Tweet
Day 4
The final day of the ride.
We'd seen a wide variety of terrains. From lush green forests to barren deserts.
We'd seen birds from far and wide. From black crows to colorful kingfishers.
We'd ridden on roads ranging from perfect tarmac to barely-there trails.
We'd felt what a shower feels like after a 4 day ride.
Innumerable unforgettable events. Countless minutes spent laughing at ridiculous ideas!
But there was something more to be done. The ride felt incomplete without it once the idea was set in our minds.
The beaches of Daman man!
If I had the time and patience then I'd tell you about rooms at 700 bucks a night which accommodated four people with ease, about booze being available at half the usual rate, about petrol being cheaper, about the relaxing beaches. But I don't so I won't
.So here's what we did on day 4.
Daman was an impromptu plan. Those who had to be in office on 30th Jan aka Manic Monday left for their respective homes on day 4. The rest of us (Biru, Manish, Akash and I) went into Daman city. We looked around for a decent place to stay for the night. The rates on the whole were pretty cheap and the whole area had a relaxed feel to it. Not like Goa but it was like a beach nevertheless.
We found a good room to accommodate all four of us. We changed into comfortable clothes downed a can of beer each and were on our way toward the beach. We picked up a bottle of VAT69 on the way, found a good spot on the beach (not the 'Goa good' kinda spot
) and sat down for some chicken masala and good ol' whisky...The chicken masala had more bone and masala than actual chicken and the masala showed its true colors the following morning
.
All in all it was a fun time. Watching the wave after wave flow over the sand is always a relaxing experience. It was well past eleven by the time we left the beach and to our delight the wine shops were still open
.We picked up some more booze and were on our way to the room. A few wrong turns later we found ourselves settling down for a night of drinks only to realize that everyone was too tired to drink in any significant amount. So it was to the bed!
Next morning had a good start to it. We smoked a cigar (apparently) and my bike completed a happy 24000kms.
We navigated through the streets, filled up petrol and air and were on our way. At one junction a guy told us to go left for the highway. He must have meant the other left because we ended up at a dead end facing a river
. A U-turn later we found the 'right' aka other-left road and hit the highway not much later.The highways were fun to ride on as always. Lunch was at about 3 at Panvel, Mumbai McDonald's. We were on the old Pune-Bombay highway by 4 and by the time we reached Pune, it was twilight. We took a break at the same hotel where we'd started the ride 4 days ago.
Sitting here almost three months later, I am more mature than I was on the ride. Not even a year spent riding a bike and I already feel so different from my 20 year old self. Riding brings out a calmer person in me, I become a pacifist, I'm in sync with the road, a petrol head in my own definition.
Few things equal the joy of sitting next to an empty highway.
Few things equal the terror of having your life in your right hand.
Few things equal the serenity of a quiet, far off destination.
Few thing equal the camaraderie of like minded people travelling in groups.
Few things equal the looks of wonder we get from kids.
Few things equal the joy of riding!
Until the next one!
Comment