Tweet
It is always a dream for a biker to take his bike and just ride as the wheels roll and the roads stretch.
That's what we almost planned. A group of 5 enthusiastic riders who belive that 2 wheels are always better than 4. We were looking for a time where we can squeeze a few days so that we can have ample time thinking of where to go when we are on the wheels instead of planning well before we start. Then came the Independence day right in the middle of the week. After getting the approvals from home and work, we finally booked the tickets to Coimbatore from Chennai where we can rent bikes and start our ride.
Past experiences of booking the bikes with Rent a Bike - Coimbatore made that task simple this time. Called the Owner, listed the bikes, pleaded for discounts and paid the advance.
The plan was to reach Coimbatore by Saturday morning (11th Aug), get the bikes, do a few checks, fill-it, shut it and then Ready to Roll . The Bike rental had a decent number of bikes, so that you can just pay advance and reach there and just pick the bike that you are comfortable with. The owner was helpful on delivering the bike on time and we didn't face much issues.
That's Us.
Suresh - Hornet 160 (Me - Guy in the center)
Logu - RTR 200 (Left to me)
Manoj - Avenger 220 ( Second left to me)
Abdul - RTR 200 (Right to me)
Siva - FZ16 (Second Right to me)
I cannot say we didn't have a plan for 5 days. But what was in our mind was to cover the complete western ghats, starting from Coimbatore , Munnar, Idukki , Vagamon , Kumily , Meghamalai , Kodaikanal and then back to Coimbatore. But just a few days before we start, the monsoon was getting more and more intense. And the day before we board the train Red Alert was issued in Idukki District . We were confused, people advised to drop the plan,but still didn't want to miss the fun of riding in the rain. So we got our rain gears, boarded to Coimbatore thinking of alternative places. Even Kodagu was smashed by rains. We were even thinking of things to do in Coimbatore for 5 days. But it turned out to be the most memorable ride ever.
We planned to start to Munnar, roads were open but still the people who came down from Munnar advised not to go because landslides were expected. So Kodaikanal it was. We took the route through Palladam - Udumalaipet - Pazhani to reach Kodaikanal. (That's me!)
It was cloudy and too much of crosswinds. We were able to hold speeds upto 80 km/h, but beyond that was tiring. Finally we reached Pazhani, had a super awesome lunch and started our way to Kodaikanal. After a few kilometers from the above pic we started climbing the ghats. The surroundings were super green because of the recent rains.
We didn't stop much on the way to Kodaikanal since we were planning to reach early and spend some time near the famous Kodaikanal Lake.
The roads were too narrow as such in some places there were only space to accommodate a big vehicle.Also a lots of monkeys. They were everywhere. We took a break in one of the hairpin bends and were looking at the sceneries. We returned to see a monkey sitting on my bike and refused to move. It took more than 20 minutes to scare it and get my bike back.
It was getting colder as we climb up.
Finally reached Kodaikanal. It was already drizzling just as we expected. The lake was beautiful during the evening. It was getting too cold, the temperature dropped less that 15 degrees. So we had our dinner around 7 and reached our rooms. Dropped dead on the bed and started dreaming about the next day. Day 1 well spent.
The Lake during our morning walk. It was so refreshing.
Almost every hotel in Kodai was having a rule of supplying hot water between 7-9 in the morning. We thought of an early start but this delayed us a bit. We got ready by 9 and started to discuss about the next place during our breakfast. Since it was just drizzling in Kodai, we thought of going to interior Kerala to complete our rain ride. So Vagamon was decided. We started descending from Kodai via Batlagundu and was riding towards Vagamon via Cumbum - Kumily roads.
We reached Theni around 2 PM and the Avenger rear brake was getting ineffective. On checking we found that the brake shoes were at the end of its life (We missed it during our check). Since we are riding to interior Kerala, we decided to change the brake shoes. We started looking for spare around Theni. The places around Theni have a weird holiday schedule. There was not even a single two-wheeler spare parts shop on sunday, but the shop for four-wheelers were open all day. Looks like some sort of a local agreement. Then finally we found a Bajaj showroom, we rushed in to hear that they are not willing to sell any spares. We explained our situation but still got an NO as an answer. We came out with all our hopes lost just to see a "FEEL LIKE GOD" avenger poster
. We decided to roll more carefully till we find a solution for the brakes. Finally found a shop near Cumbum, got the brake shoes replaced and we were like , Thank GOD !! . We lost more than 4 hours in this brake-shoe hunt.
Seems to be a lot of rain in the interiors.
We reached Kumily around 7 and it was already dark. The rain was pouring steady and strong starting from the Lower camp. We had a break in Kumily and started to Vagamon. We were not able to take our phones out since the rain didn't even stop for a second, we just rode just by looking at the boards and asking nearby people. After crossing Kuttikanam , we were only the people on road. There were not even a single vehicle that crossed us for more than 20 kms. We took the turn at Elappara and was a direct road to Vagamon. It was deserted too. We were not able to get any pics on the way to Vagamon because it was continuously raining and too dark.
We reached Hotel Green Palace, some 5 kms before Vagamon and checked in. The rooms were good and clean. Since we were riding in the night we were not able to see anything enroute. But we never knew that we are going to have a super awesome ride the next day.
Few pics of the Hotel we stayed. It was around 7 AM when we took these photos. It was raining the whole night and didn't even stop for a second.
Because of the rains, only few rooms had guests. We came out of the rooms to see this. This is what we came for
We had ample time to reach our next destination - Meghamalai, so thought of roaming around the Vagamon for some time and then start our descend. It was completely foggy visibility was less than 50 meters.
We started to Kurisimala after our breakfast in Vagamon. The roads were damaged from continuous heavy rains we were riding very slowly but was enjoying every bit of it. Anywhere you see it is filled with water. Kurisimala is a pilgrimage center and we need to trek for around 1 km to reach the top. It was still raining and the rocks too slippery. We managed to go for 500 mts but returned back since it started to pour heavily .
Then we started our descend to Meghamalai. Only then we realized what we missed during the last night ride. Vagamon was so beautiful.
In every turn we take, we can see a water-fall formed due to the heavy rains.
We then reached Kumily, and started towards Lower camp. The rain just stopped we were able to maintain good speeds till Meghamalai.
Good Bye Kerala ! We will miss you
We came back to Theni again to have lunch. If you ever visit Theni, then don't miss the Nahar Panchu Parotta. It is right opposite to the bus stand and we had one of the best parottas in TamiNadu. After the lunch, we started towards Meghamalai via chinnamanur. One thing we decided was since Meghamalai is not as commercialized as any other hill stations we were not sure about the accommodation there. We decided if we find a decent accommodation to stay we will stay and if not reach back to Theni again and then start the next day.
The roads towards Meghamalai was too dry. After coming back Vagamon completed soaked , this was unacceptable. But we never know that we were in for a surprise. We were expecting Meghamalai to be like a small hill station like Yercaud. But as we climb things begin to change.
We crossed Meghamalai town and reached the Panchayat Guest house. There was a lake in front of it and it looked like this. We didn't want to leave that place but the guest house was too bad to stay and no proper hotels to have food.
We found another accommodation few kms before meghamalai but it was closed due to a local festival. So we had no other choice to come back to Theni. There were a few Tea Bungalows but those were full. So we started to Theni with a heavy heart.
Meghamalai, you are still in our bucket list. Will meet soon
We halted in a hotel in Theni. Don't remember the name but it was good enough. We really missed staying in Meghamalai and gradually started discussing about the next day. Munnar was in our list. But we kept on switching the news channels to see if there is anything serious in Munnar.
The next day, when we were getting ready there was a flash news. No Vehicles were allowed in Munnar via Bodi and Udumalaipet because of the flooding. So we had no other choice to go to kodaikanal again to reach Coimbatore. Since we didn't see anything during the first day we thought of exploring the fullest in Kodaikanal. We started the ride to Kodai.
The way to Bear Shola falls.
There was a nursery near to Fairy Falls. They even had apple trees.
Kiwi Grafting
The tree that is in the pic is the apple tree,.
Kiwi Tree
That is Neelakurinji a flower that blooms once in 12 years, behind us in the picture. The first day was completely cloudy and last day was so clear. Lucky us
Just above the clouds.
The boys
After visiting Guna caves, we had noting more to see. So we came back to town had a good lunch and started back to Coimbatore with tons of memories.
Climbing Down
We reached Coimbatore around 9 PM , returned our bikes and finally boarded the train towards Chennai.
About the Bike :
I took the Hornet 160R, Honda has done a wonderful job with this bike. The bike was very smooth and didn't feel strained even at 100 kmph. The 140 Rear section tyres were simply too good and had a good grip on the road. I was able to do few knee-touches but not even once I loose confidence on the bike. I ride a D390 and found the seating to be almost same with a wider handlebar in place. The Combi-Brake system worked like a charm and I never felt the urge to use the front brakes.
The low end was not that great but after 6000 RPM the bike took off easily. Midrange and Top end is where the bike wants to be. ABS is a definite miss here.
Thanks for Reading !
That's what we almost planned. A group of 5 enthusiastic riders who belive that 2 wheels are always better than 4. We were looking for a time where we can squeeze a few days so that we can have ample time thinking of where to go when we are on the wheels instead of planning well before we start. Then came the Independence day right in the middle of the week. After getting the approvals from home and work, we finally booked the tickets to Coimbatore from Chennai where we can rent bikes and start our ride.
Past experiences of booking the bikes with Rent a Bike - Coimbatore made that task simple this time. Called the Owner, listed the bikes, pleaded for discounts and paid the advance.
The plan was to reach Coimbatore by Saturday morning (11th Aug), get the bikes, do a few checks, fill-it, shut it and then Ready to Roll . The Bike rental had a decent number of bikes, so that you can just pay advance and reach there and just pick the bike that you are comfortable with. The owner was helpful on delivering the bike on time and we didn't face much issues.
That's Us.
Suresh - Hornet 160 (Me - Guy in the center)
Logu - RTR 200 (Left to me)
Manoj - Avenger 220 ( Second left to me)
Abdul - RTR 200 (Right to me)
Siva - FZ16 (Second Right to me)
I cannot say we didn't have a plan for 5 days. But what was in our mind was to cover the complete western ghats, starting from Coimbatore , Munnar, Idukki , Vagamon , Kumily , Meghamalai , Kodaikanal and then back to Coimbatore. But just a few days before we start, the monsoon was getting more and more intense. And the day before we board the train Red Alert was issued in Idukki District . We were confused, people advised to drop the plan,but still didn't want to miss the fun of riding in the rain. So we got our rain gears, boarded to Coimbatore thinking of alternative places. Even Kodagu was smashed by rains. We were even thinking of things to do in Coimbatore for 5 days. But it turned out to be the most memorable ride ever.
We planned to start to Munnar, roads were open but still the people who came down from Munnar advised not to go because landslides were expected. So Kodaikanal it was. We took the route through Palladam - Udumalaipet - Pazhani to reach Kodaikanal. (That's me!)
It was cloudy and too much of crosswinds. We were able to hold speeds upto 80 km/h, but beyond that was tiring. Finally we reached Pazhani, had a super awesome lunch and started our way to Kodaikanal. After a few kilometers from the above pic we started climbing the ghats. The surroundings were super green because of the recent rains.
We didn't stop much on the way to Kodaikanal since we were planning to reach early and spend some time near the famous Kodaikanal Lake.
The roads were too narrow as such in some places there were only space to accommodate a big vehicle.Also a lots of monkeys. They were everywhere. We took a break in one of the hairpin bends and were looking at the sceneries. We returned to see a monkey sitting on my bike and refused to move. It took more than 20 minutes to scare it and get my bike back.
It was getting colder as we climb up.
Finally reached Kodaikanal. It was already drizzling just as we expected. The lake was beautiful during the evening. It was getting too cold, the temperature dropped less that 15 degrees. So we had our dinner around 7 and reached our rooms. Dropped dead on the bed and started dreaming about the next day. Day 1 well spent.
The Lake during our morning walk. It was so refreshing.
Almost every hotel in Kodai was having a rule of supplying hot water between 7-9 in the morning. We thought of an early start but this delayed us a bit. We got ready by 9 and started to discuss about the next place during our breakfast. Since it was just drizzling in Kodai, we thought of going to interior Kerala to complete our rain ride. So Vagamon was decided. We started descending from Kodai via Batlagundu and was riding towards Vagamon via Cumbum - Kumily roads.
We reached Theni around 2 PM and the Avenger rear brake was getting ineffective. On checking we found that the brake shoes were at the end of its life (We missed it during our check). Since we are riding to interior Kerala, we decided to change the brake shoes. We started looking for spare around Theni. The places around Theni have a weird holiday schedule. There was not even a single two-wheeler spare parts shop on sunday, but the shop for four-wheelers were open all day. Looks like some sort of a local agreement. Then finally we found a Bajaj showroom, we rushed in to hear that they are not willing to sell any spares. We explained our situation but still got an NO as an answer. We came out with all our hopes lost just to see a "FEEL LIKE GOD" avenger poster
. We decided to roll more carefully till we find a solution for the brakes. Finally found a shop near Cumbum, got the brake shoes replaced and we were like , Thank GOD !! . We lost more than 4 hours in this brake-shoe hunt.Seems to be a lot of rain in the interiors.
We reached Kumily around 7 and it was already dark. The rain was pouring steady and strong starting from the Lower camp. We had a break in Kumily and started to Vagamon. We were not able to take our phones out since the rain didn't even stop for a second, we just rode just by looking at the boards and asking nearby people. After crossing Kuttikanam , we were only the people on road. There were not even a single vehicle that crossed us for more than 20 kms. We took the turn at Elappara and was a direct road to Vagamon. It was deserted too. We were not able to get any pics on the way to Vagamon because it was continuously raining and too dark.
We reached Hotel Green Palace, some 5 kms before Vagamon and checked in. The rooms were good and clean. Since we were riding in the night we were not able to see anything enroute. But we never knew that we are going to have a super awesome ride the next day.
Few pics of the Hotel we stayed. It was around 7 AM when we took these photos. It was raining the whole night and didn't even stop for a second.
Because of the rains, only few rooms had guests. We came out of the rooms to see this. This is what we came for
We had ample time to reach our next destination - Meghamalai, so thought of roaming around the Vagamon for some time and then start our descend. It was completely foggy visibility was less than 50 meters.
We started to Kurisimala after our breakfast in Vagamon. The roads were damaged from continuous heavy rains we were riding very slowly but was enjoying every bit of it. Anywhere you see it is filled with water. Kurisimala is a pilgrimage center and we need to trek for around 1 km to reach the top. It was still raining and the rocks too slippery. We managed to go for 500 mts but returned back since it started to pour heavily .
Then we started our descend to Meghamalai. Only then we realized what we missed during the last night ride. Vagamon was so beautiful.
In every turn we take, we can see a water-fall formed due to the heavy rains.
We then reached Kumily, and started towards Lower camp. The rain just stopped we were able to maintain good speeds till Meghamalai.
Good Bye Kerala ! We will miss you
We came back to Theni again to have lunch. If you ever visit Theni, then don't miss the Nahar Panchu Parotta. It is right opposite to the bus stand and we had one of the best parottas in TamiNadu. After the lunch, we started towards Meghamalai via chinnamanur. One thing we decided was since Meghamalai is not as commercialized as any other hill stations we were not sure about the accommodation there. We decided if we find a decent accommodation to stay we will stay and if not reach back to Theni again and then start the next day.
The roads towards Meghamalai was too dry. After coming back Vagamon completed soaked , this was unacceptable. But we never know that we were in for a surprise. We were expecting Meghamalai to be like a small hill station like Yercaud. But as we climb things begin to change.
We crossed Meghamalai town and reached the Panchayat Guest house. There was a lake in front of it and it looked like this. We didn't want to leave that place but the guest house was too bad to stay and no proper hotels to have food.
We found another accommodation few kms before meghamalai but it was closed due to a local festival. So we had no other choice to come back to Theni. There were a few Tea Bungalows but those were full. So we started to Theni with a heavy heart.
Meghamalai, you are still in our bucket list. Will meet soon
We halted in a hotel in Theni. Don't remember the name but it was good enough. We really missed staying in Meghamalai and gradually started discussing about the next day. Munnar was in our list. But we kept on switching the news channels to see if there is anything serious in Munnar.
The next day, when we were getting ready there was a flash news. No Vehicles were allowed in Munnar via Bodi and Udumalaipet because of the flooding. So we had no other choice to go to kodaikanal again to reach Coimbatore. Since we didn't see anything during the first day we thought of exploring the fullest in Kodaikanal. We started the ride to Kodai.
The way to Bear Shola falls.
There was a nursery near to Fairy Falls. They even had apple trees.
Kiwi Grafting
The tree that is in the pic is the apple tree,.
Kiwi Tree
That is Neelakurinji a flower that blooms once in 12 years, behind us in the picture. The first day was completely cloudy and last day was so clear. Lucky us
Just above the clouds.
The boys
Guna Caves - It was crowded being a holiday.
Pillar Rocks
After visiting Guna caves, we had noting more to see. So we came back to town had a good lunch and started back to Coimbatore with tons of memories.
Climbing Down
We reached Coimbatore around 9 PM , returned our bikes and finally boarded the train towards Chennai.
About the Bike :
I took the Hornet 160R, Honda has done a wonderful job with this bike. The bike was very smooth and didn't feel strained even at 100 kmph. The 140 Rear section tyres were simply too good and had a good grip on the road. I was able to do few knee-touches but not even once I loose confidence on the bike. I ride a D390 and found the seating to be almost same with a wider handlebar in place. The Combi-Brake system worked like a charm and I never felt the urge to use the front brakes.
The low end was not that great but after 6000 RPM the bike took off easily. Midrange and Top end is where the bike wants to be. ABS is a definite miss here.
Thanks for Reading !
Comment