The Highway Of Life

Off to the hills

2008-11-25T15:18:00.007+05:30

Day 6: August 6, 2008 Ludhiana – Ropar – Kiratpur – Bilaspur – Sunder Nagar – Mandi – Kullu – Manali.

We got up at 5:30 the next morning and left for Manali. Getting out of Ludhiana was not difficult thanks to the directions Selven gave us.

The highways of Punjab looked familiar and the weather was bright and pleasant. We were off to a good start and hoped to make it to Manali comfortably by around 6pm. Breakfast was at a dhaba near Ropar. The climb started as soon as Kiratpur was over and we knew this was the beginning of how the roads were going to be for the next two weeks!

We liked what we saw – the hills had arrived and our bikes had started to get a dose of what they were going to be going through too. The ride was hassle free and we kept stopping for pictures and entered Himachal Pradesh soon.

One cannot expect Hill roads to be wide and smooth and so we rode on narrower roads and encounteres many a pothole! We stopped for Rajma chawal at a dhaba after Sunder Nagar and it appeared like the toilets were built as viewing stations to the beautiful valley! The front faced the unexciting highway.

The Beas started following after Mandi and the view from there on till Manali was breathtaking - excellent winding roads and lush forests led us to Manali. We came across the delightful little Kullu airport before reaching Manali at around 7pm. I was glad with how my bike was performing. We looked around for a place to stay and found rooms at Hotel Drilbu for 225/- a night. Our luggage was soon all over the room. After a hot water bath and some phone calls, we set out to take a walk and look for a place to eat. Selven directed us to try out some authentic momos at one of the small joints at The Mall – those tasted great.

Since we were still hungry and had time, we decided to try out a small dhaba at the Bus Stand gates. After making ourselves comfortable we ambitiously ordered chilli chicken. The sound of a butcher chopping meat came to our ears and to our surprise our dish was being made fresh, right before us. After waiting for around twenty minutes we were given a large bowl that contained what seemed like close to a kilogram of fresh chilli chicken. Though we could not understand why we were given what I guess was the whole chicken, no one seemed to feel the need to question, or even order anything to accompany the dish – guess we were too stunned for words. We knew we were in the wrong place as soon as the first piece of chicken went into our mouth – horrible! The lady who served us stared like she would chop us into pieces if we didn’t finish it and on asking how it tasted I don’t know why but I replied it was nice... We tried but couldn’t have any more. After a quick glance at Philip I asked her to pack it. My statements were confusing her and she asked me why we did not want to have it there. I replied saying we’ll finish it in the hotel. Soon we were out, 175/- poorer, and from my fingers hung a neat parcel of chilli chicken. I felt bad for wasting food, left it on the road and prayed that no dog would eat it and pass away.

We decided to play safe, had some softy and hung around for some time before going back to our room and getting into the warm quilts. I was out before I knew it.

Classic bikes, cars and people

2008-11-25T10:29:00.010+05:30

Day 5: August 5, 2008

After getting up we set about looking for a mechanic who would check our bikes and were directed to Jagjit Auto Centre by my brother Selven. Lovely, the person in charge proved to be just whom we wanted – a pleasing Sardar who passed both bikes with flying colours. He said he loved the way my bike ran and said it would give no trouble anywhere! Being the bike enthusiast he was, he took us to his house and showed us some of his bikes – a rare Honda 70cc, a well kept RD350, his own Road King and an RX100 that was being restored. It is worth mentioning that the Road King and RX 100 were kept in an air conditioned room – now that’s what called loving bikes. We also came across a rare James classic motorcycle powered by a Villiers engine – we were disappointed that the garage owner was not interested in answering our questions about it. Lunch was at Indian Summer and by then Ludhiana’s restaurants had impressed me – great food, ambience and prices. We then went to Chaura Bazar to shop for gumboots before visiting Christian Dental College, where we met Selven’s friends. There we came across an old and imposing Bedford Ambulance that was still in use - old is definitely gold.

We visited Alex Abraham at their home and proceeded to meet the Shadangis, old family friends who had studied medicine with my mom. I was glad to be meeting friends out of Bangalore after very long.

Our time in Ludhiana was drawing to an end and we had to ride to Manali the next day. After chatting and packing up, we crashed for the night.

Wagah and more...

2008-11-25T10:15:00.011+05:30

Day 4: August 4, 2008 Ludhiana – Phagwara – Jalandhar – Amritsar – Atari - Wagah

All of us got up early the following day and left for Amritsar. Our time at Ludhiana can be referred to more as a time of rest, preparation and fun with family. On this particular occasion, the driver of the Toyota Innova we were travelling in was giving us live demonstrations of the vehicles capability to move faster than anything else on the road. I must say his control and judgement were superb. We were at the Golden Temple in record time. I had never seen so many Sikhs at one place before and being able to see them in worship was a special experience. We then visited the historic Jallianwala Bagh, where, on April 13, 1919, the British Indian Army soldiers under the command of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer opened fire on an unarmed gathering of men, women and children killing more than 1000 people. I realised many of us do not even know of how India gained independence!

We searched almost all of Amritsar for its special Fish Amritsari dish but ended up having something I’m sure was not what we were looking for! If anyone does know where this delicacy is available, the information will be accepted gratefully and I shall treat you to it whenever I’m in Amritsar next.

We left for Wagah Border in time to catch the lowering of the flags and I must say the experience was something you won’t get at any border post around the world. Thousands of Indians sing and dance on our side of the border everyday, and like Philip says, it’s more like a celebration. In contrast, the Pakistani side had few people and was less colourful. The border fences are not a pleasant sight and made me wish partition had not taken place. Our cricket team would’ve been stronger too!

We saw this sign board according to which Lahore was only 47km away. It was near Amritsar that we crossed the mighty Beas – one of five rivers that feeds Punjab and rises in the Himalayas. We were to ride alongside for a long distance till after Manali.

We stopped at Haveli Restaurant in Jalandhar for dinner on the way back. Even if you do not take the food at Rangla Punjab into account, just the ambience of the whole place is mind blowing – a neat little Punjabi village, complete with live bhangra and camels, just like how it actually is, has been built into the restaurant.

The day was tiring and we were glad we could laze around and do nothing the next day.

The ride finally begins...

2008-10-17T11:22:00.006+05:30

Day 2: August 2, 2008 Chugging along...

The next day was quite uneventful. We were just waiting for the train to reach its destination, which was to be our starting point. My uncle, whom I call Sathu mama, met us at Nagpur station and gave us a packet of tasty homemade dinner. Incidentally, we travelled with a CRPF and an army officer posted in Jammu and Srinagar! We were still undecided on our route and whether we could go through Jammu thanks to the Amarnath protests. The conversation with them was not of much help! One more night and we would be in Delhi, our co passengers gave us directions on leaving the city. The plan was to get the bikes down and ride to Ludhiana the same day. We were to meet my dad, mom and younger brother there.

Day 3: August 3, 2008 New Delhi – Sonipat – Panipat – Karnal – Ambala – Khanna - Ludhiana

It was the first time Philip was travelling up North. He seemed to like the green paddy fields, the birds and the rustic huts all around. We caught a glimpse of what seemed like a highway and yes, that set our pulses racing.

The adventure had started.

Nizamuddin, a part of old Delhi arrived around 10am, half an hour late and we were down in no time. We drew stares yet again because of what we were carrying – strange looking luggage to the normal train traveller – saddle bags and tank bags. I went to the luggage van as Philip stayed behind with the luggage and saw that the bikes were down before I reached. I was glad to see no visible damage and got the attendant to sign on my luggage receipt. Some people have an interesting way of demanding money. They appear friendly and say “Khane peene ke liye kuch de do, badhiya hoga”, which means give me something so I can buy something to eat and drink, brother. They also try and inquire what you do just in case it’s a sting operation. If they do that with me, I gladly tell them I write for a living and on asking me what I write I reply, “articles”, and if they begin to feel I’m a journalist, they appear to be extremely cautious. A cop who asked for ten bucks even asked me not to write about him in the papers!

It took us over an hour to get the bikes out because of some address and identity issues and by 11:30 we were ready to take the bikes out. Petrol was no issue because the attendants in Bangalore seemed to be fine with petrol being in the tank! We removed the packaging outside the dirty Old Delhi station, loaded the luggage and were all set. Delhi was hot.

We were out of the station into Old Delhi and hit GT Karnal highway straightaway.

The ride had started… we were riding on the roads of Delhi. After tanking up and a quick luggage check we proceed to leave the capital. The traffic and heat were slowing us down but at around 12:30pm, we left the city limits and were on the road to Panipat. The highway was excellent and so was the weather. We were hungry and thirsty and stopped to experience our first dhaba lunch in Panipat. It turned out to be a great start with fresh mutter paneer, dal fry and roti washed down by lassi.

I could not do more than 50 kmph for 300 more kilometres because I was running-in my new engine. We cruised along crossing Sonipat, Kurukshetra and Ambala. The ride was lovely and when I look back, very beautiful indeed. It rained on the way and we had to stop to wear rain pants and take the tarpaulin out. This was our first date with the rain - our companion for most of the trip!

We cruised into Ludhiana at around 8pm, we had had a good start and I enjoyed riding on those roads at 50 kmph. We reached the place where my dad, mom and brother were staying and the feeling was an amazing one. We unloaded, washed up and went to Tandoor Restaurant for dinner. It was great chatting with dad, a biker himself, about the route, our preparation, and his rides on his 1967 Jawa 250.

On your marks, get set, go!

2008-10-14T16:45:00.004+05:30

The trip to the North has been an adventure in every sense of the word. I enjoyed each moment of it and am back with memories that make me wish biking earned me money for life. I’m going to try my best to share it with you here.

Once upon a time not very long ago, two men decided to leave the city where they lived to go motorcycling to a far away land. Let’s call them Philip and Steve… They were known among friends to take off on crazy rides to nowhere. Riding gave them a sense of freedom very few other things could and listening to the sound of their engines thrilled them to no end. This time round, they were going to be thousands of kilometres away for close to a month. Some just didn’t seem to understand what they were doing, others thought they were insane, made fun of their dream and thought they would come back midway - a few others stood with them at each step…

Day 1: August 1, 2008 Bangalore – New Delhi

The day for us to leave had arrived. We had spent the last couple of months collecting information, money, and supplies and preparing our bikes for the ride. In order to gain a day of leave, both of us were working on the 1st and our friends Abhilash and Rohit left their respective places of work and went to Yeshwantpur railway station to get the bikes booked on the train to New Delhi.

Back at home, my room looked like someone had ransacked it – clothes, spare parts, biking gear, bungee cords, tarpaulin and documents all over. I was ready by the time Philip came home. Poojitha was there to help me find my missing passport (which she did) and even though the train was to leave at around 10:20pm, we squeezed into an auto and left for the station by 6pm.

We were a little concerned when we couldn’t find our bikes at the station and at the end of a frantic search, we found both booked, packed and ready to be put on the train. Poojitha, Philip and I spent time chatting about our plans for the immediate weeks over bread omelette, took pictures and before we knew it, our train arrived on to the platform. There it was #6249, Yeshwantpur – Nizamuddin Sampark Kranti Express. After usual arguments with the parcel van loading staff our bikes were loaded in and to our relief, the compartment did not have any other parcels to damage the bikes.

We then went on with our own luggage to our compartment. Anant, Rohit, Andy and Jay arrived to see us off – thanks guys. It was time for us to leave on a trip we had only dreamt about. I did feel a little sad to leave for close to a month but now no emotions could stop us from going! It was a little difficult accommodating our luggage but we finally settled down quite comfortably. Co passengers wondered why in the world we were carrying helmets on the train. In case of emergency, I said! We spent some time chatting and crashed for the night.

Thank God for the beauty of creation...

2008-08-26T13:28:00.007+05:30

Yes... we're back from a land where life is unlike what most of us have ever seen. It almost seems like a different world! Ladakh and Himachal are blessed with natural beauty that is uncomparable to any other place in India - the vastness of the clear blue skies, gigantic mountains, fresh streams and waterfalls, snow, grassland, forest and wildlife - nature seems like a force so powerful and majestic, only less than the creator who has given it the life it has... and the littleness of man is so evident, the joke is, his dirty life is provoking and damaging a force, the strength of which, he has never fully understood.

Go there before the craziness of modern living reaches that land and you'll understand why I consider the experiences we've just had, amazingly special.

In the posts that will follow, I will try and tell you something about what our trip has made us see. I'm afraid though, that I will not be able to do any justice to it.

Off to live a dream...

2008-08-01T10:56:00.003+05:30

We're off to Delhi tonight and our ride to the Himalayan states is scheduled to start on Sunday, the 3rd of August 2008. After months of preparation and waiting, we're finally taking off on this journey that will test our bikes and bodies. We hope to return with the most exciting stories, pictures and memories.

There are many special people to thank, and even if I've not been able to express my gratitude to you personally, I want to tell each of you how thankful I am, for all you've given me. Thanks for praying - please do continue to do so! and yes, we will keep safe - trust us on this.

We're not 2 but a team of 3 persons doing this ride - Our God Is On Our Side and in Him We Trust.

See you soon.

All set for Khardung La

2008-07-28T10:25:00.001+05:30

There is so much happening again, but instead of fretting about not sharing it with you I’ll get down to telling you that the day to leave on our trip to Leh is now near – three more days to go before we set off to Delhi.

I met with a small accident during the third week of June and that damaged my bike’s fork, rim and handle bar. I survived with bruises on my elbows, hands and knees – typical areas and had to go through the process of having to get a wound on my ankle stitched – something I have never been through before. I spent the next three weeks recovering and am now back and raring to go!

Our bikes are ready and waiting to be tested. The situation in Jammu, which we’ll be passing and staying in, is not great because of the Amarnath protests. Srinagar witnessed some blasts too and who can forget the past week when our cities of Bangalore and Ahmedabad were attacked. These are not the best of things that should happen when we’re leaving!

We’re being advised against venturing into J&K because of the situation there. I value all these pieces of advice that are coming in from many different quarters – thanks a lot and yes, we will be careful.

I’m really looking forward to meeting my brother Dr. Selven (proud of you!) in Ludhiana and dad and mom who are coming all the way from my hometown, Sagar in Madhya Pradesh to see us off in Ludhiana.

We finished a dry run yesterday – one that taught us a lot. Looking forward to doing the real thing now…

Brothers on Bikes

2008-06-05T13:43:00.010+05:30

Those of you who have read my posts would know Philip Dennis aka Phil by now. Those of you who don't, he is one of my closest friends, (more like a brother) and the guy with whom I've done almost all of my long distance riding.

The trip to the North is not very far, and we've been talking about giving ourselves a name for long. So ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you, the 'Brothers on Bikes' and our brand new logo. Comments are welcome*.

We're riding on...

The two of us spent more than a week with our graphics expert friend Gladvin Gaius. The idea was to create something with a retro touch.

*provided they are positive.

I'm Back...

2008-05-23T10:56:00.002+05:30

Quite a few people who visit my blog have been asking me why I haven't uploaded anything new for close to a year! Well, there are multiple answers to the question. Life has become increasingly busy after I joined Bradford Internet India as a content writer. I write all day and when I get home in the evening I have wished I could switch over to an entirely new language and give my senses a break from English!

The rides have been happening off and on. Theres actually lots to say - In the first week of May, I finished my maiden long distance ride from Bangalore to Ooty, Coonoor and back, on my Yamaha RX 135. She did well. Philip and I did another short night ride to Krishnagiri a few months back too. That was our first ever ride on two separate bikes.

And now for the big news. We have decided to ride to the North this August. This ride will be a test for both of us and our bikes. The ride will start in Delhi and cover places like Ludhiana, Jammu, Srinagar, Kargil, Drass, Leh, Khardungla - the world's highest motorable road and Manali. The preparations are on. Philip on his warhorse - the faithful Bajaj Pulsar 150, our companion eversince we started riding and I on my Yamaha RX135. And guess what... we can't wait to go...

The Auto Doctors

2007-06-28T19:28:00.000+05:30

They are men we always look for when the bike we trust gives up. We visit them only when we need them. Very few of us care to stopover to see how they’re doing when we pass their place. They care for something which is ours, not theirs. Some of them give us more than we need. They are Automobile Doctors - Call them Engineers, Auto Experts, Ustaad, Guru or simply Bhai.

This blog is dedicated to all those people we refer to as ‘mechanics’ but who actually are much more than just that. They give life to our Automobiles. To the cars and bikes we use day in and day out and cant do without. At times their minds work better than qualified engineers even though they do not have any degree in what they do. Tell them a problem your vehicles facing and they know the reason before you’ve finished telling them about it. Genius!

Take Anand for example - A man who knows everything about motorcycles with 50 years of experience to back him. Anand learnt the art of motorcycle maintenance from his father and elder brother. He has now taught the same to his son Prabhu. Three generations in the business of motorcycles. Talk to him and experience speaks. It’s always a pleasure to sit with him over a cup of tea to listen to tales from the fifties and sixties. And mind you, all his narrations are true. I remember the one where Anand, still a teenager, was asked by one of his father’s friends to kick start a Matchless. If he did the bike was his. His eyes light up with pride when he says that’s how he got his first bike. In fact, Anands my inspiration for this article.

So many such people go unmentioned. According to him, hardly anyone today knows how to give and earn respect. “In the old days, people used to spend time inquiring after how we were doing, they sat with us and we chatted over a meal. We went home to deliver bikes and the respect was very much there.” Anand’s knowledge on old wonders like Matchless, BSA, Triumph and Norton is amazing. He can tell you when different models of the Yezdi were launched. He still has an old BSA lying at his workplace! Among contemporary bikes, he likes 2 stroke powered engines like the Yamaha RX and Suzuki. He admires the Pulsar too. I have learnt a lot from Anand. If you want to get your bike restored to better than new, he is the man you need. He operates from Balaji Motorcycles and Scooters, Kamaraj Road near Commercial Street, Bangalore.

As I write, I cannot miss mentioning B.R Gurunandan, better known as Nandan, the guru of the Royal Enfield. Bullet owners bank on this man for knowledge and advice. Nandan is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and got into Bullets full time because of his passion for the machine. Talk to him and he speaks like a doctor speaks about the human body. Nandan goes right into the engine to explain what happens in there. It’s not just piston, crank and rings for him - Its how parts do what they do and what can go wrong. He is like an open book on the Bullet. It’s no surprise that he has his own webpage (http://www.cybersteering.com/cruise/feature/bullet/bullet.html) and has authored books on the machine too. He replies to queries by Email. To him an Enfield is a classic. “Japanese bikes cannot take in much and their lifespan is shorter. A bullet is a bike for life. We all love our bullets”, he says. His humility is praiseworthy. Nandan operates from M.Tech – Modern Technologies for Classic Bikes, Srinika Complex, Ring Road, Bhadrappa Layout, Nagashettihalli, Bangalore. (Better explained: Go straight on Tumkur Road, from the Hebbal flyover. Make a right after around 2 km).

I want to tell you about another person I regard as an expert on cars. The name is Subhan. Fondly called Babu by friends. To me he is Subhan dada. Dada’s father took care of my grand father’s Ford Prefect and later the Ambassadors back at home in Sagar, MP. Today his sons take care of our cars! It’s an amazing feeling when I think of it. They are like family to us. They come home every Christmas and we go over to their place for Id. The relationship thus goes on unaffected by time. Dada knows cars in and out. Ask him about old British cars or about the latest MPFI. He is there. Even though he is close to 70 now, dada continues to come to the workplace for a few hours everyday. His control at the wheel is truly awesome! I am greeted by a hug each time I go and see him.

I wonder what we would do without these people being there. I do agree that there are a lot of them who do not deserve to be spoken about. It’s difficult to find genuine people in today’s world. It’s the same with Auto Docs too. So if you’re fortunate enough to have found one, consider yourself blessed…

Pune-Bangalore-Pune

2006-10-27T01:16:00.000+05:30

Biking has come to be a part of life for me and my friend Philip. Nothing compares to riding through Incredible India! Riding makes me realise what a beautiful country India is – nature, cuisine and culture. Our confidence levels rise every time Phil and I do a road trip. This makes us dream bigger, making us plan and execute longer and more challenging trips. The Bangalore-Pune-Bangalore trip was conceived a month and a half before the scheduled date. I was praying hard that my schedule at college would not ruin the trip. I had decided though that what come may the trip would not be called off! We decided to continue with our practice of riding sans spare parts. Thanks to the dependability and loyalty of Phil’s pulsar 150 we have never had to deal with a breakdown. We aimed at doing 850 km from our home city of Bangalore to the city of Pune in Maharashtra non-stop. Both of us knew that this trip was going to be a race against time. We planned to leave Bangalore at 5:00 am, ride through the day and make it to Pune by evening. We got the bike checked and were confident that she would run like a dream just like she had on previous occasions. Little did we know that this trip would make us do things we hadn’t ever dreamt of doing!

Good morning Bangalore!

2006-10-27T01:14:00.000+05:30

I got up at 3:45 in the night and left in half an hour to reach Phil’s home in time to leave at 5. It was still dark. I was riding the pulsar, the bike we were going to use for the trip. I was a few hundred metres from Phil’s house when I missed a twin speed breaker followed by a ditch. The breakers sent me flying and I hit the road with a crash. I knew it was a bad one. I managed not to fall but noticed a troubling sound from the front wheel as soon as I landed back on the road. When I reached Phil’s house we examined the bike and were horrified at what we saw. The front rim was jammed and refused to move. We were discouraged and forlorn. I wanted to kick myself. I’m sure Phil wanted to too. How could I miss the speed breakers? I just could not blame unfamiliar terrain. The bike was in no condition to move. The only solution was to leave the next morning or to get the rim straightened. That latter meant we could not leave before ten that morning. We were losing precious time. Was there anything we could do to save it? I gave my friend Charan a call. He’s one guy who is brilliant at being practical and quick decision making. Sure enough, Charan gave me a solution I hadn’t thought of. He suggested exchanging the whole wheel with another pulsar’s. The friends whom I stayed with had three bikes all pulsars. But there was a problem again. All three bikes were later models fitted with alloy wheels which had smaller wheel bases. Charan offered to give us his pulsar’s front wheel. For the first time I felt glad about the popularity of the pulsar. We removed the damaged front wheel and took it to his place where he gave us his wheel. Back home, by the time we fixed the spare wheel and left, it was past six. We were a little disappointed by what had happened but were ready for the road.

Bangalore not letting go….

2006-10-27T01:00:00.000+05:30

We hoped and prayed the bike would do it without any problems. When we reached the outskirts of Bangalore I realised a wobble in the back wheel. When we got down to examine, our greatest fear came true. The back wheel rim was badly bent. So bad the whole tyre shook and revolved more like a chapatti less like a wheel. We realised it had happened at the same breaker hit that morning. I was worried the bend might affect the new tyre. The worst part was that all shops were closed that day because it was pooja day. This time we were laughing at ourselves- dont know because of frustration or the situation. The search for a bajaj showroom in that area did not yield anything. Help came in the form of a puncture repair place - the only shop open early that morning. The guy did not sell new rims but was positive that hammering the damaged rim would allow us to ride on. We were ready to take the chance. The thought ‘something is better than nothing’ was ringing in both our minds. The wheel was done. It was better than what it was and we decided to ride. My cousin Arul was supposed to meet us at Belgaum, 500 km from Bangalore. It was decided that Arul would keep a new rim ready for us in Belgaum.

Adios Bangalore

2006-10-27T00:53:00.000+05:30

It was past 9:30 am by the time we left the city. We were relieved to leave finally. Better late than never… but this also meant we would have to ride at night, something we wanted to avoid. National Highway 4 was boringly smooth. We did not have any time to lose now. The bike was a source of concern but we decided to forget about it and enjoy the ride. The only things in our way now were the irritatingly incomplete flyovers dotting the highway. We stopped near Chitradurga for breakfast – Phil’s mom’s numero uno sandwiches and some pictures. Our destination for now was Belgaum. We hoped to break there for lunch and a rim change. The road turned bad between Chitradurga and Hubli. We lost time and patience as we trudged slowly on the dusty road.

The Best Of Karnataka

2006-10-27T00:45:00.000+05:30

Once the bad patch was over, nature started rejoicing too. We came across some picture perfect scenery. It was the beauty that kept us moving… wanting to see more. The ride from Dharwad to Belgaum was till now the most scenic stretch - lush green farmland, blue lakes, clear skies and a light drizzle. It was a treat to all our senses. Phil called it ‘India at its best’. It sure was. We were able to move at speeds in excess of 100 kmph on this stunning stretch and made it to the city of Belgaum by 4:00 pm. My cousin Arul took us to two Bajaj authorised showrooms. Both showrooms were open but refused to take the bike in stating time constraints and the fact that it was festival day as reasons. Phil swore to himself that he would write to bajaj complaining against the showrooms. We visited a few spare part shops but were not satisfied with the spares they presented to us. We were tired and hungry and desperately wanted to continue riding. We finally left Belgaum at 7:30 pm after getting the chain tightened and an awesome lunch or supper - call it what you may.

Nothings gonna stop us now...

2006-10-27T00:38:00.000+05:30

Nothing stopped us now. The road was by far the best we got. Good roads present riders with the risk of dozing off because of monotony. Both of us did feel sleepy at times on the trip but we stopped for a chai as soon as this happened. Entering Maharashtra gave us the added impetus to carry on riding non-stop…Kolhapur, Satara and finally Pune. Night riding was not bad after all! We were riding in the moonlight, the stars were out, the weather cool and the bike felt as good as new. We were looking forward to this leg of our trip because of the tunnels that dot the ghats before Pune. Sure enough...the tunnels sure were worth the wait. We entered Pune at 12:00 am after conquering the dusty, lorry filled ghats preceding the city. We had done it. The ride had not been smooth but we fought back. We finally reached our destination in Kalyani Nagar, Pune after stopping a million people to ask for directions. Pune with its poor city roads reminded us that Bangalore is not too bad! We had a beautifully furnished bungalow to ourselves, complete with air conditioned rooms, attendants and food. All thanks to Phil’s friend Vanessa, who’s wedding the next day, was the very reason for our road trip.

In Pune City...

2006-10-27T00:15:00.000+05:30

We lazed around in bed till ten the following morning. Phil was going out with his friends to explore Pune and for the wedding. I was looking forward to meeting my friends from school. The day was fun and brought back many memories. The bike did not move. We gave her one full day of well deserved rest!

Both of us got back at midnight after a well spent and enjoyable day. We tried changing the engine oil but couldn’t because of lack of tools. We decided to get it changed first thing next morning. Our plans of leaving Pune at 5 did not materialise because we were awake having a long due heart to heart talk till 2 in the morning! We gave each other some important advice on the most important issues in life.

Pune Blues

2006-10-27T00:10:00.000+05:30

We left our Kalyani Nagar accommodation by 6:00 the following morning. But just like Bangalore, Pune also refused to let go of us. We somehow managed to hit NH 7 leading to Hyderabad. We failed to realise who misguided us… truck drivers, helpful people or the cop. Call it lack of understanding or sheer misfortune – we hit the wrong road.

We had covered a good 20 km when we realised we were in Saswad village in rural Maharashtra miles away from the NH. We had no clue about where to go to reach the highway. Villagers were not sure either. Help came in the form of the 'Lonely Planet' book Phil had somewhere in the depths of his backpack. We couldnt believe the wonder of a book had the tiny village in it! We realised we were totally off track on State Highway 64 thinking it was NH 4. According to the book, we had to take a side road to the highway through Nasrapur village. We took this scenic route after a breakfast of traditional vada-pav, kachori and chai.

Need for Speed

2006-10-27T00:05:00.000+05:30

We finally hit the highway at around 10:30 am. The wrong route cost us precious time but took us through some of the most beautiful transfixing scenery I’ve ever seen. I felt India has so much of unexplored untapped natural beauty. This particular stretch comes close to the hill stations of Khandala and Lonavala near Mumbai. Wonderfully wonderful! It was probably the best I’ve ever seen. It was sad that our camera decided to die out at this very important time.

Once we reached the NH we averaged between 80 and 90 kmph on the Satara to Belgaum stretch. The impeccable concrete roads made us go for miles at 100 kmph continuously. We entered Belgaum at 1:00pm and went straight to my cousin’s place for a sumptuous lunch. We took a rather long time there and left at 3:30pm. From then on it was like a race against time. We wanted to make it back to Bangalore as soon as possible. The superb road helped us reach a max speed of 115kmph. We don’t consider ourselves Rossis but speed definitely thrills! We had to cover the bad leg this time at night. It proved to be the most difficult stretch because of dust and poor visibility. We broke for tea at Harihar and continued after the stop with one break in between for dinner. The road after Chitradurga was smooth. The gigantic wind mills with twinkling lights lit the horizon beautifully. We made it back to Bangalore by 12:00pm.

Mere Desh ki Dharti...

2006-10-26T23:55:00.000+05:30

The Bangalore-Pune trip made me realise that covering close to 2000 kms in 24 hours of riding on a damaged bike is not as easy as it seems. Call it clinical insanity or madness of youth. Riding gives us the ultimate thrill…breaking the monotony of living life in a city.
It also made me realise what an amazing country India is. Each state is a country in its own right because it is so strikingly different in language, customs, natural beauty and flavour. The colours of India are truly rich, vibrant and diverse.

The bike needed a complete service, chain, sprocket and rim change. She’s now set for the ‘Kashmir to Kanyakumari’ Road trip we plan to do with our both our dads in April ‘07. We hope to make it an epic journey across India. I can trust the pulsar for anything now. Thank you Bajaj.

f.r.i.e.n.d.s

2006-08-01T20:43:00.000+05:30

I really don’t know how to define a friend. Maybe I do but I don’t know how to spell it out. I have many, everyone does, and we cant do without them (at least some of them). Sometimes it takes time to make friends and at other times it doesn’t. Isn’t it amazing to think of how we relate to them and they to us? And you know what I find fascinating? When I think of how two completely different human beings, who haven’t known anything about each other, haven’t seen each other, lived separate lives – one day come to share, talk and relate. At times it takes a while to get to know a person and to become good friends and at other times, it doesn’t. Doesn’t it sound like magic?! How two people know each other inside out? And trust and rely on each other completely? Life changes fast when such things happen.
Sometimes I wonder what I’ll do without my friends. I think of a situation when one fine day I get up in the morning and realize I’ve got no friends. Scary…. Isn’t it?! Maybe I’m too attached to them.
The sad part of this whole thing is the leaving part. I really don’t know why but I don’t believe in this thing of ‘friends forever’ which people so often say. Maybe because situations, other people and the twists and turns of life have always taken my friends away from me. Always. And it hurts when this happens. It might be more for those who are more attached to each other and less for those who are less but it brings life to such a halt. Don’t know why but it’s like the end of a chapter or the road coming to an end. A very smooth road! It’s worse if one person is more attached and one less and its even worse if its one of those cloooose ones. There are those who love making friends and have many and there are those who love making friends but have few! Guess the latter find it more difficult to let go when the times comes. And you know what? The psyching part is we can never know when it can happen. It can happen as fast as it started. When you get to know it, it’s like hitting a wall. The reasons can be many. Life might take them away to other places, they might be just there but not there (you know what I mean?) or they might even find love. But the truth is that those people will never again be able to share, relate to and talk again. It can also happen gradually when the fact that the magic is gone is quite apparent. This is like slow death.
For all those who are my friends let me tell you. Life is difficult without you! Don’t leemee. Be there for as long as you can. For all those who have been my friends but are now far away or busy or going away or just not there, I miss you. Wish I had you for life! I might not express it often or I might not have till now but I now am. I’ve had amazing friends all these 23 years of my life. They come, stay there and go but always leave their mark and I value those marks. Thank you for being my friend... A lifetime is not enough to live as friends.

date with the cops

2006-07-11T11:52:00.000+05:30

I havent been able to figure out why Bangalore's traffic police like me so much. They seem to stop me so often. My friends move around all over the place sometimes without papers and none of them are stopped. God knows why!
ive had encounters that have turned into visits to the court on more than one occasion.
read the latest: i was on my way to yeshwantpur one morning with my cousin Arpit. We were going there to pickup his van that had arrived by truck from Mumbai. Checking was on and sure enough, the cops (one sub inspector and two of his subordinates) invited us with open arms after a signalnear the hebbal flyover. Ive become quite comfortable with them in these 5 years in bangalore and treated it as a routine check completely unaware of what was in store for us. Showed them all my papers and waited for them to tell us to go. The date had just begun. This was warm up phase, on the dance floor.
Shock 1:
'jembing signal'. we realised that we were being accused of jumping the signal. Arpit looked stunned! so was i but i thought they would let us go. But They Did Not.
I was told to pay 100 bucks as fine. I refused. By now, our friends knew we were could not speak in kannada. that was it. war broke out. Arpit lost his cool! being from mumbai he was unaware of bangalore rules. it was crazy after that. passersby changed to stoppersby. We knew we did not jump the signal and so paying was out of the question. The cops asked me for the key and i refused to give it.
Arpit pulled out his phone and took down the sub inspectors name and accused him of accepting a bribe. That was it. It was now two of us VS three of them and the public. I was seeing stars. was clueless about what was to happen. One thing was very clear though. We had rubbed the cops the wrong way and they were angry. Nothing was going the way i wanted it to.
Arpit was pushed by the cops and i was ready to see him slapped! thank God that dint happen! he did not budge and let them push him! sheesh...there was silence after this. A silence that told me that this was just the beginning of things to come.
Shock 2:
refusing to give key.
non-cooperation with the police.
creating a nuisance.
We were charged with all three and the fine amount? 400 rupees!the stars i could see were brighter now.
We decided that it would be best for Arpit to disappear from the scene. That he did. It was now my turn to speak. First thing: 'Saary saar', 'mistake saar', 'student saar'. He seemed to ignore me completely! it was like shitting on his face and saying sorry for it.
He responded to my apology. The response was calling up the nearest cheetah to toe my bike to the cop station. Sure enough. the cheetah dint come but a cop appeared from somewhere and asked me for the keys. This time i gave it to them. There was nothing to lose now.
Shock 3:
Pay fine in court.
The cops were still furious. They wanted Arpit back. I was bikeless now and couldnt even imagine what had happened. I was given a notice to appear in the metropolitan magistrates court. The subinspector disappeared from there to make his next kill.
I went and gave Arpit the news. We took a rick and picked up the van.
The cops had given us a memorable time. We now had to spend time at the court.

day1: Scene at 2nd metropolitan magistrates court, hudson circle, Bangalore:
hundreds of lawyers all over the place. people discussing cases, attept to murder, jail, fine, bribe... we saw it all.
We had to employ a lawyer. We had 2 options. We could either pay 400 bucks as fine and 100 bucks to the lawyer, get a receipt and get the bike OR we could fight the case of not having jumped the signal with the Bangalore Traffic Police. The latter would require us to come to court every month for the hearing and spend time and money (lots of both) on fighting the case. We would or would not win. The lawyer said it would take time - a year or more. It was time to decide. Arpit said he would fight the case. i said i wont. i dint have the time or the money. It was closing time by then. That meant we had to come neck the next day. It also meant that my bike - my sweetheart would have to stay with the cops.
Day2: My cousin Anant and i arrived at the court the next day only to hear that the judge was not there. We waited till 3 o'clock and finally were asked to accept the fact that we jumped the signal. This was the sad face of India's famed judicial system. We couldnt do anything to change it.

2006-07-08T17:03:00.000+05:30

All the pictures you see have been taken on a nokia 3230 phone camera. They're not very sharp but definitely do preserve the trip for all of you to see! Here are some more... enjoy!

2006-07-06T20:15:00.000+05:30

kick it....!
All you people who talk long stories about going here and there and doing this trip and that trip and planning and booking tickets.... just buzz off. Go take a walk around your house and then talk about trips you people.
If you're (yes you!) one of those people who have refused to go with me for a ride let me tell you im not going to be asking you to come with me ever again! You dont know what youre losing out on buddy. The truth is you can rarely plan out a trip. At least thats what i think. The more you plan it out the more difficult it becomes. Trust me. The best thing to do is to decide to do it and take off. Theres the almighty to lead you...
Just make sure your bike is rideable. If its not, make sure you know what to do if theres a breakdown. Thankfully that has not happened to us on any of our trips!
For those of you who think its crazy to take off on 2 wheels to distant places, give me one good reason why you think so. If im satisfied with your reason, you win and i'll do anything you want me to! Once you know what it is to ride under the stars and in moonlight with just the sound of the engine as company you'll know what it means. Well life is not always smooth and so its not always the moon and the stars. It can also be sun and rain... but you know what? the pleasure and satisfaction cannot be described in words!

All the posts from "Bangalore see u!" to "back" are from our (phil n me) ooty trip in june of 2006. Since blogs are reverse chronological, scroll down to the bottom of the page and start reading from there... happy riding!

2006-07-06T20:04:00.000+05:30

back
We were finally dropped off at the check point by another truck (whom chacha stopped) after he realised that he was not going to move from that point till God knows when! we couldnt believe to be back!
this was just great... man! the bike still existed, the petrol was still there... nothing could be better... we bid goodbye to the cop and thanked him for keeping the bike safe and alive!
seeing the bike was like meeting a long lost friend! she'd spent the night at the checkpost all alone.... poor thing and you should've seen her when she saw us... she went all red all over!
we were back on the road before we knew it... we had nothing but bangalore in our minds now that there was nothing to stop us. Our bums tried their best to but we told them to shut their trap and so they did.
Mysore to bangalore now has roads that are probably one of the best in the region. They are scary at times but theyre awesome to clip on! and that we did.
Mysore-Bangalore was 1 hour 45 minutes. that was it. Our bums started to complain everytime we went into a 'bum'p! never figured out... guess thats why theyre called 'the bumps'!
that was one more awesome trip and probably the most adventurous of the lot...
wutsay phil? we asked for every bit of it.

2006-07-06T20:03:00.000+05:30

funkture after funkture
half an hour down the road, we were woken up by the sweet sound of another funkture. bother! bother! now what?!
we got down again.... this time right in front of a phone booth. phil called up all his girl friends and settled down things.... one of them was closer to us in Mysore and he even tried asking her if she could come and pick us up.... obviously not! girls always have something better to do than picking up two guys stranded in rural tamil nadu.... dont they?
well...youre right. we started walking again! yes we did. trod for around 3 to 4 km again... feasted on bananas in between... its was hot mind u. no one in the world seemed to have pity on us. finally... finally.... an hp gas truck stopped. The driver 'chacha' and his aides willingly agreed to give us a lift to the check point some 20 km away. phil got into another interesting conversation about bandipur, mudumalai and wayanad with 'chellan', one of the helpers. He told us about resthouses in the area and things we could do and the like!
we were a little more than a km from the checkpoint when the truck suddenly stopped... we dint know why! everyone except chacha disappeared none of us knew where to!
oh no! again!! what in the world was happening!

2006-07-06T20:02:00.000+05:30

ooty not letting go...
had chai at a kada opposite the bus stand. we had to take a bus to the checkpoint, some 2.5 hours away. we were just wishing we had the bike.
now was the time to inquire about the earliest bus that would take us to the checkpoint. The name was 'kakkinalli'. Neither of us were able to remember the name and thank God i stored it on my phone! had to keep looking at it everytime we had to use it!
Our man was in highest spirits that morning. i think the sun charged him up... whatever it was everyone at the bus stand knew that we were two romeos wanting to go somewhere but not getting the bus. we finally got into a bus after much debate.
Our bus started at around 6:30am. Phil understood that he could not reach home by 11. He desperately wanted to call all his girl friends to cancel the dates he had with them but the network prevented him from doing it.
the ride down was awesome. the valley looked gorgeous. and for the first time i felt like everything we went through during the night made sense.
well... looks like adventure did not want to let go of us! the bus stopped suddenly and we realised that the bus had a loose wheel about to come off! sheesh....
we started off again and half an hour down the road... foooosh! puncture! heavens... whst was happening man... we thought!! everyone got down and all the men (except us) crowded around the tyre giving puncture gyan to the driver!
nothing budged even 45 minutes after the incident. by now the women were lying down on mats on the road side and kiddies were happily playing. we were the only guys who were debating about the next best thing to do!! our options included walking down to the check point (which we later realised was 40 km far!), waiting for the bus or hitching a ride on another bus. nothing seemed to work. we did some serious talk too.
finally phil agreed to start walking... we walked down enjoying the road, trying our best to stop every vehicle that passed.... after what seemed like half the distance to bangalore, a bus stopped for us! oh man... the aches and pains were on....
but that was just not our day...!

2006-07-06T20:00:00.000+05:30

passing through mudumalai...
off we went on the narrow little road that led into dark forest... we were too happy to get a lift and forgot about the bike. the driver seemed too keen to make conversation with phil... they shared everything from call centers to tuskers blocking the road. i sat mum staring into the distance. the forest was beautiful! lush green, fresh and unpolluted.
It was cold outside... real cold. cant expect it to be warm at 3 in the morning in the depths of mudumalai jungle afterall! the truck was cosy though! we were able to catch glimpses of deer, elephant and a hare on more than one occasion. It was awesome just being there!
We took a short cut to ooty. A narrower road that fewer vehicles take. Both of us dozed off on the way and reached the outskirts of ooty after what seemed like ages! paid 100 bucks to our driver and bid him goodbye!
there we were... standing in ooty at five in the morning. None of us knew why we were 300 plus km from bangalore, bikeless, hungry and cold! believe me its just the thrill of biking and exploring the unknown that keeps both of us going on these road trips all over India. Each of them turn into memories that we're glad we went through.
phil did his job and off we went to explore ooty in the little time we had! all on foot... charring cross, railway station, race course.. we saw it all before day break!! it was quite out of the world to see the sun rise in ooty! the nights adventure seemed worth it! every bit of it...

2006-07-06T19:58:00.000+05:30

oh no!
we saw the road barricaded in the distance and realised it was a checkpost. A cop sprang out from no where and told us to stop. i thought it was a normal check. phil started to answer his questions and we were in for the first shock of the night.

An Indica going 20 mins ahead of us was mugged.... guess where? at the point where the strange tree lay across the road! we froze. God! it could've been us had we not stopped for dinner! the driver stopped seeing the tree and before they knew it they were cell less and gold less! the cop said he could not let us go any further. reason? it was not safe! we stood there... our brains racing ahead to ooty... the cop came to us and asked us for a hundred bucks. For what? to let us go. i wanted to hit the guy hard... you know where.

our man saw his boss coming towards us and said "ok ok.. go go!" we sped of like we were on an r1. too happy to be free again! bandipur was beautiful... even at night. i have no idea of how many wild animals there must've been all around us! we were reaching the kar-tn border and were expecting another checkpost. The time was around 2:45 am

Sure enough. I started to pull out my wallet when we reached the border. A young guy (not a cop) came to us and very normally passed shock No. 2 to us. According to rules, two-wheelers could not pass mudhumalai forest between 6 pm and 6 am. that was it. we stood there like statues unwilling to move! imagine even the cops had pity on us! they gave us chai and two options. we could either check into the nearby guesthouse and sleep till 5:30 or leave the bike at the checkpost and hitch a ride on an ooty bound truck. we quite liked the second one! after around half an hour we got a truck to ooty! jumped in and set off! this was probably one bad decision that would make us learn a lesson very soon...

2006-07-06T19:47:00.000+05:30

Ooty here we come...!the pulsar, our faithful companion on numerous trips has never ever let us down. She required an urgent engine oil change before leaving bangalore. she had 700 odd kilometres to do in less than a day. we got that done at the local mechanics place. it was time... to leave the dust, the smoke, the traffic and the people behind.
trips are always exciting. its amazing to meet new people, new ways , languages and customs. I feel the real beauty of India lies in the people.
we had to hit the road to mysore asap. i think taking the koramangala - jayanagar - bsk road to mysore road was a mistake! but we hit the highway at 9:15pm. it was time to unwind! philip was riding and we started to clip pretty soon. reaching 80 to 90 with black visor helmets at night is difficult.
i could'nt believe blr- mysore road. its superb! accidents left aside;) the towns passed quickly... ramnagaram, ccd, bidadi, mandya.... whoosh! i took over in an hour. we reached mysore at around 11:30 and took a diversion towards ooty. Now this was the boring part. around 10 to 12 km of totally monotonous non highway road. both of us were mega bored.
We finally reached the road to ooty and made our first break at a roadside eatery. had tomato fry with rice... awesome! paid more for the food because our man the waiter thought we were angrezi speaking uth! had chai and that was it! i felt tired. and sleepy!
phil took over and i felt better! the road was narrow, lonely and not too good. it reminded me of M.P roads. It was cold and dark too. along the road, we came to a point where a tree lay across the road, blocking half of it. it looked very strange and artificial. time flew... and soon we crossed gundlupet and reached bandipur. I was excited!

2006-07-06T19:41:00.000+05:30

bangalore see u tomorrow
It was around 5:00 pm on a boring friday evening. I was reaching the heights of boredom at office and desperately wanted to do a ride as soon as possible. Its something like wanting to pee but not being able to!
I had no idea of where I would be going and who I would be going with. I just wanted to go do something asap. Say bye bye Bangalore for some time.
Was all the more bored when i got back home at 5. But then God heard my cries! My one and only buddy Philip called just in the time of need! Our man called for something totally unrelated to the ride but when i popped the ride into his mind he forgot about what he actually called for! thats what is called a rider's mind you see...
Philip said he was all game for Ooty, which suddenly came into my mind from i dont know where!
The plan was that he would come to my place at Ejipura and we would take off from there after sapad. Things seemed to be working all of a sudden... we were on for OOTY! man.... awesome! i guess i said that too early... our man called back to say he had to be back at 11 the next day (sat) for some important work. but... once we're on theres no way it can be called off...thats a rule with philip and me.
Ss now.... it was ready, steady go....! We're coming ooty....