I’ve been unable to put down my experiences because of some changes. Finally I had some time to write down but when I started I couldn’t write a word! I thought about the reason, but no answer. This afternoon, when my friend Pinaki and I had gone to a restaurant for lunch, they were playing a song called ‘A horse with no name’ from the band America. While listening to that song, I felt there is a relation between what I wanted to tell y’all and the song. Assuming that you’ve an idea about my crazy, random thoughts, I shall try to write it down.
Have you ever felt how good it feels, when you’re thousands of miles away from home and on your own? Have you felt the freedom you have? I keep thinking many a times, why do I ride? Riding is not as rosy as we all think. When you have all those heavy riding gears on you, the sweat, greased palms, smoke n dust in your face, it takes entirely different dimension of thought process to be one among the surroundings. But, beyond all that, no matter what, there’s something about motorcycling which nothing else can substitute – ‘Freedom’. You might ask me, ‘Enough of bragging, tell me what’s freedom?’ I don’t have an answer in one sentence, ‘Ride with us to know it’ may be. Now, let me tell you, how I sense my freedom.
In our everyday life, we have many roles to play, son or daughter, an irresponsible friend, mug-faced colleague. These are all what others think of you. But what’s the picture you have about yourself. If you know it, in my opinion that’s freedom. That picture of you, where you don’t need a name for you, you don’t care about what you’re, how you’re.
Till the time we left Phuentsoling, I was restless, I wasn’t happy till the time we reached Phuentsoling. Jo might have observed this in me. But I knew why I was so, because I wanted to free myself, it’s been a long time, I had felt freedom. I couldn’t wait anymore to let the horse run free J
After we left Phuentsoling, we climbed mountains to reach higher (Paro), I slowly started to leave behind the ‘me’ in me. I let myself sink in the surroundings, I lifted the helmet’s visor to feel the cool air, can I close my eyes for few seconds? :P We rode for few hours, riding amidst tall coniferous trees, with the sunlight playing hide n seek., passing through small quiet villages is definitely an ‘experience ‘ man! If I was god, I’d have tied all humans with motorcycles and placed towns too far apart with beautiful nature in between.
We passed through one beautiful village, it was so beautiful that, we stopped for lunch before time. Few women were running shops on the roadside, their talks, chuckles added to the beauty of the village, we went inside a restaurant, we couldn’t believe our eyes, from the windows of the restaurants we could see snow capped mountains far away with a flower filled valley between the restaurant and the mountains. We spent few hours there, talking to owner couple, playing with their kid and messing around with an old lady there.
After that break, it was all about ‘free horses’ again. There were bad patches often but it was fun to do off-roading. I’m failing to give y’all a picture of those places. I began to think what all I’d missed in these two and a half years, such a waste! I look at the valley often and dive into thinking, what was I thinking all these days? If I wanted I could have done this expedition whenever I wanted, what stopped me? No point in thinking now.
It started to become dark because of clouds, we saw one more beautiful village. A beautiful village, it overlooks a valley and a huge mountain on the other side, we had reached that village at the right time, slant sun rays piercing through the cloud were kissing the golden leaves of the trees. The village had a bench to sit and enjoy the view, we did just that! Some curious kids gathered around us, we took their pictures, made them happy and left the village. This is what you’re gifted with when you are on an expedition, you give happy moments to people you meet, they don’t care about your name, they don’t care about the place you’re from, what matters is what you become with them.
After few hours of more riding, we got closer to Paro, sun was setting, in the twilight Paro looked Gorgeous from distance. We rode into the town slowly enjoying the view. A river flows through Paro town, trees alongside the river, benches beneath them. People sitting on them, enjoying peaceful moments, horses grazing, wooden bridge on the river lit up mildly in creamy light. A lit up Dzong somewhere in the mountain. How I wish I could have taken a panoramic picture of it!
