Motorcycle Diaries : To the Scotland of India

Tripoto
18th Mar 2017

A Long Bike trip was always on my bucket list and the quench for it got over with this one heck of a bike ride. It was a sudden planned trip because our heart was more tempted towards Gandikota for it's uncanny resemblance to Grand Canyon of Arizona. But the scorching summer forcibly made us to change our minds and that's how Coorg came on the cards. Most of us didn't even sleep because of the excitement that lay ahead of us. For me, it was a different kind feeling for which words cannot do justice. A thrill of both joy and fear at the same time.

Somewhere between Ramnagar and Mysuru

Photo of Ramanagara, Karnataka, India by vishnu nair

As the clock stroked 3 in the morning, bike engines started roaring profusely, all set to embark another travel memory in the making. Soon we found ourselves on the highway and it's pretty usual if a biker finds an open road, the gears will change in no time. Although I was pretty scared travelling on a constantly vibrating Bullet Standard and that too on a speed above 100 kmph. On the way, we had to make pit stops at many places. You would never want your buttocks to get sore would you ?! There were plenty of places to explore on the way. From sleeping Hamlets to deserted forests. It was around 8 when we reached at the border of Karnataka and Kerala. The scenery and view and especially the road that was leading us till there was surreal. Mists dropping down around the tall dense trees on either sides of the road. Sometimes, these kind of views makes up your entire journey more sweeter and memorable.

Photo of Motorcycle Diaries : To the Scotland of India by vishnu nair

Coorg is one such place which has the flavour of both Karnataka and Kerala. Popular among tourists as Scotland of India, we did explore most of it in scorching heat. It was my second visit to the famed Tibetan Monastery of Coorg. The place just makes your mind peaceful and take you out of all the hustle and bustle of the city. And on the next morning, we found ourselves swinging and singing on a Toy Train and exploring the beauty of Western Ghats.

Photo of Coorg, Karnataka, India by vishnu nair

However, our trip was memorable not because of the places we visited in and around Coorg but the situations and fate we had to face at each point of time, right from the word GO. On the first day, Bullet's tyre got puncture on midway and we had a narrow escape from hitting it to an incoming vehicle. Cautiously, we took it to the nearby Mechanic Shop where we wasted almost 2 hours. We also made regular swapping of our bikes with each other. While coming back from Monastery, we discovered that Bullet was not catching up with us. One of us went back to look out for it and after couple of minutes later we heard from them that there fuel had drained completely.

Work in Progress

Photo of Motorcycle Diaries : To the Scotland of India by vishnu nair

To add cherry on top, upon returning back to Bengaluru, I and my front rider met with an accident. And guess who the culprit was ? Yes !! THE BULLET !! Luckily, it was not major. I had my knee skin peeled off but my friend faced more. He had scratches and bruises everywhere. And to talk of Bullet's condition, well, it became a total mess. And again we had to spend more than 3 hours to fix the bike temporarily and to treat to our wounds. I couldn't even thank the Auto Driver who took us to the nearest Clinic and disappeared without even expecting anything in return. I realized that day, not all people just stand and pick out their phone to record your ordeal and upload it on social media but there are handful of unknown faces around with a great deal of humanity left. This ride, my first long Bike Trip taught me so much about the beauty in travelling and truly justified the quote "It's not about the Destination. It's about the Journey to get there." Below is a small video showcasing our trip starting from Bengaluru to all the way till Coorg. Hope you guys would like it. Happy Backpacking !!