Wednesday, July 25, 5.30am

gr8 pics n nice writing.... keep including info about accommodation as it is one of the most required by all of us....

For some reason I cant see any pics in the last post from Sanjay, just its titles. This happening with anyone else?

even me ...

The pics are in Moderated status, may be that is the issue.

@ Antz - can you please help

Bikes resting before a long day

Day 7: Mulbek – Lamayuru - Leh

Thursday, July 26, 6 am

By the time we are up it is bright outside, we freshen up and pack our things. The old man is sitting outside on a chair and observing us carefully. He asks us if we like the beauty of the ‘nange pahad’ (naked mountains). We have our tea, settle our bill of Rs1030/- for 4 and say goodbye to the Spaniard cyclist, old man, the kids and our host Vikas. We push off hoping the road ahead will be good as described by the Vikas.





A kilometer ahead, the road turned out to be good, and we see a huge Buddha carving on a rock and huge prayer wheel alongside. We soon realize that Anirudh is missing! So we wait for few minutes and then turn back to check on him. We ride along and see that he has stopped close to guest house, trying to start his bike.

Sanjay guesses the issue is due to a lack of air supply in the petrol tank as it filled to the brim. They remove some petrol and try to start the engine, but the bike would not start.

It begins to drizzle. Thankfully, the bike starts in next 2 minutes and we all take a sigh of relief. The issue is with the spark plug wire as it has gone kaput. Sanjay had cut a piece and put it back. After this episode, we decide that we all will ride together and immediately stop if either of us is not visible.



As we move on, the next big landmark on the way is Fotu La, the highest motorable pass on the Srinagar–Leh highway.
The roads are great there’s hardly any traffic. As we begin to ascend, we realize the increasing scarcity of oxygen in the air, but it is compensated by a beautiful landscape. Somewhere far, there’s snow falling on the mountain peak; we stop to click few photos. One of the mountains has white snow on patches; making it look like a piece of black forest pastry!
We move ahead and reach the top of Fotu-la, click a few photos and push off quickly as the lack of oxygen has begun to make breathing difficult.






We descend Fotu la and reach Lamaruyu in about 40 minutes. Lamaruyu is well known for its monastery.



The town is not crowded, yet we see normal activity on the roads. We click a few pictures of the monastery from outside and move further finding a place to eat. We stop at the first food joint, have a cup of hot tea and order some chowmein. After tea we begin to feel really good, but with one bite of the chowmein, our mood changes from good to awesome. We thank the aunty at the restaurant for serving us such healthy and tasty chowmein. Sumit and Aniruddha too request for chowmein and Sanjay has a second round.


Monk at Lamayuru

At the restaurant, we meet a group of Germans who are on a road trip from Russia till Nepal in a 4X4 Jeep.

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Moon Land

As we move ahead from Lamayuru with a happy tummy, we see the Moon Land en route. It’s a landscape that entirely resembles the moon’s landscape.
The roads are really good except for a few patches. Overall the BRO has done a great job.



As we descend from a height and near the bottom of the valley, the road moves along a huge river flowing rather fiercely. There are a lot of boards announcing river rafting camps and activities along the river. Every now and then we cross the quintessential Buddha statue and prayer wheels.

The milestones to Leh have been reduced to 2 digit numbers now. The landscape is changing from huge mountains to a plateau. Then, we come to this really long, smooth road that literally stretches into the horizon. We stop here for a butt break. A little ahead we see a huge army base ‘Nimmu’. The road is very good now, and we reckon that it’s going to stay like this till Leh.




Aniruddha Enjoying the road

Ever since we started our tour, we have been seeing the odd rider on the way, but now we see a lot more from the biking clan. With every biker crossing us, a feeling of brotherhood surges and we wave at each other.

Suddenly we find that we have reached the Magnetic Hill. We click some pictures at these hills that are known to have magnetic powers. But when we try to park our bikes in the designated points on the road, we don’t feel our bikes being pulled by magnetic powers. A few pictures later, we begin to ride into Leh at a good and steady speed. We cross the huge Pathar Saheb Gurudwara, some army and government bases on the outskirts of Leh.



We reach a toll collection booth, pay the tolls and move into Leh city. The real excitement begins to kick in. We also crossed the Army’s airport which is used for commercial flights, and then enter the bustling streets of Leh.



The city is just like any other city with its narrow roads, lots of traffic, and higher amounts of pollution.
The next important thing on our mind is finding a place to stay. The ‘Chowmien Aunty’ at Lamaruyu had suggested a hotel in Changspa area in Leh. So we decide to look up the place after being directed by the locals. As we reach the place, we realize that it’s in some awkward corner. We find the Shanti Guest House just a stone’s throw from this place. It is located at the foothills of Shanti stupa in Changspa Farka.



The room has minimum furniture, but enough warm blankets, and 4 beds. There’s also lukewarm water and a clean bathroom. The rooms have no fan or AC here, as there is never a need for these things!



Overjoyed at having reached Leh, we relax for an hour or so and then sip on some steaming hot tea served in big cups. We then decide to go to town to shop for a few souvenirs for our family and friends. Sumit says that he wants to alter his bike’s carburetor so that air and fuel consumption ratio remains right and the bike does not face any issue while climbing Khardung La the next day. We order a meal at the guest house and leave for the Leh market.



Sanjay and I buy some prayer wheels, prayer flags for the bikes (cars and house also), some show pieces and return to the room by 8. Sumit and Anirudh are already back, and they tell us that they couldn’t repair the bike as the recommended mechanic was unavailable.



Soup, momos and boiled potato is our dinner, it’s not as great as Mulbek, but it’s filling. We speak to Dorjee, the owner of Shanti Guest house, and then plan the itinerary for the next day. With dreams of Khardung La, we all doze off.

Great Trip...enjoyed reading it...

Nicely Written, Waiting for more. Am also planning a same trip, but from Mumbai with my wife....I may need some help and suggestion and routes.. Will PM you

Sure any time ..best wishes

Day 8: Mighty Khardung la

Thursday, July 26, 6 am

A bright morning. Fatigue from 2 days of continuous riding is all but gone with a sound sleep. We are excited about riding up to Khardung La today. Tea is served to us in the room and Aniruddha, Sanjay and Sumit prepare their machines for the tough task. Oil checked, air pressure checked, chain is cleaned and lubricated. Sanjay washes the bike with ice cold water because it’s the First Anniversary of the beast!


Sumit and Aniruddha leave for the garage again, and Sanjay and I try to visit the Shanti Stupa, but decide against it as it is quite an uphill climb. We don’t want to begin our day with fatigue!



We all decide to meet at the Deputy Commissioner’s office for the Inner Line Permits at 9:30am. The plan is to get permits for Khardung la, Nubra Valley for today and for Pangong via Wari la the next day.



Shanti Stupa

Sanjay and I click a few pictures of Shanti Stupa and we decide to have breakfast at the Pumpernickel German bakery. However, the access to the main market in Leh is restricted as his Holiness The Dalai Lama is in town. So we skip breakfast and head to the DC’s office for permits. Since the office hasn’t opened yet, we wait before filling our forms. The permits are issued in a few minutes, and we pay Rs480 for two people. However, we do not get permits for Wari La, so we are forced to change our plan and have to come back to Leh while going to Pangong. Aniruddha and Sumit join us in some time, and get their permits too.

It’s 11 am and we all are hungry. We eat some Maggi, and Ladakhi bread and omlette at a small place. However, we begin to feel a little queasy after the meal. After the breakfast, we fuel up our bikes and take some extra fuel. We and Sumit take the road for Khardung La assuming that Aniruddha is following us. However, we soon realize that he is missing. So Sumit set out to look for Aniruddha. There’s no sign of Aniruddha even at the petrol pump, or the main road. We have already lost more than an hour owing to some routes being closed in Leh on account of the VIP visit. Finally we all sight each other, and then leave for Khardung La, purportedly the highest motorable road in the world. Sadly, a good amount of the excitement has been killed by the confusion.



South Pollu

The road begins on a good note, but gets quite dusty as we move along. We spot a number of SUVs and MUVs, as well as a number of cyclists riding along the road. After a while we reach south Pollu and submit photocopies of our permits at the check post before moving further. The roads go from good to worse; and it begins to get colder.



There’s a clear lack of oxygen in the air as we go further. We wonder how the cyclists manage such strenuous rides. At some turns the path are too narrow and the SUV/MUVs scares the s*** out of us. With that frame of mind, we have to confess that we couldn’t really enjoy the landscape to its fullest.



However, what really freaks us out are the water crossings across rocks. We decide not to cross them near the edge of the valley, as one slip could cost us our lives. I get down a few times and crosses the streams on foot to enable Sanjay to maneuver better. I can feel the cutting cold water even through my gumboots. This route really makes you realize why it’s a biker’s toughness test.

Day 9: Leh – Pangong Tso

Friday, July 27, 6 am



After Thursday’s tiring day, all of us are quite lazy. Tea is served to us in the room, and a few of us go for a second round. We all freshen up and decide to have a hearty breakfast before we all roll. We zero in on the Pumpernickel German Bakery and order a heavy breakfast with some fresh juice. Aniruddha and Sumit go in search of some souvenirs. Our breakfast today comprises a huge variety including eggs, sausages, fried chicken pieces, baked beans, fresh fruits, Jam, cheese, butter, bread, and coffee. It makes us really happy and now we’re all ready to roll to Pangong.

We leave for Karu which is approximately 35 kms on the Leh – Manali highway towards Manali. The famous Thikse Monastery is on the way, and we get click-happy with our cameras at the sight of the beautiful monastery.





On reaching Karu, we take a right diversion towards Pangong. The roads are as smooth as could be and the landscape really lifts our moods. The only thing we are worried about is the mighty Chang La that is known to be very steep. The other concern are the water crossings along the way. As usual the roads conditions begin to changing at the base of Chang La. Chang La is a steep climb and in within few kms we find ourselves at its peak. Some of us pop in a few AMS tablets to keep ourselves ready for the altitude. The climb is straight.

The traffic is very sparse as compared to Khardung La. We cross a few cold water crossings, and in 3 hours after we’d left Leh, we reach Chang La. The temperature here is sub-zero. Sanjay says that more than Khardung La, he has been upbeat about crossing Chang La, maybe it has something to do with Pangong Tso!
As we take a quick butt break after the Chang La top, we meet some bikers from Shimla who tell us that the roads aren’t too bad, but some water crossings might prove tricky.



We see the army presence all over the place. The roads are getting fun, as the corners could be any biker’s delight.









As we rode along, I spot a few marmots, horses, yaks and a beautiful white Pashmina sheep herd. The beauty in this region is unlike the rest of Ladakh, mainly because of some grass lands.



On the way we spot a lot of sand, and some workers are busy clearing it away from the road.

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However, just 5 kms before Pangong Tso, we come face to face with a heavy stream flowing. There is a lot of heavy traffic. We realize what we might have in store when we spot a Ford Classic with a cracked front bumper! We observe a few bikers from the other side trying to cross the stream. One of them gets stuck in the middle, and his fellow bikers instantly come to his rescue. The fierce stream makes our heart beat heavily.

There are a lot of ladies (daily wage labourers) adding stones to the crossing to reduce the intensity of the flow. After few more UV’s struggling it is our turn. Anu gets down so Sanjay can cross without a problem. This also means that Anu will be crossing the ice cold fierce stream on foot. Sanjay crosses the water crossing with just a little hesitation, and Anu is relieved to see that.



Next is Sumit’s turn, and he gets stuck half way, and simply can’t get his bike going. The local women finally come to his rescue, and help to pull the bike out. The same happened with Anirudh. As Anu has to cross on foot, she finds herself stuck at one point with no rocks to place her foot on. It is again at this point that the ladies come to help her out. We are truly awed by the Army men and the ladies who work in such unimaginable conditions. As token of appreciation for the help they offered we give them some money, and see the happiness on their faces.

Smiling at each other we inch closer to the lake, and then, we spot a little patch of blue peeping at us from between barren mountains! This sight has to be seen to be believed!



We ride for about 2 kilometers more, and soon see the lake in all its blue glory! We spot a number of tents for tourists along the lake. Sumit finds a tent resort for us for the night. It’s a complete bed and breakfast package.



We proceed to settle into our tents, and find that they are small yet well planned. There’s a separate area inbuilt for a toilet, and the bed is comfortable and the linen is clean. Our tent opens up right to the lake!


Kid in his own world

We take a quick nap, and by 5.30pm, we’re fresh again. We quickly have some tea, and stroll towards the lake for some photography. Sitting along the serene, blue water body, we forget every single pain and challenge that have faced along the way. It’s a divine experience.













It’s surprising that a place which is so inhospitable is so beautiful.



A small ride further, followed by a cup of tea and few biscuits marks the end of our evening at 8pm. The owner’s kids are a delight to play with, and we click several pictures of them too. We order dinner, and sit chatting about our experiences between a game of Uno.



Aniruddha says that he is tensed about the water crossing again on the way back, but the locals confirm that the stream will not be heavy in the morning as the sun will not be out to melt the snow so early. With that good news in complete darkness outside on a windy night we end our day.



But, the night doesn’t pass that easily as it’s really cold, and there’s a strong wind blowing all night. It is an experience worth going through once in a lifetime!

Nice write up Sanjay and Anu. I remember the wind howling and the tent shaking in the night. The phad-phad-phad noise it made...

Keanu Reeves?

No yaara, he's not Keanu Reeves, that's Sanjay in disguise. Bwahahahahaha

Nice write up Sanj and Anu. Bring on the rest.

Day 10: Pangong Tso – Karu - Pang

Saturday, July 28, 6 am

Sense of happiness and sadness marks the beginning of our day today. Happiness that we are finally at Pangong Tso to realize our dream and sadness that today is the day when our return journey begins. In just some more time, Ladakh will be a thing of the past in our lives.

As soon as we step out of the tent, the first thing we look at is the lake. This really puts a smile on our face. We have our breakfast and tea in the cafeteria, where the owner’s kid is studying. His summer vacation is going on, he informs us. We take on long, hard look at the lake, and capture it in our memory forever.



With that, we move on. We cross the spot from where we had spotted the lake for the first time the previous day. Sadly, this turns out to be the last view of the lake for us, until next time of course! The water crossing that we have been dreading has almost no water, much to our relief.

As we ride along the grass land, we spot a group of marmots, and click loads of pictures. This is Sanjay’s first marmot sighting, and he gets some awesome pictures. They remind one of Sid from the movie Ice Age.









Next on our route is the mighty Chang La—the steep ride is back, and one realizes how quickly the bike can lose power. A few corners are really bad that I have to allow Sanjay to climb all alone. After reaching Changla we decide to click some photos quickly to avoid AMS.





It is very cold at top. However to our surprise, we are informed that the road ahead if blocked owing to a truck accident. The army man at Chang La top suggests that we wait till the road below has cleared up. However, we thought that we should ride on, and go as far as we could. So we ride down till Zingral, and decide to wait there. We see a foreigner couple riding up the pass, and they tell us that there’s place for bikes to squeeze. So we move on, and wait at Zingral.

The road is absolute clear until the next checkpoint, where a frustrated army man tells us that we should have waited at the top, instead of coming down and adding to the traffic jam. However, we are unable to sight a traffic jam! Anirudh decides to go ahead and check. We decide that if he doesn’t return in 30 mins, we should follow. However, if the road is blocked, he would return. A few bikers coming from the other side tell us that the road is clear. There are a number of army men clearing the traffic, and they tell us that they have been working all night to rescue to accident victims. Sadly, the driver and his companion couldn’t survive. This really increases our respect for them.

In next 45 mins we are at Karu, and decide to fill our tummy before we move further. We find a place and ordered some fried rice. Manali is approximately 440 kms from Karu, and we are confident that we could cover it by next day evening. Hence we set a target of reaching Pang before sunset i.e. 175 kms and remaining the next day. The next petrol bunk was at a distance of 365 kms from here and we didn’t know that when we left Karu. Assuming that we can fill up at Upshi, we all move ahead. But we realize a 16 kilometers later that we have already crossed the last petrol bunk. So the boys turn back while Anu waits at a restaurant in the meanwhile. It takes them about 45mins to fill up and return.





So, our return journey has begun, and there are a few small passes en route. The road further starts turning worse and we are quite frustrated by the road conditions. But it was asking for too much in this part of India. Moving on, till Rumste we see some people around but post that only heavy vehicles are sighted.



Taglang la the highest point on the Leh- Manali highway is next on our route.





The road till the peak is fine, but it gets dusty and rocky after that. At the peak, there is absolutely nothing—no human being, no shelter and no milestone too. We realize that the road is actually under construction, and the BRO has laid loose stones to build the road. As we descend, we notice that the road conditions continue, ah! no choice but to keep riding.



As we rode along, we reach the Moore Plains. This is a vast expanse of land, where there’s only sand. One has to make their own road through the miles and miles of barren land. However, we are lucky as the BRO is in the process of constructing a road, and in some parts, we are able to follow the road to get across. This is another beautiful sight and we shall remember it as among the best through our trip. Our only occasional companions are a few truckers. There are doubts creeping in our mind about whether we can make it to Pang. But then, there’s no other option in this barren land. It has been 4 days since we called up home, and there’s a little impatience about that too.



Along the way, a few bikers on their way to Leh pass us. This instills some more confidence. We see an SUV stuck in the sand and few people trying to push it out. Sumit tells us to keep going, and not to stop, as we too could get stuck. Few kilometers ahead we find a small tea stall in the middle of nowhere, and they tell us that Pang is 50 kilometers. We realize that with so many hours of riding, we had just crossed 125 kms!





Pang has a military base and hence we decide that it’s safest to halt there for the night. Few kilometers ahead we see freshly laid tarmac. We begin to ride hard. As we finished the Moore plains, we are surprised to see a really huge valley, about a mile wide, and running into the horizon. The eroded soil has created some beautiful patterns in the mountains. The soft evening sunlight makes the entire area glow in a soft orange light.



A climb down and we are at Pang, to our left we cross the Army base and on the right just two clusters of tents with few people. That’s it…that’s all that there is in Pang village. Not even a grocery store or hospital. We talk to some tent owners to spend the night and settle our luggage in the tent. Making a call home is top on our mind. The tent owner tells us that the Army base has a satellite phone, and we can make a call. However, as we reach the base, the army men tell us that the phone call facility closes at 6.30pm. We look at our watch and it’s 6.40pm. No amount of persuading will make them allow us to make a phone. Dejected, we return to the tent and have tea.
Later, the tent owner (aunty) gives us a bucket of hot water to freshen ourselves. We then switch to a relaxed mood. The place has a cook from Nepal and an old uncle as a helper who is in his own world – singing songs and telling us about his love for Tibet. Dinner comprises Roti, Dal, and burji.
We meet a couple from Poland. They seem to be in their late 40’s and are cycling from Leh towards Manali. The lady is really tired and doesn’t seem too happy with the basic tent and the lack of a decent toilet and food! Looking at these people crossing only 60-80 kms a day, we realize that we are lucky to be on bikes, so we shouldn’t complain!