Finding my soul on 2 wheels -4

Eisenheim: From the moment we enter this life we are in the flow of it. We measure it and We mock it, but we cannot defy it. We cannot even speed it up or slow it down. Or can we? Have we not each experienced the sensation that a beautiful moment seemed to pass too quickly, and wished that we could make it linger? Or felt time slow on a dull day, and wished that we could speed things up a bit?

(A Dialogue from the movie,The Illusionist.) 

Chapter 4 : Riding the Dream

The Sun has calmed down a bit and I am about to reach the day's rest point.It has been a flat course on the first day of the trip except for the last 5-10 minutes, when I have had the first tryst with the valley, marking the beginning of what would be a romantic date with nature.An unknown calm sets in, i feel resurrected and small at the same time.I see a clarity in my thoughts and understand that this is what we call as unbridled joy and freedom.Today at 4 a.m.in Itanagar I spent a minute or two in solitude, gazing at the cloud covered mountains.I could hear them call and at this moment I embrace them.

                                                   On our way to Likabali

A journey is like the course of a river, it is destined to flow into the sea, but the path it weaves forms its essence.A journey is like a game of football , it is about the sliding tackles,the penalty kicks , the 50-50 balls,it is about every second of the 90 minutes.Sometimes a journey is like swinging on birch trees,for a moment leaving the earth into a free space and then returning back to start all over again.I had a journey of stumbles,falls,jumps,skids,punchers,smokes,rivers,waterfalls,rainbows,mountains,clouds,grasses,winds,rubble,horses,rains,songs,teas,samosas,apong,maggi,rice,solitude,bliss,peace,clarity and on and on.I was fortunate that i had friends to share these with.Happiness is a way of travel and at some point in this journey I found my way.

The journey of a river

On my second day on bike I knew that I was doomed to move in circles.At every 50-60 meters was a blind turn and brakes,decelerate,change the gear,honk,bend,turn, accelerate was to become a never ending regime for 10 more days to come.On an emotional level i was getting entwined with nature.The sweet fragrance of wet grass welcomed me as i entered the valley, but as the trip progressed i became a part of the aroma.What began as singing songs in the dark bubble of my helmet  was soon replaced by a natural symphony.With the passage of time , the rain felt less harsher,the water less cooler and every passing turn on the road more familiar.I realized I was becoming a part of the eternity and this was not a dream.

 The Bikes

Biking on a Royal Enfield in Ladakh was a completely different experience from what I was having in Arunachal.The best thing about biking here was that the roads prepared you for the next day.What started with flat roads on first day soon turned to never ending circles.Slowly these circles became narrower and landslides became imminent.And when i thought this would be it , it started raining.In fact I rode for one whole day in rain on the most difficult of the tracks.There are somethings in life which come as expected and then there are those which are unexpected.It is this anticipation of the unexpected which makes biking so exciting.On a rainy day there were many instances when I had to just go into the puddle and leaving things to fate,i wrote of this earlier I had to take the plunge.

Love the bike.

The chilly wind will not stop and the incessant downpour  adds to the cold. The deluge has washed away the road at many places. In addition to the apprehension which every blind turn brings, there is a high probability of the tyres slipping in the boulevard. Slightest of error will bring me close to the river which I have been admiring from this high altitude and in rather precarious circumstances. But there is still too much to see and marvel at, the joy of riding in the rain, the delight of every morning. So I just  move on and on.

Moli Bhai and me in Menchukha

You are a bit tired from the ride and you enter a tea shop to have the whole place on your own,this feeling of space made me often feel at home.If you have someone like Moli as your riding partner there is no chance of being bored.Often correcting his lyrics and understanding the theory of Adiabatic Penis ,taking videos, time just flew by.In the process I learnt discipline and patience.Someone has rightly said,"Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears."

Lights,Camera,Action