Thanks Ravi!

Thanks SundaR!

A pic of the chick! Sorry her so called husband was covering her all the time, not allowing me to grab her on my lenses

Amazing pics there Ananth and the log.. Munnar is really a fabulous place to tour for all bikers i guess....whats the temperature u faced over there ?

Great Day 2 log there man... and pics are excellent...
waiting for remaining pics and logs

Great log Ananth anna you must have body and brain made out of kevlar or CF to attempt a solo ride in a RE for such long distance!!!! .. Anyways kudos to you for such a touring passion.. The only sour point I have to say is that most of the pics feel dark and colour intensity is less.. I Think you were too tired that forgot to adjust the camera for best settings So Live To Ride and Ride To Live.. Wishes for more and more touring anna

Thanks! The temperature was around the low 20's unlike the high 40's here in chennai

Thanks mate!

Anna!! I'm just 21 years old

Better call me Ananth, and yes i was too tired to adjust the settings and am not that well versed in Photography. Just learning and would definitely improve with all your suggestions and comments!

Nice pics and log Ananth!

I shall also be making rounds of these places, soon....just waiting for the rain gods to oblige!

Thanks and Good Luck.. I would love to do all over Kerala again and again, especially if its RAINING!! PM me when you plan up the trip and I might just join in

EDIT: Day 3's Logs are done. Will add it once i'm done with uploading the pics tonight.

Ahem ahem

Day 3: Playing with Nilgiri Tahr n Crocodiles..

I didnt know when i slept last night, but i knew it was late. When i woke up, I was all sweating, with a head ache having been covered up inside the bedsheet for more than 10 hours and with no fan nor a

ventilator in the room. I got up and went out of the room, saw the pleasant view of the hills.. a refreshing sight.. brushed up, refreshed up myself and had a tea and some snacks. Came back to the room ,

packed up my bag, had bathe in HOT water and checked out the room around 9 AM. The room boy asked me to leave a bit late as the Eravikulam National park opens up only by 10 and I would have to

wait there for nothing. I took his words, went out finished my breakfast, tanked up and started up by 9 30.

The route i took..







My first stop was at Tea Museum, just on the other side of the road. It was not open and i went further, and then after a few kilometers stopped by Nyamakad Water Falls. My bad time, there wasnt any

water at the falls and it was just the rocks to be seen. Not a ideal start, i pushed up further for my next stop, The Eravikulam National Park. I reached there exactly by 10 and there was such a huge queue

awaiting to get the tickets into the park. The Queue easily outnumbered more than 200, and I was at the end of it. I was in two minds weather to take it off and leave to the next location or wait for the

counter to open. The queue started moving at a snails pace and after an hour, I got the tickets into the park. Parked my bike behind the office and boarded a mini van that takes us into the Eravikulam

national park, some 5 kilometers above the office. The roads leading to the park were very muh scenic, but they dont allow private vehicles into that forest area







The mad driver, dropped us at the park in no time and we were set on our own. peeked into a small building at the park, Called 'Story of the Park' - It had pictures and photo cards about the history of the

park. Came out and ventured into the park. A few steps in, a Nilgiri tahr sped past me and dis appeared as soon as i opened up the Cam. Going further up , i saw plenty of them, as close as it could get. They

posed up really well, and i was happy clicking those







Still further up, I found that the park had nothing other than these Nilgiri tahr's and the misty hilly spreading down. No doubt that it was an awesome sight, but i dreamt otherwise. Spent some time

Capturing the scenery, and helped a few couples taking pitures of them. The end of the park came and the senery was just getting better. Came back down and had some snacks in the canteen there.

boarded the bus and reached back the parking place. The roads and the scenery indeed is very refreshing, again tried cinvincing the forrest officer that i would just go up once on my bike and come down,

but he wont allow





The view down...



Mist spreading down...



End of the Park..





















The roads after that were in a bad state, with potholes here and there, and the temperature started to rise having crossed munnar and coming down the hills. Stopped by Marayoor, the sandal wood forests

for a break. Nothing picturesque and so i proceeded on. Down the hills, into Chinnar , the temperature started to boil up and i started to sweat again. Stopped by the Chinnar wildlife sanctuary and again it

was cosed for the Day. Not what i really wanted out of the trip, most of the important locations being missed up. Crossed the kerala border, and into TamilNadu again. Needless of say, weather in tamil

nadu was literally killing me.. No more green sight to go, was wondering how the next destination would be. Stopped at the first shop on the tamil nadu border, quickly emptied a tender coconut and

headed to the Amaravathi Dam, just 6 kilometers away.







The Dam..



Lazy Crocodiles...



The dam was asusual dry and literally nothing to see in it. The locals asked me to visit the Crocodile farm on the other side of the road. The entry fee into the farm was just 50 paise!! There were quite a few

crocodiles in the farm and most of them just sleeping. Those awake were opening their mouth and threatening the kids. Took a few random shots and started to Valparai, my last destination for the day.





It stinks like hell...







Called up Keerty, a.k.a Thy @xBhp and told him that i would meet him at N.M Sungam, a small town near his hometown, enroute to Valparai. He kindly obliged and i started off from the Amaravathi

Dam. The roads were scenic, contradictoryly these were running through the agricultural lands and some Coconut farms. Few things which were astonishing for me was that, there are posers almost every

where, even in villages and small towns! and Pulsars have become common in Villages these days. Few small bends and some straight roads and i was at N.M Sungam., called up Thy and he is still on his

way. Stopped by a small parota shop and finished up my lunch. By then Thy reached and we headed to Aliyar dam.

The Aaliyar lake..









The dam was huge! The bulidings there reminded me of older tamil movies and we headed up into the dam. A few snaps and we started to Valparai, some 60 kilometers away and more specially there

were 40 HAIRPIN BENDS!! We headed up and our next stop was at The Loams View, which gives a panaromic view of the dam. Meanwhile two of keerthy's friends joined us into Valparai. The mist started

to settle down, while we were steadily cruising up. Few more friends joined up keerthy's gang and we lost 45 minutes and it was getting dark. With pictures becoming bleak, we sped the 40 hairpin bends

and ventured into the Valprai Town.

From the Loams View...







Keerthy's friend tanked up,
while Keerthy and myself went searching for a room to stay up for the night. Finally got into Myna Lodge, a decent enough lodge with twin beds. Paid 150 bucks for the room

and went out and had our dinner. Came back to the lodge to find that there wernt any parking place and parked the ride with so much fear on my eyes. Checked with the staff a hundred times if the bike

will be safe. Went in and locked the room while keerthy and his friends parted back to Pollachi, their home-town.

Keerthy's friend.. KeerTHY and Me...




My Ride...



Mist Settling down..






40 hairpin bends!!



Finally, Thats stupid me...



So yet another eventful day, mix of sad and happy emotions. Few places missed out but spending some good time playing with the Nilgiri tahr, speaking about elections on the road side tea shop and arguing TVS Star is no way better than a Enfield on those coconut farms were real special

Total Kilometers for the day : 185

Nice set of pics Ananth. Thanks for sharing, particularly the Nilgiri Tahr. Could not locate last time I visited.

Hey !! Very nice 2nd & 3rd day log. Its real pleasure to read all those accompanied with some nice pics.
Waiting for 2 more days....... Did you try getting top end on RE anytime?? I mean how much can it go....

Thanks Ravi!

Thanks! Top end as in? The top speed? I dont ride fast, I just cruise around the 80's and 90's. Top speed i attained was '101' just for the sake of hitting triple digits on the open highway

TBTS's top end should be around the 110 mark, as i hit 101 on 4.5k rpm and much more left and not to forget the vibratioonsss you have to encounter at those speeds..

@Ananth: Excellent trip log and pictures are just awesome! Had a great time reading your log and pics man! That's a great trip you've been through! Very inspiring! Btw regarding the TBTS top speed. One of my friend and xbhpian owns a TBTS and i've hit 122 on the speedo. The bike's very powerful and it can pretty easily get upto those speeds. The clutch plates were completely worn out so couldnt do more than that. But i loved my ride on the bike recently. Had a 100km trip on it couple of weeks ago. You have an excellent bike there too, take good care of her!

Super stuff there man! hoping to see some more!

Thank you! Would take complete care of her!

And w r t the top speeds, I know it could go past 120.. but don't want to ride her that hard and the vibrations past 5k rpm are so high. I take it easy and just cruise around the 80's and 90's

Hoping to see some more? Wow! I have some one to read my blabbering text! By the way, Day 4s log is done. Just uploading the pics.

The write up will be posted soon

Day 4: With good company..

Staying in a low cost lodge has its own share of problems and tortures. Yet another night without much sleep. This time it was those drunkard neighbours, who lethargically switch off the fan or lock up the room from outside or wake you up in the middle of the night to ask if i stole their mobile! Ever since 'Thy' left my room , I had to live up with these disturbances. Woke up the next day morning, without an alarm at 5:30 AM. Brushed up, refreshed myself and packed up things. An hour passed by and i went out looking up for a tea shop., Only a few shops were opened and calmly waited for a tea shop to open up. Had some biscuits and a hot tea. Passed a beauty parlor or Saloon in our words, stepped in and had a clean shave., The twenty minutes i spent in the barber shop was real funny. With everyone except me speaking nothing other than POLITICS! Came back to the room, had bathe in cold water, dressed up and awaited Thy's call. No private cellphone network in Valparai, Only the BSNL networks function here and so i was waiting for the load landline ring tone. Thy called up at 7 30 and said he will reach around an hour. Meanwhile i again went out, cleaned up my ride and parcelled the breakfast in a near by hotel.



My BlackBird



En route to Sholayar..



Thy arrived and we quikly finished our breakfast. Checked out the room, got a few water bottles and packed up the snacks i had bought in Kerala. A few snaps and we were ON. Checked our tire pressures at a near by puncture shop and we headed to Athirampalli. Our first stop for the day was at Sholayar dam. A huge dam, again with not much water., few snaps and we were back on road. Crossed the Tamil Nadu border and once again entered Kerala. The scenic forest route to athirampalli, had awesome twisties, bad roads, roads with just stones and some newly laid thar. We knew that for the next 60 kilometers its going to be just woods, woods and more woods and with no shops or towns inbetween! We were prepared for the worst or best to come in. Took the first few kilometers with care, let a few cars to overtake though total vehicles encountered on the whole stretch wouldnt have crossed two digits!





Thats Thys Lid...



The woods were scary, with a wierd noise all over. The roads were in a real bad shape, with Thy mentioning that the roads would be damaged of the possible encounters of elephants., i was just awaiting the same. We could barely maintain speeds above 30 as the roads were real bumpy and took a toll on the bike and our backs on speeding above 30. We decided not to stop anywhere unnecessaryly but stopped in every other curve for pics, pics and more pics. Infact we even took a 45 minute break in the middle of the forest, with no one else to care - we went on taking up random snaps, a few poses into the woods and finally we were on. Managed to stop by a river, finally there was some place with some decent water flowing in! I even thought of having a quick bath into the river, but there were already a gang bathing and another gand of drunkards going into it. Again., a few snaps and we were on. The woods were a good companion on our rides, we started enjoying the natural beauty., the creepy trees, wierd sounds of insects, tall woods, and a few monkeys to be played up with. We swapped rides, and the roads were getting better with the new thar being laid in between.

Near the Sholayar Dam..



Into the woods..



Bad roads..



Our next stop was was for our so called lunch. I had bought some snacks from Nedumkantam, kerala and the home made chocolates from Munnar. We shared it up , rested our butts for sometime and we went on. Riding the R15 , was a special and different experience. It just moved briskly and does what we say! Moving around the corners or the twisties were much easier. For another 50 kilometers, i didnt wish to go back to the bull., not untill we reached our destination for the day. As again, i was practising the cornering techniques or rather the bending and leaning aspect of it.. there comes a mad cage driver, just in front of me., completely in the wrong lane on the open roads. with nothing else left to do, i steered to the other side and breaked hard. With gods grace, nothing happened and i was on my limits. This happens and living in India, we just have to forget it move on.

Caught snapping....



And this was the pic i was taking....



Time to pose :P



Few kilometers down the road, another photo session, this time it was along side the wooden logs, and an empty road leading to a timber yard. The day had started good and riding with a good company is always for the better of the trip. Thy started taking out pics and i started posing :P The weather was getting hot and i removed my riding jacket and let the breeze cool me off. It was here we found that Thys jacket had fallen off somewhere, far from where we could even guess where we could have lost it. 30 minutes passed by, a long break indeed.. we quenched our thirsts and soon we ran out of water.

Some hard fast riding got us to a town, near athirampalli. Seeing a shop after 60 kilometers!! Stopped for a juice break. We could hear the sound of the flowing water from there.. a bright smile that we almost did it.!



Beautiful roads







Crossed the Forest check post, and entered into the Athirampalli. The place was crowded too much and being a holiday, it was getting worser. Though., Seeing a huge crowd after spending hours in the lonely dense forests were somewhat different for the first few minutes ! We went ahead and parked the bikes. My ride's clutch wire went kaput exactly at the parking area. We were in two minds weather to deal with it once we come back or to attend it immediately. The forest officers had a mechanics number who resides some 5 kilometers from the Athirampalli falls. Called him, but no use. I pillioned Thy and went past the falls looking for a mechanic. Shi* ! My mistake, i should have had the spare cables, but for my lethargic mindset







Many kilometers passed, only the roads are getting better, but no sign of mechanics. Finally stopped by a shop and asked directions to a mechanics garage. We were instead told that the mechanics house is just besides the shop, and he is not at the house currently. With no options left, we sailed further up.. and some 5 kilometers later, we saw a garage! Spoke to him in the bad crap malayalam that we could speak off and made him understand that the bike's clutch wire has blown off. He inturn gave a enfield mechanics number and asked us to meet him at his house after an hour.











So we went back to the falls, with no mood to bath with hundreds of people fighting for place to bath., we just carried on. I washed my face, relaxed myself and came back to the shore meanwhile Thy went on to click a few snaps of the falls. The falls, no doubt was huge and wonderful. Just that we have to bath on the stream that leads to the falls, with hundreds of people nastying up the place was a bit sick for me. Soon it was 4:30 PM and we went back to the parking place. Called up Raju, the bullet mechanic from Chalakudy. Thank fully, he knew tamil and we explained the problems. Since the roads were down the hill from the falls ., to his house i calmly pushed up the bike and banded into the second gear after the ride sped past 20., the bike ame back to life but i knew for sure i was just damaging the engine. Chillarpatti came in sooner that expected and i rocketed past the place , where Thy was asking for directions.. he came back signalling that the place had already come., with much care i took a 'O' turn on the busy roads, without letting the bike struggle up for the clutch, i turned up and reached the place. Dropped the bike near a church when i went along with Thy to the mechanics house. He wasnt there at the house, and we tried reaching him on his mobile., he was already at the bike and had replaced the clutch wire. Came back, thanked him., paid him 200 for the wire and we started off to Chalakudy.







So, a lot happened in between and so much waste of time. We seriously didnt wish to stop anywhere, but the roads were so scenic not to be missed out. We just oversped the emotions and rushed into the towns. Reached Chalakudy and took our dinner break! It was around 6 when we reached a smallish fast food / Bakery. We filled our stomachs and we went on. Our next stop was to be at trissur, enroute to pollachi, the destination for the end of the day. Thy's dad fixed up a room for me in Pollachi and we went ahead towards trissur. Traffic was getting higher and we had no clue what to do. Mad traffic, double of what i had seen on a busy morning at Electronic City, bangalore! We had no idea how to reach Pollachi before night, the traffic was just getting higher and we could only move at a snails pace!







Missed out on the correct direction and we went on the other side. One hour of hard riding and roads started relaxing. Then there i see a board., COCHIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT--- 5 KILOMETERS!! I was like aaw... Machi we have come to Cochin!! We both were puzzled what to do and what was really happpening! i knew for sure, Cochin wasnt so close to Chalakudy and that we didnt ride that fast, nor did the traffic let us to do so. Pulled up to the side of the road and asked for directions. Thankfully, It wasnt Cochin, but somewhere near aluvae, enroute to Ernakulam. Trissur was on the other way back. We again had to deal with the same mad traffic. Riding experience in bangalore came to some use and i sped up fast zipping (On my TBTS! :P) through the gaps. 50 kilometers to trissur and we both signalled on our minds that we will meet up in trissur if we lose track., and we really didnt signal each other. I zoomed past a signal ( I had to break that signal ) and went a head while Thy got locked up behind a huge truck. 100 minutes of hard, fast riding got me in Trissur. Called up thy and he was still 15 kilometers behind. I finished a light dinner, again! Still Thy didnt come, had a tea and calmly awaited him. Finally after 30 minutes Thy flew that junction and went a head. I was running out of balance and had just two rupees and 10 paise. Called Thy, No response. I started the bike and tried catching him. No use, no clue where he went. Again Thy called and said he is waiting at the trissur junction. Another 3 kilometers a head, i met him and a short butt break.





The roads were awesome from here on, but the number trucks were huge! Stopped for a juice break, and it was around 9:30 PM. Some 90 kilometers to Pollachi i hoped. The traffic was getting dense, with oncoming traffic having high beam lights, it became a nightmare to ride with the scratched up visor. So started riding up with the visor lifted up, hitting up insects and dust into the eyes, i was literally crying for a way out! As again, Thy got fixed up behind a truck and i went a head and for long. No signs of Thy , and so stopped by some small town. Thy was on the other end of the town. Called up Thy and he asked me to meet him up on the other end, as we have to divert into another road towards pollachi. The roads were a bit bumpy, and lighting was poor. Though the roads became Ok after some 10
kilometers. I was starting wondering about my last lank up , as the petrol indiator was showing near the 1/4th of the tank. I remembered that i last tanked up the previous day morning in Munnar and didnt fillin any more petrol after that. For the next 50 kilometers, there wernt any petrol bunks open and it was already past 10 PM.







Managed to fillin petrol in some bunk , 10 kilometers before the Kerala Tamil nadu border. Stopped by for a butt break, i was growing tired and Thy's wrists started paining. Another juice break and we went on to Pollachi. Crossed into the Tamil nadu border and the roads were awesome!! The rear tires pressure went down and so i could only manage speeds around the 60's and 70's. Around 11 30 PM, we went into Pollachi., a Huge beautifuul town indeed! Seeing me with a backback, riding gear, helmets ON!, a poser on tvs victor signalled up for a race., Though i couldnt speed up past 70 or so, and once when i did around the 80's to overtake a truck, the poser mistook me that i am Calling up for a race and was going flat out at 90 and signalled that he won! I was having a lighter moment inspite of the tireful day, and was speaking to myself.. thats the way people are!

Few diversions on and finally around 12 AM, we reached Pollacchi / Thys house. Thys dog was barking so happily seeing me wonder why it was. Expressed a sorry to Thys parents that i'm making their son ride hard and get him back home late in the night Later, Thy just took me to the hotel room , a few kilometers away. This time around the room was awesome with luzurious beds., told thy that i would leave to chennai a bit late, by around 6 in the morning and i crashed.

A tiring day, with more than 300 kilometers., taking over 300 snaps for the day and Riding across twisties, forests, small rivers, woods were exceptional! Overall happy to have ridden with good company and a heartful thanks to Keerthy for accompanying a mad biker like me!

The route map: