Hi Friends,

Welcome to my Blog “www.monsterodyssey.com” & thanks for stopping at my website. I am RAKESH NARVEKAR, a travel freak seeking adventures at all corners of my life.

It all started some 20 years ago, when I was travelling to Leh in Aug 2000 with three friends. Post Kargil war in 1999, the entire ZOJILA stretch of 26 kms was full of uneven stretches. It took nearly 5 hours for the State Bus to cross the ZOJILA pass. At Zojila Pass, I saw a string of bikers on very basic bikes like PASSION & SPLENDOUR with Pune registration numbers. At that time, traveling through ZOJILA was a nightmare. I could feel the fun & adventure in the eyes of the bikers roughing every stretch of the treacherous ZOJILA pass.

Like a flash of light, it ignited the passion to complete this journey to Ladakh by bike once in my lifetime.

Professionally, I am working as a “Procurement Head” with an African MNC having its office in Mumbai. I look after the Sourcing of Machineries, Electricals and Projects required for our diverse group based in Ghana & Nigeria. In a nutshell, it’s a full time job and finding a vacation to satiate one’s passion to its fullest is a difficult task. After marriage in 2006, this passion was almost forgotten. As years rolled by, my engagement to a family life increased and so did my commitments. Then somewhere in 2013, my wife prompted me to buy a ROYAL ENFIELD bike. The day I bought my RE CLASSIC in 2013, the spark of making a bike tour to Ladakh was reignited. My gracious wife supported me, but my friends were not very keen in making a bike tour. Some of them lacked fitness to make it by a bike & others were too busy for a long vacation.

Dheeraj Sharma from DevilonWheels.com guided me with all information in getting myself prepared for the tour. He’s a gem of a person & the information on his website is vast, useful & updated. As years passed, I kept on with my solo trips to ZANSKAR, LADAKH, KINNAUR & SPITI valley.

These North Indian remote destinations have become a second home to me. The more I travel, the more unsatisfied, I feel. These short vacations are no longer going to quench my thirst & passion for the mountains. Its my passion to cover every remotest  road / pass / village from the Ladakh Region either by Road or trek or by both. I am blessed with a son who is 13 years old & is almost of my height. Shortly, me & my nuclear family of 3 have plans to relocate ourselves in the Northern Himalayas to explore the wonders of nature.

During all these years, I had collected ample information on various destinations like the complete Himachal Pradesh & Jammu Kashmir.  I thought this information could be useful to fellow travelers who wish to undertake these Road trips / vacations to Ladakh. It took me a little more than a year to complete my blog on Zanskar & Ladakh (www.monsterodyssey.com).

If you find information on my website useful, please do refer to my website www.monsterodyssey.com to your friends & relatives. I would be live every day & responsive to your questions if you have any. I would also be adding other destinations shortly.

I have been fortunate & thank God for bestowing whatever I have with me. I now look forward to get an opportunity to pay back to the society in whatever way I can. In a few years, I expect myself to be free from the corporate life & live a life very close to the nature’s lap.

Please be in touch with me for any related topic of discussion. I would be happy to help bring smiles on the faces of my travel mates aspiring to take this journey.