Coast to Coast 2021: Agonda to Kozhikode

By 6 am I am on the road and heading towards Karnataka. I intended to start early so as to cover the maximum distance. An atlas study of the previous night indicated that I have to take the Mangalore route but I would be missing the coast by a long way. I would get to ride on what is called the Coastal Highway minus the view of the coast.

I feel good that Goa was passed over in just half-day and the prospect of new terrain awaits me. I am happy and excited at the same time. The bike has never seen these roads in 5 yrs. They are well paved and I enjoy riding at a leisurely speed of 80kmph. The grip heaters are ‘ON’ as the temperatures are still low.

I enter Kumta village in Karnataka around 8:15 am and decide to stop for breakfast. The stomach is growling. Having only rice for last night, I desperately need something to fill my stomach. I have been riding for more than 2 hrs since morning and cover my 1st 100kms of the day.

I eat ‘Wada Sambar’ and finally giant Mysore masala dosa. Everything is then washed down with a hot cup of filter coffee. I get to interact with some locals who show great interest in my Journey. They wish me luck and I take their blessing.

The day has begun now as I see people crowding near many road junctions. Many of them are riding the TVS bikes which I think is apt for local transportation. Tender coconut vendors are everywhere and so are the beautifully arched entrances of Temples decorated with various gods. The sun is up nicely and the temperatures have increased slightly. The good condition of the roads keeps me going.

At some portions of the highway, I get a glimpse of the coastline but for most of the time, it’s the dense vegetation of the palm trees which block the view. I intended to ride close to the coast but it looks like Karnataka is not letting me do it. There is no option but to push on.

Having woken up early and the smooth roads with almost constant driving speed, my eyes try to give up on me. They are shutting down and I struggle to keep them open. It’s a challenge between the body and the mind. I give up. Soon, the bike is taken aside and near to a local sweet shop where I indulge myself on a large tin can of Red Bull. This, I think, will only save me from shutting me off completely. I wait for some time for the effect to kick off and hit the road again. Good roads also sometimes cause problems.

The time is around 10:30 am and Mangalore is 115kms to go. With such roads, I think of hitting Mangalore before noon.

I try to phone my friend from Udipi and take stock of the situation in Kerala. Mangalore is just ahead and it seems like I will be entering Kerala today. The COVID situation is still prevalent so I take help from my friend to get to know the situation at the border. What I get to know is that there is some protest happening over not letting the people cross over the border from Kerala into Karnataka. The reverse is not an issue which is my case. Still, my friend cautions me. This adds up certain uncertainty to my trip forward and I am nervous. Meanwhile, I complete my 99000kms on the Odometer. I wonder which state it will be when I complete my 1,00,000kms

Just outside Mangalore, I stop for a hydration break, and instead of having water, I have fresh sugarcane juice. The time is 12:30 pm and I plan to stop ahead at some local shop to shop for essentials.

I stop at a place called ‘Talapady’ around 2 pm to stock up on essentials. I stock up on everything which will be required if I don’t get a hotel to stay or the other way round, If I avoid the hotel stay due to a high number of COVID cases in Kerala and try to spend the night somewhere. I carry extra water bottles, dry snacks, bananas which will last for a day. It’s only a matter of spending 1 night. The other night will be in Tamil Nadu. With this logic, I try to start the bike but it refuses to start. It seems that the fuse is blown again, the same condition as in Morbi, Gujarat.

The heat is beating up on me and I am sweating profusely. I am desperately trying to search for the fuse which I have kept somewhere but unable to find. In meantime, seeing my struggle, I am approached by 2 gentlemen who try to help me. I explain my predicament and they vanish immediately only to be seen once again with the required fuse in their hand. They even have extras for me. They source it from a nearby local garage and I am extremely delighted by their helpful gesture. I thank them and we take a group photo. It’s time to enter Kerala now!

Speed drops immediately due to single-lane highways and heavy traffic. I fear the worst is yet to come and It makes it difficult for me the judge the distance I will be covering till the dusk. Whatever it be, I push on.

Palm trees are spread everywhere. They are like grass in savannah and can be seen everywhere where your eyes are set upon. I have lost count of the bridges I have crossed till now since entering Kerala.

The roads are very narrow. I am not moving fast enough and as a result, I am sweating heavily. God knows when I will be able to ease up on the throttle. The traffic is rash and for a moment I think that mishap is just about to happen. But, that is only in theory. In practice, everyone seems to understand each other driving styles and narrowly misses each other. This looks like the norm here. An ambulance passes by and judging by its speed, it must be around 70-80 kph. Traffic from both sides shifts to the edge giving the central part of the road to the Ambulance. What coordination! I have never seen an Ambulance driver drive so fast on a crowded road.

Kerala seems to be a Muslim dominant state. As I pass through narrows roads, the smell of roasted kababs hits me and I go mad. It lures me to have that hot kebab right now. That craving is shifted to later in the evening and it seems like Kozhikode is apt to place to halt. I push further.

As I am cruising the roads of Kerala, I notice a strange thing around me. I can see a Royal Enfield bike almost every now and then. I am startled. I begin to think, how many bikes does Royal Enfield sell per month in Kerala. It’s like the Maruti of the 2 Wheeler. But, I am happy riding along with RE fans, some of them I see riding without helmets.

It’s almost 5:15 pm in the evening and Kozhikode is still 70 km to go. I am low on fuel and need to stop somewhere to fill up. It’s been quite some time and I have yet to have a conversation with a Mallu.

At one stretch, I see mallu superstar photo hung up on all the street light poles barring no one. This is some marketing and publicity on another level. Adding to that are party banners of various entities. Kerala seems the only place where politics is taken very seriously.

I am exhausted and tired due to the state’s traffic situation. I reach Kozhikode around 7:15 pm and search for a hotel to lay my body. I just can’t camp. It’s out of the question. To hell with COVID. At the same time, some strange noise is coming from the engine as I park my bike. Shit has become serious now.

I use Google to locate a decent hotel nearby and head straight towards it. The hotel goes by the name ‘Nexstay’ and I get a room for 999rs.

Locating the hotel is a bit of a mess as I am unable to locate it. I try to use the google location and at one point pass by the hotel but still struggle to locate it. Frustrated, I try to call on the given number, and then I am guided properly to its entrance. Nothing is coming easy for me.

Turns out that the hotel entrance is through a restaurant that has a different name. Here lies the confusion. The restaurant is owned by the hotel. I get a person to assist me with the luggage but he waits for me patiently as I am on phone with my service guy trying to diagnose the engine noise problem. Every detail on the bike is checked and it’s concluded that there might be play between ‘Connecting Rod’ and ‘Crankshaft’. This shit is serious and needs to be dealt with in a quick way. I have already gone through this pain back in 2018 during the ‘Tour of Uttarakhand’. It’s the constant hammering noise of the ‘Connecting Rod’ onto the ‘Crankshaft’ which is annoying and at the same time frightening.

I am in my room at around 8 pm. I get quickly organized and it turns out that room dining facility is available which gives me a big relief. I am tired to the core and want no further movement of myself. I try one of my favorite items for the dinner called ‘Shawarma’, which is an Arabian non-veg delicacy. After eating, I plan for the route ahead and also try to locate the nearest service center to get my bike checked.

Kochi, the capital city is not far and thus it’s decided that the bike will be checked at Kochi only. I randomly check the distance traveled today and the value comes around 550kms, which is huge as compared to the roads and traffic I had to face.

The time is around 10:30 pm when I crash into my bed. It’s again an early start for me tomorrow.