Pattukkottai - Bangalore

Date: 21 June 2015

Pattukkottai - Gandharvakottai - Sengippatti - Trichy - Thuraiyur - Thimmampatti - Salem - Dharmapuri - Krishnagiri - Hosur - Bangalore



We started 5 o clock in the evening. This time Arun agreed to come with me till Salem. He was riding and I was pillion rider. We went in Aladikkumula - Kandharvakottai road as it is little shorter to reach Trichy than the Tanjavur - Trichy way. This road will join near Sengippatti. But it was a bad decision. Because patch work for the road was in progress. It made our phase slow. At last it was 7 when we reached sengippatti.

We had coffee there and continued. Trichy city was little confusing for us. We stopped many places to ask route. It was almost 8 when we were in Trichy - Thuraiyur road. I'm travelling in this road for first time. The road was really good but seldom taken. It connects Trichy to Salem directly bypassing Namakkal. Its two way only but road was pretty new and had less pits and patches.

Thuraiyur, Thimmampatti and Salem. 149 KM stretch. It will be a wonderful experience to ride in this road. And after Thuraiyur the terrain was mixture of hill and delta area. We can see both crops and hills on the sides. Puliyanjolai a must visit place is in this road. After Thuraiyur you should take left at Uppiliyapuram. Unfortunately we couldn't enjoy anything as it was night. I made a plan to visit Puliyanjolai once. If you start around 2am in the morning from Bangalore, it will be a memorable trip. you can expect my experience about that place in upcoming blogs.

While taking this road be sure about the route or have map in hand. Don't forget to take right at Thimmanayakkanpatti towards Valapaadi or it will take you to Rasipuram. Even we missed that sharp turn. Luckily the map in our hand correctly directed us immediately.

We reached Salem by 11 PM. She had already reached Salem and was waiting for half an hour. We all three had dinner at Salem bus stand. It was very costly and not worth at all. But at night we had no other option. Arun caught his bus to Trichy. We continued our ride towards bangalore.

We were completely tired, just wanted to cross the distance. Had coffee in a road side tea shop at Dharmapuri. There was a puppy sleeping in the shop bench. Once sat on that, it woke up and came near me for warmth. It was cute, still I was afraid it might bite me. She took some photos of that puppy.

We continued 20 minutes later. Next stop was at Shoolagiri. Had burgers at McDonald's. Then we continued counting every kilometer. At last reached Bangalore 5 AM. It was Monday we had no time to sleep but we slept until 10am. LOL :)

Trichy - an all night trip

Bangalore - Hosur - Krishnagiri - Dharmurapuri - Salem - Namakkal - Trichy - Tanjore - Pattukkottai

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Bangalore,+Karnataka,+India/Pattukkottai,+Tamil+Nadu,+India/@11.6986543,78.454028,8z/data=!4m8!4m7!1m2!1m1!1s0x3bae1670c9b44e6d:0xf8dfc3e8517e4fe0!1m2!1m1!1s0x3b000093eb3cbfc9:0xe8d7c5789de8fb3d!3e0

A quick plan to visit my native, Pattukkottai. As we had been missing a long drive for past few weeks and were not sure about our future weeks, we chose to go on the Iron Bull. We started  at 7.45 pm in the evening by having fuel in reserve. I wanted to fill fuel in Hosur as price of petrol is cheaper in Tamil Nadu.

Unless you are just mad at riding, this trip will be awful.

Took Electronic City flyover to bypass the Hosur road traffic. Rs.20 for a single way. Nothing much to see as it was night. Filled fuel at a Reliance petrol pump in Hosur. I added fuel for Rs.700, still half of the tank was empty.

We had our first pit stop by 9 Pm at HP Junction , Shoolagiri. She took cash from ATM, and we had a plate of Parotta and Poori, as usual i ate most part of it. Bill was 120 rupees and 10 was tip. Also a cigarette as tip to parking security when I was smoking there. Continued our travel an hour later.

Next pit stop was at 11 o clock after crossing Dharmapuri. Had a break for half an hour by having coffee at a road side tea-stall. We were their last customer for the night. Kadhalan Tamil movie had just started in Sun TV Channel.

Third one was at Namakkal. It was mid night 1 o clock. No shops were open. I parked the bike inside Namakkal bus stand and had tea. Mukkala song was running in Sun TV. I ordered a coffee for myself and tea for her. But I ended up with tea and she had my coffee.

Trichy was 85 Km from Namakkal. Till Namakkal the road was very good.

Two way 6 lane highway having multiple tolls. But no toll will charge for a bike. We were about to be stopped by cops at three places. But after seeing me in close they wave for me to move on. May be because I was with a girl or I put on proper gears. From Namakkal till trichy the road will not be that good. The regular Musiri - Thottiyam route will be a pain but little safer than the Thuraiyur-Manachanallur route. Even though the thuraiyur route has better road, buses take Musiri-Thottiyam road only. We took the regular route to be on safer side.

Around 3.30 Am in the morning we reached Trichy. I dropped her in Trichy Main Bus stand. Her bus to Coimbatore started at 4.30. I should write a separate book to explain my feeling when her bus started moving.

I'll be writing it one day. I made the title for this trip as Trichy because my ride ended at Trichy itself. From there I was just carried to Pattukkottai.

While starting from trichy i made a call to Arun (childhood friend), so that he can get ready.

As I was alone in the Trichy-Tanjore highway, I couldn't control sleep. I knew I was sleeping but I didn't worry. I kept my eyes open and slept on the bike. My sub-conscious triggered me twice when I was dangerously near to a truck from behind and while I was about to hit a divider. Had coffee in the morning in a tea stall located just opposite to Karthi's (My brother's) college. Even after I couldn't help me from sleeping. Some how I reached Pattukkottai at 6.30 in the morning alive! Arun waited for me in bus stand. We had tea at Anaikadu. Then he dropped me at home and kept the bike with him.

Hogenakkal

Bangalore - Hosur - Denkanikkottai - Anchetti - Hogenakkal

https://www.google.co.jp/maps/dir/Krishnarajapura,+Bengaluru,+Karnataka,+India/Anchetty,+Tamil+Nadu+635102,+India/Denkanikottai,+Tamil+Nadu,+India/Natrampalayam,+Tamil+Nadu,+India/Hoganakkal,+Tamil+Nadu,+India/@12.5660426,77.67916,10z/am=t/data=!4m32!4m31!1m5!1m1!1s0x3bae11abc8ffe3e7:0xd8368746c98e53bf!2m2!1d77.6877765!2d13.0040167!1m5!1m1!1s0x3bae8fda54022257:0xfd6e2d8b98ebd373!2m2!1d77.7211792!2d12.3542475!1m5!1m1!1s0x3bae7d7fe1f5a4b1:0x1252e8cbfbed0b1e!2m2!1d77.7893078!2d12.528637!1m5!1m1!1s0x3bae9a01f0121d9d:0x38bd8282b5a87540!2m2!1d77.7394856!2d12.2583719!1m5!1m1!1s0x3baea2e79f110f11:0xf9fcc8ca3dc277df!2m2!1d77.7781069!2d12.1183374!3e0?hl=en

Date: June-6 2015, Saturday

We have planned to start 6 AM in the morning to feel the chill in Air. But unfortunately due to some hustle at last we started at 10 AM from Tin Factory, Bangalore. Silk board and took the Electronic City over bridge. At the Toll we paid Rs.20. After we regret not buying return which is just Rs.25. As the bridge had less traffic I revved to 110 Km/hr. I felt the power of Iron Bull only after 80 Km/hr. And it was awesome. We lost our water bottle in over speeding which was kept in side pouch of our bag. The view is worth parking in the bay area and spend for 10 mins. But we dint as already we were running out of time.

From Electronics city to reach Hosur, a 20 Km stretch was there in highway. You could slip into NH35 from Attibele which will connect you to Hosur-Denkanikkottai road. But as we have not planned well before, we had reached Hosur and from there took the Denkanikkottai road. From Hosur inner ring road we slid into Hosur railway station road, which will connect Denkanikkottai main road after the station. But that road was being repaired near the railway station. So we took the country road believing that will join the other side. But eventually in 20 minutes we were somewhere in mid of a dry land. Luckily google maps helped us to back to the main road. We came back on Hosur inner ring road and took Denkanikkottai main road. It caused waste of 40 minutes time and fuel for around 10 Km.

Once we enter the Denkanikkottai road, just in time the country side starts. Both sides were green. Usually on side will be hillock and the other side some farm land. Even the view was wonderful we couldn't enjoy it as it was a very hot and we were scorched by Sun. The air was bit cool which saved us little. The road was very good with no pits and less speed breakers.

You would kill enough number of moths and butterflies on the way. I removed visor from helmet for better visibility and avoid disturbance from wind. I was riding around 70 Kmph.  Suddenly a butterfly hit my sunglasses and went into pulp. One side of my vision got blurred. Then we stopped and washed it. It became our first pit stop by itself. Had some biscuits. After 10 minutes we moved on.

A single straight road to Denkanikkottai and continued on the same road for Anchetti. We required no stops in between. After Anchetti there would no shops and hotels till you reach Hogenakkal. And like every other tourist spot food an other things in Hogenakkal will also be bit costly for its worth. So I have a habit of having or collecting food from the last town before the spot. So we stopped in Anchetti for having lunch.

Anchetti was a very small town, just it was around 1 PM. There were two non-veg hotels next to each other. One was ____ (sorry i forgot the name) hotel and the other was Murugan hotel. The first one (Murugan Hotel) looked very dark so we went to the later one and asked for available items. They only had eggs. And we inquired for near by hotels that will have some good non-veg food. The hotel owner said that there would be no non-veg as it was Saturday. He looked cunning and wanted us to have food at their place. But we were so hungry and wanted to have some chicken at least. Not believing him we went to the Murugan hotel and asked for biriyani. They had Chicken Gravy (Kozhambu). Even though it was dark inside the food was very tasty. We had two parottas, one plate of rice, one Chicken Gravy and an omlette which costed Rs 120.  I have marked the hotel for future visits of Hogenakkal.

After Anchetti you hardly see houses. It will be little more dense of trees on both sides of the road. More monkeys will be on the roads. Some 5 kilometers before Hogenakkal, the river Cauvery will join you along your right side. You can park your bike on road side and go for taking a view of the river. The trees on the bank will give a cool breeze and that will make you forget the hot experience you had till reaching this place. Mostly in weekends the river bank will be occupied by group of people having their lunch there. Good place to spend time with your family. But safety is definitely a concern.

Then Hogenakkal. A small water falls equipped with steel fence for safety. Mostly men will take bath there. There is a separate place for women to change cloths and an enclosed place with a kind of artificial falls for women. Everything is free. It is a very good plan having a separate place for women where they can enjoy without bothering who would watch them.

And a small hanging bridge across the falls is there. From there you can enjoy the view of river falling both sides of the cliff. You can have oil massage, boat ride, good bath in the river or in the falls. Enough hotels are there around and good parking facilities available. Hogenakkal is a not a much attractive place. There was a small road which is full of lodges. There will be people standing and calling every couple on bike offering them good stay. But I'm unaware of the amenities and safety.

Ensure that there is enough rain around Bangalore. According to me June and July is the best time to visit Hogenakkal, Because you will be allowed to take bath in falls as the water level of the river will be Moderate. After August the water level will be more and mostly there will be a temporary ban for taking bath in falls or river.

There were monkeys near the falls. They were used to humans and not afraid of us. Next to me one lady was standing with her small daughter. A monkey came behind her and flicked her drink from her hand without making a noise. I think the poor girl cried for losing her drink than getting scared by the monkey.

Boat ride is famous in Hogenakkal. Five people can rent a boat which will cost Rs.950 and for Couples they are charging Rs.700, you will be given a separate boat . As a Part of 90 minutes ride, you can see many falls on both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka hence it is a border. You are allowed to take bath in any of the falls and waiting charge will be calculated. Its good to bargain over them.Life Jacket is must as safety is our main concern :) .

As the falls was crowded, we had a small bath on the river while coming back. We started back to bangalore around 5 PM. There was little chillness in the breeze. Hogenakkal to Anchetti road will be mostly surrounded by forest. In a quick left turn we were supposed to rode over a snake which is at least 6 feet long shining in black color trying to cross the road. I was fast enough to run over it and I aimed its head to avoid any bites. But luckily the snake pulled its head and I avoided it in safe distance. The panic got me for some minutes.

The village names between Anchetti and Denkanikkotai will be interesting. It will be good topic for you to discuss while riding ;). Especially I want to mention here there are villages Seshurajapuram, Sivalingapuram, Ramar Kovil, Islampur located next to each other. It showed the different culture of people and their tolerance towards religion.

We stopped at Denkanikkottai for coffee. We had Samosas and Bondas with coffee. From there straight to Attibele and Bangalore. We reached home back at 8.30 PM and the Bull's Trip Meter showed 301 Km.

Sivasamudram and Talakadu

It was the very first long ride in my new ThunderBird 500. I started from Bangalore reached Sivasamudram and then Talakadu from where I came back.

Route:

Bangalore - Electronic City - Nice Road - Kanakapura Road - Kanakapura - Malavalli - Shivasamudram - KaveriPura - Shivasamudram - Talakadu - Malavalli - Kanakapura - Bangalore

Map:
https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Shivanasamudra,+%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A8%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%9F%E0%AE%95/Tin+Factory+Bus+Stand,+NH4,+Pai+Layout,+Mahadevapura,+Bengaluru,+Karnataka+560016/@12.402589,77.2702077,10z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x3baf1d6b77ee58db:0xec9bcf80b2a8a70c!2m2!1d77.1772737!2d12.2997484!1m5!1m1!1s0x3bae113902cff7df:0xc4d3b443d93a9b6d!2m2!1d77.66869!2d12.996316?hl=ta

I started morning 6.30 from Tin Factory, Bangalore in my new ThunderBird 500. Went straight to Electronic City. Took the Nice Ring road. It was a toll road and I paid Rs.23 for my ride till Kanakapura Road. That is a 13 Km stretch and definitely you'll enjoy the ride.

Took the exit towards Kanakapura Road into NH209. Just three Kilometers away Ravishankar's Ashram - Art of Living International Centre -  located. I had tea in a road side shop near the ashram - first pit stop.

 There starts the Greenly highway. Both sides are filled with nature's art, delight to the eyes which only looks at computer monitors everyday. The same road with same view till Kanakapura where I had breakfast. Srinivasa Hotel was a small vegetarian hotel. Its located on your left side opposite to the City Metric school. Price and taste was descent. Had a Masal Dosai and moved on.

Next a 75Km single stretch direct to Gaganachukki. Gaganachukki is one of the falls in Shivasamudram. In Shivasamudram river Cauvery is divided into two by a cliff and falling two sides of it. One of them is Gaganachukki and another one is Barachukki. Bathing in Gaganachukki is restricted. Its only allowed for sight seeing from distance. The Hotel Mayura Sagar - a Karnataka Government Tourism dept. hotel - is located near this falls.

I had some pieces of Mango by seeing the view because nothing is available there except tender coconut and mangoes. Had a conflict with little shop employee.Clicked some photos and started to Barachukki.

The bridge connecting to Gaganachukki and Barachukki across the Cauvery river was being repaired. So i was not able to go via that bridge.The next bridge to cross the river is in Talakadu - 25 Km away. With some help of locals I came to know that there is boat (steamer) service at Kaveripura to cross the river where they can transport two wheeler's also. Kaveripura is 7 KM away from Shivasamudram. There was a guy on the road waving to all the vehicles going on the road. Unless he is not there nobody will ever know that the boat service is happening there.

The river bank was half a kilometer away from the road. I was little afraid whether that might be a trap of thieves. Because there was no road. Just between bushes I need to ride the bike. The boat was nothing but an iron plate. Until you throw the plate in water you won't believe that it would float. But easily they loaded 5 bikes including my Thunderbird. They charged Rs.50 for each bike and a person along with it. 

Then i reached Barachukki in another half an hour. I planned for this day because the water flow will be less and there won't be any restriction to bath. But the small falls were closed. Only big falls are open. But to reach that falls, I need to take the boat. Five people should take one boat for Rs.500. We'll be taken to the falls. The boat will come back in half an hour. And we should return in that. In earlier days when Shivasamudram was not much famous, all the falls were open and the boat ride was Rs.10 per head. Now the boat men made agreement with the local guards to close the nearer falls, so they both will get profit out of it.

I swam just near the bank. Didn't go to the falls. Swam for half an hour. Had hot bajji and Mathur vada prepared by the local sellers near the falls. One bajji got snatched by a Monkey.

Then from there started to Talakadu. If the bridge between Barachukki and Gaganachukki was good it would be easy to reach Talakadu. But now I need to go to Kollegal from Barachukki. From there again come back to Talakadu. It was little far from original distance.

I reached Talakadu around 4 in the evening. Directly went to the river. I was hungry. So first had lunch there. When I came last time, a year earlier all the houses near the river converted their houses into small hotels and served all kinds of food. I had both chicken and fish that time. But now only some roofless shops near the river. And that too serving only Veg. They told me that Non-Veg is not allowed in Talakadu as Temples are near-by. I was disappointed but had something to fill my stomach.

After lunch I seated on the shore. Watched people enjoying with their family and friends. Then I went to a temple. When I came last time the renovation was just started. I went inside the temple. But this time the renovation was half completed and the gates are closed. I stood out and took some photos. The temple was a very old one built in 1117 AD. Later it was buried by flood in Cauvery and covered by sand. Recently the archaeology department found the temple and started renovating that. That was a very peaceful place. I could sit there for hours. The special about the temple is the lathe carved pillars. There are four such pillars. And you could see Tamil letters cut on the stones.

Around 7 in the evening I started back to Bangalore. Had a coffee near Kanakapura and straight to Bangalore. The trip was completed with a special bone-less biriyani parcel from Shanmuga restaurant. The bull's trip meter showed 401 kilometres when i reach home.