Grand Tour 2009, Stage four - Goa to Mangalore, interior Karnataka, Kodagu and Mysore
My apologies to all my faithful readers (yes, both of you) for the delay in updating my blog in recent days.
I enjoyed my five day stay at Vagator in Goa attending Royal Enfield's Rider Mania. On the first day I connected with a fellow biker from Mangalore, so had a companion to share the activities with. There were lots of thumping bikes to admire -- new ones, old ones, customized ones, stock ones. The new Bullet Classic 350 and 500 were on display, with the opportunity to go for a test ride. (I did -- and decided I prefer my Thunderbird.)
One intrepid rider won three first prizes in the various biking competitions.
Apparently Royal Enfield is planning to make this an annual event at this location, so I have it in mind as I plan for my 2010 tours.
Heading south after the event, riding with my Mangalore chum, we stopped at Benaulim Beach for the night, to meet and exchange ideas with Tommy, a fellow biker I'd met online through IndiaMike. He suggested the Cavalosim ferry route and then via Agonda instead of NH17, which we did the next morning. He also warned us that the Goa police at the border crossing into Karnataka will try to shake you down for "beer money"; so when we got to the border, and the guy raised the gate but told us to pull over to show our papers, I shouted "go man go" to my companion, and we drove off. They didn't chase us. Such a scoff-law I've become!
We had a pleasant ride to Gokarna, where we got our rooms, left our luggage, and rode to Om Beach for lunch and an afternoon swim.
My chum drove home to Mangalore the next day, but I stayed on in Gokarna for another week, and rejoined my morning yoga class.
Next I headed south on NH17 (the road condition is especially bad in and around Bhatkal) to Malpe Beach, where I spent four days at Silver Sands Beach Resort, and then rode south-east via Udupi, Manipal, Karkal, and Mudabidri to Vamanjoor, a suburb of Mangalore, where I stayed for a few days with my Rider Mania buddy. We rode into the city every day, and visited his relatives as well as exploring the (limited) attractions of Mangalore, including Ullal and Panambur beaches.
My route next took me north-east into the interior of Karnataka, via Karkal and Kudremukh National Park to Sringeri, where I took a room through the Mutt's central accommodation office. They assigned me to the TTD unit, down the road just past the fire hall, and I had a room at the back one floor up -- a fifty rupee room with a thousand rupee view, overlooking fields and the river, with mountain peaks in the distance. I liked it so much there that I stayed for a week, before moving on via Shimoga to visit friends of my son's near Chanagiri. One day we rode in a convoy of three bikes to Chitradurga to explore the fort -- a most impressive structure taking full advantage of the hilly terrain to make an impregnable fortress.
I returned to Sringeri for a few days, then rode via Kudremukh and Kalasa to Horanadu, a temple town nestled in the hills, for a night; and next day via Charmadi ghat and Ujire to Dharmastala, an enormous pilgrimage centre. I asked at Saketh Guest House for a room, but they refused since I was on my own; they only let families stay there. The singles accommodation I tried next was cheap but too spartan for me even for only one night; so I tried one of the other guest houses. This time, I told them a room for two please, for me and my wife; and after settling in and then going for a walk to explore the town and the temple, I got a chuckle out of the idea that the desk clerk might be keeping an eye out to make sure I DID bring a woman back to my room!
I had been planning to stay at Honey Valley Estate near Kakkabe in Kodagu, but as I was riding south (via Puttur, Sulya, Bettagiri and Napoklu) I phoned them, only to find that they were booked solid for the next couple of days. I made a reservation for their first free date, and called Palace Estate Home Stay, which is not far from Honey Valley, and fortunately they had a single available. The hosts are a Kodagai family which has owned and cultivated the property for generations, and they provide a warm welcome and great home cooking. I stayed there for three days, and then headed down the road to Honey Valley's rendezvous point for the jeep ride up to the estate. (The road is NOT bikeable; only 4WD can make it up.)
But I had a little mishap. They provide a secure parking area for their visitors, but it's up a steep gravel driveway. I made my approach too slowly, and when I stopped on the slope from lack of momentum, and put on the front brake, it couldn't hold on the gravel, and I started sliding back. Of course, fully loaded with gear, that's about as much trouble as you can get into at slow speed, and I inevitably took a spill. I shouted to a couple of guys nearby who came and helped me lift up the bike, and I found that the left-side main footrest had snapped off, and the left side mirror was bent but not broken. I should have listened to this warning from the universe; but instead I took another run at the driveway, successfully this time, parked my bike and put on the rain cover, loaded my gear into the jeep, and we drove up to the estate. As you can imagine I wasn't in the best frame of mind, wondering how on earth I was going to get my bike repaired. And when we reached the estate, and they showed me the two rooms which were available, neither of which were very appealing, I decided that I would not enjoy my stay there, and took the jeep right back down the hill. I phoned Palace Estate, and my room was still vacant, so I returned there for a few more nights.
I still had to figure out what to do about the footrest. Although Ok for a few kilometers, it wouldn't be practical, comfortable or safe to ride any distance without it. But after looking at it carefully, I saw that the front and rear footrests were identical, and that it should be possible to remove the rear one and move it forward. The next day I found a local bike mechanic who was able to do just that; and since I wasn't planning on carrying a passenger, I was fine to go.
A friend from Canada (whom I hadn't seen for forty years) and his partner and their daughter were on a three-week tour of India from their current home in New Zealand, and we had been exchanging emails and planning to meet up in Kerala. They were in Mysore while I was in Kodagu; and when I got a phone call from another friend in Mysore, inviting me to his wedding in a few days, I decided to head to Mysore instead of braving the bad roads to Kerala. I got there the afternoon of December 24th, and met my friends on Christmas Day at the Green Hotel, an ecofriendly operation in a former Maharani's palace. We hired an autorickshaw for the day, and explored the city including Chamundi Hill, Lalith Mahal, and the nature park. We went to the Palace, but the crowds and lineups were too much, so we didn't go inside the grounds.
The next day I found the authorized Royal Enfield dealer, and got the mirror and footpeg replaced. My friend's wedding was the following day; and then I was ready to move on from Mysore to Kerala, where I had arranged to meet some internet friends, a couple from Canada, for New Year's Eve at Cherai Beach.
I enjoyed my five day stay at Vagator in Goa attending Royal Enfield's Rider Mania. On the first day I connected with a fellow biker from Mangalore, so had a companion to share the activities with. There were lots of thumping bikes to admire -- new ones, old ones, customized ones, stock ones. The new Bullet Classic 350 and 500 were on display, with the opportunity to go for a test ride. (I did -- and decided I prefer my Thunderbird.)
One intrepid rider won three first prizes in the various biking competitions.
Apparently Royal Enfield is planning to make this an annual event at this location, so I have it in mind as I plan for my 2010 tours.
Heading south after the event, riding with my Mangalore chum, we stopped at Benaulim Beach for the night, to meet and exchange ideas with Tommy, a fellow biker I'd met online through IndiaMike. He suggested the Cavalosim ferry route and then via Agonda instead of NH17, which we did the next morning. He also warned us that the Goa police at the border crossing into Karnataka will try to shake you down for "beer money"; so when we got to the border, and the guy raised the gate but told us to pull over to show our papers, I shouted "go man go" to my companion, and we drove off. They didn't chase us. Such a scoff-law I've become!
We had a pleasant ride to Gokarna, where we got our rooms, left our luggage, and rode to Om Beach for lunch and an afternoon swim.
My chum drove home to Mangalore the next day, but I stayed on in Gokarna for another week, and rejoined my morning yoga class.
Next I headed south on NH17 (the road condition is especially bad in and around Bhatkal) to Malpe Beach, where I spent four days at Silver Sands Beach Resort, and then rode south-east via Udupi, Manipal, Karkal, and Mudabidri to Vamanjoor, a suburb of Mangalore, where I stayed for a few days with my Rider Mania buddy. We rode into the city every day, and visited his relatives as well as exploring the (limited) attractions of Mangalore, including Ullal and Panambur beaches.
My route next took me north-east into the interior of Karnataka, via Karkal and Kudremukh National Park to Sringeri, where I took a room through the Mutt's central accommodation office. They assigned me to the TTD unit, down the road just past the fire hall, and I had a room at the back one floor up -- a fifty rupee room with a thousand rupee view, overlooking fields and the river, with mountain peaks in the distance. I liked it so much there that I stayed for a week, before moving on via Shimoga to visit friends of my son's near Chanagiri. One day we rode in a convoy of three bikes to Chitradurga to explore the fort -- a most impressive structure taking full advantage of the hilly terrain to make an impregnable fortress.
I returned to Sringeri for a few days, then rode via Kudremukh and Kalasa to Horanadu, a temple town nestled in the hills, for a night; and next day via Charmadi ghat and Ujire to Dharmastala, an enormous pilgrimage centre. I asked at Saketh Guest House for a room, but they refused since I was on my own; they only let families stay there. The singles accommodation I tried next was cheap but too spartan for me even for only one night; so I tried one of the other guest houses. This time, I told them a room for two please, for me and my wife; and after settling in and then going for a walk to explore the town and the temple, I got a chuckle out of the idea that the desk clerk might be keeping an eye out to make sure I DID bring a woman back to my room!
I had been planning to stay at Honey Valley Estate near Kakkabe in Kodagu, but as I was riding south (via Puttur, Sulya, Bettagiri and Napoklu) I phoned them, only to find that they were booked solid for the next couple of days. I made a reservation for their first free date, and called Palace Estate Home Stay, which is not far from Honey Valley, and fortunately they had a single available. The hosts are a Kodagai family which has owned and cultivated the property for generations, and they provide a warm welcome and great home cooking. I stayed there for three days, and then headed down the road to Honey Valley's rendezvous point for the jeep ride up to the estate. (The road is NOT bikeable; only 4WD can make it up.)
But I had a little mishap. They provide a secure parking area for their visitors, but it's up a steep gravel driveway. I made my approach too slowly, and when I stopped on the slope from lack of momentum, and put on the front brake, it couldn't hold on the gravel, and I started sliding back. Of course, fully loaded with gear, that's about as much trouble as you can get into at slow speed, and I inevitably took a spill. I shouted to a couple of guys nearby who came and helped me lift up the bike, and I found that the left-side main footrest had snapped off, and the left side mirror was bent but not broken. I should have listened to this warning from the universe; but instead I took another run at the driveway, successfully this time, parked my bike and put on the rain cover, loaded my gear into the jeep, and we drove up to the estate. As you can imagine I wasn't in the best frame of mind, wondering how on earth I was going to get my bike repaired. And when we reached the estate, and they showed me the two rooms which were available, neither of which were very appealing, I decided that I would not enjoy my stay there, and took the jeep right back down the hill. I phoned Palace Estate, and my room was still vacant, so I returned there for a few more nights.
I still had to figure out what to do about the footrest. Although Ok for a few kilometers, it wouldn't be practical, comfortable or safe to ride any distance without it. But after looking at it carefully, I saw that the front and rear footrests were identical, and that it should be possible to remove the rear one and move it forward. The next day I found a local bike mechanic who was able to do just that; and since I wasn't planning on carrying a passenger, I was fine to go.
A friend from Canada (whom I hadn't seen for forty years) and his partner and their daughter were on a three-week tour of India from their current home in New Zealand, and we had been exchanging emails and planning to meet up in Kerala. They were in Mysore while I was in Kodagu; and when I got a phone call from another friend in Mysore, inviting me to his wedding in a few days, I decided to head to Mysore instead of braving the bad roads to Kerala. I got there the afternoon of December 24th, and met my friends on Christmas Day at the Green Hotel, an ecofriendly operation in a former Maharani's palace. We hired an autorickshaw for the day, and explored the city including Chamundi Hill, Lalith Mahal, and the nature park. We went to the Palace, but the crowds and lineups were too much, so we didn't go inside the grounds.
The next day I found the authorized Royal Enfield dealer, and got the mirror and footpeg replaced. My friend's wedding was the following day; and then I was ready to move on from Mysore to Kerala, where I had arranged to meet some internet friends, a couple from Canada, for New Year's Eve at Cherai Beach.
posted by IndiaJP at 4:55 AM
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