Mumbai to Delhi by Bike…

Mumbai to Delhi by Bike and Onwards to Leh and Zanskar river rafting…
I had to miss my train to Delhi on 31st July since a second bout of heavy rains flooded mumbai, especially the way to the train station. It was more of moms insistence that I don’t venture out and get trapped like a lot of people did on 26th July 2005 when the first bout of heavy rains flooded Mumbai for 2 days and more.

So on 31st I decided to wait and see the available trains the following days since I had to reach Delhi(Faridabad, at least one day before I left to Leh on 6th by flight). The same night I was chatting with a friend and we swiftly landed on a plan to bike to Delhi, since I had time(I could reach Faridabad as late as 5th) I also agreed to the plan. It was more of adventure than desperation of getting to Delhi that prompted me to Bike it up to Delhi through the rainy stretches on to there(the depression and rain was strong in Gujarat and as we found out later, in Rajasthan desert, many places enroute received rains after more than a decade!).

So on 1st August evening around 3.30 I waited for Amit to pick me up, as I had left home informing that I would be on my way to delhi on Rajadhani in the evening (Bike ride would have got no approval, especially in this period of fear and floods!). Both of us had heavy backpacks(since we never planned to bike, and we had only 1 day to improvise and reduce our luggage), my woolens to Leh had to be packed since that place was reportedly freezing, especially for the wilderness on the 6 day river rafting stretch.

We set out and was on the Ahmedabad Highway(via Thane Ghodbunder road) by around 4.30 planning to stop at Daman around 150 km from my place in Bhandup. Got to Daman by 8.30PM in the rains with me riding pillion with my back pack on and resting it on the rear tip of the seat(we hadn’t still figured out how to reach delhi with these heavy bags), while Amit held on to his bag resting it on the petrol tank while hugging on it with his hands while he rode. By the time we reached Daman my back was aching bad and I was sure that this is not the way we will get to Delhi, at all.

We stayed near the beach just had time for dinner and got up at 5AM to leave hotel at 6AM, since the distance to be covered was still 1300km odd all the way along NH8(national highway no.8). We rode around 20 km with Amit on the pillion seat with my backpack(heavier of the 2), before Amit had enough of it, we stopped at an automobile spare store which was just opening up(at around 7.45AM) saddled both bags on either sides towards the back side so that the pillion rider will have to put his legs over the bags while he sits. We secured both the bags with a lot of straps which comes with the cartons of the spares and were very strong, sure to reach delhi with this arrangement. Free of the burden we rode faster and crossed Surat, Baroda, Anand(where we had our lunch at the Amul factory Drive-in snack kiosk, fresh Pizza and lot of Amul ice creams), Ahmedabad(we had to adjust the plastic cover which protected the bag from back splash of dirt and water from the rear wheel). By 8PM we reached a place Shamlaji(near rajasthan border), this was a famous temple around the place, we had out dinner from the temple(the free food from the temple, anyway there were no Hotels around).

The next morning we rose early around 6.30 we were ready to leave, only to find a puncture in the rear wheel, we pushed the bike around 1km since no one was ready to come over and mend the puncture. Got the tire fixed and set out by around 8.30Am. We must have rode around 10-15 km before the next flat Tire hit just after the border, luckily we were near a repair shop attached to a Petrol pump on the highway(else we would have to haul the bike to the next village which was around 20 km away). Lost another 1 hour and set out again, the old puncture was not fixed properly since the man was only filling up for the regular puncture guy!. We reached a place some 10 km ahead of Dungarpur and sighted another tire shop and checked the tire to find its quite deflated, a 3rd flat. We stopped and found that the heat while riding was making the puncture open up again and again, and we could not find a suitable new tube too. So we had to get to Udaipur which was sure to have suitable tubes, and this was 50 more kilometers ahead. At that stop we learnt that it was raining after a gap of 12 years in those desert areas of Rajasthan, we should have brought the rains all the way from Mumbai!- rivers were overflowing the obviously happy locals told us.

We reached Udiapur around 2pm and checked in the bike to a Bajaj Service station(it was a Pulsar 4 stroke 150 Cc) and found suitable tube and fixed everything by 4.30pm. We kept the bags at the service stations and went around the place(the vintage car exhibition of the King and the Lake Palace etc.) and set out again deviating from the highway (NH8) since the road via Chittaurgarh was supposed to be good for night ride and had four lane for some part of it, we decided to halt for the night at Bhilwara.

The next morning we got the packing guys to saddle the 2 bags more securely and compactly, after which the pillion rider could easily keep his legs on the foot rests(until then it was quite an awkward position for the guy at the back). We stopped at the new Highway Chain of Reliance (A1) for lunch, it was quite hot once we left Bhilwara, Rajasthan sun was shining bright on us. We decided to take the road to Gurgaon and then come back to Faridabad, since the road direct to Faridabad was broken bad. We reached Gurgaon around 8PM and reached Faridabad by 10pm, good enough for my business meeting the next day(5th)

On 5th we started off to Delhi around 2PM after my meeting, but Amit was having a bad back and hired a taxi while I rode the bike. We met some friends of PSS at Jungpura, after Amit checked in to his Hotel at Chandni Chowk(I had to leave to airport the same night, since the flight to Leh was at 5.30AM on 6th).