I have dreamt for many years now about riding in India, well the time has come for me to stop dreaming and start riding. So I have made a few phone calls to Mr Lalli Singh in Delhi and asked him to restore a bike for me. Well when the saying goes “When in Rome do as they do” so I guess when riding in India I should “ride as they ride” so a 1965 Royal Enfield will be my chose of bike while I am there.
In May 2012 I will fly into Mumbai and start my journey, after a few days in Mumbai I will ride down to Goa and watch the sun set over the Arabian Sea. I am a chef by trade and I am looking forward to the flavors of India, the thought of good street food and chai as I ride are already making my mouth water.
After a few days in Goa I will start to ride up to Rajasthan, a city that I have heard so much about over the years, I do not know what I will do first from Mehrangarh Fort to Dilwara Jain Temples. Whatever I end up doing I know I will have a fantastic time.
Then comes a part of the ride that I have dreamt of for years and years, the “Rohtang Pass” I can’t wait to ride this pass and then ride into Kashmir, it will be a dream come true. After seeing the sites in Kashmir I will ride to Delhi too see her beauty. The Taj Mahal and Delhi’s “old city” will all be amazing, and again the flavors of the foods as well as the sites of old Delhi are going to be amazing.
From there I will ride into Kathmandu, on the way up I will have to stop at “Bullet Base Camp” lets face it by then I will be in need of at least one drink and I hear it is owned by a fellow Australian so really it would be rude not to stop, right?
From Kathmandu I will take my time riding back down the Himalayan ranges and ride to Kolkata. Kolkata is where I will jump off the bike for a few weeks, roll my sleeves and take on a real challenge. I will work with an organization call End Poverty, they work in many country’s around the world to empower the people to help themselves out of a tough spot. “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for a life time” this is alive and well in the world of End Poverty. They work as a non-profit organization handing out small loans to allow people to start their own small businesses, they also then teach the people and the communities how to manage that money, also going in and building up community leadership in the cities they work they make a real and lasting difference.
I also want to show people in western countries just what a wonderful riding destination India is. I have not even began the ride yet and already the biker community of India has been more then welcoming, in fact they have been so welcoming it has been almost overwhelming. If you would like to help end poverty and show the western countries India’s beauty please come and ride a little with me. There will be a bunch of group rides so that people can come ride with me. If you follow the links to facebook from my website www.indiaonanenfeild.org you will be able to see them.
Please tell a friend, tell a club and come ride with me and together lets make a difference.
Kenneth Maginnity.
