Ever since we completed the Kodai trip, whenever we met, we always ensured to remind ourselves that we have to go on another trip somewhere, sometime soon. Finally, we decided to use the long weekends in the month of August 2017. As always, there were initial hiccups on deciding the places, between Wayaanad/Ooty and finally out of nowhere the thought of Coorg lit us bright.
Planning Phase:
After much discussions, the date was fixed and by 25th July 2017, we decided and confirmed that we shall be doing a bike trip to Coorg (Madikeri) and the route plan will be CHENNAI - COORG - SALEM - CHENNAI.
Our travel schedule - Starting from Chennai on 12th August 2017 (Saturday) & Returning back to Chennai on 15th August 2017 (Tuesday)
After fixing the destination and schedule, the next thing is to take care of the transportation. We got our RE's serviced and in prime condition and by 11th August 2017, the bikes were fully rested and ready to roar!!!
Day 1:
After a strong coffee (thanks to my mom), I left my home by 5:15AM and reached my friend's place. Our plan was to start at the earliest. After completing the checklist and having another coffee (thanks to my friend's mom), we started the engines by 6:45AM.
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| Journey Starts @ 16819 - MJ's RE350Classic |
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| Journey Starts @ 36350 - My Friend's RE350Classic |
After crossing Tambaram, we decided to change the course and thought of going via Kanchipuram. The route was good and the traffic was not much due to the morning time. The only factor we didn't think through is that the route will run across the several towns and that killed the time. We then decided to have our breakfast and entered into a local restaurant and gobbled up a couple of idli and vada.
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| Partner in Crimes (Idly along with Sambar/Chutney) |
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| 17000km... Strong & Steady!!! |
It was almost 1:30PM and we had driven 290+ km and we deserve a pat on our back and decided to have a feast at this place. We ordered grand thali meals and devoured everything that was kept on our plate. During the lunch, we just had a glimpse of the test match (Ind Vs SL) and unfortunately by the time we saw, Kohli was dismissed!!!
The starters were absolutely delicious and was nicely presented. The main course was good and we had our tummy filled with food and our memories filled with the taste!!!
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| Delicious Starters!!! |
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| Let the feast begin!!! |
We resumed our journey after an hour's rest and headed towards the Nice Road. Once we hit the Nice Road, we were taken by surprise at the toll gate. They charge even for the two wheeler!! We took the toll till Mysore Road and paid Rs.38/- per bike. (I won't forget the charge because still i am shocked that I had to pay for a toll - for driving a 2 wheeler)
Before we entered the Nice Road, the fuel hit the reserve mark in my friend's bike. We were not sure whether the Nice Road stretch had any fuel stations. We were suggested to take the 1st exit (Bannerghetta Road) and take the left road which will have fuel stations. Once refueled, join back the Nice Road. We did exactly the same and refueled both our vehicles to avoid further problems.
The drive in the Nice Road stretch was really a smooth ride. The roads are spacious and we were able to maintain the speed without much usage of clutch and brake. Excellent road conditions till we reached the Mysore Road exit. Once we got off the Nice Road, the roads were not that nice!!!
We had to drive through city after city after city and it was not a very smooth drive. We had to check for directions and due to traffic we were unable to maintain constant speed. We crossed Wonderla Amusement park, then couple of universities and were heading towards Madikeri.
We reached Srirangapatna around 7:30PM after crossing Ramnagara, Channapatna, Maddurru, Mandya. It was a tiring stretch because of the traffic and also the numerous speed-breakers along the route. At the entrance of Srirangapatna, we took a break and asked for the route towards Madikeri. We were guided to take the KRS Road after crossing the Kaveri Bridge and then take the route till Elivala. We resumed our journey and we took the route as per the suggestion and reached Elivala and continued on the same route. After crossing Belikere, around 8:45PM, the route was through a Military Area which was quite dense with trees and resembled a forest route. We were the only ones driving in that route and we were unable to spot any other vehicle and that gave us a thrilling experience. With the bikes headlamp providing the light ahead, we were driving alone in that route for almost 45 mins. It was a thrilling experience!!! After that, we were relieved to get sight of 4 wheelers, trucks on the route and we continued the journey.
Almost around 10PM, we reached Koppa, outskirts of Kushal Nagar (yes, our accomodation was changed from Madikeri to Kushal Nagar which was a blessing in disguise). We then checked with our hotel staff and came to know that still we had to go 6-7 km to reach our hotel!!! Finally, by 10:30PM, we reached our destination @ Kushal Nagar.
Totally, we covered 597 KM in 16 hours!!! (I am just realizing that what we did is not an easy task!!!)
It was time to hit the bed and get a good sleep because, Day 2 starts very soon!!!
Day 2:
We wanted to start the day around 8AM, but as always, we were able to open our eyes around 8:30AM!!! But throughout the entire trip, we were never fighting with time, so we didn't mind the delayed start. We then got ready and had a quick breakfast in a local hotel and decided to head towards Madikeri which was around 35KM from where we stayed.
We started the engines by 11:45AM and headed towards Madikeri. The route to Madikeri was amazing, roads were absolutely smooth. We were lucky to spot an elephant en-route and it was the first time that the road sign (Be Careful, Elephant Crossing) turned to be true. The elephant did not cross the road, but we were happy to spot it playing alone in the jungle.
We reached Madikeri around 12:50PM and decided to visit Madikeri Fort. The fort was open to all and does not have any entrance fee, just go in, park your vehicle in the parking lot and then enjoy the fort.
Madikeri Fort
Our next stop was Abbi Falls which was around 8KM from the fort. The route again was very good, driving was pleasant. The biggest disappointment is the parking space in Abbi Falls. Even though we were driving a 2 wheeler, we got stuck in between the 4 wheeler traffic. Cars are parked by the road side which causes traffic pile up. There is a dedicated parking space near the falls but people are not patient enough to drive till there. Many cars, jeeps, travel vehicles were parked on the road side and the roads are not wide enough. Hence, there was huge traffic pile up which really irked us both. Finally, we reached Abbi Falls at around 2:30PM.
Abbi Falls:
From the parking spot, it is a walk down to the falls - which has roughly 120 steps. Once you start nearing the falls, you will be able to hear the sound of the water splashing down the rocks.
The view of the falls was spectacular!!!
After climbing up 120 steps again, we reached the parking spot where you will be welcomed with numerous eatery shops ranging from Masala Puffed Rice to meals!!! Whatever calories you burn climbing up and down the stairs can be regained from these shops!!!
We were not sure about the next place to visit and we were bit tired as well. We started from the falls around 4PM and decided to drive back to Kushal Nagar. We thought of visiting Cauvery Nisargadhama which was on way to Kushal Nagar. We had to stop in between for lunch and then went to Nisargadhama. By the time we reached the place, it was around 5:30PM and we were skeptical whether the place will be open. The park timings were from 9AM till 5PM only and we were unable to visit the place. However, there is a nice shopping area just outside the Nisargadhama entrance which had lots of stalls selling spices, chocolates, dresses and there is also a CCD outlet!!! We just roamed and surveyed the stalls before jumping into a store which sold chocolates, spices and lots of dates!!! We bought few home made chocolates and also pudina flavoured cashew nuts. Then we decided to visit the Namdroling Monastery, Tibetan Golden Temple which is 10km from the Nisargadhama Tourist place. But there was a banner which informed that Golden Temple was under renovation and cannot be visited from June 2017 till October 2017. We were not sure whether to go to the Monastery or not!!! Finally, we decided to go to the Monastery and check for ourselves!!!
The route to the monastery is via Kushal Nagar - Koppa and the roads are pretty ordinary (Once you take the right into the Tibetan colony). It was almost 6:30PM when we reached the Tibetan colony and once again we were not sure about the temple timings. By the time we reached the entrance, it was 7PM and the temple timings were 6AM till 6PM. After spending few minutes at the entrance, we decided to return back to Kushal Nagar and call it a night!!!
Day 2 - We travelled 110KM and visited couple of places!!!
Day 3:
As scheduled, we were supposed to leave Kushal Nagar and head towards Salem. But then we had to make a decision, whether to visit Cauvery Nisargadhama or the Monastery. After much discussion, we decided to visit the Monastery because of its uniqueness!!!
We started the engines @ 9:30AM and headed towards the Monastery. Since we knew the route, we reached the place around 10:30AM. It was a beautiful sight to see the temples which was way different from the ones I had seen till date. It was brightly coloured and the place is filled with monks. Due to the renovation work, no one is allowed inside the golden temple but we can watch them do their rituals from the windows. The sound, the music, the way they articulate, it was such a different experience.
After spending about an hour in the monastery, we started our journey, heading towards Salem. The route we decided to take was Hunsur - Bilikere - Elivala - Mysore Ring Road - Nanjanagudu - Chamarajanagar- Hasanur - Sathyamangalam - Gobi - Bhavani - Salem
We reached the Mysore Ring Road around 1:50PM and then headed towards Sathyamangalam.
From Mysore Ring Road, we were heading towards Nanjanagudu.
From Nanjanagudu, we drove towards Chamarajanagar
From Chamarajanagar till we enter into Tamilnadu border, the route was excellent
From here on, we were driving through the famous Sathyamangalam forest which had lots of scenic beauty. After completing the forest strectch, we were surprised to see that we had to now drive down 27 hair pin bends to reach Sathyamangalam. Wow!!! It was a great ride driving down the hair pin bends and to add more thrill to it, the lorry traffic was bit thick. This is the shortest route to reach Mysore from South and hence, most of the truck drivers prefer to take this route. Both of us had to put extra caution and completed the task of 27 hair pin bends without any incidents!!!
We reached Sathyamangalam around 7PM and headed towards Bhavani taking the SH, which went across multiple villages and towns. We started to feel the tiredness of the entire day's drive, but still we had more than 100km to cover. Adding to all this, it started raining!!!
We reached Bhavani around 8:30PM and took a break before starting our final leg of the journey, for the day. The rain was not that severe but still we were unable to drive at consistent speeds. From Bhavani, we took the Salem - Cochin highway which gave us a pleasant and peaceful ride. The highway was well lit and also the traffic was not that thick. By the time, we were at the outskirts of Salem, the rain gained momentum and we had to take shelter in a bus stop. The main concern for us is that the camera should not get wet at any cost and we ensured it was properly covered. We finally went into Salem town around 10PM and had dinner on way to my home.
By 11PM, we had called it a night and settled down for the day!!!
Day 3 - 395 KM
Day 4:
The last phase of our bike ride has always been the same - From Salem to Chennai - which is becoming a frequent route to us!!! We wanted to start early and reach Chennai around mid afternoon or early evening, however, we were able to start only by 9AM. Since it was a known route to us, we did not have any issues during our entire ride. During the course of the ride, my bike completed yet another milestone - the 18000!!!
We reached Ulundurpet toll gate around 1PM and decided to have our lunch at Woodlands (Near the A2B).
From Ulundurpet, it took us 2 hours to reach Chengelpet and we were happy that we were able to cover the distance in less time than our previous ride. That's when nature had other ideas - it started to rain heavily and we had to take shelter near Vandalur for almost 1.5 hours. The rain never showed any intent of slowing down or stopping and we decided to wait it out.
By the time the rain god decided to slow down their fury, it was almost 6PM!!!
Finally, we reached Tambaram bridge, from where we had to go in different directions, and it was a great end to a spectacular journey.
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| Journey Ends @ 18281 - MJ's RE350 Classic |
This journey would not have been possible without the BEAST which proved its worth.
I have heard this in Transporter 2, Respect a man's car, a man respects you - But I would say
Respect the Vehicle, the Vehicle Respects You!!!
My 2nd bike trip is done and complete. Now, we have started the plans for Trip # 3!!!!!
Hi Mj happy to read ur journey Wowwwww super bike, 🏇
ReplyDeleteFantastic trip, good snaps,📹 and I hope u admired a lot, the temple was Osm, 🈴 through ur feelings u took everyone to Coorg. 🔭Hats off for ur journey of 1471 KM in Royal Enfield🎓, with out good company nothing will b possible 👦👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 👏
Appreciate the comment.
DeleteYeahbsolutely true. Without good company, it would not have been possible. But the real driving factor behind the trip was the passion for both of us.
As I had stated before, we are not professional bike riders, but we try to do the best with the possible resources that we have.