We meet many people on the road, both locals and travelers alike who help us in time of need or distress without expecting a return. Last week of every month I bring you stories from travelers who have experienced kindness on the road and like to share and spread it for the love of travel.
This month’s story has come from Samaresh Biswal who tells us three different incidents during his solo bike journey in India.
Over to Samaresh Biswal.
= = = = =
I have heard about kindness on road but when I started my solo GQ (Golden Quadrilateral) ride I met so many people that I had never expected that people will be so kind to a stranger.
On my GQ ride, I was on my way to Mumbai near khopoli I felt lost and was confused which road to take. Then a gentleman stopped near me and asked in Kannada (My bike is KA registered) “do you need any help”. I replied in Kannada that I am confused which way to take for Mumbai. He told me to follow him till Panvel & from there I can head towards vapi. As we were chatting he told that he is from Udupi & I started speaking in tulu he was really impressed. I told him about my stay in Mangalore when I learnt the language.
When I reached Panvel he invited me over his restaurant for lunch before I continue onwards. When I tried to pay my bill he said “its fine ride safe”. I noted down his instruction of the way to cross over Mumbai and head towards Gujarat. Thanked him for the delicious south Indian meal.
*****
Then I had reached Etawah after covering 3000 km. I just parked my bike and cried from the tiredness of the journey (back pain) and thought I would not be able to cover the rest of the GQ. Suddenly an old man came and asked is everything fine, I say it’s okay I am just feeling little tired. He said come over to his house and rest. He said “today is bhaiya dooj, please come over, have some sweet take rest before you continue”. I rested for few hours then I thanked him for the hospitality and continued the journey.
*****
Next I had crossed over from Odisha to Andhra Pradesh. As evening approached I was feeling very tired, unable to ride further. I just parked my bike in a temple and slept in the portico. Then the priest came and woke me to have dinner. I quickly had dinner and slept. When I woke up at 4 am to continue the journey, I thanked the priest for the hospitality.
And I continue the journey towards Bangalore.
After six months I was again on a cross country bike trip and as I reached Srikakulam and crossed the temple at 4 am, was surprised the priest was standing outside. I just parked my bike and he recognized me instantly. We had a quick chat. He insisted that I wait for the morning aarti before I continue the ride. I said its okay and sponsored the prasad expense of the day.
Over the years the road has taught me lot of lessons about life.
Here is full post of Samaresh’s GQ ride.
= = = = =
Samaresh Biswal treats the road as his home and you can mostly find him riding his bike covering all corners of India. If you happen to meet him, don’t forget he has a huge stock of stories. 😀 He blogs at I me myself.
You may want to read some of the earlier posts on the same theme.
Kindness on the Road
Surviving America
Good deed not dead!
Lost and found
If you have been helped by someone during your travels and want to share your story with the world, feel free to connect with me in comments section.
Really nice to read!
Thanks Rashmi for linking my experience on the road of my solo GQ
I imagine travelling around India would be a fascinating challenge. The roads are the worst I have ever experienced, as much for the crazy ass drivers as for the potholes, both of which are terrible hazards when trying to admire the incredible scenery. I had a similiar experience in India where I was taken under the wing of an airport security guard who did not want me to leave the airport as the city was on lockdown. I had an hotel to get to and my phone was not working so he organised transport for me and accompanied me to the car. Very special
Yess Anee, thansk for sharing your experience yes we receive kindness from strangers who never expected anything on return .
I loovvveeee India, and this post brings back so many amazing memories! Sounds like you had quite the adventure on this journey!
Hi Alyssa, thanks for the lovely feedback yes 6216 km was my by fars the longest solo ride . and it has transform me a lot.
How very nice that he encountered such friendly people who were generous and hospitable! I would think living on a motorbike would be lonely but not if you have encounters like this.
Hi Shobha,
yes solo trips are lonbely but the friends you meet on highway they remains life long friends.
So many acts of kindness! What a great reminder to offer assistance to fellow travelers and strangers.
Yes jen, what the road trips teaches one also apply on the life.
This sounds like a great adventure! I’d love to go to India, not sure I could cope with seeing in on a motorbike though! Maybe I’ll stick to the bus 😉
Hi Claire, plan a trip to inbdia soon and if visiting odisha do let me know . you have a local guide here 🙂 happy travelling .
Amazing journey, really very good to know about your experience.
Thanks Jyoritmoy for your feedback 🙂
There is still kindness in the world and stories like this show it. So beautiful to read. We should all pass on the kindness and good. Make this world better.
Yes Joella, this type of solo trips makes one beliefs that humanity is very much alive and kicking
Incredible that you covered over 3,000km on your bike! And it’s so sweet of the old man to offer you some sweets to help you rest after your long journey. It’s so lovely to hear that you come by so much kindness on your road trip.
Hi Soraya, i was about to give up after 3000 km but the kindness of the old man energies me which made me belive on myself that i can complete the GQ .
So many people are kind of heart, and it’s wonderful to see that this is the main rule instead of the exception – wonderful to see that it’s the same over 3,000 km and not just one instance!
yes megan , the world is full of kind people who go extra mile to help a complete stranger.
I think if there’s one thing that travel has shown me, it’s that people are, for the most part, good and willing to help and your story showed this. I’m also impressed that you covered so many km on this trip! I’m making my first journey to India in March ’18 and I cannot wait to see as much as possible!
yes paige , people are helpful . do buzz me when you are in india if visiting odisha let me know .
Such a beautiful story about the generosity one may encounter in India. So nice of people to invite him to rest in their house and help him along the way. Visiting India has always been a big dream of mine and I can’t wait to meet beautiful people like the ones in this article.
Beautifully written, thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks Nicholas, for the warmth feedback . do plan to visit india soon .
Travelling often restores my faith in humanity (sounds a bit cliché, but still). It’s heart-warming to read stories like Samaresh’s – you never know where help can come from. Wonderful idea for a post series!
Yes Anna traveling restores ones faith that humanity still alive. Yes thanks to Nisha for starting a blog series on kindness on the road
Without the kindness of strangers where would we be? Riding through india would be a lot of fun. As well as a lot of stress
So true Jean without kindness this world will be a boring place. i don’t think riding is stressful for me its a therapy.
Wow ! that comes such Gr8 memories for a lifetime along with Travel that is like one of the bestest feeling 🙂
Yes Pooja i will cherish the solo trip memories till last breath.
For a person who relied a lot on kindness of strangers this year, I can definitely relate to this. Traveling opens our eyes like nothing else.
So true Soumya indeed travel open our eyes.
It’s often the memories of this kind of encounter that linger on the mind. I am always do grateful that good people still exist and step forward to help strangers!
Yes Kavey the little help from strangers restores our faith that humanity still exists.
Good to know that there are kind people out there. This happened to me in reverse in New Zealand. We came across a bloke you had a puncture on a mountain pass and didn’t know how to change a tyre. Few minutes later, he was good to go. I believe in good karma, so these things pay off in the end!
indeed Tom one receives help form strangers when we have lost all hope.
It is stories like these that make re instill my faith in travel. Such warm and positive stories. Keep sharing Nisha!
Yes Divyakshi thanks to Nisha for starting the project of sharing stories so that it will re instill our faith that humanity still exist .
Good experiences all! Lucky man!
In India anything can happen.
This is a great project Nisha.
Yes Indrani anything can happen on the highway and travel open our eyes to every expect of the travel. Thanks to Nisha for a taking the initiative of starting this project and sharing the experiences
How wonderful to have that kind of local hospitality. It really makes a country come to life doesn’t it.
Good luck with your travels
Thanks Fiona . travel makes us realise that good people still exist.
Great experience mate! For me, the kindness on the road, as you call it, is one of the most pleasant experiences you can ever experience while traveling. People will always be the highlight of your trip. I also had similar experiences when I traveled to Sudan last November. Sudanis are by far the kindest people I’ve ever met. I got plenty of taxi rides for free, meals and one day I was not even allowed to pay the hotel for staying one night. Cheers mate,
Thank You Joan for such a lovely feedback. Happy Travelling. Hope to meet in some highway.
You never know what to expect on the road, but when random acts of kindness occur, it makes traveling that much better. I love that you were helped more than once on the road, that’s pretty rare. India really is a magical place.
Yes Mar india is a beautiful place and random act of kindness is what keep us travelling.
That’s what travel teaches you. I have had such fantastic experiences on road which has restored my faith in humanity. I have found the people of Maharashtra and Rajasthan the most helpful. In fact I have received kindness from rural people even in the infamous Haryana and Bihar.
Thanks Abhinav for the lovely feedback. if you are in odisha do get in touch.
What lovely stories, I hear so many nice things about the people in India. It seems that the culture is so nice to people on their travels. Well done for learning the languages too!
Yes kate traveling makes one a story teller .
I love the fact that you have this “Kindness on the Road” series. More often than not, we tend to highlight on the negative part/thought of travelling whilst in distress; when the truth is, there are so many good people out there who are willing to lend a hand without really being asked to. Needless to say that Samaresh’s stories above is a perfect example of this.
Rba thanks a lot for the kind words. indeed travelling open our eyes.
I like your Kindness. I hear so many nice things about the people in India. I read very good stories in your Blog. super dude. You always keep going as well.
Thanks Sreekanth hope to meet in some highway.
This shows that there are many good people around the world. Unfortunately, stream media focuses on bad people or incidents which are nothing compare to the Kindness all around the world. Thanks for highlighting them.
Mansoureh thanks a lot for the lovely feedback. the world is indeed full of kind people one has to open up our heart and experience.
That was very nice of the many to pay Samaresh’s bill. I hope he paid it forward! I think it’s more important than ever to create good karma in the world.
Yes Jennifer good karma comes back to us in multi fold.
These are such sweet and touching stories! We’ve experienced kindness on the road as well, and we try to always pay it forward. I love reading about heart warming tales like these!
Thanks Lia for the lovely feedback about experience on the highway. Keep travelling .
It is for experiences like these one wants to travel more and more! Great stuff Samaresh.
Hi Arvi,
So true its this experience that one explore the unknown path.
Hmmm… the GQ ride sounds interesting.
Thanks for liking my solo GQ ride. Happy Travelling .