Re: Ladakh 2013, a dream come true

Day 10:
24 June 2013
Leh - Pangong - Leh

Today was one of those rare days when I woke up in a bad mood even though I was on a road trip.. The sole reason being having to travel in a car even though the bike was perfectly ready to brave the Chang la pass and whatever else stodd in the way.. Next time, there's always a next time.. I kept telling this to myself as I got ready and joined my friends waiting
for the car to pick us up..

The driver was extremely skilled and experienced and we were at the base of Chang la before we could figure it out.. Once the climb to Chang la top started, I was less interested in the music playing inside the car.. I was staring outside the beautiful mountains with snow caps.. The roads were narrow and the slope was steep.. But our driver was unruffled.. With the same speed, he kept the car going and we reached the top of the third highest pass of the world..



Indian Army..


There is a small army post at the top which gives you free tea.. I climbed up the few steps to the army post and had a cup of hot tea.. Rejuvenating.. Thank you for taking care of us..
After some small water crossings and a big one, we descended Chang la to the other side.. The terrain was much greener on this side.. The green grasslands, brown mountains with white caps and azure sky made a very pleasing picture.. But somehow, things seem to look less charming when viewed from a car.. Through the window, everything you look is like a television.. You are just a passive observer.. On the bike, you are in the picture, a part of the picture.. And that is what makes all the difference.. Watching the wild horses and yaks grazing on the fields, we were making our way towards Pangong lake..

A semi-frozen lake enroute Pangong..


One of the army post


Grasslands..


And then there it was.. The famous Pangong lake.. The place where words fail to describe what your eyes see.. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life.. A lake which changed colors from deep blue to turquoise, small ripples on the water, brown mountains in the background with an equally blue sky on top.. No adjective can truly describe the charm of this place.. Once out of the car, I walked down to the shore of the lake.. I sat down in the sand just staring at the calm water.. The sadness of coming here in a car instead of a bike was all forgotten by charm of this place.. In places like this, your mind finds peace..

The first glimpse..



At peace..



The changing colors..






As blue as it gets..




Crystal clear..


Don't be tempted to step in.. Its freezing cold..


With Rohit and Aniket.. Friends since school..


The mystery.. I have seen hundreds of structures like this one and never understood the significance.. This one was made by me..


We spent a lot of time taking pictures and trying to figure out the exact place where the last scene from the movie 3 Idiots was shot..


Our driver suddenly had the urge of taking the car along the sandy shore for a drive along the lake.. 2 minutes into the drive, the rear tyre of the Innova was stuck in the sand.. The more he tried to get it out the deeper it went.. We spent around half an hour trying to push the car out of the sand.. If the bike would have stuck in there, we could have taken it out within a minute.. After a while, we met an Indian-Italian family in a Pajero.. They were kind enough to offer help.. With help of a ropes and a belt, we tied the two cars together.. In one swift motion, the Pajero pulled out the Innova out of the sand.. We thanked them and started the journey back..


On the way back.. From Chang la top..


Much of the part which was snow covered in the morning was now barren..


This was our last day in Leh.. Half the journey was over.. Instead of going out for dinner, we had some food delivered that night.. There was no power and we decided to have dinner in the guest house garden.. A tiny candle providing some light, we spent the time munching on the kebabs talking about the journey so far.. It was a full moon night.. The snow capped mountains in the distance were gleaming in the moonlight.. Chilling with friends with Stairway to Heaven playing on my phone.. It was a beautiful night indeed..


Cheers,
Pranav

Re: Ladakh 2013, a dream come true

Of all the places i've gone,of all the adventures i've been on & after all i've seen.............this i found to be true. The true "Soul" of any place in the world can be found in the food it has to offer! Ladakh has what we may call "Food for Soul"!



When in Ladakh,eat like a ladakhi. @German Bakery



When in doubt,try them all.











Found this cafe built on the edge of a mountain right below the Buddhist monastery in the heart of ladakh. Well known for tea,one would be surprised at the variety they offer & moreover shocked by the fact that its crazy easy on the wallet!



Earl grey,known as one of the finest & healthiest tea around the world.
(Fun fact: This tea is allegedly the secret to Patrick Stewart's youth.That guy has been around since original Star trek)


I present to you,the menu of gods.












Nothing like a really good pasta & an even better book on the journey!




Chilli fries:




Fresh Cheese Lasagne:








Arabian breakfast,with hummus,pita bread....the whole deal.






Classic Margherita pizza!






And finally,the Breakfast of gods......English Breakfast!



Ham,sausages,fresh mango jam,fresh butter,toasted bread,beans,eggs cooked to your liking & a huge glass of freshly squeezed juice.
Calling this heavenly would be an understatement.



On this 24 days worth of journey,we ate all kinds of foods in all kinds of place.But the the one thing that made us cry was the longing for something from back home,something our heart & stomach truly carved for....authentic Marathi thali with loncha & papad.
The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.



Our faces say the rest.





Happiness & food cannot be enjoyed unless shared with a couple of buddies travelling with you on a journey of a lifetime!


(Full album link:https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/1...56074769698001)

Re: Ladakh 2013, a dream come true

Aah, delicious.. And who better than you to post the stuff related to food..

Re: Ladakh 2013, a dream come true

Nice sceneries and scenes...... Good Luck

Re: Ladakh 2013, a dream come true

Pranav, can you let me know from which GATI office in pune did you booked your bikes ? Do you have the address and name of any contact person which
you remember. Also, do they offer railways as the mode of transport or only by road ?

What was the price quoted to you for 1 bike ?

Re: Ladakh 2013, a dream come true

Thank you..

I was quoted Rs.3500 per bike.. I'll message you the other details..

Re: Ladakh 2013, a dream come true

Day 11
25 June 2013
Leh - Kargil 240 km

Day 11 of the road trip.. The first half was over.. It was time to say goodbye to Leh.. With full of enthusiasm for the second half of the journey, I got ready in the morning.. The packing took really long time.. When you stay at a place for too long, you tend to misplace things.. The packing was a messy affair with Pushkaraj's gloves and jackets being found in my room, my headphones in Diwakar's bag and Aniket's sunglasses missing.. But as long as we weren't leaving anything behind, it was fine.. By the time we had breakfast, it was almost 11 30 am..

The road now was totally opposite to what we had encountered on the Manali - Leh stretch.. The National highway 1D.. It was flawless.. Not a bump or a pothole.. We were astonished to see such brilliant roads in such hostile conditions.. Our state governments could definitely take some lessons from the BRO..

On the menu for the next part of the road trip..


The road just after Leh..










Barely an hour of riding, we reached the famous Magnetic Hill.. A big sign board greets us, "Magnetic Hill, the phenomenon that defies gravity".. After reading various different experiences from people about this place, I was very keen to check it out for myself.. The myth versus the reality of this place.. I went on the road, put my bike in neutral gear and I swear on my life, the bike DID go up the slope.. Real slope or a visual illusion, I do not know.. But the bike does move on its own.. Forget the bike, we even saw a scorpio move against the slope on its own.. Quite interesting.. We had a long discussion with the group of tourists in the scorpio about this phenomenon.. Each one of us putting forth theories, each of it more absurd than the previous one.. The discourse later shifted towards jokes about that phenomenon.. After a session of laughter therapy, we bid farewell to the group.. They were excited to reach Leh as soon as possible and we still had a long way to go..





Soon after that, the straight road turned into a ghat.. But the road was still impeccable.. Give me a bigger bike and I'll clock much higher speeds here.. After numerous days of riding where the 5th gear was hard to come by often, this road was nothing less than paradise.. The bikers passing us from the other side were greeting us with more vigor.. They were all getting Leh'd that day, obviously they were jubilant.. The mountains were brown, not a shade of green or sprinkling of snow at the
top.. Gigantic barren mountains..







The journey continued with the river Indus meandering alongside.. I have no explaination for this, but the presence of a river alongside makes the ride really pleasing.. The road condition deteriorated slightly, but we were used to it.. Soon, we crossed the confluence of the rivers Indus and Zanskar..














The road was curving its way through the valley with mountains on wither sides.. The sheer size of them is overwhelming.. It makes you feel minuscule, insignificant.. The mountains at some places hang directly over the road on your head.. The experience through this part was mind-boggling.. Even today when I look at the photographs or the videos, I can feel myself cruising through the mountains..









National Highway 1..








A lost soul..


The road started climbing up and the mountains started chaning appearance.. They started having peculiar shapes and the color changed from brown to shades of yellow, black and magenta.. I wasted no time in starting the video recording.. Soon we were greeted by another board, "Enjoy the beauty of Moonland"..





Enter Moonland..












We were almost at Lamayuru, the place of monastries.. We visited the main Lamayuru monastry.. The view from the top was quite spectacular.. We found a nice restaurant for lunch, or let's say an early evening snack.. It was almost 5 and Kargil was still about 120 km.. But considering the road condition, we were confident that it wouldn't be much of a task..

The beautiful Lamayuru..


The monastries and houses..


The Lamayuru monastry..


The road after Lamayuru started off with a long climb.. Luckily for us, the road was freshly laid and the climb wasn't really challenging.. Barely half an hour of riding and we were at the Fotu la top, the highest point on the Srinagar Leh road.. After riding to Khardung la, this 13500 feet high top was nothing to boast about.. Nonetheless, this was the highest point and we all clicked pictures near the board..








Keep going up..




And finally at the top..


The road kept on winding up and down the mountains for another hour and we reached Namika la, another high altitude pass.. It was past 6 30 and Kargil was 60 km.. The final few km had really bad roads.. Thanks to late sunset of June, we crossed them under enough sunlight.. As Kargil approached, the terrain became greener.. Soon there were trees and grasslands everywhere in the valley..


The lush green valley..


The final few miles just after sunset..




Enter Kargil..


At 8 pm, we reached Kargil.. Finding a decent place for the night was quite a task.. The hotels were either too dirty, small rooms or no parking facility.. After a while, we found a good hotel with no rooms to spare.. We ended up staying at his special dining hall for the night..


At night we met 2 other bikers coming from the opposite direction.. They told us that there was some problem in Srinagar and curfew was imposed.. Since we had planned to ride till Srinagar the next day, we had a small talk about the next plan.. I wasn't at all ready to spend another day in Kargil.. I didn't like the place at all.. We decided to ride till Drass the next day.. With barely 60 km ride coming up the next day, we spent a lot of time playing cards and listening to music.. Once again, no alarms set.. Happiness is sleeping without any alarms..

Cheers,
Pranav

Re: Ladakh 2013, a dream come true

Day 12
26 June 2013
Kargil - Drass 80 km

It was almost 9am and I was still struggling to open my eyes.. Everyone had laziness embedded in the bodies as the distance was mere 60km.. I got ready around 10 and left the hotel in search of some breakfast.. After the disastrous dinner, I wasn't ready to have a single bite in the hotel.. I found a bakery and treated myself to a variety of cookies, rolls and some other delicacies I do not know the names of.. At noon, we left Kargil.. After intial bad patches of 10-15 km, the roads were once again flawless..

The hotel owner said, "There's no parking".. We said, "We'll park inside then "..


Name- Mr. Biker..
Room number- Dining Hall..


The scenic route..










The road went on through the mountains on both the sides with a river in a valley on a side.. The mountains which were hitherto rocky and barren were now gradually turning green.. The sun was out and the temperature was rising.. But even the small shades of green were soothing to the eyes..








The green terrain..




After riding for a couple of hours, we saw a trail going down to the river.. Without a second thought, Rohit and I stopped and went down to the river.. We thought the a splash of water would cool us down.. How mistaken we were.. Even though the climate was getting hotter, the water was still chilly.. Disappointed, we returned back to the bikes and resumed the ride..


One of the numerous waterfalls en route..


Just before reaching Drass, we took a small detour.. It was a narrow road with fruit orchards on either sides..



At 2-30 pm, we reached Drass.. Drass is a small town.. The locals said that nobody even knew the place till the Kargil war took place..


The tree of liberty grows only when watered with the blood of martyrs..


Welcome to the second coldest inhabited place in the World..





We found ourselves a small place to stay and stepped out to grab some lunch.. A tiny restaurant with no menu cards.. Rajma, Aloo mutter and roti were the only choices.. But how delicious was that.. And we had skipped breakfast.. Combine that and the owner was worried that we might finish off everything that he had.. We met a few bikers and a couple of superbikers and had a nice time chatting up..
There was a guy in his mid fifties riding to Leh on a 1987 RD350.. He said he had done this circuit in 1991 and wanted to see how much has changed.. Hats off!!

In the evening, we visited the war memorial.. That was an evening I will never forget in my life.. We were at the very place where the soldiers had shed their blood for the country.. A long pathway with a huge flag high up in the sky at the end.. A wall behind it with the names of the fallen soldiers carved into it.. A cemetry of all the soldiers who laid their lives since 1965.. I dont have any words to describe the emotions..

The entrance..






Operation Vijay


The tricolor flying high..


The names of the martyrs carved into the wall..


Veer Bhoomi.. There's no apt name..



The Manoj Pande Operation Vijay Gallery.. I took off my shoes.. I have been to countless religious places, but this was holier than any of those combined..The gallery houses the remnants of weapons used, the photographs of war, the information about the soldiers, small models of the terrain with descriptions of how the war took place.. There were extracts from newspapers and magazines.. "If there's hell then this must be it. It is -40 degrees, the wind cuts the soldier's face, the lungs scream for oxygen, the cold numbs the mind. Orange juice has to be boiled, eggs turn to golf balls.." I could read no further.. My eyes were moist... Every step inside the gallery and I was finding it difficult to stop the tears from flowing.. Further inside there was a wall which had photos and descriptions of soldiers who were awarded the Paramveer Chakra, Mahavir Chakra and Vir Chakra.. After reading those descriptions, I could no longer hold my tears in.. We were in the gallery for almost an hour and nobody had spoken a word to another.. Goosebumps all over..
















Our army has a good sense of humor..


The real life heroes..


Captured artifacts..




The famous tiger hill..



Drass war memorial.. You have to visit this place once in your life.. In the evening, we watched the sun set behind the famous tiger hill.. Even as I write this text today, I can feel the emotions all over again..


What an evening it had been!!


Tomorrow: The mighty Zozila

Cheers,
Pranav

Re: Ladakh 2013, a dream come true

Great photos...

Re: Ladakh 2013, a dream come true

great pictures and most importantly greater words,i am also plamming one such trip,can you tell how many kilometers was it from delhi and back as i live in delhi wand how much money did it cost per person?

Re: Ladakh 2013, a dream come true

Thanks a lot..

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From Delhi, you can roughly expect around 3000 km.. Expenses will vary for every rider depending on number of factors like bike transport(if required), fuel, accommodations(from simple tents to big hotels) and many other things.. You can expect 20-25k per person..
Check this out.. It'll be helpful..


I'd also suggest to browse through the Leh planner threads on xbhp.. They have a plethora of information..

Re: Ladakh 2013, a dream come true

Hey brother, how did AVEY responded on such high altitude? Did you faced any problems? I'll also be riding this year from Nagpur to leh on AVEY 220.

Sent from my Galaxy Grand using xBhp Connect mobile app

Re: Ladakh 2013, a dream come true

Hii Jitu,
Its a great bike- Avey!
Avenger is a powerful bike. I didn't face any problem on any of the passes. It carried me, my friend and my luggage easily throughout the terrain. But I would recommend to enjoy the ride without pillion as the ride is very bumpy for the pillion. I had to change oil and clutch plates in Leh. In gravels and muddy slush, you need to be very cautious on Avey. Overall, I was fully satisfied with the bike's performance.

Re: Ladakh 2013, a dream come true

One more question, 2 the wire in the carb mod needed?
My bike is 3.5year old, with 60k+kms.will I need it to do?

Thnkx in advance.

Re: Ladakh 2013, a dream come true

Sorry Jitu. To be frank, my technical knowledge is too limited to answer your query! As per my experience, because of the wire in carb, bike looses power after accelerating with full throttle. Gradual acceleration minimises this problem. On the other hand, mileage of the bike decreases after removing the wire. Ladakh is a difficult terrain so please get some insight from experts. I went to Ladakh with 5 months old Avenger. If your bike is in good shape then there won't be any issue during the trip.