Ride to RM: Day 13

Day 13. Friday. 30th Jan. Manor 

Friday the 13th. The day the spooks come out of the woodwork, so I better get home by nightfall!
I decide to play it by ear today. I let the traffic and roads decide how far I get today and stay over wherever I am by dusk, and make a final push to Bangalore tomorrow morning. But first I need to find a way around Mumbai.

The friendly guy at the reception tells me that my best shot is to take the first left after getting out of the hotel and get on the highway to Wada. "Wada se right marne ka, phir Bhiwandi, Thane aur Panvel. Bilkul Shortcut hai" were his precise words..  Now the stroke of luck was that the place I was staying at was on a service road, and if I was on the main highway, I would have definitely missed the turn to Wada.

Bonus for the morning was cool weather and twisties. Yay! What better way to start the day than to make well intentioned attempts to scrape off a few mm off your foot-pegs.

Bhiwandi was waking up as I entered the town and had to make my way around the locals. This is where I got on to the highway from Nashik to Thane and found myself on the road to Panvel in a jiffy. Spotting the Panvel to Pune highway was easy, all the while casting an envious look at the cars that got to enter the expressway.

From here on it would be pretty much the same route that we had done on day 1, but in reverse. Breakfast stop was at Lonavala, where I did the tourist thing and got some chikkis. Now it remains to be seen if it will be a single day delivery of chikkis to Bangalore! A sumptuous breakfast and I was ready to take on Pune traffic. Thankfully it was not as bad as on the way in. Kept myself entertained by trying to spot all the landmarks that I had noticed on the same highway 2 weeks ago.

It looked like this would be another day in the other extreme of hot weather. Multiple stops for inlet and outlet of water would be called for, and all attempts were made to combine them with fuel stops. I crossed into Karnataka somewhere around 2 PM and started thinking that I may be able to make it to Bangalore after all. I would anyway not push and make a decision as I got closer to dusk.

The roads were excellent and keeping up a good pace was not going to be a problem. Given that it was still a weekday also meant lesser traffic. A quick stop for water and Electral just outside Belgaum and a fuel stop a little later. Next hydration stop was close to Davangere and again combined with a quick fuel stop. It was around 5 and I knew I would have to make a decision soon. The next big town was Chitradurga and I postponed my decision until I made it there.

By the time I got to Chitradurga I started feeling a bit of the exhaustion of the day's ride thanks to the heat. Took a longish break on the side of the highway, felt better and evaluated my options. The air was cooler now and I knew that if I took it easy I would still be home in another 4 hours or so. On the other hand I could check into a hotel, and start early the next day and still make it by breakfast. Thoughts of sleeping in my own bed won the debate in the end. So, made the call home and told the wife to expect me home tonight. I had also made up my mind that if at anytime I felt like I was not concentrating, I would look for a place to stay the night.

I reduced pace and took it easy from here on. Tumkur was when the exhaustion really hit me and I knew that I had crossed 1000km on a single meal and that would not do. Pulled into a Kamat and did the needful.

Getting into Nelamangala signals the home stretch. A quick debate on taking the route through the city or the NICE road. It was close to 10 pm and I knew cops would be out checking people for drunk driving, given that it was Friday night. Chose the NICE road and it was just a little before 11 when I made it home and got to see Shub and Amaaya. Happiness at being reunited! With the adrenaline still kicking I managed to get to bed only by around 1 am.

It had been the longest day of riding for me. Ever. 1100km in all. I am very very thankful for the guys who engineered the Ninja seat. I hardly felt any pain in the backside. unlike on the other bikes where after this long in the saddle, you hardly feel your backside!

Wonderful ride overall and can't wait to get on my next ride. Planning of course, as usual, happens when you are still on the road, and now to see if I can make it materialise.

Ride to RM: Day 12

Day 12. Thursday. 29th Jan. Sheoganj

7 am saw me out of bed and ready in a jiffy. Our accommodation was taken up in desperation last night and I was keen to clear out as soon as I could. The original plan was for the 2 of us to ride to Palanpur, grab breakfast and then part ways. But, Sam's bike needed some looking into and we decided that there was no point in me hanging around until mechanics in this town decided to open their shops. So I would head out and Sam would sort out his bike a little later, and then head to Mundra.

My target was to get to Mumbai or as close to it as possible. That was a little under 850km and I knew there were stretches of traffic and detours to be negotiated after Ahmedabad.  Crossing Ahmedabad would in itself be no mean task.

Rajasthan roads in the mornings are pure bliss. Empty stretches of tarmac invite you to do things you normally would steer clear of, especially when going solo and with another days ride ahead. Restraint stepped in, after some good fun times, in the form of a detour on some bumpy roads.
Some km ahead I pass the turn off to Mount Abu but then I will need to make that visit on another trip. Today I am a man on a mission to get to Mumbai by nightfall.
Motoring on for a couple of hours, and getting across the border to Prohibition land, I was at Palanpur, for a quick fuel stop and the worlds worst Vada Sambar. I knew I should have stuck to Aloo Paratha! It was a mistake to go weak in the knees on seeing a South Indian menu.

I make quick work of the breakfast and even quicker work of answering questions from the inquisitive manager. Since last afternoon we have not off the GQ, but the roads have been drool worthy.

I am looking to cross Ahmedabad by lunch to give myself a good shot at getting into Mumbai by evening. The roads ahead go from 4 lane to 2 lane and back to 4 lane. Traffic is sparse and I am able to keep up a good pace. Close to Ahmedabad I get to tolled roads. Of course tolled roads are no problem on a bike since pretty much none of them charge you for usage. Interestingly I saw many cars evading the toll booths. 500m or so before most toll booths in Gujarat you will see cars(local and not local) suddenly peeling off to a service road from what seems like a semi legal cut in the barricade. You keep wondering whats going on and are surprised when you see them making a return to the tolled road 500mm or so down the road, again from a slightly illegal looking cut in the barricade. Funnily I did not see such evasion in any other state. I wonder if the collections are enough to turn a blind eye to the truants.

After what seems like a pretty short time, I am at the Ahmedabad ring road and get directions from a cop on how to get on to Vadodara, and have to remind him that I need to get on the old highway because they don't allow bikes on the expressway. By now I have gone from a cool morning in Rajasthan to a hot sweltering mid morning in Gujarat and I am sure a very hot afternoon is to follow. I am sweating bullets but decide to make a stop only after I am well past Ahmedabad. I don't want to spend any more time than necessary in the city. I must have lost quite some water as I got out thanks to some bumper to bumper traffic just as I got on to the highway to Vadodara.

My next fuel stop sees me shedding a layer in an effort to get more comfortable in the heat. After many days of protecting me, the rain gear is the first layer to find its way back in the luggage. I am conscious of the need for water intake and don't shirk on drinking lots of it.  Many many kilometres of bumpy roads later I find my way into Anand where I have some excitement to ensure I am awake. I am in the town and a bike pulls up in front, out of nowhere, as usual. As I grab at the front brakes I suddenly realise that a polythene cover is caught under the front tyre and I can feel the lack of traction. A quick release and touch on the back brake keeps me upright and not ending up with what looked like an inevitable appointment with the tarmac. With enough excitement for the afternoon I make an uneventful exit out of Anand(all the while making happy jokes in my head) and get to Vadodara.

Owing to the bad breakfast in the morning I start getting hungry around 3pm. I was planning on sticking to the 2 meal a day plan, but that was not going to cut it today. I needed to stop, hydrate and lose another layer. So I pull into one of the many restaurants that dot the highways in Gujarat. They tend to be much cleaner and efficiently operated than the ones in neighbouring Rajasthan. I ask for quick service and am very pleasantly surprised when my Paneer tikka masala and rotis show up in 5 minutes flat. A good tip was in order. Gujarat has been an eye opener in the way the locals carry about their business. From evading tolls to efficiently run businesses to the industrial areas to the truck traffic.

Hydration involves downing a full litre of water laced with Electral, which is a cheap and easy source of electrolytes. Sam & I have found this to be the most efficient way of keeping ourselves going when on the long stretches. It is our usual practice to split a litre of this, but today I would need one for myself.
Here is where I run into this father & son duo who took a keen interest in the bike and me. They were locals and had lots of questions which I, as usual, try to evade or get away with short answers. As I don my gear, they start giving each other a running commentary of what I am doing and why I am doing it. They speculate how much my gear costs, where I can get it, etc etc. Weird duo!

Ankaleshwar has the usual truck traffic backed up for miles and I have to pay my respects to the gods of traffic jams for about 15 minutes before I am blessed with good roads. I encounter the Gujarat truck traffic that induces you into video game mode. It reminds me of the hand held games we had as kids where your car must avoid all vehicles on a 3 laned road and the longest distance you go without hitting another vehicle determines the winner.

By late evening I find myself crossing Surat and craving for a tea. I give in and also stock up on a red bull just in case I do want to ride a bit into the evening. I am toying with the idea of staying at Surat but then decide to carry on until Daman to take advantage of the remaining daylight.

I make it to Daman as the sun is dipping below the horizon and decide to pull over,  and weigh my options of a place to say for the night. This is when I miss riding with company. Finding a place to stay is much easier with 2 people involved. Of course I have missed Sam's company the whole day. The last few years most of my riding has either been solo or with a group of 2/3 like minded folks. Anyway I digress. Solo riding merits a whole prose piece by itself.

A quick look at the map tells me that I am some way from a beach. My idea of Daman was sitting close to the beach and sipping a cold beer. With the heat this afternoon I could most definitely use one.  The practical thing though, would be to carry on and not have to "waste" time in the morning in getting back to the highway from the beach. That way I might even consider getting to Bangalore by tomorrow night. Practicality won and I motored on with darkness creeping in. The evening cool air as usual helped me get a second wind and I pulled into a fuel station around 7:30. A quick call to the wife and I decided that Manor would be the place for the night. Checked out a couple of hotels around the place and decided on something with an AC for under 1000 Rs. The first thing I did was hit the shower and then started planning the route for what could possibly be the last day.
A call to Sam confirms that he has made it to Mundra, though after a couple of scares of the chain almost jumping off, given that he could not get his bike fixed. The sprocket most definitely had to be changed.

I was still 1100 km away from home. I am keen to avoid getting into Mumbai and need to find a way around it. Stopping where I did,  turns out to be a stroke of luck as I find out the next morning.
 I drifted off to sleep with thoughts of being home and in my bed tomorrow night. 

Ride to RM: Day 11

Day 11. Wednesday. 28th Jan. Panipat

Rann here we come. Or not. I made my morning call to Shub and discovered that she was still feeling under the weather and I would need to make it back to Bangalore latest by Saturday or earlier. This meant we had to now get creative about our return journey if Rann was to still be on the cards. It was looking unlikely at the moment. I broke the news to Sam and we decided to give this some thought and decide on our next course of action by breakfast.

We retraced our route to NH8 via Rohtak. On the way in, and now, this had to be one of the best stretches we rode. 4 laned traffic free, smooth tarmac with long straights and lazy turns. The ride in was marginally better thanks to the fog providing the required atmosphere.

In my over enthusiasm to stick to the right road, I managed to take a wrong turn and ended up inside Rohtak instead of going around it and on wards to NH8. A few checks with locals and I was on the right route, but not before I had lost 15 minutes and given Sam a scare as to where I was. As luck would have it one of us would call and the other would be riding. A bit of hide and seek later, we managed to talk and decided that we would meet at the next breakfast point so that we don't lose time in me catching up to Sam. We were both tuned into the idea of getting as close to Rann as possible by the end of the day.

The solo ride meant that we both had time to think of how we were going to deal with us going to Rann and me having to be home by Saturday. Slowly I weighed all my options and reached a conclusion, which I knew Sam would not like very much. I didn't like it much as well, but I had no choice at this point. In hindsight this solo stretch was something of a harbinger of the next 2 days.

Breakfast was at a dhaba as we reached NH8 and yes, Aloo Paratha's yet again. I broke it slowly to Sam that what made most sense was for him to carry on to Rann and me to head back to Bangalore alone. We would ride together today into Rajasthan as originally planned. Tomorrow we would part ways with him heading West and me heading South. Sam proposed a couple of alternatives but then this was what made most sense. I did not want him to miss out on the Rann after dreaming of it for so long. We decided to make the best of the day ahead and push as far as we could inside Rajasthan so that I would be close to Ahmedabad and he to Mundra.

A heavy breakfast and a slightly heavy heart saw us making quick work of getting to Jaipur. The day had started off cold and was getting sunny, but the air was cold when riding through it and that meant our warm clothing stayed on. I was using my rain gear as an extra layer and that stayed on as well. The rain gods had decided not to make any appearances on our return visit and that meant we were able to keep our foot firmly on the gas(or in our case our wrists firmly twisted to open throttle).

As we got to Jaipur we saw many markers for Agra and that seemed a bit counter intuitive, but a quick look at the map and we saw that there indeed was a highway to Agra. Jaipur also threw at us a half hour worth of traffic before it would let us get on the highway to Ajmer. As soon as we got on the highway we found a restaurant to tank up on some juice and a quick bite.

Pali was our intended stopover for the night and now that we were settled back into road assault mode progress was quick. A fuel stop was the only temporary break in our devotion to the tarmac gods for the rest of the afternoon. With dusk approaching. we were treated to one of the most beautiful sunsets we have seen in the last few days and stopped to click photographs and have a quick chai. I can now clearly see that our future and photography have no cross roads or any remote links to each other. How else do you explain photos of a sunset, without the sun!

Sunset Photography done, we discover we have only about 100km or so before our destination and we think we can make it beyond that now. The air turns much cooler and the Rajasthan roads look much more appealing than they did this afternoon. No truck traffic and arrow straight roads play tricks with our right wrists and we arrive in Pali a tad sooner than we expect. Darkness has set in, but we have some juice left before we want to park for the night and onwards it is.
When we finally start looking for a roof over our heads we discover that we are bang in the middle of a wedding week. All hotels are booked and none of them have even spare beds in the kitchen for us. I did not ask if they had spare beds in the kitchen but assumed from the way they hardly gave us the time of the day when we asked for rooms.

As luck would have it, the manager of one of the hotels turned out to be a biker himself, and made a couple of calls and got us a room at a hotel 20km down the road. A good stroke of luck, because we definitely would not have found the place on our own. However, that is where our luck for the day ended. We discovered Sam's chain was really really loose and would need some attention in the morning. The hotel gave "basic" a whole new meaning. It was the most run down hotel we had stayed in, the whole of the last 2 weeks. Ironically they had a garden party in progress, with what seemed like the town's well off folks! Well beggars can't be choosers and we stayed put.
We also discovered that they also specialize in the world's worst Gobi Manchurian. Hands down! I am still kicking myself for experimenting and going the non Aloo Paratha way.

Tomorrow will be the day we both go solo and I want to get to Mumbai or as close to it as possible. Sam will no doubt get to Mundra by evening, now that we are within 450km of the destination.

Ride to RM: Day 10

Day 10. Tuesday. 27th Jan. Amritsar. 

We were off at 6am from Vivek's place, to ensure we get to Chandigarh by 11am and the girls caught their 1pm flight back to Bangalore. It was a foggy morning again and the driver's skill was apparent. He was very adept at negotiating the dark and the fog. impressive. Breakfast today was in a dhaba and you guessed it. We had Aloo Paratha again. We decided to cheat and sneaked in a couple of Paneer Paratha's.

Post breakfast, the driver had to step on the gas a bit or else we could be late for the flight. A bit of drama later we found ourselves at the airport slightly later than planned, and to our surprise, the flight was pushed out by a couple of hours. We had no notice of it even when we had checked in an hour or so earlier. All that wasted effort in arriving early when we could have waltzed into Chandigarh with a nice long breakfast. Sigh!
Sam and I hung around long enough to make sure that the girls were alright and then headed to be reunited with our bikes again.

The bikes were in need of some TLC to get them ready to take us back home. We spent the next few hours getting the bikes washed, the chains taken care of and basically going through all the other checks we generally do before a ride. counting the tyres and checking the fluids, etc. I also needed to get a new sim card because the older one had decided to give up back in Amritsar. This meant another hour or so of delay to sort out some paperwork with Vodafone. Thanks to all this we eased back to our 2 meal a day routine.

It was a little after 4pm by the time we managed to get on our bikes and head south. A big thank you to Inder who was extremely helpful in letting us stow the bikes and also in getting the bikes back in shape today.

A quick fuel stop and we were on the highway to Panipat, retracing our route from last week when we got into Chandigarh. I was still getting back into ride mode and was taking my time. The fading light and crazy traffic on the GT road meant that our averages dropped. The destination for the day was to be Panipat, and we were planning to return to the same hotel we had stayed at on the way in.

Since landing up at Chandigarh, Sam and I have had a running discussion on the route that we would take back to Bangalore. Sam had a long standing desire to get to the Rann of Kutch and this ride was as good a chance as it would get to make it happen. We knew we could get there by the end of Thursday and then  his cousin in Mundra could help us get sorted out with camping out in the Rann over Friday/Saturday. Bangalore from there could take three days easily and that meant we would be back home only by Tuesday.  This was something we could not afford, given both of our work schedules. A bit of brainstorming and we thought a good alternative would be to leave the bikes at Mundra, take a train/flight back home,come back next month to fetch them and get another ride in. Sounded like a win win solution. Rann would be on the cards and so would another ride!

All plans would have to wait until we got to Panipat after negotiating the GT road for the next couple of hours or so. Today somehow felt like the coldest ride day. I think I may have been a bit lax with tucking in my gear as well. The darkness setting in and the crazy drivers on the GT meant not a great time riding, and the both of us were eager to check in and get a good night's sleep. Given the early start to the day this was not such a bad idea after all. We would have a fresh start tomorrow and make good progress.

We were getting close to Panipat and I lost track of Sam in the highway traffic. The 390 and Sam were weaving their way through the traffic and had left me behind. I would sight him occasionally but lose him again when we hit some traffic. I remember passing a toll booth as we left Panipat a week ago, and that was what I kept looking out for. I had not paid too much attention to the rare distance markers on the highway. At one point I was convinced that the toll booth ahead was the one and started slowing down. But Sam kept at the pace and only then did I realize that I had my hopes pinned on the wrong toll booth.
Visions of a hot meal and warm bed egged me on to the finish line and thankfully we got there soon enough and checked into the same hotel as a week earlier.
The staff recognized us and even managed to give us the same room as earlier!

Over dinner and after, we started putting together our Rann plan. If we left our bikes there, we would have to get a flight out of Rann on Sunday and we started looking for the closest airport and the fares. I called Shub to check on how their flight went and she broke the news that she was feeling a bit under the weather. So, we decided that we would decide on the Rann return plan by the morning depending on how things were back home. Until then we get in some good North Indian fare in our tummies and score a good nights sleep.

Ride to RM: Day 7,8 & 9

Day 7. Saturday. 24th Jan. Rupnagar.

Lazing around was out of the question with our little alarm clock(read Amaaya) waking us up bright and early. She was all chirpy and we were sleepy. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were at the venue with the kitchen being a good kilometre's walk from our rooms. Good exercise to build appetite and also burn the food. So, this had all the potential of being a vicious circle! 

Sam & me were surprisingly not enjoying the RM as much as we had built up in our heads. I wonder if we were a little jaded or our hearts were more into riding than the act of being at the destination. So, we decided that the best course of action was to check out Amritsar earlier than our original plans of going there on Monday. We had to be back in Chandigarh by noon on Tuesday for the girls to catch their return flight. This would give us enough time to experience the famous Amritsari food. 

After a few calls we had arranged a taxi and accommodation. 

Day 8. Sunday. 25th Jan. Rupnagar.

We finished breakfast and headed towards Amritsar. We had a drive of about 5 hours ahead of us. Lunch was around Ludhiana and we ended up in Wagah just at the start of the daily retreat. The place was packed and we could just about see some of the action in the distance. It however seems to have become a spectacle with even a MC of sorts.

A short drive later we were at Vivek's house which Shub had booked through AirBnB. A wonderful family welcomed us and made us feel so much at home with their hospitality. Dinner was at a place where we had the best Chicken Tikka Masala we have ever had. 

Day 9. Monday. 26th Jan. Amritsar

We woke up to a wonderful breakfast of home made Aloo Paratha's and some wonderful conversation. The plan was to visit the Jalianwala Bagh and the Golden Temple. The Golden Temple was a wonderful experience, but it did mean that we had a very long wait before we got to the sacred Sanctum. We came away very impressed with the temple and the langar. En route we even got to experience the best Lassi we have had. Amritsar was turning out to be our foodie outing. We had managed to keep our weight in check during the ride, but I think the few days we spent in Punjab resulted in us punching more holes in our belts. Dinner was Makki di Roti and Sarson ka Saag, which blew us away. The bikes are now going to be lugging heavier blokes back!

Ride to RM: Day 6

Day 6. Friday. 23rd Jan. Panipat

Today was going to be a Top Gear kind of day. The Race between a flight and our bikes.The wives and Amaaya were to start from Bangalore and land in Chandigarh at 12 pm. We had to cover about a 160km, stow our bikes away, get a taxi and then get to the airport to pick them up. I very badly wanted to get there before they landed and couldn't wait to see Shub and little Amaaya.

We decided to head out by 7, but managed to get out only close to 8. A quick fuel stop and we were on the Grand Trunk Road. A wide 6 lane highway but with loads of traffic. Loads of crazy traffic I mean. The 390 was of course the agile one and making its way through all the traffic with me looking out for open stretches to shorten the gap between our bikes. The cold wave  of North India was not helping things in the water output department and a couple of stops had to be made.

In the morning, when checking our route I was intrigued to see that we would be passing a place called Kurukshetra, which of course is a part of our mythology. As much as I tried keeping an eye out for this, we had passed it in a jiffy and it hardly registered. All our focus was on beating the flight.

Passed by Ambala soon enough and we were in Punjab. Fuel for the bikers was called for and we stopped at our first punjabi dhaba. Boy this was the real deal! The aaloo paratha's were just awesome! We were stuffed with one each but got greedy and split a third one. We checked our phones and realised that the flight was delayed due to bad weather and we now had much more time on our hands than we originally thought. Game set & Match to the bikes!
The victory goes to our heads and we take some pictures to commemorate this.

We take it easy after breakfast and have enough time to stow the bikes, catch up with Sam's friend, find our taxi and make our way to the airport well in time for the flight. I can't wait to hold Amaaya again and it shows on my face.
Lunch is on the way to Rupnagar, which is playing host to the RM, and is about 80km away. Shub and I are worried about the cold and how Amaaya will take it, but the little one seems far more comfortable than either of us.
We get to the venue soon enough and check in. A few hours later the rest of the contingent from Bangalore arrives. There are about 4 groups who have come on different routes. I call it a night while they are still partying. It will be 3 days before we get back on our bikes for the journey back home. Until then we enjoy what Rupnagar and Amritsar has in store for us. 

Ride to RM: Day 5

Day 5. Thursday. 22nd Jan. Beawar

We want to get to Chandigarh by tonight. Shub, Amaaya and Lakshmi are taking the flight from Bangalore and landing in Chandigarh by 12pm tomorrow. getting there today gives us time to stow the bikes and get to the airport with enough time on our hands. So we are out of the hotel by 7am but not before the manager has had a chance to click some pics with our bikes. By now I have rehearsed answers for how much the bike costs and the other myriad questions that inevitably come up. The 650 costs 3 lakhs and the 390 costs 2. Low key is the mantra.

Today was the day we would get to use the stuff we had spent hours poring over back in Decathlon. I don't think we did full justice to all the warm clothing we carried, but it never hurts to be over prepared. Out came the thermals, or rather in they went. Out came the rain gear and out it stayed. The whole bloody day. It rained and rained all the way to Ajmer. And it rained some more.

We stopped just outside Ajmer and decided that truck traffic and rain did not seem like a great combination to deal with, and we instead we would take a detour and get to Punjab through Hisar. We had to backtrack a couple of km though and find this road. The good news was that it looked like we were leaving the rain behind, but the bad news was that we were now running into fog. We pass by a ton of marble stone shops and run into a delicious looking 2 lane highway. Short lived though. Power-on power-off was the going next several km's thanks to the speed breakers. We decided to stop for breakfast and take stock of the route. A truck stop is what we find. This one is the real deal. Proper Punjabi truck drivers and the dhaba has the sparse furnished look as well. We take out our maps and phones to check the shortest route, over the world's worst aloo parathas. Only our hunger helped manage to get us through one each and to our horror we realised that we have ordered one more for each of us. Politeness was asked to take a hike and we gave up halfway through the second aloo paratha. I think we got overcharged too.

After breakfast we motored on to find that the power-on power-off mode was going to stick with us for a long way. We decided that our pace was going to take a beating with this road and made amends to get back to the Golden Quadrilateral. Luckily at a village we met a very old gentleman who gave us the most precise directions to get back to NH8 just after it crosses Jaipur. Turned out to be good fortune because we would avoid going through Jaipur.
Some back roads and villages later we were back on the highway. The back roads though had so many opportunities for wonderful photographs and us being us only talked about it in hindsight and did not stop to click the masterpieces.

Halfway to Delhi the sun came out and we made full use of it. Burn gas when the sun shines was the motto. We stopped at a dhaba with a large signboard announcing the name of the place and a photo of a guy smiling at us. Lo and behold when it turns out to be the same guy who took our order. Even better, he runs into the kitchen and makes the stuff we ordered. A true one man show. Efficient fellow. Given the lousy food we had in the morning, we decided to get some lunch as well.
Here is where we met a couple of guys from Gujarat who had set out on a 200 day tour of India. They were in the very early stages of their trip and remided us a couple of times that they would be on the road for 200 days. We wished them luck in their adventures and we set out to get the pace on while the sun shone on us.

Motoring on we get to the outskirts of Delhi by around 4:30 in the evening and look out for the bypass that should take us straight to Panipat and Chandigarh. At a pee stop where we we were deciding strategy(on route, not the right bush/tree to pick!) we found abandoned bunker type buildings. Again surprising what you find in the middle of nowhere.

When we look at our maps, it looks like Chandigarh is not on the cards tonight given that the sun has gone into hiding again. Our estimates have been suffering badly since our first day. I tell you getting to Kolhapur for lunch has messed with our planning!
The fog decides to get thicker as well. We have a bonus level of truck jam to deal with in a bit. Which means bikes go over divider and we get across the truck jam. Easy peasy.

I must bring up stereotypes here at this point. Just as we enter Haryana I see 2 bikes with 3 guys and 1 rifle on each. Carrying arms in broad daylight did not seem like much of a problem here. This was very close to a toll gate where there were at least a 100 vehicles if not more. Says welcome to the north like nothing else.

The roads though were 4-laned and fantastic. Traffic free and pothole free straights, with fields on both sides. Visibility was down to about 500metres or so, but the road conditions helped us maintain speeds of at least a 100. I am sure the views must have been great if we had no fog. At times the fog thickened and we had to drop speeds but overall a very fun experience riding through the fog. We were pretty toasty thanks to us being overtly wary of the weather conditions and going overboard with our shopping for warm clothing.
By just before dusk we were at Rohtak and decided to get to Panipat for the night, which was about 76km away. I thoroughly enjoyed riding in the fog, at twilight and beyond. You get the feeling of being in a cocoon and in your own cloud, literally. There is something about riding in the night that is joyful. Keeping speed in check is a necessity and of course there lurks the danger of crazies(not just the zombie kind) coming onto the road all of a sudden. It is a joy though in which I tend not to indulge in much thanks to the risks. I have noticed though that a little bit of riding in the cool wind and you feel like you could ride all night. I wouldn't, but given half a chance and conducive conditions I might just go for it.

Panipat was a typical north Indian town with the one main road, next to the highway bustling with activity. Here is where for the second time this trip, someone took a look at me and refused a room. The first was on day 2 in Gujarat. I must have looked a sight with a 3 week old beard, and covered in dust and grime. Walking into a squeaky clean lobby and asking for a room, must have seemed preposterous the way I was dressed in heavy biking gear. So now the responsibility of getting a roof on our heads rested on Sam.

Sam decided to clean up a bit before entering the next hotel, which in lay mean terms meant getting rid of the dirty rain gear and off with the helmet. His smile and charm(and don't forget the lack of beard) scored us a room and a good deal on it as well.

So far on this trip we had treated food as a necessary evil. The "highway on a plate" book that I was carrying had made it out of the bag only once, and that too to re-arrange the weight distribution! Today we wanted to have a go at North Indian Tandoori stuff. I think we went a little overboard, but we ate what felt like the best Tandoori Chicken and Chicken Tikka masala in the world. I am attributing a big part of that review to us not eating good food in a while, and our especially bad experience at breakfast. A hot shower and I was off to bed and out like a light. Actually we both were in dreamland and when I woke up a little later, disoriented, I realised we had slept without bothering to even turn off the light. Slept like a log that night!

The Punjab Aaloo Paratha will have to wait for one more day!
Again, this turns out to be a day when we have not taken a single photograph.

Ride to RM: Day 4

Day 4. Wednesday. 21st Jan. Udaipur

Another lazy day. A short riding day too. The plan was to check out the Udaipur fort as soon as it opened and then head out to Ranakpur to visit the highly recommended Jain temple. The fort kept us in awe for a couple of hours and we got a crash course in history. A bloody history though given the many battles that were mentioned. It almost seemed like hardly anyone died of natural reasons. The art and the myriad rooms and views had us hooked though.

The fort entrance is lined with lots of shops selling local art and touristy stuff. We found handmade books wrapped in leather, which made the perfect gift for the wives, given that both liked to sketch and paint. A silver shop en-route to the guesthouse meant another stop to buy more stuff for them. A lot of poring over the stuff on display, and a bit of haggling later we had what we wanted and were now ready to start. Breakfast had been acquired and done away with a little earlier. Aloo Paratha yet again. We were soon to realise that breakfast in North India was pretty one dimensional, or we just did not look hard enough. I think it is a little like our photography skills. I am sure a pattern is emerging somewhere here.

Next stop on the agenda was the Jain temple at Rankapur. This was a good 90km away. Getting out of Udaipur meant negotiating some narrow traffic filled roads. On the way to the highway we got to see a house, rather a mansion, with the garage being the highlight. The garage most definitely was a horse stable in another era and now housed wonderful desirable machines mostly of German breed. Sometimes things just surprise  you in the middle of nowhere. Both of us ended up doing double takes as we passed the house/mansion/palace.

A quick stint on the highway and we came to a fork, which now meant village roads to the temple. Apart from the experience of the ruts in the road, Rajasthan has us oohing and aahing at the roads. I think we have the right machines to do justice to it as well.
The roads kept narrowing down and soon was a single lane track and through some mountains. Sharp twisties meant my pace on the bigger bike was cut by a big margin, but the 390 motored on relentlessly.

The road passes through a jungle which must have been quite something in the days when transportation like now did not exist. I can hardly imagine the perils of such pilgrimages which we now take for granted. Not that we were on a pilgrimage, but you get the idea.

The Jain temple is a wonderful example of architecture and was our second history lesson of the day. The whole structure was originally in Marble and had wonderful sculptures and carvings wherever one looked. The audio tour is a must, and I am glad we opted to take this. Time just flew by and it was close to 4 by the time we were done, and we now had to think of how far we could make it by tonight. The original intention was Jaipur, but that was definitely off the table now, given that it looked like rain was in store for us.

So the plan instead was to get to Ajmer(270km) or as close to it as possible. A bit of asking around and we found that we could get to highway 14 with about 50km of village road ahead of us. Once we got to the highway we would be able to pick the pace and see how far we got by dusk. We got to the highway in under an hour and made a quick fuel stop. Another stop was called for pretty soon thanks to the rains, to pull on our rain gear. While we were at it a couple of locals in a Swift pulled up next to us and rained a few curiosity questions. When we told them we were headed to Chandigarh they gave us a strange look and asked if we knew that there was a cold wave and it was much warmer if we stayed in Rajasthan. We said we knew but still wanted to go, which got them off our case but they wet away shaking their hands seemingly saying "crazy buggers".

Back on the road, predictably the pace came down and given our day of walking around the fort and temple. hunger also hit us pretty soon. We pulled into one of the many many truck stops that line the highways in Rajasthan. They all tend to have large parking spaces out front that can accommodate 20 trucks easily.

No prizes for guessing what our dinner was. Aaloo paratha yet again! The bikes attract a lot of attention and we keep it in our sights all the time. Our body language also ensures a don’t mess with us attitude. However, along comes a jeep full of cops and one of them swings his leg over the Ninja. We are initially quite taken aback by what this guy is trying. He could have been in for a nasty surprise if the bike tipped over. Sam leapt out of his seat and asked the cop to get off the bike. I think the guy was too taken aback to come back with a good enough reply and got off the bike. I was a little amazed at Sam’s aggression, and a tad worried given our morning history lesson on the inclination towards honour in these parts. Aggression worked though and no one went near the bikes again.In a few minutes we were on the bikes, deliberately taking our time with the gear, so I could at least see and gauge their reaction. Thankfully that was the end of it and we were off.

The rain has let up for a bit, but the temperature has definitely headed south. Not uncomfortable cold, but cold enough to need the rain gear to be on. The roads ahead though are not in great state and we need to take detours which compounded with the fact that it is now already dark, slows us down a lot. We decide to find a place to stay in the next big town. No point pushing ourselves n the dark, when we can make a fresh start tomorrow morning. We get to Beawar and find a place to stay, and it thankfully has secure parking in a closed garage. Quick negotiations with the manager and we are settled in for the night.

Today has been slow and we have covered just about 300km. Chandigarh is still 700 km away and we want to eat our next Aloo Paratha dinner in Punjab. and oh not to forget Butter Chicken! I have been salivating at the thought of eating butter chicken in Punjab, and while I am at it I mean to check out the back of restaurants to see if they really do make lassi in washing machines!

Ride to RM: Day 3

Day 3. Tuesday. 20th Jan. Prantij

A lazy day by any standards. Intended departure was 7 am, and it was almost 11 by the time we managed to get on the road. The short ride to Udaipur lulled us into lazy mode. Last evening I was contemplating that we keep the momentum going and head to Jaipur. Sam pointed out that Udaipur is the one more conducive to a relaxed rest day and that was the clincher.

A good part of the morning was spent dilly dallying and an equally good part in trying to get a place to stay for the night. Airbnb to the rescue here. We found a decent place next to the lake and were all set. Our breakfast felt more like brunch with it being at close to 10:30. With the 2 meal thing we had going, it was probably a good idea anyway. Saddled up, bid our goodbyes to the hotel staff and off we went, expecting to be oohing and aahing at Rajasthan roads. The first thing you see as you cross the border into Rajasthan is..a Bar. Good thing we avoided this stretch last night. I would not have wanted to negotiate dark roads with drunks trying to get into races with us. As it stands every now and then some fellow gets it into his head to pit his bike, pillion and life against the 390 & 650. So far better sense has prevailed and we have let them have their fun and not got into a race. They leave hardly any margin for error and we'd rather enjoy the riding than the trampling of another's ego.

A couple of km ahead some wonderful twisties awaited us. A tad scary on the 200kg sports tourer, especially when you lose the front and must bring it back in line, thanks to strategically placed uneven bits right on the turns. Good fun nevertheless. I am definitely going to need more time to get my skills to the level needed to push this bike harder. Or will I ever push it harder? The bike seems to have plenty of grunt left whenever I have needed it so far. If I lose Sam in traffic or twisties all I need to do is wait for an open stretch, which eventually does happen, and larger does of twist on the right wrist and I am next to him soon enough.

We are due for a fuel stop soon and spot one in a tiny town. The bikes again get a lot of attention as do the 2 crazy guys donned in heavy gear which seems very out of place with the sun beating down on us. Neither of us are in the habit of taking off our helmets unless absolutely needed. Optimised stops and all that. It just adds to the mystery, me thinks, of who we are.

We are now about a 100km or so from our destination and hit a long stretch of roads with ruts. I had read about these, but riding them was an experience. Anything above 120 was scary stuff. It was a bit like riding on rails with the risk of getting off them anytime. The bike needed much more headsup than normal for any braking or lane changes. We also went into some never ending curves, like Sam pointed out, almost like a corkscrew. Tricky. As we closed in on Udaipur I realised that we have not taken any pictures in a long long time. I signal to Sam that we stop. I am sure he was surprised that I did not do the glove-off-run-to-bush jig and just stood next to the bike waiting for him. So, we pull over near one of the many many forts and start clicking away. A good deal of time is spent clicking away outside an arbitrary fort and we realise it is a hotel! Well beggars can’t be choosers. We've passed a few forts and in typical fashion 50% of the fort in real time and the remaining 50% in rear view mirror. At least we know now that neither of us is cut out to be a "motographer".

We get into Udaipur soon enough, but first things first and we stop at a KTM service center. The 390 is having some breathing problems. The 650 just needs some TLC on the chain. We decide to check in and come back to get the bikes looked at.

The place we are staying is in a part of the town with very narrow roads and 2 cars in opposite direction can only mean one thing. Traffic jam. The guesthouse itself is tucked away in an alley. A very nice place with a rooftop restaurant. Bragging rights, it seemed were earned by having the highest rooftop restaurant in town. Our neighbouring guest house had a rooftop a staggering dizzying whole foot higher than ours. Competition aside, most had a wonderful view of the lake and the lake palace. We were recommended to take in the sunset with a beer in hand and that is what we did. Sam remembered he had a camera, which I remember he had paid a bomb for, and ended up doing more clicking than sipping.

A massage and dinner were indulged in before we called it a day.

Ride to RM: Day 2

Day 2. Monday. 19th Jan. Mulund

An early morning take off was planned, but by the time we were out the door, the clock had crept past 8. We needed to cover a little over 700km to get to Udaipur, and the start of which would be through Mumbai morning traffic. Karthik again helped us out here by giving us precise directions to get to Gorbandar and out of Mumbai. We got a bit of a taste of Mumbai morning traffic, but were thankfully on the outskirts just as it started to clog up. I managed one wrong exit though and did my  drop anchor-waddle back routine again. I wonder where all this practice is leading to.

Breakfast and Fuel were called for as soon as we got on the highway. It turned out to be an affair, longer than we planned and we hit the road again only by about 10:30. Fuel and food stops come with their own entertainment. People checking out the bikes and then the hushed voices about where we come from and why we are dressed like we are going to war. Usually there is one brave soul who comes and asks us the pertinent questions, more often than not, starting with the "how much does it cost?", then moving on to the "what is your fuel efficiency?" and finally to "where do you come from and where are you going?". I even had one guy asking me how much I make in a year! This pioneer then transforms into the local wikipedia entry on us and dishes out the details to anyone else who is interested.

Our answers would of course vary at every location. I was the one underplaying our bikes and Sam was all about giving them accurate and more than accurate specs. Like for instance when they asked us how fast the bikes went, I was always trying to keep our answers around the 120kmph mark, but Sam loved watching their reaction by saying stuff like 160/180/200. I think he even zapped someone by saying something like 50 or 60 kmpl for the "Kitna deta hai" question. This stop was the first, but not the last, where we were mistaken to be from Kerala. Something to do with the number plates, because I am pretty sure neither of us remotely smelt of coconut oil. Or maybe they had seen that we did not like being overtaken!

Next stop was around Daman where we were thrilled to pay much lesser for fuel than back home. Surat was conquered a little later and Udaipur now looked within reach. Gujarat roads, did I mention, are awesome. It is the trucks that make it challenging. Or fun. Post Surat we were pretty much in video game mode. Trucks would occupy the middle lane and were pretty disciplined. We had the lanes on either side to zip past them. But what is one to do when one of them decides to overtake a peer, one at the dangerous speed of 52 kmph and the other hovering around 51, while a third enjoys the ringside view at 50kmph. You of course find a gap and gun it and leave them to their tussle. This of course repeated every few km's, or what felt like every few 100m on our bikes. Can you imagine the conversations at the truck stops? "Man I am telling you, I slip-streamed that Tata truck like nobody's business". "All it took me was 20km to overtake that guy and did I gun it after that." The bus from the movie Speed wouldn't have lasted more than 5km on our Indian roads. That did not deter some of the bus drivers from trying though, so they would be prepared just in case.

I must say though that this was the day I saw more trucks than I have seen in my entire life. We crossed Ankaleshwar and found the mother of all truck jams. A narrow long bridge across the Narmada river funnels traffic into the highway to Vadodra and this is where we were stuck as well for a good 20 minutes. Thankfully we could squeeze our way through, to the utter dismay of the cagers looking on in envy.

The hot day and trucks called for a hydration stop pretty soon. Still full from a greasy breakfast, neither of was wanted to eat lunch. We instead chose to spend some time on TLC for our bike chains. Bikers and our priorities I tell you. This was going to be the start of our 2 meal a day policy. I think we did compensate for the time in our hydration department though. Given our uric acid levels, both of us were advised by our doctor to drink plenty of water and we took that pretty seriously. Which obviously meant you saw one of us pulling over in a hurry every now and then. Gloves off, walk/jump/run to nearest tree/bush/bridge and get business done with. This was sometimes played out at fuel stops too. We would pull up to the pump and one of us would just jump off the bike and run to the washroom. Funny in hindsight, but not when you have a full bladder and find the damn loo locked.

Back on the road and we found ourselves at the Vadodara-Ahmedabad expressway, but the cops at the expressway would not let us get on it. Some stupid rule about 2 wheelers being dangerous on the expressway. This meant taking the older highway, which we find is full of diversions thanks to the construction all along the way until Ahmedabad. A long hot afternoon in store for us. Looks like the God of good roads left us to our own means every afternoon.

As we closed in on Ahmedabad, we realised just how big the city is. It has more than 1 ring road and loads of construction everywhere. Gujarat and Ahmedabad are truly booming. Lots of big cars as well. Getting to and across Ahmedabad was quite the task. Our average speeds had come down drastically and by dusk we had got just across Ahmedabad and on the highway to Udaipur. Fuel and food were called for. A dhaba was located and we sat ourselves down for a longish break. We had the world's greasiest Aloo Paratha's here. Cut up like pizza slices, just smaller. 3 kids came by, I think on their way home after school, and were so enamoured by the bikes and bikers. It was fun watching them make up stories about us and just having a wonderful time. They were our only audience not interested in the mileage and cost of the bikes!

En-route, at a fuel pump is where we met 3 more kids, or rather overgrown kids. Sam had disappeared in search of a rest room, while one of the kids pulled out the stops on a third degree interrogation. He wanted me to pull a wheelie, tell him how much money I make, what company I work for, etc. Boy was I happy to get out of there as soon as Sam showed up. Dusk meant we started our search for a place to stay put for the night, but found something decent, with secure parking, only about 80km short of the Rajasthan border. This was after a few failed attempts. some places looked a little shady, but at one we were refused a room outright! I am attributing it to the 3 weeks growth of beard and the way we were geared. That was a first. Never been refused a room before.
It was tempting to push on to Udaipur but we figured we'd rather get some good rest and get to Udaipur the next morning.

Today btw was the day we clicked absolutely no pics. It just had not occurred to either of us. 

The Ride to RM

A sunset. A gorgeous gorgeous sunset. A sunset so awesome that we stop to click pictures of it. What's so special you say? Well, the last time one of us clicked a pic was a few days ago. The two of us were so happy riding our bikes all day long that the camera was the last thing on our minds. This time it was different though. This sunset had to be savoured. Standing still. A couple of drinks(Tea! The only brew we were allowed thanks to our doc) and we rode into the sunset. It was still a gorgeous sunset at a 100 and beyond. Rajasthan roads were meant to be blitzed on. And that was our sincere and whole hearted attempt.

The long long ride from Bangalore to Chandigarh and back had started more than a week ago. Our odo would show 3780 before we would call it a day, of which 750 was to be done today. Riding into the sunset I kept thinking of the next 2 days. 2 long days of riding another 1800km, that I would be doing alone. I am sure Sam was thinking the same, with him going solo to Mundra. But for now, we  enjoy the sunset.

Day 1.Sunday. 18th Jan 2015. Bangalore

Sam & I had decided on an early start, which meant the alarm went off at 4 and I was out of the house by 5. That should see us starting from Sam's house by 6am max. Shub and Amaaya were up, as were my in laws who were going to be helping Shub out with me being on the road for the next 2 weeks. I am so thankful that we have a good support system and I am even able to think of making such trips. Well, it was Shub who planted the idea in my head initially, so I am thankful for that.
The basement saw a quick photo shoot of geared up bike and biker, and I was off. I would meet Shub in another 5 days in Chandigarh, and that was to be Amaaya's first flight, hopefully of many more to come.

The 6am departure was achieved. I was astride the Ninja 650 and Sam on the KTM390. We were used to each other's riding styles and that meant our first break would be when we hit reserve on the 390. But, thanks to my miscalculation we had to stop when I hit reserve first. I was all smug that I had the bigger tank and better mileage and had skipped visiting the bunk last evening. Thankfully we had done about 120km by then. So, our ride plan was going to be simple. At all times ensure we are visible to each other. Once fuelled, ride until the 390 hits reserve. Food and hydration stops to be combined with fuel stops. Stop at dusk and no night riding unless it is to look for a place to stay. Apart from the first day, we stuck to 2 meals a day which meant more riding time. Yay!

Our destination for the day was to be Mumbai and we planned to find a place to stay around Panvel. That way we could bank on an early morning traffic free ride across and out of Mumbai. There was some talk about Daman being our stretch goal. Best laid plans and all that.

Fantastic roads and good machines meant we were making ground pretty fast and lunch was a local restaurant at Kolhapur. Breakfast had been a quick affair some 100km short of Hubli. We had foregone the tempting idea of "Benne Dose" at Davangere in the interest of covering more ground and both of us were averse to stops that were not really mandatory. Sam & me could hardly help extrapolating this and got hopeful that we would get beyond Mumbai by nightfall. Maybe Daman. Who knows, Surat even! Like cricket, life and running; we find out that biking is also a great leveler and anti-extrapolative(if that's even a word!). 

Pune weekend traffic was something we hadn't planned for. Boy did our hopes plummet. The closer we got to Pune, the nutcases on the road kept increasing. We were on the "Mysore road" of Maharashtra. Only worse. By a factor of crazy.

I had lost hopes of Surat and hopes of Daman too. It was around 4:30 in the evening but I was ready to tell Sam that we find a place and get off the road and let these crazy people pick off each other. We could make our way around the carnage tomorrow morning. But this would mean more km tomorrow and we wanted to put as much distance between us and Bangalore as possible. Ok, that made us sound like fugitives, but given our pace people were wont to come to that conclusion.

Here is where we had the good luck to bump into a fellow biker, Karthik, astride his KTM 200, who was heading home to Mumbai after spending the weekend in Pune. Where else, but in the shell petrol pump in Pune. A couple of red bulls were called for though, given that we had a couple of more hours of riding ahead of us and our day had started around 4am. Red Bull worked better than expected. Sam's bike developed wings. I had a hard time keeping up with the Katoom boys who managed to throw their bikes around corners, people, cows, cars and everything else that occupied the road from Pune to Mumbai. Soon we found ourselves on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. A portion of this, close to Lonavala, is open for bikes and Sam's bike pulled out its wings again. I remembered Karthik telling us earlier that the exit was a concealed one and if you missed this one, then you end up in Mumbai, on the expressway, where you of course met cops rubbing their palms in glee at the "fine" they could get out of you. Designed on purpose me thinks. Anyhow, I see the exit a tad late and have to drop anchor, and waddle my way back to the exit and get on the gas to catch up my fellow road warriors. I am expecting the katoom boys to be twiddling their thumbs and going "what took you so long". 1km goes by. Nothing. 2km. Nothing. 3Km. Nothing. Ok this is not good. First day of the ride, its getting dark and my phone has already shown signs of going dead. So I decide that I must have taken the wrong exit and head back. What do I see? 2 singles's racing at me. So, its my turn to say "What took you so long".

Pretty soon, we are in Panvel and it welcomed us with a massive traffic Jam. Which now meant that the Ninja went into territory that it was not really built for. The narrow strips of dusty rocky patches that passed for shoulders. We stop at the first hotel we sight and it is called Night Queen or some such thing. More hotels and similar names. This is not going to work, so off we go towards Mumbai and take up Karthik on his offer of crashing at his place for the night. Which means another hour of riding through Mumbai traffic, which was actually more peaceful than Bangalore traffic.

We end the night by buying dinner for Karthik at a nearby restaurant he recommends. A beer and some food, we are ready to hit the bed.  Its almost a 1000km since we started our engines this morning, which feels like ages ago now. We hit the sack, dreaming of getting to Udaipur tomorrow. If we do manage, then we decide to reward ourselves with a break of a day after 2 long days of riding.