This blog below is basically the Video Transcript:
(Scroll down below for the Youtube Videos)
It was August and it was in between heavy rains. The monsoons were at its peak. So, I was a little bit skeptical whether to ride my Motorcycle or drive to Digha. Finally, I decided to take my motorcycle when the weather turned out to be a little bit less cloudy the day before the trip began.
Digha, Mandarmani and the beaches around were already visited 3 times before this trip in this same year. So, being excited about a new destination was never in my mind. The fun was to be found through the ride to the destination. Initially, I was planning to skip the trip but during this particular journey, I needed some peace since I was already fighting myself to get over something that had thrown me Topsy-turvy. I am in general a carefree person, but times come when you are toppled over like nothing. This monsoon ride was a shot at bringing life back to normal.
I did ride in rains previously but I was never this much prepared or sure to ride in heavy rains as I was this time. It was actually surprising that it turned out to be rather sunny when I left. The road that takes me outside Kolkata leads through two main flyovers: The Parama and the AJC Bose Flyover. This Parama especially, is my favorite road in this city. The timestamp while recording was not set correctly. It was morning and probably my dizziness had made me take a wrong turn. So, I struggled a bit to find my way to AJC from Parama. Its just a matter of a few minutes until you reach Vidyasagar Setu. And everytime, I travel across this bridge, I know that my favorite place lies just beneath me i.e. the Princep Ghat. The Princep Ghat is magical. Do visit it if you have'nt.
This was my first ride I recorded using my helmet cam and so the side mount was not adjusted to a better angle. Next time, I will ensure there's a better view. The Kona Expressway from Kolkata Bridge takes you to Digha. Here at Kolkata Bridge, it is probably one of the few places in India where motorcycles have to pay toll taxes. Just saying, because the tax is just 5 rupees but I feel the effort wasted to stop and pay just 5 is too much.
This was the second time I was riding a motorcycle to Digha. Last time, another friend accompanied me on his bike but this time, he opted to take a car. Apart from me, the five of them in this trip were accompanying Sumalya in his car. The highway from Kolkata to Kolaghat is pretty good. You can have a descent speed and cover the stretch in a pretty short time. As for me, I love cruising and occasionally trying to speed up a bit when the roads allow me to.
Then again, open roads equals open throttle and its hard to keep a tab on your speed. I try my best. The best thing about riding is the sense of freedom when you are on your bike. All sorts of thoughts cross your mind. And, you just can't stop thinking about her who is always in your head. The ride taken is to free yourself from shackles which you never thought could tie you up.
After a nearly non-stop highway ride from Kolkata to Kolaghat, the Shere-e-Punjab to the right welcomes you warmly. But, on a hot humid day riding a motorcycle with the minimum possible riding gear, I had already decided not to take the pains to take a U-turn and wait at Shere Punjab for my friends. Though, I was not sure if my friends had already reached, I decided to rather wait at a dhaba just before the junction where you have to leave the national highway and take the state highway to Contai.
When friends arrived, it was time for breakfast, a few selfies and some poses with the celebrity, my ride.
Soon after, we left Kolaghat for Digha as we wanted to enjoy the rest of the day at the beach. Sumalya's car is easily distinguishable with his defence logo at the front and rear windshields.
This State Highway from Kolaghat through Contai and Digha is good but not as wide or less congested as the National Highway. The result, you get to cover less distance with more time. Humidity started crawling up my nerves and it was getting unbearable. Even my phone shutdown a couple of times and I kept restarting it until I realized that probably following the old-school way would be better then.
A few intermittent short breaks were necessary to cope up with the enervating climate. I thought it would be a monsoon ride and in turn it turned out to be a sweaty summer ride. Thanks god, I did not even dare to wear my riding jacket. Its good in dry summers, light rains and cold winters. But, humidity is its sworn enemy. The sun above me was just reminding that it was there shining brightly even when the clouds kept it covered up for the past few days.
And, then once you take this right turn from Contai, its traffic and congestion mostly. This time, I definitely noticed a difference. The roads were much better than a few months ago when I rode down this same way.
I knew that my friends back in the car would take sometime to break through the traffic. So, I decided to ride slow and easy. Wherever there was a proper shade, I felt like spending a few minutes. The narrow roads after Contai with trees on either side actually start giving you a good green view. And, you could see the rush of tourist from all around this place. The dates we had planned for was 13th, 14th and 15th August which turned out to be a long weekend.
After a long ride, I reached Digha at around noon. My friends were trailing back and came soon after. The hotel booked was a pretty decent one. We freshened up and left for the beach. Fun places always punch in happiness and we were all excited to roll with the waves.
The evening and night would obviously be spent indulging in good food and drinks. Thanks to Sumalya for taking a lot of responsibilities.
On the way back, the monsoon ride actually began. It was drizzling and then it was raining cats and dogs from Kolaghat to Kolkata. On a few stretches, the rain was so hard that visibility did reduce to a few feet. I wish my helmet visor had wipers. But, the maximum concern during heavy rains for me was my visor fogging up. Just the day before I left, I followed Mumbaiker Nikkhil's way to stop visor fogging with shaving foam. That helped me a lot. Else, I am pretty sure, I would remain stranded for hours waiting for the rains to subside.
Overall, the ride was thoroughly enjoyable. Talking about the sole purpose due to which I had taken this ride, I wonder if ever the purpose would be solved.
(Scroll down below for the Youtube Videos)
It was August and it was in between heavy rains. The monsoons were at its peak. So, I was a little bit skeptical whether to ride my Motorcycle or drive to Digha. Finally, I decided to take my motorcycle when the weather turned out to be a little bit less cloudy the day before the trip began.
Digha, Mandarmani and the beaches around were already visited 3 times before this trip in this same year. So, being excited about a new destination was never in my mind. The fun was to be found through the ride to the destination. Initially, I was planning to skip the trip but during this particular journey, I needed some peace since I was already fighting myself to get over something that had thrown me Topsy-turvy. I am in general a carefree person, but times come when you are toppled over like nothing. This monsoon ride was a shot at bringing life back to normal.
I did ride in rains previously but I was never this much prepared or sure to ride in heavy rains as I was this time. It was actually surprising that it turned out to be rather sunny when I left. The road that takes me outside Kolkata leads through two main flyovers: The Parama and the AJC Bose Flyover. This Parama especially, is my favorite road in this city. The timestamp while recording was not set correctly. It was morning and probably my dizziness had made me take a wrong turn. So, I struggled a bit to find my way to AJC from Parama. Its just a matter of a few minutes until you reach Vidyasagar Setu. And everytime, I travel across this bridge, I know that my favorite place lies just beneath me i.e. the Princep Ghat. The Princep Ghat is magical. Do visit it if you have'nt.
This was my first ride I recorded using my helmet cam and so the side mount was not adjusted to a better angle. Next time, I will ensure there's a better view. The Kona Expressway from Kolkata Bridge takes you to Digha. Here at Kolkata Bridge, it is probably one of the few places in India where motorcycles have to pay toll taxes. Just saying, because the tax is just 5 rupees but I feel the effort wasted to stop and pay just 5 is too much.
This was the second time I was riding a motorcycle to Digha. Last time, another friend accompanied me on his bike but this time, he opted to take a car. Apart from me, the five of them in this trip were accompanying Sumalya in his car. The highway from Kolkata to Kolaghat is pretty good. You can have a descent speed and cover the stretch in a pretty short time. As for me, I love cruising and occasionally trying to speed up a bit when the roads allow me to.
Then again, open roads equals open throttle and its hard to keep a tab on your speed. I try my best. The best thing about riding is the sense of freedom when you are on your bike. All sorts of thoughts cross your mind. And, you just can't stop thinking about her who is always in your head. The ride taken is to free yourself from shackles which you never thought could tie you up.
After a nearly non-stop highway ride from Kolkata to Kolaghat, the Shere-e-Punjab to the right welcomes you warmly. But, on a hot humid day riding a motorcycle with the minimum possible riding gear, I had already decided not to take the pains to take a U-turn and wait at Shere Punjab for my friends. Though, I was not sure if my friends had already reached, I decided to rather wait at a dhaba just before the junction where you have to leave the national highway and take the state highway to Contai.
When friends arrived, it was time for breakfast, a few selfies and some poses with the celebrity, my ride.
Soon after, we left Kolaghat for Digha as we wanted to enjoy the rest of the day at the beach. Sumalya's car is easily distinguishable with his defence logo at the front and rear windshields.
This State Highway from Kolaghat through Contai and Digha is good but not as wide or less congested as the National Highway. The result, you get to cover less distance with more time. Humidity started crawling up my nerves and it was getting unbearable. Even my phone shutdown a couple of times and I kept restarting it until I realized that probably following the old-school way would be better then.
A few intermittent short breaks were necessary to cope up with the enervating climate. I thought it would be a monsoon ride and in turn it turned out to be a sweaty summer ride. Thanks god, I did not even dare to wear my riding jacket. Its good in dry summers, light rains and cold winters. But, humidity is its sworn enemy. The sun above me was just reminding that it was there shining brightly even when the clouds kept it covered up for the past few days.
And, then once you take this right turn from Contai, its traffic and congestion mostly. This time, I definitely noticed a difference. The roads were much better than a few months ago when I rode down this same way.
I knew that my friends back in the car would take sometime to break through the traffic. So, I decided to ride slow and easy. Wherever there was a proper shade, I felt like spending a few minutes. The narrow roads after Contai with trees on either side actually start giving you a good green view. And, you could see the rush of tourist from all around this place. The dates we had planned for was 13th, 14th and 15th August which turned out to be a long weekend.
After a long ride, I reached Digha at around noon. My friends were trailing back and came soon after. The hotel booked was a pretty decent one. We freshened up and left for the beach. Fun places always punch in happiness and we were all excited to roll with the waves.
The evening and night would obviously be spent indulging in good food and drinks. Thanks to Sumalya for taking a lot of responsibilities.
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Non-Transcripted Part:
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Next morning, it was first Shankarpur. I have always loved this quaint place. With so much silence around, one could only hear the sound of waves crashing. If you sit here and try to listen to this with all your attention, I don't think anything else helps you so much with your inner peace. And, thanks to this scenic place for our only great group photo across the whole trip. And, then it was Talsari just across the border in our neighboring state, Odisha.On the way back, the monsoon ride actually began. It was drizzling and then it was raining cats and dogs from Kolaghat to Kolkata. On a few stretches, the rain was so hard that visibility did reduce to a few feet. I wish my helmet visor had wipers. But, the maximum concern during heavy rains for me was my visor fogging up. Just the day before I left, I followed Mumbaiker Nikkhil's way to stop visor fogging with shaving foam. That helped me a lot. Else, I am pretty sure, I would remain stranded for hours waiting for the rains to subside.
Overall, the ride was thoroughly enjoyable. Talking about the sole purpose due to which I had taken this ride, I wonder if ever the purpose would be solved.
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