Highway to heaven

Driving 800 kms through the Himalayas, Kirti Kulhari realised that in the mountains you are not a woman or man, just a rider

Adventure
Tour & Taste
Relaxing
Educational
Ancient & Historical

I 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 sickness. 

Kirti 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 contact

Last year, I decided to change that and do a bike trip to Ladakh. It seemed like an adventurous and exciting solution to my problem—I could finally move around in the mountains without getting sick.

Gearing up: Last year in November, I bought a Royal Enfield Classic 350. Though I had ridden a two-wheeler before, I had never ridden a motorbike. I had to learn and practice riding it on Mumbai’s pothole-laden 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 July-August. It’s summertime there then: The days are adequately hot and you get to enjoy Ladakh in all its natural beauty.

Also Read: From Sushmita Sen to Kirti Kulhari - 5 strong female characters

I started putting things together with a friend from Ladakh in April, but it didn’t 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 perfect—I 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 ourselves.

We started the ride from Saspol, went to Hanu Village, and came back the next day.

The route for the next week was Saspol-Kharu-Chumathang-Nyoma-Chusul-Pangong Tso-Tansgte-Leh—800 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 hadn’t 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 beautiful.

When staying at Saspol, Kirti and Priyanka trekked down the Indus river and sat by it for hours, taking in the scenery

Trusting 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 world’s highest-altitude theatre—at 11,562 ft—in 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. It’s so strong and sturdy; It weighs 200 kilos but still moves like a breeze. It never broke down or gave me trouble.

Also Read: Three more months please

No matter how confident you are, a bike is not the same as a four-wheeler—it can skid. That’s 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. I’m so grateful and blessed that while my bike did fall four-five times, it wasn’t in full motion. I was unhurt. But it’s better to be safe than sorry, so always hire the right gear.

Night camping at Hanu. You can hire camping gear at most big tourist-friendly villages. Pics courtesy/Kirti Kulhari

Gender no bar: Ladakh is very woman-friendly. You feel safe: there’s no eve-teasing and people readily help you out. It’s 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 gender-neutral. It is not about being male or female—you’re just a rider. The beauty is that everyone wears the same gear, so unless you look closely, you don’t know if it’s a man or a woman riding the bike.

Pitstop for Maggi at Mahe enroute Kharu to Chumathang; (left) With Chuskit, owner of the dhabha

Going in nature: Toilets are usually a concern for me. When you are travelling pan-India, unclean toilets are a thing and that’s 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 job.

My first halt was a quaint boutique hotel called Moljoks in Saspol. It’s a new place with few rooms and great food put together by a young chef. Explore smaller places such as Shey, Nyoma, Hanu, and Hanle—there’s an observatory in Hanle, so if you love star-gazing, this is where you should be. We camped at Hanu, Chusul, and by the Pangong lake. At Chumathang, we experienced the hot springs.

Riding a bike on this terrain lets you experience freedom and liberation like nothing else can. I’m 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 go. 

Also Read: Kirti Kulhari opens up about how she was styled for 'Human'

Now that I have been bitten by the biker’s bug, some day I’ll ride from Mumbai to Ladakh.

Eat, pray, love

. Ladakh is a tourist-friendly biker’s paradise with many places to stay and eateries catering to travellers. 
. Eat at Tsas, a newly-opened fine dining restaurant that has amazing food that’s also economical. It’s about 10 minutes from Leh. 
. There’s also Alchi’s 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. You’ll find them all across Ladakh. I love the sight of small bridges with criss-crossing garlands of prayer flags flapping in the air—it’s mesmerising.
. Check out the Ladakhi designer stores. I walked into Jigmat and Namza. They have haute couture Ladakhi costumes. You don’t necessarily have to buy anything, but it’s fun to browse.
. Take time to get out of your car and scoop up some Multani mitti (Fuller’s earth) straight from the small hills near Leh.
. Visit Pangong lake: It’s 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 night.

Want to hear from you

We 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 at 
smdmail@mid-day.com

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!