Monsoon Madness

Well, it was madness to the 'T'. Was one helluva ride :)

Started at 5:30 am on a lazy Sunday morning (and that
meant I had to wake up at some ungodly hour) and ended
at around 8 pm the same day, thankfully. There were
around 15-20 other jobless people ready and raring to go
Except for the virtually non-existent roads in the villages
the ride was smooth and was a joy. Every small village you
visit bears the sign "Pradhanmantri gram sadak yojana"..
and it is literally that.. you can hardly see a gram of tar in
these far flung places. It was also educational - no, I didn't
learn anything about how windmills operate and are good
for the earth or so - but what I did learn was that I am a
spoilt urban resident. It has been ages since I rode pillion
on a bike and it was extremely difficult to get used to it.
My sense of safety has so heightened after my short stint
abroad - it made the ride worse.. for the person driving :)
Ofcourse the usual signs of spoilt citizens like electricity,
good roads, communication lines, easy access to the
global market etc were absent and thats when I realised
I was spoilt :)

What I brought back with me were the innocent smiles and
the curious looks on the faces of many kids (and adults alike)
lining the path of our drive.. that is something that is hardly
visible in the urban areas. Kids today are so grown up they
hardly have any curiosity and adults are so busy that they
forget to smile at the simple joys of life.

Though most of the 350 odd km's we drove in one day were
good, the 200 odd kms of rough/hilly terrain killed my back.
Thankfully there were no breakdowns or accidents (in our group).
So, would I like to go back on more such adventures... Sure,
why not! Its fun, its thrilling, it sharpens your risk taking nature
and pushes you to try out daring adventures even more ... despite
the screwed back.