Between Belur-Halebidu, Dimbam and Tadiyendamol, Gautham chose the last one, cause it was the first to pop-up on his Sony Xperia touchscreen. The next day, an anxious Gautam waited for me, and when i did show up, heaved a sigh of relief and off we left at 6:45 AM.
Breakfast was at Cafe Coorg, where a late 50s biker showed up on a Suzuki GSX, i'm guessing with 600 horses underneath it. He had the complete biking gear, and smoking a cigarette, was lost in thought. We could not help but admire the rider and his stead. His deep voice indicated knowledge and experience.
From there, Gautham suggested the Gonikkoppa route. It was terrible, specially so that i had broken my cardinal rule of having someone else ride the bike. On that rode, i christened Gautham with the title, "The Novice." Keeping a steady accelerator on humps, bumps and potholes, changing gears multiple times, sudden changing of lanes ensured Gautham deserved the title; when i asked why he doesn't use the disk brake and only the rear ones, pat came the reply,"I never use disk brakes. Ever." My heart skipped a beat, and i could hear my bike heave a silent sigh.
Rural Coorg. There is nothing as pleasant as that. The air, the water, the fields, the chicks too; it is all natural. I, The Bard, could not help it. I broke into a song, quite a few in fact while criss-crossing the coffee plantations. Thankfully, there was some good in taking this route. We spotted Balarama at an elephant camp. It was majestic. Plus, i realized how difficult and scary it is to ride pillion, especially on my bike. My back started to hurt, a lot.
The Novice tried his best to push the bike, but it refused to climb some steep inclines. Thankfully, we decided to walk the rest of the way, and common sense prevailed over The Novice and we found a house to park the bike, rather than abandoning it.
A small stream goes by the side of the trail, and The Novice, being a trekker, climbed down like a Lemur and found a stream. I hesitated, but relenting, made my way down. And it was worth every moment. The water was ice-cold, and fresh. All the tension i had got washed away. A few gulps, and a soothing feeling had made its way to the heart. It was so rich in minerals, that the heat boils in my mouth healed. I sat there, forgetting time, just listening to the crickets and the gentle stream, with a lone crab watching to nip my toes.
Nirvana was found.
I huffed and puffed, and The Novice agreed that its better we do a U-turn on the trail. We had lunch, thanks to The Novice's mum and made our way back, resolving that next time, we will conquer the peak. We bade goodbye to a bunch of software engineers who continued the trek in Jockey boxers, sleeveless T-shirts, I-pad and Frooti......... hope they made it back home.
Journey to Mysore. The Novice pulled out his Xperia, referred to Google maps and we took the Virajpet-Periyapatna-Hunsur road. The sun setting on ghat sections, the orange tinge on paddy and coffee, and the workers returning home made for a memorable ride. I cringed as The Novice put the bike on potholes with sheer force. Gautham shouted out to people on the move, asking for directions, while The Bard behind him was bemused. Night dinner, at around 7:30 PM, was back at Cafe Coorg. Dosas' of Tomato, Cheese, Egg and Davangere Benne. Thankfully, The Novice felt sleepy and decided to sit pillion.
So, it was, under the watchful eyes of Mother Coorg, and a gracious Father above, we rode back home, with lights staring at us on the highway, and lighting in the sky.
Home-stay and lodges are available, in case you want to start the trek at 6 AM and not bother about lunch. You can explore surrounding places too.
4x4 jeep rides are available for the adventurous. Camping equipment may be borrowed from the Home Stay.
Lesson's learnt: Use your pillion as a substitute rider only under emergency circumstances.
Ensure he respects the road, the bike and safety.
Even your pillion has an iron-butt, respect the butt.
Trust your instinct and your bike. Leave Google Maps to know where your to-be Father-in-Law lives and works.
Breakfast was at Cafe Coorg, where a late 50s biker showed up on a Suzuki GSX, i'm guessing with 600 horses underneath it. He had the complete biking gear, and smoking a cigarette, was lost in thought. We could not help but admire the rider and his stead. His deep voice indicated knowledge and experience.
From there, Gautham suggested the Gonikkoppa route. It was terrible, specially so that i had broken my cardinal rule of having someone else ride the bike. On that rode, i christened Gautham with the title, "The Novice." Keeping a steady accelerator on humps, bumps and potholes, changing gears multiple times, sudden changing of lanes ensured Gautham deserved the title; when i asked why he doesn't use the disk brake and only the rear ones, pat came the reply,"I never use disk brakes. Ever." My heart skipped a beat, and i could hear my bike heave a silent sigh.
Rural Coorg. There is nothing as pleasant as that. The air, the water, the fields, the chicks too; it is all natural. I, The Bard, could not help it. I broke into a song, quite a few in fact while criss-crossing the coffee plantations. Thankfully, there was some good in taking this route. We spotted Balarama at an elephant camp. It was majestic. Plus, i realized how difficult and scary it is to ride pillion, especially on my bike. My back started to hurt, a lot.
The Novice tried his best to push the bike, but it refused to climb some steep inclines. Thankfully, we decided to walk the rest of the way, and common sense prevailed over The Novice and we found a house to park the bike, rather than abandoning it.
A small stream goes by the side of the trail, and The Novice, being a trekker, climbed down like a Lemur and found a stream. I hesitated, but relenting, made my way down. And it was worth every moment. The water was ice-cold, and fresh. All the tension i had got washed away. A few gulps, and a soothing feeling had made its way to the heart. It was so rich in minerals, that the heat boils in my mouth healed. I sat there, forgetting time, just listening to the crickets and the gentle stream, with a lone crab watching to nip my toes.
Nirvana was found.
I huffed and puffed, and The Novice agreed that its better we do a U-turn on the trail. We had lunch, thanks to The Novice's mum and made our way back, resolving that next time, we will conquer the peak. We bade goodbye to a bunch of software engineers who continued the trek in Jockey boxers, sleeveless T-shirts, I-pad and Frooti......... hope they made it back home.
Journey to Mysore. The Novice pulled out his Xperia, referred to Google maps and we took the Virajpet-Periyapatna-Hunsur road. The sun setting on ghat sections, the orange tinge on paddy and coffee, and the workers returning home made for a memorable ride. I cringed as The Novice put the bike on potholes with sheer force. Gautham shouted out to people on the move, asking for directions, while The Bard behind him was bemused. Night dinner, at around 7:30 PM, was back at Cafe Coorg. Dosas' of Tomato, Cheese, Egg and Davangere Benne. Thankfully, The Novice felt sleepy and decided to sit pillion.
So, it was, under the watchful eyes of Mother Coorg, and a gracious Father above, we rode back home, with lights staring at us on the highway, and lighting in the sky.
Home-stay and lodges are available, in case you want to start the trek at 6 AM and not bother about lunch. You can explore surrounding places too.
4x4 jeep rides are available for the adventurous. Camping equipment may be borrowed from the Home Stay.
Lesson's learnt: Use your pillion as a substitute rider only under emergency circumstances.
Ensure he respects the road, the bike and safety.
Even your pillion has an iron-butt, respect the butt.
Trust your instinct and your bike. Leave Google Maps to know where your to-be Father-in-Law lives and works.
Mother Coorg pushes our limits, but takes care we reach home safe too.
ReplyDeleteI like the way 'toilet' is spelled there! Coorg is definitely on my list. Thanks for an insightful write-up. :)
ReplyDeleteBon Voyage Renuka
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