Swimming in sunshine

What a great trip this was! Summer fantasy fully fulfilled I'd say - sunshine, backwaters, magoes, fish curry & rice, cold beers, Cockroach, and endlessly lost highways. I thought I did well the first day when I left early and rode about five hundred kilometres to reach Gokarna before sunset. Kudle beach was totally shut in the off-season. Being forced to stay on Om beach was not the most desirable start to the trip but I was off the next morning. A leisurely ride, squid manchurian for lunch and a wild goose chase later I was on Palolem. By this point Cockroach was extremely happy to be back on the highway again, I could hear it from the sound of the engine - I can't say enough good things about Bullets and highways! And Cockroach is one stoned motorbike. Onwards to Candolim (Goa was charming as usual - this is what a highway in Goa looks like) and another day ride took me to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. Family gatherings and random friendships on the inner roads between Ratnagiri and Ganapatipule took up a couple of days. During which time my dad took me to our ancestral house a couple of hours away and we met his distant cousin. I come from sea-side people. I thought as much. Saturday morning bright and early I prepared to leave Ganapatipule for the two day ride towards Bangalore. I rode that day. And I just rode and rode. By lunch the silly little idea of riding all the way to Bangalore lodged itself in my head. So I kept riding. Cockroach was beautiful. The sun set gloriously over the windmills of Chitradurga. The moon rose across the plains on the other side. And I kept going until I reached Bangalore at midnight. Eight hundred kilometres in a day ride. I crawled into my house ready to sleep. Suddenly Gautam's on the phone. "abhi meistaaaar! you're back! come to Maya". "no Gautam I just got back into....", can't finish that thought before, "abhi meistaaar! come on - one nightcap at Maya..." I think for a few seconds and then reply, "ok sir, sounds good."

Millions of hapoos, hapoos for me!

In mango country now - everywhere mangoes. Mango trees line the highways, mango orchards everywhere, mango sellers selling ripe yellow specimens, all hapoos! And I going delirious in the summer sun. Too much it is!

Under the bridge

Off the highway and on a local road somewhere between Palolem and Panaji in Goa. Cruising from one fishing village to the next, finally away from the tourist malls disguised as beaches, I thank Divya silently for telling me about this road. The last three days have been great in terms of riding, but the beaches are the same old Israeli Mexican Italian story. Enter Divya with a good suggestion over the telephone and here I am crossing a little bridge over some backwaters. I look below and see some boys frolicking in the water and a fisherman sorting out his catch. I ask Cockroach to stop and go down to have a chat with him. He speaks Konkani and I speak some mix of Marathi and Hindi and we manage alright for about ten minutes. Eventually I take a photograph. He takes a look and asks if I can send him a copy. Sure, I tell him, what's your address? Address. That stops him dead. Address, he repeats and scratches his chin. Half a minute of silence while he looks at the sky and thinks about it. Then he gives me an address which is so ambiguous I know nothing I sent there could reach him. But I note it down anyway. It takes me two minutes to pronounce his name. Fogu Bhikanpagi. From somewhere his friend shows up. Drunk? Mad? Something. Starts talking about good intentions, bad intentions, god and all. Money. Some people die for the stuff. Ask god for the stuff. Bad bad bad. The afternoon sun is making me dizzy. He's asking me questions. Do you ask god for money? No, I tell him, he gives me enough. Good. So are you in control of your destiny? Yes, I answer without thinking. Hah! He points at me, turns around, and walks away laughing. No, wait, what did I say - "No wait, sorry I'm not in control of my destiny", I shout out behind him but it's too late, he gaaan.