South India (Day 7: Coimbatore -> Munnar)

Ride Summary: Total Distance: 160 kms     Total Time: 4 hrs 30 min

In terms of directions, our Coimbatore stay was a little bit confusing. Hence I turned on Google Voice Navigation to get to the highway. It struck me that we did a family road trip in our Fiat for 21 days back in 1987. I wonder how my Dad must have managed without internet, cell phones and language problem being worse than it is now. Things are so easy now making travel much more manageable. You have all the info on your finger tips.

We were headed to Munnar. On the way, we saw Suzlon wind mills, pretty close to the highway. Just near Udumalpet, we stopped for a South Indian coffee. I loved the aroma and the coffee tasted great. It costed mere Rs. 15. The taste beats Starbucks coffee hands down. Why could the South Indians never get a coffee chain going? I see Kamat's pretty much everywhere in Maharashtra now. I wonder why we lack such capitalist initiatives and let a Seattle based company serve us sub-par coffee at exorbitant prices.


We passed through Udumalpet and got lost in the market area just for a couple of minutes. But a shop owner immediately helped us. My experience in Tamilnadu so far has been better than Karnataka. These gentlemen were quite curious about our trip from Pune. They also asked a lot of questions on how we have got our bike seats modified for long distance comfort. People look at my helmet as if I were an alien, thanks to the gopro.

We entered the forest area and crossed into the Kerala border. This was the first time we were asked to make an entry with the vehicle number. As you approach Munnar, you start getting a glimpse of the tea estates. And then, it's gorgeous. The views are a pure spectacle. I loved every bit of it. I got busy in taking pics and using my gopro.

Initially we had planned to checkin and have lunch in the Munnar town. But since we got a bit delayed, we decided to make a quick stop. I don't know anything that is quicker than Maggi. So we stopped at a tapri for some omelette and maggi. This was also the first time I tried these quail eggs. They have a bit harder texture than chicken eggs but taste quite similar.

As usual, I bargained at a couple of hotels before we decided to pick a hotel. Since it was a weekday, I could get us a pretty good rate in Munnar. Believe it or not, this was our cheapest accommodation till now. And the room is quite good.

Since this was our 7th day, I was running out of supply of clothes. I had 8-9 days supply with me. I asked about the laundry facility at the hotel, but they seem to charge 45 Rs per clothing! Hence I headed to the market to buy some detergent and for the first time ever, hand washed my clothes. Given the cold weather, drying was a big issue. so I used up the rope we are using to tie the air foot pump, and have run it across the room with a full throttle fan! Things you do on motorcycle trips! Disneyland of beautiful rides and pictures was over. Reality striked!