Bulls On Parade to Abbott Mount

Abbott Mount Anacondas

20,21,22 March 2015

When was the last time you drank tap water or from a natural stream trickling down at the roadside? When was the last time you woke up at 6 AM without an alarm and still felt fresh? When was the last time you paused at the side of the road and just stared ahead into the distance? When was the last time you gazed at a sky full of stars?

These are only some of the things that attract us to the Himalayas. It had been a long time since BoP visited the mountains. The last one was to RenukaJi way back in Aug 2014. Opportunity knocked once in February when a Ride to Abbott Mount was planned. This destination had been on the cards for a while. But I ended up having a sprained back a week before the Ride. I was hopeful of recovering by the time of the Ride but it wasn’t meant to be. So, the plan was postponed by a month.

Online research led to the Abbott Mount Cottage as the only place to stay in the region. So a booking was necessary before the Ride. As soon as two more riders confirmed and with little hope in the rest of the group to sign in, I booked the Cottage for 20^th night. In the week leading to the day of departure two more riders confirmed. I had booked a room that could accommodate only 3 people. We were five now. The latest confirmer Ankit was quite hopeful of his place. This turned out to be true when two dropped out citing work reasons. The final tally included:

Asok Rana – Royal Enfield Electra – “Tag karna hai”
Ankit Gupta – Royal Enfield Classic 350 – “Sabhr ka fal”
Diptinder Singh Chhabra – Royal Enfield Electra – “Khench lo”

20^th March 2015:

Gurgaon – Delhi – Moradabad – Rudrapur – Khetima – Tanakpur – Lohaghat – Abbott Mount

I miss the pre-Ride BBB tradition. Blame it on the stricter police checks or the lack of enthusiasm in the members; it is a joyful tradition that has ceased in recent months. We had a long distance to cover, approx. 450 kms. We had to leave very early. So I left home at 3:50 AM, met up with Asok after Gurgaon toll and we reached the Assembly point at Akshardham at 4:20 AM. We made it before time. Ankit made it only by 4:45 AM. During this time Asok and I guided numerous vehicles on their way as they stopped in front of us to ask for directions. Whether they made it to their destinations or not using our superior skillful navigation is another matter.

Ankit arrived and we started our journey at 4:55 AM with a loud chant of JAI BoP. The first stretch has to be the longest. NH24 provided much needed support to achieve this. This highway is now superb. In the current times, I would even go to the extent of placing it at par with NH1. The weather was a bit chilly. The early hours and superb roads helped us cover a good distance in quick time. Enroute we also received caution when we came across a dangerous accident reminding us of perils. The police had reached the spot quite quickly.

We carried on zooming ahead and reached the “Tomar spot” at Brijghat. How we miss him and his hip flask in our Rides now. The sun was coming up as we reached the River Ganges. We weren’t that well prepared for the cold and the sun provided much needed warmth. After a good coverage of 120 kms, we stopped for breakfast at Moga dhaba. This wasn’t the fancy type that we crossed a few kms ago but the typical dhaba that we prefer.

Ankit again arrived a little later as he had stopped after the toll plaza. A cheap remark at this observation ensured that he wouldn’t delay us any more in the rest of the Ride. Hot tea, aloo and gobi parathas were the usual suspects to be devoured. It had taken us just two hours to cover 120 kms. So we took our time at breakfast. We were hopeful of making it to our destination in good time. It was here that Ankit realized that he was the only smoker in the group. This would be troublesome for him. Cigarettes require company.

The stretch ahead of us was also in great condition till we reached Rampur. Now we had to get off the National Highway and take to State highway. The start was decent. But after covering 20 kms, potholes started appearing on the road. Their size grew larger and larger as well as deeper. Now began the Rudrapur phase. Negotiating traffic was tough as there is a huge presence of trucks owing to the large number of industries. The excess load also deteriorates the road condition. Although it is in the process of being four-laned, we had to endure the dreadful state this time. The rising temperatures combined with our jackets only added to the misery. Riding jackets can be quite troublesome at slow speeds as the sweat inside piles up without any trace of wind to dry it up.

We paused for a break only after crossing Rudrapur town. We had covered 110 kms since our last stop. 230 kms covered with only two stops. We were stretching ourselves but it would be helpful later on. Unexplored roads were only starting now. 30 kms on we came across Nanak Sagar lake. This was the first time we were visiting it. The huge expanse of water took us by surprise. We were expecting a large body of water, but this was huge. The other bank couldn’t be seen from where we were standing. But the best part was that the water was clean. No sign of waste polythene too.

We hydrated ourselves on the banks with freshly squeezed sugarcane juice. The road conditions improved a bit as we crossed Khatima. The surrounding greenery also provided respite from the heat. We had underestimated the early morning cold and overestimated the midday heat. But whenever a clean green stretch of road appeared we utilized it to the full. All the miscalculations were forgiven. We reached Banbasa to find a signboard displaying direction towards Nepal. It was quite appealing to head in that direction. But the nearest town of Nepal was 15 kms away. We didn’t even know the distance to the border and the security situation around it. Moreover, we still had more than a 100 kms to go to reach our destination.

We decided to head towards our destination only. We thought of visiting Nepal some other day, or if possible the next day from some other border. Rider Mania 2017 will be organized by RE group from Nepal, FORE. It would be better to explore our friendly neighbor then. We paused for another short break after crossing Tanakpur. The surrounding area was a wildlife sanctuary now. Finally after covering 350 kms, we could see hills ahead of us. This has never been the situation in any of our previous rides. At such distances one can reach Shimla or Nainital and here we were still trying to reach the foothills. Ashok’s Bullet reached reserve here. Ankit and I were riding without a care with the help of our bigger fuel tanks. But now we rode close together.

The road conditions ahead were further improvement and with the hills came curves. We had missed the mountains for a long time. For 40 kms we enjoyed rubbing the footpegs on the tarmac. Then the road became rough. It was well past lunch time now and only small dhabas could be seen by the roadside. We stopped at one such place. The ongoing ICC World Cup provided entertainment. Our meal was simple – dal, sabzi with roti/rice. But it was hot and nutritious. Not bad in taste either. Another noticeable thing was the absence of traffic. We were met by mostly truckers since we turned towards Khatima. Only a few taxis were seen. The road belonged to us.

After covering a total distance of nearly 400 kms Ashok’s Bullet went dry. It had given extraordinary mileage. We took out a litre from Ankit’s Bullet and continued on. After Tanakpur, only small towns had come along the route. This changed with Champawat. This was a proper hill town. Many hotels could be seen too. We were not expecting so from the towns in this district. Online search had shown no other places to stay nearby. Although we had booked the Abbott Mount Cottage for tonight, we didn’t have a booking for the following night. This had caused some worry but it disappeared looking at the wide options we were seeing now. We fueled up at the pump in this town. 12 kms later we reached Lohaghat. This was another big town with more stay options.

We had to frequently ask for directions to Abbott Mount now. The locals were only glad to help. They gave very precise directions even describing the turns ahead. With only 3 kms left to go, the road turned steep. We passed several cottages unsure of which one was ours. With no one to guide us, we carried on until we reached the top of the mountain and into a cricket field.

We asked the players to guide us by showing a picture of the Cottage. This distracted one of the fielders resulting in extra runs for the batting team. After that we didn’t ask any fielder but turned to a kid in the spectators. With precise directions in our minds and high confidence, we descended and ….. reached the house neighboring the precise one. The owner got a little agitated seeing three blokes entering his area. Still, it could have been worse.

The cottage had looked quite picturesque in the online photos. It turned out to be true. It was an old school British cottage full of classic memoirs and artifacts. The porch provided a great place to sit and relax with the view of a floral garden and snowy mountains beyond. The mountains also provided one of the quotable quotes from the caretaker, Keshav Ji. When we asked him about the places to visit nearby, he promptly pointed to the mountains and said, “Saamne Himalaya hai. Chale jao”.

It was odd why the online booking didn’t show vacancy on 21^st night because Keshav Ji told us that only a couple was expected the next night. Tonight we had the place to ourselves.

We asked about snacks on offer. The immediate response was “kya khaoge bolo?” But then whatever we asked for was turned down. “Wo to nahi ho payega, aur bolo”. Finally an order of tea, biscuits and pakodas was settled. Keshav Ji’s son, Basant, was a different picture altogether. He quietly provided us with hot water and room service.

We were quite disappointed on hearing that the cook wasn’t available. We had heard a lot about the food at this place, one of the sources being Highway On My Plate. Keshav Ji told us that they had to be notified in advance for the cook to be made available from Lohaghat. So we left the dinner order with Keshav Ji to be imported from Lohaghat from a place he deemed fit.

After sunset, the air got chilly. Keshav Ji arrived with our order of a full tandoori chicken. Ankit surprised me by bringing out a bottle of Dewar’s. Usually, I’m the one taking out liquor bottles during a Ride. My happiness was apparent. The sky was clear with lots of stars and no moon. And then the BBB started. 

The most talked about topic was Rajaji, our comrade we missed the most on this ride. Keshav Ji had brought dinner from Lohaghat and sat alongside as we finished our drinks. I’m sure it was in good intention but we didn’t like his interruption in our bakchodi. We further risked asking him places to visit nearby even after the “Himalaya” remark. There isn’t much around the place to explore. The discussion was settled with Pancheshwar as the tourist destination for the next day. In contrast, Basant kept up with his immaculate service quietly and kept his distance too. As the night got too cold, we left the porch and went inside in the living room. Now we noticed all the historical items carefully. Some of them were even antique like an old camera and telephone but Keshav Ji allowed us to touch them.

Our order was a bit too much. We couldn’t finish the chicken masala at dinner. By now sleep was overwhelming and we retired for the night.

21^st March 2015:

For the next 4 hours, we had a hearty sleep. Well, except for Ashok as both Ankit and I were snoring loudly as we learnt later. It must’ve been around 4:30 AM when we started hearing cock-a-doodle-doo. It wouldn’t stop. We checked and it was still dark outside. It must have been ages since a rooster woke me up. Given the serenity of the place the crowing was reverberating all around us. We had to endure for an hour until it stopped.

We dozed off for another two hours then started to get up reluctantly. Ashok pointed out that any sort of noise flowed freely throughout the building. So the couple coming to stay tonight will not have their “privacy” if we extended our stay. There was a discussion on the plan for the day too. Pancheshwar was 50 kms away which would take around 2 hours. An extended stay at the cottage would be expensive costing ₹ 3500 a night. Besides, there were quite a lot of options in the nearby towns. It was decided to leave with all bag and baggage, cover Pancheshwar and stay at either Lohaghat or Champawat. This would shorten the distance on the return leg too. The visiting couple would have their privacy after all.

But first it was breakfast time. Basant had prepared bread omelets. The English atmosphere continued as we sat down at the dining table with the cutlery. As we finished our breakfast the sun shone outside brightly. We went out with our tea to soak in the warmth in the lawn. The huge mountain pet dogs gave us company as we fed them bones from the previous night’s chicken. 

It was a feeling quite akin to retirement yet again forcing us to question our daily hectic lives in the city. However it can’t be ruled out that the hectic life only enables us to experience that feeling. It’s a vicious circle.

Now came the tough part of announcing our decision to Keshav Ji. He was persistent in knowing our intention throughout breakfast and then later too. As soon as he learnt that we would be departing for the day, a feedback register was produced. He was insistent on getting a good feedback mentioned personally in his name. There was nothing wrong in his service except for his intrusive nature. He even described an alternate trail to Pancheshwar.

We packed up and went to see the abandoned church near the cricket ground. It was in ruins. We had thought of visiting this place in the night but the cold and drinks didn’t let us. The ruins looked eerie. To add to that there was a graveyard right next to the main building.

 

We loitered around a bit and then headed towards the trail directed by Keshav Ji. It turned out to be fantastic. Although unpaved, the path wasn’t that rough. We were surrounded by trees providing dense amount of shade. At some sections huge red flowers growing on the trees were strewn around in the path too. This was one of the best roads (or non-roads) I had rode on. I would’ve stopped to click some pics but was having just too much fun riding. It stretched for around 5 kms when we reached the main highway.

The tarmac condition now was a vast improvement over what we had faced the day before. This relief was short lived as potholes began appearing again. Looking at Google maps, we were on a very thin line heading towards Nepal almost invisible with the surrounding mountains. After an hour we reached a fork in the road besides an SSB check post. The guard asked whether we wanted to head to Pancheshwar(India) or Pancheshwar(Nepal). Traversing so close to international borders was exciting. It was tempting to take our rides across and let it taste international dirt for the first time.

We opted to check out the domestic section first. Many pilgrims were headed across the border towards a temple. Some local festival was in progress. We were now riding beside a river that divided the two countries. We reached a village where a pedestrian bridge led to the other side. But there was no indication of how a motorcycle could be taken across. On enquiries, it was told that there was an option much further ahead. For now we started to walk across the bridge when we started to wonder what we would do at the temple. We had noticed signboards indicating Mahaseer fishing camps but it turned out that one has to bring his own equipment. It was better to find a way to take our motorcycles across. 

On asking for directions to ride right by the riverside we were directed towards a trolley, half a km ahead. A steep path led down to the river. We took the opportunity and parked our three Bullets right by the water.

 

Usually we utilize every chance we get to have a dip in the water. We skipped that today. I took a nap instead feeling quite heavy in the head while Ashok and Ankit went on a photo shoot. I woke up refreshed and we made our way back to the village.

Now we were ready to explore the other side. We reached back to the SSB check post and took the road to Nepal instead. We were expecting to see an international check post with Gurkhas defending it armed with guns and khukris. This was a newly paved road as well. Surprisingly, it turned grassy and then disappeared entirely. We had reached a dead end. This left us astounded.

Suddenly a man appeared from the side of the cliff. It was then that we saw a very steep path running straight down to the river. From that point, rafts ferried persons across the river to Nepal. This caused much anguish as we would not be able to take our motorcycles. Forget about the machines, looking at the steep path it was questionable if even the men would be able to make it. To make matters worse there was no signal on mobiles so that we could tag ourselves. The feeling was akin of a baby with a toy kept just out of his reach. So it was quite natural that we also turned baby-stubborn and now demanded entry into Nepal, one way or the other. Mahendra Nagar would be conquered, come what may.

It was quite late for lunch now as we made our way back to Lohaghat. This was accomplished in good time. We looked for a place to eat and came across Sharma dhaba. Fish curry and rice was on the menu. After having a taste, three plates were immediately ordered. A very wise man once told me that decisions shouldn’t be taken on an empty stomach. We followed Rohit Saini’s advice and only after finishing lunch started the decision-making process. Maps were opened in mobiles and advice solicited from experienced men enjoying their drinks on the table nearby. Ashok had already involved them into a political discussion during lunch. They did not mind sharing information with us now. It could be attributed to the copious amount of alcohol in their stomachs too. But I’ve always seen that no matter how much the native mountain people drink, they don’t lose their courtesy. One of them immediately responded, “Pul paar karke, jo maangoge, milega. Lekin apni tehzeeb matt khona”. We’ll surely take these words into account on our next foray into Nepal.

It was decided then. The time was 5 PM. We had an hour of daylight left. Tanakpur was 75 kms away. It would take 2.5 hours to cover the distance. The minimalist traffic and better road conditions would be favorable on this stretch. The next day we could leave lazily in the morning towards Banbasa and into Nepal.

We managed to cover 25 kms in the daylight. Now the roads were in much better condition. Only the three of us were riding on this stretch with occasional trucks and buses. A break was taken only after covering 35 kms at a dhaba. Tea and snacks in the form of boiled chanas were consumed. We hung around for a good while as an ST bus also stopped. Some of the curious passengers came across and asked about our intentions. Some were complaining about the severe jolts one faces in the buses. These ST buses are the lifeline in far off places. Kudos to the drivers who drive day-in and day-out carrying passengers from remotest of places to their destinations on terrains that one would be wary of driving even a small car.

We carried on our journey in the still and peaceful night. We took another break as we neared the end of the mountains. All the lights were turned off and we just hung around observing the millions of stars. This was a brief moment of serenity.

The remaining 10 kms to Tanakpur were covered quickly and we took the first hotel at the main crossing. A bargain was struck with the owner on price as we booked a room and parked our motorcycles in the basement accessible through a very steep incline. The service was however poor as we received the same response from the six-odd boys at the counter for every request. The response was fixed at “Staff is on holiday due to navratras” whether the request was getting drinking water, packed dinner, extra towels, utensils or whatever. I wonder how many were actually employed if there were so many of them here right now during festive season.

We refreshed ourselves and went out to get non-veg dinner after asking directions. Returning back to the room with the food, we started our council meeting. The holidaying staff was the main topic of the discussion. Of course, no meetings are now complete without the mention of Rajaji. He would’ve had given a proper thrashing to each of those kids had they behaved this way in front of him.

It had been a long riding day today also and the next day would be even longer. A good amount of sleep was definitely required.

22^nd March 2015:

We woke up lazily had tea and breakfast and got ready to leave by 10 AM. We were on our way to Nepal now. A huge crowd was moving along with us as we neared the borders. We had to traverse carefully through the narrow paths avoiding hitting the number of people. Later we learnt that this was due to a holy festival at this time of year. We kept on asking at each of the checking posts where to register for taking our vehicles across but were always guided towards the next one. This kept on happening until we reached the fourth check-post where lots of other two-wheelers were also stopping.

Here we registered and took our permits for entry into Nepal. We were finally in. Our Enfields had crossed Indian borders for the first time. It was a proud moment. Mahendra Nagar was 7 kms away and throughout this distance, pedestrians were taking up more road space than vehicles. We reached Mahendra Nagar and went into the first bar, Gangotri Gold. Beer was necessarily required to celebrate our entry. This was served in the name of Nepal Ice Beer. Sukkha mutton came as chakhna. The most vital requirement was fulfilled as Ashok took the wi-fi password of the hotel and tagged our group.

We asked our utmost friendly waiter on which place can be visited close by. He recommended the Dodhara-Chandni pedestrian bridge. He also told us how the same festivals were celebrated on both sides of the border. The next task on the agenda was hunt for Khukri rum, identified by Ankit. A good deal of time was spent in this hunt but three bottles were finally procured.

Now we headed into the countryside to search for the bridge. The road condition deteriorated rapidly. We came across one of the turns in our navigation where a guard stopped another man on a bike and told him to guide us to the bridge. We explored more countryside and broken roads at a speed of 15 kph and then came across one of the longest bridges. We thanked our guide for showing us the way.

Riding on the bridge was a thriller. It is quite narrow so one has to stop as another bike comes from the other side. It would be quite a sight when the river following below is full of water but at this time it had converted into a narrow stream. We stopped at one of the pillars where our Bullets could be parked without obstructing the traffic.

A cool breeze was blowing that protected us from the bright sun. Three bottles of Nepal Ice also provided more respite. The feeling of having chilled beer on one of Asia’s longest pedestrian bridges must be unique.

We also paid homage to our Super Dumper, Nishant Jha in our own way.

A rocky trail led besides the river all the way to Banbasa. All the shakes and jolts were endured gleefully. Unfortunately, as a result I lost Nishant’s gifted hip flask.

We returned to our own country and started the long journey back to Delhi. We were dreading the Rudrapur stretch even more now. So, before the pain commenced, we took a break after crossing Khatima at a sweets shop. A platter of dishes was ordered – masala dosa, aloo tikki, chhole bhature, pastries and gulab jamuns (in tribute to our respected Chadha Paaji).

Despite eating heartily and variedly, the bill amount came to a very economic ₹ 210. There was no escaping the pain ahead now. We rode head first into the chaos of Rudrapur. Soon enough, we were rattling all over, men and machines. Clouds of dust, gravel, cement and whatever else the huge trucks were carrying, showered over us. The sun shone brightly and mercilessly. Traffic was piling up. It took a good amount of time before we could get clear of Rudrapur. Ankit started to stop besides the road, but I pushed him along. We were not yet out of misery and it would get dark soon. Riding on that single road in the night will be perilous.

We stopped only after crossing Rampur and touching the superb NH-24. We had managed to reach this point just before dark and from here on we could take it easy. 175kms remained to Delhi, but these could be covered on wide, open, smooth highways now. We had some cold coffee to recover from the dreaded heat faced earlier. Our limbs were tired and aching. Taking some extra rest at this point, we started our journey again.

The long pit-stop did have its affect as Ankit and Ashok opened up their throttles and disappeared soon. It can also be attributed to the babes in a Honda City we saw earlier at the cold coffee place. The smooth highway did wear away our tiredness and we enjoyed our cruising. However, we were not in a rush to reach early and so had another break after covering 60 kms. The problem with a smoker leading the pack is that he stops at isolated places. This leaves the non-smokers with nothing to do while he finishes the cigarette but wait. At least stop near a stall so that others can also have either cold drink or water. They never learn. I guess he was having his revenge on us for not stopping long enough for him.

As the night progressed the air started getting cooler. By now we were completely refreshed and enjoying the ride. We stopped for our final break 20 kms from Ghaziabad. This time thankfully it was at a tea stall. With the final break over, we headed to complete the final stretch. I was still apprehensive on facing a jam while entering Ghaziabad, but it was a smooth run all the way. We bade goodbye to each other at the gathering point, Akshardham.

The first Ride of 2015 was a joy and a long awaited spot was covered. Abbott Mount is a place to just sit and relax with a good book. Our venture into Nepal was an unexpected surprise. Until the next Ride,

Happy Enfielding,

JAI BoP !!!