My theory about challenges is plain & simple, accept them head-on, hold them by the scruff of their necks and then pin them down…this is what I did each time a now challenge came up while planning for the ride or in the ride…
I don’t clearly remember when did the idea of planning a ride to The Jalori Pass came to my mind but nonetheless the research started in full flow, our Bulls on Parade (BOP) Comrade, Rishi Gupta helped us immensely by providing us critical inputs about the terrain, road quality and the place, me & Dips then started the strenuous exercise of booking the PWD Guest House at Khanag which is some 7 kms. from the Pass but got to know that it can only accommodate 4 people, and with 10 confirmations we were in a big fix, we floated an idea of staying in tents which would be taken on Hire, it was gobbled up immediately and then the Logistics of getting the Sleeping Bags & Tents started, here our new Comrade Aasish Francis helped us by talking to the vendor and making things much easier for us…so we were all set, a day before the ride we got 3 new confirmations, the final count of 13 then, a pretty big group to ride along with which meant more Bakchodi & more fun, one critical factor which we didn’t plan for was this would also mean more Mishaps !!! yes this is a ride which would be best remembered for the no. of stops we were forced to make due to Bike issues of a wide variety…Punctures, Head-Light bust, Tail-Light bust, Bike stalling for no reason and what not…
Then the D-Day arrived…19 June 2009…I had some seminar to attend at Hotel Claridges and while going towards the venue I had a major accident with minimum damage to me or my Bike, God once again saved me…some aunty stopped in the middle of the road near Dhaula Kuan as she realized that she was going the wrong way and I banged her car from the back at 70 kmph, fell down on the road with a Blueline Bus screeching just 20 feet away from me, I was shit scared, gathered my senses and then blasted the hell out of the aunty who had these golden words to say “BACH TO GAYE NAA”…the bus driver also joined the melee and gave her a mouthful of his own, this bogged her down and then she got down to apologies and Old age shit…amidst all this mayhem I was getting late, picked my bike and off I went, my Petrol Dank got damaged, the leg guard got hit badly and the Foot Guard twisted, also had bruises on my knees & elbows, but luckily the clothes were safe…I thought the day hasn’t started on a good note and hoped & prayed for a much better ride…and the Seminar was no fun either…a real waste of time and money save for the sumptuous lunch I had…
Left the Seminar with Vihans joining me to start together from the Hotel…and then the next mishap…while I was tying my luggage, one of the bungee cords snapped and the hook struck my right side Lenses of my specs…and it got smashed with 5-6 minute glass shrapnels entering my eye…I washed my eye off and got back to work but then my eye started to bleed…Vihans had to painstakingly remove the glass from my eyes…soon all of them were out and we were away…another close shave…I must say God always blesses me and saves me from major troubles…also I have to thank Vihans for helping me out…Love you Paaji…
We finally reached the BOP Customary starting point…the Landfill Site on NH-1…all of us reached on time(for a change) and we were up and running away from the hustle bustle of our office life and towards the place we all belong to…THE OPEN ROADS !!!
The Jalori Juggernauts were:
1. Vihans on his FZ-16
2. Nilu on his P-200
3. Gyan on his Karizma
4. Dhruv on his P-220
5. Rohit Sir on his 4S Electra
6. Aasish Francis on his 1983 Standard
7. Fagu on his 500 Machismo
8. Dips on his 4S Electra
9. Zaheer on his borrowed Electra 4S
10. Ashok on his Electra 4S
11. Pravin on his Marco Polo
12. Rishi on his Standard
13. Me on The Mighty One
19th June 2009 – Friday – Gurgaon – Delhi - Panipat
The ride till Panipat was smooth & hassle-free…we made the first pit-stop…another customary one…at a Theka…Dips found the Official Beer of Haryana with which he is in love with…Black Partridge…it’s the most potent beer I ever had…we reached Gyan’s place and started the BRB(Beer, Rum n Bakchodi) session in no time…Vihans then brought out the Star of the Night…his Hukka accessories…was set up and we were spewing away the fragrant smoke…was great fun…the regular unending supply of Chicken was coming our way like there was no tomorrow…we gobbled it up like hungry souls coupled with Bakchodi and Beer…we called it a night at 11 PM as we had to start at 4 AM for Jalori…short & sweet…that’s how one can describe that night…
20th June – Saturday - Panipat – Ambala – Zirakpur – Kandaghat – Chail – Narkanda – Hatu
It rarely happens and it happened that morning….4 AM we were all ready to start the ride except Vihans Paji who was high after the night’s extravaganza…we love him so much that he wasn’t reprimanded for the 30 mins. delay…soon we were zipping away on the rarely empty NH-1…battling insects like true warriors…my visor was splashed with Blood & Dead-Bodies…a gory sight indeed…but they all were martyrs…BOP salutes all of them for their brave act of valor…we stopped for Breakfast at a Dhaba just after Ambala…and then I enjoyed my first Open-Dumping Session of the ride…the weather was inviting and the pressure was too much to control after a session of Sutta & Tea !!! After a Bakchodi session we left the Dhaba with our tummies satisfied and rode towards Kandaghat…
Some 2 hours into the riding we made our first Beer Pit Stop of the day after getting to know that Zaheer Bhai’s bike had a puncture…no better way to while away time than enjoy some chilled beer on the highway!!! We waited till everybody joined and then started again…
We reached Kandaghat where I waited with Dips at the crossing and guided all the riders towards the Chail road…BOP has great memories of this particular road which we crossed in pitch darkness in our July 2008 Chailastic Riders Ride (http://cheguevaraontheroad.blogspot.com/2008/07/chailastic-riders.html) This nostalgia was one of the important reasons we took this route towards Kufri and not the Shimla one…the mountain roads & views are amazing…though this is a more tiring route but nobody minded considering the weather was very hot and tough roads really calmed our nerves…
After that we encountered a first of sorts…riding through thick smoke and Mountain Fires…it was a scary sight indeed with Dry Pine Fruits falling on the road burning and it was painfully hot riding through Fire…but BOP being the bravest faced the challenges and rode towards Chail…where we had lunch at the same restaurant which was frequented by us in the previous Chail Ride…
All of us were dead tired after riding through the energy sapping heat and mountain roads…specially the riders for whom it was the first or the second ride…I called up Rishi Gupta, our most experienced BOP Riding Comrade who had been to Jalori twice and checked where we could put up our Tents as reaching Jalori was not possible before 8-9 PM…He advised us to reach Narkanda and then find a suitable camping site…after talking to him all of us got ready for the final road attack!!!
Then Rishi Maurya’s Chutiaap took over…we were asked to stop for a routine documents check by the Police and Rishi was right behind me and he hit me from behind…banged straight into my left Foot and smashed my Rear-View Mirror, my beloved ride buddy which stood with me through Ladakh & Kanyakumari but one asshole named Rishi abrubtly ended our relationship…I abused him like crazy and moved on and stopped for a Tea Pit Stop which was dedicated to the die-hard BOP Tea connoisseur Rohit Paaji…and he had a ball enjoying 2 hot cups of Tea…
Just after leaving this Pit-Stop we had the next breakdown…Zaheer’s bike’s accelerator cable snapped and we replaced it in no time but some 20-30 mins. were wasted again… Nilu Bhai utilized this time with a short nap…
Finally we reached Narkanda at 5 PM and then me & Aasish took the lead to find a camping sight…found the perfect one in no time…responsibilities were divided amongst the riders and the tents were put up…by 6:45 all four tents were set and a fire-site had also been put up by Zaheer Bhai who collected Firewood as well!!! It was the perfect setting for the night ahead…we had full stock of Beer & Rum to go along it…the food-riders came back with Snacks for the night and another great news that the dinner would be Tent-Delivered…now that’s a first…we sitting on the top of a hill with Beer, Sutta and Snakes (Snacks!!!) and then fresh & hot food was served to us!!! Can it get better than this? I have my serious doubts…
This night was a truly memorable one…the weather was extremely chilly…Beer & Rum helped us overcome the Chill…Hukka was duly set up as well…Loud songs were floating in the air…I also played our Official Club Song “Bulls on Parade” by RATM and soon heads were rolling…endless Bakchodi…the food was gobbled up in no time…but the night didn’t get over without our share of Desserts…yes even desserts were tent-delivered…hot Gulab-Jamuns & Khoya-Barfi!!! Perfect icing on the cake…at 12 all of us got into our tents after the BBB Session, all exhausted after a tough & fun-filled day…one of those nights which would be always be remembered in the annals of BOP…
21st June 2009 – Sunday – Narkanda – Kingal – Ani – Khanag – Jalori Pass
By 8 in the morning, all of us were all set to leave, we had filled all the garbage in plastic bags, packed the tents & once again dumped in the open…we stopped for breakfast at a small joint where the owner couple acted as the perfect hosts and kept dishing out Paranthas & Sabzi as if there was no tomorrow for us hungry riders!!! After the hearty breakfast the Dhaba owner lost count of the Paranthas as I am sure he wouldn’t have served this huge lot in one go ever!!!we took the safe route and gave him the bill for 2 Paranthas per head…after that the mountain curves beckoned us and we were up & running towards Jalori. Enroute we reached a Delhi Family who wanted their kids to be clicked with us and he wanted his kids to join our club one day in the future…our chests swelled with Pride!!!
I sent him the pic later and he shared the same sentiment…after this ego-boost there was nothing which could stop us but for the unplanned breakdowns, the first of them being another puncture in Zaheer’s Bike, this time in the Front Tyre…one noble soul helped us with a foot-pump and we could get the tube replaced in no time…I also made the customary BOP Video enroute to Jalori which I am sure would be viewed with Pride & Awe in time to come over & over again…
At 12 Noon Jalori was finally conquered by BOP…pics were taken with BOP Tees and pride-filled hugs followed between me & Dips…another destination conquered with a promise that many more were to come…
But there was one sad moment amidst the revelry, due to paucity of time we could not proceed for our planned Trek to Serolskar Lake & Raghugarh Fort which was highly recommended by Rishi Bhai, as a consolation some of us went for a minor trek uphill, midway me & Vihans decided not to move further & went downhill and dumped once again, this time with Pine trees overlooking us…another of those fun moments I always love enjoying…we came back to the Jalori Market and had our Lunch, delicious Rajma & Kadhi Chawal…post which we had Black Coffee at a Restaurant, some of the adventurous souls amongst us had some Herbal Tea which didn’t smell quite ok to me!!!
Close to 4 PM we left the Jalori Pass and our destination was some 30 kms away where I had selected a Camp Site right next to the Sutlej River…another perfect site with access to Water and loads of Flat Land to pitch our Tents…by 4:30 we reached the site and before pitching the tents some of us decided to take a dip in the chilled river water, Rohit Paaji came down to the shore with a Cinthol Soap Bar for that 100% freshness guarantee…had a great time dipping ourselves in the spine-chilling water but one thing is for sure, all of us got really fresh and ready for another fun-filled Night ahead…I left with 3 others to the nearby Village for the Dinner & Snacks and came back with loads of surprises…this night we had plates, Katoris, Bowls and the big one….the Dessert for the Night…not the regular dessert one would expect of….fresh, ripe & sweet Mangoes!!! It brought out oohs & aahs from the group…we wound the packet in a net and kept it in the chilled water to let the mangoes chill and be ready for a devouring session later!!!
Another of the famed by now BRB Session started and amidst the revelry Rohit Paaji broke the news that 19th July was his birthday which he hadn't told anybody...we all took a toast in his name and sung the famous Happy waala Biddday song "Baar baar yeh din aye" in his honour"...me & Vihans even did a small jig together!!! This session went on till we got hungry again…see when hunger strikes BOP then everything else takes backseat and we devour the available food…this time was no different…but better sense prevailed for a change…me & Vihans served dinner like the perfect hosts to the entire group so that we could eat much properly…the big one was kept out till the very end…when the mangoes came out of The Sutlej they were chilled and ready to be served…me & Aasish took the honors and served them this time…the mangoes were gobbled up in no time and each of us satisfied to the brim…amidst all this one rider by the name of FAGU was not in his senses and was roaming around like a zombie and Francis also took his ride by fooling him, not a tough task but still this time it was hilarious…btw the Mr. Phalgun Reddy has been renamed as FAGU for all future purposes all thanks to Rohit Paaji…just an FYI to people for the future!!!
We slept early this night as the next day was supposed to be really tough…some 600 kms of riding through the day…Francis, Kora & the poor soul Fagu slept out in the open to enjoy the fresh air even further!!!
22nd June 2009 – Monday – Luhri – Narkanda- Kufri – Dharampur – Ambala – Murthal – Delhi – Gurgaon
All of us got out of our tents gingerly by 5 AM and were rearing to go…had a longish Bike-Photography Session…and then another of those famous by now breakdown…Rishi’s bike had a punctured rear-tyre…so off he went to the Luhri Market to get it repaired…we were also soon there and decided to utilize the time by having our breakfast…
By 9:30 AM we had started the ride and our first stop was decided as the Famous Giani da Dhaba at Dharampur just after Shimla…a real long stretch but there was no way out as the distance to be covered was real long…but the dreaded breakdowns & one asshole spoilt our plan…Pravin’s Bike had a major breakdown & Fagu the debut rider decided to venture into Shimla dreaming about colonial style bungalows and what not…and all this without his Mobile Phone with him!!! Now that’s intelligence & some smart thinking for you…me, Nilu, Zaheer, Rishi & Ashok waited some 30 kms before Dharampur for Vihans to join us but Fagu was nowhere in sight…after a long wait of 2 hours he finally called me up from a STD Booth…and we told him the way…reached Giani da Dhaba at 2 PM where Francis & Gyan were already waiting for us…
Again there was an endless wait for the entire group to get together again which lingered on till 5 PM when Pravin & Rohit Paaji finally were in sight…me, Francis, Rishi, Zaheer & Ashok decided to leave towards Delhi, I made that decision because its extremely hard for me to ride in the dark especially on the Mountain Roads…the rest of the gang had a Beer session to rejuvenate themselves…
But our plans were not to get materialized that easily, just before Ambala me & Aasish stopped for a Petrol re-fill and then his bike just didn’t start, we tried everything possible but it didn’t budge, we called up Zaheer who was some 30 kms ahead of us and asked him us out from this cauldron…sadly he got lost and went back towards Delhi…amidst this pall of gloom I got some Chilled Beer to get over the miseries and then the rest of the gang arrived…there were some fervent high-fives which were exchanged as well as some beer swigs!!! Then Dips tried his luck…and Bingo it worked!!! It surely was an Eureka Moment…his first kick did some unexplained magic and the bike started…we shouted like crazy and started the ride again…the Traffic was getting worse and the oncoming headlights were troubling me really hard…we decided to ride towards Delhi in a Formation…we stopped for a Tea-Break…again for Rohit Paaji…who never asks us to stop but just the sheer respect he deserves makes us to stop for one…had our share of Tea and then again Francis’ bike stalled…one good Samaritan helped us and got a Bullet Specialist for us and the bike started in no-time…
The IOC Township was our next stop where Gyan was to leave us but we had to stop before that, this time with a completely brand of breakdown, FAGU’s bike’s headlight stopped working and the bugger was not carrying a spare bulb…all this after me reminding the group 3-4 times before the ride about the spares to be carried…but our comrade Francis saved him from this big mess by acting as his Lighthouse…well not quite one…just that he was behind him and not towering above him!!!
We reached Murthal at 1 AM…the only rider whose wherebouts were not known till now was Rishi who had not even called us…I called him to check and he told me that he had already reached his home…I blasted him endlessly and telling him that he doesn’t deserve to be a Group Rider…I mean there were 12 other comrades and all he was worried about was his personal comfort…seriously I was pissed and if he was infront of me then all hell would have broken loose…
Rohit Paaji then joined us with another tragic news…he had a minor accident and his right forearm was bleeding…it was one mishap which had not happened till now but this was not to be missed…just to complete some harmony of mishaps!!! luckily no major injuries to him or his bike…with this minor comfort we had our Dinner at a choc-a-block filled Dhaba…at 1:30 AM in the night it felt like 7 PM…the hustle-bustle would have confused everybody !!! Vihans & Fagu even enjoyed some good-old Head Massage!!! Much-needed for sure…
We enjoyed the last Bakchodi session of the ride with me taking a longish ride of Fagu…got into his skin with some Gay jokes!!! At 2 in the night…some 500 kms & endless breakdowns behind us, this session was a life-saver!!! We laughed our heart out and forgot all our miseries…
We started the last stretch of our ride towards Delhi/Gurgaon, Rohit Paaji bid us goodbye first as he had to go to his friend’s home…then we literally ruled the roads…when we reached Pitam Pura in Delhi, we all revved our bikes near a Delhi Metro Flyover…the noise was maddening and so much fun!!!
After that we played a musical symphony of our horns…some amazing music we created with the Bullet Thump playing in the background…I am sure all RE Riders can imagine the fun we all had while playing out the symphony…
I finally reached home at 4 AM…all battered & exhausted but not at all out…as had to join back my office the next day at 10 AM!!! Had a quick bath and then dozed off…
With this another ride ended…my 13th Ride…some 26000 kms of endless riding since March 2008…still am excited and ready for more…this ride had its fair share of lows with the breakdowns but would be always remembered for the 2 nights of Camping and conquering of another pass…
Many more milestones yet to conquer…miles to go before I sleep…
Che would be back on the road again…
Till we meet again ride safe and have safe sex…
Hasta la Victoria Siempre…
Pics of the Ride:
Nilu: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/nilu.hazarika
Dhruv: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/manurules07/JaloriPass#
Che: http://picasaweb.google.com/jha.nishant/TheJaloriJuggernautsRide?feat=directlink
