Of lone wolves and their rides…

Because sometimes the journey is more interesting than the destination…Because sometimes the journey is more interesting than the destination…

In the journey of life, we all encounter cross roads where life offers you too many choices and too little time to sit back and reflect. Most of us have our ways of getting by, for me it’s usually a long ride that works like magic. My steed of choice is a black 2008 Royal Enfield Thunderbird Twinspark (RE TBTS) (I know what you’re thinking… Why the RE TBTS?? It’s a newbie’s choice… Be that as it may, believe me this RE is pure pleasure without the usual RE hassles)

So one fine morning, I woke up on the wrong side of my bed and decided I needed my head cleared out. It was 4 am. A shower, a backpack and a quick bike overhaul later I was ready to hit the road at 5am. I still had no clue where I was headed though. I went down my usual choice of road, NH08 (the Mumbai-Delhi highway) and headed north bound towards Gujarat. For an interstate highway, it was surprisingly serene despite it being a catch-up hour for truckers. 70 km/hour and December weather…it felt nice to have the breeze wipe away the perplexities that life had to offer.

Before I knew it, I was at the Dahisar check post, the last stand between Mumbai and the rest of the world. For a fleeting instant, I felt like heading back to familiar territory, but I carried on. Right after the check post, I decided to stop for chai at a tiny stall opposite Haveli (a Rajasthani themed dine-in place). I don’t know what was in that chai but for some reasons the mountains in life seemed to turn to mole hills, and I was ready to hit the road again. It’s surprising how the 346cc engine sounds thunderous when it’s revved in my garage but on the highway it was but a gentle purr.

About 90 kms into the ride, I came across a village crossing called Manor. From the cross roads of my life I was now at an actual one. I decided to the left which headed to Kelva. The road was now narrow, but considering the light of day was beginning to rise, it seemed perfectly fine. The road to Kelva was long and winding, uphill and down and was lined with beautiful seasonal lakes and fruit farms on either side. A group of school girls seemed amused to see me ride by and began to wave with ear to ear grins. When I look back now, I realize why the amusement considering I was dressed in my riding gear which would have made me look like a ghostly apparition.

About 120 kms into the ride, I finally start noticing signs of a sea shore. The salty air, cool atmosphere, sounds of the waves and of course sand on the road. After passing the Sitladevi temple I was faced with quite a view of trees and more trees followed by a beach (which was surprisingly clean and devoid of people). I thought I would run into another chaiwala on the beach but nada. Pretty lazy town this or perhaps they don’t expect unplanned tourists like me. I parked the ‘bird on the sand and sat besides it to fathom the scenery and clear my head, which for some reason did not need any more clearing. Nonetheless, I sat back and enjoyed the view.

After several moments I got up to leave and noticed a small gate with a tiny board next to it that read Kelva Beach Resort. I went in to explore and found this pretty big resort nested in there. I enquired and was delighted to learn that they would provide me with a breakfast of omelet, toast and tea.

After breakfast, I was ready to hit the road again back to the usual humdrum of life but this time with a cleared head. I realized, that usually in life we look forward to the destination which could be the goals that we set for ourselves, often neglecting the journey that we embark upon to achieve those goals. Consequently, the journey gets monotonous and the goals don’t seem worth it anymore. Sit, back, relax and enjoy the journey…the goals will follow you.

After breakfast, I was ready to hit the road again back to the usual humdrum of life but this time with a cleared head. I realized, that usually in life we look forward to the destination which could be the goals that we set for ourselves, often neglecting the journey that we embark upon to achieve those goals. Consequently, the journey gets monotonous and the goals don’t seem worth it anymore. Sit, back, relax and enjoy the journey…the goals will follow you.