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Hello fellow tourers, this is my first bike ride for touring and my first Travelogue in any forum.
To know how I became an accidental Rider - Click https://xbhp.com/talkies/members/accidental-rider.html
It was the early summer of 2017 and our daughter is already with her Grand Parents to enjoy her summer vacation. Since we spent most of our last 4 years in babysitting and other issues, we have decided to go for a bike ride. Since this will be our maiden bike ride (to a tourist destination) we both were super excited and talked about this to many of our friends.
Plan: Bangalore – Coorg – Bangalore
Date: 31st March 2017 – 2nd April 2017
Vehicle: RE Classic 500 (Owned by my Friend Vijay)
Rider: Bala
Pillion: Kavi (My better Half – Standard term, isn’t it? Still fine)
Day 0:
Went to office and had many discussions with my friends about the route that I should take, the places that I can visit in Coorg, weather etc…
Came back home by 9 PM only to know that packing was not done yet as promised … Had diner and done with packing (only 2 Back packs) by 10:30 PM and went to Vijay’s home to bring his bike.
@ 11 Started another discussion with our neighbor friends Ajay and Akshara about the trip and places that we are will be visiting.
@12:30 Retired for the day and decided to wake up by 4-4:30 AM and leave by 5-5:15 AM.
Day 1:
We woke up only to know that the time is already 5:30 AM
Got ready at hypersonic speed and started our journey at 6:15 AM which has occupied our hearts with so much of memories
Route Taken:
NH 75 – Bangalore to Channarayapattana
SH 8 – Channarayapattana to Arakagud
SH 91 – Arakalagud to Kushalnagar(Coorg)
NH 275 – Kushal Nagar to Madikeri (Coorg)
After praying Lord Ganesha and Lord Muruga we started from Ramamurthy Nagar Bangalore towards Hebbal through NH 44 and taken straight at Hebbal through NH 75.
Sunrise:
We saw another couple in hired Avenger following the same route, for the next 65-70 Km he was on his own contest with me We were near Kunigal and when I was riding above 110 KMPH (What a mistake in RE bike) the battery guard come off. A guy standing on the roadside has taken that and kept at his home and gave back to me.
I managed to fix the cover and decided to ride like a tourer not like a racer. After that I was constantly maintaining a speed of 80-90- KMPH or less, throughout our journey.
We stopped for breakfast (~8 AM) little later after this incident near kunigal. I had the fear for the battery cover and was checking occasionally till I get the confidence that the cover is in a good position.
We continued our Journey and reached Channarayapattana by around 10 AM. This ~150 KMS ride from Bangalore was a bliss but with less events. We took had a small break to hydrate ourselves with Tender Coconut.
Going straight on NH 75 will take you to Hassan. We took left in SH 8 towards Arakagud, this is a two-way lane but will less traffic. The roads were in average condition but RE Classic could maneuver easily without any trouble. Both sides of the road are either deserted or with farm lands, you seldom see any shops.
We took 2 more breaks in between just to cool down our butt , Pillion seat in RE classic is one of the worst design in terms of comfort. We stopped at petrol pump at Holenarasipur for a break and fill the tank, we had another break to have tender coconut at the outskirts of this small town.
We reached Arakalagud without any break. The route SH 91 from here to Kushalnagar is again a 2 lane but with smooth Tarmac. After riding for about 15-20 KMS we again had a break to hydrate ourselves with tender coconut and sugarcane juice. From here it was a bliss till KushalNagar, there was a mild traffic inside Kushalnagar town.
After crossing the town, the real face of Coorg has started showing up. we could see the coffee estates and forest ranges on both sides of the road. After a tiring ride and fighting the hot sun, it was a real treat to our eyes to see the green forests.
First view:
We have decided to do a non-stop ride of 30+ KMs to reach Madikeri town. The roads are in very good condition throughout the stretch, the views and greens are getting better. Just at the outskirts of Madikeri town, my wife saw something and asked me to stop immediately….???
She saw a guy selling Ice Apple (In Tamil we call it as “Nungu”), she is a great fan of it and decided to have some of them. The guy was selling at Rs.30 per piece (Seriously????), we had some chat with the seller about his business and decided not to bargain. He has taken Rs.25 per piece (Still too costly) and gave me back the change . We reached Madikeri in no time and the hotel we booked is at the entrance of the town, so spend less time in searching for it.
@1:30 PM Formalities done and gathered some information about the places around from the guy in reception. Got a room at 2nd floor with mountain view, had Lunch in the same hotel and decided to take a nap to get out of tiredness.
View from our Hotel room:
@4 PM We came out of the hotel and started riding towards Abbey falls which is around 7 KM from the town. Reached there in no time, more than the falls the location was more beautiful, you are not allowed to take bath or to walk on the Hanging bridge.
Abbey Falls:
Heading back to hotel room, we visited the Madikeri Fort and which is in the heart of the town. The fort also host the district court. We went back to our hotel, took a quick bath and went to “Raja’s seat park” which is also in the heart of town by @5.30 pm to see the sunset.
The views from here was break taking.
@7.30 we both we feeling hungry and decided to have dinner somewhere else other than the hotel restaurant.
The place where we had dinner:
We went back to our room by around 9 PM and retired for the day.
Day 2:
Madikeri to TalaKaveri : ~45 KMs
Madikeri to Mandapatti: ~20 KMs
Had good sleep and got up lazily @7:30 AM and got ready by @ 8:15 AM. Had Breakfast in the same restaurant where we had dinner last night.
Morning ride around Madikeri:
Started our Journey towards Talakaveri which is around 43 KMs from Madikeri. More than anything else you can enjoy the Forests, Coffee Estates and farm lands on both sides of the road. You will feel completely relaxed when you ride on this road.
The road was in average condition, but not a problem for bikers, people using cars might get frustrated due to the small potholes till we reach the destination. We Ascend and descend multiple mountains during our 1.5 hours of ride and finally reached Talakaveri @ 10:30 AM.
Unlike we expected this is not a tourist destination but a holy place, you should remove your shoes and sandals before entering the temple. There is a small pond which is believed as the starting point of the Holy river “Kaveri or Cauvery” which is in the Brahmagiri hill.
We climbed to peak barefooted, the paved steps to reach the peak. The weather was extremely hot, humid and windy. You will get a breathtaking view from this peak and every picture is worth for a screen saver and DPs
Tips: If you are visiting this place during summer, please reach there before 8:00 AM to enjoy the views without sunburns. After taking so many Photos and Selfies, we decided to get back to our room, we never felt the heat while riding as the breeze was fresh, cool and mild.
Had Lunch on the way be Madikeri and reached room by 2:00 PM. Took a nap for an hour, woke up at 3:30 PM and got ready by 4:00 PM for Mandalpatti Off-roading Our first of this kind. We took the Abbe Falls route, at Abbe Falls Junction we took right to reach Mandalpatti. You can also avail Jeep facility from this junction @ Rs.1500 up and down or reach Mandalpatti junction and hire a Jeep for the last 3 KMs if you are not on a bike or 4X4 car.
The road towards Abbe falls Junction and Mandalpatti is in bad shape, there are so many patches without tarmac. Not even a single soul was on the road till we reach half distance, it was a scary ride for us. After sometime, few cars have started showing up which was such a relief, reached Mandalpatti junction with mixed emotions.
After seeing so many tourists there, the feel of joy bettered the negative feelings. We have decided to go ahead with bike riding instead of hiring the jeep. The destination was 3 KMs away from the junction, there are no proper roads, mostly mud roads and Jeep tracks. There are lots ascend and descend and you need extra careful, if you have pillion.
PS: Avoid riding on higher gears, apply brakes only if you want to stop your bike, never ever apply clutch. I applied clutch by mistake lost control during a descend. I managed bring it back to control after lot of struggle.
Reached the destination at right time, parked the Bike at the bottom of the peak. A small trekking is required to reach the peak. You will forget all the struggle after reaching the peak, you will feel like you are in a different world. The wind was so strong but locals said this is the calm period, during monsoon you need good grip to stand idle. I will leave the pics to talk about the location.
Myself and my wife were discussing on how to reach back to the Mandalpatti Entrance, she was bit scared to come in bike. A honeymoon couple from Chennai overheard our conversation and volunteered to give her lift in their hired Jeep till the entrance. That’s the beauty when you are not brought up in a metro (Based on my experience), Thanks to them . I was following the Jeep and the ride was bit easier without pillion. After reaching entrance, we thanked the couple, exchanged the numbers and wished them all the best in their life.
Now we were very confident and my wife was overjoyed, thanked me multiple times for taking her for this kind of adventurous ride. Riding back to hotel was filled with joy and lot of memories, we were riding on a slow pace and reached hotel by around @ 7 PM.
Refreshed and went for shopping (what kind of formality is this ???), had some snacks. After keeping all the items in the room, we went for a relaxed dinner date without any helmet, backpacks. Discussed about next day’s plan and decided to visit Dubarae Elephant Camp and Golden Temple in Kushalnagar En route Bangalore.
Useful information at a shop:
Came back to room and retired for the day.
Day 3:
Madikeri to Dubarae Camp: ~35KMs
Dubarae camp to Golden Temple: ~19 KMs
We knew that this day is going to be less eventful.
Packed up all the stuffs, got ready, checked-out from the hotel. Visited Raja's seat again and we were on the roads again by 9:30 AM. Reached Dubarae elephant camp and took some snaps. Nothing was interesting and it was too hot and humid too.
Pics from Dubarae Camp:
Stared riding towards Golden Temple in Kushal Nagar. This is the one of the Buddhist Monastery in India, this place is cleanly maintained and you can see lot of Tibetan monks here. The main temple is under renovation, but you can visit the other places inside. You will feel the difference in culture, religion and dressing.
Sat in front of Lord Buddha the Almighty and went on for meditation for few minutes.
Pics:
Started our journey Back to Bangalore, instead of taking Left to reach Hasan Highway I went straight towards Mysore. We realized it when we saw a sign board indicating Mysore 16 KMs, I was little disappointed. Had lunch on a roadside hotel and decided to go ahead and reach Bangalore Via Mysore road. En route we saw another signboard Indicating “Brindavan Garden “ in 5 KMs, to escape from the heat and humid we decided to visit this place and rest there for some time.
We took rest at “Brindavan Garden” for about an hour and stared back to Bangalore. The Mysore road was heavily crowded with vehicles, which made me to regret for taking this road. Had dinner near Ramamurthy Nagar and reached home by @8:30 PM.
Final Selfie of the Journey:
“Journeys are measured not in distance but in Memories”
Till the next log this is Bala and Kavi Signing Off… Have a safe and joyful touring.
To know how I became an accidental Rider - Click https://xbhp.com/talkies/members/accidental-rider.html
It was the early summer of 2017 and our daughter is already with her Grand Parents to enjoy her summer vacation. Since we spent most of our last 4 years in babysitting and other issues, we have decided to go for a bike ride. Since this will be our maiden bike ride (to a tourist destination) we both were super excited and talked about this to many of our friends.
Plan: Bangalore – Coorg – Bangalore
Date: 31st March 2017 – 2nd April 2017
Vehicle: RE Classic 500 (Owned by my Friend Vijay)
Rider: Bala
Pillion: Kavi (My better Half – Standard term, isn’t it? Still fine)
Day 0:
Went to office and had many discussions with my friends about the route that I should take, the places that I can visit in Coorg, weather etc…
Came back home by 9 PM only to know that packing was not done yet as promised … Had diner and done with packing (only 2 Back packs) by 10:30 PM and went to Vijay’s home to bring his bike.
@ 11 Started another discussion with our neighbor friends Ajay and Akshara about the trip and places that we are will be visiting.
@12:30 Retired for the day and decided to wake up by 4-4:30 AM and leave by 5-5:15 AM.
Day 1:
We woke up only to know that the time is already 5:30 AM
Got ready at hypersonic speed and started our journey at 6:15 AM which has occupied our hearts with so much of memories
Route Taken:
NH 75 – Bangalore to Channarayapattana
SH 8 – Channarayapattana to Arakagud
SH 91 – Arakalagud to Kushalnagar(Coorg)
NH 275 – Kushal Nagar to Madikeri (Coorg)
After praying Lord Ganesha and Lord Muruga we started from Ramamurthy Nagar Bangalore towards Hebbal through NH 44 and taken straight at Hebbal through NH 75.
Sunrise:
We saw another couple in hired Avenger following the same route, for the next 65-70 Km he was on his own contest with me We were near Kunigal and when I was riding above 110 KMPH (What a mistake in RE bike) the battery guard come off. A guy standing on the roadside has taken that and kept at his home and gave back to me.
I managed to fix the cover and decided to ride like a tourer not like a racer. After that I was constantly maintaining a speed of 80-90- KMPH or less, throughout our journey.
We stopped for breakfast (~8 AM) little later after this incident near kunigal. I had the fear for the battery cover and was checking occasionally till I get the confidence that the cover is in a good position.
We continued our Journey and reached Channarayapattana by around 10 AM. This ~150 KMS ride from Bangalore was a bliss but with less events. We took had a small break to hydrate ourselves with Tender Coconut.
Going straight on NH 75 will take you to Hassan. We took left in SH 8 towards Arakagud, this is a two-way lane but will less traffic. The roads were in average condition but RE Classic could maneuver easily without any trouble. Both sides of the road are either deserted or with farm lands, you seldom see any shops.
We took 2 more breaks in between just to cool down our butt
, Pillion seat in RE classic is one of the worst design in terms of comfort. We stopped at petrol pump at Holenarasipur for a break and fill the tank, we had another break to have tender coconut at the outskirts of this small town.We reached Arakalagud without any break. The route SH 91 from here to Kushalnagar is again a 2 lane but with smooth Tarmac. After riding for about 15-20 KMS we again had a break to hydrate ourselves with tender coconut and sugarcane juice. From here it was a bliss till KushalNagar, there was a mild traffic inside Kushalnagar town.
After crossing the town, the real face of Coorg has started showing up. we could see the coffee estates and forest ranges on both sides of the road. After a tiring ride and fighting the hot sun, it was a real treat to our eyes to see the green forests.
First view:
We have decided to do a non-stop ride of 30+ KMs to reach Madikeri town. The roads are in very good condition throughout the stretch, the views and greens are getting better. Just at the outskirts of Madikeri town, my wife saw something and asked me to stop immediately….???
She saw a guy selling Ice Apple (In Tamil we call it as “Nungu”), she is a great fan of it and decided to have some of them. The guy was selling at Rs.30 per piece (Seriously????), we had some chat with the seller about his business and decided not to bargain. He has taken Rs.25 per piece (Still too costly) and gave me back the change . We reached Madikeri in no time and the hotel we booked is at the entrance of the town, so spend less time in searching for it.
@1:30 PM Formalities done and gathered some information about the places around from the guy in reception. Got a room at 2nd floor with mountain view, had Lunch in the same hotel and decided to take a nap to get out of tiredness.
View from our Hotel room:
@4 PM We came out of the hotel and started riding towards Abbey falls which is around 7 KM from the town. Reached there in no time, more than the falls the location was more beautiful, you are not allowed to take bath or to walk on the Hanging bridge.
Abbey Falls:
Heading back to hotel room, we visited the Madikeri Fort and which is in the heart of the town. The fort also host the district court. We went back to our hotel, took a quick bath and went to “Raja’s seat park” which is also in the heart of town by @5.30 pm to see the sunset.
The views from here was break taking.
@7.30 we both we feeling hungry and decided to have dinner somewhere else other than the hotel restaurant.
The place where we had dinner:
We went back to our room by around 9 PM and retired for the day.
Day 2:
Madikeri to TalaKaveri : ~45 KMs
Madikeri to Mandapatti: ~20 KMs
Had good sleep and got up lazily @7:30 AM and got ready by @ 8:15 AM. Had Breakfast in the same restaurant where we had dinner last night.
Morning ride around Madikeri:
Started our Journey towards Talakaveri which is around 43 KMs from Madikeri. More than anything else you can enjoy the Forests, Coffee Estates and farm lands on both sides of the road. You will feel completely relaxed when you ride on this road.
The road was in average condition, but not a problem for bikers, people using cars might get frustrated due to the small potholes till we reach the destination. We Ascend and descend multiple mountains during our 1.5 hours of ride and finally reached Talakaveri @ 10:30 AM.
Unlike we expected this is not a tourist destination but a holy place, you should remove your shoes and sandals before entering the temple. There is a small pond which is believed as the starting point of the Holy river “Kaveri or Cauvery” which is in the Brahmagiri hill.
We climbed to peak barefooted, the paved steps to reach the peak. The weather was extremely hot, humid and windy. You will get a breathtaking view from this peak and every picture is worth for a screen saver and DPs
Tips: If you are visiting this place during summer, please reach there before 8:00 AM to enjoy the views without sunburns. After taking so many Photos and Selfies, we decided to get back to our room, we never felt the heat while riding as the breeze was fresh, cool and mild.
Had Lunch on the way be Madikeri and reached room by 2:00 PM. Took a nap for an hour, woke up at 3:30 PM and got ready by 4:00 PM for Mandalpatti Off-roading Our first of this kind. We took the Abbe Falls route, at Abbe Falls Junction we took right to reach Mandalpatti. You can also avail Jeep facility from this junction @ Rs.1500 up and down or reach Mandalpatti junction and hire a Jeep for the last 3 KMs if you are not on a bike or 4X4 car.
The road towards Abbe falls Junction and Mandalpatti is in bad shape, there are so many patches without tarmac. Not even a single soul was on the road till we reach half distance, it was a scary ride for us. After sometime, few cars have started showing up which was such a relief, reached Mandalpatti junction with mixed emotions.
After seeing so many tourists there, the feel of joy bettered the negative feelings. We have decided to go ahead with bike riding instead of hiring the jeep. The destination was 3 KMs away from the junction, there are no proper roads, mostly mud roads and Jeep tracks. There are lots ascend and descend and you need extra careful, if you have pillion.
PS: Avoid riding on higher gears, apply brakes only if you want to stop your bike, never ever apply clutch. I applied clutch by mistake lost control during a descend. I managed bring it back to control after lot of struggle.
Reached the destination at right time, parked the Bike at the bottom of the peak. A small trekking is required to reach the peak. You will forget all the struggle after reaching the peak, you will feel like you are in a different world. The wind was so strong but locals said this is the calm period, during monsoon you need good grip to stand idle. I will leave the pics to talk about the location.
Myself and my wife were discussing on how to reach back to the Mandalpatti Entrance, she was bit scared to come in bike. A honeymoon couple from Chennai overheard our conversation and volunteered to give her lift in their hired Jeep till the entrance. That’s the beauty when you are not brought up in a metro (Based on my experience), Thanks to them . I was following the Jeep and the ride was bit easier without pillion. After reaching entrance, we thanked the couple, exchanged the numbers and wished them all the best in their life.
Now we were very confident and my wife was overjoyed, thanked me multiple times for taking her for this kind of adventurous ride. Riding back to hotel was filled with joy and lot of memories, we were riding on a slow pace and reached hotel by around @ 7 PM.
Refreshed and went for shopping (what kind of formality is this ???), had some snacks. After keeping all the items in the room, we went for a relaxed dinner date without any helmet, backpacks. Discussed about next day’s plan and decided to visit Dubarae Elephant Camp and Golden Temple in Kushalnagar En route Bangalore.
Useful information at a shop:
Came back to room and retired for the day.
Day 3:
Madikeri to Dubarae Camp: ~35KMs
Dubarae camp to Golden Temple: ~19 KMs
We knew that this day is going to be less eventful.
Packed up all the stuffs, got ready, checked-out from the hotel. Visited Raja's seat again and we were on the roads again by 9:30 AM. Reached Dubarae elephant camp and took some snaps. Nothing was interesting and it was too hot and humid too.
Pics from Dubarae Camp:
Stared riding towards Golden Temple in Kushal Nagar. This is the one of the Buddhist Monastery in India, this place is cleanly maintained and you can see lot of Tibetan monks here. The main temple is under renovation, but you can visit the other places inside. You will feel the difference in culture, religion and dressing.
Sat in front of Lord Buddha the Almighty and went on for meditation for few minutes.
Pics:
Started our journey Back to Bangalore, instead of taking Left to reach Hasan Highway I went straight towards Mysore. We realized it when we saw a sign board indicating Mysore 16 KMs, I was little disappointed. Had lunch on a roadside hotel and decided to go ahead and reach Bangalore Via Mysore road. En route we saw another signboard Indicating “Brindavan Garden “ in 5 KMs, to escape from the heat and humid we decided to visit this place and rest there for some time.
We took rest at “Brindavan Garden” for about an hour and stared back to Bangalore. The Mysore road was heavily crowded with vehicles, which made me to regret for taking this road. Had dinner near Ramamurthy Nagar and reached home by @8:30 PM.
Final Selfie of the Journey:
“Journeys are measured not in distance but in Memories”
Till the next log this is Bala and Kavi Signing Off… Have a safe and joyful touring.
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