Northeast India monsoon trip: Riding solo to Aizawl on my Hero Impulse

I took a break to absorb the surroundings – the river, the bridge, the hills, the truck drivers waving and smiling at me.

BHPian GolakaGo recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Back in 2016, I went for my first inter-state ride to Mizoram. These were the days when Vega Helmets and Army Boots made us feel invincible. I still remember the boots that I specifically bought for this trip from the Army Canteen, it was a brand called 'Japaan'. This is my story:

Day 1:

Shillong to Aizawl

After much planning, canceling, planning again, and then postponing, a group-turned-solo ride, I was finally off to Aizawl, 450kms away, and the first leg of the Mizoram Monsoon Sweep Ride, on July 14th at 7:30 AM from home.

Before we proceed, I’d like to tell you that this ride was almost choked off before it started. As I mentioned, this was supposed to be a group ride and that’s what I told my family. But, as the dates got nearer, people started backing off. And eventually, everyone backed off. I didn’t want to cancel the plan, but I also didn't dare to tell my parents that I would be going alone. They would have told me to cancel the ride or cut ties with them. Hence, I told them that my good buddy *name(s) withheld* was going along. I thought I would tell them the truth when I was halfway to Aizawl or something. That way, they can't tell me to come back home, I would be too far off.

But just when I was about to get on the bike and start from home, I saw the same buddies coming towards me, to see me off, with big smiles on their faces. The moment Mei (mother in Khasi) saw them, in shorts, she was even more shocked than I was! “Aren’t you going along?!!’ “No Aunty errr…ummm…. Mumble mumble…” and Mei got it. But surprisingly, she was cool about it. Pheewwwww!! So before any more surprises sprang up, I got on the bike, bid farewell to my family and friends (yes, we’re still friends even after the ride ), and started off.

As I was riding away from home, my mind started playing tricks on me. I started questioning myself. The voices inside my head were making me doubt that I would be able to ride alone. "Wow! You're going alone?", "What if your bike breaks down?", "Are you crazy? Go back home!" It was like a rap battle going on in my head. These questions kept playing back and forth and I had almost turned back home.

It was drizzling the whole morning and by the time I got off the busy main road, I was on the outskirts by 8AM. I had hoped and prayed that at least when I left for the ride, it would be a sunny morning but it turned out otherwise, and in a good way too. With the wet roads, I was taking it easy and it calmed me down to take my time on the road rather than rushing to get to my destination.

I stopped at a bus shed on the outskirts of the city to put on my rain gear. That's where I sat for a while and calmed myself down. Andy also called and advised me to take it easy, so I told myself I'll take this slow and easy and up to my capacity. I felt much better after that and started enjoying the ride.

With all the unfolding events in the morning, I was already hungry even before I reached Jowai, which was just around 62 kms away from home. I stopped by the roadside and took out the snacks which my sister had lovingly prepared for me. I finally understood what Mojo Walle Bhai meant when he said: You feel so lonely and emotional when you eat by the roadside, on your own, so far away from home. I was very near to my home, but the thought of being away from my loved ones and on my own, kind of struck me at that time. Or maybe I had been reading too many travel stories.

Anyway, so for the next 110kms approx. I was riding in the drizzle and rain until I reached the Umkiang Bridge in East Jaintia Hills. I had always wanted to see the Lukha River, which is Blue, but sadly, because of the monsoon, it was running red with fury. I took a break before the Sonapur Tunnel to fuel my tummy again and to absorb the surroundings – the river, the bridge, the hills, the truck drivers waving and smiling at me; Man! The feeling was overwhelming, not just because of the sights but also because the gravity of the ride finally hit me. My first solo ride was finally underway.

After some snacks, the sky cleared up and I was back on the road. The Rynox Tornado Pro Jacket did its job very well in keeping me dry in the rain but like any rain gear would do, it also made it very humid inside the jacket with the rain liner on. I took off my rain gear, rain liner, and the cool breeze circulating through the vents of the jacket made for a refreshing ride. But boy was I in for a surprise!! This 75 kms stretch from Sonapur to Silchar was like an all-you-can-eat buffet, but not in a good way. Mud, Slush, gravel, sand, potholes, craters… You name it and it’s there. There was one stretch that passed through beautiful tea plantations on both sides of the road. Sadly, the deplorable road conditions drew away all the beauty of the plantations.

I was advised to take the Kalain shortcut to Silchar as it was shorter and the roads were far better. I kept riding through the crater-filled shortcut cut, wondering when the good road would start, when I realized I had already reached Silchar.

Dildar met me at a Junction at the end of the shortcut and showed me a little bit of Silchar, where we met Raj too. I got my bike checked for some electrical glitches, after which Dildar took me to his Helmet Shop. He’s got some cool helmets. It was dry and humid when I entered Silchar and it was a nice break to sit in his shop with the AC running. I could cool off for a while before I got back on the road.

Saying farewell to Dildar, I pushed off to Vairengte, where I was supposed to meet Hruaitea at the interstate border. I had been using the phone to view my route and the Rynox 5.5” Croc Mobile Mount worked excellently! No drop of rain or any dust particles got inside the case. I rode for about 20 kms from Silchar and met Hruaitea at Bhaga, who had already acquainted himself with another biker, Riki Jackers, on the road. Riki insisted we stop at Bhaga Market for a cuppa chai and some cold drinks before we hit the road again.

Hruaitea is the ‘my-brother-from-another-mother’. We had been Facebook friends for quite some time but I met him just last year when he came to Shillong. Being driven by the same passion for offroading, the online discussions and interactions we had made us closer as buddies. He started the offroad revolution in Mizoram with his offroading club – Free Tracks Moto Mizoram. They go for rides exploring the interior reaches of Mizoram and often take the road less traveled. He goes by the name Hruaitea Imp Sixtyfive on Facebook.

We then headed for Aizawl, another 140kms away. After riding in the Barak Valley and Cachar Hills’ flat wide roads, it was back to corner carving on the Aizawl Highway. On reaching Vairengte, there are check posts for checking/issuing ILP and also a Customs Checkgate, which we passed through without any problems. Non – tribal Travelers though, will need to get an Inner Line Permit (ILP) for entering Mizoram.

I thought I was quite good at riding in the hills as being from a hill station myself, all we have ever ridden on were hills. But man, Mizoram is much hillier than what I had been used to riding on. The turns were hairpins at almost every turn and they take a toll on you if you’re rushing through them while doing long-distance touring. 5kms felt like you had been riding for 15 kms. But the good thing about Mizoram is that the roads are well-maintained and you can enjoy the turns without riding into a crater in the middle of the road.

We stopped at Bilkhawthir for some refreshments at Hruaitea’s Sister’s place and we got back on the road right away. It was a nice ride with the moon shining bright and two Impulses whizzing on the road. There was a massive landslide 2 kms before entering Aizawl and we had to wait there until they cleared some parts of the road. When they allowed us to proceed, I followed Hruaitea through the slush but since my bike was loaded with luggage, it got bogged down and the rear wheel was a good half buried in the slush. It came out after a little struggle and we headed straight to Hruaitea’s place where I put up for my stay in Aizawl. So after almost a whole day of riding, I reached Aizawl at 11:30PM. That's about 16 hours with all the stops.

After unloading the luggage, a good hot bath and some good food, I called it a night. It has been a good ride and I couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. I was finally in Aizawl on my own bike!! You just can’t explain that awesome feeling when something that you have been dreaming of for so long actually becomes a reality. But if you asked me how my first day of the ride really went, I’d say it’s not as easy as it looked on Google Maps.

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