On a 3 Day Weekend - U can Visit congested malls,watch movies,party or take good rest
OR
You can do – 1300 KMS Bike Ride!!!
Xplore Unxplored Locales!!
Fight leaches!!!
Sight breath taking scenery
Hoist National flag and sing National anthem with dozen of new friends!!!
MEGHAMALAI – The Leach Kingdom
Independence Trip – Aug 13, 14 & 15
We all signed, paid and all set to GO!! for the awesome ride but we all were so enthusiastic that no one knew where we are going till the last date.. :) Yes me too one of them I came to know 2 days before the trip that’s well in advance for us.. Two hours before starting time, my wife was able to join because of few drop outs. I know adventure trips starts like that. :)
Day 0 – Starting Point
We started to Chennai trade center - the starting point. We reached there by 10 PM, few new faces and few known faces we all greeted and set for the ride. We started our ride after filling petrol by 11PM. JO informed that our next stop will be Trichy :O We rode. We rode. We rode.
Passing the heavy Friday night traffic we rode, highway was like T-Nagar till we crossed Dhidivanam, then the real ride started backpack in front and a big trekking bag with sleeping bags in the back we rode.. first stop at toll gate at Chengalpet. We checked for the bike count and had a little tea break. We started our ride again.. enjoying the bright moon night, Watching the milestones and signboards passing by the time flew. Slowly the Kms to Trichy started reducing. Around 3 AM every started feeling sleepy at 4 am our captain JO understood the groups tiredness and called for a 45 mins break.. OOO yes!! That break meant a lot to everyone. Some slept on the free lane some under the lorry and I on the sand pile, it was so comfortable. Just like a second 1 hr flew, we woke up again and yes that break was refreshing and energizing.
Day 1 – the ride and the Meghamalai entry
By 7.30, Am we reached Trichy, we had a pit stop in the Tea shop nearby, good tea and few good HOT vadas we had. Every one in tea shop gave different looks at us, with all safety gear in place people where asking are you going for racing, I said no we are going to Meghamalai and this is a bike ride, He gave us a strange look though :).
We started our ride to theni. After crossing few 2 lane roads we came back to a new 4 lane road, very less traffic, wind so heavy that it started pushing us away from the road. Still we enjoyed that ride and we rode against the wind. We stopped after few kms for fellow rides. There was a huge tree where I laid my tired body for rest, my wife was also very tired and she slept on my shoulders. others taking photos, some trying to speak to the loved once, few searching for signals. We started riding again and reached Chinamanur, Jo gave us some more instructions about the off-roading ride thereafter. We stopped for lunch break at a veg hotel had good meals, drank buttermilk to cool our boiling engine and prepared our self for the 70 kms off-road to Meghamalai. We entered a police check post, and saw beautiful fully grown grapes both sides.. but the place was little dry and mountains where brown than expected green.. we wispered about that and moved on. we entered the hills took 18 hairpin bends but still there was not much of greenery around, I went in front of all. I stopped and looked back to see my fellow rides but saw a breath taking view, it was many dry mountains yet very beautiful like a wallpaper. Again I stopped everyone to take some snaps.
We moved on slowly brown changes to little brown and green. Yes and that’s what we were talking about awesome landscapes with tea estates. It was around 5 PM the climate was SPINE CHILLING as JO use to say. As the place name suggests the Meghamalai, the mountains where surrounded by clouds and mist. We searched for our forest officer place and reached there by 6 PM. We ordered chapattis and potatoes for dinner. We spent good time chit chatting and drinking coffee. We reached the stay place and as soon as we entered our trip mates surprised us. Yes they were the leeches. We searched for leaches in room and there where so many. Balaji sprinkled salt on them and we all were thrilled to see the leaches melt. Vicky – packup man ;) and Sathyan joined us in the room after there tremendous ride from Chennai to meghamalai in 12hrs. Everyone was so tired, few slept as soon as they entered the room. For dinner we had 3 chapattis with tasty potato curry and we all laid our tired souls to rest.
Day 2 – Meghamalai exploration
We woke up by 7 Am, we had 2 vadas and 2 idly and little pongal for breakfast. YA that’s the super doper way to start the day :). We started our trip again we went inside the tiger reserve forest to sight elephants the road were blocked by elephants and we were asked to take different route. we took a different route to see them from distance but after 20 mts again we where blocked by elephants other side also. We took the third route and went up the hill. We stopped and Vicky informed that we are going to do plain off road to mountain hill and if anyone not interested can stay back and we all know the answer, we all rode to the hill top, took off-roading pics, saw dead green snake :) and returned back. All the pillions took a small trekking down the hill.
I enjoyed riding Sam’s bullet down the hill. I was so lost in the pleasure; I lost the route also :) and searched for the fellow riders. I saw them above and waived hands and waited for them. And there was my first leach bite. Instead of getting scared I was proud :) It was stuck in my skin passing the socks, I removed him. We all meet and moved to Vataparai to see a waterfalls. We parked our vehicle and took a long walk.
after which came a dense forest. 3 men came out saying don’t enter there are so many leaches who wont be able to cross it. I felt YAY!! :) Many wanted to return back few wanted to proceed, few proceeded, it was just 5 mins walk and after that a huge rock came we settled there and I checked my shoes there were around 5 to 7 leeches baby size to King size :) after removing them, we waited for few to check the other side of the mountain. They informed that kerala police not allowing to proceed :(, we retuned to our room for lunch. We had HOT plain biriyani with awesome chicken curry. After fulfilling lunch, we again stated and went to Thoovanam dam. Restricted to take bath but we were able to room around and take pictures.
We moved from dam to a wide lake, where we took bath in the cold water, few of them were catching fish, few took pics of the fishermen but everyone were enjoying there own way. After the relaxing bath, we all went to our room around 7 PM, we had a camp fire in front of the room. We intro session and had great fun time knowing each other. We rested again in the sleeping bag once again.
Trek & camp in Amazing Ghats..
Day 3 – Independence day
We all woke up early and prepared for the impendence celebrations, arranged our bikes, My wife and subha created a CTC kolam with Salt :) We hoisted our tri color flag and proudly we sang our national anthem. Gave chocolates to all and to our neighbors.
by 10 AM, We started from Meghamalai to Chennai - After fighting leaches, getting new friends, exploring the unexplored places, breathing thin fresh air, we all took loads of memories to cherish and awesome pics to put as wallpapers :) we rode back to Chennai. Rain started poring after our lunch near Trichy, that was the one we were missing in the trip and that was also fulfilled. We returned home safe by 11.30 Pm and slept dreaming about the trip. :)
Sathya Narayanan - CTC - A - Team
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