This is about a riding trip that i did in December last year. This is my longest ride till date standing at 5000 km. The intention was to just hit the highway and ride as long as you wish. One of those rides where the journey is the destination and the destination, is but an excuse to travel. Some nice spots visited on the way, but for most part, just a nomad riding his bike around the country. Read on!!!!!!!!!!!!
- (minus)2 months: Sometimes, you just feel that you need to escape from what your are doing. you feel that you have spent enough time idling around in your cabin. I was having this feeling for 2 months and decided to purge this. Made a detailed plan to tour the entire country. I planned to cover the entire golden quadrilateral.
-15 days: Om, the only friend who would dare such a ride, dropped off citing personal reasons. Now, I am left with my bike to accompany me in the entire ride. I was in no mood to cancel the trip and decided to go ahead.
Day 1:Had very little sleep. I ensure that everything is packed and bike ready for the grueling ride. I set off from Bangalore towards Chennai. Reached in 7 hours. Dozed off couple of times on the super smooth roads only to wake-up extremely scared. Stopped the bike and had a power nap for 20 min and again set-off. My plan was to halt at Nellore for the day. Reached Nellore at around 9 clock and halted at a wayside motel for 150 bucks. The lodge owner was awestruck when he heard that i spent so much money on petrol to reach Nellore by bike. 520 km - Super Smooth roads.
Day 2: Woke up late to catch up for lost sleep and headed towards Rajamundhry. Crossed Vijayawada and halted in a hotel in front of Rajamundhry station for Rs.400. 440 km - Super smooth roads.
Day 3: Again woke-up late and left for Vizag. my plan was to halt in Vizag for two days, get the bike serviced and visit Araku. Halted 25km from Vizag in a Bajaj service centre, got my bike rejuvenated and halted at Raghavendra lodge for 250 Rs. One of the best lodges in stayed. 250 km - Super Smooth roads.
Day 4: Left for Araku at 7 in the morning. I made sure that i mark the way out of the city the earlier evening. hence, i was able to hit the state highway to Araku in no time. The road is picturesque with the Andhra countryside. The distance in ~112 km from Vizag. Just rode through the winding roads to the valley and felt the winter cold for the first time in the trip. After spending time in the cool hills i rode for sometime towards Orissa's koraput as the road was very beautiful, but eventually turned back and headed to Vizag. Roamed around Waltair, Sharada Nagar and hit the bed soon. 250 km - Beautiful roads.
Day 5: My plan was to make it to Bhubaneshwar before nightfall.Started off at 8 AM and headed towards the Orissa border. TO my surprise, the roads turned for worse as soon as I entered the border with all the construction halted. Rode for another 50-70 km before roads turned better. the last 100 km to the capital city was in good condition. Reached Bhubhaneshwar by 9 and halted at a hotel near the railway station for 200 Rs.- Andhra and TN has the best sections of Golden quadrilateral.
Day 6: Plan was to ride to Puri and Konark. I decided to skip the Lingaraj temple as my intention was not to offer prayers. Went to the Puri temple and enjoyed the fervent atmosphere. Me being a south Indian, I was awestruck by the diverse crowd that had assembled in this sacred temple. After going around the temple, i left for Konark. The road from Puri to Konark is one of the best, going through a sanctuary. It reminded me of the roads in Dhanushkodi in TN. I reached Konark and went about exploring the site. The carvings lived up to their fame and to be honest, I just couldn't take my eyes off. It is said that the kings used these carvings to educate people about sex. God knows if that is true but the carvings were real beautiful. After spending some time looking and understanding "other"carvings like the time wheel and some African king gifting a Giraffe to an Indian king, i paid a visit to a well maintained museum and learnt more about the site. Very informative indeed. At 3, I reached Bhubhaneshwar and left for my destination, the missile town,Baleshwar (Balasore). Got a excellent bargain on a highway motel for 300 bucks. The cold winter seems to start from Balasore and worsens as one heads north. Hailing from Chennai, I struggled to adapt to this climate. A day well spent. 320 km.
Day 7: Filled my Wallet with cash and headed for Calcutta, my destination for the day and a major leg in my journey.GQ is better laid in WB. Headed straight and had to stop for 30 min in a bridge near Kolkata as construction was going on and only one way was opened at a time. Sun sets very soon in the east with the skies getting pitch black by 6. Got in a rather expensive room for 450 Rs and hit the sack. 270 km. TOmorrow is my most dreaded leg - Bihar.
Day 8: Started early to ensure that I didnt have to ride in the dark in Bihar. I was worried by rumours of dacoity in Bihar highways, but to my surprise the roads were excellent and the people very friendly. I started feeling comfortable and actually liked the good-natured people. My misconception was cleared and my apologies to the state of Bihar. Rode thick and fast and reached Gaya by 4 30 PM. Lodging was at a premium as it was some kind of a Buddhist festival.Prayer season. Got a room under the stairs for 50 bucks and didnt mind it. Bihar gets very cold and my watch read 10 deg C.Brrrrrr... Went to the BodhGaya temple and was overwhelmed by the serenity. Spent couple of peaceful hours in Buddha's birth place and returned to my "room". 430 km.
Day 9: Every buddhist country has built a monastery in Bodh Gaya and each one is worth visiting. My favourite was Thailand and Japan. After covering all of them and the large Buddha statue, I left for my destination, Varanasi. for the last couple of days I was getting bored by the monotonous 6-lane highways and suddenly realized my dream of covering the nations longest highway from Varanasi to Kanyakumari. Thats it. No more Delhi, Rajasthan. I headed straight to Varanasi and headed south towards Madhya Pradesh. I opened up the map and decided to stop at REWA. It is a small town, probably a stopping point for people heading to Khajuraho. Got a very big room for a cheap deal for 250 Rs. Since Rewa is in northern MP, cold was relentless and for the fourth straight day I was freezing. Had heavy dinner and hit the sack again - 470 km.
Day 10: The roads in MP were pathetic to say the least. Ever since i entered MP from UP, the roads were like Lunar landscape and riding was tough especially after 3500 km of non-stop riding. After Maihar, the roads tuned good and picturesque and I was riding through the gorgeous rural MP. The people are so friendly and kind. Got my bike serviced and headed towards Nagpur on NH 7. The road goes through the famous Pench wildlife sanctuary and the ride was excellent through the woods. This ride satisfied me to the fullest and made me fell that I was not a fool after all to have made this trip. Reached Nagpur at 10 PM after some nerve-wrecking ride across MP. One of the best day in the ride. Got a hotel for 400 Rs and slept off - 510 km.
Day 11: Started late from Nagpur and headed for Hyderabad. The roads in Maharashtra were even worse than MP and I was struggling now. To my dismay, the roads stayed horrible in Andhra as well and I decided to stop at Kamareddy,120 km from Hyderabad. Very tiring day - 350 km.
Day 12: Started at 7 AM as I had to make it to Bangalore today. Would be my longest ride in a single day. Kept riding and lost myself in Hyderabad. After an hour of roaming around, i found the Kurnool road and hit the highway at 12 noon. Precious time wasted. Rode non-stop like a truck driver and reached Bangalore by 10 30. I dont know how I managed to pull it off, by I rode 700 km in 14 hours, all of this after riding 4500 km in the last week. I reached home and lay down on by bed and thought: Why did I do this trip? I couldnt answer, but thank God, I did it!!! I had convinced myself. I was living to ride and I should keep riding to live. A ride befitting a nomad, a person bitten by WANDERLUST.
- (minus)2 months: Sometimes, you just feel that you need to escape from what your are doing. you feel that you have spent enough time idling around in your cabin. I was having this feeling for 2 months and decided to purge this. Made a detailed plan to tour the entire country. I planned to cover the entire golden quadrilateral.
-15 days: Om, the only friend who would dare such a ride, dropped off citing personal reasons. Now, I am left with my bike to accompany me in the entire ride. I was in no mood to cancel the trip and decided to go ahead.
Day 1:Had very little sleep. I ensure that everything is packed and bike ready for the grueling ride. I set off from Bangalore towards Chennai. Reached in 7 hours. Dozed off couple of times on the super smooth roads only to wake-up extremely scared. Stopped the bike and had a power nap for 20 min and again set-off. My plan was to halt at Nellore for the day. Reached Nellore at around 9 clock and halted at a wayside motel for 150 bucks. The lodge owner was awestruck when he heard that i spent so much money on petrol to reach Nellore by bike. 520 km - Super Smooth roads.
Day 2: Woke up late to catch up for lost sleep and headed towards Rajamundhry. Crossed Vijayawada and halted in a hotel in front of Rajamundhry station for Rs.400. 440 km - Super smooth roads.
Day 3: Again woke-up late and left for Vizag. my plan was to halt in Vizag for two days, get the bike serviced and visit Araku. Halted 25km from Vizag in a Bajaj service centre, got my bike rejuvenated and halted at Raghavendra lodge for 250 Rs. One of the best lodges in stayed. 250 km - Super Smooth roads.
Day 4: Left for Araku at 7 in the morning. I made sure that i mark the way out of the city the earlier evening. hence, i was able to hit the state highway to Araku in no time. The road is picturesque with the Andhra countryside. The distance in ~112 km from Vizag. Just rode through the winding roads to the valley and felt the winter cold for the first time in the trip. After spending time in the cool hills i rode for sometime towards Orissa's koraput as the road was very beautiful, but eventually turned back and headed to Vizag. Roamed around Waltair, Sharada Nagar and hit the bed soon. 250 km - Beautiful roads.
Day 5: My plan was to make it to Bhubaneshwar before nightfall.Started off at 8 AM and headed towards the Orissa border. TO my surprise, the roads turned for worse as soon as I entered the border with all the construction halted. Rode for another 50-70 km before roads turned better. the last 100 km to the capital city was in good condition. Reached Bhubhaneshwar by 9 and halted at a hotel near the railway station for 200 Rs.- Andhra and TN has the best sections of Golden quadrilateral.
Day 6: Plan was to ride to Puri and Konark. I decided to skip the Lingaraj temple as my intention was not to offer prayers. Went to the Puri temple and enjoyed the fervent atmosphere. Me being a south Indian, I was awestruck by the diverse crowd that had assembled in this sacred temple. After going around the temple, i left for Konark. The road from Puri to Konark is one of the best, going through a sanctuary. It reminded me of the roads in Dhanushkodi in TN. I reached Konark and went about exploring the site. The carvings lived up to their fame and to be honest, I just couldn't take my eyes off. It is said that the kings used these carvings to educate people about sex. God knows if that is true but the carvings were real beautiful. After spending some time looking and understanding "other"carvings like the time wheel and some African king gifting a Giraffe to an Indian king, i paid a visit to a well maintained museum and learnt more about the site. Very informative indeed. At 3, I reached Bhubhaneshwar and left for my destination, the missile town,Baleshwar (Balasore). Got a excellent bargain on a highway motel for 300 bucks. The cold winter seems to start from Balasore and worsens as one heads north. Hailing from Chennai, I struggled to adapt to this climate. A day well spent. 320 km.
Day 7: Filled my Wallet with cash and headed for Calcutta, my destination for the day and a major leg in my journey.GQ is better laid in WB. Headed straight and had to stop for 30 min in a bridge near Kolkata as construction was going on and only one way was opened at a time. Sun sets very soon in the east with the skies getting pitch black by 6. Got in a rather expensive room for 450 Rs and hit the sack. 270 km. TOmorrow is my most dreaded leg - Bihar.
Day 8: Started early to ensure that I didnt have to ride in the dark in Bihar. I was worried by rumours of dacoity in Bihar highways, but to my surprise the roads were excellent and the people very friendly. I started feeling comfortable and actually liked the good-natured people. My misconception was cleared and my apologies to the state of Bihar. Rode thick and fast and reached Gaya by 4 30 PM. Lodging was at a premium as it was some kind of a Buddhist festival.Prayer season. Got a room under the stairs for 50 bucks and didnt mind it. Bihar gets very cold and my watch read 10 deg C.Brrrrrr... Went to the BodhGaya temple and was overwhelmed by the serenity. Spent couple of peaceful hours in Buddha's birth place and returned to my "room". 430 km.
Day 9: Every buddhist country has built a monastery in Bodh Gaya and each one is worth visiting. My favourite was Thailand and Japan. After covering all of them and the large Buddha statue, I left for my destination, Varanasi. for the last couple of days I was getting bored by the monotonous 6-lane highways and suddenly realized my dream of covering the nations longest highway from Varanasi to Kanyakumari. Thats it. No more Delhi, Rajasthan. I headed straight to Varanasi and headed south towards Madhya Pradesh. I opened up the map and decided to stop at REWA. It is a small town, probably a stopping point for people heading to Khajuraho. Got a very big room for a cheap deal for 250 Rs. Since Rewa is in northern MP, cold was relentless and for the fourth straight day I was freezing. Had heavy dinner and hit the sack again - 470 km.
Day 10: The roads in MP were pathetic to say the least. Ever since i entered MP from UP, the roads were like Lunar landscape and riding was tough especially after 3500 km of non-stop riding. After Maihar, the roads tuned good and picturesque and I was riding through the gorgeous rural MP. The people are so friendly and kind. Got my bike serviced and headed towards Nagpur on NH 7. The road goes through the famous Pench wildlife sanctuary and the ride was excellent through the woods. This ride satisfied me to the fullest and made me fell that I was not a fool after all to have made this trip. Reached Nagpur at 10 PM after some nerve-wrecking ride across MP. One of the best day in the ride. Got a hotel for 400 Rs and slept off - 510 km.
Day 11: Started late from Nagpur and headed for Hyderabad. The roads in Maharashtra were even worse than MP and I was struggling now. To my dismay, the roads stayed horrible in Andhra as well and I decided to stop at Kamareddy,120 km from Hyderabad. Very tiring day - 350 km.
Day 12: Started at 7 AM as I had to make it to Bangalore today. Would be my longest ride in a single day. Kept riding and lost myself in Hyderabad. After an hour of roaming around, i found the Kurnool road and hit the highway at 12 noon. Precious time wasted. Rode non-stop like a truck driver and reached Bangalore by 10 30. I dont know how I managed to pull it off, by I rode 700 km in 14 hours, all of this after riding 4500 km in the last week. I reached home and lay down on by bed and thought: Why did I do this trip? I couldnt answer, but thank God, I did it!!! I had convinced myself. I was living to ride and I should keep riding to live. A ride befitting a nomad, a person bitten by WANDERLUST.
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