The Great South Indian Trip

DAY 1 : Amongst the Clouds

Though my first destination was supposed to be Madurai, I decided to take a pit stop in Salem as the distance from Bangalore to Madurai was 405kms & Salem was approx. 170 km’s from Bangalore.

I left at around 1230 & reached Salem at around 1750. On reaching there I decided to take a lodge & explore nearby places. And while I was searching for lodges, the locals suggested me to visit Yercaud.

Also known as the 'Jewel of the South', Yercaud is a hill station, around 32 kms away from Salem, in the Shevaroy Hills, 4970 ft above the sea level, and is known for their orange groves, and coffee, fruit and spice plantations.

Places I visited were:

· Pagoda point, also known as the Sunrise point, offers a view of the clouds floating overhead!

· Lady's Seat, Gent's Seat and Children's Seat, the names given to a group of rocks located on the Hills. These are present in the form of a seat, which overlooks the Salem town and ghat road.

· Montfort School, a century old school capturing the history of Yercaud

DAY 2: City of Temples

Post breakfast, I left for Madurai at around 0900 hrs. The 252 km stretch to Madurai is heaven for riders. Since it was quite hot, I had no option but to take frequent halts to keep myself hydrated. Finally, I reached Madurai at around 1430. I was feeling so famished that even before searching for a lodge, I decided to treat myself at the famous Konar mess with their famous Kari Dosai (Mutton Dosa) and hurriedly wolfed it down. I then rushed to the Meenakshi temple to find a decent lodge. And the Kari dosai made sure that I take a nap before exploring the city.

The must experience things in Madurai were:

· Meenakshi temple, located on the Southern bank of Vaigai river, believed to be 2500 years old with 15000 visitors visiting the temple every day, is an epitome of architecture and beauty. Best time to visit the temple is during their morning aarti at around 0430. I also decided to take another tour of the temple in the evening, just to enjoy the external beauty of it. In India, there is no dearth of talent. While walking by the south gate of the temple (yes, the temple has four entrances; each in east, west, north, and south direction), I saw a person sitting by the side and beautifully sketching down an image of the god & goddess which were engraved on the Gopuram.

· If you are in Madurai, not having a Jigarthanda is considered to be a sin. It’s a cold beverage made of milk, almond gum, sugar & ice cream. You can call it a distant cousin of Falooda, but it is quite different from that.

· Murgan Idly Shop, the place which is known for the softest and the fluffiest of idlis you would have ever tasted, was my go-to place for breakfast. After experiencing the splendid aarti at Meenakshi, I rushed to this eating joint and ate their famous Ghee podi idly.

Day 3: Ghost Town

After a sumptuous meal, I left for Rameshwaram at around 1000 hrs. It is around 170 kms from Madurai and the road is pure bliss for the eye. Before entering Rameshwaram, we need to cross Pamban bridge, which is one of the many manmade wonders of India and joins the Pamban Village in Rameswaram to the mainland, via a railway track that runs for more than 2km. The bridge took a total of 14 years to build, and was completed in 1914. Travellers going to the southern most tip of India should get a glimpse of the time when it opens up in the centre, to let ships pass through. Arial images of the same are sure to leave jaws dropped.

In the places I visited before, I was staying either at budget hotels or in lodges, due to budget constraints. But here, in Rameshwaram, I got a chance to stay in a fisherman's home.

The experience was totally out of the world. It was just an ordinary home with basic amenities, but its people had such warmth in their hearts. From the way they cook their fish, to the way the sleep at night, from the way they guard their homes, to the way they worship the gods, I was lucky enough to experience all of it. The best part being the fresh catch i had in the afternoon. One huge perk of staying at fishermans place is that you get to accompany him for his early morning catches. When I say early morning, it's 0300 hrs. You need to look at the way these fishermen plan their catch, the tactics they think of despite being uneducated. Since I didn't know how to swim, i had no choice but to stay back and not go for fishing. All I could do there was witness their perfection, and capture some of it too.

In the morning, I went to Dhanushkhodi, also known as Ghost Town, which is an abandoned town at the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The town was destroyed during the 1964 Rameswaram cyclone and remains uninhabited in the aftermath.

Day 4 : Encounter with the Cops

The plan was to reach Kanyakumari on day 4 , but I thought of taking a halt in Tuticorin. So the 190 km drive took approximately 4 hours and I reached Tuticorin by 1500 hrs. On the way, one would witness various wind farms and salt production factories in action. I finally reached Tuticorin and took a lodge near the beach, and doze off for an hour. I first went to the Tuticorin beach, which was very peaceful and not crowded. It was at the beach that I decided to visit the port. To my surprise, on checking for the route to the port, I realised that the port closes at 1700 hrs and it was already 1900 hrs. But the curious me wouldn't let me miss it at any cost, and thus I still left for the port. It was around 25 kms from the main city on the Tuticorin bypass. Before reaching the port, there was one huge barricade and commercial vehicles were being checked thoroughly by the CISF. I took a risk and crossed that barricade without getting noticed by the security post and luckily reached the port where I could see no-one but the ship. This was the first time I was visiting a port, and trust me, the view was jaw dropping.

Day 5: Revisiting the Old Trails

Throughout the trip, I used to ride between 1000hrs and 1400hrs and explore places in the evening and early morning, due to obvious reasons.

Following the routine, I left for Kanyakumari at around 1030hrs and reached there by 1430 hrs. Had my lunch, took a nap and in the evening I left for sunset point.

The sunset was amazing to see with the orange sky and rumbling seas hitting the rocks on the shoreline.

Once the sun set, almost everyone left the place,but I decided to spend some time by the sea, relax and listen to my favorite songs. The view was mesmerizing.

The not-to-miss things in Kanyakumari are :

- Sunrise Point

- Sunset Point

- Vivekananda rock memorial : It was built in 1970 in honour of Swami Vivekananda who is said to have attained enlightenment on the rock.

- Tiruvalluvar statue : It is a 133-feet (40.6 m) tall stone sculpture of the Tamil poet and philosopher Valluvar

- Banana Chips, a native of this place, you will regret not eating them here. They're a bloss for all 'chakna' lovers

PS: This place refreshed all the memories I had when I visited it 19 years back. They city is still as beautiful as it was back then.

Day 6: Entering God's own Country

After a sprawling stretch of heat throughout the previous days , I just got lucky to witness the pleasent rain as I entered God's own country.

Due to heavy rain, it took me a bit long to reach my next destination; Trivandrum.

I reached at around 1730 hrs and directly went to Kovlam where I had my "Lost Hostel" booked already. Kovalam is a small coastal town in the southern Indian state of Kerala, south of Thiruvananthapuram, with one of the most happening crowd.

After taking a bit of rest, I went out for exploring this place, which apparently was a host to a lot many Europeans. Basically, The Maharaja of Travancore used to host regular state banquets and accommodation of his European guests in Kovalam Haylcon Palace. This made the beach popular among European families. Post independent India, the beach was popular among Indians and few tourists. It was 1970s, the hippie culture helped to revive the beach, with vast influx of tourists, spending their wild holidays here.

I even got a chance to cook some chicken in the Hostel, and with chilled beer,it just made my dinner better.

Places I visited were:

° Lighthouse beach, which has a 30 m tall lighthouse erected on the Kurumkal Hill, right along the beach, acting as a landmark to the beach and hence the name. After climbing over 140 steps,you reach an observation area from where you can witness the village of Poovar on one side and Beemapalli Mosque on the other. The crescent-shaped beach line is dotted with various hotels and restaurants. It is indeed a perfect place for leisure and relaxation.

° German Bakery, A heaven for everyone with a sweet tooth. You must try out their finger-licking pastries, aromatic coffee, cheesy quiche, pancakes and spicy pizza.

My next Destination was Varkala which was about 55 kms from Trivandrum. Those who don't know about Varkala, it is an amazing town located south of Kollam, around one hour north of Trivandrum. In fact the only place in southern Kerala where cliffs are found adjacent to the Arabian Sea.

What differentiates it from the rest of the beaches in India is that the setting of this beach is striking enough to take your breath away, with a long winding stretch of cliff and views that extend over the Arabian Sea. A paved footpath runs along the length of the cliff, bordered by coconut palms, quaint shops, beach shacks, hotels, and guesthouses. Nestled at the bottom of the cliff is a long stretch of sparkling beach, reached by steps leading down from the cliff top.

Apart from the beach , we have a light house.

I stayed at the Bla Bla hostels, which in itself was an amazing experience, with travellers from all around the world sitting, chilling and playing guitar.

Not-to-miss places are:

° Janardana Swami Temple, a 2018 year old Vaishnavaite shrine in India, often referred to as Dakshin Kashi (Benares of the South).

° Papanasam Beach, which is Varkala's main beach whose name means destroyer of sins. It's divided into two parts -- North Cliff and South Cliff.

Further to the north, where the cliff ends past Papanasam Beach, is another small beach with black sand (affectionately called the Black Beach).

°Kappil beach, a perfect mix of the backwaters and oceam, offering an unspoiled escape from the world.

Day 10: Kochi : Queen of Arabian sea

Alleppey to Kochi is just a 1.5 hour ride as the distance between the two cities is just 55 kms.

I left at around 0900 hrs and it took me approx 2.5- 3 hrs to reach Kochi because as usual, I decided to stay close to the coastal line instead of riding on the highway. In these 55 kms, you will witness various virgin beaches and beautiful churches. I had little breakfast midway as my tummy was almost full, thanks to the duck and chicken roast that I had in thant toddy shop the previous night.

Kochi, known for its ports, is also known as the queen of Arabian sea and once it was the centre of world spice trade.

After taking my lunch, I slept for a while. But before that I had already asked for the must visit places from the hotel manager. There are lot of things you can do in Kochi but due to time constraint I decided to explore Fort Kochi, also known as old kochi.

The must experience things were:

° Ferry ride to Fort Kochi, dump the regular route.

° Fort Kochi, an unbelievable blend of a village with a Portuguese, Dutch, and French feel to it and the Malabar coast added the required spice to the mixture. Combine all this with uber-cool cafes and you have the perfect city to backpack to!

° Streets of Fort Kochi, Rose Street, Princess Street, Tower Road, Burger Street, Matanchery road, Palace Road, Jew Street and TD School Road, all highlight a different culture.

° Chinese fishing nets, also known as Cheenavala, are the source of livelihood for the native fishermen.

° Paragon restaurant, known for its variety of ‘Malabar’ cuisines and enjoys cult status in Kochi and Dubai. Ranked India’s best restaurant for coastal cuisine by Times Now Foodie Awards. I tried fish mango curry and malabar style chicken Biryani, for dinner.

° Santa Cruz Basilica, a church built by the Portuguese in the year 1505, and is one of the eight Basilicas in India, empowered with architectural and artistic magnificence and the colors of the medieval style.

Day 11: Beef lovers Paradise

Kochi to Udupi is around 450 kms and I didn't want to burn myself this much in a day, and thus I decided to take a halt at Kozhikode, which is around 190 kms from Kochi. I left early in the morning at around 0700 hrs and it took me 6-7 hrs to reach Kozhikode due to the two way lane problem I had talked about. Though there is nothing great to be explored in Kozhikode, but there was something which differentiated it from rest of the places; its Arabic cuisine. They say many European and Arabic traders used to visit the city’s valiyangadi (big bazaar) for trading spices and pepper.

Zains restaurant is a must visit place here. The restaurant, headed by Zainabi Noor, is a favourite haunt of Mollywood actors. Zainabi and her husband started this restaurant when they moved here from Dubai, as she wanted to give people a taste of Persian delicacies.

One of her many inventions is 'pav chicken', in which she makes Kozhikode style pav bhaji and stuffs the bread with coconut-based chicken gravy.

Around the Kozhikode beach, there are many eateries offering everything from shawarma and mussel fries to local cool drinks and ice creams. The soothing waves of the beach sets the mood to just sit, relax and destress yourself amidst nature. However, when dusk sets in, young boys make a beeline for Sidhanandan chettan’s Dhanalakshmi Cool Drinks, a small shopfacing the sea.

His USP is Tsunami, a frothy green drink made of coriander and curry leaves, green chillies, vinegar, green salted mango, and garlic.

PS: For all beef lovers out there, this place is your gut's paradise.

Day 12: Vasco da Gama's first pit stop

My next destination was Udupi. Though I have already been to this place, but at that time due to high tides, I wasn't able to visit the most beautiful St Mary's island, place where Vasco Da Gama first set his foot in India. Therefore, this time my objective was to visit this place in Udupi. The last government jetty that leaves for St Mary's was at 1700 hrs and I had to be there before time. Keeping in mind the time frame , I left from Kozhikode at 0900 hrs as the distance between was two cities is around 300 kms.

It is mostly in movies that we see a hero driving or riding on a beach with a girl behind! Doesn't it give a romantic feel and make you want to find a place like that? Just head to National Highway 66 passing from Kannur to Thalassery to experience the dreamy sequence you saw in a film. Yes, that is the Muzhappilangad Beach for you!

This beach is the longest Drive-In Beach in Asia and is featured among the top 6 best beaches for driving in the world. Muzhappilangad is the only Asian beach featured in the list. Even though Goa has many beautiful beaches, it does not have a drive-in beach.

I continued my journey and took a break at Mangalore bypass. Udupi was still 55 KM's away and the time was close to 1600 hrs. I had no option but to speeden up my bike as I had to board the last jetty anyhow.

To my ill fate, I reached at 1702, and guess what? The jetty had already departed. I rushed and enquired the locals about it, and they informed me about the privately run jetty which gives the same service in just 100 extra bucks. After boarding this and sailing on it for some time, I saw 'Welcome' board for the place I had been thinking of for months now.

Some interesting facts about these island are:

° Malpe beach is the only way to reach these islands.

° According to scientific records, rock formations found in St.Mary's Island match the rock formations at Madagascar in Africa. Theory suggests that Madagascar was attached to India some million years ago, but got separated because of sub-volcanic activity.

° Four small islands, Coconut Island, North Island, Darya Bahadurgarh Island and South Island, together form the St.Mary's Islands. Each of these islands is interconnected and have their speciality.

Day 13/14: Hippie's Paradise

And the beautiful wide west coat road that I was missing since my days in Kerela, was back as I entered Karnataka. Could the last destination of my trip be better than Gokarna? My plan was to chill in Gokarna for 2 days and then head back to the base, Bengaluru.

Known for its idyllic beaches and pristine waters, Gokarna is a favorite among travelers who seek a peaceful vacation. It is a more laid-back and less commercialized version of Goa.

I left for Gokarna early at around 0630 hrs. On the way to Gokarna, there is this town call Murdeshwar, which is home to a Shiva temple, world-renowned for its beautiful carvings and statues. Two life-sized elephants greet visitors at the entrance. While the greenery simply adds to the beauty. It’s no surprise that one could almost mistake Murdeshwar for a fairy tale.

Bound by the Arabian Sea and the hills of the Western Ghats, the Shiva temple is surrounded by sea on three sides and the surreal sunrise and sunset here are not to be missed.

Unlike typical temple towers, this giant provides visitors with a never before seen epic view of the entire coastal town. Not in a mood for climbing? Don’t sweat it. They also provide a swift elevator ride for getting atop at a nominal entry fee of Rs 10.

After experiencing this beauty, I continued my journey & reached Gokarna around 1300 hrs.

As always , I stayed at No Frills logde, which was near the bus stand.

Gokarna is trekkers paradise. Here we have five back to back beaches,

° Gokarna Beach, not a touristy beach, but of pilgrimage importance

° Kudle Beach, which offers a view of the setting sun over a wonderful spread of greenery,

° Om Beach, which gets its name because it makes a shape of ॐ, quiet literally,

° Half moon beach, because the beach is spread like a semisphere,

° Paradise Beach, because of its quiteness and seclusion, a perfect place to do camping.

I believe Gokarna is a perfect blend of trekking, camping, witnessing the hippies & beautiful beaches! Jungle, ridges and the breathtaking view will make you fall in love with this place.

The five beaches can be accessed, one after the other. Start from Gokarna Beach up north, and walk across the trail (which will involve some asking around, some serendipity and some inevitable getting lost) to Kudle, and similarly on to Om, Halfmoon and Paradise. It is not very strenous, but you need to be in reasonable physical shape. You will be rewarded with a trek like no other - hill on one side, Arabian Sea on the other. It's a phenomenal way to get from one beach to the other. At a leisurely pace (with plenty of stops for food and photography), it'll take around 6-7 hours in all. Start early in the day so you can end by around 5 PM - it can get scary when it's dark, especially with no people around. If you're not confident of doing it alone, you will find travel group. Make sure that you follow the trail properly beacuse in some places you can get confused.

Day 15: Homecoming

And the trip ended with a long long 9 hour journey from Gokarna to Bangalore. All I had in my mind was how the days flew by, how such a long route never felt like one, and how sunrises and sunsets along the horizon of the beaches became an everyday thing for me.

This trip was my dream for a long time now. People asked if I got bored of travelling alone for such a long duration.I never gave a proper answer, but today I want to pen it down. Even I wasn't sure if travelling for 15 days all alone would be a good idea or not. But a part of me wanted me to give it a shot, and guess what, it turned out to be the best decision so far. Travelling alone gives you time to know yourself, to sit beside the beaches and talk to your innerself, connect with mother nature, and take some important life decisions which probably the everyday chaos doesn't let you take.

You listen to songs while you drive, you read books along the sea, you meet strangers in zostels; everything is an experience in itself.

I rode around 3125 kms in this span of time, covering 14 cities in 15 days. My best stats so far. And with this, I would want all of you to urge the traveller inside you to pick up your bags and take the next bus to anywhere around your town. Dream, travel, explore! ♥️