Being a Chartered Accountant, it's difficult to stay away from numbers, however hard I try! Over the course of 68 days, I maintained a pretty meticulous record of every rupee I spent and every kilometer I rode. I had two reasons to do this - one, to analyse at a later point in time and see how I fared in terms of spending and planning, and two, to help people who are planning similar journeys.
I've divided this post into 3 parts - The Journey, The Bike and The Money.
Before I dive into the post, I'd like to share a piece someone I follow on Instagram wrote:
Last year I was going through a time where I kept attracting negative energy into my balance, and I was unable to understand why my good intentions of manifestation were not working.
Last year I was going through a time where I kept attracting negative energy into my balance, and I was unable to understand why my good intentions of manifestation were not working.
I knew the issue was something to do with the frequency I was transmitting, and the perceptions I had about who I was as a person.
So I wrote a list of incorrect beliefs I was holding onto. At first I was struggling to think of what to write, but after the first few lines, I was scribbling so fast my handwriting was almost indecipherable.
I was shocked to realise I'd written 32 dot points. I wrote things like "I'm not worthy of love", "I will never be successful" "I deserve to be treated badly as karma for my past". The list went on for 2 pages, and a lot of what I'd written were things that had been said to me when i was younger, ugly words I'd carried through into my adult life.
So I wrote another list of opposite positive affirmations, starting with "I am worthy of love". I burnt both of those pages beneath a new moon. It was strange, because the list of negatives went up in flames instantly and burnt my fingers. The positive list burnt so slowly that I had to keep lighting it, and it felt so symbolic and beautiful that I almost cried.
My life has not been the same since. I have shed layers of self-hatred, discarded toxic connections with people, and truly started attracting wonderful people into my life. Whenever I revisit an old incorrect idea of myself, I remember the positive affirmation that replaced it.
Never underestimate how much your negative beliefs about yourself can hold you back. Burn the ugly words. Sever the tie to anybody who speaks to you in a way that hurts, even if you think they're your friend. Invite the light back in.
george_bones
These words above truly describe the range of emotions I felt when I was riding on the highways of India. I can't put into words how I found answers (to some) complex questions while riding. As always, one journey cannot answer all your questions. That's why you keep going back.
A. The journey
10,000 kms through the West Coast and North of India! When I set out, I didn't know what to expect. Don't expect much and you will be pleasantly surprised, is my mantra.
The route-map at around 7,500 kms
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| India on a bike in 68 days -10,000 kms |
A break-up of the 10,000 km journey, state-wise
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| 10,000 kms broken up, state-wise |
Rajasthan was such a splendid state, that I covered over 37% of my total journey there. Nice roads, combined with even nicer landscapes, ensured that long rides were effortless. The longest I rode in a single day was from Ahmedabad to Jaisalmer which was about 500 km and took 12 hours. Most other journeys were between 250-350 kms and took on an average 6-7 hours. Since I didn't plan my entire trip in advance, I could afford the luxury of going back to places which I loved more than the others. For instance, I went back thrice to Udaipur and twice to Pushkar. Sometimes, the best journeys are pretty badly planned.
Also read: Rajasthan - The untold story
Next on the list with over 2,000 kms, was Maharashtra. I stopped at Maharashtra, both on the onward and the return journey. Starting from the beautiful Malvan coast, known for its amazing food, to Ganpatipule which is a little further up the coast, to Mumbai, the financial capital of India, to Nashik, the Wine Capital of India - Maharashtra ensured that I had an amazing start (and end) to the trip! On the way back, I also stopped at Panchgani, a scenic hill station close to Pune, where I spent 3 days stuffing myself with over 2 kilos of Strawberries apart from a great session of rock climbing and abseiling (rappelling).
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| My daily quota of strawberries, freshly plucked in the morning |
B. The Bike
Let's deviate from numbers here and talk a bit about my ride, the uber reliable KTM Duke 200. During the course of this journey, I've learnt a little more about bikes, more so about mine. Although I can't really do any major repairs on the bike yet, small issues like punctures, regular bike maintenance etc are quite easy to do. If you learn to care for your vehicle on long trips like these, you will have pretty much no issues.
Pro-tip
Ensuring correct tyre pressure, cleaning and lubricating the chain at regular intervals, tightening/loosening the chain according to the slack, periodic checking of nuts/bolts, changing the engine oil/ oil filter/ air filter/ brake pads are some of the basic maintenance do's which will go a long way in ensuring that your ride is trouble free.
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| Over 9,000 kms on the road and still, the bike was trouble free and rev happy |
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| Custom-made luggage carrier on the KTM Duke 200 |
Also read : The ultimate guide to a hassle-free road trip on your bike
C. The Money
Coming back to numbers, I spent a total of INR 1,40,000 (about USD 2,300) over 68 days which effectively works out to INR 2,000 (about USD 33) per day . This included accommodation, food, beer, fuel, bike maintenance and pretty much everything else. Not that expensive, eh?
(I noticed I typed beer before fuel. So much for relative importance. Didn't bother changing it.)
Overall spending pattern (Total expense INR 1,40,000)
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| Overall spending pattern in India |
Pro-tip
1. To search for hostels in India, use the following websites:
2. To look for hotels/buses/flights/trains in India, use the following websites:
redbus.in (for buses)
irctc.co.in (for trains)
Some of the above websites don't take foreign debit/credit cards, so just look out for that.
3. If you love getting opinions of backpackers in India, use the following groups on Facebook to know a little more about the places you are visiting
If you are driving/riding, this group is amazing for routes and road updates
Gujarat turned out to be the most expensive in terms of stay, as I stayed for a night at Dhordo (Rann of Kutch) which costed about INR 6,000 alone! The rest of the days were spent in a hotel which was about INR 800-1,000 per night.
Delhi was the cheapest at only INR 120 a day, because I stayed at a friend's place.
Average Stay Cost per day (in INR)
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| Average Stay Cost per day in India |
Accommodation is quite cheap in India. Expect to spend around INR 500 (USD 9) for hostels/hotels in most places. You can cut this down drastically as well. One way is to volunteer at the hostel in exchange for a bed. The other way is to check if the hostel allows guests to sleep in common areas for a lesser price. The Journey Hostel in Udaipur, for example, charges INR 400 (USD 7) for a dorm and INR 150 (USD 2.5) if you sleep in the common room. If you want to watch the stars, you can even stay on the terrace! That's cutting your stay cost by 60-70% which can go a long way in saving for travelling longer.
Average F&B cost per day (in INR)
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| Average Food & Beverages cost, state-wise in India |
Well, my saving on stay cost in Delhi was made up by going out for food and drinks. On one hand, Delhi can be super cheap (especially its street food), and on the other hand, super expensive if you go out to fancy places. Gujarat made up for its expensive stay cost by being the lightest on the wallet. Can I attribute this to it being a dry state (maybe)?
Notice closely and over half my total expense (about 52%) was on Food and Beverages (the damned beer!). If you are a teetotaller, you could reduce you overall costs by 15-20%. If you don't smoke as well, make that a 25% drop in costs. Typically, you could expect to spend between INR 300-500 for breakfast, lunch and dinner in most parts of India which is roughly USD 5-9 per day for all 3 meals. Anything extra depends on your vices :)
Travelling in India is not very difficult, relatively safe and amazingly cheap. So whether you are travelling alone or in a group, it would be a great experience to see the rural hinterlands of India and feel connected to its people and nature. So what are you waiting for?
Rajasthan - A Magical Land
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Rajasthan - A Magical Land
Gaurav Rajaram is a photographer from Bangalore who is passionate about travelling, teaching and writing.
He teaches Accounting and Direct Tax to students pursuing the Chartered Accountancy (CA) Course. You can read more about him and what he does for a living here
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