Kodagu and The Coast

Date: 24 March 2018 - 28 March 2018

Total distance:  730 Kilometers

Start Time: 4:00 am 24 March 2018

End Time:  12:00 pm 28 March 2018

With: -

2018 had commenced and I had ridden mostly brevets. I was itching to go on a cycle tour and my cousin's kid's naming ceremony presented an opportunity to go on a cycle tour. Although the original plan was to ride the 1,000 km brevet in Chennai, I changed the plan on account of the naming ceremony. I had not planned the route, the only thing I was sure of was to ride to Ponnampet through Mysore Road, although it was not the preferred route it was the easier option and beyond Mysore I wanted to ride the Hunsur to Gonikoppa route. So only this part of the ride was planned and I was thinking of route options for continuing the ride. I had done the Ponnampet to Ooty route, so that was ruled out and so the was the Madikeri route as that would also be a repeat. The options remaining were to ride to Kushalnagar through Polibetta and then head towards Chikkamagalur and tour the western ghats or ride to Talakaveri and then to Kasaragod and then ride along the Karnataka coast. I opted for the coast line route as the ride through Chikkamagalur would be better after the monsoon. The coast line I did not expect it to change much as a result of the monsoons, so opted for the coast line route.

I had missed riding the coastline after the Mangaluru 600 BRM on account of physical and mental exhaustion. I wanted to make up for it now. The route was charted out:

Day	From	To	Distance	Ride Time (hrs)	Total Time (hrs)	Departure Time	Arrival Time
1	Koramangala	Ponnampet	230	12.00	14.00	4:00	18:00
3	Ponnampet	Kasaragod	200	10.00	13.00	5:00	18:00
4	Kasaragod	Kundapur	150	8.00	13.00	5:00	18:00
5	Kundapur	Kumta	110	6.00	8.00	6:00	14:00
			690

The naming ceremony was the 2nd day and I did not plan to ride on that day, although if I got the opportunity the plan was to put in a few kilometers in Kodagu. Needless to say that the plan was a rough plan except for the first day and I was flexible on the end points for the remaining days. I packed my bags and set the alarm for 3:00 am and went to bed.

Day 1: Bangalore to Ponnampet:

Date: 24 March 2018

Total distance: 237 Kilometers

Start Time: 4:00 am

End Time:  15:30 pm

With: -

Altitude Profile:

Koramangala - Ramanagar - Srirangapatna - Hunsur - Gonikoppa - Ponnampet

This route was planned about 2 years back, however, I never got to executing it. When I planned this route initially, it was a 2 day route, first day ride from Bangalore to Mysore and on the second day ride Mysore to Ponnampet. With the rides done over the past two years and having ridden 200 kilometers of this route over various rides, I was confident that I could cover the distance in one day. The only point of concern was that there is a forest gate and that I have to make it before 6:00 pm to the gate just to avoid complications with the forest staff.

I was up promptly at 3:00 am and I was ready to start at 3:30 am. I did not want to start very early and lazed around at home for 30 minutes. I started at 4:00 am.

It was dark and I had to use the lights in the city as well as there were sections in which the street lights were not there. I started slowly and slowly increased the pace of the ride. By the time I was out of the city I was warmed up and was in a nice rhythm. It was not heavy traffic considering that it was Saturday morning and I was lucky to make my way out of the city without any issues other than the few occasions when dogs ran out of the dark and brought me to a near halt before picking up the effort again.

At the end of the first hour I had ridden 20 kilometers and had made it out of the city. As it was still dark, there was nothing much to see and I increased the pace. Familiar route and traffic was thin which helped in sustaining the pace. Nothing much to write about the first 130 kilometers of the ride other than it being much faster than I had expected. It was the same old Mysore Road and surprisingly the traffic was thin and I was able to ride at a quick pace. Quick pace as per my terms which was 1st Hour - 21 kms, 2nd Hour - 27 kms, 3rd Hour - 30 kms, 4th hour - 28 kms, 5th hour - 27 kms. As a result I had covered 133 kms in 5 hours and was at Srirangapatna at 9:00 am.

I stopped for breakfast and had a masala dosa and jeera soda. I had reached very early and if I had continued riding at the same pace would reach Ponnampet around 2:00 pm. I decided to slow down and although I had seen a dry Kaveri river bed at Srirangapatna, opted to visit Balamuri falls as I had not been to this place for a very long time.

Started the ride after 30 minutes and got onto the Mysore bypass road. . I rode slowly as I had a lot of time. I had to make it to Hunsur around 1:00 pm for lunch which gave me 3.5 hours for 50 kilometers. The road is very scenic here with agricultural fields on both sides and trees lining the road. Further there were sugarcane juice and coconut water vendors to tempt me all along. I could not resist the temptation to have coconut water and stopped to have one. I continued slowly and pretty soon I was at the turn to Balamuri Falls.

Balamuri Falls is a small check dam constructed across the Kaveri River. Not that I expected it to be flush with water, however, I did have my hopes up when I saw the fields around the area being green and water was being pumped to the fields. However, when I reached Balamuri, I saw that the place hardly had water and the water level was below the dam wall. Usually the water flows above the dam wall creating a small waterfall. A dry river bed at Srirangapatna and an almost dry Balamuri Falls is not a very good sight as we still have 2 months before the rains arrive.

I dropped the plan to visit KRS after seeing Balamuri Falls and decided to ride to Hunsur. The Sun was out and this was going to be the difficult part of the ride as the heat was rising. As soon as I made it out of the bypass the tree cover was done with and I had to contend with the heat on the highway. As I reached Bilikere I noticed that the Bilikere Lake was full. I remember the passing by the lake when we used to travel to Kodagu as a kid. The lake was bypassed when the highway was made and I had not seen the lake in ages and had been told that the lake had gone dry. It was a pleasant surprise to see the lake brimming with water and I took a deviation from the highway to ride by the lake.

A few minutes spent near the lake and then I got back on the highway. Rode a few kilometers and stopped to have another coconut water as the heat was beginning to tire me. I was just a few kilometers from Hunsur and I made it to Halli Mane restaurant in a short while after resuming. I was not very hungry, however, as the food options are limited after this I stopped. It was 12:30 pm when I stopped for lunch.

It was a 40 minute stop during which I had a vegetarian meals and drank three 200ml bottles of Coca Cola. The heat was having a effect and the liquids were going in like water. When I was done with lunch I had filled myself up. I knew that I would be expended a lot of energy in the next part of the ride as it was going to be rolling terrain.

I started at 1:15 pm after lunch. In 15 minutes I was at the junction where the road splits between going to Madikeri and to Gonikoppa. I took the road to Gonikoppa. It was the first time that I was riding on this route and I had been wanting to ride this route for a very long time. The road was in very good condition which made the rolling terrain a little easier to handle.

About 15 kilometers of this route runs through small villages, however the road is mostly lined with trees on both sides. I had the Sun and few vehicles for company through this stretch of road. I entered the forest limits after 15 kilometers. Although the rolling terrain remained, I was surrounded by the forest instead of agricultural fields and houses. Although the forest was drying, there was still a lot of green left. It was nice to see that the trees were still green and I was hoping that it would begin to rain early so that the forest can spring back to life sooner rather than later. Having driven through this route on many occasions and not having spotted any animals here, I was pretty sure that I would not sight any animals in spite of being told that animal sightings do happen in this stretch. The only concern was that I might get stopped by a forest guard. However, I was not stopped and I rode peacefully through the forest and made it to the Anechowkur Gate. When I got to the gate I knew that I would not be stopped anymore and I had entered Kodagu district.

The gradient of the climbs kicks in a little more from here, however the descents were also steep which allowed me to average 22 kmph. I made a few stops to click pics of the road. After I crossed the forest, I was into estate territory and being March, it's the coffee blossom season and riding through this stretch was very pleasant as the air was filled with the coffee flower fragrance. Beautiful estates, well pruned fences and fragrant air was offsetting the road quality which although was not bad left a little to be desired.

Amidst admiring the plantations and breathing fresh air I reached Gonikoppa and 6 kilometers later I was at my uncle's place in Ponnampet. I reached at 3:30 pm, 2.5 hours before plan. The heat and the rolling terrain had left me a little drained and I decided to catch up on rest.

Day 2: Ponnampet - Kanoor - Ponnampet:

Date: 25 March 2018

Total distance: 23 Kilometers

Start Time: 17:15 pm

End Time:  18:45 pm

With: -

Altitude Profile:

Ponnampet - Kanoor - Ponnampet

There was no ride planned for the day, however as I had time after the function I decided to ride a little in the evening. I was still a little sore from the previous day's ride, so did not want to venture out too far. A 30 kilometer ride was the max that I intended to do. I had seen fresh tarmac on the Ponnampet - Kanoor route and thought that it would be a pleasant ride on the newly laid surface and decided to ride on this route.

Half a kilometer into the start and I stopped over at my cousin's place and played badminton with my niece and nephew. Spent a little time here before resuming the ride. Effectively I was starting the ride at 5:45 pm. I had not carried the lights and had about 45 minutes of daylight to make use of.

The road had been re-laid only for 2 kilometers and the black fresh tarmac changed to a grey old road. However, the surface was not bad and I was riding comfortably on this route. I passed by coffee estates and ticked off familiar places along the route. A few changes, but mostly the same old route.

Half an hour later I was at the Kanoor bridge where the Lakshman Theertha river flows. It was almost dry and was disappointing to see another almost dry river bed. I started the return and had to stop within a half a kilometer when I saw that the tube that I use to secure the luggage on the carrier was undone and had found its way between the wheel and the brake and went further down and got entangled in the rear derailleur. A little bit of a panic, however, did not last for long as the tube came undone from the derailleur rather easily. My hands were filled with grease which I transferred onto the handle bar when I resumed riding.

The Sun had begun its descent when I started the return and I was riding to make it back before dark. A quick stop to capture the coffee blossom and the setting Sun before racing back to my uncle's place.

Day 3: Ponnampet to Kasaragod:

Date: 26 March 2018

Total distance: 202 Kilometers

Start Time: 5:00 am

End Time:  18:15 pm

With: -

Altitude Profile:

Ponnampet - Bhagamandala - Talakaveri - Bekal - Kasaragod

I was excited about the day as I would be riding to Talakaveri and I was looking forward to the ride through the forest from Bhagamandala to Karike. I wanted to start at 5:00 am as I did not want to be riding in the dark for too long. It was a night when I kept waking up to the check the time and finally I got up when the alarm rang at 4:00 am. I got ready and loaded the luggage onto the cycle, bid good bye to my Uncle and Aunt and started the ride at 5:00 am.

It was dark, cold and misty. I could not wear the glasses due to the mist, it helped that I knew the route and did not have to look for directions. The pace was on the slower side as I was riding in rolling terrain. I was surprised to see that Ponnampet and Gonikoppa was bustling with people on their morning walk/jog.

As I got past Gonikoppa and got to lonelier surroundings the various sounds made by the trees, animals and birds took precedence. It was a little eerie to be riding in the dark, however I tried not to think about the sounds. There was a sound when I was about 10 kilometers from Virajpet which was very peculiar and I could not identify whether it was human or animal.     A few crazy seconds with the mind wandering and hoping that nothing shoots out of the dark before the sound subsided and I was back to normal.

It was day break when I reached Virajpet and I was already feeling the effect of the ride. I had ridden only 20 kilometers in rolling terrain and I was feeling tired. I slowed down further and just as I got out of town I was passed by 3 cyclists on their MTB's going for their morning ride. Seeing them going past got me going a little and I increased the pace a little to stay in and around them for the next few kilometers. I got to know that they ride the route daily and I told them that I was headed to Talakaveri. They rode with me till Kadanga where we parted ways.

The rolling terrain continued and a few hills were thrown in as well. I had to make short climbs, about three to four curves to be ascended on these hills and was dropped down as well quickly. The mist began to disappear and I was left to admire the coffee blossom. The road was narrow and traffic was thin, which allowed me to ride in the middle of the road with the occasional vehicle reminding me that I had to stay to the left.

It was 7:30 am when I got to Kakkabe, a place where I had stopped for breakfast when I rode to Tadiyandamol. I was hungry, however, when I reached Kakkabe I don't know why I  continued riding. I passed by the restaurant where I had stopped and continued riding. It was probably because the place was crowded and so was the town which did not make me feel comfortable as I was sure that a crowd would assemble the minute I stopped because of the cycle.

I continued riding and took the route through Nelaji towards Bhagamandala. The route was beautiful with the coffee plants bearing flowers and the air was very fragrant. However, the hunger pangs were biting and I was running low on energy. The rolling terrain was making me expend a lot of energy and I was wondering how I would climb Talakaveri if I was struggling in rolling terrain. I crossed Nelaji town and was disappointed that there was nothing available to eat. The next town was Ballamavati and I stopped at a small restaurant, actually more of a provision store which was serving food as well. The only option for breakfast was dosa. I had to wait a little as the lady struggled to make the dosa's and finally when it arrived it was more like Dosa burji rather than a Dosa. As I was hungry whatever was laid in front of me was going to be eaten as long as it was edible, as the Dosa qualified as edible, I ate it.

I restarted the ride at 9:20 am and got back to riding in rolling terrain. The ride speed was slower than in the morning and I was behind schedule. I had ridden about 4.5 kilometers in about 20 minutes when I realised that there was no weight on my back. I had left my back pack at the restaurant. There was a fleeting thought that I could leave the back pack, however, better sense prevailed and I started the ride back. I kept scolding myself for not being careful as leaving things when I stop is becoming a regular. It showed clear signs of tiredness, as the forgetfulness increases with the tiredness. I knew that I was going to lose at least half an hour on account of having to ride back, however I had to ride back, as the back pack had the pump, tool kit, puncture kit and spare tubes. Leaving it at the restaurant and continuing the ride would be a huge risk.

The positive from having to ride back was that I increased the pace of the ride. I was back at the restaurant in 12 minutes, saw that the bag was still there, breathed a sigh of relief and then started the ride again. It took me 15 more minutes to get back to the place from where I had turned back. I was only 10 kilometers from Bhagamandala. The gradient of the climbs in the rolling terrain increased, the climbs were slow and the descents were also slightly slow as the road was not great. I reached Bhagamandala in 30 minutes. It was 9:30 am. I spent a little time near the temple and the Triveni sangama. Bhagamandala is where the Kaveri river is augmented by two tributaries, the Kanike and the mythical Sujyoti. I was happy to see that the place was clean and that efforts were being made to keep it clean as well. There were no tourists frolicking in the water and the sanctity of the place was being maintained.

I had lost 30 minutes on account of leaving the back pack behind. To make up for the time lost I decided not to go into the temple at Bhagamandala and started the climb to Talakaveri. I did not know what to expect in the climb. It started as a gradual climb, the road was bad and I noted that I had to be slow on the descent in this section. I did not try to push hard in the climb as I did not want to suffer a burn out, further I wanted to save the legs for the hike up the Brahmagiri Hill at Talakaveri. The kilometers came down slowly and I found that the climb was largely gradual other than a few curves and about 100 meters in the last kilometer where the gradient was steep. I took about 45 minutes to ride the 9 kilometers to reach Talakaveri. It was 10:30 am when I got to the top and I was feeling hungry just as I was getting to the top.

There were fruit vendors near the peak, however I decided to go to the temple before eating. The place was not very crowded and I was able to visit the temple quickly. Further, I hiked up the Brahmagiri hill as well. I took it easy during the hike and did not rush up the hill nor did I run down the hill as I did not want to push the legs too hard. Off course, I was getting the weird look from the few people around because of my attire, however I was oblivious about it. I reached the peak and once again saw that the horizon was hazy. It is said that on a clear day the Arabian Sea can be seen from the peak, however, I have not been to the top on a clear day till now. I headed down and made my way back to the cycle. In between I was told by the person at the shoe stand that trekking is open in the Talakaveri reserve and there is a 18 kilometer trek to Iritty from Talakaveri and was recommended to do it. However, as Iritty was not the place where I intended to go to on this trip, I opted out of the trek.

I headed down to the fruit vendor, and had a watermelon slice, a Jamnerale fruit, half a guava, jeera soda and water and started the downhill at 11:30 am. 15 minutes to make it back to Bhagamandala and I was back to rolling terrain. I took the turn towards Karike and was expecting a downhill ride, however, rolling terrain continued and I was wondering how much longer it would take for the downhill to commence. 6 Kilometers is what it took and when I saw the board which said 'Welcome to the Greater Talacauvery National Park' I could see the road going downhill and knew that the downhill was right ahead.

I stopped for a quick break. Finished the remaining jeera soda and popped a candy in and started the downhill. The forest was very dense and sunlight was barely seeping through in between the trees. I had the constant company of cricket's which were making a huge din. The road was very bumpy and it was not a high speed descent, rather it was a careful descent and I could take my eyes off the road for fleeting seconds to catch the view of the surrounding hills every time there was a gap in the trees. It was a beautiful view and I noticed that the valley was deep and the descent would continue for a while. After the initial 2-3 kilometers, the road turned bad and the ride slowed down for the next 2-3 kilometers after which it was freshly laid tarmac for about 2-3 kilometers on which the ride was extremely enjoyable and then it went back to being bumpy. Although the road was not good, the scenery made up for it. Most of the waterfalls were dry, but I came across one which still had a decent amount of water. I got off the cycle and approached the falls to get a closer look, however the rustling noise amongst the dry leaves made me stop in my tracks and head back to the cycle as I did not know if it was a snake or a lizard. Not wanting to risk it, I made a quick exit. The other noticeable aspect of this downhill was that there were hardly any people around, the place was deserted and hardly had any vehicles passing through, which added to the aura of the place.

As I got down further and the forest cover begin to thin out, I was beginning to feel the effect of the downhill. As it was a bumpy ride, the body was beginning to tire. When I crossed the Bhoruka Power Plant the downhill was done with and the kilometer stone showing 7 kilometers to Pannathur, the first town in Kerala was not very pleasing to the mind. I was back in rolling terrain, tired, hungry and with the forest cover gone, it was very hot. I rode slowly and made it to Panathur town at 1:30 pm. I stopped at the first Hotel sign and headed in. I was exhausted and feeling very weak. I ordered a meals and freshened up.

It was a simple Kerala meals, boiled rice with vegetable curry and a few accompaniments. As they had only fish, I opted for the vegetarian option since I'm not a fan of fish. I asked for a bottle of coca cola as well. The Cola cooled me down and the food got my energy levels back up. I had two servings of rice and filled myself up. Started from the restaurant and walked a little to get to a provision store so that I could refill on water and then started the ride at 2:00 pm.

Rolling terrain in the afternoon heat was not easy and I was struggling. It was slow progress. As I was out of the forest and into traffic zone I did not have anything to take my mind off the heat as well. I tried listening to music, however, it was not helping and I switched it off. I did not want to take a lot of breaks and kept riding. Making slow progress was better than not making any progress at all.

The speed increased when I got to within 15 kilometers to Kanhangad. The gradient was more downhill and that helped. I was back to using the big ring on the crank and was making up for the slow ride earlier. I raced towards Kanhangad and stopped when I could not resist the temptation to have sugarcane juice about 3 kilometers from Kanhangad. A stop which was not required, however, I could not resist the temptation.

When I restarted after drinking the juice, I was re-energised. I was riding the quickest that I had ridden all day and I was able to sustain the speed over the distance. At lunch it looked like I would reach Kanhangad only by 5:00 pm and Bekal by 6:00 pm, however, with the gradient easing up I reached Kanhangad at 4:30 pm. As I got onto the Kochi-Mumbai highway, I was welcomed by traffic, however the road was wide enough to allow me to ride on the left without being disturbed by the traffic. In a few kilometers I saw a board which said that Bekal Fort was 5 kilometers away. Having seen Bekal Fort on a couple of occasions, this time it was only about riding to the front of the Fort and then heading to Kappil Beach. I reached Bekal Fort at 4:50pm, a quick pic and refilled on water and then headed towards Kappil Beach.

Kappil Beach is lined up by premium resorts and as such is empty most of the time, which has kept this beach clean. I opted for Kappil Beach since it will be secluded and I can spend a few peaceful moments there rather than answering questions of curious onlookers. It was 5:20 pm when I got to Kappil Beach. As expected it was empty and clean. I had expected to reach here by 6:00 pm, but had reached 40 minutes earlier. I was too early for sun set and I preferred to rest after freshening up rather than waiting for another hour at the beach for the sun to set. I spent about 15 minutes at the beach and then started the ride to Kasaragod.

Kasaragod was only 13 kilometers away, however, I was pretty drained from the day's ride and rode slowly towards Kasaragod. I did have the option to ride to Mangaluru which was a further 50 kilometers away, but did not want to push myself further. I reached Kasaragod at 6:00 pm and stopped at City Tower Hotel. Rs 600 for the night was agreed upon and as soon as I got to the room I started off with washing the clothes which took about 30 minutes. Freshened up and headed out for dinner. Post dinner I bought grapes and oranges and headed back to the room, ate the grapes, saved up the oranges for the next day and went to bed.

Day 4: Kasaragod to Baindur:

Date: 27 March 2018

Total distance: 186 Kilometers

Start Time: 5:00 am

End Time:  18:15 pm

With: -

Altitude Profile:

Kasaragod - Kaup - Malpe - Maravanthe - Baindur

I had gotten through the tough parts of the ride and was left to ride the coast line. Two days remaining and about 260 kilometers to cover. A relatively easy task considering that I was starting early and would have covered 100 kilometers by around 11:00 am. The plan for the day was to ride to Kundapur which would cover about 140 kilometers with stops at Kaup and St. Mary's Island near Malpe. I had budgeted that St. Mary's Island would take at least 3 hours and therefore planned to stop at Kundapur for the day.

I started at 5:00 am from Kasaragod and took the wrong road. I realised my folly within a kilometer when I saw the mile stone stating the distance to Kannur instead of Mangaluru. I got back onto track and was welcomed by a single road which was very bumpy with a lot of patch work done on the left of the road and high density traffic even at 5:00 am. I was forced to stay on the left by traffic on my side and the high beam from oncoming traffic had me at my wit's end. It was a very frustrating ride and I was thankful when it was day break as the torture from the head lights of vehicles ceased. I was still on a single lane road, however, with day break it was easier to ride as the visibility had increased.

It took me an hour and 45 minutes to get past the Kerala border and enter Karnataka. I was welcomed by a 4 lane highway in Karnataka with a big shoulder on the left which was a big relief as compared to the early morning ride. The early morning ride had been slow on account of visibility being poor and also since I had not recovered from the previous days ride. The pace was slower compared to the previous days, and I  was hungry already. It was still early and I tried to push myself to keep going as the plan was to stop for breakfast at Udupi.

However, my energy reserves were depleted and I was tiring quickly. I passed by the Nethravathi river and entered Mangaluru. As I made my way past Mangaluru I decided to stop for rest and doubled that up as a breakfast stop as well. It was 7:30 am and I had ridden 51 kilometers with the average pace hovering just below 20 kmph. It was a decent return for the day, however as I did not know the ferry timings to St. Mary's Island I did not know what was a good time to get to Malpe.

20 minutes later I was back on the saddle and started the ride towards Udupi. The Sun was up and I was still on the slower side. The right calf muscle was hurting and did not allow me to push too hard on the speed front. There was nothing much in terms of the view as well other than the fact that the small towns are also developed on this highway and it did not feel like I was on the highway. It was like passing from one town to another.

I kept eating oranges which I had bought the previous day as I was hungry after an hour's ride. The slow pace had me worried that I might not make it in time to Malpe and I had the thought that I should drop Kaup from the plan and head straight to Malpe. However, I did not want it to be a situation where I ended up missing on both the locations and took the turn towards Kaup.

Kaup beach has changed a lot and has become more tourist oriented. 15 years back it had a rustic look, however, now they have erected stalls near the beach and it caters more to the tourists rather than the traveler. The light house was locked and I could not go up. I had to make do with the view of the beach and then start the ride to Malpe.

Malpe was 20 kilometers from Kaup. It took me an hour to cover the 20 kilometers. I reached the crowded port town of Malpe and asked around for the ferry location and was guided to it. When I got there I was told that there is a minimum requirement of 30 people for the ferry and at present I was the 11 th person and that I would have to wait. Further, I was informed that the cycle would not be allowed on the ferry and that I would have to leave it behind. It was 11:00 am and I did not want to pass up the opportunity to see the volcanic rocks at St Mary's Island. I decided to wait and secured the cycle to a pillar.

Half an hour later we were told to purchase the tickets. Rs 250 per head was a pretty steep price for the journey. Paid the amount and fifteen minutes later we were on the ferry. It took fifteen minutes for the ferry to take us to St Mary's Island. We were given an hour's time to get back to the ferry, if not we would be left behind and would be taken back after 4 more hours on the island.

Another location which had been made a tourist haven and everything around is pricey. I was not allowed to take my cycle across, however they have a cycle track on the island and the rentals for the cycle was Rs. 100 for half an hour on the Mach City and Rs. 250 for half an hour on a fat bike. I did not want to ride around the island and walked around instead.

It did not take long for me to cover the island as most of the places had a 'Danger Zone' board around and we were not allowed to go beyond those boards and the places where we were allowed to walk was taken up by couples which made is difficult to explore the place. Needless to say that I was already getting the looks for my attire and further looks for invading their privacy. I headed into the food court and had a couple of glasses of lime juice and sat watching the sea and waiting for the clock to tick to 1:00 pm.

I headed back to the ferry at 1:00 pm. A 15 minute buffer was given for the people to get back, only half of the people came back and the ferry returned to the mainland. I was back at Malpe at 1:30 pm. I rode to the Udupi junction and stopped for lunch. I ate Kori Rotti and drank lime juice and started the ride towards Kundapur at 2:15 pm.

Just as I started I ran straight into a traffic jam caused by an accident between a private bus and a government bus. A heated argument was in progress and I was lucky to be on a cycle as I was able to carry the cycle on the footpath and I made it past the jam. As I rode towards Kundapur, I knew that I would reach Kundapur around 4:00 pm and that it was too early to stop and decided to ride to Maravanthe which was 15 kilometers from Kundapur. The thought did occur that if I make it to Maravanthe early then I did have the option to ride to Murudeshwar as well.

Reaching a place early got me thinking that I could change the route as well and that I could head back towards Chikkamagalur instead of riding towards Kumta. A lot of options were coming up, however, I decided against changing the plan and decided to stick to the original route.

I was passing by a lot of bridges. Everyone seemed good enough to stop for a snap but the heat was a deterrent and I was now looking to make it to Maravanthe and did not want to lose time. Moreover, the view seemed almost the same at most of the bridges.

As I got closer to Kundapur, road work was in progress and riding became difficult. It was a single lane road with a lot of traffic and the road surface was bumpy. Riding on a bumpy surface with the heat and traffic to contend with was not a very enjoyable experience. The ride on the bumpy surface changed my plan and I decided to stop at Maravanthe instead of riding to Murudeshwar.

Just to make things a little more difficult, the gradient of the climbs in rolling terrain began to increase. Maravanthe is a place where the road runs in between the Kollur River and the Arabian Sea. As such as it is right next to the Sea I was expecting the gradient to drop, however, I was climbing a lot and it seemed like I had hardly lost any altitude. I guess it was the heat which was playing tricks on a tired body and mind which made me feel like I had climbed a lot, however, I was at Maravanthe with a small descent and was left wondering if the Sea is at a higher level here.

As stated above, Maravanthe is where the Kollur river and the Arabian Sea run parallel to each other for about a kilometer. The expectation was to see the Sea and the river and enjoy the place. However, in addition to the sea and the river there was development work on the beach being undertaken and also an eye sore that the place has become a truckers halt and the road is lined with trucks. The view of the Kollur River and the Arabian Sea was beautiful, however, would have preferred if the place had been untouched rather than making walkways into the Sea and also would prefer if the truckers are told to shift base.

I rode past the Sea and was on the lookout for a hotel. However, I went past Maravanthe and did not see any hotels. I realised later that Maravanthe town was not on the highway and I had to go inland for about 2 kilometers. However, I had missed the opportunity as I had ridden ahead and I did not want to turn back. I asked if hotels are available ahead and was told that I would get lodging options at Baindur. Baindur was 10 kilometers away.

It was a slow ride to Baindur, with me having to coax the mind to keep going. It's the mind that has to be convinced and not the body in these situations. I crossed the Baindur River and in the next kilometer I was in town and saw a hotel right at the entrance of town. A little negotiation and Rs 600 was agreed upon for the room. It was 6:15 pm when I stopped the ride for the day.

I freshened up and headed out, first to buy fruits and then for dinner where I ate an omlette, green salad and chicken biriyani (which had a lot of chicken in it). I got back to the room and filled up on the grapes and bananas that I had bought. I set the alarm for 5:00 am and then went to bed.

Day 5: Baindur to Kumta:

Date: 28 March 2018

Total distance: 82 Kilometers

Start Time: 6:00 am

End Time:  12:00 pm

With: -

Altitude Profile:

Baindur - Murudeshwar - Kumta

The last day of the ride and I had less than 100 kilometers to cover. The only place that I had to cover was Murudeshwar and then the ride was only to complete the coastline of Karnataka. As I had ridden from Majali (North Coast) till Kumta earlier, if I rode from the South Coast till Kumta I would complete the coast line of Karnataka. Although I knew that I could ride further, as I had covered the locations on the earlier rides, I opted to stop at Kumta.

Although I had a lot of time on hand I opted to start at 6:00 am so that I could ride when the weather was not hot. The plan was to cover the distance by 12:00 pm so that I would be resting when the Sun is at its peak.

Woke up when the alarm rang at 5:00 am. Was a little lazy and wanted to sleep for more time as the distance to be covered was less. Coaxed myself to get out of bed and got ready and was out of the hotel at 6:00 am.

The day started with a slight gradient increase and the thought did occur that if I had got past this section then I would have been able to push further till Murudeshwar the previous day itself. However, that would leave me with hardly any distance for the last day and I did feel that stopping at Baindur at least meant that I would be riding a little on the last day.

As it was a climb, the start was slow. It allowed me to warm up and then increase the pace after the initial 5 kilometers. It was the first day that I had started in day light and was enjoying the fact that the visibility was good from the beginning. Road work is in progress in this section, however the traffic situation was not bad and I was able to have a safe ride.

Rolling terrain continued until a small climb welcomed me to Bhatkal town. I was not in a hurry and did not push hard to get past the climbs. I took it easy and had a relaxed ride. Got past Bhatkal town and 45 minutes later when I saw the RN Shetty establishments I knew that I had reached Murudeshwar. I had to take a left and ride 1.5 kilometers to get to the temple town. The huge temple Gopura is visible from a distance and serves as a marker for the temple.

It was a weekday and the crowd was sparse. The holiday season has not kicked in as yet and I was not complaining as I don't enjoy a crowded place. I parked the cycle and locked it to the railing of the wall and made my way inside the temple.

A quick temple visit, the highlight of which was that if we pay Rs 10, then we are taken to the top of the Gopura. The Gopura is 18 floors tall and the lift took a while to get to the top. The view of the Arabian Sea and Murudeshwar Town was beautiful from the top.

I got back to the cycle and then rode behind the temple to the Shiva statue. A temple again as well as a walk inside the Statue where the story about Ravana and the Atma Linga is portrayed in sculptures as well as played over the stereo. The a ride around the Statue brought me back to the  main temple and then I rode out of town and stopped at Kamat restaurant for breakfast. A masala dosa and I was back on the saddle.

It was 9:15 am when I resumed the ride. My next stop was going to be at the Sharavathi river which was 25 kilometers away. It was a cloudy day and dark clouds were looming overhead. I did not want it to rain and was wondering if I had to stop and pack the phone into a plastic bag. I took the risk of continuing and tried to make it out of the cloud cover. It was good that the Sun was hiding behind the clouds, however the threat that the clouds may open up made me feel uneasy. In about 10 kilometers I had made my way past the cloud cover and was facing the wrath of the Sun.

I reached the Sharavathi bridge at 10:15 am. The river with its clear blue water was beautiful and it did not disappoint. The fisherman's boat's stationed at one corner added to the allure of the river. I spent some time at the bridge before resuming the ride.

Within a kilometer of the river I was in Honnavar. A slow ride past town as I was deciding if I wanted to stop the ride at Honnavar. I decided to continue only to complete the coastline. The ride from Honnavar to Kumta was easy as it was mostly flat except for a small climb just before Kumta. I passed a cyclist from Mangaluru. He was riding from Mangaluru to Goa. I wished him the best for the ride and continued my ride.

I reached Kumta at 11:30 am. I headed to the bus stand and on enquiry about Airavat's to Bangalore, was told that there is only one at 8:30 pm. I booked into that bus and then headed to a hotel. Rs 550 for the room was agreed, where I had to answer a few questions about the usage of the room before checking in.

I freshened up and then rested. I headed to the bus stand at 8:00 pm. The bus was delayed and when it came by, they loaded the cycle without any hassles. Rs 300 was paid as luggage charges. The next day I was back in Bangalore.

Trip Summary:

The ride to Kodagu on the first day was surprisingly quick and it was a revelation that Kodagu was actually pretty close. The next's days ride, especially the ride through Greater Talakaveri National Park was the highlight of this trip. The downhill ride through dense forest was a beautiful experience and the beauty of the forest overshadowed the bad roads which is probably a first for me when I'm cycling as the road had always taken precedence over the surroundings till now. I was surprised with the weather near the coast as it was not very humid and I was able to ride comfortably. The view of the Arabian Sea was beautiful. The Sea every time I saw it was calm and I was happy to see a calm sea. The difference shades of green and blue of the water was a sight to behold and took my mind off the tiredness from the ride.

It was a good trip and was happy that nothing went wrong. No mechanical issues which resulted in any delays. Further, completing more than the planned distance for the day was another take away from this ride. It feels good to have completed the Coastline of Karnataka which is 300 kilometers long although I have done it over 2 trips, The stretch from Kumta to Majali was done in March 2015, then I repeated it from Majali to Kumta in March 2017 and finally managed to ride from Talapady to Kumta in March 2018. I never noticed, however March has been the month for me to ride the coast line of Karnataka.

Day	From	To	Distance	Ride Time (hrs)	Total Time (hrs)	Avg Speed	Elevation Gain (mtrs)
1	Bangalore	Ponnampet	237	10.25	11.50	23.12	1,970
2	Ponnampet	Ponnampet	23	1.00	1.50	23.00	171
3	Ponnampet	Kasaragod	202	10.75	13.25	18.79	3,805
4	Kasaragod	Baindur	186	9.00	13.25	20.67	1,466
5	Baindur	Kumta	82	4.25	6.00	19.29	577
	Total		730	35.25	45.50	20.71	7,989