Journey are a way of life!! A man with Machine

Journeys are a way of life. We wade through life looking for a purpose, seeking one milestone after another, looking for destinations but realizing that very often than not, there is no end to a journey.For a vagabond like me, my alter ego lies in a spirit that is lost in a open roads, running down the hills, getting soaked in waters and reliving the past in a monument.

In one moment many years ago, I remember when I was growing up I had a dream,, Having never ridden a motorcycle, or known anyone who had one, this idea might have seemed absurd on its face. After racing with the collage biking team in first year, that was the point I loved the speed, the open roads and the the bike which is my personality. It is who I am. It represents freedom and adrenaline; it separates me from the squares. So just before Valentine's Day, and finally this summer I gifted myself my dream machine....

I’m often asked why I travel. Am I am escapist, shunning civilization? Do I want to run away from the “real" life and holiday all my life? Or is it a way to forget myself.. Even worse, for many, travel is all about Lonely Planet, must see places and a photograph as a souvenir behind a monument a proof of been there, done that! I’ve been through all of these stages and more.. To begin with my journeys have been more “real" than an escape and in the last few years specifically, they have shown me the path more than once. It’s more of a self discovery, where the choices and dilemmas in life become more obvious and yet, I have let life take its own path, like the meandering road .When in doubt, my motto has been look for the road not taken.

For me It’s about my passion, A urge to get away, it’s about meeting new people, it’s about a place which u never thought u want to see, It’s about unknown challenges. For me a ride is like reading a book I am not bothered how many pages I have read or how many pages left to read it’s the feeling that holds you on is Ecstasy. Every road has a new story to tell and every ride teaches me a new thing, Riding taught me patience, determination; Endurance and responsibility. It may sound unrealistic but one has to experience it to believe it. Every place I reach has something new that takes a place deep in my heart… Travelling has taught me to appreciate the finer nuances of nature. You may argue that a sunset is a sunset and the same butterfly flits in and out of the flower in your balcony. However, it is only after you see the crimson reflection in the far away waters and the wild flowers in the jungle that you learn to appreciate these finer points of life. On another note, it is perfectly fine if you can’t scale the mountain or go deep into the forest or climb those craggy cliffs. In real, you don’t have to travel far to reach out to the nature..Sometimes it is just a few steps from where you stand, but a lot of miles in your mind, as you go through the various mazes of thoughts to arrive here.I’ve realized is all about perspectives. It is about looking at life with a different point of view. Sometimes you see a kaleidoscope of colors; many times it’s a monotone of browns. The barrenness hits you, the fertile greens lure you, the blues become you..But you learn to appreciate each for its uniqueness. The various cultures fascinate me, but you realize that it’s not possible to trade lives. For many, a shepherd's life seems to be ideal as the urbanite often thinks the life of a rustic is simple yet fascinating..Yet, their challenges are something that I need to grapple with. I’ve learnt some of life's hardest lessons while riding. It is not about managing the extremes of weather or pushing oneself to scale another mile, but it’s about human relationships. I’ve made friends, lost friends, been touched by a stranger and been hurt by companions..And yet as emotions come and go, you learn that be it the mountains or the monuments, they have withstood ego and passions. You learn to let go as you realize that human nature is extremely frail...you are just a microcosm in the entire universe and strangers will replace friends who in turn become strangers. All roads may not meet all the time, sometimes as friends you take different paths, sometimes you choose to avoid the other's path, at other times, you just turn around and take a different direction, but you need to walk on..Till you meet another human face at the end of the road

"What do we leave behind when we cross each frontier? Each moment seems split in two; melancholy for what was left behind and the excitement of entering a new land!!"

While riding I’ve often lost myself in the past - in a world of myths and monuments. I’ve unearthed tales and they have brought out the child in me looking for stories in every stone. The silence tells me that I’m part of the "past" as well. The present is however where I belong and the future is a question of time.

After so many years riding in all Weather’s ranging from desert heat to mountain snow. Amazing days and days, I have gone through almost all the emotions and agony of life, there were days when I wondered what the hell I was doing. And the days when I couldn't have felt more alive. Moments when I was sure I was going to die and moments when I thought I could ride by myself forever. At Nights when I just wanted to be at home and at Nights when I wanted to sit up all night watching the stars. Mornings, when the road and sky beckoned and the mornings when the rain made me want to cuddle up all day in bed. Rides when the bike flew like it was built yesterday and the rides when I expected the wheels and chain to fly off at any moment.

"What we have in common - our restlessness soul,

our impassioned spirits, and a love for the open road"

After all that I have seen, and experienced there is still a certain longing for the things I missed: the cities I didn't visit, the lakes I didn't swim in, The mountains I haven’t scaled, the people I didn't meet, the food I didn't taste, and the beers I didn't try. But I could spend a thousand lifetimes exploring this world and still have the world to see. That just means there are always more roads to ride. The people who tell me Ladakh ride is a "once in a lifetime experience" befuddle me: it will be very sad indeed if I never do something even bigger and better than this. There will be many more journeys to come. The journey doesn't have to be out there, miles away, navigated on a map. I am the traveler and the journey is wherever I go.

I’ve just finished my 31th post here and it’s a mere statistic compared to the miles you have all travelled with me..Thanks for being there, walking with me, standing right behind me and sometimes even showing me the way. To me however there is no destination -it’s just the Journey...

Thanx to those who loved me, u made my heart bigger.... Thanx to those who worried about me, u let me know u actually cared.... Thanx to those who are a part of my life, u made me what I am today....!!!!