The Binsar Bazookas

This was my first Bike Ride which started on a sad note for me…the number of 8 confirmed riders dwindled to just 4 a night before we had to leave and tragically my best biker buddy Dips dropped out due to some urgent work at his office…the ride could not have started on a more sad note for us but we gathered our spirits and decided to give it our best shot and leave the miseries behind…

Binsar was one destination which I wanted to conquer for quite some time having read a lot about it in so many Biking Forums and after seeing the pics my excitement grew even further!!!

The Binsar Bazookas were:
1. Doegar on his Black TB
2. Tomar on his Maroon Electra
3. Gyan on his Red Karizma
4. Che on The Mighty One



The Bazookas never knew that the ride would be trouble-filled and full of breakdowns but as you know by now BOP is one helluva Biking Club…always ready to face whatever challenges which are thrown at us…so read on to find out what all we went through and the moments of victory !!!

Day 1 – 13th August 2009(Gurgaon – Hapur – Moradabad – Tanda – Bazpur – Nainital)



Started the Ride at sharp 5:25 AM from South Extn-1 Market with some seriously stifling humidity all around us…kept riding all the way till Hapur where we stopped at the Shiv Tourist Dhaba at 7 AM after riding for some 100 kms…had some hot stuffed Paranthas with Maazaa & Tea…after stuffing our tummies and getting ready for a long ride ahead we started again…some 50 kms into the ride my accelerator cable broke…I knew how to change the cable and was carrying all the spares…one mechanic was also close-by who offered his help but in reality was of no use so did the entire thing myself with Tomar helping me out…in half an hour we were all set to start…the weather was humid with cloudy sky all over the place…the lucky part was no sunshine hitting us…that was the saving grace…we never knew that we were not to see sunshine for the next 4 days!!! Yes the clouds were to stay with us for quite some time…

At 10:30 the first breakdown hit us…Tomar’s bike just simply refused to start after we had stopped to wear raincoats due to the light & steady drizzle…luckily some Bullet Mechanic was close by….quite strangely named INTEZAAR which translates to “Wait” in English…he pushed the bike towards his shop where he tried all his histrionics till 1:15 PM when the beast started again…we all heaved a sigh of relief but our plans had been badly screwed…



We were some 300 kms away from Binsar and by no means we could have reached as he was advised to ride at constant 40 kmph for the next 100 kms…we abided by the advice and kept motoring along…the bike was making some strange sounds and I am sure Tomar was not feeling good one bit as he rides really quickly…but nobody of us complained…we knew the ride was jinxed…4 dropouts, 2 breakdowns already & plans were going haywire just 7 hours into the ride…
After crossing Tanda we stopped for Lunch at 3 PM at a non-descipt Dhaba only serving Dal,Kadhi & Egg Bhurji…just about the food to satiate our hunger...nothing much in the food which was not enjoyed a single bit by either of us but still was gobbled up pretty quickly…not to miss Gyan proved his real worth by falling here...a still bike but he found out a way of getting imbalanced…in this easy process he broke his Front Brake Yoke…he never ceases to amuse us by his happy falling ways!!! I am sure he loves the smell of dust-laden roads that’s why he finds every opportunity to get up-close & personal with it!!! We also called up Zaheer Bhai for his advice…he advised us to put some engine oil in the petrol tank which we did and that really helped…another point in case to prove that Zaheer is indeed a RE Genius!!!



After starting again we soon hit the hills which forced us to stop at the same point where the BOP Corbett Riders had stopped in the January 09 ride…Doegar got to his camera clicking ways…Tomar brought out his Old Monk Rum Hip-Flask…I got into the Bakchodi mood…the sorrows of the breakdowns were over & we were back to our normal BOP traditions!!! We planned to reach Nainital by 6:30 PM and then reach Almora by 8 PM(some 55 kms from Nainital) and then stay overnight and then start for Binsar at sharp 6 AM the next day so that we could spend some time in the KMVN Guesthouse which we had already booked…but this was to happen in normal circumstances…the moment we reached Nainital I kept waiting for the rest of the Bazookas but they were nowhere to be seen…the Naini Lake was looking beautiful in the twilight…with fog flowing over it…it was the first time I was there and I was getting soaked in the picturesque scenes but the scene was shattered by Gyan’s call and the bad news that Tomar’s bike had stalled again and no way it was starting as the last few kms before Nainital were quite steep and his engine had heated up…we got to know that the only RE Mechanic of the town would be available the next day at 9 AM…with no options left we decided to book a room for the night and then get the Bike ready the next morning…surely a sad news but we were not shattered…Binsar was still some 90 kms away and the Bazookas’ plans had been badly hit…

We found a decent Hotel Room @ 1200 bucks with 2 Double Beds and overlooking the Lake from the Balcony…some solace!!! We all freshened up and left for some time pass on the Mall Road followed by dinner @ Sher-e-Punjab Restaurant…the dinner was damn neat which was followed by ice-creams!!! Just to note it being a Thursday and the day when Tomar Bhai is off Alcohol & Non-Veg!!! Basically off all-toxic stuff and coupled with the Breakdown mess he was surely getting disillusioned…but he had his plans ready…he was to gulp down the sorrows with Rum which he was carrying…the countdown started at 11 PM and then it was an endless wait for 60 minutes!!! He duly made the 2 pegs for himself & Gyan at 11:45 and then every minute was spent like the New-Year Countdown except the hysteria…he was quite calm & collected all this while!!! T 12:03 the look on his disheveled face transformed to a happy & relieved one…Cheers sound echoed in the Hill City and the first few gulps were made…must say a happy ending to a tough day…after 2 really heavy drinks we were all eyeing the beds just the way people look at their watches every Friday Evening at Office!!! Anticipation of relaxation was quite palpable to say the least…we slept with a prayer on the lips that the next day is better than this one and Tomar’s bike gets all right…with these prayers we went to a deep slumber…



Day 2 – 14th August 2009(Nainital - Ranikhet)

Started the day lazily and packing our stuff…had to check out at 10 AM and start the Bike Service at 9 AM…the mechanic was late…he came by 10:30 AM and we used this time to have our breakfast and enjoy some lakeside revelry…the mechanic finally came amd told us that it would take atleast 2-3 hours to get the bike ride-ready…so we decided to enjoy a Boat Ride for some masti…hired a paddle boat and started…the weather was serene…the clouds were just flowing infront of us…and it started to drizzle,…a scene straight out of a dream…but some 30 minutes into the 60 minutes boat ride it started to rain really heavily and we were also panting for breath after the paddling!!!



After this we went back to check the latest on the Bike status which luckily had started and had stopped making the strange noise as well…Jawed, the mechanic was damn sure that the bike won’t give any other trouble till Delhi…we had no other option but to trust him and he surely was a messiah for him…our ride was soon to get back on track…it was already 1:30 PM…

With this wish we started the ride towards Ranikhet…some 9 kms into it my bike stalled!!! I shouted loudly and abused left-right & centre not at anybody particular but our collective bad luck…The Mighty One was riding smoothly and without any reason it just stopped…after checking the fault we found out that the power was not coming…I called up Zaheer and asked for his help, he once again showed us the way…we found the fault…it was a wiring fault in the Battery Charger below the seat…we fixed it but still called up Jawed to check it completely…he came and found everything else perfect…so we started again at 3 PM for Ranikhet…



We stopped enroute at another viewpoint where I fulfilled a long time wish of mine…getting a pic clicked with me lying down on the road!!!



At 5 PM we reached Ranikhet and enjoyed a late lunch at Moon Restaurant…the Tandoori Chicken was superb and the superb weather around us made it even more superb…we had to stay ay KMVN’s Monal Guesthouse at Ranikhet which in the website pics looked quite gorgeous…



We reached the place by 7 PM and boy it was one amazing small little place…the caretaker was quite hospitable and welcomed us like a good & hospitable host…he took the order for Dinner and also prepared some amazing Pakodas for Snakes to be enjoyed with Rum and the Pepsi session!!! This session was to run really long…really long…ding-dong!!! The mosquitoes started to get attracted towards Tomar’s sexy & hairy legs so he sat in the weirdest poses you would ever see…





But his alcoholic body soon warded away the threat of the small parasites and he was back to his normal self…Doegar got to his Camera Work and we sat under the cloud-laden sky…at 1 it started to rain heavily so the BBB session had to move inside the room…it went on till 3 AM and then finally we called it a day…the sleep demons were hitting us like Sachin used to hit Warne for sixes over his head!!! There was no option of ducking under it but to see them coming our way and entering us!!!

Day 3 – 15th August 2009(Ranikhet – Binsar - Chilliyanaula)

This was going to be the big day of the Ride for the 4 of us…finally we planned to conquer Binsar and truly adorn the name of “BINSAR BAZOOKAS”!!!...we woke up lazily by 11 and got ready by 12 after enjoying a nice breakfast of Aloo Paranthas…it was raining since the night and the weather was perfect to ride through the foggy hills…we started by 12:30 and stopped enroute for a Sutta break…

I dumped for the first time in the hills and I knew this was the sign of good luck the Bazookas were anxiously hoping for…Gyan & Tomar had asked this question so many times till now “tu dump nahin maarega?”…that’s the main reason why we faced so many breakdowns…and deep inside my heart that our luck would change from now on and we would simply sail through from here!!!

It was raining steadily and the roads were completely deserted due to it being India’s 63rd Independence Day…finally reached the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary Gate at 3 PM where so many people got awestruck to see bikes coming from Delhi…we shrugged it off as we are used to those kind of looks by now!!! Everybody thinks we are the sort of rowdy guys high on Weed & Beer and just riding to create an impact…but the truth is miles away from this…we enjoy riding…period…



At 3:30 PM we saw one of the most amazing scenes of our life…cloud laden mountains and the clouds were well below us…it was a scene which I had not even dreamt of…stopped to click pics and pose with the BOP Tee…finally Bulls on Parade had conquered Binsar after going through so many hardships in the ride but in the end & as always we were the clear winners with God’s Grace…after the breathtaking stop we reached the KMVN Guest House where we had intended to stay on the 13th August Night but for the breakdowns…clicked some pics in front of the main gate for memories sake…we could not visit the famous Zero Point due to paucity of time but I promised myself that I would be back soon with more BOPians one day and conquer the Zero Point for sure…



By 5 PM we were hungry like famished Somalians and had to take a Lunch Stop which we duly did at a cool little place…the balcony view was superb and the food was also damn neat…but for the slow service it was a great experience…soon our eyes were transfixed on a solitary blood-sucking leach slowly moving away from our table…we prayed for the poor soul whose blood it must have sucked…I smashed under my heavy Shoes and fresh blood came oozing out of it…we checked amongst ourselves but nobody had no pain whatsoever…so we heaved a sigh of relief…but but but…things had to change(more details later!!!)…



Enroute to Ranikhet I stopped again for a much-deserved Dump after the sumptuous meal!!! The bad demons were finally off our back…we also acted as good Samaritans and offered lift to 2 Jak Rif Regiment Soldiers who asked for a lift…2 brave soldiers they were…they were here to start the mountaineering expedition to the Nandadevi Peak…we wished them good luck and they thanked us as we had saved them from a 30 kms walk through the jungles where leopards are a common sight!!!

Finally we bid goodbye to Binsar and reached our Monal Guest House at 8 PM where we had left our luggage…the final stop of the ride was the KMVN Guest House in Chilliyanaula…finding it was one tough task in the dark and somehow we reached…the place was full of cars from Delhi…not the place for Bikers…it was a family hotel and we also were treated like outcastes by the hotel staff…limited food options and bad service…the final BBB Session started by 10 and ended by 12…the next morning we had to start at 5 AM sharp to avoid the mad rush of Delhi Holiday-goers who would be returning after the long weekend…

Amidst the ride-ending revelry Tomar Bhai removed his shoes and to our utmost shock found out a mark on his right foot where there were dry blood stains…he rubbed it and blood came oozing out…now we knew whose blood was sucked by the leech which was ambushed by me in the afternoon…I am sure the leech left early as Tomar’s blood would have tasted of alcohol and it must have been sued to simple Uttarakhandi Blood!!! We all made a good laugh out of it but surely he had a close shave…

Finally the ride was almost but over…3 tough days and 4 tough riders…braving the rains…facing the breakdowns like true bikers…down but not at all out…at no time our spirits were down…we were always ready for more!!! The atmosphere was sad and we were ready for the last leg of the ride…which was going to be tough as we knew we would have to ride in the rains…

Day 4 – 16th August 2009(Chilliyanaula – Nainital – Bazpur – Ghaziabad – Delhi - Gurgaon)

As per the plan we were ready to rock & roll at sharp 5 AM…in thick darkness and heavy rain…the 56 kms ride to Nainital was the toughest of the trip as it was extremely foggy with limited visibility and land slides through the way…at time small stones on the roads and at time huge boulders welcoming us!!! And the rains made it tougher but by now we had got used to it and went non-stop till Nainital where we had to stop due to the heavy rains and specially the wet clothes of Gyan Bhai who was unceremoniously not carrying any form of rain gear except for his wind-cheater jacket!!! He wanted to change as he was feeling uncomfortable…I used this opportunity to go for a dump…this time in a Public Toilet for a change!!! Also enjoyed Bread-Omelette with piping-hot tea…the perfect companion for a rainy morning…we started the ride in rain as we had no other option…we knew the traffic would get worse soon when the people would start for Delhi…

At 8:30 AM we again stopped to capture another beautiful scene…clouds were flowing below us and I made a video…I knew this would be last good view of the mountains we would get in the ride as the plains were going to hit us soon…we kept riding non-stop but for the sutta breaks…and stopped for lunch at 3 PM near Moradabad at a restaurant which was recommended by Tomar…and he was duly thanked…the food & the service rocked…I finally ate Noodles which I badly wanted but never got a chance to devour…after a good meal & drying off our clothes & socks we started the ride again for Delhi…



This was the stretch where for the first time in the ride I zipped ahead leaving behind the 3 riders at 110+ kmph speeds and then waited for the rest of the gang for some 40 minutes whiling away my time watching cars zipping by and having frequent suttas…the roads were changing from bad to worse as we approached Ghaziabad…I am sure everybody would have experienced the considerable difference in the quality if roads when one moves to UP from Uttarakhand…I am sure the reason is the wastage of public money on statues rather than spending the money on basic Infrastructure by the worst CM the country has ever seen…I am sure all of you would heartily agree to this fact…

All of us unanimously decided to make the first & only Beer Pit-Stop of the ride before we finally hit Delhi…as all of you know by now the club motto of BOP is BBB-Beer, Bullets & Bakchodi…but this ride had not seen any beer till now…as the B of the Beer had been replaced by the dreaded B-Breakdowns…so we made this stop to follow the tradition of our club and to our surprise found the official beer of BOP in the Highway Theka as well---Tuborg…unfortunately it was not chilled so we had its elder brother Carlsberg…Tomar Bhai went for a more potent one-Tiger Beer(as expected!!!)…



We hit Delhi amidst some mad & crazy Traffic Jams due to the heavy rains & bad roads…bid goodbye to Gyan & Doegar on the way to Zaheer Bhai’s Bullet Point where Tomar had to give his bike for an overhaul…shared the ride stories with Zaheer and then I dropped Tomar at his home…

The final count of the ride was 907 kms as per my odometer…the 4 Bazookas were finally successful in their tryst with Binsar…we gained rich experience of riding on slippery mountain roads through some heavy rains and also in the constant fear of landslides…

I completed my 14th Ride….just a statistic for me as I am not gonna stop soon…as they say “Miles to go before I sleep!!!”…

Pics from the Ride:
Che- http://picasaweb.google.co.in/jha.nishant/TheBinsarBazookas?feat=directlink

Doegar - http://picasaweb.google.co.in/varun.doegar/BinsarBazookas?authkey=Gv1sRgCILZwZnusaTGGQ&feat=directlink

Tomar - http://picasaweb.google.com/sankettomar/Binsar?authkey=Gv1sRgCJq7-ui-4YHF1wE#

Ride Videos:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/18954596/21d4cb10/Binsar_Bazookas_Videos.html

Che would be back on the road again…

Till then ride safe & have safe sex…

Hasta la Victoria Siempre…

Gaurav Jani : The Man of Steel

I have been inspired by many people in this world, first & foremost by my mother; the list also includes Che Guevara, Bhagat Singh, Michael Jordan, Sachin Tendulkar & my brother…

The list got a new addition yesterday…Gaurav Jani…



For the uninitiated he is the founder member of 2 great organizations… www.60kph.com & www.dirttrackproductions.com …I had heard about him from a fellow biker named Dipesh Shah aka WildChild who is a 60kph member himself during our chats and later when we met in Ooty during the RM-09…

Gaurav can best be described as a wanderer. He used to work as assistant director to Bollywood director Ram Gopal Varma but soon realized all he wanted to do was ride the highways. So he purchased an Enfield and set off and rest as they say is History…

He is the critically acclaimed Director of 2 Biking Movies/Documentaries named…”One Crazy Ride” & “ Riding Solo to the Top of the World” and I had the privilege to watch these 2 movies in the Siri Fort Auditorium in Delhi yesterday with fellow 500 biking enthusiasts and my BOP club members…

Both the movies are full of inspirational stories, bike breakdowns, riders’ bonhomie, farewells and re-unions, tough roads or at time no roads!!!, lost directions, meetings with strangers, exploring the unexplored, eating the weirdest of things, snakes on the roads, landslides and what not…but most importantly atleast for me both the movies are all about the indomitable human spirit and a never say-die attitude…




Gaurav displays both of them in tonnes & tonnes…be it completing the Arunachal Ride all-alone after bidding farewell to 4 of his buddies who had to leave the ride midway or not listening to the locals in Ladakh and reaching the southern-most point of the Changthang Plateau…some might call him a crazy vagabond but for me he is what a real biker is…not following the treaded path but charting out roads on his own…



And the best part about Jani is that he smashes the much publicized & glorified image of a Biker to bits, the ones people think wear leather jackets, sunglasses & a rugged-rowdy image…he is one of the most simple & down-to-earth human being you would ever find and doesn’t have a single self-pride streak in his body…

I am sure he is an inspiration to loads of people out there and these movie screenings would slowly but surely change the mindsets of people who think Bikers are irresponsible citizens of the country who transverse the highways without any rhyme or reason…no guys we are not even remotely close to that…watch the movies to see what fellow bikers have achieved…

I have already planned a North-East Ride in 2011 and let’s see if I can follow in Jani’s footsteps…still loads of time away but you never know…even I have a crazy mind!!!

You can know more about Gaurav & his adventures at:
1. http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/dec/23spec.htm
2. http://twitter.com/dirttrackprod
3. http://www.facebook.com/people/Gaurav-Jani/521331390
4. http://www.dirttrackproductions.com/trailers/ridingsolo/index.html
5. Phone : +91 9833013039
6. Email : gaurav@dirttrackproductions.com



I am anxiously waiting for his 3rd Movie to be released in 2010 and hopefully to watch it again on a big screen!!!

Till the next time we meet again…

Che would be back on the road again

Have safe sex & ride safe…

Hasta la Victoria Siempre…

The Abu AlphaMales

I had taken a break from Biking for July-2009 after riding for close to 12,000 kms from January to June in 7 Rides…West Coast, Rakhigarhi, Kurukshetra, Mcleodganj, Chakrata, Lansdowne & Jalori Pass…but owing to my undying & passionate travel streak which runs in my veins, I had to travel out of Delhi in July, there was no second thoughts about that…all the possibilities collided and the plan was made, our buddy Nilu aka Sinha Sahab had recently bought a swanky Ford Fiesta and we wanted go for a drive to celebrate his new buy…

Rajasthan had been in radar for quite some time so we closed on Mt. Abu as our destination, 750 kms. from Delhi. Our plan was tight as we just had 2 days with us and some 1500 kms. to cover, I did the planning for the route, food & itinerary and we were all set then to conquer another destination…

The Abu AlphaMales were:
1. Nilu Hazarika aka Sinha Saahab
2. Diptinder Singh Chhabra aka Dips aka Kenny aka Ken Slayer
3. Vihans Gupta aka Vihans Paaji
4. Himansh Martoliya aka Himanchhhhhu
5. Nishant Jha aka Che

24th+25th July 2009 – Friday-Saturday (Gurgaon – Ajmer – Pali – Abu Road – Mt. Abu)
I left office at 5 PM, picked up Dips and reached my home where Vihans & Nilu were coming, Papa went to get our Ice-Box filled with some crushed ice to keep our Beer & Water stock chilled through the way, I prepared the Seekh Kebabs & Chicken Wings, packed our stuff and after bidding goodbyes to my parents started our trip at 7 PM. The next stop was some 5 mins. later to pick up Beer…we stocked it up…a carton of Tuborg and 3 pints for Nilu, yes just 3…as we had imposed a quota on him for him to drive safely through to Abu, he was to decide the timings of his gulping acts, 3 in one go or slow n smooth…like Anupam Kher said in the movie “Khosla ka Ghonsla”…Hold the Drink!!! And Nilu took this dialogue 2 steps further…750 kms…15 hours and just 3 pints, hats off to his controlling…even before hitting the NH-8 the first Cheers were made in the car, the snakes were opened and started to get gobbled up very quickly…we kept zipping along the fast lanes of NH-8…kept making our frequent Piss stops and our beer-refueling stops…in the meanwhile Vihans Paaji shifted to his Trip/Ride attire…the Blue Flowery shorts which would soon be a worldwide Fashion rage…it has to be seen to be believed!!!

My mother had packed UP Style Poori-Aloo-Achar for the drive and it got over in 5 minutes flat and we were yearning for more, the non-veg. snakes also didn’t last very long…close to 1 AM in the night we made our Dinner Stop at Sanskar Dhaba which I miss-spelled as Sarkaari Dhaba and had a very average tasting meal but we didn’t mind much as we were damn hungry, Sinha Sahab didn’t eat anything as he never wanted the sleep demons to hit him after having dinner…

After that it was a smooth drive upto the point where a bout of very good luck bestowed on us, Nilu was zipping at 120 kmph, I was sitting in the front and Dips-Vihans were sleeping peacefully in the back, Nilu miss-judged a steep right-bend and the car took a perfect 360 degrees rip and stopped on the other side of the road, luckily no other vehicles on the road and Nilu was very calm & composed during the 2-3 seconds of mayhem, I sat still without uttering a single word(which rarely happens btw!!!)…after that there were sighed abuses all around…the behenchods, madarchods & Gaandu-bach gaye yaar…we went back and saw the tyre-signs on the road, thanked god & had a sutta before starting again…some 2 hours & a short tea-break later Dips took over the steering and then Nilu enjoyed a peaceful sleep…all this while I was awake and playing a DJ with Eminem, Euphoria, RATM, Country Music, Jagjit Singh & Punjabi songs playing out the musical symphony while we enjoyed the drive…

And then the Sun played a Light Symphony…the dawn was breaking…kids were going to the school…it was drizzling…scenes straight out of a dream…and the amazing roads to boot…loved the scenes…Rajasthan is surely one helluva amazing beautiful place…we also went through a village with 2 crossings having busts of Bhagat Singh & Chandrashekhar Azad…saluted the revolutionary spirit and moved along to the last stretch towards Mt. Abu…

Had to pick up Himanchhhhhu near the Abu Road station and that was a pain…driving through the slushy roads without knowing the way…after a 30 mins treasure hunt we finally found him waiting for us…and then it was the most amazing drive through the Rajasthan Ghats…some 20 kms of mountain driving through the heavy rains and lush greenery…this road can surely give tough competition to any Himachal or Uttarakhand mountain roads…we could not believe our eyes that we were in Rajasthan as we were in the Desert State of India but Desert was as far as the Public Distribution System is from the poor of the country…



Reached Mt. Abu and found a damn fuckin cheap hotel fitting our budget to the T…a room for 800 bucks…spacious & clean…with a huge circle-shaped bed…yes it was a first for us…a sleep on the circular bed was not to be missed for sure…we had a breakfast of hot & fresh Poha, Tea & Omellete and after that slept off…to catch some lost sleep from the night…





Woke up at 3 PM and then off we went to indulge in some local sight-seeing…first stop was the famous Nakki Lake and as expected we went for a boating fiesta…it was drizzling, the clouds were floating just above us and it was quite foggy…another amazing scene…the trip was moving forward in the perfect copybook style…after enjoying the boat ride we went for a small trek to the Toad Rock View Point and from there to the City Aquarium which was in shambles…a great place with which no justice had been done…amazing variety of fish but shabbily managed…lastly we visited the Sunset Point which was crowded like crazy but provided us amazing scenes…clouds were flowing in the air and sun was playing a silhouette game with the playful clouds…I also discovered a Savita Bhabhi look-alike who surely was voluptuous & hot like the toon online avatar!!! and also got real cozy with her husband(hope so!!!) and my camera measured all her curves!!!



While roaming around the market we could see so many Gujju girls roaming around trying their best to look hot but miserably failing in their poor attempt…tight tops, ill-fitting jeans and what not…we enjoyed their fail-show and then me & Vihans went to play a game of Snooker where I narrowly lost by a margin of 56-54…thoroughly enjoyed playing Snooker after some 5-6 years…



It was getting dark and we were getting thirsty…yes, you guessed it right…it was the time to engage in a Daaru session!!! We bought the stock just in the nick of time as the Thekas were closing, the best part was that there was a direct-selling session happening between the 2 thekas with both of them shouting at the top of their voice to pull people to their shops…another first for me!!! I mean you see the best of such sessions at Janpath but for a Liquor shop it was mind-boggling…



Reached our hotel, ordered our snakes and then started the long session…all this while it was raining heavily and the sounds were amazing…the rain gods who have left us dry & parched were blessing us like there was no tomorrow…we were singing rain-rain please don’t go away!!! And please come with us to Gurgaon on our way!!!



We finally called it a day at Midnight to sleep after enjoying one of the most amazing days…rain, great weather, good food; boating, trekking…we were indeed blessed on 24 & 25 July 2009!!!

26th July 2009 – Sunday (Mt. Abu – Gurgaon)

I woke up at 8 AM with my alarm ringing out loud and then I got ready before waking everybody up, then gingerly everybody was ready by 9:30 AM, had our breakfast, paid the Hotel Bill, packed our stuff, loaded it in the car and moved out and it was still raining heavily…believe it or not it rained heavily through the night. The weather out there was simply amazing, it was juggling between being foggy & clear with surprisingly infrequent intervals and it was green like I have seen Kerala!!! surely Mt. Abu is blessed and more than that the Gujaratis are blessed, it is some 20 kms from the Gujarat Border and the Prohibition-imposed Gujjus come here every weekend to drink all their blues away, it is also the good-old paradise for couples as well for they get into their amorous acts in the beautiful locales of the place…



We drove through the hilly & wet roads onto the NH-14 where the open roads were bidding us goodbye and asking us to come back here again, lets see when I would be in Abu again but believe me it’s a place worth going back again…

We dropped Himanchhhhhu at a Hotel where he was to rest before boarding a train back to Baroda, and then started our return journey back to Gurgaon…Dips & Nilu drove in turns and Vihans kept rolling & sleeping merrily, I find it very tough to sleep in a car so I was perched at the front seat and playing the good-old DJ and the navigator…



This pic was taken when Dips reached the top speed of 157 kmph !!! Don't rub your eyes...yes it was indeed 157 kmph and I was the witness to that...what an amazing exhiliration...Dips' excitement is quite palpable !!!

Sinha Sahab gave his diktat that he only wanted a non vegetarian meal and his orders were duly received by me and I was asked to keep an eye on any Dhaba serving the same…I kept looking and bingo…we found one Dhaba!!! Actually not me but Vihans…OK I won’t take his credit…I am in a benevolent mood today…it being a Sunday!!!

We stopped at the Dhaba and it was a specialty Non-Veg. one, he only served Laal-Maas (Rajasthani Mutton Curry) and Rotis, I loved the aroma and the look of the curry and the best part was that it was being cooked which meant it was fresh & piping hot…sadly Vihans doesn’t eat much Mutton so off we went to get some Veg. food packed…and got Kadhi Pakoda, Sev Tamatar and Rice packed…the biggest hit was the Chilled Kheer we could manage, it tasted like heaven and we got 3 plates packed…

We had our lunch on a Khaat underneath a tree and with some amazing weather to boot…and then the Mutton was served…it was fresh and tasted really amazing…rotis kept coming in and we kept on gobbling them up…enjoyed the Kheer and ended our lunch on the best possible note…



The next stop was an expected one but I played it safe…just out of the blue I asked Sinha Sahab…”Tea Break or Beer Break?”…quite nonchalantly & expectedly he replied…”Beer Yaar…Aur kya”…there was a uniformly loud laugh which followed his reply and then within minutes we stopped for a Beer Pit-Stop…quite shockingly we could find Tuborg Beer in the middle of nowhere in Rajasthan…just to make myself very clear…Tuborg is one of the best tasting beers I have tried…you have to taste it to believe it…Dips had a super strong beer aptly named BULLET!!! we clicked some pics, finished our beer and then started the last leg of the journey…




It was already 6 PM and we were some 300 kms from Gurgaon and the bad traffic on the roads was not helping our cause…the huge trailers took an eternity to give us a pass and the 2-lane NH-8 wasn’t a breeze to zip through…we kept tugging along and stopped at 11 PM for a dinner break…

Just before enjoying some pure-Rajasthani style dinner I indulged in an act which I love the most…dumping out in the open…amidst the lush grass and free-flowing breeze I enjoyed the flushing out!!!

The meal which followed was an equally enjoyable experience…Gatte ki Sabzi, Dal Fry, Sev Tamatar and piping hot rotis…after this gastronomical meal it was an endless painful wait through the countless toll junctions on NH-8, each of them took us 15-30 mins to cross, and Sinha Sahab’s bad judgment made it worse, he always used to get his car stuck in the right-most lane between the trucks and there was no other option than to wait…so we were left with no other option than to wriggle our way through to the payment point…

We hit Gurgaon at close to 3:30 AM in the night…and by that time I had become a zombie and was dozing off but being seated on the passenger seat didn’t want to sleep as Dips was driving and Sinha-Vihans were royally sleeping in the back…reached my home at 4 AM and the rear seat zombies were woken up finally from their deep slumber…nobody was talking for a change owing to the tired mind, body & soul…I gingerly picked up my stuff from the boot…took a bath and dozed off…next day had to reach office at 11:30 AM so the sleep was much needed and extremely crucial…

The trip was a huge success owing to all factors combining in positives for us; great weather, amazing place, delicious food, a near brush with death experience, an amazing car to travel in, chilled beer and a great company of buddies…all in all we spent 32 hours in the car and rest 25 hours actually in Mt. Abu!!! Many would call us plain idiots for trying to attempt such a hectic trip but surely we are not idiots…we are up and ready for any traveling challenge we are thrown up to!!!

This month I would be back to Bike Riding…am going for a 900 kms ride to Binsar in Uttarakhand with my BoP comrades and would be back with a bang on the wide-open roads…the place where I belong to…

For the benefit of people who want to travel, I have uploaded some Travel Maps & Guides and I am sure it would be useful for all…Heres the link: http://www.4shared.com/dir/18393763/2c1e01e0/Travel_Maps.html

The pics of the Abu AlphaMales Trip can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.co.in/jha.nishant/AbuAlphaMales?feat=directlink

Till the time we meet again…Hasta la Victoria Siempre…

Ride safe and have safe sex…

Che would be back on the road again…

Plus before I finish I would like to mention one quote which I read at the back of a Truck which truly was an amazing one and definitely one of the best I have read...
"Ramyug mein Doodh mila, Krishnayug mein Ghee...Kalyug mein mili Madira...JEE BHAR KE PI"

The Jalori Juggernauts

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

The Lansdowne LionHearts

The weather was near-perfect to plan a ride to a cold destination and this time BOP wanted a place close by to Delhi so that we could enjoy a relaxed ride this time…there was only one option in our mind…Lansdowne it was…just 245 kms. from Delhi and the weather there was extremely pleasant based on the first-hand feedback received…

The mails were floated…hundreds of replies were received…close to some 300 odd!!! Yes you are reading this right…300 mails even before we started the ride…so much for the Internet Movement within BOP…we are mail-friendly people…anything for some level-headed Bakchodi!!! Be it offline or online…all of BOP is game for it…after this deluge of mails 13 riders confirmed within the first 5 days after some cancellations & confirmations…the Hotel was booked by me…the route plan decided and all the other preparations completed well in advance…what remained was the wait for the D-Day!!!

The Lansdowne LionHearts were:

1. Dips on his Black Electra 4S
2. Chadha Paaji on his Black Standard
3. Jagmeet on his Silver/Black Electra 5S
4. Saran on his Green Standard(which is NOT A BIKE)
5. Ravi on his Brand New Silver Electra 5S
6. Pravin on his Marco Polo
7. James on his Black Bull-T
8. Diwakar on his Black TB
9. Tarun on his Brand New Black Electra 4S
10.Che on The Mighty One
11.Vihans on his Orange FZ-16
12.Gyan on his Red Karizma
13.Nilu on his Red Pulsar-200

Day 1 – Friday - 15th May 2009 – Gurgaon – Delhi – Ramraj – Kotdwar - Lansdowne

This ride had lots of new things in store for us…some which we knew and some which came as a pleasant surprise; first the known ones : 7 riders who were riding with us for the first time on a long ride & a new route which nobody of us had covered…

The first big surprise was that all the 13 riders reached the designated venue sharp at 4 AM…Bingo…me & Dips were blinking our eyes and just could not believe it, I am sure my strict sounding mails helped and ensured that people reached on time, we started the ride as planned at 4:15 AM…

We had decided that this time we would be riding in a formation, with me leading & Dips trailing the group but our plans were soon to get smashed…then the first expected BOP Phenomenon…going on the wrong way…I guess Jagmeet got really excited and went towards the DND Road and James went behind him to catch him…we had to wait for some 20 mins. after some frantic calling and Diwakar continuously blaming James…we started again and took a totally new route towards Meerut which was surprisingly shorter and full of potholes but we didn’t mind and then we were riding on the Meerut Highway with no traffic whatsoever and the Sun trying to break-out…the weather was pleasant…all we could hear was the thumps of the 10 bullets and all we could see were the smiles & awestruck looks of people standing on the roads…and as you all know we love the gazes of people around…some of them think how their life has gone to a complete waste after watching us and some of them surely get inspired…both ways we make changes in the thinking of people!!!

We took a breakfast break at a peculiar named place at 8 AM…RAMRAJ…I am sure the name has something to do with previous BJP governments…started with Bread-Pakoras & Tea and followed it up with Paranthas served with Salad and Dal…nothing tasted really good but nobody made any complaints as 5 hours had gone by since we woke up we needed something to eat badly…after that the customary Bike Formation pic was taken and we started the remainder of the ride through Bijnor and Najibabad…



The heat was going up, up & away and we needed to refresh…and the best refresher on the highway is chilled beer…and if one finds Kingfisher then it makes it even better…we found a Theka situated right behind a large tree with loads of shade…obviously we needed no further invitations…I was the first one to stop and then bottles were opened…another Bakchodi & Pics session started…Saran utilized Jagmeet’s new DSLR perfectly by clicking some amazing close-up shots…and by now you very well now that its one of the most important endeavor of BOP to explore all the Thekas of this wonderful country…we are going pretty strongly towards our goal…please support our initiative by suggesting some more thekas!!!



The roads were surprisingly quite decent except for some stretches which we didn’t mind as it felt like we were offroading!!! But the Paranthas in our stomach were playing high-jump and it didn’t feel very good…we stopped after the sports-session for a Sutta break before starting again towards Kotdwar…and then stopped for a Ganne-Ka-Ras break just before the 40 kms. Hill-Riding was to start…this drink is one of my favourite non-alcoholic drinks and I rarely miss an opportunity to enjoy it in the heat while riding…

The next 40 kms were quite enjoyable…the ever-winding roads where I was leading the pack reaching 70 kmph speeds at times and scaring the shit out of the people following me…I love riding fast on the mountain curves and the kick is unbelievably exciting…





We reached Lansdowne at 1:30 PM…another historic BOP moment as this was the first ride when we reached the destination on-target and before sunset…all the other rides we have reached always close to 8-9 PM…we reached the GMVN Tourist Bungalow…checked-in & freshened up and went straight to the Legendary Mayur Restaurant which was to witness food-gorging at the very best for 2 days to come…we ate like hungry Somalians and the order size kept getting bigger & bigger each passing moment…all kinds of cuisines were ordered…best part was when Chadha told me that he had already ordered "STARTERS"…when probed further he told me that he had ordered Gulab-Jamuns…I mean where on this heaven-Earth sweets are ordered as Starters but our very own Chadha Paaji is allowed to do everything and everybody accepts his orders as duties !!!

We kept gorging for the next hour & a half and came out of the restaurant no more as 13 famished souls but as 13 well-fed & over-eaten bodies!!!

We bought our stock of Liquor as the next day was a dry-day as the that was the Votes-Counting day…Saran Paaji volunteered to carry the 12-beer carton on his light shoulders and walked all the way-up…man this guy has got some strength…unbelievable is the word…I hope he goes with me to Ladakh…he would be of great help!!!

We went back to our hotel, ordered for the Dinner and then everybody had a late-afternoon siesta…I could not sleep so decided to enjoy Beer all-alone…after enjoying the beer I lied down for a bit going through all kinds of myriad thoughts…

I woke everybody up at 7 PM as the dinner was to be served at sharp 9:30 PM…we started the Beer-Rum-Bakchodi session and were broken up by the dinner call…the dinner was also enjoyed and was finished in no time…everything served tasted well…after being well-fed again we again proceeded for another BRB session which stretched late into the night…laughter flew like River Ganges and beer was also flowing like the Bhulla Taal which was to be visited the next day…nobody was spared and everybody’s ride was taken…it was another night to remember…and then at 12 AM some people started trickling out to sleep but some of us stayed on like true warriors drinking like there was no tomorrow…we finally called it a day at 1:30 AM and slept off…

Day 2 – Saturday - 16th May 2009 – A relaxed day in Lansdowne

We woke up lazily the next day to find some people already missing from the beds…maybe the BRB session didn’t do wonders to their sleep the same way it did to us!!! We left the hotel finally at 10 AM and obviously The Mayur Restaurant was our first stop to feed the hungry bodies once again…this time as well, hundreds of Gulab Jamuns were snapped up in no time…we left the place to do some sight-seeing and reached the Tip-in-Top view point through some great winding roads…another routine hill-station spot but after visiting so many hill stations these view points don’t excite me much…I took over the role of the photographer and then reached the Bhulla Taal where some of us got busy with Boating…important to note was Chadha & Vihans Paaji took a boat for themselves and became very cozy while boating and at times stopped to engage in some intimate talks…I was feeling very nervous & jittery as I have the sole right over Vihans…but Chadha Paaji was not much interested in him and we came out to have a small bout of Coffee & cold-drinks…



After that we decided to visit the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Museum about which I had heard some great things but it was closed for Lunch so off we went for a short Mountain Ride of some 60-70 kms…we went through Gumkhal on the road towards Pauri…amazing roads & great weather combined to give us maximum pleasure…we stopped and I used that opportunity to enjoy a dumping session at a spot nestled amongst the hills…I enjoy dumping out in the open and its really blissful…believe me...try it out the next time and you would sense the Nirvana you experience by relieving amidst the mountains & bushes...Vihans & Nilu went ahead as Cadet Scouts looking for a nice place where we could engage in another BRB Session on a hill-top and they came back with some great news, they had hit the bulls-eye…we reached that spot and soon bottles were brought out with all the cameras and another session started!!!





But then again it was stopped by the hunger pangs of the group and off we went for a late lunch to Mayur…where we again traumatized the waiter but for his great hosting abilities he never got pissed even once and kept serving us with the widest possible smile!!! This is a tribute to all the Hill-Towns of India where you get the best service from everybody around and nobody is snooty like the people in big cities…

After that another fantastic moment came…the Congress had scored a tremendous victory in the General Elections and Dhols were being played to celebrate, Vihans didn’t waste time and asked the Dhol-Masters to play and started to dance merrily…Saran, Ravi & Jagmeet joined them and I also did a small jig…the best part was when Dips suddenly came out of nowhere with a 10 Rs. Note and jigged all the way to the Dhol-Master before handing him over the money…the entire town gathered to see some mad bikers dancing…and what a crowd it was!!! Felt really embarrassing…



We also met some fellow Bulleteers who were also riding from Delhi, we gave them some advice about the place and wished them good-luck for the rest of their ride…

And then the first & only disappointment of the ride(atleast for me), we went straight to the Museum but it had closed down for the day…I always wanted to see the beautiful artifacts which had been displayed there…but no sweat, some other time maybe…

We reached the Hotel to start the BRB Session again with the IPL & Jab we Met movie playing on the TV keeping the non-drinkers busy…Tarun & Pravin were sleeping all this while and were woken up only for the dinner which was once again served sharp at 9:30 PM…enjoyed another great dinner and then moved to the rooms to sleep early as the next day we had to wake up really early to start the ride back home…but then Chadha Paaji was in no mood to sleep and started a profound discussion which went late till 2 AM and believe me he introduced me to some amazing theories which are extremely practical and would surely help me living my life in a much better way in time to come…

Day 3 – Sunday - 17th May 2009 –Lansdowne - Kotdwar – Najibabad – Kiratpur - Meerut – Delhi – Gurgaon

I woke up first and then broke everybody’s slumber so that we could start the ride back at sharp 7:30 AM as planned…surprisingly everybody got ready in no time and our plans were being met!!! This is also rare in BOP rides but things are getting better each new day at BOP…I was not feeling particularly well and stopped for a Vomit break just 20 minutes after we started…felt a little better but still was not at my 100%...this was the first time in the Riding History of my life that I was not feeling well during a bike ride and I hated the feeling…kept on riding and stopped again for a Dumping Break…and then felt much better…Dumping makes me feel alright…now you know!!!

After that it was riding through the dusty roads of UP and also it was getting very hot…I kept waiting for he group but majority had taken a different route before Najibabad to reach Bijnore…we finally met at a Dhaba in Kiratpur where some of us had a Beer session but surprisingly I didn’t have any beer…just didn’t feel like having it…also ate nothing and was on a total liquid diet!!! The group got divided after the Lunch Break and 10 of us stopped to enjoy some fresh Watermelons, another way not to get dehydrated and a natural way of doing the same…



The best part of the ride back home was that the Meerut & Modinagar roads were empty as if there was some curfew had been imposed…the fact that it was extremely hot & it was a Sunday surely helped our cause…we sailed through the 2 dreaded Traffic Crossings of Modinagar and reached Ghaziabad where all hell broke lose and there was traffic all the way then till Gurgaon through Delhi…also the traffic had made the temperature to go up even further and my bodyw as burning when I stopped...

I took the Dhaula Kuan route as its sans any Traffic Crossings and I could ride much faster…I stopped enroute my home at Zaheer’s Shop to meet him but sadly he had gone out…reached home sharp at 5 PM…and my parents were pleasantly surprised to find me reaching home so early and that too without a bruise!!!

Unlike the 2 previous BOP Rides to Chakrata & Mcleodganj, this ride was completely Accident free for me and I reached home without any bruises to my Bike or Body!!!

This ride would be surely remembered for the following reasons :

1. 13 Bikes in total
2. Starting the ride and reaching the destination on time
3. The amazing food at Mayur Restaurant
4. The economical & cozy GMVNL Tourist Hotel
5. The Bhangra Jig in the Lansdowne Market
6. Supreme 50000 Beer
7. Chadha Paaji’s amazing one-liners
8. The BRB Session on the hill-top
9. The relaxed manner the ride went off

So this way BOP Lansdowne LionHearts conquered the small-little place called Lansdowne...there are many more detinations to be conquered...

Che would be back on the road again…

Till then ride safe & have safe sex…

Hasta la Victoria Siempre…