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**RanjithMN** · 10-13-2009, 04:02 PM

Superb stuff!

enjoyed it completely!

**kri$hna** · 10-13-2009, 04:10 PM

I guess you ppl had to ride through lot of rains .. is it ?

The pics have come up really good.. keep them coming

**dual disc 200** · 10-13-2009, 04:40 PM

Superb pics and amazing logs mate, maybe u should have stopped by Coimbatore and met the coimbatore X-Bhpians!! Was time the issue or it's just that u guys never knew that we are @ coimbatore too?

**VarunRTR** · 10-13-2009, 09:19 PM

Originally posted by tourer_kashif View Post

Links :

Day 1,Pics of Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

I had been doing many 1 day trips in past 1 year.Now I needed not just a trip but tour of atleast 10-15 days.
Started looking for holidays and yes 3 long concecutive weekend was thr in sept.Leh was out as it was the closing time for that route.
Rajisthan???A little expensive and hot.Finally I decided to do a south India tour.
This was decided almost 3 months before september.As I was palnning a solo trip so thought of making it a well planned trip.
bought maps,keepads,turtle(cramster),bike spares,Motul E-Oil and some bike spares.Made checklists for medicines,documents,spares,
electronics,....
As I had so much time so I did very minute preparation for the trip.I must say these things helped
me a lot otherwise the trip would have never been completed successfully.
Got a call from home,my parents wanted me to come back home for EID festival,I had no choice but the cut my riding days.
Now was left with 8 riding days and before that 4 days of train travel and 3 days of stay at home.

After so many iteration and inputs from fellow xbhpians final planned route was:

Pune-Goa-Jog Falls - Shimoga- Chikmangalur - Mysore - bandipur National Park - Ooty -Coinbatore- Munnar via Anamalai NP - madurai
- rameshwaram- Dhanuskodi - Bangalore - Pune

Total distance around 3500 kms.

The plan was very hectic little scope for exploring places but I was ok with it as long as its a biking event towards south.

In the mean time I met Samudra from XBHP who had similar plans ,after one meeting with him now I wasn't alone.
We both were heading south togather.

Some part of my chceklist:

Cramster Saddle bag,Turtle,DSG Jacket,DSG basic gloves,fox knee pads,complete servicing of bike,
Motul-E-oil,chain spray,spanners,control cables,spark plugs,extra tube,chain links etc,plastic cover,
medicines,extra rope,knife,torch...ID card,all documents of bike,DL...

The begining:

***********************************************

September 28 : Day 1

Pune-Kolhapur-Tavandi-Sawantwadi-Goa-Margao
Total 511 kms.

The starting point was CC CCD 4:30am.Got a sms from Sam that he is struck up with something a will reach in 10-15 mins.
He arrived shortly.he was facing problem with his luggage.We re tied the luggage with extra rope and then headed immediately for kolhapur.

Started from Pune.it was a cool morning.first stop near kambthi(plz correct the spelling) for some photo shoot.
We crossed Statara and reached Kolhapur by 10:30,refulled the bikes and then stopped somewhere after Kolhapur for B'fast

FUNNY Incident : The hotelwala asked about where we are heading for.I said Goa.he asked how much time we took to reach Kolhapur?
I said 4.5 hours.He thought for a while and said : "Haan agar plane me bhi aao to itna time to lag hi jaaega"
I was like ...wat a comparision.hahaaaa.I politely said,yes sir you are right.
Next destination was Amboli ghats.I tried hard to locate the turn from Nipani as suggested by some xbhpians.finally got a way to enter Amboli from Tavandi.
All of a sudden the scenary changed.We took quite a few breaks for photoshoots.Met a solo biker heading towards Goa.had some chit-chat and then we parted our ways.
Then arraived Amboli ghats.it was cloudy.I had seen them many times in Malshej so I was not that excited.Then started the twisties.
I saw my travel partner Samudra leaning off the seat while cornering on the bike which had a bag tied at the back.Also there was good traffic.
I found it a bit dangerous but decided not to interrupt him as this might spoil his spirit.I also realised he is good at cornering.

Stopped at a hotel for lunch.There was a board which said "chicken 65 Available",
later we came to know that its actually the rate of chicken per plate.hahaaa
In no time we reached sawantwadi.Now Goa was just 70 kms from here.On the way from Sawantwadi to Goa Samudra complained about some vibration
in the handle of his RTR. we tried looking for some mechanic but couldnot find any.Headed for Margao(south Goa)
reached there by 5:30 pm.

Booked a room at hotel Paulina for 350 INR after some bargaining.We dumped the lugguage there and headed for Colva beach.
Spend sometime there then had dinner at the beach rest,enjoyed the Goan fish,live music and the company of some b'ful women around.

The hotel manager suggested us to visit a place just 70 kms from Honavar on NH17 tomorrow.He said we should not miss that place when passing so closely.
We Added it in itenary and made big plans as we were ignorant about what gods had planned for us tomorrow.

so you finally did the trip as planned right....i remember u asking about the places of interest n other stuffs in kerala...and didnt you visit places like vagamon, kumarakom,etc when you came to munnar? it was just near that and think u missed it as you came so close to all those..
lovely pics and report dude....waiting for the rest of the log....hope you guys had a safe ride ..

**tourer_kashif** · 10-14-2009, 11:18 AM

Originally posted by VarunRTR View Post

so you finally did the trip as planned right....i remember u asking about the places of interest n other stuffs in kerala...and didnt you visit places like vagamon, kumarakom,etc when you came to munnar? it was just near that and think u missed it as you came so close to all those..
lovely pics and report dude....waiting for the rest of the log....hope you guys had a safe ride ..

Ya varun..I did it

.
I didn't missed those awesome places Varun,instead I left them for my next trip to God's own country.A dedicated one.
Your info did help me a lot in planning..thanks bro.

Originally posted by dual disc 200

Superb pics and amazing logs mate, maybe u should have stopped by Coimbatore and met the coimbatore X-Bhpians!! Was time the issue or it's just that u guys never knew that we are @ coimbatore too?

I knew about Coimbatore chapter,however time constraint didn't allow me to meet you guys.
Plan a trip to Pune man...

.I'll be your host.

Originally posted by kri$hna

I guess you ppl had to ride through lot of rains .. is it ?

Ya atleast 5 days of rain out of 8.But thankfully it wasn't continuous.

Originally posted by RanjithMN

Superb stuff!

enjoyed it completely!

Thanks

Originally posted by HydroXidE

Great trip Kashif and Samudra...

Awesome pics too ..

BTW.. did you take vids while riding ? .. post them too ..

Thanks.I'll post videos.

Originally posted by ritwik23

very nice pics bro.nice log too.

Thanks bro

**dual disc 200** · 10-14-2009, 11:30 AM

^^ we shall and will let u know soon!!

**tourer_kashif** · 10-14-2009, 01:34 PM

Day 5 :

October 02 : Day 5
Munnar - Madurai

Distance : 183 kms
Total till now : 1702 Kms

It rained all night yest.We started at 7:15 am,Next 20-30 kms were among the best of the trip.
Tea gardens and waterfalls all over.It was toooooooo good.It was still raining.Roads were not good.

After 60 kms of ride the roads got super smooth.it was still ghat section I had stopped to take photos.Sam was leading.
After a turn I saw a very unfortunate view.Sam had an accident.
A qualis standing at the middle of road and 4-5 guys helping out Sam getting out of the shock.
My reaction was...sam is standing on his feet....thank god he is safe.
Sam told that he had a head on collision with the jeep and then he collided with side railing behind which lied the deep valley.
the moment was scary.All thanks to god otherwise anything could have happened.
Actually he was ridng down hill and his tyre skid while braking.The jeep had almost stopped by the time he hit it.
The body protectors saved him.deep scraches on the keep gards,elbow guards and the helmet.Gloves torn.
Both handle bend,guard bend,front fairing broken.Accelarator struck.Shock abs leak...
His DSLR also fell of but thanksfully no damage.
I feel the guy was really really Lucky.

View From Railing Where We had The Accident

we released the accelator cable by hitting the handle with a stone.
Next 20 kms was down hill we rode at speeds 20-30 till we found a TVS service centre.

The service guy made an estimate of 5000 and told to wait till 3 pm to get this done.
I was worried that even though Sam is fit but in a few hours the impact will have its result and it might get painful.
I located a docter nearby,he went there and came back with apolybag full of medicines.
the next 5 hours were spent roaming around.

Around the township,I forgot the name of this place.Madurai is 90 kms from here.

First service of my bike : Getting the chain tightened.

At 5:30 pm they got the bike ready.we headed slowly towards madurai and by 7 we were in Madurai.

Bikes ready to Move again.

A warm see-off from TVS guys

The first hotel i visted,had a big photograh of RAJNIKANTH on the wall behind the manager's chair.
that moment I realised now I am in Tamil Nadu.
Settelled in hotel and left for Minakshi Temple.The temple is huge and a must visit for all the south Indian traveller.
We witnessed a puja that is done every night at 10.They were playing traditional south Indian music.the experience was mindblowing.

Entrance Door

Beautiful Paintings

Scale Model.

In dinner we had uthappa and dosa.Both were very tasty and healthy.
Before this trip I had the notion that South Indian food doesnt taste good (to atleast north Indians).

And then I realised,they prepare really good, tasty and healthy food.that too very cheap.
Sam was in pain his joints were paining badly.i decided to wait till morning and depending on his condition either
We return back towards b'lore,or he wait for me in Madurai for a day or watever he wishes tomorrow.
The fear and disappointment of trip failure could not let me sleep.I had prepared my mind to return from here.
And this can happen to anyone and no one to blame.its luck.

**tourer_kashif** · 10-14-2009, 03:57 PM

Day 6 : The Best Day Of The Trip

October 03 : Day 6
Madurai - Ghost Town - Madurai

Distance : 403 kms
Total till now : 2105 Kms

I went to Minakshi temple again at 5 am in morning letting Sam to sleep well.
Took some photos,wandered around for sometime and got back to room at 7am.

Local Attire

I dont know why they wrote ISO-Certified Under Gandhiji's picture.

Sam said he is ok and can drive.He really wanted to go to ghost town but his/my mind stopped him to go furthur.
His body needed some rest to heal as we had to do another 1500-2000 kms.
finally we decided that sam will head back to B'lore 450 kms from there and I will go to rameshwaram -then back to madurai
and then head towards b'lore.(750 kms)

We moved in different directions from here.

I rode almost continuously for 170 kms and reached Rameshwaram in no time.
On way to Ramesahwaram I faced very heavy cross wind.Then at one point I saw that I riding on a 500 mts wide streach with sea on both side.It was amazing feeling.

Heavy Cross-wind

Then saw this

Railway and the road bridge that connects Rameswaram Island to Main land.

Remains Of The Devastated Rail Bridge That was washed Away Along With A Moving Train In 1962 Tsunami.

Bypassed rameshwaram City and headed towards the Ghost Town.

UTLIMATE JOURNEY
Some Bcakground Of Ghost Town
Dhanuskodi was a town at the tip of Rameshwaram Island.In 1962 a tsumani wiped out whole town and the gvt of India decleared it unfot for living.
The population moved to rameshwaram.The whole city is now under the sand.This was the place where lord Rama created ram setu.
As I approached Dhanuskodi heavy wind with sand started blowing.It was very difficult to open the wiser.

I am coming...

At one point the road ended and from here I needed to drive on hard sand bed for 7 kms to reach that place.
The local police checkpost took some bribe to allow me to move ahead.
Some local jeepwala ply from here for tourist.But Iwanted to do it on my bike.After I convinced them that I am good at biking and would be able to
drive in sand they agreed after taking 200 as bribe.
Next 7 kms were the best part of Journey.There were small soft sand patches every 400-500 meters where it was very difficult to ride.
I got struck atleast 5-7 times.After 2-3 kms it was only me my bike the sky and un-ending white sand anywhere you see.
no roads nothing.At one point i was lost had to wait for 30 mins then saw a jeep, signalled him and he came to rescue.
he told never to get off these tyre marks otherwise I will be lost in this 80sq km of desert.finally I reached the sea side.
the place was untouched.

First View Of The Ultimate destination.

Sri Lanka is 15 kms from here.If I carry an Indian passport I can take a boat to Srilanka from here.Though Its not re-comended due to security reasons.

Deserted

An Old Church

Some Signs Of civilasation That existed 40 yrs back.

struck In Someone's Basement Pillar I guess

I call It A Dream Land.

Back To Civilasation

Return journey Begins

Bike Wash At Rameshwaram

Also saw some deserted buildings in the vicinity.
They might call it a haunted town but for me it was a dream land.
At this point my trip successfully ended.
I spend 4-5 hours here.Riding back to B'lore 600 kms from here was no option.I was very tired after pulling of the struck bike so many times.
Decided to go back Madurai and headback to B'lore tomorrow morning.

**dual disc 200** · 10-14-2009, 04:08 PM

amazing pics and log trip mate!!! bring on more mate!

**tourer_kashif** · 10-14-2009, 04:18 PM

Day 7,Day 8 & END

October 04 : Day 7
Madurai - Bengaluru

Distance : 430 kms
Total till now : 2535 Kms

Today I had to meet my old frnds in Bengaluru.
Started at 6 am from Madurai.After 15 kms of bad roads I was gifted with 4 lane expressway.
I opened the throttle and reached B'lore by 1:30 pm.
Nothing about the ride except superb highway and beautiful view around.

Had party till midnight.So plan to do B'lore Pune in 1 day was cancelled.
Decided to start a little late and stop at Kolhapur for the night.

Day 8
B'luru - Kolhapur

Distance : 620 kms
Total till now : 3155 Kms

I started from Banaeghatta at 6 am.Sam was waiting for me a Yashwantpur.
To my astonishment there was a lot of traffic that early in morning too.
Lost my way but somehow manage to reach Sam at 7 am.
Till that time the traffic had increased a lot It took another 1 hr to get out of B'lore.
Then started fast run with breaks after every 100 kms.

Huge Blades Of Wind Mill

First Breakdown for Pulsar.
Actually we climed up a cliff for photos.After the shoot when I started the bike this is what I got.A puncture.Thank god, its in front wheel otherwise it would have been difficult to climb down.
Got a pucturewala nearby.

We recoverd from it in 30 mins

My Last Pose Of The Trip

A lot of construction was going on between chitradurga and Haveri that slowed down our pace a lot.

My bike after 150 kms of streach between Chitrdurga and Haveri.

After we crossed Haveri we rode like never before looong rides.Just took 2 or 3 breaks to reach Kolhapur.
Settled in a Motel and then started early monring and reached Pune at 10:30 am.It rained heavily between Kolhapur and Pune but I had no option but to run for office.
11:15 am I was back in office stitting in front of computer like every stupid Soft engg...

I have removed all the maps from the wall of my room also kept the ridinding gears in a cartoon box up the roof.I am saving for my
next long trip in late winter.

Total Distance Covered: 3410 Kms

Signing Off For Now
Hope You Guys Like It

**SandycoreBiker** · 10-14-2009, 08:22 PM

Awesome tour buddy. Salute your touring spirit. Well done!! Hope to tour with you someday.

**Samuel** · 10-14-2009, 08:29 PM

nice trip log kashif bhai just read the whole of it really enjoyed.

. OH u missed the kumarakom side 1 amazing place and the baCkwaters r just too good there. Anywayz do visit it next time if u r going south. So where is the next trip planned to this winter

.

**Nio** · 10-15-2009, 01:02 AM

amazing trip and beautiful log Kashif.. well written and sorry to hear about Sam's Crash... He should be very lucky to have escaped from such a crash..
Expecting more pics

**outworldly maniac** · 10-15-2009, 04:45 AM

cool...
nature is so beautiful

**Mibhin** · 10-15-2009, 08:35 AM

An Awesome trip there buddy... what to say... i always wanted to do such a long trip...

but its never been more than 4 days...... just waiting to get back to india and start touring

........

waiting for the rest of the log pictures

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Venturing Into southern Beauty

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