons, riding solo through south India. A 3000 Km trip covering 3 states and a union territory, the other one was done a few weeks ago. I will start off with the one I did before the accident.

June, 2013


I was very lucky I got into a college like NITK, one of the best locations for a college in our country. With western ghats to one side and sea on the other and with Goa just a night away. I started off with cycling, thanks to a very good friend of mine in college who suggested me. We had a small group of cyclists and we used to go on small trips around the college, we covered a lot of places there in a 200 Km radius. One really good trip was a 250 odd Km, 4-day long one we did. Here is the map for it, I can write a separate travelogue on it if cycling related threads are also permitted.









The one i will be writing about is a trip on my Pulsar 220, The initial plan was to go to Leh, but because of the Uttarankhad floods, I was not sure if the roads would be okay for traveling. So, I decided to plan another one in South India. Below is the map i planned out, had to take some small deviations in few places but mostly this was the route taken.











This was a 9-day, 3000 odd Km trip. I had to do some DIY bags and some long distance travel gear, got a couple of DC chargers that run on the bikes 12-volt battery in case i should run out of battery. I also made a point to take two phones, just in case. Some waterproof cases, Waterproof gear, and a tool kit. I really did not know how long it would take.


The bike is serviced and all ready to go




The DC charger




Day 1: Surathkal - coorg - Mysore


Started off pretty early from home and stopped for breakfast in BC Road, and for Lunch I was already in Coorg. Once I started climbing the SH 66, the weather turned quite bad, had to get in my rain gear and continued. Its a different feeling really, riding in the rains, love it! From there I continued on the SH to reach Mysore, the plan was to stay at my friend's place there. Once i hit the plains the clouds cleared up and on the way i went into a big pot hole and the suspension became very spongy after that. Stopped to check, there was a crack in one of the fork legs and all the suspension oil leaked out. Had to goto a service station in Mysore and replace one of the legs. Unexpected expenditure. And that was a bad ending for the day. Here are the pictures from Day 1.


The setup








The broken fork




A view of a flooding river




On SH 66




Day 2: Mysore - Ooty - Coimbatore - Thrissur - Kochi


Started around 6 AM and went to Chamundi Hills in the morning and from there to ooty via Bandipur National park. Had an encounter with an Elephant that was blocking the roads for a quite some time. After a breakfast in a small canteen in the national park, I continued to Ooty. Lunch was at Coimbatore and by the time i left the city outskirts it was dark already. I was prepared for this, got my transparent visor out and the ride was tiring to say at the least. The roads are in horrible condition till Thrissur and the rains, icing on the cake. Was stopped at a border toll gate, had to let them check through my bag and continued after their approval. My hands were relived after reaching the four-lane, the rain kept battering. By around mid-night reached Kochi. Stayed in the same lodge as my friends (They were there for their Internship). Pictures from Day 2


Panoramic view from the top of chamundi hills







Sunflower fields before Bandipur National park




Bandipur National Park




Nilgiri foothills




Indisputable king of the ghats




En route to Coimbatore from Ooty





Day 3 and Day 4: Kochi - Kottayam - Vagamon - Idukki - Munnar


Day 3 was spent just chilling in Kochi, reached Kottayam that day and stayed there. The next day started early and destination was Madurai. Stooped just before Vagamon for breakfast, some parota and beef curry. The route from Vagamon - Idukki - Munnar - Pooppara - Madurai is a must for any biker if you are living down south. The best one I have been till now! Had to wait for a couple of hours somewhere near idukki as there was a road-widening project going on, rock blasting. Reached Munnar by night that day and was too tired to continue, got easy accommodation. The best part during monsoons is that small window during the rains when the sun peeps out and everything shines in the sunlight, fog settling, too hard to put it all in words, Let the pictures do the talking.



Somewhere near Vagamon




It was 3 in the afternoon!








This is the Idukki dam, i was too late to go to the view point




Road blocks




Some random pics of the day











Day 5: Munnar - Pooppara - Madurai - Kanyakumari


Scenic ride from Munnar to Pooppara, pretty much no traffic. Stooped by a lake for some good pictures and by afternoon I was at pooppara, this is the last city before i enter Tamil Nadu, again because of some road work, had to wait for few hours there. There is a small hotel which serves very good Idlies Its the only shop near the check post and i was quite hungry, did not expect blockage. I was riding down the hills and back on plains now, the view was just breathtaking. After some hours of slipping and sliding in the horrible roads I hit the smooth roads of the plains. Tamil Nadu has one of the best roads in south India, haven for riders. After climbing down the hills I was very quick in reaching Madurai. A vist to the Meenakshi temple and some snacks later i was back on road again, the days destination was kanyakumari. Night riding through the NH 7 was too good. Was stopped again for checking by the cops halfway through. By around mid night reached Kanyakumari and my plans to get up early for the sunrise next day did not look like it would happen.


Crispy Dosas in Munnar




A lake near Munnar











Panoramic view of the tea gardens




At Pooppara








Descend from Pooppara, Crazy roads! I think they should have been fixed by now.
















Thats me!




Back on plains




These things cost 10 rupees each and saved my phones from being flooded





Meenakshi temple















Day 6 and 7 : Kanyakumari - Ramanathapuram -Rameshwaram - Dhanushkodi - Ramanathapuram


As suspected, I missed sunrise and woke up by 11 AM the next day! My body was very tired I guess. A short ride around the town later I was back on track en route to Rameshwaram. The ride to Rameshwaram was uneventful but a pleasure riding in the open roads, the crosswinds were rough though. Stayed in Ramanathapuram for the night. The next day I went to Rameshwaram and then to Dhanushkodi, a ghost town which was washed away by a cyclone in 1964. Its very interesting, read here if you want to know more 1964 Rameswaram cyclone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. After reaching a certain point, the road ends. There is no tarmac ahead, just plain beaches and its hard for 2WD to go there. The only means of transport was either by jeeps or 4WD mini buses. The sand was quite firm and I planned to go ahead though, had to make sure i didn't lose momentum. The place is completely uninhabited, except for some shacks built by local fishermen there is nothing there really. The place had a very eerie feel to it, it was once a proper town with hospitals and railway stations, so sad to see it in this state, power of nature. There were several boats thrown onto the shore. I got stuck in muck on the way back, should have known not to test my luck with the weird looking muck. Some help from a local got it out of the thing and was back to Ramanathapuram.




Near the Vivekananda rock memorial








Somewhere near Thirunelveli




To Rameshwaram









Dinner for the day at a local dabha




Near the Pamban bridge


























Eagles looking for some food




Dhanushkodi
















Bike for scale




The muck I was talking about, notice that the bike is not on a stand, the tyres went deep enough to support the weight of the bike




The old railway station which was once running




Posing




Me again




Looked like it happened recently




Couple of Wild horses and puppies





























The Pamban bridge





Ever wondered how we get our common salt?





This is when my bike had to stop for an oil change




Memorial for the Tsunami victims in Vailankanni








Day 8 and 9: Ramanathapuram - Puducherry - Vellore - Bangalore - Mangalore




Had a bad beginning that day, took the wrong road and had to cover an extra 100 Kms, after getting back on the ECR, it was a bliss to ride on one of the best roads in the country. The bike started to give trouble, it would never reach speeds above 80 and the response was bad, it just did not feel normal. Stopped on my way in a small town, luckily they had a Bajaj showroom, the oil had to be replaced and she was back to normal now. Reached Puducherry by around 9 PM. I wasn't really tired yet as the previous days weren't as hectic, decided to ride on. The nights have a very different feel again, cooler air, lesser traffic helps you stay cool and ride more calmly. The stretch from Kanchipuram to Vellore was scary, i hardly met a few cars in almost thee hours of riding. Finally caught the National highway and through KGF, reached Bangalore. it was already 5 AM, decided to take some good rest that night and by the next day I was back in Mangalore. I pushed very hard the last two days, needed two whole days for my body to feel anything. All in all was a great experience! looking forward to do it again this December, somewhere north maybe. Lets see.


This one here is one of my all-time favorite pictures, near the Pamban bridge.




October, 2014



Festival season in Madurai













Twilight at Ponmudi.












A couple of shots of the Kovalam beach taken the day before i went to Ponmudi.