Journey Never Ends

Jullay!! I am yet to recover from my excursion to Leh-Ladakh; the pictures are still stored in my memory. Here is a quick post to recollect some of my greatest 'Ladakhi' moments. Some places are such that when you think of capturing their beauty in words, you feel afraid; that you will do injustice to them. Ladakh was such an experience for me. I was so overwhelmed by its grandeur and visual experiences that I kept postponing this blog for months. I would stare at the pictures and loose myself in those unforgettable moments. The very first thing that stays in my mind are the images of the snow capped mountains ringing the brownish landscape of the cold desert-Ladakh. You can see lakes, monasteries and great landscapes, but as you scoop down the mountains on a bike it takes your breath away. I had been long praying to the God to bless me with a visit to Ladakh and the God answered my prayers. As I walked through the snow, the Himalayan peaks stood in splendid isolation

What should I call myself; An Avid Traveler, A Biker, An Amateur Photographer, A Computer Geek or just a confused person trying to do all this in one lifetime? . As you have probably guessed it from the above stated lines, For some one new here; my hobbies are; motorcycles, travel, photography and computers lately. By profession I am a Software Engineer, however even that aspect of my life is governed by my passions and most of my ventures revolve around my hobbies and I consider myself as one of the lucky few, who make a living doing what they love the most! Golden Gate Bridge!! Looking forward for brighter days ahead. Last few weeks had been a completely hectic period. With just a three day trip to pacific Ocean on Sea beach, travelling has come to a standstill and so is my writing. It’s been a quiet month, Except that I’m am in USA. On a brighter side, I was off to San Fransisco for a three day trip. A much needed break - just to sit down on a beach & watch the waves from daw

Preparing your motorcycle for Ladakh An arduous journey like Ladakh can take its toll, on not only the rider, but also on the motorcycle. In places like Manali - Leh highway, Zanskar Valley or Chumtang region, a mechanical failure can spell disaster. With nearest town miles away and a mechanic even further down the road, it is a good idea to get the bike serviced properly and get the worn out parts replaced, before embarking upon a journey of this magnitude. Things to watch out for when getting the bike serviced for Ladakh: Clutch Plates: For the steep and hilly terrain of Ladakh, it is best to ensure that your bike’s clutch plates have enough life left in them, to see you through the trip. So when you are getting the bike serviced, ask the mechanic to check the clutch plates and replace if necessary. Piston Rings: Another thing to watch out for is the health of Piston rings, if your bike has been drinking engine oil lately; it is best to get the piston-cylinder kit checked for wear

It is human nature to dream, but to dream, is one thing, and to achieve it is another. Take my word for it, Riding 2500 km at an average altitude of 16,000ft through 15 of Himalayan mountain passes and five of the worlds Highest Mountain passes Khardung La (18,380ft ) Worlds Highest Motoraible Pass; Marsemik La (18,634ft) Toughest of the lot and unofficially Highest Motoraible Road In world); through the lush valleys of Jammu and Kashmir, into the high-altitude desert of Ladakh , is an arduous task; and some thing that most will not even dream off. For past few years, some thing of this sort had been doing rounds in my thoughts. Since The Roads are opened from June to September and remains closed for rest of year!! The season for touring to Himalayas only lasts for 4 months. Ladakh being one of the remotest places on earth, at a height of more than 20,000 feet, largely devoid of any creature comforts whatsoever; Add freezing cold winds, sub-zero temperature, and inhospitable t

Before: Since Wedding was in Goa and I had full 3 days, and a perfect plan; So we School buddies Me and Sunil from pune , Girish , Shidu , Kiran , Asif from hubli; wanted to catch up for a long time, and had planned for another Goan Vacation!!!. It had been Quite some time; that we all went on a Bike trip, Since Weeding was at panaji; Each one of us was really excited to be @ Goa; To get back magic of Old Schooling days and Memories!!!! Till T hursday ; Sunil , was going to join me from pune; because of some Obivious reasion it just didn't happened , Finally It was Me, Girish , along with wife Sanjana, Shidu , and Kiran , Will be coming down to Goa for the wedding ; And all of us expected to meet up on Friday 10-April-2009 @ Mapusa by 12.30 PM. After Every thing was in place and finally it was happening... Route Details: Day 1 (10th April, 2009) : Pune - Satara - Kolapur - Belgum - Amboli - Savanthwadi - Mapusa - Aguada Fort – Sinquerim Beach – Candolim beach – Calangute Beach

Day 3: 12 April 2009 The next day I was least botherd to get up early; but forcibly, woke up by 8.00 and tuck in some traditional G oan sausages for breakfast and head straight to the Baga beach.Since it was our last day in Goa..we decided not to make it too hectic, since I had to drive a lot today. Baga Beach!!! Leaving crowed Baga beach; we headed to wards Anjuna beach being just next to B aga beach; Anjuna Beach; is one the most popular beaches of Mapuza, which is nestled between the Arabian Sea and a small hillock. It overlooks the sea and thus gives a splendid look of the shoreline. The Beach is known for its soft white sands and shoreline dotted with exotic palm trees. A path from baga Beach to Anjuna Beach!! I like Anjuna beach because of its trance parties that take place on the shore. These parties usually take place on full moon nights as it adds to the magic of trance music. Getting to Anjuna Beach is not difficult as all forms of transport are available.. Rock a

Day 2: 11 April 2009 At 5.30 After perfect Wedding Ceremony; With my eyes numb; I took leave from Azad Bhavan, Well every other person was really excited about visiting Goa, for this Special Weeding!!! So before they took leave, Each on of them was eager spend some good moments at a beach.. So quickly every one got ready, packed, and back on wheels and we back on our saddles and rolled on towards the Dona Paula. Since we new the route well, we were leading the pack, and every one was fallowing us!! Dolphin Sighting @ Dona Paula!!! Here it was just amazing for me looking at every one; since I had been here I not much excited; but every one irrespective off Age gap was having Fantastic time!!!! Well Young brigade was having fun and Old team members in there own style looking at the foreign tourist and wondering about there dress Code!!!… It was just fantastic!!! Well when I said to my granny on my wedding; I would gift a similar dress; Every one around has huge smile on thir face; and

Day 1: 10 April 2009 Friday had came after a long and enthusiastic wait. Morning at 5.30AM (an hour's delay as per the planned start time), I took off towards Goa. It was warm and sunny day, with just the right amount of breeze early morning, and bike in right hands; Everything was just about perfect for a long ride… Sunrise On the way to Satara !! I rode non-stop till Satara , a distance of 130 KMs . After 3 hours & travelling 260 KMS , I was in Kolapur . Having covered more han 50% of the distance in first 3 hours. Now I had all the time in the world to reach Mapusa . A lazy breakfast at Hotel near Nipani & then back on the saddles. From there onwards I made progress slowly as compared to initial leg. Another two hours after Crossing ghats, I was near Amboli by 10.30 AM. As I had plenty of time. I decided to spend some time in Amboli , which was not in the initial plan. I crossed a beautiful Ghat; that was the most wonderful drive till now. It was so amazing that the