In the UK we’re fairly fond of having a moan about the number of potholes that appear on our roads, but some countries have it much worse.
There are only two ways to get to the remote city of Ladakh in the north of India: by plane or by jeep. I was once lucky enough to try the latter mode of transport – although I didn’t always feel so lucky.
I was taken through the most dramatic, mountainous landscape I’d ever seen, and along some of the most treacherous roads I’d ever encountered. The jeep I was in was driven alternately by two cheerful Kashmiris, who seemed totally unfazed by the sometimes 2000 foot drops that were usually just a matter of inches away. Parts of the road were tarmac’d, while other sections were little more than a roughly even tract of dirt and rocks.
I never thought I would ever have felt such warmth for the Chevrolet brand: it bounced and skidded past hundreds of huge Tata trucks over a period of 14 hours. It even took the brunt of a rear collision and managed to make it all the way to Ladakh: the last thing you’d want to experience would be a car breakdown on that road.
To be honest, the journey itself was more interesting than the destination. We passed dozens of villages, picking up who looked like numerous goat herders and saw some truly amazing mountainous scenery.
If you ever get the chance to go there, I’d recommend going in the summer season, as it can get very chilly indeed in winter. If long jeep rides aren’t your thing, you could always take the plane back.
Breakdown Cover from 
