We were very much excited to have a ride a through this route -A most awaited one. After an enjoyable weekend at home, we were set to Mysore. We all were very much enthralled as we already planned to reach Mysore through Athirapally - Valparai route.Though we have heard a lot about it, we just wanted to have it experienced.
On 08/01/2018 - Monday - We started off from Chalakudy around 8 AM. Chalakudy-->Athirapally-->Valparai-->Pollachi-->Coimbatore-->Mysore this was our route plan. Since in Google maps it was showing around 410 KMS, we knew that this is going to be a One-Day Ride. We were a group of 6 people in 3 motorcycles.Needless to say this was my first long distance ride in NewYear. One day before we already visited Athirapally Waterfalls so we didn't think of visiting it again. Around 9.15 am we reached the first check post near Vazhachal Waterfalls and collected the coupon after the mandatory register check-in. In that coupon, it was written that we should cross Malakkaparai Check post within 2 hours - a stretch of 55 kms through Sholayar Forest; one of the rarest Rain Forest available in Kerala.Though we desired to visit Vazhachal waterfalls, we had to drop the plan as we had to cross the check post at the other end before 2 hours. Yes, we missed it....should have planned better :-(
The roads were winding and small just enough to pass for a heavy vehicle (bus/lorry). I was sure this is going to be one of the best rides of my life.Needless to say, this is the most beautiful rides in South India - a must have ride place.You have to concentrate on the road ahead as there is a high chance that you may get deviated by the scenic beauty on both sides of the road.Also we have to be very careful about wild animals crossing. Even though the guards at he check post warned us not to stop in between, we cannot just pass by. It was so beautiful that you have to get down and experience the beauty, yeah I know it's a feeling you wanna experience:-). Also you'll get many spots for photo session. My suggestion would be to stop vehicle and enjoy the nature where there are people/travelers as the road is going though a dense forest and we can expect wild animals at any time. You won't get food/water in this 55 km stretch and be sure of carrying enough. You will get 'n' number of spots for photo session but do not stop everywhere as you have to cross the next check post within 2 hrs.We can see Chalakudy River flowing o the side, main water-stream from Peringalkuthu Dam. The forest was dry and but lively with gentle streams of water taking water from wet rocks. It was around 11 am and it was so cold. The dense forest were not allowing the sun-rays and honestly I was shivering and thought to get into those sun-rays which were parsing rarely. But what to do it was nearing the time allotted to us. I have to say when the guards told us to cross the check post within 2 hours, I thought it is so easy as there was only 55 kms. But later I understood even if we take around 10 hours of time to enjoy this scenic nature it won't be enough.
We crossed the Malakkaparai check post at 11.30 am, late by 10 minutes but luckily the Forest officer there didn't ask any questions to us as why we were late. Thank God!! While we were waiting for other 2 bikes, my friend(pillion rider) was getting ready for a prank. While I was talking to the officer there he clicked photo of an elephant poster which was already hanging on the walls of that office, he just showed me the pic he took and there was no visible marks that the pic was of an already hanging poster. We both planned to tell other friends that we saw an elephant near by and we took photo and all, funny.... The other thing which caught our attention was there was also a tigers poster on the walls (the tiger is found in Sholayar Forest) and its name is same as that of mine... Yeah, grrr!!
Images of a Tea-Estate near Valaparai
Meanwhile we met another rider. His name was Eric, from France and was about to check-in at the check post office. He was coming from Valparai- took a Royal Enfield bullet for rent and he was riding to Cochin and then to SriLanka. He was very much excited about the ride as he liked the route very much. He was asking about the places whichever he can visit in Kerala on his journey and we both helped with the place names and description as much as we could. Athithi Dhebo Bhava!! By the time our friends in remaining two bikes came and we all had a good chit-chat session and we continued our journey in opposite directions- Eric to Cochin and we moved towards Mysore. Also we are done with our pre-planned prank and those fellas really believed that we actually saw elephant very close by and took photo, me and friend started laughing a lot once we get into the bike so that others won't see and won't doubt us.
I've to say the best was yet to come. From Malakkaparai check post, tea and Coffee(mainly Tata's) estates starts and it will be there for around 20 kms, yeah that's really lengthy. And it's too beautiful to describe, you have to visit that place and experience, it's like you are riding through heaven....!! Both sides of the road you could see tea plantations nicely grown and the road was also too good, needless to say. We all stopped there for taking photos and we were not in a mood to move from there. It was so magnetic kind of place. Since we had in mind that we have to reach Coimbatore Check Post before 6 pm we planned to start riding from there.
Next came the back side of Sholayar Dam and it was like a Canyon, at that moment we realised Ohh..man... There's lot more to see. Just a day is not enough to see this place, may be 2 or 3. We were quickly moving from place to place as we knew that the time running though we took time to take photos just behind (or above)the Sholayar Dam and then started the hair-pin curve road with 47 hair-pin curves. I've to say that was the most number of hair-pin curves I've ridden in a single stretch and hell yeah.. Enjoyed! We reached Valpari Town around 2 pm and we were planning to have lunch from there or not. In between we also saw name boards of tourist places to visit there. Those were near to 20 numbers and we all were disappointed as we had no time to go there. Yes, if you are planning to go though Athirappally-Valparai route at least plan for 3 days. We were all started feeling hungry and as suggested by one of our colleague, we started riding towards Pollachi and he suggested us to have lunch after crossing Sholayar Dam. The pointers were correct as he told, there were multiple hut kind of hotels on sides of the road. We could see one hut was full of people waiting to have lunch. We also went and started wasting behind the people and have to say a queue was formed, moreover we were so hungry and desperate to have lunch somehow. Finally we got our seats and started eating. But sad to say it was not as good as we expected and the price was also too high, will never suggest to anyone better to have lunch from Valparai- town only.
Next came the back side of Sholayar Dam and it was like a Canyon, at that moment we realised Ohh..man... There's lot more to see. Just a day is not enough to see this place, may be 2 or 3. We were quickly moving from place to place as we knew that the time running though we took time to take photos just behind (or above)the Sholayar Dam and then started the hair-pin curve road with 47 hair-pin curves. I've to say that was the most number of hair-pin curves I've ridden in a single stretch and hell yeah.. Enjoyed! We reached Valpari Town around 2 pm and we were planning to have lunch from there or not. In between we also saw name boards of tourist places to visit there. Those were near to 20 numbers and we all were disappointed as we had no time to go there. Yes, if you are planning to go though Athirappally-Valparai route at least plan for 3 days. We were all started feeling hungry and as suggested by one of our colleague, we started riding towards Pollachi and he suggested us to have lunch after crossing Sholayar Dam. The pointers were correct as he told, there were multiple hut kind of hotels on sides of the road. We could see one hut was full of people waiting to have lunch. We also went and started wasting behind the people and have to say a queue was formed, moreover we were so hungry and desperate to have lunch somehow. Finally we got our seats and started eating. But sad to say it was not as good as we expected and the price was also too high, will never suggest to anyone better to have lunch from Valparai- town only.
We started off from there towards Coimbatore and in the map, it showed 106 kms to check post and it was already 4.15 pm. We were so sure that we were not going to reach Coimbatore aka Bannari Amman check post before 6pm(there is a restriction for two-wheelers between 6 pm and 6am). We were blindly following Google Maps as we didn't want to waste time. By the time we reach the check post it was 6.30 pm. We decided to talk to the officers there as we didn't had any other option. After talking to him for 5 minutes, he agreed, alas!...again Thank God and he warned us to cross the other check post near to Dhimbam within 1 hour. Cannot blame him also as there were reports of Leopard attack against two-wheelers through that Forest or route during night time and after that only this restriction for two-wheelers came into effect. All were happy as we could reach Mysore today itself. Ha ha.... seems funny but we really wanted that.
We started riding again, and it was another hair-pin curves with 27 in number. Also we were climbing up the hill (from Tamil-Nadu to Karnataka state). It started feeling so cold and I was finding it difficult to ride, my hands started shivering.... Me and my pillion rider both didn't take any jacket as we thought we would reach Mysore in the evening. Yes literally we both were finding it really difficult to ride. Atleast I had an helmet which I was using. The guy who was sitting behind didn't had helmet also. Desperately he took another inner wear from his bag(we call it as 'Jockey') started wearing on his head. And I started laughing and have to say I was laughing out loud for the last 10-12 hair pin curves. It was so cold that we could barely mange. Soon we crossed the check post we got into a nearest tea shop and many thanks to that shopkeeper -an old man and his wife were running that tea shop. Even though he was about to close since he saw us shivering in cold he was ready to make tea/coffee to us. We had snacks also fromt there and started riding again and it was 7.30 pm and forest area was not yet over. After driving some 5-6 kms one bike's fuel was over and we are in a place where there was no electricity at all. First it was in Forest area only and there were nobody living near by. We asked for help from lorry-es passing by but wouldn't help as neither we or they had any equipment/instrument to pour petrol from other bikes. At last two of our friends went to the nearby shop as suggested by a lorry driver. We 4 people we're standing there and it was so dark everywhere. I started remembering the time when I saw elephants near to that place as I went to my home a week back. And I told the same to my friends standing there by.Yes, that moment was scary as well as funny. After waiting for around 1 hour, both who went to take petrol came back with a large pipe in hand. We came to know that they couldn't find any petrol pump/station near by and they got this from a nearby hotel. And with the help of it they transferred some petrol into bottle. It was enough for us to get out of that area and find the petrol station near by. Later we came to know that some petrol went inside my friends' stomach in that process of transferring petrol to bottle. Lesson learned:. Before starting from the Bannari Amman check post ensure there is enough fuel in your vehicle. There are no fuel stations for next 30-35 kms. We moved from there quickly as it was near to 9pm and the cold was increasing. We found it very difficult to ride in bike that coldness. We stopped in 2-3 teashops again to have tea so that at least at those time we might get some relief from cold. It was near to Mysore city just around 10kms, my friend riding bike didn't see the speed breaker (we call it as hump) and we ran over it at a good speed, the bike was in air for 2 seconds. Luckily he didn't loose control of the bike otherwise we would have been to visit a hospital near by :-). Though it's funny while thinking of it it was as scary too, it's my request to our government that they should take enough measures to draw white lines over speed breakers. There are so many accident cases of non-visibility of speed breakers. Finally as we all desired we reached out respective homes in Mysore around 1.30 am.
Yet I have to say this was one of the best rides I ever did, cannot forget the beauty of nature which we experienced. I would say really that was one of the heaven to have a ride/drive.
Yet I have to say this was one of the best rides I ever did, cannot forget the beauty of nature which we experienced. I would say really that was one of the heaven to have a ride/drive.
