Here I bring to you the adventures of my first trip after the Corona pandemic hit us. I did go out for a few short half-day rides near Bangalore or a one-day outing around the city. But this time, I am talking about getting back on the road and staying out as well.

They said travel will change due to pandemic. True.

They said the mask and the virus fear will cling onto you in travel. True.

They said that pandemic will kill the travel bug in you. So not true!

When one of my friends from Ooty invited a few of us to his place in November, we were excited. The travel restrictions to Tamil Nadu were lifted and Diwali lifted our spirits as well.

Our destination, Glen Morgan is a lesser-known village on the outskirts of Ooty in Tamil Nadu. The host of this trip lived in the TNEB government cottage there with his family. This was right next to the famous tea estates and the Glen Morgan dam used as a hydroelectric power station, generating electricity for the city of Ooty and helping in the distribution of water as well.

The Exciting Beginning

4 bikes with 8 of us riding, including 2 girls started off on a Saturday morning from Bangalore. We joined 2 more friends in Mysore midway. We would have crossed the Tamil Nadu border by the afternoon, if not for one of the bikes facing a puncture. It took us a while to get the battered tire changed in Mysore. But we were back on the road in time to cross the Tamil Nadu border. E-pass was checked at the state border which we had already filled out online.

Thereafter we were in complete awe of the beautiful fauna we saw crossing the Bandipur and Mudumalai jungles. Elephants, deers, monkeys, and peacocks lined our route throughout. The national park area has no photography and a no-parking rule for valid reasons. It is for the safety of people and more importantly for the safety of the animals there.

As we entered Pykara in the evening, some of the oldest tea estates welcomed us along the road. We had to stop again as we missed one of the friends on the way. No matter how many GPS or phones you carry, when the group is big, delays are the norm. Tired after a 12-hour ride which should have been an 8 hour one, we just pounced on the food as we reached the destination.

TNEB cottages were simple and located in a dreamy spot right next to a lake atop the hills. Sitting next to the campfire, we exchanged stories from the day. The fauna we had seen en route and the plans for the day ahead.

The Hike Through Virgin Hills

There are hills with virgin trails behind these TNEB cottages. They are not open for tourists but for the friends of employees who manage to get permission. Our friend, the host, and his brother acted as our guides through the trek.

The unexplored trail was now covered with our group stopping for dozens of selfies and planting sticks through its chest to walk ahead. Our destination was a peak called Kurisaimalai (the hill with the cross) where there was a mythical cross on the edge of a cliff. Hiking through a distance of 7km up and down the hills, we reached the rocky cliff which took us to the cross. This is where we understood why the spot is not open to tourism.

It was dangerous. Period. There were crevices through the rocks that we needed to cross while looking straight down into the deep treacherous valley below. So, after crossing bisons, deers, and goats on our way, we took our lives into our hands at these crevices. We crossed the challenging rocks and reached the glorious cross. The wind was determined to push us away as if to say we don’t belong there. A couple of my friends struggled to even stand up to the winds at this cliff. The sudden-drop valley view was not helping either.

When we had descended the cliff and the hills, back to our bikes, we realized we had a member missing! The youngest in the group had gone astray. He had lost his way on the first trek he took on. It was still daytime. So, we hoped to find him soon. Half an hour of search later, one of us heard a voice in the distance. It was him. It had to be. We sighed in relief to see him back. Safe.

Exploring The Unknown

On the third and last day of the trip, many of us woke up late. Our host’s mother was a phenomenal cook. She made sure we were well fed on all three days. The cold wind and the trek had burnt out some members of the gang. I was used to such treks but many were completely new to it. Their biggest relief was the delicious food that awaited them that evening.

I started my last day in Glen Morgan with a jog around the hills. The locals had warned me against the monkeys and the foxes. So, I stuck to the route suggested, not far from our place of stay to explore the village on foot. I stopped at the lake, a temple, and said hi to a bunch of buffalos during my run.

Once back from my jog, I headed with the group for a sumptuous breakfast. Watching aunty cook was like watching an artist paint, who had perfected her art over many years. We headed to the Glen Morgan Dam right after. It was a good spot to see the whole valley in one view. The boys decided to take a dip in a little waterfall on the side of a water check dam nearby. The girls decided to go ahead and try our hands at some fishing instead.

Line fishing is not easy. It needs patience and the eyes to identify good spots where fishes will be attracted to the bait. A floating bamboo twig tied to the fishing line indicated when the fish was pulling at it. We sat there watching some locals fish. I tried my hand at throwing the fishing line into the water, almost pulling my friends down with it. Fortunately, they survived.

The Dubious Ride Back

The afternoon of the third day saw us back on the road on our roaring bikes. Elated from the sights and experiences at Glen Morgan and having packed up some woolens that each of us shopped at Ooty, it was time to say goodbye to Tamil Nadu and head home. We rode nonstop until we crossed the state border. This time we could barely see the animals due to the fading lights of the evening. Foxes, elephants, deers, and peacocks greeted us in the dark as we crossed the jungles just in time to reach Karnataka state.

Some roads are forbidden at the night due to the risk from animals. We escaped those animals but a bigger misery awaited us ahead, in our own state. In Karnataka.

One of the riders accidentally grazed a drunk woman crossing the road in the dark. The street lights were not lit on the highway in Nanjungud. Our friend scraped the lady with the side of his handlebar as he steered away from her at the last moment. Both riders fell down with minor injuries. The following bike stopped just before the shocked lady lying on the road.

A mob quickly surrounded them and started bullying our friends to churn out money. All 4 of our bikes stopped for helping the injured. We prioritized to send out the lady in an ambulance firstly and then tried dealing with the mob to no avail. It wasn’t until we called the Police that the mob let our bikes go. This turned out to be a good decision because the police seized the bike and released it peacefully as the women came out of the hospital with minor bruises.

Murphy’s Law

This trip is certainly going into my crazy travel anecdotes diary. This is why.

6 of us had continued riding after putting our injured friends with known people in Mysore that night. We trusted that the Police would handle the incident fairly. And rode out in the night, thinking that we had seen the worst. But the drama was not to die yet. The last of our bikes heading to Bangalore was stopped and mugged in Mandya for all the money they had. The robbers let the boys have the phones but not without a few slaps and jabs at one of the riders.

We got a call from our friends who got mugged later that night. The rider on the other side said – “We were stopped and mugged in Mandya. They took our money. They slapped us. But we are fine now. We still have our phones and our bike. Don’t stop anywhere! Anywhere until you reach Bangalore.” We went into a panic state and rode for 2 hours nonstop to Bangalore. The city we call our home.

The Aftermath

The next morning, 4 of us were home safe. 2 of us were home, mugged but content to have survived. 2 of us still in Mysore trying to look after the women at the hospital.

3 days later, we all met again. At a bakery in Whitefield, Bangalore. We were now able to joke about that dubious and dangerous ride back. You never think such things will happen to you. Especially not after a beautiful experience like Glen Morgan. Until you are in that situation.

And this is when we realized, we were fearing the wrong enemy. The enemy was not the coronavirus. It was not wild animals. The enemy was human. The most dangerous animal there is. The one who has decided that money is more important than someone’s life.