“You biked for 500kms!!!!”…. was the reaction I got when I told my friends of my trip to Kodaikanal. And I loved the feeling of it!! Their faces could hardly hide their shock and jealousy.
Having stayed in the south for close to 3 years and not visiting any of the famed places was kind of an embarrassment for me. When my friends recounted their exploits at different places, I would simply nod my head and hope that I would get a chance to end my dry spell. And what a way to end it…!!
As it turned out, it was Peeyush who was even more desperate than me to visit places. And his first choice of Mahe was turned down by most wing guys. So after some consultation, Kodaikanal was chosen and Psycho, CC and GM were delighted to no end, for some very obvious reasons. A few of our friends from other hostels also contributed to increase our strength. So at the time of departure, our group was 9 members strong with two bikes and a car, which was procured by the ingenious planning of Psycho and 7F.
We set out at about 6pm on Friday, jubilant at the prospects of a night drive. I was riding pillion with GM, and once GM started, there was no looking back. We left the others far behind and while GM was frequently breaching the 100kmph mark, I was trying to ensure that we were on the right way with the help of GPS. Soon we reached the NH 45 and since there was no need for me to check for directions as we just had to keep to the Grand Southern Trunk Road, I reached out for a pair of earphones and started listening to songs as our bike rushed on into the night. As the wind ruffled my hair, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of freedom that I had never known before. A freedom to do whatever I wanted to… I spread out my hands in joy, but had to retract them back as the force of the wind was too much for my puny hands.
We rode like this for near 150kms, overtaking buses and trucks, slow as they were, in no hurry to reach their destination. But we were rushed on, our bike guzzling up the kilometres as if they were nothing. At about 10 pm, we reached Villupuram and we changed roles. We helped ourselves to chicken fried rice and GM also got himself a bottle of beer. I was a bit shaky a bit, out of biking practice for quite some time and the bike being an unfamiliar one. But once I got the hang of it, there was nothing to stop me. The wide road was calling out to me to shed all fear and grab the freedom and I did exactly that. Behind me GM was beside himself with joy and held out the beer bottle for all world to see. Once back on the GST, I lost no time in picking up speed and soon was challenging buses and trucks. After overtaking quite a few trucks and buses, I settled down for a speed in the 90’s.
Cruising at around 90 km/hr, I felt as if I could ride on for ever. The road was a great one, straight as an arrow for most of the part and few curves. But the curves were the parts I enjoyed most. The blinking lights on the edge of the roads makes for a great sight for me and I had my fill of it that night. Small towns and intersections were but a blimp on my eyesight. I slowed down only at the toll gates where I had only a small path to pass through. I rode on for around 150 km more till we reached Trichy, where I got in the car to help myself to a nap. I tried to sleep but was soon woken up as we seemed to have lost our way. We didn’t take the turn to Dindigul, the next major town en route. So after a few queries at the local shops, we were back on track. I stayed in the car for about half an hour and was back on the bike again. This time Psycho replaced GM as my pillion rider. The Trichy-Dindigul section of NH 45 was still being upgraded and so sometimes one lane of the road was closed down and we had to cross over to the other lane. It was dangerous as the surface was great and drivers were given to over speeding. So, it was going to be a cautious drive till Dindigul. But I was not one to be dithered; I was ready to take on this challenge. After tensed driving for about an hour or so, we reached Dindigul. As luck would have it, I missed the by-pass and entered the town. Fortunately I had Psycho, who knew Tamil and after a few queries at a few local tea-stalls, we were soon were right on track. However, the last stretch from Dindigul to Kodai was getting a bit chilly; we were approaching the hills. I dared not weather the cold and so went back to the car and travelled in the comfort of the car for the remnant of the trip.
As we entered the town of Kodaikanal, we were greeted by the rising sun and its rays brightening the hills all around us made for a great view. Chennai was a distant dream that we had left far behind during the course of the night. At the hotel, as we settled off for a well-deserved nap after night’s exertion, I could hardly stay awake for more than a few minutes.
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