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Gurgaon to Goa


Day 1
Captains log started 15th Nov 2016 , 0500 hrs. A hot cup of tea followed by a quick shower was all I needed to get set for the long way around to Goa. Saddle bags catering to my trip needs was strapped & I kicked off in the dawn.
First pit stop happened after 2.5 hrs of riding & 220 kms clocked ahead of Jaipur bye-pass clubbed with a quick road side breakfast of 1 giant paratha, anda bhurji n complimentary bowl of da , washed down with 2 cups of chai in quick succession...absolute bliss for Rs 110/. Continued riding with next short cig stop near Nasirabad bye-pass. Continued riding till I was hungry again & stopped for dal n baati lunch with chai near Chittorgarh , all of it for Rs 70/.
It was about 3:30 pm & I had reached Udaipur Military Cant. A VIP room was booked in my name in the Officers Mess of a well decorated Rajputana Rifles unit. The view from there of the Lake Palace & all adjoining ambience was so refreshing & mesmerizing. Nicely prepared chicken masala, dal & roti in dinner was the last activity of the day. Total stay & dinner cost - Rs 600/
Kms covered : 650 /Time Taken : 9.5 hrs  Road Condition : Excellent, 6 lanes all through

Day 2
Kicked off before dawn at 5:45 am & headed straight for Vapi. The first pitstop happened near Dungarpur as temperatures dipped & I took chai break to warm myself up. Lunch stop was at Kingfisher hotel in Bharuch which included dal, palak n roti all for Rs 160/ . The ride from there through Surat finally to Vapi was all through dense & crazy traffic. Ankleshwar was hell with chemicals obnoxious smell all into my nostrils. Vapi happened at around 5 pm . The evening was well spent with a dear rider friend Kaizad & Khushnaz. They took me out for dinner & treated me to delectable chicken roasted, bheja fry & parathas. Retired at his home but the mosquitoes kept me awake almost all through the night.
Kms covered :  670 / Time Taken :  11 hrs  /Road Condition : Excellent, except for traffic snarls at Ankaleshwar & Surat

Day 3
Inspite of having an erratic sleep cycle I started off early morning to be able to cross Versova Creek before office time traffic, since I was informed that the bridge was under repair hence they let traffic from one side at a time, I was lucky not to get stalled & mad it through within 15 minutes of halt. Ride through Thane was a pain due to rush hours & I lost my way twice, when finally on the Pune Highway there was no looking back. A quick omelette & pav breakfast at Khandala, I zipped to Satara through the Bangalore highway. Finally hit Satara at 2 pm where Param an old biker friend waited for me. He made my stay arrangements in Satara Sports Club . Lunch in Hotel Manas was a big high where the thali comprised of bhakri, mutton, white & red stew, parathas & a thumsup. Evening was a long sequence of drive, pics & excellent food under the sky at  Params friends farmhouse 15 kms away from Satara town. The sunset was amazing & the drive uphill by their driver a real blood curdler as he refused to slow down & brake even on turns. Stay cost - Rs 600/ but I was asked to pay Rs 300/ only by my pal Param.
Kms Covered : 450 / Time Taken : 8 hrs / Road Condition : Thane & adjoining areas were moderately ok , rest was excellent

Day 4
After having had a great time with friends I was back on the saddle at 6 in the morning. Param bid me good luck & tore into the darkness. I rode through Kolhapur but missed a right turn through Nipani for Goa & went about 15 kms ahead when I realised the same. Coordinates were corrected quickly & I took another road connecting me to the Goa highway. The road was all through villages till Sawantwadi hence the average riding speed had to be compromised with. Once on the Goa highway umpteen number of bikers could be seen & I keep waving at them each time I overtook them. Sawantwadi onwards to Mapusa was cool, took some time locating the Orchid Guest House in Mazal Vaddo, Anjuna which was mere 1.5 kms away from the Rider Mania venue - Vagator Hill Top. The room was decent & at a tariff of Rs 650/ for double occupancy it was like 'wow'. A quick shower & I moved to the Riders Mecca at Vagator. Thousands of bikes from all over the country was a sheer pleasure to admire, this what I had ridden close to 2000 kms for. Rest of the day was spent in various activities at Rider Mania.
Kms Covered : 350 kms / Time Taken : 6 Hrs / Road Condition : Satara - Kolhapur was 6 lane highway but thereafter it was single lane SH till Sawantwadi & then back again on the Goa Highway.

Day 5
The day was spent primarily in & around Rider Mania venue, ride rest day was observed.

Day 6
Since I had clubbed some work in Mumbai so I rode back there . It was a harrowing ride back for numerous reasons - 1. I nearly survived a major head on collision on the Old Goa Highway near Mahabaleshwar ghats as a truck sped amok towards me with me nowhere to go as I had hill on my left & another truck on my right, the only option I had to was to get into the thick & tall bushes standing more than 6 feet on my left along the hill. As luck would have it I rode through clean without encountering any boulder or pit. My 'Stealth' stole the show by bringing me out of this perilous situation unscathed. Otherwise the ride through the ghats was splendid & very soothing. But all good things come to an end & so did the roads as soon as I closed into Panvel. The 50-60 kms stretch till New Mumbai was a real pain in the ass due to broken & moon surface like roads & traffic jams. But lady luck was quick to come to the rescue of this lone rider & I met a pack of riders riding back from Mahabaleshwar. One of them offered his help to guide me to Colaba as he lived close to Dadar & knew a cleaner though longer route through Pal Beach Road. But this was shortlived as I lost the good Samaritan to the crazy Mumbai traffic. If this wasn't enough it had started getting dark & I realised that the headlight bulb had conked off. So now it was the streetlights & lights from other vehicles which led me through the frantically slow & disgusting Mumbai traffic. Finally Colaba looked closer & I reached military station officers mess 'The Nest' where I was booked for next 2 days. All my fatigue & anxiety flew away as soon as I entered my nice & clean room. Next hour was spent cleaning up & ordering food . Finally I slept at 11 pm. Stay cost for 2 days for 2  - Rs 1140/
Distance Covered : 600 kms / Time Taken : 14 hrs / Road Condition : Excellent till Panvel outskirts

Day 7 & 8
Next 2 days was work . Finally on the evening of the 8th day I had a pillion in the form of Dee & destination was Pune where I had work the next day. This was my second ride to Pune on the same road & I dint much like it but there wasn't another option. We finally reached Pune & checked in to 121 TA Officers Mess, which was a real luxury with 2000 wattage of music system as part of my room décor. 2 days stay & meal cost for 2 - Rs 2070/
Distance Covered : 180 kms / Time Taken : 5 hrs / Road Condition : Moderate

Day 9
Day 9 was work in Pune & merry making with old army friends who took me & Dee out to RSI for drinks & dinner. Finally called it a day at 11:30 pm as I had to start my journey back home the next early morning

Day 10
With only 5 hrs of sleep I was all set for the long way around, back to Gurgaon. I decided against using the Mumbai Delhi highway again as the mere thought of it was a drab. So I rode through Ahmednagar , Shirdi , Malegaon, Manpur to Ratlam. Clocked close to 700 kms till 6:30 pm & checked into Rahat Lodge in Ratlam for Rs 250/ for a fairly ok room. Thali for Rs 60/ in the dinner was wonderful which had 2 vegetables, 1 dal, rice and rotis with desi ghee.
Distance Covered - 695 kms / Time Taken -12.5 hrs / Road Condition - Good road upto Malegaon & 6 lane highway thereafter till Kolhapur

Day 11
The final day of the ride back home finally arrived & I kicked off tearing the cover of darkness. Had my first pitstop near Nimach for tea since it was getting colder as I moved up north. It was 10:15 am & I decided to break for a brunch at Punjabi Dole Wala ahead 20 kms ahead of Chittorgarh. The food was awesome , I paid Rs 140/ for 2 parathas, 2 eggs bhurji, 2 chais & 2 cigs & continued to roll on. The road was tempting & kept zipping close to 100 kph. Next halt happened near Kishangarh over chai & cig. Thereafter I continued to ride for next 150 kms till my bums really started hurting & halted for chai & pakodas near Kotputli. Next was Gurgaon which happened at around 7:00 pm since there was a major traffic snarl on the NH 8 near Manesar.
The final pitstop happened at my home & I thanked God for bringing me back safe & sound. 'Stealth' was a great friend who didn't let me down ever, no flat, no overheating, no nonsense.
Distance Covered - 760 kms / Time Take - 14 hrs / Road Condition -Good

Total distance covered Gurgaon Goa Gurgaon - 4355 Kms
Total Days - 11 / Riding Days - 8
Average Ride / Day - 544 kms
Longest Ride in a Day - 760 kms
States Covered - Haryana , Rajasthan , Maharashtra, Goa & MP
Verdict on Himalayan :
1. Great pep & pick up
2. Constant running without overheating at speed of 100 kph for hrs at a stretch
3. No effect on pulling even with a pillion & luggage
4. Great shock absorption over potholes
5. Fuel consumption - 28 kpl at speed over 100 kph & 30 kpl at speed upto 80 kph


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