Re: A happy beginning to a great addiction

Nice pics n greatttt log :thumbup:

Re: A happy beginning to a great addiction

Congrats for the trip.... bring more.....

Re: A happy beginning to a great addiction

Thanks Ravi
once a week I get time to write this up so one more week and I'll be done ----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

Thanks Sandy
In my ongoing effort to share the pleasure with all the bike-br0thers, shall try to wind up the log soon----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

Thanks Vini, bringing more shortly...

Re: A happy beginning to a great addiction

DAY 7
KARGIL-LEH




7th June '13

0700 hrs we were up and ready to roll. After clearing the bill and checking out all we had were 50 bucks in total.
Ransacked all the ATMs (there are not many) but none would be open before 11 as locals told us and we were like law lag gaye
Petrol tanks were empty and no plastic money accepted
We were in a fix and then somebody advised us to look for the SBI ATM in the army premises near the exit of Kargil and taddaaaa we're back in business meanwhile chauhan too had gone to search for other ATM and he got lucky in the end. 1 hour was wasted in this process and we rushed to the pump uphill en route Leh and fueled up.
Met this guy David from New York who was all set to rock the valleys like us.
Chauhan was too concerned for the fuel so here we are with 20 lts of reserve.
Now the vegetation changed drastically, everything looked so huge and different. It was more like you are witnessing an altogether different planet and atmosphere with oxygen levels dipping slowly.

Roads were OK all the way to Leh. The mountains changed color every few kms, green, white and even violet . Every mountain had its own aura and a kind of fragrance that would not be very obvious to many people but to those who know how to feel the nature.
I had no frigging idea that this could be so beautiful and solitude at its best.
The pictures clicked between Kargil and Leh are minimum as we knew it will be difficult for us to catch up with time.
It was only after Lamayuru we felt that we'll be in Leh far before the time we expected due to the road conditions.
In Lamayuru this monastery was the only attraction I believe so we hopped in and experienced the mystic Lama and whatever they were enchanting inside was beyond our understanding yet it was magical.

Hardly 15 min we spent and left to accomplish the "paet pooja" as it was 1400 hrs and we had nothing since the last dinner.
Pathetic noodles and stale bread that I had to return back.
Stuffed ourselves and hit the roads again. Riding through these magnificent mountains was an experience which you cannot pen down.
There is a music in those winds that gives a relief and a sense of achievement.
It was some 40-50 kms before magnetic hill that we were blocked by this caravan of 10 local school buses and children were throwing bottles and water at us. First I felt fun but shortly I understood this is no fun and waved at them not do the same but some a**holes do not understand the sign language (not the children but the teachers who were enjoying the sight).
Now I was angry like anything, this was the first time I felt so much anger during the whole trip, I had to overtake the bus and stopped my bike perpendicular to the road right in the middle like a cop (Chauhan was nowhere in the sight)
I just rushed inside the bus and started shouting at the first person who stood up, "are you the teacher in-charge?"
"you think this is some kind of a joke?" and I could see he was so scared and started apologizing before I could teach him some manners.
I saw no point in arguing and noted down the registrtion number of the bus and told the driver to see us at the next check post (like a boss).
Later we thought of letting go and not ruining the fun. We carried on and reached magnetic hill shortly.

Spent some time there and as we moved ahead there was a sunshine so bright I could not see it all with bare eyes so had to pull down my sun shade visor.
Then there was this straight road like a runway, stopped and clicked some pictures. The feel of getting Leh'd was like a dream and we're close


And after 30-45 minutes we reached Leh and it was something, the vibes were different, the vibes of a traveler
Reached hotel Jorchung which we booked on our way, thanks to HVK.
Dumped our luggage, had a conversation with the hotel guy about how to and where to. Had dinner and off for the day.

Re: A happy beginning to a great addiction

DAY 8

LEH-KHARDUNG LA-LEH


8th June'13

After a long discussion at breakfast we finally decided to go to Khardung-la as it was closer than pangong and we did not have the inner line permit yet so the first thing was to get the permit from local DM office which could have been a very time consuming affair but thankfully Mr. Sonam, the hotel guy did all the formalities and we were ready to make the climb to the world's highest motorable road.
And through the narrow roads of outer Leh we started to ascend.
It was a sense of achievement that kept hovering our helmets the moment we entered Leh and since then it has been adding fuel to our burning desires.
The road uphill was ok for a few kms but soon the terrain became tough and super rough, my bike was grunting with full power in 1st n 2nd gear throughout.
And after 3-4 hours we touched the K-top
Our lungs were falling short of oxygen but the excitement and happiness compensated for it.
The only thing to dislike about K-top was the crowd. I believe most of the families and tourists there hardly knew the feeling of reaching K-top after much struggle as they were busy chit chatting and clicking pictures with the K-top board! and pleasing their taste buds inside that canteen up there.
I and Chauhan were irritated with the crowd and litter so we stopped a few 100 meters ahead of the K top
and enjoyed the view and that feeling to our heart's content, sitting in silence!
There was another group of bikers, 99 canons from Hubli I guess, they were cool.
That's when we felt that it's more fun to ride in a group but then ours was a journey of solitude and self-discovery.
After sometime we too felt hungry and munched on a bowl of maggi and 2 cups of black tea.
Time now for some pictures and post 15-20 minutes we left for Leh.

We were stuck again before a landslide for nearly 2 hours so it was 7 pm when we reached back to our hotel and we had no energy left to visit the sunset point or shanti-stupa, so we just crashed into our bed and post 2 hours had our dinner and again went to sleep. Time was a crucial factor for the next day so early to bed and early to rise.

Re: A happy beginning to a great addiction

DAY 9 LEH-PANGONG-LEH
(The disaster day)



The sunshine was bright and so were our faces, up at 0600hrs we had our breakfast and rushed to our metal babies. Initially we thought of taking only one bike but then we wanted both of our bikes to witness the blue-moment with us so the very next minute we dropped the idea.
And off we go with a small bag, camera and tri-pod.
I insisted on staying over-night at pangong but somehow things did not work out on route issues, budget constraints and carrying the saddle back and forth so we decided on coming back to Leh (and this was one decision we should not have taken which could have averted the disaster).
Initial 30-40 kms were smooth but shortly we encountered water streams which were deadly enough to freeze the balls at least for the new riders like me. But there were other riders too and the fact that energy levels were sufficient to overcome small difficulties we kept on riding with constant pace taking breaks wherever necessary.
Chang-la pass was freezing cold and now I could feel the winds biting thrugh my jacket and gloves.
Anyways we kept on riding through the beautiful mountains covered in snow and then came the super barren lands with no signs of vegetation and human race in sight.
Now the desperation surged as we were hungry and tired and no matter how fast we rode the lake was not coming
The terrain changed on every 10 odd kms and something new would amuse the eyes and the butts of course.
Till date we did not have a puncture repair kit and we were riding purely dependent on luck and hope. Moreover I was trying hard to avoid pointed stones or anything that could nail our hope and kept riding only to praise the beauty around.
Sun was harsh but there were shady roads too so in a way it was compensated.
around 1300hrs we got this new type of black sand that we didn't see before and it was difficult to maneuver through that.
And around 1400 hrs there we were at the first view of Lake Pangong
It felt like the lake had some magical reflections that we hardly blinked and kept staring for good 2-3 minutes spellbound.
Moved we moved ahead and after half an hour found a spot along the shore where parked our bikes, had aloo bhujia and bread and enjoyed the accomplishment of making it to THE PANGONG LAKE!
The spot was not very picturesque so we went ahead to find the three idiots location and found a couple of people to be there already which again was a bit annoying but it was better than khardung-la.
Clicked a lot of pictures and spent almost an hour there before we started riding back to Leh.
But then we did not use our tripod during the whole journey so it felt like the right moment and found an isolated point where we can click to our heart's content.
4 hours from disaster we were not aware of the road conditions ahead and were too laid back to ride without breaks.
finally at 1530hrs we left the lake and rode faster as we now had a slight idea that it's going to be a bumpy ride post the sun set.
(pictures for the day, not in sequence)


Around 1700hrs the winds were roaring like anything and water streams had become 300% more slushy and deadly as we were ascending.
Consequently our feet were frozen and we had to stop, a car stopped and we asked if they had any poly bags. The couple only had 2 of them and Chauhan insisted on riding without shoes so I took the poly bags and wrapped around my feet but that did not help much.
This had slowed us down but we were moving irrespective of anything and that was important.
1830hrs it was and we were left with just one more stream which was the deadliest of all before Zingral.
We remembered what that man said in the morning "abhi to phir bhi sahi hai, shaam k waqt ye bht tez ho jaata hai...bike nahi bikal payegi"
But we were least bothered at that time and now we gave it a second thought when we were hardly 5-10 kms from that stream.
Chauhan was scared but I was not for I was underestimating the nature's strength and that was where I went wrong.
There was a bolero pick-up tailing us for the past 4-5kms and overtook just before the final water stream which later turned out to be a nightmare.
He was a local who stopped us and asked "bhaiya nikaal loge ya kuch help karu?"
and I said " ab tak bhi karte aaye hain toofani, abhi nikaal lenge koi dikkat nahi hai"
Chauhan nodded and asked me to go first and I without any second thoughts just entered into the stream which would have been at least thigh deep and as I entered, water took me with great force and the next thing I could remember was struggling with bone chilling water and a single thought : "this is it, the death!"
My bike almost disappeared in water and I could just see my rear view mirror and then I felt a hand pulling me out, he was the man standing there and Chauhan followed him shortly.
The sight was nothing less than an action scene and that too when there were hardly any riders around.
I was panting and shivering sitting on the other end while that man struggled to pull my bike out.
Now I could think, the senses were coming back and I realized what a foolish decision it was ( U need a break when you tend to cross the boundary between an adventure and danger and that's exactly what I did).
By now Chauhan almost had a frost-bite and he could not even stand on his feet (he has been riding bare-footed and this was threshold)
I mustered some courage and crossed the stream holding that man's hand and carefully crossed back along with Chauhan's bike (I was on the clutch while the man held the throttle as I knew if the engine stops, ****, U cant move the bike by even an inch.
All I heard was the deadly water stream and nothing that the man kept saying.
I was just pushing myself to make it through the stream and I would not care whatever happens post that.
Finally we did it but my legs went numb and I felt only weight hanging below my knees, nothing else...no activity.
The man lit a cigarette and gave it to me, I just puffed it without stop like a medicine and it worked wonders.
Then he dragged me and Chauhan asked to standup and run as fast as we could, we were barely able to stand properly and the
temperature, darkness and the shock prevailed every moment.
Somehow physically I was back but mentally I was still in a state of shock. Chauhan was up and running now and started kicking my bike, the odometer console blanked out and water could be seen clearly.
Chauhan kept trying but in vain, the bike had water in her lungs and in theory she was dead!
Meanwhile the man crossed his pick up and came out with a tetra juice pack that we drank like we haven't had anything for ages.
He had his sister and a small girl inside the pick who were watching us inquisitively and we too shared the same look.
Now was the time I was sure of existence of a supreme power which governs everything and if you have been good, the good shall come back to you.
I could not stop thanking him, probably I never thanked anyone so much in my life yet.
Then he offered to drive one of us to the town but we could not leave the bike there, we were still some 60 kms from Leh.
Chauhan asked me to ride his bike while he rode mine to the nearest army camp at zingral.
I had forgotten my glasses there and was difficult for me keep up with the bumps but somehow we managed and landed at the
army camp and that man narrated the scenario to one of the jawans and they escorted us inside a small housing which was cozy and warm like anything.
There were some 20-30 men sitting-lying chit-chatting on their cots and food was being cooked over a kerosene stove and as we entered every motion in the room stopped and everyone rushed to help us.
I was shivering more and more and I guess was crying too, that was a moment I cannot forget.
One of them helped me get rid of my jacket and jeans, so called DSG nero waterproof jacket was a leaking water container now.
There was this sigri type thing they had kept in the middle of the room which had a thin line of fuel going out and an exhaust like a pole that I realized only after I lost my fingerprints when I tried to stand up holding to that pole.( I was crying in pain now)
And chauhan gazed with a bright smile and I was like "what a DAY...!!!"
Shortly we were served with black tea which was the best antidote to the biting cold and while I kept sipping that with ease
chauhan had gone out to see if anything at all could be done to start my bike again but no luck.
Now I had to call my mom to let her know that we are back and alright but no netwrok.
Surprisingly one of the jawans got the network on his phone and I called my mom to let her know that all ij well, which was not the case.
2200hrs it was and I had N number of thoughts in my mind, "ab kya hoga? bike to gai? joote padenge? bike transport karani pdegi, chauhan ki bike pe jynge...will not take the sarchu manali route...I should not have come in the first place...and what not..".
Chauhan then said, " chup saale, dimag theek nahi hai tera chill kar!"
We started packing up to ride back to Leh and left my bike there.
The road back was pitch dark, sheer darkness!
What I referred to as solitude in the morning had now become dead-silence!
Slow and steady we reached back to our hotel and the old monk that I had saved for our next day ride to sarchu, became the medicine
for night. A peaceful sleep after a life changing experience.
Lesson learnt: Life is precious, u cannot afford to be stupid and daring at the same time!

Re: A happy beginning to a great addiction

DAY 10 LEH NE LE-LI

up at 0700 hrs the hotel guy came to our room as we did not return in time and there was a bike missing.
We narrated him the incident and he himself went to talk to a mechanic before we could ask him to suggest
us any.
After sometime he called us and suggested that we go up and bring the bike at least to Karu and then see a mechanic there
else it would be nothing less than 3-4k that we'll have to shell out.
I was thinking what if the bike starts on its own as soon as we reach there, what a miracle would that be and stuff like that.
0900hrs we started riding to zingral and I forgot the jacket that an army guy gave me last night on a dhaba, chauhan went back in frustration and asked me to keep walking uphill to zingral which was still 15 kms.
Now again I felt like man v/s wild, nobody was there in sight.
The sun was harsh and the winds were dry, lose-lose situation!
I could not stop and I was panting like anything and on top of that the jacket kept sucking every drop of sweat I had left in my body.
After struggling for half an hour Chauhan was back and we rode to zingral anticipating for something good.
And there I saw my bike shining like a black stallion.
As we were taking a closer look, the guy from last night came out and said "ho gai ye fix aapki gaadi" and handed over the keys.
I had a broad smile on my face as I again heard the sound of of the engine, it was a moment of intense happiness (not everyone would understand this but yes those who do, they know it )
And while I was conveying my thanks to that Jawan, Chauhan went up to the site where the disaster happened to find my glasses.
I was worried for almost an hour passed and there was no sign of him, so I too decided to ascend and left. There I found him laughing hard with a bunch of guys warning other bikers who were crossing the same stream. I too joined the league and enjoyed the scene which was not so enjoyable the last night.
Time now to head back to the hotel and buy gum boots and puncture repair kit after experiencing some crazy shit on these deadly mountains.
Evening we strolled the market and later Chauhan got the puncture repair kit with the hotel guy.
Dinner at lamayuru resto and back to the same room to spend our 4th and last night in Leh.
I was restless for the fact that we were going via sarchu which none of the people coming from that end recommended, went to sleep with fingers crossed.

Re: A happy beginning to a great addiction

Awesome Snaps

Re: A happy beginning to a great addiction

Hey man Nice story and pics was really laughing about the bike in water incident (Sorry :P)
When are you updating the thread man its been too many days..i am waiting..

Re: A happy beginning to a great addiction

DAY 11

LEH-SARCHU




11th June'13

All geared up at 5:30 in the morning I was not very optimistic about today's ride as the feedback of the route was not very pleasing.
Chauhan was adamant on the fact that "ab toh kuch bhi ho poora karenge circuit" and with fingers crossed and visors down, off we go to fuel up for the next phase. There we found Vignesh and Manoj from B'lore whom we met back at the Lamayuru resto the other day and hence the duo squared up and so did the confidence level as we were following two experienced riders who had a better hands on with the unforeseen issues on the way.
Carrying extra fuel for no petrol pumps ahead had already set me thinking what would that be like, "banjar zameen? no civilization?" but soon all the thoughts were taken aback as huge mountains with snow-tops made us feel in a different realm altogether along with the faint engine sound was nothing but pure music and finally we stopped for breakfast after riding for 2 hours. Maggi as usual was on the menu as the most familiar and favorite option and stuffed ourselves with a big bowl of it and a weird tea.
There our company was expanded with a headcount of 10, we met 6 MBBS interns from Odisha riding on 3 classics and the inner peace was restored
It was barely 5 minutes of that peace and a family stepped out of a scorpio coming from Bikaner and they scared the hell out of me as they described the water stream behaviour and the course of their journey so far. Anyways I was high on spirit by now and we started to ascend again before we could finally descend.
Melting snow on the roads created a deadly slush that was just a trailer of what lied ahead.
At taglangla pass, there we see our first breakdown: Although it was just a clutch cable but from a distance (i was the last rider in caravan and not having my glasses post the tragic fall I could barely tell things from a distance) it looked like something major with 4 people surrounding Manoj's bike.
I found the opportunity(not carrying a tank bag sucks) to take out the camera and go on clicking while they were doing the fix.
It was white all around and the only sound was of the chilly winds, I loved it.
After a while the descend started but there were barely any roads, it was a bumpy bumpy ride until we touched some ground and ground breaking-cum-breath taking plains, moore plains I guess.
It kind of looked like a desert with mountains in distant view. Here we stopped for the lunch and again no good food but then may be that's the fun of being a traveler and not a tourist .
We were about to reach paang after this awesome valleys that made the heartbeats and engine skip a beat and be lost into them.
Aunty jee was kind enough to serve a wonderful tea and maggi and there a small whirlwind rocked the place with those plastic chairs almost starting fly and we took the refuge in aunty tent-cum-tea shop.
The clouds were black and rain was ahead, as deadly as it could be. The water streams en route were the biggest challenges though but the valleys too were getting like advanced levels in some video game. The day was coming to and end and we did not have a clue what lies ahead except for the kilometers remaining and then cometh the wrath of the rain gods.
Time to get in the rain suits but I was ignoring the intermittent rains and finally decided to wear it long after everybody was geared up and that costed me a lot in the remaining ride for the time a took to get into the rain suit, my speed and the VISIBILITY.
We did climb a mighty peak but down the hill the angles were too steep to underestimate the weather.
The rain got intense and the water-body at the base of the mountain looked like a "maut ka kuan"
I tried to take a 45 degree shortcut that mostly suited to the THAR enthusiasts but I took my chance and my ass was saved by inches I must say as it was slipping like butter and just another thought of adventure could have costed me my life, so riding safe from now on wards.
Shivering and mist on the visor slowed me down by almost 20 kms and I was wondering if I might have missed a turn or what?
After much struggle I saw Ashish waiting for me and the sigh of relief it was.
He had been there for an hour and thought I was probably dead
Lekin hum hum hain baaki sab paani kum hai
And we reached that tea shop where the pack of wolves was lying like wet cats (could not find a better figure of speech).
Unloaded the saddles, got rid of the rain suit and the all that was possibly wet and just jumped into that quilt that was waiting for me .
I still had that Old Monk left in my pocket and I had it like water, straight from the bottle! "Jannat".
Then a cigarette and I could think straight now. Introduced ourselves to the remaining pack while we munched on that hot bowl of maggi.
That dingy teashop had hardly any space to move around, all it had was stone beds and quilts

Re: A happy beginning to a great addiction

Keep it coming dude... Waiting for the next update