Write up from Swathi
After
much anticipation, my husband and I got the call for a bike ride from
CTC. It was extra special for us as it was our third month celebration
after the wedding and ours was a last minute wait-list convert.
As fate would have it, I fell sick on the previous day of the trip. It
was a Friday morning, 26th of
Feb, 2016 and I was thinking of cancelling my first trip with CTC. But
the excitement of our first bike ride was strong enough to motivate me
to venture out. So yes, we did go the next day and it was a bike trip to
Talakona falls, AP!
We
woke up at 5 in the morning, got ready with all bags and other things
to carry. We reached Koyambedu assembly point at 6. It was dazzling to
see all the bikers with their riding jackets on, holding a helmet each
draped with shiny protective guards. I saw people of various age groups
but it was not hard to notice that I was the only girl in the whole
group. I was immediately apprehensive as to how this whole ride would
go. After getting the basic instructions, we started off with
the ride from Chennai. I being a pillion rider, was trying to follow the
signs shown by other pillion riders. They all seemed professional in
the way they were guiding and assisting one another whenever the road
had humps or curves. This made the whole riding process relaxed and
enjoyable.
The
ride was very scenic. It was at the right duration with lush paddy
fields and sunflower fields on both sides of the road. We were taking
frequent breaks, and the organizers knew exactly where to stop. We had
some ravishing watermelons, sizzling tea and fresh juice.
Our
first touch-point was at an off-road point called Pichatoor Dam. This
was extremely calm and tranquil like it was right out of a movie still. I
knew we would have not found this if we were to travel on our
own. After a sumptuous breakfast at a local dosa shop, we drove on for a
few hours to reach Talakona forest.
The
place was full of greenery and there were rooms for accommodation. We
got three rooms. The team was very co-operative as they gave one room to
me and my husband as I was the only girl in the group. Others (20
members approximately) adjusted themselves excitedly on their sleeping
bags in the other two rooms without complaining. We then freshened up
and went to explore the place. We walked for some distance and there it
was! Majestic view of water gushing and the melancholic voice of it
splashing against the rocks. The guys jumped into the water at the blink
of an eye.
After
two hours or so, we headed back to our rooms where we began an amazing
game of Bluff. We had started getting comfortable with our
conversations. Not too long after that, we had some really spicy
authentic Andhra style dinner. All of us again gathered for camp fire.
It was the best time to know each other personally. Everyone spoke about
their previous experiences with CTC. We felt so proud to be part of it
now. We got to know how big it really was! We definitely knew we wanted
to be part of all the futures treks and rides. The organizers made us
feel homely and they were very encouraging. By this time, I almost
forgot I was unwell. The day ended with those sweet chit chats.
Next
day early morning at 6, we started off for a small trek towards the
same place. This time we had to go beyond the falls that we had seen the
previous day. That junction was very slippery and the team was very
steady and helped each other. It was indeed adventurous! We walked for
almost 3-4 hours and reached the peaks, captured the moments through our
lenses. It was time to go back.
The
thought of such a trip coming to an end soon was disheartening. But we
had to move on. We all started off again after the breakfast. With few
tea breaks and few photo sessions at some amazing locations, we headed
back to Chennai with a heavy heart filled with beautiful memories for a
lifetime. Looking forward to my next adventure!
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