Mulshi - Tahmini - Detour - Lavasa --- Part 1

There is something about tonight, something very special.. 
saari ki saari duniya bhool ke mein toh tere naal nachda...

Well nachda is contemporary to what riders call having dance with their beloved bikes.. :)
So my dear AntiqueBlue went through some changes, or say new fresh glucose injected into her arteries. New set of tyres, new power delivery system (chain sprocket), new battery etc etc... and I hadn't ridden her for a month then, so obviously, you always crave for your first true love, even though when you have been riding a lustier one (R15) for that time... but after all with AntqueBlue,  it is

surkh wala, sooz wala, waise wala love, 
hota hai jo love se jyada waise wala love.. 

ye wala love !!!

So I was saying, you always crave for good time with your first love... I am no different, so when finally 31st August was nearing (read salary day), I was all gearing up for an worthy ride which would do justice to one month break-up... and did I get it ??? you bet !! I did :)

So I dropped messages to everyone, for I don't remember what what places, at office also everyone knew I was going somewhere, with not much of affirmation from regular group, I poked almost everyone whom I would have liked to come with me, and finally it was decided I would be alone with Alok as pillion, and well dreaming of those scenic roads I went to sleep, and woke up anxiously to alarm and just when I was about to give wake up call to Alok, I read his message "yaar headache ho raha hai, kabhi aur chalenge". Next message from Vikas "hum log, mulshi chal sakte hain, its 60km ride, I can be back in good time for bus to Nashik, we will start at 10 am!" (remember the 60 km ;) and back in good time), and I messaged him I am in. So I got ready by 9:30, gave Vikas wake up call (ya still wake up call, these lazy bums), and I gave a call to Alok too, and he also said yes, so we were now 3 guys and 2 Bikes.

We started at 10:30 am, and it was all sunny, and I had just crossed chandni chowk when I started regretting the decision to ride so late near to afternoon, but once we crossed Pirangut, weather Gods got pleased of seeing me and AntiqueBlue together capturing their artwork and blessed us with some cool shade of clouds, and I wasn't complaining the whole trip from there.. :).

Now Let the photos do the talking :)

Ominous Start to Trip, Vikas Completing a Fiver of 2's on Odometer

throwing some Wassa dude attitude... 

The Cloud Cover provided to us generously by Weather Gods

After Here, it was all about pics and pics and pics...
So that's how it is going to be, Story in Pictures :)

Me With my Bike :)..all is blue !!!

Antique Blue

Glimpse of Super Awesome Mulshi Lake

At this point, Vikas decided to give lift to a school boy, and we decided to use that slow speed time in stopping and clicking more photos...

Just as we were thinking where to stop next, we found Vikas waiting for us on the other side of road, pointing towards nothing but lake and flat grass roads... Lets see what we did there... some photoshoot obviously...

Does seem to be enjoying new environment !!!

Paint Blue !!!

Pulsar !!!

Mr Photogenic - Vikas 

Fulfilling one of our dreams... 

And rain sprinkled us with some droplets..

and produced this awesome effect

From here it was travelling through wonderland, Mystic, yet beautiful Mulshi Lake on the one side of road and surrealistically painted green hill tops on the other. For those, who find peace in such surrounds it was 5.1 Dolby Surround...

That left hand side view never seized amazing me  

Wet Road, Surreal Green, Mystery Lake

Every now and then, after 1 km or even less, we were finding more n more spot to click pics
and well we always stopped to click them

hahaha!!! trying to kick me, better luck next time

Vikas : mera ek solo, ek solo...

This gave effect of something like, Red n White bravery Award Road !!! 

At this point we decided lets go till Tahmini, from there we will take a U-Turn, and return back to Pune in good time for Vikas to catch his Bus. But our stomach's had also started crying, so decided to have makai at next stop...

Just so Greeeeennnn... can give Hulk run for money !!!

Goli Maar bheje mein

Candid Moments..Everywhere

Ankhiyon se Goli maare, ladka kaamal hai ye toh

Caught in the rising water...

Cmon! I have never seen such view in India... 

After spending some good 20 mins at this point, we realized that we didn't order makai, even though it was right in front of us all time, funny isn't it how these moments make you forget hunger. Anyways, we decided to move on and take next stop at a restaurant that comes on way. But before that could happen, we had hardly traveled 300 meters from this spot and we stopped again...

Vikas Nathani getting cosy cosy on my bikey in my housey !!! ::D

Another 1 km and yet another stop... 

And this waterfall, Vikas kept pushing us to go more up and up saying "just 2 mins walk", and we kept going, and what it actually did was, I mean this environment, sound of water rushing, chirping of birds, clear water, slight drizzle and a cool breeze; it infused us with more energy and someone said "aaj kuch toofani karte hai",  and well that set the tone for the rest of the day... and I with that extra infused energy, jumping from one rock to another, I also did slip ..and my LS2 got some scratches... :(

Well that's all for the first part, there are still lot's of photos left and story to be told, but will complete that in next set ... with maps and more photos !!!

$$ Celebrations $$

26th July, 2012
with a Blog titled "Celebrations", Peculiar???
I bet it is. But no known friend of mine has anything special for this day, so why celebrations !!!
We will get to know that later, but first to business...

Most of you must have seen the new Canon ad, with punch line "What makes us click!!!"..the one starring Anushka Sharma, yes exactly that one. To remind you all, this is the one..

I came across this advert again yesterday, just at the moment when my blog crossed 1000 views (Yaayyiee!) 

and made me think "What makes me write". So the blog is about celebrating a small milestone achieved. 

Today my most of the time was spent on thinking on how to celebrate, and a very prominent question burrpping in mind "What make me write". I tried to reason with this question, but couldn't find an answer. So meanwhile I browsed through my company bulletin board, and found someone has replied to my post there.
And I just dropped her an e-mail. While talking to her, she happened to ask me "any inputs about how to improve writing would be welcome", and well that silenced the Burp in my mind. My reply to the statement was "no one can tell you how to write, you write when you feel like writing, you express your thoughts, all you need is to express in right way"..something like that. I realized that actually is answer to everything I write. But then this would have been a hypothetical answer. 

So here is a list to what makes me write :

A good cheery mood/thought 

A wonderful ride

A beautiful photograph

everything/anything related to "Love"

Some random amusing overheard conversation

Greed to get good marks

Travel Log

Celebrations

Sorrow

and to tell story of Movie (this thanks to a person for reminding me today)

But more than that the list, I wanted to add a note. I am not a firm believer in god, but I do sometimes feels someone do write your destiny. Take for example 26th July, 2012. It started with me promising a friend that I will write celebration blog if I cross the 1000 mark. Then in afternoon at office, I wrote my "Mid year Review", which was in itself a 3 hour long process. And on top of it, I got introduced to an avid blogger/photographer like me and an invitation for debate from same person. It didn't end there. As I reached home and sat down to write, another friend pinged. She also gave some suggestions about blog, and  I have tried to introduce them here. So you see, this day did actually turn out to be about blogs/writing. So the dear God has his way of celebrating 26th July of "Words in Mind". 

What's my way...posting another Blog...What makes me write...every thought in mind.


PS : the movie was "Saawariya"

Ride to X Places - The Story - A day of Adventures

It is raining and with roads leading into clouds above. A white R15 V2.0 is going ahead of me, a green FZ coming behind me. We are going through Ghats, full lush green, as green as it can get, coupled with stones lying there. The road is single lane and sharp U-bends every few hundred meters. Indicators of all three are on, and we take a left uphill bend, and WOAAAHH... a ghostly lake greets us....

"Vyom uth jaa..vyom uth hum log late ho gaye, 6:00 baj gaye hain and hum log paanch baje nikalne wale the"....

"I know..Vikas..mera phone baja tha parr tum log aise ghode bech ke so rahe the, mein bhi so gaya"

"Utha deta yaar"

"Arey chill it's for good, you had rest, we will make up for time lost"

And now I was finally awake. Vikas was getting ready, Akshat still cuddled up under sheets. My mind was already running fast thinking about dream I just had and how true will it, we had already supposedly lost 1 hour of drive plus will lose atleast 1 more.

Our plan for day was to first go to Trimbakeshwar, Bhandardhara, Nashik via Belapur and return to Pune before Sun set..and as the day progressed, we were put to good number of tests...

All of us finally got ready by 7 am and a blue print was laid out. Breakfast, Godavari Ghat, Bhandadhara via NH3. (Period). From here everything would be according to run time and fatigue level. So we had a quicky breakfast, and by 8 we were on Godavari Ghat, where Vikas went down for darshan, while I and Akshat decided to click few pics..But Alas!!! it started raining...

Vikas came back in 15 mins, and we got our fuel tanks to top, air checked, and we roared engine in the silent Sunday morning of Nashik ..and as we picked up speeds, so did rains...by the time we reached NH3, it was raining heavy, but yes we all were in raincoats.
Now because of rain, I hadn't realized that NH3 was actually very very good. 6 lane roads, as straight as they can be and to add to awesome view, on both side of highway, contoured green plateau lawn. They seemed like freshly laid carpet of grass. AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME!..
Cruising at speed of 80+, with rain so fast that no droplets were getting stagnant on helmet visor and all three of us riding parallel to each other...you have to be there or done that to know the feeling I am so unable to describe...
When we churned up those around 40-50 kms of Highway, we didn't realize, and when left turn for Bhandardhara did actually come, we did think twice of continuing on the highway, but then what would have happened to picture I had, and we took left turn. Few kms later only, I started to feel that well, today may all the dreams, all the pictures I had about this trip will come true. And as soon as I thought this, in few minutes, rains slowed down to drizzle, and we immediately stopped, because photographer in me was craving to get hold of his gadget...

The Most Amazing pic of all ...because It's for the love of Roads we ride..and that is in Focus

  

And from here it was dream perfect ride, Ghats leading into clouds, narrowest single lane roads, and all behind the one ahead of one :P ...It was awesomest ghat riding experience I had till date. And we are riding, we are riding, leaning into left than right, again left and again right, then a small twist of wrist on the straight, then brake and lean left...

and a straight comes, I twisted the throttle, but AntiqueBlue didn't respond, I did same again, no response, and engine shuts off, Vikas and Akshat zoom past me..I am honking non stop, they didn't stop, and my bike isn't starting. First thought, my battery must have gone dead, it was weak already, but on second thought how can that be, bike was running...I am sitting on bike like that for like 10 seconds and I suddenly realize there is something wet falling on my shoes, and I look down...and to my HAW!!!... petrol is flowing out of lock..I put it to off position immediately..and then I realize fuel pipe is missing (from one side, didn't check carb side). Immediately called Vikas, and after that, starting walking back following petrol trail...but no luck. 

Akshat and Vikas are back meanwhile, we both did a quick search...no luck, Akshat decided to go ahead 9Kms and we will search here. Just then I don't know what I thought, but I opened up my bike, seat and panels, and called my mechanic, where is carb end of fuel pipe, who told..and I was like Woah, pipe toh yahin hai, bas ek jagah se nikal gaya. Fitted it in and we again started toward Bhandaradhara...went to Mechanic and got fuel pipe tightened and headed toward Bhandardhara Backwaters...and boy, yes it was ghostly, yes it has that greenish tinge to it, yet seemed so pure and yes it was in midst of hills with raining, perfect Mystic Scenery. But sadly no Photos because of rains... So we keep going ahead, again awesome roads, gentle curves, but alas, here comes off roading junction, and how did Pulsar faired, well it was capable... :) 

And we reached Randha falls and yes rains have stopped.. 

Well the above Note shows the slowness of our travel. In around 4 and half hour just 82 kms, But are we having fun, yes we were..lots of that.. and while returning, I was fortunate enough to click the Bhandardhara back water, though not exactly way I wanted, but for time rain slowed only this much was possible.. 

 From this point it was a very straightforward ride, which was 30 Kms from Randha fall and 20 kms from here, so we rode in the direction only to know that one point we are again back to randha falls from some other road, but that section of road was so alcoholic that none of us even complaint about that once. So till now this was turning out to be quiet adventurous ride...when I decided it isn't enough and some X-Car driver decided to oblige my wish.. and Kissed Road with Bike making love with road.. ;)

 Another run-time Note, only damage was that gear shift Paddle was bent, we with some jugaad auzar straightened it as much we can, I carried forward. Rest of ride was same, all three of us together..
And yes awesome scenery didn't leave us yet ..

Let the Last two pictures do the talking now...

And at the End of Ride we had done 

1. Dark time ride, 

2. Straight Bursts 

3. Battling Cross winds 

4. City Traffic Rides

5. Every type of Ghat riding

6. Off roading

7. Rain riding

8. Loads of Choclates

9. A small Bike problem 

10. A small crash

11. Seen rainbow

12. Completed everything on schedule

And Ghar aake awesome food ... 

A weekend well spent :)