Bicycle diaries

KOCHI: As the fascination for solo travel has caught on, more women are hitting the road, be it for leisure or for a cause. Agrima Nair, a resident of Powdikonam in Thiruvananthapuram, is back from one such memorable journey. The yoga enthusiast went on a solo ride to Ladakh on her bicycle, which she calls ‘Charika’.

Her journey, which she kickstarted in June from Kochi was filled with adventure, a dose of culture, and plenty of picturesque landscapes. “It is certainly a journey that I will cherish for a lifetime,” she says.
A member of the Indian Yoga Association, she decided to use the opportunity to spread awareness on the importance of yoga.

She took the Konkan route, travelling from Kerala through Karnataka, Maharashtra and then moving towards Gujarat, Rajasthan, New Delhi and then finally Ladakh. “I reached Ladakh on October 1 and then climbed the Khardung La Pass, which is the highest motorable pass in the world, and finished on October 7,” says Agrima.  

When she planned the ride, she also wanted to use the journey to talk to people about the benefits of yoga, especially women and youngsters.

“Yoga has several benefits, be it physical or mental. Youngsters whom I interacted with said they felt inspired after the cycling and yoga sessions. Even the elderly felt the same way. The sessions were organised in various schools and establishments by the members of the Indian Yoga Association,” she says.

Monsoon rains, steep mountains...
From Karnataka to Ajmer, Agrima had to face the monsoon rains, but this didn’t deter her. She managed with a raincoat and plastic cover for her cycle that had her belongings tied to it. “I reached Ajmer by the end of August and it was raining heavily. The longest I pedalled was in Rajasthan. The temperature was around 48 degrees when I reached Delhi and it fell to 6 degrees when I reached Himachal Pradesh,” says Agrima.

“In places such as Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, I was covering 120 kilometres per day despite the programmes that were lined up in various institutions,” she says. The biggest challenge, however, was when she entered the Swarghat in Himachal Pradesh from Kiratpur Sahib in Punjab.

This was the toughest journey as it involved intense climatic conditions and terrain that included steep inclines, recalls Agrima who was carrying luggage weighing 50kg on her back.Since the passes were very steep, the yoga practitioner walked through the Baralacha La Pass, Chang LaPass, Taglang La Pass and Khardung La Pass.

Agrima says that people she met throughout the journey were very considerate and helpful. However, the severe changes in weather took a toll on her body. “I got skin rashes, I was dehydrated and even experienced blackouts in hot terrains. While entering the colder terrains, my body had to adapt as the area was low on oxygen. There were situations when there was no water or food and in some places, the temperature dropped drastically and there were nothing but mountains around me.

“I stayed with the locals till I reached Manali. After crossing Manali, it became very difficult to find accommodation, because the locals did not stay in Leh when it started snowing,” she says. An avid traveller, Agrima says that her motto is ‘spinning my wheels for unveiling yoga’. “Many times, I have heard people say that India is unsafe, especially for women, to travel alone. I believe that it is safe and you need to give time to your body and stay healthy,” says Agrima, who plans to travel the world on a bicycle to spread this message.

KOCHI: As the fascination for solo travel has caught on, more women are hitting the road, be it for leisure or for a cause. Agrima Nair, a resident of Powdikonam in Thiruvananthapuram, is back from one such memorable journey. The yoga enthusiast went on a solo ride to Ladakh on her bicycle, which she calls ‘Charika’. Her journey, which she kickstarted in June from Kochi was filled with adventure, a dose of culture, and plenty of picturesque landscapes. “It is certainly a journey that I will cherish for a lifetime,” she says. A member of the Indian Yoga Association, she decided to use the opportunity to spread awareness on the importance of yoga. She took the Konkan route, travelling from Kerala through Karnataka, Maharashtra and then moving towards Gujarat, Rajasthan, New Delhi and then finally Ladakh. “I reached Ladakh on October 1 and then climbed the Khardung La Pass, which is the highest motorable pass in the world, and finished on October 7,” says Agrima.   When she planned the ride, she also wanted to use the journey to talk to people about the benefits of yoga, especially women and youngsters. “Yoga has several benefits, be it physical or mental. Youngsters whom I interacted with said they felt inspired after the cycling and yoga sessions. Even the elderly felt the same way. The sessions were organised in various schools and establishments by the members of the Indian Yoga Association,” she says. Monsoon rains, steep mountains... From Karnataka to Ajmer, Agrima had to face the monsoon rains, but this didn’t deter her. She managed with a raincoat and plastic cover for her cycle that had her belongings tied to it. “I reached Ajmer by the end of August and it was raining heavily. The longest I pedalled was in Rajasthan. The temperature was around 48 degrees when I reached Delhi and it fell to 6 degrees when I reached Himachal Pradesh,” says Agrima. “In places such as Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, I was covering 120 kilometres per day despite the programmes that were lined up in various institutions,” she says. The biggest challenge, however, was when she entered the Swarghat in Himachal Pradesh from Kiratpur Sahib in Punjab. This was the toughest journey as it involved intense climatic conditions and terrain that included steep inclines, recalls Agrima who was carrying luggage weighing 50kg on her back.Since the passes were very steep, the yoga practitioner walked through the Baralacha La Pass, Chang LaPass, Taglang La Pass and Khardung La Pass. Agrima says that people she met throughout the journey were very considerate and helpful. However, the severe changes in weather took a toll on her body. “I got skin rashes, I was dehydrated and even experienced blackouts in hot terrains. While entering the colder terrains, my body had to adapt as the area was low on oxygen. There were situations when there was no water or food and in some places, the temperature dropped drastically and there were nothing but mountains around me. “I stayed with the locals till I reached Manali. After crossing Manali, it became very difficult to find accommodation, because the locals did not stay in Leh when it started snowing,” she says. An avid traveller, Agrima says that her motto is ‘spinning my wheels for unveiling yoga’. “Many times, I have heard people say that India is unsafe, especially for women, to travel alone. I believe that it is safe and you need to give time to your body and stay healthy,” says Agrima, who plans to travel the world on a bicycle to spread this message.