Re: THE LONG AWAITED ONE | Satara-Coorg-Satara |

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Re: THE LONG AWAITED ONE | Satara-Coorg-Satara |


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Re: THE LONG AWAITED ONE | Satara-Coorg-Satara |

The Introduction-

The intro, no, not of the characters, but the situation and the thoughts.
Two humans, for long, deprived of the wind blast on their faces were and are always ready to leave all tensions and worries behind by the twist of the throttle. Such a cliche, right? Making just a machine responsible of all the escape you try to find from the daily worries and burdens. But why not eh? Back to the story, when these two deprived humans got a chance to bring some colors in the monotonous rotating wheel called life, they jumped to catch the opportunity. Busy in studying and building stable careers, both humans needed this as a refreshment break and to satisfy the itch at the back of their head, to ride. A destination was set, calendars marked, motorcycles prepared. Destination was set to Coorg in Karnataka, last week of December and the bikes- my Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 2014 and my friend Chinar’s KTM Duke 200 2017. I live in Pune and Chinar in Satara, which is on the same route, 100 odd kms from Pune, so the plan was made from Satara itself. Christmas was the day to leave. I reached Satara a day before with my bike and a head full of excitement. The infamous insomnia on the night before the big ride did not hit us that strongly. Packings done, everything ready to roll, lets get some sleep now.




Day 1-
The sheer excitement of riding after a long time woke us up in the dark night. Plan was to leave by 6 but luggage mounting took some time than expected and we were off 50 minutes late. The sun was already up. It was cold, but our warm liners saved us. On the highway, AH 47 was going to be our partner for about 450 kms. Now, let’s take a pause here to appreciate the beauty of the scene- cold breeze, warm sunlight through the trees, empty highway, fresh and pumped up minds. Duke displayed our average speed at 82 kmph. That’s pretty good for a Royal Enfield in my opinion. Came across a Duke 390 2017 rider after doing about 50 kms. He was going pretty slow before but soon he joined us. We rode together for nearly 100 kms. Me and Chinar were really fresh and were deciding to take our first break at Nipani, which is about 150 kms from Satara. But the D390 rider had different plans. As he was riding behind us for 100 kms, he was always there in our rear view mirrors. Near Kolhapur, there’s a sharp left turn, which me and Chinar took properly, we were at around 90 kmph and so was the D390 rider. At the turn, Chinar, in his RVM, saw the D390 rider crash into the divider. Stopped immediately, picked him up, took the bike off the road. The rider was fine, no injuries. The bike surprisingly was in a very good shape, as according to Chinar it was a bad crash. Just the headlight, exhaust scratched. The rider was ok and able to ride. Searched a hotel and stopped with him for a chai break. Back on the road in about 15 minutes- told the D390 rider to take it easy and continued at our pace as we had to cover a lot of distance that day. Picked up pace immediately.




Center of attraction




Time for breakfast

Fast forward, we were taking breaks after each 130-140 kms. Plain straight highways soon got boring, even though empty and smooth. According to the maps, we had to take a right turn at Harihar towards Shivamogga. Now the plain straight highways end and real fun gets started! Average speed obviously came down as it was a single road, though smooth with a couple of rough patches. The sun was diving into the horizon now. Body and mind started complaining now and we still had around 200 kms to go. Most adventurous part of the day began when the sun set and we entered Kodagu district, and the jungle. Pitch dark, narrow roads with deadly holes to hell, big thick tall trees on both sides scaring the shit out of us, far away in the sky a small piece of moon laughing at our poor headlights and absolutely no one on the road. What fun!




Searching for hotels in the middle of nowhere


Depending on Google Maps, rode on various small roads and through jungles. Fortunately, Google was showing correct directions as confirmed by a local. Stopped at a petrol pump at around 8 pm- still 60 kms for Madikeri. As the holiday season was on, we hadn’t found any good hotels online in Madikeri and those available needed us to sell our bikes to afford. So when we stopped at the petrol pump, decided to give the hotel hunt a shot again. Found a budget hotel on OYO app, though it was in Kushalnagar, 30 kms before Madikeri. We were tired and it would’ve been almost 10 till we reach Madikeri, so booked a room in Kushalnagar for Rs2000 and proceeded with the last leg of the day. Reached the hotel at around 9 pm. Finally! The day ends with a super comfortable room, tired body and fresh mind.



The route



Day 2-
The second day was allotted for exploring Madikeri. Found out about a monastery just near Kushalnagar, where we were staying. The Namdroling Nyingmapa Monastery was filled with tourists even at 9 in the morning. Beautiful structures, colourful wall paintings invited us to click photos. Left the monastery after an hour and went back to the hotel in Kushalnagar. The hotel staff was generous enough to let us keep our luggage in the hotel while we visit the monastery even after we checked out.








It was time to head to Madikeri, just 30 kms away. Lubed the chains, mounted the luggage and left. The road from Kushalnagar to Madikeri is beautiful! Madikeri came in no time. It was decided to stay in Madikeri on the second night so first thing we looked for a good hotel or homestay. Found two homestays with awesome view from the room, but the price quoted was very high for just a small bed and a fan. So decided to look for another option as there are plenty of hotels and homestays in Madikeri to choose from. Found a cheap one for just Rs700, basic, no fancy stuff, took it immediately as we wished to spend more time exploring Madikeri than hunting for hotels. Checking in, unmounting luggage from the bikes, freshen up, and we were out in 20 mins, with fresh stock of excitement for the day.
First place we visited was Madikeri Palace or Raja’s Palace. Done with that in 10 minutes. A good part of the remaining palace is occupied by government offices which leaves us almost nothing to see. There seemed to be a museum but didn’t feel like going in. Our next target was Raja’s tomb. Raja’s Palace, Tomb, Raja’s Seat- all these places are in Madikeri not very far from each other. One thing about these places- there is nowhere any information displayed about the monument or the Raja of Madikeri- not even a single board about it. Hardly few people at the tomb, many of them were just locals came to enjoy the ‘privacy’ in the garden. The structures were all locked, no display of information.



Raja's Tomb


Headed to the next target- Abbey Falls. And damn it was a mistake. Due to the holidays, and Abbey Falls being the most famous of Madikeri, the street to the waterfall was flooded with buses, cars, bikes. There were literally hundreds of vehicles there. Being allergic to such kind of crowd, we turned back. Now the only place left was Raja’s Seat, which can be best enjoyed at sunrise or sunset. So we decided to randomly roam around Madikeri in the hunt of coffee plantation. We could breathe properly out of the huge pile of people and in the show of beauty by the jungles, hills and small roads. Did around 30-odd kms out of Madikeri, asking some locals and finally reached deep inside the hills, covered with coffee plants and a handful of small houses. A kind old couple gave us information about the coffee beans and the process to make the powder. Spent some time there, inhaling the fresh air and the silence. This is why you ride. Not to get up from the noisy and dirty world in the cities and jump into another one, but to get out of it. To find bliss, to find solitude, to find the purpose and motivation.



Coffee beans- before




Coffee beans- after







Back to Madikeri, went to Raja’s Seat, probably the second most famous place after Abbey Falls. Enjoyed the good view, clicked pictures and back to the hotel. The Hotel had a surprise for us. The room had only a single plug with three phones, 2 bluetooth intercoms to charge and run a TV and a set top box. Went out to the nearby market, this time by foot, bought a multipin plug. Still some time was left for sunset so decided to explore the remaining city by foot. There was a big church near our hotel, fully decorated for Christmas. Went in there, not to pray or anything but just to experience the festive atmosphere.




View from Raja's Seat




A random spot around Madikeri




Things you do for a good click




The Church


Back to the room, we were planning to leave early morning the next day. Our bikes needed fuel badly but our lazy asses chose to refuel later in the night as two of the petrol pumps were hardly 200 meters away from our hotel. We forgot about it. At around 9.30 in the night, it hit us hard that we still need to do that as we had to leave early in the morning. Immediately went out to the nearest pump only to find out that it was closed. Alright, no worries, there’s another pump just 50 meters away. Now this is where things started getting interesting. The second petrol pump was closed too! We had spotted another two pumps in the town while walking. Headed to them hoping they would be open. No. The darkness filled at both the petrol pumps really got us worried. Now, considering that the fuel pumps were just meters away from the hotel, we had just gone out with a winter jacket and sandals on- no helmets or gloves or shoes, not even the balaclava. Also, two of the three phones we had were put in the room to charge. Being in the hills and surrounded by the jungles, you can imagine how cold it was in the night. Bearing the cold, went to the main market of Madikeri and asked a shopkeeper if our stupid asses could find any fuel at 10 in the night. He shook his head negatively. Madikeri being a small town, almost everything shuts down at 9 in the night. Our forgetfulness attracted around 5-6 people in the market and someone informed us that there’s a fuel pump which might be open till 10.30, nearly 15 kms away. Might be. He wasn’t sure. This pump was on the same route from which we came in the morning from Kushalnagar. Kushalnagar had 24*7 pumps but it was 30 kms away and we weren’t sure if our bikes can do that. Yeah, the fuel level was that low. It was 10, chances of finding a petrol pump 15 kms away which might be open till 10.30 were closing down. We had to hurry. Decided to take the chances, with our phones, helmets, gloves, shoes lying in the hotel room. It was cold, damn it was cold. We were shivering and vibrating like an old Nokia phone. The road was covered with huge trees on both sides with the active presence of elephants and other wild animals in the area. So many things going on in the head- what if we run out of fuel in the middle of the jungle, what if the next pump is closed too, what if this what if that. And finally! Reached the town halfway to Kushalnagar where we could find fuel. It wasn’t our day it seemed. You guessed it right. It was closed. The only option we had now was to go to Kushalnagar, or try if our bikes can make it to Kushalnagar. Duke was still good for another 50-60 kms but my Thunderbird was almost dry. Headed in the darkness, hoping to literally find the light. And we did. Found an HP pump open in Kushalnagar. YES. Our bikes made it! Filled the tanks full with the mighty liquid and took a deep breath. It was 11 in the night. We were 30 kms away from our hotel in an unknown territory, with a path back surrounded by jungle. This wasn’t a part of the plan. But what’s an adventure without something unexpected and unplanned happening eh? Found a gentleman willing to offer us hot cup of coffee in exchange of currency in the middle of the jungle on the way back. He was just closing down his hotel. The ride back was fun actually, really fun. Despite being very, very cold, in the night, in the jungle, I actually felt sad that it ended. Night time has its own aura which not many people enjoy and appreciate. Reached our hotel room past 12. Had to leave at 5 in the morning. Time to put those 3-4 hours to sleep.



Day 3-



All Set


Got up and ready. Mounted the luggage on the bikes and left at 5 am. The whole town was asleep in the dark and the bone shivering cold. Our route back went via Kushalnagar. Yeah. The same route. This time we were all geared up and prepared. Kushalnagar came quickly while remembering last night and enjoying the twisties. It was all fogged up after Kushalnagar. Soon the sun came up. The amount of freshness we had at the moment despite having just 3 hours of sleep was huge.






We kept going on without taking much breaks. One thing I hate about the roads in Karnataka is the number of speed breakers on the road. They were nicknamed as ‘rhythm-breakers’ by our frustrated minds. Reached Shivamogga at around 10 am. Time for a good south Indian breakfast!




Shivamogga seems nice




PowerDrift fans?


Google Maps was showing a different route than before which apparently was 1 hour fastest. And damn Google maps was right! It was a smooth road with less traffic and beautiful scenery. Enjoyed the curves of the tiny ghat.




South Indian "Kaapi", anyone?


Reached Harihar, the town where we connect the AH47 at around 12.30 pm. Stopped at the same watermelon vendor where we had stopped while going to Madikeri. It was getting hot and the lack of sleep was showing its effect. The watermelon guy was kind enough to let us take a powernap at the back of his stall. Oh what a refreshing nap it was. Half an hour nap in the shadow and I was energised for the whole day.




Instant freshness





Now on it was just straight good highway till Satara, our final destination. Thunderbird might not be fast but damn it is comfortable. I did not feel any major discomfort even when doing 800 kms a day. We were covering around 100 kms between stops. Took a big break at Kolhapur to enjoy the famous Tambda- Pandhra rassa! AH47, although fast, is too straight and too good to be exciting in my opinion. Reached Satara at 10 in the night, concluding our short ride with pure satisfaction and boost for the monotonous wheel of life, at least for the next couple of months! The amount of pleasure and motivation gained cannot be measured!

Re: THE LONG AWAITED ONE | Satara-Coorg-Satara |

Nicely put in words

Re: THE LONG AWAITED ONE | Satara-Coorg-Satara |

You missed out some of the best places around coorg namely -irpu falls, mandalpatti and the nagarhole forest. The tibetan temple was a good choice though. Anyway you guys had fun riding. That's most important.

Re: THE LONG AWAITED ONE | Satara-Coorg-Satara |

You missed out some of the best places around coorg namely -irpu falls, mandalpatti and the nagarhole forest. The tibetan temple was a good choice though. Anyway you guys had fun riding. That's most important.

Re: THE LONG AWAITED ONE | Satara-Coorg-Satara |

Thank you!

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Correct me if I'm wrong but these places are mostly 60+ kms away from Madikeri and we were really short on time. Our duties back home did not permit us to spend more than 1 day in Coorg. Maybe next time!

Re: THE LONG AWAITED ONE | Satara-Coorg-Satara |

Yeah agreed its a lil far away but Raja seat and all is nothing in front of these. The reason i said this was you might not come back anytime soon back here. Plus since you have come all the way from satara, might as well see what best coorg has to offer.

Re: THE LONG AWAITED ONE | Satara-Coorg-Satara |

Well done. It's generally a good idea to refuel the bike as you enter the place where you are going to be staying rather than wait for later. Could you share with us what the road conditions were like in Coorg?

Re: THE LONG AWAITED ONE | Satara-Coorg-Satara |

I wish I really could but we were really tight on the schedule..

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Lessen learnt!
Roads are mostly good at all places. You might find some rough patches but they are never too bad. My experience with the roads in Karnataka has been good till now.

Re: THE LONG AWAITED ONE | Satara-Coorg-Satara |

Nice one!

Re: THE LONG AWAITED ONE | Satara-Coorg-Satara |

Thank you!