Vivek's Travel Blog: October 2014

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

What is the best way to take your bike from one city to another? Simple.. ride it! And that's what I did! I got relocated to Bangalore from Hyderabad. On 5th Oct 2014, I did this 650 km solo ride on NH-7. It was amazing to see Hyderabad getting smaller through my rear view mirrors. And the excitement of opportunities to explore new places from Bangalore was all rushing in my head. What I understood from this ride is you can do anything if you are little crazy and stubborn.

My Mom and My Ride

I woke up early that day. Most of my stuff was already packed. My mom woke up even before me to cook breakfast and lunch for me. Ohhh... lovely moms! They are the most beautiful people in this world! I mounted my saddle bag and took blessings from my mom. I could see love and fear flowing out at the same time from her eyes. She was worried! I know that she will pray for the rest of the day for my safe ride.

I started at around 6:50 am. Within half an hour I reached Gachibowli, the outskirts of Cyberabad. I could see my previous employer, Accenture's office from there. I stopped for a while to have a last look. Lots of memories! A lady who was on a morning walk saw me and asked, "Are you one of those who go from place to place on bikes?". I nodded with a smile. Then there were some more questions which I answered nicely. She wished me good luck. Yeah, I need that today!

Reached outskirts of Hyderabad

NH7 : 6 lane road with proper dividers, as smooth as a baby's butt! (Of course for vehicles, not humans!). 100 km/h looked like 40 km/h. Speed is so relative! But I have to say, this stretch of NH7 is too damn boring. There is nothing much to see. I was getting sleepy again and again. I have to take small breaks in every 50 km or so.

The day became very hot after 10 am. There wasn't any tree on the road sides to sit and relax. Bus stops were the only options. While I was relaxing at of them, I saw two cops on the other side of road. Suddenly one of them crossed the road and started approaching towards me. I thought he would ask me papers. But he came just because he was curious. The day was very hot and there were no one else around. He sat besides me and started talking to me. It was like 'question n answer' round. He asked me why you ride so long and all other usual questions which comes in normal peoples mind

when they see someone like me. I patiently answered all of them. Then I asked, what the hell they were doing on such a hot day. He told that they were deployed to check trucks. In 30 min, they didn't stopped a single one! Soon the other one joined us and two of their friends, also cops, came and started listening to our conversation. I thought that I should leave now. I kick stared my bull and waved at them. I could see the look on their face, " bye bye you crazy lad!"

I had lunch at one of the bus stop. I called my mom, she was even more worried! She asked me to drive save and slow. I have to keep that in mind, I reiterated.

At around 2:30 pm, I reached Anantapur, still 200 km away from Bangalore. It started raining and I thanked God for it! My shirt was soaked in sweat. The rain and cool breeze was like a gift. I stopped for tea and again started my journey.

I reached Bangalore Airport at around 6 pm. My flat was still 35 km away and I didn't know the route. My phone was dead so I have to depend on people. At one point I took a wrong turn and because of that I wasted around 20 min. Still I reached at 7:10 pm. The ride was over. I called my mom. She congratulated me and asked me to rest. My friends were happy to see me and my Royal Enfield. The Blacmock is here to roar on Bangalore roads!

Cheers!

Some important info:

Road Condition - Excellent

Time taken - 11 to 12 hours

Suggestion - If you are riding on this road (specially alone) then keep lots of water with glucose/gatorade. Keep energy bars and chocolates. You won't get any shop for many kilometres. There are very less tea stalls, dhabas and mechanic shops on this road. Be prepared for punctures (take hand pump) or any other breakdown (keep spares with you).