The Southern Sally: 3 - "MAS to Pondy"

MAS to Pondicherry...

Chennai - Pondy via the scenic ECR has always been a joy...

Heading out from MAS, I tanked up my beast before hitting the highway. Equipping the standard biking gear I picked up - (Thanks to Varun Naidu of 'Dynamic Riderz' for the advice on short notice) knee and shin protectors and Saddle bags, both from Cramster - seemed to grow on me. After a good 50 km, the feeling that a knee brace is strapped on seemed to wear away.

My first pit stop was an eatery in the bang-smack-middle of nowhere. The place seemed crowded for an early morning on a Sunday. The reason I stopped there, besides the heavenly aroma of filter coffee - I spotted half a dozen superbikes (Hondas, Suzukis and even a Harley, all neatly parked in a row.

I met the motley crew from Chennai. All in mid 50's - businessmen, Engineers and a even one doctor (the owner of the Harley) who rode out every Sunday! They sounded veteran bikers and I was like an enthusiastic kid listening to their rides! Downing some really tasty, really soft Idlis with yumm chutney and sambar, I discussed my 1400 km trip I had embarked on. They were full of tips, advice and encouragement which was welcome.

I bid adieu to the super bike crew and headed to Pondy, my enthusiasm further intensified by the veterans.

Pondy, to me, is like a special getaway. I have so many memories from there, that I could write a book. The scenic highway with some stunning vistas of the shoreline brought back memories from college. Shark-fishing with a club in a small kayak type boat with locals in 2003, meditating in the Matri Mandir and wondering if I could use that space for more divine purposes in 2005, dolphin watching at the boat house in 2006, Tsunami relief trip when Pondy was a layover on the return in Dec 2004... The memories flooding my mind and two and a half hours breezed by...

I arrived at Pondy and checked into my resort by noon. I wanted to freshen up and get back to the bustle of the bazaars of the once-upon-a-time French colony...

The Southern Sally: 2 - "HYB to MAS"

HYB to MAS...

I did not want to ride out of Hyderabad. I wanted to imbibe the scenic views along the ECR - the East Coast Road. And so, I planned my trip from Chennai.

I got a lot of useful insights regarding bike transport on a train from IndiaMike. I arrived at Nampally Hyderabad Deccan station two hours prior to my journey. I met the staff at the Parcel office and he ushered me to the private packers/porters in the railway yard. He gave me a form and asked me to come back with a packed bike whose petrol tank was 'dry'.

The porters were very helpful and with expert efficiency, drained the petrol tank with a small rubber tube and then 'dried' the tank with pieces of cloth. It took less than 10 minutes to get the petrol tank dry. I had made sure that the previous day, I rode till my 'low fuel' indicator was blinking. Another arbitrary indicator - shake your bike from side to side and you can hear the sound of petrol crashing against the walls of the petrol tank; based on the sounds you can estimate how much fuel remains in the tank (A concept patented by Indians :p ).

The bike, packed with cardboard sheets and covered with gunny sacks; was wheeled into the parcel office, when the porter suggested I negotiate with the private operator who leased out a break van. Private companies operate a few luggage vans on a few trains. The advantage of opting a private operator is that the Luggage Van is opened only at the last stop, rather than intermediate stops. Railway operated vans are not only more expensive, but also pose the risk of the potential damage to the bike as the van can be opened mid route to add/remove luggage. People have reported dents, broken mud guards, broken indicator lights and sometimes even theft/missing bike due to unloading the bike at the wrong station.

A few insights I got- negotiate hard with the private break van operators. They can get you a good deal. In this case, I paid rupees 1300 to transport the bike from Hyderabad to Chennai (versus 1850 which was the official railways luggage charges).

If you're booking with the railways, you need the following documents (photocopy) -
1. Vehicle Registration (RC book)
2. Photo ID proof (any, Govt issued)
3. Confirmed train ticket copy. (Physical copy of ticket, not a screen shot or sms)

Packed, loaded and locked. My bike was safe in the private break van and I boarded my train. At 6 am, I arrived at the Chennai Central station. I waited at the break van for a few minutes before the unloading team arrived. It took me about an hour before I could obtain a gate pass and wheel out my bike.

It's an offence to carry petrol or any combustible fuel in your luggage on the train. In case the checking staff find any petrol (even 100 ml) they can book you for a hefty fine of rupees 1000!

And you can unpack the vehicle ONLY after you've exited the station. You cannot 'mount' your bike even if the engine is not running, but ONLY can wheel it out.

At 7.30 am, I was outside the MAS (Chennai Central station). I unpacked my bike, fixed my mirrors which I'd removed to prevent damage and got my gear loaded and locked to the bike.

Pondy... here I come!

The Southern Sally: 1 - "How it began..."

How it began...

For reasons known and unknown, my biking trips were reduced to far and few in between.

And for reasons known, I was planning on selling the beast. My birthday was around the corner and the the idea of a trip up north in the hills of Mc Leodganj began creeping up, as was suggested by my doting wife.

I called my brother in Delhi about the trip and he said his annual quota for taking off from work was completed and so, he could not afford any more breaks.

North plans went to the bin. I just wanted to Sally southwards.
Quickly looked up the map for check points and lay overs and something like this began taking shape.

Chennai - Pondy - Rameshwaram - Kanyakumari - Poovar - Trivandrum. 

Hyderabad to Chennai via Chennai Exp along with my beast in the Luggage Van; and return from Trivandrum via the Sabari Exp. 

A flurry of activity ensued-The tickets, the hotel reservations, bike booking information and planning the right biking gear to buy...

The Itinerary -