EASTERN INDIA EXPRESS MOTIVATION: to ‘map’ every corner of India on a motorcycle. PARTICIPANTS AND MOTORCYCLES: Angela and Dennis. Royal Enfield Himalayan THE TRIP IN NUMBERS: roughly 7,000 km over two months GIVI ACCESSORIES USED: EA115BK waterproof cargo bag (40 LTR), magnetic tank bag, engine guards Italians Angela and Dennis teach foreign languages in Chennai, India, where they have lived for ten years. Passionate about adventurous travelling, they have been bewitched by India and want to discover its every corner, even the most remote and unexplored. The motorcycle they’ve chosen for their two-wheel travel is - guess what - a Royal Enfield Himalayan… which spends most of its time covered in mud! A clear sign of the kind of paths the pair tend to choose. One of their last trips lasted two months, riding from Chennai all the way to the borders of Myanmar, China and Bangladesh. And, interestingly, they’ve never travelled the same road more than once. The first 600 km stretch took the two explorers to Rajahmundry on the banks of the great Godavari River, as they did their best to avoid the chaotic and often busy Indian motorways. The rolling hills of the central-eastern state of Andhra Pradesh offered Angela and Dennis panoramic views as far as the hill station of Netarhat, immersed in the jungle and local life, where they stopped for a few days. Once back on the road and heading for Bihar, the jungle fog gave way to heavy rain, which made it even more difficult to cross the immense Ganges, essential if the pair wanted to reach West Bengal, which would turn out to be one of the most challenging areas to cross by motorcycle due to the traffic, road conditions and riding style. But this land does gift the couple an unforgettable night’s camping on the banks of the Dawki River. From the jungle to the mountains, the motorcycle travellers continued on to the beautiful, wild state of Manipur before reaching Loktak Lake, where they spent several days immersed in what is almost prehistoric scenery. Their trip continued towards Nagaland, located in the north-east of India, and also Kiphire and Longwa, the village famous for its... headhunters. The final stages took the pair to Arunachal Pradesh, Tenzingaon (a village of Tibetan refugees) and Guwahati, on the Brahmaputra River. From here, they headed home but not before making a final stop in magical Puri! 23 Givi Magazine December 2021
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