"4 bikes , 4 fanatics on them, touring for 4 days covering around 800kms across the northern kerala state"..... this is the what our entire trip can be described in one short breath.Here I have mentioned the term "fanatics" because no person in their right minds would attempt such a trip in bikes :D and the number of dudes dropping out of this trip really made me think that I should really be one those "fanatics".This trip was in cards for nearly a year , but had been continuously postponed due to various reasons. Initial plan was to just reach and roam around in Wayanad district, but subsequent plan changes resulted in touching the west coast at Calicut.
At first the total number of dudes ready for the trip were around 8-9, but one by one the guys began to "leak" out from this trip(with mahesh pulling out right in the middle of the trip :D). Anyway this left us with 4 guys(manju,shiva,raghav and me) in 4 bikes(2 Pulsar 180, Thunderbird , Karizma) with no extra reserve driver as we had expected earlier. Anyway this too had a positive face to it. We were able to secure our heavy trek bags (with the help of bungee chords) to the pillion seats and ride in much more comfort. The dates were decided to be from 18th-21th September 2009 with Monday being a holiday on occasion of Ramzan.
Day 1(18/09/09)
[The Man and The Machine- Me in full battle Gear]The entire day I had no mood to work(it was convenient since I didn't have any that day :D ). Called nearly 9-10 hotels in Kalpetta with mostly all of them(receptionists in some 2-3 hotels where just jabbing away in malayalam and i didnt even understand a single word they said :) ) returning negative responses regarding the room availability.Anyway some receptionists told me that Kalpetta town at this time will be completely booked and its better if I searched in Sulthan Bathery town which is 25 km from Kalpetta.Booked 2 hotel rooms for a dirt rate of 100/person/day at Eastern Tourist Home.
The hotel booking at Mysore where we were to stay that night was to be taken care by Raghav. Bcoz of Dussehra season , hotels in Mysore were also running to full capacity.(Our bad luck :( ). Anyway we had no choice but enquire in our old nemesis "Hotel Govardhan" where the rooms were available (no surprise here :P)
We were supposed to leave at exactly at 6 in the evening since it was Mahalaya Amavashe and my parents had told to either go early or just forget about the trip. Then similar to dogs tail, old habits die hard we only left by 7.10 p.m, the reason being that all the 4 guys were waiting for the others at 3 different places :D. Mahesh was supposed to join us directly in Mysore since he had training late into the evening.
Anyway after regrouping we moved towards Mysore on the SH-17. The ride was smooth and we had planned to take a dinner break at Shivalli Hotel near Channapatna. I was using my knee and elbow guards for the first time(Got the bionic one from JC road for 1.5K) and contrary to my belief that it would be uncomfortable it was actually giving nice warmth to my legs from the chilly winds blowing along the Mysore road. The ride till Shivalli Restaurent was eventless.Reached there at around 8.30 or so. Then some problem surfaced with Shiva's Karizma. There seemed some loose connection within his bike. Anyway we thought we better check it out after our dinner. Hence had a good Thali meals at Shivalli. Between this got a message that Mahesh was dropping out of the trip since it was already late and his parents insisted that he cancel it :(. Then we came back and checked Shiva's bike. Somehow it started and off we went. From Channapatna onwards the roads were wet till the core because of heavy rains which had battered this region some half an hour back. So if we had left any earlier than 7 from bangalore we would have definitely caught up with the rains. Call it a stroke of luck :).
[Welcoming Lights of Mysore]Again Shiva's Bike developed some problem. Now we were in the middle of nowhere and with the help of pen-torch shiva and raghav started to check the electrical connections. We decided that its better for us to split with the first group going to Mysore and taking the rooms(Since if we went late the hotel guy might provide our room's to someone else) and the second group staying behind and repair the bike. Hence Me and Manju left for Mysore. As we entered mysore the entire path was illuminated with garlands of incandescent lights welcoming us with open arms(I am guessing suburban Mysore is compensating for this high voltage drama with huge power cuts :D) giving us a very pretty sight.
Anyway reached Govardhan hotel and checked into the rooms. The watchmen there actually remembered us from the last time we had been there (Ooty Trip) reinforcing my concept that people think we must be mad to ride on bikes (Or else there was no chance that he could have remembered us) :D. This time we were provided 2 rooms in the ground floor and these were much better in terms of hygiene and cleanliness than compared to last time.
Half an hour later raghav and shiva arrived and they declared that root cause of the problem was a blown fuse (Bcoz of overloading from fog lamps, central locking system) and they had replaced it with spare fuse.
Anyway since the room was just opposite to the Mysore Palace we decide to take a midnight stroll around the Palace. The entire palace was completely illuminated and was very beautiful and there was not a soul in sight (except for some sweepers). Clicked some awesome pictures and returned back to our rooms to have a sound sleep.
Day 2(19/09/09)
Got up at exactly at around 6 in the morning having around 6 hrs of sound sleep. After finishing our daily chores we got ready and left Mysore(Mysore to Kalpetta distance is around 140Km) at around 7 in the morning. This morning ride along the NH 212 was perfect with slight overcast weather with no rains(just a few drops here and there). We covered a good distance with few breaks (At one such stop Shiva offered his rock hard channa's, "Channa Chahiye Kya ???????!!!!!!!!"........ after one painful attempt at those channa's I started refusing the next time onwards :D). Anyway reached Gundlupet and took the right turn along the highway(If u continue straight u will reach Ooty). After the right diversion the traffic along this highway can be compared to nil. Probably everyone is heading towards Ooty.
The roads started to wind left and right like a lazy river it was a very good ride along this stretch. Now what add-on could make this experience even better?????? Well add the Bandipur Forest ride to it.....and result is awesome....This side of Bandipur forest(As compared to NH 67) is almost desolate in terms of officials,tourist and also sadly animals(Couldnt sight any wild animals :( ). Roads are good along both side of the border in Karnataka and Kerala side. At the check post no one even bothered to stop us. :D.
Anyway we continued on the highway and reached Sulthan Bathery at around 11 in the morning or so. Reached Eastern Tourist Home(But didnt enter the lodge). Had our proper mallu breakfast(appams) at Hotel Prince. Here Shiva started to have second thoughts about staying in Sultan Bathery since all the sight seeing places would be around Kalpetta(wref to his Google Maps :)). Anyway I was reluctant to search for hotel rooms in Kalpetta because of previous days experience :(. Anyway after much persuasion we decided to move to Kalpetta and give it a try, keeping the Sultan Bathery option open.
[Chembra Peak as Seen From Kalpetta]Reached Kalpetta in around 45 mins and we started to search for hotel rooms. As had been been feared by me there were very few hotel rooms available (which were anyway quoting very high prices). Anyway after searching for nearly 1.5 hrs got a contact number of a home stay at Meppadi(10 kms from Kalpetta). Called that number and the owner quoted a price of 2K per day. After a funny session of negotiation (such as We are students, we are paupers, question of Morality etc :D) from Shiva's side he agreed to the price of 800 bucks per day.
Hence we left for Meppadi. Reached the home stay location. That owner was a real chatterbox and Shiva in our group was no less :)(No offense meant dude :) ). The homestay was a proper home with lots of rooms for rent and having an estate right behind the building.
It was already around 2 in the afternoon and our plan was to dump all the unwanted luggage and move to Calicut which was around 80 Kms from Meppadi with the famous Lakkidi Ghat section in between. Hence after freshening up a little bit we decided that its better if we go in 2 bikes since we didnt have any extra luggage. Manju quickly jumped to Raghavs bike to assume his role as a full time photographer and Shiva was quite adamant to get his bike. This translated that I had to ride pillion on his bike. But in the end we took 3 bikes including mine ........... reason ?????? First being I wanted to ride along the Lakkidi Ghat......Second I was not sure at what point I had to get down and start pushing Shiva's bike after yesterdays turn of events :D.
Anyway from Meppadi there is another route which directly joins the NH212 much further hence avoiding the circuitous route of going back to Kalpetta. We continued on this route. This route was awesome. With sharp bents and all against the picture some background of the Tea Estates, arecanut plantations. Negotiating such roads makes it really worthwhile of getting your bikes all the way from Bangalore. Fantastic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway after joining the NH 212 we continued on this route and reached the point where we had to take a right diversion to reach the Pookot Lake(Just under a Km). This lake was properly commercialized but it seemed cozy with forests covering it from all the 3 sides. It can be described more of a honeymoon spot with couples doing boating etc...nothing interesting for us, in search of some adventure :P. After paying 10 bucks entrance fee we entered the lake premises. It started to drizzle a bit and we had a hot cup to tea. Spent some 20-25 mins on the banks of the lake clicking photos. Then it was time to leave the love-birds alone and we moved along the NH212.
As we approached the Lakkidi Ghat Section, we were completly engulfed in thick mist. Visibility was a mere 5 m. Moved along the beautiful ghat section having a total of 9 hairpin bends. The roads here were very bad at the hairpin bends :( . Anyway we couldnt see any scenaries apart from the mist covering the entire ghat section from top to bottom.
As we reached the coastal plains it started to drizzle, maybe from all the mist that has accumulated above. Anyway moved towards Calicut taking very few breaks. The highway through many towns enroute was very congested, which at many places was less than a few meters. This led to slow moving traffic at many places.
Reached Calicut(Also known locally as Kozhikode) at around 6 in the evening after negotiating the traffic at the outskirts and we directly went to Kozhikode beach. First time I had been to a coastline on my bike and there was a sense of achievement in it :D. Anyway by this time we were dog tired and hungry(not having any lunch in the afternoon). We searched for some eateries along the coastlines. All were serving pukka non-veg food (right from oysters or something like that, beef and what not) and all of us guys being veg we had a tough time searching for vegetarian food. Anyway having no option left we raided a restaurant and ordered veg fried rice(The only veg food in the menu :P). After filling our grumbling tummies with fried rice we went to play in the beach. Spent some 45 mins playing in the beach which somewhat refreshed us from tiredness we had got from the day long ride.
Anyway we were in search for some good vegetarian hotels in the city to have our dinner before returning to Wayanad. Now this was a daunting task. Pure veg hotels in Calicut were a handful and not knowing the roads and the language resulted in us going round and round in circles within the city. Anyway found one hotel(dont remember its name) and had a dinner of kerala parathas and punjabi curries with kerala flavour(lots of coconut oil and freshly ground coconut, and curry leaves )
Completed our dinner at around 9 and we were seriously nervous about doing a night ride along the ghat section when we were in completely exhausted state and also it was drizzling quite heavily making the matters worse. Anyway we decided to stick as a group while riding and proceed in an easy manner. Till the ghat section started we used to encounter some sleepy towns with their lights from homes, streets illuminating the place. But as soon as the ghat section started there was pitch darkness(and also it being a moonless night), apart from the lights from our own headlamps.
We climbed the ghat section slowly negotiating one hairpin bends at a time. Since the traffic along this route was pretty much under control we didnt have any major problems from glaring headlights from indifferent bus/truck drivers.
Anyway we reached the top of the ghat and it was completely void of any mist as we had encountered earlier in the day. Now we could see an awesome sight ....................WOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAW..........we could see endless numbers of illuminated towns and cities against the pitch dark background on the coastal plains as far as our eyes could see. Also all the vehicles which were climbing or going down the ghat section illuminated the entire ghat section with headlights in a manner i could have never imagined. Simply superb. One of the high points of the entire trip. :D.
Anyway we reached the plateau and continued on plains roads. The roads were completely desolate and we really enjoyed the ride, reaching our homestay exactly at midnight. Dog tired we directly went to bed and slept like tree logs.
Day 3(20/09/09)
Since we arrived late night the previous night we decided to take it easy on this day. We had slept for a good 8 hrs or so. Got up and had a good homemade breakfast at the homestay. Our main plan for the day was scaling the Chembra Peak- The tallest peak in Wayanad, standing at a majestic height of 2100 m above sea level (almost 1/4 that of Everest ........ My next destination ;) )
Anyway we left for the peak at around 10 a.m and the distance of the Chembra base point from Meppadi being around 8 kms. Today we had again decided to take 2 bikes and surprisingly Shiva decided to team up with Raghav on his bullet and Manju was insistent to get his bike(Since he was scared to hell riding pillion to raghav in the ghat section :) ). Hence I was ok riding pillion to Manju since the amount of biking expected on this day was less than 40 kms and i needed some break after biking nearly 320 km the previous day (Phewwww.......). Anyway we took a diversion at Meppadi towards Chembra Peak.
The Chembra Peak is inside a private estate known obviously as Chembra estate. The entire single lane curving roads were dotted with beautiful scenaries (tea & coffee plantations ,gurgling streams,mountains in the backdrop) on both sides of the route. On the way to Chembra Peak there is forest office post collecting 500 bucks for a group of 1-10.(WTF......... x-( ). This was way too much commercial exploitation. Anyway we got around this system by teaming up with a kannadiga family and showing as a single group hence sharing the amount.
Reached the parking lot from at around 11 where we had to trek up the chembra peak. The initial route upto the watchtower was motorable and we started abusing the management for not letting us get our bikes till the watchtower :P. Spent couple of minutes on the watchtower clicking pictures as we were exactly at the foot of the majestic Chembra Mountain and the amount of effort required to scale till the peak (which seemed tough) seemed gigantic.
Anyway from the watchtower the actual trek route starts we started to feel some real heat in the chilly mountain weather :). The initial part of the trek route is pretty steep and add to that the flowing of small rivulets along the entire path makes it very slippery. This part of the trek in terms of scenery is very barren and steep.
Anyway we then reached the first base(this being almost 30% of the entire trek). Now the actual fun begins. We could see the entire path covered in blankets of grass and the plain having been surrounded by huge mountains in all the 3 directions with the center spot taken by the king among them......The Chembra Peak.The view was simply mindblowing....it motivated us to push till the peak if the view is as beautiful as it is now.
Alas by this time Manju had run out of steam and he declared that he is gonna stop here itself and wait for us to get back. Hence reluctantly we had to set up our first base camp :P. We dumped all the unwanted stuff which we were carrying such as jackets, food items,extra clothes etc. Hence now carrying only the essential items and the 3 of us attacked the peak with new vigor.
After much huffing and puffing now Shiva seemed to be running out of breathe. Anyway we used to take break anytime we required climbing at our own pace, not racing with anyone(anyway there were not many people to compete with, many people were giving up and going back :) ). Anyway we reached the second base. This was where the famous heart shaped lake was present.
We refreshing our overheated body with chilled water from the lake ...as in water cooling a overheated radiator :D. This lake was built by a British officer in memory of his wife :) and its supposedly never dries up even in the peak of summer.
After freshening up we moved up the path, the path now getting more steep. But the entire region was covered by mist and very cool wind was blowing.........seemed like mother nature was encouraging us to get to the peak and also protecting us the harsh rays of the sun :P..... The mist covered mountain peaks were giving an open invitation for us to reach there and party :).
Hence we moved on and on........ always asking people coming down how far it was to the peak and those people were always encouraging us guys that it was quite within our grasp and we should not turn back having come so far. So we pushed ourselves towards the ultimate destination our aching bodies could think about at that time. Now the peak seemed to be within our reach......we can actually make it , I thought.
Anyway at last we reached the peak. First it was raghav(the driving force and the unofficial head of the trekking group :)), then shiva and in the end I reached. I was so tired that my eyes saw a dry rock as a bed of roses and I went and just slept on the boulder for a good 2 mins to catch my breathe . Phew.....we have made it..........yeeeeeaaaaaaaaah. :D. The time was around 2 and we had taken 3 hrs to scale this peak. This peak was surrounded by nearly 2 peaks which were almost as tall as this peak(not taller) and seeing the entire mountains and plains covered in a hint of mist was a beautiful sight and made the trek worth attempting and completing.
Saw couple of leaches getting attracted to our blood and shiva spotted them before they could sink their cylindrical mouths in our veins. Anyway we took of our shirts and began to check if any leach is already "free riding" on our body. Found none. Relieved Shiva proposed that we should get a "Topless on The Top" snaps. Hence got a couple of shirtless pics. Encouraged and wanting to blend even more with the natural surroundings Shiva proposed that we should go full monty :D. For this me and raghavendra outright rejected, much to my relief :P.
Anyway having spent nearly half an hour in the peak it was time to leave it for good. Bidding adieu to the peak (and leaches :) ) we started to scale down. The descent was not at all tiresome , but it put too much pressure on the front of the feet and legs which started to ache. Now it was our turn to encourage people climbing the peak. Maybe some group in the morning started this and people are returning the favour, hence it is getting continued :D.....cool.....
Anyway when we had scaled down around 30% of the peak, there was a surprise waiting for us. Manju had scaled the peak from the 30% point to 70% point all alone carrying all our extra luggage, moving our base camp further up :D. Anyway I didnt expect this of Manju(Keep it up manju, expecting to see you on the peak soon :) ) . Anyway after collecting our extra luggage we moved down. Reached the heart lake and almost took a bath here completely pouring chilled water on our head(had an awesome cooling effect).
From there reached the watchtower and by this time our legs were starting to shiver because of the strain of the descent. Anyway we reached the parking spot at around 5 taking a total of 6 hrs up and down trek time. Total distance trekked according to some sources is around 12~15km......Great :D. Can be described as moderately difficult. Can be a piece of cake for much seasoned trekkers.
Anyway we decided that we will go for Soochipura Falls from here. Came back to Meppadi and since we were thirsty we drank lots of Frooties(I drank 3 packets, one after the other :) ). From Meppadi, Soochipura Falls is around 13 kms. Since its a major tourist attraction the roads were pretty much well maintained and beautiful as any roads in Wayanad. Reached the entrance at around 5.40 and the falls timing was mentioned as 7.30-5.30 :(. Anyway the guards agreed to let us inside but without entrance tickets. So we paid the amount and we were allowed inside.
Here a trek of almost 1 km is required to reach the falls .....but the path is pretty much flat and cobbled with stone slabs. As soon as we reached the falls we removed the clothes and were into water within seconds in a flash :) . The water was cold and it was giving a soothing effect to our aching and tired muscles. Anyway the guards allowed us only 15 mins in water. But we were satisfied since this was better than nothing and the dip had refreshed both the body and the soul.
Anyway we came back to Meppadi at around 7, but since there are no ATM's in Meppadi we decided that me and raghav would go to Kalpetta to draw cash. We came back to homestay at around 8 and soon after had our dinner(no lunch today too :( ) and went directly to sleep. Again a sound one.
Day 4(21/09/09)
We had planned to leave early this day, since the previous day we had gone to bed very early. But we managed to get up only at around 7.30 in the morning. Anyway finishing our usual chores and having breakfast we left the place saying "sayonara" to the homestay owner. Loaded the backpacks to the bikes and off we left , final destination being Bangalore and 2 intermediate destinations being Kanthanpura falls and Edakkal Caves(At distances of 5 and 28 Km respectively from Meppadi)
First came the diversion to Kanthanpura falls. It was around 2kms from the main road(Kalpetta-Ooty highway). Took the diversion and travelled on the single lane road. Reached a point where the road ended and there was a mini falls(2 m height) on the river in front of us.
Confused whether this is actual Kanthanpura falls??????????. Asked a local ....he told that we have to trek some 200m to reach the falls. Relieved that the 2m falls was not the actual Kanthanpura falls(And the diversion we had taken was not a complete waste of time :) ) we moved along the banks of the river. Now we could see the actual falls. Falling at a height of around 100ft. It was around 8.30 and there was no-one yet there. We clicked a couple of photos. The base of the waterfalls didnt seem to be easily accessible and we being on a tight schedule didnt have much interest in getting to water. Anyway when we were about to leave, tourists started to pour in this place. Lot of them tried to get to the base of falls, but none were successful for as long as we were there.
Left the falls at around 9 and our next destination was Edakkal caves which opened at around 9.30 or so. So we came back to the main highway and continued on this route. At one point we had to take diversion to the left towards the caves. Then again we took a right diversion to the caves. Reached the boarding point of the caves at around 10.30 and parked our bikes.
We are not supposed to take private vehicles to the caves and the transportation for the last 2km is provided by 4x4 keeps provided by the kerala tourism. The charge came to around 60 bucks. But the wait to get to the jeeps was long one. We waited since we were not sure for how much distance we supposed to trek. Hence we had become complete bhakra's booking and waiting almost half an hour for the jeeps whereas walking would hardly take 15-20 mins(Road is bit steep though ;)).
Anyway we had kept our backpacks at a gift shop near the boarding point so that we can explore the caves in a much better manner. But the edakkal caves was way too much crowded. With entire families coming to see this(Compared to chembra peak where there were only guys :( ). Anyway the initial trek to the caves can be completed in 10 mins if not the crowding of the path(only one person can pass at a time :( ). Anyway I was carrying the eatables(chips,biscuits etc) up the cave and saw a group of monkeys getting attracted to them and following me(How in the world are they able to distinguish food items when carrying in completed covered plastic bags??????!!!!!!).....This freaked me out a bit and hence I deposited those eatables in a ticket counter and breathed a sign of relief :D.
Reached the entrance of the caves after taking support from the metal ladders and support bars provided along the entire path of the trek........Technically these cannot be termed as caves...overhanging rocks supporting each others weight resulting in a shelter in between. The entire wall of the shelter has petrographic images believed to be carved by the neolithic man(or by kerala tourism board :D) dating back to 6000BC. Anyway apart from the carvings on the wall the shelter provided a very cool environment, similar (or better than) to what a modern AC provides(Now I understand why neolithic men dwelved in here :) ).
Anyway we came out and we decided to climb to the peak of the edakkal caves after reluctant responses from me and raghav. Manju told flat out that he is not going to trek to the peak. Hence 3 of us started towards the peak. After the caves the path becomes more difficult and as mentioned earlier only one person can pass at a time. Hence we were completely slowed down by slow moving traffic :D moving ahead of us, a lot of them being girls who seemed to have come on a college trip. We couldnt overtake the people in front of us and it was more difficult than overtaking a bus on ur bike in a single lane road.
Anyway reached a point where you had to climb a steep rock using rope for support. Now this freaked most of the girls they had literally clogged most of the pathway. Shiva took this moment to show his herogiri by rescuing a girl from that point, with me and raghav laughing our hearts out :D. Excusing ourselves we reached the front of the pack and were able to complete this task without much sweat. Anyway as we moved further we could see the peak (which was around 30 mins from where we were), but at the same time it was again clogged. Now having no patience of negotiating another jam we decided to return back since the view we observed was good but nothing spectacular as compared to Chembra Peak.
Now getting down was another headache , but somehow we were able to reach again the point where Manju was waiting for us. From there we moved towards the point where we had to wait again for the jeep. When our turn came we boarded the jeeps and came back to where we had parked our bikes. Collecting our luggage and some memorabilia from the gift shops we started from this place. Time was around 12.30
We reached Sulthan Bathery and I filled my petrol tank to the brim(Since its 3 bucks cheaper compared to Blore :P). Time was around 1 and we moved towards the final destination of the trip ......Bangalore.....As we entered Muthanga/Bandipur Wildlife santuary it started to rain like there is no tomorrow. I had never ridden in such a heavy rain. I had my raincoat on top of jacket . Even then i was drenched. It was not raining cats and dogs , but cows and horses :P. Moved very slowly through the forest region(4th time running where we have met with heavy rains along our trips :D). At one point the rains receded a bit it was an awesome sight being in middle of dense forest where it was raining so heavily.
Anyway just as we were about to exit the forest area the rains suddenly stopped ......??????!!!! Must be commissioned to rain only in the reserve forest area :). From there onwards there was not a single drop of rain and we moved towards Gundlupet. By this time both Raghav and Shiva had split from the group(Shiva thought we were in front hence he was zooming to meet with us), leaving me and manju, who were sticking together.
At one point saw Manju's luggage coming loose and informed the same to him and i stopped at some distance ahead. Manju also stopped , but fell victim to the evil "side stand". He had dispatched the side stand and when he went to support his bike on it, it collapsed taking Manju along with it.(I have been telling people, dont rely on the side stand blindly). Anyway since it was a stationary fall no serious damage was done either to the bike or Manju. We moved along the Gundlupet-Mysore highway. Now the weather had changed to extreme sunny. It had started to take a toll on us, as we became a bit tired. Reached Mysore at around 4 and went to hotel (Hotel Abhishek) to have our lunch, which was pretty decent.
Left Mysore at around 4.30 and moved towards Blore. This ride was pretty uneventful and we rode non-stop until we reached Shivalli restaurent at around 6. Had some lipsmacking Bisi Bele Bath and idlis there. Left this place for our final leg of the journey to Bangalore.
Reached Bangalore at around 7.45 in the evening pretty much exhausted, bringing down the curtains on such a memorable journey.
Anyway it was one of the best bike trips I had undertaken with unforgettable memories of the drive to Calicut where we went just for the beach :D, the night drive along the Lakkidi ghat where initially we feared for our safety to the awesome night time scenery we unexpectedly viewed on top the ghat, the trek to the Chembra Peak and joy and satisfaction of having completed a tough trek.
People at many places used to inquire from where we have come seeing the helmets etc in our hands, and when we disclosed that we are from Bangalore the shock in their face and admiration we get from them is something which is earned, not bought by from some stores(Ya....... adapted from some chocolate ad :P ). Whenever people see our armada of 4 bikes with heavy bags tied to the back seats traveling in a single file they used to stopped whatever they were doing and stare at us........hopefully admiring us :). Small kids waving at us and when we wave back at them the excitement both of us get......... almost like being a child :D. Biking Rocks :D.
Total Distance Travelled : 800 Kms
Total Cost Per head(including food,fuel and lodging): 2.3K
Snaps Link
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/miracle.shivanand/Wayanad?authkey=Gv1sRgCJy8jJ6FwfCK4gE&feat=email#
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/manjunathmb/Waynad?authkey=Gv1sRgCJnRodD6rrPyiwE&feat=email#
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/unithin/WayanadBikeTrip#
