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12th March 2025, 00:10
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| BHPian  Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Mumbai
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| Journey to the West & Northwest India: A saga of 3 ADVs (Made in Japan, Germany and UK) Journey to the West & Northwest India: A saga of 3 ADVs (Made in Japan, Germany and UK)Disclaimer: If you accidentally landed up here with no backstory, then I would like you to go through this post in my ownership thread- "Prep before a Ride" (My Pre-Owned Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports | Adv Reloaded | Cruising forward in time) and bring yourself upto speed with this timeline! You can also go through my earlier ownership experience posts as well, if you liked what you read!  And if have already read my "Prepping for a road trip" post - which I ended on a cliffhanger - then please continue ahead! Highly recommend you to continue further sipping your 'weapon of choice' beverage (non-alcoholic kind) for a smooth reading experience! -- "Alright, Alright, Alright!" - where were we?! Oh yes, in Mumbai traffic. Amidst the incessant honking and swearing of fellow Mumbaikars in their vehicles around me, in dense traffic, Pawan’s voice kept echoing inside my well-insulated MT Helmet - “Sir, I think we may need to re-think our upcoming trip! Will tell you the scene once you reach home!” When you are touching 40 (years not kms), such voices only mean bad news (and/or sad news). And it also triggers your mind to overthink well beyond its normal RPM. I started to guilt-trip myself for being impatient with my ‘prepping for the ride’ service - when I could have still delayed it further, saved up money and lazed more - since now the trip is not happening, no? Anyway, as I said, managed to keep a cool mind by bringing down the ‘Overthinking RPMs’ and got home without any self harm. Me: “What’s the scene? Don’t tell me you’re backing out?” Pawan: “Backing out?! No way! In fact, I wanted to tell you that I’ve got a few more days off from my project. So now, instead of 2 days, I’ve got a week off!” Me (feeling all the heavy weight leaving my body): “OH! So you are NOT backing out?” Pawan (confused): “Where did I ever mention that I’m backing out?” Me (opening his text message which mentioned that ‘…we may need to RE-THINK our trip…”): “I assumed…” (like I always do!) Pawan: “So I’m thinking, since we’re anyway going to Kutch…Jaisalmer isn’t very far off…have you ever been that side?” (Note for 80s kids: If you’ve ever seen ‘Mungerilal ke Haseen Sapne’, from the good old Doordarshan days, the next sequence will 100% help you visualise my state of mind!)  Me the moment I heard 'Jaisalmer' On hearing ‘Jaisalmer’, the movie poster of the film ‘BORDER’ flashed in front of my eyes, with ‘Sandese Aate Hai’ playing in the background. Dialogs and visuals filled my entire mindspace…Sunny Deol with the bazooka, Suneil Shetty walking towards the tank with a landmine in his hand, Jackie Shroff’s thumbs up from the cockpit of his fighter jet… Pawan’s voice : “Hello? Hello?” Me (still in Border land, wondering who is saying these dialogues?): “Yes?” Pawan: “Sir, lagta hai aaj black coffee zyaada pee liya hai?” (Sir, looks like you’ve had a lot of black coffee today?) Me (back to reality and channeling my inner Sunny Deol): "CHALO JAISALMER!" And that’s how ‘manifestations’ work! Having mentioned in my previous post as to how the months of September and October were ride-free and probably a ride plan was ‘lurking’ around - I’m sure the Universe might have a soft corner for us ‘big ADV bikers’! But then, dear old Sir Issac Newton probably had figured the Universe better than anyone else because “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”; the reaction being Dominic and GC couldn’t join us for this ride because the dates were clashing with some prior commitments they had. So that was a bummer! Before you folks can say “Zindagi ho toh aisi!” (What a life to lead!) - a few factors played in our favour to agree to this trip.
Since we had approximately a week to go (Diwali was round the corner), a quick-fire itinerary called “Jashn-e-Kutch Jaisalmer" was made for Nov 2 to Nov 9. Quick-fire because we had been to Kutch in 2021, so this time decided to include places that we missed out on that trip and Pawan had been to Jaisalmer on numerous occasions (never on 2 wheels though) - so he added the ‘must see spots’ in that side of the country. In parallel, during a meme-exchange session on Insta DM, KK (a fellow ADVenger and owner of a well-kept 2016 Triumph Tiger 800 XCA) randomly mentioned to me that he was going to be stationed in Ahmedabad for some work, right around the dates of this trip (Nov 2nd to 9th). He enquired if we were planning any rides and I sent him the itinerary. He had visited Kutch in 2024, so he decided to skip that portion and decided to join us for the Jaisalmer leg. The plan was he would impress his boss by winding up his Ahmedabad chapter earlier than expected and use the buffer days to travel to Jaisalmer. Now that’s what I call “Zindagi Ho Toh Aisi” So before we embark on the new journey, sharing a few select moments from our previous “Kutch trip (Nov 2021)” (Will be used as a comparison reference later!) (Note: This trip was done on our Triumph Tigers / Pawan on his 800XCx and we on our 800XRx)  Mandatory tourist pic (though we didn't stay here!)  Tigers at The White Rann (this is a full moon night picture!)  Same spot but in daylight!  Harappa-MohenjoDaro World Heritage Site  Tigers at FOSSIL PARK, Dholavira  Chipper's point, Dholavira  "Why should boys have all the fun?  " Vaanki village  NOT the Road to Heaven Last edited by TheVaas : 17th March 2025 at 14:27. |
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12th March 2025, 18:18
| #2 |
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Mumbai
Posts: 189
Thanked: 781 Times
| ITINERARY: Or Something Like it! Since KK was going to join us for the Jaisalmer leg, we decided to divide the itinerary into two phases: PHASE ONE: KUTCH (November 2nd to 5th, 2024) DAY 1 - Nov 2: Mumbai - Vaanki DAY 2 - Nov 3: Vaanki - Temple Visit - Bhuj Museum - Khadiya Dro Canyon - Vaanki DAY 3 - Nov 4: Vaanki - Mundra (for shopping) - Bhuj - Road To Heaven - Vaanki DAY 4 - Nov 5: Vaanki - Jaisalmer PHASE TWO: JAISALMER (November 5th to 9th, 2024) DAY 1 - Nov 6: Jaisalmer - Ramdevra Temple - Jaisalmer War Museum - SAM Dunes DAY 2 - Nov 7: SAM Dunes - Tanot Mata Mandir + Indo-Pak Border - Longewala War Museum - SAM Dunes DAY 3 - Nov 8: SAM Dunes - Kuldhara Ghost Village - Jaisalmer Fort - Bada Bagh - Gadisar Lake - Jaisalmer DAY 4 - Nov 9: Jaisalmer - Ahmedabad (Pure riding days) DAY 5 - Nov 10: Ahmedabad - Mumbai (Pure riding days) --- PHASE ONE: KUTCH (Note: Pawan had to visit the temple in his ancestral village of Vaanki. So we decided to make 'Vaanki' as our base (instead of Bhuj) and planned our itinerary accordingly. This would also help us save up on accommodation costs!) DAY 1 / NOV 2, 2024: MUMBAI TO VAANKI Place of stay: Vaanki Sanatorium  (860 kms approx / 16H40M) Having done most of this stretch back in 2021 (we had gone towards Dholavira instead of Bhuj), the route didn’t seem daunting. What actually was stressing us out was the pathetic condition of the under-construction Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway. We had a terrible experience back in June, when we were travelling to Zanskar - though on and off reports suggested that the conditions were better off by end October. But still, videos and reels of the massive 8-10 hour long traffic jams were making us rethink our route - whether to go via the longer and relatively ‘less stressful’ Nasik-Saputara route or just stick to the Mum-Ahd and pray for a divine miracle! Anyway, decided to stick to the original plan and leave as early as possible, ie, 4 am. We loaded up our bikes the evening before and decided to call it a day early - so as to get enough sleep for the arduous journey waiting for us. Forward to 3:45 am and we are below Pawan’s building (affectionately called HQ - since that’s been the start and end point for all our rides till date).  All locked and loaded waiting for the Big Brother from Germany! A quick check of our bikes and aux lights - all systems a go! To our surprise, Google maps showed a completely Green/Blue stretch all the way! No traffic on the notorious Ghodbunder Road and neither anything red/yellow on NH48 a well :/ Not to be fooled by the sorcery, we made up our minds to brave the storm ahead.  And then there were two! The German and Japanese fury! AND WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT?! We actually were at the MH-GUJ border check post within 1.5 hours! I guess since it was the day right after Diwali (Lakshmi pooja), people were still in festive spirits and nobody ventured out. The highway was relatively empty with no trucks and barring a few diversions and rough, unpaved patches - it was a breeze literally. We had to actually stop at the border to just pinch ourselves whether this was a dream or reality! Whenever we take this route, our breakfast point is usually around 275km from Mumbai - the “Jalaram Kathyiwada Hotel” just before the Choriyasi toll (after bypassing Surat). This is because in the morning time we can cover distances pretty fast and also build up the hunger so that we can take a good 40-45 minutes halt for breakfast.  Our first pitstop at 8:30am Post Surat, the roads were excellent and we covered a lot of distance quickly. After a hearty Gujarati breakfast, we headed towards Vadodara and then onto the old Vadodara-Ahmedabad highway. Again, good roads and relatively lesser traffic meant we reached the outskirts of the ring road pretty quickly at around 12:30. From here we take a left towards Sanand and then head towards Samakhyali / Bhuj via the Mundra Port Road. The morning temperatures were pretty chill at around 22-24 degree C, but by noon time, it rose upto about 32-34. We decided to stop for a drinks break (Chaas/Lassi etc.) but somehow decided to just keep riding till we again build up our hunger. Soon, we reached the Samakhyali junction where there’s a huge HONEST food court. For those who don’t know, HONEST is a chain of restaurants that line almost all the highways in the state of Gujarat. It’s like their version of Kamath’s! Anyway, stopped at the food court but it was packed to the brim. Being asocial, I was feeling claustrophobic seeing so many people! Pawan pointed at my ODO and I realised the bike had crossed 50,000kms (read: 9,000kms in 7 months) Probably a proud moment for both me and the previous owner, I guess! Took a picture and signalled Pawan to stop at the next relatively less-crowded place.  On my previous Tiger 800, I had clocked 37k kms! So this was a welcome sight! Pawan: "Sir there’s a superb thali place, but it’ll be around 40km from here. Not very fancy, but the food is excellent!" Both Prerana and me nodded in unison and off we left for this elusive thali place! After a fuel stop, we reached the thali place. One of the things that we soon get used to is the ‘unwanted attention that these bikes and riders’ get from the people - so that’s something that needs to be taken into account. Anyway, after the usual “Where are you guys from? What are these bikes? What is top speed?” question session; the heat was getting to us, so we just kept our composure somehow and made our way to a less crowded area of the hotel.  Nothing better than a Thali to fuel you up - during such long, non-stop rides After destroying the thali and spending some time just lazing about, it was time to wear our gears and get back on the road. Only 80kms more! Time was around 4:45pm! Again, we didn’t want to get involved in this ‘sorcery of time’ and decided to just ride to our rooms for the night. 80kms were done and dusted in no time and by 5:30 pm we were at our stay in Vaanki. Special mention to the roads in Gujarat - though the 2021 road conditions were top notch, this time around, the roads had given way in many places (probably due to the amount of trucks that ply up and down). Yet, that didn’t delay us in any way and having ADV bikes with good suspension and power - enables you to cruise effortlessly on such roads.  “Strange inconsistency in both our odo” (Top is the GSA / Bottom is the ATAS)  The bikes performed exceptionally well. No issues whatsoever! Decided to chill for a while and then just walk about the village as the sun set in the distance! -- DAY TWO / NOV 3, 2024: VAANKI LOCAL TEMPLE - BHUJ - KHADIYA DRO (CANYON) Place of stay: Vaanki Sanatorium Vaanki Mahavir Jain Temple is one of the pilgrimage halts in Kutch for the Jain community. Throughout the day, buses filled with Jain pilgrims were moving in and out of the complex we were staying in - which housed the main temple as well.  A wide angle view of the temple entrance  Intricate carvings throughout the entire structure  The temple compound is massive! Breakfast was served in the common mess at 8am itself - so we made a beeline for it before the food gets over. The plan today was to visit the local temple (not the main temple) and then head to Bhuj for lunch and then proceed to a place known as “Grand Canyon of Kutch” (aka Khadiya Dro in local lingo). As mentioned many times, the itinerary was shortened to only include places we hadn’t seen during our last visit, in order to maximise the Jaisalmer leg of the trip.  'Welcome to Vaanki'  You'll find a lot of such traditional architectural houses!  A quiet, calm life!  Parked the bikes at a similar spot that we had in 2021.  "I'm just a boy, standing in front of my motorcycle..." After taking the blessings of the local deity, we headed towards Bhuj which was around 40km from where we were at. The plan was to have lunch at a famous Kutchi thali place called “UMIYAJI”, though we soon realised that being a sunday the place might be packed to the brim. So we delayed our departure (and lunch pangs) from Vanki by half an hour so as to reach just in time when the main crowd starts dispersing.  Before the destruction... Post lunch we decided to just check with the owner if he knew the way to this Canyon place. We had done our research via IG Reels and asking a few friends who had earlier been to this place - but each one had chartered their own paths and stumbled upon the place on their own. Funnily, even the owner and few other locals had never heard of this ‘KADIYA DRO’. Anyway, we decided to just google map it and found a ‘KADIYA DRO CAFE’ (one of the reels had mentioned that this is the place where you can park your vehicles). It was approximately 40kms from where we were and time shown was 1 hour. Decided to anyway check out the place since that was the only thing in our itinerary. We wanted to check out the Cenotaphs of Bhuj and Bhuj Museum as well - but since we had delayed our start, these things had to be missed. Well, its always good to leave something for next time I guess!  Google map from 'Umiyaji to Kadiya Dro Canyon Cafe' Anyway, long journey short - we reached the ‘Kadiya Dro Cafe’ - which was nothing but a wood and straw hut with one person manning the ‘outpost’. There was already a family sitting there and soon we figured that the way to reach this ‘CANYON site’ was via a BOLERO CAMPER. The outpost owner was encouraging us to take our bikes and go - but somewhere we figured that riding two 250kg bike with a pillion on dry, rocky river beds would be a bad idea. The bolero pickup arrived and all three of us hopped onto the rear - holding the grab rails tight while the family made its way into the seating cabin. A minute into the drive and we realised what a great call to NOT take our bikes because we were instantly met with a 90 degree descent into deep sand and then onwards onto a 45 degree ascent onto big stones and boulders. It was a desert safari in itself - monster truck level! (OK OK I exagerrated a bit. There were youngsters on their splendors and FZs who were also following us - so an ideal trail ride if one was mentally prepared for it. Which we were not!) The route was through very remote, low vegetation desert lands. If you’ve ever been to the Kutch side - you’ll realise that it has a very similar terrain to Western Rajasthan (I got to know this later on!) and most of it is a dry, arid land. The terrain after a point starts looking like a different planet only and you’ll have to pinch yourself to keep reminding oneself that you are in INDIA! (This same feeling I got when I had first visited Ladakh in 2019 and Kashmir in 2023). After a good 45 minutes of adventure and spirited drive through sand, stones, river beds and rock formations - we finally reached the famous CANYON POINT! And man, what a sight to behold!  Oasis in the desert!  "I'm just a girl, staring at my reflection..."  "The friendly neighbourhood boys - you can take home!" In case you plan to visit, you can take your SUVs provided it is 4x4. But my recommendation would be to park your vehicles and go via the Bolero route to actually experience some thrills and chills! There’s a small outpost at the canyon point where you get Maggi, Tea/Coffee, water and soft drinks. We were given a cut off time of 1 hour (so as to avoid the darkness post sun-set). Walked around, clicked pictures and sat silently for a while and it was time to head back. Our bikes were waiting for us - had parked them under a tree and boy it felt so good to be back on the motorcycle after the whole 4W adventure. This entire route (Bhuj to Canyon) is devoid of any petrol pumps or food joints - barring the roadside stalls selling chips. My reserve light had already come up during out inward journey and a mental calculation meant that I may fall short before reaching Bhuj. Reason being - though Google maps showed 40 odd kms for this place, in reality, it was touching somewhere around 60-65kms. My mental calculations were based on the 40 kms mark, so this new development was a bit concerning. In my earlier posts I had mentioned how the ATAS fuel range of 27kms remaining is actually equivalent to “0 kms”. So even though it was showing me a range of 40kms (20 kms into our return journey to Bhuj), I didn’t want to take any chances. Luckily, Pawan enquired with a local and we found that some of these roadside stalls do sell petrol for around 120 rupees for a litre; guess they also figured this would be a good side business apart from selling tea and chips. Reached one of the designated stalls and filled 2L of petrol - just to be safe. Rode back to Bhuj, fuelled up properly and found a quaint pizza place for dinner. After a nice gossip session, we headed back to Vaanki and thus ended an eventful day two of the Kutch phase. Last edited by TheVaas : 17th March 2025 at 14:27. |
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13th March 2025, 22:58
| #3 |
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Mumbai
Posts: 189
Thanked: 781 Times
| DAY THREE / November 4th, 2024: VAANKI - MUNDRA (SHOPPING ) - BHUJ - ROAD TO HEAVEN Place of stay: Vaanki Sanatorium Our final touristy day in Kutch before we head for Jaisalmer. It was also the most exciting one because apart from the shopping we finally get to ride on the famous ‘Road to Heaven’ stretch; having been bombarded with pictures and videos of it on social media! For the uninitiated, “Road to heaven” is a 30km stretch of road connecting Dholavira (Khadir Bet) to Khavda (White rann / Tent city side) and it is flanked, on both sides, by the endless white desert. Back in 2021, this road was still being constructed - so the only way you could visit the White Rann (or the Rann Utsav) from Dholavira was to go the long way round via Bhuj - which took almost half a day. Since we had already visited Dholavira (and the Harappan Heritage site) during our last visit, only this stretch remained to be ticked off. Mundra has a great textile market and is famous for the AJRAK designed kurtas, shawls and blankets. The last time around we had shopped a bit for our near and dear ones, so this time decided to do another round for our friends. Since Vanki to Mundra is 30 kms approx, decided to have breakfast there itself. Now Mundra town is pretty dense and vehicular movement is very restrictive. So we parked our big machines in one of the quaint bylanes and then walked our way back into the market.  "The famous Kutchi Dabeli (Double Roti) for breakfast!"  Definitely a UNIQUE collection!  An hour here going through various designs and patterns! After an hour or so of shopping and a small refreshment break of fresh lime soda - we were on our way to Bhuj to try and kill time before we could make our way to ROH. “Why kill time?”, you ask? Well, November technically should’ve been relatively cooler - but 2024 had different plans. The day time temperatures were soaring at 35-36 degrees - though early mornings and nights were chilly. And since ROH is a straight road with absolutely no shelter spots like cafes or stalls, it made sense for us to head there when the sun was a bit more slant than overhead. We chilled at a Cafe having pizzas and cold coffee and chocolate milkshakes.  One of the best milkshakes ever! Around 2.30 pm, we left for Khavda - which is around 80km from where we were. From Khavda, there’s a deviation which takes us onto the ROH stretch. The roads from Bhuj to Khavda were super smooth, barring a few places where they were building a bridge, so traffic was diverted. Back in 2021, on this same stretch there was hardly any traffic. But this time around, tourist buses, cars and trucks all were making their way towards the ‘Tent City’. What was alarming was the amount of construction trucks and vehicles that were seen on this stretch - clearly in the years to come, we would see most of the white desert become some kind of township or so. Anyway, reached Khavda and then found that the road that takes you to the ROH is quite narrow and one lane only. Since we were on bikes, we could manoeuver a few tight spots and then found the entire stretch to ourselves. The distance from Khavda to the actual start point of ROH is quite long - and a great example of how google maps are deceptive when it comes to such ‘scaling’. We just kept riding and riding and after about an eternity - finally saw the glimpse of ‘heaven’ welcoming us in the distance! I will let the pictures do the talking -  Our faithful steeds against an endless horizon!  "Wherever I may Roam" (Pawan edition)  Pawan posing for his Shaadi dot com profile (Kutch edition)  Light and day camera testing!  "ACCHIJA, KUTCH!" A video that we shot using Insta 360 showcasing the actual surreal nature of the place! After a good time spent clicking pictures, shooting videos on phones and insta 360 - it was time to head back. Only if we had known the proximity to Dholavira was so close - we would have stayed overnight at Dholavira and continued our journey to Jaisalmer from there, instead of the ‘long way around’. As Justin Timberlake once said - “What goes around, goes around, goes around, Comes all the way back around” Anyway, the return journey was uneventful to say the least. Took the same route back to Bhuj and had dinner at a fancy restaurant that had caught our eye the past two times we passed it. Fuelled up our bikes for the next day - since it would just be a long day of riding. -- DAY FOUR / November 5th, 2024: VAANKI - JAISALMER Place of stay: Moustache, Jaisalmer Google maps showed us a distance of 631 kms and a time of 12 hours 20 minutes. Pawan having done this stretch quite a number of times was confident that if we leave early by 6am we would be able to reach our hotel by 4.30pm (just in time for sunset). Pawan: “The roads till Barmer are a bit sketchy because of construction work - but post that we would be able to cover the distance pretty quickly!” Famous last words? We'll find out soon enough! So 6am it was. Locked loaded and we took off and how! The early morning departure meant that we could get the entire roads to ourselves -especially the Mundra to Gandhidham/Bachau section - since otherwise it would be occupied by contrainer trucks. By about 7:30 - 8 am, we were almost crossing Samakhiali. A heavy dinner the previous night meant we could cover a good distance before stopping for breakfast. While researching the route from Kutch to Jaisalmer, our friendly neighbourhood grocer (who is also from Kutch) suggested us to take the ‘Amritsar - Jamnagar Bharatmala expressway’ (which is under construction) from Santhalpur.  Google map shows this section as RED DOTS (not open to public) An earlier itinerary of ours had us visit 'NADABET - Indo Pak Border' enroute Jaisalmer. But since we were going to be visiting the Indo-Pak Longewala border - we decided to give this a miss. But during the route research, we discovered that a faster way to enter Rajasthan was to go to Suigam via Santhalpur (instead of Radhanpur - Bhabhar stretch). You can refer to the map above for the same. Since we had covered up the distance pretty fast, we decided to stop at Suigam for breakfast and then head towards our destination. KK, who was co-ordinating with Pawan, had decided to meet us at a midway point - since the roads would meet at Sanchore (RJ Border). So far so good! Upon reaching Santhalpur, we saw a few villagers taking their bikes across the barricaded ‘Bharatmala Expressway’ (the same RED DOT route shown on Google map). We enquired with them about the route to take to Sanchore - and all of them suggested us to not waste time going via Suigam - but to dodge the barricade, get onto the expressway since it ends just before Sanchore at a place called THARAD. Both the bikes had enough fuel - so we didn’t have to worry about pumps on the desolate highway. Yes, food was going to be an issue - but a quick check between all three of us (Prerana, Pawan and I) and we decided to carry on and stop at Tharad instead. So far very good! The expressway was as straight as an arrow and we were at cruising speeds. I’m sure once this expressway is opened for public - two wheelers are going to be banned - so made the most of it this time around. There were diversions at a few places - but because it was used regularly by the villagers - they had devised ramps and small pathways for bikes to cross over.  The absolutely epic view of the highway (from Pawan's cockpit!)  The board read "Gujarat Border ends here"! After what seemed like an entire lifetime - we were met with huge stones and the road ahead seemed to be non-existent. Just 2km before this, there was an exit - which we didn't take thinking that this road will lead us directly into Sanchore. But guess, we had to return via the same after seeing the road block in front of us. We realised that the exit actually landed us at Tharad (the original exit point as per the villagers). While we were cruising along on the 'expressway', KK was also cruising on his trusty steed, making friends along the way -  "When in doubt (bus or rickshaw), Tiger it out!"  "This man had no doubts whatsoever!" Back to reality, the six lane 'expressway' now merged with the two lane Gujarat-Rajasthan National Highway - with the worst possible surface ever! We were so used to the smooth expressway that it seemed we suddenly crash landed onto the moon. Bad roads also meant that the border check point was nearby - so I was holding onto my calm since “Rajasthan roads are supposed to be excellent!” In the meantime, KK had stopped at a highway hotel in Sanchore - and going by his location status, we were about 2 kms away but it showed an ETA of 30 minutes. Entering into RJ - didn’t bring about the much needed smile on my face. Because NHAI had started construction of the Bharatmala entry point from Sanchore itself - so around 2 kilometers of offroading was guaranteed. After 5 days of smooth and non-existent traffic riding - encountering bad roads and backsides of container trucks was the last thing I wanted. And since Pawan and I have been riding together for many years - the unsaid rule in traffic is - “You go ahead and wait for me, since I’ll be slow in manoeuvring myself around it”. But this time around, he just signalled me to follow him - as he led me out of the dust and grime, that could be seen in my rear view mirror, as we crossed the 2km bad roads section in a jiffy!  KK's Tiger welcoming us! The time was 12.15 in the afternoon as we pulled into the parking of Hotel Kaushal International. Since breakfast was skipped, decided to have ‘brunch’ instead. Upon enquiry the staff was considerate enough to open the kitchen for us to serve lunch items - earlier than their anticipated time. KK seemed his buoyant self - he had a slightly delayed start from his Ahmedabad hotel, but managed to cover the distance well. “The Tiger is performing exceptionally well” - famous last words from KK (You’ll know why!) Had a good chat session till lunch arrived - both parties enquiring about roads and sightseeings done in the Kutch phase. The distance to our hotel from here was about 290 kms and it was showing us 5 hours. At the pace at which which we were covering distances, we expected our ETA to be about 4-4:30pm at the hotel. Lunch done and dusted - we were all geared up ready to ride out. The security guard informed us that another 3km patch would be troublesome - since the heavy trucks movement have worn out the upper layer of the road - hence everyone drives slowly. Post that, quoting him as is - “MAKKHAN HAI MAKKHAN” (It’s buttery smooth) KK’s Tiger wasn’t ‘booting’ up. Ignition key on-off, no 'fuel priming' sound, no speedo movement on the analog dash. Zilch, Nada. The backstory leading to this issue is a separate thread in itself - I’ll leave that for some other time. Cutting straight to the chase - after singling out every possible suspect (Battery, Ignition wiring, Side stand Sensor etc.), we diagnosed the problem - the 30W MASTER FUSE (that is seated below the battery).  The Pandora's box of fuses! But the actual one is below the battery!  "And all the king's men, trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together again!" KK was carrying spare fuses but none of them were powerful enough to replace the master fuse - since they kept melting off. Pawan, in his riding gear and boots, made the long trip across the highway, in midday scorching sun - to a few repair shops but none of them were willing to help nor co-operate. Finally, he managed to get spare fuses from a Lorry mechanic and thus started the process of stripping the bike, removing the battery from its compartment, accessing the tiny Master Fuse cavity (which took a lifetime), removing it out (another lifetime) and putting the new one in (Rest in Peace!)!  1. Drama unfolds! 2. Me after an eternity! 3. Culprit aka MF (apt short form)! 4. "Zara pyaar se" - KK! (Sympathising with the culprit!) Finally we got the Tiger up and running - “Exceptionally well?” “Hell yeah!” The only caveat in all this - KK’s horn, aux lights and tail lights weren’t switching on. We decided that the Triumph be sandwiched between BMW and HONDA (no WWII pun intended) - both with Aux lights running (in case it gets dark!) There's one thing I'd like to point out. Such incidents are part and parcel of touring - despite the meticulous checkups and servicing, you never know when and what things stop working. So always better to be mentally (& physically) prepared for the worst to happen. But to not dwell on it too much as well. I view such situations as a good test of character among riders - whether they would want to stay back and figure out the issue or leave it upto to the affected rider to figure out and meet us later. Though our day’s momentum was broken, WE NEVER, NOT EVEN ONCE, thought of leaving KK to his own devices and ride off on our own. The time now was 3pm! So without wasting much time, we decided to not take any breaks and ride straight up till the hotel. The issue of riding post sunset on this stretch of the road is that there’s high chances of camels crossing the road. Also, because of the way the route is - not many vehicles venture post sunset. We ended up reaching the outskirts of Jaisalmer around 6:30pm - the sight of the Jaisalmer fort turning golden during the sunset - will leave it for another day, I guess. Followed google map and it correctly showed us the way to our hotel -which was bang opposite the Jaisalmer fort. Usually vehicles were to be parked outside, but we requested if we could park our bikes inside (for fear of exposing them to the general public, namely tourists!)  "Spot us if you can!"  "That's me in the corner...that's me in the spotlight!" Since we were staying only for the night - decided to book the dormitory for ourselves. Freshened up, had a few cups of hot chai (the first one of the day!) and then headed for dinner. No points for guessing what we all ordered!  Tired but happy faces! PHEW! And with that an eventful DAY FOUR (and Day one for KK) came to an end. Tomorrow starts the JAISALMER PHASE of the trip! Last edited by TheVaas : 17th March 2025 at 14:30. |
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14th March 2025, 23:48
| #4 |
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Mumbai
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| PHASE TWO: JAISALMER “KHAMMA GHANI, JAISALMER!” (“Hello / Greetings, Jaisalmer”) DAY 1 - Nov 6: Jaisalmer - Ramdevra Temple - Jaisalmer War Museum - SAM Dunes DAY 2 - Nov 7: SAM Dunes - Tanot Mata Mandir + Indo-Pak Border - Longewala War Museum - SAM Dunes DAY 3 - Nov 8: SAM Dunes - Kuldhara Ghost Village - Jaisalmer Fort - Bada Bagh - Gadisar Lake - Jaisalmer DAY 4 - Nov 9: Jaisalmer - Ahmedabad (Pure riding days) DAY 5 - Nov 10: Ahmedabad - Mumbai (Pure riding days) For any first time Jaisalmer visitors, this is the itinerary that is always shared (barring Ramdevra Temple). And like with all our trips, if we are visiting any place for the first time - we tend to visit the most popular places first, so that the unexplored and less commercial places can be reserved for the next visit. Like what we did with Kutch. Another thing to point out, which we got to know AFTER we had reached Jaisalmer - since it was Diwali holiday week, a lot of families from Gujarat side had made their way into Rajasthan. As a result, most of the hotels/ home-stays/ lodges were all booked. Since we had pre-booked our stays, we were spared this ordeal. Ok chalo, let’s ride! DAY 1 / Nov 6, 2024 : JAISALMER - RAMDEVRA TEMPLE - JAISALMER WAR MUSEUM - SAM Place of stay: Kasam Desert Safari, SAM One of the things that touring help you realise and value is how various places have their own different charm and feel - the way people interact, the way they adapt to the region they are in; something you can never truly experience sitting in the comfort of your house, thousands of kilometers away. A bright morning and sumptuous breakfast with coffee (chai for KK) meant that we were energetic enough to brave the ‘heat’ and tick off our spots for the day! We were going to be staying in SAM (pronounced as ‘Some’) for the next two nights, so hadn’t removed our panniers/luggage from the bikes. Just the essentials (that we had packed into the top box inner bag) were unloaded and loaded back. Today was also the day we would get to experience the famed Rajasthan roads! Though I was looking forward to riding on them, I was also aware that my front tyre wasn’t too happy with all the smooth surface - so had to be careful to not get too excited.  KK after his boss told him "Jaa jee le apni Zindagi" The plan for Ramdevra Temple initially didn’t include the Tiger and Africa Twin riders. It was an ancestral temple of a few family members from Pawan’s side - so he wanted to visit with their offerings, while KK and I would make our way to the Jaisalmer War Museum and he would meet us there. The distance to the temple was around 120kms (2 hours) from the hotel; we decided to tag along as well. Sometimes in life there are moments where you just ‘feel’ like doing things contrary to what was planned or fixed. This was one of those moments and we didn’t regret it even once. We took off from the hotel and joined the Jaisalmer-Jodhpur highway - which was one hell of a road! Super smooth and fast with practically no traffic whatsoever. No wonder we covered the distance of 120kms in almost 1.20 hours! From the highway, we had to cut into the inner ‘Temple Road’ and further ride into the temple town. The place was already brimming with tourist buses and vehicles of pilgrims that have come from all across the country. The three bikes were already garnering a LOT (and I mean LOT) of attention! There was an ‘open for all’ parking that we were being directed to but Pawan spoke to a shop owner, who agreed to let us park our bikes, in a private area next door, for a nominal fee.  "There's also a GSA in there somewhere!"  The crowd near the entrance of the temple  The chaotic looking queue, but the flow was efficiently managed! Since the temple was about 5 minutes walking distance, we removed our gear and riding boots and kept them safe inside the shop. Took the offerings and made our way to the temple. Was very impressed by the organised manner in which the long queue was being swiftly dispatched away. We had calculated a minimum of 1-1.5 hours here, but we were done with in 30 minutes flat! Got a good darshan and downed some 5-6 fresh lime sodas to quench the unending thirst!  KK forgot to switch on the rear camera! The Jaisalmer War Museum is on the outskirts of Jaisalmer on the same Jaisalmer-Jodhpur Highway that we had taken. Knowing the road conditions meant we knew exactly what time we would reach the Museum. The top sun had already made its presence felt - so despite the million lemon sodas that we drank - the thirst and hunger levels started increasing. In no time we reached the War Museum parking and saw that there was a cafe next to it. We decided to have lunch here and then proceed with our visit. But before that -  Mandatory 'Welcome to Jaisalmer' picture!  "Padharo Mhare Desh!"  The bikes looking the part at the War Museum parking! Factoring ‘safe parking spaces for bikes (big/small but exotic)’ is a very important characteristic of long distance touring. Many a times we find hotels to be the safest place to park and then maybe use local transport to visit the touristy places nearby. But when you’re doing multiple spots in a day, finding God is possible but safe parking is next to impossible. I’m not even going into the attention and photo-seekers part of the process! And despite having parked our bikes in the parking spot for visitors - in front of our eyes - we had to take turns, while having lunch, to shoo away people - who were struggling to climb the bike for that perfect photo! Big loaded bikes on a center stand - is a daunting site in itself and almost a ‘MTV ROADIES-esque task’ to mount them. But for the general Indian tourist - there is no chill. As we were figuring out an alternate solution for the parking, Pawan took the brave decision of skipping the War Museum visit to stay back and guard the bikes. Since he was a Jaisalmer veteran (having visited the city multiple times since he was 10), we agreed to the plan. “No hard feelings”, we said to ourselves as we slowly made our way to the ticketing counter. The War Museum has a sound and light show as well - but we skipped it because there was already a huge queue for it. Decided to spend our time seeing all the battle scarred tanks, guns and ammunitions and read the victorious stories of our brave soldiers!  Words that can make even a stone cry!  One of the Battle-tanks used in the war by the Indian Army.  The anti-tank gun used in the war by the Indian Army.  A captured Pakistani tank (the lowered barrel denotes 'captured/defeated')  One of the guns used in the battle.  The war museum hallway in the background.  A fitting ode to the Martyrs!  A route map of how the enemy planned on attacking through the Western borders" Honest admission (which I’m sure will echo with many of you) - I feel very melancholic when I visit such places. Every war memorial I’ve been to - Kargil, Tawang, Jaswant Garh - evokes a bittersweet feeling of hope against hope and the futility of war in the larger scheme of things. While the concept of ‘peaceful co-existence’ is a fool’s dream - the need for violence to bring about peace is a paradox in itself. Anyway, with a heavy heart, we made our way back to the parking lot - which had now become a battlefield with our brave soldier, Pawan fielding multiple attacks from tourists and camera clicks (read: gunshots) and desperately needed some reinforcements! KK and I, quickly turned things around and helped him out in this regard. See the video below - The resulting toll on us meant we had to down a few chais before heading to our destination of the day - SAM dunes, which was about 50kms/ 1 Hour from here. Most of the resorts in Sam offer a package rate - which includes “Stay, Breakfast, Dinner, High Tea, Dance/music by local folk artists and a Safari drive to the dunes where you can indulge in camel rides, ATV dune bashing etc.” Usually they ask you to report by 3:30pm for the Safari - so that you have a lot of time for fun activities and get a nice view of the sunset before returning to your resort. But we had anyway overshot the time because we were taking things easy and also because we had one more evening in Sam - so the safari bit could be done the next day. The route from the War Museum to Sam is through the outskirts of Jaisalmer. And barring a few stretches where there were road widening work happening, it was a smooth ride. After a point, it was just a long stretch of road and the desert sand flanking both the sides; almost reminding us of the Road To Heaven. Remember what I had said about the terrains of Western India (Kutch and Jaisalmer) being almost similar - just separated by state boundaries.  KK capturing us and the majestic sunset in one frame!  Kassam Desert Safari Main Entrance We finally reached our resort which was on the main highway itself. The cottages were on the other side of the main entrance facade. Four wheelers usually park outside while two wheelers can be taken next to the cottage - just need to navigate through the sand. After a bit of yes and no, we decided to ride the bikes inside - just as an added safety net. Navigating through sand is a skill in itself. The basic primer being - the bike will always want to straighten itself (for stronger traction) so keep your grip on the handle loose and not try to control it. Keep the clutch free, disable traction control (or opt for Offroad modes in case of doubt) and just slowly maintain the throttle and let the bike guide you through. Yes, there will lot of times when you feel the bike slipping under you - a short burst of throttle to keep the rpm steady and you’re on your way. The distance wasn’t much - but with luggage on the bike - one tends to get nervous of a fall. Thankfully, all of us managed to get to our cottages safe and SAND (no pun intended)! Unloaded our luggage and freshened up for the evening entertainment session.  Bikes parked, haphazardly, in front of our cottages!  Traditional Dance performed by 'Naginu' and 'Saperu'  A thrilling fire breather! After a sumptuous dinner of Rajasthan’s famous ‘daal baati’, we chilled outside our cottage as the weather became cool and pleasant. Had a good gossip session amongst ourselves and called it a day! Tomorrow was another visit to the border - and unsurprisingly slept off listening to ‘Sandese Aate Hai’ Last edited by TheVaas : 17th March 2025 at 14:31. |
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15th March 2025, 14:13
| #5 |
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Mumbai
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| DAY 2 / Nov 7, 2024 : SAM - TANOT MATA MANDIR + INDO—PAK BORDER - LONGEWALA WAR MEMORIAL - SAM Place of stay: Kasam Desert Safari, SAM After a good night’s sleep, woke up fresh and energetic for another day of enjoying the RJ roads and visiting places that we had dreamt of visiting once upon a time in life. After having our breakfast, we met Kassam Bhai - the owner of the resort and one of the best 4x4 jeep drivers in that part of the country! Kassam bhai had told us that no matter what, we need to be back by 3:30pm max so as to reach the desert safari spot at the ideal time. And for the same reason, he had told us to leave early in the morning because the tourist rush would mean we would have a delayed return journey. A brief discussion with him on which route to take and we were on our way towards Tanot Mata Mandir. The route via Kanoi was a narrow, single lane route that connects a lot of villages with the main NH68 at Ramgarh. The NH68 connects Jaisalmer all the way to Tanot Mata and Longewala. Having ‘road-tripped’ the Central, Western, North and North-eastern part of the country, I can confidently say that Rajasthan takes the gold medal when it comes to roads. Period. Anything I say will never be able to articulate the feeling that one gets when they ride. So I’ll save myself the effort and instead encourage you all to experience RJ roads, at least once in your lifetime - Tanot Mata Mandir was one of the places that was bombed during the 1971 Indo-Pak War. But the miracle of it all was that none of the bombs that fell in and around the temple, detonated. “The Goddess saved the village and villagers from the enemy’s wrath” is what one of the tea-stall owners told us. One can still see some of the unexploded shells (disarmed by the Indian army obviously) along with other War artifacts - displayed in a section of the temple.  The main entrance to the temple / 'White cloth' symbolism for 'wish fulfillment' ('Mannat') / Unexploded shells on display The Indo-Pak border post is around 25 km from the temple. For accessing the post, one needs to get a permit made from the local army check post outside the temple premise. Also, only four wheel cars (private or commercial) are allowed and there is no entry for two wheelers. Kassam bhai had given us the contact of his person over there - so he ensured we get a safe parking spot and also drove us to the Border post in his car.  "Heavy artillery guarded by the chai wala next door!"  The pass that was made to access the Border  This is where we get down and walk towards the Border check-post There was a brief talk session by the soldier manning the post - giving us a recap of the war, its after effects and the current border relations between India and Pakistan. No pictures are allowed at this spot. We have to walk back around 20-30m - where photography is allowed. An interesting thing the soldier told us was - this is the most peaceful border ever, so much so that the Pakistani border is rarely manned. Also, actual habitable land is around 100-150 km away from the Pakistan border as compared to the 20-30 odd kms on our side - where villages can be found!  This is atop the watchtower - notice the border fencing that separates India and Pakistan.  The closest point to Pakistan.  What google map showed us. Seeing and being present in the almost inhospitable terrain on which the actual Longewala battle was fought; soaking in the dry and seething heat - the images and sounds that I experienced at the Jaisalmer War Museum a day before flooded my head - triggering my existentialism even more - “What does one achieve by risking one’s life through these treacherous terrain, only to harm another human on the other side of the fence?” The valour and bravery shown by our soldiers deserves our outmost respect! But at the same time, I was amazed at the stupidity on part of the enemy to send so many of their soldiers into this death trap (You can read and hear about all this when you visit the War Museum). It was a silent drive back to Tanot Mata - all of us soaking in their own individual experience of the border visit. By now, the heat was getting to us and KK wanted to have some chai to get his bearings back. This whole visit delayed us a bit (we hadn’t accounted for the 40km round trip to the border) and so we decided to not waste any time and head towards Longewala Memorial - with the hope that we could have our chai and lunch over there. The distance from Tanot Mata to Longewala is about 40 kms and takes roughly 40 minutes. Again, excellent roads and almost zero traffic - I guess either people were still making their way out of Tanot Mata or had already reached Longewala.  "Straight as an arrow!"  "Salute to life!"  "Salute to the great King of the terrain - the 1250GSA!"  "Haan yeh karlo pehle!" - KK  "Salute to the spirit of Triumph (no pun intended)!" Upon reaching Longewala, realised that most of the tourists were already here and there was a huge queue to get into the Memorial place. The only cafe over there was shut - leaving a lot of people (including us) grumpy and irritated. Upon enquiring, we figured that the queue was for a sound show that happens at every 15-20 minutes interval. Unpopular opinion: If you have visited Jaisalmer War Museum and the Indo Pak Border checkpoint via Tanot Mata - you can give Longewala Memorial a skip. It’s got a couple of war tanks, some artifacts and absolutely no man management/ organisation. Parking is on the road and complete mayhem if you are visiting it during peak season. Our advice - AVOID.  The entrance arc!  The history of the Longewala Battle  "The last cafe of India" was closed - just like the borders!  Free for all parking right in the middle of the road! After a heated argument at the small canteen, where I completely lost my temper on an unruly tourist, we replenished ourselves with some canned juice and cold coffees. Since our collective mood was off especially KK’s (since we delayed his chai - our mistake!), we decided to just head towards our resort in time for the Desert Safari. The return route from Longewala was again through a narrow single road that touched Ramgarh and from then on we followed our morning route. This entire route is a circuit - if you keep your base at Sam.  A scenic, single lane road through the desert sand!  An illusionary beak on the Africa Twin as noticed by KK's eye! Reached our resort by 3pm, this time I decided to park my bike at the external parking site - instead of outside the cottage. Blame it on my grumpy/cranky-ness, but I was in no mood to wrestle the bike in the sand again! Post freshening up, we all met at the main entrance where to our surprise, Kassam bhai was waiting with his prized old school weapon of choice - the “Mahindra Willy 4x4”. We had heard stories of his excellent sand-bashing escapades via his contact at Tanot Mata - so we got even more excited!  Kassam Bhai's Weapon of Choice! After an exhilarating drive with a lot of heart in mouth moments - Kassam bhai dropped us off at the spot where the ‘Safari activities’ take place namely Camel rides, ATV rides, Para-Gliding etc. Since we weren’t interested in any of them barring the ATV ride - KK and I headed to the chai stall over there to have our first cuppa of the day! The place was teeming with tourists and one had to watch out for the ATV buggies that would wipe you out if you were in their path. After a good photo and video session, of one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever experienced - we decided to head back.  One of the many stalls at the safari place.  Happy camper, KK - "after adrak waali chai!"  "Not exactly our weapon of choice!"  "Mandatory camel portrait"  Mandatory SAM Dunes' Sunset portraits feat. Humans of SAM! (Also me measuring the depth of sand!)  "Ya toh dosti gehri hai ya photo 3D hai!" / The kids with the legendary Kassam Bhai Since we hadn’t eaten much, we destroyed (read: inhaled) the pakodas and tea served during the evening entertainment session. So much so that the kitchen had to run on double speed to fry out more! We skipped the entertainment segment this time around by just chilling around, chatting and gossiping till it was dinner time.  "Face-off / Rumble in the jungle!"  Network Hot-spotting featuring Prerana, Pawan and KK  In-swing & Outswing masterclass featuring Pawan, KK and I Last night at Sam and it was a good one so far. Tomorrow would be the last day of our Jaisalmer Phase and lot of sight seeings to do! Last edited by TheVaas : 17th March 2025 at 14:13. |
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15th March 2025, 16:25
| #6 |
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Mumbai
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| DAY 3 / Nov 8, 2024 : SAM - KULDHARA GHOST VILLAGE - JAISALMER FORT - BADA BAGH - GADISAR LAKE Place of stay: Moustache, Jaisalmer Checkout time of 9 AM meant we were already packed and loaded by 8 AM. Today’s star cast involved KK and us - with Pawan taking a breather - chill day. Our plan was to visit the Kuldhara Ghost Village and then check-in again at Moustache, Jaisalmer (around 11:30am). Post which we would have lunch and then explore the Jaisalmer Fort and some local sights that we could manage to find time for. Pawan wanted to buy some souvenirs for his friends back home, so he would meet us directly at Moustache. With this being the day’s agenda - we quickly finished breakfast and the Tiger and the Africa Twin headed to Kuldhara Village some 32 kms from our resort. After paying an entry fee for bikes and riders at the Site’s main gate, we rode through the cobbled pathway to the parking spot right outside the ‘Ghost village’. There are many stories floating about why Kuldhara is called the ‘ghost village’ and I leave it upto you to choose which one suits your palette. We hired a guide, who narrated his version which was similar to the ones we had read up about. What fascinated us the most was the way the houses were designed to withstand the ‘intense heat during the days and the extreme cold during the night’ weather pattern of Western Rajasthan. The guide mostly spoke about the architecture of the village instead of indulging in the folklores and urban legend that the place has become famous for. KK’s interest got piqued when the guide mentioned a certain “Chudail ka makaan” (“House of the Witch”) and kept calling every house he entered with that term!  Self explanatory (Timings not mentioned: 8am to 5pm)  The gate where you pay entry fees.  "The boys your mom warned you about!"  An underground water storage next to the parking spot.  Village Center point  One of the 'still-standing' houses!  This is how majority of the houses were abandoned 'as-is' basis!  A wider view of the entire village of Kuldhara.  A photo of clicked by our guide atop one of the 'chudail ka makaan'! The main village temple, around which the village was built, in the background. As we winded up the visit and walked back to our parked bikes, I wondered how media and marketing has led to commercialising so many places that in reality aren’t worth the kind of hype. Kuldhara is one such place. Places like “Dholavira’s - Harappan Heritage Site” needs more highlighting than these places that are actually ‘spruced’ up to make it look like an ‘ancient’ village! And to top it up, the guides aren’t supported greatly by the Government too - thus leading them to look for different professions to sustain their livelihood. Anyway, these are my personal views that I felt when visiting the places and you might have a different view altogether; perfectly okay with me! An uneventful ride back to Moustache, Jaisalmer - where we met up with Pawan and unloaded only the ‘essentials’ needed for the day since we would be returning the next morning. This time too, we checked into the dormitory only and since nobody else had booked it, we got the whole dormitory to ourselves. After a nice cold coffee milkshake, KK, Prerana and I headed to explore the Fort. Pawan stayed back as he had some work to finish off.  "Welcome to our Dormitory, Singham!"  "KK's ChaiBucks, opp. Jaisalmer Fort!" Jaisalmer fort is one of the few ‘living’ forts in India. So called because there are families that still reside inside the fort - and they have been doing so since many generations. The city that we see now - built outside the radius of the fort - is a newer development as compared to the ones inside. The fort has a lot of cafes, shops and houses and vehicular entry is only permitted for the residence. It also houses the Maharaja and Maharani’s quarters, both of which are now museums which one can visit after paying an entry fee. We hired a government recognised guide who would take us on a tour to all the essential spots inside the fort barring the museums - which are self explanatory and do not need any ‘guidance’.  Need an ultra-wide lens to capture the fort in its entirety!  One can see the windows of the houses built inside the fort.  One of the many intricately designed entrances.  Mandatory Tourist picture!  A view from the other side of the fort.  One with the King's "Weapon of Choice"! These are some of the many pictures clicked during our tour! In reality, you will need an entire day if you want to explore ALL the parts of the fort - it is that huge. Since we were short on time, we did an ‘express exploration’ of the fort. To be honest, we don’t mind visiting again to see the spots that we missed out because the architecture makes you marvel at how creative humans can get - if they apply their heads to it - instead of wasting it on destruction and negativity. We bought a few souvenirs for people back home and had a quick thali lunch at a hotel outside the Fort premise. From here we took a rickshaw to a place on the outskirts called BADA BAGH - which is essentially cenotaphs built by kings and their descendants as a mark of respect to the dead.  Such massive structures that can be seen from the main highway!  A side view of the same. Many of them are still being constructed by the descendants of the king.  Inscriptions (text and pictures) that describe who it is built by and for whom.  "Soaking in the entire experience, looking like Indiana Jones!"  Sunsets and Windmills - a combo that never fails to amaze! Jaisalmer is an excellent place to view sunsets. You can spend the entire hour looking at the sun - setting in the horizon and never get bored. So as the sun set in the horizon, we made our way into the city centre that houses ‘Gadisar Lake’. Now the lake is famous for boat rides (paddle and row boats) and the ideal time is, yup - SUNSET. Since we reached a little after the sun had set, we figured there was no harm done in getting ‘leg day’ done prior to our return the next day. Pawan had already bought our tickets for the boats and soon KK and I found ourselves heaving and huffing, as we had to pedal push the boat to get it moving, while Prerana and Pawan gave us directions as to where to go!  The horizon post sunset.  The Marwar architecture design language around the lake.  Lots of domes and temples in and around the lake.  Going by our expressions - "We were having a lot of fun!" After a fun half an hour of laughter and exercise, we made our way back to Moustache. Visited a local handicraft exhibition and bought a few things from there. Decided to have an early dinner - some pizzas and milkshakes - and call it a day! Overall, I’d say it was a super fun and exciting trip with friends, who you KNOW will be fun to ride and spend time with. As the old jungle saying goes - “Great company makes for a great time!” Last edited by TheVaas : 17th March 2025 at 14:16. |
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16th March 2025, 22:29
| #7 |
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Mumbai
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| DAY 4 / Nov 9, 2024: JAISALMER - AHMEDABAD Place of stay: Pride Plaza, Ahmedabad In the initial planning days, we had contemplated whether it would make sense to ride all the way from Jaisalmer to Mumbai, a distance of roughly 1200 kms. But better sense prevailed and we decided to break it into two - primarily because we weren’t confident of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai stretch and what surprise it would have in store for us. And also because it was a weekend - nobody had any stress of being back on time for work or any other commitments!  All locked and loaded - the British and the Japanese waiting for the German!  Prerana, my pillion supreme, soaking in the vibe one last time!  Last sunrise of Jaisalmer (from the GSA's cockpit) There isn’t much to write about the return journey except the sadness that I will be missing these roads! Hahaha! The return route was almost similar till Sanchore - where we again got some traffic - after which we entered the state of Gujarat and took the Palampur - Mehsana stretch towards Ahmedabad; where we also lunched in some roadside dhaba. Our hotel for the day, was located in the outer ring road - closer towards the Vadodara highway - making it easier and quicker for us to escape the next morning. Barring a small traffic jam - due to a truck breaking down - right before the ring road, it was smooth sailing all the way. We had left Jaisalmer at around 6:30am and reached Pride Plaza, 5:30 pm - having taken breaks for breakfast, lunch and fuel stops. Since we would be leaving early the next day, we would be skipping breakfast. Thanks to KK's better half, we got a good deal at Pride Plaza - where instead of the breakfast, we had the dinner included in our stay! The hotel had a great dinner buffet spread and we devoured everything in sight; the staff wondering whether we ate anything during the day! Another small session of trip stories, jokes and laughs before we called it a night. DAY 5 / Nov 10, 2024: AHMEDABAD - MUMBAI Place of stay: Home sweet home (Finally!)  "Early Tiger, Catches no Prey" The final stretch. The ominous NH 48 highway. Decided to leave early at 6:30 am, so that we could tackle any bad roads during sun light and then the final stretches could be covered in darkness. Quickly got onto the NH48 and covered the distance to Vadodara pretty quickly. As expected, post Vadodara there seemed to be a massive traffic jam - all vehicles were at standstill. Somehow the three of us managed to squeeze past the left most lanes - some places I had to tell Prerana to get down so that I could manoeuver with lesser weight. The Africa Twin feels very nimble during such cases - even with the added weight as compared to the Tiger - which was unmanageable in tight traffic spots. Finally we reached a spot under a flyover, where Pawan suggested that the only way through was to take the wrong way (opposite side) and then rejoin wherever the traffic hotspot ended - Knowing that I might struggle a bit riding the wrong way with pillion and luggage, Pawan asked Prerana to pillion with him while KK and me followed him - as the mighty 1250GSA zipped, zapped and zoomed past the stationary vehicles as if there were non-existent. We soon were opposite to where the hotspot was - some three trucks had toppled over and there were JCBs on the road clearing them away. A diversion up ahead and we rejoined the NH48 - this time in the right direction. Prerana got back onto the Africa Twin and for the next 15 minutes was waxing eloquent about the comfort and plush suspension of the 1250GSA, on the intercom. And also how effortless Pawan’s riding was! Well, all I could do was agree with her - because if you had read my first ever post in the ownership thread - those two factors were the strengths of the big Germans. And of course, Pawan has always been a big strength and inspiration for me since the time I started riding an adventure bike! I guess just after the coast was clear, we stopped to have breakfast at a roadside food court - that was still being setup. Google map didn’t show any major issue from here but we took it with a pinch of salt. It was decided that we would now ride non-stop till Ahura - where we would halt for lunch (or snacks whichever is earliest). Geared up again and we soon crossed Surat - Vapi in no time. The approach roads post the Maharashtra check post were still being done up - so most of the vehicles were going slowly. This is where ADV bikes excel because we managed to cover a lot of distance in the dirt faster than any of the four wheelers. Soon, we reached the famous Ahura Restaurant, where we devoured the 'Paneer Bhurji' (all of us are vegetarians, sorry!) and quenched our unending thirst with their famed ice-cream soda.  As always, Pawan reached the fastest and earliest at Ahura  Paneer Bhurji + Ice Cream Soda (World famous only for Vegetarians!) We braced ourselves for what the remainder of NH48 would be like - but surprisingly, a LOT of work has been completed and the ones that were still being worked upon - the traffic management was excellent. Crossed the Fountain Hotel bridge, bid goodbye to KK and made our way home through some stupid city traffic. Reached our parking at 5:30 pm. Not bad. Not great. Just glad to be home - safe and sound! An epic end to an epic trip with epic company! Looking at the dust, grime and the 'sands of time', the AT brought with it, I decided to visit my friendly neighbourhood detailing studio, the very next day -  Mandatory after every trip!  Ready for the next adventure! -- TOTAL COST (Prerana and I) - Total KMs (Both phases) : 3725 Kms Total Fuel (in Litres) : 169.28L Fuel Expense : INR 16,870.65/- Fuel Economy: 22 kmpl Stay (Couple) : INR 24,285/- Total 9 day trip expense (Incl. Food, Excl. Shopping) : INR 50,000/- (rounding off) SOME OBSERVATIONS -
I hope you all enjoyed and also travelled alongside us while reading the travelogue. I had a great time writing and reliving the memories of the trip. I assume I’ve been as accurate as I can be - time travelling can be stressful to the mind - so in case of any factual errors, I apologise in advance. Looking forward to any queries (if any), regarding the trip and/or any of the bikes mentioned - I’ll happily answer to the best of my knowledge and experience (or get them from their respective owners!).  Until the next time, here’s the two of us day dreaming about future trips! Cheers and Keep Riding! Last edited by TheVaas : 17th March 2025 at 14:35. |
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17th March 2025, 16:17
| #8 |
| Team-BHP Support   Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Coimbatore
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17th March 2025, 18:50
| #9 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: In Bengaluru
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| Re: Journey to the West & Northwest India: A saga of 3 ADVs (Made in Japan, Germany and UK) Loved the travelogue and all the more, the narration. You managed to capture the true emotions in 4 captions in the "short story about the master fuse in 4 pictures".  Read it in one go when I should have been working on Monday. Not the ideal way to go if I ever want to own these machines. Look forward to the next ride report ! |
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18th March 2025, 00:54
| #10 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
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18th March 2025, 12:01
| #11 | ||
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Mumbai
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| Re: Journey to the West & Northwest India: A saga of 3 ADVs (Made in Japan, Germany and UK) Quote:
 Quote:
And as luck would have it, I've replaced this set with another STR set - so I guess I've made peace with the fact that it's not the tyres but the ROADS to blame  | ||
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18th March 2025, 14:28
| #12 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Oct 2023 Location: Bengaluru
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Infractions: 0/1 (7) | Re: Journey to the West & Northwest India: A saga of 3 ADVs (Made in Japan, Germany and UK) Quote:
I loved every word of your travelogue. I read for a living. And I lived vicariously reading your post! Your words are deliberate and fun to consume. You've managed to capture the tension behind the planning and the sheer joy of riding an adventure bike the way it's meant to be ridden. Take a bow, dear friend. If you should find yourself in Bangalore, the idly, vada, and coffee combo is on me! Ride safe! | |
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19th March 2025, 13:34
| #13 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Mumbai
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| Re: Journey to the West & Northwest India: A saga of 3 ADVs (Made in Japan, Germany and UK) Quote:
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