I had the option of taking the Mysore highway or the Kanakpura road. Somehow, I always prefer the Mysore road route. I like taking frequent bum breaks and the highway provides me a lot of options. Not to ignore is the beautiful roads throughout. It is only when you are close to Nanjangud, the condition of the road is a little bad because of the construction work. Post that it is smooth and shiny all the way till Ooty. The road through Bandipur has always been my favorite. Though it was not the best season to ride through the forest, it still was a pleasing experience. Crossed the Tamil Nadu and pretty soon I was starting at the steep incline of 36 hairpin bends all the way uptill Ooty. This was my first tryst with them and boy was I excited! Make no mistake, this is one of the most unpopular road to ride on. Frequent accident, and breakdowns plague this road since it is a very steep way uphill. But this is where you realize the true power of the 500 cc beast with you. Traversing the road was a charm and it was probably the highlight of the trip.



It was noon when I was first struck by a gush of fresh, and cool, air. It was enough to let me know that I had arrived in the Queen of hill stations. I was surprised to see green grasslands and waterbodies almost full. This really was a different experience from the scorching heat of the lowlands. I decided not to stay anywhere till it was dusk and was wandering in all directions. One such road took me to Lovedale, and I realized I was in vintage lands. The Lovedale railway station is like a time machine. Settled in the midst of huge bunch of trees, it looked like it came straight out of the Narnia land.