SOLO BIKE TRIP TO KEDARNATHJI

So 2020 was not so good year for the most and only known life planet, our earth, we are dealing with the global pandemic and still long way to go. Apart from this 2020 has been great year for me, I always looking for long holidays, so this Diwali, I decided to go somewhere alone with my thunderbird 350x. With many others, I am also connected with Lord Shiva. On 9th Nov I decided to go to Kedarnath ji temple by road alone.

Many of my good friends suggested not to go solo cause the road and weather conditions were not so good for travelling in November, par wo kahete hai na ek kida hota hai jo aapko kisi bhi jagah jane ke liye rokata hi nahi, so I made up my mind I told my father that i am going and going alone by road, he told me okay I want to come too but it’s okay if you want to go solo but first buy some decent jacket and all the riding gear you would need.

So I wanted to start riding at 8 AM on 11th November but previous night was final match of IPL 20 and Rohit was playing damn hot so I watched the match and I slept late and I stated my journey little late than I decided.

My target was to reach at Udaipur before 2 PM but I took the road less travelled and away from the chaos, I travelled to Udaipur via aravali villages hill region and it was the best decision I have ever taken. Before 8 PM I reached at Ajmer and I stayed there for a night. I got so many calls from friends and I was overwhelmed. I went to Dargah-e-Sharif and then I called my day off, I was not tired but little disappointed cause my target was to reach at jaipur on the 1st day.

Next day 12th Nov I started my bike at 9 AM, I reached at jaipur around 12 PM so the next target was to reach at haridwar but the traffic of Delhi didn’t allow me to sail as I planned , I didn’t know where to take turn and trust me if you Missed any turn, u had to go to almost 5 km for making u-turn, again because these trafucked situation I only crossed the delhi, I stayed at delhi and after 900 kms Gujrat se bahar ho to 1 beer to banati hai, i was so relaxed and already my next day’s plan was ready, 13th November at 8 AM I started riding again to haridwar, Again i was on the road which map refused to show ( as u know i do not do usual things), it was my mistake but I was not worried cause i have to travel only 250 km in this day. I dont even know which road i have taken to reach haridwar but somehow asking locals and other people I got the correct village road, i was on kolakata- ganga canal road and it was awesome. I was running out of cash , phones battery was about to die , I wanted to eat something, I didn’t find the ATM, but I found the dhaba where google pay was working but my phone got switched off, the dhabba wala was so nice to me he asked to me relax and eat first, Told him that i could only pay after my phone got charged , he asked me where i came from and where i am going , he smiled and told me that bhaiya aap bada hi Achaa kam kar rahe ho, paisa nahi aap bas humari taraf se ashirwad le lena, i was shocked, the faith in humanity restored. I reached at haridwar around 5 pm, I could not go further cause distance between haridwar to sonprayag was 250 km and it was hilly area and it may take more than 10 hours in night and more than this It was unnecessary risk to drive. So i stayed at Gujarati samaj , i left my extra luggage at cloak room and then I went to Ganga Ghat for the very famous Arati “har ki pauri” . it was so soothing, I had celebrated diwali with two little devotees at ghat, i was roaming around to the city, I decided that I have to reach sonprayag before 2 pm so that i could trek the mountain before 10 pm.

On day 4, 14th November I started riding at 4 AM, now i am on the roads of heaven, Tihri dam, Srinagar, chamba, ukhimadh, rudraprayag just awesome, i wanted to take more photos but the road are dangerous and not so wide that one could stop my bird, so i had decided to carry on and my target was to reach sonprayag at 1/45 PM, I parked my bird at paid parking area and left my riding gears at cloak room, there was a huge line at registration counter, till that time I made some friends from the different cities of india, after all these we shared a cab to Gaurikund for around 3 kms and then we started trekking to the Kedarnath ji temple at around 2/30 pm.

Till now i was on road, i was alone and happiest man on the earth, I think we travel for a reason, i had one too, i wanted to find my lost self back.

Then, I had to reach at the top before 9 , its 20 km long trek, so many people were using khachhar, for the very first time in this trip I started my camera, the views from each stops were soothing, Best trip is when u forget to take much photos or something has changed within me which i yet to figure out, but i took few shots, i sat over a steel bridge and wrote something for the reason I travelled , “में तुम्हारी सारी यादों को यहाँ पे छोड कर जा रहा हु लेकिन में बार बार यहाँ पे आत रहूँगा” , i didn’t want to go from that place but as I had to reach so I started trekking again , till the first 10 km it was too easy now the treks were getting steeper and steeper for the next 10 km, people were chanting “har har mahadev”, the energy from this were encouraging me and not get tired, somehow around 10 I finally reached at the top, the temperature was falling down quickly, it was like -10 degree, i was hungry, i wanted to sleep, as it was the last day of the Kedarnath ji temple every dhabavala and cottages were closed, around 120 people were looking for stay but finally Indian army helped us, they provided us a sleeping bag and tent, we all were hungry, i went to the temple and oh my god the decorations were fabulous as it was a time of diwali, i went back to my tent and slept , there was no electricity, with 10% battery left and -10 degree temperature i woke up at around 7 AM, everyone was searching for the hot water to get freshen up, i went to the temple directly and it was so soothing ,the darshan of the shivling , I didnt want to go from there , i wouldn't explain in words but as As we all in the journey and have to move towards next station , I too came back, finally I got khichadi at bhandara and it was tasty and so good that Had to take it twice ( i couldn't resist as i felt its blessings from lord shiva ), On the route of my back journey I hurt my left knee, now the real struggle started, i have to Trek down to 20 km and and 1600 km bike ride, people were asking me to take khachhar, i was thinking what to do what not to, phir achank ek awaj aayi, "this is not you, you are more than this , let’s get up, and i told people that 3 ghante late pohonchenge par me chal ke hi jane vala hu, abhi sirf pair tuta hai, hausala nahi".

Meanwhile i wrote few stories , at 10 pm I finally reached to gaurikund, i had to do something for my knee, i managed to find volini spray, but it didnt work, i shared a cab to sonprayag and got stay with 2 others at one hotel.

Next morning was going to be challenging as i have to travel back to haridwar on same day with broken knee and also it was raining, i took my riding gears and bike back and started my way back to haridwar, i was worried but i know that i can and i will, Now i am away from the people and made few friends but i know that i am not going to meet them again cause I believe in this quote, Even if you see me, You can’t define me, I walk alone searching for the meaning of life. Only way to understand me is to join me. With the minimum speed and lots of care I finally reached at haridwar, got my luggage back from the cloak room, i had shower after almost 3 days and slept cause i wanted to heal my knee as soon as possible cause there are still 1100 kms to go.

Next morning , 16th November I started my journey to Jaipur , the target was to reach Delhi at least with the condition i had, my pain was increasing and i wanted to stop riding but somehow I reached delhi and i stayed there. 17th November i was worried that I can’t make it to Jaipur , so i had decided to reach Udaipur anyhow, 700 km in a day, broken knee , challenge accepted, i sat and was thinking about the past 6 days that i had spent, somehow i got to know my strength, somehow i found what was lost, that anger and rage is back, i know my limits now, so let’s just break it, my previous record was 570 km in a day, but this journey made me believe that i can ride more than this, so around 9/30 pm I reached Udaipur, 719 km in a day finally and my knee was just like before, healed and handsome, i was happy and greedy too.

Next day , the last day I started my bike to home at around 1/30 pm, i reached at my home at 6/30 pm they had welcomed me with quite cute gestures, i was overwhelmed and shocked. All the tiredness was gone in a minutes, the journey ends here but it gave me new plans for the future.

I told everyone that “ अब में रुकने नहीं वाला “

I have learnt lots of things during this long 3270 km bike ride, people are good if you treat them well, you can’t forget someone by travelling, you just get distraction for the period of time, you are never alone, you were never alone , you never will.

“कुछ यादों को बख़्से में क़ैद कर के उसे वहा छोड आओ जहां तुम दुबारा जाना नहीं चाहते” par me vo bakahsa pahado me chhod aaya hu, aur pahad me dubara kon jana nahi chahata ?

Until Next Trip, Turning off my pen & bird

Mr. Joker