A man, a mutt and their thirst for travel

The 40-year-old recently made headlines for travelling with his pet dog, Bella, to Umling La Pass, the world’s highest motorable road in Ladakh, on a customised bike

It’s said that the journey of life is sweeter when travelled with a dog. And following the proverb to the T is travel enthusiast Chow Sureng Rajkonwar. The 40-year-old recently made headlines for travelling with his pet dog, Bella, to Umling La Pass, the world’s highest motorable road in Ladakh, on a customised bike.

Chow Sureng Rajkonwar with his pet dog, Bella, at Umling La Pass, the world’s highest motorable road in Ladakh

Sharing the video on his social media channels, which has now gone viral, he wrote, “Our Zanskar and Ladakh story in 45 second” (sic). The video features a montage of clips where he talks about packing Bella’s luggage, training her for the journey, installing a customised seat and then shows them riding through picturesque views. In the end of the video, the two can be seen with the Indian flag at Umling La, the world’s highest motorable road.

Recalling about her initial days of riding, Rajkonwar who hails from Assam and works in Noida shares, “We adopted her last year from a rescuer in Uttarakhand. She used to have motion sickness while travelling. I slowly prepared her, as I used to take her out in the evenings on my scooty for a ride.”

Talking about taking her on excursions together, he says, “Keeping a pet in a place like Delhi and confined to home, it feels to me like woh prison mein hai. Affection hai, pyaar hai but you can’t take the pet out in the bigger open spaces to play, so I decided to take her with me on my trips as I am a part of a motorcycle club.”

However, he shares that travelling with a pet also comes with difficulties and challenges. “We consulted a vet before taking the journey. For safety purposes, we took a fitness certificate. Sometimes, it might get taxing for her due to weather conditions, her nutrition and clothing requirements but she enjoys every bit of it. She only sits on the seat when she’s worn out but always up and watching views and people as we go by.”

The duo started the journey in mid-August and returned in October. He also adds that it was not just an adventurous trip but as an animal-lover, he also fed stray dogs on the way. “It was a cause trip as well because my rider gang and I fed at least 40 dogs on the way from Delhi to Kashmir.”

On the video going viral, he shares, “I wasn’t expecting it at all. I had 3,200 followers on Instagram and after the video, I have reached more than 25,000. That is the magic of a reel. It’s such an inspiring video and it has been shared by more than 50,000 viewers. My friends have shared on their social media profiles.”

Rajkonwar is now thrilled after his video went viral and now plans to visit Dhanushkodi in Rameshwaram with Bella and his wife.