tim morch

On the morning of Dec. 7, 2017, we set out from Chennai, India, aboard a pair of KTM Duke 250 motorcycles,for 28 days and over 2600 km.

On the morning of Dec. 7, 2017, we set out from Chennai, India, aboard a pair of KTM Duke 250 motorcycles. For twenty-eight days and more than 2,600km we explored rural Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Few foreigners ride the back roads of southern India and we certainly attracted a lot of attention. From chai stall stares to school children cheers and even newspaper coverage, here are a few tales of our experience.

The East Coast Road cuts through the Muttukadu Backwaters, an extensive estuary extending from north of Covelong to south of Mahabalipuram. In the seaside town of Mahabalipuram, we performed the standard tourist ritual, checking out the seaside temple and the old lighthouse. Walking the beach in front of “Mumu's Surf Shop”, decent waves near the temple were devoid of surfers. Touts were gentle and the beggars respectful.

A sign indicated it was the first of 22 hairpin turns that lay ahead, our first experience with a numbered switchback highway.