Day 4 (Ujjain-Gwalior)

Day 4 (Ujjain-Gwalior)

The worst day of the trip.

What I had learned, be persevere in everything. Even on bumpy roads for 16 hours. 

So how bad was our day? We started the day with a flat tire on the Bajaj Avenger setting us back for an hour. Luckily for us there was a tyre shop opened in the early morning.

THE Flat Tyre

And you think that was bad, we literally survived the whole day on biscuits, Lays chips, some prasad(whitish sweets which are found in temples) and few bottle of water which we finally got it after 200 km of thirst since breakfast. That’s 5 times of stops, equals to 5 hours. 

Dry and hot

The driest day for my throat. We were weak, dehydrated and suffering from the heat. These are the setback of a biker. We get dehydrated really fast and heat cramps almost sets in. 

So bring enough of water then you won’t suffer. It rhymes huh?

Barely holding on

The beautiful part of M.P.

Even worse, M.P. has the worst roads I have ever seen. We literally did 30 km/h for an agonizing 14 HOURS! Never thought of going through pot holes and bad roads on NH 3. We were having a good tour on highways after highways from Belgaum to Ujjain then it just stops. This is NH3. One of the main highways for India. Just shocking and I want to condemn their state government for not providing basic infrastructure. It is not surprising I don’t find people recommending others to visit MP. I will never visit MP ever again. Never ever.

When into dozens of large potholes on the road. Avenger got dents on the exhaust pipe. Both bikes just could barely hold on.

Bad roads

Bad roads everywhere

Heads up, holes.

At night in no man's land

We set up at 8 a.m. in the morning. Arrived at Gwalior, Uttar Pradesh at 12.30 a.m. Riding at night with the road condition, the most dangerous thing I had ever done. No holes can be seen until we are near, the trucks are always on their high beam. We might get kidnapped in the middle of nowhere and no one will notice.

The worst, Avenger had a small accident colliding with another motorcycle with a couple on it while overtaking a lorry. It might got ugly but thank god both bikes were safe. We are in foreign land but lucky for us, we spoke Hindi except for me. Negotiated down to 500 rupees from 1000 rupees for the the couples medical expenditure and to calm their hearts down. We would not want to be beaten by the villagers although they were obviously faking or exaggerating their pain.

We rode further up to assess our damage and injuries. Few abrasions here and there. Bandaged them up, calm them down, change the rider and we were ready to go.

Later in Delhi, Shrikanth told me few of the guys at the accident site were carrying knives. These roads are infamous for crimes he said. The roads in MP are dangerous. 

Auto rickshaw pooling

BIMARU

Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh are low performing states in India. And I can see it in front of my eyes.

If you learn about Community Medicine in India, you will come across a lot of these four states. So read up guys. Hehe. 

Recently, a guy made a journey from Ladakh, Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu in 78 hours. That is north to the south tip of India. That is 3800 km in 3 days plus. What a feat. The same type of road he took in Madhya Pradesh. He got a mild heat cramp, so do we.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/From-Ladakh-to-Kanyakumari-in-78-hours-on-a-two-wheeler/articleshow/24456951.cms

This is a short post because there is no more pictures to show and the experience was the worst. 16 hours. Our phones and cameras were dead by than. We should have gone though Mumbai and up to Rajasthan to avoid the roads of M.P.

After we had reached Gwalior. We search for a hotel but the city was dark. Lucky for us there was Hotel Meenakshi Palace. Went down to buy food at 12.45 a.m.  at the nearby restaurant.

Our first meal of the day. Amazing it was still open at that time. Ate, had my isyak and maghrib prayers then charged all my gadgets for the journey tomorrow.

Uncle, you are on my blog

I would say, the hotel served us great after a long and treacherous journey. I will give 5 stars for their service. Even though we brought outside food, they were giving us plates and drinks courtesy from the hotel. 

So if you end up in Gwalior for I don’t know what reason, please search for Hotel Meenakshi Palace.

Then we rest our battered body on the comfortable beds. For our ride tomorrow to Agra, the city on the banks of Yamuna river and Taj Mahal in Day 5.

Day 3 (Nashik-Ujjain)

Day 3 (Nashik-Ujjain)

Had a nice rest at the hotel. Then we set our stuffs for our adventure to travel the remaining north of Maharashtra then enter the state of Madhya Pradesh. This is NH 3. The highway starts from Mumbai in Maharashtra to Agra in Uttar Pradesh. Around 1200 kilometers. 

It is also apart of the network of Asian Highway, AH 47 starting from Bangalore in Karnataka to Gwalior in Uttar Pradesh through Mumbai in Maharashtra. That is 2000 kilometers. We saw some BMW GS touring bike cruising at 100 km/h with stuffs enough for a camping site, I am guessing from a European country.

What I have realize of Maharashtra it has a beautiful landscape. Open, vast and luscious greenery land with random flat top hills from south to the center of Maharashtra and a bit of desert, not the sandy desert but barren land with few trees for shade at the northern part of Maharashtra.

So enjoy from my eye’s point of view

Kids

More kids. Haha

At last an adult. Looking good there. Hehe

Happy after breakfast. I had the best puri baji in Maharashtra.

Beautiful

Nomads of Maharashtra

A long way to go but it is on a highway

However seeing this beauty, there was a sacrifice. All these lush, untouched greenery and deserts, there wasn’t any small towns for us to stop. We went about 2 hours without water in this searing heat.

Dead tired and exhausted and dehydrated.

The first eating place we stopped, it was uneatable for me. I wound not risk diarrhoea. Not even their bottle of water because it was a refilled bottle. Water taken from a well maybe. The same water I used to wash my face and hands. But Shrikanth ate something. Well, he is an Indian right although the others refused.

Truck with wind turbine propeller.

Then we proceed to a better place, a proper R&R with clean toilets and eatable foods

Dry. Dryness everywhere.

Its so warm and dry no wonder the river shrank.

At last we entered the state of Madhya Pradesh. First impression was good. Still the same landscape as Maharashtra but a more deserted land.

Festive season. We can dance and sing on the lorry.

After a long day of suffering. This is liberation.

We went through the city of Indore, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh. A city not worth mentioning. It was at night. Could not see the city well. Drivers were very rude. Roads were really bad. One of the worst cities I have ever been. Its from here I just hate Madhya Pradesh. Sorry guys if you are from MP. This is my impression on your state. Peace. After a long day, we finally arrived at Ujjain at 8.30 p.m. I was tired. Slept right away at a hotel also not worth mentioning accompanied by Niroop. While Shrikanth and Suhas meet their friends somewhere in the city.

Ujjain is in the middle of the state. A small town famous for its ancient Mahakel Temple. Ujjain is west to the city of Bhopal. 

Bhopal is known world wide for a gas disaster killing thousands of people and causing nearly half million more of injuries and complication. Its considered as the world’s worst industrial disaster.

We rest our body for our torturous journey in Madhya Pradesh in Day 4. God save us.

Day 2 (Belgaum-Nashik)

Day 2 (Belgaum-Nashik)

We crossed the border of Karnataka entering to the state of Maharashtra. One of my most memorable motorcycle rides in my life. The best is ahead somewhere in the north of India.

All is well for the first day. Had a good rest. Ate at the hotel’s restaurant for last night’s dinner. And that was my first time having masala papad. Thanks guys for introducing it to me. Its just a huge peppered papadom with chopped onions and tomatoes. Been ordering this in every restaurant since then.

Started packing at 6.00 a.m. Had my Fajar prayers. Move out from the hotel in Belgaum. Not to mention the roads were closed for Diwali, Deepavali what its called in Malaysia. They had a full month of festivals.

Sorry friends in Belgaum for not meeting up with you guys. I was too tired the night before.

We took a few detours before finally reaching the open, wide roads of the highway. I was awestruck and all praises to God for the beautiful scene which I had on my video. Beautiful light of dawn with the wind turbines from afar. Why can’t Malaysia have this renewable energy. It would make our country beautiful. Its just majestic to see these wind turbines rotating slowly and gracefully.

Free highways. Free highways for us as bikers. Weeeeeee...

Wind turbines at dawn

 

I only have one thing to say, just breathtaking from the beginning until the end of Maharashtra. I have no words to describe but I have pictures to tell. 

Niroop was high to see open and free highways.

Suhas and Niroop

I like this picture the most

Went along Karad where few Malaysians are there. Mostly girls. Sorry to Haziq and Qidran for not stopping by, because I had 400 kilometers to cover that day. All the best in Malaysia. Serve the country well..

We had to go through Pune too reach Nashik 292 kilometers north.

The city of Pune( Pronounced as Pu-Ne) Maharashtra. East of Mumbai. A beautiful city, quiet. Larger than Mangalore and cleaner. 

Helmets are not needed for riders as seen as above. Most of them wore scarfs on their heads like those Arabs Badwins. Making only the eyes visible. Yay for freedom but boo for safety.

 Pune to Nashik was a straight forward ride. Reached Nashik around 9.00 p.m. Got a close call from a car because it was pitch black on the road. Road was good, well maintained. But no lights, no cars, no one. Noticed a bifid road. One going to the right, one going to the left. I thought the left was a one way lane until a car from no where, flashes the light just 20 meters ahead of me. Thanks to Shrikanth for alerting me, really bro otherwise we would be somehow in pieces maybe. Then I realized double lines in the middle of the road. Moral of the story, never drive at night in unfamiliar roads.

However the ride from Belgaum to Nashik was something to remember.

Nap in Shanti Inn

Most places are too many for me to capture by a camera. It will be a beautiful memory in medial temporal lobe as long as I don’t suffer from a concussion.

A wrap for day 2. Day 3 will bring us to the city of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.