Romancing the roads during pandemic

HYDERABAD :  What gives you the thrill of travelling, but without the crowds? Motorcycle rides! After the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown rules eased, Hyderabadis have been seeking out quiet places on the outskirts of the city and beyond to shake off indoor fatigue.

Motorcycle enthusiasts too set off to picturesque locations to spend a few days in nature, while romancing the roads. Darshan Shah, a chartered accountant, made trips to places like Bidar, Zaheerabad, Srisailam, Rajanna Sircilla and Gokarna on his Royal Enfield bike. He was accompanied by his wife and another couple. 

“We visited the Chandrampalli dam at Gottamgotta. We also saw a couple of waterfalls there. We wanted to spend some time in nature and these trips gave us the perfect settings to do that,” he says. Since they travelled at the end of September when it was raining, they came across muddy and slushy roads, but Darshan says that those routes added extra thrill to their rides. Did they face any glitches on the way? “One of the tyres got punctured once, and there was an ignition issue another time.

But we were prepared for all eventualities. We were carrying basic accessories like a puncture kit, accelerator cable etc. We were also carrying tents in case we wanted to halt on the way,” the biker adds. Nishanth Reddy, a corporate professional, rode solo to Araku and Chikmagalur last month. “I loved the peaceful atmosphere in the hills of Araku. I started for Araku at night and reached there the next day evening. I wore a mask and carried a sanitiser, keeping the pandemic in mind. I usually take short rides around the city and want to go for more,” he says. 

Prakash Chaudhary, an operations professional and full-time moto vlogger, rode 1,300 km to and fro Bengaluru. When asked why he chose this particular route, he says: “The Hyderabad-Bengaluru highway is one of the best roads out there. It took me seven hours to reach my destination after taking two breaks.” 
Describing an interesting incident on the way, he adds: “I found a car punctured on the highway.

There were two ladies travelling in it with a child. I helped the driver change the tyre and was happy that I could help them. The joy of riding lies in meeting new people and having new experiences on the way.”Another bike lover, Mosin, rode his Royal Enfield Classic 350 to Puducherry and back last month, along with six others. Covering 3,350 km in total, they touched Bengaluru, Madurai, Rameshwaram and Dhanushkodi.

— Kakoli Mukherjee  kakoli_mukherjee@newindianexpress.com  @KakoliMukherje2