Motorcycling To Mysore

It had been quite a while since I'd been on a roadtrip on the motorcycle (the last long ride was probably to Pondicherry and back), and I was itching to hit the road again. Vinay had told me that Mysore was all decked-up for the annual Dassera (also spelled as Dussehra) celebrations, and had invited me to come there for the weekend. At the same time, Harish had invited a bunch of us over to his home for a mini get-together and to play some Wii games. With the addictive Wii unit beckoning, I was torn between Mysore and Harish's home. A quick phone call to Langdu tilted the balance slightly in favor of Mysore. Langdu and Balli had been to Mysore recently with some of their friends, and he said that the festive atmosphere in Mysore was worth experiencing. When I told Shaarad that I was having a tough time choosing between a roadtrip to Mysore and Harish's home, he looked at me as if I had lost my mind! I knew instantly that it simply had to be Mysore!!

Before you set off on any long ride, it is always a good practice to thoroughly check your vehicle (or have it checked by a reliable person). But since this trip was a spur-of-the-moment thing, I simply couldn't do it! When I checked the engine oil level in the morning, it was rather less, but the color of the oil was good, and that was a good thing. Next I went hunting for a mechanic but there was none to be found in Koramangala. So I rode to Indiranagar and found one guy just opening up his shop. He gave the motorcycle a quick once-over, topped up the engine oil, tightened the brakes and said that it was in decent shape to go to Mysore. So I was finally on my way at around 9.30 am.

<- Time to clock some miles

Due to the delays because of my unpreparedness, I got a lot of traffic while exiting Bangalore. I hadn't had anything to eat and was very hungry by the time I stopped at Kadu Mane, a popular drive-in restaurant between Bangalore and Mysore. I just wanted to have a quick breakfast and leave, but the service was really pathetic. It is here that I got a call from Kini who said that Paddie was getting engaged soon in Mangalore. So that meant another trip with the Breakdown Gang was on the cards :)

Lush green fields along the way ->

I took short breaks along the way to click snaps whenever I thought there was something worth being clicked; and it was during one such break that I met two guys pushing their motorcycle as it had run out of fuel. I offered to give them some from my bike, but we didn't have anything to transfer the petrol. They said that the next fuel pump was just a small distance away, and asked if I could help them pull the bike. I agreed, so one of them sat behind me and the other sat on his dry bike. They held each other's hand, and we started off slowly. This was hardly the safest thing to do on a national highway, with vehicles zooming by us at breakneck speeds. But come on, that's India for you where everything's ok!! Soon enough we reached a fuel pump, they thanked me for my help, and I was on my way again.

<- Just 35 more kms to go

The amazing Bangalore-Mysore highway ->

The rest of the journey was largely uneventful besides giving lifts to a schoolboy, a villager and a policeman but I enjoyed the easy ride on the amazing roads!

Finally got to Vinay's place around 2.30 pm, and after freshening up real quick, we headed out to get a beer and some food.