My First Jaipur to Mussoorie Bike Trip | Photo Travelogue

First of all let me introduce myself to all you people out there. I am the hard core biking enthusiast who is any day ready for a biking tour to different places; all I want is my bike (Beast as I call it) and my friends. Blogger by profession and a biker by passion, I always had this love for bikes since my childhood but got my beast three years back. Basically from Jaipur I am now the proud owner of Royal Enfield Classic 350 which I love the most.

My journey of bike rides began from some 70 KM ride to a Hanuman temple in Rajasthan. Believe me, I was the one who was literally persuaded by RE group people for the ride which I resisted and today I am the same person who simply can’t resist bike rides. Undeniably, my first bike ride was very tiring but when I bid farewell to the RE group people who were there with me, I thanked them for pulling me out of my bed early morning for the ride. That was my first day and today I have a lot of biking experiences to share.

I have made bike tours to many places like Pushkar, Bhangarh, Chittorgarh, Jodhpur, Agra, Kumbhalgarh, Udaipur, Amritsar, Dehradhun, Mussoorie to name the few. I really wish Lord Almighty gives me a lot many opportunities to travel more and more. a lot more. Till date I have traveled more than nineteen thousand KM on my bike.

As I am into writing too, I always wanted to share my biking experience with people all around but for miscellaneous reasons I didn’t. Thanks to Raza Rahil Hussain who encouraged me to share my experience of the latest bike trip which was to one of the most beautiful hill- stations Mussoorie. Before planning a trip to Mussoorie I had travelled to Amritsar which is some 650 KM from Jaipur. It was such a marvelous feeling of having covered around 1300 KM on my bike that when I came back from my trip I started planning for another one and Mussoorie struck me.

The Original plan of the Mussoorie bike trip included six people but the Uttrakhand tragedy made three guys back out and the final plan included just three people-me, my wife and my school-time friend who is currently residing in Delhi. Initially I used to be alone on my bike but my wife is too a biking enthusiast who started joining me on bike trips. I don’t wait for many people to join me. If nobody is there for miscellaneous reasons of their own, I don’t get disheartened. Me and my wife plan a destination, take our bike and simply go on a bike trip.

Coming to the point, there were bad weather predictions on the days we had planned our trip (6th-8th July 2013) but our zeal was high enough to persuade us to start our bikes and we did the same. So, the final plan was that me and my wife will start off at 3 AM from Jaipur on 6th of July and meet our friend at Murthal and then head to Mussoorie.

Bikes

Day 1 : 6th July, 2013

Mussoorie is 550 KM from Jaipur taking the help of Google Maps we selected our route and started. Me and my wife started at 3.30 AM on 6th July which was half an hour late from the scheduled time as we were setting our bags and equipping ourselves with our riding gears which took around half an hour.(Riding around this time is suggestive for the reason that there is less traffic on roads and you don’t feel the heat which during the day can takes a toll on you making your ride more hectic).

Will you guys believe that we didn’t stop in between to take even a single break till we reached our meeting point (Murthal) at 8.30 AM? It is actually fun riding non-stop at the wee hours of the morning. We covered 300 KM non-stop witnessing the amazing sunrise. We tend to miss this sight because of our late night working hours.

At Murthal we had planned to meet our friend who gave us the name of Dhaba where we had to meet and guess what we took almost ten minutes finding that Dhaba as there were numerous eating joints in between. Finally, we met and had our breakfast that included delicious allu paranthas and sandwiches. From there we started for Dehradun in between we crossed Panipat, Karnal and Saharanpur. Not to forget the way to Saharanpur which was not a smooth one. There were innumerable pot holes and too much of the dust. After that we were on a smooth lane which was a superb one as it had trees on both sides which saved us from the scorching heat. The weather changed its colors and turned out to be icing on the cake near Saharanpur. In Dehradun, it started raining. Riding in the rain is fun and a bit risky too.

On our way to Mussoorie it started raining heavily and we got stuck in a traffic jam. We had to stop in between as heavy rain made it impossible to ride the bike making the roads slippery. Having a chit chat in drenched condition waiting for rain to stop was fun. When it stopped raining we started off again. Riding for two hours on hilly road with innumerable turns, fog, mist and rain droplets pouring over you is undeniably an experience worth all the pain, fear and tiredness which you feel on bike rides. Despite being drenched we were enjoying our ride!

Finally, around 4.30 PM we reached our hotel. The first thing we did was opening our balcony and enjoying the view.

After changing we ordered tea, took rest for some time and went to The Mall Road for a stroll. We had dinner in one of the most famous Tibetan restaurant Kalsang and came back to our hotel to take a good night sleep as we had great plans for the next day.

Day 2 : 7th July, 2013

In the morning we got ready, had our breakfast in the hotel and the next thing we did was taking our bikes and starting off to explore Mussoorie. First we went to Kempty fall where we had so much fun. On our way there were lots of stones and mud as many landslides took place during the Uttrakhand incident. We had to take extra care while riding.(Blowing horn at every turn in hill stations is highly suggestive).

After playing a lot in the water and doing photoshop for hours, we went for maggie and tea. Check out the below pics to know how we enjoyed at Kempty waterfall.

Water was freezing cold but couldn’t shake our spirits. We had lots of fun in Kempty falls and did some photoshop at the end with our normal clothes on (not the ones for swimming).

On our way back, we saw a beautiful scenery and stopped to take some pictures. Here, we met a group of young boys and girls who like us had stopped to take the pictures. While talking to us, they got surprised when we told about our journey on bike from Jaipur to Mussoorie. One of them shared the deep inside desire on going on such long bike rides. When they asked us to get pictures click with them we were actually feeling good and somewhere swelling with pride too

My wife while getting down burnt her leg which touched the silencer and she burnt her leg. (If you are the one who is sitting at the backseat please be careful while getting up/down the bike. Silencers turn really hot in long rides which can be harmful leaving burnt marks)

After Kempty Falls we went to Company Garden where we enjoyed a stroll, clicked some pictures and had lunch. Oh, one thing more here I can show you my photography skills too

 

After a lengthy photo shoot that took hours, we thought to put something in our empty belly. So, we decided to sit in one of the company garden’s eating joint but couldn’t resist to pose while we were eating

From here we headed to the Tibetan Monastery passing few dead ends and roads with twists and turns but it was worth visiting. Here, we met a cute doggie (Actually two). Awwwww. (You can see the pics below).

Then we went to our hotel and parked our bikes as we had to go to the Mall Road where bikes are not allowed. In the evening it started raining but it didn’t stop us. We shopped a lot and then finally decided to have our dinner at Tavern restaurant which again was worth checking out. We had our dinner, enjoyed drinks and music that was so engrossing that we almost forgot. We knew that we will have to face problem as we will not get the conveyance on our way back to the hotel as it was late but we became careless.

The same thing happened as we expected but was much more fun. We started walking in the rain and kept walking to reach our hotel which was genuinely far away but we were enjoying so much that the number of KMs didn’t make any difference. Finally we reached our hotel room; all drenched.

Day 3 – 8th July, 2013

This was the day when we had to start our journey back home. We had our breakfast, packed our bags, equipped ourselves with our riding gear and started our bikes. Guess what, it was raining even at this time but we kick started our bikes. Enjoying our ride once again in fog, mist and rain; we headed towards Sahestrdhara.

The road was really mesmerizing with beautiful scenery all around. On our way, we were on a road that had innumerable potholes filled with water. There was water all the way. Rain pouring from above, water in potholes and water around. We had fun riding and enjoying the scenic beauty, clicking pictures on the way.

While our way to Sahestshara, we found a very nice view where we spent half an hour clicking pictures, relaxing and watching the beautiful views.

But the main destination was not as much fun as we expected. The view around was nice but the main tourist attraction was missing. The localists told us that there were ponds around and it was one of the best tourist spot but the Uttrakhand tragic incident took the toll and it was no more as mesmerising as before. I really hope the state government takes steps to make it same as soon as possible as all locals are entirely dependent on tourism. Still, we haven’t left any chance to find few good spots and click pics

Next we headed off to Saharanpur from where our journey to Delhi began but the road we opted for was not the best choice still we had fun. How? Riding on the smooth National Highways is anyway good but have you tried off-roading. Actually, we didn’t choose the road intentionally but it was total fun filled off-roading experience. At such points of diversion where we have to choose one road I always recall Robert Frost’s Poem-The Road Not Taken. This part of our bike ride was full of mud, dirt, dust and pot holes. Till Shamli we were off-roading. The roads were filled with thick mud which had become thicker as a result of continuous rain. This off-roading continued for around 40 KM. The thick mud with all the way was persuading me to ride slow to avoid skidding of the bike. I had to be extra cautious on this path.(The pic below shows what all my bike has gone through).

In the beginning, I got irritated but then I started enjoying it. My friend started a race which was not exactly the race but it was fun. At one point my friend was ahead of me while at other point I was ahead. This dirt biking was truly worth it!

After Shamli we were on Grand Trunk Road. Then started the non-stop smooth bike ride till Murthal where we had dinner at Pind Baluchi. Being too hungry we ate little too much which is not good while on bike rides as it leads to sleepiness. From here our friend took different road to Delhi and I along with my wife started our ride to Jaipur. We thought the hardships of this ride is over but there was still more for us. On our way back, first we got stuck in traffic jam then it started raining which continued till we reached home.Imagine, riding at night, in rain, on slippery roads; how risky it could be! I took extra caution while riding in rain. We had stop in between as heavy rain was not permitting continuous riding. My helmet was getting rain droplets every now and then. I wish helmets came with wipers to automatically get cleaned without asking you to stop time and again.;)

We stopped at petrol pump where to our surprise thankfully we met people who were so kind to us that we were amazed and felt really good. One guy got us tea, another came with two glasses of water and two chairs for us to get seated.

I made sure my bike had enough petrol throughout the ride especially at such times when we expect the unexpected.One another break at a tea stall and then a non-stop bike ride till Jaipur. We reached home, my wife prepared tea despite being tired, sat back taking sips of hot tea and sharing our experiences with our loving dad. Our dad doesn’t say but the way he listens to our experiences, he feels good and swells with pride that we have covered yet another milestone!

And this is me and how I feel after every ride

Few tips for all you biking enthusiasts :

1. Ensure your petrol tank is full before you start and keep a check in between. Get the refilling done at the right time.

2. Check the brakes before starting your ride. Be extra cautious in rainy season.

3. Keep your helmet clean to get clear visibility.

4. Keep the headlights of your bike on in mist, rain and fog.

5. Blow horn at turns in hill stations

6. Be equipped with good riding gears

7. Waterproof jackets and bags are must in rainy season

8. Don’t eat too much during rides especially at night time else you can feel sleepy.

9. If asked what’s the purpose of your ride I always have one answer-I love it!

If you are the biking enthusiast and wish to know more about me you can check out my Facebook page.