DAY 7 - 20th December (Lakhpat, Narayan Sarovar and Mandvi)
The morning rituals were completed in a remarkably clean communal bathroom. I have been to a Gurudwara in the past, but this is the first time I was staying in one and frankly, I'm blown away. The cleanliness, the hospitality, the rituals, everything was beyond belief.
Before leaving, we studied a historical map of the Lakhpat Fort in the Gurudwara. This little village boasted of multiple temples, mosques and tombs, apart from fort ramparts. There was admirable communal harmony here!
The fort itself is in shambles. We rode to the walls and monkeyed around for a bit. On the way, Rajaji even showed us his stunting skills by jumping off the bike when it was still running and then getting back on. For a change, the views did not have the White Desert and we spotted the sea for the first time in this ride. Most of my rides, I yearn for the hills or the sea (green or blue). This time, I got to see both, along with the white of the salt flats and the brown of the desert. It was an all-round ride, from Nature's point of view!
We then got down from the fort ramparts and made our way to the dargah. Once again, this was a beautifully constructed building. It was maintained by a villager, who had met Ankit and Rajaji earlier. We spoke to him for sometime and then went back to the small departmental store we had visited last night for some more chikki. Rajaji's tryst with languages continued here and he impressed the localites by reading the panchayat election posters stuck everywhere.
By now, it was clear to us that the ride would be much shorter than we anticipated. Primarily, this was because the buffer days were used up. We were also covering a new place not part of the original itinerary - Mandvi beach. My plan was to catch a train from Ahmedabad on 24th, but it would a waste of time and money, because I would have spend 3 days in Ahmedabad just to catch the train. I decided, instead, to ride back to Pune and complete the trip. We would spend one last day together in Mandvi and then go our separate ways.
We went and packed up at the Gurudwara. We had an early lunch, on the insistence of the Granthi there and then rode without incident to Narayan Sarovar. The lake in itself was dry, but the key highlight for me was visiting the westernmost point of mainland India. I consider this to be a small, yet significant achievement, having covered both the Southernmost and Westernmost points of mainland India on my motorcycle. We spoke to the BSF guy manning the post; I gave my 'short introduction' again to him and he seemed quite impressed. This was also the home for the Creek Crocodiles, which is a commando unit of the Water Wing of the BSF.
Our destination for the day was Mandvi Beach. On this stretch, we all briefly lost each other. I realized that Dips wasn't anywhere behind me and Ankit and Rajaji were also not to be seen anywhere. What I hadn't realized was all 3 were actually ahead of me. My tank was almost dry 40 kms before Mandvi, so I stopped and purchased a bottle of petrol in black. By the time I reached Mandvi, the others had already taken the bikes onto the beach and were chilling there. We watched another sunset, this time sinking into the sea, instead of salt.
We found a hotel for the night and now were determined to round off the last night together with alcohol and non-veg food. We procured the necessary stuff from an omelette vendor and drank into the night. We'd also found a restaurant nearby which served non-veg. We were reluctant about going there drunk; takeaway wasn't an option because our hotel guy didn't agree to bringing in non-veg food there. Eventually, we did go into the restaurant and I believe the meat-eaters enjoyed their food, even though Rajaji was snappier than usual. Maybe because we forced him to lead for a short distance today.
DAY 8 - 21st December (Mandvi-Ahmedabad)
Our plan was to go to the Vijay Vilas Palace and the ship-building yard today. The former was a well-maintained summer palace of the royalty. The walls are adorned with old photos and stories of the royal exploits. On the roof, you can see that the palace is surrounded by a sea of green. There was a photo shoot going on there, so we let them be and went back to Mandvi town to the ship-building yard. While the surroundings aren't very clean, it is fascinating to watch the ships being built. We spoke to one of the supervisors there, who told us that these ships will eventually ply near the Middle East and will carry grain and other food products for short distances.
The ride was now wrapping up. I had a few solo-riding days ahead of me, after splitting off from the rest of troop at Samkhiyali. We stopped for lunch a few kilometres before the branching off point. Rajaji wanted to ensure all of the Big 4 Gujarati dishes were tasted - dhokla, thepla, fafda and khakra. One of my pet peeves at most restaurants is the lack of nimbu-paani in the menu and the sheer reluctance of restaurant staff to acquiesce to any request to make an exception. My point is that it is a simple, refreshing drink and very easy to make. The ingredients are always there - lemon, salt or sugar and water. Here though, the restaurant guy agreed to make an exception and we finished multiple glasses of cold nimbu-paani, much to my satisfaction.
We finished up the calculations of the ride at this spot. Perhaps due to the wide age-gap between all of us, nobody had agreed my suggestion of using the fancy Splitwise app; everyone wanted to stick to the old, pooling system. I did get a chance to show off my prowess with the app though, when some calculations became difficult. We bade our goodbyes and I took the road that leads towards Ahmedabad.
Shortly after branching off though, my bike started jerking at the lower gears. It started with the first gear, but as I progressed, it kept happening at 2nd and 3rd gears too. The only way to stop the jerking was riding at higher speeds. I was pretty sure it had something to do with the chain sprocket, but couldn't identify anything myself. A few local mechanics I stopped at weren't Bullet specialists and I rode to the next village which apparently had a Bullet mechanic. He too, however, wasn't one. He rode a Bullet himself but didn't repair them! I called up Rajaji and Alex (my mechanic in Pune), but they weren't able to diagnose anything. This village mechanic then adjusted the chain settings a bit which reduced the jerks but I needed a long term solution which only a Bullet service center could provide. My only option was to ride to Ahmedabad. I took the risk and swiftly rode the next 200 odd kms through the sunset.
Now I am no believer in God, but I'm pretty sure something was watching over me that night. The chain sprocket had lost more than 10 of its teeth and most of the other teeth were filed off atleast a little. If I had seen that sprocket, I wouldn't have dared to ride all that distance in the night. Somehow, I reached Ahmedabad outskirts without mishap or further issues. My priorities were straightforward - find a place to stay that is nearest to the Baroda turning and has a Bullet service center nearby. I found one, aptly named "Hotel Rest-n-Ride". The owner used to own a Bullet himself at one point of time. He saw all my gear, heard my riding story and remarked to his son -"Beta, yeh biker hai. Yeh bhi ek nasha hota hai, log pagal ho jaate hai isme, itna door door chalate rehte hai motorcycle apni". I couldn't help but smile and puff out my chest a little. Yes, it was an addiction and yes, I am a proud addict!
The morning rituals were completed in a remarkably clean communal bathroom. I have been to a Gurudwara in the past, but this is the first time I was staying in one and frankly, I'm blown away. The cleanliness, the hospitality, the rituals, everything was beyond belief.
Before leaving, we studied a historical map of the Lakhpat Fort in the Gurudwara. This little village boasted of multiple temples, mosques and tombs, apart from fort ramparts. There was admirable communal harmony here!
By now, it was clear to us that the ride would be much shorter than we anticipated. Primarily, this was because the buffer days were used up. We were also covering a new place not part of the original itinerary - Mandvi beach. My plan was to catch a train from Ahmedabad on 24th, but it would a waste of time and money, because I would have spend 3 days in Ahmedabad just to catch the train. I decided, instead, to ride back to Pune and complete the trip. We would spend one last day together in Mandvi and then go our separate ways.
We went and packed up at the Gurudwara. We had an early lunch, on the insistence of the Granthi there and then rode without incident to Narayan Sarovar. The lake in itself was dry, but the key highlight for me was visiting the westernmost point of mainland India. I consider this to be a small, yet significant achievement, having covered both the Southernmost and Westernmost points of mainland India on my motorcycle. We spoke to the BSF guy manning the post; I gave my 'short introduction' again to him and he seemed quite impressed. This was also the home for the Creek Crocodiles, which is a commando unit of the Water Wing of the BSF.
Our destination for the day was Mandvi Beach. On this stretch, we all briefly lost each other. I realized that Dips wasn't anywhere behind me and Ankit and Rajaji were also not to be seen anywhere. What I hadn't realized was all 3 were actually ahead of me. My tank was almost dry 40 kms before Mandvi, so I stopped and purchased a bottle of petrol in black. By the time I reached Mandvi, the others had already taken the bikes onto the beach and were chilling there. We watched another sunset, this time sinking into the sea, instead of salt.
We found a hotel for the night and now were determined to round off the last night together with alcohol and non-veg food. We procured the necessary stuff from an omelette vendor and drank into the night. We'd also found a restaurant nearby which served non-veg. We were reluctant about going there drunk; takeaway wasn't an option because our hotel guy didn't agree to bringing in non-veg food there. Eventually, we did go into the restaurant and I believe the meat-eaters enjoyed their food, even though Rajaji was snappier than usual. Maybe because we forced him to lead for a short distance today.
DAY 8 - 21st December (Mandvi-Ahmedabad)
Our plan was to go to the Vijay Vilas Palace and the ship-building yard today. The former was a well-maintained summer palace of the royalty. The walls are adorned with old photos and stories of the royal exploits. On the roof, you can see that the palace is surrounded by a sea of green. There was a photo shoot going on there, so we let them be and went back to Mandvi town to the ship-building yard. While the surroundings aren't very clean, it is fascinating to watch the ships being built. We spoke to one of the supervisors there, who told us that these ships will eventually ply near the Middle East and will carry grain and other food products for short distances.
The ride was now wrapping up. I had a few solo-riding days ahead of me, after splitting off from the rest of troop at Samkhiyali. We stopped for lunch a few kilometres before the branching off point. Rajaji wanted to ensure all of the Big 4 Gujarati dishes were tasted - dhokla, thepla, fafda and khakra. One of my pet peeves at most restaurants is the lack of nimbu-paani in the menu and the sheer reluctance of restaurant staff to acquiesce to any request to make an exception. My point is that it is a simple, refreshing drink and very easy to make. The ingredients are always there - lemon, salt or sugar and water. Here though, the restaurant guy agreed to make an exception and we finished multiple glasses of cold nimbu-paani, much to my satisfaction.
We finished up the calculations of the ride at this spot. Perhaps due to the wide age-gap between all of us, nobody had agreed my suggestion of using the fancy Splitwise app; everyone wanted to stick to the old, pooling system. I did get a chance to show off my prowess with the app though, when some calculations became difficult. We bade our goodbyes and I took the road that leads towards Ahmedabad.
Shortly after branching off though, my bike started jerking at the lower gears. It started with the first gear, but as I progressed, it kept happening at 2nd and 3rd gears too. The only way to stop the jerking was riding at higher speeds. I was pretty sure it had something to do with the chain sprocket, but couldn't identify anything myself. A few local mechanics I stopped at weren't Bullet specialists and I rode to the next village which apparently had a Bullet mechanic. He too, however, wasn't one. He rode a Bullet himself but didn't repair them! I called up Rajaji and Alex (my mechanic in Pune), but they weren't able to diagnose anything. This village mechanic then adjusted the chain settings a bit which reduced the jerks but I needed a long term solution which only a Bullet service center could provide. My only option was to ride to Ahmedabad. I took the risk and swiftly rode the next 200 odd kms through the sunset.
Now I am no believer in God, but I'm pretty sure something was watching over me that night. The chain sprocket had lost more than 10 of its teeth and most of the other teeth were filed off atleast a little. If I had seen that sprocket, I wouldn't have dared to ride all that distance in the night. Somehow, I reached Ahmedabad outskirts without mishap or further issues. My priorities were straightforward - find a place to stay that is nearest to the Baroda turning and has a Bullet service center nearby. I found one, aptly named "Hotel Rest-n-Ride". The owner used to own a Bullet himself at one point of time. He saw all my gear, heard my riding story and remarked to his son -"Beta, yeh biker hai. Yeh bhi ek nasha hota hai, log pagal ho jaate hai isme, itna door door chalate rehte hai motorcycle apni". I couldn't help but smile and puff out my chest a little. Yes, it was an addiction and yes, I am a proud addict!
Damn those last lines. Perfect opportunity for much deserved chest thumping. Damn, it feels good.
ReplyDeleteYou never mentioned the Splitwise app during the Nepal ride. Sounds fun. Any reason why you didn't even utter a single word about it?
Cheers,
Che
Similar lines were uttered recently when I was returning from Nepal. Next part mei padhna.
ReplyDeleteSplitwise is perfect when there's a small group. People take turns paying for everyone and it's recorded in the app which splits the amount. It's not very easy to use when there are large groups, it ends up causing more confusion. The old-school pooling system is better for large groups. Furthermore, Splitwise works best when it is used religiously from the beginning, it's hard to combine it with pooling system.