The climb just got better

A diary of most of my bike rides, in approximate sequence.

Sub Title: The climb just got better
Approx distance: 300km
Companions: 'Senti' Dhamodharan
Target Destination: Valparai mist and the bridge on Mystic River
Highlights: Hitting the mountain mist and exploring the evergreen jungle
Pics taken: Yes
Route: Coimbatore- Pollachi- Valparai - Aliyar Dam- Pollachi- Coimbatore

The bigger picture:

I had several ideas in my mind after a brief sojourn in Trivandrum and headed to Coimbatore to enjoy a long weekend. Having already pocketed my first salary, finance was no longer a priority but time and bike was. But on that fine weekend I had everything.

On a Saturday morning, I headed to L&T Coimbatore bypass for a speed run of my bike when I caught a glimpse of Nilgiris and was very anxious to relish the curves for lunch. I curtailed my speed run and headed home with a plan in mind. My mother did not accept Nilgiris as the destination but agreed to Valparai. I always had a liking for dense rain forest with ever green trees, but never rode to Valparai before. This was a blessing in disguise as I also found company in 'Senti' Dhamodharan. I also had the services of Nikon FM 10 camera and good photographic knowledge in my brain. Photography and Motorcycling is a deadly combination and has a tendency to induce many a human to roam free and find nirvana. They have a magic to recreate thoughts and facts with more accuracy than verbose trip logs like mine.

An afternoon start from Coimbatore in warm weather is a first for my biking, as also is the heavy baggage for the overnight stay. Senti riding pillion was a very easy thing as he hardly weighed more than 50kg and thereby did not adversely affect the power-to-weight ratio of my bike. I hit the L&T bypass for the second time in a day to catch the Coimbatore-Pollachi highway. The 50km ride to Pollachi was very sunny and the crosswinds were very severe and I had to hold on tight to the handle and cover the road in a straight line, lest I should be staring at the under carriage of many an intercity bus that hurtle at demonic speeds while belting local rap songs. I felt this was to cajole the passengers into sleep and lessen their fright of speed.

A diversion on the highway to relay a piece of railway track meant that I needed to take a village road- full of potholes and mud. This also curved through some quaint little houses with children waving to all the vehicles passing through their house. They were very happy that all vehicles are paying them a visit. Infact, I could not believe that I had to take a passage through rice fields with absolutely no sign of a road. Infact the group of children at every road intersection served as the direction post as they waved at vehicles towards the route we need to take. We finally rejoined the highway, surpassing the railway crossing, but I will never forget this diversion I took.

We strolled into a hotel in Pollachi to calm ourselves with a cuppa tea and the time was about 3:30pm. We need to cover nearly 60 more km and through very steep climbs and beset with 40 hairpin bends. The weather was sunny till that point of time, but the threat of rains en route to Valparai could not be ruled out. We started from Pollachi heading towards Aliyar dam and Valparai through Indira Gandi Wildlife Sanctuary. We did not make a single stop till we reached the forest check post well past Aliyar Dam. Our experience in long distance biking helped us in planning the average speed to be maintained. After the routine questions at the check post, it was Valparai all the way without any scheduled stops.

The road surface may not be very smooth for high speed cornering, but offers ample views of the mountains and greenery. The route is beset with 40 hairpin bends and snakes through some small villages. There were several unnamed water falls caused due to heavy rains in the region. This is the highest rainfall region in South India, comparable to Cherrapunji. Anyone could trek to one of those zillion water falls and name it after their name, just like David Livingstone and Henry Stanley, but the only downside is that the waterfall or its name might not last long, as there is no exclusivity of either.

A hydro-electric power station is present in Kadambarai village. This is an epitome of Engineering as the water is brought to that place through tunnels dug through huge boulders and mountain. Some special permission from higher authority is required for visiting that place, but not very difficult for students representing some educational institutions. Much easier for Engg students of PSG Tech, the best in that part of the country. We did not have much time to pay a visit back to our Electrical Engineering days and headed straight towards Valparai.

It was after 20 hairpins, the forest gives way to tea plantations. I hate tea plantations as they are mere plantations, man-made and they erode the natural resources of the region even though it gives a secure future for the locals. Most tourists raise a 'Wow..!' on seeing tea plantations, but I see lost tracts of forests, vegetation, wild animals, medicinal herbs and nutrients of soil. We catch a glimpse of dark clouds appearing from the western side of the mountains- kerala state. We had light for about 1 hour, but we need to hurry to reach Valparai and escape the rains.

There were several temporary water channels running across the road and emanating a smell of pure earth- blissful after being used to air-conditioned environments. As we kept counting 25, 26, 27, the clouds were getting darker with every passing minute and my bike was puttering slowly up the climbs. This could be due to the two-up riding in the steep ghat road and leaner oxygen levels as we went past '1800m ASL' board. My bike was a silent spectator all through the journey as I treated my company with Senti more important than my bike. But my bike is just like me, happy to lend an ear to the ongoing activities while doing its own job.

The road re-entered into forest territory with huge green trees and sounds of birds chirping. The road runs near a water fall that seemed to be permanent from the name boards of adjoining locality, everything was named as 'Waterfall'- bus stop, hospital, tea shop, what not. I was very particular on not stopping for pictures near that place as it will affect our progress.

I came across a small timid dog-like creature on the road side grass. I realized that it was a small deer and there were several of them of the same species grazing peacefully. How many places on earth can such a sight take place? The light had faded in this place as a huge mountain covered the rays even when the time was about 5pm. We came across a fork in the road without any signboard and a wrong turn will mean several kms of wasted journey. Luckily our guess worked out correctly as we entered Valparai town 10km later. We confidently stopped for some pictures for the first time as we could spot some places of shelter in case of heavy rains too. I was very happy and had a look of satisfaction written on my face.

We looked for accommodation in the nearby hotels and finally found one with my mother's help over phone. We quickly left the excess baggage in the hotel room and headed straight for some temples in the area. This is quaint little hill station without any tourist attraction like parks and boating facilities. This is essentially a nature lover's paradise. A few pictures and temples later, we returned back to our hotel and relaxed for a while. We later went out for dinner, some shopping and hanging out in the town, but the streets were deserted and people generally looked like early sleepers. I also parked my bike under a shade and generously tipped the watchman, enough for tea, but insufficient for booze. The plan was to go to Venkateshwara temple run by Parry Agro early next morning.

An early morning bath left me cold and a drizzle outside made me feel sad, but we had our right of way as everything cleared up. The early morning mist helped us in several scintillating pictures. The entire route to temple was picturesque as it lies 25km away from the main road in one of the by lanes. There were not many people to give directions and a lost way meant getting really lost. A strange thing is that there are several check posts run by tea plantations. The people passing through these places must sign a register along with the vehicles number but need not pay any toll. But the people who man these booths did not know about directions either. Further, these plantations are situated right in the middle of prime leopard and elephant territory and I was wary of any movement in the background and all my photography stops were taken only after a thorough examination of the place. This may seem funny, but the mood will be different when you are the only hapless creature in a 10km radius exposed to all the elements in a bike with minimal self-protection and tree-climbing skills.

The temple is a very divine place, located on hill where photography and private vehicles are not allowed. There is a rose garden and a children's play area. It is the exclusivity of the place that strikes the most. First of all, there was pin-drop silence, broken only by the chirp of a wild bird or the chant of mantra by the priest. The humid air early in the morning and the waft of freshness in the breeze were inviting for a pious prayer session. I could only imagine that the entire planet was as beautiful as this just a couple of centuries ago, before Homo sapiens proliferated and captured every nook and corner of the planet.

I wanted to explore a bridge on the route to the temple that we visited a couple of years earlier. We did not know the exact location of the bridge, but it could be instantly recognized with a gushing river beneath. It is made of steel bars with a tar topping and had an ancient look and attracted me a lot. We parked the bike near the bridge and walked to the gushing water. That was something I wanted to do the last time I crossed the bridge, but the raging monsoon rains forced me into my van then. But this day, I am the boss. I did whatever I wanted to do the last time I visited Valparai- Photography, biking, visiting the bridge, Venkateshwara temple and what not? We reluctantly walked back to our bike and started on a return journey back to home in Coimbatore, not before several photography stops and the exciting downhill bike ride.

We hit flat ground at 10:30am and ventured along the road that lead into Aliyar dam catchment area. We went to the edge of the water and decided to take a couple of pictures with the bike in water. We ran out of film to picturise some great shots and did some biking in the water. Only a video camera could have captured the scene in all its excitement as the water splashed on all sides as I rode on the lake. After realizing that all good things must come to an end, I scaled a huge rock on the water's edge and sunk myself into reflection on the journey and the next likely journey that I may take to that place-any place with all this kind of enjoyment.

We covered the 75km ride back home with minimal stops and breaks. I dropped Senti in his room and hurried to develop the pictures I shot. I simply could not wait to see the pictures. I went home and had a lip-smacking biriyani and a siesta, with the little aches surfacing in my muscles and rendering me with a deep sleep.