The glorious Western Ghats!

by Harsha BS (India)

I didn't expect to find India

I woke up around half past four in the morning and got ready within half an hour. I didn't want to be late because there is nothing worse than riding on a hot sunny day so I loaded my saddle bags onto the bike and started my beloved beast, the Bullet! I could feel the adrenaline rush through my veins as I throttled away telling myself that it's going to be an epic ride. It was 5:15 a.m. and I had started my journey to the glorious Western Ghats! It was 6:30 a.m. and I stopped for a coffee break. After having my stomach and bike both fueled up, I continued my ride towards the land of coffee, Chikmagalur. The sun was up, shining brightly in the sky. Yet, it wasn't hot. Then, I turned right and I could see the mountains not so far away. That was the beginning of Western Ghats from the East. Western Ghats is the longest range of mountains in Southern India running through Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. It is the pride of South India and one of the most beautiful places on Earth. It was almost 10 a.m. and the weather was too good to not take a break. I saw a viewpoint nearby which was crowded with tourists. I didn't feel like stopping there, so I continued. As I went further, I saw a small muddy road towards my left which had some bike Tyre marks and so I decided to check out that deviation. Within just 2 minutes, I reached a dead end, but to my surprise, it was a secluded viewpoint. There was so much to see and not a single tourist to disturb you. It was just perfect! It was indeed a fortunate stroke of serendipity. I sat down for a while, gazing at the nature, enjoying the magnificent view of the huge mountains and greenery all around. After clicking a few photographs, I turned around and started riding back to Chikmagalur. After stopping at almost every curve to enjoy the view and capture them, I finally reached my destination by around 12:30 in the afternoon. I had booked a guesthouse at this beautiful place on the top of the mountains surrounded by open fields of grass and trees. Just the sight of those majestic mountains covered in a Green blanket of trees was enough for me to recover from all the backache due to that long ride I had. After having a delicious meal, I slept for a while. It was around 3 p.m. and after having the famous Chikmagalur Coffee, I went out to explore the beautiful Western Ghats. My plan was to go to Mullayanagiri hills, one of the tallest peaks in South India. There was lush greenery throughout the way. It was a matter of pride to ride on this mountain terrain. I could feel the wind in my hair. After some off-roading, I finally reached the top of the mountain. This was what my heart was craving for. I had reached my final destination. It was all worth it. I could almost see the whole of Western Ghats from here. I was above the clouds or shall I say “I was on cloud nine.” I was speechless, just standing there, enjoying every bit of that moment. No matter how much time you spend enjoying the exquisite view, you will never be content. This was the getaway I badly needed. When I got into my senses, I realized that it was getting dark. So I headed back to my room, still hung over with that beautiful scenery. It was getting colder by the minute. My hands started becoming numb. And then, of course, it started to rain. It's a good thing that I was back on the good roads when it started to rain, or else it would have been impossible to do off-roading in that slush. Sometimes, nature's tempest can be beautiful in its own way. Riding in that rain was a different experience altogether. I somehow made it back to the room before dinnertime. Next day morning, I left for Bangalore. "Travel to explore Nature, but don’t exploit it."