Weekend Riderz is all about a group of techies who wanted to break free from the normal chore of mechanical metro life in Bangalore.
The information shared here is of the places which we visited and how we saw it.
Happy reading... and let us know your comments. :)
The information shared here is of the places which we visited and how we saw it.
Happy reading... and let us know your comments. :)
January 16, 2008
Yelagiri
Well... this was supposed to be a trip to Yercaud and Coorg. After planning and cancellation of Yercaud, we decided for Coorg. But bad luck. Shaiks car got damaged and we were stranded for the weekend drive. So got up Saturday morning and was pretty upset bout the last minute cancellation. Thats when i called Nadeem and said why don't we sit in some pub to wash away our sorrows. ;) And he said 'chal chalte hain'??!! (Thats the usual first liner). So after a 5 min discussion, we decided on Yelagiri. And he said, 'chal call karta hoon'!! (Thats the last liner).
Later, we decided for 00:00 AM meetup so we will reach there early. But then Shaik was stuck up and reached only @2!!
02:00 AM: We started off. Totally 3 Bikes (5 ppl - 1 Bullet Electra 5S, 1 P180 UG3 Daemon and 1 P200 Grey) and 1 Car (5 ppl - 1 Ford Ikon). Took Hosur road (NH7) and stopped at Attibele for a tea and some chit chat. Unfortunately 'Dhaba' was closed. Then again started off and rode continues till Krishnagiri. The traffic was horrible with numerous trucks lined up for RTO clearing. Dust and bad roads (beware of sudden surprises) adds up to the drama!!!
At Krishnagiri, you gotto take NH46 (Chennai highway). If you aint familiar with the NH, you will get Krishnagiri Toll (This is a huge toll you definitely wont miss). After the toll, you gotto climb the first flyover and from the second, take the road to the left. There are boards so you wont miss it). Krishnagiri - Bangalore totals near 100 kms.
So just after entering Chennai road, we had a tea break at a tea shop right after the turn. Then we decided we will meetup only at Vaniambadi. This 45 kms is an absolute bliss. 6 lane roads with 0 or little traffic. Didn't feel like i rode 45 kms before i reached Vaniambadi. Here, there is another toll booth which again you wont miss. After this tollbooth, when we hit next flyover, take the road from the left of the highway which winds up with a 'V' and goes from under the flyover to the right (Confusing yes! :)).
05:30 AM: From here, you gotto ride for some 12-15 kms where you gotto take a left turn. This you better ask locals (Yeah, there are again chai walas located on this road). But the road is kinda bad with potholes. Just after you take the left, the hill starts. It aint a hill actually. Just bout 14 hairpins. But the road is good and ride is fun uphill. After reaching the top it gets a bit confusing coz there are lot of pocket roads dividing. We asked bout 5 locals before we reached Swami Malai. Yeah we are hardcore trekking freaks and wanted to check out the sunrise at day break!! :)
06:00 AM: Reached the place, parked our vehicles in front of a temple and started climbing. The climb is good for the fact that there is lot of greenery. But then you cant see the valleys or anything. It is just a blind climb with nothing much to see except trees all around. Yes it is kinda jungle but then the pathway is completely laid with stones and 3 ppl can walk in parallel so there is plenty of space.
07:00 AM: Finally, reached the top. Now, we didn't actually know that we reached the top coz it was still forest kinda place with no hilltop view. A small temple placed here is the thing to see!! The Pujari there sells 3 packets of water for 10 rupees and he sold some fruits also for the price he decided then and there. To the left there is a rock bout 20 ft high and from here you can take a view of the complete town is what he said. So we climbed the rock and what we could see was all white space and nothing more. There was heavy mist formation and no visibility for more than 50 ft. Bad. Totally we climbed for bout an hour and were dead tired. I couldn't count the steps nor calculate the distance but still i would quote bout 3-5 kms. No 'birds view' as they call it. But i guess it would be quite visible in the afternoon. But again the heat would wear you out during the climb.
So we smoked a few cigarettes and started climbing down. Came down and were dead tired so we planned to returned back. For the waterfalls, we gotto climb the hill down and then trek for 5 kms. And we cant take a bath there. Gotto see it, click it and come back. Not worth the effort esp after seeing Swami Malai. Had food from a small hotel our there (There are a lot of hotels and they server good TN food for cheap prices. Dosas are yummy!!).
10:00 AM: Returned back with 2 stops at Krishnagiri and Hosur. Slept off, woke up today morning (Monday) with a cramp on my leg. But it feels sweet and good. I am a techie and there are these few things in life which make us move from this cushioned chair and reduce our potbellies!!
Stats:
Distance: 150 kms approx one side from SilkBoard Jn, Bangalore.
Pros: Again, amazing 6 lane Chennai NH. I clocked 122 kms with pillion on my Pulsar daemon. And constant 100+ ride. Occasionally 95-97 for overtaking or so. Lots of green. Villages with houses made of clay and grass. Small yellow flowered plants (mustard i guess) cultivation.
Cons: Absolutely nothing special bout the place!!!
Posted by WeeKEnD RiDeRZ at 1/16/2008 12:54:00 PM 0 comments
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
