Distance Total of 950kms!
Days: 4th September 2003 - 6th September 2003
My friends Sojish (Fiero) and Shiv( Enticer) where inspired by the photos of our Ride To Independence, that they literally dragged me to come with them.
They reached Trivandrum from Ernakulam at 12 in the night on Wednesday 3rd September 2003. I warned them that my bike was in run-in period and I would not go faster than 55kph.
On Thursday by 10am we took out the Lonely Planet map and decided on Thenmala some 65kms from Trivandrum.
We reached there by 11.30 and went for some Rock climbing, rappeling, and then mountain biking on 18 geared cycles. They provided us with all the knee and arm pads, helmets etc. It was great. we had to push the cycle up mountains, then down through rocky and then soft vertical inclines, then a smooth and fast winding downhill! It was fun.
From there we had lunch and went to Palaruvi, we had a bath under the water fall there. It was very refreshing and fun!
We crossed the Kerala border & reached kuttalam by 4pm. The sights where not so impressing, some boring waterfalls with lots of people bathing. no place to even stand. well we booked into a hotel and decided to leave for Kodai in the morning 4am.
By 4 we where up and got going by 4.45am :D
The ride from there was slow since I had to limit my bike to 4000rpm at 5th gear - 55kph. we did a steady average of 50kph for 3 hrs. we had breakfast at Uslampatti and so did our bikes. We filled her up and guess what I got 50kpl!! the fiero got 52 and Enticer a measely 40!!
From there we reached Kodai at 11.30am. Booked into good old Woody's!
We freshened up and got on our bikes when suddenly the brown horse of Woodys was standing right behind us, with the waiters trying to catch it. It circled around us, really close!!! and to worsen things, here comes two Boxer dogs!! oh man! anyway the owners son came and caught the horse. Horse breath really stinks!
we went for some sight seeing. Pillar rock, Pine forest, then on to the road that I had gone last trip (Ride 2 '47).
Kodai was very cold & we just jumped to the bed without dinner by 8pm.
Next morning we enquired about the short cut road to munnar. The owner of Woodys had gone to munnar this way on his horse along with 2 toyota qualis. But when we enquired at the forest office, they would nt give us permission.
Anyway we didnt have much spares with us, so we left for Munnar via - Teni- Bodi - Bodinekkel- Munnar.
The ride to Munnar was very refreshing! Cool green. The ghat roads enroute was so windy that I couldnt even stand still on the road. I tried to take some pics and managed somehow. Nearing munnar we where completely engulfed in fog for some time and had to follow a car, crawling at 20kph. Then it started to drizzle and we where right inside a rain cloud.
We didnt linger around munnar coz the other guys had to reach office by 6pm. we left for Ernakulam and reached there by 4.30pm.
Now I had to leave for Trivandrum, but leaving from the other guys office my michelin had a puncture! a nail stuck inside the groove! I fixed the puncture and decided to leave back to tvm on Sunday.