Down South

Four days, 2095 miles and six states.

Firstly I want to say, I love south, the place, the people, their slow and sweet accent, everything about it!!

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Day 1: 751 miles (New Jersey-Pennsylvania-Maryland-West Virginia-Tennessee)

I am a lazy and a long sleeper kind of specie, I need at least 7 hours of sleep for me to function properly. But when it comes to road trip, :-) I sleep less, I ride more. I woke up at 5am and was on road by 6 am. I had a long way to go this day, plan was to do 750 miles to reach Tennessee the same day but since I hadn't done that long distance before, I was'nt sure so did not book any hotel but generally I don't book any hotels because I don't like my trips to be exactly planned and pin pointed. I just keep a rough idea in my mind of the places and then explore which is much more fun and adventurous!!

I worked on my motorcycle myself this time. I changed the disc brake pads, the brake fluids and engine oil myself. I had a little trouble with it but everything was fine by the end of it.

Few hours after I started, I saw the brake fluid leaking from the sealed container which gave jitters and like always, I forgot to keep the spare bottle of brake fluid with me.

In the afternoon, ride was tough, I was so sleepy that I had to stop every 40-50 miles for 5 minutes but then, later in the day when the rays from setting sun starts falling my face, I felt fresh!

Reached Tennessee by 10 pm after 16 hours of ride and as I said adventure begins...no hotel around, the place was like jungle and I do not have any other place to go after wandering in and around the sleepy town, I found super 8 motel. The hotel was in the jungle, it looked like a haunted place and the two ladies at the counter looked so scary to me. One of them was in her 30s, she had a strong face with strong face texture and her voice did not match her look and build it was so chirpy that I got goose bumps, the other was in her 50s and looked horrible. The reception room had antique stuff all around with few molds of wild animals. Anyway I took the room keys and unpacked everything from my horse and went to bed by 1 am.

Day 2: 311 miles (Tennessee-North Carolina - Tennessee)

This is the day I was really looking forward to. I did Dragon (Deals Gap). Dragon is a US Hwy 129 which 319 turns in 11 miles it has been rated as top 10 scariest highways in USA by Forbes Magazine. Adjacent to 129 is Cherohala Parkaway which is equally fun, long sweepers. I did Dragon twice that day, I almost had an orgasm I must say. Real real fun!!! I camped that day on the mountains. Can you imagine wireless internet inside your tent in the jungle where there are not even proper phone signals ? :)

Day 3: 602 miles (Tennessee-North Carolina-Virginia)

This was another long day but I did not expect the route to be as interesting as it turns out to be. One of my friend was also coming to Virginia beach to join me. For one reason, I was happy, for another, I was'nt, because that breaks the rules of vagabonding, when you want to be alone and on your own!!! :)

Day 4: 395 miles (Virginia-Delaware-New Jersey)

When leaving from Virginia to Delaware, there is a 20-30 miles long bridge over the sea. It's amazing to have laid the bridge on the sea. Imagine you are driving and all you see is sea all around you, no earth!!!

I 'm leaving on my ...

All my bags are packed
Im ready to go
Im standin here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breakin
Its early morn
The taxis waitin
Hes blowin his horn
Already Im so lonesome
I could die

Well, except the woman and love part, feelings are same.
The dawn is breaking and its early morning,
my rocket is waiting,
I'm already so lonesome
I could die
I am ready to go....

Usually I never write before a ride or may be I never got any chance to do that.
It's been a long long time that I've done any multi days ride. I don't even remember when was the last time. Though I'd go for Sunday morning rides every other weekend but that don't give me much needed high or raise my conscious level that much.
Other reason I love loooooong and multi days ride is that you don't have to worry about coming back to this world unlike during short rides. After all, we all want to escape ..don't we? :)
So..it's that much meditating...

But I'm happy I finally got one... otherwise I would have gone mad.
I'm so fragile when I'm in this suicidal world unlike when I am vagabonding in the other side of the world where there are open and never ending roads, vast sky above your head, rubber on asphalt, the scorching heat, dry deserts, gigantic mountains..all of the beautiful nature!
that time I'm strong...come what may...I conquer it! and I hope this time too, I will...

Cheers!
Lonsomecrow

Latika's Theme

My eyes twitch, they twitch hard and it's growing, it's growing like everything else in this shithouse, the mind, the body, the soul, all in different directions, all wandering in their own way, in their own directions and are uncontrollable. I mean what have you become? A joker in this mad world? All day you talk nonsense, you do nonsense, you give nonsense and you take nonsense? You are insane, a mad dog.

You wake up in the morning and wear your mask, then you roll yourself completely into that fabricated skin, and step into the mad world.

All day long, you don't know what you do, or why you do what you do? and when the day is over, you realize that all you did is nothing but waste, a complete waste of everything. By the time you get back to your swamp, your insanity level has crossed its threshold. You curse over everything, everything that you have got and that you haven't got and why you haven't got what you haven't got and then you start hating everything and everyone in this world.

And when dusk falls over, you take your skin off, your mask off and lay down on your pad and then you remember to take a deep breath, a comprehensive deep breath, and while you're sailing deep down into your breath, you hear the silent yet sharp sound of reaching desert storm in the midnight, a sweet symphony that sea waves make, you feel that warmth and soothing touch of desert sand as if it is beneath you, you feel the mild touch of cold wind from the sea shore on your skin, the midnight blue sky right in front of your eyes is your space!

With every deep breath, you're becoming one with your root, heart and crown chakra.
At this moment, everything is washed out, you have no memory of nothing, there is complete silence inside, a complete comfort, there is no desire, no hope, no will, no feelings.
This is your moment, for you. At this moment you are ONE with it, at this moment, you are home!

First ride of the season

O' Well, I do not write about all my rides unless there is something special to mention. But what the heck? I am gonna write about this one (but this is special too, the first ride of the season ;-) ).

It's been fucking 5 months, 5 fucking months, fucking months 5, that I did some rolling on the roads and you know how much I love roads? :-) I love fucking roads, I fucking love 'em I get the same urges out of it as when you look at some sexy bitches arse', when you look at those poppin' cleavage of her's and its really very hard when you are deprived of both of them at the same time...You know what I am saying right?? ;-) ..yeah you know it!! its everyone's guess..

But yes, I really felt so good, so very fucking goood!!!

Summers usually starts after Mid of March every year but this one took really long to come. I was waiting for a sunny Sunday for long time and here it is, little windy but that's ok' ...thats perfectly okhey!!. Sunday morning rides are always good, so I decided to take a little roll...


Planning is also a good and funny part of any short or long trip...you just feel so free...just look at the map...point anywhere you want to go and boom!! roll on!! ...



I mapped out some 150+ miles trip to the Delaware Water Gap and High Point.

Since I hate interstate highways, I took the other route, the scenic one through the mountains and parks and jungles ...


Wind was killing me little but that's ok (Yes, soon I 'll have to fix windshield on Gandalf which will make my life easier for looong rides that are on the way this summer, wann bet? :) !! ).

Couldn't get much time to frame shots...just few.
Reached early home by 1 pm and wow I have half a day left of the weekend...swwweet lord!! :-)


This ride is special and thoroughly enjoyed it...


try to get lost!!

ek chalis ki last train (pooja express)

Delhi Cantonment railway station, 1:01 am February 21st 1997

In frustration, after loosing three coins, I took a piece of paper and started writing a note "This machine does'nt work, please don't waste your money." and pasted it on the fancy glass box on top of the 1st generation weigh machine at the station.

"Abe kya kar raha hai yeh? koi dekh lega" Gulshan said.
"Machudai" I said.

Both were sitting silently at platform #1 for few minutes and then Gulshan hugged me, bid goodbye and left the station for his home.

This station was very small. It has, may be, only three platforms and you will rarely see any person on the platforms. There are lot of useless and trashed locomotives and boggies on the tracks and hundred of slums around the station with no fence to it. Very few trains stop here and fortunately one of the few trains that goes to north India, pooja express stops here and that too for exactly 2 minutes. So if you are talented enough, you will make it to the train or else...

"Yatri Krupya dhyaan dein, Jaipur se aney wali Pooja express, do ghantey deeri se ayegi. Deeri ke liye khed hai." Lady announced on the loud speaker.

"Maki aankh" I mumbled.
Took my small black bag, hung it on one of my shoulder and started walking towards platform #2 where exactly the train was supposed to stop for boarding.

I took one loney corner and sat on the bench nearby.
And as I was about to close my eyes for a nap, I heard a voice,
"Bhaisahab yeh pooja express issi playtfarm pe ayegi na?" an old man asked.
"Haan shayad, patanahi ayegi to, ..." I said.
"Aap kahan jaoge?" said old man.
"Mein, Jammu. pooja mein jaunga" I said.

He took the seat next to me, put his small black bag on the bench, took out small box and started eating.
"Aap khaoge?" said old man
"Nahi, aap khao" I replied.

"Itnio bheed hai pata nahi seat milegi ki nahi" I said " ap sleepermein ja rahe ho?"
"Nahi beta mein to AC mein jaunga, pass hai mere paas."
"Oh k."

"To beta dilli mein naukri karte ho?"
"Nahi, padne ke liya aya tha"
"acha..."
"Mein lakhnauu ja raha hoon kissi se milne" old man said "waisey mera ghar to delhi mein hi hain."
"acha..."
" 2 behne hain meri ek vasant kunj mein rehti hai aur doosri yahan sadar bajaar ke paas rehti hai."
"Kabhi kabhi milne jata hoon unse"
"To aap kahan rehte ho?" I asked old man " to aap yahan kaam karte ho delhi mein?"
"Nahi beta ab to mein retire ho gaya hoon. mein pehle railways mein kaam karta tha."
"aapki family bhi apke saath yahin hai ki lakkhnau mein?"
"Nahi beta, meri kahan ki family mein to akela rehta hoon."
"Akele?"
"Haan beta"
"Aapki family kahan hai?" I asked.
"Wahi meri do behne aur kuch reshtedaar hain delhi mein."
"Nahi mera matlab apki biwi aur bachche?"
"Mere bachche nahi hain, shaadi hi nahi hui." old man replied in a shaded tone.
"oh acha ... lekin shaadi kyu nahi ki?"
" bas beta mein to karna chahta hoon abhi bhi lekin nahi hui. mere maa baap ka jaldi dehant ho gaya, fir sar pe jimmedaari aa gayi bhai behno ki fir unki shaadi karwayi. Baad mein meri behne bhi apni family mein busy ho gayi aur aise hi time nikal gaya."
"Ohh.."
"Nahi...abhi ladki dhond raha hoon." I shook my head as old man said this.
"Abhi akele koi khayal rakhne wala to hona chahiye. mein railways mein achi post pe tha bahut paisa bhi hai, lekin kya fayda? socha tha bhai behen ya reshtedar kahi karwa denge rishta, lekin sab apne parivaar mein busy rahe aur meri shaadi nahi ho paayi, beta ab kya bataien."
"Ohh.."
"haan lekin ek rishta dekha hai , wahi ja raha hoon lakhnauu mein. Ladki ke ghar waley maan gaye hain, thodi umaar kum hai ladki ki 19 saal. Par uske ghar walo ko koi problem nahi hai...thode paise maang rahey hain...mein de dunga."
"Oh acha..." I was clueless about what that old man was talking about.
"To beta apki ho gayi shaadi?"
"Nahi abhi to mein pad raha hoon" I smiled.
"Beta, kuch bhi ho jaye, shaadi zaroor karna warna baad mein koi nahi poochta, tumhari ghar waley, rishteydaar, dost... koi bhi nahi." Old man said in heavy voice and sighed.

For some reasons, I was always scared about the thought of marriage, even a thought of it was like a nightmare for me.
But today, when this old man said those words, I don't know what happened to me, something has just changed inside me.

He was like 72 years old and looked weak.
"Beta, train ayegi to bata dena, mein zarra let leta hoon." He slept on the bench.

I helped him to get on the AC boggie, before I tugged myself in to the General compartment. It was 3:30 in the morning and after standing for 3 hours, I got to sit on the floor near the door. Door was open and fresh air from outside kept flirting with my hair strands and washing my face. I was looking outside, the ever changing view of light, of darkness, of cities, of villages, of roads, like I was chasing all of them, like I was chasing my dreams in all of them. My mind was blank, rather in a neutral state, a state of comfort, a state of disbelief, state of pain, a state of relief.