Re: The Southern Escapade - Riding Solo Across 5 States!

Travelogue Approved

Waiting for the rest

Re: The Southern Escapade - Riding Solo Across 5 States!

Nice start. Now pour in more.

Re: The Southern Escapade - Riding Solo Across 5 States!

Great start. Waiting for the rest!

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Re: The Southern Escapade - Riding Solo Across 5 States!

Looks like it's a great index. Waiting for the main content.

The routes selected is best I believe to cover places.

Yes you know, God's own country is HEAVEN for riders.

Keep it coming.

Re: The Southern Escapade - Riding Solo Across 5 States!

Thanks Monk for the quick Approval!

Coming Soon!

Indeed! Kerala is always special

Re: The Southern Escapade - Riding Solo Across 5 States!

Day 1: Mumbai – Bangalore

Route : Mumbai - Pune - Kolhapur - Belgaum - Dharwad - Devangere - Chitradurga - Sira - Bangalore

Initially I had decided to halt at Hampi, spend a day discovering Hampi and then head south to Coorg. But due to the peak season coupled with the long weekends for Christmas and New Year’s, the stay options at Hampi got over faster than you hit reserve on a Duke! So the next best option for me was Bangalore purely because it’s much closer to Coorg compared to Hampi and also has nice climate during this time of the year. The only issue here was the distance needed to reach Bangalore, 1000 back breaking kilometers. But a go ahead from Shrey and Sachin that its do able and in 14 hours made me go for it and hotel reservations was done for Bangalore. The day before the ride I had a pep talk on Solo riding with Om Vaikul. He asked me to relax and enjoy the ride and follow 2 golden rules “Concentrate all the time and avoid making haste!”

My ride to Bangalore started at 5am instead of 4 am. In the last 4 years of riding, this was the first time when my Mom and Dad both came down to the bike to see me off, that made me realize the sheer magnitude of this ride for me personally (My last solo ride was 200 kms round trip) I started off keeping a steady pace of 100-90 kms since it was dark and didn’t want to take any chances by pushing too much so early in the trip. As soon as I reached Khopoli, the temperature dropped significantly and the chill factor came in. I started shivering even with 2 pairs of gloves (1Woolen & 1 Leather) and thermals inside the riding gear. My speed dropped to 80-70 kmph and finally had to stop at Lonavala city. Standing and shivering next to the bike I started contemplating whether riding to Bangalore, Coorg and Ooty is really a nice idea as these places are known for cold weather. And here I was barely 60 kms into the ride at Lonavala shivering and unable to ride in the cold.


Took a small break for 5 min and then continued towards Pune. It was extremely cold and there was no sign of the Sun coming up and heating things up. Crossed Pune by 7:30 and then kept on a steady pace towards Wai.
Once I crossed Pune the Sun was out and it wasn’t shit cold any more and I could cruise at 100 but then suddenly disaster struck! The dreaded feeling of dropping the bomb! It is a biker’s worst nightmare, it’s more than a nightmare when you are solo and have no one to guard your luggage. Suddenly the comfortable ride turned to be an unpleasant one! Well some how I started feeling better and I finally crossed Satara by 10am and halted for my Breakfast.



Poha and Tea!

Ordered a plate of Poha and tea. Poha for me is the safest best while travelling in Maharashtra! Tastes good and also doesn't upset your tummy. Continued my ride to Kolhapur only to start getting sleepy within 20 mins of my breakfast break.
Stopped again at Kamats to freshen up just before the Kolhapur- Belgaum stretch. It was 12:30pm and I had still not crossed Kolhapur, in order to catch up on the lost time, I increased my speed to 120 – 110 kmph constantly till I reached Belgaum.



Well that's me!

In an hour’s time I was outside the Belgaum Vidhan Sabha, clicked pictures and continued belting down on the super impressive highway. The roads were immaculate from Kolhapur to Belgaum (especially after Kolhapur).



June Posing in front of the Vidhan Sabha!

Once I crossed Belgaum, the road became 2 lane 2 way highway where there was a decent amount of traffic which eventually slowed me down as overtaking had to be done very carefully. Two hours of sleep and the cold wind early morning got back to haunt me in the form of a bad cold. After Belgaum I was riding with a runny nose and was sneezing every minute.



Near Nipani



566 Kms more to go

By the time I crossed Hubli I was a little exhausted due to the cold and lack of break. Stooped at a hotel where I could see the bike from my table. Being a pure veg restaurant I had to settle for Daal Khichdi and wanted to keep moving as soon as possible. It was 3:45 pm and I had another 400kms to reach Bangalore. Quickly popped in some medicine and made up my mind to cover as many distance as possible.



She just loves to pose!



Somewhere near Hubli

Without any breaks, I was finally keeping up my speed. Munching miles after miles on my bike, I could see the sun go down slowly and steadily. By 6:30pm it was completely dark and I started to feel fatigued due the medicines and 750kms which I had completed by then. Night riding is something which I personally don’t prefer as I find it boring and a bit dangerous as you have some morons driving on the highways at night!



Catching the Sunset. When on the road, you start appreciating small things in life!



Bengaluru here I come!

There was a certain point while riding post sunset when I started hallucinating, the only thing moving inside my head was the white strips on the road rest everything was stagnant. Something very difficult to explain.

I knew I had to stop immediately!

Took a small break and then started moving again. I was just hoping that the cold doesn't escalate to fever, well that’s the kind of trend my body follows. Kept on riding and taking frequent breaks and saw the number next to Bangalore go down at a steady rate. Finally by 8pm the distance to Bangalore was just 100kms, which gave me sudden rush and also some excitement. The feeling when you know the target is within striking distance, I upped my speed and finally entered Bangalore City by 9 pm. Turned on my navigation and reached my Hotel by 9:30pm. The bike was parked in the basement and I quickly check into the room. Never ever before in my life have I craved to lay on the bed so much. Had a hot shower followed by a nice Spicy Chicken biryani and I crashed onto the bed.

Thoughts inside my mind while lying on the bed:
1000kms was certainly difficult than what I had imagined coupled with the fact I was riding solo, it turned out to be extremely boring as well. No more Mumbai – Bangalore for some time! I'm excited for tomorrow as I have completed the boring bit of my trip.
Tomorrow onwards it will be complete awesomeness!

Time Spent on the Saddle: 16 Hours
Distance Covered for the day: 995 kilometres



Odometer reading at the end of Day 1

Re: The Southern Escapade - Riding Solo Across 5 States!

Awesome ...

Re: The Southern Escapade - Riding Solo Across 5 States!

NIce narration

Re: The Southern Escapade - Riding Solo Across 5 States!

Beautiful photos with equally good narration. Waiting for the exciting part of your trip.

Re: The Southern Escapade - Riding Solo Across 5 States!

Bring on the rest ! Don't give too much of commercial breaks

Re: The Southern Escapade - Riding Solo Across 5 States!

Thanks Bro!

Thanks a lot. Hope it turns out to be exciting to read as well!

Yes. Will try and update it asap!

Re: The Southern Escapade - Riding Solo Across 5 States!

Day 2: Bangalore – Coorg (Via Mysore)

Route : Bangalore - Kanakapura - Malavali - Mysore - Hunsur - Kushalnagar - Madikeri

Waking up was the most difficult part especially after doing a 1000 kilometers the day before. But I kept telling myself that today’s ride will be a delight to my eyes. Short ride to Mysore and then another short ride from there to Coorg!



The Morning coffee and weather in Bangalore were too good. Just felt like sitting in the room and resting the whole day

Decided to leave from Bangalore by 9 am so that I skip the early morning chill but ended up leaving by 10am. The cold which had plagued me since Belgaum was still there and I had somehow managed to suppress it and kept on having medicines at regular interval. The ride started on the Bangalore – Mysore state highway with overcast conditions and slightly cold wind. The conditions were perfect for riding and I was enjoying each and every minute of my ride.



Had to stop to enjoy the beautiful weather! After all you dont get to enjoy such climate in Mumbai.

There was a lot of traffic throughout the Mysore highway and made it very boring to keep on overtaking vehicles and finally I stopped over at a tea stall for my breakfast with only 20 kilometres into the ride. Breakfast for the day was Bun and tea, the tea in south has a different aroma and taste compared to the Kutting chai in Mumbai. I was relishing the tea, bun and the weather. I did wish for a moment that I stayed in Bangalore and not Mumbai. As soon as the chai was over, I wasted no time and started to continue towards Mysore.
Riding in that weather and knowing that I was just 100 odd kilometers away from Mysore kept me in high spirits. I managed to cover 134 kms and reach Mysore by 1pm.



About to enter the Heritage city!
The last time I was here was with my parents that too in a Bus

My main intention to head into the city was to visit the famous St. Philomena Church which has a special significance in my life. Went to the church, prayed and clicked some pics and headed to the main gate of the Mysore Palace. Reached Mysore place and clicked a couple of pics and wanted to start off for Coorg without wasting much time. I was about to turn towards the Mysore – Madikeri Highway when I saw a Mc Donalds. Went straight in and order one Mc Maharaja Meal. Once the lunch was over I quickly hopped on the bike and started off to Coorg.



St Philomina Church has a Neo Gothic style and its architecture was inspired by the Cologne Cathedral in Germany



June posing in front of the Majestic Mysore Palace



Pose 2



Royal!

The highway was in great conditions except for Speed breakers at regular intervals, and also big enough to throw you off. This started getting me irritated cause as soon as you gain some speed, you are again braking and down-shifting. Once I crossed Kushalnagar, the roads became winding and the view at both ends became astonishingly beautiful.



Enroute Madikeri, I pulled over near a village called Periyapatna.



The the view of the lake was too good to not get clicked!

Coorg was one place I've been wanting to visit since a very long time and here I was at the footsteps of the mighty mountain range. The roads started to get steeper and the wind colder with every passing kilometre.

Finally I was there!
Lush green on both sides of the road and I had started falling in love with Coorg. I could feel the fresh air I was breathing and the entire place was naturally very beautiful. By 5 pm I was at Madikeri city and Google maps showed that I had another 13kms to go on the Managalore – Madikeri State Highway.



Madikeri - Mangalore State Highway



That ass!

The next 13 kms was just pure enjoyment, smooth tarmac, steep descend and curves. Finally I spotted my Estate Stay board and there was just a wheel jeep trail into a coffee estate which was inside the forest. The ride on the trail should have given me an indication what was in for me over the next 2 days. Inside the coffee plantation was this hidden gem of place called Raj Estate Stay.

I was welcomed by Bala who takes care of the day today stuff for the guests. The owner, Shiju and Manager Mr. Kumar had left to City and they had informed Bala about my arrival. As soon as I removed the luggage and kept it in my room, I asked Bala for suggestion to catch the sunset. He asked me to go to Raja’s seat which is in Madikeri city. I headed back to the city while he warned me to return back before its dark. It was just 5:30 and I zoomed through the curves and reached Raja’s seat to watch the sunset. Well the place was very crowded as it was a weekend. I somehow managed to get a ticket and find a place to sit and watch the sun go down behind the western range. The place is called as Raja’s seat cause, before the British era Kings used to sit at this point and watch the sunset. I managed to click some pictures.



Sun setting behind the mighty Western Range!



Almost gone. The view was surreal!



They just add to the visual appeal!



Macro shot banta hai!



The Raja's Seat!

I headed straight back to my estate stay after the sunset and took a nice shower.
The fatigue and tiredness was getting the better of me as I was still lacking rest. Before my dinner I had the chance to meet the Owner Mr Shiju who also was a Keralaite and we quickly bonded and spoke at length over different things from Coffee business to Marriage. He was heading to Bangalore the next day and wished me all the luck for my onwards journey and asked me to stop over at his place in Kannur while heading back to Mumbai. Had some nice home-made veg dinner and crashed on the bed.

Day 3 will be all about Coorg so stay tuned!

Time Spent on the Saddle: 5 Hours
Distance Covered for the day: 316 kms

Re: The Southern Escapade - Riding Solo Across 5 States!

Day 3: Coorg



Woke up to this view. It was just so peaceful.

Even though I had not kept an alarm, I somehow woke up around 7am. As soon as I woke up the only thing I could here was chirping of birds and gusty winds. Aah It was such a nice feeling. Lazed on the bed for 30 more minutes and then finally crawled out of the bed and stepped out. It was extremely cold outside and I quickly asked Bala for a coffee. The coffee they make over there is from their estate itself and tasted way better than the Nescafe’s and the Bru’s!



Monday mornings be like ..

As I sat outside my room and drank my coffee, I was enjoying the serenity of the place. I could also hear the stream which was flowing next to my stay. Went back in my room and laid down on the bed and was contemplating about life in general!



That's my home stay, nestled inside the forest!



Lanterns outside the rooms, just in case if there is no electricity in the evening!



June resting outside the room!

By around 10:30am I went to have breakfast and met Mr Kumar (Manager). While I was having my breakfast I was telling him how brilliant this place is and that how much I was enjoying it. To which he suggested that I should take a walk through their estate and that I will enjoy. I said yes! He volunteered to come with me.



Neer Dosa for Breakfast!

As we started our walk, the view on both sides of the trail were extremely beautiful with huge trees of different variety. Soon Mr Kumar started telling me how there was an influence of Keralites in Coorg due to the Timber traders of North Kerala. We started discussing various aspects of life from education in Coorg to income and employment struggle in the region. It seems there is a huge number of people in Coorg serving the Nation in Army and Navy. Mr Kumar has 2 sons and he is doing his best to make sure that his kids complete their education. He dreams of seeing his son become an Engineer someday!



Crossing the stream besides my home stay!



The beautiful stream which flows next to my home stay.



The trail on which we took a walk was just too beautiful!



Huge trees on both sides of the trail



This one was one of the most tallest tree in the area. Was around 5 - 6 storey building high!

We walked around the estate and reached at the home stay at around 1 pm. I sat down by the stream which ran through the stay and enjoyed the peace and serenity!
“Look deep into Nature and then you will understand everything better. – Albert Einstein” this quote now made a lot of sense to me. I eventually went back to my room after sitting at the stream for almost an hour. By the time I was back, lunch was ready and I quickly had the home made delicious lunch by Laxmi Amma. I savoured each and every bite and had a coffee soon after the lunch.



Rocky the watch dog!

Post lunch I was wondering which place to go as most of the places in Madikeri are a minimum of 20- 30 kms away from the city and scattered across different directions. And frankly speaking I really didn’t feel like going anywhere as I was enjoying every bit of my time there. Finally by 4pm I made my mind to visit Mandalpatti.
Mandalpatti is around 35 kms away from Madikeri city and is one of the most famous places in Coorg. The road to Madalpatti was extremely narrow and went through isolated stretches of the Pushpagiri Wildlife Reserve. The final stretch is a bit narrow and it really gets your pulse raising.
There are jeeps which takes you on top of the hill and get you down which is more like a roller-coaster ride. Since the jeeps were expensive and I had my bike, I decide to ride to the top of the hills on my bike. The constant driving of the jeeps on the trail had left a lot of loose soil and made my task a little difficult. I was shit scared as to the right hand side was a steep fall into the valley and I could continuously feel my rear tire struggling for traction. Finally at the half way point of my way up I stopped and decided not to push my luck further.



Mandalpatti! You can see the Western range from the top!



Small hillocks at Mandalpatti



The deep drop to the other side of the hillock I was on.







The Innova guy trying his luck!



The view from the top of the hills was just spectacular. The far stretching green mountains with cool breeze just blew me away. I removed my riding gears and just sat down enjoying the beauty of the place. By now I realize why people rated Coorg higher than Ooty, this place is completely natural. Even at the most famous tourist places you will hardly find any alterations done to the place. The entire place is kept as it is. No concrete areas to sit, No shops no nothing. This was the most important which actually makes you feel so connected with the entire place.



Wish I could go back to there right now!



Where I decided to stop! The incline doesn't really look so steep in this pic



Panorama view!

I really didn’t feel like leaving from Mandalpatti, but then it had started becoming a little dark and road to the city was isolated. After looking at the hills one last time, I headed back to the city. Stopped at a bakery and got some sweets for Laxmi Amma, Sarsu Amma and others at the Home stay as this would be my final night before heading over to Ooty.
Once I reached my room, Bala was very inquisitive of watching the videos I shot from my GoPro. I took my laptop and started showing him the videos I had shot till then. Soon after Laxmi and Sarsu Amma also joined us in front of my room. We sat down and started discussing about my experience in Coorg.
By 8 pm it became extremely cold outside, Mr Kumar decided to have a bon fire outside for all the guests. By the time the Bon Fire started I met, Vinay and his wife who were staying in the next room. They too travelled from Bangalore to Coorg on a bike and this was their first ride together after their marriage. We sat next to the Bonfire and discussed about the respective place we had visited during the day. They had gone to Thalakaveri and Thadiyandamol Hills.



Mr Kumar helping us with the Bonfire.




Post bonfire we went for our dinner which was served at the main dining room. Laxmi Amm had cooked chicken for staff but she gave got me a bit of the delicious chicken she had cooked in a small plate. They generally don’t serve non veg food to guests but I guess they too had a slight attachment towards me like how I had for them. After the super delicious dinner I quickly headed back to my room. I wished Vinay and his wife for their journey from Coorg to Chikmagalur. I was back in the room and was just rewinding the events which took place during the course of the day. I knew that this was one place where I’ll come back again no matter again!

Time Spent on the Saddle: 2 Hours
Distance Covered for the Day: 55 kms

Re: The Southern Escapade - Riding Solo Across 5 States!

Wonderful brother. Indeed this was an exciting part. Expecting more of these to come. Thanks for sharing those awesome photos.