Congratulations Praveen! Waiting for the logs now! This is great news man!

I will not be surprised if you enter Pakistan/Afghanistan

Hand on guys i meant i just reached Leh. From Srinagar went to Kargil then detoured to Zanskar and reached Leh yeasterday. Still to ride out north, east and south east and south of Leh

I am working very hard today for the logs. Finally in civilization after like 5-6 days

Hats off to u Praveen... Nimma log ge kaitaidde...
All the best for your Journey and Ride Safe....

Day 122 - July 8 - Srinagar 2 Gulmarg 2 Sonamarg

July 8 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: Share GPS Tracks

251 KMs Trip meter 16127 KMs

Finally i am kind moving out of Srinagar. Thinking of staying at Sonamarg for the day. But i have to cross the busy city. Even after that, there was continues towns and dusty traffic. It was only like 11 KMs to Gulmarg that things became interesting. Nice twisties and then i find out Why the place is named GulMarg, as i literally means Flower path. Lots of flowers on the way, after one point the entire mountain wall to side of the road is covered with white flowers. Ride among the Deodar trees. Even take a small walk up a slope once. Would have been nice to hike up the forest. As i near Gulmarg i see lot of crowd kinda attacking vehicles approaching there. They were literally climbing on top of it. I was confused and tensed for some time. Did not see violence though. I approached cautiously and they din seem to care. Only later when i enter i realize that they were the Pony owners and were booking the tourists for they pony ride. For that they fought with each other, chased and climbed vehicles!! But i was spared. After a turn the Gulmarg medow reveals itself and it was a pleasant surprise. Did not expect that. shallow hills with grass and flowers till the eye can see. Just take a round in the main town area and then headed towards Golf course. It was amazing out there. Green Meadows till far and white topped mountains after that. It was a huge area and ride was beautiful with flowers and flowers on either side of the road. Just casually ride around and go towards the Gondola. It's smaller ones that keep running and people hop into it on the move kinda. Did not try it as the handling the luggage was an issue. Take a break there for food.

Time to move on. Its like 1.15. Gourav had suggested Uri command post but looks like it too late for the day. Thought would atleast go till Baramulla in the route suggested by him. In no time its small narrow roads and some bad patches. This is a interior route. Pass through couple of villages like kalantra and Chandosa. There was apple gardens beside the road but they was still small. Guess i am early to apple season. Progress was slow and i was getting tired so thought of staying at Srinagar for the day. As i was going down a mountain towards Baramula, get a call from Arun informing me about lot of disturbance in Srinagar. Shit this is crazy. Did not want to ride back the interior route as it takes a lot of time so hit the highway wonder what to do. Thought would head tell Srinagar any way and check out the situation. On the way a petrol pump guy says there is Curfew in Srinagar. Its getting to evening and now wondering where to stay! How do i get to Sonamarg atleast. Did not really want to again go to Gulmarg for the stay. Some 14 kms before Srinagar i again filled fuel thinking i may not get ahead. The fuel pump guy enlightens me about a road bypassing Srinagar via Sambal. He says i can make it to Sonamarg in like 1 1.25 hours! OK its sonamarg then. Some time after taking the road i see the board with Sonamarg 83 kms!! Man these locals are so optimistic! How can i make it in 1 hour unless i am riding at 110?? Nearing Sambal i see a board towards Mansbal lake also suggested by Gaurav. Locals told me that its nearby and can head to Sonamarg from there only. OK small detour. Sunlight will by there till 8 pm anyway. This goes into towns and road kinda slow. After some time i pass by next to the lake. Looks like there is some tourist sports activities. Ride ahead and catch the Sonamarg highway.

What do i see the sky is very dark in the direction i am heading and definetly its raining. Man are the rains for the season begun? Kinda spoils my mood. After some time the road becomes narrow and its also wet. Slows my progress. There is also some road widening work going on. This means the mud washed onto the road by rain. There is heavy wind from behind me. Some times swaying my bike. This is kinda helping as i observe that as i ride ahead the rain clouds are being pushed. Just that i have to ride the wet road. Even catch a rain bow as it was bright sunshine behind me and rain ahead of me.

Then after some time they skies are clear, the road is dry and smooth two laned one! Nearing Sonamarg some 10 kms before it the landscape changes and wow it just gets bettor and bettor. Stop many times for pix. Make it to Sonamarg by 6.pm and What a place. Wide open space with mountains on either side. Me a tad late as the its dull for photography. Now this place is thronged with Amarnath yatris and accommodation is expensive. Heard like 1.5k for a small room on the main street. I am pointed to some tented accommodation behind the main street. They place and the tent costs me 500 bux! I take it. This is my second tent stay in the trip after cherrapunjee, though this one is not so exotic. They take full guarantee of my luggage kept in the tent. So i trust them and leave all my stuff in the tent and just close the zip. Walk to the main street to check out the place. Go to the JK tourism dept, just to check out the rates. Had left it before thinking it would be too expensive. But the guy said he would give it to me in 300 Bux and it was a bettor one!! Any way i had paid and will stick to that. The hotel guys are lazy to take order let alone serve food. Finally found one hotel which was ready to give food. Now it got dark and it was bit tricky to find my way to the tent camp walking on the dark field. All the things were still there and crashed for the day with Kargil in mind tomm.


Let me start off with the Pix session with a Tutorial.

How to make your own Neck warmer!!

Take a brand new monkey cap with a smile on the face...


Take a scissor!


Start cutting near the top...


The whole way round...


Take the top portion and throw it...


Wear the cap with the facehole going backwords...


Pull it all the way down and voila you have a neck warmer...


Wear the helmet and stuff some upwards to protect the nose and mouth from cold...


If still feeling cold then wear it like a normal monkey cap...


And helmet on... Happy cos the hurting thick part is cut out


Any way this was my cozy room at Srinagar in Hotel Aziz....


Crossing the Srinagar city for Gulmarg...


Most of the places i had just heard of in news...


Riding towards Gulmarg....


Only the last 10 KMs gets intersting...











Take a small hike into the woods...


Bike down there...


Me there...


Some macros...





Flowers and flowers every where and this place literally means Gulmarg the Flower path...











Lot of flowers by the road...





Thought some violence was going on but they were the horse men trying to book people of incoming vehicles for their horse rides!!


View on the way....





Get to Gulmarg and what a place.... wide open meadows.. The white portions are not snow but flowers!


Lot of ponies...


Snow topped mountains near by...


In a couple of months the whole place will be covered in snow...





It was a pleasant lazy ride through Gulmarg..








Lots and lots of flowers....


Now i gotta pose and the sun went behind the cloud....


Lots of activity in the middle of the meadow..








Want some pony ride?


The Gonadal ride at Gulmarg... Did not try as stashing my luggage was a problem...


Ride back....


Going towards Baramula and a road block which i sneaked through..


Small interior kashmiri roads...





One of the villages...





Village kids...


My bike does 26k! Though it has lost like 750 on the odo due to speedo cable going kaput some time back...


Nice pleasant ride...


This was his pose when i told him i would take his picture!!


Kashmiri village house...


Peaceful place they live in... i think this is kalantra...





Raw apples.... i am too early for apple season...





Deodars again...


Baramula town...


Ripping to Srinagar...


By now arun had informed me about disturbance in Srinagar so i deviated to Sonamarg via sambal... Green fields enroute...


Some lake...


Mansbal lake...





Catch the main road to Sonamarg.. its cloudy and looks like raining ahead and its dry behind me...


So i get a rain bow....





Its bad out there...


Landscape changes nearing Sonamarg...





Raging waters... Under a bridge to a hotel....


I make it to sonamarg...


Beautiful place...


The town...


Some delux tented accommodation....


Vertical travel for the day....

Simply Awesome, praveen!

Day 123 - July 9 - Sonamarg to Kargil

July09 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: Share and Plan your Trips

149 KMs Tripmeter 16277 KMs

Had disturbed sleep whole night. Woke up pretty early. It was chilly in the morning. Thought i would make it to Kargil in good time. While having breakfast the hotel guys said he would have give a room for 500!! Any way its like 8.15 i start. The landscape the mountains and the beautiful roads things are only getting bettor and bettor. After some 30 kms or so the climb starts steadily. Then i spot a huge congregation of vehicles and tents far below on the valley floor. That is a huge camp site for Amarnath yatris. Take a few pix and ride on. Get stopped by a soldier in no time. It seems there is something and ahead and its safe to stay put till we get a clearance. On asked he told that there was a mine or a bomb planted by terrorists and they were waiting for a diffusion unit. Looks like i missed the passage in like half an hour. slowly one by one vehicles started getting accumulating. Got into conversation with the soldier. It seems he found the bad thing. And was telling like these things happen with local support etc. The moment a local came and asked for the reason for the holdup, he said there is some problem which he is not aware of! Then he was giving out his frustration about the situation. There were people around and thought it was best to change the topic and distracted him. Any way this turned out to be a two hour wait. Atleast we were in a nice place overlooking the Amarnath camp from high above and the valley on either side.

we here two blasts and in a few mins get a clearance to go. First the incoming vehicles and then our turn. See three bikers going down. I get moving and in no time the road ends and it bumpy offroad climb to the Zojila pass. Not really steep but switchbacks taking me up and up and the horrible paths. After some climb i seem to be descending and took a pic of the altitude. There is no board or anything saying the point of the pass. Had carried with me lot of doubts as to who will i fare in ladakh. But on the other side of Zojila, the landscape just got superb and now i am exited about Ladakh! The road under construction and yes the typical first layer of stones and mud generously put. After for some like 10 kms i see a bulleter coming from the other side, we wave and stop for a chat. What a coincidence he Mukunda from Bangalore as well. Its like first time in 4 months that i am talking to some1 face to face in Kannada. It was nice to meet him and he was done with ladakh trip and heading to srinagar. He even gives me his two 5 liter cans and a bunjee cord, just what i need for Zanskar! what luck. Thank you very much Mukanda. We chat for some and bid byes. A lil after a beauty of two lane road from out of no where! It was great and and now i can see mountains around more freely. Couple of biker groups pass by. We wave at eachother. Just not sure how the explain the land scape. Wide open spaces just what i like. At one point i see a huge medaow to the right going to till the river. See few vehicles and people picnicking. Well i am going there to so i offroad ont he grass for a few pix.

The road does not last long it gets to narrow single laned tad bumpy road. Reach drass by like 2 and stop for lunch break. Cold see Tiger hill clearly from there. Carried on some 6 KMs to the war memorial. I get no tour from the soldiers as they are waiting for an higher official. I walk on the Vijay path towards the memorial. Spend moment reading about the memorial. Saw a wal with names of soldiers who gave live during the kargil war. If not for them guess i would not be riding here today. A few pix and i am on the move.

Now on the road gets narrow, the landscape looks great for some time but later its a narrow road on the valley wall and kinda closed environment. Its like that till Kargil. Reach there and no airtel signal which i was told will be there. Pass through the town and din find any place where i can approach for the stay. I am at the other end of the town. See an European couple and ask them where they are staying. They were paying 1700 it seems. Looks place not for me. Go there any way just to check out. Call Yogesh for some final consulting about Zanskar and fire a lot of questions. He patiently answer all my querries and in some time i have lot of info regarding zanskar. Get a bargain for 600 bux at the D'Zojila hotel, run by people from bihar. Food is not a problem here. Before settling for the day, the take a hotel waiter with me so that i can fill fuel to the tank and cans. Have to go a couple of KMs on the Leh road. And boy was it dusty!! Buy a rope and hope what i have in mind to secure the petrol can works. Am pretty tired for the day. Two hours got wasted near Zojila else could have had more rest. I confess that some fear grips me about Zanskar, offroading for 500+ KMs and not sure of rains and what about water crossing? Too tired so just crash for the day.



My tent for the night at Sonamarg....


Lots of tents and ppl park their vehicles near their tents...


Me there with my tent..





Going towards Tajwaz Glaciar...


Nice road among green towards the glaciar....


Me there...


This is it????


Ice mountains look cool but where's the glaciar???


But still its putting out quite a stream....


Many camp there....


Bike waiting in the restricted area... I was told later that private vehicles are not allowed into the reserve ! but no one was there at the gate


Ride back...


Horses have it nice here...


Leaving Sonamarg and heading towards Zojila...


Its still getting bettor....














The huge camp of Amarnath yatris!!


Lot of vehicles as well...








The army who stopped us on the left..


Helipads below in the camp....


The soldiers waiting for a clearance....


Some photography as i wait..Nice view but for the pink guy...


The valley south...


The poser bike....


The guy asking 'even horses not allowed?'


Thats Sunny with the MC...


Road towards Zojila....


Climbs like no tomm....








The valley Amarnath Yatries have to walk....


Rough going....


My bike thre...



Then i put on the surgical mask to avoid dust... it helps....


Bike by the ice wall...


Height at Zojila top....


The dusty roads and the dust makers....


Some part is laid with this cemet blocks....


Yup i am heading there....


Its beautiful on the other side....


I am in ladakh!!





Glad to meet Mukunda from Bangalore... Got to speak Kannada face to face after a long time....


Nice roads all of a sudden!


Going down....


Offroad to a small meadow....


Some posing...


Its a picnic spot alright....


It was fun riding here....











Landscape changing continuously...


Flowers every where...


Yellow mountain!!





I am at Drass...


The Tiger hill....


Then i visit the Drass war memorial.....


Me there but tiger hill is over exposed....


Its to the right...


The memorial...

















My bike at the memorial....


Good harvest this year i guess....


Narrow roads towards kargil...





Here two rivers meet.. notice the color difference with green water at the top and white water in the bottem!!


Purple flowers adding color to the barrenness...


Nearing Kargil...


I am there!!!


In Kargil main town area...


Vertical travel to Tajwaz glacier...


Vertical travel from Sonamarg to Kargil....

I have been following your thread for such a long time. Haven't commented yet cos I'm not much good with the words.

Anyways so I was going through your thread at work and my colleague comes over and says what are you reading? I showed him your thread, saying this guy has been on the road for over 100 days and right now he is in Kashmir. And he is originally from Bangalore.

And they only had one thing to say - "Is he CRAZY?"

You see my colleagues don't really get what motorcycling and touring especially is all about and I am trying to make converts of them for the past couple of years at least to go along with me. But guess what, one of them read your thread start to finish and is desperate to start his own adventures. What I couldn't accomplish in 2 years or so was done in one reading of this thread.

I guess that sums up more than what I could have even wanted to say. Keep riding Praveen and hopefully we can catch up once ur back in Bangalore, if you ever plan on coming back that is.

just, simply.... WOW !!!

Day 124 - July 10 - Kargil to Rangdum

July10 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: Share GPS Tracks

124 KMs Trip Meter 16401 KMs

Its the big day. Feel like resting more but will loose time then. I secure the petrol cans on the rear foot rests with the bungee cords first placing them on the rear footrests. Then use rope to support from above from the grab rail and then tie a round on the side with the pannier to avoid it stepping out of the foot rest. Looks firm when parked but will have to see how it goes. Start from kargil at like 9.15 am. Ride towards sanko and in no time is bad roads or roads with just the some layers. This is really irritating form of offroad. Progress i slow. All the while i am worried about what am i getting myself into. The previous day a couple of locals said that i can make it to Rangdum in like 3 hours and then to padam from there in 2 hours. Yeah right, the locals are so very optimistic. Dunno how they achieve such speeds. Meet a french guy coming from opposite direction on a bullet. We chatted for some time and he was pretty visual about the state of the roads and told me about a couple of water crossings before padam and how tough it was and that he got 2 punctures on the way back. He fixed it himself. No way i can do that. This scares me shit. But like always i want to go till the last possible point. after couple of hours to cover 40 kms stop at sanko for some food. Get some half cooked omelet and dried roti. kinda cross between roti and bread, supposed to be dip eaten in tea! Try that any way but cant have much. Fill in one more liter of fuel from a shop near by just in case.

Bike is showing the weight of the additional 10 liters of fuel. Kinda wobbly. The path after sanko is even raw. Going gets real slow. Average speeds in teens now. The thought of reaching Rangdum by 1 pm looks far fetched. Next couple of villages there are a teasers of blacktop roads just for couple of KMs. Then its back to offroading. Kinda worried about the fuel cans holding up. Kinda worried of the long offroading days ahead and how i will fare. The thing with offroading is that you hardly get to observe around and have to fully concentrate on the path ahead. Reach Panikhar by like 3 pm thats a good 3 hours for 40 kms and i have 40 more to go so three more hours. Was hungry but eating would cost me some time so skipped. Met threesome of locals and they said the road ahead of Rangdum should be good. Based on feedback of many people i was looking forward for the good path ahead. I should have known bettor from the Muktinath experiance. Speaking of Muktinath, this was a lot bettor than Muktinath. Was concentrating on the path so hard that i almost missed something intersting. There it is out of no where the Nunkun Glaciar. Very strange at then pretty rough, white at the to top and almost black at the bottom. But still beautiful. All the pains vanished and it was a happy moment. A lil ahead i see a long slush crossing. Time to get the shoes into the Gaitors. Make it through. Ride ahead slowly taking a few breaks. Liked to stop for long breaks at many isolated places but i have to save time. 20 kms to Rangdum sign boards of distance from Rangdum starts appearing. Though helpful it also make realize how slow i am going. Nearing Rangdum the path worsens with lot of loose stones on the path. I see a fast moving water crossing prolly 5-6 inches on cement flooring. Hmm... take it smoothly. After a couple of kms its a big one and a murky water flowing in force. Just take a pic and ride in. And i am out with the whole engine wet and smoking! 5 Kms to Rangdum, there is one more murky fast flowing water crossing and a big one at that. I mean a big one! Was scary. Take a pic and with out thinking much ride in and the bike goes in more than a feet and a couple of feet from the exit the front wheel gets turned by a rock underneeth and i kinda loose it and stop mid water crossing! The bike starts to tip over! i scream in fright and some how my left hand managed to pull it back up right! Kinda felt like a power helped me!! was in shock, the clutch held firmly and throttle revving at 7k rpm!! Now that i am standing witht he food in the water the gaiter allows water into the shoes. Come to senses Some how manage get the hippo butted bike out of the water and ride on. I have a cramp in left hand but hope its not big. It takes me some to realize that my trip could have been over then and there had the bike tipped over in the water! It would be quite some to to get help and by then the water would have ruined the bike and all the things! But now cant really breath relief cos have to do it again!

Just wondering about the big water crossing the french guy was talking about before padam!! Reach Rangdum and go the J&K Tourist Bungalow and a bummer. The only two rooms are taken. He offers me a stay in his home. I was kinda skeptical at the beginning but can check what that heck. Follow him to this home and the room was pretty nice and cozy and i take it. Can get to experiance home stay. Dorji Tsering was very helpful host attending to me. Even put the shoes by the fire to dry it up. Maggie, tea, and food were given to me when i required. The Buddhist people are quite resourceful. This i have observed in this trip. Even in remote places they have houses big one and comfortable ones and facilities too. The only odd thing was the loo. Strange giving a review of a loo :d. Cos it had just two holes in the floor and a pile of sand and a shovel in a corner! There is a reason behind it. They use human waste mixed in sand along with the Zimbo dung to fertilize their fields!! Btw, Yaks they have is not yaks it seems but Zimbo! Basically the ones i had named Yaow Yaks are bigger, heavier, hairy ones says Dorji. He tells me there are no big water crossings on the way to padam but for small ones. So guess the french guy was talking about the ones before Rangdum! Ohh man it still scares me. Guess it was one of the close calls i had had in the trip. But then i still have to cross it again. July and august are the months where the water flow is more and get reduced in September. All the people whom i met on the way, i complained just to let my frustration out, were saying that PWD people eat a lot of govt sanctioned money and the the road and tatters. The road is supposed to be handed over to Hemank in couple of years and then may be things will speed up here.

Had dinner of rice vegetable, curd made with zimbo mild and onion chutney. Boy was it tasty. Just conversated with Dorji and crashed for the day in the cozy room.


My room at Kargil's D'Zojila


The dining area....


Place to hang out...


10 liters of fuel secured on the bike will have to see how it will last....


Parking for bike as well....


Leaving Kargil....


Road being washed??


Entering Suru valley....








There you go...


Its the flower season i gues... full bloom every where....


Landscape changes....


Some village house....


The last distance board at Sanko....


Cute kashmiri kids.... Check out the expression of the girl in pink..


Ride under trees....


The good road to the right is what Yogesh told me not to take and he was right





Ride on....


A fork and this time i pic the good looking path....


Goes through this in growth on either side....








Smooth offroad!








Some teaser of roads in between for couple of KMs....


Its all green....


A village on the way....


This time a bettor teaser....


See a lot of these birds but managed to catch one....


School kids ran out of the play ground for the cam....


Pretty villages enrout....


Suru valley....


Bike there....


Yeah the path is still the same....














What do we have here? The NunKun Glacier! i almost missed at i as i was busy concentrating on the road!!


Upclose....





Talk about water crossing!


Looks scary but there was cement underneath so ok....


Pretty mountains...


Road work going on....


Slush to be negotiated...


The valley i have been riding...


Gearing up for slush and water crossing....


One more scary looking crossing....


Wild horses....


Snow topped mountains on either side....





Looks Deadly but was kinda ok to cross.... Water was all over engine and it smoked!


Riding ahead to Rangdum...


Man loved this place.. Nice time spent there....


White mother and black calf!





Just 19kms ehhh? i am averaging about 14 kmph so its more than a hour ahead!


Lake with red algae??


I keep seeing this critters scamper across the path... This one was patient enough to wait for me to pull out the cam and shoot!





Still riding on....


Its only getting bumpy....


Then comes this nasty one... the bike almost tipped over in the water! There was lot of uneven ness under the water and it turned my front wheel.... Lucky to pull back the bike to upright!!


Towards Rangdum....


Then i make it....


I follow the watch man ahead to his home for homestay....


Pretty kitchen they have and thats the host Dorji...


Dorji's brother and Dorji's cute kid...


Now this is their Loo.. with just a hole in the floor... and u use the showel and mud to clean up the mess!


My bike at Dorji's home and its fantastic panorama around....





Thats Dorji's son, Tenzing tustop... it took me ages to memorise his name!


Their fluffy dog....


Cute baby Zimbo... thats what they call their yak or cow or what ever....


Me petting one...


Then the other one...


The home....


Vertical travel from Kargil till some place where the app crashed....


From where i found out to Rangdum...

Oh My God!! You continue to mesmerize us Praveen. Helmets off to you man. Go on!!

BTW, the conversion of Monkey Cap to Neck Cap is really cool.

Awesome praveen keep rocking..

Punith prem sikidhra they were shooting in leh for Raj jeniffer sikilva ''

I would love to hear any updates on your bike how is teh bike handling in your entire venture cons you faced etc etc.

Ravi some jugad on the move

Psycho: hehe illa avaru sikkila. The bike is handling fine. But with the hippo butt its definitely not like before...

Page break post

Day 125 - July 11 - Rangdum to Padam


July11 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: Travel Community

110 KMs Trip Meter 16511 KMs

Had put the alarm at 4.30 and snoozed many times till 5.30 am. Waned to move out quickly so that what ever water crossing is there would be with less water in the morning. Have breakfast and start by 7.30 am. Takes time to load up the bike. 5 kms from the Rangdum there is the Rangdum Gompa. Will give a skip and ride ahead. Avoid the short cut through riverbed and after like another 5 kms the ascent to panzila starts. See a board saying Panzi la 27 kms and already climbing! The path worsens like anything and only gets bad going up. Bad path with firm base is still ok, but with loose grave and stones is very taxing managing the hippo butted bike! Meet a gypsee guy who was repairing it and said the path is going to be pretty much like this! With a gulp i go ahead. There is not turning back is it? On a turn come across a board welcoming to Zanskar and another saying panzila shed. There was even a small stupa. So thought this was the Panzila and took my customary pass pix and even posed! But saw the path scaling up ahead. Thought will take a pic of gps reading when i start to decent.

After some more riding there it is the offical Panzila pass with a board saying 14k feet. Fine i scaled Panzila! After a lil riding down surprise surprise! What i see is a mind blowing view of the Dhirang Dhurang Glaciar. I had forgotten all about this glaciar in this path and it just hit me here. Boy was it mind blowing. I confess that i had forgotten the name of the glacier as well. Came to know of it only at padam! Its so smooth flowing the i wished i could ski all the way from top to the bottom Ohh fantasies. Went click happy with the cam. Could see the flat valley floor way below and looks like a smooth path from up here. Climb down to the valley floor and its the same rough path with loose gravel and stones. This seems much harder than the kargil Rangdum stretch. Taking a toll on body especially back. It gets only unforgiving. Still not as bad as Muktinath, but the sheer lenght of the offroading strech is killing. Really cursed the people incharge of the road here. Felting like kidnapping the PWD officer with his family and forcing him to drive this stretch! Boy don't they have any self respect to leave the path like this? Any way the beauty around it fantastic. The breaks on the wide open isolated stretches is what i really enjoyed. Mountains all around but quite far. The whole place just for me and no one around.

It was around 12 and i was hungry but absolutely nothing around. Just when i was looking for a spot to take a break, i come at police check post. There is tea stall and i get blessed with Maggie, juice and lassi! Enjoyed it with great views around. Its still 45 kms to padam and looks like i am doing like 14 kmph avg! There is some tarmac nearing padam but not much. I get going and the path gets real bad at places especially in some villages. I start cursing again. Some 15 kms to padam, there is work going on and that only means the stone layer is put. This such sick policy in Indian road building scene. Just the put the stone layer and live it good time before tarmac! The path would have been much bettor. 5 kms to padam i am blessed with black topped tarmac! Guess i offroad miseries are over for the day. Suddenly mountains around looks more beautiful. Thats cos i am actually looking at them while riding! Get to the small town padam by 3.15 suppose to have all facilities. Its takes me to visit 4th std booth to make a call! Luckily there is a room at J$K tourist bungalow. Now i go out for food and all the restaurants have is mutton mommos and chowmin! I go to a UP hotel and cant have more than a couple of spoons of that rice. Finally find a hotel which made thupka and something edible! Afternoons here is tough to find food. All the cyber cafes are closed for no reason!

Meet Shiva and his wife Karishma, an adventure architect couple who are finding their way by public transport and remote places like this! Shiva is from karnataka and one more person i got to talk in kannada We had dinner together exchanging out travel stories. Time flies and its 10 pm before we are back to the rooms. I crash thinking about the imposing two days ahead.


My big cozy room at Dorji's place.... with great panoramic view...


Supposed to be my breakfast.. could finish only the cut out portion and i got maggie instead....


Riding towards Zanskar....


The tricolored Gompas...


Love these open spaces...


The weather looks kinda bad but improves as the day gets heavier....


Some delux tenting acco 2 Kms after Rangdum, starts from 700 bux a night!


The Rangdum monastery....


Lots of these on the way....


An old man i met on the way...





And i ride on....


Crazy mountain....


Smokey isolated house...


The ascent to Panzila starts....


The path only gets worse....


Now where are my Zanskar colors????


The climb to Panzila goes on. Ascent starts like 27 kms before the pass!


Still on....


Looks great from up there.....


The path only moonscapes!


up up and away!


I am at Zanskar!!


I thought this was the panzila pass...


So i posed... but the place still looked good...


But the path was still climbing up....


Aaaah... now this is this is the point... 14714 feet says my fone...


Nice looking mountain range but a surprise awaits me below it...


WOW! Dhirang Dhurung Glacier! i had naively forgotten all about it!! This was all pleasant surprise surprise....


The path only gets bettor in worse!


Getting to see more of the Glacier by the turn...


The ripples at the end...


Now the proof that i was there... with cloud play with the sun the exposer was getting messed up...


The valley floor on the other side of Panzila....


Dhirang Dhurung glacier up close...


Some small green lake....


The deceptive path looks smooth from above....


A snow shed by the road....


Its worse than then suru valley... Lot of loose gravel and stones on the path...


A small snow gate....


Loved these isolated breaks in wide open spaces...





N i take a hike!





Long way to go....





Small detour on a meadow....


Only thing human like after 50 kms!... have my fill there....


Its a police check post


Sheep herders in one of the villages....


Plenty of these...


and plenty of these as well...


But pretty on either side of the path....


One of the villages....


Its gets real rough some times....


Nice parking! Kinda permanent....


Another break....


Take a blind plunge... but they were ok...


Villages nearing padam....


Some tents and picnics....


Reach the open area...


Just one lazy buldozer and a handful of people working on building the road!


Finally some tarmac nearing padam just 4-5...





Some cute kids on the way...


Finally in padam...


Mountains around Padam....


This is Padam's Glacier, and all the villages near by gets water from this glacier only.


Vertical travel for the day....