STAR TO FINISH

Chasing stars across the Himalayas on the first-ever Astral Ride

- Kartik Ware

The sky was bright blue, as was the lake under it. Lying down on the grassy slope, if I let my eyes relax, I couldn’t tell which was which. It’d been hours since I last saw a person, and I wondered if it was a good idea to be away for this long. But the sun was warm, the Himalayan wind was cool, and I was rather unexpectedly enjoying this newfound experience of utter solitude, with only a motorcycle and a camera for company. I wondered which came first. I wondered if this is how meditation begins. Then I wondered where these thoughts end. It’s no wonder that hermits seek refuge in these mountains.

Flying into Leh, as the plane descended through the most spectacular approach I’ve seen so far, I only had one thing on my mind — acute mountain sickness (AMS). The last time I was in Ladakh was 10 years ago, and I have vague memories of vomiting an alarming quantity of some green stuff that I didn’t remember eating. And the past decade has only seen one stupendous failure after another when it came to adhering to some sort of healthy lifestyle. Suffice it to say, I had plenty of reason to worry. And I had Royal Enfield to thank for it.