Thiruvananthapuram
The destination
Ladakh. Scenic landscapes, mountains, plateaus, rugged roads and extreme weather conditions make Ladakh the go-to place on every biker’s travel itinerary.
The riders
Vigish V.P., Jinoop Kumar Nair, Praveena Vasanth, Praveen Kumar B.V.
Kickstarting the trip
“My fascination with Ladakh began as a kid when I read travel features about this beautiful, faraway place. The stories told by my father, who used to travel a lot, fuelled my dreams,” says Vigish V.P., known by his moniker of Vepavi in biker circles. A former lead rider of a U.K.-based motorcycle touring company, Vigish has been to Ladakh 14 times in the last four years, all on his bike. For him, the ride to Ladakh is all about the rugged off-road routes that takes him through some of the most dangerous yet pristine regions of the Himalayas. He has done the epic Kashmir to Kanyakumari (K2K) ride three times.
Vigish V.P., during one of his Ladakh rides
For Jinoop Kumar Nair, a staunch devotee of Lord Siva, a ride to Ladakh was not just a physical challenge but also a journey of spiritual enlightenment.
Jinoop Kumar Nair
“Ladakh is nature at her best. You get to enjoy absolute silence and fresh air, even though you have to get used to the low-oxygen atmosphere. All of this made me, an IT guy from a bustling city like Kochi, feel like I am in a different world altogether,” says Jinoop. He went for his maiden Ladakh ride, with his friends, five months ago in August, starting and finishing the ride at Manali.
Praveena Vasanth, a feisty biker from Kozhikode who is based in Chandigarh, has been to Ladakh five times since she began her adventures on a bike three years ago. Although it’s a special feeling to traverse the likes of Khardung la pass, the highest motorable road in the world, Praveena prefers other Himalayan destinations such as Nathu La pass, Chitkul Village, Lahaul and Spiti valleys to Ladakh.
Praveena Vasanth at Rohtang
Praveen, a techie from Thiruvananthapuram, says the climate and mountainous landscape of Ladakh make it a ride of endurance and courage. Although he has been an ardent rider since his college days, the 35-year-old techie’s first ride to Ladakh was in July 2016.
Praveen Kumar B.V.
He began his trip from Delhi on July 1, taking the long route to Leh via Srinagar and returned via Manali to reach back the capital on July 9.
The journey
“With the construction of bridges and paving of roads across streams on these routes, it has become much less adventurous,” says Vigish with a tinge of disappointment. He used to enjoy tackling the tough terrain and off-road routes.
In Jinoop’s case, he initially thought of making his first trip as a lone ranger. But a call from his buddies made him change his mind. “We went to Manali and hired bikes from there. After we hired it, we found out that one of the bikes was not good enough,” he says. Valuable time was lost repairing the bike. In order to make up for lost time, they were forced to ride at night. It didn’t go well as muddy roads made the ride precarious. The consequences were unpleasant as Jinoop got altitude sickness and snow-bite. “But fortunately I healed fast and we could finish the ride without much trouble afterwards. But I don’t want to do it that way again.”
Praveen also had his share of trouble but looking back he says that it was a great experience. “Proper preparation is the key to a successful ride. You need to start on your fitness at least a month ago by going for regular walks and filling your body with oxygen to deal with oxygen-scarce places like Khardung La,” explains Praveen.
Praveena emphasises that the Ladakh ride is not a joke. “Nowadays young people just put on a jacket and head to Ladakh without any kind of planning or preparation,” she says. Praveena fumes while talking about irresponsible young bikers. “They are spoiling the place. Plastic waste dumping is on the rise. People even ride drunk citing the ‘cold climate’ as an excuse. They don’t understand that one mistake will result in death and there have been deaths in recent times,” she says.
Pit stops
Experience is nothing. Unexpected things can derail the ride, says Vigish. Once, a landslip left him stranded on the road for a couple of days. “We had to stay on the roadside with little food. The nearest shop was a good three-km away from the spot where the road was blocked,” says Vigish. But, he adds, that persistence can go a long way in helping riders face such situations.
Even with a lot of preparation, Praveen had to face some tough times on the trip. Many roads they covered in the night while on their way to Nubra valley were flanked by sharp drops, hundreds of feet in depth. Praveen himself had a close shave when he lost his balance and fell of the bike. “I was really lucky as that part of the road didn’t have the steep drop that you can find in most of the route and fortunately I didn’t break any bones. I thought my friends were right behind me. But I had left them far behind. So to bring up my bike up from the slope to the road, I had to seek the help of some military men who were passing by” says Praveen.
The preparation
Vigish believes one should should not set out for a Ladakh ride with the knowledge gained from random travel blogs. He says that beginners must consult an experienced rider and mechanic rather than deciding what to do all by themselves. “A lot of youngsters get stranded because they were ill-prepared for the trip. Preparation is a must for both rider and bike to tackle the mountainous terrain,” he says.
He himself is one of the coordinators of an all-India group, ‘Ladakh Return’, which gives free instructions to aspiring riders for trips to Ladakh.
Jinoop admits that they should have taken necessary precautions and planned well to save time.
The meticulous schedule and precautions taken helped, as Praveen and his gang could finish the trip without much trouble other than the unprecedented ones on the road. Maintaining your health in the extreme climate, he believes, is a key to a successful ride to Ladakh.
In addition to all the above, Praveena’s preparations involves carrying a hockey stick, pepper spray and chilli powder too. She says that, regardless of gender, one must take care of personal safety themselves.
However, there is no stopping the enthusiasts who are revving up take up the Ladakh challenge.
QUICK TIPS
* Begin fitness exercises at least a month before your trip in order to cope up with the low-oxygen atmosphere.
* Plan the trip well after consulting experienced riders.
* Do not compromise on safety gears.
* Get the bike serviced by a mechanic who have experience preparing bikes for rugged terrains.
* Carry the necessary medicines to deal with the extreme climate.
* Avoid riding at night on mountainous routes.
