Ullasa paravaigal

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Well, this is an excellent trip for me and my wife. This was the first time my wife is attempting a 2 day ride of about 750 kms, that too on a comet with not so comfortable pillion seat.

Day 0: Had a OK day at office and left around 8 to my mechanic place to get the HID blaster replaced, get a chain Spray. There I see Sunil holding the FZ 16/S headlight, well he is crazy guy he wants to get it fit on comet to give it a different look. After a while he left, mean while Sumits comet was still getting serviced and was waiting for the engine oils and Tires. He was in a dilemma to go for the FZ rear or the michelin rears. Well My take would be michelins as FZ tire on a comet will cause wheel spins and I dont want to stand in the middle of the jungle with a ripped out tire. Already Rahul and Vinal backed out from the trip and now sumit too (as usual) will not be making it. Called my wife to confirm if she is ok if it was just us and she was like what ever it is we will make it. :) Requested her to sleep as I will be late, Around 11 we left, Sumit gave me his SLR cam and the jackets. Well I did fit into his medium sized pant ;).

My first pic on the SLR, got know the API of the cam. ;)


Reached home around 12 and there I see her not getting sleep and waiting for me. I felt she cant make it if there is no sleep for her, so didnt her, the original plan was to leave by 3 am. We got up she felt bad that we couldnt make it on time, we started rolling by 7:30.



Things we carried
Tank bag
1) one real orange juice
2) 2 water bottles
3) 1 chain Spray
4) cam
5) 1 Jeans for me
6) A knife

Pillion back bag:
1) 1 Tshirt for me and 2 for hers
2) 1 pant
3) 1 Water proof pant for her

Yup I indeed forgot the tubeless puncture kit. Should get a pepper spray too.

Coming back to the ride, the out going traffic from bangalore was surprisingly scarce, we just had to wait twice at very signal.. err!! The traffic eased after kengari and we had a steady pace of around 100-120. We took the break fast break at the kamat restaurant that comes to the left, just after 1 km from the Maddur coffee day. To our surprise it was just 8:30. So a good 70 km in just 1 hr. Too good for a couple touring for the first time. :) The place was peaceful and had a good morning sunlight. We opted to sit outside. I tried the raggi roti and my wife stuck to Idli/vada. The taste and serving was good. This is the first time I like it at kamat. The break fast was very refreshing and we saddled up around 8:50. well again just 20 mins well are we in some kind of time trap?


The traffic remind scarce and within no time we were at the Mysore Junction. All the while I was thinking if we could make it to Coorg instead of wayanad or ooty. But by the time I reached Mysore I let that thought go. There was a few 'take-diversion' within the city. After a few inquiries about the route that goes outside mysore we were on the Nanjangud road. A well required tender break




We then drove towards Gundelpet. The roads towards nanjangud was not that great. Too many cycle walas and the 6 wheels had to stop behnd them to pass each other. This created quite a few jams. The traffic was nanjangud was parse. We reached Gundelpet by 11:15. Took a break and did some stretching. She felt a bit of pain and the stretching helped mitigating them.

Then we had a discussion on where to go. Ooty or wayanad. Checked the clouds, thick but white clouds over wayanad and almost zero clouds towards ooty. So decided to go towards wayanad expecting it to be cooler. I decided to visit the banasara Sagar dam and the Eddakal Caves. Had to been to the dam but not to the caves. So called Vinal to check the where abouts of the Caves. Asked him to check the net and sms me, so that I can make the accommodation at Sulthan Bathery or at Kalpetta. To my surprise the Road after Gundelpet was smooth and newly tarred. Couldnt believe my eyes :) Soon we entered the forest and the sight of the forest was veryyyy much disappointing. Couldnt even find one greeny tree. It was as if we have entered a desert or a quarantined area.

Took this pic on the way back as I couldn't convince myself to take a pic of the forest in such a state.


But after a few kms a few trees had a few green leaves and then as we entered Kerala though the tall grasses had become a bit dry the banboos were still Green :) :)




we reached Bathery by 12:30.
Well a 260 kms ride in just 5 hrs flat including breakfast and 4 other breaks. Good going aint it ;)

By the time Vinal had message that 'The caves is just 12 kms from Bathery so that there itself' Thanks Vinal ! Checked in at our Hotel Regency. the rates were revised and were at a bit higher side 800 including tax. I opted for a cold bath, refreshed and then had lunch. We had 4 keral poratas, fish fry, fish mollai and fish masala and 2 lime soda. Well all these were just 172 Rs. and Ah! the First feel at my pocket, that Im out of Bangalore :)

by 2:30 we were ready to leave to the caves, and then the surprising thing happened. yes it started to Drizzle. The guard there told us that this is the first drop of rains this year, about a week back Trivandrum had rains so there were expecting it today. hmm What calculation.

We got our rain suits on and started rolling. The rain became steady towards kalpetta. I was a bit careful on the ghats as it was the First rain all the oil spills that had happened will be alive now. reached kalpetta and took the right that goes to banasara Sagar Dam. The rain was easing up and towards the end the roads were bit dry. Nice sceneries all the way, with Plantain farms along. We reached the dam around 3:30. As it was promising to rain here too, we took the jeep to the dam and got into the boat ride. Boat ride costs 300 per boat with a max of 5 person and the jeep costs 50 to and fro.

We soon were in the boat and the boat moved like this.


Well nope. the driver was at the back ;)


I then took the Slr and tried to take the pics in Manual mode. ya all the above pics are in auto mode and the below ones are in manual mode. Any comments on the pics are a welcome. As we steamed in the drizzles started


Time for photo shooting ;)








What this ice?

water splashing from the front as the boat moves ;)

I was not that very confident on my pics in Manual mode as I have some bitter experience with my Cony Cybershot. The pics look so good onthe LCD then on the comp if looked pathetically shaky. So did take a pics in Automatic mode also. But then now checking the both the pics that I took in Manual was much better than the auto mode ;)

When I just changed the focus to MF, a bird just flew above my head but by the time I changed to AF and clicked it was long gone. I didnt know when and where should the MF be used. I then shifted to AF and then took this pic and hence the title Ullasa Paravaigal



The boat rider at the end made some circles before he parked. Well it was not that exciting as the previous visits but was good enough ;)



boat getting parked.









Tried my fresh hands on some flowers

Check the back ground ;)



Tried setting different focus points

Focus on the left fruit



Focus at the bud


Focus on the Flower




Focus on the buds



Setting the SLR to Landscape mode changed the tint of the pic






The cloud coverage of becoming thick so its time for us to leave
The Cloud became thick




I inquired about the other route that goes via the tea estates to kalpetta and ya the locals gave me. Its via Vythiri about 25kms from the dam and from there to kalpetta is 10 kms to its just 10 kms extra. We took that route. The rains had eased there and the aroma after the rain was too good. She quickly spotted this.
ya for this pic I did use MF, as AF was trying to focus on the object but here there is no object. ;)



Can you spot the second rainbow on the left top of the pic. well its was very feeble.

This is what the fully auto mode got.. ;-P


Through out the ride via Vythiri I was getting hit by the memories of the previous rides. Was narrating how John had a fall at the place. Then Ashwin/Rocky had a puncture at the place when it was dark and raining heavily. The spot were I Ashwin tand Sumit took a detour on the HORROR trip thinking that it will save some time. The spot were I and Mohan had a fall and the mechanics reaction when he came to know that we rode from bangalore Without the adjuster at the rear. Well it was all a nice experience. ;)

We then reached bathery by 7 and called in a day. Well She had a bit pain in the back and it was not much. A good sleep will ease it off. next day was to Eddakal Caves.

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