COORG KODAGU BIKE TRIP

DAY 1: Group of 3 bikers without any pillion riders.
ROUTE
Highway no : 88
Bangalore --> Ramanagara --> Maddur --> Mandya --> Srirangapatna ( Road Excellent)
Srirangapatna --> Hunsur ( The Mysore Bypass is so -so , and then again its excellent)
Take highway 88A from here
Through Rajiv Gandhi Park --> Gonigoppal
Lunch
Gonigoppal -> Virajpet --> Kakabe
Back to Virajpet
Virajpet --> Siddhapura (Night stay )

We started from Bangalore around 7:30 in the morning and took the Kanakpura Road. Soon we reached the junction from where we got into NICE Road. As usual we drove fast on NICE road and reached Mysore Road i.e Highway no 88 in a few minutes.

After regrouping again on Mysore Road we started off fast towards Mysore. The first town that we entered on our way was Ramnagara. There is a very nice restaurant called Kamat just on the other side of the road. We reached there and had a hearty breakfast of chow chow bath.

After breakfast we started off again at great speed towards Srirangapatna which was our next destination.
I was the slow driver amongst the three of us but I also drove at great speeds except that I was scared of the breaks in the dividers from where people were crossing roads in bicycles or bikes. There were also some scary moments when a guy was actually trying to coerce his bull to cross the road and I realized very late at great speed that he is actually tugging on to the bull using a rope from the other side of the road. Fortunately braving all situations and enjoying the cool breeze on the face I reached Srirangapatna bus stand.

After a water break we took the diversion towards the bypass to go to Hunsur directly without having to go through Mysore. It was on this road that I really started enjoying the journey. The road condition was not excellent and that probably prevented everyone from going at break neck speeds and I got a lot of opportunity to see the beauty of Mysore state in its vibrant greenery all around.

But very soon we reached the end of the bypass and caught the highway 88 again towards Hunsur. Again we found the road was awesome and here number of vehicles was quite low enabling us to reach great speeds even though there was no divider.

We took some petrol at a Essar Petrol Pump on the way and soon after that we faced a brief shower. Just as we stopped to save ourselves from the rain and have a snax break the rain subsided and we were back on our way.


After crossing Hunsur we were in two minds . Initially we thought we will go through Nagarhole Forest to enjoy the beauty of the forest. But getting diverted from that we actually crossed Rajiv Gandhi Park en route to Gonigoppal . Here we traveled through the forest and then coffee estates and the journey was amazing. Although I must say some crazy drivers were blaring their horns all throughout spoiling the charm of the countryside.

At Gonigoppal we had a hefty lunch at a local restaurant. Although they were not specialists of any Coorgi dishes but still the items were quite delicious and were ravished.

At the restaurant when we inquired about home stays we came to meet Mr. Ganapathy (dilipganapathy@gmail.com ) who offered us to stay at his residence estate as a home stay near Siddhapur. We were quite excited about his offer but we wanted to travel towards Kakabe also to see the countryside .So we had a deal that we will call him and confirm our night stay.

After a sumptuous lunch we traveled towards Virajpet. The journey from Virajpet towards Kakabe was truly amazing and we felt the mountain air into our lungs. There was a chill and yet the sun was high ,it added a wonderful colour to the mountains around. The blue of the sky was like never before and the greenery all around was a treat to watch.

After quite an often snap breaks to take photos we reached Kakabe. We were a bit tired at this point and the setting sun was adding a great amount of thrill to our ride. When we reached the Coffee Country ( homestays) we found everything was fully booked.

It was indeed a very beautiful place with the mountain roads overlooking even greater mountains and valleys on all sides. It was as if we had reached the end of the road and had to rest there.


But then we were destined to stay at some better place so we called Mr Ganapathy to confirm our stay in Siddhapur. Then we sped towards Virajpet.

The journey from Virajpet to Siddhapur was one of the most thrilling ones I had. It was pitch dark and the mountain roads twisted and turned no ends. We traveled at great speeds and the darkness just loomed upon us mysteriously. My fingers were numb from the chill of the mountain breeze and my eyes were dancing in the twists and turns . Finally at Siddhapur Mr Ganapathy had arranged someone to pick us up and take us some 12 km away from the city into the heart of his coffee estate.

In the myriad of the roads that followed in complete darkness just with motorcycle headlights and darkness abuzz with insects of all kind we entered the place which was a beautiful one.


We got refreshed , had some wonderful coffee and the eventful journey came to an end with a great dinner.
@ Contact Mr Ganapathy
CHILIPILI Estate STAY
08272-230385
9448108360
We were charged @ 1500 Rs for single room home stay along with an additional bed for the third person and Food @ 150 Rs per head.

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DAY 2:
ROUTE
Siddhapura --> Dubare --> Madikeri
Madikeri -> Abby Falls
Back to Madikeri
Madikeri --> KushalNagar --> The Golden Temple ( Tibetan Monastery )
Back to KushalNagar
Kushal Nagar -> via Highway no 88 --> Hunsur --> Srirangapatna --> Mandya --> Maddur
Snax at CCD in Maddur
Maddur --> Bangalore
Total - 700 km approx


We started next morning with a visit in the estate garden . It was quite beautiful and then accompanied by one of the caretakers of the house we went to a nearby beautiful place called Orange Country which was of a more commercial place.

Here we just saw the Cauvery River walk which was something that we could have probably done without and then we returned to the residence. After a morning shower we had a great breakfast again with dosas and omelette and coffee.

After this we say bye-bye to the people there and lest I forget 4 doggies(There was one great Dane , a couple of Dalmatians and another which I am not sure at it was kept locked in its kennel all throughout our stay)


After leaving the estate we went straight to Dubare Elephant Camp. I had already visited this camp on my earlier visits and so had the others , so none of us were interested in the elephant ride , nor the water rafting. So we proceeded towards Madikeri.

Here we came along with Nature in some of the most beautiful places on the road. It was so beautiful we had to stop and take a look and then click a few snaps.

However soon after a few hours through the amazingly narrow mountain roads and through the hundreds of turns and bends we finally reached Madikeri , the capital town of the district.
It was quite cold and the hike towards Abby Falls was really a mountain ride with some great bends and real steep slopes. Maneuvering
our bikes we reached the falls and as usual it did not look as great as the first time it had been. So we had a drink of coconut water and started returning to Madikeri. Here it started raining cats and dogs and I got completely soaked . After a brief wait in Madikeri just for the rain to subside we started off again towards KushalNagar , which was our next destination.


At this point it started raining real heavily ,so much so that I couldn't drive straight. I was completely soaked to the skin yet I kept driving as there was no point or place to stop. I was only scared of the rain water bouncing on my helmet guard and entering my eyes , hoping that my lenses will stay intact. It way quite impossible to travel wearing glasses.


At Kushalnagar the rain was low and even as I reached the Tibetan Monastery the sun was out. I called the other guys to find that they had rented a room just to get changed into fresh clothes. I was already at the Golden Temple and did not have the opportunity to change. And I just tried to drain away the water from my boots. I changed my socks just to get a better feeling.

After a long wait and a very flat lunch the others somehow couldn't find the way to the monastery so I decided to start returning to KushalNagar,

After I reached KushalNagar we decided to meet again at Srirangapatna , a great distance from Kushalnagar around a 125 km at a stretch because we were already late and did not wish to waste the daylight.


I drove alone in the setting sun and at a constant speed of over 80 kmph and at times at 90 to 100 kms per hour. After crossing Hunsur it was already very dark and I had to reduce my speed because I could not keep the helmet windshield closed. With the open windshield there was another problem , insects of all shapes and sizes.

However after a tremendous ride of more than 2 hours at a stretch I reached the mouth of the bypass of Mysore where my limbs started revolting and I stopped at a roadside tea stall for a break. However it was no stopping for Aditya and Supratim and they crossed the tea stall at great speeds in just under 15 minutes . I smsed them and soon we meet on a junction at Bharat Petroleum in Srirangapatna.


The next part of the journey was on the Mysore Highway which was filled with tension as there were too many vehicle and traveling at very high speeds. The Volvo buses with their extraordinaire silencers was cruising the fastest of all , taking advantage of its bulk which even the foreign cars capable of monstrous speeds preferred to stay clear.

After numerous bruises with insects and several stops I finally reached Maddur where we stopped at a Cafe Coffee Day , a haven for bikers like us. We got refreshed , got some excellent coffee and snax and proceeded towards the last part of our journey , back to Bangalore.

By the time I was in the outskirts of Bangalore , I was in a great state of fatigue. On top of that my vehicle went to reserve and it was after 11 PM at night and all petrol pumps had gone to sleep. Fortunately with some cool driving at constants speeds I soon reached NICE road and met Aditya and Supratim who were waiting for me there . The rest was like a smooth city ride back to home with a lot of cramps but a great feeling of a great ride.