The monsoon ride - day1

having reached Pune before the daybreak, we decided to start off early. We didnt let the lack of sleep last night dampen our spirits. Before we could realize, we were on our saddles, riding away from the city. The day was beautiful with no heat, overcast skies and promises of rain. And it did start raining pretty early in our ride. Luckily I was carrying a waterproof cover for my bag. The shops and houses on either side of the road slowing started giving way to green grass and the red soil. The moron concrete structures were replaced by beautiful green vegetation. Till the eyes could see, everything was lush and freshly bathed in the monsoon. On one of the slopes, I set a new speed record for myself. Speeding down at 60kmph, I better my previous 53kmph record. But that was not the high-point of the ride. When you set out to explore on a bike, these statistics are secondary. I started riding with my mouth wide open, tasting some of the rain as my bike rolled down the wet road. It tasted like some spirit from heaven. A few drops rolled down my back, sending a sweet chill up my spine.

Soon we reached a point of the road where we were supposed to take a turn towards an off-road track. But to our surprise, it was hardly a track. It was a straight upright muddy hill. Some of the labours present there [wondering what the hell were 5 morons doing on bikes in the rain in this goddamn location] advised us to drag the bike up the hill and then down to reach the next village. Riding through mud, rain, gravel and sand, we crossed one village after the other, trying to cover as much distance as we can on the first day itself. As the night fell on the hills and rains hardened, we decided to call it a day at the first opportunity. Looking for a temple or a school to refuge in, I heard the sound of a motor. It was a generator running in a isolated 2-storey house. On going closer, I saw light coming out of one of the windows. Now there were these two houses in the middle of nowhere on the hills. The nearest construction/building would have been kilometers away. But there was no room for fright tonight. I, along with another guy decided to check the place out. Three ladies came out and were surprised to see complete strangers dressed in tight shorts and helmets, completely drenched from head to toe. We told our story in short and asked if we can get refuge for the night. They told us that the building is actually a guest house of the contractor working at a dam site a few kilometers away. Authorities' permission would be required to let anyone in. About 20 young men working at the dam site live in that house. As we waited for them to come, the ladies were kind enough to treat us with hot black tea and spare us a room to get changed into something dry. And then came the driver Maane who understanding our situation, tried talking to his bosses into letting us stay. It didn't work out. Maane said he would take us to the office where we would have to talk to the person in-charge and get permission for ourselves. The ladies sensing that we might be in the middle of nowhere at night, rolled some pieces of roti (Indian bread) in a newspaper for us to feed on, just in case we don't find anything. I was so touched by their kindness. I offered to pay them some money, not as a price for the food and tea but as token of utmost gratitude towards their warmth. But they visibly got offended and said "you all are like my younger brothers. Please don't give us any money for this." I was at humbled by their humility. I was at loss of words, couldn't say anything other than thanking them again and again. Meanwhile all the talks and persuasions at the office didn't work out. The officer advised us to check into a nearby multi-starred resort, whose rent was way beyond our acceptance. About 9:30 in the night, we were walking down the road, munching on the packed rotis, wondering where to spend the cold and wet night when Maane appeared with a vehicle full of people. These were the folks who live in that guest house. Maane had already briefed some other boss of his and these folks about us and they were more than willing to take us in. More so, they offered us whatever extra food they had for dinner and spared us a complete room so that we don't have any trouble. We got talking to some of these folks before retiring to bed. These people are living here, miles away from their home and family, just to earn some money, to get a better life and provisions for their parents, wives and kids. 5 new young faces was a welcome change for them. They seemed visibly delighted to have some new people with whom they can talk about something different than what they talk among themselves. But setting that aside, they really didn't have to oblige a bunch of strangers in the middle of the night. Probably they don't realize how much this small gesture of them means to us.

continued here...