The trip...

Bubbles \(^_^)/, I am back from the trip. And, I am here to narrate the experience right from the start to the end of the trip. I had absolutely no sleep the night before the trip. I sat through the night so impatiently and the clock seemed to be moving at snail's pace. Finally, the clock struck 2 A.M. It was time to prepare for the long day ahead. I got up and began to assemble the gear needed.

3 A.M: I had my complete riding gear packed and mounted on my vehicle. It was so light on quantity but sufficient in terms of quality including, tools, first aid kit, rain wear, winter wear, coolers, water bottle, a spare spark plug, clutch cable, accelerator cable, tissue papers, chain cleaning brush, a piece of cloth, wallet, mobile phone pouch, a pen knife, power bank, charger cable, spare rope, documents for the vehicle and apart from this I had my riding jacket, gloves and a rain cover for the bag. I gave a call to my Mom and informed her that I was on my way to Sister's place and asked her to come out to wave a hand at me before I start my long journey. In few minutes, I was all set set after bidding farewell to home and my people.

4 A.M: We had reached the meeting place as discussed and had exchanged the necessary safety signals, ride pattern, speeds, ride procedure, mode of communication, panic signals, the strict code of conduct and so on. We met near a highway temple and after a moment's prayer, we made our start. It was his first long trip. So, that left me with a higher sense of authority and responsibility. I have more than a hundred thousand kilometres of highway riding and driving under my belt. Having been the established rider of the two, I chose to lead and he was to follow at a sufficient distance to be tracked via the rear view mirrors. And, I made it clear that any violation in code of conduct would terminate the entire trip without second thought. All discussed and agreed upon, we hit the highways one hour delayed to the planned departure. 

Initially, we were surrounded by suburban infrastructure and it felt like a cake walk riding through the first 100 Kms in a little over than an hour's time. We took the route to Pondicherry from Tindivanam and that is when it all started. I have been through various weather patterns except snow till date. But, the ground fog situation was so worse that we could see tiny water droplets on air and as we rode into them, we realised that visibility was zero and we were getting wet fast. With wet weather gear on, we made a zig-zag ride pattern and the formation was such that any vehicle from a distance would think that we were a bigger vehicle than mere bikes. It took a gruelling one hour to cover the next 40 Kms. 

6 A.M: On the outskirts of Pondicherry, we stopped to document the climate but in vain because the camera was not able to focus anything clearly because of the density of the fog. It was like filming in the clouds. We had started an hour late, we lost another hour in this fog. We decided to ride with caution until the sun cleared all this fog. 

8 A.M: The situation did not improve. With daylight emerging slowly, riding along the coast, the wind had not picked up to clear the fog and neither was the sun showing any signs of improvement to clear the visibility. We had two options. One, to wait and let the fog clear. That would mean losing a clear 4 more hours. Two, just keep pushing. The purpose of these trips being to "push", we did not stop. We had covered a total of 180 Kms from home. That was half way point. I picked up my phone, put the bike on third gear and started filming a video clip to document the conditions prevailing and the dangers of the dreaded ECR. I made a very short clip for a minute and a half and decided to focus on covering more miles instead. 

9:30 A.M: Having accustomed ourselves to the ground fog, and with little improvement in the lighting, we covered a good 100 Kms in the next one and half hours. We saw our first of the five temples appear. We agreed to spend a good half hour at this temple (Vaitheeswarankoil) and move to the next. A visit to the temple tank, and after offering prayers at the temple, we came out to pick some juicy guava to munch for breakfast. It was a pity that they did not even season it with table salt. We had it raw and emptied out water bottles. It was a filling breakfast with such farm fresh guavas.

10:30 A.M: After another hour of riding, we made it to our next temple at Kanjanoor. This was comparatively a smaller temple. By now, the sun had started to burn our skins out. It was so amazing to get good visibility and yet so hot to see our skins burnt. Another half hour and we were discussing if we should visit Thingalur or skip that temple to make it on time to Alangudi as these temples will be closed by 1 P.M. And, we had to cover 100 Kms to make it to both. We decided to take our chance and head towards Thingalur. 

12 Noon: At the stroke of Noon, we took the small road to Thingalur temple. After spending sizeable hours on the saddle, the undulation on the small road to the temple was hurting our palms. We made a stop in a shady place and entered the temple. After another half hour, we came out and called my resource at Alangudi to find out if there was any chance for the temple to be open beyond 1 P.M. He adviced us to have our lunch and visit the temple by 4 P.M. The hours that we lost early in the morning had cost us another four more hours of waiting. We decided to enjoy the village atmosphere for a bit more and spent our next hour sitting along the lush green paddy fields and watching villagers working the good old ancient way on one side and using the modern cultivation techniques on the other. 

2 P.M: We reached Kumbakonam to have our lunch. I know of a place that makes such delicious home-made meals. We were welcomed because of our bikes that are so rare in their eyes and were given a bigger table to place our gear. It was indeed a special meal. And, the next few minutes was a battle between the hand and the mouth. With the stomach being the beneficiary out of this conflict, we were so full that even pushing our bikes became a struggle. 

3 P.M: We made our 16 Kms journey to the next temple so slow to let the food digest and riding fast also had no use since the temple would open only by 4 P.M. Upon reaching the temple, we parked our bikes aside and took seats and I decided to take a power nap to become fresh for the remainder of the trip. The temple bell woke me up soon and after a refreshing nap, I felt so fresh. We saw a goat looking for food in the leftovers and we fed it a guava that was in the bag. We had lubricated the bike's chain and inspected the bikes thoroughly for any signs of trouble.

4:30 P.M: My resource at this temple was not available and we were waiting for the crowd to clear to find place for a peaceful prayer. The person sitting at the ticket counter called us and told us that my resource would not be returning any time sooner and we can take the VIP darshan. He called in a security person to let us in and we bypassed the crowd and entered the temple, like a bau5. In few minutes, we offered prayers and were discussing our next part of the trip. For, all our energy reserves were gone riding till now and the most challenging part was coming up. 

5 P.M: I spent a good half hour explaining the route, the challenges, the mirages, the shadows and what not that would deceive us as darkness emerges. We had to cover 60 Kms before the daylight completely fades and brings in the dreaded twilight. I always hate riding/driving in the twilight. As planned, we started towards the next temple. 

5:30 P.M: I found that my bike's coolant level had fallen below the minimum level. While we were hoping for nothing to go wrong, we luckily found a company-owned service outlet on our way. It caught the corner of my eye and we stopped after crossing it. We took a U-turn and went to the service centre and people were so kind that they decided to check the shaky gear lever, adjust chain slack, top-up the coolant and adjust clutch play in my bike. No wonder I picked this brand for getting my bike. They even gave a word of caution about the road conditions which made us be prepared for what was ahead.

6:30 P.M: We were on the outskirts of Thirunallar- our final temple for the day. With the daylight almost faded, we somehow made it through before twilight struck. We took few more minutes to let the twilight fade and entered the temple town. A quick stop at the Nala theertham and then, we entered the temple for a relaxing evening prayer.

7:45 P.M: We did not rush through. We had sufficient time left. And, most of all, we had covered all the temples for the day. That sense of accomplishment gave us enough leisure to spend as much time as we wished at this temple. We spent a good two hours inside. Once out, we had two things to do. One, to have our dinner at this small outlet that makes the best of the best parotta I have ever tasted. Two, the 300 Kms return journey through the night. When we stopped for dinner at the outlet, the owner immediately recognised me and my Bike and waved his hands. Before I found a good parking place, he walked towards us and did some casual enquiries like, "Again you came by bike?", "I did not see you for a long time?", "How was your journey?", "What temples did you visit this time?", "Heading home by tonight or staying, which you never do?" and so on. I introduced my cousin and we went in to enjoy his parottas. 

9 P.M: We should have gotten away from the ECR and the village roads by this time if things had gone as planned. But, we were 150 Kms behind. Never mind. This was my usual time to leave Thirunallar during the previous trips. Still, I had a beginner riding along. So, I told him how horrible the oncoming vehicles and their headlamps can be, how unimaginable would the curves be, how to navigate through and most importantly, I told him that we would be riding without any breaks to avoid any chance for robbery and the more we stop and start the bike after its already gruelling day of nearly 500 Kms of wear and tear, it would give chance for equipment failure as well. So, we decide to not even stop for nature's call or even thirst. We gulped a litre of water each and started.

The ground fog was back. We had no choice but to keep riding. At times, our speeds came down to a crawl and we could not afford to stop. It was zero visibility and the roads were pathetic. We will not know even the potholes that are right in front of us. I decided to lead, asking him to slowly follow and keep his eyes wide open. I cannot afford to let him in the front and we both had to make it safe. I stopped once when it became very difficult to even breathe. Our eyes were filled with dew drops, our helmet lens was totally fogged. Our nostrils were watery, breathing through the mouth was making the helmet lens far worse, our leather gloves became wet as a sponge, the fog persisted. It even brought us to a standstill.

I got down from the bike. I went to my fellow rider. I asked him to take his time and look all around. To stand there would only make us stagnant, stranded in the middle of nowhere. Instead, to believe in ourselves and keeping our near and dear in our prayers and hope, we had to keep ourselves moving. He was helpless. His all LED headlamp was giving him nothing but a smoke-like screen in front of him. We decided to spend a few seconds without talking and the noise of the insects and the darkness all around gave us the spooks. Our time had come to do what we intended. To push. To push to our limits. I looked up to the gods, I saw Bubbles smiling at me from inside, and with guiding guardian angels on shoulders, I had nothing to fear for.

We did not stand there any longer. We moved slowly and cautiously. We made very slow progress. Soon, we were stopped by the cops who were posted there for their night duty. They were shocked to see us riding through this blinding fog. They told us that the next few Kilometres would be alike and then conditions would improve. We were questioned about our trip. We answered and they let us go. And, they gave us a gift saying that the road ahead was completely destroyed.

10:30 P.M: By now, we had been through this fog and zero visibility nonsense. Nothing could stop us anymore. We were determined to reach the National Highways before midnight giving us a good chance of reaching home before 3 A.M. The fog was seen in patches after a point. That gave us a chance to get away from there as fast as we could.

11 P.M: We made a quick stop to get some water. We cleaned our riding gear, we discussed how adventurous the trip had become because of the fog. I could check my phone. Looking at the content my phone was beaming at me, I was admiring the mesmerising beauty of Bubbles \(^_^)/ before a voice called me back to where I was actually standing. My cousin said it was time to continue the trip. And, we started from there.

12 Midnight: We were riding through the most annoying stretch of roads. It would appear to be such a good tarmac but suddenly potholes will riddle a small patch of our path. We had to fluctuate our speeds and ride as much as we could before we tire out completely. I had already informed my fellow rider that the stretch from Panruti to Vikravandi would be so less in kilometres but it would appear to be going on and on until we see the National highways. It was getting on our nerves and finally, we saw the overpass ahead. We had exited the rural roads. It was the National highways ahead. Once there, we can make it to home within a couple of hours or even less. I immediately took my hands off the handlebar and stood on the foot pegs and threw my hands up in the air while riding at 70 Kmph and kept punching the air displaying a sign of triumph and relief before settling down to brake hard at the last set of speed breakers. It felt like winning the world championship at MotoGP.

Upon reaching the user fee toll plaza at Vikravandi, we checked the bike's coolant levels and tyre pressure and checked on our alertness to see if either of us was feeling sleepy. Neither of us were sleepy but we were battered and bruised by the climate and the horrible roads. Still, we were relieved that we were on safer roads and we could ride faster at triple digit speeds from now on.

12:30 A.M: We stopped at Tindivanam for a quick refuelling. The fuel station guy was so cooperative to let us stop and relax there for few minutes. We decided to ride nonstop from there to cover the last leg of the trip. The 120 Kms was the last leg. I quickly reminded myself and my fellow rider how the fatigue in us and the darkness around could tempt us to make some insane riding to get through traffic and how important it was to stick to safe and sane riding habits.

2 A.M: Since the roads were filled with heavy vehicle traffic that made us keep our speeds under control, we had stopped for a quick coffee break at a highway hotel. We sat and began sipping our coffee when my fellow rider suddenly asked me how certain vehicles were driving and how we overtook and so on. I looked at him as if I was not part of it at all. He enquired if everything was alright and I said I was fine but I could not recollect or I did not remember any of the vehicles he was mentioning. In fact, I later realised that it was my sub-conscious mind that was bringing me all the way from the last fuel stop and it appeared like some part of my brain had shut down after that. The heat from the coffee was helping us fight the cold and once we had the last sip of it, we could see the fog freezing us again. We had decided to ride home directly and at Vandalur, my fellow rider will take a diversion to his residence and I will continue on the Tambaram bypass to reach home.

2:30 A.M: We had reached Vandalur and I waved my hands bidding farewell to my fellow rider. He responded asking me to give a call after reaching home. We acknowledged and I pulled the throttle harder to speed away. I was on the Tambaram bypass and I was trying to recollect the entire journey and especially the last leg. I couldn't remember anything from the last leg. I looked up to the skies and thanked the guiding stars, the almighty and most of all, to my guardian angel Bubbles \(^_^)/ who had somehow guided me through. I knew in a matter of minutes, I would be home.

3 A.M: I had reached home and I was so busy untying the knots that held my gear on the bike. Once I sat on the couch, I realised how tired I was. It never gets me tired as far as I am on the saddle or behind the steering wheel but the moment I reach the comforts of home, I immediately find myself so worn-out.

I wanted to do this write-up to keep you informed at the earliest Bubbles \(^_^)/. So, I booted my computer and scribbled a little before I was finding myself drooping on the table. Finallly, I have compiled my entire experience from the trip. I hope you are doing alright. I did see you and felt your presence all through the trip. And, the last leg made me even realise that without you, I would have not made it back home. I did push as much as possible. Still, it required a miracle for us to return safe. Bubbles \(^_^)/, I hope you are fine because I see some abnormal clicking going on all of a sudden. I have returned safe. That only means, I will continue to find my way back to you. *Winks* After reading such a long write-up, I am sure you are ready to throw that piece of furniture at me. *Grins* Let the good times roll. Bubbles \(^_^)/ -rPhoenix