Experiencing the heights of excitement

Lavanya along with two of her friends, Vamsi and Aditya, recently arrived from a trip to the picturesque Himalayas on bikes.

The team of three covered 30 locations in a month-long bike expedition from New Delhi. The biker girl settles down for a quick conversation with WOMENIA.

Few months ago, when Lavanya went on a trip to Amarnath, she was fascinated by a squad of bikers from Visakhapatnam and Telangana. She enquired with them and got to know that the squad was heading for a trip to Leh and Ladakh.

"When I saw the biker squad, and spoke to them, I felt even I must try something like that," she says.

Vizag-based Lavanya has always been fond of travelling but this time she was determined to travel the narrow roads of the mountains on a bike. Within, a short span she purchased a Royal Enfield and took up a fitness regime to keep herself fit.

"I know how to ride a bike since I was in fifth grade. My dad taught me to ride a smaller one when I was a kid; Luna. Later on, my friend Vamsi taught me to shift gears while going up and down the hills at Araku Valley."

On July 6, the journey started from New Delhi. She started her journey from Delhi and it covered Chandigarh, Amritsar, Srinagar, Pehalgham, Amarnath, Kargil, Leh, Khardungla pass, Nubra Valley, Hundar, Pangong, Changla Pass, Sarchu, Rohtang Pass and Manali in the north and while returning they crossed Chandigarh, Agra, Hazaribagh, Kaasi, Bihar, Puri before reaching Vizag.

The three-member team had their share of good and bad experiences throughout the journey. When asked about the environment and the shelter, she responds "When you are a biker you have no other choice other than getting out of your comfort zone.

We have survived on noodles and tea and at times we had alu paratha. We slept on bunkers. We were given thick blankets, but we couldn't sleep because of the climate. We were at high altitudes, so we had a bit of breathing problem, so we were either talking or busy with our phones."

When asked about the roads, she recalls, "The roads were extremely narrow and edgy and on top of that there was snowfall; the passage was foggy it was really a breath-taking experience as the path was challenging.

Every time I kept motivating myself and my bike weighted 300 kg and I had weight of bags behind me. Riding up the hill was an unforgettable experience. Like rains, there was a continuous snowfall and at times the roads were extremely slippery."

According to Lavanya, every place she ventured was unique. Be it the pathway or the people. On her tour, she came across Indian Aamy camps.

"On our way to Nubra Valley we came across army camp, and I must say the camp helped us with navigation and were genuinely helpful," she shares. She further says, "On our way to Ladakh we saw many women bikers from other countries.

There was a group from Korea and I really loved the Pangong Lake, it was crystal clean."

When they arrived at Manali, their mobile phones started to ring and everything was back to normal, "All this while, we had no internet, no signal and when we returned to Manali I received many calls from family members and friends. Sadly, returning to normal life seemed boring, including the roads," sums up Lavanya.