An experience called the Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey 2013

DAY 11- THE PAINFUL FAREWELL AND CONCLUSION

The morning had a gloomy feel and understandably so for a dream had come to an end. Major of the gang packing their bikes to be transported with a few choosing to ride back home started leaving one by one. But neither was my trip over nor the adventure- an extended spin in the Metro train and a visit to Akshardham temple nearly made me miss my flight- or rather having arrived much later than the departure time, I had already missed it if not for the delay- sincerest thanks Air India!

Few hours later, I was back home with a poignant state of mind, but my heart filled with satisfaction. It’s been over a month now that I returned from a memorable Himalayan pilgrimage, but my mind is still wandering in the mountains. I’ve learnt that the craving to get Leh’d only hits harder after you’ve been there. Riding is education, it is a form of mindfulness and meditation- you are always on a learning curve. And this ride has been a blend of all. I’ve come back as a better and a more considerate rider, for the mountains have taught me to be patient.

Leh is a dream for every biker and I wish to thank Royal Enfield for turning my dream into reality. An incredible journey with the planning and execution that went into managing an event of this magnitude deserves no less than an applause- particularly to Aakash, Sachin and Adarsh for ensuring the safe success of the Odyssey. It’s said that you cannot participate in the Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey twice- but I would be selfish enough in requesting Royal Enfield to bend the rules for me- I want to be there again, in paradise. But if you own a Royal Enfield and wish to visit Ladakh, the Himalayan Odyssey is one of the best means of doing it. Made ample friends on the ride- Jared, Hide San, Captain Ritesh, Martin, Saeed, Anupam, Prashanth, Raghav and others fellow riders, whose name I might not recollect- but the companionship would remain deeply etched in my memories and I hope to meet one and all again on the road or best, in the mountains.

On the concluding part, I request to those who believe in commercialization of places to leave a few places like these untouched. In fact I don’t even wish the roads to be completely laid out- there’s no gain without pain. Ease of accessibility would only result in more commercialization and destruction of a paradise that’s way too precious to be lost.