Bangalore to Delhi: A Dream come true

The place which got it all Beach, Babes, Booze and now Bikes....Our Day 1 destination Goa. From beautiful virgin beaches to the craziest nightlife Goa got it all. Always been my favorite destination It was must for me to visit this heaven on this Dream ride.Unfortunately, we arrived late evening and have to leave early morning so there was nothing much we can do. We end the day relaxing and having pizza and beer by the beach.

Budget friendly hotel 100 m from the beach. They provide Bamboo huts as well as concrete wall rooms to suit your taste. Being the rainy season we opted for concrete walls room otherwise bamboo huts are one awesome experience.

Ratnagiri is just another town situated along the beautiful Goa-Bombay road. Goa-Bombay road is one of the best roads I've been to. All the green on both side and the awesome monsoon weather is just superb. Riding on MH SH 4 from Ratnagiri to Jaigad is a different experience alltogether. The scenic beauty is simply mesmerizing. Be careful while riding on this route though there wold not be any traffic but there will be numerous green snakes crossing the road.

The most scenic leg of the journey. Sea on one side Green mountains on the other. Located on the same MH SH 4, Ganpatipule stretch is something i will remember my whole life. It was like the movie perfect scene. All along the route I could see the virgin beaches where one could spend countless hours relaxing. Unfortunately we were running short of sunlight so we have to rush through this stretch and hence didn't get chance to click many pics.

After rushing through the most scenic route in our Itinerary we arrived at jaigad port where we have to board a ferry to take us accross the river. There is no bridge nothin ferry is the only option.Earlier I was sckeptical about ferry but seeing the locals boarding ferry with their cars and bikes make me confident and we loaded our bikes on the boat which took us further. 40 mins of ride on the boat and we were back on the state highway. From this point we decided to go back to National Highway and leave the beautiful scenic state highway since it's time consuming.

We were back on the National Highway away from the scenic State Highway. Traffic is now back but the roads were wider and smoother. Only 1 hr of sunlight was remaining and we were far from our decided destination Mahabaleshwar. We stopped for few minutes at the first decent restaurant for some tea and snacks. Hot tea and Veg Biryani and the pouring rain combo was simply superb. We rode close to 60% of our time in rains starting from Ratnagiri till we exit maharashtra it was all rains and rains. We got the feel of our monsoon maha ride. Next few hours we rode through thunderstorm even our raincoats were not able to protect water from getting in. We knew this delay will prohibit us to reach Mahabaleshwar so we decided to continue on the very same road for some hours and then stay at some road side hotel for the night. Maharaja hotel is just what we needed economical hotel with a bed , a AC and parking and nothing else.

Mumbai the City where Dream comes true. I've been to Mumbai once before also and I am simply in love with this city. People, food, city, culture everything so unique so different from My hometown and from Bangalore. Our plan was to ride on Marine Drive and grab some street food. But due to already delayed schedule and city traffic we just skipped it and headed towards the next state.Even then we managed to grab a bite of famous mumbai's street food Vada Paav. A must try for you travelers.

Soon were cruising on the outskirts of Mumbai and we can see the Mumbai - Vadodra highway board all along. I soon realized that scenic roads are now over, the greenry, the rains everything is over Now it will be arrow straight highways with BMW's zooming past us. We were now cruising at 100 KMPH on the 8 lane highway. Luckily for us It was cloudy that day with occasional drizzling. We crossed the border and now entered the new State Gujrat. I could feel the difference(the Modi Wave) excellent roads, industries, shopping malls etc. By late eveninng we were on the outskirts of Vadodra. Its here I think I made the wrong decisiion of moving ahead and target Ahemdabad. I could see on the GMap a straight 8 lane expressway ahead which could take us to Ahemdabad in max 2 hours. But little do GMap know that Bikes(2-wheelers) are not allowed on this expressway. So we have to take the Old Vadodra-Ahemdabad road which was full of construction work and deviations and infested with trucks and busses. We decide to look for a Hotel to call it a day.One thing I would like to mention here is that, may be it can be just a coincident but I feel the people in Gujrat are quite friendly. One guy who was biker himself and have been to Leh-Laddakh helped us locate a mechanic shop for some minor fixes and even paid the bill, even though we resisted it. Call it a Gujrati trait or Biker brotherhood It just feel good.

We were searching for a budget hotel for some time now. There are very few hotels on the old road since most of the car traffic is deviated to new road. Only truckers use this road, hotels located are meant for truckers. We would have managed in a hotel with a decent bed and washroom but even that seems to be a lot for most of the hotels. Fortunately we found this resort on Gmap and decide to gave it a try. It was not exactly on the highway but some 100 meters left of the main road. The first look at the hotel and I made up my mind this is where I will end my day. We still park the bikes outside and went in to confirm on the rates. Slightly expensive but the lust of big, comfy and air conditioned rooms made us to check in. Delicious dinner and breakfast and the morning walk in the outside lawn of the resort just another highlights of the resort.

We started early and by noon crossed the Gujrat border. Now the heat was becoming more and more prominent. We could see the huge change in the flora and fauna. From dense green forest we have now came to brown deserted plains of rajasthan. But the most interesting and luckily most welcoming change we found is in the food. From dosa/idly we are now back to aaloo parantha. One more change which I loved is the removal of communication barrier. Now we can communicate with locals easily. No more sign language and head movements. Coming back to Udaipur, It's a beautiful city with lot's of historical influence. various lakes and forts just add to its beauty.

We arrived at Udaipur at around 4 PM and most of the Forts and Palaces were supposed to be closed for tourist by 5 PM. We quickly checked in into a hotel surprisingly awesome hotel specifically meant for Firangs due to off season we got a good deal. We decided to relax a bit and then head toweards Fateh Sagar lake which is famous for its snacks shops and young crowd. It is quite remarkable spot for relaxing and a evening stroll. The light fountains looks superb and it gives the chance to look at other side of the coin. Udaipur gives the vibes of being an old city with forts and small streets but this lake and surrounded area narrates a different story altogether.After spending some time roaming around the lake and tasting the yummy street food We decided to head towards a famous Rajasthani Themed Restaurant for dinner

A Rajasthani themed restaurant, where one can get tasty food and various cultural shows like the puppet show, folk dance, hilarious magic show and a show where a kid walk on the rope. It's a buffet system so eat all you can and no one bothers. The place is located on the outskirts and pretty difficult to find but once you enter you will be welcomed by smiling faces with Buttermilk. It's place where one can spend 3-4 hrs easily with family. I don't want to pour in details of the various events but they are definitely worth trying. Next comes the best part, the dinner. Dinner is served at a big hut where one has to sit on the traditional rajasthani mats. Various dishes starting from traditional starters to main course and Dessert all will be served by smiling people. Who will practically force you to try out various dishes. Dal bati churma and Jalebi is the must try. For the diet concious people please avoid this people as these folks will just pour a glass full of desi ghee on the dishes to enhance the taste.

Our initial plan is to just pass by Jaipur and reach Delhi directly from Udaipur. But, yes there is a but here. As I have already told that I was moving to my hometown and start a new leg in my IT career. I was getting quite a few interview calls during the trip most of them would agree on telephonic interview but this call demands me to be available on Skype. So I got it scheduled at 2:30PM. We decide to leave Udaipur early morning reach Jaipur and search for a CyberCafe with webcam facility and then decide on futher steps. Everything was going perfect we reached Jaipur by 12 and started our search for the CyberCafe. Then and there I realized the facilities we got in metro cities, even after searching for 1.5 hrs we were not able to find a cybercafe with webcam/skype. Luckily my friend went inside a training institute explain the situation to them and we were able to do a Jugaad using our own laptop and their internet cable. Interview was good 1-2 hr long and it was still close to 2:00 PM my friend decide to carry on while I stayed back for Interview. I decided to book a room in the nearby Hotel. Quickly checked in changed into Formal dressing and went ahead with the interview.

Hotel / Restaurant Economical, A/C rooms, clean, LCD and other basic necessities. Nothing fancy about it just a one night stand served my purpose. The owner/manager was quite friendly explained me all the routes and places I could visit in the evening.

Same scenario as Udaipur most of the forts will close down by early evening. Jal mahal is again a hangout spot for families. Calm place where one can enjoy some street food with excellent view of Jal Mahal. I decided to commute by bike instead of public transport. One thing I noticed in Jaipur is the crazy traffic, not just the quantity but the way people drive. Believe me I have seen Bangalore, Delhi traffic but Jaipur that day I can't forget. May be It was that for past couple of days It was first time I have entered such kinda city. But still crazy traffic all around is all what I would say.I came back early ordered Dinner from the restaurant below, food was good. Watched an episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S on TV. Set up the alarm for 5 AM and decide to call it a day.

Started early morning by 6AM from Jaipur. Riding all the way to Gurgaon with only 1 butt break I guess. By 9:30 I was near IFCCO chowk gurgaon. Co-ordinated with my friend who accompanied me till Jaipur. I have to return his life saver laptop and most importantly wanted to know how his Mom reacted after seeing him as He has kept this a ride a secret from his mother.

Gurgaon to my home took almost 2:30 hrs. It was around 10:30 I started from Gurgaon and I could feel the real feel Delhi summers. My phone which I kept inside the mount fro GPS navigation switched off due to excessive heating. I knew my weekends will no longer be same. But any how there I wsa Home Sweet Home.

Day - 1 July 6, 2014 Farewell BangaloreWe decide to leave at 4 AM since the distance to be covered was long (600KM). Packing and everything was done last night. Morning was left only for personal hygiene tasks and loading the bags on bikes which is quite crucial because If bags are not loaded properly it can lead to a fatal situation and even worse it can lead to delays If one has to adjust bag every 10 KM. Which is exactly what happened to my friend on Day 1.Few of our friends join in to ride with us to some extent to wish us good luck. We stopped near Tumkur for tea (50 KM), it was now time to bid Farewell and move on. Damn I will miss my riding buddies. I knew my life will change from now on No more frequent trips and parties. Now I was going home away from the bachelor life but close to family.