Somewhere I belong

Annual Christmas holidays was about to began and my mind was swinging in between the yes and no of going on a ride. Whole of my being was aching for a ride, but logical mind was interrupting it with ‘going alone’ question. Honestly, the prospect of going alone to a unknown land kept me baffled for around a week and it was finally the 23rd of Dec tht the final decision was made to go for it. Well it was to be a solo ride for “i dont know how many days” and “I dont know all the destinations” with Kanyakumari being the foremost objective. Got the bike serviced on 24th and the day finished with packing and preparing mentally for the ride.

Alarm went off at 3 am on 25th morning and it was the day. Had already checked the route for to and fro journey on Google maps. By 5, I was ready. The weather was less col as compared to the other night or it was the euphoria making me warm. Well started towards Hosur road, which is just at hands distance from my place. Entered the service road as was not keen to chase the trucks early morning. And what a pleasant surprise. Hosur road can be quoted as the best road in Bangalore now. I drove till Narayana Hirudalya(around 18 kms) without a bump,without braking.. Hell, am i dreaming or it is real, occurred in my thoughts. So a good start to the ride. Encountered a small traffic pile up in Hosur and after that I was maintaining 80. Was baffled by car traffic on the highway as being a long weekend, I guess most ppl were heading towards finding peace.

Crossed Salem and headed towards Karur-Nammkal Highway. The roads were excellent till Salem and I hoped the same next also. Luckily roads didn’t disappoint me. Just before Karur, had the first meal of day at a roadside small shop serving traditional Tamil-nadu Sambhar with other things. I simply love the taste of sambhar in TN as opposed to Karnataka.

And the smooth journey continued till Madurai, with not a single piece of bad roads yet. NH-7 is smoothest highway i have rode yet. I have reached Madurai in less than 8 hours. Upon reaching  Madurai checked into Hotel Taj, just opposite to bus stand. A very basic hotel indeed. Plan was to visit Meenakshi temple in the evening so had whole afternoon to kill. What can substitute a siesta after a long ride of 450 kms. Woke up at around 5 and headed to the temple. As expected there was gr8 rush at the temple with long queues. However manged to reach the first stage after a wait of around 1 hour. Then was the daunting task of darshan. There again was a long queue of ppl wishful of taking blessing of the devi. However got to have darshan with the idol being at a miles distance from the pace of darshan. I don’t sometimes understand the concept in South Indian temples. Why is the deity kept so far away and poorly lit?

Anyways the plan for next day was to go to Kanyakumari. But as this was not going to be a planned  trip, after talking to my mother decided to detour to Rameshwaram which is about 170 Kms from Madurai on NH-42. The next day morning started after days break and my path ventured towards Rameshwaram . Initially road was ok, but later was cruising at good speed. The only problems in TN interior roads are that although roads are good, but they are also crowded by number of cattels left by ppl to graze on road sided. So its btr to be careful both at day as well as night.

Rameshwaram is an island connected to main land by a bridge over the sea. There is a separate bridge for railway as well. The bridge was crowded with curious onlookers who had jammed the traffic. However sneaked my way way through the jam and entered Rameshwaram. Straightaway went to temple to get darshan, which was done after standing in long queue for special darshan as well. Left Rameshwaram immediately as too much ppl make me dizzy and headed towards Dhanushkodi, which is supposed to be the starting point of the now non-existent bridge Lord Ram made to go to Lanka. If going to Dhanuskodi, dont miss the fish fry and the beautiful white sand beach. I think the area has a lot of potential for development as it has very beautiful natural long beaches. Left Dhanushkodi and had no plan for the day ahead. Riding all the way to Kanyakumari was out of question as it was around 350 kms and it was evening. With lot of thought came to Ramad, a place in between Rameshwaram and Madurai in hope of finding an internet cafe. Luckily found one and planed to go to Tuticorn(Thottukudi) which was midway to Kanyakumari. The important thing was to notice the small Tuticorn 120kms direction board just at the exit of Ramanad. If I had missed it, wud have to spend the night in Madurai. Being a state highway, the road was too gud. I think Karnataka can take one or two examples from TN atleast in maintaining the roads. Reached Tuticorn and checked into Hotel John. Was a very bad hotel in contrast to being almost a 3-star.

The third day was gong to be ride to Kanyakumari and was delighted as will be riding NH-7 again. From Tuticorn, the route is first to Thirunaveli which is a state highway and then NH-7 from there. Had the cheapest breakfast of my life after Thirnaveli. 2-appams and a cup of coffee for Rs 9 only. Bangalore sucks man..

As the distance reduced, my heart beat was increasing. There is a diversion which separates the road for Kanyakumari for main district Nagarcoil. The whole route after that was filled with wind farm on both sides of the road. I was amazed to see such a big wind farm in India. Finally reached Kanyakumari and after a long and frustrating search for hotels came to Vivekanand Kendra. It was also full, but when i told them that i am traveling alone, they were surprised and offered me to have (free)lunch at the kendra and then gave me a dormitory shared by two other ppl. The cost of one day stay was Rs 15 only. Wow man, what one can expect for Rs 15 in India. The ambiance inside the kendra was exhilarating. I planned to go nowhere tht afternoon and just explore the kendra and enjoy the serenity of the place.

The next morning got up at 5 and joined the queue to go to Vivekanand rock memorial. Luckily the first batch saw me visiting the place. The place if beyond description. But was marred by the ppl flocking it and making it feel like fish market. I intend to visit it again in some month when tourist is a rarity and plan to spend a full day at the place. Came back to kendra and after having breakfast planned to visit Kollam and Ponmudi near Trivendram.

The journey to Trivendrum was hell. So much traffic that I decided to cancel Kollam and Ponmudi for some future time and head towards Cochin. After crossing Trivendrum visited a beach called Varkala. Its a beautiful beach and was thronged by lot of foreigners. Headed towards Kollam and visit to the kollam beach which was  disappointing.  Decided to head towards Alleppy. The NH-47 was proving to be a nightmare for me. The journey from Kanyakumari till Kollam was bad but what was about to come was the worst ride i have ever done. The first problem is that NH-47 is single lane and touches the major cities of Kerla. Majority of Kerla’s population lives by this highway. You don’t get a stretch of road where there are no houses or devoid of population. Every single bit of the road side is occupied. Adding to this problem is the fanatic driving by the people on this road. Traffic coming from front, was all with their beams high, giving no way or space upon overtaking. My frustration level had reached its peak by the time I entered Alleeppy. Thought of staying here instead of Cochin and planned for some sight seeing the next day.

Luckily for me the next day was a strike day in Kerla. But I didn’t realized it till morning that petrol bunks were also shut down owing to the strike. Canceled my sight seeing in allepy as I had only half tank of fuel left. Thought of trying my luck and head towards Bangalore. Plan was that if I get no petrol bunk open, would stay in the first hotel in sight within 50 kms range after bike comes into reserve. Luckily got a petrol bunk open in Cochin and tanked up the bike and was sure to reach Tamil Nadu without any problem.

While planning the trip, had thought of visiting Athirapally water falls which are on the way to Thrissur from Cochin. While crossing a small place Chalakudi, saw a small board for deviation to the falls. It was a small 32 km drive one way to the falls. Was thrilled at the view of mountains after seeing the sea for so many days. The area is abundant with natural beauty. And man, the first view of the falls was breath taking. Had never seen waterfalls like this. Upon reaching athirapply, got the help of a very humble policeman who agreed to watch my bike and bag while i visited the waterfalls. There was a about 1 km climb-down to the falls. The view of the falls only reminded of the power of mother nature. After a trying climb back, the police man suggested to visit another falls which was just 5 km away from there. It was vazachal waterfall which was also worth visitng. On my way back saw a small detour road which was pointing to Munnar. However dropped the idea of going to Munnar and head towards Bangalore. The detour road was the most beautiful road i have ever seen . Wish to ride on it some day.

By the time I was hitting the main highway again it was 3 and I was badly hungry.Luckily someone pointed me to an open restaurant and be it the hunger i felt or something else has the best Chicken Biryani.

Now was the trying time. A very long distance to cover till Bangalore. However I was determined to reach Bangalore by tonight itself. Passed thrissur, Palakad and finally reached Coimbatore. Encountered some very rash driving on Kerla-TN border. It was a relief to reach Coimbatore. Stopped for a tea break here and started for Salem. The initial 30 kms was again the replica of the Kerla roads I have encountered from kollam to Aleeppy. However after that road becomes 4 -lane ( a delightful feeling) with small bad stretches, single lanes and traffic jams in between. Reached Salem at 9:30 pm. Had dinner at a roadside hotel. The distance remaining was 200 kms. Only fear was of dozing away while driving. But I reminded myself of my bed waiting for me at the home and shooed away towards Bangalore. The ride to Bangalore got completed in 4 hours with one single break and largely uneventful with roads being excellent. The only uneventful thing was the loss of one of my mobile. I dont remember where I lost it.

However reached Bangalore at 2 am and crashed for a full day of sleep.

Summary:

Route:

Bangalore-Salem-Madurai-Rameshwaram-Tuticorn-Kanyakumari-Trivendram-Kollam-Alleeppy-Cochin-Chalakudi-Athirapally-Vazachal-Chalakudi-Coimbture-Salem-Bangalore

No of Days : 5

Duration : 25 Dec 2009 to 29 Dec 2009

Distance covered : 1885 Kms

Ride : Me alone

Hotel Expense :

Madurai : Rs 500

Tuticorn : Rs 850

Kanyakumari : Rs 15

Alleppey : Rs 650

Precautions:

(i) Ride carefully on state highways in TN esp at night, as the roads are good but ppl and their cattle do not head to a vehical. Even on NHs in TN ppl dont care for a fast approaching vehical. Its advisable to slow down if encountered with somebody crossing the road.

(ii) Avoid going to southern TN and Kerla during Sabrimala Aaiyyppa season. This season begins in mid Dec and ends somewhere on 15 Jan.

(iii) Avoid NH-47 at all cost during night.

(iv) For Kanyakumari, if planning to stay in a Hotel, advance booking is a must. Otherwise they will charge you as per their wish.

Here is the link for photos

http://picasaweb.google.com/gautamsharma24/Kanyakumari09#

For centuries, the greatest quest for human being after being civilized(are we??) was quest for peace. Peace among nations, peace among societies, peace among families, and more importantly self peace or inner peace as the great saints and sages of all times have attributed it.

Sadly the truth might be different. Simply put to logic, two of the important branches of science viz Physics and Chemistry deals in laws of entropy. This law works at the very basic level of the matter i.e atoms. And according to this law of entropy the “Potential of Disorder” always tends to increase. We as humans often tend to think “matter” as everything other than us and mostly this every other thing is non-living. But actually we are also constituted of the same matter which surrounds us. So the disorder that exists is the very basic nature of that matter which constitutes us and the search of an equilibrium is almost a mirage. Peace is thus conspicuous by absence  to our sole nature. The search for it thus seems to be a great disillusion. And this struggle to achieve peace becomes a cause of the other fallacies of life. If we can choose to end the struggle to get to peace, we might be able to achieve the true sense of ourselves which is nothing but the “true nature of matter.”  This might be  the beginning of getting to know one selves..

Of-lately the frequencies of my bike rides had reduced a lot. In contrast to around 10-15 rides a year in 2007, it has come down to, only 2 rides till now,  in 2009. But the recent one, gave lot of time for, as Robert . M. Pirsog quotes in “Zen and the art of motorcycling maintenance” — THE CHAUTAUQUA.

So what this Chau-tau-qua is? As Robert explains it - in literal meaning were the old traveling tent shows which used to go around in America showcasing culture through series of popular talks. In the book, Robert experiences similar Chautauquas between him and his mind, as he analyzes different behaviours of people.

Well to talk more about the author and his book will be like a layman trying to explain contemporary art. The point of bringing in Chau-tau-qua was to give a different kind of word to the usual silent chit-chat which happens constantly in mind. Normally This chit-chat happens all the time, but it becomes meaningful when it is listened to or observed.

My recent bike trip was to Waynad in Kerla. It was not a preplanned trip. It was just that me and Gaurav(The Dude) were thinkin of busting our stress by going on a bike ride, that we singled out Waynad, as most of other options seemed unfeasable due to monsoon, and Waynad seemed like our only hope. We started in the morning and soon the weather Gods made their intentions clear, that there was no respite from rain, except for one might stay in Bangalore and keep dry.

Upon entering Waynad, we realised that as usual, one cant rely on the (dubious) weather forecasts. It was rainy, flooded, roads blocked with uprooted trees and electricity poles. After checking in into a nice hotel, the information we got was that every spot we planned to visit was closed due to flood or the chances of flood. So there it was, two days with lot of time to spare, no hurry to go any where, no fixed plans or schedules. Such a situation may seem like a waste of time and efforts, but since we were on a stress buster trip, it does’nt seemed to bother us at all. We has a nice nap and in the evening I and Gaurav decided to ride across the Tea plantations in Waynad.

As we started, I felt somehow different. Since initially the plan was to visit some fixed places, the case now was different. We were just going no where special or significant. The ride was free from thinking or planning anything. This was the moment when I was witnessing whats really going on in my mind. As I was riding through the tea plantations I felt a unusual serenity descending upon me which I have never felt before. It was as if for a moment I was in sync with my thoughts and my mind was at peace. Perhaps the thoughts were peaceful or without moments of conflicts and perturbance. Only when the thoughts are peaceful, mind is conflict free. And when mind is conflict free, it is then when one is really communicating with once mind. Its not a communication but more of a conversation with one-self, to which sometimes words can be attributed and sometimes not. Interestingly my mind asked me (or may be vice-versa) why I loved riding a bike after so much that has happened that day? The answer was not immediately ready but gradually as the evening sat-in, became more evident. I and my mind decided that lets feel it by riding the bike itself. So this was it. I was riding and me and my mind were witnessing, the pleasure we got by riding.

First it was the road that I was loving. Although the good roads are always preferred over bad ones. Mind hates bad roads and so as I. The roads, smoother ones, having curves, slopes are always a ride to please. To add to it, the weather plays a big role. The kind of scenery around the road   plays a vital role on the mood of ride. What I was watching around me at that point of time was a beautiful road, curved around small hills, embedded with Tea plants on them. The Tea plants gave hill a look of smoothed surface which eyes directly translate into a smoothier feeling. These hills were at the top surrounded by beautiful clouds having different colours and peaks far off visible in their mystical mistyness. What more can the heaven offer? I was pleasently smiling at all this.  But is it all? I have seen much better roads to ride upon. How can just all this satisy the criterion of giving wholesome pleasure..

One more thing I happen to observe around me were the people. I generally like isolated places or places lesser flocked with people during rides. As i go along, i tend to ignore persons on the way. But this time it was different. I was looking at people on the way. I could see a lot of new faces with some paying attention to two idlers riding their bikes and some just ignoring or paying no attention at all. Well not talking of the ones who ignored us, I just paid attention to the people who looked at us as we passed through. Some had a look of admiration in their eyes, some just laughed at us, some gave a look as if we were looking as idiots. But  the thing which appeased me a lot was the smile, I saw on some faces as we passed through. Although I cant exactly decode the purpose of that but seeing people smile that way automatically intiates a reflex action, wherein me also tends to have the same smile. So it was that smile which gives a pleasent feeling and always gives. If I now consider my other rides also, there would have been moments where I have encontered such smiling faces giving a “Life is beautiful” feeling inside. This uncalled for happiness is one of the greatest feeling of riding a bike.