I was lucky to leave Srinagar on Day 23. Halfway across the route I was supposed to follow today, the Prime Minister was on his way to inaugurate a hydel power project and flag off a new train line to the state. Past Ramban, I was stopped. As was every single vehicle on the road creating the largest traffic stoppage I have ever seen with my eyes. It stretched for well over 15 kilometers (primarily because the traffic was all single file) and covered over 3 towns on the highway. Being a tiny little bike which can squeeze through the tiniest spaces, I wasn’t stopped until the very end.
Half an hour wait and we saw the PM’s copter fly away and the no movement zone was lifted. The bikes raced first. I was dueling with another Royal Enfield rider who obviously knew the roads way better than I did. The way he took the corners and raced away, I was floored. But then, I never really backed out. Once the RE stopped, a Pulsar joined in. This time around it wasn’t a duel. It was music.
Anyone who talks about Poetry In Motion should watch two motorcycles taking mountain roads. The moves, the tilt, the follow up, the braking – its too breathtaking. Especially when the roads are nice. Half the way I was behind the Pulsar, the way it moved mesmerised me. I was thinking this is how my bike would also look like from behind. It truly was poetry in motion.
Udhampur came and went. Stayed the night in Jammu. Thought of putting the bike for servicing but decided against it. Left Jammu in the morning and almost dragged myself to Amritsar. The plains had arrived.
It was hot. It was arid. The traffic sucked. Too many trucks going too fast. No discipline. It was a nightmare. But then, I had arrived at Amritsar.
As you noticed, I was so bored with these two days, there are no pictures.
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