Spring Tour 2013
Now that I'm on a roll, I'll publish a couple more travel updates to bring this blog more up to date.
After ending Grand Tour 2012 in Chennai in early January 2013, I spent only a couple of weeks at home, until just after the mid-January Pongal festival, then headed out again for Spring Tour 2013. This was very much a "visit friends and familiar places" ride, with only one new destination, as noted below. I won't go into very much detail since it was very similar to my standard Karnataka circuit that I have done about half a dozen times.
First stop was a bit of a detour, going to Mamallapuram to see a couple of friends before heading towards Karnataka, so I only made it as far as Vellore for my first night stop. Second day was an easy ride, bypassing Bangalore on the NICE Ring Road, and on to Sri Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt for a couple of days in the Ashram guest house. Then an overnight stop in Shimoga, and on to Gokarna, where I spent an entire month.
Gokarna is definitely my favourite place in India. It has just the right proportion of everything I like -- reasonable prices for food and accommodation, a great beach in town and several others nearby, several bookstores and email shops, my regular yoga class with Ganesh, small enough to get around easily, big enough to have almost everything I need, and an interesting mix of visitors since it is on both the Westerner and Indian tourist circuits. A very "Goldilocks" destination.
I retraced my inbound route for the return journey, via Shimoga to Chunchanagiri for a couple of days, then via Mysore bypass, Ooty Road, Nanjangud, Sulthan Battery to Kalpetta for the Kovai Thumpers Motorcycle Club 7A meet at Banasura Seagot Resort in Wayanad. As usual KTMC put on a great event, with comfortable tents for accommodation and excellent food.
Rode out Sunday morning, stopped in Mysore for a couple of days to get my bike serviced and visit friends, stayed a few days again at Chunchanagiri, stopped overnight in Bangalore, and headed home mid-March, for exactly two months on the road and about 2,700 km.
It was on the final stretch to home, between Bangalore and Chennai, that I came to the realization that I had had enough long-distance biking. It wasn't due to an accident or a near-miss. I just suddenly knew that my touring days were done. I had been telling myself for the last several years that the time would come when I had had enough, so I made sure to do lots of riding while I still enjoyed it.
When I got home I did a lot of serious thinking about my decision, and knew that it was right for me. As a sort of test run, over the next couple of months I did a couple of short one-week tours to visit friends in Karnataka by bus and train. Although not as convenient as having my own wheels, it was a lot more relaxing (and cheaper too!). So I put my bike up for sale, and closed the deal a month later.
Best of all, I sold it to my cousin, so it's still in the family, and our agreement is that I can borrow it at any time if I decide to go for another bike tour. But that was a year ago now, and I have no regrets, and no desire to go thumping (Bullet riding) again.
After ending Grand Tour 2012 in Chennai in early January 2013, I spent only a couple of weeks at home, until just after the mid-January Pongal festival, then headed out again for Spring Tour 2013. This was very much a "visit friends and familiar places" ride, with only one new destination, as noted below. I won't go into very much detail since it was very similar to my standard Karnataka circuit that I have done about half a dozen times.
First stop was a bit of a detour, going to Mamallapuram to see a couple of friends before heading towards Karnataka, so I only made it as far as Vellore for my first night stop. Second day was an easy ride, bypassing Bangalore on the NICE Ring Road, and on to Sri Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt for a couple of days in the Ashram guest house. Then an overnight stop in Shimoga, and on to Gokarna, where I spent an entire month.
Gokarna is definitely my favourite place in India. It has just the right proportion of everything I like -- reasonable prices for food and accommodation, a great beach in town and several others nearby, several bookstores and email shops, my regular yoga class with Ganesh, small enough to get around easily, big enough to have almost everything I need, and an interesting mix of visitors since it is on both the Westerner and Indian tourist circuits. A very "Goldilocks" destination.
I retraced my inbound route for the return journey, via Shimoga to Chunchanagiri for a couple of days, then via Mysore bypass, Ooty Road, Nanjangud, Sulthan Battery to Kalpetta for the Kovai Thumpers Motorcycle Club 7A meet at Banasura Seagot Resort in Wayanad. As usual KTMC put on a great event, with comfortable tents for accommodation and excellent food.
Rode out Sunday morning, stopped in Mysore for a couple of days to get my bike serviced and visit friends, stayed a few days again at Chunchanagiri, stopped overnight in Bangalore, and headed home mid-March, for exactly two months on the road and about 2,700 km.
It was on the final stretch to home, between Bangalore and Chennai, that I came to the realization that I had had enough long-distance biking. It wasn't due to an accident or a near-miss. I just suddenly knew that my touring days were done. I had been telling myself for the last several years that the time would come when I had had enough, so I made sure to do lots of riding while I still enjoyed it.
When I got home I did a lot of serious thinking about my decision, and knew that it was right for me. As a sort of test run, over the next couple of months I did a couple of short one-week tours to visit friends in Karnataka by bus and train. Although not as convenient as having my own wheels, it was a lot more relaxing (and cheaper too!). So I put my bike up for sale, and closed the deal a month later.
Best of all, I sold it to my cousin, so it's still in the family, and our agreement is that I can borrow it at any time if I decide to go for another bike tour. But that was a year ago now, and I have no regrets, and no desire to go thumping (Bullet riding) again.
posted by IndiaJP at 1:04 AM
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