Overlanding IN to SG - Part 2

Overlanding IN to SG - Part 2

Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru (India) to Singapore covering 7000km, in January 2019 by three friends. This second part covers India - Bengaluru to border at Moreh.

Day 01 : Bengaluru to Hyderabad

Sun, 06 Jan 2019

With barely few hours of sleep the previous night, started by 4:45am. Met up point was at Esteem mall (on route to the Bengaluru International Airport) at 6am. Vish had reached there to see us off. Riyaz and Kiran reached there too and we set out by 7am. On Google maps, the shortest route to Siliguri shows via Nellore – Vijayawada, but we decided to opt for the route via Hyderabad – Vijayawada for the roads are far better with the difference between the two routes was a mere 190 km. Reached Hyderabad by 5pm and checked in to the prior booked hotel.

We spent some time by the cafe in front of the hotel to have some tea and local snacks. Parked our motorcycles in the hotel basement to which we had to go around / behind the hotel to get to. As we parked our motorcycles side by side is when I observed that my KTM Duke 390 was small in size compared to both – Triumph Tiger XRX and BMW G310GS. Considering me being 5’11” (180cm) in height, I was aware that the KTM Duke 390 wasn’t right for my height but its sheer power-weight ratio, agile & nimble character and it being just good value for money is what I was actually drawn to when purchasing it 3 years ago. Perhaps, it’s time for an upgrade. Hope the KTM 390 Adventure gets launched. Better yet if Honda releases a 300-400 cc off-road capable motorcycle in India in the near future.

Distance covered : 565 km
Average speed : 76 km/hr
Road : Tarred and good
Stay : Hotel Nova Pride, Hyderabad 4/5


Day 02 : Hyderabad to Vishakapatnam (Vizag)

Mon, 07 Jan 2019

Started at 7:30am and reached Vijaywada by 1am. There was a time delay due to traffic pile up in the city of Vijaywada. Riyaz rode to the Triumph showroom to fix some minor issues on the Tiger. Kiran and I head on, informing Riyaz to catch up with us. We stopped to refuel at a small town called Tanaku. Here’s where Google map showed wrong info of Riyaz’s location and with respect to directions onwards. It showed a shorter route off the highway when the highway was little longer but much better. After a little discussion, we decided to stick to the highway.

We reached Rajamundry by 8pm. Kiran wasn’t keeping well and not keen on riding at night. Riyaz was ahead and so told him to go ahead stay at Vizag while we stop over at Rajamundry. We searched but there were no hotels on the highway. Didn’t want to enter the city and so we rode on slowly. Ended up riding all the way to reach Vizag by 1am. Riyaz had checked into the hotel that was booked earlier in Encore Inn. Tried booking again for same hotel but was sold out. So looked for the closest hotel and found/booked Hotel Ginger and checked in there.

Distance covered : 630 km
Average speed : 74 km/hr
Road : Tarred and good
Stay : Hotel Encore Inn, Vizag 2/5
Stay : Hotel Ginger, Vizag 4/5


Day 03 : Vizag to Bhubaneswar

Tue, 08 Jan 2019

We were up by 7am. Riyaz checked out from his hotel (which he wasn’t happy with) and joined us at our hotel of stay for breakfast. The Tiger still had issues to be sorted and so decided to get to the Triumph service centre in Bhubaneshwar (as suggested by biker friends Vinayaka and Preetham from the bikers group – The Kriegers). Started out at 11am and reached Bhubaneshwar by 7pm. We got to the Triumph showroom but they were closing for the day so we related the problem and were asked to come the following morning. Go back to hotel, freshened up, had dinner at the restaurant closeby – Mainland China. Later, retired for the night.

Distance covered : 429 km
Average speed : 63 km/hr
Road : Mostly good. Road widening work going on.
Hotel Siddharth, Bhubaneswar 4/5


Day 04 : Bhubaneswar to Howrah

Wed, 09 Jan 2019

We got to the Triumph Service center in the morning and the Tiger motorcycle got fixed by 2:30pm. Got back to the hotel, checked out and started by 3:30pm. On the road, we realised there was an All India fuel strike and so most fuel stations remained closed for the day. I needed fuel for my bike. Fortunately, one small fuel station on the highway was selling fuel. Fueled up and continued on. Somewhere along the way, we changed our plan of riding to Howrah instead of Asansol. We had got used to the practice of not having our mid-day meal – this is just so we don’t feel sleepy while riding. Stopped for tea break. Next stop was for refuel. Later at 9pm we stopped for dinner, about 74km before Howrah.

As we neared the city, Kiran searched for hotels closeby and booked online the closest hotel available on the highway. We needed to catch up on sleep. Got to the hotel which didn’t seem inviting from the outside – hotel facade looked like that of a shady bar with stinky footpath, dirty roads. We were running out of time, so I quickly went to check it out. Climbed up the narrow staircase leading to the first floor. Was surprisingly just fine. The hotel didn’t have a parking space but they arranged for a secured parking space at the marriage hall close by for Rs.30/- per bike. Checked in at 2:30am. Meanwhile, Vish had reached the hotel at Siliguri in the evening.

Distance covered : 420 km
Average speed : 56 km/hr
Road : Mostly good but for few rough patches.
Stay : Nu Blue Moon Guesthouse, Howrah 3/5


Day 05 : Howrah to Malda

Thu, 10 Jan 2019

Woke up by 9am. Freshened up and checked out by 11am. Got several inputs about the road ahead and which routes to take and which to avoid. Long day ahead. Plan was to ride till Panagarh and decide which route to take. As we neared Bardhaman, I stopped to fuel up. At 2:20pm little further on route we stopped at Cafe Coffee Day for snacks and coffee. Here, we decided to take the Panagarh, Dubrajpur, Suri, Rampurhat, Farrakha, Malda onwards to Siliguri. At Farakkha, one section of the roads were blocked by lorries and goods carrier vans for over 2km or so, due to the fuel strike. We had to ride on the opposite side of the road to get past the long chain of lorries. It was about 7pm and we had to have tea before we proceed on. We stopped at a small tea stall in the small town of Chatra. The local men folk gathered around intrigued with our motorcycles. Some of them took selfies with the motorbikes. Interacted with some of them and it felt good. We continued on and two hours later, we stopped at a fuel station to refuel. It was getting chilly. The guys at the station offered us tea in little mud cups. Took pictures with them and continued on.

By the time we got to Farakkha barrage it was 10:20pm. By 11pm, we reached a restaurant at Malda and stopped to have dinner. Continued to ride slowly and carefully in the cold and dense fog with visibility barely upto 5 feet. Riyaz let the way for the Tiger motorcycle had fog lamps. Followed by Kiran and then me. We both had just visibility of red tail light and a faint silhouette of the motorcycle ahead of us. Occasionally, there were these goods lorries along the way. We had to be extra careful, so we don’t collide. Its was cold. I was cursing for having got the Rynox AIR GT riding jacket for this trip. Even with its inner rain liner and thermal liner on, it was pretty much useless and I was shaking like a leaf (metaphorically speaking of course), firmly holding onto my motorcycle handlebars.

Distance covered : 350 km
Average speed : 46 km/hr
Road : Mostly good but for few rough patches.
Stay : Short nap on the bike by the road side


Day 06 : Malda to Siliguri

Fri, 11 Jan 2019

We were sleep deprived and was getting the better of us. We had to stop somewhere and take rest but where on this highway? At about 6am, we stopped by this little shrine to the side of the road. Didn't get off the bike. Put on the side stand and just slept on the bike. Here’s the only time I thanked myself for having my tank bag on the motorcycle to rest my head on. Half hour later, rode on until next HP fuel station to refuel my bike. By 8am, we reached the hotel where Vish came out to greet us. Rested for a few hours. Riyaz was to take the evening flight back to Bengaluru. By 3pm, we took a taxi for the airport to drop and see off Riyaz. Got back, relaxed and later went out for a quick snack.

Distance covered : 350km + 278km = 628 km
Average speed : 45 km/hr
Road : Mostly good but for few patchwork.
Stay : The Loft Hotel 4/5 (Friendly staff and very good hotel)


Day 07 : Siliguri to Shillong

Sat, 12 Jan 2019

Today’s stopover was scheduled for Gauhati. However, Riyaz had earlier on suggested that we skip Gauhati (Assam) and go to Shillong (Meghalaya) instead. Shillong was just 99km further from Gauhati and this was okay by us. We took his advice. It was 5pm, when we reached the town of Guwahati, once a serene hill station but now commecialized and packed with people / vehicles. We had to get out of there. As we neared Shillong the roads were superb. It was nightfall but that didn’t perturb me. I thoroughly enjoyed banking my motorcycle on the curvy roads. We reached the hotel by about 8pm and checked in. The hotel is located on the highway route. Food here is decent. Staff were courteous and helpful.

Distance covered : 530 km
Average speed : 63 km/hr
Road : Good roads
Stay : Meera Holiday Villa, Shillong 3/5 (Good place to stay. Food was good. Helpful staff)


Day 08 : Shillong to Jiribam

Sun, 13 Jan 2019

Started from hotel by about 9am. 2 fuel stops and 2 chai stops on route. Roads were good with lots of curves initially. Got into part of Assam again. As we rode through the hilly sections, there was a long traffic pile up of lorries and jam at Lakhicherra Khasia Punjee, Assam. At some point we had to carefully ride on the narrow concrete footpath to get past the huge trucks and lorries that had blocked the movement of vehicle movement. Further on, there was this side walk passage on the bridge that helped us finally get past the jam.

Reached Silchar by 2:30pm. Heavy traffic in the town main road which we had to ride through. Thought we would halt here but there was nothing much in this small town. Roads had goats and ducks walking across with the least of worry. Some local folk led their cattle along the road. We stopped at a nearby shop for tea before continuing on. Vish searched for a hotel online and found one. We continued on and crossed over into the state of Manipur. Reached the hotel (probably the only hotel around) located in the small town of there by 5pm. The guy there David by name was helpful in giving us information regarding the border crossing. Unloaded the luggage off our bikes and up into the alloted room for us. Then, cleaned and lubricated our motorcycle chains. Dinner done by 9pm having decided to start early tomorrow morning.

Distance covered : 295 km
Average speed : 55 km/hr
Road : Good but for few patchwork.
Stay : Hotel Leibakleim, Jiribam 3/5 (Fairly new and decent hotel run by a family. Home cooked food. Reasonably priced)


Day 09 : Mon 14 Jan – Jiribam to Moreh

Had to fill petrol and bunk was 4km other way. By about 7:30am, we filled up full tank and started onwards to Imphal with lots of curvy roads for 200km. Here we rode through a good variety of terrain with road quality from nea roads to rocky and muddy surfaces. Stopped midway just past a bridge to have a quick tea break. Next 13km to Imphal city was good. Filled in fuel.

We had to get to the border in time else we would have to turn back and return the next day early morning. On route, I had stopped to a side to take picture of the landscape when a car stopped by and the gentleman seated in it asked as to which part in Karnataka state I was from. He happened to be a Major in the army travelling in civilian clothes and from Karnataka too. Got to the 1st checkpoint at Tengnoupal to make entry and get token to pass the second checkpoint at Khudengthabi. Note that checkpoint entry/exit closes by 4:30pm. Had tea and some biscuits at the small market at the border village Moreh (India). Reached the hotel Elora (best in the area) by about 6pm. We were just 900 meters from the Myanmar border. Freshened up, dinner and bed.

Distance covered : 316 km
Average speed : 46 km/hr
Road : Average with few bad stretches.
Stay : Hotel Elora, Moreh 4/5 (Courteous staff and good food but no lift and no help with luggage)


Total distance covered in India (Bengaluru to Moreh) : 3900km (approx.)
The journey continues in Part 3 

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Overlanding IN to SG - Part 3

Motorcycle trip from Bengaluru (India) to Singapore covering 7000km, in January 2019 by three friends. This third part covers Myanmar an...