In Gods Own Country- Kerala (Waynad)
Part One
The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's country as a foreign land.- Gilbert K Chesterton
I believe in appreciation of small things that keeps me going. For you, it can be spending time reading books to learn more or eating a bowl of ice cream sitting on the couch with little puppies playing around. For myself is to achieve something that is on bucket list – to travel the places I have never been around even in my country. It's similar to a self-inspiration sort. It pumps me up I feel to figure testing and do some things that you feel are hard to do or somewhat imagine the challenging sort of kind. So there it was, an opportunity for me to ride a bike for more than 250 km approximately in a day.
I was a bit skeptical for this trip yet, excited for the adventure that was truly a test of my enthusiasm and passionate biker who have traveled where the road and stops are well known.Taking the decision to be part of this trip was very easy due to my friend Sumeet and Prasad whom I was meeting for the first time.
Destination – Wayanad. Wayanad District is a district in the north-east of Kerala state, India with headquarters at the town of Kalpetta.
Date – 14- 15th August 2015
I was pretty excited as a kid in a big candy store for this cross-country trip for the first time. Planning and preparation are very crucial for any trip, and this was not the exception too. The Bike was ready almost five days earlier, and I was mentally ready for the D- a day which was 14th August as scheduled to start the early morning by 3.30 am.
The trip group consists of Nine people- 5 Bikes and One Car. Sumeet was only the person I was known and for others I was excited to meet and make new friends. The meeting points as predefined was 20 Kms from my current residence. Waking up and driving on the empty road with breeze passing through your hair is cool feeling. Isn't it? That’s right. The happiness to do something for the first time – the intrastate bike ride, new friends and new environment. The freedom is to love what you want to do and where you choose to be after all the Independence Day was just a few hours away.
Met Sumeet with his Apache 180 and waited for other friends to arrive at the meeting point.Sreejith, Prasad, and Prashant arrived simultaneously. Navin ( with Car ) was advised the location as he was a little bit late to reach to the location.
Let me add here one Dialogue from the movie Deewar where Shashi Kapoor is speaking to Amitabh Bachchan under the bridge - “Car se aane waale aksar derr se aate hai. (People who come by car are usually late .)
Just Kidding Navin…..
The Journey Begins:
Swearing at someone is common at least as typical Mumbaikar I have done in past. (Admitting this is pure relaxation). We chose to take the trip towards the destination through Mysore road. The ride could have been easier if there were streetlights on the road However it was enough to maintain the speed of about 65 mph. The large bumpers were not on Highway still the barriers were there to keep the speed of smooth movement for everyone on the road.
Driving after tea break around 6.00 hrs, We reached around 100kms when my inner Mumbaikar rage to swear after being stuck behind a SWIFT car that stopped in the middle of the road without giving any signal to turn left.
I did what I supposed to do. ( No Brownie for Guess!).
The small incident made me feel alert and drive safely. The traffic was not enough to bother, drive and still enjoy the sunrise. Sumeet’s Bike had a minor mechanical issue that was solved using a tool from a tire repair shop nearby. In the meantime, four of 9 people were able to join us traveling in their car. (I refer them as Car group for easy to identify - Navin, Siddu, Nivedita, and Daya). With everyone around, we took the decision to have our breakfast at the near by place .
The First destination - Gopalswamy Betta.
Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta is a hill located in the Chamarajanagar district of the state of Karnataka, at a height of 1450m India.It is also the highest peak in the Bandipur National Park. The scene was exquisitely beautiful full of Marigold Flowers farms on all sides. It was on our way towards Wayanad. The view from Gopalswamy Betta was simply amazing in spite of the bumpy road leading up to the hill.
Being on top of the Hill, the cool breeze, and 360-degree view makes the whole environment memorable for all of the five bikers including myself. After capturing some photograph of that scenic atmosphere, We chose to take the halt only at Wayanad, Kerala. It was about almost 10.30 am or 11.00 am in the morning.
We are ready for next stage for our trip after offering for being grateful for the life at the Temple at Gopalaswamy Betta.
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| Gopalaswamy Betta |
The Next 100 Km experience:
Driving through 10-15 km bumpy road and view of Marigold flowers on both sides.Every one of us was there at the section of the road leading into the Bandipur National Park, which we had to cross to enter into the state of Kerala. The Bandipur forest is famous for its wild sightings There is strict no stopping as well as no horn sign on the road.
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| Welcome to Gods own Country- Kerala |
For a moment, I did imagine what we ( basically, me) will do if our eyes meet the Tiger at that moment. However, the day was not for tiger sighting but Bison, just 100 feet away watching us.Bison is herbivores and eats simple foods. The bison's main foodstuff is grass though they will eat any available low-lying shrubbery. To make it memorable, I chose to take Selfie with my Phone with the elephant in background crossing the road.
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| Selfie with Elephant |
Choosing not to be disappointed for not seeing tiger we kept moving forward. Life is also about same to keep moving in spite of little disappointment towards the way for bigger achievements. We felt being really good as another step towards Wayanad the moment we saw a small board by Kerala Govt welcoming us to the state.
With broad smile hiding behind my mask, we are still around 40-50kms away from our final destination.
The road condition was good enough to keep the cruising speed at average and keep the riding enjoyable as well. We reached Wayanad around 12.30 pm crossing through our guest house in Kalpetta. The place was amazing. It was like a small villa with all amnesties. After covering round about 326 km on my odometer of the bike I stopped my engine. It was time to take a rest and have the lunch in Gods Own country.
Every one of us joined for lunch at Mariya Restaurant for some local delicacy Fish and Kerala Parotha. Our car group were still having lunch when we left for the first destination in Wayanad, Lakkidi View Point. Assuming it as just a touring spot, the view from the place was breathtaking beautiful. Spending time in that scenery still makes me feel nostalgic even at this moment. It was time to soak all natural environments our country are blessed.
The next destination for us was Pookode Lake, which is a scenic freshwater lake amid nestling amid evergreen forests .We choose not to go for boating; We just strolled around the area, met this wonderful being and few leeches as well.
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| Hey there little Fella |
Thanks to our friend Sreejith, we learnt the difference between two regions Malabar and Trivandrum. We had a conversation regarding famous local delicacies. The feel of being a traveller not only consist of enjoying the places but also the food around them. It was not possible without Sreejith whose knowledge of local delicacy made us have the amazing dinner in the different restaurant other than the previous one for lunch. Good food and a good companion made the night perfect ending for everyone. Before we headed to our bed, we had the set of instructions from Sumeet for next day.
visit Part two of my Blog:
Link is below
Part Two
Part Two
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