“For about 500 kilometres up the mountain, we could see no humans. No electricity, no communication or network. The land was completely barren. They call it the ‘moon land’. It was breathtaking,” describes Seshakumar, an HR Consultant. Businessman Krishnakumar quips, “It was breathtaking on the Khardungla Pass.” Businessmen Chandrasekhar and Muthusamy echo the experiences. The four friends from Madurai and Coimbatore can’t stop raving about their road trip last month from Madurai to the World’s highest motor-able road in Leh-Ladakh. They are not hip collegians but simple sexagenarians nurturing an extraordinary love for adventurous tours. “There’s no age for experiences and achievements in life,” smiles Chandrasekhar.
“It was a long-time dream. Once we all retired, we started embarking on expeditions. The idea was to experience tough terrains and harsh weather conditions. It was highly daunting and was kind of a self-assessment test that we put ourselves through,” says Seshakumar, a travel enthusiast. “In 1978, when I was a student of The American College, I along with two of my friends cycled to Sri Lanka. Travel has been a passion since then.”
The men covered 15 states and 9,000 kilometres in 16 days. The highlight was they self-drove the Mahindra XUV-500 and also cooked their own food. “The stretch from Manali to Leh was the toughest. It was difficult to step out even for a second in the sub-zero temperature. We would take turns to click quick snaps,” says Muthusamy.
The points they visited at Ladakh and Siachen are among the world’s extreme destinations. “Visiting such places far from civilisation brings you closer to nature and humbles you. I went totally silent, feasting on the scenery around,” says Krishnakumar.
“Another gratifying part of the trip was seeing our Army braving extreme weather conditions and guarding the frontiers. We happened to see a convoy from Siachen and felt a sudden surge of patriotism and gratitude for the soldiers,” adds Seshakumar.
The friends also took part in the famous Raid De Himalaya rally and were thrilled to spot Sohail Khan, the brother of Bollywood actor Salman Khan, among other participants.
Chandrasekhar says now they have decided to undertake such tours regularly. “These are must-see places and young people must travel more. Each experience is priceless,” he says. Their next travel plan is to cover the entire South-East Asia by road, starting from Bhutan to Cambodia and Laos. A caravan ride from Paris to Germany is also in the pipeline, they say.
