“The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride” is a global motorcycle fund-raising event, raising funds and awareness prostate cancer research and men’s mental health programs on behalf of Charity Partner, the Movember Foundation.
Watch the crowd video here-https://youtu.be/kkAlp2SgKWU Hosted by ‘Royal Mavericks’, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride brings together over 50,000 well dressed gentlefolk on stunning motorcycles for Men’s Health across 90 countries. The goal for 2016 is to raise awareness and $5m for Prostate Cancer Research and Suicide Prevention Programs.
The morning mood will be elevated by precisely selected 80’s western classic music. All Royal Enfields, classic styled Harley Davidsons, Yezdis, Jawas, Triumphs, Indians, Nortons, AJS, Matchless, Rajdoots, Lambrettas, Two stroke motorcycles (Yamaha RX100, Kawasaki KB100 etc.) and scooters, All Bajaj, Priya, LML and Vespa, joined the ride.
There were refreshments at START POINT (a 5 star property) and full unlimited 5 star lavish buffet breakfast after riding across capital. There were short round of discussion on motorcycling by righteous guests and a brief on PROSTATE CANCER. Also there were prizes for-
1) Most Distinguished Motorcycle. 2) Most Distinguished Couple. 3) Most Distinguished Gentleman. 4) Most Distinguished Lady. 5) Most Distinguished Support. 6) Most Distinguished Moustache. 7) Most Distinguished Beard.
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In this blog i will cover my journey of “Pang, Leh, Kargil, Srinagar, Jammu” and my final destination for which i started this journey at first place i.e. “World’s Highest Motorable Road”. At the time of my travel, Ladakh was a region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Then Ladakh became a Union Territory on 31st October 2019 according to the act passed by Parliament of India.
On Day 5, i halted at “Pang”. This is not a good place to stop by because level of oxygen is too low here. I walked only 10 steps and stood still to catch my breath for next 10 steps. This place have no plant or trees at all. It is all surrounded by sand hills and i was standing in the middle of it. I pitched my tent for the night next to a doctor’s tent where the doctor was not available at the moment i checked in. I was going through the worst headache and i was breathless. I was literally thinking of going back from this point but half of my journey was already covered. I waited for the doctor for hours and went back to my tent without meeting him. That night was the toughest night in my life. I was half dead due to headache and high fever. I had no water left and i was starving. I wanted to talk to my mother to feel better but there was no network at that place. They have a cue in Pang to make calls through satellite phone where people stand for hours to make a call. Next morning i met the doctor, he gave me some pills for my headache and told me not to stop anywhere before i reach Leh.
On Day 6, i left for “Leh”. There i took a room at a cost of only 350 indian rupees with free dinner included. This was the day when i reached “The Highest Motorable Road of The World” at “Khardungla”. This is located at a stretch of 25 kms from Leh. Now all my sickness was gone. I was at the “top of the world”. I stayed there for sometime and felt that moment. Then i came back to Leh and did local sight seeing. There are museums and temples. One of the famous temple i visited here is “Shanti Stoop”. Then i went to “Hall Of Fame”- a museum where you will know about history of their culture, traditions and wars. On this very day, I was on Cloud 7.
On Day 7, i left for “Kargil” when i encountered “Magnetic Hill” on my way. There are two lines drawn on the road, if you park your vehicle between these lines, the bike/car will start to move on its own. I experienced this wonder on my bike. It is said that these hills have magnets that pulls the bike/car. I even have a video of this incident on YouTube. Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu47iN9Vr8s. I totally enjoyed my halt at Magnetic Hill. There were steep hills where everyone was riding for fun. Video of the steep hill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZLxIABt8GE. On this very road there was this Gurudwara- “Gurudwara Sri Pathar Sahib”. I had such a hygienic, heavy and satisfying meal at this holy place, provided to everyone by the Sikhs for free as a good deed. Then comes “THE WAR MEMORIAL” of Kargil. This place is dedicated to all the Indian Martyrs who sacrificed in the battle of Kargil in 1999. One of the names that was being highlighted is “Captain Vikram Batra”, who fought with bravery with many others for India’s win over the Kargil. One picture features the beautiful hills known as “Moonland” below this paragraph. My stay at Kargil was full of exposure of so many new things that i did not see or hear about earlier in life.
On Day 8, i left for “Srinagar”. Dude, this place was so not ok. I felt terror at every second. Some young Locals were looking at me, they were following my bike and were constantly staring at me as if i was some alien. This place is a war zone. Anything can happen here at anytime. You will find a police or army officer standing at every 50 to 100 metres of distance. Here i stayed at a Hindu temple in the night because i was not feeling safe. Outside that temple located at “Lal Chowk” there were two army trucks. Soldiers were posted with fencing and guns there 24*7 for the safety of people inside temple. This was not something that was there due to a particular reason. Srinagar is like this at all the times. This was also one kind of thrill i never experienced before.
On Day 9, i halted at “Jammu”. This city is very developed. I used to think of it as a small place built on hills. But in real, Jammu is majestic with open roads, restaurants and much more. I enjoyed my whole day at Jammu, had pizza, roamed in the markets and then next morning i left for Chandigarh. On Day 10, i covered a total distance of 400 km non stop. The road from Jammu to Chandigarh is straight and smooth. My average speed was of 100 km per hour.
With this, my solo trip came to an end. It was a successful journey with lifetime memory that i would like to repeat once again. Thank You for reading 🙂 Watch the video here https://youtu.be/p5kAZ1Q4bpQ
Going solo 2600 km to Leh Ladakh on a bike without any bike spares and extra petrol cans. That is not bravery, that’s stupidity. I will complete this journey in multiple blogs as there is a lot to share about this trip. First picture is of my bike in front my house, Second is from Hall Of Fame, Third picture is with an Indian soldier posted at War Memorial and the last one if of my ‘LEH Haircut’ 😀
My main motive behind this tour was to reach solo at the ‘Highest Motorable Road Of The World’
This trip was supposed to start on 23rd June. The night before i was celebrating birthday of my friend. Due to Hangover, I was tripping next day on bike ride and my bag was also falling apart so i came back to home after covering 13 km.
I even did not have the right ropes to tie the bag on first day. When i came back, I bought Bungee ropes suggested by another rider who had been to Ladakh before.
My first halt was in Chandigarh at my friend’s house. On my 2nd day, i was still struggling with my bag. At a moment when i stopped to tie it up, the bike felt on the road side. Then a driver passed by and told me- ‘Dost! abhi toh bhot door jana h’. In English– ‘Buddy! You still have a long distance to cover’. I suppose he got the idea that i am travelling to Ladakh after seeing my heavy luggage.
25th June’2016, Today! I lost my phone that i brought just to record videos. I was carrying two cell phones on this trip. The mobile mounting device took off my bike during ride and the moment i stopped to pick up my phone, a few cars ran over it already. Ouch! It was literally resting in pieces-My 17k water proof Sony Xperia that i bought by giving dance classes. I still have it with me as a memory. Will put the picture in next blog.
Leh Haircut, Bungee rope, Bike fall and Death of my phone. This should be all for today. Upcoming blogs on my Leh Ladakh Trip includes ‘A surprise short visit by my brother’, ‘The day i ran out of breath due to lack of oxygen at height’ and ‘Khardungla-Highest Motorable Road of the World’. Stay Tuned…
On previous birthday i did Bunjee Jump, now it was time for Skydive. Best thing about skydive is you will excited and nervous right from the moment you book your tickets. For me this period was of 2 weeks.
On Day 1, i went to Dubai Museum in the morning as my flight landed around 9am. Before visiting Dubai Museum, i never thought that i would find a museum experience as extremely good. The kind of creativity and technology that they have fused together is a commendable job.
On the same evening i went to ‘THE GLOBAL VILLAGE’. This place was majestic and unbelievable. There were famous building statue and markets from so many countries. Not only that, there were so many dance performance from world class dancing groups. Then there was car and bike stunts. Not just some stunts, world class stunts- the one that you see on international reality shows. Then there was horror house and some insane level amusement park rides. What did this place not have to offer? You need at least one complete day to see this place as a whole.
People from each country were performing their regional dances in front of their building statue. They were in their traditional attire. Their were shops from where you can buy all that you want from their country. It was like you are visiting so many countries at the same time. My first day in Dubai could not have started any better than this.
Next day was ‘Burj Khalifa’. The lift took around just 100 seconds to reach 135th floor. There were telescopes installed from which you can see current 360 degree view outside Burj Khalifa as well as historic view of desert when there was no building. Where ever you point the telescope, it will show the image as it is existing for real in front of you live.
Just along the Burj Khalifa there is Dubai Mall. This mall is one of the world’s largest mall and it just seems to never end. It have gold shops, designer clothes, footwear, aquarium, ice hockey and the list goes on. Burj Khalifa is located right outside The Dubai Mall.
Next day, i started fresh with a early morning swim. I stayed at a hostel and it had gym on the ground floor and a rooftop swimming pool. After some workout and swim, i had fruits and milk in my breakfast. Now it was time to leave for Desert Safari.
In Desert Safari Package, there was Camel ride, Safari ride, Quad Bikes and many more things in the middle of desert. You are dropped here through a Safari ride that takes steep turns in the desert making you feel like the car will roll upside down any moment.
Next was Belly Dance, Sheesha (Hookah), dinner, fire show and more performances. Also there were outfits of Sheikh provided for photography in different sizes. Both fire performance and belly dance were a mind blowing experience. And the Hookah had a very strong flavor too. This is how my 3rd day came to an end. The best was yet to come.
It was time for the birthday SKYDIVE. I turned 26 years old this day. My happiness was on cloud 9. Each and every second and my each step towards the skydive zone was filled with excitement. Jumping out of a plane is no joke, right? How will you feel if you know that you are about to jump from a plane?
There were two skydivers with me. One is Laura who was my Camera Flyer and she took my interview. Other was Andy, my co diver. Both of them are badass. I gave interview of how i was feeling, why i am jumping in front of Skydive wall. Then i headed to the plane. There were a lot of divers in that plane and they all were nervous even though they jump everyday. Their eyes were closed and they were all praying. Now this stuff even got more scarier 😀 . I kept on looking down from the window to confront the truth that i am about to jump so let’s seize each and every single moment and enjoy to your fullest.
And we jumped. Right before me, my camera flyer Laura jumped facing backwards to record my jump. When i looked at her going down facing me, i got stunned. Damn, she looked so cool. Then me and Andy jumped. The free fall lasted for 60 seconds and then my diver deployed the chute. This is how i blew off my candles.
Later in the night, i celebrated my birthday by cake cutting with hostel owners and hostel mates. I had a blast for the day. Next was my last day left in Dubai.
On my last day, i went to JBR beach to chill out and relax. I took a bath in the Arabic sea and sat out in the sun for a while. I spent the rest of the day to do shopping and then i boarded the flight for my way back to India. Check out my Video of Dubai trip here-
This is one journey where i traveled the most in least of time. I covered 5 states in approx 10 days. I used to travel in the morning and sleep in train at night while traveling to other state consuming my time. I stayed at hotel/hostel for maximum 4 nights. Rest of the nights i was traveling and sleeping in the train. These pictures are from Gangtok, Darjeeling, Shillong, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Dibrugardh.
My first halt was at Gangtok (Sikkim). Such a neat and clean place with breath taking beautiful environment. There is Tsomgo lake in Sikkim, which is very famous along with with many other attractions. There is this truck that comes to collect garbage and everyone together dump their garbage here systematically. I spent one and half day in Gangtok then on the night of 2nd day i took the shared cab for Darjeeling. Most of the people who were working in North East were women whether it be a liquor store, fuel station, toll point etc. Men can be seen driving taxis and women all other jobs.
Darjeeling is in West Bengal. It is famous for its toy train, Tiger Hill, monastrey and many other things. Tiger Hill is famous for its sunrise that reflects directly on Kanchanjanga. I could not see it as it was too cloudy. Everyone have to reach the spot at 5am. There were more than a 100 cars of tourists in the line that day. Now i headed to Siliguri to fetch train for Guwahati. From Guwahati i took a cab for Meghalaya.
Meghalaya is so beautiful and fresh that i can’t explain in words. You can spend one whole week here just to see the number of waterfalls that this place has to offer. Another attraction is Double Root Bridge made out of tree branches. To reach this bridge, i had to descend 6,000 stairs.
On my way to double root bride i saw this cute little kid selling sticks for the trek at 10 INR. Next Day, there is 7 sister waterfall that i visited. And then i saw ‘Nohkalikai Waterfalls’ located inside lushy green jungles. I spent 2 wonderful nights at Meghalaya. The only car that runs here is Maruti 800 and Alto. This cab takes 4 passengers on the back seat, 2 passengers on co-driver seat and sometimes one passenger along with driver on driver seat. You can see the picture. Amusing, but the fare are very low.
Now my next halt was Nagaland. A place famous for its diversity in tribes and many other things. Dimapur is the railway station for Nagaland. To reach here i had to go back to Guwahati then took a train for Dimapur. From Dimapur i took a shared taxi for Nagaland. The road to Nagaland is under construction and you have to o through a lot of sand on the way flying in the air due to movement of cars. I went to a church and war memorial in Nagaland then i spent the night in a hostel with bunker beds.
Next morning i went back to Dimapur to take train for Dibrugarh (Assam)-the fifth state. My plan was to cover one more state i.e Arunachal Pradesh but i could not do it because a special kind of permit is required to enter this State which may take a couple of days to get ready. In Dibrugarh, i saw Bogibeel Bridge (India’s longest rail cum road bridge spent across 4.94 kilometres). The bridge is over Brahmaputra river and took 200 months to complete. Later i visited Jagannath temple followed by a park visit. I saw a movie in local Assamese theatre, ate pizza, took a room and then left for home on 2nd night.
Triund is a small hill station in the Kangra district in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. Triund is a part of Dharamkot. Triund is at the foot of the Dhauladhar ranges and is at a height of 2,828 m.
Triund is very famous among trekkers. It is not an easy trek. The trek have too steep rocks and fro bottom to top, all it’s path is messed up. This is one challenging trek and is not at all beautiful along the way. Only beauty to witness is when you reach the top.
After eaching Triund hill top, some people continue to trek to reach Lahesh Cave. As it was getting dark, i spent time at Triund Hill top then went back to the city. It almost took me around 2 hours to do one side of trek.
This year i decided to attempt Bungee Jump on my Birthday. The benefit is you are over excited so it becomes less scary and it is memorable as hell when Facebook tells you about your birthday memories each year.
I arrived a day earlier and camped at my usual spot to witness a mesmerizing view first thing on my birthday’s morning. Beach sand, river and mountains.
Then i was headed for Bungee. When i jumped, i could see air going backwards around my eyes and i got shocked as if i have seen a ghost for a second. But before you can say hello to that fear, zoop, you have touched the ground with the speed of a rocket. It takes merely 2-3 seconds to reach down and 2-3 seconds are damn worthy of the permanent picture that stays in your mind forever.
I successfully did Bungee in first attempt but the adrenaline rush did not stop there. After Bungee, i went for giant swing and India’s longest flying fox. Just like Bungee, Giant Swing was also located at a height of 100 metre on the same altitude. Its scarier to make the 2nd Jump because now you know how you are going to feel after jump. Ha Ha. Flying fox was also fun. It was a real long line. We kept on sliding for very long looking at the valleys like a Superman.
Then i was headed for Dehradun on same night. God the roads are so beautiful from Rishikesh to Dehradun. There i explored Robbers Cave, a river cave formation in Himalaya, located approximately 8 km from the centre of Dehradun City in Uttarakhand state of India. The cave is about 600 metres long, divided into two main parts. The cave has a highest fall of about 10 metres.
Damdama Lake is a small lake in Haryana and was formed when a stone and earthen dam constructed by the British was commissioned for rain water harvesting in 1947. I visited this Lake twice while i was living in Gurgaon. It was a 35km ride. I have included both the visits in this single blog.Â
My first visit was on my bicycle. I reached Damdama Lake and then kept on pedaling for another one or 2 kilometre. There was this dense forest road which led to Aravali Mountain Range.
There was another person sitting in peace there. I became friends with him. After talking to him i got to know that he is a Commando in Indian Army. We clicked pictures, exchanged numbers and bid adieu.
Next time in the same year, i visited with my childhood friend on my motor bike. The lake was crowded that evening and there were some activities like boat ride, camel ride, shooting etc. We tooka Camel ride and did shooting. It was an adventurous experience as the Camel was walking on non flat grounds.
Kasauli is a small hill town in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It’s home to gabled colonial-era houses, orchards and green-roofed Christ Church, dating from the mid-19th century. At the southern edge of town, Monkey Point overlooks forests of horse chestnut and Himalayan oak. A small temple also sits atop the hill. Nearby, the Gilbert Nature Trail winds through lush green countryside rich in birdlife.
This picture was taken at Suicide Point. Just like this, there is also Lover’s Point at Kasauli. This was a one day trip. Me and my friend started in the morning and came back to our homes in the night. It is just 1 hour ride form Chandigarh. We also saw Army Performance at around 5 pm when they were bringing down the national flag to fold it.
After taking a jungle trek route on our way down, me and my friend were exhausted. We chose to trek up and down some distance to keep the journey fun filled. Other wise you don’t have to trek to visit Kasauli. It have direct roads that leads right up to the destination.
This tour was organized with office members while i was working with Havas Media as MEDIA PLANNER. I did a lot of things during this trip and the best part was FLYBOARDING. It is so much fun that i can do it every single day. You have to blance on a board when water pushes down through the pressure created by Jet Ski. It is Wow some experience when you slowly get lifted in air. Literally flying. There is a person on Instagram as Franky Zapata. He have made his own Flyboard that flies on ground. Must see.
On 2nd day we were asked to use hashtag HIT2GOA in a creative way and i won the first prize for it.
Later that night, i went to attend musical show of Noel D Gama, amazing guitarist. And then i went to Panjim to gamble at Casino. Casinos are pretty nice here with very reasonable amount of entry ticket. That too include unlimited food, drink and smokes.
Next day i had Nariyal Pani. These Coconut water of Goa are absolutely yummy. Then we went to beach with our colleagues for some fun games. There are organizations in Goa that are active in arranging such activities for tourists. It was a great experience and it was organized very efficiently even for a group of 100.
Next evening was spent at beach. It started raining that night. Still no one left the place. Everyone got wet and enjoyed the cold breeze along the rain. Then we had Hot Boota (Makka/Corn). It was a treat for cold bodies in such amazing weather.
Then on the last day, i did Kayak and Paddle Board. It is very hard to maintain balance in the beginning on Paddle Board. If water is still then it can be done more easily. It is close to impossible to balance and stand on the paddle board if there is movement in water.
This is not an ideal time at all to visit Rishikesh. It was too hot. Everything was on fire. Me and my friend exhausted to death and we were reborn when we found this waterfall. ‘Neer Waterfalls’ in Rishikesh is a big tourist attraction. It have a small swimming pool, waterfall and restaurant.
Next day we were headed for River Rafting. Maximum no. of people visit Rishikesh for River Rafting. It is an extreme fun experience. In the middle of ride you are asked to jump in the water and experience the waves by holding boat from the side. In case someone looses the grip, rafter throws a rope at them to bring them back.
Bir is a village located in the west of Joginder Nagar Valley in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India. Bir is a noted centre for ecotourism, spiritual studies, and meditation. Bir is also home to a Tibetan refugee settlement with several Buddhist monasteries and a large stupa. It have World’s 2nd Highest Paragliding Spot with natural take off ground.
My first halt was at Jagnath Temple in Kangra District of Himachal. There is spiritual energy in this place in abundance. I sat there and meditated for half an hour. You can feel the energy surrounding you. Spending some silent time here is a treat for soul. There is Aarti in the morning. Also the location of this temple gives a magical experience to the visitors. Up in the mountains with sky surrounding you from everywhere.
My 2nd halt was ‘Brut Valley’. It is like a hidden heaven of Himachal. You witness flower valleys while heading to this location. There was river flowing right next to my location and the weather was so pleasant that one can spend 3 to 4 days at this place just to enjoy its fresh oxygen, breeze and river view.
Now it was turn for Bir Billing. This was my first adventure sport of life. After getting a taste of it, i did skiing, bunjee jump, flying fox, flyboarding and skydiving in my other travels. Paragliding in Bir Billing is provided at very reasonable price. I paid around 2k INR for 20 minutes of Paragliding and that too including video footage. This was in 2018.
My last halt was at Solang, Manali. This is also know as Adventure Valley as there are abundance of adventure activities at this place. I made 2 new friends here ‘Manish’ and ‘Lavish’. There is Skiing, Paragliding, Snow Scooter, Zorbing, Quad Ride and more in Solang. At this time it was -2 degree Celsius in this location.
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Kasol is a hamlet in the district Kullu of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated in Parvati Valley, on the banks of the Parvati River, on the way between Bhuntar and Manikaran. It is located 30 km from Bhuntar and 3.5 km from Manikaran.
A tour during college days with friends is always memorable. All the fun, fight, drinks, party, hooting, playlist and new unforgettable experiences makes it worth a journey.
We all just booked a hotel and did rest for the first day. 2nd day we were headed for trek in ‘Katagla Forest’. This was my first trek. I confronted the inner beauty of mountains for the first time. We were going through jungles on tough terrains. All the silence, greenery, steep ways were an incredible experience.
Next night we trekked in the dark and reached some place in the middle of the junles to stay at random. I tried Chillam for the first and the last time there. Moments later, we felt a threat from the owner and anticipated that he have a gun. So we all jumped out of the window and ran away. I was so high that i ran towards a dead end without waiting for the group. Then i tracked my friends through their torches from far away. Later that night we found these two tents by luck and spent the night there.
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