The Idea and Preparation to Mahabalipuram
The idea of going to Mahabalipuram on a bike came to me sometime during the final semester exams. I shared it with Pushkar and he also shared the same response, then we decided to go for it. For me, it was not much of a planned ride; it was more of just an immediate ride. So, after our exams finished, we took a day off to rest as this semester was so much of a headache.
Usually, our semester lasts for around 4 to 6 months, but as we are in the 4th year of our course, the management had to rush everything and do so many things in so much less time. It was told for a fact that this semester would be finished within 40 days and it did. We had exams every other week, notes were to be written for an open-book subject, and new assignments every second week. All of it just feels so chaotic as most of this stuff would end up during the end of our normal semester, during which time we would mostly be free.
Friday Evening Preparations
Now that I have bored you enough with the backstory let’s begin the exciting part of the story. It was Friday evening, and I was casually passing time watching YouTube, as we had to take the rental bike for the trip the next day, I also had a gym in the evening and I had legs that day. Then I got an idea that I would rent the bike out get fuelled up return home and then go the gym with the bike (usually I go with my bicycle, but since it was a leg day I was hesitant with the cycle).
We did exactly that, as we reached the rental company’s outlet, we started scouting for the bikes. Previously we had rented out the Yamaha FZ, it was cheap and rode well on Chennai’s busy roads. We had previously planned on taking this very bike, (it also gave high mileage). Upon reaching I asked the mechanic there to get the bike out of the parking and give it a go.
This time the mechanic said that the prices had been increased from 800 to 900, it was a tad bit surprising but not much of an issue (but still I talked with the owner and asked for a discount over it as we had been a regular customer of theirs).
As the mechanic was washing the bike me and Pushkar was busy filling up a form that required general information like the vehicle details, and personal details. The odometer reading and stuff. We had tried multiple times to submit the form but couldn’t do so. The mechanic told us to take screenshots of the form and send it to the owner, we did the same.
Choosing the Right Bike
After all this, I got on the bike and started the engine and realized that the engine was idling at a higher rev range and felt odd. I asked the mechanic and he tried to mess with the throttle wiring for 5-10 minutes and told me to try it out now. I got on the bike again and took it for a test drive outside the facility.
I was checking out the engine, and faulty brake lever, and then suddenly I realized that the handlebar was to be held right to go straight, this immediately was a red flag and raised NO GOs. I told the mechanic the same and then we gave up on the fz.
Now left with an empty blank we figured that the next best in-condition bike there was the “Honda CB 350 rs”. Now the owner was back at the facility and they (the owner and the mechanic) convinced us that this bike was in its best condition and would be best for the trip we had planned ahead of us.
After giving it a lot of thought we agreed on it and started on our way back home. It was a busy day for all and a lot of traffic was there at the Ramapuram junction signal. For a while me and Pushkar were together but got separated in the dense traffic. We had agreed to go to a petrol pump in Ashok Nagar.
A secret and a mishap
This is a secret and you must not let anyone know about this. I was running short on cash and had to call my mum and ask for some extra cash for the petrol. 99 % of the time I never get myself into a situation where I had to ask my parents for some extra cash. It makes me feel like I am spending too much more than I am supposed to. My mom sent me the money in my account and I got fuelled up.
At the same petrol station, the air refill option was also available. I waited my turn and then got started with it, the service person checked my front tire, it was set at exactly 30 psi, and when he checked the rear, it was also set exactly at 40 psi.
It is during this time that I am still overthinking that I had to ask my mum for that extra cash and felt low about it, this is when I started the bike and began leaving and then suddenly, I stopped to look at the service person and saw that he was furious. I soon realized that there was a safety cap at the tire valve and it was removed before filling the air the guy was putting the cap back on when I started leaving, and as I looked back at him.
He started telling me how stupid I was and what would have happened if his hand was still in the wheel well. I felt so bad about it and even said sorry 3 or more times. At times like these all of my learned Tamil or any new language that I might have learned just vanishes somewhere, leaving me either speechless or stuttering half English and Tamil.
Even as I was saying sorry, I waited for him to finish the job but he was furious, and after apologizing for the second time he just waved at me to go. Now I had realized that there was nothing that I could change about how he felt nor I could communicate what I felt about it, I just left the petrol pump with a heavy heart, and what a stupid mistake I had made. The whole way back home was so bad for me. During this time, I thought to myself that if I stayed home skipping the gym, I would go so long into overthinking and make so many bad assumptions.
But because of my prior experiences, I have found that if you are worried, stressed, overthinking, or doing anything that is troubling you, you should always do a workout or exercise. I went home changed into my gym clothes and headed straight for the gym. After coming back from the gym, I had my dinner talked to my mother about tomorrow’s trip, and discussed what I would wear for the journey.
I stayed awake till 1:30 or so and then tried to sleep, in recent days the sleep had been the short story due to the exams and stuff.
Now coming to the trip part:
Today morning I woke up at 5:05 glanced at my phone and immediately rushed to the bathroom to get ready I had to wake up at 4:30 am or 4:45 am. We were to leave from my place at 5:30. We met and started from my place at 5:45, It was me who made the delay (you would know why). We both decided that the ECR route would be better and for that, I wouldn’t need any navigation as the rental bike didn’t have any phone mount.
The bike ride was so damn good, the cb350 Rs was way too good at its job. But for my taste, I found it way too smooth. As I have already ridden the RE classic 500 to Tada Falls (go check out my blog about that trip in the experiences section), this felt much smoother and easier. This bike had bigger gears and was having long speed ranges for each gear. I would easily go to 80kmph in 3rd gear.
There was a time when I almost clocked above 120kmph. Soon we reached Mahabalipuram, we headed to the beach that was NOT Mahabalipuram beach, as the last time we were here, we had to walk through pig pens.
And the better beach was the one we were going to. It didn’t have a name even on Google Maps or perhaps my navigation skills are just really poor. We had to make multiple stops at small house roads and were confused about what to do now, one of the entry points to the beach looked like it was blocked off. So, we thought of getting breakfast first and then figuring out what to do next after breakfast.
While navigating to the beach I saw a breakfast shop soon we both were headed towards it. Reaching there the shopkeeper told us that it would take 10 or so more minutes for anything to be ready. By the way, we reached Mahabalipuram within 1hr 30 mins. At around 7 or 7:15 am.
The idly was so soft and the vada was delicious, the only thing disappointing was that we were the very first customer of that shop and in the morning itself the coconut chutney was watered down, but it still tasted great. After breakfast, we went to the main tourist attraction of Mahabalipuram, the temple.
We stayed there for some time and took pictures and stuff. From there we figured to go to a beach named “Gagan’s Beach” Pushkar led the way and I followed, midway through the route we found it was blocked off like an army cantonment or something of some sort, we stopped and looked at the map and found out that there was a road nearby that leads to another beach.
This time I led the way and it was straight towards the sea. This beach felt like a private one but it was of fishermen. we parked our bikes near a platform-like thing and descended to the sand. I immediately got started on the sunscreen, recently I had been so badly tanned that I was now scared of it so bad.
We had brought along tennis balls to play catch-catch. There was nothing else we could play with it. I was the one who would go into the waves and Pushkar would stay on the dry sand side. We played for around 15 to 20 minutes and then took some rest on the sand. After a while, we started heading back to the bikes to pack up. I was fully drenched with seawater and much sand in each of the pockets of my joggers.
There was a shower or a water outlet in the shape of a shower that the locals were using it to take a bath as we were parking. I asked the person who was bathing if I could use it. I washed off all the sand that I could. Soon we dried up and headed towards the Mahabalipuram bus stand.
It was in the temple that my shoe’s sole came off. Luckily, I had brought slippers in my backpack. So, after the beach we were headed to the bus stand on the lookout for some cobbler or getting five-quick to past the came-off sole. We got the job done and headed towards Marina Mall in Navallur. The ride back was peaceful and polite compared to the thrilling and adrenaline-filled morning ride.
We got to the mall and had lunch (chicken 65 biryani) it was here that we both tried the famous Jigar Thanda. I felt it was just frozen rabdi given with cold liquid rabdi and the texture of the drink was improved by “gond katira”. I just know it was there but I really don’t what is gond katira. Don’t ask me to ask your mom, she would know it. It was good but in no way felt like a cooling sensation for the belly.
It was pleasurable but it was a one-time drink only. From there we went to give back the bike and pay an extra 8 Rs for every km after 100 km upper limit for the day. And thereafter Pushkar dropped me off to my pg and we called it off. After reaching home I slept like a baby tired from the 130 km ride. I woke up in the evening attended some calls and headed for the gym. I had thought of writing about this whole trip on a blog, but it was one of my regular readers who messaged me and insisted on writing about it.
It was you who made me write the whole experience from start to finish. If you’re reading it now do comment down below (regular readers only) sorry guys I am joking please comment below or text me how you feel about this blog what else should I write about, and if there is any room for improvements and stuff like that. Since this is a very small blogging page each and every response to anything makes a difference.
Thank you again for reading another entry by
SCIENCE MANIAC
a.k.a i Mradanshu Dayal
check out my YouTube
very good
Hehehehe I love reading your blogs keep it up!!! Thank you for writing on this experience too!