oi.. yellaru vayasu adha mele theertha yatre madhre neenu eegle madtha idiya alvo? Yenu samachara

Glad you are liking it archister. Will be back on the hills tomm

Still a long way Nabendu, less see how it goes...

Nangu tumba vayassagide

Day 117 - July 3 - Dehradun to Panchkula

July03 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: GPS Community

Trip 172 KMs Trip Meter 15197 KMs

After some unwinding it was time to move on. Had a wonderful break at Dr Raman's place. He had invited me for the same reason. Even got my bikes insurance renewed. Thanks you very much for the hospitality Dr Raman. Start pretty late after lunch by 3 Pm. Plan is to make it to Chandighar today. Pretty uneventful day and there were a mix of good roads and small bad patches. The turns were confusing in towns. Cross Ponta sabib and some rough and smooth twisties section to cross a small hill range before hitting the planes. On the last town of Himachal Pradesh, Saw a bilboard with chandighar pointed to right and i took it. After about 5 kms i seem to be going no where and the road was pretty bad. On enquiry, i was on the wrong road. Had to go back 5 kms and ride under the bilboard and then take a right!!

Made it to Panchkula by 7 pm. Had bypassed chandighar/panchkula on previous occasions and entered only this time. For the first time got the feel of a planned city. Everything is spacious. The place is organized in blocks sectors and a grid of wide wide roads and big circles. Everything looks the same and have to navigate only by the sector numbers. Kinda felt uncomfortable like i would in a foriegn country and kinda lost. Call Akshay from the welcome to Chandighar board. As expected it seems its very expensive to stay at chandighar. Thankfully Akshay's friend Shrest finds me a room in Panchkula at a reasonable price. Else i was kinda thinking of heading to Ropar if its too expensive here. With room secured it was time for dinner outing. Unfortunately shrest had to be home. Shabaaz joined Akshay and me for a nice dinner. Decided to start late the next hoping i would get the front tire m45.



Great roads...


Painted storks??


some road pix, got nothing else to shoot for the day...





Just stopped at the neat parkin restaurant thinking about the days where i needed such a break!


More good roads...


Entered Panchkula/Chandighar and was quite impressed at the developed place....

Day 118 - July 4 - Panchkula to Pathankot

July04 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: Travel Community

256 Kms Trip Meter 15453 KMS.

Laze out the morning and start by 10 Am to Meet Akshay in Chandighar. Now its all about 90 degree turns and circles. Ask my way on the grid to get myself near the tire shops. Not before calling Askhay quite a few times. Had to even watch out for the strict cops. Well it was hot as well. Thats ok will be freezing in a couple of days i guess. I am still very casual. It still hasn't hit me that i am actually making my way to Leh! Will be attempting the clock wide circuit of Ladakh. Taking altitude gain gradually and Save the bad roads for the end of it. Or so i think. Any way unfortunately m45 front is not available. The current tire looks like its manageable so continue with it. Shrest also joins us to see me off. Bid byes and start as late as 1 pm. Jammu looks impossible today unless it push it to late evening with some night riding. So Pathankot seems to be the feasible option today. Still not really pushing as i kinda have some time you see.

Catch the highway and its getting pretty hot. But have support of plenty of hotels and dhabas on the way in case i need some rest and fluids. The roads were just fantastic. Just that had to ask around a lot to find the next strech of highway after each town. The Laned roads were a beauty. It seems these are private roads and there were toll collection booths on every stretch of highway between towns. But two wheelers have a free passage, much to the envy of the 4 wheelers stuck in the Q, who had just overtaken me. Pretty much uneventful ride today as well and just ride through day. Then i realize its going to be a stretch for the next day with 400 kms to Srinagar. Wished i had a couple of hours so that i could have hit Jammu. But i have decided no night riding unless absolutely necessary. For some reason i started feeling tired and just wanted to get to pathankot so that i could crash on the bed. Nearing pathankot life gets tough. The road construction under process and it dusty dusty and dusty. The road littered with rounded stones. It was hot as well. I pass the right turn to get into the town. Later when i came to know i was in no mood to get into the dusty town. I would rather ride out to jammu i thought. And geared to ride out some 100 kms more and feel some energy. Cos there would be sunlight as late as 7.30 and would only be some time in dark. As i catch the highway i see lot of motels to the left and what the heck. Found one and bargained for a reasonable price at 500 called it quits for the day with a promise that i will start pretty early the next day and make it to Srinagar.



Its all about numbers in here...


Beautiful spacious streets of Chandighar...


Big mansions of rich people...





Have to navigate by these boards at the circles. Like i said its all about numbers...


My bike couldnt stop posing...


Shopping complexes with lot of parking space...


Akshay and Shrest seeing me off from Chandighar...


Cathing the highway exiting from chandighar...


Some barrage on the way...


Express roads...


Its free enough to take pix like this!!


Toll plaza...


Now who ever said i am carrying more on my bike


shooting the sky for a change...


Buffalo shed


Yup i am heading there!!


Mc D, no time to stop for a break...


Construction nearing Pathankot


Dusty Pathankot...


Turkey in the backyard of the Motel...


A duck...


Some Geese?

super guru!!! magane 30 is not so much old keep some places to travel for later on as well, if you finish now only everything else after that will be boring. You will become like fredo after the LOTR adventure ended

BTW, bartha svalpa kesari thongudu baa.. kashmir nindha

nice logs and pics ......
enjoyed every line of the log

Darthveda: Nothing really thinking thus far ahead. Kesari? where do i get that?

Thanks Jayesh

Day 119 - July 5 - Pathankot to Srinagar

July05 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: GPS Community

398 KMs Trip meter 15851 Kms

The blog work took a lot of time the previous night and no way i am getting up at 4.30. Its only like 7.30 i get going. My be i am a bit late. Wished i had made it to jammu the previous day. But any way i start of the breakfast towards jammu. It was pretty hot out there. I am heading to kashmir! Seemed pretty low key as there was no pre Ladakh activities like transporting the bike schedule etc. Just riding like any other place. The Four lane'ing work leaves many bad patches, but manageable. Make it to jammu by like 9.45 am. I see JK registered number plates and I am in Kashmir. Pull over into a petrol bunk and notice that my phone's signal is out. Its the same like North East India where other state's prepaid sim does not work. Well put in my post paid sim which got in NE. Its the stupid situation again where at some places there will be only BSNL network and my BSNL wont work! I ride across the main road and see the road exiting Jammu towards Srinagar. Just curious of Jammu city i take a right turn towards Railway station. It was all big roads and hardly crowded. See many army establishments and govt offices. Ride in like some 4-5 kms and did not find the railway station and on the way back i got lost. Asked for the Srinagar highway and was guided on a short cut and which went to a small narrow road and isolated one. I kinda climb up and could get a arial view of Jammu city. Looks like i rode towards Bahu fort. Soon the road joins the highway. Four laning work in progress and and when it will be done should be awesome 4 laned twiesties. Nearing next town i see two huge boards pointing to the left as Bypass. i take it. It was a nice two laned road on the mountains but hardly any traffic! Asked a local passing by and i was told get back to the main road and this goes somewhere else! I was again directed to a short cut and this was a narrow road through forest kinda place!! This is getting funny. Any way hit the highway in a few mins. It was a straight road and at the end of it i join the main highway coming from Jammu! Any way i gottu ride a bit inside the jammu city.

Its a traffic galore from now on. Lot of vehicles and boy do they drive fast. The Land scape around changes suddenly and the road starts climbing. Its still quite hot. Hot place and truck traffic means that the road mangled by the heavy trucks. Though there are not potholes, the road is pretty bumpy. It gets bettor only when we gain some altitude. Suddenly i am riding among deodar trees. The temperature is also pleasant. Kinda not able to many stops for pix as there is lot of traffic. Would have fought it out to go ahead of vehicles who are slow but think they are fast, now they go ahead and have to fight it out again. The weather is very clear and can see quite a number of hills around. Hardly any haze. Vivid blue sky and bright white clouds adorning the hill tops. Just when temperature got pleasant its decent again and things heat up again. Then its ride on the valley wall with drop off to the left. Since some bottle necks inbetween the traffic only gets accumulated. Though bike has advantage, mine's not so slim. Lot of of overtaking and competing maneuvers. I get hungry and not any comfy place to park and eat. Find one some 15 kms before Javahar tunnel.

No lettor from traffic i can only hope for bettor temperature as it was very hot. Nearing the tunnel i see a bullet with a hippi couple right behind me. I over take the truck and so do they and i ride at my pace and they lag behind. Then i wondered if i am faster then them, how could they catch up with me. At the next traffic slow down i found out, they just rip good or bad roads and take chances along the blind curves. There is not sign of helmets or riding gear. soon two more bullets with similar people go past me. One thing i have learnt on this trip is let people overtake me with out getting worked up I see many signs of Avalanche zone and even see a Avalanche shed! guess the whole area will be under snow in winter. will have to make a trip here in winter Soon there is a check post and the hippie bulleters are being asked to show the papers. Then my turn, just get asked from where i am and i am show the way! Dressing good helps i guess

Get to the Javahar tunnel which is just a low key whole in the mountain with no boards or anything. I stop there with the intention of taking pix but soon a soldier comes by. Ask him about pix and was given negative. Requested again and was told that there are some officers around today so its bettor not and should not take pix today. Well i gave it a try. I entered into the tunnel in a hurry to avoid getting stuck behind a truck and soon realized that i am actually stuck ahead of it. The tunnel was narrow and can let the truck go past me. Wanted to stop and take pix. And guess what i had even had the sun glasses on! Some how managed to push the goggles up in the helmet and now i could see. After a couple of hundred meters there is a widening to the left and i pulled over for the truck to go and let a couple more to go as well. Now the whole tunnel was just for me. Took a couple of pix and killed the enjine and lights. Boy was it pitch dark. Back on and ride ahead. The horn making a demonish noise with echos. It was freaking awesome ride in there. At places there was even water dripping down. It got cooler as i am nearing the other end. Just like entering exit out of just a hole in the mountain. Again given a negative about taking the pix.

ride ahead and get the first view of Kashmir valley. Even a board says so. Stop for a couple of clicks. It was kind different on this side of tunnel. The Valley floor was bright green with farm vegetation. Just then the hippie bulleters pull over. They there jackets and woolen caps out for the ride ahead. Some how did not connect with them so did not talk. Then on roads were a bit bad and then improved to smooth roads. After come climbing down. It was plains again! I thought it would be all mountains! catch some speed and looks like i will make it to srinagar in good time. Lot of competing vehicles as well. It was kinda fun too. see a lot of presence of soldiers every now and then. stop at a place next to a field for a few clicks. Then threesome of soldiers came to me for a chat. One of them was happy to know that i am from Bangalore and it was lil conversation in kannada. His friends were some Tamilnadu and i tried to talk in my broken tamil. They seem to be pretty happy to talk a guy from south india. They were very curious about the bike and the details as well. Obliged for a pic with me. Bid farewell and continued to srinagar.

Its one more place which blew my imagination in a negative way. i had imagined it to be pretty but its very crowded and mad traffic. Fortunate that atleast i knew the place where i am supposed to stay, thanks to Yogesh's Review on the hotel at BCMT. Asked my way to Buleward road and it was a narrow segment of Dal lake to my left and hoards of hotels to my right. Road slowly looking out for Hotel Aziz. Wonder will i get room or will it be expensive. Some people from left shout at me for rooms and i just ride ahead and after some distance i find it and pull over. Given the tariff of 1000 bux. Then lil bargaining and their chat with yogesh helped to bring it down to 550. sounded very reasonable near the lake, with parking and that to in season. I take it. Now that the place is secured i realize how much tired i am. Take some rest and go the nearby place to have some food. Nathu's have a wide variety of food. And i pic some junk food for dinner! Walk on the Lake side of the road for some time taking a few pix. Power goes out and all the house boats vanish. Sinch they dont move they are also hooked to the same power grid. I crash early for the day. still unsure of what i will do the next day!


Birds at the motel at Pathankot


This is my first highway motel in the trip and this was a very reasonble at 500 bux just outside Pathankot towards Jammu..


Yeppie... I am entering Kashmir...


Seeing me take pix these truckies wanted me to take their's as well....


A traffic jam... i followed the scooter you see to my freedom...


The highway opens up...


A huge Hanuman statue by the road... Man that one Muscular Hanuman i have seen in my life!!


Road entering Jammu...


Some of the many statues in the city...


Inside jammu city...


Govt buildings...


Statue of General Zoravar singh...


Statue of Hari Singh, if only he had given Kashmir's asession to india in time we would be riding whole of kashmir by now


Bahu fort...


View of Jammu city...


Have to take this road to find the highway...


Still yet to join the highway...


Still kinda cant believe i am heading there!!


The faulty bypass i took... was pretty nice road though...


Lot of Amarnath Yatris travelling on cycles!!


Landscape changes dramatically





The road i came from...


Pretty clear, very less Haze...


Deodars...


Ride among Deodars...


Climbing down again...


Landscape getting bettor...


Some Dam enroute...





Great Roads...


On the ege...


Looks like fresh landslide...


Precarious road...


Traffic jam which i squeezed through...


Views getting bettor...


A small break...


Avalanche shed!!


No snow now though...


Inside the Javahar tunnel...


First view of snow peaked mountains..





The first view of Kashmir valley...


Even the board says so...








The foreign hippie bulleters..


And old Kashmiri farmer couple...


Great lines...

















The south indian soldiers i met on the way...


Entering busy Srinigar...


View of Dal lake from the hotel...


some night photography of the house boats...





The road by the Dal lake at night...


House boat close ups...


A fort visible far above...

Man Just Awesome, Great Going . So heading to K-Top ?
Keep the wheels rooling. I need to get a Darshan of this Tour Guru for your blessings .

superb pics man.. LEH is 700kms away even after entering J&K!!!

About Kesari.. buddy you are already there!! land of saffron

I also have the intention of going towards K-top. Letsee how it goes. No guru and all sir, just things are happening

DarthVeda: Yes its sold a lot here. Did not buy it though. Now Leh is like 400 kms from here. But will be like 1000 kms via Zanskar!

Day 120 - July 6 - In Srinagar

July06 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: GPS Trip

Sharing with Google Maps

Thought of hitting Gulmarg today. But whats the hurry? With a cozy room and nicely located, decided to chill out for the day. Shikara ride is scheduled for the evening. Wake up pretty late and its just a lazy walk in search of Medical shop. Just replenish my medical kit. The five minutes here only sir; takes me half hour to get till the Dal gate circle to find the lone medical shop in the area. After working my way through and shopping was too lazy to walk back so took a rick back!

Fought with the tata indicom connection all noon till evening just to upload one day's log. Tata indicom is getting sicker and sicker. 5.30 ask the hotel guy to arranged me a shikara for the evening ride. It was still sunny at 6pm and looks like i am kinda early. The boat man Irfan instead of sitting behind the sofa sits in front of me saying that he is happy that there is only 1 person and can chat! Duh i am not here to socialize. It was pain to looks backwards. On insisting that i like to be going looking ahead like others, which he heeded to at the Nehru park. It was like a picnic out there... There was even water skating option. Did not really look exiting. Now the boat man lured me to show the market. Get out of the open areas. We get onto narrow water ways and was taken inside a actual village. Where there is hardly any noise except the chuckles of kids. There are houses and vegetable garden. After some time in there we get to Meena bazaar market. i was told like since the boat man's number is done any time i spend in between is free of cost! we stop at handi crafts and such places, man i am not into shopping, 'looking is free sir' and get insisted. work my way back to the boat much to their disappointment. Row through the market with lot of shops on the waters edge and get to open areas. Now the weather is pleasant and feeling like spending time out there. But now the boat man is in hurry! I insist on staying put some time. It was like couple of hours the whole ride any way. It was very nice for some time. Guess skipping the market would be a good idea. The last half hour was very nice and pleasant. There is sunlight till late in the evening. As late as 8.15 pm, it gets completely gets dark only after that!!

Just take a walk by the lake for quite some time and that was it about the evening. Kinda tempted to stay back for one more day. I am kinda liking it around here. After quite some time its not too hot or cold and just right. Crash for the day not sure of what i will do tomm.



Moring view of Dal lake and the house boats...








Not really that deep i guess...


Shikaras waiting their turn...


There are water roads too...


Hotel Aziz where i stayed...


My Shikara...


The boatman Irfan..


Me ofcourse...


Paddling the way...


The open lake ahead...





The cylinder boat!!!


I was talked into buying a suvaneer!


Floating shop...





The name of my shikara is Fight Club!!


Flowers at Nehru park...


At Nehru park...


Water Skating any one?


I was told Mission Kashmir's scene was shot on this house boat...


Many house boats... As pretty they look, din feel like staying in them. Kinda feels like lack of freedom. From the windows you see only the other house boat. From front in the small place you can see the world but cant go any where. And the boat does not move...


Market by the waters....


We sail through....


Floating fridge!!





Some birds...


Now rowing towards Village...


Into the narrow path...


Vegetable gardens by the path...


Going into the water jungle!!


Shot this bird...


Few ladies rowing their personal boat to their home...


A swift water bird...


Kids by their home...


House by the lake...


Shops...


More water ways...


Sailing through the market...


Expensive handicrafts...


Finally back to open'ness...


Me at the pleasant sail...


Other Shikaras...


My bike parked safe at the hotel...


Pic taken as i go for a evening walk by the lake... Its around 8.15 pm!!


Moon...


The Nathu's where i have food these days

Praveen: you're our modern day Marco polo on two wheels.

One epic journey you're riding through there. Just amazing. Would sure like to shake your hand if and when you ride to Delhi or thereabouts. Take care....and almost pointless to say to someone whose been safe on the road for months...ride safe.

Amazing pics and write-up.

Ride on!

Ah! Praveen, you are just going on and on and on! To Jammu, Kashmir, Nepal and beyond! Damn! Lovely stuff. What all is left now in your itinerary ?

And more importantly, when do you plan to go back!?

Nothing like that Old fox. Would be nice to catchup. One can always be more careful. Each day is a different day.

Thanks Moeed

Aryan: Its just ladakh now and if i am able to ride through, thinking of riding home via west coast. letsee how it goes.


Day 121 - July 7 - Still in Srinagar!

July07 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: GPS Trip Sharing with Google Maps

Gave into the temptation of staying here for one more day. It turned out to be good. Even after the previous service at Dehradun the bike was giving a sick feeling mainly around the chain. But thought it was ok as the chain sprocket set was changed just 6k kms back. But wanted to check it any way. Then went into the Srinagar city in search of Herohonda show room. Just out of the Bualeward road, the city is dusty crowded busy hectic. And its a huge city as well! It takes me like 45 mins to travel 8 KMs to find the BSNL Telephone exchange. There was massive security and frisking to enter into a telephone office. Well no luck at getting a local sim any time soon. Was some more hard work to find the HH showroom. But the service wing is another 45 mins away it seems. I give up. Just buy a Engine oil can and trace back my way to a place where i had see a small HH workshop. Private ones. A 8-9 year old kid got into the act of adjusting the chain. Though i dont support child labor, should have seen him go! In no time he diagnosed Chain sprocket set is a dud and the sprocket rubber is gone as well. I dont believe it and asked a senior mech to check it out. The kid was right, the chain was gone. Even when tightened, the hugged the sprocket pretty loose. The Front sprocket teeth were bent to one side! Guess the Muktinath offroading took a toll. Any way good that it got noticed and i instruct to change the set, rubber and break shoes. The kid went into hyper mode in removing the wheel and the sprocket assemble all by himself! Just needing help on things which requires brute force. Mechanical whizz kid may be.

Any way got that done and back to the room by lunch time. Staying back helped big time. Had lunch and again some fight with the stupid Tataindicom connection for the log update which took me till almost evening. All my free time is going this way.

Having learnt the lesson the previous day, wanted a proper shikara ride today. So went by 7.30 and said i want the boat to be in the open areas and one hour is enough. Did not listen to their suggestions. This worked pretty well. It was a very pleasant shikara ride for the hour and nice timing as well. Back by 8.30 pm when it just getting dark and dinner time. Can i get to sleep early? No thanks to tata indicom, i have to fight again with the laptop



The non Lake part of Srinagar


A big mosque...


The city buses around here.. many of them have grills!!


The Mechanical whiz kid!!


My bike being worked on...


My bike and the Dal lake...


Another Shikara ride today evening.. Its 7.30 pm when i started...


Yasir the boatman...


Some more lake pix..




Desi speedboats prowl too...


Some party boats...


Tea, Pakoda, Shikara and Dal lake


It was great sail, wish i was drunk


The GULFAAM house boat from the old famous TV serial Gul, Gulshan Gulfaam!!


Guess what i found, 4 10 Rupee coins!! And it has 2008 written on it. Made of two metals! Its already in circulation in kashmir but still elusive else where in the country...

truly paradise on earth !!!

hats off to you sir, through ur journey I have am learning a lot about our beautiful country