5 days, 1396 Kms...riding away to glory

I had always had dreams and made attempts for a long bike expedition......For those who have read my previous blogs would have known about one such failed attempt. Since then there had been many plans running in my mind but none was executed...

The entire plan started when my cousin, Karthik, had mentioned about taking a long leave.....he  had aligned the leaves to my company closure in the last week of December....initially the plan was to go to Pune and Mumbai to visit some friends there.....had to drop that trip for some reason.......

We had heard about Kolli Hiils and the numerous hair pins bends for reaching there.....we were looking for a right time to go there and used this opportunity.....The initial plan was to go to Kolli Hills and then visit some nearby places......the plan gradually developed to Bangalore, Kolli Hills, Trissur, Mahe, Kasarkod, Bangalore.....but the distance was too much to cover within a short span and so we decided to cover Kolli Hills and Wayanad.......a couple of days later i realised that both the places were hill stations and would become monotonous and moreover stay at Wayanad could become expensive.....with so many plans running in our head we decided to reach Kolli Hills first and decide on the other places as we go..... 23rd was decided as the start and return on 27th Dec......

On 23rd Dec

9:30 am: Started from my house after having delicious Pongal and Vada made by mom....this was just a three hours delay from the initial plan

11:00 am: Pit stop in A2B for a coffee...realised that i had lost my Harley Davidson key chain :( .....got a new key chain in the nearby shop

2:15 pm: Stopped for lunch at a small road side restaurant

few kms after lunch the ghat section started....the drive was very interesting and challenging as the road was quite narrow and full off curves and hair pin bends....there were totally 70 hair pin bends as per the records but actually there were even more...the bends initially were easy but as we climbed higher it became harder....

4:15 pm: Reached Kolli Hills....the major attraction was a waterfall and on enquiry we were told that it would be closed by 5:00 pm and it was 12 Kms from that place....

throttled the bike and reached the falls entry with few minutes to spare....to our disappointment we were informed that the entry was restricted to 3 pm and not 5 pm.....seemed like entire drive was not worth and with dejected hearts went in search for an accommodation.....by the time we found one it was only 6:00 pm and we did not have anything else to do....checked in the lodge and went to pick up some booze and parcel the dinner...also bought some playing cards to kill the time.....

next few hours spent chit chatting and playing cards....also finalized on the next day's plan....had dinner and hit the bed early.....

24th Dec

9:30 am - after a good sleep got ready to leave for the falls

10:00 am - Started climbing down by foot to the base of the fall....realised that it was going to be a tough time coming up....

It was an amazing to see the water flowing down from the top amidst the greenery...quickly changed to shorts and went to the base of the falls.....the first drop on us made us feel it was worth the effort to visit the place....it was very refreshing to bathe under the falls..... it was like having a massage and relieved us from all the pains....

Changed our clothes and started climbing up....we knew it was not going to be easy and had a very difficult time climbing up, especially me.......with lots of breaks finally reached the top and it gave a satisfaction of some huge feat accomplished.....was remembering my earlier trip to Jog falls a few years ago where we had climbed down and up twice this distance with ease...age has definitely taken a toll on my stamina....

around 12:00 pm: found a nearby hotel and gobbled few dosas and parotas...food was never so delicious

Went to another small falls (which was not worth the effort) and a lake...picked up our luggage and started driving down to Coimbatore as planned the previous night....

4:00 pm: Halted at Nammakal to take a bite....finally got to taste Chilly Gobi...

you must be wondering wats so special about Chilly Gobi....it is a preparation different from what you get in other places....

had a small debate whether to take the route via Karur or Erode...finally decided to take the Erode  stretch...got stuck in the traffic near Erode and finally reached the Salem Eranakulam highway....ripped untill we reached Avinashi....the stretch between Avinashi and Coimbatore which has been under construction for years was adding on to our frustration.....

9:30 pm: Finally reached Gopi's house (a friend from ASB) totally drained....Thanks to Gopi for having the dinner ready and arranging for the night stay at his place.....

25th Dec

9:30 am: Started from Gopi's house and halted briefly to have some yummy Pongal and Vada.....Was always fond to Coimbatore food....

10:00 am: Left Coimbatore and the plan was to reach Kannur by evening and the route was via Kozhikode and Mahe...

The road were pretty bad till Pallakad...but we came across some good roads from there...though it was a two lane the roads surface was very good.....i had a tough time negotiating the curves while my cousin was enjoying his turn (pun intended)....it was lush green through out.......also i noticed that there were no spaces within two villages/towns.....never knew Kerala was so densely populated....being Christmas the roads were pretty empty and we did not have to face the dreaded bus drivers much.....the two lanes limited our speed and it was taking more time than planned.......also by this time our butts were soar and every few kms we had to take a break...

4:00 pm: Sitting in Kozhikode beach and sipping a hot coffee enjoying the beauty.......

4:30 pm: Planned to be at Mahe for the sunset...we had to travel 60 kms in one hour fifteen minutes and that was a big challenge considering the traffic....

5:55 pm: Reached Mahe just in time for the sunset.....had a long walk enjoying the sunset....after an hour left for Kannur

Earlier in the morning had enquired Kiran (another friend from ASB),whose native was Kannur, about some good place to stay and he had offered to stay in his place.....we were served with delicious dinner by his mom and had a long chat with his dad and brother before we hit the bed.....the next few hours we slept like a log......

26th Dec

8:30 am: got ready to visit the famous Bekal fort where the famous Uyire song in the movie Bombay was shot...went there with high expectations....

10:15 am: Reached Bekal fort.......to our disappointment it was very hot and dry.....roamed around and took some photographs....

With total disappointment started searching for some nearby places in the Google maps....spotted a place where the river was joining the beach...not exactly a estuary but some thing similar....it was located in the Chembirika beach.....we were walking in the beach with the blazing sun and gentle breeze for company...took a lot of photographs...we were the only two in the entire beach and were enjoying the loneliness.....

2:00 pm: had a heavy lunch and started back to Kannur...had to take plenty of breaks......crossed the 999.9 km mark....stopped and captured the feat in our cameras.....continued to Kannur with a sensation of accomplishing something great....

Checked in a hotel back in Kannur as Kiran and his family were busy with a wedding in their family and we did not want to trouble them any more.....spent the night chit chatting.....

27th Dec

The final day of our trip...return to Bangalore from Kannur....was one the most challenging stretch we faced of the entire trip....we covered all kind of roads starting from village roads, two lanes, ghat roads, road in between pot holes and finally well laid four lanes......

8:30 am: Started off from Kannur and the route was to reach Irrity and take to route to Mysore, bypass Mysore and catch the Bangalore Mysore state highway.....

Missed a left near Kannur and had to take typical single lane village road.....though the road was narrow it was well laid with lots of curves and bends.....later reached a two lane state highway to reach Irrity.... surprise was awaiting beyond Irrity......we were pleasantly welcomed by a beautiful ghat road section...the drive up was really refreshing....

the honeymoon did not last for long....few kms after crossing the Kerala border there was a sudden change in the quality of roads....the next 60 kms was a nightmare.....we were driving on potholes with roads in between.....it took us close to three hours to cover this stretch........finally we reached a four lane road and found a restaurant to settle our frustration and hunger.....the drive from then onward was hassle free with frequent breaks to rest our butt.......

5:40 pm: finally reached home........captured the final odometer reading which read 396....ooops forgot to add a 1000 which got reset....1396

Aspiration versus Reality

blogging after two years......a serious topic this time.....

had always wondered if what we aspire to be is in line with what we are?

was actually wondering when people say what they are, is it really what they are or what they aspire to be.

at many times we pretend to be be what we aspire to be....for example a person might call themselves rational and consciously try to portray the same..... but inherently it might not be the same..... when looked back at many of the decisions taken it might have been an emotional act.

there is nothing wrong in aspiring to be something else than what you actually are....but the problem is we fail to understand and accept what we are before starting the journey towards what we aspire to be......

this also has a great impact on the direction we chose for our life......we choose it based on our aspired trait rather than what we are and this leads to a disaster when we realize that in spite of all efforts we are not reaching the goal....this is because your assumed starting point and the actual starting point are way apart.

would like your comments on this thought process.....

Avatar - A different perspective

Well what is the difference between
Independence day, Aliens, Anaconda, Jurrasic Park
and
Avatar

well i found it

In the former humans were attacked by non humans and humans won the battle finally whereas in Avatar....... you know it

now you know what I meant by different perspective....

The mega flop show....yet again

Well there are few people who are crazy about biking.......i have read many of their travelouges on various bike expeditions......i always dreamt of one such expedition in my life......if you think the first two lines does ot have any relevance with the title please have patience (Just came to my mind....for patience read my previous blog)


flashback - circles circling

Five months before...to be precise Aug 4..the following was the conversation between me and Kaushik(my friend...as crazy rather crazier than me)

Kaushik: http://protrek.multiply.com/journal/item/2
mother of all bike trips
me: hmm
Kaushik: nammalum polam da
me: namma himalayasa suttindhu pogalam (hee hee...too much of desire)
shall we do it this dec
for the christmas
vacation
???

Well this is how it all started......

After conversing for few hundred lines over the google chat....we decided to go till New Jalpaiguri by train ......carry the bike as luggage and proceed to Darjeeling and Bhutan by bike from there......u would trust me the entire plan was done on Aug 4th between 5:41 pm and 6:55 pm on Aug 4th.......

"for those who didnt know we were master in planning trips"


more dicussion........Aug 18

Kaushik: did u ask ur parents for permission?
me: no permission....only information.....
bhutan plan irrukunu theriyum...
Kaushik: :) there is peril in driving so much distance da
me: aana bikelanu theriyadhu
Kaushik: adappavi
roads are pretty good once in Bhutan, but on the Indian side, not so good
me: adhu parthukalam....


planning for leave...Oct 15

me: is 30000 enuf for bhutan trip?
Kaushik: should be more than enuff da, we will plan to reduce it further
me: hmmm..ok
i am yet to apply for leave
Kaushik: apply da
me: lookin for a rite time to apply
will do it next week

Nov 6

Kaushik: when is ur leave?
me: i have taken from 25th to 13th


Planning for the bike parcel
Kaushik: irukkiya?
i called irctc for information on bike transport, they said i have to goto the counter to get any information. nothing available on phone or online
me: hi
Kaushik: sunday poi vijarittu varaen
me: okie
i will also enquire here in blore



Finally decided to make the trip from 24th Dec to 13th Jan...(note: 24th night was my train to guwahati)



Nov 11....More planning

me: dai...we will have to show our accomodation details at the entry
of bhutan
Kaushik: we will book in start of dec da, its too early for that
me: okie
u r responsible for identifying the locations in Bhutan



getting few info abt bhutan....Nov 15

Kaushik: in 2008 only 21000 tourists were allowed into Bhutan, excluding Indian nationals, to protect the environment of Bhutan and to avoid excessive modernization
:)
me: excluding indians....so no problem
see being an idian is much advantageous :)
Kaushik: ya, Indians and Bangladeshies can enter at will
i was discussing the same with a guy here
:) only time , being indian is useful
me: dai being an indian we can also enter nepal freely
.
.
.
.
.


Dec 13

me: hi da
Kaushik: hi
me: yenna officela irrukiya
Kaushik: hmmm, came jus now
iru checklist anuparaen
meanwhile u check reservation status
me: ok
Kaushik: id?
me: my tkt confirmed
.
.
.
.
.
me: dai updated the chk list
chk it
Kaushik: looks good da
sweater, blanket idellam vera naan vaanganum :(
me: hee hee
Kaushik: torch edukkuda?
me: just like that....in case we face some problems ith the bike in the night


Dec 23

went to railway station for confirming on Parceling the bike...following is the conversation between me and Boking office guy (translated to english).....

me: sir, I am going to Jalpaiguri tomorrow....i am carrying my bike in the luggage van....how early should i be there for loading it as a luggage...
officer: to Jalpaiguri??? not possible....booking possible only to Howrah or Guwahati
me: but sir, when i enquired last time you told it is possible...i had enquired twice
officer: but things have changed since then....not possible...go and check in the parcel office
me: ok..thank you sir

@ parcel office

me: sir, I need to parcel my bike to Jalpaiguri...how long would it take?
officer: 15 days
me: but sir i need to send it urgently
officer: best is 7 days
me: is there any way i can get it faster..
officer: carry it as luggage...
me: but sir they told it is not possible to carry as luggage
officer: they will say all those stuff...just go there early and give it a try..
me: ok, sir.thank you

back at home....informed the same to kaushik

Kaushik: yen da
me: illa bike mudiyumanu nalaiku varikum theriyade
Kaushik: hmm, yes da
udambu vera total damage da, its becoming worse
cough escalated to fever
me: dai ozhunga medicine yeduthuko
Kaushik: taken
me: hmmm
last minute hitches
is really irritating
the bike stuff was a total shock
Kaushik: yes, even when we planned for so long
me: that too that bloody guy confirmed me that it is possible
tomorrow i will try again
Kaushik: in efficient railway buggers
still working in stone age

Dec 24 Morning

travelling by bike to the railway station to give one more try...kaushik calling

kaushik: dai oru problem da
me: yenna sollu
kaushik: i had gone to see the doctor in the morning...i was not keeping very sick
me: oh...how are you now...what did the doctor say
kaushik: he suggested me not travel...he suspects something serious....i dont think we can make the trip
me: hmmm...ok lets cancel the trip... i am going back home...will call u after reaching home

in the next one hour..tktts cancelled...vacation cancelled

@12:30
Back to office (working from home)


well for many it would have been really difficult to take this...but for us...it is not becos...

well at the start of a blog i had written a line...actually i missed out a word

"for those who didnt know we were master in planning flop trips"

hee hee hee...this is not the first time...vazhkaiyil idhu yellam sagajamappa

next trip on the planning

Patience pays but greed???

Well even if u read the title as Patient pays...it is also true......

comin back to patience......well very tough virture to follow...i accidentally happened to follow it while finding a house in blore......

well most of my blog followers would have know my adventure with hunting house.....my count reached 30+ but still cudnt find a house suitable for me.......i decided to be patient and wait for some more time.....and waited

just one week to go before my deadline to find a house......unexpectedly i got a call from one of the broker whom i had contacted on those intial days when the search had started.....i had lost hope on him and had contacted several other brokers......

well he had some good news for me...yes he had the house ready which covered all my expectations.....the news came at the right time wen i was about to lose my patience....it was unbelievable that i got a house which covered all my expectations......


so if you think that i am all happy....yes i was for two days......all formalities were over to take over the house......so wats next


jus went and started to find locations for all the household stuff.....found proper locations for all....and finally came to my room.....

oh gosh...were wud i keep my speakers....i dont have a proper provision to keep it....this is bad......


sounds ridiculous rite...yes this is wat human beings are.....the never satisfied soles.....and i belong to it........we still are not satisfied even when we are spending our life in the most beautiful house with the most gorgeous woman/handsome man and the most costliest wine.......humans are patients with greed sickness.....

What an IDEA sir(ji)

Probably u mite have read numerous articles with the same title. But i couldnt find a better title for this post....

In the past few months Mr. Nandan Nilekeni had become a sensation by taking up the unique identification number for citizens of india(only for citizens?..not too sure)......

well i happened to hear from a friend that the ID number could become our phone numbers too.....can i also say that our phome numbers will become our identity?......

Now u all know y i choose this title....yes did the govt take a cue from the Idea cellular advertisement.....who knows.....

well u cannot rule out the possibility of ur ID number becoming your phone number....

probably the goverment is already moving towards that direction by allowing mobile users to switch service providers with the same number starting next year......

and finally we need to appreciate the forward sightedness of IDEA Cellular...for those who ridiculed the adv then, do you have something to say?

House huntin....a never ending process

life was good......eating, sleeping, watching movies, listening to songs, browsing and hardly doin any work.......one fine day i realised that i had an important task to be completed....and it was hunting a house for myself in bangalore....well how long will my relatives bear my torture......so decided to give them peace and started to look for a house....

i didnt have much expectations.....jus wanted a single room with ofcourse bathroom......and one important criteria.....the room should be BIG.....


First day contacted a house broker who showed few houses...all very small...so rejected.....next day contacted another broker....again saw 3 to 4 houses....still same problem.....so next day....this time contacted two brokers......result same as before....room very small so rejected.....next day contacted one more broker and it turned out to be the same broker contacted earlier......two weeks passed similarly....total statistics..

no.of brokers contacted----- 10
no.of houses visited----- close to 40

is there anything wrong with me? everybody was sayin so......but who cares......

the hunt continued and finally got a BIG room as i wanted within my budget at a very good locality...what a relief.....paid the token advance and was getting ready to move there this October.....

if u think the story ends here.....i got it wrong.....

went home(chennai) for a weekend.......the climate was horrible...was comparing the climate with bangalore.......was wondering how my parents were toleratin it......so made a bold decesion to shift them to blore......every one happy......



but s***......what about the room for which i have already paid the token advance....well thats not a problem i can always cancel it.....

so wats the problem......

for single room.....one criteria.....10 brokers....40 houses

for 2BHK......criteria - east facing, big rooms, pooja room, min 1000sqft, 2w/p, good locality, nearness to basic amenities and so on....

any body calulating the no.of brokers and houses.....the person who guesses exactly will be invited for dinner....so keep calculatin.....

?????

so back to square one......... starting the second innings.....