A Successful K2K

K2K-2012 - TLDR This blog is about my motorcycle journey from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, about my desire of riding from the southern most tip to the far north on the Indian map which took me through 10,000 km in 23 days. Though i had shared this with friends before on different forums, i'm finally revisiting my travel log and carving it on stone after almost 6 years. I cannot say "MY successful K2K 2012" because that would be an insult to all my friends and family who directly and indirectly helped me with their time, prayers and also by being an integral part of this journey. Without them this dream would have still remained a dream. This is a tribute to them. I am always at loss of words trying to do justice to my emotions while thanking them. Its been 7 years of saving up and trying at every company i worked in to get a month's leave sanctioned. The first time i shared this desire, i was tagged a mad person and the most blunt criticism was "Why. Do you

K2K-2012 - Day 1 to Day 3 and the days/months before... The first time i tried i had a Pulsar 180 DTSi UG3. The second time it was a Karizma ZMR. Never managed to make it happen then. Third time's a charm? It looks like now huh  This time i had a Ninja 650 and unlike the previous bikes, it took most of my mental bandwidth. The learning curve was steep and i found it extremely hard to focus on the trip planning since most of the time it was bike prep alone. Also to complicate things the bike used to stay back in Bangalore most of the time while my body was in Pune since i work out of this location. Again if not for friends and the Ninja 650R Owners Group i would have kept searching for another year for answers and this would have been a K2K 2013. Like a school kid, i took a printout of a custom calendar that counted down three months prior to the planned trip. Funny thing is - the trip dates, trip schedule etc were never planned until the last week of departure. I s

K2K-2012 - Day 4 to Day 9 Day 4 I woke up pretty early and was ready to leave by 4:30 that day. Mounting and un-mounting the luggage was taking lesser time when compared to the first day. I take the Bangalore - Pune highway and my first stop is Chitradurga. Usually i do not stop for butt breaks, i stop once i need to tank up. The 650R does not have a great range - i'm always forced to slow down at approx 200 km and start looking out for a fuel station. Luckily the 650R drinks normal fuel so no searching for xtra premium or any other high octane fuel. Pune has a good supply of quality dry fruits. I'm addicted to the anjeer, badam and dry grapes combination which i mix up in a box and sustain myself until i reach Pune. This has become a normal affair when ever i do a Bangalore - Pune or the other way round. Took the same recipe through out the K2K. Also i know where the fuel stations are so that is one uncertainty off the list for now. I doze off while on

K2K-2012 - Day 10 to 11 Day 10 I am on the bike ready to start for the day at 10:30 in the morning. Looks like i did not learn from my mistakes? Well no, its always something new that stops me from leaving early. As long as its new, it makes the journey more interesting and gives you something more to learn  Today's delay has to do with a mistake i committed yesterday. BUT - being in Sonamarg and knowing for sure that your return journey is via Manali, its justifiable to leave late since you get to enjoy it more once the sun is up. In fact i would advice a day's stay in Sonamarg - enjoy the nature and additionally visit the glacier which is pretty close by.  Yesterday, while riding to Sonamarg i was getting low on fuel. But per my calculation i had enough to reach Sonamarg - and that was a huge mistake.  After checking into the hotel with another 30 km worth of fuel left, i en quire for a fuel station. The owner of the hotel - Chandu - who is almost my age saw my

K2K-2012 - Day 12 to 19 Day 12 The laziest day for me. I pick up my wife from the airport in Leh and she had to acclimatize at least for one full day. No sight seeing, no nothing. The first comment as she walks into the hotel room is.... can i clean up the room... you have your stuff all over the floor  Lucky for me that she had a tough time getting some sleep in the Delhi airport the previous night. This made her doze off quickly. The hotel had a good internet connection. I spent a lot of time catching up. Its a luxury to have a working and reliable internet connection in Leh. The 650 happily rests for the first time - its acclimatizing too!! K2K-2012 - Day 13 Wife does not feel any effects of high altitude. So she is already raring to venture out. I was lazy and wanted to sip tea, have breakfast and just sit there enjoying the view until lunch and dinner is served. But no can do! If home minister wants to go out then you better get your butt off the couch!