Motorcycle diaries

What’s it like to ride the roughest mountains with your father? A Mumbai architect and his 62-year-old pillion return from Leh to tell

In 2011, when architect Bhavin Nagda, 32, started planning a biking trip to Leh Ladakh, he was sure it wouldn’t be a solo expedition.  He wanted his dad to join.  “Having been in the business of transport, it wasn’t uncommon for my father to discuss highways and trucks at dinner. I thought this [idea of a road trip], would definitely excite him. Moreover, he could do with a break.” 

Bhavin Nagda with his father Vijay at the Khardung La, a mountain pass in Leh, also famously known as the gateway to the Nubra and Shyok Valleys

But the much-needed break wouldn’t come for the next 10 years. Six months ago, Bhavin felt he’d had enough. If not now, when? The odds, however, were stacked against them: The Coronavirus pandemic, his wife’s second pregnancy, and his 62-year-old father’s battle with gout arthritis, a condition characterised by sudden attacks of severe pain and swelling in the joints. 

Vijay Nagda, 62, at the Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment Telescope (MACE) in Hanle. Placed at 4,300m above sea level in Ladakh, MACE is also the world’s second largest gamma-ray telescope, with a 21-m-diameter dish

But, where there’s a wheel, there’s a way. The two recently returned to Mumbai after a 20-day road trip to Ladakh,  covering a distance of 7,000 km on the Benelli TRK 502X. They wound their way through Vadodara, Udaipur, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Manali, Jispa, Rumtse, Leh, Hunder, and finally Pangong Tso.  Travelling with a senior member meant there could be no compromise on the level of preparedness, which included a complete health check-up, carrying the necessary medicines for exigencies, and weather-appropriate clothing. To get a hang of the long journey, they began with frequent offroading trips to Lonavala and back. This, says Bhavin, helped him manoeuvre the hulk of a bike. “The first time I drove it from the showroom home, I had a bad fall. So, dad was initially unsure if he wanted to do this with me.” The short trips did inspire confidence. What didn’t was the quality of roads that they encountered. “I had heard about extreme roads from the truck drivers, but it’s only when I saw it first hand did I realise the extent of it,” shares Vijay. While they had chalked out the route, hotel bookings were done on the go. With revenge travel seeing an uptick in recent months, finding hotels became a challenge, they say. Their budget was Rs 2,000, but had to frequently exceed because they had to take what was available. While they don’t regret it as it added an element of adventure, for those who want a safer and smoother journey, advance booking would help. As a rule, Bhavin and his father avoided riding post sundown. Travel hours were limited from 9 am to 6 pm. 

From sweltering Vadodara to bone-chilling Leh, the weather and topography got progressively challenging. Riding on the sand was particularly tough, they remember. “We fell thrice, but thankfully we got away with minor bruises. The robust biking accessories protected us,” says Vijay. Breathtaking but also occasionally spine-jangling, the Leh–Manali route is known to be infamously unpredictable. Despite carrying winter wear, nothing prepared the duo for the cold. “There were times when I couldn’t get my hand out of my jacket to give my father his BP medicine.” Because mountains can be unpredictable, Bhavin suggests factoring in the time element while making plans. “There is one stretch from Manali to Leh which is 465 km long, and by our estimate, we would be covering it in just a day. It took us three days. That changed our perception of traveling in the mountains,” says Bhavin, adding, “On our best days, we did 100 km in the mountain [Jispa-Rumtse] and at sea level, it was 600 km [Indore-Mumbai].”  

The duo made a pitstop at Gurdas Ram Jalebi Wala, arguably the most famous jalebi shop in the whole of Amritsar

The father-son dynamic made the journey fun and exasperating in equal parts. “There were times when his navigating advice felt like incessant WhatsApp notifications,” he jokes. Sometimes, long stretches of the journey would be spent without a word with both soaking in the beauty of nature. Of the two, Bhavin admits his father’s alertness trumped his own. “Highway hypnosis happens when a driver has been driving for too long. I faced that once, but dad was quick enough to wake me up.” The quality of roads in Leh never allowed them the opportunity to nod off. He would sneak in some “me-time”  in Leh by taking off to slightly adventurous pockets when his father would nod off, because he wouldn’t have left him take the risk. His father’s unfussy nature only helped make the trip enjoyable. “He’s the sort of person, who doesn’t make demands. But, he was so enamoured by Manali that for the first time he asked me if we could stay there a day more.”

20
Number of days Bhavin Nagda and his father Vjay were on the road 

While on a road trip with a senior

.  Keep medicines handy. Travellers should always have several days’ worth of important medications in a carry-on
.  Ideally, before planning a long ride,  go for a short ride to get to know the pillion’s habits and patience levels to sit on a saddle for long
.  Get as much information as you can about your travel, weather conditions and clothing requirement to avoid surprises
.  The rider must consider taking multiple breaks because travelling can get exhausting 
.  Pillion must have strong faith in rider’s skill and ability to get over a rough patch of road, a hairpin bend on mountains, or traffic 
lane changing
.  Investing in a good communication device like a Bluetooth headset helps with uninterrupted communication between rider and pillion at high 
wind speeds

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