9 Day Ride

Mugger crocodiles inhabiting Vishwamitri river in Vadodara are facing high stress levels, finds a study that analysed their stress hormones and reported it in the Conservation Physiology Journal. I bet the crocodiles are not as stressed as I was when I found out that my Royal Enfield service centre was not accepting vehicles for service for at least a week due to backlog of flood affected vehicles (the crocodiles reaching the low-lying areas during flood is what spiked my interest to read about them) and also that they would find out if they can service it even after a week. I would have to postpone my bike trip to next year if I did not get my vehicle serviced in time. The mere thought of it induced more stress. Nevertheless, I dropped my bike at the service centre and waited to see what happens.

6 days, 5 states

Since I shifted to Bhuj, it took 5 years to again get an opportunity for a bike ride not for the lack of efforts. Ok so, on this opportunity, Rafik and I decided for a four day ride which, after many devious planning sessions with greed for covering a little more distance, turned out to be a six day ride. But as great Mr. Murphy had bestowed his laws on the mortal world, Rafik got some "urgent" work two days before we were to leave and he had to cancel. You see, Newton's infallible laws may fail, but Murphy's law will always come into play. So it was me again alone on a ride.

Ladakh Primer

Why Laddakh Primer? Read on.

How lucky for me that my wife would want to go to her myka at the very time when, taking one day off would give me straight 4 days of extended weekend. This is the proof that God exists. Working with Google maps, I planned my trip to the Prayags. I always wanted to visit the Prayags and I would be able to do that on my Bullet was a fantastic wish about to be fulfilled. With my limited inventory of 4 days, I could only plan to visit the lower parts of hills doing Devprayag, Rudraprayag & Karnaprayag and return back. Laddakh will have to wait. Two days before I was to leave, I found the bike's rear chain sprocket missing some tooth. Only a day remaining, I could either finish my office work so that I can take that leave or get the chain sprocket replaced. I could see myself kissing this trip goodbye. Luckily, there was a an authorised workshop near my office and was able to do both. God still existed.

So, I left on the morning of 22nd Oct '15, the Dussehra day. I couldn't say enough thanks to the person who conceptualized Google Maps. There is no bigger waste of time than spending it trying to figure out how to get on the highway on the first day of your road trip.

Golden Temple Mail - On two wheels

Since we shifted to Delhi about a month ago, my wife had this excellent opportunity to go to her mayka with her brother and what husband, in his proper sense, would say no to this God send equally excellent opportunity. I was just upset over the fact that she was leaving on a Saturday and returning on next Sunday so I didn't had even two full days to go for a ride. Since I had just joined my new company & it was a not-so-good idea to take a leave, so I was just planning to spend whatever weekends I had, doing what I think I was send on this earth for - sleep. But one fine day, speaking to my brother-in-law on phone, I realised that I had a long weekend (2-5 Oct) when my wife was in myka. I was never so excited over Gandhiji's birthday and what a coincidence that Ram should kill Ravan the very next day this year thus bestowing us with yet another consecutive holiday, which combined with Saturday and Sunday, gave us mortals, 4 straight days off. Its a dream for us, who work long hours on weekdays (9 to 5 job is an illusion created by HR to lure unsuspecting candidates into their organisation.)

A bullet ride to the Aravalli Hills

Planning
After running up my bullet (Standard 350 cc) for prescribed limit of 2000 kms I was just waiting for such a moment where I could squeeze few days from my daily life for a nice road trip. I was thinking how to get my wife to stay at Thane home so that I can go for a trip. Then there was my brother-in-laws marriage in Nov 2012, just after Diwali. There was no option but to attend it, after all, a saying goes in Hindi, "Saari khudai ek taraf, joru ka bhai ek taraf", which in English humbly means that brother-in-laws' shall be given priority over God's whole creation. After we returned from the marriage, I managed for my wife and son to stay at Thane home with parents. So here I was in Vadodara with my bullet and a itch somewhere in the body to go for a ride.

A weekend trip.

Planning
There was a marriage in family coming up in Dec 2010 at Katni in Madhya Pradesh which is about 950 kms from Vadodara. I planned a biking trip to attend the marriage and researched all routes with detail. Then one day my elder cousin brother called and told me that he was counting on me to help him manage the travelling of marriage party to and fro by train. This put an immediate end to my planning. I had read some where – “Do not plan, it makes God laugh”

As the end of calendar year was approaching I had an intense desire to go on a bike trip. I deviously planned and sent my wife to home in Thane at the year end. I was not able to manage long leave so decided to visit near by places. Udaipur I had already traveled, west Gujarat could wait as I had better plans for it, didn’t want to go to Madhya Pradesh side due to emotions of previous planning failure, so after some more searching I decided upon Saputara. And this time there was no need to think which bike to take.

Vadodara to New Delhi (or Agra)

When I used to go to Gandhinagar from Vadodara on official trips, I would see the sign boards mentioning - "New Delhi - 980 kms". My obsession for long drives on motorcycle made me wish a bike to appear below me out of thin air and go for a long drive. I didn't own one till I got married (No, I did not received it as a marriage gift. I bought the motorcycle with my own money).

Now that I had a motorcycle, I had a wife too! I could not go on long trips, even to Ahmedabad, which is about 130 kms because I had to take her if I go and she would start complaining about pain and uneasiness in about 15 kms and would ask to turn back. I said to her, "I will go on a really long trip when you go to your 'mayka'. (This was one of the reasons I was happy to send her to her 'mayka'.)

The day when she was to go to Mumbai (from where she would go to her mothers place), I had an official trip to Gandhinagar. The sign board urged me again and this time I listened to it.