KETAN JOSHI
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New book! One Man Rides North East!

6/22/2021

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It’s sweet 16 folks! Here is my latest and 16th book - ‘One Man Rides North East - the Amigo rides to Assam, Meghalaya. Manipur and Nagaland’

This is my 7th motorcycling book - after the 5 part Amigos ‘Three men on motorcycles’ series and the first solo ride story - ‘One Man Rides Alone - Bike and Hike Uttarakhand’

This is the second solo ride story, and is among my favourite trips - not only was it a thrilling solo ride, but it was to a place which I had fantasized about for many years - the mystical and little-known North-East!
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Solo rides are an amazing experience - because they give you a feeling of freedom and adventure which is unmatched. You don't worry about what your companions will say or think - because you don't have any…you are not bothered about finding buses or taxis or public transport - because you are on your own steed. You don't worry about hotel reservations and room availability - because you can just ride on until you find something. People are normally very friendly to solo riders - possibly because they see in them the spark of joy and adventure that every human is hungry for.

Obviously it is not a bed of roses - nothing is - bike issues, bum issues, back issues, getting wet in the rain, roasting in hot sun, risk of accidents...all these issues are real - but I would say that the pros far outweigh the cons.
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I had a campsite reservation at Hornbill festival - and an outbound ticket from Guwahati. And that was the sum of my limits. I could do whatever I felt like between these limits.

Thus I went on a meandering trip over the North East - and learnt a lot about the place.

I spent a day in Guwahati getting my bike and the inner line permits - and then wondered where to go! On the spur of the moment I decided to explore the Garo hills of Meghalaya. From there I went to Shillong and then to Cherrapunji of the ‘wettest place on earth' fame and so on. Manipur was a wonderful surprise - possibly because I had no idea of what to expect! The story of the greatest battle of WWII at Imphal and Kohima was a great surprise, as was the context and story of the Indian National Army and Subhash Chandra Bose. And the Hornbill festival was just awesome.
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It is amazing how little we know about the place - and I think I merely scratched the surface...didn't even break the intellectual surface tension in most places.

But the biggest learning of the ride is exactly the same learning I get everytime I pack my bag and set out… people are nice everywhere! A smile will open doors and hearts everywhere.

This book tries to piece together a lot of information about the North East - the history, the geography, the culture etc - and attempts to give you a glimpse of the joy I had in exploring the place.

But enough of my words - I am looking forward to reading yours. I hope that at least some of you will read the book and let me know what you thought of it.

Click here for the paperback in India 
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    I blog about my travels - and the thoughts they set off! Sometimes the simplest destinations can be the most thought-provoking! 

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