17th Nov 2004 – and the Romance begins
The much awaited day has come. Having already packed my bag previous night, I’m greeted good morning by the sweet little nephew of mine. As usual my plan of starting by 07:00hrs are down the drain as it is already well past 07:00hrs. After going through the morning routine, by 08:30hrs, I’m sitting on the breakfast table discussing the route to reach ISBT from Noida with my bro-in-law. After breakfast I’m down cleaning my bike, waxed it for the ride. Topped up the battery, tied the lugguage. Sadly some cheap person has removed and stole the engine oil bottle, which was tied to the crash guard. So I reminded myself to buy a bottle of 20w50 engine oil on the way. Oil level is just below top level mark, so no worries.
At 09:00hrs, odo showing 17,573, I waved bye to everyone and started my ride to hills. Having started late, traffic is there on the road and soon I’m on DND flyover. I am cruising at around 80 on the flyover when this chap on a fast bike decides to provoke me for a race. Such morons never fail to amuse me, ignoring him I keep on riding, looking for the exit to the Ring road. On Ring road, traffic is building up, I tell myself that it is no more an outer ring road and Delhi will soon need a new outer ring road, making this a middle ring road. Busy negotiating traffic on one of the best city roads I have ever ridden on, I reach ISBT from there I continue towards the famous GT Road – NH1. Just before I take the right turn for NH1 there is a small section of road under construction, spoiling my early morning cruising on featherbed. After the right turn I’m on NH1 and looking at some patches under construction I got scared that it might continue for too long but thankfully that is not the case. It took me some time to shrug off the traffic and under construction road to come out on wide open stretch of NH1 and I’m back to my cruising speed of around 80.
Irrespective of where ever you are riding in India, in and around city limits you will always come across this special breed self proclaimed fastest riders, who will try to pick up race with anyone who they think is riding fast, irrespective of the bike they and the other person is riding. Sadly being on a ride, I kept on ignoring such morons. The road is excellent, wide 4 lane with a big divider in middle having lots of greenery on it. The scenery on the road side is amazing as well. Keeping on the left lane I feel like keep on riding for ever on such roads. While crossing small/big towns on the way the road still maintains its width, at most of the places, but the traffic in town slows down the speed.
Just when I’m reaching Karnal bike comes into reserve, odo showing 17,727. So I decide to fill up at the next gas station. To my surprise fuel here is almosr Rs 7 per lt cheaper than Pune. People at the gas station are a bit surprised seeing a Maharashtra registered bike out here all alone but probably being on the way to hills, they are used to of seeing such odd reading registration number plates. Few minutes later I’m back on the road. Till Ambala it was a ride which I don’t want to end. At Ambala I read this direction board telling to take the right road from next junction to go towards Shimla, which means end of journey on NH1 and start of journey on NH21. Road approaching the junction is a bit crowded and some construction work is going on.
Just after crossing Ambala, at around 13:20hrs I’m greeted by “Welcome to Punjab” board. Decide to take a picture before resuming the ride.
Though I have got off NH1, the road quality hasn’t changed much. NH21 is as fun to ride as NH1. Next town on the map is the UT of Chandigarh. On the way while passing a town called Dera Basi, I stopped as there are lots of workshops. After spending 5minutes I’m able to pick a bottle of 20z50 engine oil. With worry of engine oil ower I’m back to riding. Soon I reached a direction board saying that for Chandigarh take the left turn. I got sad on the thought that I’ll not be riding through the wonderful city of Chandigarh. Still while riding on NH21 to bypass the city, I’m able to see some army premises on road side and hills in a bit of distance. Soon after crossing Chandigarh, I’m approaching Kalka and crossing it I come across “Welcome to Himachal Pradesh” board at around 14:40hrs. The climb to Shimla has started it its just over 80km’s away.
Climbing up Shimla I come across one of the best ghat road I have ridden on. Its wide, smooth and furtunatly most of the traffic is keeping their lane, ofcourse no place can be 100% free of morons, so a few times I do come across some lunatic riders/drivers who will be crossing their lane into other lane in a corner, trying to overtake a vehicle. Having ridden for just a few km’s I come across a unique thing, a railway crossing in hills. Having never seen the toy train, I got a glimpse of it while standing at the railway crossing. Once train crossed it I’m back thumping along nicely on the twisties, passing by ocassional small village/town on road side. Coming across a junction showing directions for Kasauli, I decided to ride to Kasauli before carrying on towards Shimla. The view from the road is great and there is hardly any traffic. After riding for few km’s I decide to head back, as I started to feel hungry.
After crossing Solan I decide to pull over a small hotel next to a Yamaha showroom. Its 15:55hrs and odo is showing 17,921. I’m feeling really hungry so I order rajma and some rotis. After having stomach full of delicious food, I’m in for another shock. The bill has come to just Rs 26, for the same food I would have paid close to Rs 70 in Pune. At 16:15hrs I’m back riding towards Shimla. It has started to get a bit cold now. I’m wearing all the warm clothes I got, a t-shirt, leather jacket gifted by my sister and a thin woolen jacket (good enough for daytime in winters of Pune), jeans and gloves.
Enjoying the post luch session on twisties I enter the town of Shimla. It has started to get a bit dark. I recollected that my destination, Rampur, is another 140km away and based on my experience of riding on the ghats and twisties of NH17, I thought that in next 4hrs I should be there. I took a glance on the famous Mall road before getting stuck in a small traffic jam at a tunnel. I wasted some 15-20minutes crossing the tunnel which reminds me of the infamous Katraj ghat tunnel back there in Pune. Few kms later the traffic almost got vanished and the light started to fade rapidly. Soon I’m all alone riding in dark and suddenly the road surface has also gone a bit bumpy. Having no idea about the road, I’m riding at slow speeds. Unable to see the surroundings and mercury is falling, I’m not having any idea about how much distance I have covered and it is feeling like I have ridden for a few hours and it would be close to 8pm now, I enter a small town called Theog. I stopped at 18:30hrs (darkness is giving idea of some wrong time) at a road side shop asking for distance to Rampur. The shop owner is a young man, suggesting me not to continue as the road is not good and safe for riding alone in night. With the climate getting cold I agreed to his suggestion and decide to call it end of ride for the day, went to the nearby gas station and filled in some fuel.
I come back the the same person and posted him question about where will I find a hotel to stay? He then takes me to a hotel cum resturant right next to the police station. After looking at the room, I check in the hotel. I and the person have become friends and he tells me that in sometime some of the other shop owner friends of his will be collecting here for a small eve meet. Soon we are 6 guys and we get introduced to each other (me, Puneet, Sumit, Lucky, Kishan and Gupta). They all patiently and curiously listen to my riding story during which a small round of drinks to keep everyone warm happens. After my story it is time for one of them to start churning out melodious songs, one after another, some are his self written ones, in a thick diary, and some are from Hindi films. The person got amazing voice and thankfully they all are also fans of Kishore and Mukesh. During this party, I ordered dinner (noodles and rice etc). While having dinner I asked them about the route. When they heard that I’m planing to go to Rampur and then come all the way to Shimla to head towards Manali, they suggested me a smaller route via a pass called Jalori Pass. I took out my LP and they pointed out me to the route. Confirming a few times about the road condition which they got it confirmed by some taxi and truck drivers. They also suggested me to go to Sangla valley instead of wasitng time at Rampur, with me not having much time for Sangla valley I added it to the list of places to visit in future.
Around 22:00hrs the mehafil is closed and on the suggestion of hotel owner I go down to park my bike inside the hotel, as its not safe to park the bike outside in open. It is freezing cold out here. Somehow with the help of hotel owner, I’m able to park my bike inside the resturant.
In the room I’m given two rajais but its soo cold that I decide to sleep with all my riding clothes on, under the double rajais. In night everytime I turn on either side, the bed is so cold that my sleep is broken, the whole night is spend trying to sleep in one position only.
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