A Man and His Buffalo

 

"Often the journey is filled with experience that we reflect on a right time"

- Nirmal Shah

I have lived most of my adulthood in the city of Ahmedabad and majority of my experience's has been a mixture of travelling and harsh reality of the world that I tend to observe involuntarily - it's almost like a divine intervention that always leads me to understand it positively, take some learning from it and that keeps running in back of my head constantly, almost like the end credits of a movie which on a right time or on a right moment that come's in my life, certain text's from those credit's rise and emboss in front of my thoughts. I have learned over the years of my life to imply them almost immediately.

It was a very arid month of august, 2024, and rain's had not yet step in, we were experiencing an heatwave, it was hot and everyone was wishing it should rain any day, I was too wishing it since long the summer had started (laughingly), as monsoon is hand's down my favorite season from all the other season we are blessed with. I fondly remember this particular month because of two reason, I had just upgraded my bike to a cruiser from a Classic Royal Enfield and the second reason, I was waiting eagerly for the rain's to start so that I can have my first ride on the new bike and it was getting delayed, until I lost my patience.

I love to explore the back road's and non touristy places whereever I go, I personally believe that these region's on the map are majority of the time not marked or highlighted but where most of the cultural, historical and vivid experience's are tucked away in. I enjoy most of the time taking a walk or going my bike to these place's and vlog about it and take memory photograph's that I cherish on the way back to my home or the hotel.

Once such experience I still fondly remember, I braved into the arid region near by to my hometown but a bit of cruising distance one can enjoy, I had meticulously planned the whole route few days before my departure and fed it to my navigation so I can properly time my visit, transit and take care to that I don't miss out on anything so that I don't have do that route again. That's how I plan my ride's, I select one sector and juice the whole place out of its all the interesting points and never look back at the sector again until and unless its worth visiting the second time with family. 

On this particular ride I made sure the Aravalli ranges were always in my sight even though I am a beach person but monsoon and mountain's go hand in hand. While on this ride I visited beautiful dam's, local forest, lakes, reservoirs, a beautiful Jain temple and a man and his buffalo.

Apart from all calculation's, I faulted on my water intake. The weather and wind's were so dry and hot that I drank my whole 7 liter camel pouch, just to realize I was in a remote village in middle of nowhere with no shops around, the road's where intact though, majority of Gujarat village's now have concrete or tarmac road's, rarely have I come across a broken road, but this village lacked a shop, none had I passed by which was a walking distance to where I had stopped to take water break under a small shade of a dusty tree. I was so thirsty that my lips had dried up but I knew I was not dehydrated, there was still moisture in me but I was craving for water.

I saw a small home near by to where I was standing, my bike was extremely hot, I remember it because my thigh's were burning from the fresh engine oil being burnt inside, Well, I said it's better to stop for few minutes and let the body and bike cool down, till I can find water too drink - I opened my predownloaded map and saw that there was no water body near by nor any shop, while my phone was having no signal I couldn't access the internet and do it's thing, this is where the beauty of exploration start's - off the grid (technically).

I unbuckled my camel pouch from the rear seat and walked my way to the home that I saw near by, it was a mud, dry grass roof home of a near by farming family of 4, parents, a young boy and his wife. I was aware of the village families being very protective of their ladies in the house so I kept my distance from the front gate's of the house and I could see the father sitting on the ground - legs folded - smoking his bidi and I softly asked " Kaka, May I get some water? I have sadly ran out of it." to an immediate response the father replied "Come inside, have a sit!", looking over to his shoulder he asked his wife to bring a chair from inside which she promptly brought out, it was a plastic chair, blue in color and an arm broken. I replied to him "No trouble kaka, I just want bit water and I will leave!" and the father insisted with a firm voice "Come inside and sit for a while, till then fill the water too."

I resisted as I didn't see his son around and there were two female's assuming one was the son's wife as she had a red sindoor on her forehead but with reluctancy I entered his front yard where a dog was sleeping and few squirrels where running around small plants on the perimeter of the house. I said "thank you kaka, Just water, I am very thirsty" kaka immediately laughed and said "you won't get cold water here!" he must have assumed with the riding jacket and high ankle shoes I was wearing and the bike just up head - I would definitely need something exotic like the cold water in middle of nowhere.

I said to him assuringly "haha! No worries kaka, I would love to have earthen pot water or even well water is fine." in the moment I too assumed he must have a well somewhere in back of the home and he said "We don't have well here, but give your bottle, she will fill it up for you" he was amazed with the camel pouch I had and asked a few question seeing this interesting thing that carries water and asked "How does water stay inside this bag?" and I explained that there is a plastic bag inside and you have to open the knob top on the bag and simply fill the water or whatever you want inside it, he was happy to have learnt that day I could see it on his face while the two ladies a bit far, just below the front shed of the house were listening and smiling to our talks and probably seeing me dressed like we all bikers do for a bike ride.

Kaka suddenly stood up and went Infront of the gate's where I just walked in from and shouted to his son in the near by farm "Vaniyaaa, Oh Vaniyaaa come here", "Vaniyaaaaaa" he shouted again before coming back to exact place where he was sitting earlier and explained to me "called my son, he will come" at that time I did not understand why had he called his son while the lady was filling up my camel pouch with a steel jug she had conjured from thin air, as I had not noticed where did she bring the water filled steel jug from but was happy that my pouch was getting fatter by the weight of water.

As soon she gave me the pouch back through kaka, I asked his permission if I can drink the water first as it was theirs and we were in middle of some conversation and he lovingly said "yes! yes! beta go ahead, do let me know if you need more." the pouch was filled to the brim, I even dripped it on my t-shirt while drinking it directly from the top knob as sucking from the pouch's pipe would not satisfy my thirst. Having drank the water, it was the rare moment I found the water sweet - probably because I was so thirsty and it must have been from some river that must be flowing near by that they usually fill up from. Kaka said "Give your bag, they will fill it again" and they even gladly did returned back to me directly and I said "thank you" to no response but all three of them smiling.

In the mean time the son had come with a dusty buffalo following him like a child and kaka said "this is my only son Vaniya" as he made his way inside through the gate and both of them smiled while I didn't get the meaning of the name first, its natural habit of mine when someone tells me their name I immediately search for a meaning and attach to their name so I can remember it, before I could ask for their leave the son threw a question at me "Where are you coming from?"

I said "From Ahmedabad, currently exploring this region for my sake, for travel and adventure."

He replied "That's amazing, we rarely find someone here from the city on their motorcycles here, we are a small village"

I said "Yes! I came across this place on the way and ran out of water till I found your home and asked If I could get some water." clearing my intention and presences in his home.

He immediately turned to a pot tied on his buffalo and his wife suddenly went in and brought a steel bowl and gave it to him, he tumbled the pot with a fat white liquid which I first thought was buffalo milk for his family and he said "Bhai, Drink this butter milk", I was immediately taken back - buttermilk? being shared with a stranger like me who just came for water, I said to him "Buttermilk? No, No, that's too much, I just want water." he insisted giving the bowl in my hand "its hot right now, buttermilk will do more good then water." and I drank it peacefully with a heart filled with unknown satisfaction and love and respect. Till I bid them goodbye with a very cool body of mine and new energy I went ahead on my journey, and an unexplained happiness with in me.

Manier time's I have experienced such warm and fulfilling event's in my life and adventure's on my motorcycle and most of them are from village's and none are from the city. This makes me believe and simultaneously put me in a wonder why the difference is there in city and village, I am not saying people aren't welcoming in city - there are many families and people such but majorly you don't get entertained let alone these experience's and help easily and randomly in city. No one has got that time in city.

I think its because our heart have become closed such as our home's for such experiences, due to life events, rat race, probably day to day tension's, there's is too much to think in small brain of ours that no new thought's or warmth can find a small corner about it and even have very less space left in our heart's and minds and infact in our home's in the city that we cant help it but has become our passive nature which act's actively. The difference in a village life and city life is I guess 'Content' not the one's we all keep scrolling on the mobile phone's but that which one feel's within, a satisfaction similar to what I felt when I drank the water and buttermilk.

There is a constant tug of water between village life and city life, where either of them wants to settle out their life in each other's eco system and astonishingly they find 'content' in that, yet having not lived it completely and still find it difficult to settle out in the either. City dweller's imagine a house and farm land to live off in a far off village while a 'Vaniya' from a village somewhere wants to settle down in city for a better life. Both of them have found a bore, a level of monotonous experience in each of their ecosystems, their dwellings and a human's crave a new experience, oblivious of the consequences.

What I feel is both of them are yet far from getting accustomed to what each of the ecosystem brings to the table and the culture that needs to be followed to be accustomed to, not just to be the crowd but to settle down with sigh of relief at the end of the day both these ecosystem need's work to be done and each requires a different skill set developed over the year's, that has to come naturally, which I believe come's from truly living in it over many years, while in the initial short time both will have an immediate crash course which could develop a mindset and if it goes haywire then it could send the thoughts in a spiral.

What's important is to maintain warmth, openness to experience it. Forgetting what is already known but be empty again to be filled a fresh.

I once read a quote in a bookshop: 

                        "A Traveler travel's the world in search of it, only to return home to find it"

To my reader's I suggest keep your heart and mind open to all form's of experiences in life and I guess it should help make your city feel like a calm of village, A hep of a city in the village.

Diving into the abyss for more such experience, until then Que Sera! Sera!

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(The image is AI generated by my prompt using Gemini)

Indonesia Jungle Trail Riding Adventure – Exploring Sukabumi, Gunung Gede & Pangrango Forests on Dirt Bikes

The Pursuit Of Freedom

There is always something raw and magical about riding into the heart of nature, leaving behind human paved roads and venturing into the wild where nature has taken its course over years of dewy growth while moss was the main construction worker bridging the gap between untouched but soon to be kissed with love of nature, it would be or I must say it is the true sense and form the world was offered to us once we began the trail.

Recently, I set out on an unforgettable trail-riding adventure in Indonesia’s Sukabumi region, exploring the scenic tea gardens, volcanic trails, and dense forests near Gunung Gede and Pangrango National Park.

This particular ride of mine was even more special, As I wasn’t riding alone – my family had joined me on dirt bikes like the Kawasaki KLX230, Honda CRF150, and Viar 150 and together, we discovered the thrill of off-roading into the beauty of untouched landscapes soon to be tested and tried to be tamed by us.

These are Motorcycles That Took Us There

• Kawasaki KLX230 – A lightweight yet powerful trail machine perfect for tackling jungle climbs. Which my brother took into his stride.

• Honda CRF150 – Compact, fun, and reliable for both beginners and seasoned riders which my uncle took for his comfort and out of my fear of it.

• Viar 150 – A local Indonesian trail bike that held its own in rugged conditions which I personally felt at home riding but it was soon to change. 

Our bike's were the flavor to our adventure soup we had been stirring around, and switching between them made the adventure even more exciting.

 Jungle Trails of Sukabumi

We started our ride from a near by lush tea garden, which was privately owned yet had a narrow dirt paths from its side that later wound through emerald-green color tea plantation's, I personally had never before seen such tea garden except from the time I was in Munnar, India. The air was fresh, minty, filled with the earthy aroma of wet soil and mist-covered leaves. Soon, we entered the dense jungle trails, where the path narrowed and roots, rocks, and muddy slopes tested both rider and machine. Every twist of the throttle was a battle against nature, but that’s exactly what made it so thrilling.

It was here where we first made visual contact with the nature's offspring that turned out to be so majestic, violent but yet so quiet, sleeping and basking amongst the clouds and tall pine trees as its blanket but yet snoring in anger which one could hear every now on then as it gargle's throughout the day.

Gunung Gede & Pangrango Wilderness

One of the highlights was riding along the base of Gunung Gede and Pangrango, two iconic volcanic mountains. The terrain was a mix of slippery descents, river crossings, and steep forest climbs, all set against a backdrop of towering pine trees and echoing wildlife calls afar, I could literally hear birds after so long, I realized that amongst the chaotic city life my ears had become deaf to the rhythm of nature.

It felt less like a ride and more like a journey into a lost world, a world I - We all know about yet we forgot it over the years of our own turmoil's in search of something so achievable that we have yet to achieve it.

Family, Fun & Adventure  

What made this trip unforgettable was doing it as a family adventure, a decision my uncle had already made since the day he got to learn that I was coming to Indonesia all the way from India, he had meticulously planned the whole route with my brother, while he even helped to conjure life into a dead motorcycle which had seen it best days in a dark corner of our garage back home, the viar 150, a surplus gift from the Indonesian military to honor the service of my uncle's brother and the valor was still warm in the motorcycle too, I heard it took some doing to start it but it breathed with a yawn of white smoke but was alive, both my uncle and the bike.

We weren’t just trail riding – we were bonding over mud, laughter, and shared challenges from sticky situation to cold river water. From helping each other push bikes through tough sections to celebrating small victories at scenic spots, the experience was both thrilling and heartwarming.

Trail riding here isn’t easy – slippery mud tracks, unpredictable rain, and steep climbs, rocky to muddy to runny to dense forest and jungles demanded focus and endurance. But every challenge made reaching the next viewpoint even more rewarding. So much rewarding that it gave us life, a purpose, a true sense of feeling a soul breathe, think, live within you that you and I have surely forgotten how it feels.

Trail riding in Indonesia’s volcanic jungles is more than just an adventure – it’s a spiritual escape into nature, inner self, to meet with yourself amongst the calm of the nature while the adventure is the only chaos going through your mind. For me, this wasn’t just about motorcycles, but about family, exploration, and discovering hidden gems of this beautiful country and finally meeting myself doing something I truly love.

If you ever dream of mixing adventure, nature, and two wheels, Sukabumi’s trails near Gunung Gede and Pangrango should be on your bucket list, add another line with a unmarked checkbox right now and you wont regret it while putting a tick on it later.

Watch the Full Adventure on YouTube

This ride was captured across 4 episodes and 1 exclusive live stream on my channel, showcasing every trail, climb, and breathtaking view. If you love motorcycles, travel, or simply exploring the unknown, check out the playlist:

👉 Watch Jungle Trail Riding in Indonesia Playlist on YouTube

(Few Picture's from the wilderness)

Lost Letters & Found Memories!

Aren't We Gathering Digital Dust?

The whole travelling idea is made out of a single insemination of an urge to break free. ain't it? Where we are clouded by the hustle and bustle of the daily monotonous life, the same old 9-5, with no new faces to interact with, the deadlines getting humped on with bills to pay, it becomes overwhelming for a normal individual, which makes him / her stop at busy red light, with the fumes of dream's guzzling engines roaring around and to plumet into a never ending thought - "when to have a  breath of freedom?"

The good old day's stories we hear from our elder's where they crossed a whole natural battlefield to get to their school on time or a very commonly shared story of them seating under a street light to study for their exam's but yet apart from all those said hardship's of their's they always managed to gather a pool of money amongst friends, family or even their community neighborhood to travel together in a well aged bus and still be comfortably happy and click pictures for us to find years later today - think about that?

In today's era where hashtag's get your memories bona fide or number's of comment's and like approves the trip or the picture, it fail's against our elder's faded photograph which they have comfortably tucked away in an old album or that well aged leather wallet penny pocket, which carries an actual worth even in monetary means, google it for some lost and found post card's, letters, picture which go for an jaw dropping auction, who while clicking it never thought it would mean so much one day. While we yap around with a expensive camera in a brick we carry around in our pockets nowadays with no need to develop the image until later to find out how it actually came, I personally think we as a generation are missing out the actual fun it could have been in today's time, I know few of us out there are still using the old tech with a bit of expense but hey! that's a joy for some and a respectable one against the digital dust we are collecting on server's we might even not know where.

Ahhh! But it is indeed such a sensory pleasure to get hold of physical memories, its like holding a memory neuron in your hand and viewing it in a AI generated exploded view. I always make it a point to click a picture or at least find a post card from the local shop where I am visiting and send it back with my handwritten word's on it to myself and my close one's, the sheer joy it brings to me and them when they receive it is priceless and some how gives a reason to come back home anyways. Weirdly comforting!

Do you have any such physical photographs you just found recently which you never knew of or which had taken a free dive in the dark canyon of your forgotten memories in your brain but had bit of shadow looming somewhere in your heart and made you say "I thought I had lost this one." Go find one if you have the glimmer shinning after reading this, will meet you again once we cherish the same once found.

Go write that letter you always wanted - Go turn that picture around with a faded message written behind. That's the gold mine we are actually longing for.

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(Image was AI Generated with help of Gemini)

Thought of Blogging with Vlogging!

My First Blog!

Hi, Internet or shall I still say Reader's? The world has become so small in all these years where one can virtually be at multiple places from a single location, what an irony! Well, so I too thought why not me, I am Nirmal Shah or also known as Roadster on youtube and now dipping my fingers in writing blog's too.

I ride a Royal Enfield Classic 500 and take it to places where one would not like to venture on but that's where the fun starts, I have never held myself back from trying out new stuff and experimenting with different combination's of experiences in my life - some say its crazy but well hey! who needs to be sober in this high life. Keeps things excited and helps not get bored easily with a monotonous routine.

I have no prior experience in writings blogs and posting my experience's into words, I do write a daily diary but I guess this would be new experiment I would love to try and explore how the world of Internet respond to it. Don't have no steady plan or format of how I would be posting on this blog of mine but I would be natural and wont be to grammatical. 

On writing my first blog I am simultaneously thinking of how I started this whole journey of mine and somewhere back of my mind I know it flows in my blood due to my mother being from Indonesia, where weekends are dedicated to family or either friends, where people tend to pack up their bag's, throw it in their car's or strap it on to their motorcycles and head out early in the morning to a beach, forest for a camping night and be back before the new week start's and head on forcefully to the routine week until to repeat it again. Don't we all do the same? but with a less of adventure on the weekends. Correct me if I am wrong...

I feel that every week should have your very own 'south-paw', something you don't know of but you need to have a glimpse of experience of it, just to add that missing spice in your spaghetti of life and I guess that will solve many tangles in one's life in one slurp at a time. It works for me. Just being ready or known to what's coming your way keep's you alert and pumped but simultaneously open to learning from the experience of it, even though you don't know what you would learn from it but subconsciously you will. And you know that as you have already experienced it believe it or not!

It's amazing how we learn more from outside rather than going through pages of knowledge and a picture here and there which gives you goal's in life but not the right motivation to go and chase it until and unless you do it none the less to figure out "oh! that was amazing", just like a roller coaster ride, looking at it from far you think of riding it one day then you actually gather the guts to get in the line to ride it being all scared with a million ill thought's until you buckle up and scream your lungs out of fear, joy, excitement, happiness, adrenaline rush and till the end when you get over with the ride coming out of it you think "that was amazing, shall I try again?" and you get outside to see the ride and see the people riding it and you think to yourself "I already achieved that experience and joy" and for that particular moment you are senior in the world of people who are yet to experience it. That's all life is about. One at a time.

Thinking of keeping our roller coaster ride on, see you on the next one!  

Roadster. 

www.youtube.com/c/Roadster92