Malnad Escapade

Prologue

It was just 10 days after my spectacular Gujarat road trip that there came an occasion to ride out again and I could not miss the chance at any cost. January 26th being Monday, I had 3 days in my pocket and I quickly choose to explore the land of Literature King ‘Kuvempu’. I had an urge to visit this place since years but appropriate occasion never came and now I could not miss it. The national poet’s kingdom came in middle of thick Western Ghats on which I had love since my very first visit. Informed parents about the short trip and they did not bother to worry as they knew it is a tiny excursion compared to my standards J. A young likeminded colleague Darshan confirmed to join the trip in his Unicorn 150 after I briefly explained him the route I had planned for the trip. Western Ghats was one of his favorite head out and checked with his friends but no one turned up. Eventually it was only both of us eagerly waiting for a Saturday, to head out and explore the unexplored. Came back from office after a quick last minute discussion with Darshan, packed up my bag and slept for few hours before I get started with a memorable road trip to Malnad region….

Day-1 | 24-January-2015 | Bangalore-Thirthahalli | 417 Kms | 417 Kms

Alarm woke me up at 4:20 AM and after a quick bath and green tea, I was all set to go with a swift cross check on things I should be carrying for the trip. Meanwhile Darshan called and decided to meet up at Tumkur road-Ring road junction as he stays in north Bangalore and me in south. ‘Good bye Bengaluru….’ I said while raising the throttle fully soaked in joy. Took the usual Ring Road and while crossing Peenya industrial cross road, I was blindly following a car and hit a big pothole and there began a disturbing sound from the engine. Reached the junction where Darshan had already reached and we loaded his personal luggage onto my saddle bag so that he is free from carrying the weight on his shoulder. Also just to make sure bike is fine, we did a quick investigation on the strange sound but found nothing off beam.

“Alle munde Tumkur road toll aadmele tea ge nilsona…. (Let’s stop for tea after the Tumkur road toll….)” I said while we geared up for the 3 days escapade. 

Bangalore-Nelamangala express way was filled with traffic for the known reason. Bangaloreans were eagerly waiting for this long weekend like us I concluded J. While cruising at 80’s the disturbing sound came back again only to distract my mind L. Crossed Tumkur road toll and took a small break for tea where 2 more bulleters with TN registration came and enquired the route to Hampi. The little tea served in plastic cup warmed up a little and decided to stop after Tumkur and cover as much as possible before the heat turns up. Sailing in NH-4 overtaking the trucks was nothing difficult except for the icy windy weather. Took a left turn just before Tumkur towards Shivamogga and we were riding on NH-206 which offered us the smooth 2-Lane road filled with green on either side. It was bright by then and the traffic was very negligible which added a flavor for our ride ahead. 

All the while, the irritating sound from engine persisted which I could not take anymore and stopped my bike to check it completely so that I am left with peace going ahead. While Darshan was rubbing his palm to generate heat, I did a thorough inspection and at last, I found the culprit. The Fabric chain cover had broken and was stuck slightly to the chain which was making sound while the bike moved. Removed it dirtying my hands with grease and continued our ride crossing the little towns and villages. Next stop was at a small road side tea stall to grab a tea with Parle-G biscuit.

First break for tea...

It was about 9:30 AM by then and moved ahead enjoying every bit of ride and took a breakfast break at Udupi Hotel in Kadur. After gulping in Idli Vada, geared up for the next stretch and reached Bhadravati without much of stress. We had decided to do Bhadravati Thirthahalli track against the well-known Shivamogga Thirthahalli route as this track passes through dense Bhadra wildlife sanctuary. Took a deep breath on reaching the jungle track as it would be covered with shades throughout and moved on confirming the route with locals. Crossed narrow track for few Kms only to land in dense Bhadra national park and the road was smooth with zero traffic. Took a break on a curvy stretch to click photos and un-geared ourselves as we were boiling inside our helmet and jacket.

“Nidhana odsona! Yenadru nodoke sigbodu…. (Let’s ride slow! We might spot something on the way….)” Darshan insisted while locking his helmet to the bike.

Getting into the Wild!

These were spotted regularly on our way!

It was around 12:40 PM by then and we had just about 50 Kms to reach Thirthahalli. As we had plenty of time in hand, rode slowly early looking at either side of the road for any rare sightings. Suddenly Darshan stopped his bike and signaled me to stop without making much of a sound only to spot 2 notorious Malabar Squirrel romancing on the tree. While I replaced my kit lens with telephoto one, one of the squirrels ran away while other stood firm curiously looking at us. I thanked for its guts and clicked every possible move of it while Darshan got busy taking a small video clip of this little cute creature. He insisted to wait for a while to witness its behavior as it was jumping from one branch to another and after about 15 Mins, we moved ahead after it became invisible inside bushes. 

Landscape around....

A lovely Malabar Squirill spotted in Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary....

Irrigation with forest in background!

Reached Shivamogga-Thirthahalli highway with few more photo breaks and continued towards Thirthahalli. On our way came a small detour track which took us to Tunga river bed and there came few captures in my camera. Having taken plenty of breaks all along, finally we reached Thirthahalli at about 2:45 PM and quickly checked into a random lodge opposite to bus stand. Got the deal fixed for 550/- Rs after a little negotiation.

Tunga river flowing parallel to state highway....

Unloaded the luggage, got fresh hastily and grabbed our lunch in a nearby restaurant without wasting much of a time. The restaurant cashier briefed us the route to Legends territory Kuppalli which falls in Thirthahalli-Koppa route. As it was just 15 odd Kms from Thirthahalli, we rode taking quite a bit of photo breaks and finally, entered Kuppalli village which had few spots for us in store.

Getting closer to legends land

First in the list was Kavi Shaila, a place very close to Kuvempu’s house where he used to write poetry overlooking the mighty forest range during his living days. Kavi Shaila was over a small hill with rocky monuments placed in a circular fashion. We parked the bikes and started exploring the place with camera at work. Kavi Shaila was placed in between the dense Western Ghats with spectacular views around from where once can get beautiful views. Adding to the moment was absolute peace the place offered with no human being at sight. The place was neatly maintained and it consisted of Kuvempu’s memorial, few of his poems describing the place, his signature scribed over a rock etc. 

Kavishaila entry!

The place as narrated by the legend himself

Huge pillars in Kavishaila....

RIP legend Kuvempu!

Majestic views from Kavi Shaila

Being here makes you feel Kuvempu is still alive....

As we were left with a lot more in store, got back on saddle and rode straight to Kuvempu’s (Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa) ancestral house in Kuppalli. The very first view of the house blew our mind out with thick forest on all 3 sides and only a duplex vintage house with tiles roofing in between. Parked the bike and as we entered the house, there was a marble stone in which a poem written by Kuvempu himself describing the house was placed and reading it was simply like getting back to his days and I could make out that he had lived here for quite a long time with plenty of memories. The entire area was very neatly maintained and exhibited peace and nothing else.

The lone residence of Kuvempu in Kuppalli

Kevumpu's house as described by himself!

“Sir, entry ticket togoli…. (Sir, take entry ticket before getting in….)” An administrative lady advised us as we entered the house.

“Photo tegibedi aayta…. (Do not click photos please….)” Guy instructed while handing over the tickets.

‘Oh man! This is gorgeous….’ We uttered as we entered the house which was square by design with open space in middle. The house consisted of spacious courtyard, plenty of rooms and cleanly polished wooden pillars to support the structure with red oxide flooring. As we moved from one room to another, we could feel Kuvempu’s presence still existing in the house. Every room had his photographs, awards, poems etc neatly framed on the walls. Took the wooden stairs climbing upwards to first floor which again offered plenty of photographs, articles and the house hold things used during his life time. Then came second floor of the house which had a room full of Books and articles written by Kuvempu and numerous awards he received during his life time. Spending about 40 Mins exploring his house, we came out and gulped a bottle of water from a nearby tiny shop before we moved towards Kuvempu’s memorial hall.

Memorial hall in the name of Kuvempu in Kuppalli

Next was his son Poornachandra Tejaswi’s memorial hall which had remarkable photographs clicked by Tejaswi and articles written by him. With a quick visit to Tejaswi’s memorial, got back to Thirthahalli and rode straight towards Kavaledurga Fort.

Tejaswi's grave in Kuppalli....

I had heard about this fort few months ago and thought it would be best opportunity to visit it as part of this trip. As it was getting dark, we zoomed our bikes dealing with smooth curves.

“Sir, Kavaledurga kote henge hogodu? (Sir, how do we go to Kavaledurga Fort?)” I checked in a small shop in village midway.

They insisted not to go now as it is already dark and it requires 3 Kms of walk to reach the fort. With no other option and losing the battle against time, we decided to head back pretty disappointed. Rode back to Thirthahalli and had snacks in a small restaurant prior to reaching our room. Relaxed for a while before we decided to head out to taste some local street food.  Our hunt for the local savour began with a plate of Gobi Manchuri in a small shop named ‘Bangalore Gobi Center’. ‘What an irony!’ I said as we ended up tasting food from Bangalore shop instead of local place. Our hunt continued further grabbing few Bhajji’s before we hit a decent restaurant for dinner. Walked back to room with a bottle of water and crashed with a satisfaction of ending the day with pleasant memories.

Day-2 | 25-January-2015 | Thirthahalli -Moodabidre | 262 Kms | 679 Kms

We knew in advance that the day will be a long one and lot to visit on our way. Hence packed our bags well within the time and went out to have a local breakfast. Tried our hands on Uppittu Avalakki (yummy coastal feast) along with commonly available Idli Vada before we bid bye to Thirthahalli filling fuel tanks. The plan was to visit Agumbe but before that we had to visit Mani Reservoir taking a small detour midway.

The vista around was mixed with rocky hills and green landscape and we munched miles in search of detour to Mani Reservoir.

“Mani backwater ge hogudu hege? (How to go Mani backwater?)” I asked a local people waiting at a bus stand.

As they were clueless on what we were asking, we decided to depend on our maps and rode ahead as suggested by GPS. Reached Mulubagilu where the road bifurcated with left heading to Agumbe and right heading to Masti Katte and I was sure we should be taking the road towards Masti Katte.

Waiting in Mulubagilu!

But to make sure we do not miss the route, Darshan enquired with local bunch of people and they confirmed the road to Masti Katte which we should be taking. The entire track was full of greenish views all around and it was an absolutely peaceful experience to ride on such an unknown track. After riding for a while and not finding the backwater, we enquired with another localite who assured that we would get it in just a Km and also suggested another bushy track which leads to backwater.

In no time, we encountered a patch of straight road which was touching the backwater on its left and I was completely delighted to experience the silence and peace the place offered. The water level had diminished a lot but it was not fully dry as I had expected. The other side of the road offered a bit of empty land with grass where we could spot few verities of birds relaxing picking their food and cattle’s gazing the field. Now that we were delighted to be here, we had to capture the moment in our lens as a memory and hence gave my camera a complete work clicking the landscape from all possible angles.

First view of charming Mani back water!

Co-rider posturing for a click!

After spending a good amount of time closely watching nature, got back on the saddle and took a bushy track which was suggested by a localite to reach backwater on other side. The road which leads to backwater was very narrow with thick bushes on either side which scared me for a while but the moment we saw the gigantic backwater, all the fear in us had vanished and we just decided to spend a lot of time here before moving on.

Bushy track leading to backwater....

Parked the bikes and went to the shore only to spend quality time watching super fast River Tern birds fighting in air, mesmerizing thick forest, blue water and what not. The place was perfect for a camping but as we had a different plan, we did not bother much about it and spend about 45 Mins doing nothing but listening to the nature’s song in silence.

Colors of western ghats!

Must been an submerged forest tree....

One small view of gigantic reservoir J

Being satisfied with a good meditation in natures lap, it was time for us to move on and hit the road towards Agumbe enjoying the thick green jungle track. The traffic was moderate as this route was one of the known connectivity between coast and Shivamogga. Reached Agumbe and near the check post, the guards handed over a slip for a temple donation and requested 100/- Rs. In spite of conveying them that this is not fair in local language Tulu, I ended up paying the amount as I did not want our plan to get more delayed. The sunset point in Agumbe offered breathtaking views of the downhill landscape surrounded by adjacent hills. But we could not stay there for long due to the tourist crowd pouring in rapidly and hence we reached back Agumbe to sail ahead towards Sringeri.

Welcome Agumbe....

View from Sunset point! Agumbe....

It was already lunch time by then and decided to grab our food here in Agumbe before we move on and landed in a small vintage style restaurant which had wooden table and chairs. At the first glance, Darshan hinted that the lunch would be excellent here and his guess turned out to be true as they served us the lunch in Banana leaves J.

Simple yet wonderful lunch in Agumbe J

“Baddu Puli juice unda? (Do you have Kokum juice?)” I asked the restaurant owner in Tulu for which he nodded his head and placed 2 bottles of Kokum juice which tasted much beyond our expectation.

Local flavours adding to our lunch - Kokum juice

Thanked them for such a simple and wonderful unlimited lunch and continued towards Sringeri. As we moved on, we could see the transition in landscape from thick forest to small fields of Areca Nut, Banana, Coconut etc. in the foreground covered by forest at the back. Weather was getting bad with Sun dancing over our head and we were feeling dehydrated. Reached Sringeri only to see that tourist crowd was at its peak and getting into the parking itself was a big task for us. We had just entered the temple town but I was desperate to move out of this crowded place. Quickly parked our bikes, placed our jackets in saddle bag and headed to temple with a quick visit to hanging bridge next to parking.

Hanging bridge found in Sringeri

Darshan gave a quick visit to temple after which we moved towards Tunga river bed where we could spot plenty of hyper active fishes very big in size eagerly grabbing the food thrown by tourists.

“Kudremukh hogona? At least, Lakya Dam tanka hogona…. (Let’s go to Kudremukh? At least till Lakya Dam….)” I suggested Darshan for which he nodded his head without second thought.

Colorful temple complex!

Sringeri Sharadamba temple!

Found on temple walls!

Huge fishes found plenty in water actively grabbing the food fed by tourists!

We bid bye to Sringeri and soon were in road leading towards Kudremukh which offered us mixture of forest and agriculture landscape. While on the road, we came across a small dead snake and I could spot a rare Brahminy kite eagerly waiting for the vehicles to pass through so that it can take its meal. It was a great sighting I got of the bird J but at the same time, I was quite upset with the human nature conflict and ignorant driving on the road which lead to death of a snake. Darshan was quite upset as well but we could hardly do anything about it and continued the journey ahead.

Getting into another hanging bridge which connects a private property to mainland.

Brahminy Kite waiting to take away its food J

It was just about 5 Kms from the earlier dead snake that I could see something moving aggressively on the road and stopped the bike immediately crossing it. Darshan who was following just behind me said it is a snake which is run over by a car which went just now and its struggling. ‘Shit! Damn shit…. It’s horrible….’ I said and moved ahead without even turning back.

Venturing into Kudremukh national park!

Reached Karkala-Kudremukh junction and took left towards Kudremukh. I had been on this road numerous times but every time, I just felt as if it was my first ride on this road. The reason I thought might be due to mesmerizing views the road offers all the way till Kudremukh. After a quick photo break in a view point, reached Lakya Damn entrance only to see that the entry gate was closed for public. ‘Man o man! To see this closed gate we came all the way till here….’ I thought and moved back towards Karkala as it was already 5:00 PM.

Outstanding views en-route Kudremukh J

Falls spotted on our way....

Just loved the views around with straight stretch!

Entry to Lakhya Dam is prohibited L

Kudremukh-Karkala was well known track for me but for Darshan, it was the first time and hence he was filled with excitement that we would be getting down the Ghats. Zig-zagging thought the curves, reached Bajagoli and broke for a quick tea.

Kudremukh as seen after getting down from ghats!

Next in the list was Karkala Bahubali statue about which we knew it would be fully crammed with tourists as Maha Mastakabhisheka event was taking place which occurs once in 12 years. As we neared Karkala, traffic transformed from bad to worse and at the entrance of the venue it was unbearable. But as it was an event which occurs once in 12 years, we did not want to skip and found a parking place on the main road as suggested by traffic cops who were struggling to manage the incoming traffic. There was a free pickup bus available which would take devotees from main road till the statue but we decided to walk as it was just a matter of 500 Mtrs. The small hill on which the statue was placed offered scenic views of the Kudremukh range of hills on one side with coastal vista on the other.

Colorful and decorated lamps on the way to Bahubali statue!

Huge Bahubali being decorated for mahamastakabisheka!

Fire brigade on duty!

With a quick visit to the statue along with photos, got back to the main road with a coastal spicy snack named ‘Charmuri’ in hand J.

“Channagide .Aadre Parachute oil kuddange anistide…. (It’s good. But felt like am drinking Parachute coconut oil….)” Darshan gave his frank feedback as he was not used to coconut oil which is the main oil used on coast for cooking purpose.

'Charmuri' A local delight to spice up the moment J

Having done with Karkala with plenty of time left in hand, decided to visit Moodubelle where I had some personal work to finish. My home in Udupi was so close but did not bother to visit it as it was not in the trip plan. With the help of ring road, we were ripping our bikes towards Moodubelle which came midway between Karkala-Udupi. It was dark by then and Darshan had tough time dealing with small insects which would fly to his eyes. Hence I suggested him to put on the visor and follow me. While on the way back from Moodubelle, I was sailing at 50’s and suddenly saw a snake moving on the road and applied brakes to the best to stop as soon as possible. Darshan who was blindly riding behind me, over took me without seeing the snake and stopped a little further. ‘Shit! Oh shit…. Damn! He ran over it’ I screamed assuming that he ran over the snake L. Completely disappointed and with a little hope, turned back only to see that he had not ran over it. Parked the bike in middle of the road with headlights and indicators on so that other vehicles could pass on without affecting the snake.

“Oh man! This is gorgeous, what a beauty…. Incredible man….” I continued praising as I could not believe what I was seeing from my naked eyes J.

“Oh super! It’s a python….Photo Krishna fast….” Darshan was equally excited seeing it live.

Swiftly took out the camera and clicked it as much as possible with goose bumps all over my hands. We made sure to stand on the road guiding other vehicles till when the tiny Python of about 2 Ft in length vanished into the bushes.

The beauty spotted! JJJJ

Taking its time to cross the road while we are making sure to capture it and safeguard it on road!

‘What a moment man! What a sighting…. This is unexpected and highlight of the trip….’ I said to myself as we got back on wheels.

Crossed Karkala and rode ahead towards Moodabidre where we had decided to halt for the day. It was a mad traffic all the way till Moodabidre and was close to 8:00 PM before we managed to find a shelter for the night after a little of struggle. Lodge receptionist was very curious to give us the room and after a lot of questions about our trip, he handed the keys of a comfortable and cozy room. With a delicious dinner near to the lodge, we crashed in bed after seeing the Python captured in camera multiple times J.

Day-3 | 26-January-2015 | Moodabidre –Bangalore| 373 Kms | 1052 Kms

It was a journey back home of about 350 odd Kms along with local sightseeing and hence we both took our time to get ready without hurrying ourselves. With a delicious tea on a road side tiny hotel, got fresh and headed out in search of breakfast. Darshan wanted to taste the local items and in an effort to try different things, we ended up grabbing Uppittu Avalakki, Kaali Dosa, Poori Bhaji, Curd Vada, Vada Sambar etc. ‘Damn! Is it a breakfast for 2 or 20?’ I thought for a moment while paying the nominal price for all that we had. Burping heavily, got on the bike enquiring the directions to Thousand Pillar Basadi which is a holy place for Jain community. Locals directed us to small paths which lead to other temples which were very peaceful with absolutely no crowd.

The architecture of these temples were quite rare to Darshan and he took a time to visit all these while I got busy clicking them from outside.

Temple pillar in Moodabidri!

Vintage collection found in coast....

Moving slowly by walk while Darshan visiting few temples on the way, we ended up in front of the famous Thousand Pillar Basadi which is the hotspot of this town.

The temple was very peaceful and cleanly maintained and was surrounded by a compound made of Laterite stone. With very little devotees pitching in, we took our precious time in exploring the temple premises taking good amount of photos. Jaw opening carving on the pillars of the temple was worth watching in close up.

Thousand pillars Basadi in Moodabidri

Carvings on the pillars!

Huge idol of Bahubali in the temple

Temple complex covered by laterite stone....

With nothing else to explore, spend some time sitting and experiencing the silence before heading back to lodge. Packed our bags and loaded them on bike and bid bye to Moodabidre taking the route towards Belthangady by 10:45 AM. Heat and humid was affecting us badly but we had no other way to escape from it. It was just few Kms that we had moved ahead where we came across a traffic jam with 2 buses facing each other and other vehicles lined behind them. ‘Damn! Not here man. We are getting late….’ I said while getting down from bike to inspect how long it would take to clear the mess. The state government bus had touched the side of private bus on a narrow curve and both the drivers were reluctant to go back. Like many others, we waited in patience for the mess to clear up while few localites took the initiative to clear the deadlock.

Romance on the road J

As soon as we found a small gap, slipped through it and got back on ride mode passing through irrigational lands with trees covering the road thereby providing us the much needed shade.

As we crossed villages, we could see small little school kids returning home from Republic Day celebrations in school. While crossing one such village, we came across a school kid riding his colorful cycle. I requested him to pose for a snap which he did with lot of shy on his face after which we thanked him and moved ahead only to stop in a while to grab tender coconut.

Where do I go?

A neat monolithic hill in Ujire!

Crossed Belthangady and stopped for a photo break at a place which offered eye catching views of Western Ghats.

“Illinda Charmadi Ghati shuru guru…. (From here Charmadi Ghat begins….)” I said to Darshan who was excited to ride up hill.

But for me, it was nothing special as I had ran over this route numerous times during my native visit.

View of Charmadi hill range....

Beast waiting to conquer....

As we moved ahead, the mad traffic demolished all the joy we had dreamt for this section of the Ghat. For a moment I felt like I am riding in city with few cars moving behind me and in front of me. To worsen the matter, NHAI had dug up on both sides to widen the road so that 2 way traffic could flow smoothly L. This was done as the well known Shiradi Ghat was closed for road work and hence Charmadi was the leading road network to the coast. Riding behind the government buses on curves which poured dusty mud on every part of my body was next to hell for us. Over taking was not much of a help as we could see many vehicles running slowly on the uphill curves. The condition of the road had gone worse from beautiful during my previous visit. With no other option in hand, we rode recklessly with an intension to get over with this dusty stretch as soon as possible.

Surprised to see this route soaked in mud L

After about 30 odd Kms in Ghats, finally we came across magnificent view points of Western Ghats where we stopped our machines to enjoy the view for a while J. I could see that Darshan’s head and face had turned brown in color filled with mud and soon I realized mine would be no different. I suggested him that we would come across a small flowing stream where let us wash our face and head and moved ahead in search of the stream.

Charming Charmadi J

Thick western ghats as seen from hill top....

Reached the spot where there was a small stream of water flowing and first thing we did was to wash our head and face neatly. The water was fresh and cold which filled us with energy to move ahead only to stop in Kottigehara for lunch.

With a quick yummy lunch in small restaurant, continued further towards Hassan taking frequent photo breaks. The road was absolutely peaceful with charming views of estates and fields all around.

Crossing human habitation

Yes! You read it right J

While on our way, came across a place where farmers had spread coffee seeds to dry. Darshan was curious to visit the site and we did visit spending some time talking to the farmer who briefly explained about the drying procedure.

Coffee processing in a village

As we were running out of time, continued further and reached Hassan by around 4:30 PM and stopped for a coffee beside national highway.

“Innu yenu tension illa. Aaram nalli hogbodu…. (Now we don’t have to worry. We can reach easily….)” Darshan uttered sipping his coffee.

After a quick rest, we geared up for the speed run back home and ripped our machines in smooth NH-48 towards Bangalore. Crossed channarayapatna and stopped for a tea crossing toll near Bellur Cross where we met 2 more middle aged bikers who were heading back from Chikkamagalur.

Sailing back home

Continued our journey ahead sailing smoothly along with other vehicles plying to IT capital. Crossing the toll was quite painful due to the moving traffic. With another short tea break, we reached Nelamangala by 7:45 PM with an exciting trip and being close to nature. Bid bye to Darshan and took ring road back home dealing with city traffic.

Epilogue

Unlike other road trips, this one was quite unplanned but it was as exciting as other road trips I had done so far. Unlike other road trips, this one was well within the state border and few places were re-visit to me but still I felt as if I was riding here for the first time. With so many ‘Unlike other road trips’ popping in mind, I was wondering what is it which makes the road trip more joyful and exciting? It’s not the destination, it’s not the sightseeing place, it’s not the distance I cover and it’s not the days I spend in a trip. Then what is it? That’s when my heart said with glory ‘It is the journey that matters’. Yes! It was and will always be the journey which matters in a successful road trip. Of course the other thing does matter a lot but all that without memorable journey would be like 0 multiplied against any number.

Lying in sofa swapping through TV channels, I was just thinking of all that I encountered like notorious Malabar Squirrel, aggressive Brahminy Kite, cute baby Python. Meanwhile buddy rider Darshan texted me thanking for a wonderful and memorable road trip with plenty of smiles. I thanked him back and went out to thank my beast which was resting after a quick 1000 Kms run but as expected, the beast winked me ‘Where shall we head next?’. Lying in bed, I opened Google maps in my mind in search of itenarary for my next trip before I closed my eye shutter. 

So….. ‘The journey continues…. JJJJ’

Tour Map