ISSUE 12 | DECEMBER 2019
BC: How do you manage long distance rides (LDR)
being a female rider?
NN: I always prepare for any kind of situations and
circumstances. I plan my ride beforehand. The
routes, medicine, safety gears, sanitary napkins,
tools, spare parts and a safety kit. Though I book
hotels on the same day before I reach any
destination, otherwise there is no major difference
in being a male or female rider, it's just a same. I
never faced any worst situations during my any of
the rides. But I must say that I learnt from all of my
riders from across the country that India is very
safe for female riders, people respect us more when
they see us riding on heavy motorcycles and they
do appreciate. If you are good then everyone is
good, you just need to be strong and confident
enough.
BC: What type of rider you think you are?
Aggressive or Conservative?
NN: I am a slow rider. I don't ride very fast. For me
safety is always a priority. All that matters to me is
that travelling and exploring the places nothing
else.
I am a woman with
no regrets
NIRMALI NATH
BC: What special arrangements you do when you
go for a ride?
NN: Route plan, spare parts, tools and equipments,
medicine, riding gears, a knife, pepper spray,
marking the service centers of RE on my route,
required clothes, sleepers, learn basic mechanical
things and a good helmet.
BC: Any new rides are you planning currently?
NN: I am planning to explore Myanmar and
Australia next.
BC: Tell us about your best and worst ride till now.
NN: BEST RIDE: 'Tour de Himalaya' where I have
covered all the difficult passes of Himalayas, and
two of my best ride was to being able to conquered
the 'Shinkula Pass' as a first female biker and
another was to conquer the deadliest 'Chandratal
lake. Chandratal lake; where I had a dream camp
BIKERS CLUB ® | MAGAZINE | PAGE 14
at night under the billions of stars, one of the most
beautiful location of spiti. But I was not aware of the
difficulties to survive in nights. After reaching Bettal
we were super excited to visit Chandratal Lake which
is 14 kms from Bettal. We crossed two big water
crossings on the way and had a bike fall too during
one. We reached parking area and parked our bikes
and trekked for about 1.5 kms to the lake, I had
decided to trek with my painting legs and finally
made it.
I was stunned with the incomparable wilderness of
the calm and beautiful blue water lake covered with
mountains from all the corners. My one of the wish
list was accomplished. After spending an hour there
and taking some good drone shots and photographs,
we returned to parking area, as it was dark till then
we decided to camp there at night. One of my riding
friend 'Bala Suresh' collected some firewoods to set
fire up, we were carrying utensils and Maggie
packets, biscuits and other items for emergency.
Bala went to bring water to cook Maggie and drinking
water, while I was warming up myself sitting near the
firewood. But as night was getting darker it was
getting colder too and we realized that it was around
-15° C at that night and we were bone frozen and
could not sleep, but then we wrapped ourselves into
Aluminium foil and wore as many as clothes possible
and waited for the Sun to come out.
I can never forget that night, everything we were
carrying got frozen, our tent, gloves, socks, shoes,
water and we too, and moreover that something
outside was moving and making sound whole night
which frightened us the whole night, may be it
was leopard or a bear.
But that's what they say "what doesn't kill you,
makes you stronger." And finally Sun showed up at
7:00 am and the view was so beautiful that I cannot
express but then also I slept for few more hours
because of the night which I could not sleep. Then
the temperature must have been -5° C and we started
gearing up for our ride and was the time to say good
bye to Chandratal Lake. It was deadly but beautiful
night to remember my whole life.
There wasn't any WORST RIDE but had a bad
experiences in Nepal.
After crossing Chispani, we needed to cross Bardiya
National Park, and there was a forest check post
before Ambasa Forest area where we need to enter
our bike details and license number for which they
gave us a slip in Nepali language. The only
instruction we could understand was that we could
be attacked by a tiger as it was happened many
times before to many riders.
We started our ride and after riding for 15 mins we
crossed Ambasa Forest area where another check
post came across, we needed to show the slip there,