Melukote 300 BRM

 BRM or long distance endurance cycling has been on the bucket list for long. Some inhibitions include - will i enjoy it, what about safety especially while riding in the night. But then thanks to few friends and their confidence, i decided to give 300k a try. The reason for the route is also because of the BRM route. This one passes through the historical temple town of Melukote in Mysore division (more on the history of the temple town later).

The day before : Eat well, rest well, sleep well, hydrate well. We loaded our cycle i the car and kept it in ready to go Mode. Sleep was an issue since the anxiety kept tossing me in the bed.

Got up at 3:30 am packed stuff and headed to CP (short for Checkpoint). Around 90 riders had registered and all geared up to ride.

At 6 we were flagged off.Riding partners were Manoj and Binil. From Bangalore it is a rolling down terrain till Maddur. Oru first CP was Vaishali at around 70km - Ramnagaram. Incidentally i met friends from Pruksa and their families at Vaishali who were on their way to Mysore. We had quick catch up and then were on our way. At Maddur, we lost our way a bit but quickly recovered.

From Maddur it is village roads and patchy till next CP around 127km. We cruised nicely through the non patchy roads but had to slow down at the patchy sections. At around 116 it happened.. Though I was adequately hydrated, cramps started on my thighs and though this was the beginning, i was scared and anxious. Close to midway would i need to abandon? I rested, drank water this time with added salts and started to roll at low speeds with a goal to get to next CP.

CP3 was great. It was right in front of a Temple with adequate food, hydration and other supplies. At 12 we started from there and it was again going to be a rolling uphill terrain from there on the challenge being the heat! And my cramps.

A short stretch to Nagamangala where we took a left and headed to Melukote. At around 140 cramps hit again at the same location - thigh. Again, i rested hydrated with salts and then rolled on with slower speeds. Thoughts of abandonment come to your mind at that time. Pushed along and at Around 2pm, reached the top of Melukote.

Josh was back.. Now that the ride was halfway (technically more than half at 162km), the next stretch was getting exciting. After good hydration, we rolled down, passed Nagamangala and grabbed a quick Coconut break. Sprinted to CP at 210 - Coffee day at Yediyur. The organizers helped us with supplies and after a few minutes of rest we started again. Here is where we met John from Idukki. A versatile actor, now working as R&D engineer at Nokia.

The road back was along Hassan highway, the first goal - grab something to eat and then head to Nelamangala (30km before Bangalore). It was getting dark and a bit of chill set it. Nice climate to ride 😀. Midway through John caught up at our hydration break and decided to ride with us.

As the night set in, lights were switched on and rear blinkers. I have to be honest, riding was fun due to the weather but i was the lead rider most of the journey and was always keeping an eye for vehicles coming from either side (including wrong sided ones ).

There was a huge traffic pile up at Nelamangala, but we squeezed in somehow and onto the ramp. At Yashwantpur, Binil took charge of leading into the city since i was not 100% sure of the route.

The last sprint through city in the Saturday traffic was painful. After the incident last Feb, i am more anxious as i see vehicles in close proximity.

The final sprint and we arrived at the destination around the time we had planned/predicted. And time for celebratory pics 🥰.

My Learnings :
Hydrate well with salts on the ride.
Sprint well and rest for few minutes - intervals.
Friends and chit chat keeps you focused
Emotions run high, have some banter but stay within limits each of us are working on our own goals.
Enjoy the ride. Dont time bound or look at the clock hours and distance tickers.

Big thanks to @binil and @manoj (multiple SR veterans ) for being supportive during the ride. Thanks to John also for the company.

Land of High Passes - Crossing the Blizzard

1999 was an eventful year for India. The stories of the Kargil war are not unheard. The heroic deeds of our soldiers fighting for the respect and dignity of the Nation have touched several hearts. Captain Virkam Batra,  Yogendra Singh, Manoj Kumar, Keishing Clifford, Saurab Kaliya etc. to name a few. There have also been innumerable movies depicting valor of Indian soldiers in many Indian languages.  

In my last 2 cycling trips to Leh, I had covered the route from Leh to Pangong, Manali to Leh but not the stretch that connects Srinagar to Leh. When the idea of doing another one through Kargil came, it was not just the landscapes the terrain that came to mind but the patriotism and valor of Indian Army. The sheer thought of riding through those valleys , hills and passes raised goose bumps. 

After few months of delibration, the date was fixed for mid of July. The decision to do a Semi-supported ride with a camper support in case of emergency was decided. The camper was to come from Leh and join us all the way back to Leh. A 8 day ride with a day of rest in between was planned. We kept the plan flexible knowing the uncertainity of weather, terrain and many other factors.  And this time the plan was not to rent our cycles but to take our Gravel, Hybrid ones. 

Now to the Riders.. who are they?

Tandava - A fun loving and family oriented, open, honest n friendly person, hit with midlife crisis in pursuit of challenges and looking for a week Sanyasa to indulge in self and realize any potential, hence this Manali - Leh ride.  Pursuing for a week Sanyasa with friends on this cycle ride with no internet, mobile connectivity is the gist and super excited about this trip.

Satnam (Singh) - I started Cycling in 2009 in Bangalore primarily to be fit and be around with my cycling buddies. I was happy doing some 50 km loops in nearby villages and occasionally go to Kolar, Nandi Hills around Bangalore. Big change came with my buddies Bobby and Dileesh came up with idea of Cycling in Leh Ladakh. In 2017, we did Leh- Pangong Lake with Saurabh. Then in 2018 with Saurabh and did Manali Leh.  Besides Cycling, you can find me on the rocks in Bangalore and Badami. He picked up Rock Climbing in 2002 and continued since then. He is also a rock climbing instructor and working  towards  bringing more people to climbing. By profession,  a data scientist and  passion is to build data products.

Saurabh - having done many Leh trip more than 20 times as well as many other international expeditions. "Cycling Badmash" as we fondly call him, he started his own company GoMissing which was later taken over by Cox and Kings. He was going to take it as Chill ride this time around. 

Mohit - last minute addition to the group, but a strong rider. He hasnt done cycling on the Himalayan passes before, but want to give it a try. 

And Myself  Dileesh - Engineer by profession, I like sports, travelling and blogging. Also practice the oldest martial art in the world - Kalari. All under the firm belief/ethos that "Limits exist in your mind.. you need to continue challenging them”. I took up Cycling in 2011 years back as part of a goal to get back in shape and have been doing regular weekend rides with Satnam and BWCC friends apart from office commutes. Last year we did Leh - Pangong with Saurabh  & mother of all "Manali - Leh". Looking forward to the Srinagar-Leh challenge to push my limits further , enjoy the view of Passes and share camaraderie with fellow riders and experience Patriotism and valor!

Day 0 : 

The day started at 2:30am. The bikes were all boxed up. We booked in Air India. The advantage being we can ship our boxed cycles and the baggage limit of 25 Kg is quite ideal. We arrived aroudn 4am at the airport and after an uneventful check-in process we were through for security check. I have to admire the support from Air India Ground staff who helped to take care of the 4 cycle (boxed) with care and dilligence. Through checked-in to Srinagar Airport. Around 930 am we landed in Delhi and caught up with Saurabh who was going to join us in the final leg of the journey. The flight was delayed by around an hour and by the time we landed in Srinagar it was scorchin hot. I mean Bangalore was heaven as compared to Srinagar. Getting the boxes into vehicles was a mess. The taxi driver folks in Srinagar Airport were perched on branches and as soon as they saw us, like eagles they descended and commotion started to get the Boxes loaded. Finally after a lot of tussle back and forth, they were loaded carefully. 

The landscape of Srinagar was quite different from what I expected. The houses and the mosques looked a lot different from traditional Indian ones. One thing that stood out was the presence of Security forces. Amarnath yatra was in full swing and there were security forces at every 10 meters on the roads. Our stay was at Dilaram Guest house (Hosted by Mustaq bhai). Thinlay (our camper driver) had arrived already in the morning. Although all of us were tired, we decided to assemble the cycles ASAP. In around couple of hours all 5 cycles were assemebled and reday. We took a short spin to Dal Lake, Nishant Bagh and stocked up dry fruits for our trip. Darn I got a flat tyre, but was able to fix it quickly by late night. Sunset was around 700 and there was light until 8pm which helped fixing the tube. With a bit of rest I was sure we will be alll set for the 440 Km ride ahead! After a sumptuous Kashmiri Dinner courtesy Mushtaq bhai, all excited I went to bed and slept peacefully 

Day 1: It got hot by the middle of the night. I got up and opened up the window to allow air flow. I slept peacefully thereafter.  The morning was pulsated with chirping of birds. There was a large moutnain on the back side of the Guest house which reminded me of the climbs we had to do. Today the plan was to ride until Sonamarg. Climb of around 4000 feet upto an altitude of around 9000 feet. We started teh ride from Srinagar around 7:30am. The first stretch was a peaceful ride along the Dal lake for around 8km. Then we join the highway which takes us to Wayul Bridge where we cross Sindh river and start riding upstream. Our first stop was few kilometers after Kangan. The average speeds were high for a hill terrain as the roads were also broad and in good condition. We took a short break few kilometers before Sonamarg and took time to dip our feet in the free flowing watter. The traffic on the route was insane due to the Amarnath Yatri traffic. The weather was hot and humid.The best part is the scenic hills with the captivating Pine Trees and the chill waters of Indus.We arrived at the hotel slept for couple of hours and had a stroll to the main market where got good vegetarian food. We heard feedback from others that Zojila Pass is closed on few Fridays when the tunnel construction is going on. As we enquired we found out that if we leave early in the morning, it should be all right for us to cross the First pass before the workers arrive. By now we had enough stock fo fruits and dry fruits and any Dhaba on the way would have provided us with the much needed refreshments. The traffic was intense and the security was tight. However we knew as we crossed Baltal the situation would change. Baltal is the base camp for Amarnath Yatra. I met Sharada Aunty who was from Pune and on her maiden Amarnath Yatra. She shared her excitment on the journey and was very happy to see cyclist in this terrain.

Day 2: Crossing the Blizzard. 

Zojila is named mountain pass of blizzards. On the Srinagar Leh highway this is the first pass but also considered one of the most trechearous. This is also the landmark point which divides Leh and Jammu & Kashmir. A transitionary point. During winter the area beyond the pass gets cut off and hence India is building a tunnel which will provide all weather connectivity to the valley. Owing to which the roads in this part was not in good condition either.  We flagged off aroudn 7:30 am and I drove straight for 12km beyond Baltal where I tood a breakfast break. The View from Baltal side was simply amazing with the light drizzle in the air. Climbs of this nature are not without broken roads. But after an hours climb, we were at the top of the First Pass. Here I was recolleting my thoughts few months back thinking that I may not be able to make it to the top. With renewed enthusiams we started the climb down hill. The down hill reminded me of Sarchu (in between Manali and Leh). The landscape had completely changed. From the hills studded with pine trees, the high altitude snow capped desert terrain had started. Our destination was Dras. One of the key towns where the 1999 war took place. We had a brief stop at Lal Vaishno Punjabi Dhaba (this is right after Matayen check point on the right hand side) where he served us with Rotis, Kadi, Sabji and Bhurji. After a brief stop over we were on our way and our destination - DMeadows hotel Dras. Overlooking the hotel was Tololing Peak and further away was Tiger Hill. Both of these places were recaptured by India during the 1999 War. The cycles had its share of mud bath and it was time to clean them up. A few hours rest and a sumptous meal was all we wanted. Now that the first pass was over, the thought of moving to the Ladhakhi terrain beckoned. It was a good start and not injury or untoword incidents. Thank god. We were all excited and looking forward for the next leg. Kargil and the onto the next passes. 

A Whirl Wind Trip of North East India

The seven sister states of North East India have always fascinated me. How could such diverse cultures come together under one theme of national integration, barely Geographically connected to India via the 22km Siliguri Corridor or Chicken's neck as it is called. Assam (or Brahmaputra plain) is the connecting strip between all the 6 other states. 

When the Bhutan Cycling expedition was planned, I and Tandava booked our travel via Guwahati (Also known as Gateway to the East) but were planning to do some CSR activities supporting Colleges in North East via the Pseudo Government Agency ICT Academy. Travelling to the North Eastern Engineering Colleges and providing support to them would have been so much satisfying, but somehow it didn't work out. So we planned a short trip based on the 3 1/2 day available before we fly out of Guwahati to the Land of Thunder Dragon - Bhutan. 

Abhirup had some local contacts from his IIT days and helped me plan the journey in pretty much short time. This was going to be a backpacking sort of journey. Being winter, we expected it to be an off-season period. Rupak (from Assam) suggested we visit Kaziranga as the National park was recently opened. 

Monday mornings are always tough, especially if you have to leave for Airport at 3AM. I was skeptical about finding an UBER/OLA ride in the morning, but luckily I got one one and I merrily chatted with him till I got to Airport around 4AM. Few minutes later, Tandava arrived and soon we finished the formalities to board the Spicejet Flight at 6AM. I pretty much slept through the whole journey. 

Our Charioteer for the Trip was Apurba Kolita a soft spoken well mannered person from East Assam but now settled in Guwahati. He was on time at the airport and helped us with an early morning Tea at a popular eatery in Guwahati.  It is interesting that the name Guwahati means "betel nut market", probably to indicate that affluent market 1600 years back during the Kamarupa regime. Well all the symptom of the flourishing regime was evident the moment we entered the city limits. The population density increased and so did the traffic. I have been fascinated by Brahmaputra river. The 9th largest river in the world, 15th longest, one of the widest (20km in some places), originates at Manasarovar (a place of importance for Indians and Tibetans), the lifeline of the Assam, the mere Geographic characteristics of plains in between Mountains to name a few. Apurba tole me that the water levels have been low this time of the year, however we can have a good view of the river near Tezpur/Kalibor. 

Our first destination was Kaziranga. I took some references from net and called up Hotel Bonraja at Bagori right next to the Western Entrance of Kaziranga .  Once we left Guwahati, the traffic became sparse, with long stretch of 2 lane roads in between fields with the villages appearing in between. After couple of hours ride we reached Nogaon where we had a traditional Assamese Thali. I personally like the Spinach and the Pumpkin dishes. 

An hour later, we were at the Kolia Bhomora bridge across Bramhaputra. A 3km bridge which is also a Historical site for the Ahom Dynasty. There is a rock inscription on the Bhomoraguri hill near the Kolia Bhomora Bridge which states the construction of a rampart by Ahom King Pratap Sinha (1603-41 A.D.) after defeating the Mughals in the Saka year 1538. This is the first Assamese inscription (i.e. the language of the inscription is Assamese). I took a few minutes just to assimilate the vastness of the Brobdingnagian (huge) river. There were at least 12 high power Power Transmission lines in the river bet to connect either sides of the river. 

The Roads became single lane from there on, but still sparsely populated. Kaziranga was just an hours drive from the bridge. It is around 400 square Km and 40 km in length on the left of the highway that connects Tezpur to Shivasagar. Kaziranga is home to the endangered species - One Horned Asian Rhino and a Tiger reserve. Apart from them there are elephants, swamp deer, bison  and other species to name a few. 

As we drove in we had the first spotting of Rhino razing through the swamp. We also spotted Elephants, Wild Boar, Deer, Bison on the drive to Bonraja. It was 4:30pm, when we reached Bonraja, but it was getting dark already.  Hareshwar greeted us at Bonraja and showed us the room. Since this was off-season, the rooms were pretty much vacant. He helped us with a Wifi Hotspot and we caught up with all the emails and attended the evening meetings. After dinner, we walked around to the Bagori pick up point. We confirmed that the elephant safari was on and that it was planned for 5am. In the excitement of getting an up close view of the Rhino, I fell asleep. 

We got up around 4:30pm and quickly got ready for the safari. The crowd had built up by then. Elephant Safari at Kaziranga is the most sought after one. One could also do Jeep Safari but the most popular is Elephant safari. A 1 hour tour of the sanctuary on top of an elephant. In the past I had seen a video of a tiger attack at Kaziranga and I hoped and prayed that we don't have a similar experience. I was ok even if we don't spot a tiger! 

The Elephant Safari comprises of a carriage mounted on top of the elephant which can seat 4 persons excluding the mahout. The ride is for 1 hour. It is difficult to balance on the top, but it is fun once you get used to it. By the time we got the tickets and the Mahouts

We were joined by an old Bengali couple who were travelling from Delhi. They were very knowledgeable about the Flora and Fauna across India. As the day broke, the ride started and we had good sightings from close range. 

My advice : Please don't use the online booking options. They are whopping costly. Try local contacts through the hotels nearby. They work out to be much cheaper. It is even better if you arrive and then inquire at the Kaziranga entry points - West, Central or East. Morning Safari's are better than evening. They are more picturesque.  

We had breakfast at Bonraja and were quickly on our way to Meghalaya. I always believed that Tea was grow at higher altitude, but I was surprised to see tea gardens right next to the Kaziranga reserve. A few hours later we reached Jorabat and crossed over to Meghalaya (the land of clouds). It is interesting to note that at one side of the Road, you have all the Petrol stations at Jorbat. The reason being that the road is the boundary between Assam and Meghalya and Petrol is relatively cheaper in Meghalaya due to state concessions. The Road started to wind uphill into the mountains and by 12 we were at Umsning where we had Lunch. We ordered Thali, but wanted to also tempted to try Bamboo Biriyani. Pineapple is grown plenty in the hills so I tried the Pineapple Juice. After lunch we headed uphill to Umiam (Bara pani) lake. The weather started to get cold and I had to layer up soon with the sunset near. 

Shillong is horribly crowded and traffic blocks are common. However no one breaks the traffic rules, and hence it is an orderly movement of traffic which takes time but not a deadlock. We headed  to Cherrapunjee (Sohra) as we were unconvinced of the stay options in Shillong. En-route, we decided to go to Elephant falls. A 3 stage waterfall named after an Elephant like stone at its foot. In fact its original name was 3 step waterfall in Khasi language. The stone got destroyed in an earthquake in 1897. 

As sun set, the hills became backlit with orange lights, like the earlier stages of the Northern lights. The mist started to settle, making it true to its name - Meghalaya, the land of Clouds. We did not book any stay in Sohra. After a couple of scouting options, we found Hotel Labana next to Arwah cave entrance. Apurba also got a drivers room and we decided to call it a day. We did not plan to be in Cherrapunjee but now that we were here, we wanted to make the best use of it. Can we cover Dawki tomorrow which is on another route along with root bridge and few other stops on the way? We weren't sure. Tandava spoke to the boy in the hotel to find out about about the best spots in the area. The water sources had dried up so visiting waterfalls was not best use of our time. The caves were the other option and then Kho Ramaha from where we could see Bangladesh plains. In the thought of the mesmerizing views and the cold night, I fell asleep. 

It was 6:00 AM when I woke up, the Sun had started to peep out of the mountain range. I looked out of the Balcony of my room and amazed at the view of the mountains. We spent an hour in the balcony staring at the pristine beauty of the nature chiseled mountains. We were in the land where the highest waterfall happens in the world!

If you are short of time, you do the best things possible. We had options to see the Cave or Nohkalikai Falls. We decided for the falls as it is the tallest plunge waterfall in India. A narrow 5km road led to the waterfall. A rare sight was the Ramakrishna Mission School in Sohra. Kids from poor background were heading to school and the young men heading out to work in the fields. 

Nohkalikai Falls is the tallest plunge waterfall in India and the second largest in Asia. Below the falls there has formed a plunge pool in pure Blue color. The falls is named after the tragic story of  Noh and Lika. During rainy season, there are multiple streams that take a plunge through the plateau leading to low visibility. Today we had clear visibility but just one stream plunging. We took few pictures and were soon on our way to the Living Root Bridge. 

Living root bridges are a form of tree shaping common in Meghalaya. The usually are used by villages to cross a narrow. They are hand by the Khasi and Jaintia peoples who are natives tribes of Meghalaya. Most of them are maintained by villages and have an entry fee. Some are Single deck and some are even Double deck. We headed towards one en-route Mawlynnong. A few kilometers away from Mawlynnong, we stopped at Riwai to see the beautiful man made Phenomenon. A blend of engineering and Nature! 

Butterfly on my hand with Living Root bridge behind. 

A slight mishap on the way down the hill and I ended up twisting my leg, with Bhutan ride coming up in 2 days time, it wasn't something that I needed! Today is the day for sightseeing, so though I was in pain, I walked through the whole steps down and back. 

Mawlynnong was few kilometers away. It was awarded the cleanest village in Asia in 2003. We took a stroll around the village. To be honest, I found the place not so exciting. Yet another clean village, but I felt sad for villagers who lost their privacy in the midst of this liberalization after the award. Few bamboo structures have come up with the board "Bangladesh View"! 

From Mawlynnong , a few kilometers through the unpaved roads, we climbed down the hills to Bangladesh boarder. It looked really porous. BSF had few posts and the fencing was starting to appear. The vast expanses of the Bangladesh plains seemed distinctly different from the hilly terrain behind me. 

As we rode through the border to Dawki, we stopped by couple of waterfalls - Borhill and Songrampunji. Finally we joined the highway that connects Shillong to Dawki (Indo - Bangladesh border) . We headed to the Bangladesh border point . Through the convoy hundreds of trucks carrying stones to Bangladesh, we finally managed to get to Tamabila, the border crossing!

At Tamabila Zero Point & Bangladesh Flag behind me

It was 3:45pm and the Sun was about to set, we headed straight to the boating point. A 700 Rupee per boat ticket (with 5 person capacity) is all that it costs to see the beauty of the Umngot river. It is claimed to the one of the cleanest and most transparent rivers in India (and in the world). With depths ranging from few feet to around 60 feet. There were few fisher men and women who were around and I noticed this wonderful young Boatman singing a Khasi song which echoed through the hills "Why did you Break my heart!!!" 

Me, Tandava and Apurb

Sunset @ Dwaki river with Bangladesh on the left and India on the right

At the border

The lights had faded fast and we had to get back to Shillong for our last night stay in the mountains. I booked Homestead for the night and headed straight to the hotel. We planned to try some local cuisine and in the curiosity, we asked Maria (the host) for a good hotel in Shillong. She advised for City Hut Family Dhaba near Police Bazar. As soon as we entered we realized that it served predominantly North Indian dishes. We had a long day, so decided to eat. at the place. Tandava was still searching for the  elusive Bamboo Biriyani. An hour later and after so many oneway routes, we were finally at our resting place. A few issues with Wifi setup, but other than that everything was up to expectations. It has been a long day and I was really tired!

The 5am Biological alarm was working. I woke up, but kept rolling in the bed, so that I don't disturb my partners sleep. By 6, I got up and started to pack. We had a 3:40pm flight to catch to Paro and I had to get the bags in order. I took an hour soaking the sun and viewing the well maintained Homestay. 

After breakfast, we quickly thanked the host and were on our way to Guwahati. We already had an experience with Shillong traffic and did not want to impact our flight schedules. After couple of hours drive down the hill, we reached Guwahati. The urge to eat an Assamese Thali was still in our mind. We wanted to try JB's (which was recommended by Abhirup), but due to paucity of time and traffic situation, we decided to have lunch at a Dhaba on the way. 

We had few minutes before the scheduled flight (which was delayed by an hour eventually), so Apurba decided to show us his favorite picnic spot - Dipor Bil (Bil stands for Lake - so the lake called Dipor). He and his friends take a break from their hectic driving schedule and come here and cook food and have some good fun once in a year. 

Arjun called up: Hey buddy are you coming to Bhutan Expedition or not? Well yes my friend we are at the entrance. JD managed to miss his flight so it was going to be just the 4 of us on this leg with others joining via other flights. 

The flight was delayed by an hour and we were just 6 from Guwahati to board the flight. The formalities were completed pretty quickly and we were all excited for the cycling leg. 

Up up and Away..... Into the Himalayan Kingdom!

Next up: Cycling through the land of Druk!