Day 2 --> An Indian in European Alps + KTM 990 SMT [Year 2009]

Here is the link to Day 1
Here is the link to Day 3

29TH August : DAY 2
Zell Am See-Mittersill-Lienz-Toblach-Brunico-Arabba: 250km (including Arabba-Corvara-Arabba at night)

My night at Haus Wilhelmina was quite cosy. However, outside, things were different. It was still raining and i really didnt know what was in store for me today. I was the first one to come down to the breakfast room but didnt feel like waiting for others as I wanted to get onto the road asap.

After having a combination of hot coffee, toast with salamis, i went out to see how the weather was. Next to my bike were parked two more motorcycles - later met the chaps who were also staying in the same place

Breakfast

While i was attaching the saddle bags to the bike, a couple happened to take notice of me. They were Bibleer and Sylvie Paquet, who were staying in another hotel in the city and had come here for breakfast. They too were on a bike and we chatted for a while about my trip plans

39 Euros for this place was a great deal

It was still drizzling when i hit the road. I was really hoping the plastic bags in the saddle bags would hold on and so would my jacket and boot too. At places, the drizzle would almost slow down into very fine droplets, but this lasted only for a few moments

Bikers were a common sight today - The Gixxer does look sexy

Rains also meant that the clouds were hugging the hills around

I decided to keep riding but soon, i started gaining altitude. Light drizzle turned into rain and suddenly, i felt cold water hitting my feet! Damn! The boots had given up - but in anycase, these werent really meant for touring. A line-up of tunnels started and it became increasingly difficult for me to keep riding in the heavy rain. The good thing about tunnels was that these were a little warm
I didnt know if the plastic bags were working fine and desperately looked around for shelter. Finally after passing like 4-5 tunnels, I saw a place probably meant for tourists to take rest (loo / seats / water etc).

I spent an hour here - waiting for the rains to slow down, munching on dry fruits for warmth and energy. Finally when the rains slowed down, and at around 11:30am, i decided to keep moving.

The fuel light came on at around 220-225km mark and i filled up at the first station : 18.02 Euros for 16.6 Liters - fuel for sure is expensive in this part of the world.

The skies cleared up for a while and i couldnt resist stopping for a few pics..

Leaving the storm behind

The rains and frequent pic stops meant i was getting a bit late. But at around 1:30pm, it started pouring cats and dogs and i immediately took shelter in a bus stop and so did a couple of other bikers too

Twenty mins later, i decided to move on with the rain gods still playing with me. By now, i was almost went to the bone and was shivering inside my riding gear. Half hour later, god seemed to take mercy on me and and as i rode down to Brunico, temperatures started rising. My right wrist finally was let loose for a while and it was surprising to see the SMT delivering so much fun on these kinda roads. The fast ride and warm weather helped dry me up a bit. I got lost for a while in Brunico and had no idea of the road to Arabba (via Corvara). So much so that i ended up taking a very small mountain road. I noticed a couple of hikers on the road and stopped to ask directions. Yes, i was going the wrong way and thanked them for help. However, as i was turning the bike around on the narrow and steep road, she stalled. Damn! With all that luggage, it was almost impossible for me to keep the SMT from falling off. Somehow i did manage and rode back to the main town. After asking two more people, i finally found the right road. Soon, i was in Corvara, a small cute hill town and after passing it, stopped for a pic and food break.

Ofcourse, that a self timer shot

This place where i stopped was simply lovely. I got a birds eye view of the Corvara town below and the numerous hair pin bends meant most bikers revved a lot in the first two gear - pure music to ears..

Corvara town below

The curves

The ride after this was simply amazing. The SMT is a hoot around bends and curves. Wringing the throttle in 1st had the front wheel going airborne very easily. The short gearing meant acceleration was fantastic and its supermotard DNA made it super fun around the gentle as well as tight corners. I was enjoying the bike so much that i almost zipped past my 2nd pass of the trip without noticing it..

Arabba was just a few km more from here. I had already reserved Hotel Mesdi via Email and straight away headed there. The room was super cosy and the five lamp shades helped me dry my clothes

After a while, i decided to hit the market. Arabba is a small town that is often considering the gateway to the superb Dolomites (Italian Alps).. There was some kind of band in the city that day..

The band was loud, but these machines were louder

In love with these kind of buildings and paintings on the wall

It was 13degrees in the evening.. and probably 8-9 at night

As i said earlier, Arabba is the preferred gateway to the Alpine roads nearby..

My hotel

When i got back to the room, i noticed that the camera battery was running out. And then it struck me - i had forgotten the universal electric socket pin back in India. It was almost 6pm and i rushed to the receptionist who told me that they didnt have a socket that fitted my charger's pin. Damn.. the shops in the city too didnt have a socket that i wanted. I had no option but to ride back to Corvara (around 15km) and try my luck before the shops closed down. So much was the rush that i forgot to pick up my jacket and rode 30km in the evening, shivering all the way - but in the end, the ride was worth it as i found the right socket but at a price that was no less than ten times that of a similar socket in India!!

By 8, i was back in the hotel, in time for the dinner... i wasnt really liking the bland European food, however, the desert with wild berries was finger lickin good..

My room

Tomorrow would be the day of mountain passes.. how many would i conquer? 10? 12? 14? Read on....

Continue to Day 3

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