Departure. But I hesitated to load the bike fully fearing
it might topple. So till Mumbai I carried the stuff in a
car that followed. Another Legendary motorcycle
journalist friend Dilip Bam from Pune tested the bike
with all the boxes sans weight and said 'this bike won't
go' with a lot of concern. But remember, I became deaf
for the word 'NO' so I did go ahead. But when I loaded
it for the first time, oh my God ! it was like riding a wild
horse. And to test my nerves it started raining heavily
on the first day of my international ride. With great
difficulty, I reached a city called Qhom. That's how it all
began.
living my dream
Robbed and beaten in the first country !
Badly shaken I packed up and started riding in
great pain. I didn't stop all night terrified by the
thought they might be following me and will take
away my bike. Early morning I halted at a small tea
shop and drank tea and wept for a while. My body
was totally stiff and painful. I searched for my
emergency cash and I got a 100 $ bill. I stashed
some cash in different places but because I was
delayed at the customs, I used most of it. And in
Iran you can't use your credit or debit cards or
ATMs!.
Falling in love with my bike.
Soon after I started my world tour, I fell in love
with my bike. No matter how many times I
looked at it, but still it looked beautiful and
faithful. It never let me down on the road. I
never suffered an accident. Even when the
major breakdowns happened I was safe at
some place. It had become my true life partner.
the hardships
I think life is not worth living if you are not forced to
go through miserable yet life changing incidents. A
journey like this will offer plenty such opportunities
which will make you a better person. I was beaten
and robbed in my first country, Iran. While riding
around Kashan, it became night and I was too tired to
ride so I pitched my tent little away from the desert
road and rested. A bunch of goons came and beat
me up with rods and decamped with all my money
and an old passport. They left the other
luggage because I triggered my bike alarm which
sounded blaring in that calm area. So they ran away.
Good and bad exist side by side - Helpful
people of Iran
So the next three days, I stayed hungry and used
the 100 $ to fuel my bike and stay at filthy places
while I zipped nonstop to the Turkish border. One
day afternoon I was dozing off while riding with
fatigue and sleeplessness. A truck driver blared his
horn and signalled me to follow him. Little ahead
he stopped at a roadside dhaba where his fellow
truckers are. They insisted on buying me food and
drink, which I couldn't resist. I ate as much as I
could, thanked them as well as God and left for the
border.