Kaduthuruthy: The first two-wheeler ride by Deepa Mohan, a 42-year-old belonging to Kuruppanthara village in Kottayam district of Kerala, was on a neighbour’s bicycle around her house. However, Deepa has now improved so much that she has travelled on a motorbike along the world’s highest road in Ladakh.
It was as part of a 24-member team, including five women, that Deepa set out on the 7,383-km ride. Starting on July 23 this year, the team took the Kasaragod-Ahmedabad-Jaipur-Punjab-Srinagar- Udhampur route to Ladakh.
“While riding along the highest motorable road, I felt that I had conquered the world,” says Deepa. Incidentally, Deepa was the lone woman in the team to reach Ladakh.
‘Kela Pass’, the road from Leh to Pangong Lake is the world’s highest road which lies at an altitude of 18,600 feet above sea level.
“Every day, we covered 250-300 km on average. While negotiating the Himalayan roads, our off-roading skills were tested to the extreme,” says the expert rider about her 30-day adventure. During the entire trip, the team pitched tents only for two nights. For the rest of the nights, Deepa and other riders found suitable dormitories and similar accommodation.
During the return trip, the team took the Kullu - Manali and Chandigarh route to Delhi.
Deepa, who works as an RD agent at BLM Pride Credit Cooperative Society in Pala, now dreams of an all-India trip along with her son Deepak.
Residing at Palapparambil House in Memmuri, Kuruppanthara, Deepa is married to Mohan.
