There is something special about these Monarchs, the butterflies I mean. One tiny among them flaps its wings to leave home and the entire rabble follows it. And together they set out on a journey which span across many miles, seasons and generations. None of those amazing creatures who set out on this transatlantic migration will complete the entire cycle. It will be their third and fourth generation which will return to the place from where it all started. How do they mange to reach the same place year after year is still a matter of study. No wonder in some places they are called Wanderers. Wanderers…I have started developing an out of the ordinary fondness for this word!
Many of you will also be sharing a similar kind of soft spot for this word. Well, I am not trying to claim that I am one of those wanderers, but I truly wish if I could be one! You start doing something so meticulously that eventually it becomes part of you. Fish swim, birds fly and I ride, that kind of thing I mean. Alok, who is my friend, also thinks on similar lines. Smitten by the travel bug, he often exhibits those characteristics which one can relate to that shown by a chained wanderer. So together we just ride off whenever we get a chance. And this time we had planned something great! A seven day long trip to Goa is what we had in our mind. Jog Falls, Gokarna & Udupi were the other places we planned to cover on the way. All efforts were made to get as many people we can for the trip. But as usual every thing went in vain. Sometimes it is difficult to understand how people around you can be so boring. Anyways we were prepared to ride the way we are.
This is a write up to share few of those golden memories from the seven days of my life, which I have treasured forever. Seven days as a wanderer along with my bike !
Riders of Doodhsagar…
I ride because it’s my passion. Here I met a group of people for whom riding is bread and butter. Let me introduce you to the Riders of Doodhsagar ! It was third day of our ride. We were staying near Colva Beach and decided to visit the famous Doodhsagar Falls.
I had seen few of photos of this fall and was simply stunned by its beauty. It was at a distance of 60 km from Margao. We started our ride at around 12 noon. This was the last time when I was not riding in rain. The roads towards the falls were through Sahyadris range, which simply meant there was enough of wilderness around for our company. There was heavy truck movement on those roads. All brand new trucks which were traveling at high speed. They didn’t care much about other vehicles on the road, for them we were like insects hitting their windshield. To prove our mettle, we did over take few of them. But then, it was their playground. We stopped at a roadside dhabha and had a very heavy lunch. Fish fry was great.
Thereafter we continued our ride towards the fall till we reached a point from where no private vehicles were allowed to go further. From that point there were two options : Trek towards the falls through the jungle along with a guide (which is a good option provided you have enough time) or simply take a bike ride! Yes, there was a group of people who will ride you to the falls on their bikes. They will act as your guide too. Initially I was not sure why we were not allowed to ride on our own and why we have to sit as a pillion. Most of them had 100cc bikes. That was when I got the chance to met Manoj Kumar (Ah! not the Bollywood star). He was may be 5 feet 5 inches tall, but then adventure comes in all size. He has been riding here for the past 7 years. He was the George of the Jungle! My guide and rider for the day. While beginning the ride there were proper roads, then slowly they started to disappear. And then there were no roads or even paths. Soon we were riding besides railway tracks. There was a small channel of water flowing next to the track and this bike with two of us on it was being ridden between whatever space was available between the track and the water channel. Whenever there was a bike coming from the opposite direction either Manoj or the other rider would park the bike on the metal stones laid besides the track. I saw few people riding pillion with their eyes closed and clinching the rider. If the rider loses his balance, then its bad news for you as you will surely fall into the water channel along with the bike. Finally the adventurous ride was over or I thought so when Manoj stopped his bike. He told me to cross the tracks and wait on the other side. I asked him where he was going. He told me that he will come to the other side after crossing a channel full of water. Alok and me waited for our rider cum guide on the other side of the track. From there the jungle ride was going to start. We started the ride again through the jungle after paying the entry fee to the forest guard (I wonder for why they were charging that fee). There was hardly any road or path through there and only an experienced person can make out the way. Manoj continued the ride along with which he narrated the legends of Doodhsagar, his biking experiences in the past 7 years in this place in a very polite manner. He was a good guy and a good biker too.
We reached the falls. Enjoyed the scenery and took some pictures. Then the trouble began or should I say the fun! It started raining heavily. Manoj had warned us about the rain. If it rains badly all those small water crossing which we saw on the way will become rivers. The water current will be such that we will have to wait for hours for the water to come down. It was also getting dark. Getting struck in the middle of a jungle with water pouring like hell and that too during night was not at all a good idea. So we rushed back with our fingers crossed. The guy riding with the Alok was new to the terrain and the bike they were riding didn’t have front brakes, so all these factors made the ride even more adventurous for Alok. While coming back the entire forest was flooded. I have no idea how Manoj was able to make out the way. Many new streams were formed after the rain and the already existing ones had more water flowing through them. But it was not that bad as we feared. Every time I had to get down from the bike and cross the stream as the bikes won’t be able to carry two people. After crossing one such stream we took a pee break. I asked Alok "How is the ride Buddy?" He said "I am loving it!" Looking at the way Manoj and other bikers of Doodhsagar were taking the bikes into the water and crossing it, I felt that people trying to build better amphibious vehicle can take a lesson or two from these guys. Finally we reached the base from where we started. While paying the money, the manager inquired about the ride and the fall. He also apologized for the trouble caused by the rain. I told him not to worry as the rain only increased the fun. He gave me that “Are you crazy?” kind of look. We thanked and said bye to Manoj. Hats off to those riders. Well, that was one great ride!
When Silence Speaks…
There are words of wisdom, appreciation, encouragement, inspiration, love and many more. Words are so much important, but have you ever imagined how beautiful it could get in the absence of all these words. And that is when silence speaks. Like a picture which tells a story or a painting which reveals many emotions. I am talking about the loveliness of silence in its entirety. Well, this is one of the things which I realized during my trip. It was Day 5 of our ride. We had packed our bags and were on our way to Old Goa. On the way we decided to visit few beaches. Vagator Beach was one of them. The ride to this beach was as usual accompanied by rain. But the roads were stunning. We reached the parking which was on top of a cliff. I found two bikes with KA registration in the parking. I was happy to see them. At least we were not alone. We walked towards the tip of the cliff. From there the view was gorgeous. A long beach with coconut trees leaning towards it. It had another cliff on the other end with a fort facing the sea.
Even though it was crowded, I found it beautiful. And then there were water scooters also being operated there. It made the view look great from the top. Powerful machines roaring towards the horizon, breaking and jumping over the waves. After clicking some pics we rushed towards the beach. Right away went to enquire about the water scooter ride. We came to know that the scooter is not available for us to ride. One can just sit on it and a professional rider will ride it. Then came the second piece of information that its just a 30 seconds ride and will cost you 300 bucks. Well, it was not a fair deal but I just couldn’t resist the idea of riding or flying on that thing, even though it was for just 30 seconds. Alok was not that interested in taking the ride as he wanted to ride one himself. He asked me to take a ride and tell him how it was. Depending on my feedback he was going to decide. In the end both of us took two rides. One minute of ecstasy ! After that we played for a long time in the sea. The waves were superb. This was the time when we spotted the fort atop the cliff on the other end. On enquiring we came to know that it was the Vagator Fort or the Chapora Fort. A beautiful scene in one of the Bollywood movie was picturized here. We started our ride towards the fort.
As it had been raining all the way, there were not many people who were willing to climb all the way to the top of the cliff for reaching the fort. If we also had decided the same then it would have been a big mistake, I would say. We walked towards the boundary wall of the fort. From there we could see the beach were we took the ride, the road leading towards the beach and all. This was the noisy side of the beach. But the view of the other side had a different story to tell. And that is what made me fall in love with this place. The cliff on which the fort was built was separating these two sides. There was a lagoon on the other side surrounded by thick greenery. I could see waves getting formed, heavy but calm wind and rocks which were silently standing against those waves and wind. We were in a hurry as we had to reach Old Goa before getting dark. But after reaching this place we almost forgot about that. We decided to sit there on the boundary wall looking towards the sea.
There was a different kind of calmness all around. Like she wanted to tell a million things but some how couldn’t. May be she wanted us to read that out from her silence. Or may be she was trying to be elusive. We sat there for quite long time trying to interpret and understand that silence. Alok and me just sat there talking nothing to each other. We didn’t want to disturb her silence. For the first time in my life I realized how silence can conquer noise. Silence can speak and I could listen. It was just pulling me towards itself. With a promise that I will return, we finally moved on. I wish I could carry that silence and calmness back home. We valued silence!
Rain God…
Another notable thing about this trip was the constant companionship of rain. I am a person who loves rain. It brings a smile on my face (well most of the time). Sometimes I wait for the rain to take my bike out for a ride. When raindrops fall on my face it is like a touch of the nature. Initially the rain had made this trip a beautiful thing. But then situation changed. The first day of our trip, we had planned to ride till Sagar. On the way after crossing Shimoga, it started drizzling. At the same time the sun was shinning on top of us. A strange combination of rain and sun made the scenery around really picture perfect. The chrome of my bike, the paddy in the fields and the coconut tree leaves, all were shinning with the same intensity. Similarly rain increased the fun during our visit to Doodhsagar waterfall. But that was the end of it. Afterwards rain came down like hell. For five days we were continuously riding in rain. There was not an inch of my skin which was not soaked in water. My feet got more wrinkle than what was there when I was born. Alok had kept extra memory cards for his camera. All that was of no use as he couldn’t take any photos. Whenever he took his camera out, it would start raining. But then the rain couldn’t stop us from riding.
Creatures of Night…
Riding at night is not at all advisable. But then you haven’t experienced it all until you have rode under the stars on a dark empty highway. We start our ride back home so late that we end up riding at night and the same happened this time again. We started from Gokarna in the morning itself, but on the way stopped at many places. It was raining badly and I was getting sick of it. The road from Gokarna till Shimoga was pathetic. It had craters so big like those found on moon and not potholes. And those were filled with rain water. We took a halt at Shimoga for lunch. By the time we started from there it was 5:30 pm and we had 275 km more to cover. Roads were good after Bhadravathi and rain also stopped by that time. But what ever damage it had to do had already been done. Now we were riding in complete dark. When I was riding in front I kept on checking whether Alok was following me or not. I could see his headlight in my mirror. I could make out he was following me by listening to the noise made from the rear brake of his bike. And when he was riding in the front, I kept my eyes on the tail light of his bike. Well most of the time that was the only thing visible in the absolute darkness. With no street lights or proper marking or sign boards, riding on the highway at night was like riding into some void. A strange hollowness engulfs you. In addition to that the visor of my helmet was making a whistling sound. It was giving that much needed sound effect to feel spooky. Like creatures of nights we roamed this time also.
There are many more things which I want to share here, but no words can express the joy, triumph, bliss or pain which I experienced while riding my bike. If someone wants to experience all that, get inspired from the Monarch, not always but at least once in a while.
So what are you waiting for? Go flutter!
Many of you will also be sharing a similar kind of soft spot for this word. Well, I am not trying to claim that I am one of those wanderers, but I truly wish if I could be one! You start doing something so meticulously that eventually it becomes part of you. Fish swim, birds fly and I ride, that kind of thing I mean. Alok, who is my friend, also thinks on similar lines. Smitten by the travel bug, he often exhibits those characteristics which one can relate to that shown by a chained wanderer. So together we just ride off whenever we get a chance. And this time we had planned something great! A seven day long trip to Goa is what we had in our mind. Jog Falls, Gokarna & Udupi were the other places we planned to cover on the way. All efforts were made to get as many people we can for the trip. But as usual every thing went in vain. Sometimes it is difficult to understand how people around you can be so boring. Anyways we were prepared to ride the way we are.
This is a write up to share few of those golden memories from the seven days of my life, which I have treasured forever. Seven days as a wanderer along with my bike !
Riders of Doodhsagar…
I ride because it’s my passion. Here I met a group of people for whom riding is bread and butter. Let me introduce you to the Riders of Doodhsagar ! It was third day of our ride. We were staying near Colva Beach and decided to visit the famous Doodhsagar Falls.
Thereafter we continued our ride towards the fall till we reached a point from where no private vehicles were allowed to go further. From that point there were two options : Trek towards the falls through the jungle along with a guide (which is a good option provided you have enough time) or simply take a bike ride! Yes, there was a group of people who will ride you to the falls on their bikes. They will act as your guide too. Initially I was not sure why we were not allowed to ride on our own and why we have to sit as a pillion. Most of them had 100cc bikes. That was when I got the chance to met Manoj Kumar (Ah! not the Bollywood star). He was may be 5 feet 5 inches tall, but then adventure comes in all size. He has been riding here for the past 7 years. He was the George of the Jungle! My guide and rider for the day. While beginning the ride there were proper roads, then slowly they started to disappear. And then there were no roads or even paths. Soon we were riding besides railway tracks. There was a small channel of water flowing next to the track and this bike with two of us on it was being ridden between whatever space was available between the track and the water channel. Whenever there was a bike coming from the opposite direction either Manoj or the other rider would park the bike on the metal stones laid besides the track. I saw few people riding pillion with their eyes closed and clinching the rider. If the rider loses his balance, then its bad news for you as you will surely fall into the water channel along with the bike. Finally the adventurous ride was over or I thought so when Manoj stopped his bike. He told me to cross the tracks and wait on the other side. I asked him where he was going. He told me that he will come to the other side after crossing a channel full of water. Alok and me waited for our rider cum guide on the other side of the track. From there the jungle ride was going to start. We started the ride again through the jungle after paying the entry fee to the forest guard (I wonder for why they were charging that fee). There was hardly any road or path through there and only an experienced person can make out the way. Manoj continued the ride along with which he narrated the legends of Doodhsagar, his biking experiences in the past 7 years in this place in a very polite manner. He was a good guy and a good biker too. We reached the falls. Enjoyed the scenery and took some pictures. Then the trouble began or should I say the fun! It started raining heavily. Manoj had warned us about the rain. If it rains badly all those small water crossing which we saw on the way will become rivers. The water current will be such that we will have to wait for hours for the water to come down. It was also getting dark. Getting struck in the middle of a jungle with water pouring like hell and that too during night was not at all a good idea. So we rushed back with our fingers crossed. The guy riding with the Alok was new to the terrain and the bike they were riding didn’t have front brakes, so all these factors made the ride even more adventurous for Alok. While coming back the entire forest was flooded. I have no idea how Manoj was able to make out the way. Many new streams were formed after the rain and the already existing ones had more water flowing through them. But it was not that bad as we feared. Every time I had to get down from the bike and cross the stream as the bikes won’t be able to carry two people. After crossing one such stream we took a pee break. I asked Alok "How is the ride Buddy?" He said "I am loving it!" Looking at the way Manoj and other bikers of Doodhsagar were taking the bikes into the water and crossing it, I felt that people trying to build better amphibious vehicle can take a lesson or two from these guys. Finally we reached the base from where we started. While paying the money, the manager inquired about the ride and the fall. He also apologized for the trouble caused by the rain. I told him not to worry as the rain only increased the fun. He gave me that “Are you crazy?” kind of look. We thanked and said bye to Manoj. Hats off to those riders. Well, that was one great ride!
When Silence Speaks…
There are words of wisdom, appreciation, encouragement, inspiration, love and many more. Words are so much important, but have you ever imagined how beautiful it could get in the absence of all these words. And that is when silence speaks. Like a picture which tells a story or a painting which reveals many emotions. I am talking about the loveliness of silence in its entirety. Well, this is one of the things which I realized during my trip. It was Day 5 of our ride. We had packed our bags and were on our way to Old Goa. On the way we decided to visit few beaches. Vagator Beach was one of them. The ride to this beach was as usual accompanied by rain. But the roads were stunning. We reached the parking which was on top of a cliff. I found two bikes with KA registration in the parking. I was happy to see them. At least we were not alone. We walked towards the tip of the cliff. From there the view was gorgeous. A long beach with coconut trees leaning towards it. It had another cliff on the other end with a fort facing the sea.
Even though it was crowded, I found it beautiful. And then there were water scooters also being operated there. It made the view look great from the top. Powerful machines roaring towards the horizon, breaking and jumping over the waves. After clicking some pics we rushed towards the beach. Right away went to enquire about the water scooter ride. We came to know that the scooter is not available for us to ride. One can just sit on it and a professional rider will ride it. Then came the second piece of information that its just a 30 seconds ride and will cost you 300 bucks. Well, it was not a fair deal but I just couldn’t resist the idea of riding or flying on that thing, even though it was for just 30 seconds. Alok was not that interested in taking the ride as he wanted to ride one himself. He asked me to take a ride and tell him how it was. Depending on my feedback he was going to decide. In the end both of us took two rides. One minute of ecstasy ! After that we played for a long time in the sea. The waves were superb. This was the time when we spotted the fort atop the cliff on the other end. On enquiring we came to know that it was the Vagator Fort or the Chapora Fort. A beautiful scene in one of the Bollywood movie was picturized here. We started our ride towards the fort.
As it had been raining all the way, there were not many people who were willing to climb all the way to the top of the cliff for reaching the fort. If we also had decided the same then it would have been a big mistake, I would say. We walked towards the boundary wall of the fort. From there we could see the beach were we took the ride, the road leading towards the beach and all. This was the noisy side of the beach. But the view of the other side had a different story to tell. And that is what made me fall in love with this place. The cliff on which the fort was built was separating these two sides. There was a lagoon on the other side surrounded by thick greenery. I could see waves getting formed, heavy but calm wind and rocks which were silently standing against those waves and wind. We were in a hurry as we had to reach Old Goa before getting dark. But after reaching this place we almost forgot about that. We decided to sit there on the boundary wall looking towards the sea.
There was a different kind of calmness all around. Like she wanted to tell a million things but some how couldn’t. May be she wanted us to read that out from her silence. Or may be she was trying to be elusive. We sat there for quite long time trying to interpret and understand that silence. Alok and me just sat there talking nothing to each other. We didn’t want to disturb her silence. For the first time in my life I realized how silence can conquer noise. Silence can speak and I could listen. It was just pulling me towards itself. With a promise that I will return, we finally moved on. I wish I could carry that silence and calmness back home. We valued silence!
Rain God…
Another notable thing about this trip was the constant companionship of rain. I am a person who loves rain. It brings a smile on my face (well most of the time). Sometimes I wait for the rain to take my bike out for a ride. When raindrops fall on my face it is like a touch of the nature. Initially the rain had made this trip a beautiful thing. But then situation changed. The first day of our trip, we had planned to ride till Sagar. On the way after crossing Shimoga, it started drizzling. At the same time the sun was shinning on top of us. A strange combination of rain and sun made the scenery around really picture perfect. The chrome of my bike, the paddy in the fields and the coconut tree leaves, all were shinning with the same intensity. Similarly rain increased the fun during our visit to Doodhsagar waterfall. But that was the end of it. Afterwards rain came down like hell. For five days we were continuously riding in rain. There was not an inch of my skin which was not soaked in water. My feet got more wrinkle than what was there when I was born. Alok had kept extra memory cards for his camera. All that was of no use as he couldn’t take any photos. Whenever he took his camera out, it would start raining. But then the rain couldn’t stop us from riding. Creatures of Night…
Riding at night is not at all advisable. But then you haven’t experienced it all until you have rode under the stars on a dark empty highway. We start our ride back home so late that we end up riding at night and the same happened this time again. We started from Gokarna in the morning itself, but on the way stopped at many places. It was raining badly and I was getting sick of it. The road from Gokarna till Shimoga was pathetic. It had craters so big like those found on moon and not potholes. And those were filled with rain water. We took a halt at Shimoga for lunch. By the time we started from there it was 5:30 pm and we had 275 km more to cover. Roads were good after Bhadravathi and rain also stopped by that time. But what ever damage it had to do had already been done. Now we were riding in complete dark. When I was riding in front I kept on checking whether Alok was following me or not. I could see his headlight in my mirror. I could make out he was following me by listening to the noise made from the rear brake of his bike. And when he was riding in the front, I kept my eyes on the tail light of his bike. Well most of the time that was the only thing visible in the absolute darkness. With no street lights or proper marking or sign boards, riding on the highway at night was like riding into some void. A strange hollowness engulfs you. In addition to that the visor of my helmet was making a whistling sound. It was giving that much needed sound effect to feel spooky. Like creatures of nights we roamed this time also.
So what are you waiting for? Go flutter!
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