This ride marks 2 comebacks for me: back to riding after a gap of almost 2 months and back to blogging after more than 2 years! The former is easy to explain: I was waiting for my run-in period to get over so that I don't have to religiously stick to a speed limit of 60 km/hr. The latter has no easy explanations. I was hit by writer's block, I couldn't think of anything to write about, I was too busy, so on and so forth. Each excuse is as good or bad as the next one. But the important thing is, I am writing this now! The ride was amazing and writing about it is a great feeling too. Enough of the introduction though, let's get to the main point.
Dates: 15-16 March, 2014
Places covered: Gopalaswamy Betta, Masinagudi and Shivanasamudra
Routes taken:
Bangalore-Mysore-Nanjangud-Gundlupet-Gopalaswamy Betta-Mudumalai-Masinagudi (while going)
Masinagudi-Gundlupet-Chamrajnagar-Kollegal-Shivanasamudra-Kanakpura-Bangalore (on the way back)
Riders:
1. Varun Doegar- Royal Enfield Thunderbird (Only married man, Failed Water-carrier)
2. Nishant Khanna- Royal Enfield Thunderbird (Bangalore's Nishant, Pee-man, 'Tiger' spotter)
3. Krishnatreya Brindavanam- Royal Enfield Electra (Psychologist with 'p' silent, Indicator of indicators)
Total distance traversed: 557 kms
I have had the itch to ride for the past two weeks. Last weekend's plan didn't pan out as the riders petered away slowly and I wasn't in a mood to do a solo ride The other BoPian in Bangalore, Fagu told me he was busy for both weekends, but Varun confirmed and soon, Nishant confirmed too. We wanted to do a 2-day ride as Monday (Holi) wasn't a holiday for both Varun and Nishant. The destination, Gopalaswamy Betta, happened to be the first destination I had planned to ride to when I first came to Bangalore in 2011. Two years passed, numerous other rides were completed, the Karizma was sold and the Bullet acquired before I could ride to this place. Very 'demanding' destination, I must say, for putting me through all of this before allowing me to ride to it.
We gathered at around 5.45 a.m. at the Silk Board junction. There was some initial confusion, as I was behind a van and Doegar was with Nishant on the other side and we were waiting for each other for almost 10 mins before deciding to call. Doegar and I were clad in our biking gear- elbow guards, leg guards, gloves, bandana, scarf, military-style lowers etc. Nishant, a debut rider, was just clad in his t-shirt, jeans and thin jacket. Doegar magnanimously gave him another bandana to protect him from the cold and we set off towards NICE road. All luggage was tied on both the Thunderbirds with the help of my 'kapde taangne waale' bungee cords.
NICE (Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises) Road is actually a very nice road to rip the bike. I gunned my bike as soon as we crossed the toll and touched 100+ for the first time on my new bike. But all three of us are natural slow-and-easy riders, comfortable with revs between 70-90 kmph. I slowed after a few kilometers, as my co-riders caught up with me. After a short photo shoot, we set off towards Mysore. I always stop for chai at a shop near the beginning of the Mysore highway, but it was closed, so we rode on. We stopped for breakfast at Kamat Lokaruchi where we relished strangely shaped idlis wrapped in leaves and washed it down with coffee. Doegar snatched his bandana back from Nishant, telling him it was no longer cold and he didn't require it. His magnanimity has limits, you see.
Nishant got into this habit of 'irrigating' roadside plants and trees whenever we took a break. He reminded us of his namesake in BOP, legendary for his open-air dumps. When we told this Nishant about that Nishant, he took his role even more seriously and made sure that every bum break was a pee break for him. After all, emulating legends is no easy task!
Owing to the short distance and our natural inclination to ride slow, we were relaxed and took frequent breaks. Nishant and Doegar would regularly forget to switch off their indicators and I took the duty to signal and remind them to switch it off every now and then. Coconut water was consumed, photos were taken and we devoured the natural beauty of the countryside. The hills were dry and brown (due to the summers), but it was still beautiful in its own way. Respecting the BOP tradition, we stopped for some beer at a lodge/restaurant on the roadside.
We reached the turning for Gopalaswamy Betta at around 2.30 p.m. We stopped for another photo shoot and were greeted by a group of local children who were fascinated by our bikes and our gear. As it is the midst of the Bandipur wildlife sanctuary, nobody is allowed inside after 4 p.m. A guard at the gate took the entry fees and told us to be back by 3.45 p.m. to avoid a penalty of Rs 500. From there on, you have to ride up a hill for around 3 kms to reach the temple. We made short work of this hill and reached the temple.
The temple commands a spectacular view of the countryside with chequered fields and abrupt, lone hills. We went inside the temple, paid our respects and came out. I insisted on having prasad; I am not a religious person but I respect traditions. Also, it was lunch time and I was hungry. I was led deep inside the caverns of the temple and feasted on a small plate of puliogare. We then set off from there towards Masinagudi where Nishant had booked a room for us in the Nest Inn.
To reach Masinagudi, we rode through Bandipur Forest Reserve. It becomes Mudumalai Forest Reserve when we enter Tamil Nadu. As we rode through the beautiful forest, we came across loads of monkeys, langurs and bunches of deer standing on the roadside as if nothing was amiss (probably nothing was, for them). As we continued, we suddenly came across a patch of bleak landscape. It took me a moment to realize that we were staring at the aftermath of a recent forest fire. Tree stumps were still spewing out smoke and the whole scene had a surreal, dystopic look to it. We rode on and reached out hotel at around 5 pm. Nest Inn truly resembles a nest. The entrance and the pathways are adorned with loads of plants, vines and creepers. We were shown our room, with a view of a large, stony hill.
After refreshing ourselves, we set off on a short exploratory walk. The primary aim was to scour for supplies for the night's BBB session. For the uninitiated, BBB stands for Beer, Bullet and Bakchodi. It is BOP's trademark and the awesomeness of it can only be felt by those in attendance and understood by those who have attended BBBs in the past. After buying our beers (Kingfishers and one local brand called British Empire, for my beer sticker collection), we returned. We ordered for starters to be delivered to the room and the session started. All manners of topics were discussed. Varun Doegar, being the only married man among the lot, gave us his insights about married life and what it entails. After a simple dinner of rice and dal (chicken for the non-veggies), we turned in for the night.
The next morning, we got up late and lazed around for a while before going out to get money from an ATM. On the way, Nishant shared a story about some national park he visited where he saw a whole bunch of 'tigers' taking a bath. The next line stumped us both for a few seconds- "Apne soondh se paani daale ja rahe the ek doosre pe". Doegar kindly pointed out that it is called an elephant and not a tiger. We then came back to the hotel and totaled our expenses. Nishant and Doegar worked out a brilliant role-playing technique to avoid all confusions, that would have made our legendary Chadda paaji cry. Chadda paaji is well known in the club for his Excel sheets where he meticulously records all expenses incurred by the riders. His presence was sorely missed as both of them passed a Rs 100 note back and forth, asking how much the other owed him at each exchange.
After settling up everything, we set off towards Bangalore at around 10 a.m. We took a different route this time, passing through Chamrajanagar and Kanakpura. The roads were fabulous and we soon reached Shivanasamudra. I had been here with Fagu and another friend last year. Doegar and Nishant hadn't seen it, so we took the turn. The road had been re-laid now but the waterfall had dried out. Nevertheless, it was a majestic view. We had lunch at the restaurant nearby, where the food was good but the service abysmal; half the items on the menu weren't available and the waiter seemed clueless. We took a post-lunch break in the grassy lawn before starting off for Bangalore.
We took less breaks this time, but the ride was still relaxed and easy. Doegar, who carried our water bottle throughout the ride, mysteriously lost it somewhere on the way. He claimed someone at the red-light in the last town we passed must have stolen it, but who knows? We had some coconut water instead. As we passed through Kanakpura, some 40 kms from Bangalore, Doegar had a near-fall as he skidded on some sand in the middle of the road and almost fell in front of an auto. Fortunately though, he managed to regain his balance. We took the last break after this, for a can of beer at a roadside bar.
We reached Bangalore at around 7 pm, said our goodbyes and headed off home. The ride was a much-needed break for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The end of my bike's run-in period was celebrated in a manner befitting the Bullet and no less significant is that the ride made me get back to writing after a long hiatus.
Until next time! Cheers and Jai BOP!
Dates: 15-16 March, 2014
Places covered: Gopalaswamy Betta, Masinagudi and Shivanasamudra
Routes taken:
Bangalore-Mysore-Nanjangud-Gundlupet-Gopalaswamy Betta-Mudumalai-Masinagudi (while going)
Masinagudi-Gundlupet-Chamrajnagar-Kollegal-Shivanasamudra-Kanakpura-Bangalore (on the way back)
Riders:
1. Varun Doegar- Royal Enfield Thunderbird (Only married man, Failed Water-carrier)2. Nishant Khanna- Royal Enfield Thunderbird (Bangalore's Nishant, Pee-man, 'Tiger' spotter)
3. Krishnatreya Brindavanam- Royal Enfield Electra (Psychologist with 'p' silent, Indicator of indicators)
Total distance traversed: 557 kms
I have had the itch to ride for the past two weeks. Last weekend's plan didn't pan out as the riders petered away slowly and I wasn't in a mood to do a solo ride The other BoPian in Bangalore, Fagu told me he was busy for both weekends, but Varun confirmed and soon, Nishant confirmed too. We wanted to do a 2-day ride as Monday (Holi) wasn't a holiday for both Varun and Nishant. The destination, Gopalaswamy Betta, happened to be the first destination I had planned to ride to when I first came to Bangalore in 2011. Two years passed, numerous other rides were completed, the Karizma was sold and the Bullet acquired before I could ride to this place. Very 'demanding' destination, I must say, for putting me through all of this before allowing me to ride to it.
We gathered at around 5.45 a.m. at the Silk Board junction. There was some initial confusion, as I was behind a van and Doegar was with Nishant on the other side and we were waiting for each other for almost 10 mins before deciding to call. Doegar and I were clad in our biking gear- elbow guards, leg guards, gloves, bandana, scarf, military-style lowers etc. Nishant, a debut rider, was just clad in his t-shirt, jeans and thin jacket. Doegar magnanimously gave him another bandana to protect him from the cold and we set off towards NICE road. All luggage was tied on both the Thunderbirds with the help of my 'kapde taangne waale' bungee cords.
NICE (Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises) Road is actually a very nice road to rip the bike. I gunned my bike as soon as we crossed the toll and touched 100+ for the first time on my new bike. But all three of us are natural slow-and-easy riders, comfortable with revs between 70-90 kmph. I slowed after a few kilometers, as my co-riders caught up with me. After a short photo shoot, we set off towards Mysore. I always stop for chai at a shop near the beginning of the Mysore highway, but it was closed, so we rode on. We stopped for breakfast at Kamat Lokaruchi where we relished strangely shaped idlis wrapped in leaves and washed it down with coffee. Doegar snatched his bandana back from Nishant, telling him it was no longer cold and he didn't require it. His magnanimity has limits, you see.
Nishant got into this habit of 'irrigating' roadside plants and trees whenever we took a break. He reminded us of his namesake in BOP, legendary for his open-air dumps. When we told this Nishant about that Nishant, he took his role even more seriously and made sure that every bum break was a pee break for him. After all, emulating legends is no easy task!
Owing to the short distance and our natural inclination to ride slow, we were relaxed and took frequent breaks. Nishant and Doegar would regularly forget to switch off their indicators and I took the duty to signal and remind them to switch it off every now and then. Coconut water was consumed, photos were taken and we devoured the natural beauty of the countryside. The hills were dry and brown (due to the summers), but it was still beautiful in its own way. Respecting the BOP tradition, we stopped for some beer at a lodge/restaurant on the roadside.
We reached the turning for Gopalaswamy Betta at around 2.30 p.m. We stopped for another photo shoot and were greeted by a group of local children who were fascinated by our bikes and our gear. As it is the midst of the Bandipur wildlife sanctuary, nobody is allowed inside after 4 p.m. A guard at the gate took the entry fees and told us to be back by 3.45 p.m. to avoid a penalty of Rs 500. From there on, you have to ride up a hill for around 3 kms to reach the temple. We made short work of this hill and reached the temple.
The temple commands a spectacular view of the countryside with chequered fields and abrupt, lone hills. We went inside the temple, paid our respects and came out. I insisted on having prasad; I am not a religious person but I respect traditions. Also, it was lunch time and I was hungry. I was led deep inside the caverns of the temple and feasted on a small plate of puliogare. We then set off from there towards Masinagudi where Nishant had booked a room for us in the Nest Inn.
After refreshing ourselves, we set off on a short exploratory walk. The primary aim was to scour for supplies for the night's BBB session. For the uninitiated, BBB stands for Beer, Bullet and Bakchodi. It is BOP's trademark and the awesomeness of it can only be felt by those in attendance and understood by those who have attended BBBs in the past. After buying our beers (Kingfishers and one local brand called British Empire, for my beer sticker collection), we returned. We ordered for starters to be delivered to the room and the session started. All manners of topics were discussed. Varun Doegar, being the only married man among the lot, gave us his insights about married life and what it entails. After a simple dinner of rice and dal (chicken for the non-veggies), we turned in for the night.
The next morning, we got up late and lazed around for a while before going out to get money from an ATM. On the way, Nishant shared a story about some national park he visited where he saw a whole bunch of 'tigers' taking a bath. The next line stumped us both for a few seconds- "Apne soondh se paani daale ja rahe the ek doosre pe". Doegar kindly pointed out that it is called an elephant and not a tiger. We then came back to the hotel and totaled our expenses. Nishant and Doegar worked out a brilliant role-playing technique to avoid all confusions, that would have made our legendary Chadda paaji cry. Chadda paaji is well known in the club for his Excel sheets where he meticulously records all expenses incurred by the riders. His presence was sorely missed as both of them passed a Rs 100 note back and forth, asking how much the other owed him at each exchange.
After settling up everything, we set off towards Bangalore at around 10 a.m. We took a different route this time, passing through Chamrajanagar and Kanakpura. The roads were fabulous and we soon reached Shivanasamudra. I had been here with Fagu and another friend last year. Doegar and Nishant hadn't seen it, so we took the turn. The road had been re-laid now but the waterfall had dried out. Nevertheless, it was a majestic view. We had lunch at the restaurant nearby, where the food was good but the service abysmal; half the items on the menu weren't available and the waiter seemed clueless. We took a post-lunch break in the grassy lawn before starting off for Bangalore.
We took less breaks this time, but the ride was still relaxed and easy. Doegar, who carried our water bottle throughout the ride, mysteriously lost it somewhere on the way. He claimed someone at the red-light in the last town we passed must have stolen it, but who knows? We had some coconut water instead. As we passed through Kanakpura, some 40 kms from Bangalore, Doegar had a near-fall as he skidded on some sand in the middle of the road and almost fell in front of an auto. Fortunately though, he managed to regain his balance. We took the last break after this, for a can of beer at a roadside bar.
We reached Bangalore at around 7 pm, said our goodbyes and headed off home. The ride was a much-needed break for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The end of my bike's run-in period was celebrated in a manner befitting the Bullet and no less significant is that the ride made me get back to writing after a long hiatus.
Until next time! Cheers and Jai BOP!
