$$ Celebrations $$

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 :) 

Ride to X Places - The Story - Sula

Almost all rides are for various objectives. But applying Rider's Algorithm of Fun, these list of objectives can be shortened to a very few basic necessities.

1. Good Scenic Roads. 

2. Cloudy-Sunny weather

3. Many Photographs

4. Good Company

We all were fortunate to have tasted all the above four till now. But still we found something missing...

Ahh!!! "Taste" se yaad aya.. 

5. Variety of Food

I would not be wrong to say that every rider enjoys having different regional food of the place. It's like "oh, we are in Gujarat, let's have gujarati food". Well that's the exact statement made by Akshat after being dejected by renowned Saputara Lake. 

That is an example of Photographer in me taking over Rider...Clicking with Helmet on :D

Saputara Lake

And we started searching for a place to have good Gujarati food. And we reached a cross road. Left road going uphill and even right road going uphill while straight ahead went to Surat. So that meant all the eating joints were on the road we just came from...and none looked good enough to eat. :(

So we did inki ponki and decided to go to LAKEVIEW RESORT...ohh no it didn't have any view..and as was decided we ordered Gujarati thali. And which was very unlike gujarati thali. The thali had, dal, Alu sabzi and tamatar usal alongwith 6 rotis, butter milk. The only consumable thing of these was Butter milk. :(
Dal was so sweet that it felt we were served hot custard :D .

And we didn't waste a lot of time there.. 

After taking a good 45 minutes halt, we saddled up again. And decided to search around those hills. So from the cross roads we went to left up hill road which after few meters had a Y junction with another going down hill and another going uphill. We presumed downhill was going to lake, and with no one having any interest in going to lake, decided to go upwards. But alas, just after a turn there was a big gate and inquiry got to know, the road is blocked due to bad condition. Dejected we again went to cross roads and this time went straight ahead (right uphill road from previous perspective), again uphill...we shifted down to second gear, bike is going uphill..more uphill, suddenly there is no tar road, and only stone, that too big one and when I look up from road, there is uphill u-turn and shift to first gear, And I stopped there, saw the road condition, and thought it wasn't worth risk going more up, as roads were terribly terrible. and with saddened face we came back to cross roads. Akshat was by now totally disappointed, Vikas too low but was optimist and I was looking to somehow push the gang. Straight went to police wala, who told us to take Y junction downhill road. Well that was the turning point, and after some 1.5 Km of off roading on flat hill tops, we reached a spot from where it was breath taking view, winds so strong that everyone was afraid to go near edge and well Akshat's gloves also survived flying off..

We left from Saputara at around 3:20 pm. Our return trip was a speedy one. A nice change was strong spell of rain shower, which soothed down the slightly increasing temperature. While return, thanks to my amazing pillion's understanding,we were crouching whole time taking corner with elegance and trying keep up with Limited. We did good on that front, sometimes it's a nice to push your limits I guess. 

So since starting from 4:30 am in Morning, we decided it's time to give our steeds and ourselves a bit of rest. After dropping Tanvi  at her place, we got back to Google baba. And did come to our rescue, with few knocking of hotel doors, found a place to rest at panchvati yatri. 

once we lied on the bed, all the enthu went to sleeping. To our rescue came Vikas. And started pushing us "chalo yaar, Sula chalte hain, maine friends se suna hai bahut achi jagah hai, itni door aye hain chalo chalo chalo". But Akshat had some relatives to meet to, and it was decided I and Vikas led by Tanvi will head (she turned out to be good city guide) to Sula Vineyard and will meet back for dinner. Therefore Sula it was .... 

The place is must go for all who go to visit Nashik. It has very good location, and well cheap pleasantries are always welcome, Right ???. A nice setup of restro, with good music being played and very good crowd :)

Sitting there where 2 hours went, we never realized and it was Akshat's message that made us realise we have to go back for dinner. We left from Sula, with some pleasantries and headed back to hotel.

and... 

Well we had dinner and decided to start next day at 5 am SHARP...and it turned out very sharp... 

That pretty much sums up our first day of ride. In which we covered - 

4:30 am - Start 

9:15 am - Nashik 

1:13 pm - Saputara

4:41 pm- Nashik 

7:30 pm - Sula 

11:45 pm - Good Night :) 

End of Day 1 - But next day was more awesome !!!