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Prologue:
DAY 1 : "A Journey Towards Our Dreamland Begins" -> NH8- Vapi- Surat – Vadodara – Godhra – Modasa : 600kms
DAY 2 : “The Most Unanticipated Episode” -> Modasa – Udaipur – bhilwara – Ajmer : 460kms
DAY 3 : “Miracles Do Happen….” -> Ajmer – Jaipur – Kotputli – 242 kms
DAY 4 : “Long Way Down…” -> Kotputli - Rohtak - Panipat - Ambala - Ludhiyana - Jalandhar - 600kms
DAY 5 : “In The Shadow of the Mountain” -> Jalandhar - Pathankot - Jammu –Patnitop : 287kms
DAY 6 : “Snow Capped Mountain” -> Patnitop – Anantnag – Srinagar – Sonamarg : 261kms
DAY 7 : “Into The Thin Air” -> Sonamarg – Zozila pass – Kargil war memorial – Kargil : 123kms
DAY 8 : “Tradition of Heaven” -> Kargil – Saspol/Saspul : 157kms
DAY 9 : “A View of the World’s Highest Motorable Road” -> Saspol/Saspul – Leh City- Khardungla Top – Leh : 140kms
DAY 10 : “Dry Day” -> Leh City : 0 kms
DAY 11 : “In the direction of Lonely Planet” -> Leh - Chang la pass - Pangong Tso : 170kms
DAY 12 : “Lonely Planet on the Edge – Salt Lake” -> Pangong Tso - Chang la – Karu – Upshi : 140kms
DAY 13 : “Day of S2 – “Suffering & Survival” -> Upshi- Rumtse-Tanglang la – Pang – Lachung la : 150kms
DAY 14 : “Fearless Souls” -> Lachungla – Gata loops – sarchu – Baralacha la – jispa : 140kms
DAY 15 : “The Last Pass” -> Jispa – Rohtang Pass – Manali : 140kms
DAY 16 : “The end of the beginning” -> Manali – Mandi – Chandhigarh : 140kms
DAY 17 : “Sleeping Beauties” -> Chandhigarh to Mumbai via Train
DAY 18 : “Mumbai – The Tragedy Day” -> Reached Mumbai
Finally me and my husband consummated most audacious ride of our life last season on “Saffy” and “Touro”... 18 days 8 states covering approximately 4500 kms, we were back to Mumbai meri jaan out of harm's way and with heaps of learning’s
Hold on hold on <ME and my Husband> <Saffy and Touro> Fine let’s make a short introduction about us and our Motorcycles
Thats US, About to conquer Ladakh (halfway through and posing at Pangong Tso)
Kiran Singh Desai : That’s me and I was riding “Bajaj Avenger 220” for this ride
Saffy : Saffy is name of my motorcycle who accompanied me
Sachin Desai : He is my better half and was riding “Royal Enfield – 350 Electra” for the ride
Touro : Touro is name of Sachin’s bullet who accompanied him
Now let’s elongate the above points :
Something about us <Kiran Singh & Saffy>
3 years back <2013> when I got hooked up, I never contemplated that I can even ride a bike or there is even something called as BIKE RIDE. Sachin bought his 1st bike that was bullet on 18th January 2013 officially, before that he was riding his brother’s Yamaha FZs and with Bullet our 1st ride was to tahmini ghat in the similar year and from there on this RIDING thing never stopped. We went for many rides<shorter, longer> ofcourse I always accompanied Sachin with his ride but somehow I never enjoyed being a pillion, I never felt good about being called as Co-pilot/pillion
I would always ask Sachin to lend me his bull for a ride and he never said No to me though he was afraid that it’s a heavy bike it may hurt me but Never No
..He always said 1 day ill gift u a Bike... Have Patience!! Naturally I never believed him because getting a bike for a girl in Indian society is always a tough thing.One day while I was involved in my routine household work he gave me some keys and said “RIDE SAFE” I was like WHAT - mouth open. Tears rolling, expression less. He kept his promise of gifting me a bike and that is how Saffy was introduced in our family and as I got my favorite color “BLUE” so i named her "Saffy Blue - Like a Sapphire a gemstone
Saffy first day with me
Just after a week I left for my Business tour and returned after a month. “Saffy” was patiently waiting for me to get her out for a ride.
One evening me and Sachin was discussing about the Bikes <Food and Bikes ahhh we can talk about it for hours and hours> where he said “lets do Leh-Ladakh ride” definitely it’s a dream of every biker so I gave a positive nod to his decision and that was the day some 6 months back from our planned month “June “when we started planning about it with some of our close friends who were supposed to join us for our maiden ride.
Days went by and Sachin started saying me to take Saffy to my office. He wanted me to start a city riding from home to office and back (Airoli to Andheri <Marol Naka>) ahhhh No ways, was what I said initially since I was too horrified to do a city riding because of bad traffic.
It was something 2 months from our planned date when I started taking Saffy to office and I still remember when 1st time I took her out in city I had my fingers burnt because I lifted up the gas burner which was wrongly capped by my maid. Still I wrapped up the band-aid and left for office with Saffy. It was feeling of alien where I was fully geared up with Jackets, Knee Guard, Gloves and people staring at me on roads
and I could barely ride with confidence, but determination was 200 percent..When I reached office I parked my bike, moved to my desk, Messaged Sachin and Mom that I reached safely. And that was the moment when I felt a feeling of Satisfaction and realized how badly my fingers were in a pain. I removed the Band-Aid which came out with my skin stuck to it. Never mind I was too happy to feel the pain at that time and then I understood Riding can actually make you forget anything and everything which hurts you. Wow I was feeling proud and nice of myself <Least I knew that I was born to ride and this is the thing which I am never going to give up !! LIFE IS FULL OF SURPRISES!! BELIEVE ME >
One night when we were about to wind up with our dinner I said Sachin that I want to ride my bike for leh and I don’t want to be pillion, He was shocked because he knew I don’t know much about riding and riding on those tough terrains is not gonna be easy. What I appreciate here is he was petrified listening to my decision, but he respected it and said “we will talk about this later and in just 2 months I am not sure how is this gonna happen”. I just told him 1 thing that “I am not changing my decision, you are going to coach me up” I even consoled him saying City riding had changed many things in me, I feel more confident now…
Later we went for Rajmachi offroading ride which is near Lonavala, approx. 150 kms away from Mumbai for actually riding on bad terrains and get feeling of Leh roads and basically it was also a kind of test for me to get approved for my Dream ride and GUESS WHAT I GOT THE APPROVAL..
My first Offroading at Rajmachi,
Offroading link
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At the end It was just 4 of us for the ride <Sachin, me , Saffy and touro>. 2 months and Leh ride I was excited, nervous, anxiety don’t know what but it was just one thing rolling around my mind “I WANT TO DO THIS”
People say Leh ride is a graduation ride. I think in just 2 months of bike riding lessons I leaped from 5th class to graduation and guess what I passed it with distinction
Thank you hubby for assisting me and everything u made me learn for this ride, and the most important one you trusted me and permitted me to get my bike for this ride.
Thanks to my mom, Dad, Aai, Baba for understanding our passion for bikes and approving us for this madness. It’s never easy for parents to give such permissions to their kids. Helmets off to our creator
..you Guys Rock !!Thats me, posing somewhere near Kargil Vadiayan
Something About Sachin Desai and Touro
Well about him I can confidently say that he is a Pro-Rider since he went for many rides previously and he had awesome tuning with Touro too <Yes u guessed it right his bullet name was “Touro”>. He successfully completed his Rajasthan ride and many other 4 days, 2 days, n number of 1 day ride with Touro so yes he knew maximum things about riding but still tell me one rider who doesn’t get anxiety, fretfulness, and tensed while going for Leh ride. Furthermore he was extra worried about taking me on this ride :-D
He is the only one who planned everything for this ride with the help of his rider friends <Special Thanks to Shardul Tare and Rachit Kohli for guiding him throughout his planning phase>
The route, spares, gears, riding shoes, chain cleaner, chain lube, gloves, warm cloths and what not we shopped for this ride everything was done by him <one man army> and above all that taking an amateur rider with him.
Thats my Trainer, My support System, My Best buddy and My loving Navra (Husband in Marathi)
Many things to say rather write up in my Travelogue like riding on those single lane roads with just 2 months of experience where I never rode on single lanes, facing accident, bikes breakdown, riding without disc brake on dangerous ghats, riding without headlight, horn, indicator light riding on those minus degree Celsius, those snowy, slippery, stony, wobbly, foggy, tough terrains, almost frozen up in Tanglang la, Saddle bag stolen and what not J
In all the good times and bad the most essential thing is being together, supporting and watching each other’s back. Happyness with ‘Y’and Pain both go hand in hand. They are incomplete without each other, but to pass through the pain and go with the happiness is what is important at the end.
We made it !! We finally made it !! “MISSION “Mumbai – Leh Ride” CONQUERED !!”
Kindly approve our Travelogue so that I can proceed ahead with the detailing of our day wise adventure.
Till the time Njoyiee some teasers
Sachin keeping a watch on me (enroute Leh city)
We posing, A feeling of being at top of the world
One of our favorite photo (Somewhere near Sarchu )
Thikse monastery in its glory
Some struggle is worth doing (Zabardast Zozila )
Warriors never give up (Enroute Leh)
I almost died here, fighting snowfall at Tanglang La
Sachin having fun with GoPro at Moorey plains
This pics says it all about beauty of Ladakh and how difficult it is for Rider
Poser at Pangong
Some Pic doesnt need a Caption
At Changla Baba
Carving at Shanti Stupa
Flying Love Birds
Touro Exploring Pangong
Saffy and Touro having their Time
Scenic yet difficult Rohtang
Prayers makes Wonders
Some snaking time + the worry was hope no loose rock bang us on our head
The thought which kept us moving safely
Victory in Ishtyle
Shanti Stupa
Yellow my another fav color after BLUE
(hope she is reading this) .Usually we do such long trips with our friends (all hail brotherhood ) as generally girls can't handle such passion . Your hubby is very fortunate that he got a buddy as a wife ,he's very fortunate for having you . Keep rolling guys .
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