Road Trips
The Long Way Out on road trips
When you get onto the road, does it ever cross your mind that the black tarmac you are riding on connects you to every road in the country?
At this very moment, a friend of ours, Mani Manju is attempting a Guinness World Record in covering the ‘Longest journey by motorcycle in a single country’, on his Royal Enfield Classic 500. In this case, his target is to touch 40,000 km in a little over two months! He aims to achieve it by covering every state and Union Territory, starting from the South, traversing from the West Coast to the East Coast and vice versa, back and forth, slowly making his way upwards all the way to Kargil! Now that’s a real ride!
What about intercontinental rides? In 1977, eight gentlemen on two Jawa and two Yezdi Model-B motorcycles rode overland from Mumbai to Rome and back! Talk about taking it the long way out!
Traveling is not very new, but has caught on in recent times with the arrival of bigger and more powerful vehicles. Back in the 80s, however, long range traveling was primarily restricted to trucks and interstate buses.
Once in two years, Christmas vacation was much awaited, when our family of five would pile into our ’85 Omni and hit the road. Starting point – Shillong, Meghalaya; Destination – Mangalore, Karnataka. This journey would take us 6-7 days with my Dad driving the entire time. We had to refrain from telling people because we were, many times, viewed as if we belonged in the loony locker. Well, if truck drivers could do it, so could we – err, ignoring the fact that there was a vast difference between cubic capacities and the sizes of our respective vehicles.
Road Trips
But why did we do it? And why do those who love to travel by road, well, travel?
The answer seems to be simple: For the love of being on the move!
1. The final destination
Yes, there are reasons to travel – to meet family and friends, to explore a place. There are flights, trains, or maybe ships, but they all get you from point A to B without much scope of enjoying the journey. On the road, as my Dad would always tell us, you are the master of your plans!
2. All that is in between
In a country as diverse as India, you get to witness people, cultures and places. Heard about the infamous Battle of Plassey, fought in the North of Kolkata in 1757, an event that culminated in the establishment of the British Rule? Not found on any maps, a small stretch of the airfield set up during the World Wars still exists, across NH 34.
3. Tempting the palate
Living on the highway for days and searching for good food can be very exciting only if it does not lead to half cooked food and then tummy aches. What we used to do was carry a portable stove to heat canned food and make coffee just the way we liked it.
4. Feeling the change
Imagine traveling from a cold climate to a tropical one. The difference in the change of temperature brings relief. During the shift from four degrees Celsius in Shillong to 31 degrees in Visakhapatnam, one would feel like an eskimo coming out of hibernation! A drawback is that you do land up with sweaters and wool caps that are not used for the remainder of the journey.
The list could go on, but one should have gotten the gist by now. If there is a reason for living the way you want to, then living on the road trips are a great way!
