Though I was all set I was yet to share the plan with my father. Not surprisingly he wasn't pleased and this was not the first time. By now I have practiced the art of convincing my dad.
A day before the journey I went through my most basic checklist: full fuel tank - checked, air pressure - checked. It was cold outside and I made sure to park the bike in shade to avoid early morning ignition issues. By now I could feel the butterflies in my stomach, that very same feeling I get a night before my bike trips; trying hard to sleep but countless thoughts and the anxiety encroaching my mind.
Almost 7 in the morning I and my sister were ready to leave and as a rule of thumb I switched on the engine and left it running for couple of minutes. Though a rare sight, my husband woke up early to click some pics for us and see us off. The next moment I was on the road heading towards Churu (enroute Bahadurgarh, Sampla, Bhiwani and Jhunjhunu). Barely I had travelled few miles when my body desperately was craving for a nap and I wish I had slept at least few hours last night. I took a short break, an opportunity to click some pics while stretching my muscles.
Just within 3 hours of my ride and no where close to Churu, Interestingly I already was having a sense of achievement. Crawling through the horrendous Delhi traffic it took me almost 3 hours to be on the Rohtak Highway. It's a straight highway upto Bahadurgarh and it was only when I reached Bahadurgarh I realised I had missed a turn. My cellphone had no better use than a music player without any network connection. To figure out where exactly I was and to get the right direction I was relying on help from any fellow road user. Standing by the side of the barren road I waited for few minutes when finally a mid-age man, an extremely kind person, came to our rescue. First of all it took a while for him to realise he is not hallucinating and he was both awestruck and thrilled to see 2 girls on bike on a barren road. Before we could ask for any help he curiously began the conversation:
Mid-age gentleman - Beta tum dono akele ho ? tumhara baaki group to peeche aa raha hoga na ? (Are you guys alone ? Is your group following you behind ?)
I (with a hint of smugness) - Nahi uncle bas hum dono hi hain aur ye meri chhoti sister hain. Hum log dilli se bike par Rajasthan ghumne aaye hain. Hame aage Churu jaana hain, aap thoda guide kariye. (No, we are alone and she is my younger sister. We are coming from Delhi for a trip to Rajasthan and can you help us with directions)
He wished us good luck and expressed how glad and proud he is. My moment of "feeling elated" didn't last long when he added that we missed the turn several miles back but there is a longer route if we keep riding ahead. I decided not to retract my route and preferred the longer route.
We stopped for breakfast in a roadside dhaba and it turned out to be a bad experience. We ordered a sandwich which was pricier than what you get in Delhi airport and the quality didn't even meet the college canteen. Funny thing is that the dhaba owner came with a piece of paper asking for feedback.
At the back of my mind I was worried for my sister since this was her first long bike trip. Not only I made sure to eat healthy and keep ourselves hydrated we also kept chatting, admiring the road, cracking jokes and singing songs to keep entertained.
Our stay in Churu was in "Malji ka Kamra", an exceptionally beautiful 200 years old haveli, courtesy to a friend who runs the haveli.
After a long tiring day and extra 80 kms of routing and re-routing we reached Churu at around 5 in the evening. The view of the clock tower at the entrance of the city was alluring as the last rays of the setting sun kissed the old red structure. The city is different than what I had imagined, chaotic, narrow streets and local mart at every corner.
Our hotel was a site to see; impressive architecture, decorated room, frescos paintings, beautiful verandah. Just 15 years back it was an abandoned haveli with no one but bats and pigeons echoing its corridor. The current owners not only restored the haveli but also the rich heritage which was left neglected underneath the sheet of dust from past.
At the end of the day all my tiredness was gone to see my sister's glittering eyes. She was happy, excited and didn't feel the pain of the day as she shared her experiences with my parents on phone. That's the last image of the day I remember before I fell asleep like a log.
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