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I had set my alarm for 3.30am, but I woke up at 2.30am. As no stranger to early morning flights during work trips, my body has developed an internal alarm clock which wakes me up one hour ahead of my phone alarms. My body clock also seemed to know that I will be late for the G2G if I wake up at 3.30am, hence one hour early! 
I had done most of my packing last Sunday, so there was no last minute packing. Over the last few days, I kept checking things off my list so that I was certain I had missed anything. I was using two saddle bags and a tail bag to keep my things and I did want to use the expandable sections as it would have made the bags look like jackfruits hanging on the sides of the bike. So I did run out of space a bit and I had to 'offload' a few things, like my lifestraw water filter, waterproof bag covers and a few tetrapacks of juices! When I was done packing, there was no space to accommodate even a single popcorn!
I had planned to meet the send off xBhp team at Silkboard at 05:20 am, so I left home at 04:50 am and leisurely rode my Ninja through the empty streets of Bangalore. I have never been on the Bangalore streets so early in the morning, and boy, what a pleasure it was to experience zero traffic. Sure, there are these jokers who ride on the wrong side of the road, but it is easy to spot and avoid them. After riding for 25 minutes, I reached Silkboard at 05:15 am. It was quite a gathering - so early, but it was so nice of everyone to see me off! After a quick round of introductions and a small chat, we got on our bikes, and rode together till the end of the expressway. And ALL of us stuck to designated speed limit, which was 80kmph. I did not take any pictures, and Avin and other xBhp members did the honors (please see pictures on the live update thread!). After the e-way, we parted ways and I sped straight towards Krishnagiri. I want to voice my appreciation for the all the xBhp members who came to see my off - it was a wonderful gesture and I look forward to meeting you all individually again soon! I also want to thank all who wanted to come but could not - I know that 5am is not easy on a work day, but thank you for your moral support and wishes.
The sun came up after riding for more than an hour or so, and soon I crossed Krishnagiri and turned left towards Chennai. I took a five minute break and swapped my clear helmet visor with the smoked one. And there's one thing I discovered today - what is the best way to clean your helmet visor real quick? Water? Nah. Guess what - a piece of toilet tissue and hand sanitizer! The hand sanitizer is alchohol so it dries very quick and also removes all the dead bugs. Don't believe me? Ask Ganesh, Kiran and Rakesh from Chennai, I gave them a live demo!
100% germ free! 100% bug and dust free! Smells nice too!
Krishnagiri - Bangalore was quick as the traffic was sparse and the roads a great utilization of tax payer's money! When I crossed Ranipet, I gave Ganesh (aargee) and Kiran (Kirosh) a call to confirm the whereabouts of our meeting point on NH4. And there they were, waiting at the junction after the Hyundai factory! Had a nice chat with the group and after some snaps, Ganesh, Kiran and Rakesh rode with me for a distance, and Kiran and Rakesh parted ways after a few kilometers, while Ganesh led me through the Avadi byepass. I had a chat with him the day before and told him that I needed a tankful of Shell, so he meticulously planned the route which we would be taking. Sure enough, the Shell fuel station turned up soon and I had a tank full of the good stuff! It was also very nice of Ganesh to buy me cold drinks and energy bars, which I managed to cram into my tail bag without busting the zips! After a few more kilometers, we were on the NH5. A few snaps later (Ganesh posted those pics on the live update thread!), I started my bike and pointed my bike in the direction of Vijaywada!
L to R: Ganesh, Kiran and Rakesh! You guys are fab!
All four of us after I set my camera on a tripod with a timer
My Ninja in its livery! Sticker and all!
After Ganesh saw me off, I started riding towards Nellore. After a few kilometers, the traffic started thinning, and I must say this - 350 kms of the 450km distance between Chennai and Vijaywada was an absolute dream. The roads are not six laned, but what a magnificent four laned wonder. And the kind of traffic I saw was just perfect - no fast moving cars trying to sneak on you from the left, only slow trucks which for the most part kept to the left of the road. And everything was so well organized by NHAI - clear lane markings, SOS telephones every few kilometers, and probably of the few roads in India which has a legal 100 kmph speed limit boards! Even the construction workers were all wearing reflective neon green and orange vests!.I needed no excuse to go fast and soon was cruising at triple digit speeds. After a while, I was feeling a bit drowsy and feeling sleepy, so I pulled over into a deserted Cafe Coffee day on the way to Nellore, where a hot cup of Cappucino revived me!
Calcutta 1649? Yeah, I'm coming there soon!
The Nh5 after leaving the traffic behind in Chennai!
Typical landscape on the the sides:
The open plains!
CCD on the Chennai-Nellore highway:
From the cool, airconditioned interiors of the CCD...
I had never seen a line of Palm trees on the dividers before! Now I have... and don't miss the barbie pink express!
Fab road! No traffic!
Pictures of some scarecrows on the fields lining the highway...
A snap of the Ninja resting during a quick 'twitter' break!
Triple digit speeds also have a way of emptying your fuel tank pretty fast, and around 130 kms before Vijaywada, the amber glow started reminding me that it was for time for the Ninja to drink! I saw a nice looking fuel pump just after I got the low fuel warning, but I thought I might find a better pump ahead! Sheesh - I was hoping for too much. For the next 50 kilometers, I did not see a petrol pump which sold Speed or Extra premium ,and I was really beginning to worry about the bike running out of fuel, and images of me pushing the loaded bike wearing full leathers started coming to my mind! Not pleasant at all. Finally, I saw a brand new fuel station selling speed on the other side of the road, so I took a U-turn and had a tank full of speed. Ah... when I see my bike getting a tank full, I feel as if I was the one having a bottle of chilled soda lime water!
Around 70 kilometers before Vijaywada, I saw a blue Maruti Zen trying to keep up with me. But I had a fast motorcycle and they had a car, so they got left behind in the lorry traffic! But I had to stop for a twitter break, and soon they overtook me at a distance and stopped ahead of me. When I started riding again, they gestured me to stop, so I did. There were four guys in the car, probably college students, and they were very curious to know what (and where) I was doing/going. I told them about the ride and its purpose, and they were very excited! They could not believe I rode down from Bangalore! They took some snaps with their cellphone, and I was soon on my way...
Around 5.45 pm I hit the Vijaywada bridge over the Krishna river and I could actually see a building from a few kilometers which I guessed might be my hotel, (it was,as I found out later!). But I stopped on the bridge to take a few snaps as a momento of Vijawada, and here they are... and the funny thing was the bridge behaved like a suspension bridge every time a truck passed over, and I could feel the bridge shake!
Vijaywada sunset from the Krishna bridge:
View of the Krishna riverbed and railway(?) bridge in the distance:
One more:
I had booked my rooms for Vijaywada and Bhubaneshwar almost a month ago, so I got some good rates! My first criteria was that the hotel should have a parking for motorcycles and after trying to get a sense of which hotels were good in these areas, I zeroed in Taj gateway in Vijaywada. And for a Taj hotel, I got an incredible rate - Rs.2300!!! Maybe it was because I booked early and it was on a friday. I also wrote to them saying that I needed a covered motorcycle parking, and they replied in affirmative. So after five minutes after the bridge photo session, I was in the parking of the hotel. The guard was asking me to park outside to which I protested and he called his manager who was the head of security. Soon a lot of hotel managers (and the chef too!) were in the basement, and they told me it was no problem to park the bike in the basement, but since they were concerned about someone touching the bike in the common motorcycle parking area, they suggested that I use one of the car parking slots further into the basement so that it is safe! They seemed genuinely interested and when I went to the lobby area, they told me that they will do the check-in at the room and there was no need for me to wait at the counter! And as if that was not enough, they upgraded me to a better room too! I was like - wow. That IS a lot of bang for your bucks at Rs.2300 - I mist say that the guys at Taj Gateway, Vijaywada rock! Some pictures of the room - nothing like a nice room waiting for you after riding for 800 kms!
After a quick shower and a change of clothes, I headed down to the restaurant and feasted on the buffet. Real food was welcome after a day of only energy bars and juices! I thought I will blog day 1 a night, but since I had slept for only four hours last night, I was feeling very, very sleepy. So I decided to call it a day (and what a day! ) and leave the writing for tommorow!
And so it begins - the ride across Incredible India!
Planned distance: 795.
Actual covered: 796
I had done most of my packing last Sunday, so there was no last minute packing. Over the last few days, I kept checking things off my list so that I was certain I had missed anything. I was using two saddle bags and a tail bag to keep my things and I did want to use the expandable sections as it would have made the bags look like jackfruits hanging on the sides of the bike. So I did run out of space a bit and I had to 'offload' a few things, like my lifestraw water filter, waterproof bag covers and a few tetrapacks of juices! When I was done packing, there was no space to accommodate even a single popcorn!
I had planned to meet the send off xBhp team at Silkboard at 05:20 am, so I left home at 04:50 am and leisurely rode my Ninja through the empty streets of Bangalore. I have never been on the Bangalore streets so early in the morning, and boy, what a pleasure it was to experience zero traffic. Sure, there are these jokers who ride on the wrong side of the road, but it is easy to spot and avoid them. After riding for 25 minutes, I reached Silkboard at 05:15 am. It was quite a gathering - so early, but it was so nice of everyone to see me off! After a quick round of introductions and a small chat, we got on our bikes, and rode together till the end of the expressway. And ALL of us stuck to designated speed limit, which was 80kmph. I did not take any pictures, and Avin and other xBhp members did the honors (please see pictures on the live update thread!). After the e-way, we parted ways and I sped straight towards Krishnagiri. I want to voice my appreciation for the all the xBhp members who came to see my off - it was a wonderful gesture and I look forward to meeting you all individually again soon! I also want to thank all who wanted to come but could not - I know that 5am is not easy on a work day, but thank you for your moral support and wishes.
The sun came up after riding for more than an hour or so, and soon I crossed Krishnagiri and turned left towards Chennai. I took a five minute break and swapped my clear helmet visor with the smoked one. And there's one thing I discovered today - what is the best way to clean your helmet visor real quick? Water? Nah. Guess what - a piece of toilet tissue and hand sanitizer! The hand sanitizer is alchohol so it dries very quick and also removes all the dead bugs. Don't believe me? Ask Ganesh, Kiran and Rakesh from Chennai, I gave them a live demo!
100% germ free! 100% bug and dust free! Smells nice too!
Krishnagiri - Bangalore was quick as the traffic was sparse and the roads a great utilization of tax payer's money! When I crossed Ranipet, I gave Ganesh (aargee) and Kiran (Kirosh) a call to confirm the whereabouts of our meeting point on NH4. And there they were, waiting at the junction after the Hyundai factory! Had a nice chat with the group and after some snaps, Ganesh, Kiran and Rakesh rode with me for a distance, and Kiran and Rakesh parted ways after a few kilometers, while Ganesh led me through the Avadi byepass. I had a chat with him the day before and told him that I needed a tankful of Shell, so he meticulously planned the route which we would be taking. Sure enough, the Shell fuel station turned up soon and I had a tank full of the good stuff! It was also very nice of Ganesh to buy me cold drinks and energy bars, which I managed to cram into my tail bag without busting the zips! After a few more kilometers, we were on the NH5. A few snaps later (Ganesh posted those pics on the live update thread!), I started my bike and pointed my bike in the direction of Vijaywada!
L to R: Ganesh, Kiran and Rakesh! You guys are fab!
All four of us after I set my camera on a tripod with a timer
My Ninja in its livery! Sticker and all!
After Ganesh saw me off, I started riding towards Nellore. After a few kilometers, the traffic started thinning, and I must say this - 350 kms of the 450km distance between Chennai and Vijaywada was an absolute dream. The roads are not six laned, but what a magnificent four laned wonder. And the kind of traffic I saw was just perfect - no fast moving cars trying to sneak on you from the left, only slow trucks which for the most part kept to the left of the road. And everything was so well organized by NHAI - clear lane markings, SOS telephones every few kilometers, and probably of the few roads in India which has a legal 100 kmph speed limit boards! Even the construction workers were all wearing reflective neon green and orange vests!.I needed no excuse to go fast and soon was cruising at triple digit speeds. After a while, I was feeling a bit drowsy and feeling sleepy, so I pulled over into a deserted Cafe Coffee day on the way to Nellore, where a hot cup of Cappucino revived me!
Calcutta 1649? Yeah, I'm coming there soon!
The Nh5 after leaving the traffic behind in Chennai!
Typical landscape on the the sides:
The open plains!
CCD on the Chennai-Nellore highway:
From the cool, airconditioned interiors of the CCD...
I had never seen a line of Palm trees on the dividers before! Now I have... and don't miss the barbie pink express!
Fab road! No traffic!
Pictures of some scarecrows on the fields lining the highway...
A snap of the Ninja resting during a quick 'twitter' break!
Triple digit speeds also have a way of emptying your fuel tank pretty fast, and around 130 kms before Vijaywada, the amber glow started reminding me that it was for time for the Ninja to drink! I saw a nice looking fuel pump just after I got the low fuel warning, but I thought I might find a better pump ahead! Sheesh - I was hoping for too much. For the next 50 kilometers, I did not see a petrol pump which sold Speed or Extra premium ,and I was really beginning to worry about the bike running out of fuel, and images of me pushing the loaded bike wearing full leathers started coming to my mind! Not pleasant at all. Finally, I saw a brand new fuel station selling speed on the other side of the road, so I took a U-turn and had a tank full of speed. Ah... when I see my bike getting a tank full, I feel as if I was the one having a bottle of chilled soda lime water!
Around 70 kilometers before Vijaywada, I saw a blue Maruti Zen trying to keep up with me. But I had a fast motorcycle and they had a car, so they got left behind in the lorry traffic! But I had to stop for a twitter break, and soon they overtook me at a distance and stopped ahead of me. When I started riding again, they gestured me to stop, so I did. There were four guys in the car, probably college students, and they were very curious to know what (and where) I was doing/going. I told them about the ride and its purpose, and they were very excited! They could not believe I rode down from Bangalore! They took some snaps with their cellphone, and I was soon on my way...
Around 5.45 pm I hit the Vijaywada bridge over the Krishna river and I could actually see a building from a few kilometers which I guessed might be my hotel, (it was,as I found out later!). But I stopped on the bridge to take a few snaps as a momento of Vijawada, and here they are... and the funny thing was the bridge behaved like a suspension bridge every time a truck passed over, and I could feel the bridge shake!
Vijaywada sunset from the Krishna bridge:
View of the Krishna riverbed and railway(?) bridge in the distance:
One more:
I had booked my rooms for Vijaywada and Bhubaneshwar almost a month ago, so I got some good rates! My first criteria was that the hotel should have a parking for motorcycles and after trying to get a sense of which hotels were good in these areas, I zeroed in Taj gateway in Vijaywada. And for a Taj hotel, I got an incredible rate - Rs.2300!!! Maybe it was because I booked early and it was on a friday. I also wrote to them saying that I needed a covered motorcycle parking, and they replied in affirmative. So after five minutes after the bridge photo session, I was in the parking of the hotel. The guard was asking me to park outside to which I protested and he called his manager who was the head of security. Soon a lot of hotel managers (and the chef too!) were in the basement, and they told me it was no problem to park the bike in the basement, but since they were concerned about someone touching the bike in the common motorcycle parking area, they suggested that I use one of the car parking slots further into the basement so that it is safe! They seemed genuinely interested and when I went to the lobby area, they told me that they will do the check-in at the room and there was no need for me to wait at the counter! And as if that was not enough, they upgraded me to a better room too! I was like - wow. That IS a lot of bang for your bucks at Rs.2300 - I mist say that the guys at Taj Gateway, Vijaywada rock! Some pictures of the room - nothing like a nice room waiting for you after riding for 800 kms!
After a quick shower and a change of clothes, I headed down to the restaurant and feasted on the buffet. Real food was welcome after a day of only energy bars and juices! I thought I will blog day 1 a night, but since I had slept for only four hours last night, I was feeling very, very sleepy. So I decided to call it a day (and what a day!
) and leave the writing for tommorow!And so it begins - the ride across Incredible India!
Planned distance: 795.
Actual covered: 796
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