Motorcycle Diaries

Sarchu to Leh

2012-08-21T17:38:00.000+05:30

With another 270 km to cover, I get up early in the morning at around 5am, feeling a bit better from the Altitude Sickness that had hit me the previous evening. To my surprise, my host was up even earlier and greeted me with a hot cup of chai. He advised me to leave early in order to reach Leh by late evening. Packed myself once again and soon realised that my boot was still wet; with no other option geared up to leave Sarch at about 7 am. While leaving I was subjected to the surprise of my life. Any guesses on how much I was charged for the stay, hot water and genuine hospitality? FIFTY RUPEES!! I handed over 200 bucks to my friend and bid goodbye.

From the moment I started my bike, the excitement was building; couldnt believe that I was going to reach Leh. I get goosebumps even now when I think about the moment.

In less than an hour I encountered the first high altitude pass- Nakila which was at a height of 15600ft. I had move inch by inch due to the nature and terrain of the path. Frankly speaking I even wanted to give up at times due to the physical and mental starin. Each time I kept reminding myself of how I managed to ride all the way from South India all by myself until this point. Wouldnt I kill myself if I gave up now, just 200 odd kilometers away? Ti keep myself motivated, I remembered seeing the bicyclists in Keylong, who endured much harsher physical strain.

Just as I crossed one, there was the second high altitude pass LaChung La which was at a mind blowing 16500 ft above sea level. This was the highest road I had ever rode on in my life until then. But again along with the height came the hardships. It was pretty much uneventful until I stopped at Pang for some chai and fuel.

To my surprise I found a lot of vehicles in there, most of them returning from Leh to Manali. There was a group of 4 German bikers who were returning to Manali from Leh and shared their table with me as soon as I reach Pang. Although I was half their size with a less loaded bike, we were all on the same page when it came to riding. One of them was short on engine oil, was therefore a bit worried. Since I had emptied my spare oil in Keylong I couldnt help him. My fall sometime back which had robbed me of some fuel made me buy extra petrol here, sold in plastic cans for Rs.100/litre. I had no choice but to go for it. Wishing each other goodbye, we went in the opposite direction with me headed towards Leh.

Each momemt I thought I couldnt be surprised further, I would run into a bigger shock. Within no time I ran into Morey Plains- the notorious 40 km flat land amidst the cold desert. Not a single soul in my sight I was suddenly engulfed by monstrous mountain ranges all around. I was now riding on a flat desert with no pathway and the sun playing hide and seek. I had absolutely no clue where I was heading and even used the horn for the first time, knowing that no one was around to even respond to the noise. I kept shouting out loud, standing up, sitting downn, stretching my legs, all while riding. Even if I had ran naked around, there wasnt even a bird or dog to laugh at me. Another half an hour of riding gave me a sudden sighting of dust flying ahead. Although it looked pretty near, it took me another 10 mins to spot the tracks. yes a truck was going ahead and I gladly followed the trail left on the sand, but managed to reach the truck only a little later. With common sense prevailing I decided just to follow it, rather than overtaking it.

Soon I was out of Morey Plains and crossed a little hamlet Debring, preparing to encounter the hardest test so far- Tanglang La. The climb to this high altitude pass was back breaking. I could feel ever single piece of my body taking the beating. BUt then the moment I reached Tanglang La, everything was forgotten in a jiffy. Its the second highest motorable road in the world (debatable), standing at an altitude of 17,582 ft. Heartily clicked a few pictures on celebrating the milestone and rode downhill quickly, since it isnt advisable to spend a lot of time at high altitudes.

Here is when I had my first fall. Until then I was riding at a maximum speed of 8-10km/hr in first gear. Suddenly there was a fine stretch of new tarmac for a couple of kms, which got me excited. As I revved my bike to 60km/hr, I was unfortunate to encounter loose rocks in a turn. If I braked, I would have fallen some thousands of feet below on the left. I therefore flew to the right, with the bags just flying above my head, while my bike skid towards the left. Another couple of meters towards the left, I would have lost it. Knowing it was lying safe, I just lay there on the road for sometime, trying to get some oxygen and rest. After about 10 minutes an Army truck came by to my aid, lifting me and my bike up. Since I was geared properly, I escaped injuries, while causing abrasion to my rain gear and boots. My bull as usual withstood all tantrums, while only leaking a few litres of petrol. Fortunately I had topped up my tank earlier in the day in Pang.

This fall prepared me for the worse and after another stretch of horrendous roads (read as no roads, only boulders), I finally got a glimpse of Leh in Upshi. In between there were a few exciting river crossings from the mighty Indus and a couple of small villages. Before the day light faded, precisely at 5:40 pm I reached the city of Leh. I was grinning to myself and wanted to call close friends to share the joy which was sky high by now.

As usual I hadnt booked any hotel, so spent half an hour searching for good place to stay. Having encountered the journey of my life, I wanted to treat myself to a good hot shower (hadnt showered since I left Manali) and a little luxury. Checked into Oriental Guesthouse, which sat at the foot of Shanti Stupa, a couple of kilometres away from the market. It was pure bliss to get rid of my riding gear and dirty clothes to just meditate under the hot shower for an hour. I had done it!

Capture the Colour

2012-08-20T22:54:00.000+05:30

This post relates to my entry for the Capture the Colour Competition (link given below)

http://www.travelsupermarket.com/c/holidays/capture-the-colour/

BLUE

This picture was taken in Pangong Lake, situated in the region of Ladakh. The uniqueness of this lake is that it changes colour during different times of the day based on the sunlight. It was pure magic!

RED

A strange friend paid me a visit in this natural paradise called Meghamalai in South India. This is a close up shot of the leech which sneaked between my feet and my flipflops. It was literally going after my red juice!

WHITE

What else to say! Wah Taj! The white marble beauty acknowledged as one the of modern wonders of the world. I was fortunate enough to be there on the day of Eid, celebrated by the followers of Islam after 30 days of observing fast.

GREEN

The colour of nature. Meghamalai offered breathtaking views of vast tea estates and natural lakes. I happened to go there during the cyclone season, which enhanced the beauty of the region.

YELLOW

The colour of Energy. During my trip to the princely state of Rajasthan, women were clothed in very bright bold colours. One such lady selling bananas under the tree is potrayed below.

I would like to nominate 5 fellow bloggers for the competition:

R.Niranjan Das
C.Sankara
Rajesh
Sandhya Sankaraman
Sandhya Iyer

Keylong to Sarchu

2012-08-20T13:13:00.001+05:30

After a goodnight's sleep, I went down to fix my bike. Once again Martin's (by now he was officially my bike guru) wise words aided me in getting my bike to the mechanic. What would have happened had I not got the spare clutch plates at the nth minute??? Yes, I was told by the mechanic in Keylong that I could get them only in Leh. What an escape! After an hours job, I got my bike running fine again and headed straight to the petrol station to tankup since I wouldnt be able to find another one for the next 350kms.

After a snack and chai we left Keylong by noon. Martin was still undecided on where he was heading next, hence decided to ride along until Darcha, another high altitude pass. Two hours of non-stop riding led us to the nearest base camp for some carbohydrates.

On the restart, it started drizzling. Without wasting a minute we stopped to put on our rain gear over the riding jacket and pants. At high altitude riding wet would be absolutely a nightmare, with the chilly winds piercing the body. Thats when Martin decided to return. I thanked him for all the help and timely advice and parted ways not knowing when we would meet up next. I havent heard from him since then, but would cherish his friendship for a lifetime. From Darcha as I started to move along without a single vehicle in sight for more than a couple of hours, the rain was getting heavier. Water had already got into my boots while crossing a big stream (thanks to the damage caused to my boots in Rohtang)and it started taking its toll on me now. Although I stopped for a couple of minutes, rain and chilly conditions prevented photography of this wonderful paradise. Neither words nor pictures can do justice to the natural beauty.

As I started descending to my destination for the night, Sarchu, the rain stopped and I was fortunate enough to click a couple of pictures of his breathtaking land.

At around 6 pm I reached Sarchu base camp and unsurprisingly there wasnt a single other tourist there. An old man welcomed me with open arms and without asking a word just brought some hot water in a glass and bowl. I had no clue on the formalities. Without uttering a word I just gulped the hot water in a second before I was offered chai. Thats when he asked me to take off my shoes to soak my feet in warm water. He was a seasoned host, I reckoned. Wet feet could kill you in such extreme conditions. Although I couldnt see another soul in sight, I was happy to know that I was in safe hands that evening.

Did I mention that Sarchu is at 13,500 ft? Yes, I just had my first bout of Altitude Sickness. After warming up my feet, I was shown the tent where I could sleep. Although it could accommodate about 8 people, it was all for me now. Electricity was a problem though. My torch doubled up as a candle in there and I sank under 3 layers of quilt. Soon i realised that I could neither sleep, nor sit nor rest inspite of being tired. Went out for a walk hoping to feel better, but it was freezing, made worse by the desert winds.

Seeing me suffer, my host handed over a bottle of Old Monk for which he asked not a penny more than the MRP. I gladly shared it with him over dinner of hot rice and gobi
masala. I came to know that his family lived in a village in Spiti, while his son was sent to a school in Srinagar. They did not have any electricity or any basic infrastructure in their village, because of which his son visited them only in the summer. Was disgusting to think how dare our shameless politicians brag about 'India Shining'! Zipped up my sleeping bag and dozed off around 8.30, hoping to catch some sleep under those heavy quilts.

Manali to Keylong

2012-08-19T16:27:00.000+05:30

This post has been looooong overdue. Got busy with few other things in life, that has left this blog unattended for sometime now. Let me complete the story before I forget the details. Actually my friend just reminded me that I completed the first anniversary of my road trip a week ago :-). And guess what he too just quit his job recently and is leaving to Leh tomorrow (bad influence????;-)).

For those who have just entered my blog, I request you to flip through my previous posts on my roadtrip to freedom, with the Manali post being the latest (http://royalenfielddiaries.blogspot.in/2012/01/misty-manali.html).

Having spent a couple of nights in Manali, I decided to leave to Ladhak the next morning. Martin surprised me by offering to ride upto Darcha, which was a huge boost for someone riding up the Manali Ladakh route for the first time that too during the wettest time of the year. We left the guesthouse at around 8 in the morning and just as we started our motorbikes Martin asked me if I had extra clutch plates. Since I did not have them, I rode up to the workshop and purchased a set of 4 speed clutch plates and pressure plates for my Electra and caught up with Martin at the Petrol station. We rode for about half an hour before stopping for breakfast at a base camp which was about 50 kms from Rohtang. Having filled ourselves with the usual quota of Maggi noodles and tea we rode straight ahead to Rohtang.

About 8kms before Rohtang I encountered a road block, first of its kind actually. A stretch of about 150 meters of slush, two feet high. Martin had already crossed it and a JCB had just followed him out of the pit. This made things worse for me, since the entire strtch was now churned up by this monster vehicle. I could see Martin waiting on the other side, whicle a bunch of vehicles waited helplessly along with me on this side. Most of them turned back to Manali, since there was no hope of that getting cleared without a days sunshine atleast. I could now either go ahead or return to Manali, which would have been very depressing. So I decided to take the risk and went ahead into the puddle. In less than 10 meters I realized that slush reached my knee and my chain sprockets disappeared too. Managing to gain another 20 meteres, my engine gave up. The clutch was almost dysfunctional now; I could see people and vehicles on either side of the stretch now, while I stood alone in the middle of the puddle like an idiot. With some effort I cleared some dirt around my bike with my hands and even managed to start my bike, but unfortunately the clutch was nearly dead- I could smell the burnt plates now. I waved to Martin to go ahead and pushed my fully loaded bike out of the puddle in about half an hour- the longest 30 mins of my life. By the time I came out of it, my bike refused to move because the constant revving jammed the clutch plates. To compound my vows, the JCB went back and cleared about 2 meters of road after an hour, which cleared the way for the remaing vehicles on either side.

I lie exhausted along the roadside along with my bike for sometime hoping for a miracle to happen. On my left was a deep valley which enjoyed the company of a few horses grazing on very steep slopes. After 3 hours of helplessness and waiting, one empty truck which was to bring back vegetables from Keylong came to my aid. After some negotiation, they agreed to transport my bike and me to Keylong for thousand bucks. The three of us loaded the bike into the truck and anchored it with some ropes, while I was crammed in between the driver and his assistant in the front. The driver who was all of 23 years old (by now I realized that it is very difficult to predict the age of these people, who had been battered by years of hard work and exposure to extreme weather conditions) was from some village in Himachal and married with a couple of kids. This truck was gifted to him by his wife’s family, with which he could work for 5 months a year, transporting vegetables between Manali and Keylong to be stored for the winter. Since it was extremely risky to drive in this terrain, he did not have much of competition. His assistant an 18 year old boy from Kashmir, was very enterprising. They couldn’t understand why I wasn’t married yet and had no clue where Chennai or Cochin was. They infact thought something was wrong with me when I told them that I was riding alone.

After an hour or so, we stopped at the only eatery until Keylong. To my surprise Martin was waiting for me there; he had reached there some four hours back and knew I would stop here for food. In this age of mobile phones, when we keep calling our friends every five minutes asking ‘Where are you?’ before meeting up, this was very refreshing. Basic trust and understanding alone can bring people together. With another bowl of maggi and chai, we decided to catch up at Keylong.

While he went ahead in his bike I trudged along behind in the truck reaching Keylong by nighfall. It took me more than eight hours to cover 100 km, that’s how bad the road was. Martin had reached a hour earlier and booked a guesthouse for about Rs.250/night. Thanking the truckwallahs, I unloaded my bike, which had leaked all the petrol in the truck carrier and decided to attend t the next morning.

Democratic Madness

2012-08-19T15:34:00.000+05:30

NE Exodus: India to take up the issue with Pak- CNN IBN

Always said foreign hand in North East scare: Gogoi, Trains bring thousands back to Assam- NDTV

Back home, what about their future?- The Hindu

India is a democratic country and I am happy to be here. But is it the same for everyone in this country of 1.2 billion? NEVER..How much more can we abuse democracy?
On the hindsight I believe we would've been better off under the Brits.

In the name of social cultural values, this country has turned into a bunch of hypocrites.

You complain of racist attacks in Australia, you crib for being mistreated in a pub in England, you cry out loud when you are searched by a security agent in an airport in the USA. Our great visual media amplifies your voice exponentially.

Havent we Indians been racists always? We mock the colour of Afrikan Americans as soon as we land in the dollar land. We laugh at the features of our Oriental neighbours. If that wasnt enough, we brand our own people as foreigners.

We just love the word 'Chinki' isnt it. After all they are from the North East and do not look like 'US', who cares!

Ofcourse we need them to beautify our masks in all the Beauty Saloons across the nation, but then they are just chinkis!
Ofcourse we can't do without them in the hospitality industry, but then they are just chinkis!
Ofcourse they are the only ones to guide us during our vacation treks in the high mountains, but then they are just chinkis!
Ofcourse we very badly need an Olympic medallist, but then they are just chinkis!

How much more dumber can we get by killing more people in the name of religion. What gives you the bloody right to tell someone what is right and what is wrong. How different is this compared to what the Mughals, Brits, Portuguese, Dutch or the French did to us?

Coming to the headlines adorning the television channels and newspapers today, are we stupid enough to be manipulated by a small neighbour. Can't people realise that religion is the only cause for all this senseless madness? Instigating violence through the classic anti-muslim sentiment during the holy month of ramadan doesnt have to be an idea from an Einstein. But mindlessly falling prey to such an idiotic idea shows the level of insecurities among the citizens of this country. And what did the hapless peace loving people from the most beautiful part of the country do to deserve all this? Cant any amount of justification equate their loss and humiliation?

We love to voice our concerns for the Tamils of Sri Lanka or for the Palestinians in Gaza. Who gives you the bloody right to stoop your nose into others business, when your own linen back home is soiled?

I sincerely wish two things happen now-

Firstly, people with common sense should show solidarity with our fellow countrymen from the North east and voice our protest across the nation. Any ideas to enforce such a movement is most welcome!

Secondly, after things mellow down, we need to create sustainable work opportunities for them in the North East. This will result in two things- they will have the upper hand and the rest of the nation will feel the irreparable loss of their service.

Misty Manali

2012-01-13T13:58:00.000+05:30

Topped up my tank and left around 10 in the morning, bidding goodbye to Chandigarh. As I entered Punjab, there was a road diversion and I soon lost the way riding through deserted villages. Finally managed to hit the Ghats leading to Manali, but it started raining. I stopped for come chai and biscuits since I did not have breakfast and it was already quarter past 12. The roads were great mostly, twisting and turning around the hills. Soon I realised that Himachal Pradesh is a state that will leave you spell bound in her beauty. I spotted another bike on the way probably headed to Manali too, but since I wanted maintain the momentum I didn’t stop. I thought it would be easy to spot him when I took a break anyways, but never got to see him again. There was hardly any traffic on the road and the excitement inside was building- it was going to be my first visit to Manali.

As soon as I hit Kulu, I called up a friend to share my excitement. In another hour’s time I’d be in Manali. On the way my bike rode through a 3km tunnel, where unfortunately I was stuck behind a bus suffering from tuberculosis. On paying the ‘Green Road Tax’ of Rs.100 I entered New Manali, crossed over the bridge and reached my guesthouse in Old Manali. Here too I paid Rs.300/night. The room was spacious, with cheap wooden flooring, a big queen size bed clothed with thick velvety blankets and attached bathroom with hot water. Although there was a television, I didn’t bother to switch it On. It was a two storeyed building and my room was in the first floor, giving me ample view of the snow-capped peaks in the background. I could hear the water gushing below all day.

My neighbour was a guy from the UK by the name Martin. He had just returned from Leh that morning and told me how bad the road was due to incessant rains and landslides. I decided to spend a couple of days in Manali and the next morning rode up to Vashisht which was famous for a temple. It was a very steep ride and two Spaniards rode pillion too, which made my bull go out of breadth. My friend in Gokarna had mentioned about the Moonlight café in Old Manali, so I went there for lunch. It seemed to be a popular place among foreigners; food was decent and not too pricey. Travellers came here in groups over a game of cards and food. I liked it!

New Manali was the place where Indian tourists flocked to. Typically it was filled with shops and restaurants of all kinds. Winter wear including skull caps and gloves seem to be a thriving business and I picked a cap for one hundred bucks. To my surprise I could hardly find any firang in this place just like I couldn’t find Indian tourists in Old Manali- there was a clear demarcation.

During the evenings Martin and I bonded over a couple of beers and later coffee in the morning. He gave me some valuable tips on riding up to Leh in winter since it was my first time. Usually people ride during the months of May, June and July; during September the weather is harsher and the roads are either damaged or washed away by landslides. This am talking about Manali-Leh, while the Srinagar route is very good. Since Ive always wanted to do the Manali route, it was worth the risk and I wasn’t going to back out now. Martin mentioned to me that he and his friends had to return to Manali some 7 times just after reaching Rohtang, which is about 54 km away, due to inaccessible roads. Monsoons had made the Rohtang pass absolutely inaccessible and they had to close this stretch quite often this year….

Chandigarh

2012-01-11T23:12:00.000+05:30

In order to beat the morning traffic I left the hostel by around 7 am. In between I got lost a bit in the city and when I approached a cop, he asked if I was going to ride all the way to chandigarh. When I told him about my journey thus far, he got excited and rode along with me until the outskirts in his patrol vehicle and wished me good luck. On reaching the highway, I stopped at a Dhaba for breakfast. The guy served me two aloo parathas with a chunk of butter melted on top of it accompanied by thick curd (plain yoghurt) and pickles. In addition to that I had two cups of chai. For all of the above he charged me Rs.48 only. Since Chandigarh wasn’t too far away, I thought I’ll ride slowly in an effort to boost the mileage (km/ltr) of my motorcycle. The roads were great right throughout and I stopped at McDonalds somewhere in the outskirts of Chandigarh. The place was filled with rich Punjabi kids and even a politician who came in with police escorts. It was about 3 pm and I tried reaching Jojo, another of Eashwar’s biking friend. As per his suggestion I managed to find a place for Rs.300/night and its called Gulati Bhavan. The room was 15’ X 20’, furnished with a huge queen size bed and an attached bathroom. Couldn’t ask for a better deal. Jojo worked in night shifts, so I we decided to meet up for dinner.

My only rendezvous with this great city is during my third year of Under Graduation wherein we learnt about the city in Contemporary Architecture. It was designed by Le Corbusier, who is also the mastermind behind most of the public buildings in this small city. There was a main arterial road which was intercepted by various cross roads, dividing the city into sectors. The city was very neat with wide roads and I even saw a lot of young women burning the tarmac in their motorbikes. Remembering a little from college, I visited the Assembly building and the Court complex and managed to click a few pictures too. Few security personnel did not take it in kind and I managed to convince them that I was a student (had my ASU Student ID card in my wallet). A torch and a small rucksack was missing in my utility kit, which took me to the shopping complex (I think Sec #17). Very efficiently planned, the entire shopping complex is centralised in a square with ample parking.

Finally met Jojo for dinner, which led us to a restaurant called Sher-e-Punjab. It was more than 10 days since I had any non-veg or alchohol and I was craving for some good food. After a quick pint of KF, we went down to the basement for food, where we were joined by another friend of Jojo’s. He did the ordering and I did all the eating. Wow, excellent afghani chicken kebab followed heavily buttered naan, butter chicken and rajma. I couldn’t breathe after the feast and found it very difficult to sleep! The next morning Jojo was kind enough to come by and send me off as I headed to the enchanting Manali.

New Delhi

2012-01-11T22:52:00.001+05:30

Thanking Raja and his family for having me over for three days, I left to Delhi by afternoon. Just after crossing the Toll gate, I heard some noise and to my horror, the Silencer bend pipe had come off the engine. Luckily for me, I had not yet taken the flyover leading to Chanakya Puri, my destination for the night. The mechanic who had seen my bike the previous day was close by and I rode straight into his garage. There I got my silencer replaced and fine-tuned my bike once more before heading to the Youth Hotel, riding past all the foreign embassies and state offices. Since it was located in the diplomatic enclave, there was pin drop silence on the road and very meagre traffic on the well laid tarmac. On showing my membership card I was given a dormitory for Rs.275/night. The place was neatly maintained and I was honestly surprised how organised things were. There was a German couple at the counter, who were told that a guy and a girl cannot stay together in a room. I still remember the shock on their faces, and felt sorry for them. At my dorm there were some 10 bunk beds in a two tier fashion. There were a few others staying there and to my surprise I was the only traveller there and to top it, none of the others held a Youth Hostel International membership card even. In fact they seemed to be surprised asking what a traveller was doing there. Two of them were lawyers, one an artisan and two others had come for a presentation. One of the lawyer guy sported an orange tikka on his forehead and started asking about my religion just after the introduction formalities. It made me very uncomfortable. When I told him that I do not practice any religion, he did not understand but clearly seemed offended. I get this kick when I flummox people, for not being what they expect me to be. The other lawyer guy seemed to be a nice person boasting of many high level connections. He told me that he was on the main counsel team defending A Raja, the ex-telecom Minister languishing in the prison for the 2G scam. Was wondering why then was he staying in a dormitory for 300 bucks a night? The artisan guy was from Madhya Pradesh and he had a bachelor’s degree in Architecture. He informed me that he had come to perform in front of a panel which issued grants for certain native arts forms which were fading with time. I remember him telling me that it was similar to Poi Kaal Kuthirai which was prevalent in Tamil Nadu. Apart from these interesting characters, there were two other guys who had come to attend a seminar as part of the ‘Landmark’ course, which was a self-development program. One of them was a veteran while his friend a novice who had joined the program only a few months earlier. The latter was very enthusiastic and kept telling me about how it can improve your life and ‘take communication to the next level’. Although Ive heard about this ‘Landmark’ thingy from my friends earlier, I pretended as if I didn’t know anything and kept asking him questions. There are a lot of good things one can learn from these programs, but to see people blinded by the thought that your life will change overnight, is very disheartening. The next day I decided to hit Karol Bagh to shop for some spares and thermals. I have seen GP road in Chennai and JC Street in Bangalore, but this was something else. Since there would be limited access to fuel stations in Ladakh, I replaced my stock petrol tank with a larger one (20 litres). Raingear and thermals were found in a different area in Karol Bagh and as I proceeded to leave the place, I got totally lost and it had just started raining too. After going round and round, I managed to reach the hostel by around 10 pm. Lesson learnt- never go to Karol Bagh in your own vehicle, parking is next to impossible! The next day I had to leave early to reach Chandigarh.

At my friends place in Gurgaon

2012-01-11T22:44:00.000+05:30

Having recovered from a violent bout of flu, I bid goodbye to Agra and headed towards the capital city. My good friend Raja lives in Gurgaon with his pretty wife Sushmita and my visit coincided with the arrival of his parents the day before. Although we studied together in high school, we got to know each other better during his days in IIM-Bangalore (by any chance did you assume that I passed out of the same institution? I pretty well know that those who have known me for years now will never commit such an error and my joy filled thanks to the others who did think for a moment that there too. Ive been too much of a rebel and vagabond to excel in academics, so clearly am no IIM material.), while I was employed there. I remember spending quite a few weekends in his hostel room among the brighter brains. Our friend had over the years transformed from being a pazham/nerd/padipps to indulging in a few human vices, although he hasn’t yet managed to get rid of the good boy image and am sure it’ll stick on to him forever! Three hours of riding took me to Gurgaon, while it was a tough task to locate Raja’s flat among the maze of some 50 high storied apartment blocks. I have never managed to understand the manner in which houses are numbered; very hard to see a sequence. Since both of them were at work, I was received by his parents who would’ve clearly wondered what an idiot I must be to ride all the way from south. It must have been a shocker to any orthodox Brahmin family. After ten minutes of chit chat, aunty offered me to cook some quick lunch. For a south Indian having been on road for a month now, mostly feeding on roti and dal, it was hard to refuse home cooked iyer food. A plate full of steaming white rice, dollops of ghee melted on top of it, mixed with yellow dal (lentils) served with our very old potato fry!! His parents watched in awe at this malnourished thing wiping off the plate in no time. I had to finally say enough before they started regretting why they let me in in the first place. Having re-energized myself, it was time to fulfil my objective. Before reaching Gurgaon, I had already informed Raja, my main motive of stopping at to his place enroute to Leh- get my clothes washed! Luckily for me, he had informed this to uncle and aunty too. Shameless that I was, went ahead with the job immediately after the gluttony that I had committed. The speedometer cable in my motorcycle had been cut somewhere in Rajasthan and I wanted to get it fixed at the earliest. Since it was a few hours until Raja came home, I went out to explore the neighbourhood and hoped to get the cable fixed too. Gurgaon is a concrete jungle; huge skyscrapers lined along the roads which were heavily battered by overloaded traffic and the recent monsoons. There were malls everywhere- what on earth will people buy every day? By late evening Raja reached home and I met Sushmita for the first time (she looked like a college going kid actually). We had a late dinner and a nice chat while I shared pictures from the travel so far. The next day I managed to locate the Royal Enfield service center with the Raja’s help and managed to get my speedo fixed along with the oil change. My friend decided to take his family to an exhibition in the capital city- Delhi Ghat. I parked my bike at the metro station and took the metro train. It was impressive! Wish every metro city in the country had this facility. A pretty girl who seemed to be in her early twenties was sitting across me, while I preferred to stand. She was about five foot tall with an athletic build, a bit flat nose and white skin. Was she from South America? May be yes, or maybe not. How did I know she was a traveller? Typical characteristics like a map in hand, Aladdin pants, flip flops and a rucksack! The poor girl was being squashed by the locals on either side; unsurprisingly not by young boys, but middle aged men. This pervert was about 45 years old and he kept falling on her every now and then, while shouting on the top of his voice in his mobile phone. She finally couldn’t tolerate it anymore and just got up from her seat. No wonder ive heard New Delhi is very unsafe for woman travellers! The exhibition had food counters and handicrafts from most of the states across the country and I filled my stomach with momos and mishit doi. My friend had some shopping to do and we reached home by around 10 pm. The next day I had planned to leave to Delhi and stay there for a couple of days.

Wah Taj!!!

2012-01-08T15:18:00.002+05:30

My first visit to Jaipur was a tad disappointing I must say. For the first time in a month, I experienced very hot and dusty conditions. Due to budget constrains I could only pick a non air conditioned room, which later proved to be a wrong decision. Since the Taj was on my must see list, i skipped Jaipur sight seeing and headed straight to Agra the next morning, where Eashwar's biker friends Tanveer and Co helped me find a guest house. I was told that the best time to visit the Taj was early in the morning. The heat was already taking the toll on me and i started feeling very uncomfortable. Anyways planned to visit the monument next morning and then head straight to Gurgaon after that.

The next morning was up at 6:00 hrs and couldnt restrain my excitement. Finally for the first time in my life I was looking at the most celebrated symbol of love from the banks of river Yamuna. Since Eid was celebrated that day, the entry was free, and thousands of ppl flocked in their pristine white clothes to attend the Namaaz and greet each other.It took a few minutes to sink in the thought that I was actually in Taj Mahal. The symmetrically designed gardens on either side of the water channel overlooked by massive white marble structures was a great sight to watch. The huge pool of water, where ppl washed their faces, hands and legs before entering the dargah, was engulfed by a sea of white kurtas. The lawns and tress was immaculately maintained and just like me the tourists from other countries were clicking away pictures in awe.

Banks of river Yamuna

Ive heard people saying that you get overwhelmed by the feeling of Love and Romance, on seeing Taj Mahal. Personally, I think its an overstatement for I must confess that I could never for even a moment relate the beautiful campus to 'love'. Movies have romanticised this architectural wonder over a period of time.

On reaching my guesthouse i felt very tired and decided to sleep for a couple of hours so that I could ride to Gurgaon in better shape. By noon I realised that for the first time in this journey I fell sick, the temperature rose steeply, I was perspiring, sneezing, breathing with difficulty and stone dead tired.I slept for the next 50 hours and left to Gurgaon only after I recovered fully.

Kumbalgarh Fort, Rajasthan

2012-01-08T13:15:00.002+05:30

It has been nearly three months since my last post. I think its high time I updated my travelogue before my memory starts failing me. What I'll do with the format is, instead of mentioning days, i'll stick to the places alone. There are quite a few pics which will describe the journey more colourfully.

Vikram and Eva had planned to return to Ahmedabad by Sunday night, but decided to halt since it didnt make sense to miss the Sound and Light show at the fort, which was at 7 pm.

Vikram at his posing best! (couldnt resist posting it.:)

Outside our tents

We therefore checked out by noon and found another guest house which cost us less than 500 bucks. A group of 26 bikers from Udaipur invited us for lunch after learning that we rode all the way from Ahmedabad.

After a decent lunch, we had a good afternoon siesta and then rode to the fort.

Kids playing along the roadside pool

An intimidating entrance gateway led to steep range of steps. Before Vikram and I could plot our strategy to start our climb, Eva was well over the top, posing for pictures with the locals, who thought she was from the Oriental East.

The best thing about the locals was that whenever they saw some outsider with a camera, immediately they start posing for pictures. At first I didnt understand, but then was more than happy to click away pictures capturing wonderful smiles and colourful clothing.

Once you reach the top, you realise that the fort actually runs along a huge mass of land housing a number of temple complexes and it is inevitable to avoid comparisons to the Great Wall of China. We were told that the total running distance of the fort was 38km, which was very impressive considering the height at which it was built. It was built by Rana Kumbha in the 15th century.

Fort during the Sound and Light Show

The next day they headed back to Ahmedabad, while I rode towards the Pink city-Jaipur.

Day 14- Ahmedabad to Kumbalgarh

2011-10-20T16:56:00.001+05:30

Being a weekend, Vikram an avid bulleteer himself, decided to join me on a short trip to Kumbalgarh in Rajasthan and having good company on road is wonderful. We decided to leave by noon after waking up late. While sipping on our midday chai, Eva agreed to join us too. now Vikram jr was pissed off that he was left out, although there was a pillion option wid me. since he had his own views about riding pillion (:-)) and also the fact the he will have to take a bus back home alone, he ditched it.

As we hit the road at about 1.30 pm, there was a leak of fuel from Vikram's carb, which we fixed in no time. For a moment, he thought his road trip had ended in less than 10 mins. We first stopped for lunch at one of the highway dhabas, ordering roti, dal, rice, curd and one of the gujarati sabjis made from baingan. food was ok, but the two full glasses of chaas (spicy buttermilk) did us good.

We reached the Rajasthan border by around 4pm and eagerly approached the "Water hole" which was right at the border line. Apparently all vehicles coming into Rajasthan from Gujarat pit stop here, since alchohol is banned in Gujarat. Chilled beer tastes better when the conditions are hot and man- we did see heaven!
From there on we hope to reach Kumbalgarh in an hours time. The final stretch was somehow very narrow and potholed and Eva was finding it very difficult to ride pillion, since vikram did not have the backrest bar. We swapped bikes for the final stretch and finally reached at about 7 pm.

Kumbalgarh is the place of birth of Maharaja Rana Pratap and it is about 100km north of Udaipur. For those who havent been to the state of Rajasthan, we only know it as a desert. Surprisingly Kumbalgarh is clothed in green vegetation and gets pretty cold at night and early mornings. Infact it was really misty when we stayed there.
We stayed at the tented accomodation up the hill and hit the bed pretty early.

Distance Travelled- 380 km
Journey- Ahmedabad to Kumbalgarh
Roads- 65%- Excellent, 10%- Good, 25%- Very Bad

Day 13- Ahmedabad

2011-10-20T15:46:00.000+05:30

Having got up at around noon, i decided to walk around the neighbourhood. I hadnt imagined Ahmedabad to be such a big Metro. One thing I noticed was that, traffic signals were non existent even in wide main roads, and the traffic absolutely chaotic at junctions.I was hungry now and wanted to have the local food. First had a glass of Lassi (sweet yogurt drink), which they called Lachchi. Yummy it was and gave me energy to walk around for another half an hour. I was disappointed that I was unable to find restaurants serving authentic Gujarati thali. The neighborhood was an upbeat one and therefore the restaurants a tad too expensive for my liking. Didnt want to take a chance, so barged into a McD to have fassssssssssst food.

The evening was filled with meaningful conversation with my wonderful hosts as we got to know about each other. I was even offered a glass of single malt (im in a dry state u see ;-)). How did i forget to mention Vikram Jr, the cool banglorean kid in the household! Later in the evening we paid visit to a CS gathering organised by Leo at his friends place. As expected it was a bachelors paradise and all of us did have some real gud fun. Leo is another guy who argued in my favour in the CS forum and it was a good gesture for him to have invited me to their party. Later we realised his house is in the same apartment block that I lived in Cochin for the past one year and here we meet in Ahmedabad in the strangest of circumstances. What a small world!!!! We reached home at about 12 i think and spicy Punjabi food was awaiting us. Parathas with keema was excellent, but very very hot n spicy. Just thinking about it tickles my tatse buds! Crashed in full stomach!

Day 12- Pune to Ahmedabad

2011-10-20T15:05:00.000+05:30

I managed to be up by 4.30 am and was ready to leave by 5 am as planned. Having learnt from my earlier mistakes, I wore my rain gear as a precation. It was actually not to shield myself from the rains, but to prevent my clothes from getting wet, since drying them almost seems to be impossible in this weather. As I bid goodbye to the very helpful father-son duo, it started drizzling. On Eklavya's directions, I found the RTO Petrol filling station which would be the only open during this time to get my tank topped up.
From there on it was going to be a straight drive towards Mumbai highway. As I hit the ghat sections, the surroundings were getting amazingly beautiful. With the light still an hour away, the visibility was poor and the mist only compunded the woes. But the ride was thoroughly enjoyable and i finally hit Lonavla at around half past 6 and patiently waited for a chai vendor who was opening his shop. The light drizzle, mistly twilight and a hot cuppa chai is an enviable package. Everyone seem to sell chikkis in this part of the world and I helped myself with two boxes of assorted chikkis (one for me and another for my hosts in Ahmedabad).
One bad thing about the road trips is the inability of the body clock to fall into the routine. Since it was a very early start, I hadnt attended to my morning chores. ;-) A very important item to carry along while on road is Toilet Paper, which I learned from foreign travellers. Infact I had somehow forgotten it and my good friend Ekalavya was kidn enuf to remind me. It may sound silly, but trust me you will need it. You just have to blend with the nature sometimes!!
Since motorbiles arent allowed to enter the Express highways, I had to stick on to the old Mumbai highway, where the traffic was moderate and roads affected by the monsoons. Somewhere near the suburbs of Mumbai, I got held up in horrible traffic jam and by the time i got out it was 10 am.
I forgot the name of the road, I think its called Banwadi road- the worst stretch that ive encountered so far. I realised that I had taken a wrong turn somewhere, but then there was no way back. The vehicles were moving at 5km/hr, not bcoz of traffic, but due to the horrible nature of the roads. The rains were now getting merciless to increase the misery. As I had eaten all morning, i stopped in the middle of nowhere to find a highway dhaba to have a bit. Got out of my wet jacket and shoes and dried them on the railing, while sipping on a hot hot chai. Ordered a plate of double omlet and pav, which was palatable. half an hour and food intake break did me a world of good, but i had to get back into the wet socks, shoes, jacket and ride in the rains again.
More rains and better roads welcomed me to the state of Gujarat. This time i managed to sneak into the express highway, only to be sent back by the toll gate personnel. Usually the fine is about 1500 bucks, but probably looking at the totally rain soaked biker, the guy felt some sympathy. I rode back in the express way for 8 km and then took the exit to the old highway. the road was totally deserted and was pitch dark. my body was pretty much tired having been on the road for the past 15 hours. Reached the milky town of Anand, at about 9 pm. It revoked memories of my only previous visit to this town, which is incidentally the hometown of my very good friend Suganthi. I assumed its going to be another 30km to Ahmedabad, but was sadly mistaken. It was very difficult to motivate myself to go further for another 80 odd kilometers. But my friend was already waiting for me in Ahmedabad, so no way I was going to back out. I was pushing myself every 5 km and then finally managed to reach my destination at exactly 10.50 pm.
The previous day I had requested for a stay in the CScommunity in Ahmedabad. A big hulla bulla was created by their moderator for posting the requirement in the general section. Since it was a last minute request, I thought Ill push my luck. To my surprise I got an accept rely from Vikram, who himself is an avid biker. I think I was smart enuf to send my travelogue link along with the request. Infact Vikram later told me that he had also done tis stretch of Pune to Ahmedabad earlier. I was incredibly lucky to be hosted by this wonderful couple Vikram and Eva.

They were kind enuf to wait for me at the road at 11 pm and even offer me dinner. I was dripping wet and my bags were all soaking in water and slush. After a nice shower and a great dinner (which i needed very badly), we started getting to know each other. I think Vikram and I got off instantly as we shared the same passion. Eva was probably gauging me before opening up..;-) Fair enough!!
Since it had been a very very long day, I hit the bed after drying every single piece of item in my bag. Unbelievable day of 18 hrs riding in non-stop rains. This was in no doubt the toughest day of my journey so far and I was immensely satisfied that I had made it.

Distance Travelled- 760 km
Journey- Pune to Ahmedabad
Roads- 20%- Very Good, 40%- Good, 25%- Bad, 15%- Horrible

Day 11- Pune

2011-10-20T13:44:00.000+05:30

During my ride, I realised that my bike's pulling was bad in the ghat sections. I cud feel it acutely in Wayanad and during the Ambuli ghats sections too. Hence I had decided to get the servicing done in Pune, else I need to wait until Delhi. Eklavya was kind enough to introduce his mechanic, John, on the day I arrived, who asked me to bring her the first thing in the morning. I woke up to a great weather and a nice hot cup of chai. Since my friend was down with flu, i rode down to John's shed alone. I had to mend my clutch, get the oil topped and rectify the mileage (km/l), which was a pathetic 20. After the pressure plates were replaced with new ones (During the start of my journey I had only replaced the clutch plates), he plugged a couple of air/throttle valves and assured me that now I'd get a very good mileage (km/l).Since I had already cleaned my carbs, we didnt need to open it again. How did i forget, the seal in the front right fork had to be replaced, since oil was oozing out of it for the past few days. Finally gave her a good bath scrubbing her off all the slush (thanx to some wonderful stretches of national highway in kerala and karnataka) and get the sparkle back.

I was back for lunch, where Eklavya's dad had cooked some wonderful food. Later in the evening we had a couple of drinks listening to some vintage war stories (not fiction..). It was 11 pm already and I had to leave by 5 am the next day. Packing took me another 45 mins and I finally hit the bed sometime past 12.

Day 8 & Day 9- Goa, Day-10 Goa to Pune

2011-08-24T15:53:00.000+05:30

Day 8

Went for a morning walk along the beach. shutters were still down on most of the shops. Decided to have a heavy breakfast and thus ordered american breakfast which included toast, egss, baked beans, fresh juice and coffee. Met this German girl Linda, who was on a voluntary program in Kondapura and had come to visit Goa during the weekend. It was her first visit to India and she had a cultural shock travelling to kondapura alone. infact she was scared to go out alone. but in goa she felt at home just like Berlin!

Took to off to Agondo beach which was about 10km South of Pallolem. it was absolutely empty, but the ride was great though. SInce it started raining again, I had to come back to my place, was wondering if i shd stay or leave to north goa. Left the decision in luch and went for lunch. Surprisingly just as I ordered rice and dal, Linda came back again. Her train was at around 4 in the evening. Asked me if Id be there next weekend, NOPE, on my way up north. anyways gave her enough inspiration to visit Gokarna! Another Australian lady Susan joined me at the table. Guess what, she had just lost her entire home at Brisbane to the wrath of the floods and had begun rebuilding her life. Came to Goa through a sponsored ticket to restore her sanity. The best thing abt her visit was tht she was planning to go to Madurai, not to see the temples but to meet Krishnan, the man who left his Five star hotel chef job, to feed the destitute. Amazing rite? Her friends in Australia too chipped in with whatever they cud. You can imagine her mindset after losing everything in the floods and now just 6 months later she has come to contribute whatever she can to this noble human in madurai. Humanity and mankind still exists!!

Left Pallolem to Mapusa where my friend eashwar was kind enough to put me through to Girsh his friend. Stayed at Girish's house for 2 nights. Along with his wife and super kid Bharath, this small knit family are the epitome of hospitality.

Girish n Bharath

Day 9

Since Girish had work the next morning, he coud'nt accompany me but gave a list of places that I could visit. Started off with Fort Aguada, once again the drive was awesome. Unlike the south, this part of goa was very crowded, mainly with the Indian tourists. There were tourist buses, vans and hired scooters everywhere.
People where running and jumping posing around for pictures.

Calungute Beach

I then rode down to Calungute. The beach was filled people everywhere and vendors plying their trade, which was brisk actually, I noticed that most guys loved to carry around a beer can wherever I turned, So very different from Pallolem, which was more of a relaxed place where foreigners outnumbered the locals.

King of the Road @ Calungute

Next stop was Baga beach and I was drenched by the time I reached there. Nothing much to see, I rode off to Anjuna.

Here too there were tourist bus and vans bringing in loads of tourists. Had super hot chai and mirchi pav in a small tea shop sitting right above the ocean, tasted like heaven amidst the rains.

Anjuna Beach

The sun finally came out and i decided to ride around the place, and stop at some village for lunch.

Vagator Beach

Found an interesting bar/restaurant where there were abt 5-6 customers sipping their drinks at the bar table which was laid along the roadside. An overly drunk italian started singing hindi songs to me. Imagine a firangi singing and dancing around in the middle of the road during afternoon. a belgian guy tried to give him company, but could hardly move out of his bar stool. He then told me that he had been in goa for more than 6 yrs and had married a lady from nagercoil, who now ran a bar in goa.i realised the world is very small!! After both the gentlemen left, Steve a barman from Belarus told me that his stay in goa was long enuf too. He was trying to find a permanent work in some bar in goa and did no plan to return to his country any time soon. Then there was this american couple from Colorado who had been studying Tibetan in Himachal for two years now. they even gave me some tips for my visit out there (next week). And for lunch had this amazing Curried Chicken Pasta salad.

Reached home in the evening and played around with Bharat until dinner time. Filled my stomach with awesome roti, groundnut chutney and palak dal, before snoring off!! One another thing I forgot to mention, the entire state of Goa was devoid of any petrol due to some blast at the refinery. Hence the city of Mapusa was filled with thousands of vehicles queued up at the petrol stations. I managed to buy some 4 litres of petrol for Rs.100 each. I believe the crisis wud continue for the next few days. Bid goodbye to the wonderful family and hit the road to Pune.

Day 10

As suggested by Girish, I went to Kohlapur and then took the NH 4 to Pune. Before Kohlapur, you need to cross the Amboli ghats, which is one of the most beautiful hill stations ive ever seen. bad that i couldnt do justice to the beauty with my camera (not blaming the camera though, its just my limited photographic skills).

Ambuli Ghats

Once you hit NH4, the roads r just too good and you can reach Pune in no time. At about 5:30 pm, i reached Eklavya's apartment, once again thanks to Eashwar's connections.Rain followed me throughout my journey and but I still enjoyed the drive from Goa to Pune.

Distance Travelled- 460km
Journey- Goa to Pune via NH 4 (there is an option of NH 17 also)
Roads- Excellent (finding ATM is very difficult)

Day 6 & Day 7

2011-08-21T13:57:00.001+05:30

Another rainy morning at Gokarna. being a weekend more indian tourists kept arriving. Since my clothes were still wet, i decided to pamper myself at Om beach for another day. During afternoon I rode to Kundle beach, which was virtually empty. The roads were amazing though, full of curves and flanked by lush green vegetation on either side.

Kundle beach

Met a few villagers on the way, working hard on maintaining the beauty of the region. A lady stopped me to ask what time it was and then when I asked her if I could click a photograph, she demanded money. tht surprised me and I kept persisting , while she was trying to pull my leg. finally she allowed me after she was satisfied with bullying me. I realised how often we underestimate the intelligence of a villager (shame on me)!

Smart lady who ragged me (Left)

While the sun slightly showed up in the evening, guests started filling the beaches.A group of college kids from Bangalore were having a gala time (too much of swearing though), a tamil family seemed to have entered a diffrent planet on entering Namster Cafe, while 2 or 3 indian couples were enjoying their time alone. Music fills the background for most of the time.

Namaste Cafe

After another lively evening, where I had copied music (about 13 GB) from the restaurant and a couple of other travellers., we all celeberated the birthday of a girl whose name i dont remember. Looked like she had come with her husband just after getting married. More rains and off to sleep.

Day 7

I decided I will leave even if it was going to rain, since I was getting too comfortable for the past 3 days and had to hit my destination in 2 weeks time.Santosh serived me a heavy American breakfast, after which I packed my bags to leave. Bid goodbye to Santhosh and Bandhari, the guys who were part of the wonderful group catering to the visitors in Namste Cafe.

The road from Gokarna to Goa was just amazing. Having had the worst riding experience the previous few days, it was a welcome change to see excellent roads in great weather. Enroute hit Karwar, which seemed to be a very well planned city. As you enter, u see the huge Karwar Port and then keep riding along the beach, which is a beautiful sight.

Surprisingly the entire hundred km stretch was virtually empyt. but another surprising element was the number of cows along the highway. Although you can cruise at high speeds in this leg, u need to be extra careful due to the fact that Cows have the right of way here. Just after i entered Goa border, it started pouring. Since there was no sign of the sky clearing anytime soon, i decided to hit Palolem straight away. Found an excellent accomodation (double-bed with hot shower, tv and parking) for 200/night. thts the ebst part of visiting goa during the offseason- Customer is King. Hit the beach for lunch.

Palolem Beach

Learned my lesson- Never eat in a restaurant siting on the beach, freaking expensive. An israeli couple who were curious abt south india gave me some company.

It started raining heavily once again and came back to my room to have a good night's sleep.

Distance Covered- 110 km
Journey- Gokarna to Palolem beach
Roads- Very Good (keep an eye on the cows)

Day 5- Om beach

2011-08-19T17:59:00.000+05:30

Woke up to a cloudy morning and took a nice walk along the beach, watching the fishermen still trying their luck for that prize catch in the ocean. The sound of the waves is just scintillating and I decided I will stay here for the day.

Nature acknowledged my decision by pouring rains throughout the day. I couldnt accept the invite from my Spanish friends to go around Gokarna, since I had clothes to wash (the bad side of travelling light). Went for a walk in the evening, where I bumped into a girl studying in Kerala. Later she told me that she's from Andamans. A group of 5 college kids from Bangalore arrived in the evening along with some more Indian tourists from Mumbai. Don't ask me if im sitting in the reception, its compact place where only about 20 people are there you see! Meeting new people is the essence of travelling rite? Habibi (gentleman from Dubai) invited me for a late coffee before we were joined by our Spanish friends.

The rains are still lashing over this sleepy town, which has completely held me in its tenter hooks. My next destination Goa can wait for now!

Distance Covered- 3 km
Journey- Om beach to Half-moon beach
Road condition- Very sandy (how else can a beach be?)

Day 3 & Day 4- Wayanad to Gokarna via Mangalore

2011-08-19T17:53:00.000+05:30

Day 3

After a hot bath I left to Mangalore at around 10:30 am. I must mention here that NH 17 is the worst highway that I have encountered in my entire life. The 300km stretch from Wayanad to Mangalore was a 9 hour endurance test for me and my bike. Fotunately for me Tharun had suggested a place for stay, which belonged to religious trust. For Rs.250/night, the room was a palace for my battered body. A delicious dinner at Mangla Restaurant (once again sugested by Tharun bhai) was followed by a deep sleep.

Distance Covered- 300 km
Journey- Wayanad to Mangalore
Road condition- 15% Good, 30% Bad, 55% Worse, Very heavy traffic at Koilandy, Mahe and Thalassery

Day 4

Not finding much to do in Mangalore, I left to Gokarna by around noon. Stopped at Udupi for lunch, until where road works hampered my progress After Udupi, the ride was uneventful until I reached a place whose name I cant remember. A beautiful ride along the Arabian sea lasting for about 3-4km, followed by near empty roads for the final stretch to Gokarna. Just before I took the left on the highway to Om Beach, cops stopped me for a routine check. I was let go after they realised that my papers were in order, not before asking innumerable questions about my ride. They even thought I was lying when I told then my plan to hit Leh on my bike.

Anyways took the road to Om beach which as one hell of a ride. The winding roads climbing around a hill lock, with the beaches on your right side about 200 ft below- breath taking!

Parked myself in a shack in Namaster Cafe for Rs.250/night, which is the only place open during the off season. To this day I have never seen a more beautiful beach than this one.

The restaurant sits right on the beach, which is dotted by a few dogs and cows apart from a handful of locals.

A Spanish group of 5 (only remember the name of Maria) just arrived then, who asked me a few suggestions about Kerala, where they planned to visit later. I shamelessly flaunted my knowledge on La Liga (Spanish football league), trust me its a good ice-breaker. An elderly gentleman from Dubai who taught Reiki worldwide, was my companion for the rest of the evening.

Distance Covered- 300 km
Journey- Mangalore to Gokarna
Road condition- 30% Good, 50% Bad, 20% Worse, 4-laning works throughout the first 200 km

Day 2- Wayanad

2011-08-19T17:45:00.000+05:30

Started the day with a hot black chai made on a prehistoric electric heater. Although the sun came out, we were still in our jackets and sweaters. As suggested by Stanley cheta, we decided to trek into the forests to the tea plantations above.

It proved to be a hard task, especially with Manu and Eashwar refusing to climb. As always Appu was walking ahead with our guide and even claims to have spotted a tiger which none of us heard or saw. Since my mates had to return to Bangalore that evening, we had to shorten our hike back to the guest house.

Stanley cheta was generous enough to offer lunch at his house. All of us hogged on the delicious hot kanji, thoran, chammandhi and pappadam that his wife had prepared. At about 2 pm they left to Bangalore, while I went back to the guest house.Had a blissful sleep for three hours and when I got up, I realised that I was all alone in the jungle with the creaking Crikets as my only companions. Later I was told that Silent Valley is so called because there are no Crikets out there, not sure if its true though.

Distance Covered- 60 km
Journey- Within Wayanad
Road condition- Good, 10 degrees to 75 degrees slope

Pursuit of Happiness

2011-08-19T17:31:00.000+05:30

F R E E D O M ! ! ! the word that best describes my current state, although some may call it UNEMPLOYMENT.

Thats right I have quit my job and started on my long awaited road trip across India. During the last 6 months Ive literally been a laughing stock of my friends, since my so called journey had been postponed a brazilian number of times; couple of blokes even offered to pay me if I ever left..;-)
Anyways all thats history now...13th of Aug was my last working day. Ironically I had to start my road trip on the 14th, a day before our Independence Day.

Day 1

After a small send of party by my newest friends Tharun, Sanat and Syed, I left Kochi on 14.08.2011 at 5:30 am . Sanat accmopanied me until Calicut, where we stopped at his house.

Sitting in the university campus, Sanat's house had a very earthy feel about it. Natural water bodies amidst thick vegetation gave an exotic feel to the whole place; who wants to slog it out in a over crowded polluted city. How can I not mention Sanat's sister Shruthi running around clicking pictures with her child like enthusiasm.

We visited an ancient temple on a hillock, from where one could view the entire Calicut region. A thick cover of Mangrove forests engulfd by the river and the Arabian Sea, utter bliss!

The next stop was at the virgin beach along the Kundalini Bird sanctuary, riding under 5 foot high bridges and knee deep puddles.

Fishermen busy removing their catches and kids displaying their angling skills, this rocky beach is any photographer's paradise.

After a sumptuous lunch, I left for Wayanad to meet my friends who were travelling from Bangalore for the Independence Day weekend.The ride just before the Ghat section, which is the final leg before Vythiri was nothing but a nightmare; not because of the first rains in my ride, but due to the pathetic road condition.It took me nearly an hour to cover this 13km stretch. Reached Parathodu at 4:30 pm, the point where Sanat's caretaker Stanley was waiting to take us to the jungle house. Once Jojo, Manu, Appu and Eashwar arrived,we bought some snacks and left for the guest house not knowing what to expect. I hadnt experience anything like this before- the climb to the house was maybe 75 degrees sloped, a thrilling 5 minute ride.On parking our vehicles, we had to further hike up to into the forest with all our luggage in hand, which proved to be an even harder task.What a relief it was to finally sight the house.

To describe the property, it was a very modest house with two rooms, a kitchen and a sitout, with the loo outside. the only source of water a hose outside the house; The entire hillock had an amazing system of water sourcing, siphoning the natural water though a series of hose pipes laid in the gravitational direction of the hill and we were told that this system had been in place for more than 40 years. Coming back to the description of the house, there were no beds or cots to sleep. Eashwar and I had a sleeping bag each, while the others slept on straw mats. To top it all the power went off as soon as we parked our dead a***s in the portico.

We were sitting in pitch dark in the middle of the forest with only the insects and birds giving us company. Not to be bogged down, we lit up a born fire to beat the cold. Unfortunately even the firewood refused to pay heed to our desperation, due to their wet nature. As we succeeded in lighting the fire, the food arrived to further lift our spirits, ensuring that our get together was a memorable one.

Distance Covered- 300 km
Journey- Cochin to Wayanad with 1 stop at Calicut
Road condition- Cochin to Calicut- Very good
Calicut to Wayanad- 5% Good, 65% Bad, 30% Worse

Weekend ride to Munnar

2010-10-07T18:17:00.000+05:30

We planned on a weekend trip to Munnar for the Oct 2nd weekend. Manu, Appu n Divya travelled in Appu's car, while I hopped on my Royal Enfield.
my main agenda of the trip was to test my bike and my fitness level!!
Appu had booked 2 rooms in Munnar through a local friend. Having decided to leave early on saturday morning, manu n I stayed at Appu's place, while Divya cooked an excellent dinner.
All set, we just realised that we didnt have alchohol. Being the 1st of the month, no supply in kerala and saturday being Gandhi Jayanti, we were doomed. Having just returned from bangalore that morning, i was already feeling very tired. While Divya was preparing dinner, we drove around the whole city looking for any sale of liquor and finally returned home past 10 pm in vain.
After a heavy dinner we slept at around 1 still hoping we'll be up by 6 atleast. Being a holiday none of us wanted to rush it...Up at 9, we three guys were ready in half an hour, while the lady of the house came out at 10:30 am....Had breakfast at Indian Coffee House, while still trying our luck with the spirits. nope!!

Stopped by at the petrol station and hit the road finally at 11:30. unfortunately we had to slow down before Muvatupuzha, where a religious procession blocked the roads for half an hour.Reached Adimali by 2:30, where a friend promised to deliver the 'parcel'..still no luck!

Stopped for food at Adimali where all 4 of us had a silent lunch, disappointed that we wudnt have any liquor for the evening...
the fun begins now. closing in on munnar the ride was getting more exciting for me..
wet, winding roads and hairpin bends broke my back at every turns, while i cut through the descending mist. the visibility was less than 5m and the headlights/fog lights was my only sign of opposite traffic.
My agenda for the trip was partially fulfilled, and i was in high spirits already...

On reaching the , only to find that there were no rooms vacant..great!as an alternative they took us to an annexe, which looked like a side y joint. Appu tried calling his friend, who never really tried to help, while divya was ready to head back to cochi....

Our trip seemed to have taken a full beating, starting the delay, to the lack of alchohol and now no place to stay. I tried contacting a friend of mine to see if he could help us and luckily he found us an awesome place which had 2 suite rooms at very affordable pricing..our balconies overlooked a lovely stream...

the group was getting cheered up now and after a hot bath we head to the town..i must mention here that it wasnt a great idea to travel to munnar on a public holiday, since the town was jammed with tourist buses and other vehicles. and dont forget the rains here!!

we finally managed to buy some rum and vodka which were exorbitantly priced and head back to rooms.
The spirits complimented the excellent weather, accompanied by decent food....after all of us got high we still managed to go for a drive looking for elephants (which was a very bad idea) and some liquor ofcourse. hit the bed by 3 i guess?

had breakfast and went to madupetty lake, were another traffic snarl greeeted us. saw a couple of trained elephants which looked under-fed.

Checked out from our hotel and dined at a Jain/Rajasthani/Gujrati/Marwari restaurant. left munnar by around 2:30 and headed straight to Cochi. I had to take a break after the hills, since the fingers on my left hand had gone numb. There was no looking back after that, hit our destination non-stop, reaching cochi by around 5:30. On my return journey rains were pouring down like crazy and I was completely soaked. but then there was no point in stopping, since the rains werent goin to stop completely.

Having tested my bike, it was a highly satisfying trip for me...now i know what has to be tuned in my bull and me...;-)

Trip Statistics:

Cochin to Munnar - 138km+145km (to and fro)
Roads- Good in parts to worse
Weather Conditions- incessant rains

Shall meet you soon with a longer ride...
until then, happy riding!!!

Travelling on a motorcycle around the country

2010-10-01T15:42:00.000+05:30

Imagine a life not worrying about time, no boss to answer to, no schedules to meet, no phones to answer, no targets to meet, no EMIs or credit card bills to worry about.
You can do all what you want...visit your friends whose marriages u missed, visit your cousins, catch up on movies, catch up on reading, most importantly- Wake up late in the morning and sleep until ur content...

Isnt that we call Utopia??

Finally the decision has been made...

I QUIT!

If you had noticed, I started this blog named 'Motorcycle Diaries' 3 years ago, hoping that one day I could emulate 'Che's journey (ofcourse not the political side). The Time is NOW...

Come this December you'd find me doing all the above...;-)
Ive planned to hop on my Royal Enfield travelling through the vast stretches of the countryfrom South to West to North and East on an unplanned trip, with only the direction in sight.

With no paticular agenda, ive decided to just keep riding and stop at friends & to-be friends places wherever possible..not sure if it would be possible to pitch tents in remote villages/forests (not keen on getting harrased by the cops).

The whole idea sounds exciting and honestly i really dunno what to expect.
If you are planning to go on a ride during the same time, Id love youto join me in any of the legs of the tour.
Pls drop in your contacts, ill get in touch asap.

Others are most welcome to chip in with your ideas/advice/experience/thoughts on the unplanned journey!

Cheers

Rajini Jokes

2010-09-29T11:04:00.001+05:30

Although Im a big fan of the SuperStar, I must appreciate the creativity of those who've scripted these one-liners. The collection found on IBNLive are broadly based on the jokes on Chuck Norris. Have Fun!!!

Rajinikanth will attain separate statehood in 2013.

Rajinikanth doesn't move at the speed of light. Light moves at the speed of Rajinikanth.

From the most common bullet jokes - the action superstar splits a bullet in two to kill two villains at one time - to killing the Dead Sea, Rajinikanth quips have found their way into Indian popular culture, irrespective of geographical boundaries.

Rajnikanth can divide by zero.

Rajinikanth can slam a revolving door.

Rajinikanth destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.

Rajinikanth has counted to infinity, twice.

Rajinikanth once got into a knife-fight. The knife lost.

Rajinikanth never wet his bed as a child. The bed wet itself in fear.

There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Rajinikanth lives in Chennai.

Rajinikanth does not own a stove, oven, or microwave, because revenge is a dish best served cold.

Rajinikanth knows Victoria's secret.

Water boils faster when Rajinikanth stares at it.

Rajinikanth kills two stones with one bird.

Google won't find Rajinikanth because you don't find Rajinikanth; Rajinikanth finds you.

Rajinikanth can answer a missed call.

Rajinikanth can speak Braille.

Rajinikanth can dodge Chuck Norris' roundhouse kicks.

Rajinikanth calls Voldemort by his name.

Chuck Norris once met Rajinikanth. The result - He was reduced to a joke on the internet.

Rajinikanth’s calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd, no one fools Rajanikanth.

Rajinikanth grinds his coffee with his teeth and boils the water with his own rage.

Rajinikanth once ate an entire bottle of sleeping pills. They made him blink.

Rajinikanth doesn’t wear a watch. He decides what time it is.

In an average living room there are 1,242 objects Rajinikanth could use to kill you, including the room itself.

Rajinikanth knows what women really want.

Rajinikanth doesn't need a visa to travel abroad, he just jumps from the tallest building in Chennai and holds himself in the air while the earth rotates.

Archaeologists unearthed an old English dictionary dating back to the year 1236. It defined “victim” as “one who has encountered Rajinikanth”.

There is no such thing as global warming. Rajinikanth was feeling cold, so brought the sun closer to heat the earth up.

Rajinikanth's first job was as a bus conductor. There were no survivors.

Wakka Wakka

2010-06-30T17:27:00.000+05:30

Hi...

Am back after a long time, cant believe its been nearly 6 months..
Not that i was too busy to write, laziness the main culprit!!

What better way to start than a few scribblings on the FIFA World Cup 2010...
Just like millions of others football fans arnd the world, ive been waiting for this grand event for quite sometime now. We are already into the third week of the tournament and i must say that there have been a few surprises.

To start with, the winners and runners of the last edition have been kicked out in the 1st round, not sure when was the last time this happened...France paid the price for unprofessional, lacklusture, stupid footbal and they thoroughly deserved to go out. I've been praying for the exit of Italy for a long long time now, having shattered the dreams and achievements of my fav footballer Zidane during the worldcup in Germany in 2006. plus they brand of footbal is so boring and uninspiring..

I was just wondering what would the Irish be thinking?? having lost out on the 32nd position to france through a "hand goal" by Henry, its mustve really pained them to see their replacements go out of the tournament so meekly!!

There were two contrasting statistics which anyone wudve noticed during the first 2 rounds of the league phase. One- the 5 South American teams topped all their groups respectively and two- all african teams fared very badly (apart from Ghana though).

A couple of surprises too- Germany losing to Switzerland and Spain's defeat to Chile..

My favourites- Argentina followed by Spain and then Germany.

My fav stars - Messi, Torres, Muller, Osil

Who do you think is going to win this world cup and the gold boot & golden ball award goes to????