It was a usual C.O.P.S meeting at Starbucks. The conversation flowed as usual with the usual eight or ten members and then suddenly, a crazy idea is tossed across the table. A road trip to a foreign destination! And instead of thinking of it as a ludicrous idea, everyone jumped on board in a heart beat. Of course we had to check our schedules and prepare months in advance but the idea of starting the ride from our hometown all the way to Bhutan (yes, we chose Bhutan) excited all the enthusiastic riders at the table and hence our planning commenced. We decided on meeting a few more times to discuss the trip and lay out a plan as this was going to be a great undertaking and would require meticulous planning. Having an idea and realizing it are two different things and we wanted to give life to ours.
Our meeting had 16 C.O.P.S riders join in. We realized that because ours is a super biking club, we all would face the dilemma of riding long distance on super bikes as long distances are usually covered on cruisers. Also, some might find it difficult to take on a 7000 kms ride due to lack of experience. We all knew that riding to Bhutan and back would require riding 700 kms on an average everyday and we had to prep everyone mentally and physically. To tackle this, we decided to do test rides around Pune which were an average of 400 kms. After prepping our mindsets, we decided to do a longer ride for two consecutive days. We took off for Goa with a one night stay over and we completed 500 kms per day successfully. This helped to boost the confidence level in some of our riders which later reflected on our trip.
While we prepared for the ride, we also had to take care of many other things. Like bookings for instance. We had to book hotels during our stay in Bhutan but decided not to book any during our journey from Pune till we reached Bhutan. After all it was a road trip. Next was getting the paperwork in order for the visa and vehicle permits. We searched the internet for all the information on the required documents but when we reached Bhutan, we realised that most of the information we acquired on google was not accurate or was incomplete.
Next was a checklist for our backpacks. First were our ridding gears and spares. Almost everyone carried sleeping bags. Basic clothes and some warm pieces for the Himalayas. First aid kits which included allergy medicines after consulting all members and certain medication for acute mountain sickness. Some food items that mostly consisted of energy bars and Electral (which is a must). We had to accommodate all this in our backpacks that we were carrying on the motorcycles so we had to be careful and keep editing the items keeping only the necessities.
Simultaneously, we were studying the weather conditions in India and Bhutan. We had to make sure that the weather conditions throughout the road trip and our stay in Bhutan were favorable. After taking all this into consideration, we concluded that mid October to mid December was the best time to start our journey. We then took everyones' schedule into consideration and decided on 6th November 2014 to start our journey.
All this took 4 months of continuous planning and everyones' coordination. If anyone would like to know anything more, you can leave a comment below and we can help you out. I'm listing down a checklist for all avid travelers out there hoping it will help you all but I would still recommend that you do your own research as rules change like the weather.
To end with, I'd like to share a small worry that was on our mind constantly during our trip from Pune to Bhutan. Many thoughts crossed our minds like what if we haven't taken the right documents or what if we reach at an unfavorable time to find the permit offices closed. Some even feared that they might get the permit but the permit office for the vehicle would be closed! (and yes. they have two separate permit offices). We had prepared ourselves mentally to camp on the border if any such situation came by. With such worries, we reached Phuentsholing (Bhutan border) and we were relieved to know that you can enter and live in Phuentsholing without a permit along with your vehicle and get the permit any other day at your convenience. Also, you need to apply for a permit for almost every city you want to visit.
This was just the preparation and we enjoyed every bit of it. Our next blog will be about the trip and our experience. Till then, adios.
Our meeting had 16 C.O.P.S riders join in. We realized that because ours is a super biking club, we all would face the dilemma of riding long distance on super bikes as long distances are usually covered on cruisers. Also, some might find it difficult to take on a 7000 kms ride due to lack of experience. We all knew that riding to Bhutan and back would require riding 700 kms on an average everyday and we had to prep everyone mentally and physically. To tackle this, we decided to do test rides around Pune which were an average of 400 kms. After prepping our mindsets, we decided to do a longer ride for two consecutive days. We took off for Goa with a one night stay over and we completed 500 kms per day successfully. This helped to boost the confidence level in some of our riders which later reflected on our trip.
While we prepared for the ride, we also had to take care of many other things. Like bookings for instance. We had to book hotels during our stay in Bhutan but decided not to book any during our journey from Pune till we reached Bhutan. After all it was a road trip. Next was getting the paperwork in order for the visa and vehicle permits. We searched the internet for all the information on the required documents but when we reached Bhutan, we realised that most of the information we acquired on google was not accurate or was incomplete.
Next was a checklist for our backpacks. First were our ridding gears and spares. Almost everyone carried sleeping bags. Basic clothes and some warm pieces for the Himalayas. First aid kits which included allergy medicines after consulting all members and certain medication for acute mountain sickness. Some food items that mostly consisted of energy bars and Electral (which is a must). We had to accommodate all this in our backpacks that we were carrying on the motorcycles so we had to be careful and keep editing the items keeping only the necessities.
Simultaneously, we were studying the weather conditions in India and Bhutan. We had to make sure that the weather conditions throughout the road trip and our stay in Bhutan were favorable. After taking all this into consideration, we concluded that mid October to mid December was the best time to start our journey. We then took everyones' schedule into consideration and decided on 6th November 2014 to start our journey.
All this took 4 months of continuous planning and everyones' coordination. If anyone would like to know anything more, you can leave a comment below and we can help you out. I'm listing down a checklist for all avid travelers out there hoping it will help you all but I would still recommend that you do your own research as rules change like the weather.
To end with, I'd like to share a small worry that was on our mind constantly during our trip from Pune to Bhutan. Many thoughts crossed our minds like what if we haven't taken the right documents or what if we reach at an unfavorable time to find the permit offices closed. Some even feared that they might get the permit but the permit office for the vehicle would be closed! (and yes. they have two separate permit offices). We had prepared ourselves mentally to camp on the border if any such situation came by. With such worries, we reached Phuentsholing (Bhutan border) and we were relieved to know that you can enter and live in Phuentsholing without a permit along with your vehicle and get the permit any other day at your convenience. Also, you need to apply for a permit for almost every city you want to visit.
This was just the preparation and we enjoyed every bit of it. Our next blog will be about the trip and our experience. Till then, adios.
