Highway to heaven

AdventureTour amp TasteRelaxingEducationalAncient amp HistoricalI have been to Ladakh a couple of times Stayed there for almost a month when shooting for Bard of Blood went there again for some other work and always came back feeling a connection with the place However I never really got to explore it because I have motion sicknessKirti and her trusted Himalayan Royal Enfield that she hired for the trip from Saspol There are plenty of options for riders and it is always best to go with a reliable hiring contactLast year I decided to change that and do a bike trip to Ladakh It seemed like an adventurous and exciting solution to my problemmdashI could finally move around in the mountains without getting sickGearing up Last year in November I bought a Royal Enfield Classic 350 Though I had ridden a twowheeler before I had never ridden a motorbike I had to learn and practice riding it on Mumbairsquos potholeladen roads manoeuvring the traffic alongside other vehicles that were often too close for proximity In hindsight it kind of prepared me for Ladakh a trip I was planning in JulyAugust Itrsquos summertime there then The days are adequately hot and you get to enjoy Ladakh in all its natural beautyAlso Read From Sushmita Sen to Kirti Kulhari 5 strong female charactersI started putting things together with a friend from Ladakh in April but it didnrsquot work out It just happened that another friend Priyanka Chandra had just finished working on a music festival there She put the whole itinerary together and I just showed up The others who were to join us dropped out and eventually it was just Priyanka and me It was perfectmdashI wanted to be on my own enjoy the trip at my pace and have some me time A lot of planning went into ensuring we skip the touristy places more so because it was tourist season We did find a lot of people on our way back from Pangong lake while crossing the Changla pass Otherwise we mostly had the whole place to ourselvesWe started the ride from Saspol went to Hanu Village and came back the next dayThe route for the next week was SaspolKharuChumathangNyomaChusulPangong TsoTansgteLehmdash800 kilometres in eight days We reached out to Stanzin Chokphel an actor who has a production house in Ladakh He was of great help for local connections because we hadnrsquot planned the days down to every detail Most of the things we did were impromptu Going where we felt like and camping where we felt like knowing we were safe because the Indian army is stationed here On day seven we camped at a secluded stretch close to a village called Merak right before Pangong Tso because the sky was so beautifulWhen staying at Saspol Kirti and Priyanka trekked down the Indus river and sat by it for hours taking in the sceneryTrusting the best I was advised against taking my Classic 350 so I had to rent a bike in Ladakh We reached out to Sushil Chaudhary founder and CEO of Picturetime an inflatable theatre company that installed the worldrsquos highestaltitude theatremdashat 11562 ftmdashin Ladakh last year He arranged for two bikes for me to test A Himalayan Royal Enfield and a Yezdi I chose the Himalayan It is different in terms of design height and structure compared to the Classic 350 that I was used to I wondered if I would be comfortable but to my surprise the Himalayan is an absolute darling in the mountains Itrsquos so strong and sturdy It weighs 200 kilos but still moves like a breeze It never broke down or gave me troubleAlso Read Three more months pleaseNo matter how confident you are a bike is not the same as a fourwheelermdashit can skid Thatrsquos always at the back of your mind The only way to not let that ruin your ride is to take all safety measures and not panic Fifty per cent of the roads in Ladakh are beautiful and 50 per cent are pathways made of stone and gravel Honestly you could skid at any point I am not very proud of saying this but I just went with the flow sans a safety jacket or knee pads I rode wearing normal track pants a regular jacket trekking shoes and a full helmet Irsquom so grateful and blessed that while my bike did fall fourfive times it wasnrsquot in full motion I was unhurt But itrsquos better to be safe than sorry so always hire the right gearNight camping at Hanu You can hire camping gear at most big touristfriendly villages Pics courtesyKirti KulhariGender no bar Ladakh is very womanfriendly You feel safe therersquos no eveteasing and people readily help you out Itrsquos one of the few places in India that displays evident gender equality It is a matriarchal society where both sexes are treated like they matter and are valued for who they are Also riding is genderneutral It is not about being male or femalemdashyoursquore just a rider The beauty is that everyone wears the same gear so unless you look closely you donrsquot know if itrsquos a man or a woman riding the bikePitstop for Maggi at Mahe enroute Kharu to Chumathang left With Chuskit owner of the dhabhaGoing in nature Toilets are usually a concern for me When you are travelling panIndia unclean toilets are a thing and thatrsquos quite a bummer In Ladakh I preferred going in nature rather than trying out dirty toilets Many people do that There are stretches when there is barely a soul in sight and you can stop your bike and do your jobMy first halt was a quaint boutique hotel called Moljoks in Saspol Itrsquos a new place with few rooms and great food put together by a young chef Explore smaller places such as Shey Nyoma Hanu and Hanlemdashtherersquos an observatory in Hanle so if you love stargazing this is where you should be We camped at Hanu Chusul and by the Pangong lake At Chumathang we experienced the hot springsRiding a bike on this terrain lets you experience freedom and liberation like nothing else can Irsquom so grateful I could do this and met some wonderful people on the trip which is always the point of new journeys I wish we could experience this warmth and friendliness everywhere we goAlso Read Kirti Kulhari opens up about how she was styled for HumanNow that I have been bitten by the bikerrsquos bug some day Irsquoll ride from Mumbai to LadakhEat pray love Ladakh is a touristfriendly bikerrsquos paradise with many places to stay and eateries catering to travellers Eat at Tsas a newlyopened fine dining restaurant that has amazing food thatrsquos also economical Itrsquos about 10 minutes from Leh Therersquos also Alchirsquos kitchen in Alchi village close to Saspol where I stayed for the first two days of my trip The proprietor Nilza Wangmo makes Ladakhi cuisine Do the monasteries Go to Thiksey for sure but also stop by at any of the others that draw you in on your way Buy prayer flags for yourself and your friends and families back home Yoursquoll find them all across Ladakh I love the sight of small bridges with crisscrossing garlands of prayer flags flapping in the airmdashitrsquos mesmerising Check out the Ladakhi designer stores I walked into Jigmat and Namza They have haute couture Ladakhi costumes You donrsquot necessarily have to buy anything but itrsquos fun to browse Take time to get out of your car and scoop up some Multani mitti Fullerrsquos earth straight from the small hills near Leh Visit Pangong lake Itrsquos beautiful in winters and summers alike There are very few things that compare to it at first sight Spend a day by the lake and camp around there at nightWant to hear from youWe are looking to visit and write about interesting places of stay and travel near and far If you wish to host us for a fair engaging experience review write to us atsmdmailmiddaycom