Bulls on Parade to Alwar

The Alwar Adjutants

22 - 23 Feb

The riding season of 2014 had already kicked off. But there was no time for rest. Riders who couldn't come for the inaugural ride now had the chance to enter the second ride. Keeping this in mind, in the immediate weekend this Ride to Alwar was organized. And what a Ride it was. If the inaugural Ride was completely planned, then this was just the opposite. We did not have a pre-Ride BBB for this one. We didn't do any bookings for the night stay. Even the destination was subjected to change. But then, some of the riders would be starting in the evening. Keeping this in mind, we dropped the idea of going to Churu and stuck to the original destination.

Hence, as per plan, I reached the flag-off point at Leisure Valley Park at Gurgaon at 7 AM. Gyan was on his way from Panipat. Rohan and Vihans had just started from Delhi after a big party the night before. I had to wait for almost an hour before anyone else reached the venue. Keeping me company for a short time was a passerby who came enquiring about the safety gear. He was a local lad and had been riding regularly to Ladakh for the past three years. I guess, my mention of the destination as Alwar must have given a puny impression. But we don’t ride to impress, do we? We discussed more on how spoilt Ladakh is now and how difficult it is for a regular Indian to ride.

The take-off finally happened at 8 AM. I must be careful about reaching on time in the future. The following were the Adjutants, presently:

Rohan Kaushik – Royal Enfield Classic 500

Vihans Gupta – Royal Enfield Classic 350

Gyananath Moshahari – Honda CBR 250

Diptinder Singh Chhabra – Royal Enfield Electra 350

A second group will be joining us in the evening at Alwar.

Unlike the last time, we had speed riders now. Being the slowest rider, I had to play catch-up all the time. Surprisingly, the traffic was lighter than the one we faced during the Deeg ride even though the departure time was nearly the same. The distance till Bestech City Center at Bhiwadi was covered in no time. Pleasingly, the weather wasn’t as cold as last time. We again had tea at that place and also had no phen as last time.

The benefit of holding a second ride so quickly was that all the catchphrases of our previous ride were still fresh and frequently used on this ride too. To add to that, the newer participants added their own catchphrases and the amount of BBB just doubled. One might say that Chadha Paaji was also riding with us, in spirit. He had given us the maximum amount of catchphrases in the last ride.

We moved towards Tijara now. On the way, we passed through the Karishma Kapoor housing society and the Food signs without the store. These details are covered in the Deeg blog. Moving towards the Tijara Fort, we could not pin-point the location from where we had taken an off-road. On asking the locals, we were told that the path had been shut off now. We were directed to a new off-road path through the surrounding fields.

On entering the fields, we stopped to marvel at the sights we were travelling in. Wide open green fields and motorcycles parked in between. Rohan took this opportunity to venture even further into the fields to relieve himself. That sight will soon sport a huge forest in a year.

As soon as we started again, we stopped. The path ahead was muddy enough to sink in but not enough to drive clean through. Moreover, at a few spots where it was completely dry, tractors had made huge tracks that could cause scraping on the undersides of the motorcycles. The going was tough. Foothold was tricky due to wet mud. So we couldn’t walk through and move the machines alongside. We couldn’t ride on the machines because our feet would go deep into the tracks. One by one we did get through. There were few scrapes on the motorcycles, I had a fall, but we were through. Our shoes were all shaded in mud now.

We made forward to the gates of the Fort. All were locked. We had thought that the ruined section that would not be converted into a heritage hotel would still be open for visitors. But a huge wall now covered the entire Fort and there was no way through. We sat there for some time while Rohan studied Vihans’ PUC. This was to become a habit on this ride.

On the way down, Gyan took the sensible route to go back the way he had come up. We went the other way through a short-cut. This was another tricky path and I fell again. As Rohan began to park his motorcycle to come to my rescue, he also suffered a fall. This was supposed to be an easy-going ride and we had already suffered three falls. The rear tyre of Gyan’s CBR was also in complete distress. Rohan had even offered to make grooves on his tyres but he had refused. Being a Dad has made him play safer now.

By now, we were hungry. We went through the Tijara town and stopped at the first dhaba we came across. But it wasn’t serving anything to eat. So, we went to the next one. This one had a rural setting. Rohan described it as “Suvidha Kaksh” and the name stuck. Hot parathas were ordered. We had asked for medium masala. When the parathas arrived, true to their Rajasthani nature they were loaded with chilies. It would be a big dare to ask for maximum masala.

The first batch was gobbled up even though they were so spicy. The next batch was ordered without chilies. The curd and butter that came with the parathas was authentic. None of that fake curd and margarine. We had Amul butter, and a whole 100 gm pack of it. For some, it would be a tall task to finish the meal, but we had Gyan with us. He was wearing a Che tee, so another mouth to feed. On finishing the meal, both Gyan and Che were completely satisfied.

We carried on towards Alwar now. On the way, we encountered another group of Royal Enfields. They were travelling to Sariska. They didn’t look part of any club. Just some friends out on a holiday.

Our riders changed their machines now. Rohan tried his hand on the CBR while Gyan tried his 500. Then Vihans was on the CBR and Rohan on his 350. I couldn’t say whether they had changed their positions while moving.

On reaching the outskirts of Alwar, we stopped at an emergency booth. We had ridden continuously for 40 kms now. This was a big distance without a break. We began to discuss our options now. Entering Alwar city would be entering into a world of chaos. Vihans had travelled here frequently as part of his job at Jaipur. He called up a contact of his and he recommended staying at Siliseth Lake Palace. It sounded like a good idea and we made our way there.

The Palace was property of RTDC. All the rooms were occupied. Moreover, there was no network here so the contact couldn’t be reached. Suddenly, Vihans noticed that the fuel cap of his Classic 350 had fallen off. A few kms back Rohan had stopped at the roadside when he had heard a sound of something falling off the motorcycle. But looking at the road back didn’t indicate what piece had fallen off. Moreover, the fuel cap came on the blind spot of helmet. It was only at the hotel that he realized the source of the clunk.

We started to make our way back to Alwar. Enroute we had crossed another hotel just 4 kms back, Hotel Sariska Inn. It looked like a good enough place to stay. So while Vihans had the fuel cap replaced, we looked at the rooms of that hotel, asked for the rent and decided that this was the place for tonight’s BBB. The short distance to the Lake meant that we could explore that too.

Dumping our luggage in the rooms, we made our way back to Siliseth Lake. We would be travelling on this route multiple times. The sight of jet skis had excited us earlier. But later we learnt that the piloting would be done by the employee. This left us dejected and we opted for a motorboat ride instead. It was a misnomer though as the boat hardly had any speed.

The lake was huge. It was claimed to be 11 kms in perimeter. Sadly, no swimming was allowed. Keeping our behavior in check were rum-soaked raisins. After doing away with the motorboat we took the paddle boat. The going was much slower now. It can be also attributed to the fact that it required manual labor. We can ride for miles and miles on our motorcycles but doing manual labor is something we are just not capable of. The raisins helped in getting us at least away from the deck.

There was conflict going on between Rohan and Vihans over who would control the steering. This spat kept Gyan and I entertained. But it was only for a short time. When it was our turn to paddle, the steerer would always turn the boat around 360 degrees. It took a while for Gyan and me to realize that this was being done deliberately. But once we did, paddle-work was over for us. We spent a leisurely 45 mins on the lake before returning to the shore.

Now we were thirsty. The bar at the hotel was opened and we helped ourselves to some beer and snacks. Sitting by the window, the lake provided wonderful view. Little did we know that Adit and Ankit had reached Alwar and were frantically trying our phones. None could be reached as we were in a no-coverage area.

When we reached back to Hotel Sariska Inn, phones were reachable again and the duo quickly arrived. Another rider, Himanshu would be joining later. The hotel didn’t serve non-veg food but they could bring a packed one for us. We ordered a full Tandoori and a full Curry Chicken. While we were on the lake, two families had arrived and were now staying in the Deluxe rooms. As a result, our waiter Munshi refused to lay down tables in the huge lawn in front of the rooms for our BBB. Gyan asked if the dining area would be suitable and Munshi readily agreed. It was also convenient for him as the rooms were located at quite a distance from the kitchen, while the dining area was just next to it.

Two tables were laid out in the dining area, I brought out my bottle of rum and the rum-raisins and the BBB was on. I thank my Bullet’s leg guard which had kept the baggage from crashing to the ground with my two falls and breaking the bottle. But with six consumers, one bottle was a severe constraint. Our hopes rested on Himanshu who would bring an additional one. He had only reached Dharuhera as yet. It would be a very long wait for us. We tried to maximize our rations by mixing generous amount of cold drink and water. Vihans’ PUC also helped in prolonging the BBB.

Soon we were on our last drops. Out came the football. So after having rum, some of us were running around playing football. It came as a helpful distraction. Another distraction occurred then. There came the sound of arguments from the kitchen. Something was going on with the staff. They were bitterly arguing among themselves and the owner over the phone. This meant trouble for us. We had got our Tandoori chicken, but Chicken Curry was off now.

Vihans went to check what the matter was. After a long time things calmed down again. It seemed we had lost our dinner. But fortunately, things were normal again and we could have some paneer, mix veg and rotis. We were tired of waiting now. After another hour Himanshu arrived. His GPS guided him perfectly to the hotel. He was given a hero’s welcome. Then he brought out the rum bottle, Sikkim. The first round was taken eagerly. But by now the riders were tired and drowsy. The PUC had added onto it. Everyone retired to their rooms.

The non-deluxe rooms were all vacant. We could help ourselves to them. Adit and Ankit quickly retired into one. VIhans and Rohan took the next while Gyan, Himanshu and I took the third. I tried to give company to Himanshu on Sikkim but soon dozed off. Now he was stuck between the stereophonic sounds of Gyan and I snoring. I guess it must have taken a good potion of the rum to finally help him get to sleep.

23 Feb 2014

Munshi had mentioned a waterfall on a path that diverted from the lake. We got up lazily and got ready even slowly. Tea and Parle-G were ordered. Meanwhile an old couple had taken a non-deluxe room in the morning next to ours. The hotel was out of blankets now so Munshi asked in our room whether we were done with our blanket. Without waiting for a reply, he quickly grabbed it and gave it to the old couple. Now that’s called as sharing and caring.

Another sharing and caring happened with the teams of monkeys frolicking around the hotel area. Vihans threw a twig at one of the younger chimps. Immediately, the seniors of the herd began to gather at the rooftops. They were getting into a war-mood now. We all quickly went into the rooms and shut the doors.

When everyone was ready and the monkey-herds were gone, we checked out of the hotel, left the bulky luggage in the dining area and made our way to the waterfall. The road circled around the huge lake into the neighboring villages. The villagers were very excited to see our batch. We reached the parking of the waterfall and started trekking up the rocky path to where the actual fall was. It was miserable. The waterfall was just a trickle. In fact, it looked man-made. One couldn’t even stand under it; it hugged so close to the rocks. 

The pool under the fall was only ankle-deep. Usually we take a dip at such sights without hesitation, but this time we skipped. PUC was again taken out, as well as the Sikkim rockets. An unusual sight was the co-existence of monkeys and langurs here. The two families usually don’t get along together. We were prolonging our time here as we didn’t want to return to our boring city lives. One of the monkeys came down and took a bite out of Ankit’s snake leather helmet. I’m sure that animal will become the king of the family.

After a while we got up and started to make our way back. It was lunch time now and we stopped at Baba hotel near the lake. We took a look at the rooms also and thought of this as an alternative to Hotel Sariska Inn. But had we stayed here, phones would have been unreachable and the rest of our riders would not have been able to join us.

Lunch was again vegetarian until Gyan noticed the presence of a chicken meal at someone else’s table. We also saw wild fowl roaming around the back lawns. A plate of Tawa chicken was quickly ordered. It tasted wonderful. Another point in favour of Baba hotel.

Now it was time for the return journey. Our convoy had grown larger now, from 4 motorcycles to 7. But I was still the slowest one and playing catch-up. On the way, we waved to the same motorcycle group that we had encountered on our to-journey.

The distance to Tijara was covered quickly and the disappointment showed. We had already covered half of the return journey. We considered the idea of returning by Tijara – Firozpur Jhirka – Nuh – Sohna – Gurgaon route. Then Adit brought out the idea of taking the Bhiwadi – Sohna – Gurgaon route. We were already in praise of the Bhiwadi – Tijara road and readily agreed. The Sohna – Nuh stretch was unpredictable.

As we neared Bhiwadi a group of three Enfields (2 Classics and a Thunderbird) overtook us. Plenty of riders on the roads now. All of this has worked well for Royal Enfield. But lets see how many would still be around in the months of May – August.

The stretch from Bhiwadi – Tauru was bad. Lots of trucks covered the road. The industrial strength of Bhiwadi had deteriorated this stretch. Huge, big potholes covered the roads. There came some good stretches but in a limited number. If we were looking to prolong our journey, this stretch delivered it though not in the way we would have preferred it to.

We regrouped near Sohna and then started to look for a theka on the left hand side for our final halt. To my amazement, all the thekas were on the right. This remained true till we reached Gurgaon. But we simply had to have our final cheers. So, we turned into Golf Course Extension road. It wasn’t until Devinder Vihar at sector-56 that a theka finally came on the left hand side of the road. Himanshu had disappeared again. Adit gave him the GPS co-ordinates. We called in another Rider, Vibhor to meet us here. The final cheers was celebrated here and then the riders went on their ways.

The two rides of 2014 have been filled with mad BBB. Full respects to Himanshu for riding alone late at night on these isolated stretches. I hope this trend continues throughout this year. Now the month of March is uncertain as we don’t have any nearby destinations left to cover over the weekend. But I sure hope a Ride does happen in March even if I’m not able to participate in it. The momentum is now built and it should be kept going.

JAI BoP!!!

Bulls on Parade to Deeg

The Deeg Daggers

15 - 16 Feb 2014

RESURRECTION. Thats what BoP needs now. And I'll try my best to resurrect it. The Glory Days of 2009 will return. I am already very pleased to start blogging once more. It has been a long time coming. Udaipur was a welcome break but the mental state just wasn't the same then. This is the true BBB state.

So, as soon as I had my first salary after more than a year of joblessness, action was triggered to go on a Ride. Starting on a new job posed a constraint of not taking a leave. Moreover, leaves were very much needed for Nilu's wedding in March. Only a weekend Ride could be planned in Feb. The shortage of time meant that distance had to be under 300 kms, or else there would be too much riding involved for two days. The next hurdle was location. We are finding it difficult to discover new places to explore. Time might soon come that a destination would be repeated. But until then, we resolve to keep on discovering new locations. Life is too short to repeat a holiday destination. India has much to offer.

Then, the idea struck. Forts have always been BoP's weakness. There lied a small fort that we had not conquered till now, at Deeg, about 180 kms from Delhi. We grabbed this opportunity and decided on Deeg to be the destination. But not exactly, as Deeg would not offer a night-stay option. So we booked Falcon Guest House near the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary.

The customary pre-Ride BBB happened on Friday, 14th Feb. None of the other Daggers could make it though as it was heavily raining. I, myself reached Mayabay in a drenched state and needed a couple of shots to warm me up. Credit goes to the brave souls of Vikas, Adit and Nitin for making it to BBB on Valentine's night.

The scheduled departure time was set for 7 AM. I reached Leisure Valley Park on time. Chadha Paaji had already messaged that he's on his way. I called up Vihans and he was trying to get Rohan along for the Ride. However, due to certain complications, that didn't happen and Vihans took Rohan's Classic and came along with Ankit. Chadha Paaji arrived in his traditional track pants. He was feeling cold and asked for spare inners. I had none and if by any chance the others were carrying any, they wouldn't fit Chadha Paaji. The Chandni Chowk brothers reached at around 7:50 AM. The Daggers were now:

Sandeep Singh Chadha - Royal Enfield Standard
Vihans Gupta - Royal Enfield Classic 500
Ankit Gupta - Royal Enfield Classic 350
Diptinder Singh Chhabra - Royal Enfield Electra 4S

Around about 8 AM, we set off and the maiden 2014 BoP Ride was in progress. JAI BoP.
We had selected a longer route for our journey. This way we would get more riding action. We set off on NH-8 till Bhiwadi. The traffic is a nuisance on this highway. December 2011 was the deadline and still no progress has been made. Moreover, the foggy weather made it worse. Thankfully, we had to turn off it at Bestech City Center at Bhiwadi. The short riding distance enabled us to take the journey on a leisurely note. Everyone was feeling the unexpected cold weather of mid-Feb. Some tea was taken to warm us up. Vihans was also taking in warmth by watching Karishma Kapoor billboards.

We took the Bhiwadi-Alwar route. Lots of townships have been set up on this road and plenty more coming up. "Luxury" is such a common word in advertising now, doesnt mean the same anymore. The road is in an excellent state and now even tolled. I guess thats what keeps the smoothness maintained.

On the way we encountered the turn to Tijara. Its a common thing now. Whichever road we take, there's always a turn that takes us back to our past rides. Lots of memories there too. But right before that there was a funny incident. Just a couple of kms back, we were starting to feel hungry and some signboards attracted us. There was a different menu item on each of them and an arrow indicating the way to the food shop. But, there was no restaurant there. So, all we read was Chowmein, Milkshake, Dosa, Chhole Bhature, but could not locate the place which offered them. This became a good source of laughter later on.

Just ahead of the Tijara turn, we stopped for breakfast at a dhaba. Out of all the things in the ride, this is the one I look forward to the most. By breakfast time, everyone is wide awake and well into the riding mood. Everyone is hungry too and this stimulates their funny bone somehow. Hot tea and parathas were served. We gobbled them up in zest.

When in a ride always expect the unexpected. After finishing the meal, it was the time to pay. As usual, we formed our money pool and handed over the shares to Chadha Paaji, our regular treasurer. Chadha Paaji plainly refused. Maybe because he didn't have his excel sheet printout with him, but whatever Chadha Paaji says, we follow. Vihans was stuck with all the money pool and the duty was forcefully delegated to him.

We carried on towards Alwar now and were greeted with another wonderful sight. The road took a turn dowhill and curved. We refer to such roads as Manali Road and always stop at such sights. Rajasthan always throws pleasant surprises. It was here only that Ankit came out with his catchphrase "Lifestyle". We were travelling with the rich and famous and becoming part of his lifestyle.

As we neared the city, the sun started to show its face. But the wind was still cold. Traffic started increasing. We bypassed the main city and took the road to Bharatpur, which passes through Deeg. This time a super heavy motorcycle was coming the opposite way, the make of which couldn't be identified. It seems we weren't the only ones looking for off-beat routes.

We must have covered 50 kms now. It was far enough to stop for a break. The short distance made us afford regular breaks. While Vihans and Ankit were racing far ahead on their Classics, I kept in the middle with Chadha Paaji keeping at his regular 65 kph discipline. Even with the sun out, it was still cold. The wind was chilly.

Deeg was only 20 kms away. The roads continued to be excellent. Distance was quickly covered and we went up to the Fort. Crossing the moat in our motorcycles and then entering the fort was like the return of warriors. Only thing missing was princesses showering with petals. And some neatness, of course.

The sight wasn't pleasing. The walls of the Fort were crumbling. A group of children were playing cricket inside the Fort. The nearby tower looked inviting and we made our way there. Lo and behold, on climbing to the top, a great big cannon was mounted. It was massive. How the cannon maintained its corrosion free existence despite the poor maintenance of the Fort was beyond belief.

We took seats on the topmost part of the Fort near the cannon. The other towers were all destroyed. Another cannon was visible in the distance at the second tower. The ruins of two other towers were also spotted. Ankit shared the knowledge that this Fort hasn't ever been captured. No surprises there given the size of the cannons. To celebrate the occasion of the Daggers reaching their destination, we cheered on rum-soaked raisins.

We could have sat there longer were it not for our stomachs. Also, as per Chadha Paaji's schedule, it was lunch time. We have to stick to the schedule.

Bharatpur was only 35 kms away. On reaching the outskirts of the city, we asked the way to Saras Circle, where our hotel was located. There were two routes, one through the city, the other via Agra-Bikaner Road, which we preferred because of better roads.

The Falcon Guest House was located in a residential area where most of the residents have been converted into Guest Houses. It had ample parking space for our Bullets. The Family room we had booked wasn't available. So, we replaced it with two double rooms. Unfortunately, they weren't close together. Moreover the second room was quite small. Vihans noticed the vacant bigger rooms on the ground floor and dumped his luggage there. The terrace looked like a great place for the evening. But first, we needed food. The family running the guest house was very kind to prepare us a vegetarian, but tasty meal at that un-lunchly hour, that too accompanied by a beer. It was nearly 5 pm. We ate to our full.

One of the hosts was Digvijay Singh, or Diggy as we came to know the day after. The lack of sleep of the previous night and the satisfying meal made us drowsy. His family was running the guest house and he was the errand-boy. His accent wasn't Rajasthani, but Haryanvi. The origins were from Faridabad. In the parking, another Classic was parked. Diggy claimed it to be his. It was later in the evening that we realised what a big show this guy was. He raised many tall claims like "The chassisss of the Classic broke because he ran it for 50000 km in a year.", "Falcon is Rajashtan's oldest guest house", "All the guest houses in that row were owned by his family", "I am a dentist". All of this caught the attention of our Vihans. You cannot stick all these false claims in his face and he decided to give it back to him later on.

We decided to take a short nap and then catch up later on around 7 pm.

After a short but filling sleep of an hour, we started to prepare for our BBB session. Tandoori chicken was ordered, which Diggy promptly went to get from the market (on his Scooty). As per Diggy, they had taken out the Tandoor at their hotel due to lack of demand. Usually foreigners came to their guest house staying for long-term and they preferred veg food. When the Tandoori chicken arrived, it looked quite frail. On top of that, Diggy tried to justify it that Tandoori is prepared like this only, 600-700 gram chickens. Maybe he hadn't ever eaten chicken in Faridabad.

All the efforts and preparations for a Ride come to this moment. The BBB night. This is the reason we travel to far-off places, brave the cold and fill our faces with dirt. With only a few days of winters left, Old Monk was the menu of the night. Chadha Paaji had been taking some medicine for his stomach and got permission for beer from his doctor. He asked the host (Not Diggy) for a bottle of beer from the terrace and then followed it up with a question, "Main neeche aaun lene?". The host promptly said yes. Since then it is said that "Chadha Paaji udtaa hua teer apne seene pe le lete hain". With everything set in place, the BBB took off.

Diggy became the main topic of the night. When asked about the fauna seen in the sanctuary, he told that even animals could be visible in the bright sunshine. When asked which animal, he proudly said, "Ajgar". We expected to hear wild boar, or black buck, but "Ajgar" took us by surprise. The "Lifestyle" was already a topic. Another one that got added was the difference between "Rested" and "Relaxed". The explanation is Daggers' copyright and cannot be shared in an open forum.

During the BBB, another guest was coming out frequently, took a walk and then went back inside his room. We asked him if he would be interested in having a peg with us. The reply was, "We are in the same boat. You are also drinking and we are also drinking". We said Cheers to that and he quietly departed.

Also among the visiting guests were two aged ladies. While the BBB was going on they came and stood at a corner fiddling with their iPad. Dunno, what they were looking for but they stood there for a very long time. Maybe they were looking for an invite, but their attention was solely on their iPad and ours on our glasses. Vihans and Ankit excused themselves by saying that they had their back to them. My excuse was that I never bother other guests. That left Chadha Paaji. Everyone turned to him and commented that he should have invited them. They must have been so disappointed by him.

Diggy kept bothering us as the clock struck 10 pm. Dinner was served. We had pre-ordered Butter Chicken which he must have brought again on his Scooty. As we started on our dinner, Diggy again went to his tall claims. By this time, we had had enough and Vihans retaliated.
Sometimes we were members of a wildlife expedition and sometimes affiliated with Lonely Planet. I tried to change the topic a couple of times by asking Diggy details about the bird sanctuary, bit he failed to answer. The result was that this provoked Vihans even more. There was no end to it now. Vihans even named a few of his local contacts at Bharatpur. It came to the point where Diggy had no further answer. With the dinner over,
We retired for the night.


16 Feb:
our plan was to roam inside the sanctuary ttoday. Breakfast was included in our bookings, so we took the opportunity to wolf down poori bhaaji. Chadha Paaji always has his exclusive menu and ordered bread omelettes instead. I should mention here that no sweet dish was offered by the staff the previous day. That alone blacklists the hotel from BoP's list.

We were in for a revelation now. It was breakfast time and Mr Digvijay Singh was nowhere to be seen. His mother cried out, "Diggy, 10 baje tak so raha hai".  Hearing the nickname had us in splits. If only we had known this yesterday. When Diggy came, he was all polite now. The bubble had burst.

During breakfast, we also got in coconversation with a British tourist staying at the hotel. He was an elderly chap and had also owned a Royal Enfield when he was 16. It's the Bullet that unites us. He also planned a future tour of the Manali-Leh road in September with two more buddies. Chadha Paaji shared a few contacts with him that would help him in organizing his trip.

Diggy had mentioned that electric rickshaws could be hired at the sanctuary gate. As true as his other claims were, none were visible at the gate. Another fact he had claimed yesterday was that there's a unique thing that one would spot only here and nowhere else, that is, Sikh rickshaw pedallers. While it is true that there are many Sikh rickshaw pedallers there, it isn't the only place. One can guess Diggy's knowledge now.

We took our motorcycles till the interior parking(there's another parking right at the entry), hired two rickshaws and began our bird-watching adventure.Immediately came the regret that we should have hired bicycles instead. Although the rickshaw pullers doubled as guides, we were now in a bound state which we hate. With bicycles, we could have roamed around freely. 

Unfortunately, bicycles could be hired at the outer gate only, so we were stuck. Lots of birds were visible. This was the season to visit the park. Lots of tourists also. Some of the migratory birds that we saw were ibis, purple ibis, eagle, coot, stork, egret and I have forgotten the names of the rest. I'm lucky to remember these ones only. 

Our guide stressed very much on the bird Dabchick. He used to recite the same passage from his training everytime one was visible. The passage also mentioned Haryana Tourism's Dabchick resort on the Delhi - Agra road. We heard about it plenty of times and thought of having lunch there only. 

One hour passed quickly as we reached the centre of the park. From here on, if one wants to travel, the rickshaws take 4 hours worth of money. We had to return back to Delhi, so we decided to head to one of the walking trails where Vihans and Ankit could have one of their joint meeting. It was getting close to lunch time and that made Chadha Paaji anxious. Ankit hurriedly created a tourist spot which attracted other tourists too. The details are a copyright of Dagger and not to be shared in an open forum. Vihans finished the meeting hurriedly and we made our way back. 

We had already checked out and settled the bill at the resort. We wanted to say goodbye to Diggy but he wasn't to be seen. With bags packed and loaded, we started for the Lohagarh Fort. Here also, we crossed a moat and entered the Fort. But inside the walls was a full-fledged city. The local people had taken over the Fort. The King lived in his lone palace, Kishori Mal inside the walls. We couldn't find the way to the palace. Photographs of the Bullets were taken outside the museum gates. Nobody was interested in exploring the museum. So we started to make our way towards Mathura. Interestingly, the road led to the second exit of the Fort and we crossed the moat again. 

The road to Mathura was also smooth though muddled with big speedbreakers. We touched the NH-2 highway at Mathura expecting to see a whole lot of traffic. But pleasantly no. We stopped at the first dhaba after crossing the city limits. Dal tadka, Chana masala and aloo jeera were ordered. Lachha parathas were also ordered. These are the favourite of Chadha Paaji and he must have been craving for them since the Ride started. Unfortunately, no sweet dish here too so he had to make do with curd. 

Now remained the 130 kms to Delhi and the time was 4 pm. I made it a point to click a pic of Dabchick resort and then met up with the others at the toll just before Palwal.

We said goodbyes here as I would be turning towards Gurgaon from Palwal. Upto this point I was debating whether to go for Megadeth concert at Greater Noida or not. But I realised then that I wouldn't be able to mosh properly even if I made it to the venue. So, I decided to skip the concert and took the turn for Sohna from Palwal. 

This Ride was turning out to be a pure countryside trip. We had hardly spent any time on the major highways. And that is the best, in my opinion. Country roads are in much better condition. The road to Sohna from Palwal was also excellent. I made it home by 7 pm. 

This kicked off the 2014 Riding Season for BoP. Although very short, it allowed us much more time for a leisurely ride and proper BBB. At no point in the ride did we feel bored. A special thanks to Diggy without whom this Ride would have been devoid of memories.

I hope this Ride injects the much needed adrenaline in other riders and they will start coming out now. Another weekend Ride is on the horizon now to Alwar. 

JAI BoP!!!