Pune to Kanyakumari on a motorcycle

  

The flag that defined our ride and which we pinned on our motorcycles

It all started more than 8 years ago for me, when a friend’s purchase of a Bullet motorcycle inspired me to go for the plunge and get one for myself. Post that purchase, I made many small rides and one ride of a 1,000 kms but more or less, that was it. The itch to go on a real long ride was constantly there. About 3 months ago, my friend Deepak Bhosle laid the groundwork for the Pune to Kanyakumari 1–way ride. He glorified the ride, saying we would be riding along the coast, through forests with wild tigers and elephants, via the beautiful Konkan belt, through the Nilgiri mountains until we finally reach the ‘Triveni Sangam’, i.e. the point where the V shape of India comes to an end and the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean meet. We roped in Parag Gujarathi as well and began our preparations in earnest. Little did we know that Murphy as well as Sod, with their respective laws, were waiting for us.

After a lot of planning wrt routes, leave from office, pit stops, gear to be carried and Deepak’s expert tips on how to avoid dehydration, we decided the dates, an 8-day period in mid–August. It was bound to rain at that time and we carried enough rain gear to stay dry in the Indian monsoons. Parag Gujarathi went ballistic over water proof shoes and spent about 3 light years in various shoe shops before settling on a pair. He even bought real sturdy rain pants (what if we had to ditch in the sea being his unsaid reasoning), whose sturdiness gave way on Day 2. Read on for more of the adventures...

Day 1: Pune to Goa

  

While the committed ETD was 0530 hours, then 0600 hours and then 0630 hours, we finally set off at 0730 hours. When my motorcycle started and I rode off, people cheered and waved to me. I don’t know whether it was because they were finally getting to see my back or because the motorcycle managed to kick start to life. Nevertheless, we were on our way. And then… In the vernacular, it is called Sod’s law. About 30 minutes into the ride, it happened.

Parag Gujarathi vanished from the rear-view mirror. I and Deepak waited by the side of the road when another fellow motorcyclist delivered the news to us that our fellow rider was experiencing loss of air pressure in his rear tyre. We turned around and managed to locate Parag, who was waiting at a puncture shop. We extricated a large, rusted nail from the tyre and got the puncture fixed and then were on our way. It was raining quite heavily, but thanks to our planning, our bodies were hermetically sealed and well prepared for the harsh Antarctic weather, should the need ever arise.

My helmet cam was a big hit with many motorists, with a pretty damsel rolling down her car window and waving to me, with me saluting back as a true gentleman 😊 However, we had gone about 250 kms when the helmet cam mount came off. Thankfully, I noticed and managed to grab it before it became a road kill.

We went via Amboli ghat route, admiring the awesome greenery of the monsoons and stopped at Amboli waterfall, where the rest of humanity seemed to have converge. A few pictures later, we were on our way. And then… In the vernacular, you now know what it is called…

My motorcycle started showing signs of loss of power. With torrential rains and the usual asshole drivers thrown in, it was a potent combination. While the plan was to ride in the daylight only, Murphy, with his law that if anything can go wrong, it will, ensured that we managed to do only daylight riding on the last day. It got quite dark by the time we reached our hotel and then, we all scrambled for a bath as we were stinkier than anything you can imagine. Post that, we were fed and watered handsomely and slept soundly, with Parag Gujarathi topping the decibel meter.

Distance Covered: 465 kms

Highlight of the day: The pretty damsel waving to me from the car

  

Goa Hotel and the machines taking a well deserved rest

Day 2: Goa to Gokarna

  

Karwar Beach and the roads we were riding on

The morning started with a round of baths and then breakfast, with our motto throughout the ride being – What do you have for breakfast? Get two plates of everything for each of us.

Loaded the luggage on the machines and started. About 20 kms into the ride, and then… In the vernacular, you know what it is called. The difference this time was that it was a triple strike.

Strike 1 – Parag Gujarathi’s motorcycle’s chain cover broke and it started touching the chain.

Strike 2 – My motorcycle’s front fork’s oil seal gave way, leading to fork oil spilling out.

Strike 3 – My motorcycle, showing loss of power in progressively increasing magnitude, went dead in heavy traffic, just before Panaji in Goa.

But, we had an ace up our sleeves. We had taken spare parts with us and we also had spare spark plugs, something that came in handy as we found a mechanic who replaced the spark plugs and we were on our way again. By then, Parag Gujarathi’s rain pants had torn off in a very neat fashion and this had ensured that he had wet underwear (Alright, he never admitted but it was a dead giveaway). He again spent about 4 light years in different shops before settling on another rain pant (This one would tear on Day 3).

Crossed over from Goa into Karnataka without any fuss and then, were hit with a warning sign that read – Leopard crossing area. Drive cautiously – This sign probably explained the lack of state border personnel

Stopped for lunch at Karwar beach and our motorcycles were an instant hit with the locals, with Parag Gujarathi even being requested to pose for photographs. An uneventful ride later, we reached our Gokarna hotel around 7 pm. Parag and Deepak hit the beach and the locals promptly created a 100-metre no-go radius around them (tip: never smell a motorcyclist who has not showered). I showered, washed my quick dry clothes and hung them out to dry and then was headed towards the beach, when my keen sense of smell made me aware of the approaching 100 metre no-go area. Took prompt evasive action and avoided a near death experience.

With the other two bathed, we were fed and watered handsomely by the pool side and slept soundly in the night. Parag Gujarathi snored the loudest. I think that he would probably get a royalty from Bose speakers company to understand how he produces better sound than their speakers.

Distance covered: 180 kms

Highlight of the day: Deepak’s motorcycle’s horn started imitating a feeble, wet fart

    

Views en route, Gokarna Beach and our hotel

Day 3: Gokarna to Bekal (Kasargod)

  

Vistas en route

The morning started with a walk to the beach and coffee in a little shack on the beach with awesome views of a temple on a hill and the Arabian Sea. Walked back to our resort and ordered the usual for breakfast – Get two plates of everything for each one of us.

Fed and watered to a point where moving from the chair seemed like a Herculean task, we somehow got ready, loaded the machines and then decided to navigate the steep uphill climb from the resort to the main road one by one, with a 5-minute gap between each rider. Deepak and Parag went up and I was coming up last and then… In the vernacular… My motorcycle went dead on about a 30-degree uphill incline with no one to help me. Tried cajoling the old girl to kick start her into life but she refused to budge. I believe that she wanted to remind me of my wife. And then, I did a basic check and realized that I had left the fuel valve in off position. Returned it to on position and the old girl whirred to life.

Met the other two motorcyclists with me and then we started, with the hope that all would be good. Aal eej well !!! being the motto we were aiming for.

We were doing a good 80 or 90 km/hr and then… In the vernacular, it is called Sod’s law. The oil from the front fork on my motorcycle was seeping on to the front tyre, with the risk of me skidding. Managed to locate an authorised service centre in Udupi and got it repaired and lost about 3 hours’ worth of time but it was time and money well spent.

Crossed over from Karnataka into Kerala without much fuss. The traffic in Kerala is a different breed altogether. The buses drive with the motto – Leave the road or die – Kept riding and it was dark when we took a pit stop. A lone motorcyclist approached us and asked whether he can join us for as long as we are going because he was riding solo and it was dangerous. We said alright and he tagged along. Reached the hotel, bid adieu to the solo rider and then showered. Fed and watered handsomely, we crashed for the day.

Distance covered: 320 kms

Highlight of the day: Rode through Marwante, where the Arabian sea is on one side and a fresh water river is on the other, with the road going between then.

Mini highlight of the day: My own motorcycle’s horn started imitating a feeble wet fart.

  

 Vistas en route and our hotel in Bekal

Day 4: Bekal (Kasargod) to Ooty

  

Notice the Elephant warning sign?

After the usual round of – Get two plates of everything for each one of us – we loaded the motorcycles and then were on our way. The planned destination was Coonoor. Crossed into Tamil Nadu and then I noticed that my speedo was not working. By then I had had enough and decided to let it be and just ride on. Stopped at a real tiny forest shack run by a mother-daughter who spoke nothing but Tamil. Thankfully, I know a little and we ate fat rice and sambar and started riding again.

We had to go along the periphery of the Mudumalai Wildlife sanctuary, which houses wild elephants. By the time we reached the forest, it was dusk and a shopkeeper told us casually that elephants would be on the road up ahead and that there would be as good as no traffic at this time and ride carefully. All of us secretly did an underwear check to ensure that it was still clean and then hit the road. Crossed the forest department checkpost and promptly started getting warning signs saying – Elephant crossing area – All of us had the creeps but rode on. It was extremely dark and raining when we reached Ooty. Coonoor was a further 20 kms away when all of us decided that we cannot make it there. Found a hotel, showered, ate and crashed. Tomorrow, we ride right through the middle of tiger country.

Distance Covered: 290 kms

Highlight of the day: The yellow warning signs warning of elephants

Day 5: Ooty to Munnar

  

Riding through tiger country (Anamalai Tiger Reserve)

Breakfast was not included in our room rate and the hotel did not have a restaurant on site. So, we started after having coffee and then stopped at a very shady shack after the ghats to eat. I had one aloo vada and, I was to realize later how grateful I was that I did not order the usual two plates of everything.

All seemed good till we entered Anamalai tiger reserve. This has about 34 tigers (as per Wikipedia) and the ‘helpful’ locals at the check post told us that tigers do come on the road but that they are not man eaters. We thanked them from the bottom of our hearts, did a double take on our underwear and entered the forest. Single track road. Not even a single hut. Hardly any vehicles on the road. And then, one of us had the urge to do su-su. We stopped and did our thing and then opened a pack of biscuits right there and gobbled it. Then, all of us got the creeps that anything can come out of the trees and started riding. At the forest department check post between Tamil Nadu and Kerala, stopped to eat some Idli and purchased wild honey (On the last day of the ride, my bottle broke in the saddlebag. Yes, don’t ask about it). Saw an awesome waterfall in the forest and the forest guards said they can take us into the forest on a 3-hour trek and we can see tigers. Wanted to do that but no time. Next time perhaps.

Stopped by a waterfall and took photos and videos and spent close to an hour there, something that would haunt us later in the day. Reached Munnar and then our hotel was about 20 kms farther out. Heave rainfall and fog reduced visibility to under 5 metres. Couple that with mountain roads and it was very risky. Just the three of us on the tiny roads and absolute darkness on either side. Our motorcycles’ lights were the only lights on the road. Google maps kept taking us in circlesAfter about 90 minutes of searching, finally located the hotel. Had we not spent that much time taking photos, we could have avoided being in that position. Showered, fed and watered, we all slept soundly. This was the longest day of the ride so far.

Distance covered: 280 kms

Highlight of the day: Ride through Anamalai Tiger reserve

  

Vistas en route

  

Munnar Hotel

Day 6: Munnar to Kanyakumari

  

Usual routine with a twist. We sat in the restaurant which was almost covered in mist and had breakfast (yes, the usual of two plates of everything). Took a stroll around the resort. Very scenic with fog and dense forest and tree houses. Lazed in the bed till about 10 am and then got ready and loaded motorcycles and we were off. Descended the Nilgiris and hit the plains of Tamil Nadu. Road was awesome and for once, Sod and Murphy left us alone. We went via Tirunelveli. Awesome road and we managed to maintain sustained good speed. Reached Kanyakumari around 8 pm and then Google Maps promptly took us for a spin. I fed our hotel name and obeyed the directions until we came at a desolate spot where an under-construction bridge stood and Google Maps promptly announced – You have arrived – I was thinking of how to get a tent setup there when we took matters of navigation in our own hands, asked the locals and managed to locate our pit stop at Vivekananda Kendra.

By the time we were showered, it was quite late. Managed to find one hotel that served us food. We wanted to head to Triveni Sangam but were advised against it by the hotel proprietor. Went back to Vivekananda Kendra and crashed for the day.

Distance Covered: 360 kms

Highlight of the trip: The under construction bridge where Google maps was urging us to setup camp for the night

  

Vistas en route and our cottage in Vivekananda Kendra

Day 7: Kanyakumari to Trivandrum

  

Woke up real early around 5 am and went to Triveni Sangam to watch sunrise. Got some awesome photos of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial. Had awesome dosa at Sarvana Bhavan. Checked out and kept our luggage at a cloak room and headed to see Vivekananda Rock Memorial. Unfortunately, the sea was too rough and the ferry service was temporarily suspended. So, went and saw the light house instead. Got a guided tour from a very helpful gentleman who worked there. Had lunch at Sarvana Bhavan and then set off for the final port of departure, Trivandrum.

Rode along the coast with sea views fracturing through the coconut plantations occasionally. Reached GATI office and booked the motorcycles to be taken by truck to Pune. Checked into the hotel, where we had to take a boat across the backwaters to reach the room. Ate at the sea side restaurant, with the sounds of the breaking waves as a companion. And then… zzzzz

Next day, went to a friend’s father’s house nearby and he took us to get some local delicacies. Fed and watered extremely handsomely by them. Took a flight back to Pune later in the day.

Trivandrum Hotel

Distance Covered: 100 kms

Highlight of the trip: Awesome, homemade authentic south Indian food

Riding Tips:

1.       Wear boxer shorts if you don’t want your skin and your frenchies to ‘bond’ together and make their presence felt each time you move a millimetre

2.       Anything can dehydrate you (ask Deepak about it). So, drink lots of water

3.       Carry as little baggage as possible. Quick dry shirts are best as you can wash them in the night and they dry out by morning

4.       Ride with fellow riders whom you know well and whose riding styles / philosophy matches yours. In-ride breakups are not uncommon.

5.       And last, but not the least, enjoy the ride. You will cherish these memories forever.

The Kaleidoscope

I didn’t dare check what time it was, lest he become aware that I was up and watching him from my tiny window comprising a small fold in the blanket that enabled me to see the surroundings while I could stay hidden from his prying eyes. At times, I loved playing this game with no one but myself, watching the world go by while I lay invisible in a corner, like a sorceress. For a moment, I was stunned when his eyes lingered on my window for a moment too long, making me wonder whether my eyes had an irradiance like those of a cat but then, he resumed his chores and I relaxed.

I had been watching the bathroom door, waiting for him to emerge from the shower with nothing but a towel around his waist. It was a working day for the both of us but I could afford to go a little late and hence this luxury. As the bathroom door opened, I could see shadows moving through the steam, illuminated with a distant incandescent bulb of a yellow hue, making it appear like it was sunrise in some distant, foggy hill station. Or, was it sunset I asked myself. Presently, he emerged from the bathroom and went to the dressing table to get himself ready for work. I moved just the tiniest bit possible so as to get a better view from the kaleidoscope I had fashioned for myself out of the blanket. However, I was conscious that were I to move too much, the coloured shards in the kaleidoscope would never align, for I would have alerted my quarry about my secret surveillance. 

He went to his closet and started running his fingers over the trousers that hung in there, trying to pick one to wear. After selecting my favourite trouser of his and a crisply ironed white shirt to go with it, he threaded in the belt in his trouser, feeling the belt loops as he did so and then, quickly wore both. He then picked out and smelled the tie that I had given him for our last anniversary, a hand crafted silk tie of a dark maroon hue. He took his time in front of the mirror, knotting the tie a few times and feeling the knot and then, not satisfied with the outcome, undoing it and repeating the procedure with a different type of knot. He finally settled for what I called a samosa knot, although he had a technical name for it that I could never remember. The coloured shards moved as he then tried to select cufflinks. He considered several, like the silver aeroplanes I had gifted him as his wings when he had learned paragliding or the beer kegs I had gifted the morning after we had had a fight. However, he finally chose the Bullet motorcycle cufflinks. 

Through my kaleidoscope, I almost felt the wind ruffle my hair and the raindrops lash my face, as I remembered the impromptu motorcycle ride we both had embarked upon in the monsoons. It felt like it was just yesterday that, drenched in the rains, my skin had sung an ode to the Sahyadri Mountains, and to the Bullet motorcycle. We were riding to work, with me as pillion, when he avoided turning towards the office and instead, clutched my fingers and whispered just loud enough to be audible over the wind, “I don’t feel like staring at a screen for the next nine hours. Mind if we looked at something else?” Having given a miss to our respective offices for a day had turned out to be one of the most serendipitous decisions for the both of us, for it was there, standing in the rain on a deserted mountain, that he had told me that he would like to spend the rest of his life with me. He had also told me about the testicular cancer scare he had had in the past and that if I had any reservations about that, I was free to walk away. This morning, I was glad that I had brushed apart any reservations I might have had, for this was the most blissful relationship for me. His routine medical scans had shown nothing, although even if they had, I would still have been where I was this minute. 

The shards moved again, jolting me to my senses as his favourite brand of after shave hung in the air. As I looked again, he was trying to comb his hair into a coherent mass, something they had stubbornly defied all these years. He finally let them be and picked up the shoes I had polished for him the previous night and kept at the usual place, along with freshly washed socks. He had told me several times that he could do that for himself but it was out of habit that I couldn’t resist doing it and he too had finally accepted it. 

As he was putting on his shoes, a thin sliver of sunlight landed on him, as if the Sun wanted to paint him gold. The beam crisscrossed his eyes, making them stand out like fiery, orange balls. However, the compassion in them overcame the sun’s fiery wrath and they sparkled brilliantly, as if a solitary oil lamp was floating on the dark Ganges River in the night. He sat meditatively, running his fingers through his hair, occasionally glancing in my direction. He wasn’t particularly bothered with the sun shining in his eyes. My mind played games with me, telling me that maybe he sat there like that for he knew I was watching and he was enjoying this game of – Do you know that I know as well? 

With a smooth, practiced motion, he flung open the curtains, letting copious amount of daylight stream in unhindered. I secretly knew that it was his call for me to wake up. He did not like waking me up with words and hence let nature do the talking. I knew that he would not wait for me to wake up but would rather go ahead and fix breakfast for the both of us. In the past, whenever I was late, my breakfast would have been waiting for me unfailingly. He left the door slightly ajar as he left the bedroom and veered for the kitchen. I could hear his now practiced footsteps, for he knew where everything was kept and followed a clockwork precision in retrieving it. 

I abandoned one kaleidoscope for another as I tiptoed noiselessly to the ajar door, peeping out with a single eye. The breakfast had been almost completely fixed and he was just about to sit down on the dining table. I could have joined him for breakfast, something that I did on most mornings. However, today I felt like watching him for just a bit longer. I wondered what words would he have chosen were we to interchange places, with him observing me from the kaleidoscope and I going about my diurnal chores. His prowess over words was legendary and he could write vivid prose, creating magic out of imagining the mundane. 

I finally opened the door and walked towards him, my hair still ruffled. I stood behind him and placed my hands upon his shoulders as he pressed his fingers on mine when I leaned closer to him. His skin smelled like the wet jungles we had ridden or hiked through countless times, his hands guiding me around rocks covered in scree or camouflaged mud patches. Both of us had spent countless nights in jungles, sleeping under the stars, trying to figure out constellations or making our own, spotting wild animals through our binoculars and staying cosy in our sleeping bags. As my hair fell over his face, I remembered how he had once described my hair as a golden sieve through which the sunlight craves to filter, wanting to be caressed by them. His fingers seemed to tell me that he was ready for adventure even today. 

I sat down beside him and made small talk about our next planned adventure. He finished his breakfast and got up to leave for work. I observed him carefully as he walked to the door. I knew that time was running out but suppressed the urge to check my watch. I took a deep breath and started counting in reverse under my breath. "Ten, nine, eight, seven..." I could not complete my reverse countdown, for he had reached the door and, with a practised motion, grabbed his white cane that was hanging on the wall. I rushed forward to embrace him. Rarely, if ever, did I cry but today was one of those days. It had been a freak accident over seventeen years ago in which he had saved my life but had lost his eyesight in doing so. His eyes, which could see the world in such hues and colours that often made me wonder whether nature had accidentally spilled its palette in front of him, those eyes had been rendered colourless. Maybe it was nature’s cruel way of taking back its beauty, for he could describe it in ways that even nature itself might not have thought of. 

As I shed a tear on his cheeks, he smiled a kind smile and said, “Don’t cry sweetheart. It was your pair of eyes that really cast the colour in whatever I saw and wrote. And, they still do.” I wiped my tears and, as he left for work, started making plans for our next ride where he would ride pillion with me and got lost in thoughts of what words would he use to describe that ride.