Day 4: Yana - The Lazy Charms of an Old Love

The last day of the Yana sojourn dawned bright and clear. Today we would go to an island and wallow on the beach, we would sleep in well made beds and ramshackle beach shanties, we would see neat bathrooms to leaky loos, we would see an enthused non 60 kpher awash in our spirit and create the pillion dance ...

I woke up to view of Subhash clicking pictures with his cam with the now familiar snore score background music. I also brought out my cam and got some good shots of Hornbills flying high using my telephoto lens. Soon enough I was in quest to find a place for jungle paani. Sarath also woke up and joined me. We began our search and followed the sound of the stream near the house which we had crossed the night before. We crossed a house which was few steps down the camp site and the stream was after areca-nut plantations. On our way back we sat and chatted with the owner of the house who was curious to know where we were from and what we were up to. On return our successful discovery of ideal wash and walk away place interested everybody else and for the next few hours I was the official guide to take the rest of the gang back and forth. I was also the official translator between the Yana campers and the warm occupants of the house. One thing led to another and the result was Milk and free sugar to feed chai pilao yaar Amol's and our own fetish for his tea.

Breakfast was with MTR and soon we were bidding farewell to the sanguine surroundings and heading towards the Yana rocks. The path to which was a dirt track or loose sands in turns which had to be handled with a balancing act by hanging my legs in the air. On our way we could see smaller versions of Yana rocks only to be greeted by big monolithic structures at the parking lot. The road up to the rocks was enclosed by a thick chain beyond which vehicles were not allowed to go. My local lingo came in handy and was available to convince the guard manning it to let us ride till the foot hills of the Yana rocks ...the last motorable point. He agreed warning us that the risk was at our own volition and that as it was a steep uphill climb so gravity would be pulling us down. All Pillions were asked to get off and only the bikers ventured up. Kanjilal made the mistake of hanging on to Subhash and both suffered as instead of going up the bike slipped down despite full throttle...Same happened with Praveen. Rest of us reached the foothills of Yana. It was such an amazing site where each nook and cranny would need time to be explored. All of us thought that this wasn’t a touch and go site, we should camp the night out and keep exploring till the last light of day. However Island Resort at Karwar was paid for so a decision was made against staying back for the night.

There was a small temple at the foothills where I saw a foreigner meditating. Further up the stairs were magnificent rock formations which Yana was famous for... capturing them in our cams was a big adventure in itself.

Soon it was time to head the road and reach Karwar before nightfall and another mad max rush to Karwar followed - but with strict discipline on group riding techniques. After few kms from there I felt a slight wobble in  my bike and stopped to find out that my rear tyre had a puncture...my first flat ever since I bought Titli!

This was child's play for the experienced gang leaders. I was witness to Gaurav's strange fetish to fix punctures. Sanju had told me about it before and I found it to be true as I saw the ease with which the Maestro demonstrated the expertise in front of my eyes.

Soon we were off and crossing the stream to reach the main road and took towards Karwar which had to be hit by 5 Pm to catch the last ferry to the island which was to be our stay for the night. Phone calls later we found out that Naaz, Histu and Satish Rao from Bangalore had already reached and waiting for us.

Reached just in time at the island resort office, dumped our luggage, meanwhile Histu and Naaz were seen there. Much to Gaurav's disappointment and our wonder as to what exactly was happening - rare birds Histu and Naz whom we had been watching out for since the beginning of this trip ...announced that they were returning back to Bombay. No convincing by the gang could change their minds so we bid them adieu and admired the party booty which Satish had brought in his Zen for us

We followed the office guy to the jetty on our bikes, and a ferry was waiting for us. It was a 30 minute boat ride to the island with the sun setting in the background. The pictures of this boat ride say more than what i can possibly say.. Gaurav and his cheroot framed against the evening sky was a memory which most of us captured in our cams. At least me.. Everybody enjoying the cool breeze and at the sunset reached the island resort by following a track which led to the main office and out tents which were to be our accommodations for the night. Neatly placed beds awaited us there with common bathrooms behind the tents to freshen up.

It was a very refreshing view anywhere one saw. It was my first time on an island where one could see sea as if standing on top of the land. The durbar for the night was set, we could not get a TV n DVD player as promised by the resort guys but we did have my personal dvd player with a screen where all of us watched a small part of Gaurav's documentary before the bloody thing's battery conked off...and me like a superb moron had left the charger behind on land.

But our spirits are not easily dampened, everybody prompted moved on to the cake which was part of the party booty . the cake cutting ceremony followed and the party was waiting to break loose

While I was being coaxed by everybody to be the first to start, I go into a temporary shell when so many eyes are on me... Kanjilal came to rescue and danced the motorcycle dance. It was quite amusing to be see another group at the island discussing quality and software even in the this brilliant island in the middle of the Arabian sea. We were soon to break their serious discussions by taking our train in their midst which was incredibly mean but was good fun.. but before that Brad and Heather who regaled all of us with the Pillion dance. It was hilarious with Heather imitating how she was thrown around on the Indian roads when she was riding pillion with me ... It was followed by screw driver dandia by Gaurav, Amol, Satish. None was left behind including Picinic Kumari who had to do her regular gig. With all eyes off me, I proceeded to with my Tapang dance. Mind you the Bangalore gang was all wearing same colour Om shirts and we all i think looked like drunk hippies. Suitably charged, we went into a train formation with Gaurav being the headlight ...which he managed to be the first in the train and putting a headlamp on his head and proceeded to break the software talks of the serious gathering nearby...

Tired and happy, we were pulled by Nikhil to the border of the island where one could see the full moon. Interestingly it was only Sanju, me and soon enough the rest of the gang joined in to view the amazing natural sight. Superb dinner spread was out and I hogged on fish and chicken and unfortunately did not contribute much to the conversation as after being fully satiated, went to lie in the hammock listening to the guys talk and sounds of the sea. Half asleep there I found myself however waking up next morning in bed. It seemed I walked and fell to bed after being rocked to sleep in the hammock. A wonderful Kerala massage followed by tasty food for lunch and i was happy and satiated.
 
Nikhil was adding the icing to the already yummy Yana cake :-) by giving everybody new names . The rechristening went like tis - Pravo was Chance Kumar, Aditi was Picnic Kumari, Wildchild was Fart Kumar and I was unkumared since I was GOD and had already been named by the Maestro himself as VeeesNuuu. Nikhil was named Kinky Kumar and I was quite confident that if Yana was to be translated into a movie titled Kumar’s at Karwar…Kinks would give me a competitive virgin shot at celluloid.

End of Yana
But did it really end?
Between Kutch and Yana, I had ridden from Kashmir to Kanyakumar (K2K)i ..Gaurav and Sanju had chased butterflies in North east and touched the border of China, but did that make Yana any less of an event or an adventure for any of us? No!

As I said its no more the rides that attract me …it’s the people, the memories…memories of Yana are today as fresh as ever...even though we went in January 06 and it is May when I am finishing this memoir…as I said rides are about making memories and memoirs ..Mine are forever parked in my mind.

Happy Trails,
Vishu Shetty

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