TRAVEL FEATURE - INDIA MEGAN GOVERNI
" BE PROUD !"
Looking across the valley I couldn ’ t believe where we ’ d just ridden , what seemed like a hundred or so hairpins , all on the side of a mountain , loose gravel , and the occasional patch of sand . Valley roads that didn ’ t really exist , narrow tracks that followed riverbeds and challenged the best of riders . I ’ d struggled and I won ’ t deny I was feeling a little defeated .
The day before we ’ d ridden from our base of two nights , Jispa , on the Leh Road to one of India ’ s famous high passes . Baralacha La deep within the Zanskar range and on the road that connects Manali to Leh . There ’ d been some gravel here , but the road was wide and open , yes , a steep drop at times but watching a group of cyclists reach the summit had inspired me to not even contemplate complaining .
The group were all Indian military personnel and they seemed more inspired by us , from Australia , than what they were doing , riding 1600 kilometres across some of India ’ s highest passes . I knew if they could do these roads under their own power then I could do it aboard a trusty Royal Enfield Himalayan . Easy right ?
We ’ d opted not to take the road all the way to Leh , local conflict between motorcycle tour companies meant it was almost impossible to ride our bikes there without being charge a ridiculous amount just to say we ’ d been to the highest motorable road in India , perhaps the world . Our guides said it was up to us , the boys in the group decided they ’ d rather take the road less travelled and forget the ‘ easy tourist road ’. I ’ d remained silent .
So , for a second time we ’ d crossed the Barsi Bridge , at Darcha and headed north however , this time turning off the National Road 3 and heading into the unknown .
The road seemed good , much
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