Monday, May 14, 2007

Swimming in sunshine

What a great trip this was! Summer fantasy fully fulfilled I'd say - sunshine, backwaters, magoes, fish curry & rice, cold beers, Cockroach, and endlessly lost highways. I thought I did well the first day when I left early and rode about five hundred kilometres to reach Gokarna before sunset. Kudle beach was totally shut in the off-season. Being forced to stay on Om beach was not the most desirable start to the trip but I was off the next morning. A leisurely ride, squid manchurian for lunch and a wild goose chase later I was on Palolem. By this point Cockroach was extremely happy to be back on the highway again, I could hear it from the sound of the engine - I can't say enough good things about Bullets and highways! And Cockroach is one stoned motorbike. Onwards to Candolim (Goa was charming as usual - this is what a highway in Goa looks like) and another day ride took me to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. Family gatherings and random friendships on the inner roads between Ratnagiri and Ganapatipule took up a couple of days. During which time my dad took me to our ancestral house a couple of hours away and we met his distant cousin. I come from sea-side people. I thought as much. Saturday morning bright and early I prepared to leave Ganapatipule for the two day ride towards Bangalore. I rode that day. And I just rode and rode. By lunch the silly little idea of riding all the way to Bangalore lodged itself in my head. So I kept riding. Cockroach was beautiful. The sun set gloriously over the windmills of Chitradurga. The moon rose across the plains on the other side. And I kept going until I reached Bangalore at midnight. Eight hundred kilometres in a day ride. I crawled into my house ready to sleep. Suddenly Gautam's on the phone. "abhi meistaaaar! you're back! come to Maya". "no Gautam I just got back into....", can't finish that thought before, "abhi meistaaar! come on - one nightcap at Maya..." I think for a few seconds and then reply, "ok sir, sounds good."

1 Comments:

in·dis·cern·i·ble said...

a cessation from motion in heaven
s determination! guess for All three of you!

Wednesday, 16 May, 2007  

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