I AM LEGEND

Bharadwaj Dayala on Honda Goldwing during Dubai Ride 2013

AM I A LEGEND? I don’t think so.

But whenever I see my sticker studded motorcycle and think about all the places it took me and the LEGENDS I met because of these journeys, it makes me feel like one.  I am the First Indian to ride ALONE AROUND THE WORLD on my motorcycle, aptly christened as PUSHPAK, a vehicle that takes you to any place you wish. It is an Andhra registered (AP 31 AM 0419) Yellow Hero Honda Karizma.

PUSHPAK - the Yellow Karizma that took me around the world!

  THE LEGENDS

Before we relive my journeys, let’s first meet the LEGENDS I met because of my motorcycle.

With the legends of motorcycling – Ted Simon (left) and Nick Sanders (right)

I think most riders recognize the legendary riders in the above picture. On the left is Ted Simon, the pioneer of world travel who went around the world twice on his motorcycle.  He travelled through more than 45 countries in about 7 years. His journeys were chronicled in JUPITER’S TRAVELS. He is still an inspiration for bikers like me.

The bored looking gentleman on the right (because he is asked to sit and not ride) is Nick Sanders, known as the ‘fastest man around the world’! He completed his world record circumnavigation in just 19 days! Can you imagine? And then he went around the world 7 times!These are the true Legends.

When I was asked to sit with them to talk about the world travel at the India Bike Week 2014, I was on cloud nine, you can actually see my face glowing like a bulb. They wondered why so few Indians travel around the world. But then I described how difficult it is for an Indian to ride around the world.

Talking about the difficulties of Indian riders at India Bike Week 2014

It all starts with VISAS. An American or a Briton (like Ted and Nick)can’t even imagine how hard it is for us Indians to get visas. They get them right at the borders while we need to secure all the visas before we leave the country and that itself will take a year. They have the best of bikes available which can safely and comfortably take them around the world while we have only street bikes. Importing a bike is three times more expensive for us. They get sponsors more easily (both Ted and Nick were sponsored) while Indian companies still believe only film stars can add value to their products.

And most importantly, a year's salary may be sufficient for them to afford a world tour. Whereas we the Indians may have to work hard over many years and save required funds. When Americans starts travelling, everything becomes progressively cheaper as he/she goes to the east while we shall spend a lot more than what we would spend at home as we go to the west. We discussed a lot more and they understood why so few Indians (still it’s only me) go around the world. By the end of that program, I felt like a LEGEND.

With Navroz Contractor - The veteran biker and journalist.

As I said, I never attended bike festivals or contests until the founder of the Motorcycle Travelers Meet Santosh invited me to their first meet in Bangalore. I was reluctant, but he assured me that all the participants were seriously interested in motorcycles and travel. I met many accomplished riders there including the Legend Navroz Contractor, the veteran motorcycle Journalist and Traveler who traveled from India to London in 1977! When he told the group ‘I am left with no words, I have nothing to speak after seeing Bharadwaj’s achievement’, I felt like a LEGEND.

With Former Chief Justice of Supreme Court of India - Padma Vibhushan Sri M.N.Venkatachalayya

There were a few surprise invitations from eminent people who generally are not interested in motorcycles. Former Chief Justice of Supreme Court of India, Padma Vibhushan Sri M.N.Venkatachalayya followed my journey online and invited me to his home. We discussed travel and adventure spirit in India. I never imagined to meet such Legends in my life and it is surprising that my motorcycle made this possible. That’s when I felt like a LEGEND.

 Felicitation by Prince of Dubai - Sheik Mansour bin Mohammad Al Maktoum

Lo! Here is another surprise. Prince of Dubai, Sheik Mansour bin Mohammad Al Maktoum  invited me on their National Day celebrations and felicitated me with an award for spreading goodwill and friendship through my travels. They made me feel like a King with their fabulous hospitality and grandeur.

With Royals Scion of Dubai

I met many illustrious figures and members of the Royal family. They were intrigued to know about my journeys and asked a lot of questions. While I was talking to this Royal scion (picture above) seated in golden chairs, a group of people were watching me from a distance. When I was ready to leave, one of the aides asked me whether a few Indians working there can meet me. They were elated when I met them and said admiringly “there are many Indians here, but this is the first time we saw a common Indian like us sitting among the Sheiks and talking to them”.  My chest filled with joy and made me feel like a LEGEND.

With the Pro-Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor of IMA University, Dehradun.

Usually, motorcycles are not welcome and bikers are chased out of educational institutions. But when I went to the IMA University in Dehradun with a few fellow bikers during the Vande Mataram campaign, they welcomed us warmly and organized a meeting with all their students to share my experiences(thanks to Siddharth, first from the left). I was seated between the Pro-Chancellor (in yellow shirt) and the Vice Chancellor (in grey suit). And when the students started making a little noise, the Vice Chancellor took the mike and said “this is a wonderful opportunity for you to meet with a Legend. Don’t waste a single minute and learn from his experiences”.  That made me feel like a LEGEND.

Flagging off Wanderers rally in Hyderabad

Though I am from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, very few know about my adventures there. But when I finally met the Wanderers of Hyderabad, they gave me the Nizam’s treatment. There I met two legendary bikers. Sri Lalit Jain who is successfully leading the country’s largest motorcycle club WANDERERS for a decade or more (the man behind the flag). The other is Sri Kalim Moochwala, a veteran biker who had decades of riding experience. Not only his moustache but also his heart and his achievements are big. We went in a huge procession across the busy Hyderabad city with me sitting in an open-top Jeep of the jolly Punjabi rider Monty. And when I flagged off this procession of legendary riders instead of being somewhere at the back made me feel like a LEGEND.

THE FANS

Apart from meeting great people, I feel so fortunate to have a huge fan base spanning all over the country. Wherever I went, bikers were always there to meet me and share their stories with me. This sure makes me proud and feel like a LEGEND.

With Mumbai REO riders.

Fans from Dehradun

Wanderers of Hyderabad

Fans of Mumbai

Fans from Delhi

Vande Mataram supporter Group

Vande Mataram – Team

SOCIAL CAMPAIGNS

ROAD SAFETY

Sri L.K. Advani flagging off All India Road Safety Rally - 2004

I always wanted to do my bit to the society and my country. I spearheaded many campaigns for good causes. The year 2004 was declared as the Year of Road Safety by the United Nations. Hence, I started an All India Road Safety Rally to create awareness and urge people to wear helmets. It was flagged off by Sri L.K. Advani. I started solo with just another journalist, but soon many riders joined from different places. I finished this all India tour in 40 days. At that time, it made me feel like a LEGEND.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

Rally for women empowerment by Cruise India - Mumbai

In 2014, I joined a large group of accomplished female riders to ride across Mumbai, to support the cause of women empowerment. It is sad to know that the socio-economic standing of women in India is the lowest among 16 Asia Pacific countries. So it is time we did something about it. The ride was organized by Cruise India in Mumbai. In this aspect, I still need to do a lot more before I an feel like a LEGEND.

VANDE MATARAM

Vande Mataram campaign – with Monty, Navin and Christopher.

I was preparing to launch my next world tour when the General Elections were announced in March 2014. I felt the need to energize the youth of the country to go ahead and vote, no matter to whom. The average age of the voter in this election was 23 years. That means these young guns are going to decide the fate of this country. But it’s a known fact that most of the youth do not take part in voting just because they don’t feel the need for it or they don’t think they can make a difference.

Many of them go to a movie or a ride using the Election Day as a holiday. I as a world rider have some following and many riders admire me. I wanted this leverage to be used for the country. I started a biker movement called Vande Mataram with my own funds to motivate the youth to cast their vote. Before independence, Vande Maataram slogan united the people of India and changed its future. I wanted the youngsters to join hands in doing it again. I wanted to show that we the bikers are not a careless lot, but we are responsible and do care for our country. If you look at the Vande Mataram page www.facebook.com/Vandemaataram2014  you will know what difference we made.

Preparing the biker movement - Sahil, Praveena, Christy, Steve, Rasika and Geeta

A group of riders and enthusiasts from Mumbai - Sahil, Mehul, Laxmi, Irshad, Steve, Pravin, Rajiv, Praveena, Geetha, Rasika and many others to mention, worked relentlessly on the planning and logistics. Riders from different parts of the country Jaspreet Singh Monty, Raman Balyan, Navin Nayar, Christopher Nadar and M.N. Anand Babu joined me to take this campaign to all the capital cities of the country. A huge number of supporters, bikers and biking clubs joined us and campaigned for the cause. This was totally apolitical and neutral campaign. When thousands of people said we were doing a great job, I felt like a LEGEND.

The biggest biker movement Vande Maataram

ROAD SAFETY AWARENESS DRIVE

Road Safety session at GITAM University - Visakhapatnam

India is also a global leader in the number of road fatalities. 1,40,000 people die on Indian roads every year! And most of them are motorcyclists(19.7%). Road safety is not a personal problem but a social problem as every one of us pays towards the treatment of these cases. A few safety tips can save many lives. With this motive, I am going to educational and corporate institutions and taking classes on road safety. Free of charge (if you want me conduct a class in your company please get in touch). During Feb 2015 alone I have taken classes to 10,000 students of GITAM University, Visakhapatnam.

Felicitated for conducting Road Safety classes for 10,000 students

On the final day, the Police Commissioner came to felicitate me and said ‘we also conduct such awareness drives, but no one attends. Only people like you can take the message to lakhs of students and save their lives’. That’s what made me feel like a LEGEND.

ME AND MY MOTORCYCLE JOURNEYS

So Here I am, Bharadwaj Dayala from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Born in 1970 in a lower-middle-class family who never went to college and who never was or is rich but who always had the audacity to dream big and chase those dreams until he lived them and became one in a billion people by creating history as the first Indian to ride around the world.

MY RIDES

My philosophy

Frankly world tour was my first big ride. I have a limitation, I can’t think small.  And I don’t believe in ‘you must start small and grow gradually’.  If you have the courage and confidence to handle big things, doing great things is much easier than doing small things. So with that confidence (or overconfidence?) I planned for a world tour though I never even went across my state once.

All those who wander, are not lost!

This also happened unexpectedly. Though I always nurtured the dream to travel the world, I never had much time to think about it. Like most Indians I was busy building a life of my own. But an unexpected disaster struck and I lost everything I had and became bankrupt. One day I was wandering aimlessly and happened to see an international travel advertisement. That ignited a spark and woke up my slumbering soul with a jolt. And I said to myself “now I have all the time in the world, why not go around the world? I may never get another chance like this!”  The old saying *everything happens for a reason’* proved very true for me.

My world tour route map.

Energized by the thought I immediately bought a world map and stared at it all night. I never knew which is Europe in the map, seriously. But I do have one essential quality - I know how to get the knowledge when I need it. In just a few days, I finished my research about the countries I wanted to visit and fixed up a route.  I was always sure I wanted to do it on a motorcycle, not by flight. I wanted to travel in a continuous line, not dots. I announced my tour to the public at the motorcycle riders meet Rider Mania 2004. All listened intently, none made a joke of it, but no one believed it either.

Being first has its own disadvantages.

Being the first in any field has its own disadvantages. You have to invent the wheel not reinvent it. And when you are a dumb looking Indian, your difficulties will multiply. Internet was in its nascent stages and painfully slow and the information available was not really useful. No one to look at and no one to guide me as no one did it before me from India. I ran from pillar to post to do the simplest things.  If you start planning for a world tour without internet then you will understand.

Getting all the visas is a great hurdle for the Indian rider.

My biggest problems were funds and permissions. Till then I didn’t even had a passport. All the biggest visa agents in India rejected my case saying I won’t get a single visa on a fresh passport except for a group tour to Singapore. They were right, I cannot furnish any requisites like return flight tickets, confirmed hotel bookings, funds and sponsors. I am going on a motorcycle and I don’t know exactly when and where I am going to be. But by then I had become deaf to the word ‘NO’. I went to each and every embassy and got all the visas on my own. There is a big story behind getting each visa. Now I am an expert on Visa procedures.

Getting sponsors for the ride is the next big hurdle.

Then there is the insurmountable hurdle of finding sponsors. In the west even well-known companies sponsor such rides even though there is no direct gain for them. They do it to support and for prestige. Whereas in India, I still don’t see such support from the corporate sector. Sure they spend hundreds of crores of rupees on advertising and celebrities but they don’t feel they get enough value from these expeditions even if someone is doing it for the first time.  From their point of view, they are right. A film hero would surely get more eyeballs than I can. But I am sure that I can add great value and prestige to their products which even ten heroes cannot. Finally, I could not get any kind of sponsorship except for offers like a cheap helmet or a waterproof raincoat full of
stickers saying ‘sponsored by…’. So I had no sponsors. I along with another two close friends Dr. D. Gopichand and Dr. M.S. Sharma pooled in the money and we did it. But nowadays the big companies are recognizing the value of such events and are more positive to sponsor. 

Quitting is the easiest thing - Never quit.

There were so many lonely and depressing moments when I really got dejected and thought of quitting. But that’s the easiest thing to do. I persisted and pushed myself in spite of adversity from all quarters. I had to postpone the dates many times, changed the routes and had to re-apply for visas. Knowing that the temptation to quit is greatest just before you are about to succeed, I continued to trudge.

Just do it!

So finally on 2nd  April 2006 I launched my world tour on my Pushpak, the yellow Karizma from Visakhapatnam. The then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Dr. Y.S.Rajashekar Reddy flagged off my tour. A small group of friends followed me all over India. I reached Mumbai to ship my bike to Iran.

CUSTOMS AND CLEARANCES

Shipping your bike is expensive and time-consuming.

Another hindrance for Indians to ride in foreign countries is - we can’t get out of the country on the road. It seems silly but true. You can go into Bhutan and Nepal but no further than that. Pakistan won’t allow you because you are a big headache for them. I was told that even if I ride with a Pakistan flag I will be shot just for my motorcycle and the kind of gear I was wearing.

China is almost impossible. To ride in China, you need to have a Chinese driving license. To have a Chinese license you must be a resident for one year and your bike must be registered in China. It is possible if you have loads of money. You can hire a Chinese guide who will follow you in a four wheeler wherever you want to go and you have to bear all these costs, roughly about $400 a day! It was beyond my limits. You can
go into Myanmar but just for a day trip and not further. So the only way is to ship your bike to the next country and start riding from there. Nowadays Myanmar is opening borders and China is also relaxing rules. 

A great journey begins

Thus, I landed in Tehran, Iran and my bike landed three days later. I was expecting to see sand dunes, but I saw snow-capped mountains even in mid-April. The city was huge beyond my imagination. Welcome to the real word. What we see on the television can never equal to seeing it in reality.  I had become dumb from that day till I reached the UK. No one spoke English including the highest officials in departments like Customs where they have to deal with other countries. They can’t even read English. It was really frustrating. My customs clearance took about 7 days. According to them, it was a record time. I saw many imported BMWs and Hondas rusting in the garage. I finally started riding with my fully loaded bike for the first time.

The bike is too heavy and behaves like a wild horse.

I must say a few things about my bike Pushpak. It is a stock 2006 model Hero Honda Karizma with no modifications on the engine side. I had to disfigure it to add a lot of ugly boxes to carry my luggage. The bike was not really meant for such use and load. But I needed to carry a lot of things including spares, camping gear and what not. Until you become an expert in travelling you are tempted to carry too much. You don’t really need all that stuff. I was still inexperienced so I carried a mini Walmart on my bike. Now I can start off with a spare underwear.

I never had the time to fix all the boxes and load test it. I was running busily to get my permissions until the last minute. The bike was ready only an hour before my departure. But I hesitated to load the bike fully fearing it might topple. So till Mumbai I carried the stuff in a car that followed. Another Legendary motorcycle Journalist friend Dilip Bam from Pune tested the bike with all the boxes sans weight and said ‘this bike won’t go’ with a lot of concern. But remember, I became deaf for the word 'NO' So I 'DID' go ahead. But when I loaded it for the first time, Oh my God! it was like riding a wild horse. And to test my nerves it started raining heavily on the first day of my international ride. With great difficulty, I reached a city called Qhom. That’s how it all began.

LIVING MY DREAM

Falling in love with my bike.

Soon after I started my world tour, I fell in love with my bike. No matter how many times I looked at it, it still looked beautiful and faithful. It never let me down on the road. I never suffered an accident. Even when the major breakdowns happened I was safe at some place. It had become my true life partner.

THE PLACES

I can’t really write a detailed account of the places I visited or the foods I tasted as this article will become a book (I think it already is).  So I will just give you a few highlights of my trip.

One of my most favorite cities - Esfahan, Iran.

Doesn’t it look like a picture from a previous era or an Indiana Jones film set? This is Imam Square in one of my most favourite cities, Esfahan. It is a bustling place for tourists and business. Its bazaars are filled with antiques and colourful rugs. I loved the Middle East for its rich history, heritage and raw beauty. But now it has become almost impossible to travel to these places.

Beautiful and expensive Persian carpets.

Esfahan is the place from where carpets are exported to all over the world. You can see some really expensive stuff here.

The Bazars of Iran are much bigger than any international malls.

So I and my bike wandered around the world like we were on a honeymoon. Going to all those dreamy destinations and doing all the crazy things which we do only in our dreams.

King of wishful thinking

At the Harry Potter castle (Alnwick Castle in the UK)

At NASA, My bike with the Discovery space shuttle

The Gladiator at the ancient Roman city of Ephesus

At the Grand Canyon, USA

Scotland is a place to live

Ruins of a great city - Palmyra, Syria

Opera House, Sydney, Australia

At Great Pyramids, Cairo - Egypt

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS

My favorite singer, Lionel Richie singing my favorite song HELLO...

A journey like this will not only take you to places and people but also expose you to multiple cultures, cuisine, music, festivals, customs and adventure sports. It will leave you with a lifetime experience plenty of stories to tell. When I was young I loved listening to Lionel Ritchie and on my tour I had this wonderful opportunity to attend his live concert at the world famous Fox Theatre in Atlanta, USA. Here he is singing my favourite song Hello…

Got the 11th Commandment at the Mount Moses, Sinai - Egypt.

This is the place where Moses received his 10 COMMANDMENTS! This is called Mount Musa/Moses in Sinai Province of Egypt. Just like Moses, I started climbing this treacherous mountain at 1 AM  to see the sunrise from the top and Jesus!I received the 11 Commandment, the last one being ‘never stop traveling’.

Slept on the beach in Egypt and watched sun rising from Saudi Arabia.

While waiting to cross the Red Sea from Egypt to Jordan, I slept on the beach that night. And when I got up in the morning I was amazed to see the sun rising from Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea separating us.

Board meeting in the toilets - what an Idea sir ji!

You will also get to see some funniest places and facts. What you see here is a high-class public lavatory of Romans in the city of Ephesus in Turkey. In those ancient times, the official matters must be starting very early, the nobles would lazily sit here and discuss matters of state while doing the utmost important job.

So close to Iraq, No entry now!

This is how close I went to Iraq. I badly wanted to visit Baghdad it is another city with great history and character. I traveled through  dangerous Kurdistan also, but I was denied permission for Iraq. It was very volatile then. Now things are even worse and you can’t visit most of the places I had been through in Syria.

World's first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant (KFC)

Most of us love KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). The actual formula of ingredients was protected as a secret. So I went straight to the home of Col. Sanders who prepared it to know what it is. He was not there. This is the world’s first KFC in Kentucky.

Great following, my bike is always a special attraction.

Even when placed among highly enviable automobiles in the world, my bike commanded more respect and attracted a lot of people. Here we were waiting to cross the English Channel from France to the UK. I got really tired telling my story to all those people.

I was not catching a train - at the world's oldest railway station - Manchester, UK

THE FOODS - HUMANS CAN EAT ANYTHING

Camel legs - ready for chewing.

I was never particular about food. While in India I could live on any kind of food, south or north, east or west, without complaining. So I thought food will never be a problem during my world tour. But it became one of my nagging problems.

Ugly? That's what we eat every day.

Though I love non-vegetarian food, I never liked a display like the above which churns my stomach (I wanted to give you a feel of it too). And in the Middle East main meal is meat and that too just barbequed. You must be drooling at the sound of barbeque but try eating it for a week that too without much spices.

Feeling hungry? Oysters and brown rice

This is a tasty meal of chicken, Oysters and brown rice in Egypt. Every country and every city have its own delicacies and yaaks, sometimes both are the same, it’s what they think and what you think about the same food. You must develop a strong stomach to digest anything. And it is disappointing to the vegetarians to know that it's hard to get pure vegetarian everywhere. You mostly get vegetables along with meat, that's what vegetarian means to most.

Too good...grilled chicken and green chilli with tangy salad.

The closer you go to Europe, the better and refined cuisine you find. This is my favourite meal in Turkey,  grilled chicken and chilli.

Octopus salad Yummy yummy baby octopus salad.

Even in countries like Australia, you can eat camels, crocodiles, snakes and frogs. This is my favourite munching with chilled beer, Octopus salad and fried baby octopus.

THE HARDSHIPS

Robbed and beaten in the first country!

I think life is not worth living if you are not forced to go through miserable yet life changing incidents. A journey like this will offer plenty such opportunities which will make you a better person. I was beaten and robbed in my first country, Iran. While riding around Kashan, it became night and I was too tired to ride so I pitched my tent little away from the desert road and rested. A bunch of goons came and beat me up with rods and decamped with all my money and an old passport. They left the other luggage because I triggered my bike alarm which sounded blaring in that calm area. So they ran away.

Badly shaken I packed up and started riding in great pain. I didn’t stop all night terrified by the thought they might be following me and will take away my bike. Early morning I halted at a small tea shop and drank tea and wept for a while. My body was totally stiff and painful. I searched for my emergency cash and I got a $100 bill. I stashed some cash in different places but because I was delayed at the customs, I used most of it. And in Iran you can’t use your credit or debit cards or ATMs!

Good and bad exist side by side - Helpful people of Iran

So the next three days, I stayed hungry and used the $100 to fuel my bike and stay at filthy places while I zipped nonstop to the Turkish border. One day afternoon I was dozing off while riding with fatigue and sleeplessness. A truck driver blared his horn and signalled me to follow him. Little ahead he stopped at a roadside dhabha where his fellow truckers are. They insisted on buying me food and drink, which I couldn't resist. I ate as much as I could, thanked them as well as God and left for the border.

Great respite - entered Turkey - beautiful Mt. Ararat in the background.

I crossed my first land border without paying a single rupee (or dollar). Usually at every border crossing there will be a lot of formalities to clear and offices to visit and paperwork to be done. You also need to pay for the local third party insurance for the bike and yourself. I personally cleared everything on the Iran side though it is the first time for me and in spite of the language barrier. 

On Turkey side, I trapped an agent who thought he trapped me. With all my wits, I got him to do all the work. And when the time came to pay, I gave him a credit card. He insisted on cash. By then I was cool as I knew he can’t undo all the work. All the receipts were generated. 

He was at my mercy. So I told him to come with me to the nearest city and I will withdraw cash and give him (in Turkey my cards work). He finally agreed (what else can he do?) and tried to sit on my bike but there was no space and
no taxis either. We decided on a meeting point and I left. Later he got a lift from someone and reached the designated spot sure of not seeing me there. I never heard better music in my life than the ATM counting my cash at that time. I paid him double the money and he was happy. 

That’s how intelligent an Indian can be! After taking one full day rest in a good hotel, I moved on and camped the very next day. I was reluctant but it was essential or I would forever be afraid of camping and people.

Searching for Polar Bears in Churchill, the northernmost town in Canada.

People often fear wild animals, loneliness and weird places. But I say one should be afraid of the presence of humans than the lack of them. In India we don’t really understand what loneliness on the road is. You go to any remotest corner of the country, someone will soon approach you and ask what you are doing there. But in regions like the Middle East and Canada you will not see a human being for hundreds of miles. And if at all anyone comes, you don’t know if he is going to treat you with yummy food or you will become his yummy food. 

You are so vulnerable and an easy target. Nobody would get to know if you were killed. It is easier to deal with wild animals than with wild humans. I was never worried about death because when you die there is nothing to worry about. My worry always was about the loss of my bike.

People of the world are good.

But interestingly that’s when you are forced to trust others. And you will most certainly get it back. I stayed with strangers in most hostile looking remote places and people and I always received good treatment. What you see on TV are a few sporadic incidents that are happening around the world, a huge place it is. So never be afraid to meet people. Those long conversations you share without even knowing each other’s language is what you are going to cherish all your life. Trust me, people of the world are good. What happened to me is of no special focus as it can happen even in India and that actually taught me how to be safer.

My international fans - Sinai, Egypt.

If not for their dress, you would think this is Babbu da Dhaba.

Scotland bikers riding with me from England.

Colorful dresses and cheerful people - Fiji

Arabian music, I love music - Petra, Jordan

DIFFICULTIES

You must know how to repair the bike or you will be stranded in the middle of nowhere.

So difficulties and disasters are the only common things on journeys like this. You will get used to them. I had to stop many times to repair my bike or a flat tyre in the hot desert sun.  You don't have to become an automobile engineer, but you should know how to service your bike and take care of minor repairs at the least.

Broken crankcase - major disaster.

Sometimes real disaster strikes and major breakdowns happen and you may be stranded for many days or even weeks. A large piece in my crankcase broke and went into the gear box. Lucky me, my bike could have done a few somersaults at high speed if I hadn't noticed it at the right time. I got used to the heartbeat of my bike and I can notice when it skips a beat. I sensed something was very wrong and stopped. I had to wait for 3 weeks in Sydney while I imported a new crankcase from India and got it fixed at a huge cost of $7500. Yes, they charge about Rs.3,000 to clean your carburetor.

The cold was my worst enemy.

Deserts can kill you in one hour if you are careless.

Weather is probably the single most important factor to keep in mind when planning for a world tour. You need to fix your route according to the date you are going to start the trip. Tough it is impossible to get good weather at all places, you can minimize the risks. It may look nice to ride in cool weather with snow all around, but you will shit in your pants when your heavy bike starts skating all over the road. 

Windchill can decrease the temperatures by almost 10 degrees Celcius than the normal temperatures. Cold weather gave me the greatest pain. Actually I
was at the worst times all over the world because I was delayed. Desert heat can kill you quickly if you are careless. While I always love to ride in the rain, there is the risk of losing many days due to heavy rains or cyclones. To finish your trip safely you need to be healthy and to be healthy you need to be comfortable. So plan well. 

Mental fitness is far more important than the physical fitness. All the above difficulties will put you under great stress and you must maintain your cool all the time. You must cultivate safe eating and drinking habits and be healthy as one serious infection can end your trip. Never was I sick even for a single day.

ADVENTURES

Riding is only a small part of a world tour. I had the opportunity to do a lot more things on this trip. I enjoyed all sorts of adventure sports like trekking, rock climbing, paragliding, sailing, SCUBA diving, hot air balloons, offroad bike riding, driving on Nascar track, biggest bungee jump, ice skating, the list is long. Whenever you get bored of riding, these are the things that will replenish your adrenalin levels and keep you up and running all the time.

Getting ready for the NASCAR Race - Charlotte, USA

No, I was not racing, just did a few laps.

SCUBA diving - I did an advanced course there - Jordan.

Diving in the Red Sea - but it is so blue!

Flying over the Nile river in hot air balloon - Luxor, Egypt.

This is not a ski resort - the highway to Alaska.

Alaska, a 4000 km drive from Los Angeles - the coldest place I visited!

Paragliding over tourist resorts of Olu Deniz - The most beautiful beach in the world - Turkey

The biggest bungee jump in New Zealand

Off road adventures, California is a great place to explore by dirt bikes.

Helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon -This small river carved the ground 20kms wide and 1km deep!

WORD OF CAUTION

Loneliness is your only friend.

On a looooong journey like this, it is inevitable that you will be hit with travel sickness. Every day you are in a new place and with new people. For a while, this is very exciting but then slowly it gets to your nerves until you no longer care about where you are and what you see. You lose interest in, pretty much, everything. This is something like  depression. At these times, you need a break. Stay put at some place for a while and just unwind. I used to read, spend time with myself, go for long walks and listen to music. In a few days, I am ready to get on the road again. This is a rhythm you must follow, never force yourself to keep going all the time. Remember you are riding to enjoy the world and not to go from point to point.

And when you finally come back home, you will become depressed again for your trip has ended, your wanderlust quenched, your attitude, approach and outlook has changed. You will be hit by the reverse culture shock. You don’t like many things about your home and country. Again take your time and sit tight for a while and soon you will get back into the normal stream.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Back to India Mission accomplished.

After riding across 5 continents and 16 countries in 18 months spanning 47,000 kms, I entered India on 2^nd  October 2007. I came in from Bangladesh-India border near Kolkata. Many friends, family members and well-wishers reached there to receive me. Undoubtedly it was the greatest moment in my life.

My happy family.

Two of my friends who believed in my dream right from the inception and stuck with me no matter how hard the times we faced are Dr. D.Gopichand and Dr.M.S.Sharma. While I was riding around the world, they were running around here making arrangements for safe passage. I am forever thankful to them for making it happen.

My strength and support.

WHAT NOW?

Dream Live - The historical event.

My next dream is to become the first man in the history to circumnavigate the earth by all three means, ROAD, AIR and SEA. Not a simple dream I guess. But I am at it and soon you will see me flying around the world and then sailing around the world too.  And I want to motivate the youth to dream big and chase those dreams by showing exactly how I am achieving this Mission Impossible through my online program DREAM LIVE. For complete details about this wonderful program please check this presentation:

Dream Live Presentation

How big is your dream? Follow this to live your dreams

Flying and sailing are highly enticing and addictive sports.  Leonardo da Vinci once said “For once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.” It is the same about the oceans also. During the first ever solo circumnavigation competition, the sailor who was just about to win, diverted from the route and went back to the sea for another round thus sacrificing a place in history! How addictive is that?

Flying around the world solo during the summer of 2016.

In the summer of 2016, I will be flying around the world on a twin engine light aircraft like this Piloting on my own. This is a six-seater aircraft but as I need to fly long distances without stopping, I have to remove all the seats and fix extra fuel tanks.

My solo, nonstop sailing will start in November 2016.

In November, 2016, I will be sailing around the world in a boat like this called an Open 60 boat which is used in ocean races. It is a 10 story building high sailboat that runs with only wind. It takes about 6 months to complete a nonstop solo circumnavigation. I will never see land or a human being during these days. I don’t need a single visa as I will start and stop in Vizag nowhere else. 

But I neither know how to fly nor how to sail. But as I said this is not rocket science (even rocket science is mastered by many) so I will be learning very quickly and launching both expeditions in 2016. Also, this is a very expensive expedition each costing more than a million dollars. No sponsors yet. Will start working on that soon. Follow my dream to live your own dreams.


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