Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wake Up Call
Wake up call
Manali. The gate way to heaven ... other than being over crowded with tourists , the place was good . Just before entering to Manali , on a roads which will remind you of the Moons surface or Om Puri's face at a speed of 75 KMPH I heard a definite " clang " from Ricky . a voice g inside me ( the same one as in Chandigarh ) told me ... " something is wrong dude " . we reached Hotel Drilbu . from here on We will have a Mech and a Jeep for the baggage + petrol as back up . I took Ricky to the Mech , something major wrong with the clutch . He worked over night and fixed it . I went around town , having a few beers and some grub , contemplating should I get laid or not coz I felt I might not come back from this trip :) . By this time I was slightly uneasy as its officially the 6th day I have not had quality rest or sleep and I was breathless every time I walked more than 50 Meters . So I chose to sleep alone . Had a couple more of beers and hit the sack . I didn't know when my roomies came in nor when it became morning .
I felt fresh and alive n the morning . and the breathlessness went away too .. " Yeah .. I can pull it off .. I am tough " was echoing in my head . Ricky came back to me with a bill of Rs 1200 but in perfect shape . We had to adjust the filter to pull in more air for burning . Its not only us the lack of oxygen hits up there . Manali - Rohthang was good . I mean GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD . I t was like riding on a coiled serpent . to be more social to the gang , we took regular stops for pictures and stretching . Snow was in abundance in Rohtang . And the scenery from there on was jaw dropping .At one point I was feeling bored as well as tired so pulled up on the road side and had a quick nap . After lunch , we pulled ahead as low speed was getting on my nerve. We reached Thandi by afternoon . We filled our tanks ( bikes ) to the brim as for the next 365 KMs , there not single petrol pump . It was a cold after sunset ... Cold enough to freeze the balls of a brass monkey . We needed booze . Brandy was my first choice but settled for rum . It was supposed to be a quick drink around the camp fire and off to sleep as AMS ... read ACCUTE MOUNTAIN SICKNESS is supposed to kick in by now . AMS my ass ... we drank like fish ... If I remember right I had about 6 pegs . Every one sang and I brayed along . some one commented I sing well ,well that gave me an idea how drunk were they . around 12 we retired to our tents and I slept the same second as I hit the bed. I slept well I guess
The moment of truth
The boys at the camp woke me up for the bed tea ... My mind was fresh and was ready to go .... I tried opening my eyes ... eyelids felt as if they were of lead . Body was aching . Breathing was shallow , head spinning . "the alchahol was mixed .... " the answer came from within . I should have drank less or not drank at all . any way it will wear off in some time ... Some how dragged my self to brush . went back to bed ... I can hear my fellow bikers waking up one by one . I was sure there will be a bunch like me who has been hit hard . 7 am and most of them are out of their bed and having breakfast . and I didn't hear any one complaining of a hang over . Okay . so the liquor was good , may be I was tired of not sleeping all these night and would need some more sleep . told the guys to carry on. I know how far will they go on these terrains . around 10 am I got out of my tent tried walking to the bike ... Every 10 steps I had to stop . I was breathless in a flash . it Hit me then .
Dude , you are done . The boys at the camp gave me some garlic to chew as that's the only way out it seems . okay have it your way . A mouth full of garlic and fumes out of my nose and ears I gun my bike .
The self proclaimed hero was now just living on Gods mercy . I am not sure how I rode the next few hours . I stopped for breakfast at some place and tried getting some rest . no improvement and now a slight panic set in . I didn't want to be a burden on any one . By MId day I was completely done. I stopped again on the road side to take a nap . The safety jeep pulled up and the mechanic offered to ride my bike . I gladly took it as I was sure I cannot pull it off .
I think I slept in the jeep , the driver had a tough time waking me up whenever I turn blue. Thanks to AMS , my body stops breathing at times and you need kind of a slap to wake up and breath . Stopped at an army camp in-between as the driver knew they were loosing me . My fingers and have turned dark blue . A sign of less oxygen being pumped through blood . Felt a bit better after 40 minutes of oxygen supply from the army clinic . My brain started functioning , till then I was like a retard . By the time we reached Sarchu , my condition worsened. 2 guys helped me to reach my tent. Thank God they had an oxygen tank . I had to use it twice to get through the night alive. Rajesh was volunteered to look after my staying alive and he almost stated awake the whole night .
Next day I was transferred to Leh , firs to the resort and then to the Govt Hospital . The moment I went in , I asked my driver to take me to a private clinic as this was rat infested and the infrastructure was scary . He wanted to laugh out loud . but some how he said " aap ko kya lagta hai .... yehan pe kithne haspatal hai ?? " . so got admitted there . with 2 oxygen tanks running between 6 patients , of which one was a baby. There was a lady from a tourist family who wanted to bribe the nurse to keep one for herself . They made a nurse to sit next to me for the time I don't have an oxygen supply , if I fell into deep sleep , I will not breath ( Something we take for granted ... that we will breath in and out even if we are unconscious ) . She will poke me every now and then when my face turns blue . 2:30 Am I got oxygen for 30 minutes. I woke up for some reason and saw the poor lady sleeping . I learned in the morning that she was on a double shift and has a full fledged family to look after at home . but from 3 Am to sunrise was fun ... well I should be at my best of my arrogance , stupidity to call it fun and its bloody blind luck that I am sitting here and typing this out . I have a term KOD ( KISS OF DEATH ) .. when I have a event which brings me very close to instant death. In this case death was like a seductress lying next me waiting for me to give in to her . I had to stay awake .... I was trying to remember everything good or bad I have been through or done . from holding Kamals baby to buying my first bike to falling in love with Sophie to smashing some ones skull in Kodai to Dads death to ......................... it was like a high lights show on my life. The bike ride lost all its value as now staying alive was priority number one. yes at times I wanted to give up .. was tired of everything and closing my eyes knowing that it may never open again felt soothing as if the destination of my ride has arrived ........... NO NOT TODAY ..... NOT TODAY . I shook my thought and got back to trip on the memory high way zipping past the events and people .
My tickets were booked for the first flight out from Leh to Delhi . one of my friend was supposed to take to a clinic as soon as I landed . I was feeling much better even before landing so I called and cancelled that . After almost a week , I had a look at my self in a mirror . A tandoori Mexican would be the right word for me . Charred black skin peeling in chunks . Jaw line visible after 2 years. Dark circles like Gandhi's glasses around the eyes . but Physically I was stable , just physically .
took an afternoon flight to Bangalore . The same people who dropped me to the airport was there to Pick me up too .
Before starting the trip , where I wasted time dreaming about it . I made the entire route Map of the trip on Google earth . Point to point , day wise . and as the peak point I had a marker saying " 24th June , Birthday on top of the world " . I don't think I can take a day as hard as my 27th birthday . Yes every one was there to cheer me , to listen to my heroics ( idiocracy ) . But I was not okay . The hot air balloon I have made of myself has not deflated but blasted in mid air ... And I was falling deeper and deeper was not hitting ground . I never did
The ever present justifying mentality of mine kicked in . " Oh you did good . You did your best ... you were sick that's why ... you have BP , asthma . If it was any body else in your shoes they would not have gone even up to Manali " I didn't even stand take the defeat well . As always , excuses and stupid ways of soothing my "back to form " ego . And I resumed life as If nothing happened , I even made myself believe , I came back a victor from KTop . I bragged on about the trip , Even now I do . So shamelessly , I should not be even thinking about the trip . I who came back beaten down to dust . I who could not finish half the trip . Now acts as if KTop was reached with my eyes closed . It takes more than me to sit here and admit that I was a total failure , not to this trip but to most of my life.
With the capabilities I have , I achieved far less than my full potential and made it look like it was a Herculean effort to reach where I am right now .
No more kidding myself , no more shrugging shoulder and walking away . I will take this one on my chin , will keep the scars fresh and bleeding . coz if I let this beat me down , I will never walk again as myself . It will be some one else in my life . not me
"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." : Edmund Hillary
Manali. The gate way to heaven ... other than being over crowded with tourists , the place was good . Just before entering to Manali , on a roads which will remind you of the Moons surface or Om Puri's face at a speed of 75 KMPH I heard a definite " clang " from Ricky . a voice g inside me ( the same one as in Chandigarh ) told me ... " something is wrong dude " . we reached Hotel Drilbu . from here on We will have a Mech and a Jeep for the baggage + petrol as back up . I took Ricky to the Mech , something major wrong with the clutch . He worked over night and fixed it . I went around town , having a few beers and some grub , contemplating should I get laid or not coz I felt I might not come back from this trip :) . By this time I was slightly uneasy as its officially the 6th day I have not had quality rest or sleep and I was breathless every time I walked more than 50 Meters . So I chose to sleep alone . Had a couple more of beers and hit the sack . I didn't know when my roomies came in nor when it became morning .
I felt fresh and alive n the morning . and the breathlessness went away too .. " Yeah .. I can pull it off .. I am tough " was echoing in my head . Ricky came back to me with a bill of Rs 1200 but in perfect shape . We had to adjust the filter to pull in more air for burning . Its not only us the lack of oxygen hits up there . Manali - Rohthang was good . I mean GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD . I t was like riding on a coiled serpent . to be more social to the gang , we took regular stops for pictures and stretching . Snow was in abundance in Rohtang . And the scenery from there on was jaw dropping .At one point I was feeling bored as well as tired so pulled up on the road side and had a quick nap . After lunch , we pulled ahead as low speed was getting on my nerve. We reached Thandi by afternoon . We filled our tanks ( bikes ) to the brim as for the next 365 KMs , there not single petrol pump . It was a cold after sunset ... Cold enough to freeze the balls of a brass monkey . We needed booze . Brandy was my first choice but settled for rum . It was supposed to be a quick drink around the camp fire and off to sleep as AMS ... read ACCUTE MOUNTAIN SICKNESS is supposed to kick in by now . AMS my ass ... we drank like fish ... If I remember right I had about 6 pegs . Every one sang and I brayed along . some one commented I sing well ,well that gave me an idea how drunk were they . around 12 we retired to our tents and I slept the same second as I hit the bed. I slept well I guess
The moment of truth
The boys at the camp woke me up for the bed tea ... My mind was fresh and was ready to go .... I tried opening my eyes ... eyelids felt as if they were of lead . Body was aching . Breathing was shallow , head spinning . "the alchahol was mixed .... " the answer came from within . I should have drank less or not drank at all . any way it will wear off in some time ... Some how dragged my self to brush . went back to bed ... I can hear my fellow bikers waking up one by one . I was sure there will be a bunch like me who has been hit hard . 7 am and most of them are out of their bed and having breakfast . and I didn't hear any one complaining of a hang over . Okay . so the liquor was good , may be I was tired of not sleeping all these night and would need some more sleep . told the guys to carry on. I know how far will they go on these terrains . around 10 am I got out of my tent tried walking to the bike ... Every 10 steps I had to stop . I was breathless in a flash . it Hit me then .
Dude , you are done . The boys at the camp gave me some garlic to chew as that's the only way out it seems . okay have it your way . A mouth full of garlic and fumes out of my nose and ears I gun my bike .
The self proclaimed hero was now just living on Gods mercy . I am not sure how I rode the next few hours . I stopped for breakfast at some place and tried getting some rest . no improvement and now a slight panic set in . I didn't want to be a burden on any one . By MId day I was completely done. I stopped again on the road side to take a nap . The safety jeep pulled up and the mechanic offered to ride my bike . I gladly took it as I was sure I cannot pull it off .
I think I slept in the jeep , the driver had a tough time waking me up whenever I turn blue. Thanks to AMS , my body stops breathing at times and you need kind of a slap to wake up and breath . Stopped at an army camp in-between as the driver knew they were loosing me . My fingers and have turned dark blue . A sign of less oxygen being pumped through blood . Felt a bit better after 40 minutes of oxygen supply from the army clinic . My brain started functioning , till then I was like a retard . By the time we reached Sarchu , my condition worsened. 2 guys helped me to reach my tent. Thank God they had an oxygen tank . I had to use it twice to get through the night alive. Rajesh was volunteered to look after my staying alive and he almost stated awake the whole night .
Next day I was transferred to Leh , firs to the resort and then to the Govt Hospital . The moment I went in , I asked my driver to take me to a private clinic as this was rat infested and the infrastructure was scary . He wanted to laugh out loud . but some how he said " aap ko kya lagta hai .... yehan pe kithne haspatal hai ?? " . so got admitted there . with 2 oxygen tanks running between 6 patients , of which one was a baby. There was a lady from a tourist family who wanted to bribe the nurse to keep one for herself . They made a nurse to sit next to me for the time I don't have an oxygen supply , if I fell into deep sleep , I will not breath ( Something we take for granted ... that we will breath in and out even if we are unconscious ) . She will poke me every now and then when my face turns blue . 2:30 Am I got oxygen for 30 minutes. I woke up for some reason and saw the poor lady sleeping . I learned in the morning that she was on a double shift and has a full fledged family to look after at home . but from 3 Am to sunrise was fun ... well I should be at my best of my arrogance , stupidity to call it fun and its bloody blind luck that I am sitting here and typing this out . I have a term KOD ( KISS OF DEATH ) .. when I have a event which brings me very close to instant death. In this case death was like a seductress lying next me waiting for me to give in to her . I had to stay awake .... I was trying to remember everything good or bad I have been through or done . from holding Kamals baby to buying my first bike to falling in love with Sophie to smashing some ones skull in Kodai to Dads death to ......................... it was like a high lights show on my life. The bike ride lost all its value as now staying alive was priority number one. yes at times I wanted to give up .. was tired of everything and closing my eyes knowing that it may never open again felt soothing as if the destination of my ride has arrived ........... NO NOT TODAY ..... NOT TODAY . I shook my thought and got back to trip on the memory high way zipping past the events and people .
My tickets were booked for the first flight out from Leh to Delhi . one of my friend was supposed to take to a clinic as soon as I landed . I was feeling much better even before landing so I called and cancelled that . After almost a week , I had a look at my self in a mirror . A tandoori Mexican would be the right word for me . Charred black skin peeling in chunks . Jaw line visible after 2 years. Dark circles like Gandhi's glasses around the eyes . but Physically I was stable , just physically .
took an afternoon flight to Bangalore . The same people who dropped me to the airport was there to Pick me up too .
Before starting the trip , where I wasted time dreaming about it . I made the entire route Map of the trip on Google earth . Point to point , day wise . and as the peak point I had a marker saying " 24th June , Birthday on top of the world " . I don't think I can take a day as hard as my 27th birthday . Yes every one was there to cheer me , to listen to my heroics ( idiocracy ) . But I was not okay . The hot air balloon I have made of myself has not deflated but blasted in mid air ... And I was falling deeper and deeper was not hitting ground . I never did
The ever present justifying mentality of mine kicked in . " Oh you did good . You did your best ... you were sick that's why ... you have BP , asthma . If it was any body else in your shoes they would not have gone even up to Manali " I didn't even stand take the defeat well . As always , excuses and stupid ways of soothing my "back to form " ego . And I resumed life as If nothing happened , I even made myself believe , I came back a victor from KTop . I bragged on about the trip , Even now I do . So shamelessly , I should not be even thinking about the trip . I who came back beaten down to dust . I who could not finish half the trip . Now acts as if KTop was reached with my eyes closed . It takes more than me to sit here and admit that I was a total failure , not to this trip but to most of my life.
With the capabilities I have , I achieved far less than my full potential and made it look like it was a Herculean effort to reach where I am right now .
No more kidding myself , no more shrugging shoulder and walking away . I will take this one on my chin , will keep the scars fresh and bleeding . coz if I let this beat me down , I will never walk again as myself . It will be some one else in my life . not me
"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." : Edmund Hillary
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The good part of the trip
Hi ,
Just 111 days from the so called " trip of a life time " I sit down to pen this , I haven't forgotten any moment of it . I never thought I will continue writing on this blog ...
seriously . Me being Jerry Martin with an ego which can fill up a reservoir cant look in the mirror now a days. will get in to that later
Built up
Hubert was the rock on which this trip was built , his planning and execution of this trip will put any travel agent ( including me ) to shame . A passionate biker .
A few of OSBs met up 3-4 months prior to the trip . The reason was YOGA !!! . Ya right , I thought " What does yoga has to do with biking , its for oldies and ladies who has nothing else to do at home " . I went for it any way as it will give me an intro to the core team .
I met Aaron there, He looks like a firang , with my hair(less)style . Other than being a biker he is yoga teacher as well . he came up with 2 pranayamas to increase the lung capacity as the lack of oxygen will trouble most bikers up in K TOP .
Me needing Yoga ... never , I always went to places and adjusted myself to it ... If I put my will to it I can do anything ... God how wrong was I .
I helped Hubert In getting the air tickets at a cost almost equal to the train fare so we chucked the plan of going by rail and flew .
We sent our bikes through rail a few days before . I couldn't sleep from 3 days prior to the trip
June 16th Saturday , Accompanied by Sophie and Ajay , I reach the airport . We had a photo session for the sponsor and stuff we boarded the plain . Thanks to my unfriendly features , didn't make many friends but the guys whom I could break Ice with was
Denzil - wonderfully sweet guy , me and he looks like brothers with our hairstyle and tattoos . he is pillion to Hubert .
Shankara - biker with many miles under his belt ( like about 2.5 lakhs KM ) , rides solo on a pulsar ,
Sharath - my pillion , non fuzzy , sweet , caring and cool dude to go for a trip . he takes amazing pics even sitting behind a bike in a bad terrain ( most of my pics are taken by him )
Landed - went to Lahore gate to pick up bikes , was irritating to walk through the small galli's in Delhi with maddening traffic , but the anticipation of the trip kept us moving forward . Stayed at a hotel in carol Bagh , I fitted a luggage rack to my bike so Sharath does not have to put the rucksack on
Eve of the trip I went to meet Mona and baby ( Kamal's wife , read the earlier blogs to know him ) her sister Mala .Trisha , kamals baby, was so wonderful ... for once I thought it will be amazing to be a father . we spend like an hour together and I rushed back to get some rest
I shared the room with
Anil - Anil K Govind - has a 1975 bullet working as good or better than Ricky , has a no nonsense approach to everything , takes superb pictures and the first guy to offer me a bed in their room
Novex - has a road king , sweet guy
both has many miles under their belts too , and has hell lot of practical solutions a biker could use any day
by this time I kind of figured " dude , you call yourself a biker ... in front of these guys you are like a kid in every aspect " anyway I thanked God that this wasn't a competition , I would have come 30th in a 25 bike race :)
anyway 3:30 am 17th of June , I carry my saddle bags and follow Sharath carrying a rucksack , reach to Ricky . saddled up , tried on my new helmet ( 2 K , carbon fiber , heavy , full faced , made for speed and comfort ) . Leave not being able to sleep at night ..... now my heart was like a Congo drums concert , had a my palms sweating and was on a high , kind of one you will have before skydiving for or making love for the first time .
for effectiveness , the grp was split into 5 , My lead was Ravi Kittu , very jovial guy . His wife , 2 brothers , Sharath and me made up the team . Being avid travelers , the rest of the team decided on leaving late towards Chandigarh . for me , I wanted to move out on 16th afternoon itself :) .
so around 4 am I wake up Ricky , he is in his best form . With Hubert and Denz with us we started moving , Even though we were sweating like pigs ( at 4 am !!!! ) we could feel a cool breeze ahead . we packed our cameras and stuff inside plastic covers coz we expected RAINS . The tricky thing of staying in the heart of the city is that you need to know the point where the high way starts . No use waking up a taxi driver and asking him the way to Manali or Chandigarh , We knew this and we have learned that Azadpur is the point where the freeway starts. ( oh yes it makes hell of a difference , you will know why ) . Just a few miles in the free way , flood gates in heaven opened up . We pulled up to the side of the road as it was impossible in the dark to ride in this kind of rain . We waited for about an hour , for the rain to ease up , it did but with a promise of more downpour in a short while , good thing was it was day break by then . We got back to riding , it rained again and again and again , we were soaked , but after all the worries and butterflies in the tummy .... my BIG STUPID GRIN arrived. Delhi - Chandigarh highway in early morning is like a blessing , screw the trucks and other vehicles , the road is made for speed . Ricky was in good form , Me , sharath our luggage for next 15days on him and bro was easily doing 100 + .... we were in Chandigarh by 12 . few guys reached at 6 PM as it took them like 2 hours to just get out of Delhi .
tried sleeping , not happening . Learned how to dry wet shoes ... fill it up with news paper. Had a few pegs in the evening . thought it will help me in sleeping . NOPE ... Now my body was kind of aching here and there as I haven't slept well for almost 5 days . I think it was Anil who found the culprit , he said Adrenaline , kind of chemical locha in my body , caused by my excitement is keeping me awake 24/7 ..
got to bed at 12 and was up by 3 AM . coz this will be one more day we start before sunrise , We were good to go at dot 4 . My team was starting late again , so me and sharath started alone , one team started at 4 and we weren't so keen on joining with them , we like our freedom so waited around 30 minutes and took off . Leaving Chandigarh was was tough ... Even if you know the name of the exit point out of the city , no one to ask the direction at 4:30 AM . We reached a junction and something inside told me to wait ... I usually listen to that voice inside me . no matter what it says to me ... I usually do that .
2 minutes and few questions from Sharath later , I see a Himachal Pradesh road transport Bus , with my humble knowledge on reading Hindi , I got " Ma ... Manal .... MANALI "
yeah . We caught up with the driver in the next junction and reconfirmed , he said follow me till day break as the roads might not be that great and there will be definite amount of fog . How nice .. He kept his bus at an average speed of 80 KMPH , we weren't loosing anytime in following him as we had to find our way out of the city and then ride in the dark , with a fog which has lifted just 4 feet from the road , we would be doing only like 40 KMPH .
With less stress on concentrating on the road , we enjoyed this stint . both sides of the roads were full of fields , the sun rise was awesome , the rays filtering through the fog and shining on the dew drops was magical . As the day got brighter , we thanked the bus driver and pulled on . Now this is where the high range starts , man Ricky was like a roller costar , fast , furious , fun but ran like on rail , we didn't go one inch wrong . We have been riding for 3 hrs by then and riding flat out .
Coz , what ever it is I'm an over grown child , somewhere I felt I can catch up with the team which left 1/2 an hour before , I would have rode for one more hour , due to my butt feeling like a rock + sharath wanting to stretch , we stopped for coffee in a small town . we decided we will have breakfast at around 9 . We stopped for like 1/2 an hour there and I completely resigned from the idea that I can catch up with the team ahead .
Me in a more relaxed riding style and Sharath at his best creative mood , led to few way side photo shoots .. we were in one of those stops when I see one of our bikers zip past us . We flagged them down . They pull over a bit ahead of us and we walked up . all five of them had a quizzical look and asked " when did you start " we said 4:30 .... the next question came in a millisecond but every one in unison " so when did you over take us " oh man this over grown child was on top of the world that time .... This is the team which left 30 Minutes before me . and they haven't stopped yet . Thanks to the Bus driver , I made up about 1 hour + on them in a 4 hr ride , They took a long time in getting out of the city .
Just 111 days from the so called " trip of a life time " I sit down to pen this , I haven't forgotten any moment of it . I never thought I will continue writing on this blog ...
seriously . Me being Jerry Martin with an ego which can fill up a reservoir cant look in the mirror now a days. will get in to that later
Built up
Hubert was the rock on which this trip was built , his planning and execution of this trip will put any travel agent ( including me ) to shame . A passionate biker .
A few of OSBs met up 3-4 months prior to the trip . The reason was YOGA !!! . Ya right , I thought " What does yoga has to do with biking , its for oldies and ladies who has nothing else to do at home " . I went for it any way as it will give me an intro to the core team .
I met Aaron there, He looks like a firang , with my hair(less)style . Other than being a biker he is yoga teacher as well . he came up with 2 pranayamas to increase the lung capacity as the lack of oxygen will trouble most bikers up in K TOP .
Me needing Yoga ... never , I always went to places and adjusted myself to it ... If I put my will to it I can do anything ... God how wrong was I .
I helped Hubert In getting the air tickets at a cost almost equal to the train fare so we chucked the plan of going by rail and flew .
We sent our bikes through rail a few days before . I couldn't sleep from 3 days prior to the trip
June 16th Saturday , Accompanied by Sophie and Ajay , I reach the airport . We had a photo session for the sponsor and stuff we boarded the plain . Thanks to my unfriendly features , didn't make many friends but the guys whom I could break Ice with was
Denzil - wonderfully sweet guy , me and he looks like brothers with our hairstyle and tattoos . he is pillion to Hubert .
Shankara - biker with many miles under his belt ( like about 2.5 lakhs KM ) , rides solo on a pulsar ,
Sharath - my pillion , non fuzzy , sweet , caring and cool dude to go for a trip . he takes amazing pics even sitting behind a bike in a bad terrain ( most of my pics are taken by him )
Landed - went to Lahore gate to pick up bikes , was irritating to walk through the small galli's in Delhi with maddening traffic , but the anticipation of the trip kept us moving forward . Stayed at a hotel in carol Bagh , I fitted a luggage rack to my bike so Sharath does not have to put the rucksack on
Eve of the trip I went to meet Mona and baby ( Kamal's wife , read the earlier blogs to know him ) her sister Mala .Trisha , kamals baby, was so wonderful ... for once I thought it will be amazing to be a father . we spend like an hour together and I rushed back to get some rest
I shared the room with
Anil - Anil K Govind - has a 1975 bullet working as good or better than Ricky , has a no nonsense approach to everything , takes superb pictures and the first guy to offer me a bed in their room
Novex - has a road king , sweet guy
both has many miles under their belts too , and has hell lot of practical solutions a biker could use any day
by this time I kind of figured " dude , you call yourself a biker ... in front of these guys you are like a kid in every aspect " anyway I thanked God that this wasn't a competition , I would have come 30th in a 25 bike race :)
anyway 3:30 am 17th of June , I carry my saddle bags and follow Sharath carrying a rucksack , reach to Ricky . saddled up , tried on my new helmet ( 2 K , carbon fiber , heavy , full faced , made for speed and comfort ) . Leave not being able to sleep at night ..... now my heart was like a Congo drums concert , had a my palms sweating and was on a high , kind of one you will have before skydiving for or making love for the first time .
for effectiveness , the grp was split into 5 , My lead was Ravi Kittu , very jovial guy . His wife , 2 brothers , Sharath and me made up the team . Being avid travelers , the rest of the team decided on leaving late towards Chandigarh . for me , I wanted to move out on 16th afternoon itself :) .
so around 4 am I wake up Ricky , he is in his best form . With Hubert and Denz with us we started moving , Even though we were sweating like pigs ( at 4 am !!!! ) we could feel a cool breeze ahead . we packed our cameras and stuff inside plastic covers coz we expected RAINS . The tricky thing of staying in the heart of the city is that you need to know the point where the high way starts . No use waking up a taxi driver and asking him the way to Manali or Chandigarh , We knew this and we have learned that Azadpur is the point where the freeway starts. ( oh yes it makes hell of a difference , you will know why ) . Just a few miles in the free way , flood gates in heaven opened up . We pulled up to the side of the road as it was impossible in the dark to ride in this kind of rain . We waited for about an hour , for the rain to ease up , it did but with a promise of more downpour in a short while , good thing was it was day break by then . We got back to riding , it rained again and again and again , we were soaked , but after all the worries and butterflies in the tummy .... my BIG STUPID GRIN arrived. Delhi - Chandigarh highway in early morning is like a blessing , screw the trucks and other vehicles , the road is made for speed . Ricky was in good form , Me , sharath our luggage for next 15days on him and bro was easily doing 100 + .... we were in Chandigarh by 12 . few guys reached at 6 PM as it took them like 2 hours to just get out of Delhi .
tried sleeping , not happening . Learned how to dry wet shoes ... fill it up with news paper. Had a few pegs in the evening . thought it will help me in sleeping . NOPE ... Now my body was kind of aching here and there as I haven't slept well for almost 5 days . I think it was Anil who found the culprit , he said Adrenaline , kind of chemical locha in my body , caused by my excitement is keeping me awake 24/7 ..
got to bed at 12 and was up by 3 AM . coz this will be one more day we start before sunrise , We were good to go at dot 4 . My team was starting late again , so me and sharath started alone , one team started at 4 and we weren't so keen on joining with them , we like our freedom so waited around 30 minutes and took off . Leaving Chandigarh was was tough ... Even if you know the name of the exit point out of the city , no one to ask the direction at 4:30 AM . We reached a junction and something inside told me to wait ... I usually listen to that voice inside me . no matter what it says to me ... I usually do that .
2 minutes and few questions from Sharath later , I see a Himachal Pradesh road transport Bus , with my humble knowledge on reading Hindi , I got " Ma ... Manal .... MANALI "
yeah . We caught up with the driver in the next junction and reconfirmed , he said follow me till day break as the roads might not be that great and there will be definite amount of fog . How nice .. He kept his bus at an average speed of 80 KMPH , we weren't loosing anytime in following him as we had to find our way out of the city and then ride in the dark , with a fog which has lifted just 4 feet from the road , we would be doing only like 40 KMPH .
With less stress on concentrating on the road , we enjoyed this stint . both sides of the roads were full of fields , the sun rise was awesome , the rays filtering through the fog and shining on the dew drops was magical . As the day got brighter , we thanked the bus driver and pulled on . Now this is where the high range starts , man Ricky was like a roller costar , fast , furious , fun but ran like on rail , we didn't go one inch wrong . We have been riding for 3 hrs by then and riding flat out .
Coz , what ever it is I'm an over grown child , somewhere I felt I can catch up with the team which left 1/2 an hour before , I would have rode for one more hour , due to my butt feeling like a rock + sharath wanting to stretch , we stopped for coffee in a small town . we decided we will have breakfast at around 9 . We stopped for like 1/2 an hour there and I completely resigned from the idea that I can catch up with the team ahead .
Me in a more relaxed riding style and Sharath at his best creative mood , led to few way side photo shoots .. we were in one of those stops when I see one of our bikers zip past us . We flagged them down . They pull over a bit ahead of us and we walked up . all five of them had a quizzical look and asked " when did you start " we said 4:30 .... the next question came in a millisecond but every one in unison " so when did you over take us " oh man this over grown child was on top of the world that time .... This is the team which left 30 Minutes before me . and they haven't stopped yet . Thanks to the Bus driver , I made up about 1 hour + on them in a 4 hr ride , They took a long time in getting out of the city .
Thursday, June 14, 2007
I feel the need .. the need for speed
Hi ,
It’s been 6 months and few days that I blogged ... been busy been running helter skelter to arrange my holidays, money and minimum health required for my trip.
I’m just 48 hours away from my journey.... my head feels like a soccer match with thoughts flooded ... some negative thoughts and feelings are there ....
I have not got in to the group as yet ... my usual first impression of being rude arrogant over smart has got in to them too ... Delhi weather scares me ... Ricky nor me has never undergone to anything even remotely close to this grueling test ... I feel that none in the grp is ready for what’s in store ....
in at the peak of all this thoughts ... I ask myself " isn't it that you wanted so badly " to jump in to something which I am not ready for ... to push my body mind and soul to the limits of fatigue and then find my true self ... to put my self in the anvil and find the real me .. to do something outrageous and crazy to the normal world .
oh I forgot to mention that we are extending our trip to Nubra valley ( remember the SATHRANGI RE in Dilse , was shot there ) . only place on earth where you can see a cold desert and snow in close proximity .
I am waiting for the moment I wake up Ricky on 17th early morning and start my trip ...
planning to keep a small journal with me and my cameras to give you all at least the highlights of the trip
love
jM
Thursday, January 18, 2007
On my mark ... Unleash hell
old post I never published
Broke through to the motor heads who are making their annual trip to Leh . At any point before if I felt that I can ride to Leh , by myself traveling without a plan and stuff .... I was an idiot ( I still am at times )
After a very long time some thing has come up which sooths the adrenaline craving within me.
I do get butterflies in my stomach when I think " will I be able to pull it off? " . The corporate pencil pusher that I have become lately , riding solo on the worlds highest motorable pass .To any sane mind there are a few good reasons that i might not make it till there , my asthma will make it impossible for me to breathe in the thin air , my not so conditioned bod will be ground to dust before I do 2500 odd KMs on treacherous conditions , my hypertension will make me vulnerable to stress , I might not get leave that long , I may not be able to raise that kind of money required for the trip . The odds are against me .......................
BUT WHEN WAS ODDS ON MY SIDE ;)
I will make this trip , I can bet my bloody life on that . yes there are obstacles , as usual I will unleash hell on them . I never got anything in a platter , I fight for every inch and I love it that way .
This is what I wanted , something which pushes me to " rise above myself "
Broke through to the motor heads who are making their annual trip to Leh . At any point before if I felt that I can ride to Leh , by myself traveling without a plan and stuff .... I was an idiot ( I still am at times )
After a very long time some thing has come up which sooths the adrenaline craving within me.
I do get butterflies in my stomach when I think " will I be able to pull it off? " . The corporate pencil pusher that I have become lately , riding solo on the worlds highest motorable pass .To any sane mind there are a few good reasons that i might not make it till there , my asthma will make it impossible for me to breathe in the thin air , my not so conditioned bod will be ground to dust before I do 2500 odd KMs on treacherous conditions , my hypertension will make me vulnerable to stress , I might not get leave that long , I may not be able to raise that kind of money required for the trip . The odds are against me .......................
BUT WHEN WAS ODDS ON MY SIDE ;)
I will make this trip , I can bet my bloody life on that . yes there are obstacles , as usual I will unleash hell on them . I never got anything in a platter , I fight for every inch and I love it that way .
This is what I wanted , something which pushes me to " rise above myself "
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Counting the Days
Hey all ,
A few paces closer to my Leh trip
A few paces closer to my Leh trip
this is what I got as a rough Itinerary
15th June (Fri)
19:20 hrs – Depart from Bangalore (Karnataka Express)
17th June (Sun)
10:30 hrs – Arrive at New Delhi.
Fine tune bikes, fill gas, relax, etc.
18th June (Mon)
05:00 hrs – Depart Delhi
12:00 noon – Arrive & stay at Chandigarh (250 kms)
19th June (Tue)
05:00 hrs – Depart Chandigarh
14:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Manali (290 kms)
20th June (Wed)
06:00 hrs – Depart Manali
15:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Keylong (155 kms)
(Fill gas at Tandi – last petrol bunk b/f Leh)
21st June (Thu)
08:00 hrs – Depart Keylong
15:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Sarchu (120 kms)
22nd June (Fri)
08:00 hrs – Depart Sarchu
17:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Leh (200 kms)
23rd June (Sat)
08:00 hrs – Leh to Khardung La (52 kms)
Come back to Leh & stay (52 kms)
24th June (Sun)
08:00 hrs – Depart Leh
17:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Sarchu (200 kms)
25th June (Mon)
08:00 hrs – Depart Sarchu
15:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Keylong (120 kms)
26th June (Tue)
08:00 hrs – Depart Keylong
15:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Manali (155 kms)
27th June (Wed)
06:00 hrs – Depart Manali
14:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Chandigarh (300 kms)
28th June (Thu)
05:00 hrs – Depart Chandigarh
12:00 noon – Arrive & stay at Delhi (250 kms)
29th June (Fri)
(Shopping, rest, visit Taj)
21:15 hrs – Depart Delhi by the Karnataka Express.
1std July (Sun)
13:40 hrs – Arrive at Bangalore.
the damage
Minimum 30 K
25 days of Leave from work
may screw up the back if im not in shape by then even worse , might not last long in the thin air in those high altitudes if my lungs are not in shape too
but .... what the heck. Im game , this is what I've been waititng for .
this will be my best ever birthday gift to self ...
will keep you posted on the build up .
love
jM
15th June (Fri)
19:20 hrs – Depart from Bangalore (Karnataka Express)
17th June (Sun)
10:30 hrs – Arrive at New Delhi.
Fine tune bikes, fill gas, relax, etc.
18th June (Mon)
05:00 hrs – Depart Delhi
12:00 noon – Arrive & stay at Chandigarh (250 kms)
19th June (Tue)
05:00 hrs – Depart Chandigarh
14:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Manali (290 kms)
20th June (Wed)
06:00 hrs – Depart Manali
15:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Keylong (155 kms)
(Fill gas at Tandi – last petrol bunk b/f Leh)
21st June (Thu)
08:00 hrs – Depart Keylong
15:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Sarchu (120 kms)
22nd June (Fri)
08:00 hrs – Depart Sarchu
17:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Leh (200 kms)
23rd June (Sat)
08:00 hrs – Leh to Khardung La (52 kms)
Come back to Leh & stay (52 kms)
24th June (Sun)
08:00 hrs – Depart Leh
17:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Sarchu (200 kms)
25th June (Mon)
08:00 hrs – Depart Sarchu
15:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Keylong (120 kms)
26th June (Tue)
08:00 hrs – Depart Keylong
15:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Manali (155 kms)
27th June (Wed)
06:00 hrs – Depart Manali
14:00 hrs – Arrive & stay at Chandigarh (300 kms)
28th June (Thu)
05:00 hrs – Depart Chandigarh
12:00 noon – Arrive & stay at Delhi (250 kms)
29th June (Fri)
(Shopping, rest, visit Taj)
21:15 hrs – Depart Delhi by the Karnataka Express.
1std July (Sun)
13:40 hrs – Arrive at Bangalore.
the damage
Minimum 30 K
25 days of Leave from work
may screw up the back if im not in shape by then even worse , might not last long in the thin air in those high altitudes if my lungs are not in shape too
but .... what the heck. Im game , this is what I've been waititng for .
this will be my best ever birthday gift to self ...
will keep you posted on the build up .
love
jM
Friday, December 08, 2006
Riding down the Memory lane
Work and things I " have " to do have kept me from hitting the road , I just commute on Ricky to work and other places , The trip to Pondy is becoming a distant memory . I'm not really sure when will I be biking next , Leh trip is 6 months away trying to get my physique in shape to endure that physical abuse .
So in a situation like this what does a Biker do ?????? The same what Hagar the horrible does when the Huns are away , sit and think about the old wars and dream about the coming ones :)
I intend to write about a few of my earlier biking trips and the one I recently had in Goa ,
The first ever long ride I have ever taken on bike was with Kamal , my best pal who is the Army and posted in J&K now .
Why we went on that journey is some thing very close to Kamal's heart and mine . I am proud that he chose me to go with him on that . No this trip is not about speed , scenery or macho men . This trip was about friendship , togetherness , brotherhood and most of all the proof that we stood by each other . this trip was about two ordinary men ( well boys that time ) who had an extra ordinary friendship .
I had a night shift that time he picked me up around 5 am and we were off the city limits in about 15 minutes . Trivandrum is not such a big city and early morning most of the roads are deserted . We were on Kamals Rajpoot ( read LML VESPA NV RPZ 142 )Ricky was not in the picture that time . We kept an average speed of 60 and above , The route we took was Trivandrum - Kottarakkara-Chengannur - Kottarakkara - Varkkala beach - Trivandrum ,
During the ride one of us made a silly mistake , didn't realize that a road had a no entry sign and almost got pulped by a sleepy bus driver :) , it rained on and off the trip , we rode about 300 Kms if I remember right and by the time we reached back we were physically almost dead and emotionally drained .
We were back around 5:45 in the evening (pretty good speed eh ? ) , the next 1 hour was more eventful than the entire day itself , It was a turning point for Kamal's life and mine , the effect was there in my life for about 4-5 years and Kamal has a pleasant whole life effect of the same .
Kamal was one solid reason I have seen most of my tough times in life through , and he always made me ralise what's like to have a twin bro :) One of my Onam's alone, Kamal invited me to go to his grannies place , Me , Kamal and Kala our sis , we had a good trip in fact a great trip . That evening Kala had a taste of how to hang on to her dear life , plough through a traffic jam , riding on pavement , making people scamper for their life, riding to oncoming traffic and most of all how to scream louder than a MIG fighter plane . We just rode through a procession of floats and godzillion people . We could have been behind the bars for that trick :)
My third trip with Kamal was on Ricky ( read Bullet Machismo KL01K 4723) I didn't own him that time but took from a friend for just this ride . Kamal was already a bullet fan and this is where I fell in love . The build up to the trip was fun and we still laugh a lot thinking about it . I crashed at Kamal's place the night before the trip and some how he was able to drop a 6 kg speaker on my head . ( he still says it was an accident ) , leave the bloody pain and the blood loss . Kamal and Kala made me drink Milk with TURMERIC powder mixed in it . I don't know which tribal doctor told them the panache .
So with a bandage on my head , we started around 7 am ( 1 hour late ) to one of our dear friends sisters engagement . we had to cover about 130 KM and the ceremony was at 10 . It was the holiday time starting so we had a lot of families driving up to their native lands from Trivandrum . This was the boisterous boys at our best . We crushed quite a lot of egos on four wheels ( we didn't have time to even check on 2 wheelers ) . we were an instant hit at the ceremony as they were like " oh there are people mad enough to do these things " return was no different . and for the wedding of the some people recognized us saying .. oh the biker boys ;) That what I call a lasting impression .
Okay this post was for me and my pal , don't want to mix up my Goa trip on this . will be posting my ride through Goa shortly .
To LARGER THAN LIFE FRIENDSHIPS
Cheers
So in a situation like this what does a Biker do ?????? The same what Hagar the horrible does when the Huns are away , sit and think about the old wars and dream about the coming ones :)
I intend to write about a few of my earlier biking trips and the one I recently had in Goa ,
The first ever long ride I have ever taken on bike was with Kamal , my best pal who is the Army and posted in J&K now .
Why we went on that journey is some thing very close to Kamal's heart and mine . I am proud that he chose me to go with him on that . No this trip is not about speed , scenery or macho men . This trip was about friendship , togetherness , brotherhood and most of all the proof that we stood by each other . this trip was about two ordinary men ( well boys that time ) who had an extra ordinary friendship .
I had a night shift that time he picked me up around 5 am and we were off the city limits in about 15 minutes . Trivandrum is not such a big city and early morning most of the roads are deserted . We were on Kamals Rajpoot ( read LML VESPA NV RPZ 142 )Ricky was not in the picture that time . We kept an average speed of 60 and above , The route we took was Trivandrum - Kottarakkara-Chengannur - Kottarakkara - Varkkala beach - Trivandrum ,
During the ride one of us made a silly mistake , didn't realize that a road had a no entry sign and almost got pulped by a sleepy bus driver :) , it rained on and off the trip , we rode about 300 Kms if I remember right and by the time we reached back we were physically almost dead and emotionally drained .
We were back around 5:45 in the evening (pretty good speed eh ? ) , the next 1 hour was more eventful than the entire day itself , It was a turning point for Kamal's life and mine , the effect was there in my life for about 4-5 years and Kamal has a pleasant whole life effect of the same .
Kamal was one solid reason I have seen most of my tough times in life through , and he always made me ralise what's like to have a twin bro :) One of my Onam's alone, Kamal invited me to go to his grannies place , Me , Kamal and Kala our sis , we had a good trip in fact a great trip . That evening Kala had a taste of how to hang on to her dear life , plough through a traffic jam , riding on pavement , making people scamper for their life, riding to oncoming traffic and most of all how to scream louder than a MIG fighter plane . We just rode through a procession of floats and godzillion people . We could have been behind the bars for that trick :)
My third trip with Kamal was on Ricky ( read Bullet Machismo KL01K 4723) I didn't own him that time but took from a friend for just this ride . Kamal was already a bullet fan and this is where I fell in love . The build up to the trip was fun and we still laugh a lot thinking about it . I crashed at Kamal's place the night before the trip and some how he was able to drop a 6 kg speaker on my head . ( he still says it was an accident ) , leave the bloody pain and the blood loss . Kamal and Kala made me drink Milk with TURMERIC powder mixed in it . I don't know which tribal doctor told them the panache .
So with a bandage on my head , we started around 7 am ( 1 hour late ) to one of our dear friends sisters engagement . we had to cover about 130 KM and the ceremony was at 10 . It was the holiday time starting so we had a lot of families driving up to their native lands from Trivandrum . This was the boisterous boys at our best . We crushed quite a lot of egos on four wheels ( we didn't have time to even check on 2 wheelers ) . we were an instant hit at the ceremony as they were like " oh there are people mad enough to do these things " return was no different . and for the wedding of the some people recognized us saying .. oh the biker boys ;) That what I call a lasting impression .
Okay this post was for me and my pal , don't want to mix up my Goa trip on this . will be posting my ride through Goa shortly .
To LARGER THAN LIFE FRIENDSHIPS
Cheers
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