Coorg to Waynard (December 2017)

Chiklihole Dam, Coorg

To find a company for adventure is a difficult task. You may find many enthusiasts but when it’s time for an actual attempt, you are left with very few. You don’t always have a choice. You adapt and adjust. If you ask me, there’s not a definite ingredient to a good adventure. Believe in companions you travelling along with and win their trust and leave the rest to gentle music and a chilled martini.

Ganga. I am definitely not referring to the beauty of river Ganges here but my companion, brought up in the land of Biryani but if you ever get to meet him before he gets married, trust me he’s lean like a stick. South Indian architect living in Hyderabad and if you ask him about his adventure travels in the past 30 years of his lifespan, it’s been scarce. If we start counting this would be the first on his list.

I do enjoy the comfort of owning a mountain bike all to myself and in my experience, rented bikes are not at all suitable for touring. Over used components can surprise and spoil your tour. Though during the eleventh hour Ganga had no other choice but to take the undersize bike available at Hyderabad cycle club.

Hence, two architects on road both geared up to ride along the land of Kannadika’s and Malyalli’s, a trip from Coorg to Waynard. 

Two of us decided to carry our bikes on my car to Coorg, which is about 800kms from Hyderabad. Considering Christmas and the rush that comes along with it I was carrying a tent, the backup plan in case we Eagles don’t find our Hotel California.

As predicted, on the very first night Coorg ran out of accommodation.  We were given homage by River edge camp owners who were kind enough to lend some piece of their tiny grassland for us to pitch a tent on. Exhausted due to marathon drive, our bodies had a nice deep sleep in the cold humid night. Morning yoga opened all blocked nodes so that stored energy could be used efficiently. Foreseeing the season, resort owner Puneet, who was adventure enthusiast suggested to carry tent along and gave us contact details of Somaya Homestay at Kutta.

Nilgiris are the good training ground for beginners who want to pursue Mountain Biking. Smooth roads, gentle gradient, ascent does not last for more than two or three kilometers and if you are thinking about riding under the clouds, September is just the time.

CHAPTER 1: MELTING FANTACY

Inexperienced riders, usually surrender on the first day of ascent when their glucose level goes down. Our initial plan was sketched between Medikeri and Ooty but we started way before what we planned. We had an ambitious goal of 80km for the first day with some alternate short cuts. Medikeri was about 23kms from Kushalnagar and Ganga was having trouble with his weak body core. To relief him I changed the route to the left on the highway after 10kms, skipping the main town. Through some villages and dense coffee fields we reached the wide landscape of chiklihole dam. After relaxing for a short tenure we pushed ourselves toward the destination. Ganga was struggling again and surrendered after next 10kms. His back was aching and legs were shaking. He said he cannot take this trouble any more. To make him feel more relaxed we stopped at one restaurant on the way. Soon I realized, he cannot pedal more. Pushing could have ended tour there. So, while eating I decided find some nice place to chill.

Home stay in the middle of 50acre dense coffee estate, we were at Chilipili Home stay and it was house full with two families and a group of 30 students. But we had a Trump card. We asked for beddings & food and pitched our tent next to Bonfire area. Hospitality of owners was appreciable they let us use their own toilet. Chilipili was the ideal home stay with picturesque home garden, jungle view and local food & wine.

CHAPTER 2: ENDURING COURAGE

It was a dicey situation for me to decide the further itinerary. Next morning immediately after some peddles, Ganga met an accident when his tyre slipped on the edge of the road. He had lot of rashes on knees, shoulder and fingers. While doing first aid I was thinking how to reach back to kushalnagar. But Ganga surprised me when he said he wants to go ahead on the planned route. To support his courage I shifted his entire load to my bike. I pumped him frequently saying if it had been somebody else, we would have ended at Kushalnagar today. Bandage at five places, irritating cycle frame and climbing mountain on cycle for the first time, it was unbelievable.

Somaya Homestay was our destination but we had no idea about its location and Ganga’s battery was about to die. I had a nostalgic feeling while paddling in the blue toward village in a lone wide valley surrounded by hills smoke rising from some hamlets. Our stay was the last house in the settlement. It was a long day we covered more than 80km with injuries and load. In the morning we realized how far we had reached to admire the worth of it. Daily morning yoga was helping to adjusting our muscles, enabling us for the next ride. Chapattis made up rice was a different flavor in the breakfast.

CHAPTER 3: PLANNING UNCERTAINTY

There was a dense jungle on the Karnataka-Kerela border with less traffic. Without buying any other trouble we reached Mananthvady at 12noon. At Anna Homestay we again pitched our tent in the open. Yesudas (owner) was friendly, he asked his son to take us for river bath in the evening. There was a beautiful campus of Ayurvedic yoga gram on the bank, which offers  yoga packages including Panchkarma, Yoganidra, Kalari, etc. Campus had very ethnic environment and we could see only foreigners who could afford 800 euros per week.

Next day was hectic as there was no direct transport available back to Kushalnagar. We waited for 2 hours to grab a lift, carried our bikes on truck to Mysore. In midway at Kote, I decided to get down alone to make a shortcut to Kushalnagar. While travelling in the bus, suddenly I realized that I forgot my car key with Ganga. Now I was behind Ganga on the way to Mysore. We wasted more time searching each other in the city. On bus we travelled back to Kushalnagar, picked our car and reached Mysore again, late in the night. To avoid Bangalore rush hour we left Mysore early. We were troubled with lot of uncertainties during this short tour but these were the lesson learnt for the next adventure.