History culture and pride
All of it you will notice…
What is better you can’t decide When you take a walk around Paris…
The galleries and the cafes
It seems like a sweet promise…
Your eyes will open up and gaze When you take a walk around Paris…
You will forget your every problem
And smile amid the deepest of crisis..
On every street you will feel welcome When you take a walk around Paris…
You will discover your own inner artist
Whether you are an expert, or a novice
The warmth makes you forget you’re a tourist When you take a walk around Paris…
I love my writings, and now that I call myself a writer, I can’t wait to write after anything interesting happens. While I was in Paris recently, I had a lot of such moments, but since I never carried my laptop outside and was too tired when we got back to our hotel, I could do very little writing. The best I could write was a paragraph each day to capture something interesting from the day. Lack of time forced the writing to be short and precise. I am listing some of such musings below which I wrote in Paris –
“Today I saw two pairs of legs getting out of the metro, and I couldn’t help but follow them. The high heels, the stockings, the red streaks in her blond hair and the clothing breathed of chic fashion from inside out. They walked slowly so I overtook them in no time and turned to take a glance at what I hoped would be faces of two young women. But alas, I was in Paris, and they were at least 60 years old. Yet they had eyebrows properly made, that highlighter type thing was visible on their eyes, and the red lipstick was ever evident. After being in Paris for 4 days now, this doesn’t come as a surprise. Not anymore.”
“I like to walk, and I like to jog. Especially in a new city. Recently when I was in Jaipur, I went out for a jog at 6 am and got reconnected with the city where I once spent 4 years. Today, on a chilly Sunday morning, I got up early at 7 am (late by my standards, but we are on vacations!) and went out for a jog near my hotel. Being a Sunday and that early, most of the shops were closed and streets deserted except the trash pick-up trucks and some fellow joggers. It’s amazing how much you notice in an early morning jog than you would in an afternoon walk.
I saw the pick-up trucks doing their job so efficiently, stopping and picking up waste every 100 meters and then holding on to the back of the trucks and moving on. The fellow joggers – I must have seen people from France, US, somewhere in the middle east, another Indian couple, and some Englishmen certainly today morning. I noticed the construction work happening near a metro station I jogged by, and I noticed the closed Carrefour store as well as a MacDonads and Subway restaurant.”
To Eat Like The French Do Is To Cherish / Enjoy Life
“I notice that we are zipping past a lot of Parisians as we walk by. We are used to walking fast, living in Delhi and Mumbai. But here people seem relaxed as they walk. Some couples will stop for 10 seconds and steal a passionate kiss, right in front of us. They walk slowly soaking in the cool breeze and the smell of coffee from the roadside cafes. They seem to cherish life and this exact moment unlike us who always seem to be heading somewhere else. That makes me think – where am I going? And do I have to?”
“I know French, so does my wife. But we speak French like Indians speak any language – in different tones depending on our moods and situation we are in. But it is a totally different experience hearing French words from local people here. At first, I thought they were singing something. They speak so politely and softly, and Francaise anyways is a very phonetic language. Even if they fight (I saw only instance of people arguing), it doesn’t look like an argument.”
“Bonjour, Bonjour – it means have a good day. I was surprised to get this greeting from people walking on the streets, from people in the metro, from shop owners as we walk pass by their shops. This is the norm here, people just smile and wish others for the day ahead. Paris was cold, but such pleasantries made our days warm. Nobody ever got killed for smiling and wishing a stranger!”
“These pigeons are fat. Certainly fatter than the ones back home. Some are so fat they can’t even fly. But they are cute, and lovely. They come near you, and look for food. For Parisians treat them as well as they treat themselves. We gave them chocolates, and they were happy eating it off my hand. They sit, walk right beside you without getting scared. Sometimes they fly too!”
“They wore black dress with armor, which looks similar to the ones I wear when I go long distance on my motorcycle. They had guns too. But the best accessory the French Police was wearing, was their smile. They were on motorbikes, on cycles, on horses and in cars and vans. One child was crying in the Tuilieries Gardens, and two policemen turned around their cycles to check on the guy and his dad. How sweet and poetic!! “
After spending a week in Paris, one thing I enjoyed most was exploring the city on foot. Given my liking to long walks which I developed in Bangalore, I loved to explore and observe all the little details of Paris which is possible only when walking. The luxury of walking without a time line and a destination makes it such a fun activity. You can stop anywhere you want, stare at whatever catches your attention, get into a conversation with locals, or just continue walking. Below are a few highlights of Paris which I explored by walking around.
We could see people from almost every country
Walking by Siene
The river Siene is Paris’ lifeblood. It flows right across the center of the city, and most major landmarks are situated around it. A stroll along its banks is the best way to discover Paris anyday. There are numerous bridges along the length of the river, each of a different architecture and historical significance. On both sides of the bridge, there are tourist spots as well as numerous cafes and restaurants. Every pillar, piece of rock or metal is beautifully designed and it is difficult to keep our eyes (or cameras) off them.
One of the many beautiful bridges across the Siene
The Cold Wind makes Walk feel even better
Considering Paris is rather cool throughout the year, there is a cool breeze always blowing. And if it rains, like it did when we were in Paris, the winds can turn to chilly. Walking is the best way to get some body heat and enjoy the beauty that Paris has to offer. It is always refreshing to take detours into the little alleys and absorb the little details.
A Souvenir shop, discovered only because of walking
Walk-able City
In contrast to our cities back home, Paris comes across as a walkable city. Most of the main sights are close to each other. The streets can be small but there is always a foot path to walk. There are numerous cafes along the way so you can always drop in and take that cup of coffee or beer if you get tired.
This is arguably the most famous shopping street in the worldA queue outside the Louis Vuitton store
Arc De Triomphe to Champs Elysees to Tuileries Gardens
One of the best stretch we walked in Paris was from the Tuileries Gardens to the Arc De Triomphe. The garden is right next to the Louvre, and there were people of all ages relaxing in the sun. After that, we walked on the avenue des champs-elysees which is one of the most popular shopping destinations in the world. We walked there, stopped to see the various branded shops we saw there. There were people from almost every country out there, and I must say it got pretty crowded in the evening. At the end of the avenue we have the Arc De Triomphe, with its unmistaken similarity to our own India Gate.
Paris is often called the “most beautiful”, “most romantic” and the “most artistic” city in the world and I can testify that it did not disappoint us (me and Snneha) when we visited Paris for 8 days last month. When talking about Paris and beauty, it is something very difficult to describe in an article, yet I am going to try. If I have to sum Paris up in one word, it would be “SPECTACULAR”..
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Eiffel at Night
What makes Paris spectacular?
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Art
Everything about Paris is artistic, so well designed that you can’t believe some of the details. The perfect blend of modern technology with art with the keen attention to detail – from the Eiffel Tower to every croissant or cappuccino or chocolate you treat yourself with in its numerous roadside cafes.
Details
Things which we take for granted, and won’t even notice in our own cities are designed with so much attention to detail that will make you stop and stare at them in astonishment. The exact same design of the branches of each tree on Paris streets makes you astonish in wonder – Is that by design? Details, details and details – they are not overlooked in Paris and that is what makes the experience so magical.
Food
If you are a food lover, the choices you will find on Paris streets are endless. From the coffee to the chocolate to the croissants to the cheese, you will be left asking for more every time. The patisseries, the bakeries, the wine shops and open markets all add to its charm. And you can’t leave Paris without tasting their crepes.
Fashion in Paris
People
While heading back to the airport, we decided to go via the Metro and RER. At the interchange, we had 3 big bags of luggage to tug along the many different staircases on the Metro station. At each and everyone of these, we found a local Parisian who voluntarily (without asking) picked one of our suitcases and carried it over the stairs for us. That speaks more than anything else.
Heritage
Paris is a historical city, and how they have preserved their heritage and culture is a lesson to be learned by many other cities. The numerous museums, cathedrals, palaces are icons which are integral to what Paris is. It is not just the tourist attractions, even a glance at the hotels and apartment complexes around Paris will make you realise that there is something unique about them in the way they are designed and constructed.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Fashion
Any description of Paris can be incomplete without Shopping and Fashion. Among the top 4 cities of the world for shopping (along with Milan, New York and London), it is home to numerous global brands like Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Chloe, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, L’Oreal and Sephora, among many others. You can notice the affinity for fashion among its citizens if you take a stroll across any Paris street. And it is not just the younger ones, and a sight sixty year old women in a mini-skirt and with make up all over their face is not uncommon at all.
I believe that there is no better way to see and experience the beach, the snow clad mountains, or the plains than from behind a automobile, be it a two or a four wheeler. With every glance of a long weekend, you know the time has come to pack your bags and head off in one or the other direction. Sometimes it is the destination that matters, but most of the times it is the journey that makes the drive worth it. The sheer sensation when you feel the cool breeze turn into chilly winds as you ride up the hills, or the experience of breathing fresh air that you can never find in cities is unmatchable. Needless to say, the best way to experience rain is get out of your vehicle and get drenched.
My idea of a perfect road trip has three components – the vehicle, the company you have and the where and how of reaching your destination.
The Company
If I recall my most memorable trips, it has been because of the people I have for company. The fun I had with my colleagues at Jim Corbett Park in 2006, then with a different set of colleagues at Mashobra in 2008 was unforgettable. My recent trip to Paris with my wife also ranks high up because of the wonderful company I had. It is the company which decides how many memories you will carry back and how you will remember a trip after a few years. My idea of a perfect company could be two – One with a group of friends/family and another with your partner/spouse. One could be about adventure, fun and leg pulling while the other can be about romantic walks and quite evenings. While one can be crazy, the other can be mesmerizing. While one can be loud, the other can be serene. While one can help you feel the thrill of living each moment, the other can remind you of the beauty that is love and to enjoy the various serendipitous moments it might offer.
The Scorpio can be your ideal vehicle for a drive up the Himalayas
The Destination and the Journey
The second most important component to any trip is the where and how to reach there. Precisely, where is the destination that one is heading to, and how are you going to reach there? Sometimes it is the destination that builds the whole excitement, like Paris yet at other times it is the journey and the path you take to your destination which builds up all the excitement. My perfect journey would be from Delhi to Leh by road. One could take the route from Srinagar while going and return via Manali, experiencing the best of the Kashmir and Himachal. The drive through some of the most beautiful and scenic mountain ranges, and the thrill of seeing cliffs on one side is a sight not to be missed. The fresh air, the clean and cold water flowing in the form of rivers and small rivulets which turn into waterfalls at every fall will make you imagine the scene even while reading this. The stopping at various photo points, interacting with locals and knowing their culture all adds to the experience of the journey. The Himalayas let us soak and absorb its beauty into our soul, and not just our external senses, and that is what makes a trip to Leh from Delhi the perfect road trip ever.
The Vehicle
After you have finalized on the destination, the route and the people whom you are traveling with, the last (but not the least) important component of a great journey is deciding on your vehicle. The above two components have a big say in deciding what kind of vehicle you choose. There is a altogether different kind of fun in going together in a bus (with a group) or in a small hatchback or sedan if it is just the two of you. My ideal vehicle would be a SUV which can be multi-purpose and can serve as a private space for the two of you while also as the perfect vehicle for a group. For my dream trip to Leh, a Mahindra Scorpio (which I have had the pleasure to drive on many occasions) would be just the perfect choice. It can navigate the plains with potholes as well as the climb up the mountains on tricky surfaces with equal ease. Apart from the versatility of the Scorpio, the height of the driver gives you a commanding view of the landscape and the road.
Apart from these components, there are other stuff like a navigation device, extra pair of batteries for mobiles and cameras, maps, local currency in cash and the knowledge of the local language goes a long way in eliminating and reducing any discomfort or hiccup we might encounter on the way. To sum it up, nothing could be better than a trip to Leh on a SUV with either your friends or your partner (or both) for company.
Motorcycle Riding is much more than an adventure activity. You get the adrenaline rush through bungee jumping as well as sky diving, but motorcycle riding, according to me, is a lot more than that. I have always loved traveling and I plan to travel as much as possible before my time runs out. But I am grateful that I started long distance touring on motorcycles, for it has been much more fun than simple traveling and adventure.
Riding a motorcycle literally forces you to live in the moment as you have to be focused and alert all the time. It gives you the freedom from your daily tensions and trivial issues putting you at peace with yourself. If you want to know why, compare motorcycle riding with other adventure sports. Even with bungee jumping and sky diving, you always have a safety net. A car also has a lot of safety features for the driver but in a motorcycle, it is much more risky and therefore it demands total and absolute attention of the rider.
As a rider, you have to be more alert as even a small mistake can lead to a big crash and severe injuries as you ride at high speeds on highways. Your reflexes must be very quick and any distraction from your daily life can be disastrous. Due to these conditions, you are forced to live in the moment, and forget about everything else, as the danger of death is very real. It feels like a state of bliss, where you are totally in the surroundings and you experience the wind, rains or the sun as the weather unfolds.
Never trade the thrills of living for the security of existence.
When you ride, you see vast open areas of land. Most of these are farms, some small hillocks or just plain barren lands. The serenity is broken only by a few restaurants and petrol pumps on the way. It kinds of clears your mind of all the unnecessary clutter which we allow to settle in our minds in our mundane routine. It is so peaceful when you see the rubber rolling on the tar and it feels like an escape. An escape where you can feel the chill in the air when you are in the ghats, where you can feel and get wet from every drop of rain, where you can see the sounds of various animals as you ride through the jungle, and where you can smell the scent of every tree and flower on the way. I can say that when I ride, I feel more alive, I can feel my breathing, I can feel myself once again.
So every now and then, I get onto my bike and ride out of the city. To leave behind all the tensions and so-called problems which accumulate in our daily lives. Getting onto my bike unsettles this dust and clears my mind so that instead I can focus on the only thing that matters, which is the current moment.
This was to be my longest ride till date. The best I did before was a 768 km ride in 48 hours, and this one was meant to be 1300 km spanning over 4 days. We were going to pass through national highways, forests, ghats and were also going to do some off roading along the way. I was sick of doing many single day and two day rides and wanted to do a longer ride, so this was my chance and I lapped it up.
We left Bangalore on Friday at 8 AM expecting it would be a long day considering we planned to cover more than 500 km and reach Dandeli by nightfall. We started well but were soon delayed by nagging problems with one of the bikes. Though this meant we lost a lot of time, it also ensured proper rest for all of us. We managed to reach Hubli, which is around 430 km from Bangalore only after sunset and it has also started raining by that time. We headed towards Dandeli which was another 100km of riding through not so good roads but were again stopped in the ranks by a flat tire. After another hour long break, we finally managed to reach Dandeli just after midnight, which meant 16 hours of riding. Phew… Off we went to sleep after an hour of chatting..
All the bikes at Dandeli amidst the rain
Sleeping off late obviously has to carry forward to the next day. On day 2 we were supposed to ride to Karwar, which was a port town in west Karnataka and come back by evening. But we were able to start only by 11 am and were stopped by another bike problem for an hour in between. There was some 15 kms of off road biking involved and that was a good experience similar to my off roading experience in Kemmanagundi an year earlier. But all this took time and it was raining too so we managed to reached Karwar only by 4 pm. Considering we were late and there was a beach to relax in Karwar, we decided to stay overnight and leave for Dandeli the next day.
The evening sky at Karwar
We chilled off in the beach at Karwar for around 3 hours in the evening. Karwar is only a small town 90 km south of Goa and hence the beach was quiter, and cleaner than the beaches in any other major city. It was a refreshing and relaxing atmosphere as we just sat and enjoyed the cool breeze that was blowing. We wrapped up after the sunset in this quite town, and headed for dinner and other ‘refreshments‘…
A picturesque scene at the Karwar BeachThe tar.. it feels best when it touches the rubber
Day 3 was supposed to be a chill out and easy day before another long and tiring 500 km ride coming up on day 4. We chilled out again at the beach in the morning at Karwar and left for Dandeli at noon. This time there were no bike problems and we reached our resort at Dandeli by 3pm. The route was as scenic as it gets. Again there was some off-roading which was a memorable experience. Casual talks followed in the evening and some much needed rest and preparation for the next day marked the rest of the night.
Next morning we headed back for Bangalore from Dandeli at 9am. It was supposed to be another long ride of more than 500 km and we expected to do this in 10-12 hours. The road along NH4 was as excellent as it gets and many of us were doing speeds of more than 100km/hr. As it was the fourth day of riding, there were some tiredness and we took constant water and tea breaks in between. A dog decided to commit suicide in front of one of the bikes causing some damage which resulted in a extended two hour lunch break.
Myself during a break along the way
After getting the bike fixed, we resumed our journey back and we did two continuous stretches of over 100km in 90 minutes or so. That really helped in covering the distance and we reached within 100 kms of Bangalore by sunset. We last assembled at Tumkur around 7:30 pm and after some tea and refreshments, we started our different ways leading to home. The highways were wonderful all along the way and due to it being 15 Aug, we didn’t see as much traffic in the city as we were expecting. I managed to reach home by 10 am.
After doing 1300km in 4 days on a bike, my whole body was aching like anything. But that was the fun of the ride and a reminder of all the fun we had during the ride. All the high speed riding, through highways and ghats, riding in the rain and the bone jerking off roading was an experience to cherish.
My Thunderbird.. A wonderful companion for a long ride
I woke up at 5:15 am. Shit! We had planned to meet at 5:30 am at Hebbal before riding to Nandi Hills. Spending a good saturday evening with friends might have made me press the snooze button a few times more than I normally do. I gave myself 10 seconds to decide between the bed and the bike. Me writing this post means the bike won, and I was off at 5:30 am from home, reached Hebbal at 5:45 and thankfully, they were still there. Twenty two Royal Enfields!! Wow!!
We started our engines, and started cruising towards Nandi Hills. I looked down, and saw the tarmac beneath as we left the city. Cool wind was blowing against my face and I was “in the” scene. This is the feeling you can only get on a motorcycle, and I felt glad to be on one of the best motorcycles available in our country. Every sight turned towards us as 22 thumping bullets made their way uphill.
A Thundering Start
Atop the hills, it was a little cold. After breakfast and some chit-chat, we decided to head back. You can’t keep a rider away from his machine for long! Stopped mid way to take some pics, and more chit chat. Some talked about their newly acquired riding gear, some about the classic 500, and few people made final plans for their ride to Leh next month. I am planning to do this myself next year! The ultimate ride any rider can dream of. We finally made back around 11:00 am. The city was just waking up, unaware of the fact that I have just had the best start to my Sunday. A 150 km ride!! Nothing beats that!!
Many people have asked me that when I decided to buy a bike, why did I choose a Royal Enfield Thunderbird? Well, my answer is – I didn’t decided to buy a bike, I decided to buy a Royal Enfield bike and choose the Thunderbird among its offerings. So what inspired me to go for a Royal Enfield? And how I am finding the experience so far? Discover the answers to these questions in the following paragraphs.
During a ride
Long Distance Riding
I was always loved traveling and enjoyed wherever I went. But long distance riding on motorcycles was something which always excited me. I have always heard about how adventurous these trips can be, how wind blowing in your face can give you an exhilarating experience. Moreover, on my trip to Mashobra with my 99acres team in 2008, the tour was organised by one such person who used to organise motorcycle rides regularly. A biker dude… u can say!! We hit off somewhere during that trip and since he was also from Delhi and living not far away from my place, we became good friends. So he was the one who inspired me to try this out and really “live” life. To know more about him and his tours, please visit http://www.soultrailsmotorcycletours.com
Just Do It
After the motorcycle bug hit me, I used to follow up on any news / info regarding these rides. I thought of buying a bike many times, but always gave up, because of the huge financial cost of these bikes (Rs 1 Lakh +). As I moved to Bangalore soon after that Mashobra Trip, I tried a small bike ride on a rented pulsar to Nandi Hills and enjoyed it. But I could not find an option to rent Bullets in Bangalore. I kept postponing the decision for almost over a year, and finally, in September 2009, I decided to “Just Do It!”.
Doing what people believe you can’t do
For those who don’t know, it is one of the best bikes available in India and considering my built, nobody ever expected me to buy this as my first bike. After all, the weight of the bike is 3.5 times my weight, and I do find it difficult to handle when the engine is off. And whenever I discussed this with anybody, either they laughed or suggested that I took a lighter bike instead. But then, where is the fun? It is always fun to do something which others think you can’t do. Even now, when I tell someone that I have bought a bike and it is not a 100-150cc one but a 350cc monster, the look in their eyes is worth seeing…
The Over the Helmet View
So I just went ahead and bought my first bike. It was difficult handling it at first, but after a month of riding, I was feeling very comfortable. The weight is still a issue, and luckily, I have not had a punctured tyre till now 🙂 But whenever the engine is on, I don’t need to worry about its weight. And I think it is worth the pain of dragging it in case of a breakdown (which happens very rarely). And I can always ask for a little push from someone if I find it difficult to handle it!! And the results have been good, with 4000 km worth of riding done in 6 months.
In the last 6 months, I have done rides to Nandi Hills, Shivasamudram, Yelagiri and Bandipur. The last one was wonderful as I covered over 580kms in two days. It do takes you time to get used to riding long distances, but the thrill and adventure of cruising on highways is amazing. With riding, you are “in” the scene, not just watching it from a window of your car or bus. And the fun of riding with fellow riders is amazing. When 10 or more bullets pass thumping through any road / village / town, the bikers are the center of attraction and it is an amazing feeling, I can tell you.
I went to a camping trip with a few of my friends. I asked one of my Keralite friend about his native city, he told me about a place in Kerala I had no idea about. Then some time later he asked me whether I had been to any camping trips before. I told him I had been to Rishikesh, and he talked about the Shivling made from ice. He was mistaking Rishikesh for Amarnath. This incident illustrates clearly how vast is this country and how much do we really know about places and people of our own country.
In the north, we have the mighty Himalayas. We have tourist places such as Ladakh, the Kashmir Valley, Shimla, Manali, Dharamsala and so on. We have pilgrimage centres like Vaishno Devi and Amarnath Shrine. Millions of devotees throng to these places every year. Kashmir’s beauty is so amazing it is called the heaven on earth. In the Kumaon and Garhwal ranges of Uttaranchal, we have holy places like Gangotri, Yamnotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. In the east, we have the fully mountainous state of Sikkim and Buddhist monasteries there are a major attraction. Further east, we have the pristine beauty of Arunachal Pradesh with its lush green forests and deep river valleys.
In the plains, we have the fertile lands of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Punjab is the land of 5 rivers while Ganga and Yamuna flows through the rest of the plains. In Punjab, you have the Golden Temple in the city of Amritsar. We have the historic capital city of Delhi in the plains with its famous Qutub Minar and Red Fort. In Uttar Pradesh, we have the royal city of Lucknow and the Taj Mahal in Agra is a destination many Westerners associate India with.
In the west, we have the majestic state of Rajasthan, with its forts and palaces. Its rich heritage, colorful culture, deserts, forests and varied wildlife make it a state non-parallel. There are tourist destinations like Jodhpur, Jaipur, Ajmer, Jaisalmer, Udaipir and Mount Abu with the Aravallis, India’s oldest mountain range as the backdrop. South of Rajasthan, we have the historic state of Gujarat. Art, history, music, culture, all combine with each other to form a wondrous matrix that is the cultural exuberance of the people of Gujarat. The states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh have seen many a battles between warring armies.
In the east, West Bengal stands tall with its culture, heritage and history. With the Bengali city of Kolkata as its capital, West Bengal is an experience in itself. In the north east, states like Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura are there with a large number of tribal groups each having its own distinct culture. The dense forests lying in foothills of Himalayan hills are stunning in their natural beauty, and are home to many of wildlife parks including Manas National Park and Kaziranga National Park, which are natural World Heritage Sites. Besides, lovely waterfalls and caves are another beautiful attraction of the North-East.
Go south and you have Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. All these states have their different language, culture, food and have everything for tourists ranging from backwaters to beaches to pilgrim centres to hills…. The beaches of Goa or Kerala are there, you have pilgrim centers like Tirupati and Madurai, you have hill stations like Munnar and Ooty, you have the backwaters of Kerala. Within these states, there are 5 languages spoken and the food in all the places have its own characteristic features. India’s highest waterfalls are in Karnataka and we have the most richest and most visited place of worship in the world at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
I would consider my life to be well-lived if I travel the length and breadth of this country in my lifetime..
Murphy’s Law proved itself to me on two consecutive weekends. First, the plan to ride to Pondicherry with some friends on the Christmas 2009 weekend was cancelled at the last moment. Then, a ride to Lepakshi on 3 Jan with the Royal Indians club started off badly with the clutch cable giving up as soon as I started. So the ride to Bandipur on 9th-10th Jan was awaited with much enthusiasm.
We were 4 of us on two bikes, my Thunderbird TwinSpark and one Yamaha. Bandipur is a widlife sanctuary about 220 km from Bangalore. Just after you cross Bandipur, you get into Mudumalai Tiger Reserve which falls in Tamil Nadu. We got two tents for the one night stay near Gudalur, around 15km after Mudumulai Reserve on the way to Ooty.
We planned to start at 6am on 9th January, and finally started at 6:30am. We took the Mysore Road out of Bangalore and after the initial city traffic, we were cruising at around 80km/hr. We took a break at 8:10 am for tea after around 60km. We left again at 8:25am towards Mysore. The highway towards Mysore (state highway 17) was excellent and we reached Mysore at 10:10 am. The trip meter read 160km. We stopped for breakfast for 30 mins in Mysore.
After Mysore, Bandipur was another 85km and our camp was another 25km from there. We took the road to Ooty out of Mysore. After crossing Nanjangud and Gundulpet, we took a halt for 15 min just before Bandipur at 11:45am. The road after Mysore was not as smooth as the Bangalore-Mysore road, but was still pretty good. Near Bandipur, the road was patchy at places and road construction work was going on at some stretches. We started once again at 12 noon and reached the camp at 1:15 pm. It was 270kms done.
After doing our lunch, we booked a night safari into Mudumalai in the evening, chilled out in the camp, went by riverside nearby and took some rest. In the evening, we got some drinks / snacks for the night. Our jeep for the night safari was ready at 7pm. Soon we were into Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. Very soon, a tusker was waiting for us at the road side. Our jeep driver ensured we got a good look at the elephant. He turned the jeep towards it with the headlights pointed at its eyes. Basically, he scared the poor animal away. So much for the poor animal. We continued ahead but it looked like other animals were too scared to wander near the roads. We returned after a disappointing 1 hour night safari at the camp. Had our dinner and drinks and retired for the day.
Woke up at 6 next morning, got ready and left for Mudumalai on our bikes for a van safari. The Van safari took us on a beaten path and we managed to see deer, elephants and peacocks on the way. We came back to the camp after that. After breakfast, it was time for checkout at 10:00am. We decided to go uphill to Gudalur town to get some Chambala Tea which had a factory nearby. Thereafter we left back for Bangalore through Mudumalai and Bandipur.
Going through the jungle on our way back, we weren’t expecting much. But as soon as we entered Mudumalai, we saw a massive Bison by the roadside. Some cars were already stopped there taking snaps. We took the snaps and continued on our journey. Soon we entered Karnataka and were into Bandipur. We were for a surprise. As I rode through Bandipur, I saw two elephants, a mother and baby elephant duo, by the roadside. I slowed down the bike in the hope of catching a few snaps. But, to my utter surprise, as soon as I slowed down the bike, the mother elephant started chasing our bike. I never an elephant could run so fast. As it chased us, dust / mud flew up as a heavy truck has passed through there. I was startled and accelerated. But in the process of slowing down, I had taken the bike off the road into the gravel sideby. I could see the elephant getting nearer in the rear view mirror. Soon the bike was on the road again, we zoomed off the tusker faded in the rear view mirror. There were moments of panic when my bike slid into the gravel and luckily we didn’t skidded off. In the end, my bull was chased by an elephant but it was a good enough experience.
Continuing from there, we took a break at Mysore for lunch and two more breaks after that to ease our asses which were now beginning to ache. We continued travelling after that and reached our homes back at 5:30 pm. The trip meter read 580km over 2 days. In all, it was a good ride, riding a bike through the jungle was fun and getting chased by an elephant was the icing on the cake. After reaching home, we put our tired asses to rest. Rest till the next ride comes calling!!
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