2 Idiots, 2 Wheels, 2 Days and 831 Kilometers. A Trip to Badrinath.


Thread Starter #16
Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Messages
6,206
Likes
4,220
Location
Meerut, U. P.
^^The pic is insufficient,instead I'd recommend you to sit on a bike and try it yourself once to experience this sweet pain.
Right now I am searching for a friend who owns a Bullet and can got for the Himalayan Odyssey with me.
Since I am no expert in Bullet hence I'd not try it alone and hence can't buy one too...

Right now uploading a video on youtube,a video of offroading in Auli on bike..will be posting it soon in the next post of our story "2 idiots and a bike".
 
Thread Starter #17
Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Messages
6,206
Likes
4,220
Location
Meerut, U. P.
Day 2 Continued..Joshimath to Auli..

After getting the bike serviced we people were again on the road and soon we started climbing towards the Auli.
Sorry,but couldn't take even a single pic of the narrower-than-single-laned road from Joshimath to Auli which was about 13-14 kilometers long.

In the Auli there is a small GMVN resort which we rejected at the first view itself and decided to move further 4 kilometers on a non-existent road towards the Clifftop resort,this was the most adventurous part of the journey and can be seen here:-

Riding on a non-existent road(Auli) in Himalayas!! - YouTube
 
Joined
Feb 15, 2010
Messages
4,700
Likes
523
Location
Bengaluru
Hey is it the main highway or a shortcut??
How do larger vehicles negotiate on such road??
Could hear your friend saying Restricted area-- Bole tho??

Ha ha , why were you going extreme left in the end, when there is enough space on right.??
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 2, 2012
Messages
2,650
Likes
461
Location
Gurgaon
That's a nice travelouge Vipul with some really nice pics. And those landslide prone areas looks dangerous. And it was nice to see that you did the trip on a bike. [clap]
 
Thread Starter #21
Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Messages
6,206
Likes
4,220
Location
Meerut, U. P.
Hey is it the main highway or a shortcut??
Buddy we are already 14 kms away from the main highway,but yes this si the main road to the clifftop.
About shortcut thing:Haha,the shortcuts on this road are delightful enough to make even a Range Rover cry.

How do larger vehicles negotiate on such road??
Well,I hope you will feel good and shocked on hearing that:-
We spotted even one Toyota coaster bus and a Tata truck at the clifftop and they have also gone through this way only as there is no other road to go there.Rest I have clicked the pics of some cars going there,will post them soon.

Could hear your friend saying Restricted area-- Bole tho??
This time it was the friend who was controlling the bike and I on pillion and those words were also said by me..:biggrin:
There is a lot to hear like:
At 1:13 I can be heard saying "Concentrate on the road..abe yaaar.." because I was terrified...and many more.

About restricted area thing:Its some kind of observatory there with small structures like keck telescopes.Outside was a board saying "RESTRICTED AREA,no entry without permission.Trespassers will be prosecuted" also there were some CRPF camps too at the place.

Ha ha , why were you going extreme left in the end, when there is enough space on right.??
Because in the middle and right were some stoned with very smooth surface while on the left was just slight grass with some soil only.Hence extreme left was quite driveable with about 1 foot wide smooth track which was sufficient for a bike.Rest it was scary too driving on the edge of the road.

That's a nice travelouge Vipul with some really nice pics. And those landslide prone areas looks dangerous. And it was nice to see that you did the trip on a bike. [clap]
Thanks buddy.
If these areas looked dangerous then you are about to find the great grandfather of all.BTW,I have missed to click at least 10 such other zones with one being very big.
Near Badrinath is a point where a landslide took away with it more than 20 vehicles last year killing more than 100 people.And every year on-two such incidents happens at that place.
The roads there are narrow enough that everytime there is a traffic jam and you can find small stones rolling down for 24 hours.So how it sounds?


Congrats buddy[clap],

Really a wonderful trip.. Riding a bike on those hilly regions would be Energetic & Memorable experience.
Thanks buddy,it was really a memorable experience.In fact although half of the body was paining but we had just one fact in our min "NO PAINS NO GAINS" and hence now I am planning one more hilly trip.This time by my 220.
 
Joined
Aug 15, 2011
Messages
816
Likes
804
Location
Mumbai / Kolkata
@Chandranath:That's great,so how about sharing some of your experience with us?

oK Vipul, Here goes a short story of 2007 Dec Auli trip with my wife.

We broke for a night halt in Rudraprayag and next day when we started for Joshimath in a hired Indica, the driver kept on sms ing even as he was drivinig slowly. I was sitting in front and my wife behind. I got pissed of and asked him to come to my seat and let me drive.

He tried to act smart and told me "ok you come to the driver's seat"

I started from thr and upto Joshimath it was me driving.

On reaching the driver told me "Do you know how I realised that you are used to driving in these Mountains even before you touched the steering wheel"

I asked "How?"

He said "Everyone from the plains have thr own car and everyone claims to be a big driver and asks my car from me on these roads. But the moment I challenge them to come and drive, their wives or other family members create a noise and stops them from driving.

But in your case your wife said nothing, rather appeared more comfortable when you took the wheels."

Returning to the thread great pictures and adventure. I am really loving it. 5 star rating from my side too
 
Thread Starter #24
Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Messages
6,206
Likes
4,220
Location
Meerut, U. P.
Thanks guys for those '5' stars..[:D]

So let's proceed(in an ordered way):-
Day 2-Joshimath to Auli...

As soon as the service was done,it was1:45 pm and we again hit the road.Now it was the Auli which was to be visited,so we moved on.

Road to Auli was a single lane road which was slightly broken too at some points.It was a continuously ascending incline for about 14 kilometers,have a look at the road to Auli:-
Road from Joshimath to Auli - YouTube

Soon we were in Auli,haven't visited the GMVN guest house and skiing resort as we have already visited it numerous times.Instead we planned that we will go to the clifftop resort by 'ROAD'!!Because friend was scared of those chair type cable cars which runs on skiing fields and goes from ski resort to Clifftop.But now we are happy to drive till clifftop,it was really a memorable experience.[clap]
Road till the CRPF camp was good while ahead it was an undriveable 'kaccha raasta'.We stopped there and clicked some pics:-

The grasslands there:
auli1 (1).JPG

Me..:biggrin:..
aulii.JPG

The bike,a helipad and the small road..
auli1.JPG

Again same video...now we moved ahead towards clifftop..
Riding on a non-existent road(Auli) in Himalayas!! - YouTube

Then we spotted an Amby coming down..this boosted our confidence even more..
auli1 (3).JPG

The bike again..
auli1 (6).JPG

The friend with his bike...he is the son of a farmer and drove exceptionally well on that road(maybe his skill of riding in his farms came handy here)..
auli.JPG

Soon we reached Clifftop..
auli1 (5).JPG

The skiing ground just adjacent to Clifftop..
auli1 (4).JPG
 
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 1, 2011
Messages
3,155
Likes
2,036
Location
Pune
Fantastic pics Vipul (All but one - that one nearly made me slip in to a coma, traumatic stuff, next time warn in big bold letters [;)] ).

Excellent travelogue!
 
Thread Starter #26
Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Messages
6,206
Likes
4,220
Location
Meerut, U. P.
Let's move on..

As usual..me..:biggrin:..
auli..JPG

Down there is GMVN ski resort..
auli1 (7).JPG

Snow making machines there at clifftop..
auli1 (8).JPG
auli1 (9).JPG

While returning back we found this mountain goat very swiftly climbing the undriveable road..
auli1 (10).JPG

And then we found a trapped Innova and then helped it come out..
auli1 (11).JPG

After this we moved on towards BADRINATH..
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 15, 2010
Messages
4,700
Likes
523
Location
Bengaluru
2 Questions Vipul, Why is there a Snow Making Machine?

And how was the Innova struck?

Hats off to you for doing 831 kms on a bike, today i couldn't sit on Activa for 25 kms.
 
Thread Starter #28
Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Messages
6,206
Likes
4,220
Location
Meerut, U. P.
^^
1):I think snow making machine is needed to maintain the right amount of ice on the ski ground.

2):Look at the car,actually both of its rear wheels were like suspended in air because driver made it climb a hump due to which the tyres were unable to get enough grip for pushing the car.
Just putting 2 small stones and pushing did the work.
You can see the same Innova in Gypsy pic too,it was climbing the hump then.
 
Joined
Dec 1, 2011
Messages
3,155
Likes
2,036
Location
Pune
^^
1):I think snow making machine is needed to maintain the right amount of ice on the ski ground.

2):Look at the car,actually both of its rear wheels were like suspended in air because driver made it climb a hump due to which the tyres were unable to get enough grip for pushing the car.
Just putting 2 small stones and pushing did the work.
You can see the same Innova in Gypsy pic too,it was climbing the hump then.
About 1 its basically to create a piste that can aid smooth skiiing.
 

Top Bottom