BoP Khirsu Khukris Ride

 As I'd described in the Ranthambore blog, Khirsu was fast turning into a "jinx" ride destination for us, having been planned and cancelled twice in 2020, along with being considered and dropped another two times. A standard reaction to such a string of cancellations is to drop the destination altogether. In BoP however, we have the opposite reaction - we become even more determined to break the jinx. Break it we did, and how!

The dates and plan was finalized in one of our meet-ups late in February. Dips and I confirmed, while Kora and Ranaji were tentative, The latter had sold his motorcycle and was mulling over booking a new Meteor before the ride, although it seemed difficult. The alternate plan was for them to drive down instead. We decided to make this a 4-day ride, to give us more time to relax and explore.

Dates: 18th March to 21st March, 2021

Route taken/Places visited:

While going: Gurgaon - Ghaziabad - Ganga Canal road - Khatauli - Kotdwar - Buwakhal - Khirsu

While coming back: Khirsu - Buwakhal - Kotdwar - Najibabad - Noorpur - Garh Mukteshwar - Ghaziabad - Gurgaon

Riders/Drivers:

1. Ashok Rana (Ranaji) & Zaheer Saifi (Rajaji) - White Honda City - Dard nai hone wala & Dhoke daalne wala (respectively)

2. Diptinder Singh Chhabra (Dips) - Black RE Electra 4S - Chicken piece giraane wala

3. Krishnatreya Brindavanam (BK) - Silver RE Electra 5S - Sabse peeche chalne wala

Total distance traversed: 846 kms

DAY 1 - 18th March: Gurgaon to Khirsu

This was the first time in BoP history where motorcycles and cars were going on a ride together. However, the drivers were joining on Day 2. On Day 1, it was just me and Dips. Kora turned up early in the morning at my place to see us off, on his way to badminton practice and was kind enough to click a few pics, something Dips and I are notoriously unreliable at.

We hit the highway soon enough and made our way through Haryana-Delhi and Delhi-UP borders. We had some concerns about diversions due to the protests at Ghazipur border but it was smooth riding. I was particularly impressed by the Hindon/Raj Nagar Elevated road. The sun was up by the time we hit Ganga Canal road - a beautiful diversion before Modinagar, to bypass Meerut. I last rode here 11 years ago, in May 2010. As I write this blog, I went back to my album from that ride, finding a much thinner and less balder version of mine on the Karizma looking at the same beautiful road and gushing waters of the canal. 

It was now pleasantly chilly and we made the best use of it, knowing how the sun would be beating on our heads in a couple of hours. We stopped for a quick breakfast and chai on the way, before the turning towards Khatauli. I switched on the navigation now and led the way. The roads were mostly nice till Kotdwar, barring a random, deep pothole that caused a little muscle pull of sorts in my lower back and further misery throughout the ride. 

At the Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand border near Kotdwar, we were surprised when we were stopped at a checkpoint. Turns out that Covid testing is compulsory before entering Uttarakhand. It is, however, more of a formality than anything - they have limited testing kits, the sample is collected and tested, but results come out only after 3 days. The team there worked quickly and efficiently and we were back on the road soon. Next order of the day - beer!

To avoid the troubles of finding a theka, I was carrying 4 cans of beer in my saddle-bag, that had been kept overnight in the freezer. We crossed Kotdwar and entered the hills. Our priority was to find a shady spot near a viewing point, which we did around 15-20 kms later. The beer was just the right temperature and a welcome relief in the heat. We relaxed here for a bit before starting again. Lunch was at a small village further ahead, well-made but nothing out of the world. The heat, bad roads, the general soreness and my lower back, coupled with the fact that no signboard had mentioned Khirsu till now were making me irritable which made riding even tougher. 

Every sign we saw kept mentioning Pauri until we were 8 kms from Pauri. And then, things turned around completely. A right turn towards Khirsu! A few kilometers ahead, the road split and now we were exactly 10 kms from our destination. The road was butter smooth, we were in the middle of lush green forests, the evening chill started and our moods soared. Suddenly, all soreness disappeared and sheer joy of riding was the only feeling I had; it is hard to describe but a feeling well-known to any motorcyclist worth his/her salt! At the 1.5 km milestone, we stopped for a few pics and Dips finally said it out loud - "jinx tod diya!"

Right at the beginning of the village are the 3 key spots - Forest Rest House (FRH), biodiversity park (or "Van Manoranjan Kendra") and the GMVN guesthouse. We made our way to GMVN guesthouse first, to see if they had a place to stay. They did! The guesthouse offered a splendid view of the valley but unfortunately, they did not allow drinking out in the open. So we booked a cottage, with a little gazebo at the corner of their property. We freshened up and took quick power naps to prepare for the critical thinking and discussions ahead of us.

The first Khirsu BBB duly began at around 7.30 PM, with Sikkim Rum (brought by Dips from Gurgaon) and snake items prepared in the restaurant. Interestingly, we were sitting in the gazebo of another cottage, not our own, as a couple of old people had moved into the adjacent one and we were requested not to disturb them. We realized that the GMVN, although great, was not conducive to the uninhibited bakchodi that'd inevitably be high on volume when Ranaji and Rajaji arrive the next day. The two old people were actually bird watchers who had organized a tour for local students and there was a party of 30+ students expected next day. Thus, among other important topics (like new motorcycles, fights with flatmates, RC renewals, etc.), we also decided to find a new place to stay the next day. Meanwhile, it got colder and we figured that Sikkim Rum was not as potent as Old Monk in keeping us warm. We finished half the bottle, had a great meal and turned in for the night.

DAY 2 - 19th March: Khirsu

Breakfast today was ideally supposed to be had outside, admiring the view, but now there was a danger of monkeys so we stayed inside the restaurant. We spoke to one of the bird-watchers, a friendly and passionate man who told us that the DM is arriving to inaugurate the event and how this was the best time to spot birds in that region.

Next order of the day - find a different place to stay. The first option was FRH. For this ride, my dad had tried to talk to his contacts to book us the FRH but they required a government letter and arranging that would have taken more time. So we just strolled around and entered the FRH premises. It was beautiful and empty, perfect for our purposes. The caretaker informed us that there were bamboo huts available but he needs a call from the Pauri DFO to confirm our stay. We took the phone number but nobody responded, so we dropped the plan. We then took a shortcut through the forest into the village to explore other homestays. Like villages in hilly regions are, the paths are ill-defined and we found ourselves climbing around on private property walls and into people's courtyards, although nobody seemed to mind it. No luck here either, all homestays were too close to houses, plus there was no parking space either. We then went back to GMVN, took our bikes and went back up to the road.

A little further down, we found the perfect spot - Hotel Taj Himalaya Khirsu. Not only was this also empty and far from any houses, the rooms had balconies that offered a brilliant view of step-farms in the valley and it was reasonably priced at Rs 1800 for a double room. Without further ado, we confirmed this. Right outside the hotel was another road, diverging from the main road, that went up deeper into the hills - it looked very appealing to me, so we went up a kilometer or so and decided to come back here for a beer the next day. We went back to the GMVN, checked out and shifted our stuff to Taj Himalaya. 

Next order of the day was getting Dips' headlights fixed, that had conked off just as we were starting from Gurgaon. We rode to the nearest mechanic a few kilometers away but figured we'd have to go to Pauri, around 19 kms away. That would give me an opportunity to get petrol too, and more importantly, to get beer. We rode up to Pauri quickly, where we both tanked up. Dips found a Bullet mechanic who he recognized from a previous visit, while coming back from Chakrata. Headlights fixed, we purchased beer and chakhna and headed back. Once again, we found a quaint spot on the roadside to have a beer each, although inefficient packing had broken open the namkeen packet and we had to scoop up large quantities from a jagged hole in the paper packet. It was afternoon now, and we wanted to taste the local cuisine. We went back to the hotel and duly ordered some alu thenchwa (a potato curry) with dal and chapati. Ashok and Zaheer had started on time and were making good progress. Having accomplished a lot since morning, we decided to take a nap.

The nap was cut short soon by Rajaji banging on the door and demanding, "itni door yaha sone aaye ho?" They'd skipped breakfast and lunch and drove almost non-stop to Khirsu, barring short breaks for lassi and cold drinks! As they were starving, we quickly ordered parathas and bread-omelette for them. The evening plan was thus - first, we'd explore the Van Manoranjan Kendra nearby and then we'd head back for a grand BBB and dinner, which was to be ordered and prepared in advance - more alu thenchwa, 'raai' ki sabzi and the critical chicken curry, with mix rotis, all to be made in the local style.  

The walk started with a stony path through the forest, that we all enjoyed greatly. Ashok and Zaheer provided the much needed additional bakchodi doses, with their constant bickering about who takes more pictures of whom and Ranaji's jibes about Rajaji's nose length. A little surprise was in store for us - as we walked deeper into what we thought was the forest, the path took a turn and we were suddenly faced with a large park, with all sorts of swings, slides and ladders for children. While the car-people had a whale of time clicking pictures and taking videos, we old-school motorcyclists walked and lounged around on the park benches.

The best part of the day, a full-strength Khukris BBB, was ahead of us. So as the sun started setting, we headed back. We did stop for a quick bite and chai at a little stall. As the official accountant, it is my duty to pay up at the end, take the bill, compliment the chef and/or tip the staff, if relevant. Thus, I complimented the chef for the chowmein, that Zaheer didn't like, and he roundly cursed me for false appreciation. I still maintain that this is a democratic country and I should be able to compliment food that I liked! Back at the hotel, we arranged our drinks - Ranaji got wine for himself, I took his Jim Beam and Dips had his leftover Sikkim Rum. The BBB was loud, hilarious and one of the best I've been part of. The highlight of the evening was when Rajaji asked Dips to show the sole chicken leg piece they got. As a drunk Dips lifted it out of the curry, it slipped and fell on the floor. Rajaji's first reaction - "koi nai, isko dhoke daal denge, curry toh bachi hai isme". It was perfectly timed and I'm pretty sure he was serious about his suggestion, but it had us in splits for the next 1 hour. It became his catchphrase, a potential solution to every problem in life is to wash it and put it back ("dhoke daal denge"). By the end of our dinner, we were laughing so much that Rajaji complained of a headache. Point to be noted here - despite all 3 of us being drunk, it was Zaheer the non-drinker who broke a glass! Still recovering from the aftermath of this crazy session, we turned in for the night.

DAY 3 - 20th March: Ulka Ghadi, Melsain and Khirsu

The day started with chai and toast, followed by a light breakfast. Agenda was a little trek up to Ulka Ghadi where there was a temple for Ulkeshwari Devi. a local deity. We were now travelling in luxury, sitting in Ranaji's car instead of riding anywhere. Google Maps missed the spot where the trek began and took us well ahead. So we turned back and found the correct spot.

My fitness had taken a toll during the lockdown and I had recently started getting into a routine of walking and exercising. Nevertheless, it was barely sufficient and I was lagging behind throughout the trek, much to everyone's amusement. Despite this, we were walking through an isolated forest and it was beautiful in every sense. Ashok and Zaheer were goofing around as usual. Their latest entertainment activity was taking videos of each other breaking thick pieces of deadwood. Zaheer convinced Ashok about how strong and pain-resistant he is ("Ranaji ko dard nai hota!") and chose a particularly thick piece for him to break. Ashok, buoyed with confidence, hit it with full force, only to hurt his palm badly. For the rest of the trek, he kept his hands in his pocket, seemingly a guaranteed way of reducing pain. 

The route was full of bells tied to trees, that potentially announce your arrival to the temple. As we neared the temple entrance, we were greeted by two 'bhotiya' dogs - a local mountain breed, renowned for being intelligent, strong and fearsome. They were generally employed to protect flocks of goats or cows from bears and leopards. Here, however, they were simply companions for the priest. The priest welcomed us into the temple and convinced us to attend a small puja. We were the only visitors there, so he claimed that it is rare for people to make this trek and we had probably been called by Ulkeshwari Devi herself to climb up. Puja done, he then led us a bit deeper into the forest and showed us the remnants of a small fort across a ravine, where supposedly, kings fought pitched battles. After relaxing here for a bit, we made our way down. 

Surprisingly, the dogs started accompanying us below. We thought it'd be only for a few minutes. But turns out that they were treating us like a flock of their own and guarded us the entire 1.5 kms downhill. It was both impressive and heartwarming. Neither of them demanded affection or treats like street dogs generally do. They enjoyed their head patting and scritching but did not actively 'ask' for it and neither were there any expectations once we reached our destination. They simply wandered off on their own. I enjoyed seeing them in their element - running around the forest, digging and exploring stuff, play-fighting with each other - they seemed to be having more fun than a lot of molly-coddled pets in the city and I hope they enjoy this free-spirited way of living for a long long time.

We drove back to the hotel, parked the car and took our bikes out. We wanted to ride deeper into the hills near our hotel and set off with some beers in hand. The route was fantastic for a few kilometers, with an even denser forest and cooler temperatures. It soon opened up though and we found a spot over a gorgeous cliff to park our bikes and guzzle down the beers. We then rode a bit further to Melsain for lunch, which had the grandly named "Green Hills Resort". It turned out to be a damp squib, serving nothing but snacks at that time. We rode back down 8 kms to the GMVN guesthouse for lunch, that we polished off efficiently. Once again, back to the hotel for a nap!

The evening plan consisted of yet another walk into the biodiversity park and then back to the hotel for a final BBB. By now, we realized that although scenic, there isn't a lot to do in Khirsu. We could have spent another day exploring surrounding villages or even Pauri, but Khirsu is strictly a 3- or 4-day ride. After a pleasant walk in the park, we returned to the hotel. This time, we were having beers instead of hard drinks and ordered egg curry and rice for dinner, to avoid a similar chicken-piece mishap. We seemed to have chosen a wrong time to have beer though, as the night got significantly colder and we thus decided to turn in earlier.

 DAY 4 - 21st March: Khirsu to Gurgaon

Although we'd planned a start at 7 AM, none of the hotel staff were awake, probably due to the ruckus we'd been creating with our BBBs in the night. We got ready, packed our stuff (for Ashok and Zaheer, that basically meant throwing their bags in the car) and waited for breakfast. It was definitely colder today but nobody complained - it'd make the ride much more pleasant and we'd be returning to the Delhi heat soon anyway. After yet another round of tea, butter toast and bread omelette, we were ready to start. The first stop was a few kilometers down the road, where we'd spotted a small stall selling local delicacies like pickles and juices. I picked up a bottle of 'buransh' (rhododendron flower) juice and 'lingda' (fiddlehead fern) pickle, both known to be local specialties.

Riding with a car was a unique experience for us, but Ranaji is an excellent driver and there was never a huge gap between the 3 vehicles. We'd zip past in the hills, but as the plains drew closer, he'd be in the lead. Halfway to Kotdwar, we stopped at the 7 Heaven restaurant, which also showed up on the map as "Rana Fish Corner". There was even a little stream there, but it was dirty and no fish available here. We all had a light breakfast here, with some juice to beat the heat. Despite the sun, however, we had a gala time on the way down. Somehow, this side of the road was in a much better condition than on the way up and we were able to maintain a good speed throughout.

Next stop was at Kotdwar. There was the River Khoh down in the valley, but it was too difficult to reach and we decided to skip the idea of a dip altogether. We crossed the checkpoint without any issues and entered UP. Our route was to be slightly different now. Partially to avoid the Meerut-Modinagar traffic and partially to explore a new route, we opted to take a left at Najibabad and reach Delhi-NCR via Gajraula, Garh Mukteshwar and Hapur. This turned out to be an interesting experience.

We'd purchased beer on the way and after the Najibabad turning, we hit a cement road and stopped at a sugarcane field for a break. Dips and Zaheer were confident about it being fine, while Ashok and I felt it risky to enter a private property and drink openly. To prove our fears untrue, Zaheer went ahead and pulled out a stalk of sugarcane and dove right into it without a moment's hesitation; indeed, he was sure that if the farmer comes by, he'd be glad to see his sugarcane being enjoyed! It was a very relaxing break nonetheless and we rested in the shade for sometime. 

It was afternoon now and riding was tiresome. even if the roads were perfect. The traffic and drivers were generally crazy, zipping past without any warning or bringing vehicles too close. I think we were all on the edge a bit when Dips suffered a small mishap. A puppy jumped onto the road and as Dips tried to avoid it, an oncoming biker, overtaking a truck, hit him on the right hand and leg. Both kept their balance and the other guy rode away, but Dips now had an injured toe and little finger (turned out later to be a fractured toe). He was, however, confident of continuing the ride and we started off after a few minutes.

As we continued, the side effect of the afternoon sun and straight roads was that I was feeling sleepy. I let others go ahead, informed Ashok that I'll meet everyone for lunch at Garh Mukteshwar and stopped under a tree for a power nap. 15-20 mins later, I was back on the road. Before Gajraula, I rode on one of the most beautiful stretches of tarmac ever, with the trees forming a little tunnel of sorts for a couple of kilometers.

The highlight of the ride back was just outside of Gajraula. I stopped to confirm the direction and was "helpfully" informed of a shortcut through the village onto the highway, instead of going through Gajraula. This led me to a river bank and I stopped by a group of villagers to ask again. They pointed towards a small path and one of the guys asked me if I could drop him onto the highway. I agreed and he climbed on with a heavy sack of something. The next 2-3 kilometers were off-road but manageable. My pillion, however, turned out to be a bit unstable mentally. He started by telling me that he was actually my long-lost relative, that we had met at a cousin's wedding and invited me to his place in.....Delhi. Normally, my instinct is to act with empathy with such people but now, I was on my guard. What if he got violent? We soon touched the highway and I found a convenient spot to drop him off. He insisted for a bit but I told him that I'd visit him next time and left swiftly. Well, not that swift, there was a major traffic jam over the bridge ahead, but at least I got rid of him.

Ashok and I shared our respective WhatsApp Live locations, they were just a couple of kilometers ahead. We decided to meet at some restaurant he knew of a kilometer ahead. But as I could see the Live location, they went on beyond a kilometer. 5, 7, 10 kilometers and they were still moving! I wasn't sure what was happening and was super hungry, so I stopped for a quick snack. Zaheer called me and asked me to join them ahead - turns out Google Maps led them to a different restaurant. Famished and tired as we were, we had a quick meal here. I closed the accounts "book" (a frayed piece of paper, to be precise). Yet another successful ride was wrapping up! 

The next 120-odd kms did not feature anything special, barring crazy traffic in Ghaziabad due to the flyovers being closed off. Dips and I stuck close together, but we lost Ashok and Zaheer long back. Although we mulled over having a farewell beer near my place, my parents had been calling me for some work, so I bid adieu to Dips and reached home at 9.30 PM.

Apart from the thrill of breaking the jinx, it was a much needed group ride. The BBB was phenomenal, as was the destination. Dips' accident did take down our exhilaration a notch, especially considering the seriousness of it, but he was a true soldier who did not let it affect the mood and stoically pushed on. I can only imagine what pain he must have been in! The next ride to Sach Pass is now in the works, so until next time!

Alvida and Jai BoP!

BoP Ride to Ranthambore

2020 was a year where I truly counted my blessings. After an amazing ride to Nepal in January, I also visited Vizag and Bangalore briefly before the Covid lockdown started. Indeed, Bulls on Parade (BoP) planned and almost went ahead with the Khirsu Khukris ride, but wisely cancelled, otherwise we'd have been stuck there for 3 months! The lockdown gave me more opportunities to feel blessed - although away from family, I continued to be employed with full salary and had an entire 4 BHK to myself (almost) - none of these elements to be taken for granted. I did my part, buckled down and called on my inner reserves of introversion (and beer and whisky....) to coast through. 

The club did meet a few times July onwards, at BBB sessions or short 1-day rides. We were all itching to hit the road for a long ride again though. A second Khirsu plan was considered and cast aside in August; a third in November (cancelled again, very close to the ride day). Finally in December, a firm plan was made for a 4-day ride to Badnore in January, exactly 1 year after the Nepal ride. Due to a spate of cancellations caused by personal reasons, only Kora and I were left and we were in no mood to cancel a 4th time. We instead changed the destination to Ranthambore and made it a 3-day ride.

Dates: 23rd January to 25th January, 2021

Route taken/Places visited:

While going - Gurgaon - Manesar - Rewari - Neemrana - Dausa - Lalsot - Sawai Madhopur

While returning - Sawai Madhopur - Lalsot - Mala Khera - Nuh - Sohna - Gurgaon

Riders:

1. Krishnatreya Brindavanam - Silver RE Electra 5S - Katori pehen ne wala

2. Pravin Kora - Battle Green RE Classic 350 - Animal behaviour expert

Total distance traversed: 788 kms

DAY 1 - 23rd January: Gurgaon to Sawai Madhopur

An early start was decided upon, at 5 AM. We anticipated fog and also traffic jams due to the ongoing farmer protests at the borders. Since it was just the two of us, Kora and I decided to just meet near my place instead of our regular meet-up point at Leisure Valley Park. I'd packed alu paratha for breakfast and Kora was getting pulihora for lunch. 

We crossed Manesar without incident but the truck traffic was getting heavier. Near Dharuhera, we spotted a complete road blockade with trucks. Not even a motorcycle could pass through. So we followed the rest of the traffic on the wrong side and turned towards Rewari. We then looped around the blockade and rejoined the highway some 15 kms before Neemrana. We soon stopped for chai and had our breakfast there itself, before continuing towards Sawai Madhopur. Shortly after Neemrana, a second blockade appeared in front of us and once again, we went off the highway and into village roads to loop around. This time, it was a smaller loop of 9-10 kms and we were accompanied by a bunch of superbikers who seemed a bit worried about the damage their bikes might incur on these village roads (where the Bullet is perfectly at home).

Despite this ~30 kms detour, the riding was smooth, the cold wasn't particularly bad (as compared to the Nepal ride) and most importantly, there was no major fog. We were even lucky enough to find a 3rd blockade materializing in front of us, as a crowd was moving barricades into place and we simply went off the road for a few meters to avoid it. In this manner, we continued on and stopped for our first beer. Thekas in Rajasthan are generally set in the fields in wide, open spaces which is exactly what we preferred in these times.

The sun was up now and all the layers I wore in the morning were making me hot and stuffy. Uncharacteristically, we decided to stop for a second beer around 60 kms later. You'd all have heard or tried the famous combination of beer and biryani. This day, we had beer and pulihora! Post lunch, I removed my thick jacket along with the 'surgical' gloves inside my main gloves and rode in a more relaxed manner. We had a bit of misnavigation after Lalsot, but turned around and found our way back (BoP ride after all, how can we not misnavigate).

Despite our many breaks and riding almost 45 kms extra, we reached our hotel Tiger Haveli at 4 PM. Although small and hard to find, it was a clean place and had received rave reviews for the courteous and welcoming staff there. True to the reviews, the owner's son Anshuman patiently answered all our questions. I wanted to have authentic daal baati churma, but he told me very honestly that it's not that well made here and suggested chane ki saag and gatte ki sabzi instead. Such honesty and humility!

We relaxed in the room for a few hours, enjoying hot chai and excellent pakodas. We both wanted to take a walk around the city to get rid of stiff muscles and joints. As advised by Anshuman, we took an auto to the main market and walked all around. Pretty soon, however, we realized that there wasn't much to it. The town is small and basically runs on the tourism income brought in by the national park and maybe the fort but Sawai Madhopur in itself doesn't have a lot to do. The auto driver confirmed our theory and said that the lack of foreign tourists since the Covid crisis was a big blow to the town economy. 

We went back to our hotel to start our BBB in earnest. Continuing BoP's streak with rooftop restaurants, we settled in the open area. The weather wasn't particularly cold, but the hotel guys arranged for a bonfire. We consumed our beer and talked but the true highlight awaiting was the food. We had ordered 3 curries, not being sure of the quantity - the aforementioned chane ki saag and gatte ki sabzi and the much-talked about laal maas for Kora. All three curries were cooked in the traditional Rajasthani style - rich in oil and spices and very heavy. Combined with bajre ki roti, we entered a state of foodie bliss. We asked the leftover curries to be kept aside for the morning and went to take a second walk. This is when we engaged in a deep discussion on animal behaviours, particularly animal conflict-avoidance behaviours, an area Kora is well versed in. Little did we know that we'd be witnessing a practical demonstration of the same next day at the safari!

DAY 2 - 24th January: Ranthambore National Park

I love safaris. I have been only on two in my entire lifetime - first to Ranthambore when I was in school (and saw nothing but a tiger's tail) and the second was a night safari in Ooty (the highlight of which was a massive wild gaur). I was looking forward to getting lucky this time and spotting a tiger.

First order of the day was breakfast. Delicious parathas with last night's curries and pickle and cups of chai, eaten on a cold morning with weak sunlight. At the risk of repeating myself - blissful! The plan was now to ride to the Ranthambore Fort and return by noon for lunch, post which we had a safari booked on a canter (an open truck seating 20). It was a short ride to the fort, the last few kilometers through the jungle. The roads were paved with large cobblestones, presumably to force visitors to ride at a slow and safe speed. We parked our bikes and started climbing up towards the fort. My fitness had taken a toll during the lockdown and I was huffing and puffing within 10 mins. The only saving grace was my 2-week old attempt to get back into shape, which helped me reach the top without collapsing in a heap somewhere. Overall, it was a well-maintained fort with some good views of the national park around it. We clicked some pics and left soon.

Back at the hotel, we had a light lunch - kadi and sabzi with rice. We really needed that after the previous 2 heavy meals. We rested for a bit and the canter arrived exactly at 1.45 as promised. We were heading towards Zone 3, purportedly the best zone to spot tigers (although we suspected that's what they said to everyone). The canter picked people along the way, even going far ahead of the park entrance to pick up a party of 4.

Our guide introduced himself and we entered the park, turning into Zone 3. Safaris here are either made on a canter or a Gypsy. Gypsies are costlier but are more maneuverable and can seat an entire family. This does not seem to dampen the canter drivers' spirits though. Highly capable drivers, they manage to swing around their large vehicles with equal agility on the narrow forest paths and position themselves perfectly. As demanded by their job, they are also experts at reversing at terrifying speeds. The safari sights apart, it was a pleasure watching these drivers in action too.

Soon after entering Zone 3, our guide motioned for us to be quiet. We were at the edge of a lake, ringed by tall grass and there were whispers of a tiger sighting here. I squeezed my way to the front, right besides the driver and guide to get the best sight. Lo and behold, we spotted the tiger's head behind a tree trunk, as it lounged. As we squinted and angled our heads to get a better view, a huge male sambhar deer casually strolled into the scene. The tigress (named Riddhi, we learnt by now) looked up, leaped out of hiding and gave chase. It was too far though and the sambhar streaked past us, hollering his lungs out in fear. All was over in less than 5 seconds, but for a heart-stopping second in the middle, the powerful hunter's chase seemed to lead her straight towards our canter. What an awe-inspiring sight and what luck, seeing such Nat Geo style action less than 800 meters away!

The guide and driver then took us a bit ahead and we spotted Riddhi's sister Siddhi. In a large clearing, surrounded by dozens of vehicles and at least a hundred visitors, Siddhi lounged in a little pool of water for 15 solid minutes. Not giving a damn to anyone, majestic like a true alpha predator, commanding her viewers to stay silent and just watch. The only worry Siddhi had, however, was sibling rivalry. Seemingly, both sisters had been fighting for territory (the driver showed us a video of their fight; you can view it here - *not my video*, all due credit to Ajay who shot it a few days before). We were all excited about a similar showdown today, as Siddhi got up and started marking her territory with scent marks. The canter turned around and followed her as she casually strolled through the jungle, staking out her territory. Soon, her sister started following her at a distance. To our disappointment, however, no fight was going to take place today. Showcasing the same animal conflict-avoidance behaviours Kora and I talked about the previous day, the tigresses kept their distance from each other.

The guide then predicted that one of them is off to hunt and guided the driver towards a potential spot where we might witness a hunt. But time was running out and after waiting for a few minutes, we turned towards home. We did a bit of bird-watching and saw some crocodiles, but after all the excitement with the tigresses, these sightings were akin to the end credits of a non-Marvel movie!

We were dropped off at our hotel at around 5.45 PM. We tipped the guide and thanked him for a fantastic experience. Next up - BBB! After another chai and pakoda session, we set off walking to get beer (one of the caretakers got it for us the previous day). Contrary to the caretaker's emphatic insistence that the wine shop was very close, we ended up walking around 3 kms to and back from said shop. Today, we wanted to start and wrap up earlier, as we planned an early start next day.

Once again, beer, bakchodi and knowledge flowed in ample quantities. This night, it was much colder and the bonfire was welcomed with open arms. Shortly thereafter, we were joined by two people from Faridabad. After being subjected to an onslaught of animal behaviour and human behaviour knowledge respectively from Kora and me, they went to another table to have their dinner. We finished dinner, settled up all expenses at the reception and turned in for the night.

DAY 3 - 25th January: Sawai Madhopur

The first thing we did as we woke up at 4 AM was to pull aside the window and peep out. As we dreaded, a thick fog blanketed the locality. But what we dreaded more was getting stuck at the border or having to stay there for a day or two. 30 mins later, we were on our bikes.

Riding at a torturously slow speed through the fog, we found our way out of the city and onto the "highway" - with the fog, all roads looked the same. Over the course of the next 3 hours, we rode a grand total of 64 kms. This is included 2 short stops on the way for chai. The heavy fog led to dew deposits on our clothes and we were soaking wet soon, adding to the cold we were already feeling. At the 2nd chai stop, we were served by a terse villager with nary a smile or acknowledgement to what we said. After paying up, Kora asked, "ujaala kab hogi?" (when will the sun rise?). The guy simply replied "ho gayi, yahi hai ujaala, aur kitni chahiye?" (the sun already rose, what more do you want?) and broke into a broad smile. With less than 50 meters visibility and darkness enveloping us, it was hilarious and philosophical at the same time. I still chuckle at that straight-faced delivery of such an enigmatic and ironic statement and wonder what he meant by it!

Soon however, there was some light, albeit with no decrease in fog. I was soaking once again and now, the rubber gloves I wear inside my main gloves were soaked too. We had enough of this and at 7.30 AM, we simply stopped besides a bonfire, huddled around which were a bunch of villagers. As is typical, the group made space and invited us graciously to sit by the fire. It's such a simple but welcoming gesture that I have seen all around India. Over the next hour, as our clothes and gear dried slowly, we fielded many questions from them. The most important one was addressed to me, focusing on my 'metallic' knee guards - "je ghutne pe katori kyu pehen rakhi hai?" (why do you have bowls tied to your knees?). I was stumped for a moment, but he was correct. I cannot unsee it now, the image of me tying steel utensils to my arms and legs as I embark on a ride. 

We stayed here for more than hour, consuming many cups of chai and learning about the farmers' lives and thoughts about the agitation in Delhi (short answer - barely impressed or supportive of it). The fog was slowly dissipating, so we decided to make a move. As we were gearing up, Kora's client Gaurav called him up and told him he was nearby. He was on a solo ride, visiting an engineer friend of his who was working on a highway near Lalsot (30 kms from where we were). We decided to ride back together. 

By the time we reached Lalsot, the sun was up and shining brightly. As we waited for Gaurav, we had our packed breakfast - rotis and alu curry, prepared and packed at Tiger Haveli the previous night. He turned up shortly and after catching up and talking a bit about the remarkable coincidence and timing of his call, we started in earnest to cover up for the lost time.

The plan was now straightforward - more riding, less bakchodi! Well, OK, more riding with adequate bakchodi. We decided to skip the highway and take a different route, through Nuh and Sohna. Barring a misnavigation that led us through some obscure villages and around a kilometer of dirt track riding through the fields, the route was fantastic. Normal levels of traffic, no blockades and green fields lining the 2-lane highway all the way till Sohna. At around 2.30, we stopped for a final extended tea break, deciding to skip lunch (we finished the remaining rotis and curry though). We bid our goodbyes here, 60 kms before our destination, as we all wanted to ride non-stop to home now. I reached at around 4.45 PM, almost exactly 12 hours later!

Apart from being the first proper long ride since the Nepal ride, it was a landmark trip for me because of the highly successful safari and the awesome food we had at Tiger Haveli. 2021 thus started brilliantly (I mean, so did 2020.....) and I look forward to more riding this year.

Adios and Jai BoP!