Day 2 and 3 as we head to NERM

Backlit Sunrise

              So there we were all set to leave at 0400 hrs. but then the time was really 0500 hrs. Before we could take off, as the so called senior riders were lazy asses who were not saddled up by 0400, now we had a doctor in our team so we were sure all medicines would be in his bag and we would only have to ask for help as and when we desired it, life was going to be good and we could be irresponsible to some extent. By the way Kodarma from we started is in Jhumritallaiya, so yes there is a real Jhumritalliya.

Waiting waiting for food 

Roti - Daal - Aloo Bhujiya

breakfast stop it is: we have been making good time by now

We are at Chakai at 0900 and ODO is at 2275

                 We reach katoria at 1010hrs odo says : 2465

And we stop for lunch at Purnea highway at 1444 hours, ODO- 2465, I was famished as always and no one else seemed to want to eat, well I am always hungry I feel while all others are superhuman who need no food,

This trip will have many a selfie I think

                  One of the riders managed to get into a crash a head on collision, n lucky to get away with no injury – it was him against a auto rickshaw, n luckily the only thing that got crashed is his ego and water bottle carrier, and we lost a few hours as he insisted his bike needed to be checked well we did meet a mech who offered to take him to the Enfield showroom for a check up and sure enough landed up at his friends garage trying to get him to get the his bike fixed there, Honest Indian you see, well we did find the Enfield showroom and get the bike fixed, which basically had nothing wrong , n the showroom guys just lubed his chain and send him off.

Riders from Koderma, Jhumritalliya

We fuel up and are on our way, we hope to reach shiliguri by nightfall, the roads are 4 lane and we should be making good time.

Ganesh and me

                   As we ride on there is a small mishap, and the chain of one of the riders, Ganesh snaps and its David and his magic that gets around to fix the chain of the Himalayan before we reach shiliguri at 1145 hours, the ODO : 2720,   We have managed to ride: 560 km on day 2, that’s a good days ride, I say and had a good day of riding all over with a few mishap thrown in.

                   We meet 3 riders from Patna, new friends are always welcome, and we have dinner together at Hotel TEESTA in jalpaiguri as there was too much traffic in siliguri and we could not navigate around the traffic to enter Siliguri.

day 2 Route

DAY 3:

The next day as was to be expected we start out a little late – it’s almost 0830 hours as we start out, we get gas at:

OD: 2789 and get food too, breakfast -  and we are on our way 

69 years old rider from Patna

target is Tejpur, so today will be another mad dash to make miles, I am getting a little bored of riding like a maniac with just putting miles under the wheels seems like we are just riding and riding without stopping to see the world around us, but then this is how it is.

we stop for a late lunch at 1500 hours we are in assam , chapakori is where we are and there is still 90 minutes of daylight left that we waste with a bad choice of a dhaba - resort that takes way too much time to serve food, this will result in us riding well into the night something thats  bad  while on a bike ride.  Most of the riders hate the idea but are not willing to voice there unwillingness to ride late, I too am getting bored of speaking up for them, as they are  not speaking up for themselves, ( actually I am the only one who keeps suggesting lets not ride at night) 

we did manage to reach Tejpur at night well past midnight  at 1215 hours and I almost slept off while on the bike, it was scary and could have well resulted into me heading under a truck, 

WE had reached simalguri at 1730 ODI- 3052.   

We rode on wonderful roads all 4 lane highway for mist part till we were 40 km from Guwahati, from here we veered off towards Tezpur and faced the worst highway ever, it was mostly broken roads and huge potholes for almost 8o Km, with craters all over the road, while Google did suggest we do not take this rad as it was 40 Km shorter we were to tired to bother to think why Google is saying so, yes we did pay the prize and I had to get my rims changed as it got bent out of shape .

the days ride we clocked 700 km on day 3.we had ridden a good 
1500 km in 3 days

Day 3 Route

I know I am not riding with this group from the next day for sure
 as-

Appu Kuttan and Me 

I was going to start my ride with APU Kuttan from Inddie Thumpers from day 4, where we would probably be at a more relaxed pace see the world around us as we ride.

to be cont ...  

North East Riders Mania ( NERM) diary - day 1 comes to an end.

Day 1 - route

After the hiccup of realizing that my saddle bag was left in Kolkata, n we having to buy a saddle bag last moment, (lucky I found one I liked, it was more big then it needed to be, but than I did not know that when I bought it) 

31st Nov- morning is already here and time to head out for the 15-day trip to NERM, nerm starts on 10^th and we had 11 days to reach the event

The first day saw u start out early morning, 0600 hours but as is usual we just hung out in Jamshedpur itself and was 0900 hours 

David, Sisir, me, Ganesh and Raees were finally on our way and we were still getting ready, so there we were in jamshedpur and getting impatient to get going for the trip, as we headed out I realized my summer bike protection 

Saddled up and ready to head out 

was not going to be enough and I again went back home and wore my riding jacket, and

Boy was I glad for the rest of the trip that I did that, for it did get cold as the day went along,

Fuelled up full tank, odometer said: 01830km, we were out of jar via choke, and we stopped at choke were till the RKMC boys had come to drop us off,

It was a grey day and the sun dint really shows up, we found ourselves in Ranchi and stopped for a snack at

1145 hrs. odometer : 1983

Snack really, I am getting impatient with the guys for being so slow on food but all seem to want to go hungry so I keep quiet and go along with some samosa and jalebi.

Not enough food in me

BY 1330 WE WERE IN HAZARIBAGH, and it was going on a good clip, we were making good time, 2080 Km the odometer said and we continued on with a stop in bokaro to get a bike fixed that was shorting out, n finally with daylight getting low we were in kodarma at 1710 hours, odo: 2138 km

We had done: 308 km in 8 hours of riding it was a slow start and I was all for taking a break for he day and relaxing and spending time in Kodarma with the kodarma boys who were to joining us for the rest of the ride, there were 3 riders who joined us at koderma and we had a lovely chicken and roti meal and rode around the city like idiots with lights blazing no one in Koderma really cared that there were bikers roaming the streets but then such is life. we are sometimes so full of ourself.

We fueled up and hit the sack early as we planned for a 0400 hours departure there would be 9 of us from this point on.

to be cont ...

The wedding

Grooms Family

Here comes the bride

One of 4 rounds

Bride groom and people

Legalese

Bride comes home

Blessing the groom

Sindoor 

Married almost

One more step

You are mine

I am yours

We are married

Off to Delhi for a wedding

Rahul with parents and sister

My cousins walking towards his next ( 2nd phase of life)  as he loses his freedom, marriage never seemed to work for me, hope it does for him,

Me with the Train approaching the station

We start from Jamshedpur, Rajdhani is the train to take to Delhi, we boarded and am in compartment A2, while 2 aunt and a uncle and his wife is in A1, maybe we will all get together on the train, or not, waiting for the TT as I look at the new train packaging of food.

Took the first bite of food, not too bad, the samosa is quiet nice and warm

As the train rolls along the TT offered to change my seat to be with my family, n I agreed, surprised the TT was going out of his way to do it, but the A1 compartment is packed and so warm, n kids wailing, no I am back in A2, have no patience and love my solitude to be here n watch a movie and use my time then just sit and do nothing