This was a well planned ride. A sync ride for the 2013 Leh riders. A ride meant for us to get to know each other better, understand riding patterns and just have a jolly good time. I have been preparing myself for the mecca of rides to Leh for quite some time now, learning from my mechanic on how to fix various problems that might arise in the bike. I was hoping to utilize my newly learnt knowledge during this preparatory ride to Kolli hills, and so was all the more eager. We were 13 of us in the group, expecting 3 more to join us at Kolli hills directly.
I had filled the tank full with petrol, checked the air pressure in the tyres and had performed all the required checks on my bike the previous night. I was good to go. Come morning, I woke up, got ready, got on my trusty stead, and was off to meet everyone at the start point. We were supposed to meet at 5.30am and leave by 5.45am. I myself, reached sharp at 5.45am, but due to some confusion with the timings, a few others reached only by 6.30. Not minding the late start, we set off towards Hosur. Gogo had invited us to his home for some early morning Gulab Jamoon and coffee. Hats off to his mom for preparing such yummy sweets so early in the morning to feed so many hungry mouths. With that yummy sugary taste in my mouth, I wore my shoes and was ready to sweep the group along with Bala all the way to "kollimalai".
The identified route was pretty simple. Ride through Hosur and reach Krishnagiri, then head towards Salem, stopping near Dharmapuri for breakfast. After crossing Salem, take the left to Rasipuram, and from there find the road to Kolli Hills.
Having been on so many rides now, I find it better to keep riding than stop for a break in the hot sun. I think this sentiment was shared by all the others, and so we planned to ride non stop till we reached Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B) located just after Dharmapuri. But along the way, Vishwa's bike got punctured. We took it to the nearest puncture shop, but did the work of removing the wheel ourselves. We put in a new tube and got the old one patched up, while the rest of the gang roasted in the sun. From here, we all raced to A2B as fast we could. My stomach was rumbling as it was already 10am. Wasting no time, I got into the hotel and ordered some food for myself. Ghee Dosa and vada sambar were the items for the day, and I gorged it all. Washing my hands after the tasty breakfast, I stepped out, only to be welcomed by the hot breeze blowing outside. When I say hot, I mean it will make you start sweating within seconds. No amount of water will quench your thirst, but as a friend recently told me, that's the fun of riding. Experience all weathers like no one else can!!
Waiting for more food to come!!
Photo Courtesy : Vinay BR
I jumped on to my bike and was ready to move. The next stop was to be at the turning to Rasipuram. This turned out to be a slightly longer stop, with the 500cc bikes having to refuel, and the rest cooling themselves down with water, coconut water and cool drinks. From this turning, the roads are smaller, and especially within Rasipuram, traffic is horrible. Who would have expected so much traffic through such a small town? Beating the traffic, we exited Rasipuram and took a right towards Kolli hills. From this point Kolli hills is approximately 60 kms. Of this 60kms, around 40kms is normal, but very well maintained roads. So let me skip ahead the 40kms, and we come to the point where we entered Kolli hills. Here, we took a quick break, after which, the photographers (Vishnu, Param and myself), zoomed ahead of the group, trying to set ourselves at the perfect places to capture snaps of all the riders.
Chilling out. Photo Courtesy : Paramesh
Kolli hills is a biker's paradise only because of the 70 hairpin bends. Lovely curving hairpin bends, will leave you gaga and make you want to return to this beautiful place. What makes it even better, is that from each hairpin bend, you can see down to atleast the last 4 or 5 hairpin bends you had been through. Its not as steep a climb as Ooty, or even as high, but it is indeed very pleasurable.
The beautiful curves of Kolli Hills
Enjoying every moment of the curves, we finally reached the top, only to find the road to the resort had been blocked due to some construction work. So we were instructed to take a longer detour to reach the resort. The resort is named "NallaThambi Resort", which in Tamil means "Good Brother". One of the strangest names I've heard. The resort itself is beautiful and spacious. The service is slow, and one needs to be very patient.
The next plan was to find Agai Gangai falls. Its a majestic waterfalls with a great drop, and a nice pool to play in. 6 of us set off to find this place, while the others rested at the resort. Along the way, we went past a landslide being cleared. A taste of what we might face during the Leh trip. After searching and searching and finally finding the place, we were disappointed to hear that the gates to this water falls close at 3.30pm. Having come all the distance, we went to a nearby mini falls. That was an even bigger disappointment. Very dirty, hardly any water and not at all pleasant. Yet, somehow, the photograph came out pretty well.
The disappointing mini falls
I got back to the resort and joined the others for some discussions on our upcoming trip to Leh. After having a lengthy discussion, with Shri narrating all his gained experiences, I was surprised to hear that what we had heard was just 10% of what we would face. Nightfall came, and we all went to bed.
The next day morning was a lazy start from the resort. We managed to leave at 9.45am after a super tasty pure tamilian breakfast. The road down the hill, the same 70 hairpin bends from the previous felt very different. I felt a bit dizzy at times due to the merry-go-round like curving turns. As I went down the hill, I could see the drop down. It wasn't scary, but rather amazing. It made my adrenaline pump.
The mercury was rising. My hair was wet. Sweat dripping from the back of my neck down my spine. As we reached the highway, the hot air started hitting my eyebrows. We took a stop near Krishnagiri for some water and cool drinks. I went straight to the shopkeeper and bought a bottle of soda. Opened it, and washed my face with the soda water. Surprised? Soda water actually freshens you up a lot and cleans your face very well. Moving on, we stopped at a Dhaba for some food. This was the first Punjabi Dhaba without any curd products. Still we ate whatever we got, and left. 90kms later, we reached the hosur toll gate, where we decided to end the ride.
Time for a late lunch
The curdless Dhaba
The Leh 2013 gang stampeding across Kolli Hills!!
Lovely ride. Lots of highways and lots of curves, what else could we ask for?
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