Day 1 :Madikeri to Srimangala

It was 6.15 am when I managed to get out of the bed. I looked out from my window ...the sun was painting the sky in all shades of red and orange. We quickly kicked us out of our room into the open, inviting coffee estate. It was chilly, but the full sleeve thermal t shirt that I bought for the trip, beneath my usual full sleeve cycling t shirt was doing a good job. The sun was hiding behind the early morning mist, which, combined with the morning chill and the coffee plantation all around was making the whole ambience divine. The estate looked much bigger than it looked last night. There was a narrow walking trail covered with dried leaves that went off from a few metres left of the front gate of the house. It looked inviting and we found ourselves on it, going through the dense coffee plantation peppered with pepper tree. A little further, it dived into a dried stream, and then disappeared. Then it again magically re appeared once we crossed the stream, around 50 metres ahead of the stream. We kept following the trail till it hit a bigger, broader trail, and then lost our way. We wandered a bit, before Anil’s sense of direction got us back on the track. It was already 8.30 in the morning when we were back at our room.We took showers and got our stuffs packed. Anita and her family had to leave for the marriage hall, hence we had hurry up. We had our breakfast quickly and then concentrated on setting up the bikes.
Back in Hyderabad, I couldn’t manage to get panniers for the trip. I also tried getting one stitched, but to no avail. So the plan was to have most of the stuffs in a bag that can be secured onto the rear rack. The rest of the stuffs, which is basically things like toolkit, pump, puncture kits, first aid and some eatables, should go into the backpack. Securing the bag to the rear rack seemed tougher than it looked like and took a while. Meanwhile, all is not well with Anil’s rear seat post rack. Yesterday, while setting up his seat post rack onto the bike at medikeri, we had unknowingly screwed up the threads of the holes in the rack. This now means, the existing screws are not able to secure the rack to the bike. So we tried the only option we had – use some ropes to secure the rack to the bike....it seemed to be working. But that’s when we noticed a bigger problem. Apparently the wire from the shifter that controls the rear derailleur has become loose, and the chain was stuck at the largest cog at the rear, and the largest of the front chain ring. We tried our best, but soon we realised we didn’t have the tools to fix this issue, which means we were in a fix. If Anil had to ride now, he will have to do the climbs at 3-7. We asked the locals about our options and were informed there is town called Murnad, around 12 km from here, on the way to Virajpet. The road till Murnad being mostly downhill, we decided to take a chance and ride on rather than going back to Madikeri.

So at last we were on the saddle. But not even hundred metres into our rides, we saw Anil’s rear rack giving away again. Our rope trick is not working. We had only one option left now, and that’s what we did. 3 quarter of Anil’s luggage comes into my backpack. Whatever left, along with the rack, went into Anil’s backpack. We were hopeful that we should be able to get some bigger screws for the rack in the next town and get it sorted.
So yes, the ride has finally begun. It wasn’t exactly early hours of the morning, but even at this hour the air felt so fresh. And the winding roads through the countryside were a treat for my eyes that made me forget the load on my shoulder. Anil though wasn’t enjoying the ride as much as I was. Even the slightest uphill would mean he had to come down and push the bike. I was gladly using that extra time to preserve the moments in my new Canon F90IS. It took as less little more than an hour to reach Murnad, where Anil located a four wheeler servicing shop catering primarily to large vehicles. Luckily, they had the tools. While I went out looking for the right screws for Anil’s rear rack, Anil concentrated on getting the tension on the derailleur wire fixed. I tried at few hardware shops, no luck with the screws. But by the time I was back, Anil had a broad smile on his face. He has sorted the derailleur problem out. This surely deserved some celebration, so there we were in a local sweet shop, replenishing our sugar levels.
We resumed our journey from Murnad. We went through coffee plantation, open fields that looked like harvested paddy fields, banana and coconut plantation. Alongside, every now and then, we would spot a traditional coorgy architectured double storeyed building with sloping roofs. They looked majestic to the eyes that are used to seeing malls and software parks. At times, there would be small masjid somewhere around. I guessed there would be a reasonable muslim population in southern Karnataka.
The ride was mostly downhill, with a few climbs. Initially, like in Hyderabad, I would rough it out and climb the slopes on 3rd gear, which by the end of the day would become 2nd. This was to change with each passing day. By afternoon 2.30, we were at Virajpet. Virajpet was a small town, wherein we stopped for a quick bite at one of the bakery. The plan for the day was to reach Kutta, which was till 60 km away. Because of the late start, it may not to be feasible anymore, and we were now looking for a more reasonable destination for the day. At that point we met a very helpful local, who advised us to spend the night at Srimangala, a small town around 15 km before Kutta. We still decided to give Kutta a try.
The ride was pretty much smooth and we soon passed Gonnikoppal. Exactly at 4.30 pm we reached the small town of Punnampet. We needed something to eat now. We located a small eatery and parked our bikes on the road, and selected a seat which would keep the bikes in line of sight. Within minutes, we had a big group of locals, looking at our bikes and talking among themselves. The owner of this small eating joint though was very concerned about our bikes and wouldn’t let anybody touch it. As more and more people start pouring in, he urged the crowd to leave and they reluctantly dispersed. We were relieved and now concentrated fully on the kerala paratha and kerala style chicken curry that had arrived at our table.
By the time we finished lunch it was 5 pm. Kutta was more than 30 km away, and we knew it was not possible. We didn’t want to ride in dark. So Srimangala had to be the destination for the night. After Punnampet, the road started getting bad. Srimangala was still around 17 km away, but the good food had recharged our energy cells. The sun was getting back its orange tinge and the air its chill. Soon it kissed the horizon, and we tried to capture the beauty in my cam without much of a success. We resumed soon, but it was now getting dark pretty fast. Another half an hour of cycling, and we were at the small town of Srimangala.
Srimangala turned out to be a much smaller town that what we had assumed it to be. We stopped at one of the shops and asked local about any accommodation. We were told there is 1 km ahead of the town. We did find a house with a board that said they are a Home Stay. We later found that the owners stayin another building other side of the lane. Rooms were indeed available. After a bit of bargaining, we got a huge room, spick and span for Rs 300 for the night. The owners were nice people and the even allowed the cycles in our room.
It was dinner time soon, and we were treated with traditional pork curry, akki roti and some vegetable curry. I had heard about akki roties , but couldn’t get one in my tummy in madikeri. This was my last chance to savour those on this trip, and I was glad theey were right on my plate. The pork curry turned out to be too hot for me though, but the akki roties were too good. After dinner, we decided to go for a stroll. At 8.30 in the evening, there wasn’t a single soul in the road. It was pitch dark, occasionally the darkness punctuated by the headlight of some fast moving vehicle. We walked towards the town , 1 km away, to the point where we were given direction for the homestay. Although our body felt tired after the long day, legs felt so nice...I felt the walk was relaxing the muscles, almost like a massage. A few minutes later, we were in the centre of the town. Its not even 9 pm, and not a single shop is open. Not a single light, not a single soul. I looked at the sky. I looked at the stars. It felt as if the night sky has been studded with diamonds. I haven’t till date seen stars so bright. I spotted the Orion constellation, and remembered my geography teacher in school. I remembered my school days. I remembered how carefree life used to be, and soon I was nostalgic. It was time to head back.

Day's Stats:
Start from Madikeri Home Stay- 11 am
Reached Srimangala guesthouse- 6.45 pm
Time on bike : 4 hour 42 min.
Dist covered - 68.55 km
Average speed - 14.5 km