4 Clues From Your Childhood That You Were Destined To Ride Ladakh!

YOU RACED THROUGH PUDDLES

A puddle was a magnet drawing me to splash through on my bicycle as fast as my tiny legs could pedal. Or I’d wait for the grown ups to get distracted so I could jump and splash in it till I was drenched.

Well, that same gleeful sensation seems to overwhelm us as we cross rivers on our motorcycles in Ladakh. Grown men and women can be seen squeezing their socks dry on the other bank, grinning like Cheshire cats. Some go right back into the river to “help” their mates but all they’re doing is splashing around as they did when they were young.

YOU PLAYED IN MUD OR SAND

A pile of sand or mud was meant for rolling in, digging, sifting and throwing into the air. I made mud castles to storm it with my band of imaginary bandits and practiced that villainous “bru-ha-ha-ha” laugh to perfection.

While riding in the Nubra Valley one can’t help turning off the tarmac and head towards the dunes. As we walk without our riding boots in the fine sand, we imagine ourselves as Silk Route traders from Turkmenistan, with our double-humpbacked camels fully laden. But the view is no mirage: there are indeed lush pastures cradling the pristine stream on one side and the dunes surrounded by rugged mountains on the other.

Riding the Himalayas

YOU CLIMBED TREES

A good tree was one I could climb. With a fluttering heart, I’d pull myself onto the higher branches, expecting at any moment to go crashing down. The thrill of looking into the distance from atop a tree made me feel brave, like I was on a wild adventure.

Riding higher and higher over the passes of Ladakh on our motorcycles is an adventure like no other. The narrow twisties that wind through the gorges and lead us to the lunar landscape or “moonland” of Lamayuru never fail to delight me. Besides the thin air, one also gets breathless out of awe of the innumerable shades of mountains that keep unfolding all the way up to the beautiful pass of Fotu-La. Up here the view is what I think I was searching for from that treetop long ago.

YOU BUILT TENTS WITH BED SHEETS

Building tents with bed sheets or carton boxes was my way of being in the land far-far away. I’d be transported to a magical place as soon as I entered my tent of make-believe. The night sky would be filled with shooting stars, while inside our flashlight lit faces would discuss our wild expedition.

Reaching the sapphire Pangog lake or the Tso-Moriri lake in the high Himalayan desert is surreal but almost how I imagined it to be. But it’s impossible to be prepared for the actual sensation one feels until you get there after a day of riding over gravel and dirt. The cool breeze sending ripples upon the deep blue lake and the wispy clouds above makes you want to dance with delight. It is only while sipping your second or third cup of chai sitting inside your tent overlooking the lake that you get this sense of deja-vu. Yes, this is that magical tent from my childhood!

In case you had too much homework growing up or little time to clown around like me, someone did say, “you’re never too old to have a happy childhood.” So grab that motorcycle, ride around Ladakh and let that kid within dream and play!!

Joshua John

Josh is the founder of Delhi Bikers Breakfast Run and the Shah of Client Experience at Two Wheeled Expeditions. He can be reached at [email protected]