Great Himalayan Bullet Tour:

Detailed itinerary of The Great Himalayan Bullet Tour:

Day 1: Arrival in Delhi by Air/Train

Reception at the Airport/Station and transfer to the hotel in the heart of Delhi. Unload bikes from BLR-DEL train and get a check up done. Overnight stay at hotel.

Day 2: Delhi - Manali (2000 m)

An early morning start for a day ride to Manali. Arrival at night. Overnight stay in a comfortable family guest house in one of the serene villages of Manali.

Day 3: Manali (2000 m)

Rohtang pass (3979 m) is 51kms from Manali on the highway to Keylong/Leh. It offers a panorama and spectacular mountain view. The pass is open from June to October each year although trekkers can cross it earlier. It is a gateway to Lahaul Spiti, Pangi and Leh valley just as Zojila pass is a gatway to Ladakh. There are a beautiful sight of glaciers and peaks,The Chandra river flows down in the Lahaul valley. Slightly to the left are the twin peaks of the Geypan. During summer(mid June to October) regular buses ply between Manali-Keylong/Darcha, Udaipur, Spiti and Leh,13 kms further is a splendid valley between Solang village and Beas Kund. Solang valley offers the view of glaciers and snow capped mountains and peaks. It has fine ski slopes. The Mountaineering Institute has installed a ski lift for training purpose. Located here is a hut and guest house of the Mountaineering and Allied sports Institute, Manali. Now a few hotels have also come up. The winter skiing festival is organised here. Training in skiing is imparted at this place.Manali has many attractions which can be explored,Over night stay in Manali.

Day 4: Manali- Udaipur [6H 170 km]

Udaipur is a town in Lahaul and Spiti District of Himachal Pradesh. It is located at an altitude of 2,743 meters, and is around 53 km north of Keylong.The village was called ‘Markul’ in olden days. Major attraction here is the Markula Devi Temple.A temple dedicated to this goddess is quiet famous in Lahaul because of the wooden carvings in it. The village is situated at the point where the Chenab and Mayar Nallah meet, hence it also becomes a starting point of the Mayar valley.

This place is therefore a starting point for Mayar valley and further on to Zanskar and other peaks. This is a green area rather the whole Chenab valley is greener than the Lahaul valley. It has a rest house and some hotels and is a good resting place

Day 5: Udaipur - Sarchu (4000 m) [5H 150 Km]

After breakfast, at about 07.30 Hours, you start the days ride for Sarchu. From Keylong, the road passes through a high altitude desert with extraordinary mountain views. You take timeout for a tea break at Darcha, another check-post, where our companion the Bhaga River has been bridged. Further, the road climbs to Patseo, from where you can get a birds eye-view of Darcha; a little further is Zingzingbar. The country gets wilder now,icy streams flow across the road that at times disappear into grey. The ˜now-here-now-gone" track goes over the Baralacha La [4880m] standing at the crossroads of Lahaul, Zanskar, Spiti and Ladakh regions, before dipping down to Sarchu. On arrival, check into alpine tents with attached toilets, and relax.

Day 6: Sarchu - Rumtse (3500 m)

The zig zag road goes up to Lachung La pass at 5050m and plunges into deep and impressive gorges. We then ascend in the direction of the Tanglang La pass (5300 m), world's second highest motorable pass. We come across a few villages as we approach the Indus valley. We drive along the Indus for next 50 kms and finally cross the valley to reach Leh.

Day 7: Rumtse – Leh (3500m)

From Rumtse, the ride to Leh is an exciting one, with views of the Indus Valley and many monasteries on the way. Day one at Leh is easily manageable, we have a short walk on a rather flat terrain to aid acclimatization. Over night stay in Leh Hotel.

Day 8: Leh - Khardung La - Leh(5600 m-3500m) [3H 110 Km]

We go up to Khardung La pass takig another labyrinth of zig zag tracks in our stride. The Kardung La is the highest motorable pass of the world at 5600m/18380Ft from sea level. The panorama on the Zanskar chain at the south and the great Karakoram chain at the north, is magical. We re-trace our route to go back to Leh. For true riders and adventure seekers the incomparable visit to Stok village is a must, located on the other side of Indus at the bottom of Stok Kangri (elevation 6153m/20182 feet) which is the highest mountain in the Stok Range of the Himalayas.

Day 9: Leh - Changthang (4500 m) [5H 160 Km]



We ride to the Indus valley in the direction of the Tibetan border. On the way, we visit the monasteries of Tikse, erected at the top of a rocky terrain, dominating the village. Then the coveted visit of Hemis, the biggest monastery of Ladakh. After Upshi, we ride along the Indus till Mahe bridge, and leave the valley to enter the heart of Changthang/Rupshu, the most isolated part of Ladakh. Taking a sandy track, we reach the famous Tso Moriri lake, gleaming in its turquoise glory. overnight Camping on the shore of the sacred lake.
We call Rupsho or Changthang (Remember Riding Solo To The Top Of The World) the Indian part of the huge Tibetan plateau which extends from East to West for more than 2000Km. Changthang means Eastern Flat Land it is the land of nomads located in the east of Leh on the Chinese border. The average altitude of the area is around 14600ft above sea level,too high for regular life only the Changpa nomads live here with their yaks and their goats which are the main attraction of this area apart from wild animals,lakes and rare birds.

Day 10: Tso Moriri lake and Tso Kar lake (4300 m) [3H 100 Km]



Tsomiri is the largest of the High Altitude Lake (HAL) with an altitude of 4,595 m (15,075 ft)in Ladakh and is the largest of the High Altitude Lakes in the Trans-Himalayan biogeographic region entirely within India.The remote high plateau of Changthang stretches from western Tibet into eastern Ladakh The Max length 19 km and the Max width is 3km.You can visit Korzok monastery at Tsomoriri which lies on the western bank of the lake.This region, known as the land of the nomads, will give you an experience to last a lifetime. See the nomads' traditional lifestyle and share a cup of butter tea in one of their black yak-hair tents along the incredible oval-shaped bank of Tsomoriri. The lake changes its turquoise blue color with the light and is surrounded by a picturesque landscape Korzok.

Korzok, situated at 15,000 feet (4,572 m) with its dozen or so houses and its gompa appearing like a mirage among the barren hills, is the only permanent settlement in ChangThang otherwise the region is inhabited only by nomadic Chang-pa herds people. The Rupshu Chang-pa live in tents all the year round, moving in accordance with an old-established annual routine between the pastures the exist wherever an occasional stream carrying snowmelt from the heights makes possible the growth of grass, scanty indeed, but reportedly highly nutritious. The few barley-fields at Korzok must be among the highest cultivation in the world, but there is no guarantee that the crop will ripen every year.

Day 11: Tso Kar - Sarchu [5H 150 Km]

We take a rugged but safe track to reach the Leh-Manali road, next to Pang Road straight to the south till Sarchu. Camping overnight. The region is the refuge of many animal species that we come across while trekking: wild hares, thick fur marmots, white partridges, ibex, wild donkeys from Tibet (Kyangs), wolves and if lucky, some very very rare snow leopards.

Day 12: Sarchu-Manali (2000 m) [7/8H 230 Km]

Last stage of the rally, which is one of the longest but definitely a worthy one! Early departure towards the south till Manali. Night spent at a comfortable guest house.

Day 13: Manali (2000 m)

After breakfast the morning is free to go to Manikaran, a famous religious & tourist spot and One of the most delightful places to see around Manali situated at a distance of 45 kilometers from Kullu and 3 kilometers from the region of Kasol. The region is mostly visited by the pilgrims who arrive in large numbers to offer prayers in the temples and the Gurudwara situated in Manikaran near Manali.
The region of Manikaran is situated at an elevated altitude of 1700 meters above sea level. The region is marked by the presence of a number of hot springs. The waters of these hot springs are sacred to the local people and the large number of tourists who arrive to wade through the waters or take a holy dip in the hot springs. reach back to Manali & Night spent at a comfortable guest house.

Day 14: Manali-Delhi 542 km, 9-10hrs NH 21

Early morning start back to Delhi. Reach by late evening Transfer to the hotel and stay overnight at Delhi.

Day 15: Delhi Airport/Railway Station

Free Day in Delhi after loading the bikes on the DEL-BLR train.Transfer to the Airport/Station in the evening.

NB: The schedules are given for information but are subject to change from a year to another, Especially depending on the findings of new roads and weather forecast.

All Photos courtesy google and their respective owners.

Mueen Sait is back on a Bullet..

I was really lost after Selling Rabi two years back (My 2007 Electra 5S) for a Profit of 10K,at least that's what I had thought when I sold it back then only to realize that my loss was greater.Was looking for an old lady for a long loooong time but never seriously. Came across a couple of Electra's and standards but the asking prices were unrealistic so I finally gave up and was sort of happy with my work horse the Unicorn which served me so well for the past two years.Then again the Bullet virus was in my blood never to leave me.

One Sunday I met a friend who bought a 1976 Bullet after having an enthusiastic chat with me only a week back. We spoke of my past rides, fun times and dreams of riding to Khardungla but I never ever imagined that our casual chat would pursue him to go and buy his first Bull. He was so proud and joyous having tamed the beast!
Bells started to ring and my heart thumped harder and after a couple of sleepless nights and Bullet dreams of riding far away in to the horizon I made up my mind to start the hunt again, Only this time I was more serious and open to all kinds of Cast Iron Beauties. Meanwhile I put my Unicorn for sale on a website and it sold the second day!! And for a good price too. After days of hunting and travelling by car, public transport and on foot I started to miss two wheels and wanted a bike badly. I almost went in for an Activa or Hero Honda out of desperation and gyan from a cousine but then Almighty Allah had other plans for me.

The day was Wednesday 21st September 2011. My store shutter gave way and I had to call an old acquaintance for the repair work, This guy was chatting with me and as usual the Bullet topic had to start and knowing that he has had Bullets and restored a couple of them I inquired if he knows anyone who would want to part with their Bullet and zap came the reply "I know a guy in BTM who wants to sell his 1972" I was excited and asked him if he can arrange a test ride immediately for which he obliged and made a phone call to the seller who in turn agreed to come and meet us in an hour or two.

The bike MYH 2047 arrived and without taking too much time to look around I got on the saddle and thumped away...Riding on an open road in fourth gear and at about 50Kmph suddenly I'm getting goose bumps and it's not even chill.. Seriously!Trust me I am not exaggerating.The first time I ignored and rode but they came back again and again, That's when I realized that it's the bike and it was decided at the back of my mind that this the Bull for me.

The mind always interferes with the decisions the heart takes so here I was asking the seller for more time to decide and in the bargain buy time to show the bike to a couple of fellow Bulleteers and a mechanic. All green signals the price was fixed and today the 22nd Sept 2011 i brought MYH 2047 home.

I feel so Victorious!!!
Do Check out the pics.I promise to keep posting the latest updates and restoration job on MYH 2047.Guys please suggest a Name for my Old Lady... Wish me Happy Riding!!
Cheers!!! Thump...Thump...Thump...Thump......"hasta la vista" Bulleteers.

Thumpers United: Rider Mania 2009 Memories

Ooty played host to the sixth edition of Rider Mania. With over 650 Bullets a strewn, it was a veritable feast for ardent Bullet lovers. Being the largest gathering of its sort from across the country, it comes as no surprise that almost every Bullet rider looks forward to Rider Mania. This year though there were some changes. Bangalore-based club Royal Thunder Motorcycle Club (RTMC) took the hosting reigns from Royal Enfield this year.

The purpose of Rider Mania is to remove all bikers’ barriers and encourage a sense of camaraderie among Bulleteers. Throw in over 600 loud, brash burly bikers and 450 cases of subsidised brew, and the sense of camaraderie is bound to be monolithic. It’s a varied community – there are journalists, doctors, IT professionals, mechanics, global CEOs and throw in the occasional odd farmer or two. This time’s edition even witnessed participation from over 60 women riders, an increased turnout from previous years.

Set in Ooty, Rider Mania kicked off with various clubs making their entrance, each in their own unusual manner. Some toyed with the throttle more or less in unison, while others tooted their horns and rode in formation. Then there were the Bullets. Fat Bullets and thin Bullets, fast Bullets and slow Bullets, old Bullets and new Bullets, Bullets with bullet holes, Bullets with rust holes, Bullets with sissy bars, sissys on Bullets. It was absolute mayhem, yet extremely fun to watch each club trying to outdo the other. Also exciting were the various stunts that Bulleteers carried out – from wheelies to endos to donuts, while burnouts were pretty darned common.

The second, sadly the concluding day, of the event saw more action in the form of various competitions. Contests for the best technical, cosmetic and classic bikes
were those that were most eagerly awaited. It was a tie for the best technical modification, one prize-winning Bullet being a Supercharged 535 and the other an AVL 650cc. The mastermind behind the 650cc is none other than OA Anthony, renowned Bullet mech from Mumbai. The Supercharged 535 was built by Hari, hailing from the Madras Bulls Motorcycle Club. So intense was this competition that Subhash Chandra Bose or ‘Bullet Bose’ as he is also known was requested to judge. This soft-spoken man is quite the connoisseur when it comes to Bullets. His achievements are pretty well known and his opinion greatly respected. He holds a total of 350 race wins and has raced everything from a TVS 50XL moped to his more recent endeavours on a 350cc Enfield.

The winner of the classic bike competition was given the minute it rode into sight — a 1947 Model J owned by Satish. Painted a brilliant purple, the bike looked like it had just rolled out of the factory. A joint winner was awarded in this category as well – a 1961 model G2 owned by Karna.

The day concluded with an award ceremony for the prize winners and a party that was quite unlike anything the town of Ooty had ever seen before. All in all, the Rider Mania ended on a resounding note. There were a few teething problems, but this is expected when a group organises an event of this magnitude, particularly when the expected turnout of 500 is exceeded by a good 150.

All said and done, if you ride a Bullet and have been looking for a great biker outing/function, then Rider Mania is right up your alley. Be sure to get your bike fixed up and ride to wherever the event will be held next.

Breakfast @ Lokaruchi

Its been some time since Rider Mania 2009.

Not only us, even our steeds are feeling the itch.

Gotta stretch our legs.....

Lets get away, how does a ride on that beautiful piece of bitumen, the Bangalore Mysore highway sound?

hhmmm, Interesting!

Besides, since Zaid had missed the ride to Ooty, I really wanted him to get a taste of the Royal Enfields on the highway.

So a date was set and D Day dawned bright and early. The only ones who were not bright and early were the kids. Poor things, had had too much excitement the previous night being a Saturday and slept pretty late.
Hence, as is our tradition, after planning to leave at 6 we finally hit the road at a quarter to 7.

It was a glorious day indeed. We took off on 3 bullets and 1 Alto - we were taking the kids with us you see! So along with Mueen and his wife, Abrar and his wife, Zaid and his wife were me and ma lil sis and Mueen's kids and Zaid's kids. Gotta find a rider dude for lil sis cos post July 12th if lil sis wants to come with us, I'll have to take triples ;).

The ride started of rather uneventfully with the going being a little stuttered with the Sunday morning traffic heading out of Bangalore. By the time we were past the Mysore road flyover, Abrar on the 500 (Black Beauty) and Zaid on the Electra (Rabee) were literally flying with me and the Thunderbird (Raad) struggling to play tag. I gotta get that Goldie out and the standard silencer on when we hit the highway cos post 3.5k rpm for more than 15 minutes at a stretch, and your backside will remind you about it for the rest of the day!

Having left the rest of us far behind, Abrar and Zaid finally decided it would be prudent to wait for us to catch up.

It wasn't long before all of us were travelling together in formation at a steady speed of 80 and loving it. It was me in the lead on Raad followed by Mueen and the kids in the Alto and bringing up the rear were Abrar on Black Beauty and Zaid on Rabee.

An open road in front of me as smooth as a baby's bottom and me on a bullet is like a chilled glass of lemonade on a hot summer day! - Simply irresistable!
So off I went tearing down the road like my tail was on fire with the rest of the gang in hot pursuit!

15 minutes later, the tail section announced that the imaginary fire was becoming a tad bit hot for comofrt.
So after severly torturing the most sensitive part of my body, I fell to a more relaxed pace and found both Rabee and Black Beauty thundering past. Just as I was about to twist the throttle and take off behind them (the behind be damned!) a glint on the left caught the corner of my eye. It was a glint of shiny red paint lovingly and painstakingly polised to put a Major General's shoes to shame!

I glanced. I gaped! I braked, turned around and headed back in the direction I came from. Just as Mueen whizzed past in the Alto he saw me going back and sure enough, he zzihwed (reverse of whizzed) back to stand by me and gwak at the beauty of the original tourer on 2 wheels we know! This was no dream! We were seeing on Indian Soil, on Indian Roads, a brand new Honda Goldwing! Very soon we were joined by the Black Beauty and Rabee riders and I started remeniscing about the very first Honda Goldwing I had seen in the flesh.



I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was about 14 -15 years ago. There was an auto show in the Kanteerva Indoor Stadium and I had gone along with a couple of my friends to check it out. I was in school those days and my dream bike was the Yahama RX 100 (Modest, I know but a performance 2 stroke nonetheless.) But the one that stole my heart that fateful day was a 1979 model Honda Goldwing on display. It was a combination of silver grey and black, the most beautiful bike I had ever seen. It had a sofa for a front seat and nothing less than a throne for a back seat.

The one that grabbed my imagination the most was THE BIKE COMES FROM THE FACTORY WITH AN AM/FM 2-SPEAKER SYSTEM THAT INTEGRATES A CB RADIO AND INTERCOM SYSTEM.





An Actual tape deck on the instrument console! Boy, you couldn't get fancier than that! Check the pic, you can also see the speakers on either side of the meters and dials.








And here I was standing in front of a 2008 model Honda Goldwing imported from the USA for all of 13 Lakh Indian Rupees which after taxes costs a neat 27 lakhs.




The rider was taking a break and if it were not for him riding off, we would have probably stood there staring at it all day long! So off we went with hazy eyes and fuzzy minds day-dreaming of the very bike which was parked next to ours in Kamath Lokaruchi. What a co-incidence! Grabbed the opportunity to chat up the guy who was riding and he informed me (after I shook hands with him) that he had just completed a 3000 kms trip of South India and shook hands with 10 thousand people on the way...

We had had eye candy and we had had food for thought. It was finally time for some of the real stuff. Beckoning us were the soft and fluffy kotte idlis (steamed in a leaf) and crispy vadas. World famous in India!

Kids of course will be kids and after 2 bites, ran off to paly in the play area. Ameen is a pretty impressionable young fellow and had to do whatever Zaki did. Except, Ameen was never very confident of sitting in a swing all by himself. So the idea of sharing one with Zaki really appealed to him. Zaki on the other hand, was the self proclaimed king of the high swings and what happened was rather comical. As the swing started moving higher, so did Ameen's little heart. The moment Zaki took off his hand which Ameen was leaning onto, Ameen let go of the swing chain and clung onto Zaki for dear life - check out the pics below! Pretty comical if you ask me!



All fed and watered, it was time now to head home. Post 9 am on a Sunday Morning on Bangalore - Mysore road is not the best of situations to be in. However, fortified with the long ride from Lokaruchi till De Club, we tackled the traffic gamely and were home longing to hit the sack even if only until lunch. Unfortuantely / Fortuantely for us, we had to shop for chicken and masalas for the barbecue palanned that night.

But that is another story, best left for another time, maybe another blog.....

The Steeds

Here's extending a warm welcome to the latest Sait and his Bullet to join our group; Welcome Umair sait, may our progeny inherit the wanderlust.
I'm going to suffice myself with posting pics of Umair Sait's Thunderbird and Umair Sait with his Thunderbird, allowing him to tell us more about his steed, himself.



Looking forward to riding with you soon.

Awesome Ride Indeed!

Brilliant! Is one word I can use to describe yasir's write up about our Trip to Ooty for the Rider Mania 2009. Our entire trip summary is very beautifully done by Yasir I don't think any one of us could do it better. He has taken time and put in a lot of effort to make the reader feel the ride with us and I think he has succeeded in doing just that.

Well! All good things come to an end pretty quickly and ditto for our Trip which today feels just like it lasted for as long as a night's dream. You can actually call it our dream which all of us were lucky enough to accomplish in real life. Even now as I type this update my mind is filled with thoughts and emotions about our First Bullet Trip!. I pray and wish that more of our Brethren get a chance to experience bliss on two wheels to which words cannot do justice .

It's barely two weeks since we got back and my hands are already itching and I am longing for another Bullet Trip, Only hoping it will happen soon. Until then it's a looong long wait.......

Rider Mania 2009

We all had our bullets and we all had taken time out. Bullet fever was running high and it was time for Rider Mania 2009.

It did not matter that we were not able to book in time; It did not matter that we did not get accomodation in Ooty; It did not matter that we would not get the official paraphanelia; All that mattered was that we were prepared for Rider Mania and we were going!

So, after an entire fortnight of anticipation which included a frantic last minute nutta bolta tightening session, we were ready to take off!

The plan was for 6 bikers on 3 bikes to leave at 5 am from Bangalore.

Umair backed out one day before the trip citing personal reasons and Zaid couldn’t make it as Ameen had fallen seriously ill.

On the D Day, I got a call from Abrar at 4.00 am saying that he along with Mueen and Aamir will be at my place at 4.45 sharp. I got washed and dressed in a hurry fearing I’m gonna be late and delay the group. Expecting them to start buzzing me, I ran down to the parking lot and warmed up Burraqh only to switch it off again. Had to fuel up and since Mueen and Abrar had already done so the previous night and I did not want to stop for fuel as soon as we started, I pulled out fuel from the TB and filled up Burraqh. It was past 5 am now and since I figured I had a few minutes on my hand, I got to polishing Burraqh. Gave up in anticipation and exasperation after 5 minutes and switched to Raad. 5.15 am and still no sign of anyone. Completed polishing both bikes and decided to fasten my backpack to the carrier. Having done that, checked the engine oil, checked the brakes, checked the tires and the chain, washed my hands and contemplated going for chai. At 5.30 am with patience wearing thin, I call up Abrar and ask him where he is. Pat comes the reply – in the bathroom Sait! I said WHAT! I’ve been waiting since 4.45 for you guys and he says “Yeah, I know, Mueen hasn’t arrived yet!”

Finally at 5.45 am amid loud honking, all 3 of them arrive on Mueen’s Electra 5s and Abrar’s 500 Std. 2 minutes wait for the Azan to finish and we’re off!

First stop, Masjid – e – Rayyan for Fajr and off again only to stop at Kamath Lokaruchi for Breakfast.

It was pretty cold that morning with a light mist and us fighting to stop shivering.

What could be better than piping hot vadas and idlis wrapped in leaves!!!



After a long and leisurely breakfast, we decided to ride on until past Mandya for a pit stop.

It was somewhere near Mandya that Mueen remembered (thank God) that we had not picked up spare engine oil. I passed Mandya and had to stop as Aamir’s bag fell off the carrier. Parked by the side, fastened the bag and checked my cell phone – 3 missed calls and 1 sms from Mueen saying we were supposed to stop in Mandya, what happened? Well, it was good to stop there as the arrived and promptly ran off to the petrol bunk to relieve themselves.

An invigorating ride later, which included a photo session and a stop to drink Glucon D,



we were passing Bandipur reception area. Within no time, we were at Kakkanalla. Now before we crossed the State border, it was only fitting that we take a few pics and so we did!




Now that the time had come to cross the threshold, we took off and just across the border, I slowed down to pay the fee at the check post. Mueen and Abrar thought I wanted them to go ahead and they overtook me. Before I could say stop, the check post guards had waved them on and I followed. We later came to know that RTMC had taken care of all the tolls etc. and bullet riders rode the hills that weekend free of all bureaucratic hurdles. So, we're in Mudulalai now and what is Mudumalai famous for? Yes! Elephants!



We decided to stop in Masinagudi for tea but the road was asking to be ridden and we only stopped at the temple which is at a junction close to the resort. 1 phone call for directions and 2 minutes later, we were shaking hands with Suresh an old friend who had made our stay pleasant at Glen View resorts the last time I was there.



Check-in took a few minutes more and we were ready to crash. The tents were looking nicer than we had imagined and the setting was even better. We had an entire tree house built on 2 levels all to ourselves. The 4 large tents could have easily accommodated 8 people and the 4 of us reveled in the luxury of 1 tent each. There was only 1 thought on all four of our minds – sleep!




One look at the time (1.30 pm) and we were running to freshen up and be on our way to Ooty.



We left at about 2 pm and were in Ooty by 3. Before leaving, Aamir wanted to know where we’re gonna have lunch. I wanted to take them to Abad Chicken Restaurant owned by Misbah’s Uncle and I told him about it. Gosh, I shouldn’t have! The entire way to Ooty, I only kept hearing Aadaab from Aamir and kept saying Walekum Aadaab which only partly puzzled him as he did not realize he was mis-pronouncing the name of the restaurant.

After a scrumptious meal of chicken soup, chili chicken, tandoori chicken and chicken biryani, it was time to check out the Rider Mania 2009 scene. With several stops to ask for directions we reached Sterling Elk Hill only to be told that the event was being held at Sterling Fern Hill. Elk hill was only for the accommodation. When we finally reached, Fern hill, I was mesmerized by the parking lot!



Bullets, bullets every where! In every shape, size and color you can think of!



The guys wanted to watch the slow race with the lemon in the spoon but I could have gone home savoring the time I spent with so many different kinds of bullets.



Bullets of every hue and shade! Phew!



It so happened that we had not figured on staying so long and dusk brought along with it a chilling cold! Bangalore city dwellers without sweaters or jackets in the Ooty cold is something I don’t even want to think about! We scooted from there back to town whereupon a discussion ensued whether we should go to Coonoor now or come back the next day. We did not want to miss the midnight safari which we had planned earlier nor did we want to miss dinner at Bear Mountain which we were paying for. And so the decision was made to hightail it back to Masinagudi. It was well past 9 and I’m not really sure what we did that evening or how we spent that much time but we needed fortification before we hit the ghats. So after a double shot of espresso, we were off down Kalahatti Ghat at 9.50 pm. I don’t recall doing this even in a car! This particular Ghat is notorious for its steep nature, sharp curves and wild animals. This was the place where Veerappan evaded the authorities for decades! 11 pm and we were sitting in the dining area of Bear Mountain enjoying a tasty dinner. Barbecue was over but the fare provided was pretty good. Decision time again – do we hit the sack or call Senthil for the safari?



Excitement won over sleep and Senthil was called. Half past 12 saw us on our way to the forest to see the wildlife in their habitat. I must confess the safari turned out to be a damp squib since all we got to see was a lone bison who seemed oblivious to our presence. This being the first night safari for Abrar and Aamir, wasn’t so bad for them though! It was around 2.30 am by the time we came back and the ride had given Mueen an upset tummy. Alhamdulillah, he was fine a few minutes later and before long, all the animals around were scared off by our snores. Now would be a good time to talk about the cold which woke me up a couple of times that night and I’m sure it did the others too. I’ve been to Ooty before and never have I experience something like the weather this time. It makes one think that it’s never warm there. It’s cold, colder or coldest! It was so cold, I was feeling cold with 2 blankets on. It’s so cold, the cows don’t give milk, they give ice-cream!

Wow! With that cold, cold night behind us and fortified with some good breakfast, we were ready to hit the slopes again ;)



The ride up Kalahatti that morning, in the crisp mountain air was extra special.



We decide to take only two bikes this time as 2 guys on each bike was better than 2 on 1 bike and 1 each on the other 2. Did some long awaited leather jacket shopping, had chai and chocolate cake at Irani’s (which by the way Abrar has become addicted to; I wonder if they add something in them cakes) and got ready to leave for Coonoor.



This is again a mystery to me, where the afternoon went and we landed in Coonoor late evening.



After some coffee at Aamir’s aunt’s place and a quick photo session later



we were on our way back to Ooty. With the roads all done up and being the ghat section, exhilarating is a small word to describe the rides between Ooty and Coonoor. Now the plan was to reach Masinagudi and leave for Mysore by 8 pm so we could stop over at Misbah’s place for tea. I’m beginning to strongly suspect there’s a time warp somewhere around Ooty cos by the time we left Ooty, it was again 10 pm and we only reached Bear Mountain at 11 on Sunday night. Decision time again! Do we ride on through the jungle at that time of the night or do we stay over and ride on the next morning? And if we stay over to ride on the next morning, what time would we leave? 5 am was the proposed time which we knew was impossible. The earliest we would set out would be 7 am. Leaving at that time, we would hit traffic pretty soon which would delay our going. So off we went in the night through the jungle at 11.50 pm on Sunday night.



They say angels watch over teenagers and fools. I used to wonder if there was any difference between the two; I guess I got my answer that night – All fools are not necessarily teenagers!!!
I can only dream of such a trip cos I’m sure I will not get an opportunity to repeat this at least any time in the near future. Masinagudi forest check post wasn’t so much of a hassle. A few rupees discreetly handed to the guard and the barrier was up. Abrar was a different story though! He heard an oncoming Getz driver tell the guard that there’s a panther on the road and I started hearing echoes (in Abrar’s voice). All it took was for us to nod and ride off saying sure, we’ll see when we get there and not wanting to be left behind, he took off with us. We decided to ride single file with me leading, Mueen in the middle and Abrar bringing up the rear. A road hump dislodged the backpack at one point in time and Mueen jumped off to straighten it amid shouts from us to get back on. I cannot tell you enough how much I enjoyed that ride. Now every other ride will be compared to this experience but I hope only seldom discarded in its favor. Elephants aplenty is what we spotted and a Sambhar and of course the occasional hare. We weren’t lucky enough to spot any Bisons or unlucky enough to come across the panther which was supposedly on the road somewhere. An hour and a half of an amazing ride later, we were out of Bandipur and stopped for tea. It was 1.15 am now and we had stopped before Gundalpet where we had planned to stop for tea. To our luck, that hotel did not serve tea. After a drink of warm water, Mueen took the lead this time and we decided to ride the 72 kms to Mysore before stopping for tea. Poor guy, had to navigate ‘The most terrible stretch of road’ this side of the equator with us coolly tagging along. I kid you not, I wouldn’t wish that stretch of road on my worst enemy!

3.30 am saw us doing a photo sessions of the bikes with Mysore Palace in the backdrop.



I had hoped we would come across a chai wala there but I guess the last time was a one off occasion. We hadn’t had tea since we left Bear Mountain and ‘tea thirst’ was overtaking us. The next planned stop Maddur Coffee Day was too far away so I promised to find one asap and led the trio from there on. We stopped at 4.15 somewhere between Srirangapatna and Mandya for some lovely chai. I guess it tasted so good just cos we wanted it so badly. A quick cuppa and of course a loo breaka later we were on our way again. I must confess that although I had decided to stay round 70 Kmph on that road, I couldn’t help myself and saw speeds in excess of 110 Kmph that night. I only thank Allah for the sturdy, stable, (unshakable if you may) beast with me. It was 5.30 am by the time we reached Maddur Coffee day. Time for another loo break and time to call the folks yet again to apprise them of the latest ETA. I took the cautious route and said 7.30 am. We got our much deserved rest there and my much needed double shot of espresso. We left Maddur at 6 am with Mueen in the lead and rode decently between 60 and 80 until Kengeri. This is where Mueen and Abrar told me later that they started falling sleepy. So Mueen unzipped his jacket and let the cold air in to wake him up. Abrar speeded up to ask us to stop. I allowed Abrar to overtake me and saw him go tearing down the road to catch up with Mueen. Mueen who had just woken him up and got the Adrenelin going, saw this as an invitation to drag and took off. The last I saw was two specks in the distance and heard the rolling sound of thunder. Oh wait, was that my bike or theirs? 5 minutes later I caught up with them at a tea shack near the NICE road junction. Boy was it cold! Even the dogs were shivering like hell had frozen over! The tea gave us some warmth (we would like to think) and the sunrise took our breath away. Yet another installment of awesome at the climax of our already pretty awesome ride!

We all stopped at my place at 7.40 am and parted ways after exchanging bags and saying our good byes. I needed sleep, I need rest but most of all, I needed a nice long hot bath. I guess that did the trick. No sooner did my head touch the pillow, I was off in la la land and only woke up at 4.30 pm to go to work. I thought I had slept too much until Abrar smsd me at 6 saying he just woke up. An sms to Mueen went un responded until 7 pm when he informed me that he too had slept until around 6 pm. I needed another night’s sound sleep to finally shake my fatigue off but still haven’t been able to shake off the feeling of awe that the entire ride gave to me. I still spend a few minutes everyday just by myself having chai and thinking of my first real road trip across state borders……..