At the first day of work after the trip, a friend asks me, “Hey Bro, How was the trip? What all did you see” To which I replied, “Every meter of the 11000 I rode.”
The love the road gives has a different tinge to it every moment, but the heart remains the same. The gush of wind on the face is a constant companion throughout. At times it will come telling you with dust and soot that how polluted the world has made it and sometimes it comes to romance you with the cool breeze with perfumes from the woods around and then leaves you with a red nose after the love making.
The 1100km in 60 hours with more than 26 hours on the road didn’t exhaust us. It gave us a high that no intoxicant ever could. A high from the throttle, from the rumble of Shera, from the curvy never ending roads and most of all the romance of the eye and the surroundings.
This trip was earlier planned for 4 days, but due to lack of holidays we decided to work on Friday in morning shift( 6 am to 2pm) and leave at 4, Indian Standard Time was followed strictly and we departed correctly at 5 pm. We took the little longer route from Morbi to Anjar to Bhuj. We reached Bhuj at 2 am and put up at Hotel Swagat.
The next morning saw us depart for Kala Dunger and the White desert. A 90 km ride to Kala Dunger from Bhuj is amazing with desert vegetation on both sides and Banjaras’ movable huts lining the road. Kala Dunger is the highest point in Kutch rising to 500 meters above sea level. It has a Jain temple atop it. But the most fascinating thing of it is the view. In the backdrop of rocky hills is the White Desert and the the Rann of Kutch lake, across which is the border we share with our sweet little neighbours.
After the steep roads of Kala Dunger it was time for the salty roads of the White desert. Retracing 40km back the same road to a BSF Check post that issues permits to enter the white Rann and then 30km further to the Gujarat Tourism’s tent city created for Rann utsav.
The city created is well, plastic beauty. In the amazing natural beauty of the land which consists of World’s largest Salt Desert, one doesn’t create tents with AC, a swimming pool outside and waiters to serve them continental food. It is time that Indian Tourism learnt what treasures they possess and Sell the very same virgin as they are.
After a nice chat with the BSF personals asking us about our road trip and how RE Bullet is THE bike( YAY) we decided to enter the salt lands from a 5 km off road detour because on the main road, they ask you to park your vehicles in the parking( again, FUCK MAINSTREAM).
Suddenly, all we could see around us was a HUGE white expanse of land. The view is unimaginable because you would have seen nothing you would have seen. To come close, imagine rock hard snow next to the ocean with the sun bright as ever making the snow shine as diamonds. Baffled? Imagine our state then!
Trapped prisoners been granted freedom was how we throttled our bikes round and round until we experienced another surprise, the marsh is pretty bad and me and Prinja had our Royal Enfields stuck in the snowy disguise of the marsh. Used the little left energy in us and lifted them out. The next instant we were on our backs feeling the hard salt on our necks and the vast expanse of Blue over us.
For 5 hours we lived the magic. Of the sun going down from one horizon turning the salts golden sparkling diamonds and the Moon rising from the other turning the golden into silver shimmers. I am very sure no metaphors of mine can do justice to what splendor my eyes are reminding me of. The full moon added to the grandeur. Seeing the moon shine over the diamonds made me forget the universe where we cry in everyday. In the universe, where we forget how at every arm’s length we find the most beautiful sights ever created.
After the introspecting and wondering, and swimming in an ocean of awe, we headed back towards Bhuj. In the way we encountered another set of Bike wanderers. Amazingly, they were travelling from Pune to witness the full moon over white salts of Kutch. After our ‘Ride Safe’ salutations we finished one of the best days of our lives.
Next morning was the last morning of our trip. We headed South towards the coastal town of Mandavi. There, we expected to be disappointed, and the mortals were kind enough to make our wish true. Camels (and their dungs), Gola sellers, beggars, Maawa packets, amazing invention of plastic lining the Ocean. Within 5 minutes we were off (we didn’t want our surreal trip to become real again).
But Mandavi made up for all reputation with its second offering, the Vijay Vilas Palace. Made by the Kutch Maharaja a hundred years ago, it is very well maintained for many Bollywood movies are shot here (read Hum Dil De Chukenge Sanam). Amazingly regal and royal, one would love to live in such a luxury. Due to the little constraint in time, we didn’t go see the Beach resort and headed back on out 400 km ride towards reality.
After taking a lot of detours towards shorter( so we thought) routes, eating at a Punjabi Dhaba near GandhiDham( amazing Punjabi food after so long) and drinking a LOT(12-14 cups) of tea( it was COLD) we returned from the home we called road to the so called home.
Those 60 hours gave us new meanings and perspectives to everything. Roads aren’t just paved rocks, they are a universe of their own, bikes aren’t just modes of transport, they are lovers that would never leave you, and riding is not just a way to reach a destination, it is a lifestyle that we plan to live in.