Kutch Calling . . . - xBhp.com : The Global Indian Biking Community

vkavadia · 02-05-2012, 04:59 PM

This is an ordinary trip log about an extra-ordinary place. A place called Kutch. In the summer months the very earth beneath your feet is cracked and wrinkled beyond recognition. In the rains, one could literally hire a boat and sail to what they call Pakistan. In the winter months, the surrounding regions are home to migratory birds from places as far Siberia. The White Desert which has no roads to speak of, only faint trails, can be fatal to an unknowing traveler.

Nalsarovar (Name-Lake , literally translated) is a bird sanctuary which houses a wide variety of local and migratory birds. They fly in and out in flocks of mind numbing size. Some of them would quite literally require a panorama!

Follow a one and a half lane road for about 20kms after Dholavira and you hit roads which seem to be pulled right out of the Dakar rally! Available traction is right next to zero on the sand that is the road for another 5 or so kms which take quite a while to cover...

These aren't even the highlights of the trip! A lot of "garam masala" and "pojing" to follow!

Follow this thread for your own ride through Kutch!

Here's a map of our route...

Here's Day 1.
Lots of beautiful sights on Day 2!
Barren lands and bird reserves on Day 3.
A little surprise on Day 4...

Sunny · 02-05-2012, 07:45 PM

Topic Approved

Kutch is one place I wanted to go for a long time! Perhaps this year!

nin · 02-05-2012, 08:06 PM

Lets rename this travelogue if we can...there is already a trip log with the same name on 60kph.com

May be "Once upon a time...somewhere in western India"

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

This may be an ordinary trip log but of an extra-ordinary place and EXTRA-ORDINARY BIKERS riding there !

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Here are some teasers from my side...

And one of the most beautiful creatures which we did see in plenty..FLAMINGOES !

vkavadia · 02-05-2012, 09:00 PM

Can this thread be deleted? I didn't realize there's already a post with the same heading.. I'll submit the text under a different heading..

beruoist · 02-06-2012, 10:48 AM

Nice,Baaki kaa log aane do.For changing the name of the thread.PM any of the moderator and they will do the rest.

Cheers
Biru

beruoist · 02-06-2012, 11:36 AM

Few teasers from my side.

Cheers
Biru

rachitkohli · 02-06-2012, 12:17 PM

Fantastic..!!

nin · 02-06-2012, 06:07 PM

I'm not that good at writing so most of my posts would have pictures...which should do the talking !

I had in mind that 26th January Republic Day to 29th would be a long weekend and a bike trip has to be planned. Had thought of riding to Aurangabad or Madhya Pradesh or even for the Xbhp Interstate ride at Hampi. It was then biru bhaiya suggested we do ROK(Rann of Kutch).

Was driving back with a friend on 24th and heard the following ad on FM Radio...Amitabh Bacchan saying "Aapne Kutch nahi dekha toh kuch nahi dekha...kuch din toh guzaron gujarat mein"

To which i replied "Yes sir..bas 2din mein"

to which my friend also replied with a grin on her face while nodding her head sideways "your crazy!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7mNkXQVALw

"Aur bas harr saal ki tarah iss saal bhi shapath leli ki gantantra diwas kisi aur jagah manaenge! Jai hind!

"

vkavadia · 02-06-2012, 07:34 PM

Day 1

The plan for day 1 was enter Gujarat and find accommodation around Ahmedabad. The group consisted of 6 guys from Pune and 4 from Bombay, which dropped to 3 after lunch when someone had to leave because of that beautiful bond called marriage

.

Gujarat happens to be my home state and hence I figured that my knowledge of the local language would help. But it turned out the people there were pretty helpful and understanding. Of course we found it difficult to make the locals understand that we weren't racing given our bikes and attire but that has always been the case. I'd heard about the great highways that Gujarat has to offer. NH8 had to be good given that its one of the busiest highways in the country, connecting Bombay and Delhi. But I was truly surprised when we were in the extreme northern reaches of Gujarat and still had not just roads, but great roads to travel on. Even a few 50kms from the border there was construction underway! Hats off I say!

Well enough of the bakar now. On with the trip! We Pune guys decided to leave around 330hrs on 26th Jan and meet up with the guys from Bombay around 6. As it happens, everyone didn't reach on time Shashwat(CBR 250R), Sanjay(RE Bullet 350) and I(220) got busy with some early morning (more like night time) photography.

Siddharth and Akash (ZMRs) turned up 15 or so minutes later and our great Biru bhai turned up along with Manish (both on CBRs) a full 40 minutes late. So we ended up leaving for bombay by 430 after some tea. I'm sure it is a well known fact here that a 220's headlights can play havoc when viewed in the RVMs. The problem can be solved but that decreases the range of the lights so I haven't fiddled with the settings. So I was leading the 6 strong group at speeds between 70-80, the brilliant lights providing amazing illumination.

We made steady progress up until Khopoli where fog started slowing us down. It took a while but we were in Bombay soon enough , making our way towards NH8 where the Bombay guys were waiting. We rendezvoused with them at around 630 if memory serves and were off in another 5 minutes. There is still some construction work happening on NH8 near bombay so the traffic was heavy till we were about 20-30kms out. After that point, it was mostly trucks. And I mean a lot of trucks. Its a busy highway but the traffic is very well behaved. The trucks at least. Every now and then you can spot an impatient car driving like a Nascar champion

.

We followed NH8 north another 300 or so kms and stopped for brunch at a Parsi restaurant called Ahura. For anyone visiting this restaurant, black coffee is a must have! Akash will explain why

.

After a quick snack and plenty of bakar we were off again. The highways started clearing up and by the time we reached Surat we were encountering only a truck or two every km. Driving on such highway is always fun and refreshing but too much of anything is bad. NH8 apparently agreed with that when we found ourselves stuck in a traffic jam of trucks which was longer than the eye could see! This was the infamous section of NH8 between Ankleshwar and Baroda. It is a bridge over a river which is notorious for these traffic jams. I happened to know that the traffic situation is bad there but I'd never judged it to be this bad or I'd have taken the alternate route.

The other route passes through the town of Bharuch and has a trouble spot too - the Golden Gate bridge which was built in the late 1800s and still stands tall. This bridge is prone to traffic jams since it is just about wide enough to let two sedans pass side by side. But even that has to be done with the RVMs pulled in. We navigated through the traffic on the bridge and it took almost an hour to reach the other end. Anyhow, I learnt to prefer this route over the bridge on NH8 and would recommend it to anyone who's planning to take the same route.

We carried on after a quick bite and reached Baroda soon enough. Now there are two ways of getting to Ahmedabad - the expressway if you have a car or the highway if you are less fortunate

. The highway passes through a few villages and its pretty common to spot roadkill every 10 or so kms. There was some good scenery when we were passing by farmland. And at one point I along with Shaswat almost got killed. Literally. We were riding over a narrow bridge and I was pretty relaxed and had a one hand grip when out of nowhere and I mean nowhere a grey i20 (yes I noticed

) pops up right in front of me, in my lane, and coming head on at at least 80kmph!! I really have no recollection of seeing this car emerging out from behind the truck which was the only vehicle around. All I remember is that I counter steered the hell out of my bike and managed to steer away from a head on collision with a car which was at most 30 meters away when I noticed it. It was pure instinct!!

It didn't take long for the adrenalin to stop pouring into my bloodstream and I was cruising along again. We stopped at a town for a break and had some paani puri, chaai et al.

And after the usual bakar session, we were off again. The plan now was to ride till Viramgam which was another 60kms and stay the night there. Around 1800hrs we halted at a Y-junction and waited for everyone to group up before continuing.

We reached Viramgam soon enough and the Hotel Hunt was on! We stopped at one place and checked the rates. Biru went to another hotel we'd seen on the way there and checked the rates there. We got a better deal at the second place so we rode there.

At the first hotel

Settled for the night!

Day 1

Dinner was "aaahhhh", in Ninad's words

. Amazing food at amazing rates! In fact all the restaurants we ate at throughout out trip offered pretty good food. The usual bakar ensued after dinner but after a 700+km trip we were pretty tired and were off to sleep soon enough. The next day was supposed to start early - 500hrs to be precise

.

Nitin_traveller · 02-06-2012, 08:10 PM

awesome.. keep it coming dude..

02-05-2012, 04:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
vkavadia 21Bhp Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Pune, India Posts: 469	Kutch Calling . . . This is an ordinary trip log about an extra-ordinary place. A place called Kutch. In the summer months the very earth beneath your feet is cracked and wrinkled beyond recognition. In the rains, one could literally hire a boat and sail to what they call Pakistan. In the winter months, the surrounding regions are home to migratory birds from places as far Siberia. The White Desert which has no roads to speak of, only faint trails, can be fatal to an unknowing traveler. Nalsarovar (Name-Lake , literally translated) is a bird sanctuary which houses a wide variety of local and migratory birds. They fly in and out in flocks of mind numbing size. Some of them would quite literally require a panorama! Follow a one and a half lane road for about 20kms after Dholavira and you hit roads which seem to be pulled right out of the Dakar rally! Available traction is right next to zero on the sand that is the road for another 5 or so kms which take quite a while to cover... These aren't even the highlights of the trip! A lot of "garam masala" and "pojing" to follow! Follow this thread for your own ride through Kutch! Here's a map of our route... Here's Day 1. Lots of beautiful sights on Day 2! Barren lands and bird reserves on Day 3. A little surprise on Day 4... __________________ Get ready for the ride! 24 Hours on a Bike... An amazing ghat, a beautiful beach and next to zero visibility fog - All in 150kms Marvellous Monsoon! Lavasa - Cornering into heaven! A 3 day log for a 3 day ride! 3 Days On The Road Visit Little Rann of Kutch in Kutch Calling... Last edited by vkavadia; 04-24-2012 at 10:28 AM.

02-05-2012, 07:45 PM	#2 (permalink)
Sunny SlowMotionInfinity Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Delhi Posts: 7,292	Topic Approved Kutch is one place I wanted to go for a long time! Perhaps this year! __________________ Join xBhp On

02-05-2012, 08:06 PM	#3 (permalink)
nin Stunt Maniac Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mumbai Posts: 2,040	Lets rename this travelogue if we can...there is already a trip log with the same name on 60kph.com May be "Once upon a time...somewhere in western India" __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ This may be an ordinary trip log but of an extra-ordinary place and EXTRA-ORDINARY BIKERS riding there ! __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Here are some teasers from my side... And one of the most beautiful creatures which we did see in plenty..FLAMINGOES ! __________________ A very good and safe biker not only because he can pop up either of the wheels,scrape his knees on a corner or go fast and make it look stylish but because he very well knows his limits and capabilities and has the patience to learn about others and ride safe ! :) My Saddlesore Log : The 1st Saddlesore in India on a 135cc Last edited by nin; 02-07-2012 at 02:28 AM. Reason: updated

02-05-2012, 09:00 PM	#4 (permalink)
vkavadia 21Bhp Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Pune, India Posts: 469	Can this thread be deleted? I didn't realize there's already a post with the same heading.. I'll submit the text under a different heading.. __________________ Get ready for the ride! 24 Hours on a Bike... An amazing ghat, a beautiful beach and next to zero visibility fog - All in 150kms Marvellous Monsoon! Lavasa - Cornering into heaven! A 3 day log for a 3 day ride! 3 Days On The Road Visit Little Rann of Kutch in Kutch Calling...

02-06-2012, 10:48 AM	#5 (permalink)
beruoist Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: NA Posts: 1,431	Nice,Baaki kaa log aane do.For changing the name of the thread.PM any of the moderator and they will do the rest. Cheers Biru __________________ MY SPACE....http://musafirhuyaron.blogspot.com/ "सैर कर दुनीया की गालिब,जिन्दगानी फिर कहा. जिन्दगानी गर रही तो ,नौजवानी फिर कहा!!"

02-06-2012, 11:36 AM	#6 (permalink)
beruoist Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: NA Posts: 1,431	Few teasers from my side. Cheers Biru __________________ MY SPACE....http://musafirhuyaron.blogspot.com/ "सैर कर दुनीया की गालिब,जिन्दगानी फिर कहा. जिन्दगानी गर रही तो ,नौजवानी फिर कहा!!"

02-06-2012, 12:17 PM	#7 (permalink)
rachitkohli HardRider Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: New Mumbai Posts: 2,009	Fantastic..!! __________________ ..»».. I will rather ride my Bike thinking about God, then sitting in a Temple thinking about my Bike.. »».. Mumbai - Leh - Mumbai June '09 :On xBHP: Ride With me to Leh Blog : Mumbai - Leh - Mumbai : 21 Days, 6500kms. Journey to Heaven..June'09 GreatIndianRide - West India on a 110cc for over a month 2nd, Mumbai-Leh-Mumbai : July'11 (blog coming soon)

02-06-2012, 07:34 PM	#9 (permalink)
vkavadia 21Bhp Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Pune, India Posts: 469	Day 1 The plan for day 1 was enter Gujarat and find accommodation around Ahmedabad. The group consisted of 6 guys from Pune and 4 from Bombay, which dropped to 3 after lunch when someone had to leave because of that beautiful bond called marriage . Gujarat happens to be my home state and hence I figured that my knowledge of the local language would help. But it turned out the people there were pretty helpful and understanding. Of course we found it difficult to make the locals understand that we weren't racing given our bikes and attire but that has always been the case. I'd heard about the great highways that Gujarat has to offer. NH8 had to be good given that its one of the busiest highways in the country, connecting Bombay and Delhi. But I was truly surprised when we were in the extreme northern reaches of Gujarat and still had not just roads, but great roads to travel on. Even a few 50kms from the border there was construction underway! Hats off I say! Well enough of the bakar now. On with the trip! We Pune guys decided to leave around 330hrs on 26th Jan and meet up with the guys from Bombay around 6. As it happens, everyone didn't reach on time Shashwat(CBR 250R), Sanjay(RE Bullet 350) and I(220) got busy with some early morning (more like night time) photography. Siddharth and Akash (ZMRs) turned up 15 or so minutes later and our great Biru bhai turned up along with Manish (both on CBRs) a full 40 minutes late. So we ended up leaving for bombay by 430 after some tea. I'm sure it is a well known fact here that a 220's headlights can play havoc when viewed in the RVMs. The problem can be solved but that decreases the range of the lights so I haven't fiddled with the settings. So I was leading the 6 strong group at speeds between 70-80, the brilliant lights providing amazing illumination. We made steady progress up until Khopoli where fog started slowing us down. It took a while but we were in Bombay soon enough , making our way towards NH8 where the Bombay guys were waiting. We rendezvoused with them at around 630 if memory serves and were off in another 5 minutes. There is still some construction work happening on NH8 near bombay so the traffic was heavy till we were about 20-30kms out. After that point, it was mostly trucks. And I mean a lot of trucks. Its a busy highway but the traffic is very well behaved. The trucks at least. Every now and then you can spot an impatient car driving like a Nascar champion . We followed NH8 north another 300 or so kms and stopped for brunch at a Parsi restaurant called Ahura. For anyone visiting this restaurant, black coffee is a must have! Akash will explain why . After a quick snack and plenty of bakar we were off again. The highways started clearing up and by the time we reached Surat we were encountering only a truck or two every km. Driving on such highway is always fun and refreshing but too much of anything is bad. NH8 apparently agreed with that when we found ourselves stuck in a traffic jam of trucks which was longer than the eye could see! This was the infamous section of NH8 between Ankleshwar and Baroda. It is a bridge over a river which is notorious for these traffic jams. I happened to know that the traffic situation is bad there but I'd never judged it to be this bad or I'd have taken the alternate route. The other route passes through the town of Bharuch and has a trouble spot too - the Golden Gate bridge which was built in the late 1800s and still stands tall. This bridge is prone to traffic jams since it is just about wide enough to let two sedans pass side by side. But even that has to be done with the RVMs pulled in. We navigated through the traffic on the bridge and it took almost an hour to reach the other end. Anyhow, I learnt to prefer this route over the bridge on NH8 and would recommend it to anyone who's planning to take the same route. We carried on after a quick bite and reached Baroda soon enough. Now there are two ways of getting to Ahmedabad - the expressway if you have a car or the highway if you are less fortunate . The highway passes through a few villages and its pretty common to spot roadkill every 10 or so kms. There was some good scenery when we were passing by farmland. And at one point I along with Shaswat almost got killed. Literally. We were riding over a narrow bridge and I was pretty relaxed and had a one hand grip when out of nowhere and I mean nowhere a grey i20 (yes I noticed ) pops up right in front of me, in my lane, and coming head on at at least 80kmph!! I really have no recollection of seeing this car emerging out from behind the truck which was the only vehicle around. All I remember is that I counter steered the hell out of my bike and managed to steer away from a head on collision with a car which was at most 30 meters away when I noticed it. It was pure instinct!! It didn't take long for the adrenalin to stop pouring into my bloodstream and I was cruising along again. We stopped at a town for a break and had some paani puri, chaai et al. And after the usual bakar session, we were off again. The plan now was to ride till Viramgam which was another 60kms and stay the night there. Around 1800hrs we halted at a Y-junction and waited for everyone to group up before continuing. We reached Viramgam soon enough and the Hotel Hunt was on! We stopped at one place and checked the rates. Biru went to another hotel we'd seen on the way there and checked the rates there. We got a better deal at the second place so we rode there. At the first hotel Settled for the night! Day 1 Dinner was "aaahhhh", in Ninad's words . Amazing food at amazing rates! In fact all the restaurants we ate at throughout out trip offered pretty good food. The usual bakar ensued after dinner but after a 700+km trip we were pretty tired and were off to sleep soon enough. The next day was supposed to start early - 500hrs to be precise . __________________ Get ready for the ride! 24 Hours on a Bike... An amazing ghat, a beautiful beach and next to zero visibility fog - All in 150kms Marvellous Monsoon! Lavasa - Cornering into heaven! A 3 day log for a 3 day ride! 3 Days On The Road Visit Little Rann of Kutch in Kutch Calling...

02-06-2012, 08:10 PM	#10 (permalink)
Nitin_traveller Exceeding the Limits.. Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 371	awesome.. keep it coming dude..

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