Sunny

HX 3: May 2006 (Lahaul-Spiti Circuit)
The 3rd Himachal xPlorers Installment







Ride Of Dreams
Srikeerthi K S ( Sksy_Biker )

xBhp.com's HX 3 : Ride to Himalayas. June 3rd-8th 2006

Pre Himalayas

All in this world happens for a reason, some known well in advance some revealed later. I had traveled to many places in the southern part of India, but whenever I saw other bikers sharing their experience and photos of the Himalayas I would get that deep urge inside me to see and experience that first hand. I had planned exactly a year ago in June 2005 that I would get to the Himalayas soon, I had thought of going in September 2005. Murphy struck I had lots of things coming up in my professional life that I could not do it then either. As the dates passed I had made up my mind that 2006 would be the year I would get to Himalayas.

As things turned out everything seemed to fall into place, there was this trip planned in xBhp to Spiti valley in June. I got my leaves approved in good time. Major hurdle passed, I had the bike, time and the deepest desire to get to Himalayas no matter what! There was a bit of confusion and preparation with all the stuff needed, extra tubes, medical kit, puncture repair kit electric pump and tools needed. All was worked out between the three riders from Bangalore. So I was prepared with all the other things as well and a tank bag and a saddle bag (borrowed from a friend Arun Kumar) to stuff all this into. Along with Praveen KM and Santosh I left to Delhi on the 1st of June.

I reached Delhi a day before the ride and met with some of the bikers I was to ride with for next few days.


Day 1: June 3rd 2006

I was up a minute before the alarm rang in the morning. Took a hot shower and packed all my stuff on the bike. I had been on quite a few rides but my parents were away from me so did not had to face them each time I left for a ride. It’s hard to describe the look on the concerned parents' face. With all that pre-conceived notion about bikers being prone to accident and dangers waiting in Himalayas its hard not to be worried. I convinced my dad that all would be all right. I'm not sure how much I could convince him but I had made a mental note in my mind to get back home safe.

Well we were on the bikes in the early morning raring to meet the other riders. We got to the meeting point Azadpur mandi by 4:30 AM.
All the riders were present there.

1)Me from Banalore on Hero Honda Karizma
2)Vikhyat from Delhi on Hero Honda Karizma
3)Puneet from Delhi on Kawasaki Bajaj Eliminator
4)Dhairya from Delhi on Bajaj Pulsar 180
5)Kulpreet from Delhi on Honda Unicorn
6)Asif from Delhi on Bajaj Pulsar 180
7)Sundeep from Delhi on Hero Honda Karizma
8)Gurpreet from Delhi on Hero Honda Karizma
9)Rahul from Delhi as pillion
10)Raghav from Delhi as pillion
11)Harsh from Delhi on Hero Honda Karizma
12)Santosh from Bangalore on Bajaj Pulsar 180
13)Bunny punia from Delhi on Hero Honda Karizma
14)Praveen K M from Bangalore on Hero Honda CBZ
15)Ashish from Hyderabad on Yamaha YBX
16)Praveen Shirali from Pune on leon_nerd's Bajaj Pulsar 150

All of us left the place before the crack of dawn munching miles rapidly. This went on fine till there was puncture in Praveen Shirali's Pulsar. The rear tyre had cracked. It was too early to get a spare tyre so we waited for some time before getting a tyre from the town nearby. An hour lost already, hit the road soon with determination to make up for the loss of time.

The weather was cool and the sky cloudy throughout the way. We reached close to Solan to get the first view of huge mountains of Himalayas. The awesome road to Shimla was a treat to ride on. I was moving front and back in the formation and the view of bike serpent moving ahead was a treat to the eyes. The well maintained twisting roads and the grippy tyres that I had shod on the bike made feel at ease riding here, in fact they were so comfortable that I was pegscraping unintentionally.

One of the riders had an accident here and the bike's front console was damaged. It also started drizzling soon and my shoes and the socks inside got all wet. I guess I don’t have to tell it was not a pleasant experience. We got him some medical attention in Shimla and because of all the time lost we had to make a halt in Shimla for the night. It was a place too commercialized and crowded for me to call it a hill station. That aside I still wouldn't be wrong to call it a scenic place worth visiting once. A beautiful sunset over crowded city, the sun seemed to have made space between rows of houses stacked over each other and went down gracefully to rest for the night. It was a sight to behold and a perfect compliment to the days ride.

We found some rooms to stay for the night. Had dinner in a restaurant in the famous Mall road and returned to the rooms. Decisions had to be made based on the things that had happened in the day with all the things we would face further in the trip. Four of the riders and two pillions had to return due to various reasons and just the second day the count was reduced to 10 from the original 16. I slept late thinking about the challenges I would face the next day and further.

Day 2 June 4th 2006

We started the day trying to tune the bikes a bit for the higher altitudes. Bid bye to friends who had to return back. By the time we left he city it was about 11 AM. The roads were pretty OK from here and we rode consistently. We stopped at a dhaba after Kufri for breakfast, brunch rather. We continued riding on good roads and we stopped about 1/2 an hour after Narkanda for a break and photos. Gurpreet as usual popped some wheelies here; it’s amazing how easily he does these on his bike. The place we had stopped was next to Sutlej flowing a few hundred feet below in the valley.

The descent from here to the raging Sutlej below was quick. We were riding in the direction opposite to rushing Sutlej and that made the river look only more ferocious and dangerous. We crossed Rampur and got the first glimpse of snow from a distance. Its hard to say how far it was seemed like I could just reach it with my hands, ah the illusions of mind. It was here that I realized how small we really are the bikes moving at the other side of the mountains seemed like ants in front of elephants.

Though the terrain and the mountains were tough I have to commend the well-maintained roads cutting through the rocks and mountains. We took a couple of breaks in between for photographs and that slowed our speed a bit. Somewhere after Jeori we stopped due to a landslide. Extra minutes spent photographing earlier meant that the group split into two parts of 4 and 6 one clicking photographs and the other just riding through. We had fallen behind the first group and the landslide didn’t help either. Luckily the roads were cleared soon enough. There were a lot of dams all through the way to Rekong Peo. Once we passed close to a dam and wondered if it was raining. It was actually the water from the dam splashing all around the place! We picked up speed, as we had to get soon our destination fro the night Rekong Peo the headquarters of Kinnaur valley. We got decent rooms with TV in a hotel called Fairyland (which was far different from it). All of us watched the photos taken by Sundeep and me. I went to bed with a smile knowing that finally I was in the heart of Himalayas.

Day 3 June 5th 2006

I knew that I was surrounded by the mountains and close to Kinner Kailash. I had a breathtaking moment in the morning after seeing the view of the cloud-covered mountains with mighty Kinner Kailash at a distance. All of us fixed up the chains of our bikes and topped up engine oil and petrol after having tasty Aloo paranthas with butter. The group left place by 11 AM. Soon we had a mix of OK and dusty bad roads. Our first stop after leaving Peo was this gushing waterfall right next to the road. We spent a few minutes taking photographs and admiring the waterfall. The roads got worse from here on and a small mistake would mean that I would never be found or heard of ever again.

Ashish's bike had a small fall at a place, which was all mud. The clutch lever broke due and I could not fix it with the epoxy I had. Ashish and Puneet went back to Peo to get the lever while Kulpreet went ahead to inform the others and continue ahead. So that in case we get delayed they would not worry and arrange for the accommodation for the night. The ones who stayed behind spent time lying on the rocks next to the river, gushing madly below us. Listening to the roars from the river and music from ipod I had, we spent time waiting for the two to return with the clutch lever. Both returned from Peo with the lever in about an hour and a half. We soon fixed bike and continued ahead.

On enquiring at the check post ahead we got info that others had left about 3 hours before us. Hmmm.. we had really lost quite some time there. The bad roads and stoppage in between due to blasting of rocks on the roads made sure that we could not gain any more time. The humongous mountains in these parts of the country made mountains down south look like dwarfs. We all reached Pooh by 4 PM. We stopped here for snacks and drinks. It was a military base with not many civilians around. Lots of uniformed jawans doing the routine were to been seen everywhere. Other than the regular duty they contributed to greenery projects around and helped to create a sustainable environment and prevent landslides in these places. I felt inspired and a heartfelt pride and gratitude to these people who protected our country. Waved a salute to them and continued with our journey.

We had to go up, down and around the mountains regularly on this route. We passed Khab after sometime. The roads were better maintained here and I will cherish nice winding roads to the top of the hills for a long time. Once on the top we stopped again to take more photos and to soak in the beauty of these unending majestic mountains. They were so enchanting, still once mistake while riding and there was no finding you.. ever! Roads were pretty much empty from here on and I had the entire road to myself!

We crossed the salt mountains colored magnificently by nature using exquisite browns and the fading evening light from the Sun. It was getting darker by the minute and we decided to take the longer but safer route through Malling. This would take more time but we would not be going in the landslide prone routes in the dark, fair deal I'd say. That also meant that there would be no more stops and no more photos taken. As we climbed higher up the mountains the air got thinner and cooler. It was getting progressively tougher to climb up. The bike did not pull cleanly even in the 1st gear; I had to keep the engine running between 4-6k rpm to keep the engine from dying. And once the sunlight was gone it was really cold and doubts about tonights halt crept into my mind. We had to make it through the very tough part of the journey with no sunlight. The road was virtually non-existent and the bike was skidding on the stones on the road.

After about half an hour of ride we got to slightly better roads. We were on a descent when Gurpreet's bikes fuse goes off. All lights went off on his bike and we stopped for some more time to get the spare fuse in place. Even though the ride was a tough one till now, we were glad that all that was happening were minor stuff that we could handle. I got very focused on the riding now, we had to get to Tabo for the night halt. There was nothing much except the dusty road in front and sound of gushing waters somewhere down below and had to keep a close watch on road. Slowly my sight was reduced to tunnel vision concentrating just 20 feet in front of my path. Our group of bikes reached Sumdo by 8 PM. The other group that passed from here had left a message for us. We get info that others had passed much earlier; we were at least 4 hours behind them. We stopped at the next village and made calls home to inform our well being. All of us had food at the only dhaba here. Nothing great, but enough to fill our empty stomach. We had an interesting conversation with the owner of the place and he told us about a mummy that was found some 15-20kms from here. It was mummified by nature with no human intervention; the locals believe it was of a saint who went into samadhi.

We left the place with sense of urgency with idea to get to Tabo ASAP as the goal. I kept riding in the cold silence, watching the taillights of seven bikes ahead in the moonlight night. Finally we reached Tabo by 11 in the night. We looked around for the lodge where others were staying and after about 20 minutes of searching we found the bikes parked outside a guesthouse. The place was right next to the Tabo monastery. It was very silent, almost an eerie place and even the door of the guesthouse was unlocked. After some looking around we found the person in charge, he gave us a couple of rooms. Then we met the other guys who had come here before nightfall and planned for the next mornings ride. Most of the guys wanted to leave early so that they could reach Delhi by June 7th. Some had a place to catch, some had work to attend to. Four of us decide to take it slow and enjoy the ride rather than zipping right through these heavenly valleys. I went to sleep in the spacious but dusty room given to us.


Day 4 June 6th 2006

I got up lazily at 8am and soaked in the morning sunshine outside. The view of the monastery and beautiful snow capped mountains was a great way to get the mind refreshed for the day ahead. We freshened up ourselves and went to the restaurant next door. There were all kinds of food available in this place, Chinese, Indian, Israeli, French, etc. It was most probably because of the frequent foreign visitors to these monasteries. The calm and sleepy looking town also had Internet facility and other creature comforts for tourists. I just sat there sipping the morning tea watching little kids with mischievous smiles running to school, teenaged girls giggling and going to study too.

After the breakfast the four of us went around the peaceful monastery taking photos and admiring the simple architecture of this monastery. We packed up and left the place by 10 AM to our next stop Kaza. Mother nature started mixing up all the vivid colors in her bag with the outlandish structures. Couples that with the river flowing right next to us, you could imagine how enchanting the valleys of Spiti were!

I saw people at quite a few places cleaning up the roads in some places, building new ones and repairing the broken roads in other places. Clearly these roads needed a lot of maintenance and there was a lot being done for it. There were a few long stretches of straight roads at some places they seemed to lead right to the huge mountains and vanish into them. It was something I had seen only in some movies. I got carried away with the serenity and uniqueness of these surroundings. I stopped quite often to take pictures or sometimes just to soak up the vista with the clear blue skies up above.

I reached Kaza in about an hour and half only to realize that I had gone much faster than the others. I found the only gas station here (the highest retail outlet in the world) run by IOC. I knew that there were no more gas stations available till I get close enough to Manali, which was still around 210 kms from here. There was no way I could make it with the fuel I had. Tough luck, there was no electricity at that time and the hand pumping chain was also broken. The attendant there said I'd have to wait for a couple of more hours before the electricity would be back an I could get some petrol. I saw no sign of the others and I knew they'd have to stop and wait at the gas station too, so I decided to take a little detour from the original plan and go to Key and Kibber villages which were just about 20kms from here.

Key has a beautiful monastery and Kibber is one of the highest inhabited villages that can be reached by road (the second highest if I'm not wrong). A stretch of good clear road with a visibility of about a kilometer, no vehicles and the down slope saw me hit a 100 on the speedo!! Woohoo it was first in couple of days of riding in the hills that I had done such speeds. I went slowly up the winding roads and saw this magnificent structure up ahead. It was the Key monastery. It was amazing how this multistoried structure was built up here, a true wonder not to be missed if you are coming this way! After riding for a few more kms I reached Kibber. It was a small village nestled in between the deserted mountains. I dint spend a lot of time as I had to get back before others got to Kaza. I got back on the bike to the gas station only to find the pump was still not working. After some time Praveen KM came in and informed that Sundeep's bike had a puncture and Gurpreet's bike also had a problem and he could not ride it, so they were delayed.

We waited for them to come in and fix Sundeep's bike, the spare tube we had came to use here. We all had our lunch and made arrangements to get Gurpreet bike back in a pickup truck to Chandigarh where he could fix it. The time was already 5 in the evening and there was no way we could reach Gramphoo (our scheduled stop for the night) in time. Locals told me that the roads after Losar were very bad (kuccha roads). Hence it was finalized that we would stay in Losar for the night some 60kms away. We wanted to get to a place where we could stay for the night; also we did not want to miss the beautiful scenery the place had. Considering all that it was a good choice made.

The sights of the evening in Spiti valley were nothing short of divine! The Sun and the clouds playing with colors trying to drape the mountains with its shadows but always falling short. There was no way the clouds could cover the majestic peaks of
Himalayas. We saw a big statue of Buddha colored in gold on top of a hill on the way just took a couple of pictures and hit back on the road. There was lack of any human signs most part of the roads with not a single soul around for miles. Slowly but surely it was getting darker and colder even more hastily. I was definitely not dressed enough for this kind of cold and there was no chance of stopping anywhere to change into something more comfortable either. With the bike not going beyond 60kmph mark in these conditions, getting to Losar was easier said than done. I was shivering and praying deep within to get some strength to carry on and reach Losar quickly.

Milestones telling me Losar is just single digit distance away gave me some more strength to keep going. I reached there at about 7 PM ahead of two others. As soon as I got into the village I rushed into the first place that seemed like a small house cum dhaba. I was still shivering but the warmth inside the place had me assured that it will all be OK. The other two riders Sundeep and Praveen reached the place a few minutes later. The owner of the dhaba showed me a place across the road where we could get warm rooms and hot food for the night. I quickly got all the stuff from the bike and ran into the rooms and got under the thick rajai (blanket) for half an hour. My mind started to get calmer as I got warmer in the bed. We saw the pictures we had taken during the day and later went downstairs for food. The big bowl of Maggi vegetable soup and rotis seemed so gratifying, simple food but felt great under the circumstances. After a filling meal the three of us went to the bed. Hiding myself under the rajai with that feeling of warmth inside I thought, we had not covered much of a distance today but had seen a lot of sights that would be etched in my mind forever. Thinking about all things that happened my eyes grew heavy and I was soon asleep.

Day 5 June 7th 2006

The early sun peeping through the window woke me up, beckoning me to see the striking scenery outside. It was a wonderful morning sky; mostly clear with a few clouds floating here and there. We could only brush our teeth and wash our face with the only bucket of warm water that we had. I soon dressed up with all I had got with multiple layers of clothing all around, I did not want to feel the chill I felt the previous evening. I had hot breakfast and soup and we left Losar by 7 AM after making and entry in the Police check post next door.


The roads if you may call them that got pretty bad from here, almost non-existent. We were in the cold valley with humongous snowy mountains all around, climbing our way slowly to the Kunzum pass. As the altitude picked up the bike also started breathing harder weaving through the dusty roads with stones all over the place. Couple of hours into the journey I got to see snow up close. I could reach out and touch it but it was not clean, it was brown due to all the dust around. Soon enough as we got much closer to Kunzum pass there was snow around. I stopped once just to touch it and a get the cool feel of it. The three of us with another local riding rider on another bike reached Kunzum pass well before noon. It was definitely a special feeling being at an altitude of over 15000 feet, clean snow covered mountains surrounding us were wonderful. In between the heavy breathing, it was getting calmer inside the mind. Being a part of this splendor of nature one could easily get lost in the splendid sights. The passing local rider told us about the significance of the Kunzum Devi temple close by. We went around the temple and prayed for a safe journey ahead.

We started getting down from the pass and took the deviation towards Chandratal. After traveling a few kms through the rough roads we encountered slushy roads. The path had got all wet from the water from the melting snow and the bikes got stuck in the slush and we had to lift the bikes out of it slowly. We could have made to Chandratal, but it would mean a lot more time spent getting there rather than being there. So we agreed on heading back and continuing towards Manali. The roads from here got still worse. We were riding through riverbeds and sloping roads all the time. The scenic views all around us gave some respite and drew all the pain out of riding here. It was a pleasure through pain all the way. We stopped in between at Chatru for an early lunch. It’s a nice cozy place with just a few tents and dhabas around. You should hire a tent for as low as 40 Rupees a night! A good choice if you prefer that kind of an experience.

After a sumptuous meal we headed towards the next pass, Rohtang La. It was greener from here onwards and the sunny weather made the ride ever so enjoyable. We reached Rohtang pass by around 2 PM, back into civilization I though. The place was all covered in snow and as soon as we reached there was light snowfall to welcome us. The place was cool but far too many tourists took the charm out of it. We hit the road again with the aim of reaching Chandigarh by nightfall, so that we could have a relaxed ride back to Delhi the next day.

After reaching Manali I found myself alone again. Praveen had stopped a few kms earlier for a break and Sundeep had gone inside the town (which i came to know only later). I was left waiting outside the town for both. Spent about half an hour waiting for Praveen. I could not contact Sundeep through his mobile phone so assuming that he might have continued on the way to the next town Kullu we started again. The roads were much crowded from here on, with all the tourist buses and cars zipping past us. Once we got just within a few kms of Kullu we got to talk to Sundeep. We were surprised to know that he was still in Manali waiting for us!

He had met Gurpreet on the pickup truck (who was on his way to Chandigarh) and was coming along with him. Another couple of hours wasted due to incomplete communication. This made us cut short the plan further to reach Mandi by night. There was more in store as Sundeep's bike had some problem in gearshifts and we had to spend an hour again in the middle of nowhere trying to fix it. After some struggle Gurpreet somehow got the bike moving and we managed to get to Mandi by midnight.


Day 6 June 8th 2006

Sundeep had found a friendly person in the town who helped us find an authorized service station outside the city where he got his bike serviced and we were back on the road again. The roads were pretty good from here and we could maintain decent (above 80kmph) speeds in these twisting and winding roads. We did stop a couple of times to get a breather as we had descended from the mountains and it was getting much hotter in the sun. We continued moving on the roads and picked up the speed once we were on the plains. It was much hotter here we were back to 40+ degrees from freezing temperatures. But we could ride faster due to the straight and wider roads here.

We hit a block again when Sundeep's bike again started showing the symptoms of gear locking up. We tried to get it fixed at a local mechanic but he did not have the necessary spares ready. It would be risk without getting the bike completely fixed, so Sundeep took the bike in a pickup truck back to Delhi.

Now the numbers were down to just two, Praveen KM and me. We kept riding at constant speeds joining Grand trunk road bypassing Chandigarh. It was a non-eventful riding from here on at speeds above 100kmph all the way back till Delhi. I reached home at about 9:30 PM with mom and dad waiting anxiously for me. It was a contended emotion that I had after reaching home knowing that I had been on an 1800kms ride through one of the toughest terrain and back without any incidents. I slept peacefully that night with the sights and sounds of Himalayas still lingering in my head.


Post Himalayas

As I said in the beginning all things happen for a reason, this trip too had its reason. I was a more contended person now; I had done what I had dreamt of for a long time. I had very enriching experiences and had seen and learnt new things. All throughout the ride every turn brought with it some surprise. Some were pleasant, some astonishing and some plain scary too. A very challenging ride too, mentally, physically and tough on the machine all the way. It was the first time I had been to the Himalayas and I had already made up my mind that I will be back to see more of it again. I could never do justice to what I had seen and experienced with mere words. It’s something each has to experience in person.
I could go ranting and raving for pages about what I had seen, but it would still fall short of reality. I would like to thank all who made this ride possible and my parents who even though worried had enough faith in me.

I've shared the most memorable experience of my life to date in words and I'll give you a few pictures to get a glimpse of the same. Please visit

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( Click on the menu on top and select "Bike Rides 2006". Click on Trip Lahaul-Spiti for the photos. )


HX 3 : Review
Ashish Divakaran ( GasolineJunkie )

When I first saw Bunny’s thread on the HX3 I read the first few lines and I thought to myself “I have to go on this ride”. I couldn’t read any further because I didn’t want to be disappointed – in case I didn’t get permission. Anyway after a few days of debating, arguing & bargaining at home my folks said OK. The next few weeks was an endless wait, I got my bike prepped & loaded it in the train, I packed my bags and just waited for the adventure to begin. From here there was no turning back.
After the long train ride to Delhi and the 3 hours spent in the station trying to get my bike out I was wondering how this trip would turn out, I couldn’t help imagine the potential dangers that me and the rest of the riders faced. I don’t know if its just me but sometimes I get nervous before doing something insane like signing up for the HX 3, at this time it seemed all too real.
Most of 2nd june was spent roaming around Delhi picking up different people and trying to get various things done before the ride. We got to Bunny’s house at midnight and by the time we go to bed its some unearthly hour in the morning. After a few inadequate hours of sleep Its crunch time, still half asleep I try and collect my stuff and we hit the road.

Day 1

We tank up and then ride to Karnal bypass road where we meet some of the other guys, can’t remember who because I was still half asleep. We all introduce ourselves, take a few pics and then get moving.
This first leg wasn’t much to talk about, the highway was wide and strait, exactly what I don’t like. The Karizmas were fast and I was getting my butt kicked by the bigger bikes. After a few hours of riding we stop in a dhaba for breakfast and that’s where we outsiders started chatting with the rest of the guys. I remember being asked if I was married, I was like MARRIED??? Dude I’m not old enough to drink legally. Anyway we all have a nice 2 hour chat and get to know each other really well.

After a while we meet Akshay and then Gulpreet entertains us by riding on one wheel for some insane distance. A little more riding and I reach the foot hills of the mighty Himalayas, at this time there’s no sign of the other bikers and I was wondering if I took some wrong road and got lost. A little later I see Bunny and Kulpreet and they tell me about Harsh’s first crash. At this time we are several hours behind schedule and the possibilities of us reaching Spiti are fading. In about 45 minutes we meet the rest of the gang and ride on without wasting any time.

By now we are riding on the hills and it didn’t take long for me to realize that this is my turf. My YBX that was a pain to ride on a strait highway was absolutely brilliant on the hills. It’s low gear ratios and incredible handling capabilities made it perfect for corning in all these hair-pin-bends. Within a few minutes I’m flying along with the other Karizmas and scraping my footpeg on bends. After riding on strait boring highways this was absolute ecstasy! I think we all got a little carried away and we were riding a bit too fast, one of these bends had a little bit of sand and poor Harsh and his bike got to taste the rock wall. This accident definitely made us all realize the seriousness of this ride, I’m glad we did before it was too late. After the crash we all sat at the side of the road wondering what to do with injured Harsh and his equally injured bike. At this point we were several hours behind schedule and our chances of reaching Ribba was just a dream. Finally we get to Shimla wet, tired and hungry after covering a shameful 350km. Shimla is a horrible city which happens to be the capital of the beautiful Himachal Pradesh and the traffic there was more chaotic than Delhi & Hyderabad put together. That and the fact that we were so far behind schedule made everyone stressed out. After a few hours of riding aimlessly around Shimla we found a hotel for some much needed rest.
Later we had a meeting about what we would do next. All of us wanted to ride through Spiti, me especially ! I didn’t come all the way from Hyderabad to ride to Shimla and back, but it didn’t seem very possible at this time. We had to send home some people and some others left due to medical problems. Now the group was just 10 riders and their bikes.

Day 2

After sleeping like logs we got up really late on the 4th morning and by the time we said our good-byes and left it was already 11. We tanked up and rode for a while before stopping for brunch, so realistically we started in the afternoon!
This part of the ride was fun because there was hardly any traffic and the roads were still flat, the bends were tight and we were fast. The ride from Narkanda to Rampur was incredible, my footpeg met the road several times and this was the only time my speedometer saw 100+ speeds on the mountains. For some reason the group split up that evening with Dhairya and me riding ahead while the rest of the group stopped for photo-shoots. We rode for about 2 hours and then we were obstructed by falling boulders on the road. It turns out that the BRO was knocking down some loose rocks. The locals tell us that this is no big deal because at those heights landslides occur on an hourly basis.

On day 2, hour by hour we start seeing a decrease in traffic and the landscape starts getting more deserted.
Somewhere this evening the roads give way to lose sand/mud and the gradient starts increasing and this is when my adrenalin actually started pumping. There is something about danger that made this ride more interesting, you need to experience it to understand. After a while I find myself riding alone in the dark along the winding river Sutlej. Man this was scary, on one particular bend I thought the river was the road and I nearly road strait in. Thankfully we all reached Rekong Peo safe & sound, tired but in one piece.
That night 10 hungry bikers sat down to dinner and emptied out the whole restaurant kitchen.

Day 3

Still a few hours behind schedule (we are used to it by now) we set out a little late after over-sleeping. Our target for that day was to reach Kaza but before we left, we all had to get our bikes tuned because the air was getting thinner and our bikes were performing like lawnmowers.
The first bit of the road was incredible with my feather light YBX flying thought the mud and I kept getting more & more confident with this suicidal sport of off-roading on the top of the mountain.
Some were along the way about 20 km after Peo we stop for a photo shoot and I start fooling around doing scrambles. At this point of time your mind tells you not to do stupid things but this thing called adrenalin makes sure you don’t listen to your mind. Anyway, after a few scrambles in the sand my tyre goes over a large stone and that sends my bike spinning. This has happened a thousand times so like always I dust myself and go to pick up my bike and to my horror I find out that I broke my clutch lever. When you need spare parts urgently, this is the last place you want to be. Fortunately there was a mechanic in Rekong Peo and Puneet was kind enough to take me there.

After my unfortunate incident the group split up with 4 people riding ahead and the rest stayed behind to wait for me. After getting started again, all I remember is we rode as much as we could, as fast as we could because we needed to get to Kaza and there was just a few hours of sunlight left. Whenever we stopped to ask for directions and distances, Kaza just kept getting further away. First people told us it was 90km away, then after an hour of riding we find out it was 140km away, it was like we were riding in the opposite direction.

After a few hours of riding in the dark we reach a military checkpost at the beginning of Spiti valley. Every few hours we came across these checkposts where we had to register out personal details. Being so close to the China border, I thought these checkposts must’ve been there for illegal immigration.
But on enquiry, one of the officers there tells us that these checkposts are there to register our details in case we get lost (“get lost” was a nice way of saying incase we fall down the hill and die) so they know where to search for us incase we go missing. This sent shivers down my spine, why did I have to ask questions at this time, couldn’t he break the news to us when we were safe on the plains.
When we reach Spiti at 10 in the night we find out that Kaza is an impossible 110 km away so we decide to ride to Tabo which was about 55km from where we were. The ride through Spti was bone-chillingly scary, it was pitch dark and the army people had already scared the shit out of us by telling us about the insane paranormal activities of that ghostly wilderness.
Somewhere along this road I find myself riding alone again and at this time its 11 in the night, not a soul in sight and I can’t see the headlights of any other bike. Sunny and Gulpreet most have been a km in front of me and Keerti, Puneet & Praveen most have been a few kilometers behind me. Now me, riding all alone, I don’t know if I should wait for the guys behind me or if I should try and catch up with Sunny. Suddenly I see a light coming towards me. In a barren land like this, spotting even a single soul makes your heart jump for joy. I see four people in a Willys jeep so I stop them to ask if they’ve seen bikers ahead. Before I know it two of them jump out of the jeep and come running towards me. At this time I feel like I’m dead. What if they mug me and throw me down the hill ?? Then, I’ll be just another statistic, one more person who kicked the bucket in spiti. Anyway to my relief these people come and shake me hand! damn, this bunch of drunk Tibetans scared the shit out of me?

We all reach Tabo a little while after midnight and had a meeting with the others about what we do next. The group is as fast as its slowest member. This is the 4th day and most of us needed to get back to Delhi on time. We needed to split the group again, 6 of us decided to try and ride to Manali the next day and the rest of the group were lucky to spend one more day in Spiti.

Day 4

Before the ride bunny told me that this 200km stretch from Kaza to Manali will be the hardest day of riding because of the two sky high passes and the non existent roads. Now we had to attempt the impossible and ride an insane 250km from Tabo to Manali.

We get up early this time, after about 4 hours of sleep. Puneet waits for me and we leave a few minutes after the others. The scenery in Spiti valley is breathtaking the ride to Kaza was a feast to the eyes.
It even made me, a heavy metal loving, anti-environmental biker stop and admire the beautiful mountains. We met up with the rest of the gang at the Kaza petrol bunk, the highest petrol bunk in the world. After we tanked up and fed on some roti & omlet we were good to go.
From day2 we were riding along the Sutlej river and as the days went by the river got smaller and faster, now on the 4rd day the only trace of the river was small streams flowing from bits of glaciers on the side of the road. Bunny and I kept stopping every now and then to take pictures and all we talked about was “will we reach Manali? Will they reach?”

From here onwards the road turned from hard tarmac to mud and after a while it was just a pile of stones, flattened by the few vehicles that drive there. I remember saying to myself “there’s a 50% 50% chance of me making it to Gramphu so don’t worry if you don’t make it”. I just couldn’t tell when my bike would give in to the torture, I kept wondering if the tyre would blow up or of the oil seals would pop. They say that a picture speaks a thousand words but even pictures cannot describe how bad these roads were.

We all reach the top of Kunzam pass a little before noon and there disaster happens. One of the stones that got kicked up from my front wheel hit my fuel tap and bent it. This made the petrol filter loose and it was leaking petrol. There was a Mahindra Pickup behind us so I was kinda relieved because I wasn’t stranded there. But for some reason I just couldn’t load my bike in the pickup, reaching the top of Kunzam pass was an accomplishment but I had to finish the ride my two wheels. Bunny and some others already started consoling me but I just couldn’t give up right at the end. In times like this when you have nothing, small things like a tube of superglue and duct-tape can become life savers. Somehow I managed to seal the petrol filter and not knowing if it would work I carried on.

I still remember the 80km excruciating ride from Kunzam pass to Grumphu where we were riding on stones the size of coconuts. On that road every meter traveled was an accomplishment. Oil seals exploded, silencers fell out, and frames broke. I didn’t know when the torture would end. I was hoping against all hopes that there will be some road after the next bend. As if nothing could get worse it started raining and soon the rain became sleet. We were soaked in the rain and then came the river crossings. Along the winding road on the mountain side there were these pieces of glaciers that fed the river and the streams flowed right across our path. The water was cold but I the river crossings were fun, like I said earlier I’m a major off-roading fan but this time I got a lot more broken road that I expected. After what seemed like an endless ride we reached Gramphu at 5 in the evening. We were cold and shivering but we decided to push on till Manali – we had to if we wanted to get back to Delhi on time.
The climb to Rohtang pass was a joy because of the sweet, black, smooth, tarmac ROAD. Our bikes had a little bit of altitude trouble but we were used to this by now. The only problem was the cold but again by now we endured more torture than that. The first thing I noticed after crossing Rohtang was the greenery, after riding through a cold desert I hadn’t seen a tree in days. The ride down to Manali was also really nice with some really steep hair-pin-bends and fast corners.

When we reached Manali it was like we were back from where we started, we saw people everywhere, crowded roads and this all seemed very wrong. When I sat outside my hotel room that night, thinking of what we did that day I realized that it was the difficult bits that made it so interesting, it was the challenge that made this ride so worth while. Even though this was the hardest day of riding in my life it was definitely the most enjoyable.

Day 5

We just had 580 odd kilometers between us and the end of this ride. About half of them were on the hill and the other half were on flat motorways. The ride wasn’t going to be as interesting as the previous four days but it was still real fun. The stretch from Manali to Mandi was brilliant, the bends were smooth and it was all downhill. It was cool watching the cars struggle to keep up in the curves. Going from the hills to the plains was like walking into an oven. It also took me sometime to get used to using only half of the road, back in Spiti we owned the whole road. We reached Chandighar at 5 in the evening and from there it was a long strait ride to the finish line….

Now it’s been more than a month since we conquered the HX 3 but the memories still live on. It just goes to show to what length we go when it comes to chasing our dream, to explore the road less traveled.
We reached the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, Mentally, Physically & Mechanically. And hell yeah, I would certainly do it again!


To heaven and back…
Review By : BUNNY PUNIA

A ride to one of the remotest parts of India, where tarmac is a luxury, where coming across one vehicle an hour is considered lucky, where normal tourist don’t dare to even venture out into. Sixteen people attempted to do a ride to this location, six made it back in time. Read on…


Anthony Hopkins, the old lad from the movie “World’s fastest Indian” said, if u don’t follow through in your dreams, you better be a vegetable in life, a vegetable like a cabbage. Most of us have dreams, have passions. Most of us are really mad about certain things. Like my colleague Varad More who dreams of the fastest ride across India on a Gixxer. I too had this one dream, one goal, which I somehow wanted to achieve this June. At any cost. And I did it. Yes, we bikers are a different breed, as I mentioned in some earlier issue, we can go any lengths to realise our passion.

3rd June brought together sixteen enthusiastic bikers, all ready to start a ride of their life. Nine bikers from Delhi, three from Bangalore and one each from Pune and Hyderabad along with two pillions set out as the sun tore the horizon on the beautiful NH-1 towards the Hindustan-Tibet highway, NH-22 with a feeling of joy and adventure. But things are not always destined to go on like you want. Day 1 saw one big crash, one rider falling ill and another one’s arm wound getting worse, which only meant that we could ride till Shimla, 355kms from Delhi the first day. What a pity! At night after dinner, we all had a meeting in one of the rooms and it was decided five people would head back, including two pillions, as it was raining ahead on the route we intended to take. This combined with one of the riders returning back after getting a call from his office meant from sixteen, the number reduced to ten from Day 2 onwards!

Something brings many of us back to the Himalayas. It’s difficult to describe in words, the answer lies up there. The guys from down south looked forward to the remaining four days, after all till date they had only seen these majestic formations in pictures, and always daydreamt of riding around here. We left the capital city of Himachal Pradesh by almost 11am, hours behind schedule to take the winding and steep roads to Narkanda, situated at 9000feet above sea level. Thankfully, roads were good and weather-gods were by our side. We rode down towards Rampur, which lies along the ancient trade routes to Tibet, Ladakh and Afghanistan. It used to be the capital of the mighty Bushahr Empire in the 18th century which had its borders well into Kinnaur. Today Rampur is one of Himachal’s most important market towns. This is where we got the first glimpse of snowy peaks in the background. The roads were almost flat here and we were down riding next to the Sutlej river. But it wasn’t long before darkness creeped in and civilization started vanishing. The 2005 floods had taken their toll on the road and bridges big time and tens of people were killed at that time. It was after a town called Jeori that the roads vanished, making us slow down considerably and ride in dark. The initial plan of night stop at Ribba was changed to Recong Peo, the district headquaters of Kinnaur. At this route, the last gas pump is at Powari and its advisable to tank up here.
At dinner, we all realised how much behind we were w.r.t our initial plan and how badly we needed to plan out things. With double thoughts in my mind, I dozed off, hoping for the best for the next day.

“All my life I wanted to do something big, something bigger and better than all the other so called bikers. I had waited months for this ride and it was now or never for me. I had to do this at any cost. But I couldn’t just break from the group and go ahead all alone. It was my responsibility to make sure every one rode together. I was in a fix…”

Day 3, Monday the 5th of June brought a wide smile on our faces. As we had entered Recong Peo at night, we didn’t notice something. What we saw from our windows blew us away. The mighty Kinner Kailash peak, towering above the town at a dizzy 19965 feet was covered in a blanket of snow. Clouds hovered around the mountains and the whole scenery around the town looked awesome. But we had to carry on and after we were done with the daily routine of tying our luggage and checking bikes, carried on. But broken bridges and no roads made things worse. Time flew by and it was almost an hour past mid-noon and all we had covered were hardly 30kms. We decided to break up and carry on further. Till early this year, from Kinnaur, it was almost impossible to ride across to Spiti due to the Malling Nullah, a mountain prone to landslides on hourly basis. But an alternate road had been constructed through Nako, around 11000feet high. The hard decision to send back the pillions on Day 2 seemed totally justified now as the terrain became very un-forgiving. When all hope was about to vanish, we were greeted by smooth tarmac roads few kilometres before Nako. Consisting of numerous loops, the tarmac was pot-hole free, civilization ceased to exist and all we could hear was the wind noise inside our lids. The bikes struggled to climb even the minutest inclines due to thin air but when you have breath-taking scenery to soak yourself in, you don’t need to complain. The bikes were performing well till now but group had broken up into two, ours with four bikes and the second with six. The new road via Nako was full of hairpin bends and the inclines made us come on top of the mountain and awesome views greeted us on every turn. But joy was short-lived when we took the first hair-pin after Nako to join back on NH-22. This was worst than we thought. A so called path was crafted out of the hills, with sand and rocks all around. The path was wide enough for just one four-wheeler to pass through and average speeds fell to hardly 15km/hr. Fear of tyre puncture and cuts creeped in and how we wished we all had tubeless rubber with us. No doubt, they are worth every penny in such sort of conditions.
We entered Spiti valley just as the sun was about to go down but still had no trace of the second group. Left a message at Sumdo checkpost to let the other group know that we would be stopping the night at Tabo.

The Spiti Valley forms a unique socio- physical unit of Himachal Pradesh. This rugged valleys lie at the height of (3000 to 4551 meters) above sea level and sweeping view of this magnificent Himalayan terrain are common. This magical land consists of a network of soaring mountains and deep valleys. With a population density of only 2 persons per sqare kilometre, Spiti is probably India's lowest population density area, along with Zanskar. Time stands still here and if you machine lets you down, you are left at the mercy of god. No kidding. Night was at the Monastry guest house and Tibetian food was gulped down with glasses of water, a very important factor to keep AMS (acute mountain sickness) at bay. This was essential as we were to ride as high as 15000feet the next day.

As we went to bed at 10, we were still unaware of the happenings with the second group. Did they make it or got lost in the numerous un-marked turns? It was well past mid-night when we heard banging on our “deluxe suite” monastry room. Fearing trouble, we four got up together and gathered to open the door, only to be greeted by the second group, which had unbelievably made it to Tabo after riding more than four hours in dark through narrow rocky roads! Talk about adventure! Stories were exchanged and it was assuring to know that all the bikes were still performing well.

“When you don’t have any human beings around for miles and the road surface threatens to rip the bike’s suspension apart, all you can do is pray hard and carry on…”

It was pre-decided the last night that those who would want to indulge in photography would ride only till Gramphoo, less than 200kms away, while others would ride till Manali, 250kms away, through two passes, the first being close to 15000feet high. Six of us left Tabo at half past six for the most difficult and at the same time the most scenic ride of our life. The first 47kms to Kaza, close to 12000feet high, took two hours. The road was cut along the Spiti river and all we had for company were mostly barren mountains with little snow on the top. Kaza is the headquaters of Spiti Valley and also has the world’s highest electronically operated fuel pump run by IOC! There is no pump till Manali, around 200kms away and hence it’s advisable to have enough fuel in your tank. After a good heavy breakfast, we packed along snacks and enough water to combat AMS and set out for the most enduring part of the ride. 200 kilometers, no roads, two mountain passes, no civilization, no cell-phone connectivity, rain and what not.

The roads for quite some time are ok but soon they change into our worst night-mares. Elevation increases gradually from 12000feet at Kaza to 13000feet at Kiato to 13500feet at Losar and finally 15018 feet at Kunzum pass. This is one of the most toughest passes in India. There is no road, lot of hair-pin bends, rocks and dirt and snow on the side of the road. We came across overturned trucks lying aside in the valley and numerous workers moving away landslides. At such altitudes, its best to keep sipping water and one should avoid exertion too. The bikes, including Karizmas, refused to go into 3rd gear and had to be kept in 1st for over fifteen minutes before we made it to the top. As I switched off my bike, the surroundings took me in. 20000 feet high peaks, covered in a white sheet, towering above us. Complete silence, just the occasional wind noise and the sound of the bells from a small temple where every one payed a visit. I took a bottle of water, walked up a hill and sat there for a while. I had dreamt of this for months, prepared for days and rode close to a thousand kilometres for this. My eyes were glued to my three year old Karizma. It once again stood by me on yet another Himalayan trip. 38000kms on the odo, worn out chain set and clutch plates, engine ready for an overhaul and broken side panels! And she still got me here. One of the million reasons why I am in love with her…

After a rest of close to two hours, our group carried on for the ride ahead. Unfortunately we had to bypass Chandratal lake because we were running outa time but vowed to come back once again soon. We crossed many small glacial zones and soon rode along a river with huge mountains on both the sides topped up with snow. Six of us again broke up as time passed by and it wasn’t long before I realised it. As I took another turn, what I saw overwhelmed me. In front my eyes lay a part of Bara Shigri Glacier. It’s difficult to explain the sight. White snowy clouds started wrapping up the hills around and then I saw something on my tank bag, they were ice-crystals! I looked into my RVM, not a soul in sight. I took out my bottle and took a sip. As the freezing cold water hit my teeth, it sent a painful shock down my whole jaw reminding me that I badly needed a root-canal. I popped a Dolamide and carried on. Some distance after Batal, noticed a small sheltered dhaba and decided to stop for tea and eggs. The place was very cosy and warm. Fortunately others joined in soon and we all feasted on omlettes and chai for a good hour.

The remaining stretch to Manali via Rohtang Pass was again the same routine. 2nd and 3rd gear roads, rocks and slush. This was where the exhaust from the Unicorn came off its mounting points as well as the cylinder head. As we touched the Manali-Leh highway at Gramphoo, I realised why no one does Spiti Valley. The whole route from Tabo to here demands too much from both man and machine. It will make you cry with fatigue and torture your machine to the limits. It was here that the second group’s Karizma had to be taken in a pick-up! Rohtang greeted us with clouds and walls of snow and we headed down to Old Manali for a well deserved warm bath and hot food.

“The journey had almost ended. We had been through heaven and back. Form 40+ degrees to 0. It was back to basics. No hi-tech cities, no entertainment. It seemed to have happened all so fast and now it was time to go back to pollution, traffic jams, electricity and water problems. Why cant I stay and live here forever?”

The ride, or I should call an adventure was almost over for us. The next day would be a boring 565kms to Delhi. The second group couldn’t make it to Manali and took a day more to reach Delhi. In the end, of the total sixteen people who started for this ride, six went back by Day 2 and only six made it back in time on Day 5. Three bikes had to be put in a Mahindra Pick-up on different days while Unicorn’s exhaust came off. Speaks enough of the harsh and unforgiving terrain we came across. Infact many riders rate this route technically more difficult than Manali-Leh due to the fact that the latter route is used by Army and kept in good condition. But the scenery, the Olympian Himalayas easily made it up for the torture our bikes had to go through and the ache in every part of our bodies. We took a thousand pictures, hundred of videos to cherish those moment forever. It was back to the hustle-bustle of city life, but it also meant planning the next ride! Been there, definitely done that. So was it all worth it? Oh yes, definitely worth every single bump, every single gear shift, every single turn.

























































For more pictures visit this link

MG

Relive the memories of HX-3.Pictures uploaded in the first post.

dhairya

Wow! How did I miss this? It still is my most memorable ride!

kurtrules

Nice! ... I hope these HX start again

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" I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not" - Kurt Cobain

aargee

What's this??? The Mod posted this on 20-Sep-2008, that had a first reply after 3 days after which the next post comes almost 3 years later? How did no one reply to this? How did this thread go unnoticed for 3 years?

Really puzzling!!!

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Patience pays...The Vulture's virtue is patience and the bird always get it's food - Wise man saying

This is not a bakery. I don't sugar coat anything. If you ask for my opinion...then that's what you'll get. Don't be mad when it's not what you want to hear

Mik

I guess its got something to do with the xbhp crash around the same time. Maybe not enough users to bump it up.

dcs

I hate this thread!

I hate it every time I see this.

I hate it more when I read the text.

And I hate this feeling of hating the thread, for I was not a part of this trip. Hills has always been the dream destination of wanderers and what better then Leh/ Spiti???

Aaargh!!! This feeling of enjoying the ride when in person, I am in front of the screen.

Cant wait to ride again!!! Darn this Car selling Business, give me a road, and a bike and ride I shall!!



dcs

krUnIzZlE

wow.... Thats amazing. I wishi could go on one of these trips......


SO AWESOME DUDE~!!!!!!!

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SKSy_Biker

Dug up from the graves! I was surprised to see this back here. A storm of emotions rush through my head each time I see the pictures. Thanks to Dhairya to bump this thread!

PS: Damn! Gotta post last years Leh solo trip thread :P

dhairya

I am all in for another HX! Bunny is back in Delhi too!

I am planning a trip to Himachal this month end. Anyone wanna join? Would do Delhi-Manali-Aut-Sarahan-Sangla etc. Final details to be worked out.