Riding the dream - Ladakh - XIII: Epilogue

A lot of people asked me why solo, and how do you deal with boredom that comes with a solo journey. Well, the moment you start enjoying your own company, all the imagined 'boredom' vanishes into thin air. Besides, now that I think of it, was it really a solo journey? Every wave that a fellow biker made at me on the road reminded that that it was not. The wonderful, warm and extremely welcoming Kashmiri and Ladakhi folks I encountered reminded me it was not. All the friends I made along the way, shared my journey and stay with, reminded me it was not. All the 'Maane' I stopped at along my way reminded me it was not. The faith and untethered support provided by my family and friends reminded me it was not. It indeed turned out to be a not so solo, solo ride after all! Absolutely looking forward to the next one.

A holiday does not have to mean spending big bucks, and this journey is a strong testimony. Most of my days, my budget was Rs. 1000 per day, including stay and food, and it held ground for a majority of the days.

There are a few things without which there was no way I could have this journey happen the way it did.

- The family: What more can I say! I am truly blessed to have an extremely understanding, supportive and the prettiest of all women in the world as my wife. She managed to run the house all by herself while I was away, and I cannot be grateful enough! Both, my parents and in laws deserve a strong mention as well, for supporting us in whatever way they could. I am eternally grateful to have such a strong support system.

- The work: I am grateful to be working in a company that recognizes personal aspirations of its employees. I was not bothered for even a minute while I was away for the whole 2 weeks.

- The machine: I was mighty impressed with the way in which the Xpulse delivered in this journey. It took all the abuse without any sweat and stood tall and proud by the end of it. Makes me look forward to the Xpulse 400!

- The accessories: A majority of my riding gear, luggage, aux lights, bike wireless charger - all are products made by Indian companies in India (including the motorcycle itself!). It feels proud to see these companies and products holding up so well in harsh conditions. Other than the aux lights mounting brackets, everything else delivered fully and lived up to its purpose.

No matter how hard I try to express, this was one of those journeys where you need to have been there to experience what it offered. What started as something to be done only to see what the 'Ladakh' hype was all about, ended up being one hell of a journey, and certainly an experience of a lifetime. It opened up a lot of different perspectives, and restored my faith in nature and humanity. It also made me realize how simple life and humans really are - only if we allow things to be be this way!

Check out a video illustrating my journey here!

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