During those 115 days of riding I did last year, there have been some events which are embedded in my mind; & will be for a long time to come. As I am not writing a full fledged write up on the ride itself, I thought this would be good enough to give anyone a glimpse of how it was riding solo… I am not sure if all the events will be on a single post, but do keep a track, if it is split.
A River Bath.
It was a very hot day. Sun was blazing down like crazy. I was on my way to Hyderabad, knowing very well that I will not make it by the end of the day. I knew I would have to take a stop in between somewhere, I didn’t know where that “somewhere” was. Bike was also getting used to riding for long distances, even though I had done couple of practice runs on it. Either that or I assume that there was something wrong in the way I rode; (later in the night, I found out that there was some drops of water in the carburetor, got it fixed from a local mechanic).
So, I did not push the bike at all. A little later, after I entered the Andhra border, I was riding over a bridge, down below was Krishna River. When I turned around, I saw a pathway to go down to the bank of the river, where there was a temple. Went down, parked the bike where I could keep an eye on it. Pulled out my gamchha & soap; dived in the water. I don’t know how to swim, but who cares! This was the point in where I knew how the rest of my solo ride would be. Free, independent (even though I was under a lot of external forces which could affect me) & may I say wild! (may I add, that’s how I was, did what I wanted to do, how I wanted to do it & cared 2 hoots of what people would think about, & what people are we talking about, I was a Stranger everywhere I went) Spent 30mins in water, got out of it, got ready & back on the road.
Meeting the Godavari
I have wrote about this in my earlier blogs written on the ride, under the heading Hyderabad to Raipur. It def was one of the scariest moments in the ride. I have to admit, I for sometime didn’t know what hit me; bcos lot of things happened at the same time. Bike getting stuck, rains, fatigue, no human contact around, didn’t know the language, bike was acting funny, I fell down, the left footrest twisted…. At the end of the day, stayed at a “so called hotel” for 100/night; ate the worst “rasam rice” of my life; lying on the bed I was only happy that I was alive. This day will be remembered for ever!!
Crossing the borders of AP & Chhattisgarh
To explain in few words, the border from where I entered Chhattisgarh was more like a fortress than just a crossing. Armed men everywhere, fully loaded guns-big ones, thorough check of my bike & its contents, every half a km on the highway, there’s a group of jawans walking the road – guarding it from extremists. The refugee camps I came across, people living in them, BSF guarding them; imaging living like a refugee in your own state. I still get a chill thinking about crossing over into Chhattisgarh after my ordeal with the Godavari.
A River Bath.
It was a very hot day. Sun was blazing down like crazy. I was on my way to Hyderabad, knowing very well that I will not make it by the end of the day. I knew I would have to take a stop in between somewhere, I didn’t know where that “somewhere” was. Bike was also getting used to riding for long distances, even though I had done couple of practice runs on it. Either that or I assume that there was something wrong in the way I rode; (later in the night, I found out that there was some drops of water in the carburetor, got it fixed from a local mechanic).
So, I did not push the bike at all. A little later, after I entered the Andhra border, I was riding over a bridge, down below was Krishna River. When I turned around, I saw a pathway to go down to the bank of the river, where there was a temple. Went down, parked the bike where I could keep an eye on it. Pulled out my gamchha & soap; dived in the water. I don’t know how to swim, but who cares! This was the point in where I knew how the rest of my solo ride would be. Free, independent (even though I was under a lot of external forces which could affect me) & may I say wild! (may I add, that’s how I was, did what I wanted to do, how I wanted to do it & cared 2 hoots of what people would think about, & what people are we talking about, I was a Stranger everywhere I went) Spent 30mins in water, got out of it, got ready & back on the road.
Meeting the Godavari
I have wrote about this in my earlier blogs written on the ride, under the heading Hyderabad to Raipur. It def was one of the scariest moments in the ride. I have to admit, I for sometime didn’t know what hit me; bcos lot of things happened at the same time. Bike getting stuck, rains, fatigue, no human contact around, didn’t know the language, bike was acting funny, I fell down, the left footrest twisted…. At the end of the day, stayed at a “so called hotel” for 100/night; ate the worst “rasam rice” of my life; lying on the bed I was only happy that I was alive. This day will be remembered for ever!!
Crossing the borders of AP & Chhattisgarh
To explain in few words, the border from where I entered Chhattisgarh was more like a fortress than just a crossing. Armed men everywhere, fully loaded guns-big ones, thorough check of my bike & its contents, every half a km on the highway, there’s a group of jawans walking the road – guarding it from extremists. The refugee camps I came across, people living in them, BSF guarding them; imaging living like a refugee in your own state. I still get a chill thinking about crossing over into Chhattisgarh after my ordeal with the Godavari.
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