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On a caliber 115?! Wow man. My first bike Waiting for your travelogue, though I must say you are crazy to do a hot weather ride to hot places.

Hoodibaba, travelling so many miles. Congrats!. I have a few queries. What are the stay options near Sasan and what are the charges for the safari. And is it worth visiting Sasan or it would be a better idea to go the captivity near Sasan which is the 4KM enclosure.

Regards,
Deepan

Yes, it was really hot all the way from Ajmer to Udaipur and that's why I did the return trip from Dholavira to Ghaziabad non-stop (with very small breaks at night). Although the night driving on NH 14 (2 lane road) with very very heavy traffic of trucks on both sides, upto Pali was really very very challenging and I came in one piece with the blessings of Almighty. Would advice all to avoid that road even at day time.

As for Sasan, I travelled from Udaipur to Junagarh on third day and stayed at Gujarat tourism Guest House (nominal charges of Rs. 250). Besides there were a lot of other hotels and guest houses, some very badly managed and others good but the price range for them would be around 500. MOREOVER, THERE ARE LOT OF STAY OPTIONS AT SASANGIR ITSELF although they are a bit costlier and advance booking would be the best option.

From Junagarh to Sasangir I started at 4.15 a.m. and reached Sasangir by 6.00 a.m. (the road was 2 lane with no traffic at that point of time). The first Safari trip starts from 6.30 to 9.30 a.m. and the next from 9.30 to 12.30 and the third in the evening. The first i.e. 6.30 a.m. is the best time for sighting lions and I was lucky to sight the Lion on my first trip itself, although could not take photograph as he had gone into the bushes and stayed in cover. All the time he was aware of our presence and used to turn his head towards our jeep and then lowered his head in the opposite direction. I had my binacular and could enjoy his sighting for atleast 15 to 30 minutes with the other members in the open jeep.

To see the lion in the natural surrounding is the once in a life time moment. As for the charges, I had to pay Rs.100 for my camera as it was more than 7.1 megapixel. For lesser megapixels, there is no charge. I had to pay around 400 for the jeep and permit charges as I had shared the jeep with 4 other members. In all we were 5 members in the jeep with one Guide and the driver. The maximum capacity of the jeep is 6 members only.

As for the option of sighting the lions in the Captivity, even you yourself would be held up in the captivity (in the bus) and the lion would be amused to see you. It is no where in comparison to sighting the lion in the open and you also being travelling in open jeep. (I myself has had the chance of travelling in enclosed vehicles a number of times but the opportunity of sighting the lion while travelling in open jeep was the lifetime achievement.)

As I was lucky to sight the lion, I started my onward journey by 10.00 a.m. towards Somnath temple (the road was 2 lane only). This was the only time when I travelled on some bumpy roads in Gujarat otherwise throughout this trip the roads, even in remote villages, were the best ever I have travelled so far. The State Highways in Guujarat were better than the NH I. I had carried all my bag with me and put it in the jeep all the time and parked the motorcycle in the compound.

Sure looks like people have upped the ante.... First it was a scooter ride, then a KB and now a Caliber.... All in a span of less than a week.
No lion sighting pics?

Awesome teasers.

nice trip..that too on a caliber...waiting for more details and pics.

Wonderful tour there bro. Caliber stands to its name I guess. I've heard people saying its a nice bike but never have heard of touring on one. Pls tell us how the bike is in terms of touring?(Mileage, cruising speed, handling, issues etc.). And btw nice pics there.

First of all, I would like to thank the Gujarati fellows who whole heartedly supported me and provided hospitality wherever they had a chance to interact with me during this trip. In fact, they were over enthusiastic to help me in whatever possible way they could, may be it was my age factor and the simple CC bike.
I would also like to mention that I found the roads – State High ways and even the interior roads in Gujarat – very well maintained which made my drive in whole of Gujarat smooth and comfortable.
One thing I missed most in Gujarat was the local cuisine DHOKLA as whenever I asked for it, it was finished !!!! May be I was too buzy driving.

The Statistics :

Places visited : Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) to Ajmer, Udaipur, Sasan Gir, Somnath Temple, Porbandar, Dwarkadish, Bet Dwarka, Bhuj, Narayan Sarovar, Koteshwar Temple, Rann of Kutch, Dholavira

Number of Days : Saturday 31 March to Saturday 7th April, 2012 i.e. 8 Days

Distance Covered : 4077 Kms

Cost of Petrol : Rs. 4100 i.e. Re. 1 per kilometre

Cost of Stay : 6 days in total = Rs. 830 (at Gujarat Tourism and Dak Bungalow etc.)

Maximum distance travelled in full day : Dholavira to Ghaziabad i.e. 1150 kms with small tea-Meal breaks

My Age : 56 years

Motorcycle : Bajaj Caliber 115 (2004 model) Kawasaki

Mileage : 67+ kms per litre

Maximum Speed : 70 kms per hour (very rarely crossed 75 kms/per hour)

Stoppages : After every 100 kms or after 2 hours continuous drive

Worst road : NH 14 (only 2 lane high way!!!!) upto Pali (in Rajasthan)

Although there was no scarcity of petrol pumps during this trip, but the Higher CC bikes might have to fill the tank before leaving for Dholavira as there is no petrol pump after Rapar


THE JOURNEY

Day 1 : Saturday, the 31st March, 2012

I started from Ramprastha (Ghaziabad) at 00.00 hours on Saturday, the 31st March, 2012 and after criss-crossing a traffic jam at Gurgaon and the diversions on NH 8 all the way upto Jaipur, reached Ajmer and visited the Durgah. Thereafter left for Udaipur. The temperature rose as the day progressed making it really very difficult to drive on the high way. Had to stop frequently as I was feeling dehydrated in the blistering heat. Reached Udaipur in the evening and booked a room at Dak Bungalow for Rs. 90/- per day. The stay was comfortable.

Day 2 : Sunday, the 1st April, 2012

Visited the City Palace (charges = Rs. 75 for entry, Rs. 200 for camera and Rs. 150 for Guide). The visit was worth every penny I spent. Went to Jagdish Temple (nearby), Nimich Mata Temple, Sajjangarh Fort, Maharana Pratap Memorial, (Fateh Sagar lake and Lake palace.
Now the Photographs of Day 1 and 2 :






























































Enjoy the pics.

Some More pics of Udaipur :





























































Enjoy the pics. More to follow soon.

Lovely pics, lovely ride.. Keep riding!

Some more pics of Udaipur :

Udaipur pics contd..

Still some more pics of Udaipur :