Delhi Chapter Ride to Bangalore Bulletiapa

[vivjohar]

Prologue

The planning of this ride pretty much started during Kolkata Bulletiapa – the moment it was announced that the next Bulletiapa will be held in Bangalore, Delhi guys were like “We will ride to Bangalore Bulletiapa”.
Then, as expected, for a few months, it went on like “it is too soon to plan”.
Slowly and gradually itinerary options started emerging – It turned out that riding all the way from Delhi to Bangalore will be just like running from point A to point B without actually enjoying anything on the way.
So, it was broadly decided to ship the bikes to Mumbai, do Konkan route, ride to Bangalore and ship the bikes back to Delhi. I believe this was the best decision taken by the group.

Day 0 – Train from Delhi to Mumbai

The D-day came after a lot of wait. Thirteen (13) people gathered on Platform Number 3 of New Delhi Railway Station at 4 PM on 24-Nov-23. Bookings were done at different times and by different people – so a lot of people were divided in different coaches. Immediately, Himanshu took up the enterprising effort to bring all together. Kudos to him, finally, he was able to bring 11 out of 13 together in one coach. The 2 people with RAC stayed at their respective seats.
The train journey was comfortable, full of food and SOFT drinks, a good night sleep and wait for Mumbai Central.

Comedy of Errors

As soon as the train journey started, we realized we had a WT (Without Ticket) among us. I will not name him here. Surprisingly, he was WT even after paying the full amount for the ticket – how can this screw up happen – Well it happens all the time in IBR. Like all of us, the guy booked his train from Delhi to Mumbai on 24-Nov-23 starting from Delhi at 4:55 PM. The mistake – While all of us booked it for Rajdhani starting from New Delhi Railway Station, this guy unknowingly booked for Rajdhani starting from Nizamuddin Railway Station but boarded the train with us. So technically he was WT in our train.
The brotherhood came along – by whatever means available to us, we not only got him free meals on the train, but also arranged for newspapers to spread on the floor to make a comfy bed for him.

Day 1 – Ride to Murud

The train reached Mumbai Central around 9 AM on 25-Nov-23. Our next task was to take the delivery of our bikes from the Shipper and get them ready for the ride. From the Railway Station, we boarded up in a couple of UBERs and went to bike pick up point in Thane, Mumbai. The bikes had already reached a couple of days earlier (thanks to a lot of planning by Sri sir and Harshit) and were standing in what we can call an Industrial and Transportation hub on the side of Highway 48.

At this point, our number grew from 13 to 15 – Two people, Sam and Macha joined us in Mumbai.
Once we reached the pickup spot, people started unpacking their bikes and assessing any damages during the transport – No major issues came up. Guys started getting their bikes ready and having a light breakfast (Misal Pav and Omelette Pav) at the adjoining Patil Dhaba.
Finally, the ride started from Mumbai to Murud around 12:30 PM – around an hour later than what we were aiming for. Almost immediately we realized that the road conditions are going to be hell – for almost 80 Kms of our 130 Kms ride, we were trying to find road amidst the potholes.
Then suddenly the scenery changed – we moved from Highway 66 to 548A – the road became narrow and smooth, covered with trees on both the sides. It was jungle all the way and the ride was truly enjoyable. During this time, the group got divided into 3 groups based on their co-curricular activities along the way.
Finally, we reached our stay at Murud around 4:30 PM and missed the opportunity to visit Murud Janjira Fort (the last ferry to the fort is at 4:45 PM). Well, we didn’t lose much – what we lost in Fort, we made up by visiting Murud beach – a walk on the beach followed by some beer and fish at a bar on the beach.
The last group reached Murud at around 7 PM. Now we grew by another 2 in number – we were 17 now. CP and Vasant, who were already on a long Rajasthan and Gujrat ride for last 10 days, joined us.
And then we started what we do best – Party. The party was held in one of the larger rooms of our stay and we drank and talked till almost 10 pm in the night. This is where the ride’s logo was decided – there is a story behind this logo that I cannot write here.

Some good Samaritan reminded us of dinner and shoot on the next day at 7 AM. Party stopped – we reached a late-night dinner place and ate a lot of food including Fish Sambhar. Then retired for the day.

The day’s story will be incomplete without mentioning about our stay at Murud. The 17 of us stayed at “Sawali Niwas Nyahari” (http://www.sawaliniwasnyahari.com/) (https://maps.app.goo.gl/16MW7WvTG24UBpTL9). This is a Homestay in Murud town, just 100 meters from the beach. The place is simple, clean, with easy access to a lot of restaurants nearby. The owner, Sagar is a very cooperative person. The whole process of booking, to room allotment (we had the pretty much whole place to ourselves) to checkout was very smooth. Sagar gave helpful advice on the neighborhood. This place is definitely recommended if you are passing through this area.

Day 2 – Ride to Ganeshgule (Ratnagiri)

6:00 AM – Wakey wakey…Hangover? Not so bad. Rest of the 2 roommates, Macha and Ash are already up, smoking, looking for hot water to make coffee. A little peep from the door to the lobby – huge commotion already in progress to meet the 7 AM shoot target.
Finally started from the place at 7:04 AM as per my Google timeline – not bad for 17 people using 3 washrooms, mounting the luggage on bikes, wearing the riding gear and starting – I know at least a couple of them even took bath and did their morning prayers – where do these guys come from and where do they find time?
Why the rush – well we had to catch the Ferry (Jungle Jetty Ferry from Aagardanda to Dighi) at 8 AM – the boarding point was 7 Kms away from Murud. Those 7 Kms were beautiful with narrow roads passing through Fishermen villages right alongside the coast. We got to the Ferry boarding 15 minutes ahead of time. Guys took this time to take some drone shots. The ferry experience was refreshing – Bikes, cars and even a truck along with passengers – This is a local transport that saves almost an hour of travel distance by road.

Today we had almost 270 Kms of riding ahead of us – so the only thing in our minds was – ride, ride and ride hard. The group again got divided into smaller, more manageable groups. Roads were not bad – mostly two way, through the jungle and ghats. It took us almost 9 hours to cover this stretch of 270 Kms. On the way, we stopped fur lunch at a local eatery thinking we will get BDF – However, we got Mutton Dry Fry and Chicken Dry Fry with Parotta – it was amazing.
The other adventure for the day was our stay we had booked. We had skipped Ratnagiri because of it being a busy, touristy place – instead we settled for a lesser-known beach (Ladi Wadi Beach) in Ganeshgule. The place we had booked was also not a permanent structure – it was supposed to be a tented facility, erected just a couple of weeks before our arrival. For sure we were a bit nervous as to what we will find.
The name of the place was “The paradise shore” (https://maps.app.goo.gl/qkmkfRsQNpyUCMyd9) in Ladi Wadi Beach (Instagram handle @paradis.shore). Well, I must say, it was a rare find, both in terms of the location as well as in terms of the beauty of the place. The place was a simple facility with 4-8 men tents, a few temporary tree houses and washrooms. Other than that the place boasted of a Pool Table in the open and Karaoke facilities. Location wise – when we reached around 5:30 PM, there were a few shacks open and some tourists around. However, by around 8:00 PM, the whole place was empty – WE HAD THE WHOLE, WIDE BEACH AND THE RESORT TO OURSELVES – Just the way we like it. In addition, ours was the only, single resort/hotel on the beach.

As advised by the owner, we had ordered our food a day earlier. Dinner was served late. Post dinner, we had a long walk on the beach late into the night. I don’t exactly remember when we crashed into our tents, but in the morning we were only two in the tent, when we were supposed to be four in it. Rest of the two were found on top of an empty tree house they stumbled upon the previous night and crashed there itself.

Day 3, 4 – Ride to Goa – Chill in Goa

6:00 AM – Another hangover check? Slightly bad – Just remembered – had a bit (read “lot”) of whiskey after a bit (read “lot”) of beer last night – swore yet again not to drink too much, forgotten in next 15 minutes.
This was the day a lot of guys (Ok, all of us) were waiting for – Ride to Goa, the most chilled out place as per many. The ride was total 280 Kms on good roads. The excitement was such that all 17 guys started by 7 AM with one aim – reach Goa as soon as possible – Idlis on a roadside stall, quick coffee on a highway place. We finally entered Goa. What is the first thing we do – Stop at a local bakery and pick up some Beef Croquettes and Beef Patties – Lip smacking stuff.
The first lot reached our stay at Palolem beach by 2:00 PM and the last by 3:30 PM. The first thing we do is throw our stuff in our allotted rooms and get changed to swim wear. Guys started running towards the beach while tearing off their clothes (except the swim wear)…this literally happened – I guess it was in the bucket list of few. The next 2 days were full of beer, food, smoke and chill. I personally stayed put at the beach for both days non-stop – Eat, Drink, Sleep, Repeat.
The stay at the beach was nothing to boast about except the location – It was dead on the beach with attached restaurant. There were better places to eat nearby. Palolem beach itself is a place to be – it is lined up with beautiful and colorful beach shacks and huts. This was the first taste of South Goa I had in my life – believe me, I will not go to any other place in Goa from now on.

Inka chakhna khatam ho gaya steel waali plate mein

We thought we were having the best time, but we were all in for a surprise – We met Nirmal Verma who just happened to be there on the same beach along with his daughter on the same days as we were. He hosted some of us at his resort on the second night – frankly I have no memory of what happened there. I just woke up the next day…that’s it.

Day 5 – Ride to Kundapur

No idea about wake-up time, but hangover was killing. So, let’s skip that part.
Sadly, good-bye Goa.
The ride this day was not very long but had multiple stops in between. So, we had an inkling that the day is going to be long.
Our first stop was Om Beach in Gokarna, named such because of its shape. We had out breakfast at a tea stall near the parking of Om beach – well managed by our Inder Devta. Riki made some excellent drone videos here. A few of us trekked around 500 meters downhill to the beach, spent some 15-20 minutes and came back. It is a small beach compared to what we have been through in last few days.
This is where the group split up – A few went to the Gokarna temple, Rajatt and Inder went to a workshop to take care of some issues on Rajatt’s bike and some proceeded further to our next stop – Shri Muredeshwar Shivana Temple.
The temple was crowded and some of us viewed it from outside – the grand temple complex and a huge idol of Mahadev. Some of us did go inside the temple for a closer look.

We all gathered on the highway near Murudeshwar temple and started for our final stop for the day – Kundapura.
Our stay in Kundapura was a secluded beach house – “Waves Beach House” (https://wavesbeachhouse.com/). Again, an excellent property completely booked for us. The beach itself was beautiful, but dangerous to go into the water. There were a lot of Starfish on the beach. This was another chill day with a lot of partying and music. Snacks and Dinner were pre-ordered – food was simple and good.
At this point, CP parted ways with us. He took a flight from Mangalore. Thanks to Sri sir for arranging his transport from Kundapura to Mangalore airport. And thanks to Vasant, the only sober guy for dropping him to the nearest bus stop.

Day 6 – Ride to Nelamangala

For last 5 days, we had been riding along the coast, staying on the beach every night. Today was the day, we were supposed to move inland towards Bangalore, as close to it as possible so that we can reach the venue easily from there. Also, it was supposed to be the longest single day ride – almost 400 Kms. So early start and ride hard was the motto.
It was supposed to be a pit stop for the night before we reach Bangalore. We wanted to look for any mediocre property where we can crash for the night, wake up and move on…well the property was anything but mediocre. See the pics below. The property was Virama Farm Stay (https://virama.in/). The owner of the property, Anil was so excited to hear that 16 of us from Delhi are riding from Mumbai to Bangalore that he gave us the opportunity to stay at his property at a much-discounted price and included the evening snacks, dinner and breakfast. It was a beautifully maintained property. We had a bonfire in the evening (the first cold evening of this trip). We could not enjoy the pool as it was too cold. By far, this was the best place we stayed in our whole trip. A shoutout to anyone in or around Bangalore, check this place out for a peaceful exotic weekend. The staff took care of our demands of tea/coffee/snacks. The kitchen was well stocked with utensils.

We even had a Sholay moment of Samba sitting atop a large boulder telling the date of next “Holi”.

We had our highlights/lowlights of the trip. Unfortunately, not even a single controversy emerged out of it. Looks like we did it too soon in the evening, before people got really drunk.
The ride officially came to an end here.

Day 7 – Ride to Bulletiapa Madness

Easy day – only a 100 Kms to the Bulletiapa venue. Woke up around 8 PM. Had tea, coffee, smokes. Laid back, but delicious breakfast. Eggs were added towards the end – complimentary.
Reached the venue, Champions Ranch (https://www.championsranch.farm/) late afternoon.
The party ended and madness started.

Actors of the movie (in alphabetical order)

• Ashish Sharma (Ash) – The official Music Director of the ride. Additional responsibility – confusing people by showing 5 different paths when there is a straight road ahead.
• Charanpreet Singh (CP) – Official “Narad” of the ride. His only question all the time – Why are people living together so peacefully? Why is no one fighting?
• Harshit (Dr.) – Officially doctor of the ride. Additionally took a huge responsibility of coordinating with bike shipper and providing constant updates to all.
• Himanshu – The street-smart guy and the go-to guy for any negotiations – be it bringing everyone together in one coach on the train or convincing the TT to not only let the guy without ticket travel, but also arrange all the meals for him (for free).
• Inder (Devta) – Took the responsibility of ordering food quickly at pit stops so as not to delay the group. Additional responsibility – finding double meaning sentences in everything anyone says (he hears “meeting” as “mating”. It’s a skill).
• Macha – Our local language guide in MH and our sea food-guide for the whole trip.
• Manas – Full of excitement, always. While in Goa, I could see in his eyes a plan firming up for the next Goa trip.
• Naveen – Hidden singing talent. Excellent voice. We all enjoyed your karaoke.
• Puvi – Responsible guy. Ready to take on any task to make the ride comfortable for everyone. Our next Delhi Chapter Moderator for Year 23-24. Additionally, another hidden singing talent.
• Rajatt – Official Energy guy – Full of energy whenever, wherever. Additional responsibility – taste every dish in the restaurant.
• Riki – Official Drone Pilot, excellent shots, excellent videos. Additional responsibility – Fixing a flagpole on his bike at every pit stop.
• Sam – Always ready to gear up and start riding.
• Srinivas Sharma (Sri sir) – Official “Gabbar” of the ride and Delhi chapter. Always observing, always planning, always advising.
• Vaibhav Singh – We have the next official Beer Guzzler from Delhi chapter – keep practicing.
• Vasant – Official model of the ride. Think of it – the main task of 16 people was to take photographs of this one man. Never returned my comb.
• Vishal – Full of enthusiasm – Again ready to take on any task for the comfort of others.
• Vivek – Me

Guest Appearance

• Nirmal sir – Special thanks for popping up on Palolem beach as a surprise for all of us.

[sajeesh]

Amazing @vivjohar saab! brought back old memories of how we used to pen down the travelogues on our older forums.

[Puvi]

@vivjohar Johar Sir such an amazing recap for a moment the memories flashed. It was one hell of a great ride and memories. =<>=

[blackmatterenny]

@vivjohar relived the journey through your eyes bhai. I can literally feel the experience through your words bhai.

[srini2609]

Johar saab Naya Namakaran Official Gabbar. Wonderful Travologue beautifully written. Memories flashed. What a ride it was.

[vaibhavamera]

Sir, amazing blog ,perfectly encapsulated the thrill and camaraderie of our ride! Every word took us back to those incredible moments.

[Charanpreet]

Johar sir, lovely write up..i had a best of the time with all of you..

[Rajnish]

Mind blowing, fantabulous.. U rock

[Vishal Verma]

@vivjohar amazing write up, it was awesome time we had.. cheers

[Ankurc]

Johar Sir .. excellent way to describe the journey...

[vineettekwani]

Very nicely described vivek sir…

[Johri_harshit]

What a write up @vivjohar sir, a big namaskar to you for finding and finalising such amazing properties..thank you for planning this ride.

[Vaibhav Yadav]

@vivjohar 1 number johar sahab. Now regretting even more to miss this ride.

[Lonewolf]

@vivjohar said in Delhi Chapter Ride to Bangalore Bulletiapa:

@paradis.shore

Gajab !!! mazaa aa gaya poora timeline pad kar.. Awesome.. #ridehotohaisi

[joyneo05]

Nice! Abki baar Udaipur!

[joyneo05]

Nice! Abki baar Udaipur!

[srini2609]

Vivek – Me.. This me is the Inspiration for this ride. All the Hotel bookings were planned by this "me" only. Amazing Properties. Kudos to you Johar saab.