diffuser911

Day 0 - Hectic

Eleven in the night and I’m still confused about the gear I need to pack. I have packed for the winters during college days, but what does someone pack for traveling in a scorching 43o summer? The Summer of ‘09 is nothing to write a song about. And we are still talking April! Worse, the group had lost two of the most dependable members as they relocated across the country; adieu Pramir and Ranjan.

I was somewhere between the nine days of holiday I had scraped off in this quarter. With such a long leave, people assume that you are going to your hometown to chill in the summer. But in our case, people knew differently. In a prep ride under the sun, some of the riders had already felt the brunt last Saturday, when we headed off to Dhabaleshwar (near Cuttack) and Bhattarika (near Athgarh). During return, I had actually felt my heartbeats slow down in the heat, covered with all the riding gear I had been splurging on this year. Still, I returned back to Dhabaleshwar the next morning with another group of friends.

Earlier this evening, we had a final meet-up outside the office gates to check on the preparations. Two members, names ABC and XYZ (to protect their identities and skins), joined me and Soumya near the office gates. The meeting points for the next morning were decided, and we did a final check on the paperwork for each. PUC, insurance and registrations: reasons we got nailed for by the cops on the last trip. Warnings by colleagues were exchanged amongst us: road surface is melting due to the heat, waterfalls have dried up and a few other what-not’s.

Back to present, I pondered about the long trip ahead, hoping to end it up without incident like the Vizag run. The packing session ended with a sunscreen and a chota-ac going in my bag, all the preparation needed to face the summer.

Find other days' logs here:

Day 1 - The Day of Losses More Pics

Day 2 - Born to be Wild More Pics

Day 3 - The Way of the Waterfalls More Pics

Day 4 - Hunt for the Sword's Edge

Day 5 - Some hits, and a miss

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My '08 Suzuki GSX650F
Escapade to the Eastern Ghats
Orissa 1302
My BlackBull - Bullet Electra 5S

Sunny

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Praful

Dude ur on a roll.....riding in the Orissa summer heat is something that can label you as crazy , but will hold that for the moment till you complete your log!!!

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diffuser911

And crazy we are Praful!!

__________________
My '08 Suzuki GSX650F
Escapade to the Eastern Ghats
Orissa 1302
My BlackBull - Bullet Electra 5S

diffuser911

Day 1 – The Day of Losses

4.30 in the morning felt really warm, even for the onset of summer. Preparing for departure, I got ABC’s call and packed myself head-to-toe in riding gear. Fastening the bags tightly to the bike, I started out at an hour where only dogs and drunks roam the street. Greeting ABC with a smile, we waited for XYZ to arrive. Sooner than expected, we got the company and we called Soumya to let him know of our departure. Taking the NH in the mist-less morning blew away some of the sweat and we reached Rasulgarh pump to find Soumya waiting. ABC changed his tee with a full-sleeve one brought by Soumya. Aiming to cover as much distance as possible before the sunrise, we aimed to stop next at Manguli Chowk, a regular breakfast-cigarette-tea joint for our earlier adventures beyond Cuttack.

Just starting off from the pump, we were already sorry we had started late! A whole bunch of truckers were hogging the roads just outside of BBSR. Zigzagging in-between the monsters, we touched Manguli at daybreak. Soumya decided to take a puff and catch us later on, so the three of us moved on along NH-42. With the sun rising, we had touched the hills surrounding the district of Dhenkannal. Soon, Soumya caught up and we took a tea-break near his college SIET, just outside Dhenkannal. A little after six, we were almost 80 km from where we had started. The tea came in useful to shake us awake and enjoying Soumya’s stories from his college days, we got back on the road. The road ahead had a small section cut out in the hill. Crossing that, we were faced by a wonderful sight: a hill on the right was engulfed in mist, sparkling in the rising sun. ABC turned around on his bike and shouted out “$#*^”, while I stopped at the roadside to capture the enchanting scenery. Next stop was for breakfast, in the town that lay on our way: Angul. Soumya called a friend of his to enquire directions to the nearest breakfast joint, and we headed off the NH following him. As we got off near the restaurant, the packed bikes and riding gear on me and ABC attracted lots of attention; one guy even came up to ABC and asked if we were on a long tour.


From where we stopped for tea


Crossing the gap


Paradise on the other side


Dude comes back for a second look


The first of the accidents


The riders, sans diffuser911

After having a sumptuous breakfast of dosas and tea, we got back on the road around a quarter past nine, exactly an hour after landing here. Moving along the NH, the count of overturned trucks was growing. While we stopped for a cold drink on the roadside, XYZ zipped past us without noticing. And for the next hundred kilometers, it was a hard job catching up with him!! We stopped near a check gate for taking a break from the sun, about ten kilometers from a locality called Redakhol. On reaching Redakhol, we were about to get a lassi each, when ABC’s face contorted on realizing that he had dropped his waist-pack somewhere on the NH! The tension seeped across as we came to know that it contained the fellow’s wallet and two cell phones. While Soumya and XYZ started calling on the cell, I followed ABC back to the last point where we had stopped, reasoning that the pack had dropped off somewhere after that spot. An hour long search, cruising along the road with eyes pegged for the waist pack reveled nothing. Returning back to where others were waiting, ABC decided that it was not his lucky day and told us that he would be moving back to BBSR. We tried reasoning with him to accompany, but nothing could persuade him. Taking a loan from Soumya, he wished us luck and headed back to the city. Dejected, we decided to move on and find us a place to eat. We were reduced to a shallow three-member touring group; worse, this was not the last blow of the day.

The nearest place we found some grub was a shack along the NH and ordered one of the humblest meals of our lives. The setback had made us all loose a bit of our calm, and we were trying hard to talk away the nerves. The temperature had soared as the clock approached midday. By the time we moved out, we were seriously hoping to find shaded roads ahead. As we climbed a few steeps turns, the NH had entered a semi-dense forest. Going through, we felt instant relief riding among the intermittent shadows. Taking a stop to discuss the route ahead, we contemplated how easy it is for the naxals to disappear in such jungles. Just one kilometer off the NH and you would be untraceable! The next locality we crossed was Jujomura, a place Soumya warned to ride together, owing to the bad repute of the place. Crossing the place without incident, we neared the city of Sambalpur. At around 320 km from where we had started off, we took a left instead of barging straight into the city. Covering some distance, we crossed the greenest fields that these eyes had seen. Perfect wallpaper material! Hopping off the bikes, we engaged ourselves in photography. The next stop was Huma, the leaning temple.


Build a hut, live for the rest of your life

Following the road, we found ourselves running alongside a partially dried-up and rocky riverbed. Roads were bad, but what else can one expect in the city outskirts? After some struggle, we reached the temple and parked outside the courtyard. Unloading our luggage at a shop, we headed inside and offered the prayers. The main temple seemed to be normal, while there was a smaller one that was inclined. Going on a passage that leads to the back of the temple, we found ourselves staring at a beautiful stream at the bottom of steps leading into it. Going near, we purchased a couple of packets of ladoos and deposited our belongings at the shop. As we came to the bottom of the stairs, we were blown away by what we saw. Innumerable fish swam in the stream, just below the steps. And not just ordinary fish; some were as long as two feet, and equally healthy. Sitting at the bottommost step, we started feeding the ladoos to the fishes. The legend goes that if someone tries to catch the fish, the person is turned to stone. XYZ wanted to try the idea, and Soumya was ready to film him turning slowly into stoneJ! While we exhausted the food we had with us on the fishes, a boat came nearby the bottom steps. It ferried the visitors to a small island about a couple of hundred meters ahead, where stood an enormous statue of Kali Ma, stepping over Lord Shiva. The boar weaved through the stony rivulet and brought us to the island, where we climbed the stairs to the top. The statue stood tall at 36 feet, as the boar owner had told us. Soumya climbed to the top of a tree to capture a full shot of the figurine. On the way down, we saw a stone bust of a girl trying to cut a fish; the statue must have been the source of the legends. Moving back to the shore, I noticed that the main temple on the opposite side was tilted as well. What a work of art! Legend attached with the temple says that Lord Viswakarma built the temple overnight; all efforts to correct the tilt have failed.


The river behind Huma


Trying to capture fishes


Lone boat


So we join him


Serenity


Greenery amongst rocks


Ma Kali statue


Deserted riverbed


Monkey-man, aka Soumya


Time to go back


The leaning temple of Huma

As dusk was setting off, we sped back to the city of Sambalpur and took a shortcut, which landed us right at the edge of the bustling town. Asking around, we found our way to the heart of the town where all the hotels were located. After running up and down the street twice, we set base in a nice hotel at around seven in the evening. Bike parking, to say the least, was minimal; just a space in front of the hotel door, hardly a few feet from the main road. Hardly had the luggage been laid on bed, two of us hogged the AC, while another went of to get fresh. Soon after, we were roaming the street for some snacking, looking for a city specialty. A little distance from the hotel, we skipped a heavily crowded stall and settled for gol-gappas further ahead. On the way back, some more snacks came by and we couldn’t ignore.

Back in the room, it was time for another bombshell. A group buddy sent us an SMS, informing the layoff of a member of the BULLZzz from the company. I went numb with shock, while XYZ started calling up the guy’s cell to confirm the bad news. From what I understood of the conversation in Bangla, the scene was not good. Discussing amongst ourselves, we hoped the incidents were not a foreboding to return from the trip. After a heavy dinner at the restaurant downstairs, we went to doze off, wondering what lay ahead for us tomorrow.

Distance covered – 370 km

__________________
My '08 Suzuki GSX650F
Escapade to the Eastern Ghats
Orissa 1302
My BlackBull - Bullet Electra 5S

Praful

Nice, keep it coming! Where do you find these places to go man!

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nabendubasu

nice bro.once again your pic came out good. Waiting for the rest.

archistar

Sunil, 'm really envy on you...

let me check all your new thraeds...

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www.theindianexpedition.com

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trojan

Ah home sweet home.........

nice trip bro, hats off to you that you dared to do this journey in such a great weather ......
the picture of paddy field made me go nostalgic........

great trip buddy..........

hitanshu

very decent stuff in there. Again a K790i cam at play, eh?

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