An enlightening road trip

Besides racing experiences, I recently went on my first road trip from Chennai to Karnataka in my bike. Though I mostly don’t prefer road trips, I must tell you that my first experience was just amazing as I got a chance to explore the marvellous Hampi. The reason to travel varies from person to person. For me, travel means exploring places and spending all my money in food and to indulge in adventurous activities! Let me share my experience with you.

The journey
Along with my friends, I started from Chennai and it took us five hours to reach Bengaluru. I crashed at my friend’s place that day and started early next morning to Hampi. The village is around 400km away from Bengaluru and  the travel consumed much of the day.

Hampi and its historical significance
To give you a good idea about Hampi, it is an ancient village in Karnataka and it’s dotted with numerous ruined temple complexes of the Vijayanagara Empire on the southern bank of the river Tungabhadra — you can even see elephant stables there. Exploring the temples was memorable. Apart from that, there is Hampi Bazaar, which is an extremely significant place in terms of history and architecture — I urge people who go there to visit the Bazaar.

Adventures
I stayed at a resort with friends for a couple of nights during my vacation and the fire camp which was organised was fun. The next day was altogether a different experience — I had a blast at a musical performance by several foreigners who travelled to the village! One of my most unforgettable experiences was when we climbed the hill in Hampi — the view was just incredible. It was surreal when we cast our eyes on the mysterious landscape filled with palm groves and banana plantations. The steps to the hilltop were reasonably intact though they were as old as the Viyanagara Kingdom. I got to see many things while trekking up the hill and got a clear sight of the hill-top temple.The best part was when we captured the peak.

The locals were kind hearted people, and spread positive energy. We had a good time with them and they were courteous and  willing to help and explain about Hampi.

Ryhana (extreme right) with her friends

The cuisine
Mango Tree Restaurant, which is literally nestled in a banana plantation, is very famous. Another talked-about restaurant is the Geetha River View Restaurant. The specialty of restaurants in Hampi is the setting rather than the food itself. A row of thatched restaurants at the Hampi bus stand is a great place to have a steamed idli breakfast with chai.

Tips for a safe and pleasant road trip
If possible, find a hotel that’s at a walking distance to a restaurant/bar so you don’t have to drive before you turn in for the night. For bike riders, I would urge you to eat light breakfast and then an early lunch. If you’re going to have a heavy meal or a lot of food, save it for the last meal of the day, when you’re done riding — because heavy meals take a lot of energy to digest and will make you drowsy. We found that we could comfortably ride about 100 miles before we needed a break to stretch our legs. I’m also seriously considering an AirHawk Motorcycle Seat Cushion for a more comfortable experience. Apart from that, take a motorcycle safety course, get the right gear, protect your feet, ride within your limits, avoid distractions, leave space, watch the weathers, educate your passengers, look twice and wear your helmet.

Forthcoming on my travel list are the Himalayas, Leh Ladakh and Manali!

(As told to Balajee C R)