What Happens When You Put A City Slicker On The Discomforting Road To Leh?
The MAN|August 01 , 2019

What happens when you put a city slicker on the distractingly beautiful yet equally discomforting road to Leh? It is an unending adventure. Yes!

Shaun Chicharito Pais
What Happens When You Put A City Slicker On The Discomforting Road To Leh?

Comfort zones are tricky creatures — they creep up on you, lull you into a happy zone, then bite you in the rear. Over the last five years, I’ve spent many weekends burning rubber along Maharashtra’s coastline and open highways. My blissful ignorance led me to believe that the nastiest twisties were the ghats of Igatpuri or Lavasa, both of which I had aced several times. But a twisty surprise lay round the corner...

Royal Enfield invited me to join them on their Himalayan Odyssey 2019: A trip to the Himalayas that would have 60 riders start from Chandigarh, and for me, end in Leh. At 787km, I figured that would mean about four days of riding. I’ve done Mumbai-Udaipur, which is roughly the same distance, in a single day. How different could this be?”

First, a little detour: What exactly is the Himalayan Odyssey? Santhosh Vijay, Group Manager at Royal Enfield Rides Marketing, describes it as an event to introduce their customers to pure biking. The Odyssey is RE’s marquee ride that takes participants and their machines on a 2,066km ride over 15 days across smooth tarmac, broken tarmac, gravel, dirt and mud in the Himalayas. Which biker worth his riding boots would say no to that?

I find myself at the Mountview hotel in Chandigarh, ready to tick one off my list…

DAY 1

ALL PARTICIPANTS fly/ride into Chandigarh and check into the hotel. With no activities planned for the day, we are free to socialise with the group and that’s when I meet Arun, Pratiksha and Parav who are the other media persons joining in for the ride.

The participants hail from different backgrounds and are from various corners of the country, even abroad. There’s a group of best buddies from Madurai, two passionate bikers from Saudi Arabia, and a gang who has ridden from Pune to Chandigarh.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 01 , 2019 من The MAN.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 01 , 2019 من The MAN.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من THE MAN مشاهدة الكل
The 2023 Bucket List
The MAN

The 2023 Bucket List

Before the world as we know it changes forever, here's a partial list of experiences to try in the year ahead

time-read
3 mins  |
January 01,2023
Do You Have The Time To Read Your Watch?
The MAN

Do You Have The Time To Read Your Watch?

Audemars Piguet Starwheel Code 11.59 is the latest among watches with unusual layouts

time-read
3 mins  |
January 01,2023
THEY CAME THEY RODE, THEY CONQUERED
The MAN

THEY CAME THEY RODE, THEY CONQUERED

FOUR WOMEN BIKERS TRAVERSING THE UNTOUCHED TERRAIN OF EASTERN ARUNACHAL ON THEIR DUCATI MULTISTRADA BIKES. THE 'EXPLORE BEYOND' BIKING EXPEDITION WAS AN INITIATIVE OF ARUNACHAL TOURISM TO SHOWCASE THE STATE AS A SAFE DESTINATION FOR SOLO WOMEN TRAVELLERS. THE RIDE WAS FLAGGED OFF BY CM PEMA KHANDU FROM THE BANKS OF THE SIANG AT PASIGHAT AND WOUND UP AT THE ORANGE FESTIVAL OF ADVENTURE & MUSIC, DAMBUK, WHERE THE BIKERS LET THEIR HAIR DOWN AND PARTIED LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW. YUP, GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN, AND IN ARUNACHAL THEY CAN - SAFELY

time-read
4 mins  |
January 01,2023
ΤΗΕ RIGHT ΤΙΜΕ
The MAN

ΤΗΕ RIGHT ΤΙΜΕ

AS CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY BECOME BURNING ISSUES, WATCH BRANDS TOO ARE DOING THEIR BIT TO SUPPORT CAUSES, BOTH THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL THE TIMEPIECES THEY ARE CREATING AND THE INITIATIVES THEY ARE UNDERTAKING

time-read
4 mins  |
January 01,2023
THE GOLDENPASS EXPRESS
The MAN

THE GOLDENPASS EXPRESS

A LUXURY SWISS WINTER ESCAPE ROUTE

time-read
5 mins  |
January 01,2023
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
The MAN

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

WITH BOUTIQUE LODGES AND ΝΟ CROWDS, THE MORE EXCLUSIVE TEHLA ZONE OF SARISKA NATIONAL PARK IS EMERGING AS THE DESTINATION OF CHOICE FOR WILDLIFE ENTHUSIASTS

time-read
6 mins  |
January 01,2023
LAMBORGHINI HURACAN EVO SPYDER TOP-DOWN ADRENALINE MACHINE
The MAN

LAMBORGHINI HURACAN EVO SPYDER TOP-DOWN ADRENALINE MACHINE

A machine sculpted to perfection, the Lamborghini Huracan EVO Spyder is a sensational car in every sense. It is fast, it's beautiful, and it is just special

time-read
4 mins  |
January 01,2023
CARS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN 2023
The MAN

CARS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN 2023

WITH THE devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the acute supply chain disruptions caused by it beginning to ease, the automotive industry is rapidly accelerating out of the deep crisis it found itself two years ago.

time-read
5 mins  |
January 01,2023
DATING A SINGLE MOM
The MAN

DATING A SINGLE MOM

IT’S A COOL Friday evening. She is sitting with a cup of hot chocolate and unwinding with her phone. Her dating app has 10 unread messages. She hopes that at least one match will lead to a conversation and a date that weekend.

time-read
5 mins  |
January 01,2023
YOUR SHIP HAS COME IN
The MAN

YOUR SHIP HAS COME IN

Go-karting, the world’s first freefall dry slide on sea, musical shows, spa, artwork... this new ship has raised the bar on many levels!

time-read
2 mins  |
January 01,2023