The Rameshwaram Gang
I
had the responsibility of planning for this ride which included: route,
accommodation, expenses and food. With inputs from few of my friends, Vikram
Mallesh and Google I was ready with the plan which was for three
days. I was satisfied and happy with the plan except for the last day which had
650 Km of distance to be covered!!! I was confident about my backbone and bum,
but was not sure about the other riders. This was one chance I had to take if
we really wanted to cover all the places as per the plan.
Day 1: 06/03/2015
Kengeri - Hosur – Krishnagiri – Salem –
Namakkal – Srirangam (Ranganatha Swamy temple) – Tanjavur (Brihadeshwara
Temple) ------ 435 KM
The
plan was to kick start from Kengeri Satellite Town at 04:00 in the morning. We
over shoot this by an hour and left from Kengeri around 05:00 with a brief
introduction of each other. I had laid down few simple rules this time as we
were ten of us and few of them were riding for the first time on such a long
trip. The rules ensured that we never hit more than 80 KMPH and also made sure
that one or the other person was either back or in front. We hit the NICE road
after paying the toll and all were strictly following the rules. I was shocked
to see Mithun going slow for the first time in his car!!!!
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Thunderbird 500
@Hosur
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Around
07:00 we reached Saravanna’s hotel on
Krishnagiri road which pulled us automatically like a magnet, thanks to our
early departure from Bengaluru. Everybody was damn hungry and would have killed
each other for breakfast if we had continued further. The food served was
delicious, especially the different types of chutney which we get with the dosa and idli. Everybody was fully satisfied with their tanks full and
wanted to hit the road ASAP before the sun came out.
From
there we headed to Trichy and the sun really got better of us. We badly wanted
to escape the irritating and humid conditions by reaching our destination ASAP.
The sun rays were so torturous and the heat so high that we could as well have
put egg omelet on our fuel tanks! We could feel the heat waves that was hitting
us and our skins were literally burning. Only good thing was the roads. Full
credit goes to the government and the people who have maintained the roads to
such wonderful levels. The people are also very helpful and honest. At one
instance we got back our valuables which by mistake we had left at the temple.
The guys came searching for us on bikes and gave the valuables. I was moved by
their honesty. The items were worth at least rupees 10 k!
But one annoying thing which was we all had to
face was the bad road mannerisms. This is something very common in many states
but here it was few notches above. People rarely looked up or sideways to check
for vehicles and cross the roads. At few instances I had to steer my bike from
them on the highway. Also the cabs/taxis rarely honk when overtaking and pass
very close by to you. One has to be extra careful and cautious.
We had a quick visit of Ranganatha
Swamy temple and then headed straight to Tanjavur. For the first time I crossed
the speed limit and was in a hurry to reach hotel. I badly wanted a shower as
my body was sweating like hell and the smell --- 100 rats could have died! It
was same with others.
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It was 18:00 we checked in
at a hotel and the facilities offered were good. We had only one hour to get
ourselves ready before the Brihadeshwara Temple closed for the day. Luckily we
made it in time and were able to spend some quality time at the temple. The
ambience is so calm and soothing that for a moment we forgot the whole day’s
ride and also that it was Tamil Nadu state!
For
the first time we guys were to separate from each other…. And the reason was
our taste buds. Few wanted veg and few non-veg. As per their preferences we
made two teams and both the teams came back with a heavy stomach and only thing
on their mind was sleep.
Day 2: 07/03/2015
Tanjavur – Devipattan
(Navagraha Temple) - ECR stretch – Rameshwaram - Dhanushkodi – Rameshwaram
(Temple) – Pamban Bridge --- 267 KM
Today was a big day
for most of us and especially to me. I will be finally seeing the famous Pamban
Bridge which had haunted me over the past couple of months. What was funny is
that the entire ride had numerous temples and even the final destination,
Rameshwaram is one of the famous religious place. But for me it was all about
seeing the Pamban Bridge. Not that I an atheist or non-temple visiting guy but
I was more fascinated by the famous bridge. We left early in the morning around
06:00 and took the wonderful ECR stretch (East Coast Road). The early morning
ride on those smooth tarmac is a blissful experience and with RE Thunderbird
500 there was no stopping.
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Finally after few hours of ride we reached our
DESTINATION or rather my DESTINATION – Pamban Bridge. The stretch where you see
the bridge is a picturesque one with water on both the sides. As soon as you
reach the bridge, you are greeted by numerous small boats on the right and on
the left you find the famous railway track. We were lucky to see a train pass
by as we reached the bridge. I couldn’t have asked for more!!! More? Yes, I
wanted more and for the very same reason I came back again in the night to
spend some time. It was one amazing experience sitting under the moon and
chatting with buddies. Our laughter could as well have echoed in the
neighboring country Sri Lanka, all thanks to Preamble Dileepa.
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We spent close to two hours standing there and
enjoying the view. There were all possible photo poses that we got clicked and
it was only after sometime that we realized there was Dhanushkodi also waiting
for us in the day’s plan. We quickly headed to check in to our hotel and got
fresh in no time. I suggested that we skip our lunch and head straight to
Dhanushkodi so that we can spend more time. The stretch from our hotel to
Dhanushkodi is another treat to riders. We could see water on both our sides as
we took the bikes to the last known piece of land in this ride. The feeling is
awesome and my happiness knew no bounds as I kept pushing through those roads.
From Dhanuskodi we had to take Van and when
somebody asked me, Why not bike? I had no reply for some time. But as we got
into the van and started our journey to the last known piece of land, all I had
to do was just turn back at my friend and the answer was self-explanatory!!!
Most
of my colleagues wanted to taste the waters of Indian Ocean but I preferred to
enjoy the ambience. We decided to walk till the last patch of the land. The
view of the ocean and the sound of the waves hitting the shores is an enriching
experience. As my friends continued to walk, I just laid down there on the sand
bed to enjoy the view.
It
was 17:00 and we had to return back to our van. On our way back we collected
few shells from the seashore. In no time we reached back to our bikes and from
there we headed straight to the Rameshwaram Temple.
The
temple was about to close and luckily we managed to enter in time. The temple
is a gigantic structure and the carvings are breath taking. It is famous
temple down south and is one of the famous four pilgrimage destinations in
India. We all were very hungry and more so those who tasted the Indian Ocean
waters… we had our dinner at a hotel in front of the temple which served good
vegetarian food. Many of them hit the bed after coming back but I wanted to
visit Pamban again. Along with me Dileepa, Chiranjit, Vibhas, Mihir and Arun
also joined. We spent close to two hours and had our best time of the entire ride.
It was around 00:00 in the midnight that my eyes were burning and we decided to
head back to our hotels. Next day was a demanding one for all the riders.
Day 3: 08/03/2015
Rameshwaram – Madurai –
Salem – Krishnagiri – Hosur - Kengeri --- 635 KM
Few
of my friends wanted to visit Rameshwaram temple and complete the 22 theertham
bath. I was very tired to wake up and do the same. I and few others continued
to sleep. I finally woke up at 09:00 and by then Mihir had also come with
laddoos (prasadam). I said to myself, what
a way to start off the day. Since I have made a habit of collecting something
as a memory from my ride, I headed to the local market to do some shopping. I
got a pen stand made of shell with Rameshwaram
engraved on it and also few items for home. From there I went to the house of
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the missile man who is an inspiration to millions of young
Indians. There are numerous of his achievements on display and what caught my
attention was the number of doctorates. I stood there and took a count of it.
The final number was a cool 40!!!!! People including me die to get just one PhD
in our life and here is a man who has 40 to his name. Wish I could borrow one
from him! I took a key chain which had the engraving of this great personality
and thought this will be the best one to sit with my new bike.
As
I complete this blog and ride, I have my partner for the rest of my life: my
love, my dream and my ride – Thunderbird 350 cc. So from next ride, it will be me and
MY bike!
We
left Rameshwaram around 12:00 in the afternoon and finally bid adieu to Pamban
Bridge. From there it was a non-stop ride to Bengaluru and one of the most
challenging rides. The heat was at its peak and the temperature refused to die
down. By now I had lost few more shades
of my skin color. I guess that is the price you pay for these kind of rides. We
reached Bengaluru next day early morning 04:00 and the entire stretch I was on
bike. I had to mentally and physically push to ensure that there was no problem
to other riders. Along with me, Mihir, Vibhas & Dileepa were equally
strained but we refused to stop till we reached Bengaluru.
[NOTE:
we took regular intervals and made sure none of was sleepy!!!]
Thanks
to my all friends who were so adjusting and ensured that we stick to the plan.
Kudos to all the riders and also Mithun for driving his car non-stop.
After
this ride, there is a sense of pride and achievement. Though the hangover
(sleep deprivation) was there for few days, it was totally worth it. Looking
back, I have Leh
(North), Darjeeling & Bhutan (East) and Dhanushkodi (South) under my
belt. And what next? It is obvious and imperative on me that I touch the Kutch…
ops, west.
Pros & Cons of this
ride:
Pros
– wonderful roads; good food; people are helpful & honest
Cons:
Sultry weather; sunburns;
Don't forget to check out wickedride.in for fulfilling your dream ride.
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