The Duke Duos to Manila

Supertramp had been in a prolonged dry spell since the time it arrived in Delhi-NCR. Apart from a half done New Year's ride to Pilibhit and another weekend run by Gyan, it was almost languishing in the basement parking.

Come September and there was an opportune moment for a weekend trip, albeit without any fixed destination. Pravin Kora was handed the task of setting up the itinerary, while I would just jump to the ride after my return to Delhi-NCR from home. So the destination was set for Manila. Not the Philippines Manila, our very own Manila in Uttarakhand. The date was set for the 2nd of September with the return was set for 4th, just in time for my official offsite trip to Jim Corbett.

I reckoned I could squeeze in one more ride before I have to replace the Metzelers on my Duke. I have already clocked more than 18k kms on those poor tyres, which btw have a life of about 8k km to around 14k km give or take. I am somehow managing with them fine, maybe because I have never taken them offroad save for the occasional wild patches of road.

The riders on this trip were:

Pravin, on his Duke 200

Me on Supertramp Wanderlust, Duke 390

To save time on the commute from Gurgaon to Crossings Republik, Pravin arrived Thursday night and we slept off around 1 AM after getting all the packing done. We were up and ready to hit the road by 620 AM started our journey towards Hapur on NH24.

We made brisk progress in the early morning free roads, passing Hapur through the bypass, which is in excellent shape btw. We stopped at one Skylark Inn for breakfast around 8 AM. Poori Sabjis and Chais and some brisk conversation later, we were up and running again. The roads were still relatively free of traffic and the smooth tarmac meant we were taking the turn towards Kashipur at 9 AM.

Immediately after getting off the Highway AH9, the roads disappeared and what was left was a pothole ridden strip all the way towards Kashipur and Ramnagar. The sun was also up and started to bear down on us. A quick refuel before Kashipur was all the pit stop stop wee took before the next one at Ramnagar. Supertramp and the other duke were managing to turn heads all over, people stopping over to ask where we got these bikes and some morons yet again asking whether it was Yamaha or Honda that made the Dukes.

The stretch from Rampur to Corbett and through it turned out to be a biker's treat! Supertramp was gunning for glory and the speedo hit 110kmph in no time, a sweet relish especially after the fucked up stretch at Kashipur. But then respect for the jungle and its rules toned us down and we were doing modest speeds upwards there on. The roads on the plains gave way to hills and immediately Supertramp was singing a different tune. I can almost bet that Supertramp likes the clean hill air as much as I do and the engine notes become cleaner, more boisterous and more urgent! I loved it!!

Hitting the roads now brought about the familiar sensation in my crotch! I don't know about Pravin, but I was having a hoot after all these days away from biking. I guess Pravin was feeling the same cause he was right behind me and I never lost sight of him in my mirrors. There's simply something in the mountains - the air crisp and cool, not biting cold, but enough to turn the beads of sweats inside our riding jackets into cold pricks.

I was aware of the end of life situation of the Metzelers and wasn't pushing Supertramp too hard, but just to test everything, I did brake hard more than a couple of times and the ABS kicked in, reassuring me yet again. Couple of times I did even manage some wheelspin at some gravel laden section of the roads. Pravin's recently shodded Pirelli was doing its job well, per the feedback from Parvin. Some inspection later revealed some nicks and cuts, not surprising since the Pirelli is also a soft compound tyre, but one providing tons of all weather grip.

We sailed through Mohaan, SH 309, passing quaint towns and villages in our stride, making a few stops to soak in the mountain air and a few clicks. We crossed Marchula and were on towards Manila, making brisk pace all the time. There were a couple of times when I ran over some unmarked speed breakers at quite some speed, but to my relief, the new alloys seem to coping up with the abuse very well. Yeah, I totalled my last set of alloys at a nasty pothole in the middle of Noida roads. These new ones are much stronger I must say.

A few kilometres away from the designated home stay, we stopped at this place calle Dautiyal, where Pravin stopped at a familiar dhaba he'd known from his visit to Manila 3 years back. We packed chicken curry from the dhaba and looked for a place where they sold beer. We didn't see any thekas on the way, but I spotted a mound of beer cans and whiskey bottles at the side of the road and enquired if there is a place they sold beer. The dhaba guy pointed to a grocery shop and told us we could have it inside his shop. Without further ado, we went in and gulped the only beer they had - Haywards 5000 strong beer. We packed two more cans to have at the home stay, which wasn't too far off.

In front of 'Rainbows and Sunshine'

We zipped off once again and the home stay came up in no time. It was right next to the KMVN guest house, right beside the road. The innkeeper, Haru - short for Harinder Rawat, came out and helped us with the luggage. Of course, I politely declined...your saddle bags are yours to take care of!! We were shown to our room by Haru and we got fresh and ready for lunch.  The place is one where one could laze around for hours, serene and calm with the Kumaon range giving you company and the mighty Himalayas beckoning you from yonder. Pravin and I finished off the remaining beer and settled in for the lunch - sumptuous rice, dal and the chicken curry. The dal needs a special mention and Haru is aptly skilled to make one hell of a dal!!

Special mention needs to be made of the homestay, which is named Rainbows and Sunshine, if I am not mistaken. Pravin, please correct me on this if I am wrong. The whole house is carpeted and therefore has a strictly no shoes policy in place. The windows have no grilles on them and you have the unhindered views of the hills in the backyard. The winds make a constant rustling sound, akin to a waterfall. In fact, I asked Haru whether there was a water fall nearby, not knowing its the wind blowing through the pines and other conifers.

The view from the balcony

The beer made me drowsy and I snuck in inside one of the welcoming beds. I was woken up only by Pravin late in the evening. Late by Manila times I mean. It was just seven, but dark outside and shops close by 8 or so. We went to the market at Manila to gather some groceries, milk and meat and some other stuff from Haru's shopping list!

Pravin chose be the chef of the evening, starting to work on the chicken we had just bought. Haru became the sous chef and I, the bartender. I had packed in a scotch for the trip, but the beer from the afternoon still hung over us. So we took it easy, focusing on the food instead. And a fat lot of good it did to us. We were famished and the warm food brought us so much relief in the cool evening. It was a starry night and the home stay provided us with an unhindered view of the milky way - something thats impossible to view in the Delhi night skies these days. Sights like these makes us wonder what a hell hole we have made out of places. Sigh...double sigh.

The moonlight, a bit faint but bright enough to light up the mountains, showed us the hills in all their glory. Up ahead, we could make out the lights of Ranikhet and also the lights of the villages that popped up in these hills. Pravin informed me that on certain combinations cloudless nights and a bright moon, we can even make out the himalayas out in the distance. Oh what a sight it will be..the snow capped peaks shining out bright in the midnight light. That must be an insanely haunting sight.....

We fell onto our beds, soothed by the growingly chillier wind and its rustle; An unnerving yet comforting thought of having completely open windows and doors bringing in the mountain cool into our rooms made us drift into sleep.

Pravin snored!! Heavily!! And I could manage to grab some sleep only when we kind of lightened up on his staccato snores! Which is why I overslept till 830 AM next morning, while he woke up early and took the resident german shepherd, Zorro and Zara, for a morning walk. Haru brought in some smashing tea to my bed and I absolutely relished sipping on it in the balcony. The clouds previous night had deprived me of the views of the himalayas, but now they shone bright in all their morning glory. I drifted into some sort of hypnotized trance gazing at the mighty Himalayas, as if I could not get enough of the views. It was only after Pravin and Haru called me out for breakfast that I broke out the stupor.

The mighty Himalayas at the distance

Breakfast was a filling Poori Bhaaji and we hogged like crazy! There's nothing like a the hills to whip up an appetite! Pravin and I had decided to go riding and exploring towards Jaynal and towards the Ram Ganga river. After getting fresh, we readied our Dukes and off we went on the hilly roads once again.

We came across a stretch with beautiful green conifers and grassy hills on both sides of the road and I decided to "run round the trees" with Supertramp. The moist grass gave little traction to the smooth Metzelers and soon I was spinning the rear tyre in bursts of throttle. Ultimately Pravin also joined in the frolic!

We continued on our ride and over a course of many turns and forks and also a misguided navigation, we continued towards our way towards Jaynal, about 27 km from Manila. It was sheer joy once again for a while, but we did come across some bad stretches...most probably caused by the recent monsoons. I didn't complain at all..I just could not. This was freedom, and I wasn't going to be a prick!

At Jaynal, we took a leftie towards the banks of the Ram Ganga river. We climbed down the stone steps, guided by an elderly villager, and reached the rocky banks of the river. The waters were cold and refreshing. We immediately washed our faces and feet and I got into the waters, careful not to be washed under - the rocks in the bed were extremely slippery. I stood in the flowing waters till my feet were chill and Pravin had enough of photo shoots!

Post the river water frolicking, we headed back to Jaynal to fill up the bellies of Supertramp and Pravin's Duke. Pravin went mad searching for the "long" dhaba he had been to at that place some 3 years back. We settled in into the sole dhaba at the place and I gulped down sodas after sodas - it was really humid and I was parched as hell.

It was just 1230 PM, but time for us to head back as lunch would be waiting for us at the home stay. We hopped on our bikes once again. Did I forget to mention that the Dukes were hogging attention wherever we went and Jaynal was no exception. School kids gawked at them, petrol pump attendants stared at them lustily. I was on Supertramp all the time lest someone decide to "pose" on it for some pics.

The climb back towards Manila proved to be rewarding yet again, save for the occasional breaks in the tarmac. Some splendid panoramas presented themselves on the way back and we tried to capture as many as we could.

Thoughts of yonder years...

"Bring it on!"

Supertramp is at peace, and so am I

We picked up some items that Haru had requested us on the way back and post that we headed straight for the home stay where delicious rice and dal and sabji awaited us. We were in no hurry and we even managed a drink in between. That's when some visitors from Delhi and Rajasthan arrived to check out the property. Pravin lost no time in sticking to the guests for a good couple of hours, while I lazed away reading some of the in house Tintin comics. 

We decided to spend the evening taking the dogs for a walk. Pravin suggested taking Zara since she would be less frenetic. Boy, was she in the mood for a walk...she was literally unleashed! We spend a good hour with her before decided to return back. It was already getting dark and Pravin didn't want her wandering off into the woods.

With Zara..the resident german shepherd

Evenings don't hold much here with people hitting their sacks very early in the evening. The chilly environs and wind didn't make us act any other way either! 

An early dinner made us pack in early as well. I was adamant that I would sleep in another room (we virtually had the entire home stay for us) since I wanted to get some sound sleep, undisturbed by high decibel snoring!

And I did so! Woke up fresh to some awesome tea by Haru. By 6AM , we were all suited up for the return journey. I had to reach home by early afternoon since I had to be in another trip to Corbett from office!All the more reason to hurry. Pravin and I decided we would not make the customary pit stops for photos since we had taken decent amount of pics already. 

The ride back was zippy and we crossed the familiar roads, always a sober feeling of having to leave behind something so good. We rode non stop, ripping through the familiar Corbett reserves and were out of Ramnagar and Kashipur well before 9 AM. 

The ride back was uneventful save for the fact that Pravin egged me to rip while I was giving Supertramp a breather! I did not let Pravin down and opened the throttle wide open. So much so at one stretch after getting onto AH9 I literally had to ride at 50 kmph for about 30 minutes before I saw his lights in my rearview mirrors again. The exercise continued till I reached home. By this time the sun was beating down on us and Pravin didn't want to ride to Gurgaon with the full attire. He dumped his jacket and gloves at my place and went on. 

Between the trip to Manila and the excursion to Jaynal et all, I managed about 720 km both ways. Pravin might have added 100km more to his odo. Not bad I'd say for a weekend comeback!

Supertramp is satisfied for the time being, and so am I. The Metzelers served well and didn't let me down in any way, even though a wee bit of apprehension had crept up in my mind. Time for a change before the next ride I think. Hopefully very, very soon!

So long till the next ride!!