A ride through the hills

There have been individuals and groups who have ventured out on bikes and four-wheelers to the mountains. Here are childhood buddies, Sumeet Paringe and Prisiliya Madan, who have set out on their bicycle for a trip to Khardung La.

The cyclists have already covered 700 km and have been riding for the last one week. They will travel across 11 states to reach Khardung La by mid September. Sumeet and Prisiliya, who are travelling on bamboo bikes, especially designed for the trip, say that such
adventure rides were always a part of their growing up years.

“These trips give you the freedom to enjoy every moment. When it rains, we don’t run for cover but get drenched and the steep mountain climbs give you a different kind of high,” explains Sumeet. He says that they get immense amount of satisfaction and happiness from such trips.

Prisiliya pitches in, “Such rides give us a feel of the life, culture and problems of the people living in a particular area. We make it a point to stop and talk to them and they too aren’t shy of conversing with strangers and sharing their stories with us.”

 Sumeet and Prisiliya have always played some sport and continued to do so in their spare time. This has ensured that they stay fit and healthy. So there isn’t any special preparation that they had to do just for this ride, informs Sumeet. “We stuck to a disciplined routine a few days before leaving for the trip and made sure we played badminton regularly. We also ate food that was made at home and refrained from eating junk and unhealthy stuff.” Prisiliya says they sacrificed a lot of food that they liked just to keep fit.

This trip is special because it has been a dream for them  to embark on such a journey. “It might seem like a strenuous task but when you enjoy what you do, then nothing seems far-fetched or too high to achieve,” says Prisiliya. Sumeet has a different take on how they decided on the trip, “In fact, I was inspired to go on this journey because of Prisiliya’s father who used to regularly trek in the hills. I still remember that he would say ‘the steeper the climb and the farther the distance, the better it is’,” he says.  
    
This trip has got the two friends thinking about planning more such trips. “There’s a lot that you learn from such rides The experiences you gather along the way toughen you and prepare you to overcome any situation, however insurmountable it may seem,”says Sumeet.

Prisiliya feels the memories gathered on this trip are sure to last a lifetime. “We have already chalked out plans for our next trip which will be to Hampi. The old forts and monuments in Hampi have always captured our imagination. We want to go down there and experience it first-hand,” says Sumeet.