WCR 1116

16^th Nov 2014: Allepey to Kanyakumari

We planned to do some boating on the backwaters today. So, the BoP Bangalore were asked to reach us before 7 AM, and they did. We struck an expensive deal with one of the jetties and started our cruise of 3 hours. This was what Kerala is famous for, the backwaters. The leisurely cruise did allow us some rest time. Everyday we were waking up and riding all day and reaching late. Now was the time we were relaxing. The size of certain AC jetties dwarfed ours.

Life on the water is always peaceful. It’s like living in nature’s lap. Mother Nature gently lulls you to sleep. Of course, it’s never that peaceful when you have a bunch of BoP-ians around. Peace is shattered and the noise is heard for hours. On the jetty, it was easy to identify the target for leg-pulling. He was always the guy standing in the front getting his pic clicked. Not that the guys seated had it safe. No one is safe when the BoP-mood is around.

We were getting hungry now and stopped at an island for snacks. The king prawns and crabs at this place made us hungrier. 

It was time to turn back soon as we had to reach Kanyakumari before sunset. On the way back we saw the snake boat also. 

It would be a grand sight to see them in racing. We encountered traffic jams on the waterways too. Dread plays its part everywhere.

We had 240 kms to cover today. Given our experience until now, it looked impossible that we would make it before sunset. But we were determined. And so, all saddled up we set off again, only to be stopped soon at a police check post. They checked everyone. We are always prepared for such occasions and carry all the necessary paperwork. All, except Gyan. Since the first day he had mentioned that he wasn’t carrying PUC. It had been a week now and he still hadn’t got it made despite visiting so many petrol pumps. But on learning the fine amount to be Rs 100, he was actually happy to pay it. Delhi Police, why do we have to pay Rs 1100? Strangely, the entire incident was also being videographed. It seems there was a checking drive in progress.

We continued on Dread’s roads now. Our exploration of multiple routes still hadn’t ended. The first town to contribute to this factor was Kollam, 85 kms later. A series of turns was enough to split the group. Crossing Kollam was a big task in itself by the route I had taken. I was still following directions to Trivandrum when the road was blocked. This meant a diversion into the inner city. Strangely though when I asked the other riders later they hadn’t taken the same route. Navigating the city was tough with the language problem. I managed to do it after a brief visit to Kollam beach.

I was riding solo now. The other were on the outskirts of Trivandrum and waiting. I took the byepass of the city and took the airport road. The locals also pointed the same route to me to reach Kanyakumari. 20 kms later, I reached Kovalam. Gyan called up and asked the whereabouts. They had taken the road into the city. The group had further split. Zaheer and Ashok were the ones with most resolve and they had continued desperate to reach our destination before sunset. Looking at the time it looked difficult that I would make it. So I took the turn and headed towards Kovalam beach. It was in the planned itinerary and I thought of checking it off the list.

The beach was beautiful. If Dread had allowed it, we would have had a fabulous time here. Without wasting too much time, I continued on. Only 82 kms remained now. The road had not widened but the traffic was considerably less now. The road condition was excellent. On the way I came across a turn and took it to have a closer look at the view at the far end. It was a straight road to a dead end touching the sea. This place was fantastic for a group shot, but I had to make do with a solo.

Again, I didn’t spend much time here and raced on. My electrical problem was over. I increased the throttle and the gentle curves on the road were absolutely delightful. I crossed Kerala into Tamil Nadu. I gave a sigh of relief. Dread was behind us. The others must have also had the same reaction. Soon, I noticed a familiar motorcycle ahead of me. It was Satish on his Thunderbird. I sure was glad to reach the group again. But soon it started to rain. Both of us stopped to put on rain suits. Nilu and Gyan caught up. Skipping of lunch had allowed me to overtake them. They also shared my reaction of leaving Dread behind.

The winsome threesome stuck together now. The rain lasted only a few more minutes. As the clouds parted, the sun came out. There was still a chance that we could make it to Kanyakumari before sunset. A small chance was all we needed and we raced. It was a race against the sun. The roads favored us as it grew wider. Since we were heading in a south-easterly direction, we had to look behind us to check the sun from time to time. The sight made overtaking easier as we pulled the throttle more and more. We were going fast, but safe.

Then came Nagercoil. Diversions took us into the city’s interiors. It was frustrating. The good part was that now the signboards displayed English along with the local language and they were present at each kilometer and turn. This was a big help in crossing the city which was missing in Dread. By now, we could even make out how Kanyakumari was written in Tamil. There wasn’t time to learn more Tamil characters as we continued with our race.

We entered the city limits and then a huge crowd awaited us at the Sunset point. The sun had set. We had missed it by 15 mins. Lots of ifs and buts came to the mind. Ashok and Zaheer had made it. They were present at the spot. The only solace we got was that clouds had blocked the actual sunset. It was upto the photographers now to adjust their exposures and make it look like a sunset.

The others also soon joined us, except for Satish. He had chosen to go to the hotel and have rest. He was feeling a bit feverish. We hung around as the crowd around us disappeared. At last here we were, the southernmost point of mainland India, the point of confluence of three great water bodies. We couldn’t ride any more south than this. From this point on, it was only northwards. It was a feeling akin to what one must feel at the top of Mount Everest, I guess. We were more than 3000 kms away from Delhi. Now we had to turn back. Well, there was no other option too.

After a photo session, we reached back to our hotel. To our surprise, what we had expected to happen in Kerala, happened in Tamil Nadu instead. We were expecting language barriers here, but faced them in Kerala instead. The hotel manager was a cheerful person and spoke good Hindi. This observation would continue for the next couple of days. While hotel managers in Kerala were very warm and welcoming, here in Tamil Nadu, they were friendly.

The rooms were nothing to cheer about though. We had booked at an extremely budget hotel and it played the part. Our rooms were on the 4th floor and we had to haul our luggage all the way up. Then, one of the 4-sharing rooms didn’t have a working ceiling fan. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Satish though, who preferred it given his feverish state.

We asked the manager directions to the wine shop. But when we reached there, no beer was available. The state of the second wine shop was pathetic. So drinking in the rooms was out of the question. Nilu and Gyan found a bar in a hotel nearby and we made a beeline for it. Chilled beer was available along with complimentary snacks. Why don’t we get complimentary snacks in Delhi? They are not so pricey to cause a loss given the amount charged on the beer.

Rohit and Zaheer again left after a short while. The non-drinkers preferred to roam around the local market and we understood that. Its better for the drinkers too as the chakhna isn’t gobbled up by the non-drinkers. For dinner, we went to a nearby restaurant for chicken. The taste wasn’t that good but it wasn’t bad too. It seemed we were out of delicious territory now. Dread took care of us in that respect.

After dinner, four of us were interested in going to the seaside once again, Ashok, Zaheer, Varun and me. The sea here was violent. The tide had also risen. The breeze was ultra-cool. We could’ve slept there for the night, some visitors already were. Having cleansed our lungs from the sea breeze, we returned for the night. We would have to wake up very early next day to catch the sunrise. 

WCR 1117

17^th Nov 2014: Kanyakumari to Rameswaram:

We did wake up very early. This was a sight no one could afford to miss. The coast is a busy one at this time of the day. The sun is the driving force of this town. We managed to squeeze through the crowd and reached a fairly empty spot and waited. The reason why it was empty was soon clear. The sun came up from behind the Rock Memorial. To our solace, clouds again covered the horizon. One must be very lucky to catch sunrise/sunset on a clear morning/evening here. As soon as the first rays shone, conches began to blow in the nearby temples.

The sight of rising sun above the Rock Memorial was a tranquil one. The Vedic Gurus must have got something right. There is certainly some different energy in the rays of the rising sun. We soaked in the light.

We observed a large group wearing black robes. On enquiring, it was learnt that they live one month of their life in hermitage having none of the modern pleasures. Some do it every year. When the rituals were over the nearby market started to open. We quickly went to have motorcycle line-up photos clicked as we had to cover 320 kms to Rameswaram today. A rainbow provided the right backdrop for the pics.

A series of pics later at the end point of highway we returned to pick up our luggage. We didn’t know what to expect from the roads in Tamil Nadu, so to avoid any confusion in the interior towns, we decided to take the hotel manager’s advice and go via Madurai. It also ensured that we stayed with BoP Bangalore longer as they would take the same road back to Bangalore.

It turned out to be a wise decision. We were on a six-lane expressway surrounded by windmills. Whatever frustration we had riding on Dread’s roads, Tamil Nadu made up for it. It was windy enough to make us clench the handlebars. No wonder the wind farms continued for a long distance. We stopped for breakfast after covering a quick 100 kms.

The only drawback of fantastic roads is that it makes you drowsy. The lack of sleep was catching up with all of us. Breakfast of masala dosa took away some of it. We left the dhaba and had just filled up petrol when a commuter came and told us that we had left a bag behind. Rohit, Zaheer and I were the tail-enders so I went the 5 kms back to the dhaba. The bag belonged to Satish. The man insisted me to check the contents before leaving. Such honesty is bewildering. Satish had an earful when we caught up with him.

Continuing on the drowsiness was getting too much. It was multiplied as we were following Varun. He was on run-in speed. At a distance of 62 kms from Madurai, we just couldn’t move on further and stopped. There’s no sense in riding in that condition. One wouldn’t even know when the effect overpowers and control would be lost. We laid out by the side of the road in some shade and dozed off. 

Those two short minutes were more than a power nap. It was a nuclear nap. Within 5 mins, we were back on our feet and ready to ride at least 300 kms more.

On regrouping 20 kms later, we needed to split up. The turn to Rameswaram was right ahead. The cashiers for the journey, Nilu and Satish discussed the final settlement. That gave plenty of time for the rest of the group to taste local bananas. The lady at the counter must’ve gotten frustrated as we ordered one banana after the other. Before parting our ways, questions came on the air pressure of the KTM’s Metzelers which Gyan tested by kicking, much to Nilu’s annoyance. With the amount settled and final group photographs taken, the two chapters of our Motorcycle Club parted with a loud chant of “JAI BoP”.

Again we were unsure of what to expect from the road ahead. Again we were pleasantly surprised. For starters, the entire town of Madurai was bypassed. That saved us at least 20 kms. The 130 kms to Rameswaram had excellent road condition and less traffic. 

To add to our delight it also curved at places. But before we could exploit the asphalt, we needed food. We wished to share the name of the dhaba, but it was written only in Tamil. We even asked the waiter for translation but do not remember the name now.

What greatly impacted us was the hospitality of the waiter. Mutton, fish and chicken came on the table. Since this was Tamil Nadu, Chettinad chicken simply had to be ordered. All the meat dishes tasted fantastic. Serving on banana leaves also enhanced the taste. Throughout this ride we were having trouble when ordering spoons much to Gyan and Nilu’s fun. Eating with hands increases your relationship with food. Our ancestors had it right. Modernization has increased the distance from Nature.

The coffee was also excellent. We sure would like to visit the place on our return too. Right now, we were in Riding mode. Nilu had been pressing all of us since morning to push harder for Rameswaram. After this dhaba, we had pushed enough and relaxed and slowed to our usual comfortable pace. After cruising comfortably for a while, we increased the throttles again. Ashok and Zaheer were unstoppable again.

It was growing dark as we neared Pamban bridge. Here came the most astounding sight of the Ride. The sea began to close in from the right. It was a West Coast Ride, but ironically we were having the sea for company on the East Coast. It was also turning more beautiful than the West Coast. After a few kms, the sea began to near from the left also. We were nearing the point of convergence. Then as we touched the bridge, the two water bodies also touched. This bridge is the only road access of Rameswaram with the mainland. The surprising bit was the railway track at a very low height from the sea. During high tide, it was sure to be submerged. Atop the bridge, we simply had to stop to admire the view. Zaheer and Ashok must have crossed here in the daylight. That would’ve been a prettier sight. 

We soaked in the atmosphere. This was exactly the kind of landscape we had travelled 3000+ kms expecting to discover. We still had more extremes to cover.

Crossing over to the other side of the bridge, we started to look for a place to stay. Rameswaram has a variety of hotels suiting various pockets. After horror experiences in our previous two hotels, we decided to splurge a little and chose a slightly premium one with AC rooms, Hotel Ramajeyam. It had ample parking space too.

We had just freshened up when it started to rain heavily. This was the rainy season for this land. After it had subsided, we stepped out to pick up supplies. The theka was right next door through a dark, dingy, filthy alley. It was only the thirst that took me cross the path. Gyan and Ashok opted out of it. Four bottles of 10000 Volts were picked up. For snacks, we took some minced egg-parathas. The beer was horrible in taste. For dinner, we didn’t feel like going far and chose to have it at the hotel only.