The First Impression
It was roughly around 1 pm and I was about to have my shower ( late as always ) when I got a call and heard the person at the other end introduced himself as Sunil of xBhp GIR team. I was thrilled and energized. It was actually happening, Lucknow city and we were about to be a small part of The Great Indian Roadtrip 2nd leg forever. Sunil asked me if we can come and meet them somewhere in suburbs of Lucknow and I instantly said yes as we were waiting for this to come about, since GIR (The Great Indian Roadtrip) started. But initially it wasn't happening, as when the route was planned and led out on xbhp.com, Lucknow was not one of the checkpoints GIR team was suppose to go through. They were skipping Lucknow and were going directly to Agra and that was really heartbreaking to know because GIR was the only chance we all could meet the people who were mere online profile IDs for us. How they talk, what they talk and what was so extraordinary in them that they were out on roads to complete 18,000 kms run before they see their family and friends again after 3 months? All the question were about to be answered as I called up each and every N.O.W. rider for a urgent meeting to grace ourselves and be prepare to be with them for next 24 hours. We meet up around 3 pm and discussed what we need to do to make the “guests” feel home. One hour passed by and we were still waiting for their call to know where they have reached. Around 5:30, I eventually got the call and they were somewhere in Lucknow cantonment. Neither they, nor we knew the exact place they were.
The small search begins and which was fun actually, but I didn’t wanted to waste any time as they were some where standing and waiting for us and the night was falling. After exchanging some calls, we finally tracked them. I and Kushal were first to reach them followed by rest of the N.O.W. group some minutes later. I saw 3 riders; Sundeep a.k.a. Sunny (xbhp.com, founder), Sunil a.k.a. SunilG (team rider) and Ashish a.k.a. Gasolinejunkie (team rider) and I saw the vehicles. The cantonment is green with nature but every thing seems red and black that time, because from their riding gears to GIR vehicles, every thing were coloured with sponsors logos and identity. Sunny was busy on call and I didn’t knew Sunil and Ashish much appearance wise, but the moment was strangely quite. We were hesitating, or were feeling shy or whatever you might wanna call it but for initial 2-3 minutes no one was talking to anyone. Funny it was, when I now recall the whole situation. But Sohaib and Vipluv broke the silence and both parties gelled easily right away. We asked about their well-being and the previous route experience so far. Sunny told that their back up vehicle has been pulled over outside the city limits and they were waiting for GIR team to check in some hotel so that they can directly come to that location. It was almost dark and we needed a hotel for them to stay while they were here in Lucknow.
I have to now confess that I personally misunderstood the way GIR rides were riding since few days. I honestly thought that their 10 big sponsors were funding them sufficiently to stay in good luxurious hotels, where ever they went. I was so silly, not to realize they were riding out in dirt, heat, cold and snow for India, to shows its glory to the world and were not having a lavish holidays. I was bit shocked to hear that their budget for per night was INR 800-1200 only and sincerely, I had no hopes that we will be able to find a hotel room with that limited budget, at least that same night. To add to the pain, all the low/mid-cost hotels in Lucknow had no space left due to on-going wedding season. People in north, generally book hotels/guest house for their outstation guests and relatives while they attend any marriage ceremony. This whole experience of ours has been better penned down by Ashish on GIR blog in very humours way. Finally, after our boys begged at numerous receptions for a decent single room to stay, we finally got a room in Rajasthan guest house near Kapoorthala above ICICI bank, whose old skinny manager had no interest in us, our guest and their purpose of being there and neither was excited, when we told him that he and his guest house might get illustrious by the media coverage which was scheduled tomorrow for the GIR team. We had no option, truly and we had to take what we were offered despite that place not being so cool, but that’s, I guess what you ask for when you want to see the real India from a tourer’s prospective. It was already 9 pm by the time GIR team checked in. Sunny was a bit concerned about the parking of his CBR fireblade and we did manage to get a dark, lonely but a bit cramped space, in the porch of the building for the night. In the mean time, backup vehicle with the driver Gurjant also arrived. After an hour of biking discussion in the hotel room, we finally left those 3 exhausted souls in their rooms and came out discussing day plans for tomorrow.
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