When will you come to Bangalore sir

I am planning to take a weeks leave to go thru you log and pics . Superb stuff preveen... by best wishes for the rest of the ride.

Should be a couple of weeks Mithun

Thanks Ashwin.

A couple of weeks more! Hmmm... do post your arrival dates well in advance.

no words to say bro... need to update myself...
just wish if tracked you so that we could meet there in Ladakh... also missed the chance to meet you here in delhi

+1
all the best praveen from my side for further journey

See you later pkm

Are you still in Pune or around somewhere? I would love to meet you over a cup of tea or dinner

Keep riding bro, you are living the dream of many like us!

Hi Praveen. I am going through this journey from from past 4 days. This is really mind blowing. This is really an amazing journey. India is one beautiful country. Very nice log even better pics. Cant imagine doing such kinda trip for more than 150+ days. I really wanted to congratulate you. Some day when you get back home i hope to seeing you. Bye the way its been long since you have posted. Where are you now.

RIDE SAFE. YOU ARE THE TOURING GOD.

Will try to Kirosh, now looks like will be hitting bangalore around 25 a day or two here and there...

Its the problem with my schedule as i cant put my days in advance. Just planning on the go so missing meeting many people.

Thanks for the wishes

It was nice unwinding at Goa together. Hope you reach your office today in time for the report

sorry man have moved out of pune a week back. Will catch up next time

Glad you liked the logs Galaxtus and thanks . Yeah been a while since i got on net. right now in Hubli. Will catch up

Well you never no what you can do till you give it a try. Even i would feel the same at the end of day trips. With your bike i am sure you can get home asap


Day154 - Aug 9 - Mt Abu to Baroda

Aug09 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: GPS Trail Maps

372 KMs Trip Meter 21015 KMs

Had spent the whole of previous day resting and updating the logs and had not visited Mt Abu. So wanted to do a small round in the morning before i leave for baroda. It was a welcome break from heat. Started by 9am and thought of going towards Gurushikhar, which is the highest point in Rajasthan. It was pleasantly chilly in the morning. Had to ride around the Nakki lake in the beginning. There are lot of points of interest. Well a place that crowded with tourists needs plenty to visit. Thought of riding till the end and checking out what ever possible on the way back. Luggage on the bike was as usual a handicap. Had not left them in then hotel due to an argument with the hotel staff regarding their behavior favoring foriegn tourists. Had already experienced with a couple of other lonely planet suggested hotels. Any way it was getting more and more chilly as i rode up. The views around were great. There was quite some traffic as well. Went almost near the top and it was literally a traffic jam. Just wanted to get out of there. Rode down leisurely. Could feel the chill reduse and the heat pick up as i lost altitude. Enjoyed the mountains road till the plains.

Then on it was just cruising along the GQ towards Baroda. Looked like a small road on the map but it was a 4 lane road till Ahmadabad. Dr Bharath had invited me to stay over at his place in Baroda. Get back to GQ mode with music in the ears and riding around 90 to 110. Reach Ahmadabad by 4.30 and went to expressway to give a try and i was promptly stopped by guards from entering the expressway. When lumbering trucks could enter, why not me i thought. Any way searched around for the deviation and it was two laned road with lot of traffic. Knew it would take more time to get to Baroda. Made it like 6 pm and Dr Bharath was kind enough to come till the outskirts to receive me. Then i fallow his car to his home. Glad to know that he had traveled ladakh this season and the wee days of the passes getting opened. He also gave me a generous tour of Baroda city and it felt like developed place and traffic was easy going. Then on it was a great dinner at his place and travel talk for quite some time. Getting to pune is the target for tomm.


A stroll to the Nakki lake the previous night...





A boat hotel...


Resting boats at Nakki lake...








Nakki lake in the morning...


Quite a few birds around...











Riding up towards GuruShikhar...


Flowers enroute...





Looks like the Gurushikara mountain up there...


Is it a radar station?


Climbing up the top...





Quite a traffic jam up there so made a retreat...


Looks like near by hill being washed...


A small break...


Small dreamy lake...


Ridin down the mountains...


The view of the valley from up there...


Nice twisties though...


Some posing and greenery...








Mr Langur...


View of the plains...


Back to the GQ...





Interesting circle at palanpur


Good looking Gujarathi Thali...


The highway restaurant...


Many temples being built these days here i guess...


The express way i was deprived of...


The other road to turned out good after some time...


Spotted a peacock...

Day 155 - Aug 10 - Baroda to Pune

Aug10 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: Geotagging Community

526 KMs Trip meter 21541 KMs

It is to pune today. Have been hearing some news about the swine flue increasing in Pune. And i thought rest of the ride will be peaceful! Just when i was starting towards pune, get a call my my dad about the breaking news in pune. 4-5 deaths due to swine flu. This is not the first time in the trip where some breaking event has happened in the place just before i go there. Like the bomb blasts in guvahati, presidents resignation in nepal, roits in srinagar just when i was enter back into the city. As always i move towards none the less.

Have a tasty breakfast and start comfortably from Dr Bharath's house. He even guides me till the highway. Its back GQ mode. Pretty uneventful ride. But the on and off rains did trouble a lot. If it rains i have to get into the rain gear and if it stops its too hot to wear the rain gear and they have to go. I am made to gear and ungear for 3-4 times. The last i faced rain was with freezing rain drops. As i head south things get greener and greener and i near the hills and thats western ghats. Already feels like home. Its monsoon riding season now. Green hills and either sides of GQ is green except the tarmac. Now i dreaded the passage through Mumbra. As i remembered the tough time we had the last time we passed there. Plus i got a heavy bike this time. After reaching Thane and wading through the traffic i am enlightened that now there is a bypass over mumbra! thats gladly taken and its a very old four lane highway on the hills next to mumbra. Just wondered was there there a couple of years back as well. Get to puna highway in some time. And its a riding pleasure. curves on the mountains and this is wide roads here. The climb up is pretty rapid and i stop at a point to take pix of the Mumbai pune expressway realizing little that i will be riding on it in some time. Its made in cement and kinda slippery in the wet weather. I vaguely remember riding part of the expressway last time. Stop a few times to get some pix. It was drizzling all the way and the mountains nearby were covered in mist. Now i guess i am to lookout for an exit. I see one towards lonavala and skip it. Hardly a couple of kms and i am flaged down by cops. I am not supposed to ride two wheelers here. But where's the exit? well it seems i should have taken the lonavala exit! how am i supposed to know! there was a small board near the tunnel it seems tell the same but, i conveniantly ignored reading a board written in hindi. Its tough you see. Well i gotta pay now. Am told a 1000 Rs fine + 700 Rs at the toll gate exit or some consideration for the cops who are supposed to escort me out of the expressway. Things settle for 400 bux and i am escorted out of the next exit and shown the way to pune with the NH4.

The NH is pretty good enough and its tarmac, bettor than wet cement surface. With pune nearing i quicken my pace and make it there by like 7.30 pm. Kinda missing the surgical mask which i have ran out of. Already see ppl wearing the masks and cloth on the face. PraveenS comes to pick me up. It was nice meeting after long time. Just as i freshen up, Ashwin, his wife chitra, Umesh an Hari come over and we all head out to a party celebrating my ride. It was a great reunion with old friends and making new friends. Plus it was party as well Boy am i heading south


Dr Bharat and me at his place before starting for pune.


Hit the GQ again..





Some birds by the Highway...





Got nothing much but to click the GQ!





More temples coming up...


Things getting green...


And i approach the western ghats...





Looks like i am on right time at Maharashtra, its green green mansoon everywhere...








Well if its green, its cos of rain and i have to gear up here...


I see a milestone to Bangalore!


Glad there is a bypass over Mumbra now, else would have been a pain to cross it...


Mumbai Local train!! been ages since i had seen one!


The mumbra township below which i was glad to ride around...


Nice roads towards pune...











The Mumbain Pune Expressway...


In no time i was on it!


Green green everywhere...


Its great riding on the expressway...





The expressway tunnel..


Inside the tunnel now...


The misty mountains above...


Western ghats water falls begin...


Could rain now...


Expressway carved out of the mountain...





Its party with J friends in the evening celebrating my ride. Its me Umesh, Chaitra, Ashwin, Praveen S and Hari from Left to right. Btw i got shot by Praveen S!

Fine. He is always.

Din get you moeed

WTH! Praveen some of us mumbai xBHPians were hoping to catch up with you while you were here! Shucks man!

Actually I was shooting at Umesh .. cheap camera tricks da pokemo.. :P