Biking on top of the world

DRIVEN by a passion for biking, world traveller Deborah Dris did not think twice when her photojournalist friend Rahman Roslan invited her to join him and his friends on a trip up the Himalayas along the highest motorable pass in the world — Khardung La.

The adventurous 26-year-old from Kuching said she had never expected to be tackling such an exciting journey after leaving her teaching job.

“After almost four years teaching history in a secondary school in rural mainland Penang, I decided it was time to look for new challenges,” added Deborah who graduated with a double major in communication studies and anthropology from the University of Western Australia, and currently works with a social enterprise called Arus Academy in Bukit Mertajam.

After a five-hour direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to New Delhi on September 14 and another one-hour flight from New Delhi to Leh the next day, she and her travelling companions would spend the first two days in Leh, the biggest town in the Northern Indian region of Ladakh, and the starting point of their road trip.

“The first two days in Leh were a bit of a struggle because we had to acclimatise to the high altitude,” she noted.

Leh is located at an altitude of 3,524 metres (11, 562 ft).

After that, the group began their journey to Turtuk, 5,602 metres (18,380 ft) above sea level. Compared to Mount Kinabalu, it’s about 1,500 metres higher.

Altogether, there were 12 people on the trip — plus two local guides.

“There were eight bikes — the others rode in a backup jeep where we stored luggage that we could not carry on our bikes,” she said.

Among the highlights

The highlights of the trip included staying at Turtuk, an Indian village at the border of Pakistan, after the group travelled from Leh via Khardung La.

Turtuk used to be part of Pakistan before India captured the area in 1971. The people get their water supply from a stream that runs through the village.

Deborah said before reaching Turtuk, their guide told them if they wanted crisps and chocolate, they needed to buy them from a military base on the way because there were no supermarkets or mini marts in Turtuk.

The group stayed two nights at the village where they swam in the icy cold Himalayan waters near the Shyok River. According to Deborah, it was definitely below zero degree.

From Turtuk, the group moved to Sumoor, a village in the Leh district of Jammu and Kashmir, India, to spend a night. After Sumoor, they headed to Pangong Tso, a lake shared by India and China.

“It was also where the last scene of the popular Bollywood movie 3 Idiots was filmed, showing Kareena Kapoor riding a scooter on the sand to meet Aamir Khan,” she noted.

“The last 10 kilometres of the road to the top on both sides were rocky and off-road. Before making it to the top, at the last 400 metres, my left rear mirror decided to dismantle — leaving me without a left rear view for the rest of the trip.

“But on reaching the top of Khardung La, I couldn’t believe I was standing there. I have seen it in pictures all the time and it was surreal standing in front of the sign that says Khardung La Top with the Buddhist Prayer Flags surrounding us. It was one of the most amazing moments during the trip,” she recalled.

Heavy snowing

After spending a night at Pangong Tso, their last day of biking on September 23 saw the motorcade heading back to Leh via Chang La, the third largest motorable pass in the world at 17, 688 feet or 5, 391 metres.

“As we climbed the pass, it suddenly started snowing heavily. I couldn’t believe it at first and thought it was just rain but as I looked down at my black gloves, they were completely white.

“If you had never ridden in snow before, it was like riding through mud but 10 times more slippery. As if the going weren’t rough enough, my motorbike decided to die on me halfway because it was too cold. I had to ride it on neutral all the way down,” Deborah said.

She added that before the trip — her first to the region — there was not much planning and everything was arranged by their guides.

“We only knew roughly the places we were going to ride at in our brief itinerary. The details were sorted out once we met out guides in Leh.”

Saurabh and Sachin, the two guides, were very friendly and, according to Deborah, they are also explorers who ride all over India when off-work.

“They took care of us really well and made sure we were safe all the time,” she said, adding that the team managed to get in contact with the guides through her friend who rode previously with some other group of Malaysian bikers.

The challenges

On the challenges, Deborah said the first one began before even riding the motorbike.

“We checked in our helmets — according to airline regulations — but didn’t leave Kuala Lumpur on the same flight. So, we had to buy new helmets when we reached Leh.”

Although Deborah rides a scooter to work almost every day, she hardly gets the chance to ride a clutched bike since she doesn’t own one.

“For me, it was only the second time in my life riding a clutched bike — so that was another challenge.

“Our guides were very helpful in making sure I got enough practice the day before the journey around Nubra Valley via Khardung La.

“After this trip, I am definitely saving money to buy a manual motorbike,” she said.

After travelling to many parts of the continents, Deborah said the Himalayas was definitely her most adventurous trip.

To aspiring world travellers planning trips to the Himalayas or any other challenging places, she said “just go for it.”

“Don’t plan too long, don’t think too much because trust me, you will regret it. Many of the things I have seen throughout the trip can only be remembered in my head.

“No matter how many photographs or videos I take, there is no way I can ever describe the amazing things I have encountered around me, in front of me and below me.

“After seeing the vast snowcapped mountain ranges and the sand dunes in Nubra Valley, I am amazed at how these two can co-exist within the same area,” she enthused.