[kozhissery]

After a long hibernation, beaky got the chance to stretch her wings – thanks to Covid for the delay.

Planning

I had been planning for a trip to Uttarakhand since my last trip to Spiti in 2019 (Beaky flies north – Spiti on a Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT). The actual trip was planned for August/September of 2020, but the trip could be materialized in 2021. Still with positive outlook I had informed my company that Aug/Sep leaves would be taken by end of January 2021. Even though leaves and everything were done, I did not imagine that I would be able to go due to this pandemic scare. The places to visit were not well planned as the locations which I wanted to see were not accessible during winter months. Anyway made some compromises and selected few places to visit. The rough itinerary was as follows



and the route was as follows


But the actual trip turned out to be something else. As the saying goes man proposes god disposes. The actual route materialized to be as follows

Preparation

Till mid of December, 2020, I did not think that I would be able to make the trip. First the covid, then the unavailability of the stock tires. Lucky for me, my co-brother too wanted to change the shoes for his MultiStrada and he helped me in getting one for me (Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT - A foray into the world of adventure biking). The dealer got the tires for both our bikes from Bangalore (I think). Once the bike issue was settled, decided to plan the trip and after consultation with my friend decided the places. He also helped me in introducing to a travel co-coordinator in Uttarakhand who was very helpful. All in all was set to start on 29.Jan.2021

Partners in crime

Ajay in Ducati Multistrada 1260S
Lovelin in modified Duke 390 and
Me in V-Strom 650


Index

Day 1: 29.Jan.2021 – Home to Salem

Day 2: 30.Jan.2021 – Salem to Hyderabad

Day 3: 31.Jan.2021 – At Hyderabad

Day 4: 01.Feb.2021 – At Hyderabad

Day 5: 02.Feb.2021 – Hyderabad to Sagar

Day 6: 03.Feb.2021 – Sagar to Aligarh

Day 7: 04.Feb.2021 - Aligarh

Day 8: 05.Feb.2021 – Aligarh to Haridwar

Day 9: 06.Feb.2021 – Haridwar to Rishikesh

Day 9: 06.Feb.2021 – Haridwar to Rishikesh (Continued)

Day 9: 06.Feb.2021 – Haridwar to Rishikesh via Beatles Ashram (Continued)

Day 9: 06.Feb.2021 – Haridwar to Rishikesh via Beatles Ashram (Continued)

Day 10: 07.Feb.2021 - Rishikesh

Day 11: 08.Feb.2021 – Rishikesh to Delhi

Day 12: 09.Feb.2021 – Delhi

Day 12: 09.Feb.2021 – Delhi (Continued)

Day 12: 09.Feb.2021 – Delhi (Continued)

Day 13: 10.Feb.2021 – Delhi to Rewari

Day 14: 11.Feb.2021 – Rewari to Bikaner

Day 15: 12.Feb.2021 – Bikaner to Jaisalmer (@Karni Matha Temple)

Day 15: 12.Feb.2021 – Bikaner to Jaisalmer (@Jaisalmer)

Day 16: 13.Feb.2021 – Jaisalmer to Pal Desert Camp (including local tour)

Day 17: 14.Feb.2021 – Pal Desert Camp to Jaisalmer, then to Longawale/Thanot and back

Day 18: 15.Feb.2021 – Jaisalmer to Jodhpur

Day 19: 16.Feb.2021 – Jodhpur to Kumbalghar (via Pali)

Day 19: 16.Feb.2021 – Jodhpur to Kumbalghar (via Pali)

Day 20: 17.Feb.2021 - Kumbalghar

Day 21: 18.Feb.2021 – Kumbalghar to Vapi

Day 22: 19.Feb.2021 – Vapi to Bijapur

Day 23: 20.Feb.2021 – Bijapur to Hubbali

Day 24: 21.Feb.2021 – Hubbali to Trivandrum



Thanks to Covid for this late travelogue. After we reached back, the lock-down started and was not able to collect photos from Ajay and Lovelin

[kozhissery]

Day 1: 29.Jan.2021 – Home to Salem

Ajay had already started on 28.Jan.2021 as he had ordered Aux Lights which was received on Wednesday (previous day). He went to Ducati Kochi to get it installed and decided to proceed to Salem on 29th where we all had decided to meet. All the packing were done in the morning itself and went to office to close things. Came home for lunch by 12:30PM. As it was decided to meet Lovelin@Marthandam by 3:30PM, started by 2pm.

Fully decked up


Starting odometer


I reached Marthandam by 3:20 or so and in another 10 minutes Lovelin also landed.

Welcome Lovelin


We started from there by 3:45 after pairing our helmets which took a bit of time. As Marthandam/Nagarcoil/Kanyakumari stretch is one of the best place to have Nongu juice/nungu sarbath, the very sight of these made me salivate which prompted me to take a break in about 20minutes of starting to ride. After having a 2 large glasses of refreshing sarbath, decided to have the next stop only for filling petrol. First stop came at about 6PM and the next at 8PM for dinner. After that we drove nonstop till Salem. As Ajay had already made the booking, nothing much was to be done at the reception than giving the copy of IDs. Hit the bed by 11PM.



Destination: Salem
Route: Trivandrum->Marthandam->Nagarcoil-> Madurai->Salem
Distance: 533 Kilometers
Cumulative Distance: 533 Kilometers
Fuel Consumed: 27.96 liter
Cost of Fuel: Rs.2501.56
Start Time: 2pm
End Time: 10:15 PM
Total Hours on Road: 8 hours 15 minutes
Hotel: Grand Estancia, 349/3 Bangalore, Bypass Rd, Narasothipatti, Salem, Tamil Nadu 636004
Longitude: 78.125305
Latitude: 11.683338
Elevation: 300 Meters
Rating: Good hotel for the price.

[kozhissery]

Day 2: 30.Jan.2021 – Salem to Hyderabad

Woke up early in the morning and started our ride by 06:30am. We tanked from the pump just opposite to the hotel and started the ride in another 15 minutes or so. Rode for around 1.5 hours covering about 150 kilometers before our first halt for breakfast.

Breakfast Hotel: Saravanaa Bhava, Next to Toll gate, Opp to IOC Petrol Bunk, Krishnagiri to Bangalore Highway, Dharmapuri-Bengaluru Rd, Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu 635121
Longitude: 78.1720800
Latitude: 12.5705130
Parking: Excellent
Rating: Mediocre

Saravanaa Bhava Hotel Parking


The first change in the plan came in another two hours. Lovelin had to return home for an emergency. We discussed on our next course of plan, and after few calls it was decided to wait for Lovelin to catch up with us (even though Lovelin has to make 2000 kilometers round trip). So from outskirts of Bangalore Lovelin returned back while Ajay and myself carried on to Hyderabad. We decided to stay in Hyderabad as both of us had not explored the city. As we were not in a hurry to reach Hyderabad, we decided to ride leisurely with lots of stops. Once we reached the outskirts of Hyderabad, searched for a hotel and selected one which we felt was near on the northern part of Hyderabad which can make our exit easy. After taking couple of “Google Aunty’s” short-cut reached the hotel by 11:30 PM or so. Dumped the goods and hit the bed after a nice hot shower.


KIA



KIA



Hand sanitizer inside the lift of the hotel



Destination: Hyderabad
Route: Salem->Hosur->Ananthapur->Hyderabad
Distance: 749 Kilometers
Cumulative Distance: 1282 Kilometers
Fuel Consumed: 25.61 liter
Cost of Fuel: Rs.2368.33
Start Time: 06:30AM
End Time: 23:40 PM
Total Hours on Road: 17 hours 10 minutes
Hotel: Fairfield by Marriott, Road No 2, Financial District, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032 India
Longitude: 78.347686
Latitude: 17.423623
Elevation: 500 Meters
Rating: Good hotel for the price. But due to covid there is no bell/concierge service, so you have to carry the bags yourself which is very tiring after the long ride.

[kozhissery]

Day 3: 31.Jan.2021 – At Hyderabad

As next two days were to be spent in Hyderabad, woke up late. By 11:30 we went out, had our brunch and decided to visit Golconda fort. We hired a guide and spent more than 3 hours in the fort. The fort is good but the people tends to defile it and at some places the stench of urine was too much.

Map of the fort


History of the Fort


Entrance


Guns/Canons


We were told that the figures were etched by Bhakt Ramadas, using his finger nails. He was imprisoned here by Sultan over tax evasion (diverting the money for the construction of a temple inside the fort - it is great wonder to see such good IT department of the king to find the diversion of money, that too for not personal gains. Wish we had such good IT department which would kill Swiss banks ). Bhakt Ramadas spent 12 years of his life in imprisonment in this chamber. These figures can be prominently seen, thanks to the liberal use of vermilion paste

The jail converted to temple


The jail converted to temple


Outer Gardens of the Fort


Outer Gardens of the Fort


Birds View of the fort


Outer view


After this we moved to lumbini gardens/park but we decided not to enter it as it was too crowded and the mask protocol were not at all followed by most of the people. As it was already beyond 6:00pm we moved to see Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge.

Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge


Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge


View from Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge


After the mandatory photo shoot we decided to see the famous Charminar. It was too crowded for my liking.

Charminar


After a quick photo shoot we decided to have some chaat at Gokul chat before retiring for the day which was beyond 10pm.


Destination: Hyderabad
Route: Local trip in cab
Distance: NA
Cumulative Distance: 1282 Kilometers
Fuel Consumed: Not refueled
Cost of Fuel: NA
Start Time: 10:00AM
End Time: 23:00 PM
Total Hours on Road: Full day
Hotel: Fairfield by Marriott, Road No 2, Financial District, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032 India
Longitude: 78.347686
Latitude: 17.423623
Elevation: 500 Meters
Rating: Good hotel for the price. But due to covid there is no bell/concierge service, so you have to carry the bags yourself which is very tiring after the long ride.

[kozhissery]

Day 4: 01.Feb.2021 – At Hyderabad

From the previous day's experience at the various tourist places we decided to stay safe at the hotel and not to take any risks. We were appalled by the crowd behavior as nobody cared about Covid-19, no social distancing, nothing. So woke up pretty late and had our lunch instead of breakfast. Did some last minute shopping at decathlon for inner fleece gloves, flip flops etc. Did some window shopping at a mall too (this was totally devoid of any visitors) and by 7pm we returned to the hotel. Lovelin reached hotel by 8pm or so and we all had our dinner and hit the bed early so that we could start early from Hyderabad.


Destination: Hyderabad
Route: Local trip in cab
Distance: NA
Cumulative Distance: 1282 Kilometers
Fuel Consumed: Not refueled
Cost of Fuel: NA
Start Time: 01:00PM
End Time: 6:00 PM
Total Hours on Road: 2 hours
Hotel: Fairfield by Marriott, Road No 2, Financial District, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032 India
Longitude: 78.347686
Latitude: 17.423623
Elevation: 500 Meters
Rating: Good hotel for the price. But due to covid there is no bell/concierge service, so you have to carry the bags yourself which is very tiring after the long ride.

[kozhissery]

Day 5: 02.Feb.2021 – Hyderabad to Sagar

Woke up early and started from the hotel by 6:00am. It was quite chilly for my liking but the roads were very good and we made quite a progress. Our first stop to take photo of the odometer (covered 20k).

Covered 20000



Team waiting for me!!!


The next stop was at about 08:00am for breakfast. Had some hot iddaly and dosa too (Andhra/Maharashtra mix style). As the roads were pretty good we made good progress. Stopped for lunch by about 1PM just outside Nagpur. Crossed Nagpur by 2PM. The roads were pretty laid down and the travel through forest was wonderful. I really liked the way the elevated roads were constructed through the forest whereby the animals can wander freely under the roads. Last time I used this road was in October of 2019 and at that time the construction was in full progress and this year it is almost 95% is completed. After the elevated roads we reached the entrance of Pench Tiger Reserve @ Seoni.

Entrance to Pench Tiger Reserve


Entrance to Pench Tiger Reserve


By 7pm or so we reached outskirts of Sagar and while having a coffee break we decided to take the break in Sagar itself than stretching to Lalitpur which was about 100 kilometers from the place that we had coffee. The main reason for this was due to the cattle (cows/ox/buffaloes) making the highway their resting place and it was proving to be dangerous to drive with cattle all around. What we noticed in our rides, that in Madhya Pradesh the cattle seem to wander very freely and not like Kerala where you might see only dogs on roads that too occasionally only. So it is always better to ride only when daylight is available or the progress will be very slow and tiring.

Reached the hotel by around 8PM in a relaxed manner and settled for the day.

Destination: Sagar, Madhya Pradesh
Route: Hyderabad –> Nizamabad –> Adilabad –> Nagpur–>Narsinghpur–>Sagar
Distance: 872 Kilometers
Cumulative Distance: 2154 Kilometers
Fuel Consumed: 44.16 liter
Cost of Fuel: Rs.4140.93
Start Time: 06:00AM
End Time: 20:30 PM
Total Hours on Road: 14 Hours 30 Minutes
Hotel: The Crown Palace, Near Hawk Canteen, Makronia Road, Sagar (M.P)
Longitude: 78.781888
Latitude: 23.850438
Elevation: 530 Meters
Rating: Good hotel for the price. Food is so so.

[kozhissery]

Day 6: 03.Feb.2021 – Sagar to Aligarh

Woke up leisurely by 7:00 am as the breakfast was to start by 8:00am and had a quick breakfast and could start before 9:00am. By 11:30am we reached Jhansi and by 1:00pm we reached Gwalior where we had our lunch and a longish break.

Random Photo


By 4:00pm or so we reached Agra and took almost 1 hour to cross Agra with a quick stop to take the photo of fort and a telescopic photo of Taj Mahal.

Which looks better MS or Agra Fort


Don't forget to see Agra Fort


Taj Mahal in the background


Taj Mahal in the background


Taj Mahal


Taj Mahal


We could reach outskirts of Aligarh by 7:00pm and here I lost the control on the rail over-bridge construction site the bike had to be taken to ditch to prevent from falling but due to liquid mud it splashed all over my legs and mainly on back tyres and chain. Others were lucky to have minor splashes and nothing on chain/sprockets. This really freaked me out as the back tyre/chain was literally dipped in mud and even my shoes. As there was no water around and no service station to clean off the water from the chains/tyres/mudguard we decided to stay at Aligarh and proceed after cleaning the muck off the chains. I did not want to take risk of this mud fouling the chains/sprocket and there by destroying it. We took the first hotel which was nearer to the service station so that the next day the bikes could be washed. Had a hearty dinner as the food was pretty good, if I remember correctly this was the first hotel in the trip so far which served delicious food from its restaurant.

Before hitting the bed inquired about the opening of service station too, so that we can plan accordingly.


Destination: Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh
Route: Sagar–>Rajwas–>Lalitpur–>Jhansi–>Gwalior–>Agra–>Al igarh
Distance: 500 Kilometers
Cumulative Distance: 2654 Kilometers
Fuel Consumed: 27.34 liter
Cost of Fuel: Rs.2355.06
Start Time: 08:50AM
End Time: 07:30 PM
Total Hours on Road: 11 Hours
Hotel: Lemon Tree Hotel, Aligarh, B/11, Marris Road, Opp. Pragati Vihar Colony, Aligarh
Longitude: 78.088290
Latitude: 27.902506
Elevation: 116 Meters
Rating: Good hotel for the price. Food is pretty good.

[kozhissery]

Day 7: 04.Feb.2021 - Aligarh

Woke up late and had our breakfast by 9 and then headed to the nearest service station by 10am to wash the bike.

Chain Tightning



In about 4 hours the bikes were washed and the chain of the bikes were also attended too. By the time all the bikes were attended it was past 2pm and so we decided to stay at Aligarh and explore nearby fort. Nothing to write about the fort, it could have been better managed and kept.

18th Century fort - but very badly kept


Entrance


Entrance


Bird's view of the protection (Canal around the fort)


Lovely sunset


Lovely sunset


Pathway - badly managed or can say hardly managed


Random shots of the fort area


Random shots of the fort area



After the fort we decided to stroll in the local market (wanted to get a can of WD40 as we had used up our stock previous day trying to clean the chain/sprocket) and have some local food. We had some chat items which was fine and Badam milk (it was too watery for my liking).

Badam Milk


Badam Milk


Badam Milk


Lovelin waiting for Paneer Pakoda


Where is it made - Open kitchen


There it is


Attack


After our snaky dinner, we got some fruits on the way to have it before night.

Random street photo


Reached hotel by 7:30pm and retired pretty early so that we can start early in the morning.

Destination: Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh
Route: Local tip for bike washing
Distance: 15 Kilometers
Cumulative Distance: 2669 Kilometers
Fuel Consumed: Not refueled
Cost of Fuel: NA
Start Time: 10:30AM
End Time: 07:30 PM
Total Hours on Road: Whole day
Hotel: Lemon Tree Hotel, Aligarh, B/11, Marris Road, Opp. Pragati Vihar Colony, Aligarh
Longitude: 78.088290
Latitude: 27.902506
Elevation: 116 Meters
Rating: Good hotel for the price. Food is pretty good.

[kozhissery]

Day 8: 05.Feb.2021 – Aligarh to Haridwar

We started out ride by 7:45am. The hotel (Lemon Tree, Aligarh) were very friendly and gave us breakfast beautifully packed in boxes as we started before the breakfast timing of theirs. As the boxes were big, we just took the sandwich/fruits and dumped into the top box of Ajay.

Breakfast pack from Lemon Tree


Breakfast pack from Lemon Tree


Morning time was quite chilly and we decided to ride slow compared to the speed that we do to avoid the wind blast. In about 1 hour or so we stopped for a coffee break and after which the sun was up and we could resume our normal speed.

Photo taken during our breakfast


By 11:30 or so we crossed Meerut and by 1:00pm reached Roorkie where we had our lunch.

Lunch Break@Roorkie


Lunch Break@Roorkie


By about 2:00pm we reached the designated hotel at Haridwar. Our tourist guide Mr. Alok was waiting for us in the hotel. Dumped our goods at the hotel and returned to the lobby where we discussed and finalized the places to visit in Uttarakhand and got all the trekking/camps etc details except the forest lodge at Jim Corbett national park. Went back to the rooms to freshen up and we were out to explore Haridwar by 4PM.

As per the suggestion from Mr.Alok we headed to the famous Har Ki Pauri ghat in a hired auto/tuk-tuk. The site was great, I never expected the ghats to be so clean. The approach to the river was properly barricaded due to which the people were not venturing out into the water for taking bath/dip. The ghats were very crowded and we were very concerned as nobody seems to be bothered with Covid. To be on safe side, we had the masks properly fit and used sanitizer liberally but social distancing was a joke at the ghats.

Bridge to Har Ki Pauri - Looks like Bow and Arrow


Bridge to Hari Ki Pauri - Looks like Bow and Arrow


The famous Aarti@Har Ki Pauri


The famous Aarti@Har Ki Pauri


The famous Aarti@Har Ki Pauri


Well controlled crowd@Har Ki Pauri witnessing the Aarati


No idea what this guy is doing?


I hope such diya/aarati are collected downstream and not defile the river


Just a long shot of Har Ki Pauri


Once the aarati at “Har Ki Pauri” were over, we headed for dinner at the hotels/food joints as recommended by our travel agent (he suggested to try the food outside rather from the hotel where we stayed).

First visit was to “Mohanji Puri wala” where we had the lovely puri which was very good.

Puri shop - Do not miss


Puri shop - Do not miss


Puri shop - Do not miss


Name: Mohanji Puri Wala
Location/Address: Near Shankar Ashram Chowk, Jwalapur, Haridwar
Longitude: 78.170340
Latitude: 29.956015
Elevation: 275 Meters
Rating: Excellent
Items liked: Puri, Gulab jamun, chandrakala
Neutral: Suji halwa, kharta kachouri
To avoid: Coffee, Lassi

From there we visited famous sweet shop “Mathura Walloon ki Pracheen Dukan” , but just got small quantities of halwa and sweet to settle the appetite.


Name: Mathura wallon ki Pracheen dukan
Location/Address: Thanda Kuan, Moti Bazaar, Haridwar, India, 249401, Uttarakhand
Rating: Excellent, too sweet
Items liked: Gajar ki Halwa and some milk sweet (i forgot the name, some milk peda)

Mathura wallon ki Pracheen dukan


Mathura wallon ki Pracheen dukan


We decided to walk down the road back to hotel to let our tummy to settle down. On way did try some sprouts too.

Sprouts


Sprouts


During the long stroll back to hotel we saw some good views of the river too.

Ganga looks clean


Even the ghat looks ok


Random Photos


Random Photos


After a long stroll on the roads we reached back at hotel by 9:00PM and hit the bed.


Destination: Haridwar, Uttarakhand
Route: Aligarh - Hapur – Meerut – Muzzafarnagar – Roorkie - Haridwar
Distance: 278 Kilometers
Cumulative Distance: 2947 Kilometers
Fuel Consumed: Not refueled
Cost of Fuel: NA
Start Time: 07:00AM
End Time: 02:00 PM
Total Hours on Road: 7 Hours
Hotel: Hotel Suvidha Deluxe, Sharvan Nath Nagar (Behind Chitra Cinema) Haridwar - 249401 Uttarakhand, India
Longitude: 78.159165
Latitude: 29.947078
Elevation: 290 Meters
Rating: Cheap hotel, avoidable.

[kozhissery]

Day 9: 06.Feb.2021 – Haridwar to Rishikesh

We woke up early in the morning and after freshening up and in the hired auto we went to “Mansa Devi Temple” by about 06:30am. After the auto dropped us at the foothills we decided against walking and took the service of Roadside Rossies (RR46 ).

Roadside Rossies in action


In 10 minutes we reached the summit that is about 7:30am and in another 30 minutes we were out as it was not at all crowded.

RR 46 Trivia
Scooter's brakes needs to be changed at-least once a month


View from Hilltop


View from Hilltop


View from Hilltop


View from Hilltop


View from Hilltop


View from Hilltop


View from Hilltop




The cable car to Chandi Devo Temple starts by 9:00am, which meant that we had time to visit Daksheshwar Mahadev Temple. The temple premises is well kept, but the water is scant in this side of the temple.

Daksheshwar Temple


Distance from Daksheshwar Temple


Daksheshwar Mahadev Temple


Daksheshwar Mahadev Temple


Daksheshwar Mahadev Temple


Daksheshwar Mahadev Temple


Selfie time


Way to Ganga


Ganga


Well pruned Banyan Tree


As we had some more spare time, we went see "Rameswar Dham Mandir". It is complete waste of time. It is just a small building with a coral stuck to the glass of an aquarium. Want to see original one, visit Rameswaram

Way to "Rameswar Dham Mandir"


"Rameswar Dham Mandir"


Coral Stone floating??




Destination: Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
Route: Haridwar - Rishikesh
Distance: 30 Kilometers
Cumulative Distance: 2977 Kilometers
Fuel Consumed: 16.20 Liters
Cost of Fuel: Rs.1400.46
Start Time: 02:00PM
End Time: 05:00 PM
Total Hours on Road: 1 Hour
Hotel: Hotel Shivay, NH 7, Tapovan, Rishikesh, 249175, Uttarakhand, India
Longitude: 78.323246
Latitude: 30.129408
Elevation: 350 Meters
Rating: Clean rooms, good service, but small rooms

[kozhissery]

Day 9: 06.Feb.2021 – Haridwar to Rishikesh (Continued)

After visiting "Rameshwar Dham" we proceeded to visit Chandi Devi temple. Our auto dropped in front of the gate of the cable car entry gate. After having a tea we took the first car towards the temple. The premise was neat and clean, with proper sanitation of each cable car after the person de-boards it. The trip was short and scenery was wonderful. We spent about 45 minutes around the temple.

Long distance view of the temple


Properly barricaded enterance


Cable cars in various cities


The car


Bird's view


Workers working on the safety net (in case the cable car crashes)


Bird's view


Flight of steps


Entrance


Give me Red


Bird searching for free food



By the time we came down the temple we were very hungry and so we proceeded to "Bhagavathy Chole Bhandar" as suggested by our guide Mr. Alok and it did not fail me, the puri was fabulous

Bhagavathy Chole Bhandar


Bhagavathy Chole Bhandar


Name: Bhagavathy Chole Bhandar
Location/Address: 16, Upper Rd, Har Ki Pauri, Haridwar, Uttarakhand 249401
Rating: Excellent
Items liked: Puri
Neutral: Lassi
To avoid: Did not try anything else
Longitude: 78.163284
Latitude: 29.951656
Elevation: 285 Meters

After that we started our way towards hotel and by 1:00pm we were back at the hotel.

Some random photos from tuk/tuk on the way to hotel


Some random photos while walking down the lanes


Some random photos while walking down the lanes


Some random photos from tuk/tuk on the way to hotel


Some random photos from tuk/tuk on the way to hotel


Some random photos while walking down the lanes



Destination: Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
Route: Haridwar - Rishikesh
Distance: 30 Kilometers
Cumulative Distance: 2977 Kilometers
Fuel Consumed: 16.20 Liters
Cost of Fuel: Rs.1400.46
Start Time: 02:00PM
End Time: 05:00 PM
Total Hours on Road: 1 Hour
Hotel: Hotel Shivay, NH 7, Tapovan, Rishikesh, 249175, Uttarakhand, India
Longitude: 78.323246
Latitude: 30.129408
Elevation: 350 Meters
Rating: Clean rooms, good service, but small rooms

[kozhissery]

Day 9: 06.Feb.2021 – Haridwar to Rishikesh via Beatles Ashram (Continued)

By 14:00 we started our onward journey to Rishikesh . On the way my backpack just fell off the bike, thanks to Grand Pitstop Motorbike Luggage Strap which just snapped and I did not know of the breakage. Lucky for me a gentle man saw while we crossed and he turned back his bike raced to catch up with me and notify me.

Grand Pitstop Motorbike Luggage Strap - snapped with just under 3K kilometers and 10 days of usage

As I had spare bungee cord, tied the bag securely to bike. The bag was torn at different places and was discarded after reaching Delhi. Bag contained just trekking shoes, bathroom slippers and some waste cloth used for cleaning helmet/bike dash.


As Beatles Ashram is on the way to Rishikesh, we paid a visit. Though the buildings are in dilapidated condition, the place has a romance/coolness there. We spent quite some time there and loved it.

The ashram is inside "Rajaji Tiger Reserve"


Ajay volunteered to stay outside (guard for bike) - I'm very much thankful to him for such lovely gestures.


Selfie


Meditation Caves - so many of them


Information about the construction of Meditation caves


I liked the architecture - should be cool inside, just a guess as this was winter time


How it looks on the first floor?


Ghost town?


Dilapidated Buildings


Dilapidated Buildings


Remains of the printing press


Residential accommodation for course participants


Kitchen


Theatre


Mandatory snap inside the theatre


Mandatory snap inside the theatre


Theatre


Selfies


Art even on the floor


There is a photo museum which gives the information of the Ashram and who all visited and when.


Tourists are so lovely that they can spit anywhere


Random photo from the museum


Random photo from the museum


Some more mural paintings


Some more mural paintings



By about 5PM we exited from the ashram and headed straight to the hotel which was under 10 kilometres. On the way tanked up as I was running short of fuel.

Destination: Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
Route: Haridwar - Rishikesh
Distance: 30 Kilometers
Cumulative Distance: 2977 Kilometers
Fuel Consumed: 16.20 Litres
Cost of Fuel: Rs.1400.46
Start Time: 02:00PM
End Time: 05:00 PM
Total Hours on Road: 1 Hour
Hotel: Hotel Shivay, NH 7, Tapovan, Rishikesh, 249175, Uttarakhand, India
Longitude: 78.323246
Latitude: 30.129408
Elevation: 350 Meters
Rating: Clean rooms, good service, but small rooms

[kozhissery]

Day 9: 06.Feb.2021 – Haridwar to Rishikesh via Beatles Ashram (Continued)

By 5:45pm we reached our hotel, after freshening up we went to Lakshman Jhoola and Ram Jhoola.

Want to know the way


Random photos near the river@Rishikesh


Random photos near the river@Rishikesh


Random photos near the river@Rishikesh


Random photos near the river@Rishikesh


Random photos near the river@Rishikesh


Do I look handsome???


Random photos near the river@Rishikesh


Random photos near the river@Rishikesh


Random photos near the river@Rishikesh


Random photos near the river@Rishikesh


Food joints visited:

Name: Madras Cafe
Location/Address: Taxi Stand, Near Ram Jhula, Muni Ki Reti, Ganga Vatika, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249137
Rating: So So
Items Had: Had Paratha, Dosa
Items Liked: Nothing in particular
Neutral: Nothing in particular
To avoid: Nothing in particular
Longitude: 78.311090
Latitude: 30.122904
Elevation: 350 Meters

After loitering around we had our dinner at Madras Café and reached hotel by 10pm or so and hit the bed.


Destination: Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
Route: Haridwar - Rishikesh
Distance: 29 Kilometers
Cumulative Distance: 2977 Kilometers
Fuel Consumed: 16.20 Liters
Cost of Fuel: Rs.1400.46
Start Time: 02:00PM
End Time: 05:00 PM
Total Hours on Road: 1 Hour
Hotel: Hotel Shivay, NH 7, Tapovan, Rishikesh, 249175, Uttarakhand, India
Longitude: 78.323246
Latitude: 30.129408
Elevation: 350 Meters
Rating: Clean rooms, good service, but small rooms

[kozhissery]

Day 10: 07.Feb.2021 - Rishikesh

Woke up quite early and went to the river side to see the Triveni Sangam.

Out mode of transport for the day


Where are we


Sad to see


Triveni Ghat


Abandoned Idols


Abandoned Idols


Abandoned Idols


I was quite surprised to see the place to be quite clean.

Ganga is clean


Ganga is clean


Ganga is clean


Ganga is clean


Ganga is clean


Some random photos


Selfies


Selfies


From the Triveni ghat we moved to see the Lakshman Jhula in the day light.

Lakshman Jhula


Lakshman Jhula


How to take photos @Lakshman Jhula


Lakshman Jhula


About 10:30am or so while having a tea at the local tea stall came to know from that some dam had broken at upper stream and the police started closing/clearing all the shops near the banks.

Bad news indeed


We were quite hopeful that we can continue our onward journey to other parts of Uttarakhand even though the local police said that we’ll have to wait till 4pm to get a clearer picture. Add to that we started getting calls from our families to abandon the trip. Anyway we decided to wait till morning, so walked around the upper town (as lower near the rivers were cordoned off). For lunch we went to the so called famous restaurant

Food joints visited:
Name: Chotiwala Restaurant
Location/Address: Swarg Ashram, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249304
Rating: Just hype
Items Had: Thali and even gulab jammun
Items liked: None
Neutral:
To avoid: Did not try anything else
Longitude: 78.314990
Latitude: 30.121641
Elevation: 340 M

Nice way of brand building


3 some Thali


Thali


Keeping our fingers crossed went down to the local police who was blocking the roads towards Chopta (our next destination) to ask about the probabilities of going on, but came back dejected as we were informed that there is no chance of opening the roads for tourists for the next 7 days.

Helicopter carrying rescue items - I think??


So we started to plan our alternate destination, after lots of brainstorming decided to move to Rajasthan. With change in plans decided to get our bikes before proceeding to Rajasthan and got the dates for Wednesday which meant that we have 1 extra day in Delhi, so started to plan for that too. While all these brainstorming sessions we were also loitering around on this side of the roads as crossing the river were barred. By about 9pm we hit the bed but after our dinner at some restaurants where we had some Israeli Hummus

Menu


Hummus



Destination: Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
Route: Not Applicable
Distance: NA
Cumulative Distance: 2977 Kilometers
Fuel Consumed: NA
Cost of Fuel: NA
Start Time: 08:00AM
End Time: 09:30 PM
Total Hours on Road: Whole day
Hotel: Hotel Shivay, NH 7, Tapovan, Rishikesh, 249175, Uttarakhand, India
Longitude: 78.323246
Latitude: 30.129408
Elevation: 350 Meters
Rating: Clean rooms, good service, but small rooms

[kozhissery]

Day 11: 08.Feb.2021 – Rishikesh to Delhi

Woke up bit late so that we could try our luck but no avail and the pressure was mounting from home department too. So the final nail was hammered on the coffin of our Uttarakhand trip, which meant loss of booking amount already given for tent/trekking in Chopta and at Corbett national park. As an alternate plan we finalized the trip to Rajasthan. Made calls to my friend for hotel suggestions at Rajasthan and places to visit. We had to make some decisions of getting our bikes serviced too as this cannot be done after we leave Delhi for another 3K kilometres which would not be advisable. Made calls and came to know that the showrooms are closed on Tuesday so booked for the service of all the three bikes for Wednesday. After settling all these, we started for Delhi by 11:00 and in another 7 hours we reached New Delhi.

Lunch Break


Just a break


Just a break


Just a break


@Piccadily



As it was not late in the night we decided to try taking some night photos of India gate, but we were not allowed near it.

Metro ride


India Gate


Fight cold with cold


Hazy/Camera shake photo


Lone cyclist


At last we reached back to the hotel by 10pm.

Destination: New Delhi
Route: Rishikesh – Roorkie – Muzaffarnagar – Baghpat – new Delhi
Distance: 250 Kilometers
Cumulative Distance: 3227 Kilometers
Fuel Consumed: 8.11 Liters
Cost of Fuel: Rs.698.99
Start Time: 11:00AM
End Time: 06:30 PM
Total Hours on Road: 7:30 Hours
Hotel: Piccadily Hotel New Delhi, Centre Complex, Janakpuri District Center, Janakpuri, New Delhi, Delhi 110058
Longitude: 77.078653
Latitude: 28.629363
Elevation: 150 Meters
Rating: Dilapidated hotel or should I say disrepair. But rooms are quite big, the service is horrible, food cannot be talked about. The renovation was going on