We make good time and cruise along. Here it looks to be more country side like. Fields stretch out from the road sides and trees line up the roads and cast shadows. The discomfort, which is more of a state of the mind, is gone. I take a look at the speed dial and the the sun reflecting off the chrome strikes my eyes sharply. So, I take my eyes off it and instead focus ahead.
I prefer riding on the left most lane where the fast vehicles do not bother. I usually keep it between 60-70 kmph. A higher speed rattles this motorcycle and makes the ride bothersome. And thats what I donot want to be in this ride.
I ride steadily when Rajdeep taps my shoulder.
“You see those vehicles coming the opposite way are all dripping with water?”. He is the pillion and he has the liberty to watch and I thank him for this.
“So,shall we take out our rain coats?”, I holler.
“Not just yet, lets head out and test the rain”.
We are moving things and can definitely outlast the localized rain. However the intensity might be a factor and we decide if it rains heavily then we will take a shelter.
And then the deluge starts.The drops pierce our clothes. And I notice that the road ahead is wet and slippery. But we keep on riding. We do so for another kilometer and then we give in. There is small shop, at the side of the road and we pull over.
I pull out the helmet and let it rest on the mirror of the motorcycle and huddle under the shade.There are a group of motoryclists who have assembled here and we exchange small talk over a cup of tea.
The rain has abated now but we wear our rain coats and keep riding.It has not rained here, but the road is wet from the water of the vehicles that had passed through the rain. We have taken a right turn from the National Highway and are now into a State highway, which even though 2 laned is much more beautiful.
We feel secure now but at the same time the rain coat makes it hot. The state highway has snaked a number of times and it is really beautiful. The sky is overcast, the fields are dark green and there is an occasional farmer tending to his fields and there are some canals that have been dug and the trees which contine to sway – whereas we,the moving object in the scene, get to see much more as we trip even further.
It starts drizzling now but we continue further.We can see far ahead that there is a complete white wash and vehicles come out with their headlights on. With the increasing rain, I try to hold the raincoat close with one hand whereas I hold the handlebar with the other. But after a while the shoes become wet and the water starts to seep to the socks. That is when the discomfort increases.
Rajdeep shouts something in my ear. I guess he tried to tell me to stop. But with the heavy rain and thunder I can barely hear. There is too much noise.
The road has meandered and then after the rain stopped and the sun came out, we pulled over at the side of the road and got down the motorcycle. Removed the shoes, rain coat and stretched for a while. The rest of the journey to the destination remained steady.At one point I could sense the sea breeze – balmy and warm and the late afternoon means deserted streets,eateries closing down. We found our way to a decent hotel and parked the motorcycle, took out the saddle bags and checked in.
Its time to have a little amount of rest and some amount beer. It is hot here, so I turn on the air conditioner.
