Tour Report Approved

Hey great going Pankaj. You have completed really wonderful distance in short time.
Its nice to receive your live updates. I was waiting for this man..!
All the best. Now, One day less from your 3 months journey
Will have my eyes fixed to this thread. Any pix will be great if possible.
Ride Safe..

awesome...this is going to be one hell of a thread if pankaj manages to update it regularly throughout the journey including photos...

all the best dude

Thanks ken

Hehe ya i shall try my best to update this thread Since i will be travelling i will be able to upload the pics only on my blog....uploading pictures here will be costing me extra time and obnoxious amount of money So please visit my blog for the pics buddy...shall upload videos too

Thanks darkknight i shall update it regularly.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Day 2





Damages for the day are:
Rs110 for lunch tea and mineral water
Rs150 for guide
Rs50 tip
Rs300 hotel
Rs165 for two days dinner and tea
Day two of my dream journey commenced at 7.30 a.m. with my teeth rattling in the biting cold, and just the thing I needed most -- a hot steaming cup of masala tea -- to keep me warm. Today I
planned to go bird-watching at the Nalsarovar lake. Gaining warmth from the hot cup of chai, I started my bike, riding a distance of 2 km from my hotel down to the lake's edge. In just a jersey and 3/4 length pants, the cold bit in deep. As I parked the bike I was mobbed by a herd of boatmen haggling for my business. The rates ranged from 50 – 150 Rs for the boat ride. I finally made my choice, going with the cheapest one at Rs50. He agreed to take me deep inside the lake, covering a distance of 7 km, where I could see lots of migratory birds like Pelicans, King Fishers, Flamingos, etc...
Of course, cheaper is not always better. My fine choice of boatman turned out to be a conman who tried to hike up the rates to 1500 from just Rs 50 as soon as the boat had taken off and we were mid-lake. Bastard! Let this be a warning, you get what you pay for! It got a little heated and I demanded to be dropped back ashore. Either that, or I was going to toss him into the lake! Back on dry land, I entered into the super-haggle to end all haggles with the crowd of boatmen, all eager for my money, not only looking for a good rate and but also -- now the wiser -- looking to find someone with integrity. This time, I selected a boatman named Ramazan, and agreed upon a price of 150Rs. What a prince this one turned out to be... We started our day with a warm cup of tea at his little hut, but I think it was the warmth of his family members that moved me, more than just the cup of tea. I was invited for a lovely lunch at their little home where big-hearted souls dwelled in simplicity. The purity of our Indian culture and true love for guests is what I experienced, in abundance.
We were all set to go onto the lake and there I witnessed the beauty of the so many winged species from faraway lands.
After a good boatride, witnessing the incredible variety of nature in its untouched form, we returned to our base for a scrumptious delicious Indian meal of bajreki roti, baingan ka bharta, lasun chatni, onion and buttermilk. I could not ask for more than just that! A real treat for my appetite, it was! When I returned to the hotel, the realizatin of my third screw-up of the trip was awaiting me. This time, now some seven hundred kilometers away from home and too far to return, I realized the USB data cable I need to upload my pictures was sitting back on my bed, left behind in the hectic chaos of my departure. How many things have I discovered left behind in just two days! And what else have I forgotten? It just reconfirmed the fact that I am (as many have commented) ever-so-slightly absent-minded. After searching practically every house in Nalsarovar to no avail, I decided I would have to go to Viramgam, about 35 km away, to search for a data cable.
It was then I was in for part two of the surprise... as I tried to kick start the bike, there was no response, just a sickly, unhappy little noise. This disheartening noise only thing I could hear. I was left with no other option but to open the panel of my bike to realise there was a problem with my relay switch. I dug in, removing the carbon form every lead, and finaly after an hour and a half, three rounds of serious cleaning, my bike decided to start. Success at last! But by this time it was now almost dark and useless to set off for Viramgam.
Back at the hotel, I saw another biker come storming in. He had a UK number plate on a Suzuki make machine. I couldn't resist striking up a conversation with someone who obviously shares the same passion as I do. I found out his name was Alex and he had ridden from the UK to India following almost the same route as I had back in 2006. It was like finding a brother in someone I had just met. Sharing stories and comparing travel tales, we had lots to talk about and continued the conversation for about an hour or so. We not only bonded over our mutual love of biking, but he proved to be a real savior, as he carried with him the very USB cable for transfering data that I had left behind! Trust in the Universe; it has its own way of providing things at the right time in the right place!
Data transfer successful !! This marks the end of Day 2.

No issues pankaj...we will upload some pics from your blog onto here too with your permission ofcourse...

I was rather hoping you will tour India On the yam bike that you had used earlier

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Day 3


January 12th 2010



Damages for the day

Rs 20 puncture repair charges
Rs 5 chai
Rs 100 lunch
Rs 200 boat

Distance travelled

4 km on the walk
8 km on the bike
12 km by boat


Day 3


Wake up time -- 6.30 am. First action for the day, made myself a hot cup of Earl Gray Tea. This was refreshing enough for me to pack my bags and get rolling for the day. My day begins with a surprise any guess what it could be? Yes its a flat tyre today! Adventure for the day has already begun and so has the hunt for a puncture repairer. Luckily, I found one at the end of the road, just round the corner.
Just that, I had to wait for the person to arrive at the shop. This happened only at 7.30 am. Meanwhile I decided to have another cup of Earl gray tea and make waiting its worth. As soon as the man was there I fixed the puncutured tyre and decided to get going for the day. I Rode the distance of two kilometers and reached the lake.



Here comes something familiar to me, time for retake number four. It is my tripod this time that I left behind at the hotel room. Once again amended on the goof up, rode back to the hotel, getting my tripod along. Arriving at the lake I was looking for Ramazan, my trusted guide into the Nalsarovar but could not find him. Today he had taken the Deputy Forest Officer for a boatride.
Ramazan's father in assurance said, he would join us soon, and requested his brother to take me on
the boat instead. I was not very comfortable with the temporary arrangement, of a new guide but was not left with much choice. So I decided to go along with the flow of events. I began the action with the camera and gadgets. It wasnt long before Ramazan joined us while I was shooting kingfishers with my camera. I was happy to have my friend back on board. We went further into the lake for about 6 km and here was a site worth seeing, a flock of feathery flamingos in multitude. A treat from natures reserves, what a gorgeous site! I was soaked in enjoying every moment of the vision through the lens, capturing the moment for ever in time.



Further on we ventured onto a fishing island, where I saw fishermen lay thier nets and catch fish in numbers unimaginable. A thought just perched upon my mind, how can the government allow this kind of extensive fishing in a place thats a natural habitat for migratory and inland birds. Can we not leave this sacred space just for them? With this dilema of thought I left the fishing island and a lingering question on my mind to which I have no answer. Who is to be blamed?
It was nearing lunch time and our stomachs were rumbling. It was time to get to Ramzans home for round two of the staple diet. Bajra ki roti, baingan ka bharta, lasun ki chatni and some fresh onions and buttermilk..sounds familiar does it not? We were in the lake for more than three hours and decided to head homeward.
As we got off the boats heading towards the hutment and the community, my eyes wandered around soaking in the culture and feel of the place. It had an engulfed aura, warm as sunshine, it was the warmth of love, compassion and togetherness in the community. People here had something so special about them. A realization dawned upon me looking at their uncurropted simple world, a shed covered in blue plastic sheets from above and sides was something they identified as a home. Mother earth lay there as the ground to protect them and cuddle them in comfort, when tired. An earthern oven on the ground with some fire wood burning was the kitchen for them. Not much they owned in the name of possesion, probably this made them the happy people they really are with nothing to worry about losing. Living each day as it comes.
We reached his home, when Ramazans mother wasnt around to make us the meals, a helpful neighbour and his wife did the needful to cook a delicious meal. This was most exciting for a foody like me, I witnessed how they roasted the brinjal ( aubergines) on the clay oven and a pile of firewood. The aromas filled the air, ever increasing my appetite. The garlic chatni was freshly ground between two stones with a pinch of salt and red chilli. A mouth watering combination indeed. Just right to go with the hand made bajra rotis (a sort bread made of millet). As we began eating the yummy food freshly cooked for us, Ramazans mother came from out. She wore the warmest smile I have ever seen, so full of love and warmth. To me that was one of the most priceless gifts I could recieve. It had more value than the most expensive possessions on earth! The food I ate today will ever remain deeply engraved in my mental journal. It is not just the food, more so its the culture the warmth the love and affection I was fed the meal. So very Indian in tradition and culture.


It was time for some play with his father, I refer to Ramazan and his six year old, learning to fly kites from daddy. It took me down memory lane and got a glimpse of my childhood days. Kite flying was my favourite too. Co incidently I was born on the 14th of January and it happens to be Uttrayan, the kite flying day. Is that why I love to fly and be one with the breeeze ? I wondered as we walked along the waters edge.



I for the first time witnessed and Egret catch a frog and managed to capture the moment in the nick of time !

Hey i thought copying and pasting directly from my blog wont paste the pics but its Happenning But i what is the maximum size allocated to a particular thread.

Superb pankaj. Am loving it.! Feeling sick sitting here on this office chair.. Shucks..!!
Btw, Where are you right currently.
I think you can put 100 pix in one post.

Cant see any of the pics brother...can anyone please post them as thumbnails...

Whats your travel plan BTW...coundn't find any details...

But going by the name of thread it seems you are on a country-wide trip...Best of luck for your journey

Loved the narration...glued to this thread now

Hes finding some difficulty to post all the pix/log. You can check his blog for the current update parallely. Horn Ok Plz - Documentary On Wheels

What a wonderful trip log. One of the best I've seen bro!

Waiting to see more!

Cheers!

Hey Sir Pankaj Trivedi

best of luck for your trip I am so happy to see your thread on xbhp Shall be waiting for more logs and pics...and do let me know if you want any help uploading the log or pics

Take care

Hey Pankaj

Great going man, i loved it "Damages for the day" simply cool enough.. best wishes bro.. do post your trip log with nice pics.. waiting for more.. which is not enough lol