Ananz

The Journey Begins

Myself: Hey! How about riding solo this time.
Me: What? Na. I’ll find a partner.
Myself: Yeah right. You’ve been saying that for months now. Get your ass on your bike and go NOW.
Me: Ahhh… hmmmm …????
Autobot: Guys, I…
Myself: Come on. This is your time. I’ve got your back anyway. Plus what worse can happen to you as long as you are going to be alive.
Me: Yeah… I think you’re right. I should take my chance.
Autobot: Guys, I…
Myself: Autobot…Shut up! Will you. We’re in the middle of a conversation.
Autobot: You prick. I’ve got night blindness, remember? You still haven’t fixed my head lights. You could not move your lazy ass to fix a small problem right here at home and yet you talk about riding, ladakh, this is your time … bla bla bla…..
Myself: …..
Me: Oops.
Myself: Well…You can carry a torch.
Me: Yeahhhhhhh. So… the Ride is on. Thump Up.

That’s a jist of how the idea was born over the past few months.

I was on the verge of crossing over to the other side of 27 and just emerged out of a quarter life crisis, a phase where most of the bricks that were holding your wall develop cracks in-between while some may even fall off.

I wanted out. I turned to the limited list of friends that I have. But most of them are either married or desperately trying to get married or either pregnant or desperately trying to get pregnant. While they were busy catering to their life’s menu, I turned to my bike and some beautiful landscapes that I laid my eyes on a couple of years ago. Those moments were still afresh in my mind and since then I had this strong itch to return and visit the few spots that I had missed last time around. So the only part that was left was convincing. No, not convincing my Dad. I had developed a fool proof plan with the help of my sis to convince my Dad last time and I’m pretty confident that it’ll work this time around as well. The biggest hurdle was to convince myself to ride all the way solo.

Until two days before the trip I was still not sure if I’d want to embark on this journey alone. But eventually my balls won over my brain and I did pack my stuff, leave my house and take myself and my Autobot to the railway Station.

DAY 0: 3rd September, 2011 – Hyderabad to Delhi

So, just when I thought the big battle of convincing me has been done and my journey has begun, I missed my train to Delhi. Oops! Never Mind. Looks like me and my Autobot will begin the journey in separate ways. I booked a slot for my bike in the next train to Delhi and I went back home to catch a flight the next day afternoon.

That’s my route map below. Each point is a Day’s halt. The entire route was not planned beforehand.

__________________
-Ananth

A Conversation with Me, Myself and my Autobot
Behold the New Autobot in Town !!!
Just another Leh'd back ride

SKSy_Biker

Travelogue Approved

Bring it on Autobot

Ananz

DAY 1: 4th September, 2011 – Delhi to Chandigarh

I reached Delhi on Saturday Evening, my bike on Sunday afternoon and by Sunday evening: me, myself and my autobot began our two week long conversation with each other.



Since I started pretty late in the evening, I decided to spend the night at my friend’s place in Chandigarh.



I was not really sure where to head the next day. My initial plan was to reach Nainital by today and then move over to Dehradun, Shimla enroute to Leh, but missing that train a couple of days ago forced me to change my plan. One of my friend suggested Dharmasala. It sounded good to me. This also meant that my trip becomes upside down from what I’ve planned. Now I’d be going through the way that was to be my return route initially. I’m game.

__________________
-Ananth

A Conversation with Me, Myself and my Autobot
Behold the New Autobot in Town !!!
Just another Leh'd back ride

Ananz

DAY 2: 5th September, 2011 – Chandigarh to Dharamsala

As soon as you move out of Chandigarh you would hit the hills and this is the first view of the Himalayan Range you would see.



Before I knew I started ascending and could see Chandigarh below me.



On my way I saw this huge water body. Have no clue what it was called but it was pretty huge.



Spent some time at this place and I moved on.



I took a small detour on the way and ventured into the woods.





Although the route was pretty slippery I didn’t face any problems while going in. It was when I decided to take a U turn and come back to the highway I realized where I got myself into. The mud was very wet and slushy under that grass and it was almost impossible to even make the bike stand upright. Only when I started to push the bike I felt the weight of my bike with all those extra mods and luggage.

This man is a gardener and was finishing his lunch under those trees. He lent a helping hand before I could push my bike out of the woods. Big thanks to him.



I exhausted all my energy in those woods and stopped at this water pump on the way for some water. But all that came out of that pump was air



After about 100 kilometers from Chandigarh, you can find fresh tarmac all the way up to Dharamsala. For the first time in this trip, I opened up the throttle and scrapped my knees on those curves. It was a match made in Heaven. Soon I was testing the edges of the curves with my Autobot. The Pulsar 220’s ability to pull at lower speeds from higher gears meant I almost never had to change gears. It soon brought a smile on my face and chilling wind on my body.



At about 5 P.M I reached Dharamsala and stopped at the very first hotel I saw and was wondering if I should go in and enquire. Before I could start my bike and move to the next hotel, a cute receptionist came out of this Hotel and said “Please come in”. When I asked about the charge, she mentioned 1300 bucks per night. It was way out of my budget. But then the reception was so cute that I could not say a No to her. So I agreed thinking that I may at least try to pull out a conversation with her. After the fiasco in the woods and a 250Km long ride, my face was beautifully painted with a mixture of dust, mud and sweat. I was not going to start a conversation with a face like that. So I went up, took a hot shower and wrapped around a new set of clothes. Not that I turned into a Hrithik Roshan in a single bath, but it at least adds to my self-confidence you see. Well, now that my confidence level is boosted, I came down from my room, only to see another guy at the reception. Aawww. When I asked him, he said the other lady’s work shift had just ended and it was his shift now. Damn it. Never trust a hotel with a cute receptionist.



Not left with many options I took my bike and went for a small ride around the town. Dharamsala is small town in Himachal where the Holy Dalai Lama resides. But the exact place where he lives is Mcleodganj which was another 7 Kilometers uphill. It was too late by then, so I decided not to venture there and because of the same reason I could not visit the beautiful Dharamsala cricket stadium as well. I just roamed around the bazaar, purchased few stuff, met a civil engineer from Andhra Pradesh who by noticing the AP License plate followed my bike for quite some time, but was a little disappointed in the end that I could not talk much Telugu and then had my dinner before heading back to the room.

__________________
-Ananth

A Conversation with Me, Myself and my Autobot
Behold the New Autobot in Town !!!
Just another Leh'd back ride

Ananz

DAY 3: 6th September, 2011 – Dharamsala to Udhampur

On my conversation with the Hotel people, I figured Dalhousie is a 100 km to and fro detour on the way to Srinagar. I was game for it.



Autobot (standing behind): Stop posing you Jerk! I’m the one carrying your dead weight and all those stuff.



You see the hilltop at the end covered with a blanket of clouds. That’s Dal housie. A long way up.



Last time when I went in search of water the pump failed me. This time, the river won’t fail me. It was a cold tasty sip.

Somewhere between Dharamsala and Dalhousie when I was half way through overtaking a bus.

Myself: Hey look… that’s a nice girl.
Me: Oh yeah. Beautiful.
Autobot: Watch out! You’re overtaking a bus and there’s a lorry coming on the opposite direction.
Me: Okie. But how is that these hills holds some of the most beautiful girls? Is it the hills or is it just the grass is always greener on the other side.
Autobot: WATCH THE ROAD, the lorry is getting closer and closer.
Me: Okie Okie. But she is….
Phew…. I just managed to overtake the bus in the nick of time and move into my lane before the truck crossed over me.
Autobot: Never ever do that again. A-hole. If you do, I’ll kick your ass out of my seat and I’ll go back alone all the way.
Me: Ha ha… as if you can.
Autobot: Oh really… you wanna see??
Me: Alright… Alright… I’ll not do that again.




The above one was the first self-timer shot that I took on my cam. Now picture this. The Max timer allowed in my cam is only 10 seconds. I had to click the button, run all the way back, get on to the crampy little space that I have on my bike, start it and get going. Damn. Well I managed to do most of it, expect before I could get to the center of the road, the shutter clicked.
And before I could realize, I was on top at Dalhousie.





There was nothing much to do in there. It’s just a small tourist spot with a few shops and a Tibetan Bazaar. There was this church in the centre. I thought I’ll pay a visit.







I spent some time there, had my lunch and soon I was out of Dalhousie. The rest of the route to Udhampur was like this. So, no reason to complain or slow down until I reach Udhampur.



It has been a pretty average couple of days of riding. There were not many moments that inspired me. Adding more to it was this strange pain in my bones throughout my body. I was just two days into the trip, but already thinking to myself, did I do the right thing by coming this far alone? I didn’t have an answer to that.

Me: Plus, I’m just not able to sit on my bike for a longer duration. It is burning my ass.
Myself: Of course, it hurts. Didn’t you know it when you signed up for this kinda stuff?
Me: Yeah. But last time I only felt the pain after about a week into the trip. Two days is way too early.
Myself: You’re growing old my boy. Go home, get married and put that ass for a better use.
Me: Eh??? Whatever.

I made sure that I take a leisurely stroll across every small town I stayed on. That way you get to interact with the locals, watch and learn some of the local culture and flavor. And the best place you can get the mix of all is a Bazaar. So once again I was walking across a bazaar in the midst of Udhampur. Bought a few stuff, and spoke to few people.

__________________
-Ananth

A Conversation with Me, Myself and my Autobot
Behold the New Autobot in Town !!!
Just another Leh'd back ride

Ananz

DAY 4: 7th September, 2011 – Udhampur to Srinagar

I knew today should be interesting. I would be venturing into Kashmir and this place can never disappoint a traveler.



Soon I got company in the form of this mighty river. It was Huge.



I stopped at a place where I spotted a small caravan led by this little girl who was riding a horse.



Doesn’t she look like a princess proudly leading an army of horses?

Followed by an old man and a kid on top of him.



This man said he had lost a bunch of 1000 Rupee notes on the way and asked me for some money. I wasn’t sure if that was an innovative excuse. I told him I can’t give you money but is there anything else that I can do for you? He asked for food. Soon we were sharing our lunch in a nearby dhaba maintained by the army.

Later the Dhabawala told me that those people are nomads who generally carry a lot of cash but hardly spend any. Well, I was just glad to have contributed a buck towards their saving.
Before I could start, a group of men on the Royal Enfield and Avenger in their forty’s and fifties stopped next to me. Apparently, they are on a Mission K2K, Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Woow. They said few more are on their way and they were waiting for them. I knew from here all the way up to Leh and beyond, there is only one route. So, I assured them that we will meet again and I rode ahead.



Also, at my lunch point, I saw a board directing towards Verinag, the place where the River Jhelum originates in a small Mughal Garden. It was a 20 Kilometer to and fro detour.

One of the best thing of riding solo is, you don’t need to wait for anyone’s approval to try things out. You just have to convince yourself. So, Off I went to have a look at this place.




It was a beautiful garden tucked into a remote corner of the hills. I saw families enjoying a picnic on the lawns, Young boys and girls roaming around. It was a peaceful way of life.

And I walked towards the small monument from where this water was coming from.



As I moved closer I could hear the gushing sound of water and a very cool breeze over my face.
And when I went Inside, I was speechless.



The place looked magical. The river originates right out of this place and flows on. I don’t know what gives the water its color, but it made a magnificent scene with the blue water in the middle of an old Mughal monument surrounded by lush green towering hills. I bent down to have a sip. It was freezing cold and was one of the tastiest sips I’ve ever had.

It was so hard for me to come out of that place. I just sat there gulping sip after sip. After about an hour of entering into this place, I had to move on. I filled two 2-litre bottles full of water before I could leave.

Myself: Well. What a beautiful place it was. Alright, Now that you have completed the usual ritual of wearing the jacket, gloves, helmet and even managed to climb into cramped space of the bike in those tight Jeans, Let’s Go.
Me: Wait.
Myself: What now?
Me: I feel something. I feel a strong urge.
Myself: Strong Urge? For what? Urge to return to the river? Or is the river calling you back? Hellooo??
Me: Noo.. A strong urge to take a leak.
Myself: Aaarrrrggggg I told you so…. before you gulped down litres and litres of that water.

Oops. Fellow bikers can understand the pain of wearing all those costumes, only to realize you have to take it off immediately at a rate faster than you put it on.

Soon, I hit Srinagar. Found a place to crash, dumped all my luggage, Cleaned up, new clothes and took my bike into the City. On my last trip we stayed on a boat house and almost sailed across the entire lake. So this time I decided to stay on land and check out the city.

That’s the place I crashed for the night.



First, I went to all those Mughal Gardens that Srinagar is known for.







There was nothing much to do in those gardens. They are pretty small and would look like more or less the gardens that you would find in your city. But it was a nice place to spend for the families though.



Then I went back to the lake side.



Was waiting for quite some time for the girl to turn the boat towards me. Sadly, that didn’t happen.

Parked my bike and was walking along the Shore of Dal Lake.



You can never get bored of this lake. This is not only a tourist destination, but also a small town in itself. The lake is filled with boat houses for tourists alongside boat markets. That forms just a small portion of the lake. The rest have boat houses where people live surrounded by floating farmlands. I even saw a floating Marriage hall last time. Everything from the lake is put to good use. In the above picture of a girl on a boat, although I would like to believe she is a damsel in distress on a drifting boat waiting for a prince charming to rescue her, which would have been me by the way, well, she is actually collecting weeds from the lake which is a good source of fuel for Biogas production. The shore is filled with families, couples, kids and pets. Few people were out for a jog and few were happily enjoying the sights and sounds around.



Soon the Sun was calling it a day and so I found myself a Kebabwala to treat myself.



I picked up a conversation with the Kebabwala. He told me that Bandh/Curfew was imposed on the city today and tomorrow. Although I was at the heart of the city and did not see any effects of a bandh, I went ahead and enquired more about it. Few months ago, Srinagar witnessed a flurry of stone throwing protests against the government and quite a few youngsters were arrested in connection with that. This Bandh is to demand the release of those folks. Apparently, the Kebabwala was also one of the protestor, but escaped arrest. Now he says that those acts were not a thought out decision from him. He has realized that some political forces which are against the government lured poor people with money and many like him fell prey. Now he says he has learnt his mistakes and wants to concentrate on completing his High School education that he had left few years back. He has a wife and a kid as well I guess. Though he said he has realized his mistakes, he still supported this ongoing Bandh.
I just stuck to listen patiently to whatever he has to say and did not attempt to either judge him or lend a word of advice. He was happy to have met me and so was I.
I left his place with a smile and moved ahead on my search. My search for an Answer, Wisdom, Inner Peace and beauty. Naaaa…. My search for more food. Damn! I was still hungry.
Below is the Yummy Kebab from the Kebabwala. The Kebabwala refused to be photographed .



I would have had at the least 4 plates of kebab. Now it’s time for some corn and No! I did not pick up a conversation with the cornwala this time.



After the corn, I did some shopping at the lakeside. Bought a few sovereigns, some Kashmiri handlooms for near and dear ones and found a Punjabi dhaba for dinner.



Today was a good day. I met a lot people, listened to some of their stories, saw some breathtaking places and ended the day sitting under a street light on the shore of the Dal Lake. It turns out that this trip is not going to be that boring afterall.

__________________
-Ananth

A Conversation with Me, Myself and my Autobot
Behold the New Autobot in Town !!!
Just another Leh'd back ride

Ananz

DAY 5: 8th September, 2011 – Srinagar to Kargil

I got my Autobot water washed in the Hotel and I got ready to start another new day.I began my ride at around 8:30 I guess, which was pretty early according to my standards.

Just by one glance at the picture below you can figure out how badly I’m playing with my life. No. Not the riding alone part. But the part where I squeeze myself into that tight space between the bag and the fuel tank the whole day. 3500 kms and one wrong brake at the wrong time can crush some delicate and valuable parts of my body on the petrol tank and also vanish any hopes of a future generation, If you know what I mean :P. Phew, that is a very big responsibility on my little shoulders.



Okie now, stop staring at the wrong places.

I knew today is going to be a great day too. There are some interesting places and also the naughty ZojiLa Pass enroute.

As soon as I rode out the Srinagar, the Landscape opened up.



Somewhere behind those Blue Mountains lie the ZojiLa Pass. The ride so far has been more or less on smooth tarmac. I knew if you expect that something can go wrong in your bike, then that phase would more likely start from this place.





My Autobot was also geared up the tough times ahead .

Autobot: Hell Yes! Bring it on.



Just like the silence before the storm, before we hit the tough roads you would be greeted with arguably one of the most beautiful Landscape in the entire route. Streams, Green Meadows, Blue mountains and smooth roads. You’ll find all those at Sonmarg.







It is hard to ride past this place. This place demands your time and affection. I decided to stop for a very leisurely breakfast walked around the place. I think I might have spent around an hour strolling across with my camera. I was not carrying a watch in this trip and my cell phone was always switched off and tucked into my luggage. This was a conscious decision to make sure I don’t have to constantly worry about the time or distance I covered in a day. I rode as long I had the Sun was watching over my back, and was prepared to camp anywhere when the sun bids goodbye.

As I was closing in, it looks like ZojiLa just gave me a Big Bang welcome.



The road was blocked, something was wrong a little ahead. You see the stranded long convoy above. I just began my two day romance with them now. This is where I met a couple of riders who were also waiting for the road to open up.



I parked my bike and walked ahead to check what was wrong and phew, there you go.



It does live up its expectation, doesn’t it? What you are seeing below is a partly cleared way. The road was completely blocked with big, heavy boulders. A Bulldozer had cleared the way partially. I went ahead and cleared few more rocks so I can squeeze some way for my Autobot.



Try to spot the zigzag route above.

Before I ventured further, there was some strange noise and wobble that I felt on my bike since I started the trip. I didn’t pay much heed to it until now. But its effects were more pronounced as soon as I hit the road less mountains. But before climbing this Pass I wanted to make sure everything was alright. I stopped to investigate. And I had an F***ing shock. There are four screws that hold the heavy headlamp assembly to the frame through a bracket. Among the 4, two are the most important ones and one of them snapped out of its place. While transporting, the porters had broken one of it. I had specifically mentioned them how to hold the bike while lifting it. But, you know how things work here. The entire weight of the front fairing was on only one Screw and I….. was God damn screwed. I had welded the entire setup with my own hands and I very soon realized there was no quick fix to this problem.

I either go back or risk my bike break into two in the middle of nowhere. The tent that I had on my back gave me the only hope that come what may, all I have to do is pitch a tent and look for help.



I was just humming the song,
“Tu na jaane aas pass hai khuda,
Tu na jaane aas paas hai khuda”

And soon I saw a board that had directions pointing towards Amarnath. God was really nearby.

The route you see below in between the mountain is the one.
But sorry God, I’m in a bigger mess right now. Maybe some other time I’ll catch a ride with you.



That’s the Dark, Dirty and Dusty Zoji La. Spot the convoy here.



This Pass is quite close to the border and is the only way to reach Kargil and ladakh from this side of Kashmir. That would explain the heavy military presence throughout the route.



There is an interesting and proud piece of history associated with this pass. Indian Army conducted one of the most daring armour attacks at high altitude ever during the 1948 conflict with Pakistan.
Operation Bison is the codename of the assault and capture of Zoji La, Dras and Kargil district in Ladakh by the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1948. Zoji La had been seized by Pakistani raiders in 1948 in their campaign to capture Ladakh. Tanks were moved in dismantled conditions through Srinagar and winched across bridges while the Madras Sappers converted the mule track from Baltal up the Zoji La to Gumriinto into a jeep track. The surprise attack on 1st November by the brigade with armour supported by two regiments of 25 pounders and a regiment of 3.7 inch guns saw the Pakistanis being surprised. The pass was forced and the raider column pushed back to Matayan and later Dras. The brigade linked up on 24 November at Kargil with Indian troops advancing from Leh while the Pakistanis eventually withdrew northwards toward Skardu.

That’s Wikipedia by the way.

All these make you feel how fortunate you are; your countrymen fought and sacrificed themselves, so their future generation can stand on this little piece of heaven and proudly call it their home.

As I was inching further, I found perhaps the first victim of Zoji La today.



He had apparently taken a fall and after which his bike refused to start. One of the biker whom I met a few minutes ago at the blockade was trying to help him out.

AutoBot: See, at least try to appreciate my loyalty now. I’ve never done that to you.
Me: That’s because I have never ever crashed you anywhere or did any other kind of harm.
Autobot: Really? What do you call it when someone takes you to dizzying and choking heights in absolute darkness without lights where you don’t know what the hell is infront of you, a bend in the road or a 300ft fall on my ass……..And why the hell is my neck dancing like Shammi kapoor ever since I reached Kashmir? I feel my neck is going to fall of my body. Did you do something?

Myself: He probably didn’t notice the broken screw yet. Don’t tell him.
Me: Okies

Me: Don’t worry boy, you still look smart. And Shammi Kapoor eh?? You are already warming up to the Kashmir ki kalis. Let’s get them all eh. Alright, but first let’s help this stranded guy.

So, this guy was struggling to start his bike and he had no clue what to do. When is asked him if he was travelling alone. In spite of being stuck, he replied with a smile “Oh yes, just like you”. As long as he has that spirit, there’s not much that is going to bother him, no matter what happens. I figured out the problem was a simple one, tried a couple of options and one of them worked. I wished him Luck and rode ahead.



And yeah, the dizziness or choking feeling that Autobot complained a few minutes ago, well it is for real. Not only humans face difficulty in breathing at high altitudes, even automobiles do. Automobile engine run with a mixture of petrol and air. When the amount air/oxygen reduces, the petrol overflows in the engine stopping the ignition process. I faced a few issues with that last time, and a little this time as well, but I hope it does not become a serious one.

Soon I crossed over Zoji La and the landscape opened up yet again.



It started to rain soon. I was searching for a place to hide, but then I realized I was out here to experience what these hills had to offer. The rain is one of what they had on offer and what they don’t, is a place to hide from it, there were absolutely no tress around. So, I sat on my bike and rode all out in the rain. My jacket was not really waterproof and my jeans were definitely not.



This is the last set of lush green meadows that I’d be witnessing for days now. After this place, the altitude increases steadily and the vegetation slowly begins to disappear.

Soon the rain dried up, so was my jacket and jeans. Except for a few delicate corners around my private parts which was still wet and just beginning to itch. Eeewww! It was not a good feeling.



There is the convoy again in the above picture. There were around 25 to 30 trucks in that convoy. I rode past each and every one of them, only to stop for a photo break ahead. Then they will drive past me with the drivers waving their hand at me. This cycle continued for the entire day and for quite a while on the next day as well.



Those girls had just returned back from their school for the day and were helping their mother graze the cattle. I forgot their names and I’m sure they would have forgotten mine as well by now.



That’s one hell of a way to pass time here. A game of Polo.



The sun was somewhere between afternoon and evening when I reached Dras. A small town which became well known during the Kargil war. Well, Dras has also recorded the second lowest temperature on an inhabited place on earth. (-60 C).


@Dras Baazar



I spent a lot of time at the Dras War Memorial last time. So I decided to give it a miss this time around.

Just before hitting Kargil, I found a set of little kids playing over a bridge. I stopped by. Little did I know that I would be having one of my joyous fun filled moments of the entire trip with them.


Thumps Up to you too kiddo.



As soon as they spotted me with my camera, they started posing, singing and dancing around. They would climb the pillar using the ropes on one side and slide down on the other.



The little one on Pink and black sweeter would give a pose and call out “Hellooooooooooo”. That’s the signal for me to take a pic of her. Before I could click other kids, she would give another pose and then “Helloooooooo”. Ha ha….



The bridge was the only playground that they had amidst the towering mountains and deep valleys, but I’m sure they had more fun with it than many of the kids with playstations and cartoon channels we find near our homes.







“Tu na jaane aas paas hai khuda, tu na jaanue aas paas hai khuda”,
That’s the song that they are dancing for now. The song that I was humming for most of the day.

Dancing and playing around with them, I became a kid once again.



Then I sat down for a conversation with them.



Among other petty things that we discussed, there was an interesting piece of talk that may make some adults from that region to think twice.

Kid in red and black : Aap kahan se aaye ho.
Me : Hyderabad se. naam kabhi suna hai??
None of them knew.
Me : Hyderabad, India ke neeche wali hisse mein hai.
Kid in light green : Aap India se aaye ho? (With a little suprised voice).
Me : India se? Aap aise poochthe ho ki aap kahi bahar ke hai. Aap bhi tho India mein ho.
Kid in light green : Hum India mein hai???
Kid in pink/black : Arre, hum saaaaab India mein hai. Yehan kuch log galat bolthe hai, yeh Pakistan Pakistan karke. Par hum saaaab India mein hai.

I didn’t have to say anything else.



I would have spent nearly an hour dancing, playing and talking with them. They invited me to their home which was on the other side of the bridge. I said we’ll meet another day for sure, but now I have to go. But, thinking back, I wish I had gone to their home and spent some time with their families.



And finally I found my pillion.

All five were on a Deadlock on top of the bike. I had to get them down one after the other.



I rode ahead smiling all the way. Soon I reached Kargil. Found myself a room, dumped my luggage, freshened up and went out to explore Kargil.

I found a photo studio which looked a little hi-fi in the middle of a small town. I went to enquire if they can get me a photo printout. The guy had a computer but had little knowledge of operating it. I tried my hand, but soon gave up when it took more than 5 minutes just to open a single picture.

In the meantime, curious to know how come he owns such a good looking shop, I picked up a conversation with him. Well, the story goes, He once visited delhi few years ago and was amazed looking at the modern shops and facilities. So he decided to own one similar to them in his place. He had little knowledge about what exactly he wants to do in his life, but he is very open minded and ambitious never the less. Apart from operating this studio, he also works as a teacher in a government school at Suru Valley. The valley is a beautiful place around 60 km from Kargil. Even in a city, it might take more than an hour to cover that distance, but in the Himalayas it may take twice or thrice that time. The conversation took lot of turns passing by a lot things in life, life in the hills, in the cities, our families, but mostly about what we want to become in our lives apart from earning and stacking up. It went on for more than an hour and a half. I still remember a couple of times midway he was hurrying up to close his shop as his wife would scold him for returning home late, but soon forgot and carried on the conversation even longer. I also asked about the time during the war that took place a decade back. He showed me a partly collapsed house right in front of the studio where a bomb shell fell.

It was not as if we were on a train journey or together waiting at some place, eventually ended up passing time with a long conversation. Both of us could have got out and walked away any moment. I never knew I could have a conversation with a stranger for such a long time.
Eventually we did bid goodbye to each other and I moved on for a Tibetan chai nearby.



After sometime, had my dinner and snug into my bed.



It was another beautiful day.


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-Ananth

A Conversation with Me, Myself and my Autobot
Behold the New Autobot in Town !!!
Just another Leh'd back ride

sunilg

Loved the starter, want the full course now.

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(Been There Done That) x 3.25

Join xBhp On

sourav2688

Hooked to the log, Anant ! Bring on the rest !

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One motorcycle raced another on public streets.
The ambulance won.

killer_instinct

Just saw the pics... didn't have time to read the whole thing... apart from your conversation with the little girls.... Such innocence.

And the pics are brilliant... will take out time to read the whole thing.

Great Ride man.

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I feel like Clark Kent on the streets riding the Pulsar, On the track.. with my Ninja.. I feel like Superman.