Sachin ghode and the whole group...congrats for completing an epic journey...dudes u rock

Day 2 - Delhi to Amritsar

Day 2 - Delhi to Amritsar (NH1)

May 29th

Distance - 461 kms



Leaving behind a day which was full of surprises, beyond our imagination and control a new day began in hope that finally everything would go well. It's rightfully said that, "A trip can never be planned!"
Who would more agree to this than us. We woke up by 7:30AM and had decided last night that we should reach New Delhi Parcel office well before 9 AM to collect our bikes.
As far as the money was concerned we had decided to make money pool. Everyone use to contribute Rs.1000 to the pool and we used to keep all the money with one person.
Throughout the trip I kept the account and whenever the account came close to nil we again contributed Rs.1000 each to the money pool. This turned out to be the best thing as we did not have to worry about money and was a good way to keep an account of our money.
Anyone going on a long trip in a group I would suggest the money pool as the best option to workout. Only thing to keep in mind is you should have trust on the person whom you are keeping the money and is accountable. In our case, It was me.
We did Cross calculate on a couple of occassions and it was 99.9% accurate. Good enough for us.

Coming back to the trip, By 8:30 we were at the parcel office, checked out our bikes which were kept in the godown. We had to pay around Rs.300 per bike as our bikes was kept in the parcel office for more than 24 hours.
We finally got our bikes outside and got it unpacked. Thankfully again the petrol was not checked. Lucky me as I had not removed petrol from my bike. Bikes were not damaged apart from a few scracthes here and there. I think our bikes were unloaded properly without any hassle.
We move to the closest petrol pump from the railway station, added fuel and ready to roll. I also bought HH oil from the petrol station as I was using the HH recommended mineral oil whereas my other companions were on full synthetic oil.

We rode back to the hotel to collect our luggage and started to prepare for our ride. With Bags packed, money counted, papers checked with riding gear on we headed out for Amritsar.
I could already feel the Delhi heat it was around 41 degrees. With jacket on if you are not riding you can sweat like anything. We kept drinking water like camels to keep ourselves hydrated. It was super hot conditions something which I dont like.
11:30 AM - We move from New Delhi and straight away we find traffic. It was difficult riding in such a hot weather and on top of that if you find traffic your life is ruined. It took us close to 1 hour to get out of the city. We finally stop as a result of dehydration and because we had to go to the ATM for cash.
A short walk to the ATM in such hot conditions was like running in a desert. As soon as I enter in the ATM I am dead tired as if I have just completed a marathon. Money withdrawn and I head back to my bike and we thought if we have to survive this heat we need to eat something. As we can't ride in this heat with empty stomach.
Rushed a fast food shop close by and bought Aloo Tikki, mineral water and cold drinks. I think I only had a couple of bites from the Aloo Tikki and could not eat more. Again I dont know why may be because of the heat.
Finally we reached highway roads were the traffic was clear and with bike upto speed now things started getting better. Almost immediately I entered a different world.
We covered good distance and group riding in clear traffic is a bliss. The roads were in good shape but the only concern was diversions. In every 2-5 kms you ll find a diversion for about 500 metres to 1km which was very irritating.

We took a halt for lunch and ordered normal food. Dal, Rice & Roti. It was getting hotter by every minute and all my clothes were completely wet from inside make me super uncomfortable. Well, I had no other option but to remove my T-shirt. Wish I had a body like Salman to show off.
While having our lunch we met one very intresting guy who was on a solo trip on his scooter. Well , Scooter would be an understatement definitely, you'll get to see in the pics why I say that. The scooter caught our immediate attention.
You name it and the scooter has all those gadgets and features. One of its kind prepared by a man who loves what he is riding.
His scooter had a shield in the front, a couple of swords inside the shield, a spade fitted to the side of the scooter, big rope tied below the scooter, music system also.
Yeah you read right it had speakers loud enough to make everyone dance on the road. If I add on more it had vinyls, decals and huge tool kit behind, mobile phone charger also, Alright I ll stop thats too much for a scooter Is n't it?
He had a chat with us for a long time and explained his love towards his scooter. He said he has been using this scooter from the time he was in college, now of course he is a Doctor by profession.
It was really good talking to him and it is meeting such guys on the way that makes your journey a memorable one. He makes me remind of saying called Be Bold Be Different.

We moved on after a nice lunch on straight highways with occassional diversion that you'll get used to once you start getting in the groove.
One instance happened when I was twisted the throttle more than usual on a diversion and completed the first part of the diversion as if it was a corner leaning into it. Coming out of the diversion there was truck right in front of me & I tried to overtake the truck from the right side completely leaning my bike.
What I had in my mind was to overtake the truck coming out of the diversion. It was my real bad luck I think as by the time I overtook the truck there was one huge truck coming from wrong side which was totally unexpected.
I braked hard and it was going to be a certain crash on the first day of the ride but I survived as the truck also braked and with me panic braking too I managed to just escape the first crash if my life. It was a real close call.
I dont know why I took that unnecessary risk, I should have just rode safely as I was unaware of the situation on the other side. I was cursing myself as this was definitely not my style of riding.
We stopped after sometime and with this incident still fresh in my mind it was the hot topic we were discussing. Aryan said Good control Sachin bhai & all I could say is "It was very close"
Deepan was discussing that he has some issues with his front wheel. It was wobbling if he exceeded speed of over 80 kmph. We tried to figure out the possible reasons why this was happening.
The tyre was looking fine, air pressure alright and gap in brake pads also as it should be. Nothing we could do about his bike problem apart from keeping an eye on the bike.
Here we met the second interesting chap of today. Looking 4 bikes lined he stopped. An elderly man in his 50's I think, wearing traditional white shirt, Gamcha wrapped on his head, goggles on too
He was riding a Rajdoot. Another very unique bike. In today's world where petrol prices are sky high how does a man riding Rajdoot for his daily needs survive? Well, He had fitted on his bike something which I never seen in any bike.
A couple of gas cylinders which we use and only get to see in Kitchen. He had 2 gas cylinders fitted in the rear end of the bike and he uses this gas for his bike. No fuel consumption it was all on Gas. Like I said unique.
I have heard people using Kerosene but never heard or seen anyting like this before. He said he cannot afford petrol so he found this as the cheapest way to travel on his bike.
We showed our concern and asked him that in case if he meets with an accident and this gas cyclinders leaking out it will be very risky component to carry. But to that question he said he has already protected both the gas cylinders by covering them in iron case he has prepared.
So when there is an impact the cylinders will be safe and less dangerous. All I say is life finds it own way to survive and live. Another wonderful and a very jolly person we met on the way. Before he went he said, "Sambhal ke jaana beta"

Time to move on, we met with occassional rains in between. Nothing to worry as it was just normal drizzle and not something which would make us stop.
We were again upto speed little on the cautious side though. For some reason the formation was not getting along well as Deepan who was tailing the group was getting left behind as his bike was wobbling above 80kmph.
It was breaking the formation & I told Deepan to lead and I started sweeping the group. Sometime later Aryan had to stop to refuel. 12 litres of Fazer with a mileage of around 25kmpl meant frequent fuel stops for him.
Around 6PM when we first encountered a real challenge thrown at us by mother nature. The weather started getting worse. We faced cross winds but were managing it pretty well. I was just hoping that time that it shoud not get more worse than this or else god help my full faired bike.
Little did I know that from now onwards till the time we reached Amritsar the ride you never be the same. So far we only had to face the brunt of hot weather and now as the sun sets the ride gets difficult.
With road maintenance work that going on and with cross winds blowing hard it was looking we were going to face a big challenge riding the bike.
There was dust blowing, plastics flying, markets close by all in brown dust and with very limited visibilty we rode on. I could taste the dust even after wearing a balaclava, my eyes were getting red due the dust coming inside the helmet.
Moving on cross winds turned into a mini hurricane uprooting almost anything that came in its way. This mini hurricane had wind speed that was powerful enough to screw your life.
What was happening was enough to scare the living daylights out of many. There are no guesses which bike had the worse time in such a condition yes it was ZMR having a tough time. Crouched on the bike with very limited portion becoming target for wind to hit me helped me survive.
The complete situation if I had to describe how it looked & felt was as if it was the latest HH ZMR ad where Hrithik tries to catch his cap while riding the bike. Yes, that how it was honestly speaking. Wish we could have taken some pics of this.

Nevertheless we stopped for a quick referesher break and were discussing this whole experience of riding in strong crosswinds. I thought this was supposed to be the easy part of the ride however it turned out to be quite an experience.
It was getting darker by every minute when we faced yet another problem. It started raining cats & dogs all of sudden. We quickly stopped by. It was completely dark and we could see a thing without mobile phone lights. Wish we someone had carried torch.
Deepan's Ducati phone helped us a lot when we needed it the most. It bright white flash light made things visible for us. To ensure we dont have to worry about luggage anymore Aryan quickly removed tape from his bag and started to cover his bag in polythene to keep it dry from any further rains coming up.
He then did it for me as well and we now for the first time wore our duckback raincoats. This halt was for around 20 minutes and by now the rain was no where in sight. Grrrr...not that I wanted rain again just because we are prepared now but we did all we could to ensure that the luggage will be fine and it did not rain. Rain was playing cat and mouse it seems.
I pity Deepan, who was having hard time riding at night as he did not carry a clear visor. At times, the group got split into 2. I & Puneet in front and Deepan & Aryan riding together.
It was getting difficult to ride as it was a single lane road when we were closing Jalandhar. You need to be more focussed as all you can see is what gets lit up by the headlight. Luckily for me, I had HID fitted which was bright enough to help in night ride.
We decided to ride parallely with each other in double lane formation. Riding in double lane formation helped us in many ways at night as for oncoming vehicles we look more like cars rather than bikes which keeps them in their lane.
The road looked more brighter and we were cruising at a good speed together, matching each other's riding style.

It was 10PM and we saw Mcdonals 24 hrs open. We enjoyed Mcspicy Chicken and met rather orthodox Punjabi guys. They want to know everything about you. Where have you come from, Where are we going, why do we wear such auspicious riding gears & lot of other questions.
You cant really ask for anything more. They will keep enquiring till they are completely satisfied and gained the complete knowledge of our trip. I found such traits or tather human behavior common in almost the entire Punjab crowd we met and spoke with.
But you rather be sweet to them than being unfriendly to them. That was I would recommend to say the least. Have Patience with such people.

After taking right from Jalandhar to Amritsar NH1 was just an awesome experience. The roads were back to normal and it also had street lights. I think I did cross 120+ on a few occassions here, not required but it was such a beautiful arrow straight road.
It was around 12:30AM when we finally reached Amritsar and got a cheap lodge to spend the night. It was Rs.400/room so we decided to take 2 rooms and spend the night.

What's more to add, Today's day was a fine amalgamation of some of the finest roads, some very tuff riding conditions in strong cross winds that added to the adrenaline rush and thrill & some very interesting people we met on the way. Can't ask for more.

@sachin

Nice to see the log rolling. good going bro.


@all, when u want to reply to this thread, please do not reply with sachin's quote. it makes the webpage unnecessarily long & heavy to load. its a request

Photos are great and write-up is good too
Off topic-Sorry if this post seems like I'm nit-picking/being over the top/eccentric but the respected mister who has installed "subsidized" Liquefied petroleum gas intended for domestic purposes is an idiot(with traces of innovation)!He not only endangers himself and his antique Rajdoot but also risks the lives of fellow responsible motorists!Millions of Indians are queuing up to get Kerosene(as they are unable to get LPG cylinder connections)each day so that they can cook some food for the hungry mouths in their homes and this Gentle(?)man carries two cylinders full of highly combustible pressurized fuel housed in a structure certified by him and assures someone else that they are safe!
He could face criminal charges!!

Thanks Mayur.. Hope to see you in action soon .. You qouted on the complete day's log with pics

Saurabh I wished I could have deleted that post. Hope you got to see the pics.

Vishwas, you said it. We had a long discussion with him. We also explained him about the risks involved especially in case of an accident.
But I dont think anything else matters to him more than saving money.

Superb writeup Sachin!

I am waiting for more. Please keep posting! And Congratulations on completing the ride safely!

This had been your lifetime experience!

Cheers!

- Lalit

i got it bro, fabulous pics. but it becomes real pain when u r surfing on cell or when net connectivity is slow.

btw, forgot to thanx & congrats to puneet for these stunning pics
too good

A special video of a very spceial modded scooter

A special video of a very special modded scooter

Do have such features on your bike

YouTube - ‪Modded scooter on the way to Amritsar‬‏

supercool !!!!!!!!!!!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha that scooter is so cool! I LOVE how creative these guys are. Remember the bike we saw in Shirdi??! Superb stuff.

Sachin Anna log bhool gaye kya story aage toh leke chalo reality me na sahi log me toh Leh dikhado

:d :d :d
+1

sachin laptop charger bhul gaya as they did with the plane isliye log kal aage badega

Congtratzzz guyzzzz.. Bring on the rest log plssssss.... I'm eagerly waiting.....

Day 3 - Golden Temple, Amritsar & Wagah Border

Day 3 - Much Awaited visit to Golden Temple, Amritsar & Wagah Border Finally!!!

30th May'11

Right from the time we entered Punjab there was one dialogue we all said very often, "Oye Yeh Punjab hai Punjab yahan goli pehle marte hain fir shayad lash se kuchh baat karlein"
How do I wake up? Or should I ask How did we all wake up? I hear suddenly in my sleep a loud, very loud dhoom music playing. Sounds funny but thats how I woke up, Now since the music is not stopping and creating a nuisance in my ears so early in the morning that I realise it is not coming from a music player but it actually from buses just outside where the hotel is situated playing Dhoom tune as their horns.
What more should I say when I finally peep outside my window I see buses queued up behind each other and honking horns as loudly as they possibly can. I still wonder why?

Started the day off relaxing in the room and drank nice strong coffee. Deepan, Aryan & Puneet had some minor issues with their bikes they wanted to sort out. Deepan had issues with his front wheel wobbling over 80 kmph speed, Puneet changed his cone set as his bike's handle was loose, Aryan also has some minor issues with his Fazer.
We first went to Hero Honda Service centre and here Deepan & Puneet discussed their bike issues with HH mechanics. Deepan faced a real hard time explaining the issue with his bike to the mechanic.

Deepan: Mera bike 80 ke speed se jyada hone par wobble ho raha hai.
Mechanic: Bhaisaab idhar 80 koi jaata hi nahi ...aap itna tej jaate jyu ho

We could not stop laughing hearing that. He could not fix the problem nor could he fix Puneet's bike issue. Complete waste of time going to HH service centre in Amritsar.
We had a chat with DK as we had sent him an sms that we will be going to Jammu tomorrow and stay there. We were advised by DK bhau to skip Jammu and go to Patnitop and stay there. Due to many reasons like traffic issues, curfew problems and so on and so forth. Nothing great to see either in Jammu AFAIK.
From there we headed to a local mechanic shop to fix the issues in both Karizma.
To ensure we dont waste anymore time we suggested Aryan to go ahead fix his bike problems and come back to the same place.
Finally we found a mechanic who said he could fix these bikes. The mechanic started working on the bikes and we were standing and discussing about Amritsar traffic. Amritsar as a city is very busy, full of crowd and everyone on the move. Traffic policeman shouting, hitting rickshaws with the long sticks and dust everywhere.
Finally after patiently waiting for 30-45 minutes the bikes were ready and soon Aryan also came by.

Around 2PM we decided to move towards Wagah Border. Deepan was testing his bike and he was very upset that the mechanic did not resolve his bike's wobbling issue. In fact to add, He could not break well now from his front disk brake. Finally he decided to fix this issue tomorrow in Hero Honda service centre in Pathankot.

It was lunch time, we filled our empty stomach with some nice dhaba style food in Amritsar and finally we had the famous Chaas or butter milk. The glass was huge the same way we see in bollywood movies. Enjoyed Butter milk a lot.
I did not take my bike and went as pillion behind Puneet. If you'll check the pics you will not find us wearing any riding gears as it might get you into unnecessary trouble once you enter the gates of Wagah Border.
I remember reading it in Alankar's Leh Diaries where they faced issues in Wagah because of knee guards.
We move on riding in hot sun again, just a few kms before Wagah Border we see a board saying Lahore 23kms away and India-Pakistan Border 1km away. Wow!!! Looked quite a sight from there. Of course we cant cross the border and go to Pakistan but the feeling that you are only some distance away from your neighbouring country was driving me nuts.
As soon as we reach Wagah we parked our bikes and kept everything in a hotel cloak room. You are not even allowed to carry the camera bag with you inside. It was coming close to 4 PM and thousands of people queuing outside the gate waiting for the gate to open so that they can rush at the border.









People holding Indian Flags, chanting Jai Hind, Hindustan Zindabad had started already. Standing in hot sun waiting for the gates to open was really taking a toll on me. I wish I had a towel or something to help myself protect from the sun.
It was around 4:30PM they finally opened the gate. All hell broke loose, people started running suddenly, pushing each other. Puneet had a fall, I almost had a fall. I saw many elderly women and men fall and on them many others running. One particular moment where I saw a small girl crying in the centre and everyone stepping on her and moving forward. What the hell, her mom got scared and almost fainted looking at her child like that.
Luckily nothing serious happened to her. I did not like the way people ran here. Anything could have happened, any incident could have taken place, anyone could have been killed. I wonder why there is no decorum or rules here? I would not be surprised if anyone says to me about any incident happening here.

The much awaited run started as soon as we crossed the gates all the way till we reached the India-Pakistan Border where each and every evening there is a retreat ceremony called 'lowering of flags"
There were close to 2000+ people from India I believe and approximately 200 in Pakistan.
From the moment the flag wavers started it was absolutely magical, and as the marching and chanting increased I wondered how much more thrilling it could get.
It was an experience of a lifetime at Wagah Border, there was loud music playing patriotic songs and inspiring songs boosting everyone's energy to the highest level.
We sensed the patriotic feeling coming within us even we were shouting at the top of our voice, singing songs and dancing. It was more fun for girls I believe who were allowed to grab a huge Indian flag and run down the avenue in front of the Pakistani gate wave the tri color flag in front of them and come back.
With Bhangra music on, girls & women dancing on the Indian side was full on entertainment. I was completely swept by the patriotism of the occassion. It will make you forget everything else.
With almost sun setting, there is an energetic parade by Border Security Force (B.S.F.) soldiers & Pakistani soldiers. The way the soldiers do the parade is something I had never expected, there is a lot of character, there is high kicking, leg stamping and a very intense look in their parade.
The way the Gates are closed after ceremony looked as if its been closed in anger and banged on the other countries face.
It was one memorable experience I would never forget. I am sure all who have been there would agree too.





















Moving on we made our move back to our hotel and relaxed there for some time.
It was almost 9:30PM when we headed towards Golden Temple. We met with a yet another experience and what a sight. We stopped just before railroad track crossing as the crossing was closed. Like I mentioned the people here are very busy as if their every second is precious.
Quite a sight looking at bikes being treated as cycles. Finally we crossed the track and reached Golden Temple. We could not find parking close to the temple. Little ahead of the temple was a huge open space for parking but it was only for private vehicles entering that hotel. Deepan managed to convince and we all parked our bikes safely.









The main attraction of Amritsar is of course, the Golden Temple. It is at once spectacular, majestic, sacred and awe inspiring yet somehow kind of humble.
I loved the enterance where every person washes their feet before entering the temple. Once you enter the Golden Temple area you get a feeling of peacefulness and tranquil.
The view is almost more spectacular after dark and people watching doesn't get much better than on the edges of this great building.
The temple itself is surrounded by a pool of water. We spend a lot of time sitting close by the pool of water enjoying the view of Golden Temple. For some strange reason we were not allowed to use the tripod while clicking pictures. I don't know the rational behind that but anyways.
We did not try the Langar food (food served at the temple) however we have heard that it is delicious...it's free.
Golden temple is atleast once in a life time must visit place.