Over the Hills and Far Away...

Riding through the mountains of Ladakh has long been an item on the bucket list for many a motorcyclist in India. Having ridden there with the Bajaj Dominar Ladakh Tour, I now understand why and how Ladakh became an annual pilgrimage from just a bucket list item for many

- Sayantan De

I HAVE BEEN RIDING MOTORCYCLES FOR A VERY LONG TIME, but despite having been to some of the most far-flung places in our country astride one, the ultimate bucket list-worthy destination, Ladakh, had always been elusive to me. I have tried multiple times to reach the desolate plains and some of these attempts have been solo while some with other riders, but one thing or another has always made sure the plan got cancelled and, on one occasion, that reason was a natural disaster of scary proportions. It seemed like my luck in Ladakh was not going to change. So, when the boss informed me that I would be joining the Bajaj Dominar Ladakh Tour 2024, I was happy, but cautious, as I had been burned before.

As it turned out, I had reason to be cautious. The plane I was on to reach Chandigarh, the starting point of the journey, was called back into the terminal after reaching the runway due to technical difficulties. I felt for sure my luck had not changed and I wouldn't even be able to reach Chandigarh, let alone Ladakh. However, the airline was able to find me a different option that would take me to my destination, albeit a little late.

But as every motorcyclist knows in their bones, once you get on the bike, all your troubles seem to get blown away in the slipstream and the next morning, once I was on the Bajaj Dominar, I began to relax. The temperature was in the 40° Celsius range around the plains by midday and the highway was covered in a shimmering heat haze in the distance. Our destination for the day was Gemur, a village 360 kilometres away from Chandigarh.