Today's schedule is quickly summarized. After a great breakfast, we had the obligatory briefing again. After Roland gave us some information, Deepak came out with his usual "Good morning boys and girls – had a good sleep?", which is now a source of much amusement.
The announcement was 250 km of highway to Agonda. Since today is Monday, we expected significantly more traffic, especially heavy goods vehicles. All in all, however, we covered the distance quickly and arrived in Agonda at around 3:00 p.m. Agonda is located in the state of Goa, so we had to have our passports and driver's licenses ready to cross the border. As is usually the case, however, we were simply waved through. But these border checkpoints do exist, and we sometimes observed cars and trucks being checked.
With these 251 km, we are now at 1,468 km. Tomorrow, we will cover another 80 km or so to reach our destination—the Villa Rivercat in Mandrem/Goa. All sponsors who have made a kilometer-based donation can now get out their calculators. 😅
Our current accommodation is a row of bungalows right on the beach. The cabins are very simply furnished, but that doesn't matter at all given the location. So today, we are enjoying a very relaxed beach life at the end of the day, going swimming and taking long walks on this dream beach. And last but not least, we are treated to a surprise candlelight dinner on the beach. A day couldn't end more beautifully.
Our friend and tour guide Balaji from Rajasthan found out that I am writing this tour blog and sent me one of his texts. He doesn't mind me sharing it with you and was even a little embarrassed and proud. So here it is – translated from English using DeepL.
Why do I ride a motorcycle?
A motorcycle is a tool that has opened up undreamt-of possibilities for me.
When riding, I consciously perceive every sound, every vibration, the small explosions in the engine and the ground. I collect visual, auditory, and olfactory impressions in real time. This primarily serves my self-protection. At the same time, however, a continuous stream of experiences emerges that are deeply engraved in my subconscious. There is no time to linger in the saddle. No past, no future, only the present.
Motorcycling means thinking ahead and training your instincts based on a good understanding of the laws of physics. Intuition plays a major role when we learn to listen to it.
When all of this comes together, the motorcycle truly becomes a part of us. Then it's no longer just about riding. It's about connecting with life in all its vibrancy and experiencing it.
It feels as if life is standing still, yet rushing by at breakneck speed. Strangely enough, I am aware of this paradox. Time slips away inexorably, and yet it feels as if it stands still. Probably because time only becomes relevant when there is a past and a future to think about. If I live only in the "now," my imagination limits me to thinking about the past and the future, and so I don't even notice the ticking of time.
When I take a break or am back home, I suddenly remember things clearly, like the strangely colored pebble and the gray fish in the stream I crossed, or how my breath slowly froze on my mustache and eyelashes as I drove through a snowstorm. Sometimes it's a simple flower painted on the back of a truck, faded by the weather but still fresh in my memory. The mischievous grin of the boy waving at me from the rear window of a car.
So why do I ride a motorcycle? Today's main reason will be replaced by another tomorrow, and that's how it's been for two and a half decades.
©Balaji Devanathan
Author: Ralf Hoffmann – Fundrider & Project Manager India
