Destination - Hogenakkal Falls, Tamil Nadu.
Distance - 140 kms(one way - approx)
Ride - Duke 390
Solo/ Group - Group
Terrain - plains and some mountains
No. of days - 1 day
Date - 29 December 2019
Road - 8.5/10
2019 was about to end and people were busy winding up things. I too decided to do the same but was left with a couple of days to go before the "New Year". Though nothing much changes but it becomes quite convenient to disassociate ourselves from the "not so good/precious year" and have a good begining. However I decided to end the year on a happy note and go out on a day's trip to Hogenakkal Falls in Tamil Nadu.
The previous day of our trip, I was made part of a bikers' group named Bangalore Bong Bikers (BBB) and was quite excited to travel with them. We had planned to meet at 6 in the morning at Silk Board and then proceed to our destination. I was so excited to ride along my group mates that I reached a bit early. In fact I was the first one to reach. As time passed the other group members started to pour in and by about 7 am we were all set to go.
The journey began with the line up of 11 bikes which started to move on the hosur road. For me it was a new and altogether a different experience to travel with a group as until this trip I had travelled alone - which is offlate termed as solo ride.
Soon after we entered hosur we stopped for our breakfast. Having stopped at a sub urban place, we did not have much choice in the breakfast except idli, dosa and poori. Some settled with idlis and some with poori but a couple of us also inquired if there were vadas or not?! Now that we were full, we decided to reach our destinations without further halts.
It was almost 10:30 am by the time we reached Hogenakkal. The first look of the place made it seem like a crowded valley with a strong smell of fish. Soon after parking our bikes we all met at the entrance and decided to go for some boat ride, bathe in the river and have some fresh fish thereafter.
Boating
As we all were a bit tired, we decided to take a leisurely boat ride in the river. The government charges per boat were ₹750/-, which seemed quite reasonable. However, after having bought tickets for 4 boats, we came to know that we will have to pay ₹1500/- per boat only then would a person come to row the boat. The negotiations which went on for about an hour resulted in ₹1000/- per boat.
The boat was a saucer shaped cane/bamboo object on which 4 of us were to sit. Highly uncomfortable and porous were these saucer shaped boats. The leisure ride went on for about 2 hours in which we witnessed some aesthetic waterfalls and scenic beauty.
Soon after we started, we all tried to sit comfortably without worrying about our clothes and started to enjoy the ride. As we moved towards the falls we came across a couple of boats which were selling snacks and juice. Though they charged ₹5 more than the printed, it seemed quite reasonable to buy than to unnecessary burden yourself with snacks.
Gradually we sailed further with the flow of water and came across an island. Though quite a small island, it had great aesthetic appeal and was serene. The island was immediately surrounded by the river and thereafter by the mountains. It had an abandoned boat, a person selling tender coconut and nothing else unless our boat arrived.
We decided to have some tender coconut and spend some time relaxing on the beach. This island is one of the best places here to get into the water and have a relaxing dip in the river. The river didn't seem quite deep near the island however it is recommended that you put on the life jacket before entering the river.
The next hour was spent in the boat while going through the diffrent water fall and various spots worth taking selfies.
Fish Fry!
Almost 3 hours on the boat and now we all were starving. We couldn't afford to miss the fish food for which this place is quite famous. Fishes were sold everywhere! Some were dry, some were small, some were large and some were being sold alive. We had to go past the fish market to reach at a decent resturant.
We did not have much options to choose from and most of us had sambar rice and some fried fish. I have had sambar rice in Karnataka, but I can comfortably say that sambar rice in Tamil Nadu was tastier than all the sambar rice I ever had. A sumptuous lunch after some boating and swimming in the river was great!
At about 5-5:30 pm we started our return journey. We had to cover almost 140 kms before we could all reach our respective homes. We all maintained a good speed until sunset but soon after sunset we had to limit ourselves to 60kmph due to poor visibility.
On our way back we took a couple of tea breaks to refresh and recharge ourselves. By sunset we had around 100kms to cover. By 8:30 I reached home and after having a light meal I hit the bed.
The pothole-less road was an additional benefit which helped us manoeuvre at great speed without getting exhausted.
That's All for now! Will be back soon with another story of another place.
