Highway to Heaven - Ooty ride

April 18, 2015

Highway to Heaven - Ooty ride

Every journey in our life is our expedition into new meanings, new perspectives, and new lessons. If your everyday ride to your college or workplace meant unique experiences for you, just think about how amazing it can be when you are riding to the queen of all hills? For someone like me, who defines his vibe around the intensity of the rides he makes, the Ootacamund ride was something that took me through multiple dimensions of thinking, all at once. To put it in simple words, the ride meant everything from ecstasy, stupidity, guilt, realization, and satisfaction for me. Well, I can’t even remember how many months back I went for the ride but I can clearly remember every bit of the ride crystal clear.

There were five of us on four bikes (including one pillion) and another five on a car but both the teams started from Bangalore separately. We started riding by around noon and all of us were equally excited about the ride and had decided on making maximum use of the GoPro cam which we had rented for the trip. Riding till Mysore had the same feel as usual and except for the intermittent rains, there was nothing much interesting happening in that stretch. Except for the lunch break at MacDonald’s, Channapatna, we rode non-stop till Mysore and took a break once we entered the Mysore – Gundulpet Road.

The real ride started from there and there onwards it was all about the adrenaline rush and pushing the gauge needle towards the red zone. We didn’t bother much to track our speed-o-meter but it always said something above the hundreds whenever we gave a look at it. The elegant curves spread far into the distance dancing around the beautiful valley and it was an exciting experience to maneuver our ride through them at decent speeds. Only if the GoPro battery lasted long enough to enjoy the most beautiful part of the trip [Sigh], it had turned off shortly after entering the Gundulpet road. Less traffic and extended vicinity contributed to the inspiration for twisting the throttle even more and we were pushing each milestones behind us without much delay. Our first stop on this road came when we reached KV’s favorite temple which is situated on the middle of the Ooty road (he has told me earlier that he wants to get married in this temple). We started getting a feel of the Ooty weather from that spot itself and the sun had already started descending behind the hills. KV went in for a short prayer and right when he stepped out of the temple, a white Scorpio came and stopped beside him in movie style. The uncle stopped to tell us this much and he said it right away when he rolled down his windows – “your parents trust you guys with your bikes. Think about them before doing anything stupid”. Eventually the family turned out to be KV’s acquaintances and they drove off to Ooty afterwards.

It made perfect sense with whatever that uncle told us and that, I consider, as the lesson number one that we learned during the Ooty trip even though we have discussed the same thing among ourselves much before. If your parents are letting you ride a high speed bike far away from your home, it is only because they trust you with your bike. If you have got a pillion companion who is always ready to sit behind you without a second thought, it is only because they trust you with everything you do with your bike. If your fellow riders do not have any problem with your riding style or speed, it is only because they too trust you. Always be responsible and never give your loved ones a reason to think that they were wrong about you.

My nerves started dancing when the ascend through the hairpin bends started and there are no words for me to express the excitement I could feel after entering the thick wilderness of Bandipur forests. It became pitch dark within a while and soon it started pouring also. I felt like paradise with the rain and the forest and the ride was something that can only be experienced and not explained. We had significantly reduced the speed and I was riding at around 30-40 Kmph once it started raining because visibility was very less in that situation. The humps were a big problem for us due to lack of markings or indication and it was very difficult to identify them from a reasonable distance and controlling my bike over humps with a pillion in that weather condition was quite difficult. I, still, can’t remember clearly what happened when I jumped over one of the humps but my bike skidded off tossing me and my pillion to the right side of the bike (still in the middle of the road). I regained my senses within a second and rushed to carry my pillion out of the road. Then I took my bike also to the side and I had absolutely no idea about what to do after that because everyone else in the group were far ahead of us by then. But we didn’t have to wait for even two minutes and that is what I believe to be god’s care for us in our tough situations. An innova car of a Malayali family stopped and the uncle made room for Anshu in the car even though the car was jam packed. They left for the forest check post and I followed them in my bike and the others were all waiting at the check post by the time we reached there.

I was all cool once I realized that the situation was under control but you can’t even imagine what I was going through during my ride from the accident spot to the check post. There were many things that roused the matured guy in me and the first thing that caught my attention was the elephant I saw in the next curve after starting from the accident spot. It was only at around 40 meters distance from where I fell and all I could think of was, what would have happened if I had fallen in front of that elephant? A chill went through my spine when I saw the elephant and it had made my mind so numb that I didn’t see a wild hog and a bear few curves down the road (the other guys told me about those scenes once we reached the resort). Even though Anshu’s injuries were all minor, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about the biggest mistake I made before starting the ride. I was all equipped with riding gears including kneepads, gloves, armored jackets, helmets and can you make a wild guess on what was my pillion’s protective gear? She was protected by an iron clad sweat shirt, skin-fit jeans, ballerinas and a hair clip. I don’t know if it was stupidity or ignorance or selfishness that held me back from thinking of giving her also some riding gears. All the while when I was ripping off through the curvy roads, I forgot the fact that a pillion was sitting behind me without even a helmet. Now whenever I think about this fact, the same chill runs through my spine again and again. And that was the next lesson that the cool Ooty roads taught me. Never again a ride with a pillion who is not protected with riding gears. Better alone than gambling with someone else’s life.

One good thing about our age, right now, is that we are all stupid and therefore we all easily forget all seriousness of our life. We had all forgotten about the accident within an hour, for the same reason, and the rest of the night was totally fun. KV is the best guy for finding amazing places and the stay couldn’t be made any better than this quiet resort inside a jungle in Masinagudi. We all sat in the verandah for so long and Sandeep and Anshu undertook the job of entertaining all of us. Masinagudi was somewhat like a teaser before the beginning of Ooty chapter and the fun packed rides were still waiting for us. We started for Ooty by day break the next day and it was from this day onwards we started noticing how much KV and Sandeep rips off actually. These two had to wait for us somewhere throughout the trip because we were never able to catch up with them even after doing our best on the curves. It started with the narrow pass in between Masinagudi and Ooty and everytime I tried to stick behind those two, I felt like my engine was going to explode if I didn’t let my throttle go. This is one stretch that every biker must do at least once in their life but also be extremely careful on this stretch since it is one of the dangerous passes I have been to [this is one pass where non-Ooty registered vehicles are not allowed to climb down and this signifies how steep and dangerous the road, actually, is].

It didn’t feel like we took much time to reach Ooty because every kilometer was challenging and interesting in that stretch. We reached Ooty by breakfast time and went to Virtue Bakes,KV’s favorite pastry shop in Ooty. One must try the chocolate doughnuts here and everything we tried was yummy here. We headed to Kodanad view point next and I really cannot judge which one was more interesting – the ride or the view. The place was so peaceful and the view was brilliant but I enjoyed the ride even more (KV and Sandeep might laugh when we say this because they reached 15 minutes before us here :p. But in the end it is not just about the speed and hence our statements are valid. ). If you think that I am exaggerating about the roads, you can have a look at this five minute video (it is too amateurish but I assure you that you will get an Idea of what I am talking about from this video :) ).

Another thing that deserves mentioning is the ride inside the Doddabetta forests. Pure off road conditions amidst the thick wilderness. You might even see bison if you are lucky enough. however, this road is restricted for civilians and it is better that you go here only if you have some local friends to accompany you. the forest guards had stopped us in between.

KODANAD VIEW POINT

We had lunch at a sandwich place while coming back and I should appreciate the fact that we can find amazing eateries around Ooty that are pretty reasonable in pricing. Our next destination was Catherine falls and we all spend quite some time here for two reasons. First reason being the awesomeness of the place and second one being the call Anshu got from college. She got shortlisted for internship in a company and it was both a happy and sad news for us. We were happy for her but we were also sad because she had to cut short the trip and go back that evening itself. Akshay also decided to go back for accompanying her and the trip lasted only for a day and a half for those two. We all sat there for some time without talking and decided to end our trip for that day.

CATHERINE FALLS (THERE WASN'T MUCH WATER THEN)

KV MEDIITATING :P

Satheesh uncle was such an efficient and generous host and the night would have been so gloomy if it wasn’t for the barbecue party we had at uncle’s place. He owns a 150 year old English Bungalow in Kothagiri and his house is facing the valley. You can have a look at Coimbatore in all its magnificence at night sitting in his front yard and that view is what I miss most about Ooty. I so want to own a house like that somewhere in Nilgiris. We all settled in his hall room for the night after dinner and we spent some time watching the go pro videos of that day on uncle’s widescreen TV.

BARBECUE PARTY AT SATHEESH UNCLE'S HOUSE

The next day was quite adventurous even though we didn’t take our bikes this day since uncle had made a nice itinerary for that day. We went to a farmhouse so close to the forest and had our breakfast there and we went for a little trip into the forest on a rented Jeep. It was a fun experience for us to ride on the top of the Jeep through the swamp. We concluded our first group Ooty trip with lunch at KV’s home and I envy this guy for so many things now. I have never seen a home located in such a sweet spot anywhere else. We started for Bangalore by afternoon and the ride back was also a great experience. (I found the shoes Anshu had lost in the forest when we fell down, while going back :p ).

FAREWELL PICTURE

OOTY II

The excitement of the first trip was so much that we went to Ooty for the second time within months. This time I couldn’t go on my bike and had to rent a pulsar once I reached Ooty. The bike was brand new and was in very good condition. We required no introduction this time since we had already been to this place once. The only change was that we stayed at KV’s home during this trip and I simply fell in love with his family. Our evenings always started with yummy homemade snacks, went through dinner and lot of blabbering and would wind up with Jenga or Pictionary. I had some of the best days of my life during this trip and I am damn sure that I will never ever forget them in my life. I owe to KV a lot for making it happen and I truly wish I could give something like this in return for him.

The phase two of Ooty trip included a visit to the Emerald lake, a trip on the Nilgiri express, visits to nearby places, and classy restaurants (I could really visualize the meaning of classy after seeing these places). Earl’s secret is a hill top restaurant set up in all English style in an elegant ambiance. We spend close to 2000 rupees just on brownies but every bit of it was worth. We headed to railway station to take ride on the heritage Nilgiri express. This was a fun filled ride which started with the “D Compartment” and “Decibel meter” [only close people will know this story and I can explain it to anyone who is interested. Am not writing much about it here since it is not so interesting :p ]. At least half of the passengers in the train were shouting and howling whenever the train went through a tunnel and this train ride is something everyone must do in Ooty. Uncle was waiting for us at the Ketti station and we went to Culinarium from the station. Culinarium is a posh restaurant attached to the Pony needle factory and the place was so awesome that we took photos of its toilet :p (however the food wasn’t that great but the ambience was amazing).

THE NILGIRI EXPRESS JUST ABOUT TO ENTER ONE OF THE TUNNELS

We didn’t go to many important places during this trip but wherever we went turned out to be of importance for us. I have made a compilation of clips and put them into a video (too amateurish :p but yeah for the sake of it :) ) since the beauty of the Ooty roads couldn't be portrayed by words. I am also putting a few photos from my first solo trip to Ooty along with this post. Enjoy maadi :)

ROUTE PLAN AND TOTAL DISTANCE

Bengaluru - Mysuru - Gundulpet - Bandipur - Masinagudi - Ooty
Total distance covered - around 600Kms

PLACES VISITED

Bandipur forests
Kodanad view point
Masinagudi
Catherine falls
Emarald Lake
Kothagiri
Doddabetta
A ride on the Nilgiri express train

PLACES WHERE WE ATE

Virtue bakes (yummy food and reasonable rates)
Earl's secret (yummy food but expensive)
Culinarium (great ambience but food is not so great)

PLACES WHERE WE STAYED

We had stayed mostly at KV's relatives place but there is this awesome resort in Masinagudi wehre we stayed for the first night called 'Whispering Windows'. It is located in a very beautiful and peaceful spot and Rs.4000 per night per room was very reasonable. Even though we didn't rent any other hotels or resorts during our trip, I can get you information about good places to stay in Ooty if you are interested.

I THINK IT IS TIME FOR PICTURES :)

Sandeep's excitement after seeing the camera :p