Defending the dream in the age of Covid-19

We had reached the furthest westward destination of our March ride through Rajasthan, the dusty, 15th century citadel town of Bikaner, when the walls of Covid-19 started to close around us. We were still three days ride from our end destination in Delhi and Josh radioed to me through our helmet intercoms that the window to leave the country before lockdown was closing. It was now clear that we were going to have to pull a couple of long, gritty days to make the looming deadline and get everyone to the airport and on their way to their home countries by then. Since that final day, the 21^st of March 2020, Two Wheeled Expeditions, like every other travel company on the planet, has been idled.

It was two years earlier at my last employer’s corporate offices in Silicon Valley that the wheels to ditch my career in the IT consulting world and start this company were set in motion. The firm where I was employed as a business unit lead managing 500 people and a $20m sales target was consolidating and generous payouts were being offered to those who decided to leave. The fact that I had an unused business class ticket from San Francisco to Delhi sealed the deal: I took the money, shaved my head to a Mohawk, dyed what remained pink, flipped the corporate world a big middle finger and registered Two Wheeled Expeditions as limited liability company. 22 years of adventure riding and one and a half circumnavigations of the globe provided the street cred. From that day on, passion would become livelihood. Six months after launch we hit our stride. The new bookings every month put us on target to fill our 12 tours for the year, the great reviews were rolling in and the team and I got the validation we hoped for: we got the balance right. Price, tour quality and excellence in service delivered the experience our clients had thirsted for. The trajectory was unabashedly upward.

Then came Covid 19 and we all know what happens next. The collective civilization of our planet has been upended, economies have seized and hundreds of thousands have died. We have not had it easy; no one has. But if there is anything that this teeth-kicking pandemic has provided us with, it is time. Time to master baking, to perfect cocktails and to reflect on everything that is going on around us. This article is a collection of thoughts and learnings extracted from the experience and implemented as we do everything in our power to keep our dream alive.

• Don’t Back Down – The old song by Tom Petty accompanied me through the toughest days on the road during a seven-month ride around the world. Not even Talban drug smugglers who stood in our way in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province could withstand the mantra. The message is simple: every day a tide of doubt and even despair gathers around our feet. The stream of negative reports on the future of the economy is relentless and each one of them drives you deeper into a mire of hopelessness. But we humans are resilient and the yearn for adventure is nestled deep in our psyche. That truth keeps our motor torqued and our momentum unfettered.
• Set achievable, near term goals that support the grand vision – Being consumed by everything that cannot be controlled affects so many people right now. But if riding a motorcycle around the world taught me anything, it’s that breaking down any problem into small, manageable chunks helps you overcome being overwhelmed. Stay the course on your vision and make plans, even in the tiniest increments, to maintain momentum.
• Reset, retool, pivot – When we’re boxed in, we have to play the hand that has been dealt and find a viable path forward that leverages our strengths: the assets, skills, capabilities, and market position we have built. In our current world, we have to accept that fact that the overwhelming majority of the public will not be getting on a plane any time soon. Whether and for how long this is true is beside the point. Being successful entails taking risks and also hedging against risk. Looking for business opportunities that leverage what you are good at in new markets is a strategy for survival.
• Your people are your most valuable asset. Protect them at all costs – The airlines are facing an unprecedented dilemma. With massive fixed costs and passenger volumes down 95%, logic says they should reduce their personnel costs in equal measure. But the fact is, there is a staffing level below which business becomes unviable and a rebound impossible. With small companies like ours, the team is everything and without them you have nothing. Fight to keep them with your last dollar.
• Balance the excessive focus on problems with a regular inventory of everything that is going well – Many of us are in pain right now. There are so many uncontrollable, negative forces impacting us and it is very easy to get sucked into the vortex. While riding my motorcycle a couple of weeks ago, my mind stuck in the quicksand of negativity, I turned my attention to taking an account of all of that is good right now and my mood turned upward. Positive thinking is an immensely powerful force so harness all you can.
• Keep yourself mentally and physically strong, even when it seems impossible – The battle is only beginning, so better toughen up. My routine now includes daily meditation (an app), yoga (via Zoom), running (on the street) and weight training (shopping bags laden with books), all in the comfort of my small flat in London. Nothing can beat you when you feel ready for the fight.
• Seek out the sources of positive energy in your life – On dark days, and many of us will have them, seek out the people in your life who radiate positivity. People like this can help put things into perspective in a time when clouds may be obscuring yours.
• Stay connected with your audience and provide them with hope for future adventure – You have spent a great deal of time and money identifying and connecting with your customer base. Even if people are currently not buying what you’re selling, constantly remind them of why they sought you out in the first place. Eventually normalcy will resume and the world will once again take flight.
  

  Our last ride group – Friends for Life

• Manage cash wisely – Like almost every business except those selling designer surgical masks, we all need to manage costs. This has not stopped us from paying full refunds to all clients who had to cancel. Our company was founded on a principal of treating customers like friends. We actually, literally actually, love our clients and the last thing we want to do to people we love is alienate them.
• Ride your fucking motorcycle – When in doubt, I fall back on two wheeled therapy. Whatever your escape is, do it.

 

These are the shittiest of times, my friends. We all long for something: the touch of another human, to visit someplace new, to enjoy a meal at our favourite restaurant or a pint at our local pub. But even on the darkest days I can still see a light even if it is sometimes hard to find. We will ride again because we must. There is no option because as adventure bikers, it is the dream that makes us feel alive.

Two Wheeled Expeditions will resume operations with our 01 October 2020 ride through Nepal. To get the details on all of our upcoming rides and plan YOUR escape, check out our Expeditions page. Thanks!

‘Chai’ or tea stops are an integral part of any motorcycle ride across India. However remote the route there’s usually someone who has put their bet on opening a shack for the wandering adventurers out there.

In the Himalayan circuit, often the epic ride up to Khardungla Pass in Ladakh can be overwhelming for first timers. You’re high on adrenaline and thin on air as you go from 3500 to 5359 meters. By the time you’ve clicked that mandatory photo in front of the signboard the weather can go from sunny to a snowstorm.

As one descends to North Pullu check post, all you want is that hot cup of chai. And the Ladakhi lady I call “Didi” or elder sister is usually ready to hand me that sweet concoction after scolding me with, “where were you all this time?” I am not sure if this is her business tactic but it ensures I drink at least two cups.

Then there is Mr Dharmalingam in South India who has set up his stall on the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. In his heyday he was a mechanic who raced motorcycles. I am not sure exactly what happened that caused him to leave the city and live in the high ranges. One thing he does say is that running his teashop has enabled him to live a more fulfilled life.

All teashops are not alike. They are less a franchise and more a way of life, especially in rural parts of India. This is the social hub where you gossip, share & gather news, sell local produce and make ends meet with dignity. It doesn’t matter whether you are in snowy Ladakh or scorching Rajasthan – chai is always in demand.

As I found out, in spite of the sweltering humidity in northeast India’s state of Assam, I couldn’t help myself from trying out a delicious cup of you-know-what made over wood fire by another “Didi”. Thankfully she didn’t scold me even once. She couldn’t: her mouth was full of paan, a betel leaf and areca nut combo that’s popular in these parts, besides…chai, of course!

I could go on but let me end with another hot spot I like to frequent on my motorcycle trips. The western most corner of India is scarcely populated but wherever you find a small settlement, you’re sure to find a teashop. The marked difference between chai served here and rest of India is the size of the cup. They’re more like a bottle cap, which means you have to drink at least 6 cups.

Ok, that’s it folks. If you have absolutely no idea of what I’ve been on about, you can check out Roro’s how to make masala chai video. Or better still, ride across India and taste its goodness served in a cup anywhere and everywhere. And if know of a must-visit chai shop anywhere in India then please comment below and lets keep that chai love overflowing!

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Rajasthan, arguably the most exotic of India’s 29 states has been a fixture on our expedition calendar from day one and it never, ever gets boring. Goats grazing on the roof of a bus, a cow roaming down the middle of a busy highway and a face full of colored powder during Holi keeps things interesting. It may also be that leaving Delhi during the rush hour heave and arriving in the open Thar Desert is the closest thing to teleportation available. One moment you are engulfed in the throng of microcars and Tata trucks and the next you’re gliding past camel carts guided by saffron-turbaned farmers. But all bets were off in the age of Corona Virus, as every human being on the planet is now painfully aware.

The decision to proceed with the tour group of eight was made at a time when, with the exception of China, the world still seemed relatively virus free. India’s population of 1.3 billion had only a handful of confirmed cases and they were confined to the southern state of Kerala. The 22 infections being treated there where cause enough to cancel our Southern India ride, but the rest of the vast country was still untouched and so all systems were go. It only took two weeks for the world to change completely.

Barreling down a dusty highway on a motorbike with seven of your new best friends while camels and goats stream by can provide the ultimate distraction from a world that seems to be melting down by the hour. As a group we made a pact to ignore news apps on our phones as much as possible. But since the new best friends were also clients, Josh and I had an obligation to remain on top of the situation and alter our plans as the situation necessitated. More challenging than keeping track of the deteriorating situation, however, seemed to be maintaining a buoyed mood in the group. This is a bucket list ride and our job is to deliver that experience. Despite our efforts, the sense of gradual emotional degradation was palpable, and we just had to give people the space they needed.

It only took a face full of paint to kick the mood back into positive territory. Lunch and chai breaks during each day’s ride are a highpoint of every ride. We blow off some steam, exchange stories about all of the bizarre things we’ve witnessed, and the group dynamic strengthens. After the sweet chai was done and we were ready to blow the alarm to gear up, a posse of 20 somethings rolled up in full-on Holi face paint glory and it didn’t take more than a minute for our untainted group to become a target. After 15 minutes of colored-powder warfare and endless belly laughs, the stress levels were reset to zero and we were on our bikes again.

Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer were their gorgeous, exotic selves and the group could not be happier: Stunning surroundings, delectable cuisine, beautiful hotels, awesome biker friends from around the world..adventure motorcycling bliss. It wasn’t until we hit Bikaner in the far west of Rajasthan that things began to unravel. What started as a complaint to the bureaucratic front desk manager about the construction underway on our floor turned into an issue about a notice they had just received from the government of Rajasthan. The directive was that all citizens from a long list of countries were to leave the borders of Rajasthan by midnight, 6 hours hence, or be subjected to a mandatory 14-day quarantine in the hotel. One of the countries on the list, the UK, was the home of one of our guests. We broke the news to him and the rest of our crew calmly and with purpose: we had already started the process of booking him a taxi for the 9-hour ride to Delhi airport fearing that other states may soon follow suit. The frenzy that ensued to get him packed, loaded and on his way was surreal for all of us: after 10 days together, with one stroke of the government’s hand only 7 of us remained.

We were two days’ ride from Delhi and, with the sense that the escape window was rapidly closing, we decided as a group to cut the remainder of the tour short and head to Mandawa the next morning. It was the right choice: the mood deteriorated as all the guests struggled with reservation agents to reschedule their departures. The Indian Government had ordered that all flights into and out of India would be suspended in a week’s time and flights were being cancelled in droves.

Our last night on the road was arguably the best. Our favourite hotel in India was waiting for us in Mandawa, the bar was fully stocked, and the pool was ours alone. We had no idea how horrible the state of the world would be in only three weeks’ time, but our party vibe definitely had an ‘end of the world’ celebratory tone and rode a wave of music and Kingfisher Beer into the wee hours.

The morning’s anticipated translucent haze mired the departure preparations only a bit. The team had internalized the daily ritual and knew we had a tough, long, chaotic ride back to Delhi. We were only 10 minutes into the ride when we hit the first roadblock.  With Josh at the lead and me riding tail, he gave me the news via our intercom: the Rajasthan government was sealing the border with neighbouring Haryana and all traffic was being turned back. We kept calm and kept probing the periphery of the state, but we are denied exit repeatedly. We toyed with going back and waiting things out at our beautiful hotel – but we sensed this was not going to be a short-term event and pushed on. Taunts of ‘Corona’ accompanied our ride through densely packed town arteries, and I sensed an uncomfortable tension. India has a reputation for spreading malicious rumours like brushfire via WhatsApp and those frenzies have been known to turn violent.  Ultimately Josh turned to his Malayali charm to tap local intel on the best ‘agricultural’ routes across the border. The circuitous track took us through the back alleys of villages, over wheat field cow paths and finally to a beautiful, treelined country lane that led us six hours later to the national highway and back to Delhi.

When everyone managed to depart India by the 19 March lockdown, the government stated the freeze would last 7 days. Of course, we know now that was excessively optimistic and tourists who decided, voluntarily or not, to remain likely find themselves sheltering in place in India to this day.

We are hopeful that measures taken to stem the contagion will bear fruit in India. India is our home and the epicentre of the most exciting adventure touring on Earth. We count the days until we are back in the saddle, doing what we love.

When you hear that eight out of the ten tallest mountains in the world are inside Nepal’s border, it’s easy to think there’s not much else. A possible reason why most visitors tend to only hover up in the Himalayas.

But for some who prefer motorcycle boots to trekking boots, the flatland known as the Terai offers a unique adventure like nowhere else in Nepal. The ride in these plains is as thrilling as the mountain roads that wind down to them.

It gets interesting from Bhutwal as you get on the straight road to Lumbini, the birthplace of prince Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha. Much of this road cuts through endless fields and tiny villages with gleeful kids waving at you as you ride past.

Eventually, you reach the Maya Devi temple and its compound is as serene and orderly as the outside is dusty and chaotic. The UNESCO heritage site with archeological remains from the 3rd century BC mainly attracts Buddhist pilgrims from across the globe and not the usual tourist.

Reaching here covered in the dust thanks to being on a motorcycle and then walking barefoot through its sacred ground is one sure way to embrace a sense of sojourning.

From Lumbini, you keep riding east, past the buffalo herders, countless cycles and tractors until the East-West Highway goes through dense forest. A turnoff takes you down into more fields and villages to finally arrive at the Chitwan National Park. This 93,200 hectare of parkland is another UNESCO protected site that is a surprising contrast to what Nepal is typically famous for.

The best chance to spot animals in the wild in Chitwan is from the safety of a safari vehicle. The last thing you want is to be chased by a one-horned rhino or herd of wild boars or cross paths with a bear or a tiger. If you do ride in the outskirts of the parks “buffer zone” make sure you are accompanied by a local.

The indigenous Tharu people here are known to be genetically immune to malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Legend claims it has something to do with the amount of home-brewed alcohol they used to drink. Regardless of whether you’re in the mountains or in the plains of Nepal, one common factor which is consistent everywhere is the resilience and kindness of the Nepali people.

From Chitwan, the dusty highway once again takes you past the paddy fields and slowly but surely winds its way up to the forest belt and then up the hills. By the time you reach Hitauda, you have had your fill of Nepal’s best stretch of flatlands and experienced the other side of its geography.

So next time someone says, there’s nothing but mountains to see in Nepal, tell them about the Terai.

Two Wheeled Expeditions rides Nepal in April, October and November 2020

A mere 80 kilometers separates the Everest Panorama Hotel in Daman from our 12 day ride’s final resting place back in Kathmandu, but those 80 k’s don’t come easily. The descent from 2,500 meters down to 1,400 comes via hundreds of hairpin bends over cracked road weaving through some of the most beautiful scenery found anywhere in the world. And when the switchbacks finally end, the cacophony of the afternoon Kathmandu rush hour is waiting to greet you. Dubbed “the world’s greatest video game” by yours truly, each gritty, smoky, tangled meter is a test of your sense of humour: trucks, busses, cars, bikes and cows all jostle for the same narrow path of undulating pavement. The ride captain’s shout of “200 meters to go!” to the rider group is met with a quick calculation of 10 minutes to go…step by step through a logjam of traffic…as we near the conclusion of our 900 km circumnavigation of the magical nation of Nepal. The dusty, mud-covered bikes now neatly parked in the cobbled lane outside our hotel, the dusty, mud-covered bikers make their way through the elegant arches of the pristine Baber Mahal Vilas Hotel, our Kathmandu base.

The greeting by Prabin, the operations manager, and his team is like having your parents welcome you at the porch of your childhood home after a long absence. Hot towels wipe away some of the road grime, a welcome drink of watermelon juice washes down the highway dust and we walk into the breathtaking courtyard of the 110-year-old former royal palace. With those few steps, the chaos of the city outside dissipates like the dirt washing down my shower drain. Travel & Leisure magazine may have captured it best when they wrote “Calm is the first thing you notice at Baber Mahal Revisited, a complex of shops and restaurants not far from the city center. The serenity is disconcerting …This is Kathmandu?”

For the clients of Two Wheeled Expeditions, yes, this is Kathmandu.

An architectural feast for the eyes, the nine open yet intimate courtyards of the property exemplify the architectural styles of the Rana Durbar, Newari, Terai and Mustang regions. Having just ridden through three of the four, the designs take us back to our stays in Pokhara, Bandipur and Lumbini over the past 12 days. Fountains, frescoes, statues, chandeliers, libraries and paintings of the palace’s former owners create an atmosphere that is the definition of ‘boutique’: the common areas of the 13 room hotel invite you to explore and find a quiet spot to call your own while you read, write or simply relax after the arduous final leg of our journey.

The Baber Mahal Vilas Hotel is the anchor tenant of Baber Mahal Revisited, an interconnected extension of the hotel filled with shops, restaurants and open courtyards. It is a destination in of itself drawing upmarket shoppers and diners from around the city to its consummate tranquility. The bustling Thamel neighbourhood may be a good place to haggle for trinkets, but if you want to select something perfect for a special person back home, this is the place to do it.

And while the grounds of the property are a magical jewel box, it only becomes a superb hoteling experience when the human element is added. Everything from the period costumes worn by the staff to their kind, welcoming demeanor and the meticulous way they look after your every need puts the Baber Mahal on a service level with some of the finest hotels in the world.

We often like to say that riding with Two Wheeled Expeditions is about ‘Grit by Day, Opulence by Night’ and, in Nepal, no hotel enables that experience like the Baber Mahal Vilas.

Two Wheeled Expeditions has rides through Nepal scheduled for April, October and November 2020.