[raptor_diwan]

Day 13

Punjab to Delhi

On this day, I couldn't hold back my tears as it was the final day of our journey, and also the last time I would load my luggage onto my bike and start it up. It felt like bidding farewell to a dear friend. My attachment to my bike was so strong that I couldn't help but feel emotional. With a heavy heart, I set off on my journey towards Delhi.

As Delhi was already halfway through our journey, we cruised slowly on the pure highway without the need for GPS as the signboards were clear. I was lost in my thoughts and emotions, reminiscing about the past 12 days of our trip.





















We stopped at a sweet shop to have some lassi and bought some sweets to take back home before continuing on our journey.



Although the NS Pulsar gave us trouble again, this time we were fortunate to be very close to the bike rental shop, where we planned to return the bike. So, we continued our journey and I turned on the GPS as soon as we entered Delhi. Eventually, As we arrived at the rental shop, I became emotional and said goodbye to the bike.













Finally, I had made it back safely, without a single incident. The overwhelming feeling inside me is indescribable; it has to be felt to be truly understood. As we returned the bike to the rental shop, I couldn't bring myself to walk away from it. I stood there with my hand on it, unwilling to leave until we had secured a cab to take us to our room.

I stood there, looking at my bike with admiration, reflecting on how it had carried me through rough situations for the past 14 days without any issues. We completed all the necessary paperwork and then began to make our way back.



We hailed an Uber and asked the driver to take us to a nearby affordable hotel. However, the driver showed us high-end options such as the Taj and other 5-star hotels near the airport. We clarified that we were looking for a place within a budget of 1500-2000 rupees, and he eventually dropped us off in a local area where we found a room for 1500 rupees.

After taking a refreshing bath, we had plenty of time left before heading home, so I decided to give myself a new look. I went to a nearby salon for a haircut, and then we walked around the area and had some delicious pani puri while enjoying the moment and reminiscing about our trip. It was a nice way to end our journey on a light note.





Then, we returned to our room and watched a movie before going to sleep for the night. We still had one more day before our flight, which was scheduled for the day after tomorrow. Our plans to visit the Taj Mahal and Pangong Lake were cancelled due to the weather and bike issues. So, we decided to spend our last day in Delhi visiting the Red Fort and other nearby places.



Overall Day 13 Report:



Hotel Name: Hotel Metropolitan
Room Location: Click here


Room Cost: 1000/- per night - divided by 3 of us, so each cost 333/-
Fuel: 200/- (for me)
Food: 520
Cab: 120

As the day came to an end, we couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. The past 14 days had been a journey of a lifetime, full of adventure and memories that will be cherished forever. The thought of parting ways with our trusty bike was bittersweet, as it had become more than just a vehicle to us. We spent our last night in Delhi reflecting on the trip and enjoying the little things, like trying local food and watching a movie. Despite the change of plans, we were grateful for one more day to explore the city and make new memories. Good night.

[raptor_diwan]

Day 14

Delhi - India Gate - Red Fort

We woke up as usual, but one of our friends opted to stay in the hotel room to rest. So, my other friend and I decided to go out. I was feeling a little down as the trip was about to end in the next 24 hours. To lift my mood, I grabbed a sandwich and Redbull, and we hailed a cab to go to India Gate.





































After taking some pictures, we took an auto to go to Red Fort. We wandered around the place .

[raptor_diwan]

The location was bustling with people, but surprisingly, everything looked tidy and well-maintained.















































We hailed another cab to return to the hotel, and that's when I realized I had lost my sunglasses in the cab. Frustrated, we went to a nearby restaurant to buy biriyani and had a perfect dinner in our hotel room.



Later, we packed all our luggage since we had an early morning flight at 7 o'clock. As we stood on the road, waiting to leave for the airport, I couldn't help but reflect on the wonderful journey we had just completed. I knew I would miss the North and didn't know when I would be back again. Eventually, we all went to sleep, ending the day on a content note.

Tomorrow we would say goodbye to Delhi, but the memories of this trip will stay with us forever.

[raptor_diwan]

Day 15

Delhi to Chennai

On the final day of our trip, we woke up early at 5:30 and took a cab to the airport.









We took one last picture together before we parted ways.

















The feeling of finally reaching back to our hometown after an amazing journey is truly indescribable. As we landed in Chennai, I couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions - happy to be back home, but also a tinge of sadness that the trip had come to an end.

We wished each other goodbye and thanked each other for the amazing memories that we had made together. As we went our separate ways, I couldn't help but think about how much this journey had meant to me. The experiences that I had, the people I met, the places I saw - it was all so unforgettable.

[raptor_diwan]

Emotions

As I reminisced about the past two weeks, the laughter, the tears, the challenges, and the victories, I realized how much this trip had changed me. It gave me a new perspective on life, made me appreciate the beauty of nature, and taught me to live in the moment.

This trip has been nothing short of amazing, with unforgettable memories that I will cherish for a lifetime.

As I started writing this travelogue and went through all the pictures again, I couldn't help but feel a rush of emotions. It's amazing how a journey can change you and leave such an impact on your heart. It's like a part of you is left behind in the places you visited, and you carry a piece of them with you forever.

As I finish writing this travelogue, I can't help but feel grateful for the memories and experiences that I will cherish for a lifetime.

The trip may have ended, but the memories will last forever.

[raptor_diwan]

Budget

Our budget for this amazing journey was carefully planned and executed, and it truly was an unforgettable experience.

Our fuel costs amounted to Rs. 5900 for the entire ride on one Bullet motorcycle, with a mileage of 40 and a speed of 80. We rented the bike for 14 days at a cost of Rs. 10,500.

When it comes to food, we shared the expenses among the three of us, and the cost for one person was around Rs. 4588. We also bought around 27 water bottles, which we rotated among us, for a total cost of Rs. 545.

We had booked our flight tickets to and from Delhi three months in advance, at a cost of Rs. 6800. As for our accommodations, we opted to share rooms to save money, and the cost per head for all the rooms came to Rs. 5767.

It's important to note that these costs do not include the expenses for permits, snacks, sweets, toll gates, fun rides such as paragliding, trekking, boating, camel rides, cab rides in and out of Delhi, and purchases in Ladakh, Manali, and Kashmir. If we had included all these expenses, the total cost would have increased by an additional Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000.

Detailed Breakup Per head -

Fuel: 5900 /-
Motorcycle Rent : 10500 /- ( 14 days )
Food : 4588 /-
Water Bottle : 545 ( 27 Bottle purchased by me )
Flight ticket :6000 /-
Rooms : 5767 /-

Can you believe it? The entire trip cost only 33,300/-!

This price does not include the cost of permits and some of the fun activities we did such as paragliding and cab rides in and out of Delhi, as well as purchases we made in Ladakh, Manali, and Kashmir. If we include these expenses, it might go up by an additional 5k. However, I don't consider these expenses as part of the overall trip cost since they were my personal choices.

If we had gone on this trip alone, it would have been much more expensive. In fact, if a single person had to cover all the expenses, it would have been three times the amount that we actually spent. However, by sharing the expenses, we made a wise decision and were able to have a cost-effective trip.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[thirugata]

Awesome blog, enjoyed reading every bit of it. Your attention to details while writing this blog is really noteworthy.
Thanks for sharing and wishing many more such travels to you.

[rakutty]

Very well written photo travelogue , read it from start to finish in one go. I had done one part of the route in 2019 the only difference it was on a cycle from Manali to Leh and then Kardungla over 10 days.

Re-experienced the entire journey again through your writeup/photos. Wishing you many more enjoyable rides and yes keep travelogue posts coming.

[PreludeSH]

Beautiful travelogue. This called journey itself being the destination. Really enjoyed reading it in one go

[vjvarun]

One of the best written trip memoir, I have ever read. Beautiful trip indeed. What is your personal ride at Chennai? And did this trip change your heart towards RE, if not currently owning one?

[Caadmara]

Just read the entire post at one go, started with a cup of coffee in hand at 6pm after getting back home and it's now almost 9pm! I really enjoyed your writing style especially your sense of gratitude for this experience and the engaging narration..it was as though I was travelling with you guys on bike no.4😀. Thank you for documenting your epic journey and I wish you many more epic life experiences. Cheers!

[raptor_diwan]

Originally Posted by thirugata

Awesome blog, enjoyed reading every bit of it. Your attention to details while writing this blog is really noteworthy.
Thanks for sharing and wishing many more such travels to you.

Thank you so much, Tirugata! I am happy that you enjoyed it.

Originally Posted by rakutty

Very well written photo travelogue, Re-experienced the entire journey again through your writeup/photos. Wishing you many more enjoyable rides and yes keep travelogue posts coming.

Thank you, Rakutty. Exactly! In fact, when I rewrote it, I re-experienced the entire journey again. It's true that whenever we see the same spot in the blog again, it makes us rethink all those moments and cherish our old journey.

Originally Posted by PreludeSH

Beautiful travelogue. This called journey itself being the destination. Really enjoyed reading it in one go

Thank you so much for your kind words! It was truly a journey where the destination was not as important as the experience itself.

Originally Posted by vjvarun

One of the best written trip memoir, I have ever read. Beautiful trip indeed. What is your personal ride at Chennai? And did this trip change your heart towards RE, if not currently owning one?

Thank you so much, Vivarun. I ride a Dominar in Chennai, and in fact, I had planned to use it for this trip. However, my other two friends who joined me were not ready to transport their bikes, and one of them did not have a bike that could withstand this trip. Even if I had sent the bike via package, I would have had to spend time going to the railway station to get it back. I did not want to take any risks, especially in a place where there is a language barrier for me. Also, there was tension in Kashmir due to the removal of Article 370, so I did not want to take the risk of using my own vehicle.

Originally Posted by Caadmara

Just read the entire post at one go, started with a cup of coffee in hand at 6pm after getting back home and it's now almost 9pm! I really enjoyed your writing style especially your sense of gratitude for this experience and the engaging narration..it was as though I was travelling with you guys on bike no.4😀. Thank you for documenting your epic journey and I wish you many more epic life experiences. Cheers!

Thank you for reading my post and giving me your kind feedback. I'm happy to hear that you liked my writing style and felt like you were part of our journey. I had a great experience and wanted to share it with others. It makes me happy that you found it interesting. Thanks again, and cheers to more adventures!

[docsr]

An excellent travelogue, went through it in one go ... one for referencing and reviewing slowly later.
The photography was also great-was it all from cellphone cameras? Which one?
I am sure your Hindi vocabulary has improved!

[raptor_diwan]

Originally Posted by docsr

An excellent travelogue, went through it in one go ... one for referencing and reviewing slowly later.
The photography was also great-was it all from cellphone cameras? Which one?
I am sure your Hindi vocabulary has improved!

Thank you for your kind words!

Yes, all the images were captured on my mobile phone, the Poco F1. Also, I've improved my Hindi and learned a few phrases such as 'piyaj,' 'garam pani,' 'Kitana?' and 'ek aur roti' among many others during this journey. It's been a fun journey, and now I can speak Hindi much better than before, thanks to my friends who helped me learn it.