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Welcome to chapter nineteen of our ‘Ready To Ride’ short stories series.

These are five quick snapshots of what we do, where we ride, the laughs had, and the general shenanigans and goings on, while riding together over the Himalayas & through South India.

I’m posting these every Friday, and they’re an easy read, a few minutes are all you need.

Enjoy!

Alex Pirie
Founder & Lead Rider

Reliable.
Knowledgeable.
Resourceful.
Friendly.
Very experienced.
Fantastic.

These are just a few of the many words used to describe our legendary support team, and rightly so.

From roadside repairs and marking the routes to ensuring our luggage arrives safely (and so much more), there’s a reason we have the same trusted team on every ride.

These rides can be tough, but our support crew knows the drill.

Even on the hardest days, they’re always there to lend a helping hand, usually with big smiles.

More often than not, returning customers are just as excited to see the team as they are to ride the motorcycle!

Are you ready for something life-changing?

In 2 days…

We’ll begin our first Rode To Everest adventure of the year.

We’ll spend the night, watching the sun set & sunrise in full view of Mount Everest, visit Rongbuk Monastery – the original climbers Base Camp and stay in fully heated, authentic Tibetan-style tented accommodation.

We’ll experience the fabled cities of Kathmandu and Lhasa – where we tour Potala Palace, the spiritual winter home of the Dalai Lama.

We’ll ride for over 2,300 kms, alongside glittering azure lakes, vast landscapes, and snow-capped peaks.

We’ll see remote deserts, deeply forested gorges, high-altitude moorlands and cross the high Tibetan Plains.

And all this while riding an iconic motorcycle – the Royal Enfield 450 Himalayan … over the type of terrain they were lovingly designed for.

“The best way to see the world is from the seat of a motorcycle.

The Roof Of India was my second ride with Alex and his team.

The places we rode and the experiences I had were so very different from the first tour.

The motorcycles, communication, organisation, attention to detail and backup remained second-to-none.

Just do it, it’s 2 weeks of your life that you’ll never forget, either way……….” – Mark.

Mark gets it, and we couldn’t agree more.

Nothing beats exploring the world by motorcycle.
Your senses are exposed to everything around you.
You’re fully immersed in the experience.

There’s no tuning out.

How would you describe exploring Kathmandu?

It’s an enlightening experience – spiritually, culturally, and emotionally.

There’s so much to see and do in this ancient and fabled city.

Whether you’re barrelling through the busy traffic-jammed alleyways of the old town in a rickshaw or marvelling at the medieval temples or dodging trekking touts in the backpacker district of Thamel.

It’s an intoxicating, charming and exhausting place that has enough sights to keep you busy for a week!

Whilst we wait for our Tibet Group Permit at the Chinese Embassy, many riders will spend these first few days exploring Kathmandu’s timeless cultural and artistic heritage.

From tiny backstreets, hidden temples overflowing with marigolds, courtyards full of drying chillies and rice, and tiny hobbit-sized workshops.

It’s an endlessly fascinating city, which we have the pleasure of spending time in before we leave for Everest Base Camp.

Mooooooove over!

It might not come as a surprise that there are many cows here in India.

In fact, some of you have probably dodged a few!

It’s truly remarkable how far they travel and the unusual places you’ll find them – central reservations, beaches, chai stops, and even the edge of the jungle. It’s amazing that owners manage to track them down.

After a few days of riding, you quickly become accustomed to cows walking toward you, standing completely still in the middle of the road, or moving over with the beep of your horn.

Anything else feels surprising.

We ride some long days on the Grand Canyon India ride, with early starts that give us a glimpse of where some of these cows’ journeys begin, before they set off on another adventure for the day.

It almost seems strange to see them sitting somewhere where they belong.

As we ride through in the morning, we see them huddled together, gearing up for mischief – quite like us at the breakfast briefings!

Enjoy the ride.

I’ll see you on the next one.