Where is it?
Kanchanagiri is a plateau surrounded by mountains that are about 110 km from Chennai and 220 km from Banglore. The nearest town is Ranipet which you have to reach to visit kanchanagiri. This place is a perfect offbeat weekend destination for people in and around Ranipet.
Wearing my first Riding Jacket
This is my first time buying riding gear especially for motorcycle touring which I had in mind for the long run. Motorcycle touring has more advantages and gives you the best experience than any other mode of travel since you are in control of your travel. So, why not a proper safety gear for it. Biking brotherhood is my first preference but later Rynox convinced me with their beautiful design. I soon chose a riding jacket which is pretty much costly and will serve me for the long run. Why didn't you buy a pair of riding pants? if you may ask, and this is due to a lack of experience and research which I don't want to invest in early. It's about 4.30 am before the ride, I wore my riding jacket which I'd dreamed of. To be frank I felt more suffocated than ever.
Catching up the higher cc's
When I reached the highway of outer Chennai, I am just cruising slowly towards my destination. I soon heard a loud rumbling sound behind me, becoming louder and louder over time. A group of motorcycles namely Harley Davidson and BMW went past me swirly. I got excited about them and started to chase after them. I managed to cope up with them due to traffic and when the road was clear they pulled the clutch, shifted their gears, and vanished with a much more rumbling sound.
Petrol scarcity
Soon later my Blue Knight ( a.k.a my motorcycle Fzv3) started to notify me that the petrol is about to get empty which I thought would last a little bit. Since its a highway there is no scarce for petrol stations. I entered one of the petrol stations only to find out that the petrol was out. It continued in the next station, the other, the other, and so on. I was so afraid I would be left stranded on the highway pushing my motorcycle to the next stations until any of them have any petrol. So I was left with two options either to go back to the ring road which is the city's entrance or to just find another petrol station on my way. I chose the hard way.
The Reroute which I would thank google for
I searched the google map about the list of petrol stations on the way and it showed me a petrol station which is 5 km away and I had to take a diversion from the highway. I faithfully added directions to my map and finally reached the petrol station which also had petrol. I filled half of my tank and got ready to continue my journey. When I saw my google map it looked like I got rerouted, originally which I have to go by the highway. Instead, it showed me a different path which was like passing many villages and towns. Being an adventure lover, why not take a road which is new and not boring. There is a saying that
Two roads diverged in a wood, and i took the one less travelled by and that has made all the diffrence- Robert Frost
The path was great. It is composed of villages, paddy fields, small towns and adding to that a good weather. I happily enjoyed the fragrance of the paddies all over the journey. It's late in the morning and I had stopped near a paddy field to have some breakfast which I have packed from my home.
Meeting a stranger who became my friend
When I am about to finish my breakfast, I am suddenly visited by two guys who I thought were going to ask me a route to a destination. One of them asked me where I am from and where I am going. I told him that I am headed to Kanchanagiri which he told me that he also was. He also told me both of them went after me after seeing a sticker saying " Number plate" which was given to me by a YouTuber named number plate. They told me that they love traveling on motorcycles and they were also followers of the number plate and other famous moto bloggers. I was surprised of talking to them who I haven't even met. We talked for some time and we started to our destination. We agreed to stick together to our destination. But later we got separated on the way due to traffic and heavy vehicles. I waited for them near a toll gate but couldn't find them. I continued my journey and reached the foothill of Kanchanagiri.
Is it a mini Ooty?
Yeah, you heard me right. Even though it was sunny when I am there, for a small plateau, the landscape reminded me of western ghats. It was not a single hill but of many ups and downs. I saw many riders over there taking pictures. I loved the landscape for the way it was. I badly wanted to ride in the western ghats as the landscape resemble them somewhat. I parked my motorcycle in a safe place and started to roam around. I saw some people going and returning through a pathway nearby. I followed them and it ended up to a really nice viewpoint. Since it was the first time riding all the way to a hill, I was overwhelmed by happiness and shouted off sheer joy. There was a temple and a lake nearby with prayers happening around. After that, it was like a very small trek. I enjoyed the landscape and the pathway lead to another viewpoint. I started to take videos and there were some monkeys on the way.
Talking with a drone pilot
When I reached the viewpoint there was a family who was taking photos and having some fun. One of them started to fly a DJI drone which made me really surprised as it was my first time seeing a DJI drone in person. We started to talk, I asked him about the drone, its price and he also showed me the footage which was really great. We had some small talks and he asked me whether I am a solo rider and I shared my experience. I asked him to take some pictures of me over there and soon later he and his family left. After spending some time over there I started to leave to the bell rock which is famous for producing the sound of the bell when hit. There were a lot of people before me to try the bell rock which made me lose my patience and I started searching for some other nice spots over there.
Spending some time on the top
When I was searching, I met them, the friends who were riding with me and who I lost due to traffic. We got excited and we talked about what happened during the journey. They said they are going to visit the bell rock and the viewpoint which was before. I told them that I was going to another place and told them that we would meet again. There was a place which is filled with rocks, higher in elevation and no one was there. Being a boy who was so obsessed with the mountain tops, I chose to visit there. The path was tough, but I finally reached there. It was peaceful and it was a great view compared to any other. I sat there peacefully observing, taking time-lapse and some photos. I put on my headset, played my favorite song, and got in sync with the clouds, trees, and landscape.
Meeting my friend again and starting back to Chennai
It was past 12 pm and I started to feel the heat. I was hungry and it was time for me to leave. I packed my things and started to walk slowly towards where I parked my motorcycle. I wore my riding jacket, started the engine, seeing one last time at the landscape. When I was descending I again met my friends and had a talk about some future rides together. I was happy to hear that and saying goodbye I started to descend while enjoying the ride and the landscape view. It was so sunny that I badly wanted to reach home. I was using the highway as suggested by google maps. It suddenly started to rain and since i didn't bring the rain liner for my riding jacket or any other raincoat, I had to stop nearby for some shelter. The rain continued for about half-hour and then it stopped. I started my motorcycle feeling a sight relief and reached home.
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