"
You got a beautiful bike there".
A lady, may be in her mid 30s, stood there with a big smile on her face. "
Really beautiful" she exclaimed once again. All I could say was a meek "Thank you". Long before itself I had realized that the uneasiness I was experiencing was far more dangerous than I had initially suspected, and I was infact getting really dehydrated and losing energy fast.
Thankfully, the worst was over. As she walked back to the company of her friends/ family, I took yet another minute standing near the bike to gather some more energy, before slowly climbing the stairs to the Cafe Coffee Day inside. A minute later, I had finished a full 500ml bottle of water and crashed into their sofa set for the next 15 minutes.
Only one thought was running in my mind - '
But what could have gone wrong? Was it the food? No. I've been having from this place every time I visited Chikmagalur and they have excellent reviews as well. Damn, I did not have water after the food. Infact, no water since morning. Mistake'.
The Plan
"But you need to be back by 12:30pm".
Wife had already made plans for the day, and being a rare weekend off work - I really wanted to hit the road. But with only about 7 hours of riding time, a good destination would be hard to select, and I really didn't feel like heading for a group breakfast ride.
Chikmagalur was a destination I had always wanted to try on the bike. The previous solo attempt in car took me all of 12 hours and it was not going to be possible today. But then again, heart had already decided and hence the destination was fixed as - "Chikmagalur / or whatever is possible of it". I would take a U-turn after 4 hours of riding time.
As usual though, the Versys managed to smash my expectations of it being a fast mile muncher. Google suggests 9 hours and 42 mins of riding time for this route, but it took all of 8 hours including the breaks. Not only did I manage to reach Chikmagalur, the bike took me well into the mountain roads as well. If not my stupidity of skipping water and ending up dehydrated, believe I could have pulled of the Kemmanugundi circuit as well. The route taken -
Had an early morning start from home, and by 4:30AM - I had already filled up the tank and was ready to start the journey from Hebbal, Bangalore. Spent another 30 minutes trying to get out of the city and the NH48 at Neelamangala.
By 5 AM, the beautiful yet monotonous 4 laned NH75 (Bangalore - Mangalore highway) started.
With only the stock lights to the aid, and rumble strips present at major junctions on the highway, I was only trying to maintain a safe but consistent cruising speeds. The best part about starting early is undoubtedly the sunrise, and I got a good clear view of it somewhere near Hassan.
The sky turned a beautiful hue of colours suggesting an imminent sunrise. Shot near Hassan -
By the time I crossed the town and hit the outskirts again, the beautiful morning sun was well and truly shining -
Thankfully, during the night - I had also covered the most monotonous part of the journey. What welcomed me further beyond Hassan into Chikmagalur were beautiful 2 laned highways, mostly lined up with trees on either side. There is a charm to these roads that none of the modern expressways can match upto!
By 7:30AM, a familiar sight welcomed me into Chikmagalur - "
The land of coffee". This would be my fifth visit here, I believe - Twice with friends, once with the office gang, one solo drive in car and now another another ride in the bike.
No doubts about breakfast, as I've been sticking to "Town Canteen" for my previous visits as well. Love their simple yet tasty Masala Dosa. That glass of water on the table, I wish I had taken it - or bought a bottle outside. Big miss for I paid for my stupidity later.
Time was still only 8AM and I had plenty of time to spare, much more than I had calculated. This could only mean one thing - attempt the Kemmangundi circuit via Bhadra Tiger Reserve. It is just too good to resist, for the roads would almost feel custom made for the Versys. Almost every sort of corners, hair pin turns, bad roads, beautiful scenery - what's not to like!
The road ahead - marked till the point where I had to turn back.
Mullayanagiri is the most popular destination in Chikmagalur, I believe. But I decided to give it a miss. The best part about this mountain was the surreal mist at the top, but given the hot and dry conditions prevalent this season - I didn't really have anything to look forward to.
A bit more forward, the first checkpost to warn about the entry into Tiger Territory. I remember this is not the major one and there was another checkpost further down, which marks the start of the off road territory into the reserve and further ahead to Kemmangundi.
Black Panther in Tiger Territory -
Have fond memories of this drive back in October 2013. The route really challenged the Punto with the underbody getting more than a dozen hits. Would have been challenging on the Versys. Have to wait for another day!
The scenery was as beautiful as ever, although the effects of the dry season were very evident -
Compared to the lush green vistas, back in October 2013 - after the forests received their share of monsoons.
And speaking of dryness, I was starting to feel uneasy. The hot sun was really started to bother and I was starting to feel tired. The heaviness of the bike and the amount of effort around corners didn't help matters either. The sun was well and truly starting to wear me down.
And then it struck me - issue was not only with the sun. I was getting dehydrated fast and I could feel it. Realized that there was no way I was going to make it across the reserve and into civilized territory on the other side. Took the decision to turn around, and thankfully - at the right time.
Honnammana Halla Waterfalls, Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary where I finally took the turn around and headed back to Chikmagalur -
The pain was real now, with a long way ahead the steep mountain path and one unforgiving bike to take it -
Reached the Coffee Day at Chikmagalur by around 9:15AM, drank a full 500ml bottle of water and took rest for a full 30 minutes. Refreshed, got up and apoligized to the lady who had struck a conversation earlier with her comments on the bike. I was too tired to utter anything but a meek 'thank you' at the time, and was pretty sure it would have struck them as rude. Anyways, glad to get a second chance to exchange a few words.
Started the return leg by around 9:45 AM back to Bangalore and was back home by 12:30 pm. No pictures of the return journey since I honestly just wanted to get it over and done with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mobike008 Sujai : Firstly, welcome to the V "Fallen" club
Even though the fall was at standstill the damages seem a lot.. |
Thank you. The scratches are 'almost' invicible now after small jugaad work to cover them up. Once it starts leaning at parking speeds, nothing can be done but to let it fall.