It all started with my eagerness to test the new MTB which i bought the night before the ride...i even registered for the 100+km trip even b4 i even bought the cycle n thats how eager i was.....
It was 5.30 saturday mornin i started out having no clue wht im about to attempt n totally forgetting the "offroading" part of the trip. Started moving with my mobile gps set to our common meeting point at reliance fresh in medavakkam.....
I kept going n going n half way thru to the meeting point my butt started to pain n my thighs started to ache n thts when i started to think abt dropping out even before starting the trip tongue emoticon....still kept going n i thought maybe ill go there n bid them farewell for the trip n come back XD.....
N the final turn for the meeting point came n i cldnt find the shop anywhere so i kept going n going for another 3km n i enquired some ppl n they said theres reliance fresh on either side f the road n i decided to comeback n finally spotted the reliance fresh n there i met Dhvinay Vijay n Vishvanathan waiting for others to join.....
.....after seeing these guys all prep'd n couple f cycles together it looked so welcoming tht i decided to take it on no matter what.....n then we were given instructions to come a bit ahead n there we joined with Vinodh Arun n Vaishnavi.....n i remember vaishnavi saying she has no idea wht shes doing so i thought i finally found some1 to accompany me.....i even said vishwanath hw happy i was after hearing tht
grin emoticon which i found to be sooo wrng later in the trip.......n then we all started our trip to conquer the upcoming roads.....
We went into the bumpy roads n stopped at an old temple which was centuries old ( built in the 900s AD) had a look arnd n then were led to a farm n without a doubt there was a well n *poof* cldnt miss it....arun inaugrated with his jump followed by vishwanath n then i got into the water n just stood by the edge as i wasnt sure if i cld still swim after 2 years so i thought it was better to just dip arnd near the edges...
We went into the bumpy roads n stopped at an old temple which was centuries old ( built in the 900s AD) had a look arnd n then were led to a farm n without a doubt there was a well n *poof* cldnt miss it....arun inaugrated with his jump followed by vishwanath n then i got into the water n just stood by the edge as i wasnt sure if i cld still swim after 2 years so i thought it was better to just dip arnd near the edges...
.....we soon started off n kept going ahead n took the roads away frm the highways....everything was fine...the trial wasnt terrible the pace was beautiful n thts when we reached this thing called quarry road the moment i saw it my heart let out a silent cry.....it had immediate ups n downs to the height of my elbow n the worst road ive ever seen....it was equal to those dirt bike stunt roads with rocks all over....n to make it worse there were lorries n trucks passing thru it at all times.
....with a heavy heart i went in the ups n downs killed my thighs n and my confidence.....where as the others kept on a steady pace i began to lag a bit...
....with a heavy heart i went in the ups n downs killed my thighs n and my confidence.....where as the others kept on a steady pace i began to lag a bit...
Half way thru the quarry road we saw a small hill with lots f rocks n we decided to take some cool pix n as soon as we reached tht hill we all wanted to go down hill....n 1 by 1 started coming down n then it was me....i was coming down everything was fine n then i did the most stupid thing ever......i came down a bit faster n then pressed the frnt brakes accidentally squint emoticon n they were discs......n i went flying out hitting on to the ground....luckily nothing happened to me other than a few flesh wounds bt my cycle lost 1 f its bull horn unsure emoticon.....n thn the others came down n then it was vaishnavi's turn......initially she didnt think it was a good idea bt then she gathered up courage n came down like a pro n wanted to go again.....n thts when she went rolling and we both had our first falls smile emoticon
The others helped us with our wounds n we started off....not soon after a big short climb i heard a weird noise n when i looked down my chain had snapped while climbing the bumpy bmx stunt road....the team immediately set to work while i helplessy watched n when they realized it cldnt be fixed as we didnt have the proper tools vinoth n arun took on their bikes n dhvinai took my bike n ran along with them thru the crappy road all the way to the main road to get it fixed while the others came back to the hill where we fell tongue emoticonto relax a bit.....we sat there had a few biscuits talked about all sorts f things laughed abt hw we fell there n in abt 20mins they returned with my cycle just as were abt to start again we saw tht vijays frnt tire had a puncture....the team again set to work instantly n got it ready n we all were off again......in abt another 15mins the quarry road was over n when i saw the flat road i just stopped n sat on the flat road which looked more beautiful than ever...
we cycled onto the near by village had some stuff to eat like bananas...jellys...soda with lemon
heart emoticon n masala puri n set off again...
.this time the road was fine bt there was a slight climb n my thighs started to kill me again.....while every 1 kept their steady pace i seriously lagged behind....arun used to take u turns n comeback n push me n cheer me up n kept me going.....each of the riders took their time to ride with me everytime i slowed down n cheered me up did small talks on my fav subjects which kept me going.....soon we came across another water body n we cldnt miss it we instantly stopped n took a dip n clicked a few pix...
soon we started off bt this time we took a detour n got into a forest trial....
it was beautiful and a small trial n soon the word abt dinner came up n questions started arising abt veg or non veg....and as usual non veg wins......n chicken biriyani set in......soon we got into the highway n it started getting dark....n we had nly like less than 10km remaining bt i was dead tired n cldnt move n then stopped a scooty guy n told him tht ill hold onto him while hes riding so tht i cn move ahead effortlessly to which arun didnt agree at all he gave me all sorts of inspirational speeches n didnt let me leave i somehw made him go ahead n tried the holding onto a scooter thing which failed incredibly....i didnt even move 1m cos i didnt knw to hold tongue emoticon i thanked him fr the try n started to pedal again....i put in everything n the nly thing tht kept me going was the chicken biriyani n all the way i was whining n saying hw tired i am bt these guys were always by my side n kept me going n i told arun tht theres no way at all im coming back via cycle n asked him to chk with the ppl coming for snake walk along with whom we were gonna camp fr the night for a return ride back home in 1 f their cars.....we kept riding n i managed to stay close to the others n soon we reached n overshot the camping spot by a few 100m....we immediately realized tht n turned back by tht time it was really dark....within few mins we got into the village of irulas where we were welcomed as 1 f their own....as soon as we came in they provided us with chairs n water n the kids surrounded us with all their tales.....
n in another 10mins or so the snake walk team joined us n we had a big frenzy going on.....there was always laughs n jokes up in the air...kids kept us filled with all their stories n soon the cooking started n i realized there's no chicked biriyani unsure emoticon the 1 thing tht kept me going was long gone...while the cooking team was in action
we had a little intro session going on the other side where every1 kept us filled with their experiences n also the head f irula village joined in with 1 f his board members sharing their experiences...
soon the dinner was ready we all gathered arnd for the yummy veg biriyani with chips n onion n also some fish curry prepared by the irula ppl
....had a stomach full n set off to sleep n thts when we realized the amount f moisture in the air n we were sure to wake up wet if theres nothing above our heads n immediately the irula people set into action took some tarp made a tent kinda thing over head supported by sticks n then we were ready to sleep.....i dozed off immediately as i was totally drained while some played cards n some also went for some night cycling.....
N then the next day came up n we found ourselves covered in fog n soon we had our breakfast n left with the irula leads off to search for snakes.....
To talk about the irula clan, they are an ethnic group in India who specialize in snakes.
they use their skills to catch and extract venom for poisonous snakes which is then sent to Bangalore for the making of various anti-venom and medicines. all this is done under the supervision of government of India and no snakes are harmed in the process. The snakes are released into their natural habitat after the extraction of venom.
The search for the snakes started off with the local tradition of the irulas to pray to their ancestors for a safe day ahead which happened in a separate area meant for the purpose.
...the first 1 we encountered was a bronze back....n then a scorpion....n then in the wild they caught a cobra and a viper !!! Out in the wild just like tht...they even caught another huge scorpion the size of an adult palm !
It was an amazing experience....
N then Masanamuthu had his 7th sense tingling....he heard a pump set in action n the instant we heard tht we ran n jumped into it like we havent seen water in a year.....although ive seen pix f the pump set fun this was my first time n i went crashing into the water chilling myself.....every1 joined in
.....after like 20mins f chilling we then left heading back to the village where the snake team decided to make payasam....bt then the cycling team didn't have time so we decided to start moving n the payasam will reach to us enroute......the prev night i was whining abt the return trip hw i cldnt do it n to get me up in a car bt after the nights sleep n pump shower i was all back up n ready to go meanwhile vaishnavi cld barely walk.....the effects of her fall started showing up last night itself bt she didnt even utter a word n kept up an amazing pace......we all started off n went thru some villages n then elevation came n thrashed me to the ground....my legs started cramping my confidence was in negative digits....i switched my bikes with vijay which was a hybrid n still felt hard.....i lagged behind seriously arun kept by my side despite my dead slow pace n offered to carry my backpack....thnx alot for tht man......n dhvinai kept me filled with his concentrated electrol which really helped me alot....
somewhere in the middle we spotted a seller with "javvu muttai".....his name was arunachalam and he was pursuing his high school and was working along with his family to support to their needs....a total hats off to him to be out there mid noon in the blazing sun despite all the harshness he was still out there to support his family.....
.....javvu muttai was new to me.....it was my first time ! basically it was like boomer tht we cld swallow n tht wld stretch forever !
we kept going on and en-route we found a beautiful farmland that had kids having their time of the day there....it looked so cheerful that we decided for a short halt and took a few pictures along with those lovely kids....
we wanted to stay there for longer but time was not on our side....we set off after a few moments of fun and cherishing photos....
..we soon came to stop at a point that had organic veggies and had cucumbers with salt n i was so low tht i decided to quit tried getting bus routes n stuff bt these guys didnt let me....they kept me going giving me speeches n pushing me n soon at another point we had watermelons n then the snake team caught up with us n cheered me up frm the car as the passed by...n i knew the payasam was here....we all stopped at the next village had payasam n i was done n so pissed tht i asked some1 frm the car to shift with me n ride my cycle.... KrishnaKumar agreed bt then none f these guys let me....every1 cheered me up gave me pats n hugs n tht gave me a bit confidence n i agreed not to quit.....as soon as the car folks left i knew my last hope is gone tongue emoticon n started to pedal we rode for abt another 7k i guess n hit the highway where we stopped fr lunch we all had porottas n kalakki some amazing fresh juice......after tht i have no idea wht happened i was so filled with energy n i cld maintain a good pace n kept going finally without crying out loud....we kept riding for some more time n then magic happened.....i realized where we were headed.....it was our ottiyambakkam quarry kiki emoticon i was so damn excited tht i was peddling like a mad guy filled with joy soon we reached n we were all ready to jump in bt b4 tht me n vaishnavi climbed the hill frm the side hit the top had an amazing view of the quarry n then came back down n jumped ryt in n spent like another 30mins in water finding new ways to swim by using the sleeping mat tongue emoticonwhich actually worked.....
we also bumped into alex frm ctc...daniel n another guy who were abt to do cliff jumps with GoPro...they even swam to the extreme end of the quarry n climbed the hill frm in the pool n jumped back in...it was crazy.... we started again after the relaxing dip....i managed to keep up the steady pace despite the bumpy roads n rocks n headed towards the finish point n there it was medavakkam...the finish point n it was good to see it....soon we hit the closest juice shop n had some tasty fresh juice n headed off again in search of a kalakki shop arnd 1.5km frm there but to our bad luck after reaching there the shop was closed so we decided on an ice cream n went to the closest store n got ourselves the ice creams with which we ended our 2 day trip.....
tht moment when i realized the trip is over n were all gonna part made me kinda disappointed n sad......we all had to part n go other ways n i had another 15km ride ahead f me to hit home which i did in like 35mins......i was like shocked to have come tht fast after such a long trip n killing aches all over the body...
talking abt these guys they were all amazing....super friendly...we all were like we knew each other fr atleast 1 year......every1 rode at an amazing pace n this vijay guy i guess hes got some turbo mechanism......he'll be dead last.....even behind me n suddenly *poof* he'll take off like some car go ahead much ahead like 10 mins ahead of us n wait for us there.......vaishnavi was 1 strong girl....even though she was limping arnd in the camp due to her pain she didnt utter a word abt it while on ride n kept on an amazing pace....n dhvinai vishwanath arun n vinoth were steady as rock...just kept going....
It was simply amazing...all the support these guys gave me....all the fun we had....all in all when i look back i feel proud f myself having done sumtin like this....
N im really happy tht i didnt quit despite my stupid efforts to quit.....i did try to quit a few times on the way back bt these guys just kept me moving on n on.......n special thnx to vinoth i nw have a ton f cool pix to upload.....he was always there with his phone clicking pictures at every corner.....
It was an experience to cherish forever.....i seriously owe each 1 f u guys for the amazing time n support u gave me n hoping to catch another ride with u guys soon.....
The others helped us with our wounds n we started off....not soon after a big short climb i heard a weird noise n when i looked down my chain had snapped while climbing the bumpy bmx stunt road....the team immediately set to work while i helplessy watched n when they realized it cldnt be fixed as we didnt have the proper tools vinoth n arun took on their bikes n dhvinai took my bike n ran along with them thru the crappy road all the way to the main road to get it fixed while the others came back to the hill where we fell tongue emoticonto relax a bit.....we sat there had a few biscuits talked about all sorts f things laughed abt hw we fell there n in abt 20mins they returned with my cycle just as were abt to start again we saw tht vijays frnt tire had a puncture....the team again set to work instantly n got it ready n we all were off again......in abt another 15mins the quarry road was over n when i saw the flat road i just stopped n sat on the flat road which looked more beautiful than ever...
heart emoticon n masala puri n set off again...
.this time the road was fine bt there was a slight climb n my thighs started to kill me again.....while every 1 kept their steady pace i seriously lagged behind....arun used to take u turns n comeback n push me n cheer me up n kept me going.....each of the riders took their time to ride with me everytime i slowed down n cheered me up did small talks on my fav subjects which kept me going.....soon we came across another water body n we cldnt miss it we instantly stopped n took a dip n clicked a few pix...
soon we started off bt this time we took a detour n got into a forest trial....
it was beautiful and a small trial n soon the word abt dinner came up n questions started arising abt veg or non veg....and as usual non veg wins......n chicken biriyani set in......soon we got into the highway n it started getting dark....n we had nly like less than 10km remaining bt i was dead tired n cldnt move n then stopped a scooty guy n told him tht ill hold onto him while hes riding so tht i cn move ahead effortlessly to which arun didnt agree at all he gave me all sorts of inspirational speeches n didnt let me leave i somehw made him go ahead n tried the holding onto a scooter thing which failed incredibly....i didnt even move 1m cos i didnt knw to hold tongue emoticon i thanked him fr the try n started to pedal again....i put in everything n the nly thing tht kept me going was the chicken biriyani n all the way i was whining n saying hw tired i am bt these guys were always by my side n kept me going n i told arun tht theres no way at all im coming back via cycle n asked him to chk with the ppl coming for snake walk along with whom we were gonna camp fr the night for a return ride back home in 1 f their cars.....we kept riding n i managed to stay close to the others n soon we reached n overshot the camping spot by a few 100m....we immediately realized tht n turned back by tht time it was really dark....within few mins we got into the village of irulas where we were welcomed as 1 f their own....as soon as we came in they provided us with chairs n water n the kids surrounded us with all their tales.....
n in another 10mins or so the snake walk team joined us n we had a big frenzy going on.....there was always laughs n jokes up in the air...kids kept us filled with all their stories n soon the cooking started n i realized there's no chicked biriyani unsure emoticon the 1 thing tht kept me going was long gone...while the cooking team was in action
we had a little intro session going on the other side where every1 kept us filled with their experiences n also the head f irula village joined in with 1 f his board members sharing their experiences...
soon the dinner was ready we all gathered arnd for the yummy veg biriyani with chips n onion n also some fish curry prepared by the irula ppl
....had a stomach full n set off to sleep n thts when we realized the amount f moisture in the air n we were sure to wake up wet if theres nothing above our heads n immediately the irula people set into action took some tarp made a tent kinda thing over head supported by sticks n then we were ready to sleep.....i dozed off immediately as i was totally drained while some played cards n some also went for some night cycling.....
N then the next day came up n we found ourselves covered in fog n soon we had our breakfast n left with the irula leads off to search for snakes.....
( the sunrise from our campsite - photo by Vinodh Sundar )
To talk about the irula clan, they are an ethnic group in India who specialize in snakes.
they use their skills to catch and extract venom for poisonous snakes which is then sent to Bangalore for the making of various anti-venom and medicines. all this is done under the supervision of government of India and no snakes are harmed in the process. The snakes are released into their natural habitat after the extraction of venom.
The search for the snakes started off with the local tradition of the irulas to pray to their ancestors for a safe day ahead which happened in a separate area meant for the purpose.
...the first 1 we encountered was a bronze back....n then a scorpion....n then in the wild they caught a cobra and a viper !!! Out in the wild just like tht...they even caught another huge scorpion the size of an adult palm !
It was an amazing experience....
N then Masanamuthu had his 7th sense tingling....he heard a pump set in action n the instant we heard tht we ran n jumped into it like we havent seen water in a year.....although ive seen pix f the pump set fun this was my first time n i went crashing into the water chilling myself.....every1 joined in
.....after like 20mins f chilling we then left heading back to the village where the snake team decided to make payasam....bt then the cycling team didn't have time so we decided to start moving n the payasam will reach to us enroute......the prev night i was whining abt the return trip hw i cldnt do it n to get me up in a car bt after the nights sleep n pump shower i was all back up n ready to go meanwhile vaishnavi cld barely walk.....the effects of her fall started showing up last night itself bt she didnt even utter a word n kept up an amazing pace......we all started off n went thru some villages n then elevation came n thrashed me to the ground....my legs started cramping my confidence was in negative digits....i switched my bikes with vijay which was a hybrid n still felt hard.....i lagged behind seriously arun kept by my side despite my dead slow pace n offered to carry my backpack....thnx alot for tht man......n dhvinai kept me filled with his concentrated electrol which really helped me alot....
somewhere in the middle we spotted a seller with "javvu muttai".....his name was arunachalam and he was pursuing his high school and was working along with his family to support to their needs....a total hats off to him to be out there mid noon in the blazing sun despite all the harshness he was still out there to support his family.....
.....javvu muttai was new to me.....it was my first time ! basically it was like boomer tht we cld swallow n tht wld stretch forever !
we kept going on and en-route we found a beautiful farmland that had kids having their time of the day there....it looked so cheerful that we decided for a short halt and took a few pictures along with those lovely kids....
we wanted to stay there for longer but time was not on our side....we set off after a few moments of fun and cherishing photos....
..we soon came to stop at a point that had organic veggies and had cucumbers with salt n i was so low tht i decided to quit tried getting bus routes n stuff bt these guys didnt let me....they kept me going giving me speeches n pushing me n soon at another point we had watermelons n then the snake team caught up with us n cheered me up frm the car as the passed by...n i knew the payasam was here....we all stopped at the next village had payasam n i was done n so pissed tht i asked some1 frm the car to shift with me n ride my cycle.... KrishnaKumar agreed bt then none f these guys let me....every1 cheered me up gave me pats n hugs n tht gave me a bit confidence n i agreed not to quit.....as soon as the car folks left i knew my last hope is gone tongue emoticon n started to pedal we rode for abt another 7k i guess n hit the highway where we stopped fr lunch we all had porottas n kalakki some amazing fresh juice......after tht i have no idea wht happened i was so filled with energy n i cld maintain a good pace n kept going finally without crying out loud....we kept riding for some more time n then magic happened.....i realized where we were headed.....it was our ottiyambakkam quarry kiki emoticon i was so damn excited tht i was peddling like a mad guy filled with joy soon we reached n we were all ready to jump in bt b4 tht me n vaishnavi climbed the hill frm the side hit the top had an amazing view of the quarry n then came back down n jumped ryt in n spent like another 30mins in water finding new ways to swim by using the sleeping mat tongue emoticonwhich actually worked.....
tht moment when i realized the trip is over n were all gonna part made me kinda disappointed n sad......we all had to part n go other ways n i had another 15km ride ahead f me to hit home which i did in like 35mins......i was like shocked to have come tht fast after such a long trip n killing aches all over the body...
It was simply amazing...all the support these guys gave me....all the fun we had....all in all when i look back i feel proud f myself having done sumtin like this....
N im really happy tht i didnt quit despite my stupid efforts to quit.....i did try to quit a few times on the way back bt these guys just kept me moving on n on.......n special thnx to vinoth i nw have a ton f cool pix to upload.....he was always there with his phone clicking pictures at every corner.....
It was an experience to cherish forever.....i seriously owe each 1 f u guys for the amazing time n support u gave me n hoping to catch another ride with u guys soon.....
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