Let's Talk—Do You Chase After Top Lists or Enjoy Doing Your Own Thing?

A motorcyclist friend asked the following question on his facebook timeline few days ago and it got me thinking about it.

Many motorcycle travellers are going where social media is telling them to go; (10 places to visit before 30, 5 places to explore before you die, etc)

Sure you can do that.. but once in a while question yourself where you really want to go!!

There’s always a place that’ll make you more happy than Leh, Ladakh or the other recently gained famed destinations.

Even If I set aside motoring for a moment, there are various kinds top lists that exist for all kinds of activities you could be doing in your life.

But as a motorcycle enthusiast from India I've had the pleasure of riding around many places in the 17 years that I've been riding. I didn't have the luxury of the gadgets many riders have currently but it was great exploring various parts of the country on two wheels.

^{Pic of my negotiating a corner taken few years ago on a road trip with my biker buddy @thebatmanbiker}

I've been lucky enough to visit most of the fancier places in some of the "best roadtrip top lists" such as this list here. But if you were to ask which one I miss the most, then for me it was always local ride on the weekend.

Kudremukh in the western ghats. Nothing too fancy I know. But it's one of the best riding routes and from standpoint of my geo-location it's very accessible. Kudre-mukha in Kannada translates to Horse Face. It's 2nd highest peak in Karnataka and from a certain angle the peak looks like a face of a horse.

It has an old-mining town now abandoned which has the same name as the mountain. The ride itself is a 210 km round trip from my house and I did that almost religiously every alternate weekends most of my riding years before moving out of Mangalore in 2011.

I ventured there regularly even when I moved back to Mangalore. Infact one of my most memorable ride through this place happened a day before my accident.

^{The long straight nearing the old-mining town of Kudremukh}

When I was able to ride I used to head there every alternate weekend. It was the most fun ride of them all for me. I know the road like the back of my hand, corner after corner. It's basically a reserve forest area with sparse traffic, tight curves and elevation changes and feels like a race track that you want to master.

The road is rather narrow and the ride or drive depending on the vehicle you are in is quite technical. You can enjoy it to the fullest if you get there early in the morning for a spirited hill-run. But it's certainly gotten a bit busier now than a decade ago.

But, I feel at home when corners come and after several years of riding and driving in the twisties I can confidently hold my line through a curve in any vehicle. Long straights bore me!

Anywho, long ago I'd seen a video on YouTube of a motorcycle racer at the Isle of Mann TT taking a journo or videographer on tour of the circuit and explaining the circuit as they drove around. When it comes to Kudremukh I've done the same on a few drives with my out of town friends visiting me on a weekend.

Sun or rain, over a hundred trips done in the past decade and I still crave for more! I often dream of riding here again, before its time to kick the proverbial bucket.

^{Same section of the road as above but in the summer. I drove along with some biker buddies this time.}

I won't deny that conquering places on a top-list sometimes is also incredible. Ticking off some of these places and sharing your stories about them can inspire others to get off their arse and head out and explore the world around us.

So Let's Talk,

Feel free to share your thoughts or stories, with any pictures in the comments.

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