The interceptor - Royal Enfield

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mOtORCYClE ROaDSNew Frontiers from the Capital City:dodra-KwarT E X T BY VI R NA K A I • P H O T O G R A P H S BY HA R S H MA N R A IThe heat was rising in peak summerand with despite the advent of themonsoon not much relief couldbe brought to the city. In suchtimes a short distance away from Delhi arethe mighty Himalayas and some unexploredregions which provide the much neededrespite and throw in a little bit of adventuretoo owing to the challenging terrain. SinceJune 2009, when we had heard that a newroad had been constructed to one of the mostremote parts of Himachal Pradesh, Dodra-Kwar, two villages 18kms apart and accessibleonly over the Chanshal Pass (12,600ft);we had been itching to get our bikes out andride there. So this year when we planned oursummer ride to Lahaul-Spiti we chalked outthe route in such a way so we could first ride32to Dodra-Kwar and then move on to Lahaul-Spiti. We all packed our bikes off to Chandigarhrather than Delhi as that was going tobe our starting point saving a precious dayfor riding for in the mountains.We left Chandigarh early and stopped forthe evening at Kharapathar a hamlet 30kmsabove Rohru set in the middle of lush forestsand apple orchards. The next day making ourway down early in the morning from Kharapatharto Rohru via an excellent single laneroad—great valley views and no traffic madeit an awesome way to start the day. Rohru isa busy little town on the banks of the Pabbarriver and we left it behind and rode towardsChirgaon where stopped for one of the manybut one of the best All–You–Can–Eat RajmahChawal lunches. From here onwards is wherethe fun starts. From Chirgoan to ChanshalPass the terrain goes from metalled to dirt torocky to slushy to muddy back to rocky andback to muddy the road will test you of allyour riding skills. The surroundings changedfrom farmland to small villages to thick denseforest and once you break through the treeline you see these awesome slopes which apparentlyare ideal for skiing in the winter.At the top of the pass is a small dhaba builtright into the rock face as the wind here attimes can be at almost gale force and wouldtear away anything that stands in its way. Twochais and many a photograph later we wereready to cross over to the other side into theRupin valley. The road down towards Dodrawas all muddy and wet as the snow had justmelted a few weeks ago. There were a few
Riding to Dodra-Kwarrewards you withmagnificent vistas like thisone of the Pabbar valleyRiding in the Rupin valleyThe slate-roofed village of KwarRiding through thetowering rock walls of theChanshal Passtimes when I found the bike going sidewaysand not straight as I would have liked it togo. A handful of steep/muddy/rocky hairpinturns to negotiate before you once again hitforest cover. The road carried on for a fewkilometres and we came to Dodra (2450m)the last stop of the local bus. The quaint littlevillage is built in a style typical to this regionwith slate roofs and overhanging verandasrunning all around the house. All the housesare still built in wood, stone and slate, as thatis what you find indigenously. Crossing theriver and climbing about 15kms we rode intothe village of Kwar. We rode into the village asthe sun was setting and we caused quite a stiras people looked out of their windows gawkingat these alien-like creatures on these loudbikes wearing funny gear wondering what wewere doing there. The children clapped andlaughed and came close to look at us and ourmachines. Luckily we were well received thereas a friend of a friend of a friend (mountain telegraph)had got us in touch with someone whohad hooked us up in the village. So we had tworooms at the tehsil guest house and the onlydhaba in the village was open and got us hotchai and got a great dal-chawal dinner readyfor us. What we found out much later was thatthe dhaba is only open in the day for the peoplewho work in the police station, bank and thetehsil office but was kept open only for us evenon Sunday. We were so taken aback by the villageand its inhabitants we ended up stayingtwo nights vowing we will be back soon. Fromthere we further rode towards Lahul-Spiti butthat is a whole different story.The 80-odd km ride from Chirgaon to Kwarwas phenomenal and it tested us and our bikesto the hilt. Whatever small problems we facedwe did on those first two days and the bikestook a good beating. The road, or the lack, of ittested all our riding skills as it went from wetto dry, sand to slush, mud to rock, and tarredtarmac to gravel. What really got us was thelack of any traffic on the road. There is a busthat goes to Dodra once a day and maybe onejeep used by locals for supplies. We may havebeen on the road for 15 days but the first fourdays were the best. What a ride! We recommendthis route for all riders who want to escapefurther north of the capital and wouldlove a little bit of adventure thrown in.Know an exotic location which would be best enjoyed on yourfaithful Royal Enfield? Email ppsathaye@royalenfield.com33
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