Hey, everyone! I’m taking the opportunity to write up a blog entry to talk about the AWARE charity. Not too long ago we had a group of gents in the shop looking to get set up with some gear as they’ll be travelling to the Himalayas on a charity ride out. I already thought it was a cool and very selfless thing for them to be doing but then I dug a little more into the charity and what they would actually be doing in the Himalayas. And I have to say these men have got guts.
Thirteen very brave men will be travelling to the Himalayas in India with the intent of riding over the two highest motorable roads in the world! The Tanglang La pass and the Khardung pass are as high as 18,000 feet and is some of the most dangerous and difficult terrain you could possibly decide you want to travel over. But the natural dangers weren’t enough for theses guys and they’ve up’ed the stakes even more.
To make things more difficult [but hopefully also more fun] for them they’ll each be making the trip riding Indian built Royal Enfield 500cc bikes, apparently like the ones like we had in the UK in the 1960s! They must be mad! I hope they’ve got enough space in their packs for a tool kit and a few extra tyre tubes. But I suppose the advantage of older bikes over newer bikes is that the problems that may need solving are simpler. They just occur more often.
Their trip is said to span over the course of ten days, staring in Leh, a town 5,000 feet high up in the Himalayas. From there they’ll be travelling over 1,300kms, through the Tanglang La Pass and the Khardung Pass, eventually ending back where they started in Leh. They’ll be spending their nights either in local villages or camping out under the stars, so they’ll have very few of life’s little luxuries with them as they’ll mostly be packing just the essentials. So the sheer determination it must take to complete such a journey is admirable in it’s self.
But these guys are doing it to raise for charity, not just for themselves. The charity they represent is The AWARE Foundation, an organisation that reaches out to the children living in deprived communities in India and using education to change their lives. It also provides children who grew up on the streets or without parents the support they need to make better- informed life decisions. So far over 600 children of various age groups and with different needs are being supported by AWARE’s seven projects and four organisations. I hope to see this number grow even bigger thanks to the love and support of the biker communities across the UK and EU. The world, even.
If you wish to learn more or show your support, you can help them reach their £10,000 donation target over at their MyDonate page. Or you can spread the word while sending them some kind ones of your own at their Facebook page. The event begins on 15th August 2017 and that time will fly on by, so lets help them reach their goal while we can!
Thanks for reading, everyone!
-MattW at Ghostbikes.com
