Topic Approved.

Waiting for the "original stuff"..

The Travelogue

Date – Sunday, xxth November, 2008
Starting time – 6:30 A.M. Odometer reading – 63 KM

Riders:

• Deepak – Yamaha R15
• Pinak – Bajaj P150 UG3, with Shantanu as pillion
• Pramir – Bajaj P180 UG3
• Rohit – Royal Enfield Thunderbird
• Sunil – Hero Honda CBZ*

What a week it had been! Back from home, reporting at work, getting myself stretched on the rack over work issues. Everything was there except the much-needed relaxation. Being away from my ride for almost a week, and daily commutes to the office bored me to death, my hands were itching to go red from the handlebar grips, and senses were crying out loud to take a break soon. Knowing that I will be free this weekend, the first thing I did was choose a destination nearby for a half-day ride. It was easy, since we had actually covered quite a lot of places nearby in the span of the last six months. One that had been in my mind was Atri. The place, lying in the outer areas of Khurda district, boasts a hot water spring bubbling with sulphur gas at a constant temperature of 55 degrees Celsius. Remembering the fact that I had not taken a proper hot-water bath for a long time, I yearned to go to the place and soak myself.

The plan was approved by the group, and soon we were six riders on five bikes, ready to take of on the morning of Sunday. Some of the more regular members were missing, due to maladies ranging from training sessions in Chennai to the serious concerns like brain malaria. This was my first trip with all other than Pramir, who has been with us since the first long trip. After discussing the plan and life in general over the heavy fumes in the pavilion smoking zone, we were back on our desks soon, lest the wrath of the seniors befell usJ. I took some time to look at the route to the place, but for some strange reason, the whole town of Khurda was blocked off in Wikimapia. I let my spies around and got some information on the way we needed to follow. For the tools, I packed myself a screwdriver kit and a monkey wrench, which should be capable of removing a flat wheel.
I had Saturday to pass before the trip, so I made a small trip alone and ended up getting stuck in a whole lot of mud. The fault was mine; seeing the fantastic pics posted on xBhp by the pro photographers, I wished to take a shot of my ride next to a pond, with the reflections and all. What I did not know was the area around the pool was filled with mud. When the bike got stuck a couple of meters before the edge, I sensed my foolishness and started to take the bike back to dry land. But the bike refused to budge and I felt like an ass, coming all alone on the trip. I removed the mud which had gone under the front mudguard and pushed a few feet in first gear. This sequence was repeated for another half-hour, after which I parked the bike, cursing myself. My appearance was nowhere near civilized, the bike was soaked in mud and the mudguard has cracked.


On the day of the trip, the Herculean task from the previous day seemed to have left its aftereffects. Gathering my broken back and heavy head, I jumped into my clothes and reached a bit late at the meeting spot, finding Rohit and Deepak waiting. In a matter of minutes, all except Pramir gathered up. Pramir was left a message on his cell to call us when he wakes, after we had made futile attempts to wake him up by calling. Heading out to the NH, we were cruising happily after leaving the edge of the town. Rohit’s T-bird and Deepak’s R15 were stealing glances from the people on the road. As luck would have it, the sky was getting a little cloudy and a light drizzle was coming in. We decided to halt at a Reliance A1 dhaba before entering Khurda, but then since the weather had cleared up, we moved on. Just before entering Khurda, I got a call from Pramir, saying he will be coming our way soon. Knowing the speed demon, we decided to hold back and head to the dhaba after all. On the way back, I led the group to the road leading to the base of Barunei hill, up which we had explored earlier on foot on a previous trip. Pinak took a shortcut off the highway and rammed his bikes engine belly on loose gravel. The road was very scenic, to say the least. A school bus had followed us, carrying children for a trek maybe. The bus driver pretended to ram Deepak’s R15, causing the poor guys’ heart drop to his stomach. After a few questions from the bus staff about the mileage and the price, which Deepak has got accustomed of in the local vernacular Oriya, we moved on and reached the dhaba.



A strange monument at the foot of the hill


BULLZzz logo adoring my bike

The dhaba had become dilapidated, since the first visit I had paid to it during my college days. The petrol pumps closure had eaten away the business and the clientele was limited to passer-bys and truckers. Soon enough after we had ordered tea, Pramir joined us and we went out for a round of photo snapping. After gobbling down the breakfast, we started on our way. Well, almost. Just before moving, we notice Pinak’s bike was having a flat rear. We asked the people in the dhaba and located a repair shop just across the highway. Lady Luck was surely promising this morning. The fix, however, took an hour because the electricity was gone at the shop and the rubber patch for fixing the puncture couldn’t be heated. We passed our time by taking turns to ride the R15 and the Bird. I rode the R15 down the side-lane of the highway, forgetting my lid in excitement, and regretting it immediately, since I couldn’t push the bike to its limits. Pramir rode out on the Bull and returned feeling ecstatic. Finally, at nine, we were ready to leave for our destination. We took a detour off NH5 and entered Khurda. The bus drivers were surely looking for road-kill, hence we drove safe until out of the town on the road towards Atri.


The Rides


Now with the riders - note the flat rear on the black P150


T-Bird: To buy or not to buy??


Just a short spin on a side road...don't kill me guys!!


The new ones in the flock


The Reliance A1...note the strange bldg behind it


On the road

The road was not the best we had seen till date, but not the worst either. Barely two lanes wide, the path was riddled with shallow potholes, which oddly seemed to be man-made. Yes, pot-holes appeared in geometric shapes, apparently made by the villagers to slow down the mad bus drivers. They didn’t seem to serve the purpose though, as the buses coming from the opposite direction crossed over to our side of the road and often sent us off the road. After riding for about 12 km from the outskirts of Khurda, we were at the bridge on Rana River and overlooking the narrow, winding stream. Halting for a photo shoot, I recalled the satellite pics from Wikimapia I had seen earlier. The river’s path had a few interesting spots, but alas, there was not way to take a bike along, neither park it safely. We followed the road till a village called Baghamari, where a found a crude sign indicating to take a left for Atri springs. The turn brought us on loose dirt roads through village area. The roads soon became better, owing to the fact that this place was a tourist attraction. On the way, we took a detour on an unpaved road and ended up with a small, clear pond below us on the left. There was a small temple in the middle of the pond, which is a common sight in Orissa. We parked our bikes on the edge of the pond and went below to take a few pictures. A few of us went off in random directions to take a leak and were caught red (wet??)-handed on film. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a herd of 20-25 cows came running and we headed away from our bikes, lest they feel like tumbling us over into the pond. As soon as the calamity passed, we headed back to the road to Atri.


Rana River


The bridge on river Rana


Looking down at us


The place with the water


A pagoda at the center


Running for the BULLZzz


Lid says it all


Bikes under the big banyan tree

PS: More coming soon

Nice ride and pix sunil

Very good trip log and pics, as usual!!

I guess it's high time to promote xBhp along with your own group "Bullz". A xBhp sticker along with Bullz logo would surely look great.Btw,i am waiting for more pics!!

very nice log Sunil and pics are also gr8... waiting for your next big ride...

nice ride there....

Well on behalf of Sunil and BULLZzz i would like to thank all of you for appreciating our various endeavors on the Road..... we are planning for a big trip soon....
Cheers
BULLZzz

@praveen: Thanks bro, but ur pics are the sharpest I've seen around here. BTW, the credits go to ronan above (Rohit) and Pramir

@chicane: The xBhp stickers should be here soon...we are readying a list of stuff we need from archi in Delhi, n the stickers are included

@archistar: Thanks boss. Will call you soon with the list of stuff...big ride may be delayed though due to Orissa bandh called on 25th Dec, but planning is on

@ompriya: Thanks for the appreciation buddy

The last episode

Going on a trip, I try not to ignore paying a visit to well-known temples, if any, on the way. Call me superstitious if you would, but I feel some kind of unrest from within if I don’t do so. This time, we came across Hatkeshwar Temple, lying just before our destination. We parked inside the temple complex and took some snaps of the pond within. Offering our prayers, we moved quickly to reach the hot-water spring complex, which was just a stone’s throw away. We entered after paying a measly sum of Rs. 2 each and left the helmets at the gate. The view inside was not mind-blowing, but it did left a feeling of serenity deep down. The enclosure had a big pool on the left, with the bathing pools further down the way. I could locate a few swings for the tiny-tots on the far right side. What interested us was a small, circular area in the middle of the path. Walking down the lane, we saw people peeping inside with interest and a local priest explaining something. As we neared, I could smell something similar to the fumes in our school’s chemistry lab and realized that it was sulphur. Peeping inside, we saw the tank sending bubbles to the surface that sent off steam mingled with sulphur vapours. A priest nearby narrates the GK about the place, mentioning the temperature is constant at a 55 degree Celsius and the depth is about 15 feet, though it looks shallower. Coins can be located at the bottom, thrown by the visitors and retrieved using magnets tied to strings. After the session, he draws some water from the well and pours it in our hands. Bloody hot! And to think I was having ideas about taking a plunge in the well! The priest mumbles some prayers and we start digging our pockets for change.


The Raven - Inside temple compound


A closer shot of the lotuses


Hatkeshwar Temple corridoor


The bubbly well


Looking in awe at the well


Bathing compound

Next, we head to the public bathing pools to test the water. The sight was a disappointment in sorts; the pools which were meant for bathing purpose and didn’t allow shampoo and soap, but were filled with local villagers taking the full-course weekend bath, and washing their clothes, too. All the four pools had water black as the depths of hell. After getting scalded feet in the first pool, I asked around if the temperature is uniform in all the pools. The people were friendly and told us that the temperature goes down in other pools. Knowing this, we headed towards the last pool and tested the waters. Having already stripped down to my shorts and vest, I sat at a corner and dipped my feet. Finding it soothing, I invited the other guys, who were looking at the murky water with raised eyebrows. Even I was apprehensive about taking a full dip, seeing a big patch of black floating around the pool. But then, Pramir joined me in the pool and sensed the depth, which was just about five feet. I finally got the courage to touch the bottom with my feet, and when I did, I was repelled by the grass growing at the bottom, which gave me the chills. I went around to the other end and sat on the stairs, submerging myself till the neck. Pramir, meanwhile, was swimming like a baby in the pool, taking dives inside, jumping off the edge and splashing water. I used to back up against a wall when he took plunges! The water left black stuff on my body, probably moss from the pool, each time I took a plunge. Rohit was taking pics, both of our antics and the nature around the pool compound, while Deepak stood there sniffing at the stench of sulphur in water. The four pools were separated into two by a wall running in the middle and we were on the father side, not visible to the public. Soon, a group of college girls came around the wall, and did a heel-spin on seeing us in the pool. What a round of laughs we had there! After having enough of the pool, I changed back to clothes, while Pramir decided to go on with in wet clothes. We headed to the children’s corner and I immediately climbed a swing, while other went to the edge of the area to take a look at an under-construction over bridge at a distance. Soon, I was joined by the other ‘toddlers’ and we had a whole lot of fun. Pramir threatened to send me and Pinak off the swing, pushing us until we cried out for help. Then we moved to the see-saw, where the mighty 125 kg Pramir was held hostage at one end, and four of us pressing down on the other sideJ. After that, we took control of the slides, surprising the children there with out antics.


Me and Pramir


Floating like a baby


See Deepak fly


Abe jaane de!!


Now turn for revenge


The Pramir Effect


United we Stand..he he


Hogging the swings

Having a whole lot of pure, unadulterated fun, we headed back on our way to the gates to collect our helmets and depart. We left the small village slowly, as the roads were muddy and we didn’t want to get caught in an accident. On the way back, we were accompanied with light rains. We took a stoppage at an off-road place, where a bunch of trees grew near a few graves. Taking a few shots from each Pramir’s and Rohit’s cam, we headed back on the road when a very large group of cows came towards us. The BULLZzz were driving the cows wild in countrysideJJ. Driving continuously towards Bhubaneswar, we passed Khurda and reached the NH. Pramir did some photography on the bike, capturing the riders in action. Pinak had taken off on his Pulsar and couldn’t be seen on the long road. Others took a break beside the highway and blew puffs of smoke for sometime, before getting back on road. We were able to catch up with him Pinak only after reaching Khandagiri. On the way, Pramir and Deepak exchanged bikes and ripped later to reach us.


Some offroad haunt


Coolin' off the engines


Safety is a must!!


See? This is how you wear goggles!!


A bunch of greens


Let's get on road!!


Only pic where Deepak's hiding his 32 100W lightbulbus


Getting back to town


NH5...love it!!

We met up finally to part our ways at CSPur petrol pump. Pinak and Shantanu had some work, so they bade goodbye, while all others decided to go to Pramir’s rooms to see the pics. Looking at the awesome snaps taken by the two fellows, I was eager to get them soon on my desktop, but had to wait for sometimeL. The other guys talked about their plans for the evening, while I was planning for my rendezvous with someone waiting for me at my rooms. Smiling quietly, I drove down to my house and fell in the welcoming softness of my bed…

End time – 12:00 P.M. Odometer reading – 178 KM

fantastic guyz... so u guyz also had good fun there in TOT-LOT...

riding sme place to loose all the tension of the city life is gr8 thing to so and that too often. nice tripping bro !!! liked the nature shots & pramir effect pics.
keep riding,be safe !!!

Regarding the photos - although Sunil AKA Difuser has been kind enough to bring us into the lime light and take the accolades for the same....but if i might add something over here that sunil has done a fantastic job of displaying the best of the best photos of the trip there by making us look like not so bad photographers......in doing so he automatically becomes the most deserving person for the accolades....
so cheers to our group stud Sunil.....

@archi: We were worse than small kids: at least, they can be controlled.

@rpmboy: Man, nothing beats tightening up the loose screws in the head with a ride, even though it is a small one only. Kudos to Rohit n Pramir for the excellent shots