Off to the hills

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

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...

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...

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!

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...

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...

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

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

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.