Day 3:
Munnar: The shire of India.(As we like to call it)
Since we did not sleep, leaving early was possible this time to make up for what was lost. In the wee hours of the morning, we departed towards Munnar.
It is very dramatic to watch nature come to life in the morning. The sun raises the curtain and the characters come to life one at a time. Almost reminds of Jungle Book. Ironically we felt lucky that day to not being able to follow our plan because the morning of Annamalai Sanctuary is something of its kind.
If you are on a road trip on this route, we would suggest you do this. Take a stay at Udumalpet and try to reach Annamalai just before sunrise. The 70 Km journey through the mountains as the sun wakes the nature up to set the stage is pure bliss.
I am glad we got delayed. As we approached Munnar, all that exhaustion was dead. We were alive again with the same enthusiasm with which we started from the place we call Home. Covered in a blanket of greenery, Munnar will spellbind you.
Passing sometime in the outskirts, we found a nice stay and passed out without any sense of time and space in the very comfortable Oyo Rooms. When I got up, the sun was calling it a day. All that exhaustion and a good sleep after that and opening your eyes to a red sky eventually shunning to darkness.
Day 4:
Fully rested, completely charged, we were all set out to leave for Kanyakumari. Life it seems is not without a sense of irony. That day, the then CM of Tamil Nadu, Ms Jailalitha passed away due to a cardiac arrest, leaving an empty space in the hearts of the people of Tamil Nadu.
Something which was evident in the entire state. The entire state was mourning for the loss, and that meant Tamil Nadu was shut down. Literally shut down. This was going to be by far our longest stretch in one day – 377ms. No restaurants, no petrol pumps, no ration shops, no highway side tea stalls were operational that day.
There is only so much you can enjoy empty stomach and riding is not one of them. Slowly, but surely we reached Kanyakumari. It was dark, but this time, to our pleasure we got a very comfortable room (Oyo rooms again) and belly-full food. South Indian full meals never seemed more delicious.
Day 5:
The awakening.
Sunrises are beautiful, and especially at a place as geographically significant as Kanyakumari, we were sure not to miss it. A new hope. A new experience. Some 700 km away from home on two bikes, at the tip of the Indian peninsula; All the effort was worth it.
“You cannot rest until you are exhausted.”
Time to leave as we reach the mid-point of our journey. A journey which looked like it would take forever, but seldom we realized that it would soon come to an end. This feeling of wanderlust was getting onto us as we left Kanyakumari to visit God’s own country.
This post was originally published on Tripping Wheels.
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