Thank you Satinderji. Lets continue the journey for the fourth day. Here we go.
Day 4: Ratlam – Kishangarh 26th Sept 2013, Thursday
Got up early as usual. Lucky enough to find tea. Have a quick bath and get ready. Don’t remember exact time of start since I forgot to log it. Once again onto Jaipur Highway. At lower speeds I can hear some sound from the front wheel. Oh no… I stop to check. The last night slush was the cause. Slush between the front tyre and mud guard dried now, became rock hard and that is causing the friction and ensuing sound. Inspected the damage on both the tyres. They are ok. The problem is simple, yet they get magnified due to the fact that you are all alone and the place is new.
08:45 Dalauda – Tea break. Odo says 54403. Air checked in both the tyres.
One of the many I had been there shots:
My companion:
Some tea breaks in between. As I enter Rajasthan border, before Chitorgarh, I think some how I missed the highway. Took the road which seemed to be highway. Or was it the highway itself. After the regular interstate RTO check post, lots of truck standing on road. Took to the road, which was winding a bit to left, then an over bridge. When in doubt I always try to ask. Here on the over bridge, saw a tractor fellow with lots of noise from his music system. I yelled at him if that was the Jaipur highway and he confirms it. I just continue and drive straight to some police checks which is common while crossing the state borders. They check my documents and leave me alone. I take a little break and confirm the police if I am on the right way onto Jaipur because I could see there is not much traffic here as before that day. They confirm it is correct way and I have to continue for about 30 kms or so and the highway starts once again. Possible. I have been seeing all sorts of setups. I continued with a nagging feeling in my mind.
Weather is hot, cloudy, no winds. All the arid region weather I was blessed with. Lucky its not Mid June or something like that which was my original plan.
One of the many dhabas: Tea break in the morning:
That nagging feeling I couldn’t shrug off that something is amiss. I pass through some industrial area before Chitorgarh with lots of truck traffic and finally I enter into my famous NER. Then the slush once again. Big traffic jam for I think more than five kms. Only the trucks, very rarely a car is seen. However there were a few two wheelers struggling in the slush, maneuvering through slush and stand still truck traffic. With the weight on the back of my seat, it was really a task to manage the bike balancing. Somehow, found bit gaps here and there through slush and trucks. Sometimes the width was only a few inches in that slush, either side slush. Took some one and half hour to clear the traffic. I just stopped asking the directions. There is only one direction, that is ahead. I however can not go back in that mad slush and truck traffic. Everyone seems to be on their nerves.
Finally, I join a highway after Chitorgarh. Or is it the start of the highway which I never bothered. What matters at those times is you got the highway, that’s enough. I continue.
2:30 lunch break at some Dhaba. Odo: 54569
It was so hot. No shade to park the bike. Ordered some dal, rice and curds. Lots of truck drivers. I saw some curious food item here. A driver with his plate and the waiter comes and keeps some flour balls resembling small sized laddus. The driver crushes them into powder and dal and ghee is poured into it. Wanted to try it but I was served with my ordered food. Wanted to ask what that item was, but out of decency I couldn’t ask. Anyway the driver did not appear to be amicable either. People reading this from that area could explain what those flour balls are.
I continue in that heat. So hot it was. I noticed many tippers on the road. Plain highway. I was even feeling sleepy.
MICRO-SECOND-SLEEP ON HIGHWAYS WHILE DRIVING:
I did read people take a short catnap while driving, I mean micro sleep for a few seconds may be or whatever. When the roads are just plain, too hot or too cold weather, regular traffic with high speeds becomes a monotony. Speedometer needle sleeping at 70, you have nothing to do. Just keep going. Slowly and slowly, I think our brain becomes the victim of monotony and only one part of the brain is bit active which takes care of driving and the rest of the brain just sleeps because of inactivity. You however drive. And then slowly this part of the brain also comes under the influence of monotony I think and this is the time the driver sleeps. Well, I was not sleeping literally but figuratively. Trucks moving at regular speed. And then what I notice shocked me. I see a truck with many wheels, close to me to my RHS, almost same speed as mine. Suddenly I realize on of the truck wheels is not spinning, just stationery, and yet the truck and me are moving. I became alert, am I sleeping or hallucinating due to heat, or these are also some sort of mirages which I could see plenty on road. I am completely awake now. Alert as usual. Then I take a close look of the wheel. Its true its not spinning because, this particular tyre in question is not touching the ground ! It was a dummy tyre. But how am I to know the mechanism of these huge trucks.
After the sighting of the first tea shop I stop for tea to refresh myself. The girl took her own time to make a single cup of tea.
Its getting evening, little cloudy sky and Kishangarh 90 kms away.
Soon it was dark. I know I have to leave this highway for Kishangarh. Jaipur, Ajmer, Kishangarh, big network of roads.
Here I must thank Yogesh and KurtRules here for guiding me through the roads. Kishangarh – Moga – Jalandhar – Pathankot route.
With many enquiries, I did not miss the cut for Kishangarh in that night. Near bus stand I find a hotel called Goyal Palace. Rs.250 for the night. Had food in a tiny place suggested by the hotel fellow just opposite the bus stand. It was good. And then the biological battery reacharging. Rested for the night. With apprehension of crossing desert tomorrow; Marwar area. No rains luckily till now. Hope the luck holds tomorrow too. With this in mind, I slept.
Odo: 54765
Run for the day : 442 Kms inspite of that slush.
Total run for the trip till today: 1565 kms
Bike engine oil change due tomorrow.
