NOTE: That pic of mine on the first page, it's my ONLY pic from the ride!

@rubber stamp champ.. thanks dude. your thread gave me some cues. And certainly mine isn't the first R15 to do GQ.
@lijak, tushar, sheelpriye... Thanks!

EDIT: Another achievement!! 500posts after 6years!!

Beautiful aman..!! Finally the wait is over Superb ride.. What a journey..!!!

Great going buddy. I know I pestered you with so many questions about this ride the other day, hope you didn't mind . Waiting for the log...

Really???

Well, can someone post a link of the first R15 completing the GQ???

Here you go Around the GQ : BN

Congratulations. Its definitely an achievement to remember for life.

OT: This route should be in IIBA (Indian Iron Butt Association)

congrats on your ride. awesome.
waiting for the rest of the log and the pics

Thanks...

...and thanks. Will update on Monday.

Left Visakhapatnam around 7am with the plan to celebrate New Years Eve in Puri as it was just 60kms from Bhubaneshwar (BSR) and had a beach and Chilka Lake to entice me!

From a fuel station 150kms before BSR, I called Siddhant, an xBhp member from Orissa, whose no. I had saved at the start of the journey. I enquired about the best route to reach Puri, which according to him was to enter BSR, get onto NH203 and reach Puri nice and easy. The fuel station guys wanted to save my time and recommended me to ride few kms, take a right from a town called Humma, another 40kms to Chilka, a ferry, another 50kms to Puri. This was the only route I went off the highway. I'm glad I did. Saved kms, but not time.

But what the hell, I got to see a different world, some amazing landscape, migratory birds, ferry ride, dolphin, sunset at Chilka....







OPEN-BILLED STORKS



A POND HERON



LITTLE GREBE



LITTLE TERN JEVINILE



A CORMORANT.. a seabird, drying its wings in the sun after some fish hunting.



A KINGFISHER






The ferry ride.. Rs.5 for the passenger, Rs.15 for the bike!







A bottlenose Dolphin.. common at Chilka Lake



Approaching the Puri side of Chilka...









The last sunset of 2010 at Chilka...



The road from Chilka to Puri was ok, but I had to ride in dark again. Puri was not as I expected it to be. Over-crowded, jams caused by humans! Finding a hotel was a pain as well. No rooms available, can't get one under Rs.2000 - these were the comments from the 2-3 hotels I enquired. Finally found one, with the MD's room vacant as he was not coming today. Rs1500 quoted! Negotiated for Rs1000.











Precious stones being sold for Rs100 on the beach!



..and "real" diamonds for Rs600!



was surprised to find a wine shop in the holy city!












Proof!



The beach bazaar...



Got my hands on a "desi".. by mistake! Smells yum.. tastes fun.. carried all along the journey... still have some!



The first sunrise of 2011 at Puri!



Jagan-nath Mandir.. Zoom-in darshan beacuse I had no patience to park so far..



Got onto NH203, nice double-laned road, with lots of tourist cars, entered BSR, exited, Cuttack came and went in a km.

Next stop Kolkata!

Nice pics buddy ...... especially of the birds......the only birds we see here in Mumbai are Crows .

Super! Congratulations!

@ aman--so atlast you took the ferry route..it seems u have enjoyed every bit of it...

hey bro i too called you to guide you for puri..didnt i ?

hahah...kidding

Thanks... u forgot Kabooter

Thanks Sunny!

wont say i enjoyed, i'm glad i did! ..yes you did call and if possible, post our conversation here! i'm too lazy to write.. so many minute details, dunno what to kiss and what to miss.

Awesome man. Loved all the bird photographs. They are beautiful! Liked your style of writing log as well

Bring on the rest!

^^ Thanks Ketan!