Team-BHP - Ka goes to Bhutan with a pack of wolves

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- - Ka goes to Bhutan with a pack of wolves - On a KTM Duke 390 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/205267-ka-goes-bhutan-pack-wolves-ktm-duke-390-a-4.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by unk9ja (Post 4522291)

A cousin of Suhas who travelled with the KNOG group sent some good inputs, one among them was the use of currency with lower value as 2000INR notes were not in use.

clap: this COUSIN is me, A great write up and a very detailed log and good pics to back it up, will be good for people who travel next! Added_flavor (Suhas) is my cousin and Dilip is a very close friend, two solid guys to be riding with and of-course Sandhya is the enthu cutlet - hats off to her for sitting pillion is such mega rides clap:, I rode through the same route 2 weeks before you guys and was constantly abreast of the groups progress!

Mine was a better experience after Kharagpur till Siliguri (we rode through on chatt puja day and was chaos on the highway the entire day, madness with so many people on road), but you guys suffered with so many trucks, good to come out without much drama (hard luck to your saddle bag)!

Finally, Bhutan is mystic and has its own charm, its memories of a lifetime and was good to see it through your eyes, cheers and Godspeed until the next one!

Amazing travelogue, peppered with great clicks, overall giving the reader a true sense of virtually travelling with you all. I like it that you didn't mince words and said it as it unfolded.

The truck jam in West Bengal was mind blowing especially after seeing the video which Sandhya had sent.

Bhutan looked nice and clean and the icing on the cake was the snowfall. My wife has traveled with me to many places but she has never experienced this.

One takeaway is that one should not service ones bike/car immediately before a long ride. It should have been done about 2/3 weeks earlier. Similarly with a new piece of riding gear.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vamsi2390 (Post 4527351)

Also, fyi, when going towards Bhubaneshwar, you traversed through rayalaseema and coastal Andhra(part of AP). They aren't part of Telangana.(never were) Not that it matters, but might confuse some folks on the route plans.:)

Thanks for correcting me. Only after seeing the political map of India, I too could make it out. Google always surprises us.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand (Post 4527424)

Phew! that was epic. thanks for sharing unk9ja and kudos to the entire group on completing this successfully. Special congratulations to Suhas and Sandhya; couple on the CBR - you people are crazy! One question. There was one photo of a sweet shelf (2018-12-16 09:42)...there were golden round balls in one plate and some groundnut kind of dish in another plate. what are they?

Thanks hemanth.anand. The golden round balls were boiled eggs and the other one seems to be dried Yak meat. Also known as Yaksha Shakam.

Quote:

Originally Posted by avinashsg (Post 4527431)

Thanks for sharing unk9ja.
Amazing write up. Details will sure help others plan well.
Detailed clicks helped us with a visual treat and virtual walkthrough to the Land of Thunder Dragon.

Thanks avinashsg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porschefire (Post 4527444)

Uday Sir, fantastic travelogue! I was literally living the Bhutan trip with all of you through your words and pictures.
Lastly, thanks for including my handle in the travelogue and making me a part of the pre-ride discussions. I was super bummed to have come so close to being a part of this epic trip and then sitting out due to the stupid reason of leaves not being granted!

Thaks porshefire. We too misssed you for sure. Well there is always a Next Time option available. Use it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by K a s h (Post 4527447)

Wow! Congrats to All of you for completing this epic ride!

Quote:

Originally Posted by paragsachania (Post 4527485)

But the fact is that most of us became friends only after exchanging PMs and then our numbers while asking some queries during the days where we knew each other due to our handles and posts. So credit where its due - Team-BHP as a forum has ensured many entries in my phone book where contacts are saved with their handles first followed by their real names in brackets. I have attended 4 meets till now in the last 5 years and got connected to many for the first time too.

Your words are so true, the forum is the base on which we build our relationships. Thanks for pointing that out

Quote:

Originally Posted by NPV (Post 4527518)

Uday sir - Brilliantly Brilliant Travelogue, the eye for detail is just incredible. Awesome pictures as well, Thanks for sharing

Thanks a lot, SIr.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Liner (Post 4527521)

Amazing ride sir. Hope we get to ride together sometime. Would surely like to meet you after hearing about your exploits from Chethan (versys).
Your family looks more relieved than anything else
I have visited Indimotard for one service in the past and i know the founder members personally much before they started. They seem to focus a lot on track days and motorcycle trips in other countries. Which is not a bad thing at all. Hope they add more focus and strength to their local servicing wing.
How do you decide who sleeps on the floor amongst thd three?

Thanks Redliner. I will join you for sure during one of the rides. But let me tell you the pictures you put up every week here are far better than mine. Awesome they are.
Indi as you mentioned have shifted their focus these days and the Greasehouse is slowly losing it's charm.
Well I used to volunteer to sleep below. One reason is the snores would be muffled beneath the cot height and I could sleep peacefully and watch the other two fight over the db levels next day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravi Kashyap (Post 4527549)

Hi. That was a lovely ride.
Can you please apprise me of the tyres you put on your KTM.
Planing to buy KTM Duke 390 and upgrade the tyres for Leh ride.
Thanks.

Hello Ravi Kashyap, those are Timsum tyres. I got them at the Motostore and cafe in Ulsoor. A word of caution, check if the stock rear tyre (150 section) fouls with the swingarm. My experience is penned in the following thread, check post nr. 6213
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...hread-415.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aashish_390 (Post 4527562)

Brilliant write up and an amazing attention to detail throughout the tlog.
Couple of questions :
1. Have you investigated why the front brake pads came out all of a sudden?
2. Since the group took both the routes (via Chindwara and via Seoni), which one would you prefer going forward?
3. How close was Gorakhpur's Dosae and filter coffee with what we get here in terms of taste ?

Thanks aashish_390 for kind words.

1. The bolt holding the pads were not tightened or the clip was not put up properly which resulted in the failure, a pure workmanship act.
2. Chindwara was like a fast single carriage highway with villages in between. And monkeys too, a ton of them sitting in the middle of the road. Suhas can add to the Seoni route.
3. I would rate it near perfect fare to what we have here. Complete with saagu inside, couple of chutneys and sambhar which was a bit thin, nothing quite off like other placs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJM1214 (Post 4527616)

Wow!!
Excellent Travelogue with amazing photographs.
I took me a while to read this entire report and digest the photographs. Thanks for the details mentioned in the thread. Book-marked this thread for reference & rated five stars. Thanks for Sharing.

Thanks SJM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neil.jericho (Post 4527658)

Much love to the whole gang (all of who I have known for the last few years except Dilip) for embarking on such a long journey when most people would be happy to instead just head out to Goa for a few days and wind up the year. May the journeys continue in the coming years and hopefully I too can join you guys on one such mammoth trip.
Im a little surprised by the Indimotard service experience, a small mistake from their side had quite serious repercussions on your adventure but thankfully everything worked itself out in the end.

Thanks neil.jericho. Yes I too was surprised at the Indi's failure on this trip. As rightly mentioned by Redliner above, the area of concentration has moved out of Greasehouse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deepak Saligram (Post 4527728)

this COUSIN is me, A great write up and a very detailed log and good pics to back it up, will be good for people who travel next! Added_flavor (Suhas) is my cousin and Dilip is a very close friend, two solid guys to be riding with and of-course Sandhya is the enthu cutlet - hats off to her for sitting pillion is such mega rides , I rode through the same route 2 weeks before you guys and was constantly abreast of the groups progress!
Finally, Bhutan is mystic and has its own charm, its memories of a lifetime and was good to see it through your eyes, cheers and Godspeed until the next one!

Thanks a lot Deepak saligram for the inputs which really helped us to alter the schedule and still be at the right place at the right time. Without your help, we would have had to cross a few hurdles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by goandude (Post 4527731)

Amazing travelogue, peppered with great clicks, overall giving the reader a true sense of virtually travelling with you all. I like it that you didn't mince words and said it as it unfolded.
The truck jam in West Bengal was mind blowing especially after seeing the video which Sandhya had sent.
Bhutan looked nice and clean and the icing on the cake was the snowfall. My wife has traveled with me to many places but she has never experienced this.
One takeaway is that one should not service ones bike/car immediately before a long ride. It should have been done about 2/3 weeks earlier. Similarly with a new piece of riding gear.

Thanks goandude. The travelogue unfolds as it was, I do not feel ashamed by what takes place but how we overcome it and move ahead as a team is what I think of. There should be some lows so that we experience it and learn to be still stronger. Well that is my take.
I have mentioned about my inability to do a shakedown ride this time. This proved to be a failure on my part which others experienced. I feel sorry for this act of mine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aashish_390 (Post 4527562)

2. Since the group took both the routes (via Chindwara and via Seoni), which one would you prefer going forward?

Hi Ashish, I remember taking Chindwara route last year while going towards Sagar, mainly because Seoni was in bad condition then. However, in terms of tarmac condition in the present day, I believe both routes are on par. Seoni had very few places where we had to take diversions due to ongoing road work.

Seoni has the advantage that you don't have to get into Nagpur city and can escape through the peripheral ring road, which surely saves time.

OTOH, Chindwara route is more scenic, is a single lane with some good corners, but takes you inside Nagpur city.

So I guess it comes down to choice based on priorities. :)

Phew!! that was an epic ride and travelogue. Hats off to you guys for completing this wonderful trip, and thanks for sharing. Bhutan always amazes me and finds a place in my bucket list. Someday, someday.

All,

That was a mind blowing ride. 1100+ kms in a day, all the bones and muscles in your body must be cursing you Uday anna that day.

Your words and pictures have literally taken us on a dream journey. Finished off reading the entire travelogue in one go. I have planned this trip in May (its a group tour) with the family. But I travelled Bhutan with you today thanks to your words and pictures.

The prep list and the do's and don'ts specially related to currency are helpful.

A question though, what is the level of acceptance for credit cards there? Did they work at every hotel / restaurant or were you forced to shell out cash? Are INR accepted as is or a conversion is needed?

And a huge round of applause and appreciation for the entire team for flawlessly executing a project of mammoth proportion.

Regards
Nikhil

PS:-
In-terms of clothing, do you recommend that woollens be carried always when visiting Bhutan specially in the upper reaches of the country?

Regards
Nikhil

Dilip intends to share some thoughts that I am posting on his behalf.

Quote:

What an epic ride !!

First of all, I would like to thank Suhas (Riding buddy & very close friend for more than a decade) for accepting me to ride along, introducing me to the pack (Family now) & for all the inputs/help, be it prepping the bike to picking up the right travel luggage, planning the itinerary, Hotel bookings with such attention to detail & the list goes on...
This was my second biggest ride of my life post Ladhak & a memorable one.

Thank you Uday Sir, for the brilliant travelogue & for refreshing our memories in reliving the Bhutan trip experience. Learnt a lot from you while sharing rooms, from waking up early in the morning, mounting luggage to lubing the chains at night, you were the youngest at heart & fittest amongst us, thank you for being such a sport! Hats off to your never-give-up attitude, even after many obstacles. Riding a jaw dropping 1100Kms from Nagpur to Bangalore 17+ hours straight was something we could have just dreamt about… Respect !!

Sandhya, thanks for all the lovely clicks in such freezing temperatures. I still wonder how could you enjoy the ride as a pillion with so much of energy & patience, also a special mention about the food selection like ema datshi etc; is something to learn from you in this journey.

Immy Bhai, loved our conversations throughout the journey. We were the so called "couple" in the group with handful of couple pictures :D but unfortunately couldn’t share the room longer due to obvious reasons, I did not have a DB killer though my bike had one. :p

Overall it was an adventurous ride with lots of memeories to cherish for the years to come. Thanks Sandhya, Suhas, Uday Sir & Immy Bhai for all the support & care. Looking forward for many such rides!

Quote:

Originally Posted by nsbhagwat (Post 4527945)

A question though, what is the level of acceptance for credit cards there? Did they work at every hotel / restaurant or were you forced to shell out cash? Are INR accepted as is or a conversion is needed?

Hi Nikhil, thanks for the kind words. Bhutan is predominantly a cash economy and debit/credit cards are not very welcome anywhere. I'd suggest to have some math done beforehand based on the number of days of planned stay and carry sufficient cash. INR is accepted everywhere and the last town before you enter Bhutan, Jaigaon, has enough ATMs for you to withdraw enough cash.

In case you do fall short of cash in Bhutan, you find ATMs in Thimphu and Paro, that churn out the local currency albeit at a small per transaction cost levied by your bank upon withdrawal.

Edit: Weather in May should be pleasant to hot, but definitely not cold.

Lovely travellogue enjoyed reading every line and watching all the photos. It also reminded of our trip to Sikkim and Bhutan back in 2013.

Glad that you guys had a good time except for the pesky bearing issue.

@Suhas, looking forward to hearing from you first hand, must plan an overnighter just for the story telling.

Great travelogue, reminded me of our trip in August 2018- flying to Paro and then 8 days in Bhutan, almost same locations.
Phobjikha looked really sad in photos. For us, it was the highlight of our trip. We stayed there for a day and did a hike through the valley - it was completely green and a delight for eyes!

Hello Uday,

Brilliant work. I doff my hat to you and your band of brothers. Planning and executing a ride like this must have been enormously satisfying. I really wish that I could find a crew like this here. I am trying hard. But, most of the time, people just don't have the time to join for even short rides; let alone epic journeys like this. Maybe it will happen one day.

Personally, I would like to do a ride to northern parts of our country. Or even places like Ooty. I am not much of an enthusiast for leaving our beloved nation. I guess being a vegetarian puts me at a disadvantage in many NE parts.

After looking at your bike, I have decided to put knobbies on my Dominar when the tyres need to be replaced; which incidentally is many many years away at my riding rate.

Cheers

Congratulations Uday and the rest of the gang. This is an awesome and a very detailed travelogue and will help us mere mortals if ever we plan on doing something so adventurous.

I am surprised by the grit and determination that Sandhya had to pull this off, especially being a pillion. Whoa!! :thumbs up

I've been planning for ages to do a GQ ride but it's never materialised for want of several reasons and then when I see these kind of travelogues, I wonder when I'd be doing the kind of rides you guys do. Hopefully sometime. :D

Great ride guys! Nice to see that you all had such a good time - except for the snowy day (hey you got to rest) and the bearing issues. But good that it was all safe riding and you all reached back home safe. Nice pictures too! Do you post the pics elsewhere? Would be nice to see them all uncompressed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mohansrides (Post 4528289)

Hello Uday, I really wish that I could find a crew like this here. I am trying hard. But, most of the time, people just don't have the time to join for even short rides; let alone epic journeys like this. Maybe it will happen one day. Cheers

In that case, just read the first paragraph of the following travelogue, you will never ask for company.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...-ktm-duke.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snehal Sekhar (Post 4528428)

Congratulations Uday and the rest of the gang. This is an awesome and a very detailed travelogue and will help us mere mortals if ever we plan on doing something so adventurous.
I am surprised by the grit and determination that Sandhya had to pull this off, especially being a pillion. Whoa!!
I've been planning for ages to do a GQ ride but it's never materialised for want of several reasons and then when I see these kind of travelogues, I wonder when I'd be doing the kind of rides you guys do. Hopefully sometime. :D

Thanks Snehal for the appreciation. If you are looking at GQ, do it before the summer starts, you have a little window that is open now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by naveenroy (Post 4528432)

Thanks naveenroy. I have images from my camera with me. If you are interested in certain pics, let me know, I will send it across.

Quote:

Originally Posted by unk9ja (Post 4528869)

In that case, just read the first paragraph of the following travelogue, you will never ask for company.

Oh I am no stranger to solo rides. Read this:-

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...-journeys.html

It's just that groups are safer for long rides and also it would just be nice to have company. After all, human beings are social animals.

What an awesome ride, hats off to you and your mental fortitude! You have nerves of steel to keep riding on through the multiple mechanical failures. You are an inspiration to all of us.

Ride safe.