Bullet and the art of self-discovery!

My arms were stretched wide across my shoulders in the balcony of Alok's apartment in Vizag. Right in front was the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal. The fresh air and serene waters of the sea made me feel as if my life was worth living for this moment. Alok was still fast asleep and I wanted to get my feet wet with the blue waters. Should I go alone or wait for him? I did none. My SLR was idle for a day so I took it out and trigger happy. Few shots later the zombie of my eternal question returned to haunt me. Why was I doing this and what is my purpose? Three days of continuous riding, a incident where I lost hope that I would successfully complete my trip, withstanding rain and wind, unknown people and roads, why all this, why? Didn't I have a goal in life which forced me to wander aimlessly until I found one? Or was it the prospect of receiving accolades for completing a long ride? Or was it just to utilize the long leave I had earned at work? 

Hmm it was none of these. Riding on my Royal Enfield Bullet was a passion indeed but that was not the only reason to go on rides. The dictionary says self-discovery means "The act or process of achieving understanding or knowledge of oneself". That these rides were part of the process of that discovery was an understanding I never had. It dawned on me late but when it did, I felt at peace.

One can argue that one need not go out on long rides to find oneself. One can still gain that self-knowledge at the comforts of one's own home. The experiences for me were not only educating but also put me on a path to question myself "who am I", "what am I supposed to do here", "where did I come from", "where am I going"?

It was the time of the year were pangs of discontent with respect to work and life in general hits me. When it happens it lasts for a few days. No doubt that I did not like my job but I also used that as an alibi not to work as dexterously as demanded by my profile. With no solution in sight, I was left to crib on my fate. And how did I crib? Out of the city, on unknown roads and cities, meeting strangers, eating food that I don't recognize and staying at inns which were regarded as degrading for a city-goer.

But this gave me a wild sense of satisfaction, that a renegade would get when he runs away after deserting his cause. Was that my lack of understanding of life? or of myself and life in general. 

Now reminiscing on that, I think it was indeed my ignorance about myself that I was in such a state.

Three days of ride and a days rest at Vizag was not sufficient to quench my thrist for more air and country side. I rode further on from Vizag. I was at a crossroad after a few hours of the days ride. One went towards the state of Chattisgarh and the one I was on, lead to Orissa. Orissa seemed to be more enchanting and so I rode on the NH and reached the capital of Orissa, Bhubaneshwar, by sun down.

Bhubaneshwar is a well planned city. Numerous temples with tall spires dot the city's landscape. My priorities were garbled as I did not know whether to go for the visits to the temples or head to Puri and the famous Sun temple at Konark. Early next day I decided to ride to Puri and Konark.

The temples at Puri and Konark are amazing in terms of its architecture and sculptures. These places provide such great opportunities for photography that I wished that I was a photographer. Probably I could have traveled all over without having to please the bosses for a long leave. 

On the way back from Orissa I visited the Chilika lake. I could not hire a boat as it was too early in the morning and there were no tourists around. I was loitering around the place and was about to return when a young kid offered to take me on a boat ride. His father joined him. Their hospitality in spite of living in penury made me think that my dilemma was not on strong grounds. They live on 3-4 rotis a day and earn only as much to sustain their hunger. 

No huge bank balances and no comforts. Yet they were courteous enough to show me around the lake and explain the process of fishing. 

All through this, I had only one thing in my mind. How is it that they live such a contented life, even though they are devoid any luxuries that we enjoy and are yet so unsatisfied? The question was bugging me all through the ride back home. My aimless rides took me to interiors of Andhra Pradesh for about 2 days. Finally I took a call to return to Bangalore as I had already over shot my approved leave dates. Bread and butter was not the only reason that we work for. But also trying to find happiness outside of us, in the homes we make, the property we buy, the bank balance we have, investments, cars, bikes, lifestyles that a monthly hefty salary begets. All this is indeed a futile exercise given the fact that we take none of it when we leave this world. If there was one thing that this ride taught me was exactly this.

But still the question remained. What am I supposed to do here? The search for the answer continues........................................

Factfile:

My ride took me to three states over 12 days.

Places : Tirupathi, Vizag, Bhubaneshwar, Puri, Konark, Pipli, Chilika, Sri Saialam, Mantralaya

Route : Bangalore -> Tirupathi -> Guntur -> Vizag -> Bhubaneshwar -> Puri -> Konark -> Bhubaneshwar -> Vizag -> Guntur -> Sri Sailam -> Kurnool -> Mantralaya -> Bangalore

Total distance covered : 3504 Kms

Do I need a reason for a ride?

 
Well, I don't think so but it usually so happens that I venture out on weekends only on a strong reason. Otherwise I end up staying at home and doing nothing. Lazing around has become a kind of a fad with me. No doubt why I have added so many kilos to my weight ;-)

However I do enjoy all my rides, whether they had a reason or not. The last weekends ride to Gopalswamy Betta and  Mysore was actually due a reason that Vishwas, my bullet friend, was getting married. The idea was to enter the Gopalswamy Betta as early as possible and spend some solitary and quality time with myself and my 'Seeking'.

I left Bangalore at 4.45AM, the earliest I have started for any of my rides till date. I was almost half way to Mysore when I discovered that I had left my SLR behind :-( Foolish enough as I had concrete ideas of capturing nature at Gopalswamy Betta as one of the reasons for the ride. However I had to carry on and so did I and reached Mysore without a stop !!! I had my breakfast at Gundlupet and reached the forest checkpost at the foothills of GSB at 9am. A forest guard hitched hiked with me till the top. At the top he thanked me and also promised that he would make arrangements for my stay in case I planned to stay overnight.

The temple at the top is a major attraction for devotees of lord Krishna and people throng here every weekend. When I entered the temple the deity was being cleansed and so we were asked to wait for some time. After a long wait we were let into the hall adjoining the sanctum sanctorum. I paid my obeisance to the lord and left the temple. I went in search of a place where I could feel the fresh air and wilderness of the place. I located one and set down for a small siesta. It was about 1 hour hence that people started pouring in and I could hear the noises. I though it was time to get up and read the book I had bought along.
 
It was fun to watch people enjoy and frolic. Though I did strike a conversation with some of them, the best was a pack of girls from Bangalore who were the best. They just let themselves loose and were like enjoying to the max. I did help them with a group snap though.

After a while I left the place and started on my Bullet back to Mysore. On my way back I was conversing with a tender coconut vendor by the road side. Poor chap was narrating the difficulties faced by the farmers of the region off late. Sad that I could only sympathize with him.

I reached Mysore at around 6 and checked into a Hotel. Rest of the stay in Mysore was dedicated to my friends wedding and so there's nothing much to add. But there one thing I do not want to miss whenever I am in Mysore. And that's Masala Chats near the Chamundipuram circle. I did savour them this time too and then attended the wedding.

Ride to Hosdurga and Kemmangundi

Let me first introduce myself. I am Prashanth. V, working as a software engineer at SLK software services in Bangalore. Needless to say, I have an unquenchable thirst for riding on my Bullet. I own a Bullet Machismo, a birthday present from my brother in June 2003. Since then I have been on a few rides. The latest one was my ride to central Karnataka and the Western Ghats. It was more of an educational tour than a pleasure ride, as we witnessed the dichotomy of grand history on one side and the harsh realities faced by villagers and farmers of the same region, on the other. It was my friend Alok's idea to go on a ride as he had taken a compulsory week off from work. As both of us own a Bullet, we had to decide which one to take. Finally we decided to take Alok's, as his bike was the newer of the two. It was a Bullet 350 Standard. The route that we embarked on was decided on the basis of our interests and the purpose of the ride. The following graphic shows the places we visited with distances. Day 1: We were supposed to start at 8:00 in the morning. But due to last minute hiccups at Alok's place, we could start only by 10:30. Sort of darling (if I could call a 90 kg 6 ft 1 inch mortal so) of the house and not allowed to take 'risks' like biking for long distances. So he had to lie and make an excuse to be away for three days. The reason he came up with was 'Official Training at Hyderabad', which was quite convincing but risky as well. Anyway now they still believe that he was off for training. There was more as part of our preparation for 'Training'. Alok had parked his bike at my place the previous day, so that I could pick him up from near his place before leaving. So at around 10:00 I picked him up two lanes from his house and landed at my place. Alok was very eager to ride his bike. The 'Bull' was revved up for some time and then she roared to life. We enjoyed this royal roar for the next three days unflinchingly. We reached the tollgate at the NH 4 by 11:30. The view of the road widening at the tollgate came as a pleasant surprise. So to cherish our 'surprise' we took a snap of our Bullet, with the tollgate in the background. What an experience it was to ride on the quality 4-lane highway! Kudos to Vajpayee and his team. But he has been thanked enough already by way of big hoardings of himself with his hand aloft, every 5 kms or so. Though the highway is well built, it never means that it is ought to be used by vehicles only. There were enough stray dogs, jaywalkers and cattle on the road to tarnish the feeling of riding on a 4-lane highway. But this is India. I love it the way it is. We reached Tumkur around 12:30. But by that time I had suffered quite a lot without a helmet. Alok had literally snatched mine. Though he had promised that he would buy one on the way, he actually never did. I should have doubted his claim. The pillion was without a helmet during the whole ride, but I suffered the most as Alok rode the bike for almost 75% of the ride. I still curse him for this. Efforts to find a helmet store on the Tumkur main road resulted in vain. We then decided to have lunch at a Kamat hotel. We refreshed ourselves before we started again. We had to find a route out of Tumkur towards Hosdurga in Chitradurga district. It took some time before we were optimistic of the directions given. The road from Tumkur to Hosdurga via Huliyara and intermittent arterial roads are proof of improving road conditions in India's countryside. We could easily top with 80-90 kmph, as there was hardly any traffic. A small pocket of dry forest in between made the ride a pleasant bit, amid the hot fuming sun. Though we were at crossroads at times, we found our way to Hosdurga by 4:00 in the evening, enquiring with anyone and everyone for the right route. My God! What a vista! Hosdurga is a place of historical and religious importance. The panoramic view of the 16th century fort atop a hill and small hill ranges beyond it makes Hosdurga a darling of the connoisseur vision of India's villages. But the town as such resembles the sleepy Malgudi of R K Narayan's folklore. Crowed streets, loudly honking buses and other vehicles, street vendors, unkempt footpaths, bumpy roads, zigzag driving is the order here. Despite all this there is an intrinsic feeling of oneness akin to the imaginary village of Malgudi, which makes you like this place rather than despise it. We checked in to a hotel for Rs.120/day. Then it was time to visit the Haalu-Raameshwara temple, 8 kms from Hosdurga. On the way what we saw reminded us of the luxury of a city life. Private transporters are the lifeline of these towns and villages. But the way they hoard people onto the bus is beyond our cognitive abilities. People hang from windows, doors and rear ladders. We took a snap of this spectacle that made the posers visually so happy. But what reflected in my mind were the hardships these people face likened with our luxury of two-wheelers and four wheelers and the neglect of the administration to their needs. Haalu-Raameshwara temple is an old temple, which the locals regard with utmost respect. An age-old practice in the temple is to make a wish at the rivulet flowing underneath the temple and wait for the response from the deity. The response is in the form of the offerings the devotees have offered to the God earlier. Rice grains, a plantain, a coconut that surfaces on the water indicates the success of your wish. Alok's wish resulted in a rice grain. Alok's father funded a small Shiva temple next to the main deity in the same premises in the 80's. Since then their family has been regularly visiting this temple. We were back in Hosdurga by 7:00 pm. We then went around town, had snacks and then dinner. We were back at the hotel by 9:30. Incidentally the owner of the hotel also owned a Bullet. This revelation led to the usual discussion of around 1/2 an hour. Comparisons were made, improvements were suggested, best ways to maintain were discussed but none have been implemented thus far. The TV in the room entertained us till 11:00 in the night. Planning for the next part of the trip was marked by innumerous changes in the route to be taken. After planning for a dozen places to visit, we finally decided to visit Chitradurga only and then plan further. We planned to leave Hosdurga by 7:00 next morning with the idea of waking at 6:00 playing at the back of our minds. Day 2: Surprisingly we were quite on time. We checked out of the room by 7:30 and finished our breakfast at a near by hotel by 8:00. Other than visiting the fort in Chitradurga, we had not planned anything for the day. The distance of 62 kms via Holalkere was covered in 60 minutes flat. Intermittent photo stops marked the ride. It seemed as though our vehicle was the only one throughout the route. Beautiful landscapes throughout made it a memorable ride. We were at the fort premises by 9:30. The fort itself is intimidating for a first time visitor, made more prominent by the wandering guides who promise to take us around the fort in two hours, which else if taken on our own could take two days to discover. Exorbitant rates charged by the guides made us to decide to take the risk and try to cover as much of the fort as possible in as much less time. Once we embarked on a pathway readily built inside the fort, we understood the importance of a guide. Never mind we carried on, until the desperation to know at least few details brought us to a guide who gave a standing lecture about the place for about 15 minutes. We paid him handsomely and caught up with our own path. But frankly one needs a guide to understand the complicate 7-circled fort. We bought a map of the fort from the priest of a temple inside the fort and followed one of the various paths indicated. We sincerely felt that one requires at least two days to understand and cover the fort in detail. Anyways we spent around three hours in the fort and visited the major spots like 'Obavvana Kindi', 'Akka Thangi Bhavi', 'Tankasale', etc. Our putter like effort to take a snap at the famous 'Obavvana Kindi' was memorable. We left the fort at around 12:30 and decided to have lunch and in the meantime to decide on the future course of the ride. Our Bullet had to be refilled and we went in search of a good bunk. After the Bullet's turn it was our turn to fill up. We sat for lunch at a nearby restaurant and decided to ride to Kemmangundi. After lunch we spent sometime in deciding the best route to Kemmangundi. We had to ride back to Hosdurga and then detour towards Kemmangundi. Had we first come to Chitradurga and then to Hosdurga, we could have avoided the retracing of our route. But any distance on a Bullet is small. Without any qualms about our decision, we began the ride back to Hosdurga and then to Kemmangundi. The ride to Kemmangundi was uneventful except for a few enquiries about the route. We rode to Hosdurga, then to Ajampur then to Berur and to Lingadhalli, which is at the foothills of Kemmangundi. A stop to have cool drinks at Ajampur resulted in a group of curious locals enthusiastically enquiring about the Bullet, as if we were its salespersons on a sales tour. Anyway we enjoyed the uncalled-for attention and made the most of the moment to 'educate' people about a "Bullet". We reached the ghats of Kemmangundi by 4:00 pm. We overshot the road to 'Kallatgiri' falls and had to come back around 5 kms. We did not actually enjoy our visit to the falls as it was very poorly maintained. It showed the stoic reactions of tourists to keep the nature green and pristine. We had to trace our path to a place where there was lesser human involvement. We took a bath at the falls; assuming that there was no one above us ca-caing the water. We then left the place and started towards Kemmangundi Hill Station, which was around 8 kms away. The road was so bad that we took almost an hour to reach the bungalows and guesthouses. We checked in to a room and freshened up. There is a walkway all the way up to the sunset point also called the ‘Z’ point, which is the topmost spot here. A view of the Ghats from here will surely take anyone's breath away. We did a little bit of trekking to find a vantage point to get a better view of the sunset. Getting Alok up along was a Herculean task. After dark a long walk along the road is all that we did. Food is a problem if you visit Kemmangundi off-season or during weekdays. We managed to get a plateful of dinner from an hotelier there. As usual after dinner it was time to decide for the next day. We decided to follow the most common route to Bangalore from here i.e. to Chikmagalaur then to Hassan and then Bangalore. We were tired to a fault after all that trekking and walking and decided to retire for the day. Day 3: My dream of riding on the highest motorable road in India may not come true in the near future, but we had to satisfy ourselves with riding on the highest motorable road in Karnataka i.e. the road from Kemmangundi to Chikmagalaur via Bababudan range of hills. We started at around 7:30 from Kemmangundi, after checking out of the guesthouse. No breakfast at any of the hotels here meant that we had to cover the distance to Chikmagalaur as early as possible to answer our growling stomachs. But the hunger dissipated with the breathtaking and panoramic view of the Western Ghats throughout the ride. A couple of photo stops with the Bullet at the center stage took some time. Mullayyanagiri temple at the top adds to the beauty of the landscape. It is also the highest point in Karnataka. But civilization and farming even at this height startled us. We were not sure how right it was to have allowed civilization here. But what we knew for sure was that the nature was being exploited excessively due to the burgeoning human population. We reached Chikmagalaur around 9:30. We finally had our breakfast at a decent hotel, after going round and round in search of one. We then decided to visit Belur and Helebid temples on the way back. Several visits to these temples earlier did not dampen our spirits to visit them once again. That is the charisma of the temples of Belur and Helebid. But this time we decided to go around without a guide, as our pockets were immensely strained. The least to be said about these temples will take at least a booklet, which cannot be accommodated here. The grandeur of the intricately built temples speak for themselves. We departed from Helebid, our last prime spot, towards Bangalore at around 1:00 pm. It was as if a speed demon was upon Alok, he started to ride like mad from Helebid. The speedometer never clocked below 80. NH 48 was also the culprit. Nobody drops below 80 or 90 on this highway. We reached Kamat Yatrinivas, 13 kms from Channarayapatanna for lunch within an hour of departure from Helebid. After a sumptuous lunch (which is why I always come here on this route) we left for Bangalore by around 2:30 pm. We reached Bangalore by 5:45 and my home by 6:30. Back to Bangalore meant back to overcrowded roads, deafening noise and pollution, the right opposite of what we had experienced for the past three days. A memorable ride had come to an end. Indeed these are memories to cherish for a very long time. But after this ride, my belief in the Bullet was immensely augmented. The luxury it offers its riders is nonpareil. Hail Bullet! Hail Royal Enfield! Let the Bullet tribe increase.

To Hampi and Coastal Karnataka

Hampi – the name entails India’s past glory and the grandeur with which our own land once bloomed. This was the sole reason for me to take up the ride to this city of yore, to witness the splendid architecture and its magnanimity with my own eyes.

Day 1:

I set off a bit early on my Machismo, so that I would reach Hospet by early afternoon. But Murphy’s basic law had its way quite early in the ride. I left home at 6:30PM. I was barely 10kms from home, the accelerator cable snapped. Though I had a spare cable, I did not have the appropriate paraphernalia to fix it. My search for a mechanic bore fruit quite early, as I found a guy just opening his shop. But as he was not a Bullet mech, he was not even able to fix an accel cable. I somehow conjured it up to a position where I could just pull along until I found a Bullet mech. I found one on Dr.Rajkumar road but had to wait, as his shop was not yet open. About an hour later the guy turned up and fixed the cable in matter of seconds.

Had my breakfast close to the mech’s place. The earliest time I could leave B’lore was about 9am. I hit the NH4 by 9:30 in the morning. NH4 is the best road a rider could ask for. There was no stopping once you hit the highway. Though the incomplete portions of the highway slows you down, your tempo to ride on remains at high gear.

It was about 12PM when I was on the outskirts of Chitradurga, where I planned for a stop for lunch. But I decided against the stop, as I wanted to reach Hospet as early as possible. Though I took a few rest-stops on the way, I did not stop for lunch. I then decided that I would feed myself only after reaching Hospet.

I was on the outskirts of Hospet when I viewed the sea-like expanse of the Tungabhadra reservoir. I really confounded it to a sea at the first sight. What a vista that was!!! I reached the Hospet town at around 3.30PM. I checked into a hotel next the city bus stand. The Hotel was pretty cozy and quite cheap too.

Next on the itinerary was a visit to the Tungabhadra dam. The musical fountain was a good entertainment and with kids dancing around, it was more than amusing. The dam also has a well-maintained aquarium and a green park. The view of the park at night when all the lights are lit is simply awesome. I returned to Hospet and had my dinner and decided to retire for the day a bit early, so that I could start my Hampi sojourn early in the morning.

Day 2:

My best efforts to get up at 5AM were futile as I could only get up only at 6. My ablutions were completed in a hurry. It was time to hit the road to Hampi.


HAMPI, the seat of the famous VIJAYANAGARA Empire was the capital of the empire under Krishnadevaraya, the Emperor.

Saint Vidyaranya established the Vijayanagara Empire in 1336 A.D, with the help of his disciples Hakka and Bukka. The empire later became renowned for re-establishment of Indian culture, its support for music, art and literature. With the prime purpose of caring for the people and their welfare, this empire stretched across Karnataka, Andhra and Maharashtra and became a by-word for golden rule.

Hampi is just about 15 Kms from Hospet. I reached Hampi by 7.30AM. I decided to hire a guide, without whom I thought I would not be able to interpret Hampi’s history and architecture. After some negotiation on the rates, I hired a guide for a complete day. The plan was to start at the Virupaksha temple and end it at the Matunga hill.

Virupaksha temple to start with was no less a wonder than Hampi itself and so is each and every place in Hampi. The pinhole camera contraption at the temple is a wonder in the true sense. As planned we visited the following places in order – Bazaar street, Sasuvekaalu Ganapathi, Kadalekalu Ganapathi, Jain temples on the Hemakoota hill, Ugranarasimha statue, Hazaara Rama temple, underground Shiva temple, Lotus Mahal, Gaja Shaale and Horse stables. Next it was time for lunch. We resumed our ride around Hampi after a sumptuous lunch at a Hotel in a nearby village called Kamalapura. Then it was Malyavanta Raghunathaswamy temple, Bhimana dwara, Vijaya vittala temple, Stone chariot, King’s balance, Panduranga mantapa, Vishnu temple and sole bazaar via the main bazaar street.

The last stop for the day as planned was the Matunga hill. I decided to spend some time on the hill by myself. I paid the guide and traced my path to the top of the hill. On the top I had the company of tourists from different countries. The view of the sunset from the top of the Matunga hill in itself makes the ride to Hampi fruitful. With a heavy heart I decided to leave Hampi for Hospet. It was around 9pm when I reached Hospet.

My next day’s ride was to ride to Hubli and reach Sirsi and visit places along the way. So I had to start early in the morning.

Day 3:

I checked out of the Hotel and hit the road by 6.30. Quite early by my standards. The road to Hubli from Hospet was good but to my surprise the traffic on this road, NH 63, was quite heavy. Numerous small and big truckers fill up the traffic on the highway. It is the vast expanse of sunflower fields that catch your attention and reduces monotony. I did take a few stops to photograph the sunflower fields.

Hubli, the cultural capital of Karnataka, was one city I was always in wonder of. After breakfast at the Kamat hotel, I spent some time around the city. The Kittur Chenamma circle at the centre of the city is a superb monument, which makes your visit to Hubli worthwhile.

It was time to hit the highway to Sirsi through Yellapura. I reached Yellapura at around 1 in the afternoon. As there was sufficient time to reach Sirsi, I decided to visit few places around Yellapura. My first stop was at the Kavude Kere. Next on the list were Magod falls and Jenukallu Gudda. The roads here are in itself an experience. But at times it really cracks your nerves. There are places where you are alone for kilometers together. But with nature around you always, you never seem to tire.

I reached Sirsi by 4PM. But I was in no mood to rest. After lunch, my enquiries ended in me deciding to visit Banavasi about 25kms from Sirsi. And what an experience it turned out to be. On the way I picked a good samaritan who was resident of Banavasi. From then on he was my guide to Banavasi and the famous Madhukeshwara Temple of the Kadambas. I was treated to coffee at his home. After the visit to the awe-inspiring temple, I was taken to an art gallery next to the temple. The art gallery is owned and maintained by a person who makes the wax sculptures on his own. Some of the sculptures were of his own servant and his grandfather. One of his creations was a wax model of a dog, which I really mistook it to be a real one at the first sight. Hope we will have a wax museum as famous as the Tussaud’s one day, provided we encourage and nurture such local talents. This experience really made me think of such numerous unknown talents across India, who can really make it big on the national and International stage provided they get proper aid from our governments.

I returned to Sirsi with a sense of accomplishment. It was the right time to visit the famous Durga temple in the city.

The day ended on a wrong note, as I had to pay a fine to the local police for entering a one way from the wrong end. Well it was like feeding two stomachs that night, as I too was quite hungry.


Day 4:

My destination for the day was Mangalore. It is a ride of about 300Kms. I was lucky to find a petrol bunk open early in the morning at Sirsi. The ride down the Sirsi ghats to Kumta was a chilly one. It was freezing cold and even the jacket and gloves didn’t help much.

After a good breakfast at Kamat yatrinivas at Kumta, it was time to cover some distance on the NH 17. As planned I reached Murudeshwar in the late morning. I spent some time at the temple and the huge Lord Shiva statue. The rough shores of Murudeshwar is a fine sight for a nature lover. The ride along the Marvante beach is an experience of a lifetime. As usual such fine nature makes a perfect background for my Bullet. It was time to shoot her is all possible angles with the Arabian Sea as the backdrop.

Udupi was the next stop on the way. My idea to visit the temple took a hit when I witnessed the never-ending queue waiting to get into the temple. I gave my salutations to the Lord Krishna from outside and decided to fill by belly. The Kediyoor hotel in the city is my automatic choice for cuisine in Udupi. After a sumptuous lunch I hit the highway to Mangalore. On the way was the lighthouse at Kaapu. A place for many film shootings, this place is worth a visit.

Udupi Krishna Bhavan on K S Rao road was a good option to lodge for the day in Mangalore. As I had decided earlier, after checking into the hotel I freshened up and rode to the Someshwar Uchchil beach on the way to Kerala. The Someshwara temple was under construction and so I decided to spend the evening on the shores of the Uchchil beach. After witnessing the ever-beautiful sunset, I decided to return to Mangalore and try some special icecreams at the Ideals. I dinner for the night were a variety of icecreams which the steward at Ideals was more than happy to serve.

After returning to the Hotel it was time to decide on the destination for the next day. As my leaves were over, I had to decide whether to return to Bangalore or continue my ride. After a lot of deliberations, I decided to extend my leave by a day and care for any consequences only after I return to duty. I finally decided to ride to Coorg the next day.

Day 5:

I left Mangalore early, as my route to Coorg was not decided. The map showed a shorter route via Kerala to Talakaveri. But the local police told me that the route was not feasible and was infact longer than the normal route and with worse roads. But as I made out later the normal route was no better in regards to the condition of the road. As I neared Sulya, the crash-guard literally got cut at one point. But I had to ride on until I found a suitable place to get the piece soldered.

The ride from Mangalore to Madikeri, is a filled with views of some of the best scenic spots on the Western Ghats. But due to the bad condition of the roads, the distance of around 150Kms takes almost close to 5hrs. About 3kms from Madikeri is the deviation to the birthplace of river Kaveri, Talakaveri. On the way to Talakaveri is Bagamandala. This is the place of confluence of three rivers, the Cauvery, the Kanika and the Sujyothi. The temple here is revered highly by the devotees. The distance of 30kms from here to Talakaveri is worthy ride as you get to witness the mighty mountains of the Brahmagiri Sanctuary and the roads are also quite good. Talakaveri has lot to offer to a tourtist. The temple is situated in a place, which surrounded by beautiful green mountains of the Western Ghats. One can witness the beautiful sceneries all-around from the top of the peak here. 360 degrees of pure greenery.

I reached Madikeri by 4pm and checked into the Woodlands hotel near the KSRTC bus stand. After some rest, it was time for lunch. Raja seat is just about 2kms from the main market area in Madikeri. One can witness one of the best sunset views from here. Time spent in solitude here is not only worthwhile but also makes you one with nature. I ended my day after visiting the Omkareshwara Temple in Madikeri.

Day 6:

This was my last day of the ride. But more than just returning to Bangalore, I wanted to make the best use of this last day’s ride. I had chalked out to visit a number of places on the way to Bangalore. I checked out at 7AM from the Hotel and took the road to Mysore.

I reached Ilavala on the way to Mysore. Here I had to take a deviation towards Balamuri. Balamuri is famous for the waterfalls and the Ganesha temple. The coracle ride here was a good experience. As the name suggests, the river Kaveri turns towards the right direction here. Yedamuri is at a distance of just 2Kms from Balamuri. Water spots are anybody’s favorite to spend time. Hoards of college students from nearby Mysore were having a gala time here.

I continued my journey back to Bangalore via Srirangapatna. I had lunch on one of the numerous roadside dhabas. Coconut water on the way was a welcome refresh drink.

Reached my home at around 3.30 in the afternoon. Reminiscences of my ride was running on in my mind. 1500 Kms in 6 days seemed like a vague idea now. What was more important was what I gained from the ride.

I had experienced the glory of the past and the present nature’s beauty. We will surely witness the same for many more years to come, only if we take enough care to maintain this lands past glory and nature with equal vigor. Hope the false developmental strides today will not vanquish our history and present nature.

Killing somnolence with Bullet

The intent was to wander about aimlessly during the weekend. As none of my friends had planned anything for the weekend I decided to kill the early morning’s somnolence by a long ride. I decided to start my ride at daybreak without any particular destination in mind.

It was 6.30 in the morning. I packed my knapsack with a pair of clothing and the book that actually inspired me for this ride, “Motorcycle Diaries” by Che Guevara. Che’s riding memorabilia not only inspired me for this ride but also gave me a purpose for all my rides since. A must read for all long distance riders.

Riding Solo for a long distance and that too without a definite destination in mind was something I had never done before. When I was finally out of Bangalore’s maddening traffic and on to the highway, I felt like an insect coming out of a cocoon successfully after a long wait. The countryside was amazingly calm or probably I felt so, when compared to the busy Bangalore suburbs.

I passed the tollgate on the highway towards Tumkur. NH4 was now almost complete after years of construction. It was a pleasure to ride on these roads. I stopped at a roadside hotel in Tumkur for breakfast. It was then I started to take out my map and plan out the day’s destination. There were two places that I short-listed, Sagar and Jog. Sagar was a town I had visited earlier and was pretty familiar with the township. But I had never stayed at Jog. I thought I would reach Sagar and then decide whether to continue to Jog or not.

With this in mind, I continued my ride towards Gubbi and Tiptur. I had been on this road during my earlier ride to Hosdurga and Kemmangundi. The locales are rusty and scenic. Roads here are good I must say compared to village roads elsewhere in Karnataka. I reached Sagar via Shimoga by 5.30 in the evening. My stomach was growling. I settled at a local restaurant and fed myself with dosas and vadas. A cup of coffee rejuvenated me. I decided to ride on to Jog as it was only about 30kms from Sagar but the catch was accommodation. I had to either return to Sagar or go to Kargal in case of non-availability of accommodation at Jog. It was dark by the time I covered half the distance to Jog and to add to the misery the battery was almost dead due to which the light was hardly sufficient. I had to execute the steep turns in the ghats very carefully. By the time I reached Jog it was 7PM. Then I started my hunt for accommodation. The care taker of Mayura Guest House was immediately ready to allot a booked room for me as the guys had not turned up for the day, but I was told that I to check out before noon the next day. A night’s walk by the Jog Falls was a ‘breezy’ experience. The falls at night looked like a strip of cloud at a distance. After spending some time by the falls, it was time for dinner.

The next day I was up quite early as I had planned to go down to the falls. It took me about 1 hour to go down the Jog. There was hardly any “Water Falls” at the time. But it was nice to trek down and up the huge trench. I was back in the room by 10 in the morning. I decided to check out and continue my ride.

It was time for some map work. There were several routes for me to take from Jog. I decided to ride to Agumbe Ghats and witness the famous sunset. The ride from Jog to Agumbe took me through the interiors of the rusty villages of Shimoga. The road from Hosnagara to Agumbe is an awesome experience. Forests accompany you for the better part of the distance. Thirtahalli is a town on the way to Agumbe. I was lucky to be there on the last day of Dashami as I was a spectator to an impressive Dussehra procession of Thirtahalli. It was a perfect showcase of the folklore of Karnataka. Tableaus, folk dances, street plays, local music, etc were all showcased.

Agumbe is equally famous for sunset and rainfall. Agumbe receives one of the highest rainfalls in a year in India. It was the right time when I reached Agumbe sunset point. There were scores of tourists already lined up to witness the sunset. I had to find a place to park my bike! It was like a huge congregation of people witnessing the coronation of a King. I could hear “oohs” and “ahs” from the crowd below. My exclamation at the sunset was no different though! It was dark by the time I decided to leave. The nearest place for accommodation was Shringeri.

Shringeri is a temple town and learning center for the Vedas. Shringeri is one of the four Maths in India consecrated by Sri Shankaracharya. The town is situated on the banks of river Tunga. I reached Shringeri by 7PM and checked into a hotel near the temple. It was time to go around the temple and the town. The Adi Shankar temple here is an ASI monument. The temple was embellished like a bride on the occasion of Navaratri. I was really lucky to be here on this day. A local fair near the temple was Malgudi’s fair personified. Crackling Giant Wheels, Girl with two heads, a donkey that’s a Soothsayer, variety of balloons, hawkers selling bangles, peppermints, etc, all these were as if the characters from Malgudi had taken refuge at this fair.

Amused by the day’s events I returned to my lodge to log my experiences of the day. I had to return to Bangalore the next day, but had no concrete plans on the route I had to take.

It was a Sunday, and Shringeri bustled with early morning activities owing to the influx of the devotees to the temple. My last day started with paying obeisance to Goddess Sharadambe and a photo at the temple premises.

There are two routes towards Bangalore from Shringeri. The shorter one is through Balehonnur and Chickmagalur. The longer one takes us through the Kudremukh, Kalasa, Mudigere, Sakleshpur and then Bangalore through NH48. I decided to take the longer route and I realised it wasn’t a wrong decision as the road was simply superb. The road winds through the Kudremukh reserve forest and you get to see really breathtaking views of the Kudremukh Range. A token with my vehicle number is given at the point of entry to the Kudremukh Range near Shringeri. One is supposed to present the same at the point of exit at the other end of the Range. Green mountains accompanied me throughout the ride inside the Kudremukh Range. But it was when I reached the Kudremukh iron ore extraction area that my heart sank. It was saddening and disgusting to see Mother Nature being ravaged to the extreme for the sake of satisfying man’s greed. Mountains were stripped and bludgeoned to extract Iron. The harm done to nature is irreparable. The view of Kudremukh iron extraction areas had a lasting effect on me. I decided to be proactive in trying to save the Kudremukh Range from being completely wiped out.

With a heavy heart I exited the Kudremukh Range and reached Kalasa. The Shiva temple here attracts devotees from all over the country. I met a family from Bangalore who had difficulty in believing that I had come all the way from Bangalore on a bike! I left them gaping at me when I kick-started my Bullet and started on my way to Sakleshpur.

When I reached the Highway at Sakleshpur I was in two minds to take the highway to Bangalore. As I had enough time to ride to other places I decided to cut across the Highway and ride to Arkalgud in Hassan district. I had memories of visiting this place when I was in school. But when I reached Arkalgud I was in for a surprise. Locals informed me that the Hemavathi Dam was just about 5kms from there. A teacher in a local high school accompanied me till Gorur where the dam is situated. Gorur is also the hometown of the famous Kannada writer Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar. Incidentally, I had recently completed reading a collection of short stories written by him. Hemavathi Reservoir is one of the major dams in Karnataka. After my visit to the dam it was time to return to Bangalore.

It was around 4 in the evening when I quenched my hunger at a dhaba near Channarayapatna. Bangalore was 135Kms away. I reached home at around 7 in the evening.

My journey for three days that started as an aimless ride had taken me to numerous places around Karnataka, Something that I decided will be repeated. Nature is such an intoxicant that the more you experience it the more you want. A lifetime wouldn’t be sufficient to even glimpse the treasure called “India”. But I hope that some day I will be satisfied with whatever I have witnessed on this great land.