[Added_flavor]

Over the last two years, we have ridden across the North, West and Eastern parts of India. It was time we revisited the Southern coast and what better than a long weekend. We’d decided that we want to cover both Kanyakumari and Rameshwaram over four days (4th to 7th October) and have the fifth day as a rest day post the trip.

However, the decision to do this trip was a rather late one, thanks to hectic workdays for both wife and me, and hence all the bookings were done just a day prior to the planned departure. What we’d casually discussed was that we’ll do a relaxed drive in the car. The yet-to-recede monsoons, the fact that it was just the two of us doing this trip and the relative unpreparedness for a fairly big trip (about 1700 Km) justified a trip in the car instead of our CBR, or so we thought.

On Thursday evening as I wrapped up work and was driving back home, I started getting random thoughts and memories of many of our previous rides done on the bike. While the mind wanted me to do a comfortable trip in the car considering coastal TN heat and erratic Karnataka monsoons, the heart was pulling me towards the bike. A lot of logical discussions, impassioned thoughts, checking weather prediction on the IMD website, etc., we finally decided at 8 PM to make this into a ride!

Only now did the true excitement of a ride kick in and thus started the hurried preparations for both the bike and us. The bike was fuelled up, chain lubricated, air pressure checked, puncture kit kept ready and documents were checked. Our clothes and other essentials were packed in the saddle and tank bags. In addition to the regular packing, we were sure that we’d need a lot of electral to hydrate ourselves, our medicine pack was replenished and chocolate bars were bought. By 11.30 PM, everything was packed and the saddlebag was ready to be mounted.

While we were trying to contain the excitement and catch some sleep, I was woken up by loud thunder and lightning coupled with torrential rains. That sank my heart. Both of us were awake at 1 AM and discussed that the rains were only till we crossed over to TN. With doubts and unanswered questions, we fell asleep again.

Day 1:

Bangalore to Kanyakumari
Distance covered: 688 Km
Route: Bangalore – Salem – Madurai – Tirunelveli – Kanyakumari
Hotel in Kanyakumari: Hotel Trisea.

In spite of the disturbed sleep, we were up by 4.15, finished all chores, mounted the saddlebag and were on the road by 5.15 AM. I decided to take the NICE road from PESIT entrance to Hosur road instead of riding through the potholed roads of the city. However, NICE road itself is in poor condition, especially on the Bannerghatta – Hosur road section. By the time we hit the NH towards Hosur, it was almost daybreak at about 5.45 AM. The first quick stop was somewhere near Hosur to capture a milestone on our CBR – that of 35000 km! A couple of quick pictures and we were on our way again. The weather was pleasant and we wanted to cover as much distance as possible under good weather.

Blissful ownership over the last 2 years and traveling across the Country!

The first stop was at about 7.15 AM, exactly two hours since we started, at Sai Sangeet at Thoppur after we’d covered about 175 km. The Dosas were quite decent but nothing to rave about.

After a 45 minute break, we continued the journey. The Sun was out now and the weather started getting hotter. Soon we were in the thick of Salem peak traffic, but thanks to the fact that we were on the CBR, we were able to wriggle out fairly quickly. Now it was just mile-munching with nothing much to look around. Somewhere near Karur, we stopped for a quick hydration break. We’d now covered about 275 Km and this was soon followed by the first fuel break of the day after about 310 km.

A picturesque stretch in otherwise barren roads!

Although we’d planned to have lunch at Anjappar on the Madhurai bypass, we reached there earlier than expected, and neither of us was hungry. So we continued further while taking hydration breaks every 100 odd km as the unrelenting heat coupled with the fact that we were climbing down to sea level kept beating us down. We then decided to target Capsi restaurant for lunch and reached there by around 2 PM. The food and ambiance turned out to be quite decent and the bike had a safe and much needed shaded parking spot.

After a much-deserved break and a leisurely lunch, we were recharged and determined to cover the remaining 100 km soon. However, the coastal heat sapped us and we had to relent to another water break before Kanyakumari.

At around 4 PM, we entered Kanyakumari to be treated to some wonderful views of the Indian ocean. Totally, it took us around 8.5 hours of riding time and 11 hours totally to reach our hotel.

Distance for the day!

The hotel has a decent basement parking and we got a safe corner for the bike to be parked. Checked-in, freshened up and decided to head to the Kanyakumari temple for a quick darshan, followed by strolling around the streets around the temple and also spent some time at the Tri-sea sangamam point. The restaurant at our hotel looked promising and we decided to try it for a light dinner, which turned out to be good.

Temple and the surrounding streets buzzing with activity!

[Added_flavor]

Day 2:

Kanyakumari sightseeing: Ferry to Vivekananda memorial, Thiruvallavar statue, Vattakottai Fort and beach, Gandhi memorial and Sunset point.

Thanks to the centrally located hotel we were in, we could easily walk down to the ferry point without worrying about parking.

Once we came back to the mainland, we were drained out due to the heat. We decided to stay indoors for some time before we head to Vattakottai fort. We decided to pay a visit to the Trisea Spa on the hotel premises and that turned out to be great. Since we were uncertain about the parking at the fort, we decided to take a rick.

As per Wiki, Vattakottai Fort (or 'Circular Fort') is a seaside fort near Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu the southern tip of India. It was built in the 18th century as a coastal defense-fortification and barracks in the erstwhile Travancore kingdom.

As per me, this is a must-visit place in Kanyakumari for the beautiful views it offers and the fact that it’s not yet a part of the mainstream tourist circuit. It is about 7 km from the town center.

That feeling when we have the entire place to ourselves!

Once we came back from Vattakottai, we returned to the hotel, took the bike out and headed to the Sunset point which is about 2.5 km from the hotel westwards on Kovalam road. It’s a nice place buzzing with roadside vendors and offers a lovely view of the sunset. There’s also the ‘Our Lady, Star of the Sea’ shrine here. Unfortunately, the view on this day was slightly marred by a cloud cover. We then came back to the hotel and headed for an evening stroll around the town and grabbed some junk food and yummy lassi from a newly opened nice-looking lassi shop near the town center.

[Added_flavor]

Day 3:

Kanyakumari to Rameshwaram
Distance covered: 310 Km
Route: Kanyakumari – Tirunelveli – Thoothukudi – ECR – Pamban – Rameshwaram
Hotel in Rameshwaram: Hotel Ashoka.

The plan for the day was to have breakfast at the hotel and then ride to Rameshwaram and preferably reach soon before the heat gets very bad post 12 PM. By 7.30, we were ready, luggage was mounted on the bike and all set for breakfast. 30 minutes later, we were on the way to Rameshwaram. Once we exited the town and joined the NH, the beautiful views of the hundreds of windmills were alluring to click a couple of pictures.

The ride from here was uneventful except until I noticed a Honda City trying hard to catch up. I slowed down a little and the moment he came parallel to me, the tinted windows rolled down to reveal a family and out came the mobile cameras to click a picture of us. We just waved at them and moved on. As we moved towards Thoothukudi and turned towards the ECR, the views changed and we started seeing huge heaps of salt and captured a few pictures of them.

Fancy dress anyone? Jokes apart, awesome of them to oblige and pose for a pic!

This road traverses through many small villages and is an undivided 2-lane road. It also offers some good views and is surprisingly green in some places. As we continued, we reached the Pamban road bridge. Just before heading on the bridge, we noticed a few bikers taking pictures at a very picturesque spot and decided to venture there.

The biker lot busy clicking pictures!

From here, we continued on to the beautiful Pamban Bridge which was crowded with click-happy people going berserk with their phones and cameras. This was in spite of the warning board just before the start of the bridge warning people about the penalties of parking on the bridge. The cops were present but were clearly outnumbered by the sheer number of cars parked and were mere spectators. Well, we thought, When in Rome…

At about 1 PM, we checked in to Hotel Ashoka. In spite of the narrow and broken approach road, this was a much better hotel from the one at Kanyakumari in terms of the amenities and the fact that it is located close to the temple. The food at the attached restaurant is good as well. In the evening we went to the temple for the darshan and opted for the special darshan ticket (priced at INR 100 a ticket), looking at the queue. The day ended with a stroll around the town post the temple darshan.

[Added_flavor]

Day 4:

Rameshwaram to Dhanushkodi and back.
Distance covered: 40 Km.
Rameshwaram to Bangalore.
Distance covered: 650 Km
Route: Rameshwaram – Madurai bypass – Dindigul – Salem – Bangalore.

The most awaited place of the trip for me was Dhanushkodi. The last time I had visited this place was in 2009 on my Karizma with a group of friends. Back then, there was no road but only an off-road trail where only 4*4 jeeps would venture. However, the scenic beauty of the place has ensured it's been etched in my mind even after a decade. Thanks to all the dramatic description of the place, Sandhya was equally excited to go. After a comfortable night’s sleep, we were up by 5 AM as we wanted to be the earliest to go there and click some nice pictures before the place gets crowded.

There was a faint drizzle when we stepped down into the parking lot, which subsided soon. Off we went passing the morning bustle around the temple, towards Dhanushkodi. As per what I’d read, the check post opens at 6 AM and we had planned accordingly. However, when we reached the check post by 6.10 AM, we were flagged down by a cop along with a line of vehicles and were informed that the rules have been revised and it now opens at 7 AM! What a bummer it was! The cop wouldn’t budge to any amount of coaxing and pleading and simply said rules are the same for everyone. Upon checking with him later, I understood (from the little Tamil I can catch) that LTTE was active and there was a bomb blast recently. I took in this information with a pinch of salt and just nodded to him. We whiled away time by clicking pictures of the sea and a beautiful rainbow that had appeared, thanks to the morning drizzle.

By 7 AM, the check post opened and as expected it was a race between vehicles of all sizes and shapes to go first towards Land’s end. Well, there has to be some advantage of riding a 650CC superbike and I used it to the

We were the first to arrive at the spot and had a few minutes before the rest of the crowd could catch up. We hurriedly took a few pictures and as expected, it got crazily crowded in the next few minutes.

If there is a road to heaven, I'm sure it'd look like this!






First to reach the land's end point!


5 minutes later!

With the crowd continuously building up, we decided to move from there and head to the ruins of Dhanushkodi town to capture some pictures there. These are a result of the 1964 cyclone after which Dhanushkodi was declared unfit for habitation and hence earned the tag "Ghost town".

We also found another beautiful spot nearby where both of us went click-happy!

Well, this is how 90% of the pictures were captured! Credits to Sandhya.

By now it was 7.30 AM and we wanted to head back to the hotel, finish our breakfast and start to Bangalore as rains have been constant in the late evenings over the last week or so. I did not want to ride in a combination of rain+darkness.

However, thanks to the understaffed restaurant and the consequent inefficient service, we got delayed at breakfast and by the time we started the return ride, it was 9 AM. The coastal heat was already getting to us and sapping us out. We rode non-stop for about 70 minutes that felt like a lot more due to the weather. A hydration break was followed by another stop for fuel, 40 km later.

At this point, Sandhya asked me how much we’ve covered in the day. The expression on her face when I said 140 km was priceless. How are we going to cover 500 more today?

However, I assured her that the weather is only going to get better as we gain altitude and head closer to Bangalore. The plan was to head to Selvi mess for lunch, get some good rest and then ride to Bangalore. From here on, as we went around Madhurai on the bypass and headed towards Namakkal and Karur, the weather gradually started getting better. Now it was just munching miles and keeping good cruising speeds, stopping every 100 km for hydration.

By 2 PM we were standing in front of Selvi mess inside Salem city, tired and famished. We had covered about 400 km in 5 hours in spite of the breaks! However, to our disbelief, it was closed for Ayudha pooja. A quick check with people nearby and I was suggested to head to the outlet on the Bangalore highway and they assured me that it’d be open. So in the next 15 minutes, we were at the Selvi mess outlet on the Bangalore highway. Must say, the quality of food and service was simply fantastic! Also, after experiencing the coastal weather for the initial 200 km, Salem weather felt heavenly!

By 3.30 PM we fuelled up and started the last leg of the ride. The weather was quite pleasant and slightly overcast now. Being recharged after the great lunch and encouraged by the weather, we covered the next 100+ km in about 70 minutes carving through the Bangalore bound highway traffic. Another quick chai break at Krishnagiri and another hour later, by 5.45 PM we were at the entrance to NICE road. We had gobbled up km very quick albeit remaining safe and alert and enjoyed the whole ride thoroughly. Thankfully, the weather stayed pleasant and dry too! By 6.30 PM, we reached home.

Trip meter reading post the 4-day trip.

This was the first fairly big ride where Sandhya and I did not have the company of any other bike/friend. Even though we admittedly had some butterflies in the beginning, they were quashed the moment we hit the road on day 1. Also, we covered most of the places we intended to see and were pleased with ourselves at the end of the ride. Overall, we covered 1700+ km over a period of 4 days on the ride!

Here’s to many more to come, hopefully! Thanks for reading!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing, Suhas!

[deehunk]

The speed maintained through out the journey is fairly quick, pictures are very nice.

[Thermodynamics]

Nice coverage. You guys are fast. Coincidentally I was also in Rameswaram on 6th October. Amazing place, unusually crowded. Traffic pileup before the lands end shooed us away. We were content with the views on offer away from the crowd. Honestly, Sunsets are equally beautiful as sunrises at Dhanushkodi but lot less crowded.


It was an impromptu trip, I didn’t carry my gear, all I have are a bunch of mobile phone pictures. Not really thinking of writing a log but I visited Keeladi excavations on the way back. Apparently there is no related content on our forum, so kind of inclined to write a short report.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Thermodynamics

Keeladi excavations

Had never even heard of the place somehow, but very interesting details emerge with a simple search! Looking forward to your travelogue.

[blackwasp]

Lovely pics. Nothing like an impromptu ride. Though I love bikes, I have realised I'm just not made for riding. Kanyakumari has been always on my radar. Despite living in Chennai for 2 years, never did a trip there. Hopefully will drive down soon there.

[srvm]

Awesome photologue Added_flavor
Your photos have captured the landscape very well.

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

Day 3:

Kanyakumari to Rameshwaram
Distance covered: 310 Km
Route: Kanyakumari – Tirunelveli – Thoothukudi – ECR – Pamban – Rameshwaram
Hotel in Rameshwaram: Hotel Ashoka.

....


Fancy dress anyone? Jokes apart, awesome of them to oblige and pose for a pic!

Maybe the above duo were on the way to Kulasekharapatnam near Tuticorin (since your trip was during Dussehra/Navaratri). Check out the awesome thread (Dussehra in a village - Kulasekharapatnam, TN) by BHPian airguitar.

[Randhawa]

I think I saw you guys Enroute somewhere on our trip. From Chandigarh to Kanyakumari, we didn't see any other couple riding on a bike .We were on our two GS heading straight to Kanyakumari, halted just for the clicks and straight to Rameshwaram. You missed the sunrise at Dhanushkodi, it was really beautiful. We went around 5:45 to see the sunrise and no cops or barricade were there, got lucky I guess.

[mohansrides]

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

Over the last two years, we have ridden across the North, West and Eastern parts of India. It was time we revisited the Southern coast and what better than a long weekend...

Very nicely done sir. Is that CBR a middle weight (600 CC)? Honda bikes have always been on my list. But somehow they never seem to complete the buyer’s impulse in me.

Incidentally, I am from TN and yet have never been to any of these places. Maybe a ride is just the thing. Now if only I can find the company!! Solo rides are good for a day. Anything longer is best done with another person, if not a group.

Keep riding. Stay safe.
Cheers

[Prowler]

Wonderful travelogue loaded with great photos. Good Show Added_flavor. You added great flavor to the travelogue.
I know it is relatively safe to ride with family and valuables in Tamil nadu/Karnataka. But it needs certain 'guts' to eschew the comfort and safety of a car to opt for the motorcycle. October month in this part of the land, can still be hot.
Did you carry any weapon, safety tool in the trip ?
Thanks for sharing.

[GreenerPlanet]

Originally Posted by Thermodynamics

Not really thinking of writing a log but I visited Keeladi excavations on the way back. Apparently there is no related content on our forum, so kind of inclined to write a short report.

I would really love to read that report. Been reading up on the Keeladi excavations for a week now and would love it to be in more public discourse.

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by Thermodynamics

Not really thinking of writing a log but I visited Keeladi excavations on the way back. Apparently there is no related content on our forum, so kind of inclined to write a short report.

Thank you! I truly wish I'd known about this. I'd have tried to visit it. Memories of visiting Dholavira are still fresh in my mind. Hopefully sometime soon. Please do write the log.

Originally Posted by srvm

Maybe the above duo were on the way to Kulasekharapatnam near Tuticorin (since your trip was during Dussehra/Navaratri). Check out the awesome thread (Dussehra in a village - Kulasekharapatnam, TN) by BHPian airguitar.

Thank you! We indeed thought it was something to do with Dussehra.

Originally Posted by Randhawa

I think I saw you guys Enroute somewhere on our trip. From Chandigarh to Kanyakumari, we didn't see any other couple riding on a bike .We were on our two GS heading straight to Kanyakumari, halted just for the clicks and straight to Rameshwaram. You missed the sunrise at Dhanushkodi, it was really beautiful. We went around 5:45 to see the sunrise and no cops or barricade were there, got lucky I guess.Attachment 1922176

I'm surprised I did not spot the mighty GS on the highway. It'd have been great to catch up! I'm also jealous that you escaped the cop.

Originally Posted by mohansrides

Very nicely done sir. Is that CBR a middle weight (600 CC)?

Thank you Sir. Yes, that's a Honda CBR 650F.

Originally Posted by Prowler

Wonderful travelogue loaded with great photos. Good Show Added_flavor. You added great flavor to the travelogue.
I know it is relatively safe to ride with family and valuables in Tamil nadu/Karnataka. But it needs certain 'guts' to eschew the comfort and safety of a car to opt for the motorcycle. October month in this part of the land, can still be hot.
Did you carry any weapon, safety tool in the trip ?
Thanks for sharing.

Thank you Prowler. Well, I don't carry a weapon as such, but make it a point to be very aware and alert of my surroundings and always keep an eye on the mirror.