Travelogue Approved

Bring it on Autobot

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 friends 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 Ive planned. Now Id be going through the way that was to be my return route initially. Im game.

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.

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! Im the one carrying your dead weight and all those stuff.



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



Last time when I went in search of water the pump failed me. This time, the river wont 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 thats a nice girl.
Me: Oh yeah. Beautiful.
Autobot: Watch out! Youre overtaking a bus and theres 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, Ill kick your ass out of my seat and Ill go back alone all the way.
Me: Ha ha as if you can.
Autobot: Oh really you wanna see??
Me: Alright Alright Ill 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. Its just a small tourist spot with a few shops and a Tibetan Bazaar. There was this church in the centre. I thought Ill 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 didnt have an answer to that.

Me: Plus, Im just not able to sit on my bike for a longer duration. It is burning my ass.
Myself: Of course, it hurts. Didnt 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: Youre 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.

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.

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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Loved the starter, want the full course now.

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

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.

DAY 6: 9th September, 2011 –Kargil to Leh

Another new dawn. I suddenly realized I no more felt the pain over my body for the past couple of days. Seems my brain is working overtime to sink in the moments I’m experiencing that it forgot about the other problems with its body. This is what I was here for. To forget not only body aches.

I would start pretty late into the morning to make sure the sun(if at all the clouds cleared up) is not shining right into my eye when I start my ride. That would be somewhere around 8 to 9 a.m. I guess.

The above reason is also one of the most innovative excuses I have ever given for waking up late.



So this is how the entire day is going to look like, the vegetation has dried up. All you’ll see is cold, dry chilly winds over browny mountains.



Soon, as promised, we met again. This time the whole group was there.



They call themselves, The Bike Riders. On their trip from Kashmir to Kanyakumari trip. Now what do you say to that. Until, then I had a little pride about myself. That I’m brave, I’m cool, I’m the dude, I’m the stud, but all those went dud when I met them. They all were related or been close friends for a long time. They were such simple and normal people both inside and outside. There was nothing fancy about them. Some are doctors, some government servants and a few have a family business. Some of their kids are in High school or college. Some of you can understand their passion for life from the 4 decade old Yezdi standing proudly in front of us.

Many of us kind of alienate people or call them different who have a passion that is apart from a normal life or a career. You don’t need to be different, brave, rich, creative, unmarried or young to indulge in a life that lets you explore the world outside or the person inside you. All you need to do is take a small turn from the highway inside your brain.

The above picture is the best example of ordinary people doing extra ordinary stuff. (By the way, in case you didn’t notice, I’m also in the picture :P).



I rode with them the entire day. It was very kind of them to have offered me to carry my luggage in the Sumo that they had hired. But I had gotten so used to the luggage being behind me, so I gave them my tent.





I reached Fotula Top and started clicking a few pics. Soon The Bike Riders arrived. I’m not sure if you can view the enthusiasm of the riders from the pic below. They reached the point with their hands pointing to the sky; well you can see the pillion has his hands already up. They were jumping, throwing high fives around and hugging each other.

At that moment I felt like a 60 year old, watching a bunch teens celebrating. What an ass I was, all I thought after getting down the bike at that point was, should I take a sip of water now or not, as one sip in this freezing cold here would mean getting down the bike a couple of times in the next few kilometers for a leak. Also, this attitude was due to the arrogance that I’d anyway have to cross multiple passes which would be way higher than this one, so I didn’t even bother about this small, yet a special milestone in my journey. I’m working on it. On that attitude part.



We got going and within few minutes downhill, we met a few stranded Israelis who had some trouble their Enfield’s Chain. I stopped, but could not be of much help with the tools I had. Soon, the Riders came by, and one of them, just with his plain hand fixed it.



Soon I reached Lamayuru. A small Buddhist hamlet that camouflages itself with the surrounding hills.



Just look at the way they have moulded their homes and lives with nature.





I had lunch inside the only restaurant that was in Lamayuru along with the Bike Riders. They were all Jains. Jains follow a stricter vegetarian diet than normal vegetarians. They do not eat any vegetable that is grown under the soil, like potatoes. If a normal person from one of the big cities find hard to get food of his choice, imagine the pain that these guys might be going through. I spent the entire day including dinner and stay with them, but I did not hear a single word cribbing about the place or its food culture.

I finished a leisurely lunch with them and we went to visit the Lamayuru monastery.



A small monastery with lot of monuments.



Prayers in the wind.

Buddhists believe that the wind will carry the goodwill and love written on a piece of cloth to all corners of the earth and bless the fellow living beings.





In some time, I moved out of Lamayuru. Just a few metres ahead, I was passing by the road that you see in the above picture. I saw a line of truckers who were out of their truck and were very eagerly watching a Film Shoot. The film crew was way higher for a clear view, so I enquired with one of that trucker.

Me: Bhaiya, kis film ki shooting chal rahi hai. Koi khas heroine hai kya?
Trucker: Kuch khaas nahi hai saab, koi Marathi film hai shayad.
Me: Phir itne log khade hoke kya dekh rahe ho…

I thought the trucker is going to say he is in love with the heroine there by looking at the manner in which he kept his right hand on his heart and started to say something…

Trucker: Ab main kaise samjaon aapko saab, bas heroine ka woh accha hai.
Me: Ooohhhhhhhh.. aisa kya…

I wish I could have joined him, but Damn I had to go. Leh is still over a 100 Kilometres away and Sun was well into the other half of the day. But a couple of days later, I came across the crew at another spot and found out that it was not a Marathi film, it was indeed for a Tamil film starring Vishal and Sameera Reddy. Then I realized what that trucker meant.



A little sunshine,
A little rain,
A little snowfall,
And a little bit of me.



There are two routes from Lamayuru to Leh. One goes high up the mountain; a little dangerous but comes with a fantastic view. The other tags along the base of the mountain; smooth tarmac, but the view is somewhat restricted. I took the one above.

The Landscape was soon changing from being beautiful to breadth taking. It looked like a parallel universe straight out of an ancient mythology and I gladly assumed myself a warrior riding his stallion across his kingdom.





I’m riding with a group today and that means more pictures of me.





Just around a 100 kilometres from Leh, the ghats and hills end. Then there is just smooth tarmac all the way upto Leh.

After a long time, I took my pulsar to its limit.



The road was flat, straight and totally empty. I took this opportunity to indulge in a self-portrait shoot. I placed the camera in the middle of the road, set the timer to its max(10 seconds), ran ahead, kneeled down and eeee tried to smile. I did this routine for about half a dozen time. There were some construction workers digging something nearby. They paused their work and gave me a “what the hell this moron doing in the middle of the road” stare. Never Mind.

I just realized in the past few months, whenever I got a picture of me, they were all in a God damn blue shirt. Almost half of my Facebook Profile pictures are in blue. I vowed myself that I will not buy anymore blue stuff for the next couple of years. By the way that contract does not include blue films.



I had clicked the very same shot at the very same time similar to the one below two years ago. That time I was leaving leh, pretty late in the evening and this time I will be arriving at Leh.



Then came the Magnetic Hill. The notice board read “Park your vehicle on the box and experience the phenomenon that defies gravity”. I did place my bike on the box, the bike did move, but I ain’t sure if it was the slope or the magnetic attraction or my attraction.





Soon, I reached Leh just when the sun went down. I had given the contact number of the place where I’d be staying to The Bike Riders group. They also decided to stay in there. I went around the bazaar on foot, had a long lonely dinner, called up friends and family, returned back in freezing cold, realizing it was already midnight and I was out there with only a thin T-shirt.

Another Good Day, Another Good Ride.

DAY 7: 10th September, 2011 –Leh to Nubra Valley - Hundar

It is going to be my first time to all the places that I’d be visiting in the next three days. I had to visit the District Collector’s office to obtain a permit to visit any places beyond Leh. When I had the permit in my hand, the sun was almost above my head. I didn’t waste any more time. I head straight to Khardung La.



@South Pullu – The first check post before Khardung La. At the check post one of the Army guy requested me to deliver a pack of Ghutka to his fellow troop members on top of the Pass. I gladly obliged.



Notice the horizontal road just below the clouds. It takes you to the World’s Highest Motorable Road. But this time I was not really excited about just reaching this point as I had already done this on my last trip. But unlike last time, I will not be turning back from there. I will be venturing beyond into the Nubra Valley this time.





Soon I reached the top.



I asked for the soldier to whom I had to hand over the ghutka. He invited me into his barrack. There were 3 to 4 of them. One of them was a Keralite and was cooking eggs as a special treat that day. We just joked around that it was Onam treat which was by the way the day before.



As I started by ride almost at afternoon, I rode a little faster and reached the top in little over an hour from Leh which was 40 Kms and 7000 to 8000 ft lesser in altitude from this place. That quick ascent gave my body lesser time to acclimatize to the higher altitude and I was experiencing a little pain in my heart. I told the soldiers about it. They gave me some kind of liquid and tested my blood’s oxygen level which was lower than normal. Then they put me on the oxygen cylinder for about 15 minutes. I told them I carried the AMS(Acute Mountain Sickness) tablet but forgot to have it. He was glad that I did not have it today as it is supposed to be taken a day or two prior to any climbs and not when you are midway on the climb. Fellow riders may want to take a note of this point.



@Outside the barrack – A million dollar pose.

After fifteen minutes, I was feeling better; I thanked them for their help and started my ride downhill on the other side.
It soon started snowing.



I began my plunge into Nubra.



The rains were constantly following me for most of the trip now. But today I was just ahead of the clouds. I left Khardung la just when it began to snow and since then I could watch the clouds showering the droplets just behind me. This phenomenon is not a big deal in the hills. The proximity of the clouds to the hills means you can find rain or snow only at concentrated parts many a times. But with a view like that on my mirror, I’m not complaining.



As you can see in the couple of pictures above, the landscape is pretty barren, full of rocks with not much vegetation around. Slowly as I was descending down, the clouds cleared up a little and on my way I reached this turn on a small hillock.



There was a sharp turn at the end of the hill in the above picture. Little did I know the significance of this turn. Just when I took the turn, Bang. Somebody….. changed the wallpaper infront of me.

Blue Mountains, Open Sky, Desert sand dunes with a river running through it and all together smiling at me, whispering through the cool breeze; ‘Welcome to Nubra Valley’.



I just stood there for a while wondering what more surprises these hills are hiding within them.



That’s the Nubra River. It forms such a big valley in the middle that it separates the Ladakh range to its south from the Karakoram range to its north.



On the way I saw another route to Siachen. Some call it the highest battle field in the world. It was another 100 kilometres from there. I could not have made it in this trip with the 14 days that I had in my hand. I had also missed another beautiful valley - Zansker valley which was a 300+ kilometre detour from Kargil. But this time I instantly knew there is definitely going to be a next time for me. I don’t know why that thought brought a blush to my face. May be it will be another special trip.





I reached Hundar a small patch of greenery in the middle of the desert sand dunes. Hundar has one street and a few homes. I found myself a small room for 250 bucks.



Hundar was once a stop along the Silk route which extends from China to the Middle East. Few centuries ago some of the traders left behind some camels which they didn’t need anymore and that’s how a dozen of these Double Humped camels or Bactrian camels got stranded in the middle of the mighty Himalayas.





Where is my Hump……. my hump, my hump, my hump.



In a few minutes, the sun went to sleep in between those hills while I snug into my bed.

DAY 8: 11th September, 2011 –Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso

I knew today is going to be a long day. I had to get back to Leh, pack my stuff from the Hotel. Also, I had to cover around 250+ Kilometres crossing a couple of high mountain passes, back across the Khardung La and then the Chang La. So I started my journey pretty early between 7a.m. to 8a.m. I guess.



That’s where I spent my night the day before. The place had a couple of small rooms.

Soon, the sun joined me in my ride.







I was riding back to Leh, to pick up my luggage that I left in my Hotel and then head to Pangong Tso.



Indeed. Sky is the Limit for these guys.



I was riding at my usual pace and at one those bend before I could slow down my bike to take the turn, for a split second my wrist got locked on my accelerator and the bike jerked faster towards the bend instead of slowing down. Phew. It was only for a split second, before I could apply my brakes and bring things under control. Had it been any longer, my soul and my Autobot’s soul would have been riding freely in those hills without having to worry about returning.
I stopped and clicked a picture (above) of the spot. It also reminded me about how things can get to dangerous levels here in a matter of a single second.



I reached the top of Khardung La once again and spotted this board. What a life this man had lived. A big salute to his spirit.



I was descending down towards Leh.



Some fellow riders that I met enroute to Leh. The boy was fond of my camera and the girl of my bike. So I took her for a small spin and let the guy click.



I reached Leh, when the sun was above my head. Packed my stuff, had a sumptuous lunch and left for Panong Tso. I was very excited to see this lake for the first time.

The route from Leh to Pangong Tso had good tarmac in frequent intervals. But at times there were only broken boulders through which I had to pass. By this time I also felt a considerable change in my tyre pressure. I got down to investigate and oops, I had a Punture. I tried pumping air with my foot pump. But it was hardly making any progress. The Tubeless IRC was still holding up pretty good without air. SO I continued my ride with a flat tyre which didn’t really look flat.



Finally reached the top of Chang La. They claim this to be the world's Third highest motorable pass.



It is amazing how soon the nature changes in these places. I took the above picture as soon as I reached Chang La. Then I went into a Canteen for some refreshment. When I came out, the clouds had already caught up with me and soon it was beginning to rain.



Absolutely.
Just like how some people resolve to carry on in their lives no matter what is thrown at them, soon after a board that asks you to complete your Life’s Journey; you notice a board “Shooting Stones ahead”. What an irony eh.



I didn’t have to wonder about my life for long. Soon, I was there. The majestic Pangong Tso. The Lake is at an altitude of over 14000 Ft, twice the height of the highest peak in South India and is 130 Kilometres wide of which only 30% is in India, the rest of the expanse is in China.





It is a thing of beauty; a giant blue-water lake, tucked into a cornermost part of the country, protected by the mighty Himalayas. And right there, right in the middle of that piece of heaven is where I’m going to spend my night.



I began pitching my tent at the spot above. I had no idea it was going to be an hour long ordeal.
In no time the sun disappeared. But I didn’t have much problem with Illumination though. My dinner date just arrived. A beautifully dressed young glowing moon.



The temperature plummeted along with the sun and the heavy cool breeze was making it impossible for me to pitch the tent all by myself. I spent most of the time running behind flying parts and trying hard to hold the tent before I can plug the hooks on the ground. If plugging one hook using the stones as hammer was difficult, realizing the other ones are not aligned enough was painful. I had to redo the entire stuff again. Finally after about an hour, just when I was about to freeze to death, I managed to complete it. I also got a helping hand in the form of an Israeli bicyclist who was camping a little far away.

That is the outside view from inside.



And this is the inside view from inside.



The temperature was still on a race down the thermometer. I just could not bear it anymore. I ended up burning one of my T-shirt in hope getting some warmth out of it. I was sitting at the entrance of the tent and the T shirt was burning just outside. It helped to some extent, but that didn’t last long. I closed myself inside the tent, hoping it may get warmer inside after sometime.



Sometime back, I was trying to pen down a love letter between two stars on their date. I was not able to think of a meeting place for them. But that night, I found it.

Near the brightest spot on the city of Milky Way,
Take a left then a right and walk straight as I say.
It goes by the name Earth, with a moon guarding at its gate,
Over the hills, below the clouds is the spot for our first ever date.
Get on the comet that leaves at six in the morning,
You'll reach on time for our dinner late in the evening.
Don’t you worry, for our parents don't know we'd be there,
so let’s open our hearts and talk for as long as we can spare.
- Ananth



Well, the romance dried up pretty early. My inexperience in pitching the tent soon showed up. The heavy winds made the tent wobble all over the place and the loud noise arising out of the tent material blowing in the wind was unbearable. Imagine someone is shaking a giant plastic carry bag with you inside. That is exactly how I was feeling. Quite often the hooks came out of the ground and were flying in the air. I had to go out every half an hour to plug them inside again.

In a few moments, a pack of three to four dogs is guess started barking at the tent from outside. I don’t know from where they came but I guess the strange tent structure making that crazy noise in the wind attracted them. They even started pulling the tent from one side. I was blank. I was not really scared, but had no clue what to do. Luckily the dogs went away on their own in some time.

Soon, I was out of energy and spirit to venture out and plug the holes. I just plugged my ear phones deep into my ears, played some songs to make sure the deafening noise from the tent is not audible atleast to some extent.
Slowly, I went to sleep. But not for long, I kept waking up every few hours and would notice one side of the tent collapsing slowly and all I did was adjust myself on the other side and close my eyes again.



For the first time in this trip I was feeling lonely and lost. The only back up plan that I had for any wrong that may happen to my bike or me in the middle of nowhere, was to pitch a tent and wait for help. Now even that last option has become a nightmare in itself. I badly wanted to see the sun shine tomorrow.

DAY 9: 12th September, 2011 – Pangong Tso to Nyoma

You know what makes life so beautiful? You spend a hell of a night alone, badly wishing to see the dawn rise behind those hills. And the first thing that you see in the morning after opening the tent, is a beautiful little sun shining in its full glory on your face. That very moment turned all those nightmares that I had the previous day into wonderful memories that I will cherish for a long time.

Another moment of laughter, only 3 of the 8 hooks of the tent were stuck inside the ground when I saw them in the morning. The rest were happily flying across.



I took a long stroll along the bank before I could pack my stuff and get going.

I was back in my full spirit .

The previous day while riding to Pangong Tso, I met two people on a bike. The guy was riding an Enfield and the lady was the pillion. I just had a small chat with them enroute and moved on. Apparently they had also spent the night there. I met them again today morning and joined them for breakfast.

They were working in some IT company in Mumbai, I guess. They were just school buddies. They made the plan a couple of days ago and took a flight to Leh. They had no clue about any spots near Leh or the Pangong Lake or the Nubra Valley. The guy just hired an Enfield at Leh and started roaming around with a pamphlet/route map in hand. I just loved that spirit of theirs.



I joined them for breakfast nearby then wished them Good Luck and rode away.

I was not really sure of which way to head today. Most of them suggested I take the way back towards Leh and just about 40 Kilometres to Leh there are two routes, one will take me to Manali via Tanglang La, the second highest motorable pass in the world and the other will take me to Manali via Mahe. But I did the first one on my last trip and was not really interested in it this time. The second one was not really appealing to me.

There was also another way. One that goes through Chushul. Some told me, from Chushul, there was another way which literally goes along the border line. It did sound interesting. I went for it.



There were some beautiful vistas on the way. Strangely the above pic brought a thought to me mind – “Ananth in Wonderland”. I did feel like Alice for the last couple of days. No, not that I wanted to wear a skirt and jump around like a little girl, but just like a curious adventurer that she is, which made her follow that rabbit into that hole.





The route till Chushul was full of mountains with snowy peaks on top of green meadows and small streams inbetween.

Soon there was a huge opening in the valley along which the road passed.



There were a lot of check posts enroute where I had to submit a copy of the inner line permit that I had obtained in Leh. I had taken 6 copies, but in the end I was short by one.

I reached Chushul. There was an Indian Army check post where I was stopped. Initially the army people refused to let me pass. But they had this excitement on their face on seeing a lone traveler in this corner and promised me to get the permit from a higher official soon. They offered me Tea while one of the soldiers made a call to his senior.

It is an open border with no boundaries or fences. The left of the passage lie China/Tibet and on the right is India. In the meantime I was chatting with another senior officer who told me that there no roads ahead, only barren land without any signs and is pretty easy to get lost. He also strictly told me to keep to the right of the passage no matter what happens. Only a couple of weeks back an army vehicle strayed into the Chinese territory. The soldiers from the post rushed with another jeep to fetch them before any Chinese could take notice. He then asked one of his soldier to get on top of a watch tower to keep an eye on me with his binoculars to make sure I don’t wander into the Chinese territory. Now that… did put me under pressure.

Finally, the call to the senior officer got connected and I did receive the permit. Before I could ride on another set of soldiers spotted me and offered to cook some food for me. That was so kind of them. But I told them I had to go. But they would not leave me without another cup of Tea. The officers refused me to take a picture of the post or to pose for a photograph.



The one above is Rohit Post (Checkpost), the last post of India, a few kilometers after Chushul. I was little amused to see a post quite literally but no soldiers. Later in the day a soldier told me that the route goes over the hill where the actual post is located. If you notice the signboard on the left, it points only straight and right; on the very left is a Chinese post.



Until now, it was not a big deal and I was just following the mud path that was visible on the road. I also spotted vehicle coming over from the Chinese side. I had no clue what it was. Probably someone fetching some Chinese goods or maybe not.



Soon, the tracks started to fade away and there were also multiple tracks that kept crisscrossing the land on the right to all the way on the hills to the left. I was slowly getting a little concerned as I was not really sure on which part of the land I was riding on. Most of the clear tracks, the only signboard at Rohit Post and a war memorial were within a few kilometres from Chushul. After that I did not spot a single object or a living being for hours.



My only pointer was that cable line that was running along the open land. I was not sure if it was Indian or Chinese. But atleast it was heading in some direction.

It was very disorienting. I’ve been riding clueless for nearly four hours now. At some places the gravel disappeared and there were just rocks. The vibration on the fairing was also turning from bad to worst. I was also riding on a flat tyre and the sharp rocks were threatening to tear off my Softcompound tyre. Soon at one point, a pack of five dogs emerged out of those small bushes. These dogs look way different than those we see in our cities. They were huge and covered with thick fur to protect them from the cold. They were shocked to see me. I was terrified to see them. Soon we were speeding away. Only problem was, I was speeding away from them and they were running behind me. God Damn it. I had to lift my legs on top near the handle bar and ride as fast as I can in that loose gravel terrain.



Phew. But spotting dogs also meant that there has to be some sort of civilization nearby. It is very unlikely that they can be totally wild dogs as there are very less prey that is available in this freezing, dry and high altitude terrain. In some time, I spotted a bunch of cyclists pedaling towards me. Hoof. I have never been so happy in my life just to spot a stranger. I just wanted to get down my bike and give him a tight hug. But then, you never know, you may receive a kiss in return. Not that I’m not interested in a kiss. But I guess it is not so interesting when it comes from a fellow gender. They were cycling from Nyoma, the place where I’d be resting tonight. Finally, I was back to normal. Later in the night when I was conversing with a fellow traveler, I got to know that this part of the border is called No Man’s land. I wished I had known that before.



Soon there was a small village. At the end of the village was another Army Check post. I had to submit another copy of the permit. They too offered me some Tea and snacks. Another soldier was also from Andhra Pradesh. He was so glad to see an AP registered license plate on his door step that he even prepared lunch for me. Here I was eating a delicious Sāmbhar meal in a small Barrack right on the edge of our country overlooking the Chinese. I’m born and brought up in Chennai and I’ve literally grown up with Sāmbhar. Now you know how tasty that meal would have felt. I mustered all the Telugu that I knew to impress him, but soon ran out and we were back conversing in Hindi.
Just a few kilometres after the check post. There was a black strip of miracle...... Fresh virgin tarmac.



I spotted these creatures. They were damn curious about me. Their eyes were glued on me for miles. I don’t know what you call them; Horse, Mule, Donkey. Not sure. But the locals called them Chinese Horse. The Chinese send them here to graze the grass that is available on this part of the border.



And when I stopped my bike and tried to go closer.



I reached Nyoma in about an hour when there was still plenty of sunlight left. It is again a small town which lies closer to the Chinese border. I reached the Nyoma bazaar. But the Bazaar had a total of 3 kirana shops which were already closed. Then someone pointed me to a Police officer’s home. They also accommodate paying guest for a nominal charge. Dinner, Tea, Breakfast, Hot water, again Tea and a room in their house to sleep. All for 300 bucks.



Just when I made myself comfortable in my room, this kitty popped out from a corner. It was very interested in that strange looking helmet.

Myself : Oh look, the kitty is coming to you.
Me : Ofcourse, it will. No kitty or chic can escape my Aura you know. They all soon get pulled onto me.
Myself : Yeah. But unfortunately, it has always been the chic with 2 wings and not the one with two…
Me : Aiiii.. Stop it.
Myself : Oh .. I meant two hands. Two hands.
Me: Yeah. Right. Ofcourse you meant that.



I also spent some time with their kids, while the lady of the house prepared dinner for us. I was curious to know what a police officer does in this place. He said it, that there are hardly one or two cases in a year and they too will be on small issues. Peace is a way of life in this part of the world.

When the dinner was ready I was joined by another couple who were also staying in the house for the night. They were touring this land on their safari. Both of them had impeccable knowledge of the region and terrain. They were out to explore more places and routes that the googlemaps don’t show you.