The Horsley experience...

        With each work year in IT industry, the charm of man and machine is gradually getting dim. Till one year back my machine has hardly seen the chaos of morning office traffic in Bangalore. The weekend morning breeze used to kiss the ride. Elevated dawn was to charm the pace of an Avvy. But then…. May be all good things come to an end. Life was losing the maneuver and office desk was taking the priority. And adding to this… smart phones, lapis, tablets were clubbed to me. They say…these connect you to outer world. I find people more confined now. How can Bing make you realise the aroma of a blooming flower or the misty winds of forest laden hills. With a bad life phase for last couple of months, I was feeling lonely. Somewhere a thrust was needed and I had no clue how to get that.

One busy Monday morning, when office mail flux was coming out, I got a ping from my old riding friend. It was just a one liner ‘Hey Nawab, why don’t you join the next club ride…’. I preferred to ignore it and started working back. After two days my riding friend from Salem pinged me again. With pile of work and a tired soul, I continued my office stuff. But then …. Breaking the monotonous life was needed and finally I found myself on NH4 heading towards Andhra Pradesh. Once you are away from Bangalore, the highways gives a warm greeting. Lush pastures on both sides and herds of cattle grazing on these green fields makes you feel that there is life beyond wallpapers. Soon I covered some 100 km and metro culture was left behind. Moving on these parts, you can breathe fresh. Andhra border marks the beginning of forest land and signs to caution you about the wildlife are frequent. Literally for an IT guy these signs marks a whole new world. I simply stopped in the middle of nowhere… just to feel this charm.

               Soon, I stated again and one after the other small towns and tiny villages kept passing. At this moment I was enchanted like a school boy. Like he juat got rainy day declaration. I slowed my pace and searched for some breakfast. Luckily an old lady, selling idlies, was there. Those were fresh and steamy hot. Except one thing. When in Andhra, you got to feel dhuadaar red chilly paste. This is one thing that every food is generous with. Even the humble coconut chutney that actually smoothens your food with a sweet creamy taste has a deep red chilly flavor. The normal green pudina chutney was amalgamated with green chilly paste. The combination of a big bite of hot idli with these two additives was enough to burn. And exactly at this moment when I got a call from audibly hot lady. Sale ko itni heat bardasht nahi ho rahi thi. Anyways, after 15 minutes I was back on my way.
 

My destination was Palamaner. It’s a small town in Chittor district. Also known as the milk capital of south India. Historically it means ‘Lake dug by Pallavas’. Any ways I am not sure which was that lake as my destination was Horseley Hill top. It was in this town that riders from Chennai would join me and cover the remaining distance together. I was waiting for them on roadside. Just to find two bikes coming towards me and the pillion rider waved his hand. Soon an entire array of riders, covered from head to toe that includes armored jackets, was there. Our Chennai clubs admins Siddharth and Karthik were there. The famous fotographers, Pady and Prassana were both present. Our Salem buddy Kapil wanted to hug me. Now there was one problem. Even if I stand on carrier of a bicycle and he sits on same cycle seat, he will look taller. So I told him, dude…I can’t jump higher please lower yourself to complete this hugging process. After that many people came to meet me. All of then were like masked bandits. With faces covered with balaclava or anti-pollution masks, I literally didn’t knew who was greeting me.  

Anyways the cluster of the finest ridders started toward Horseley Hills. It might be around 80 km from there with last 20-25 km in ghat section. Mostly the roads were good till now. Few sections have human habitats. That made it difficult to keep the cruising high. Soon we were entering the hilly estates of Horseley. At the toll, you can see a lot of tourist vehicles coming from Bangalore. I never got the idea to travel in a rented vehicle because it’s the journey that’s more beautiful than the destination. A covered box can never give that travel pleasure. It was also this place where I came to know that one of our riding brother Nagarajan is traveling from Madurai that too with his kid. Salute to his ride motion.

Within the next 30 minutes we were at the hotel. The hotel manager informed us that they have booked two Bungalows for us. Before this ride, I have stayed in hotels, resorts, suits, tents and even on footpath but a hill slope bungalow was entirely a new experience. Took some rest and then at the time when the entire world takes evening tea we were heading towards the dining hall. I am sure in Andhra the Chillies would be quite cheap. You get it everywhere. In dal, in gravies, in chicken fries and every other food that you can imagine. Only exception is steamed rice. After this we headed for swimming pool. It sounds strange but we tried that.

Soon after it started raining. As expected, my bad luck strikes again and we are confined now. Doses of Somras did an enchanting job and throat quenching activity soon took place. The loud Tamil music and some Bollywood numbers with half of us not in control was actually a great party fun. At one point I wanted to sleep and went back to my room. When I got up, it was late evening and headed towards the other bungalow. I was offered a big table to sit on its top. And people surrounded me. Then someone said now he will share his life jokes. Honestly I can write a book on my college and hostel life and people will die laughing. We were sharing that. Soon I realized that Dr. Anand, an oncologist, has some equal good stuff to share. Oh great…even medical students do have a life beyond thick layer of anatomy. Before meeting Dr. Anand, I used to think medical professionals and biology books were equally boring.  There I came to know that even budding doctors sleep during lectures. Humm...I was not the only one to snoar during lectures.

               At night couple of us decided to just roam around. It was a small hill top. And with fewer or no street lights the chilled darkness was an enchanting experience. It might be once a quiet place but now there are more resorts than actual native houses. You can even hear the DJ being played at many resorts. The corporate outings has disturbed the quiet place. Anyways the dinner followed and with that the day was over. Next morning my roommate called me at early morning to check the sunrise. Hell… the quilt was too warm to leave. But yes before morning breakfast, we did some exploration. The cloud were all over and leaves were laden with dew. An air so fresh, after night long rain that every breath was worth an experience. The natural beauty was so panoramic that it can’t be confined to mobile apps.  It was also a time to meet different people. Soon we started back. I think it was around 270 km from my place and riding mostly alone it gave me enough time for introspection. And that is all about a ride trip. You explore new places, new food habits, meet some wonderful people and finally think about your own life…

 

Riding with the Princess of hills...

       
          Love... needs a personal touch, is enjoyed with fantasy and away from the hush hush world. Men are from mars and cherished with their machines. For me its a black Avenger. The time spent with an Avvy is never deducted from your life. It just grows. And the urge to feel the passion at a place where sun kisses the sky is best when you roam to rising horizon. I was racing the rain on NH4, when my cell blinked. That was an invite for anniversary ride of Club-BAC Chennai. For me it was like a moment to actually meet the elite riders from a southern city. For ages the city has been synonymous with culture and food. But, sometime back it nourished a fine riders' dream.

          The dates were near to 26th January and the destination was the princess of hills, Yercad. Unexplored and still in primitive stage on tourist map, nothing can be better to feel your machine and fall in love. I was in notice period at my office and taking leave at this stage was an issue. But then happiness is always the priority. On 24th Jan when I peeped out of window, it was still dawn with dimming street lights on Bangalore roads . Me and the black beast were ready to zoom on. I remembered the club safety directions. The instructions were clear. Arrive on time and in complete riding kit. I took a look at my gear set, picked, stared and then simply kept it in the box. Yo Macho...here comes my brand new hand crafted leather riding jacket. Less armored and high on style. Breaking the rules is an offence but God forbid, I just did that. At around 6:30, I was on the doors to deep south. Once on NH7, it took less than half an hour to reach the elevated highway of electronic city. This 10 km long stretch makes gliding look pale. Followed by the iconic Biocon and Narayana Hridyalaya, I was on the verge of Karnataka. Every time I enter Hosur, the first thing that fascinates and then irritates is the Sipcot industrial state. Good to pass so many companies and at the same, hate the traffic chaos for a span of 12 km. Once this zone is zoomed on, the only thing that waits is the beautiful scenic views on both sides of highways.

        One after the other the dhabas goes by. Then the small town and big cities. The piping rays from the hills near Dharampuri was a rider's delight. Soon I was in Salem city. From Salem it takes a diversion and state highway takes the lead. I took a small halt for refreshment and my bad habit of trying all chatar-matar street food took over. After a brief pause i saw an array of head lights moving towards me. Enough to act as a head turner. Its time for onlookers to give way. A riding battalion of BAC-Chennai is now heading towards Yercad.And the machine sound stops. The villagers are surprised. All the riders are down the machines. One fellow with an LS2 helment approaches me.

Wow, the friendly face of BAC Chennai Admin, Mr. Karthik Viswanathan is here to assist us on this historic first anniversary ride. I got warm greeting from the team and then we headed towards the first hairpin turn of the trip. The group was divided in two trips. I took the tail position. Some riders believe that riding as the last man is like the sweep position. But personally, I was always a back bencher and still love that. Soon the team moved towards the hills, crossing one turn after the other.Couple of initial turns are a bit challenging but then the near 10 Km steep stretch with 20 hairpins make you comfortable quite soon. For faint hearted it is advised to look forward and stop taking the height readings or looking down the city. At the 20th position the mark of Salem city hotel was a welcome sign. Within the next 15-20 minutes we were parking our machines outside the resort. The Admin started discussions with Resort managers.

         For me, the deep fried golden crisp onion bhaggi with a cup of tea was more enchanting. I sat on the lawn and started munching. Thought that, rest of the salutations can be taken care later as well. Suddenly, our trip Leader kapil Jawahar calls us and we are requested to be ready. By this time it was near sunset. We are informed that the highest peak of Yercad will now be covered along with city late. We all got ready and the engines roared. Soon we reached the mall. I found it like the tiny version of Darjeeling mall with a beautiful lake. On both side of the road people were enjoying the sunset. After this, the next 15-20 minutes were a bit challenging. It was near dusk. With height, the climate changed drastically and the fog was quite a lot. Finally when we reached the top, I found none but us standing on the top.The misty woods with deep forests is all I could feel. Although we are at the top. I could see nothing downhill’s. At one point I literally wanted to shiver. Honestly, after leaving North India, this is the fist time that I am experiencing this kind of ultra-crisp and chilled weather. I loved it. After a few attempts of photography which mostly failed we headed back.

           Going downhill all I can follow was the tail light. Sale ko agar yaha kuch hua...to bhai apni to lag jaygi...me being the last man of this array. But we did managed to reach the resort back and got another sip of tea. Soon we checked in our rooms and the night campfire plans took shape. The team was happening and Regularly Used Medicine with lots of snacks were served. Clubbing together, we came to know each other. The gang was having people from all walks of life. Be it a final year engineering student to some high end developer. The popping sound of fire was breaking the ice and gestures were becoming more friendly than ever. We also had a celebrity rider Sukhmani aka Speed Girl with us. She covered Kanyakumari to Kashmir in less than 65 hours and that is a record for a female rider in India. To make the event more memorable all we needed was photographic skills of Paddy. The effort that he put for each single click was really motivating. 
         
          Next couple of hours we drank; we ate and shared some light moments. After 2 pegs, the inner spirit comes out and after 4 we are super human. I can still remember how one of our rider Arshad managed to get his bike from his parents. A bit long story So, will share some other time. One thing was sure.  Next morning, The place was at its best. Imagine a panoramic view where white clouds take the sky and hills have blue shade. Places where flora is in mild breeze that touches you and make you feel the warmth of mother nature. Such is Yercad in winter. At this point we headed for the next ride. We headed towards, ATV machines. The track was good but then I had a lot of experience on these so decided to roam around on foot.

Soon I found orchids and then a perfume outlet. the place was refreshing. Unlike the city mall outlet, here everything was natural. The fragrance of mist was deep there. At this place we saw a giant animal, the wild buffalo. This huge 6 feet animal with white legs followed by the deep dark skin will make you shiver if you are alone witness it at night. Anyways after this we headed for Kiliyur Falls.

 This is beautiful but if you are having any kind of issues with trekking down a steep path, please avoid. This involves quite a good number of stairs and these are really steel.

          Once this was completed, I bid a good bye to the team and started my journey back to Bangalore. I was lucky that the team captain Kapil got some work at his home in Salem city and we rode together. Karthik was there to give company and the trio headed downhill. Crossing the terrain at night was really a challenging task. I got a view of Salem city from the hills and that was awesome. if you can bring a million stars and lit them with white and golden light with shades of green and red scattered all over then paste it on a sheet with mountains all around then maybe you can view this. Soon the hilly terrain was over and we were in city limits. Kapil invited me to his home and I was honored with a nice dinner. The recipe was Adai. I was having it for the first time. This was a bit different experience. The flavors were derived from coriander, red pepper, garlic and fennel seeds. Each was low yet distinct. The tangy touch of onions when coated with traditional coconut chutney was a foodie's luck.  And I got all this in served at Kapil's home. What can be better way to finish the team ride at Salem. After a brief halt, I started my journey.
        
          Riding back was a different experience altogether since the highway curls create optical illusion and the temperature was dipping down. After a ride of around 4 hours I was back at my bed. Thanks to Team BAC Chennai, for Organizing a safe riding experience. Ride captain, BAC Admin and Paddy deserves special thanks for their time and effort. After this group ride i can definitely tell you that there is a difference between being alive and breathing year on year basis. After all we are emotional riders and we do what we love.