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Welcome to chapter sixty-three 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

It’s only a little bit of mud…

Okay, maybe a lot of mud in places!

It’s no secret that these motorcycle adventures are challenging at the best of times.

Especially the ride from Kathmandu to the Tibet border. Combine that with a particularly harsh monsoon season and a multitude of landslides, and we’ve got ourselves a real test.

But this is all part of the process.
We all muck in, we get our hands dirty.

Sometimes literally.
We make it happen.

It might not be the way we expected it to go, but that’s the beauty of life and adventure, right?

We never know what’s round the corner.

“It’s too cold.”
“It’s too dark.”

“I’ve got to de-ice the car.”
“It’s raining.”

It’s remarkable to think that winter has been a part of our existence for as long as we can remember.

Yet, without fail, every year we hear the same moans and groans.
But did you know you can do something about it…?
Like most problems in life, there’s a solution.
If you don’t want to be cold, in the dark, in the rain, or don’t fancy waking up five minutes earlier to de-ice the car, then don’t.

Find somewhere warm, bright, sunny, with blue skies and a vehicle you don’t need to de-ice, something like a motorcycle, perhaps?

Believe it or not, we have something that ticks all of the above, and more.

And in case you were wondering, yes, that is sunshine on a January morning at around 18°C.

The art of listening…

There’s a lot of noise out there.

Everywhere you turn, more and more people want their voices to be heard the most or to be the loudest, whether it’s their frustrations, opinions, experiences, or stories.

It can often feel like a bombardment.
It reminds me of some words of wisdom someone once shared with me: “We have two ears and one mouth for a reason.”

To put it bluntly, talk less, listen more.
For great things come with listening.

Yes, we might hear vital information, like directions, times, etc.
But more importantly, listening – really listening – allows us to connect with people.
The type of connection that can’t be replicated.
When you stop and talk to locals, you find yourself listening more intently.
We find connection, common ground, and learn things we might never have known.

That’s one of the joys of these adventures: we take the routes that many don’t take, and so we end up meeting people we never would’ve dreamed of meeting; nomadic shepherds, monks, people who have never seen anyone from outside their village.

It’s a fascinating experience.

We just have to take the time to stop and listen.

Life takes us around countless corners, some we see coming and some we never expect.

But turning the corner and seeing Mount Everest… that’s a moment that never leaves you.

Finish the sentence:

“Look kids…….”

In case you were wondering, yes, it is YouTuber That Biker Simon who joined us on the Royal Enfield Bear 650 for our Grand Canyon India adventure. It’s definitely a ride worth charging your cameras for, especially when we watch the sunrise over India’s Grand Canyon.

To get a real taste of the adventure, you can check out Simon’s videos from our February ride here:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdZIYU9p3Cusj1bt42b7oCPyu-GStQ238

Enjoy the ride.

I’ll see you on the next one.