The Post-Virgin Leh Diaries - Part 5


What They Don’t Tell You
About Riding
On The Roof Of The World. V





Get ready for great roads but with high temperatures.
From a jarring introduction to Chandigarh with potholed roads for 20kms it was a welcome relief to ride on the smooth roads of the plains. Although we were sure the road would go easy on us, we were aware that the heat certainly would not. Luckily we got cloudy skies with intermittent showers and sparse traffic. Whew. I’d heard that other riders had to stop every 10 to 20 kms to water themselves down to cool off from the blazing heat.

Make sure you drink those Manali wines before you depart from Delhi.
We’d ridden 1,500kms, 500 of them with glass wine bottles – apricot, peach, plum, strawberry & grape, all without breaking a single one – through the twists and turns of the Manali Mountains and then on Chandigarh’s traffic-ridden roads. We rode through potholes, muck and grease with the added weight. Yes, lots of care was taken.
So when I was told that wine bottles are a no-go on Delhi’s Metro trains, it broke my heart. Though they were wine bottles, not bombs, and I hardly looked like a terrorist, I had to break each one of them – and no it could not be drunk there (I asked).
Oh Delhi, you were quite a disappointment, you certainly lived up to your reputation of what cosmopolitan Bombay has for you. Tourists, you’ve been warned.


Lastly... Make friends with those waiters in the long-distance trains.
We left Delhi by train, opting to take in the local countryside. No, this is not a ride for the feeble hearted smoker. No, this was not like our considerate Bombay trains that will understand the anguish of a smoker’s plight. The smoking restrictions on these trains are pretty harsh. So in utter desperation I did what we all do but never talk about, get the smiling waiter to keep a watch out for the powers that be, so I could partake of my much needed nicotine fix. Whew.



AND what they don’t tell you above all is…

 Expect the unexpected!
-   Fellow travelers will help you out willingly.
-   You could lose at least up to 10kgs walking up staircases!
-   You’ll get to sample the best cinnamon tea in the world.


 Strangers can become friends!
…When you’re sharing a smoke with a passerby.
…When you stop to help fellow bikers.
…When you wave out and scream ‘juley’ (fellow writer, Ryan Valles, thank you so much for that tip!)

Pankaj Kumar from Delhi's Brawn Bikers - The Lone Rider

 Live in the moment!
-   Go on and get those shoes and leg armor soaked in that icy cold river, it will dry.
-   Swim in the happy vibes, smiling does cure grumpy team-mates.
-   Stop to tell that lone 20-something biker – who’s ridden from Srinagar to Leh (and then will go onto Kardung La) how proud you are of him undertaking this epic journey alone.


...Good Travels to You!

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