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**The Monk** · 09-04-2017, 12:01 PM

Re: Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

Travelogue Approved

Ooh nice. Waiting for the rest!

**zestbiker** · 09-04-2017, 08:23 PM

Re: Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

With the KTM390 cruising at a cool-110-115kmph on the empty early morning highways,we reached Mamoon Cantonment Pathankot at 7.15am and stopped for a cup of tea.
There a drizzle started and Parveen ji realized that he is not carrying a raincoat.With guidance from the tea stall owner,we went to the Railway station market about 3kms into the town and found a shop who was opening his shop shutter and had raincoats-bought one and just as we were rolling out,the drizzle turned into a downpour.Donned our raincoats and off we rolled into the downpour-by the next 40kms we were fully drenched INSIDE our raincoats and so decided to stop for breakfast .Our breakfast of aaluu-piaz parathas took us 48minutes but the rain did'nt abate-we decided to carry on nonetheless so as to loose as less time as possible but the progress was slow.
The rain stopped abruptly the moment we entered the Chamba valley at Banikhet and were greeted with lush green farmlands.After packing our rain gear,we clicked some photos and off we were to Chamba,speeding on the welcoming dry tarmac.Reached Chamba at 12.45pm and after filling petrol in our bikes we moved in opposite directions-Parveen ji towards Hadsar for his Mani Mahesh Kailash yatra and myself towards Bairagarh and on wards to Sach pass.The road to Bairagarh goes along the river Ravi at first and after some time leaves the Ravi behind and runs along its biggest tributary,the Kundla-both the rivers are very scenic-but the overcast conditions didnt allow the most appropriate captures.The road was initially good but i soon encountered broken and no road conditions with heavy dumper truck traffic ferrying sand .I had my lunch of rajma-chawal at the village Alawas at around 4pm at a dhabha run by a very hospitable guy named Karam Deen.

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**zestbiker** · 09-04-2017, 09:34 PM

Re: Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

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I reached Bairagarh which is 85kms from Chamba at 5.45pm and after checking out various stay options opted for Chamuda Hotel at Rs900 for the night with a clean airy room and bathroom with geyser.This place also has CCTV coverage for the parking.Had a bath,lubed the chain of the bike,had dinner over conversation about the details of Sach Pass and retired for the night at 8.30pm for a fitful sleep.Ludhiana to Bairagarh via Chamba had been a 385km ride with almost 240kms of it being mountain riding.

**zestbiker** · 09-05-2017, 04:07 PM

Re: Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

The morning dawned clear and bright at Bairagarh.Got up at around 7am and it was chilly enough to make me wear a fleece pullover over my nightdress.I took a leisurely stroll around town greeting everybody who was up and about and my smiles were returned with warmth-a few energetic kids wanted me to accompany them up a hill where their herd of cattle were tied which i short of time,gently refused.Went back to the hotel at 7.30am and inquired about breakfast and was told that the cook will come at 8am.
So i requested the staff for coffee and told them please mix a spoon of coffee with 2 spoons of sugar in a glass and bring it to me for creaming/beating-they were suprised at the request but brought the ingredients nevertheless-after creaming it proper i took it to the kitchen upstairs and handed over the glass to the staff instructing them to put one part milk and 3 parts water boiled together into the glass and give it to me in my room downstairs.A few minutes later,they brought me an odd looking liquid in the glass-which definitely didn't look like coffee-on inquiring that what have you guys done,the staff said that the cook has said that i have put jaggery(gudd) in the glass that's why the liquid is odd coloured-i could figure out that this was most likely because of overnight milk gone bad being used and told the waiter to get me another mixture of coffee and sugar,stand in front of me when i beat it,bring me fresh milk and then see for himself what a coffee looks like-which i eventually got-but this took well over 45minutes and i ordered breakfast of omelettes and parathas and packed luggage and bungeed it to the bike while sipping coffee.
Moved out after settling the bill at 9.14am-and started for Sach Pass. 2KMS out of town and the weather turned cloudy-Just as i was entering Kalaban area ,an intermittent drizzle started and this would accompany me till Bogotu. I was in no hurry and was soaking in the atmosphere which was rightly very scenic but the drizzly cloudy weather limited photography.Lots of small waterfalls and water crossing came along the way..The road now was stony and my overfilled tyres were making me bounce on the seat with absolutely no cushioning on the bumpy road-but this discomfort was the price that i was ready to pay to minimize the chances of tyre damage/punctures as i was alone.I met with a few bakkerwals with their sheep and horses grazing in the scenic grasslands.One group told me that they would have served me tea if i had arrived a few minutes earlier-they were winding up their breakfast and packing their utensils.Now the snow could be seen in the ravines and mountain tops. When i reached the Satrundi checkpost,i was videographed by the police personnel there along with all RC and licence copies and contact details.There was a well equipped dhaba there with provision for meals which if i had known,i would have moved out of Bairagarh without wasting time for breakfast and could have easily saved an hour.After Satrundi,the landscape becomes more barren and rocky.While i was absorbing the scenic beauty of the helipad area, a group of eleven WET Australian bikers with their back up Bolero came down from the Sach Pass area-they started at 7am from Killad and it was now almost 11.45am-so i like of got the idea what the ride down from Sach would be like.But my "Blor Betty",my D390 said "Giddy up boy" and off we climbed slowly and steadily as the road surface deteriorated from a stony path to wet boulders with dirty snow on the mountain sides .The weather was now cold and i wore my fleece pullover under my riding jacket. but my hands were getting frozen due to the damp summer riding gloves. I had to ride real slow for the fear of falling on wet boulders and it took me well over one hour to reach Sach top with frequent stoppages to admire the serene and absolutely stunning surroundings.I thanked the deity Mata ji at the top for allowing me safe passage and crossed over over from the Chamba valley to the Pangi valley on the other side.Surprisingly the sun came out for a few minutes while i was at the top bathing the whole place with a pleasant glow and warmth for which i was heartfelt grateful to the Lords of Sach

Nice day dawns

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Clouds started gathering as i started out

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On the way to Kala Ban-dense alpine forest area

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Numerous small and big waterfalls along the way

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The weather was cloudy and drizzly through out and in the shaded areas snow still had not melted

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This little one and it's mother wanted the road all to themselves

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Verdant grassland pastures full of multi colour flowers

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And the road starts getting tougher and the air colder

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These yellow wildflowers held sway over a rocky patch

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And then,nearing the pass,the snow packs showed up in earnest

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At the top

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**zestbiker** · 09-10-2017, 06:26 PM

Re: Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

Just as i crossed over to the Pangi valley,the landscape changed from a open wide valley to a narrow valley not more than a couple of hundred meters across. And as i stopped to view the ice walls,it hit me-The CHILLY wind.My wet gloves led to numb hands.My helmet has a top air vent which is stuck in open position and hence the insides were wet from the area around the vent and it suddenly felt that i have an ice cube stuck of the top of my head inside my helmet.And a few hundred meters down the road,the rain joined the part in earnest.I covered my DSLR bag with it's raincover and wore my rain coat.Due to the wet boulder strewn road and sharp descent,progress so very slow-a couple of shepherds walking down the slopes through the shortcuts could easily keep pace with my performance motorcycle and were smiling at my predicament-Nature is a great equilizer is'nt it??My bike's ABS was working overtime .The rain stopped after about 30-40 minutes and then it became foggy-i had to keep my helmet visor open to avoid misting.I removed my raincoat.By this time due to the icy dampness inside the top of the helmet and keeping the helmet open and maybe due to the AMS,I developed a headache which slowing started getting more painful.
Just as i was nearing the Bogotu dhabas,the sun came out and also the Bogotu nallah posed in front of me with full glory covering at distance of approximately 100 feet across. Stopped to gauge its flow force and depth and realized it was around 1.5 feet deep in the centre and around 10inches of water at the sides.The patch along the mountain side had been trampled by passing four wheelers and so ruts were visible.I decided to ride along the outer edge and calculated my trajectory where there was some evenness in the size of stones below the water.Gingerly tip toed into the water and held constant steering and speed but alas-in the deepest section a stone shifted under the front wheel and i had to balance with my left foot-and instantly felt the sting of the ice cold water.So the nallah won -Bogotu nallah -1,Gaurav Chopra-0.After crossing the nallah,i smiled back at it accepting the defeat of my riding skills graciously. The Bogotu dhabas were empty as i rode in and ordered tea. I removed my wet shoe and wrung my socks dry and put them on the KTM's exhaust pipe to heat dry while sipping my tea.Just then two jeepfull load of chirpy collage girls and their teachers arrived and alighted at the dhaba-and suddenly modest i and my fully loaded bike were the sole centre of attraction for 18-20 girls and ladies-man,that surely felt good and i thanked the Lord's that be for my stroke of luck.I had initially planned to move on after tea but my headache had not abated despite the beautiful environment and company so decided to have some food also to recharge the belly batteries.I had half a platee of Rajma rice,paid up and moved on.
The dry wind now carried the stony sand and grit with it and i could feel their pricks on my exposed neck.Some road work was also on as i descended.

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The ice walls still stand 15feet tall at the end of August

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Birth of a small nallah from the ice melts-this ultimately forms a big stream collecting water all through its length and then meets the Chandrbhaga

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The Bogotu water crossing

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Narrow valley continues

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Unique rock formations-the earth keeps busy within silently-these tell a story how the mountains were formed

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As the road descends,craggy mountains turn to lush Alpine forests

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This path led to a village up in the mountains but short of time,i did'nt explore

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Resting at the Chandrabhaga bridge

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And she flows fast and furious-The Chandrabhaga of Lahaul,Himachal Pradesh -The Chenab of J&K

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The view from Killad

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The headache progressively got worse as i rode down and i did'nt feel like photography and hence this section has the least photos.The country side had changed from craggy rocky peaks to luxurious alpine forests.Very few vehicles crossed me on the way up,a couple of Sumos,a tempo traveller,one HPRTC bus,a Scorpio,4-5 pick up jeeps and two motorcycles.I crossed the Chandrabhaga bridge at around 5.30pm and rode ownwards to Killad.
At Killad,checked Raj Hotel and Chamunda hotel and felt they were pricey- rode into a tea shop and inquired from the locals where to stay and one of them guided me to the Chandrabhaga home stay where i stayed in a fully wooden panelled room for Rs300(room exactly the same as in the famous Latoda huts).Had a medicine for headache finally and after an early dinner and setting for early morning tea was off to sleep at 8.30pm.

**Cruisemonk** · 09-11-2017, 11:05 PM

Re: Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

Hi, i Am from jalandhar and good to see punjab peoples also doing these trips very good travelogue please complete it

Sent from my 2014818 using xBhp.com mobile app

**zestbiker** · 09-12-2017, 03:48 PM

Re: Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

Thank you [MENTION=93910]Cruisemonk[/MENTION]
Will be completing the travelogue shortly.

**saikarthik** · 09-12-2017, 05:57 PM

Re: Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

Sach is a tough yet beautiful place to ride..

Li(o)vely pics..

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Sach is a tough yet beautiful place to ride..

Li(o)vely pics..

**maninderz** · 09-13-2017, 04:42 PM

Re: Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

Great pics and nice narration.
Nice to see a pb10 bike.

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using xBhp.com mobile app

**krishna77** · 09-14-2017, 05:49 AM

Re: Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

Beautifully captured!

**drive_angry** · 09-14-2017, 01:09 PM

Re: Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

Apart from the travelouge, the only thing pulled me is the PB10 bikes. Nice to see ppl from around my hometown travelling to explore beauty around them. How did you guys took care of the chain during the trip?

Waiting for more!!

drive_angry

**zestbiker** · 09-16-2017, 05:52 PM

Re: Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

Thank you [MENTION=42435]saikarthik[/MENTION] [MENTION=57890]maninderz[/MENTION] [MENTION=57323]krishna77[/MENTION] [MENTION=77927]drive_angry[/MENTION] for the words of appreciation.

**sajalsheth** · 09-16-2017, 09:59 PM

Re: Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

@zestbiker ji (or GC ji)

**zestbiker** · 09-17-2017, 03:51 PM

Re: Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

Originally posted by sajalsheth View Post

[ATTACH]234666[/ATTACH]

@zestbiker ji (or GC ji)

Thank you Sajal bhai

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The alarm rang at 5.30am and i woke up fresh with the first bell.I put on my fleece pullover on my night dress and ventured out of the homestay into one of the cleanest and most fragrant air i have ever felt-there had been some overnight showers and it was full light outside thou the sun was yet to come up from behind the mountains.I took a long stroll on the road and exchanged greetings with the few other early risers-one elderly gentleman in classy traditional attire stopped to have a chat and wished me well on my further trip to Kishtwar and back home.
In the mean time the shop in front of my homestay which had to serve me breakfast had opened up and the workers were doing the cleaning and preparing tea -so ordered a cuppa and it was good so had another one all the while answering questions from the workers who spoke himachali accented punjabi and came every year to work 10 months in Killad from Chamba.As the workers started kneading dough,went back to my room and freshened up,packed everything,loaded the bike,cleared the dues at the homestay and moved to the breakfast shop-it was 7.15am and asked for the breakfast-was told that the cook was on the way -and i will have to wait.My grumbling stomach told me to wait.
Eventually finished the breakfast of omelette and plain parathas and moved out -it was 8.14am by the time i started the ride into the glistening sunny road towards Kishtwar

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The view from outside the place i stayed in

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The zero point-the turn to Kishtwar

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After around 10kms of riding on rubble due to the road widening work going on,reached a small broad patch from where a road goes to the now hot destination of Sural Bhattori-the distance was 19kms uphill but i resisted the temptation to go there and kept it pending as an excuse to come into the Pangi valley again and continued riding further.A solitary packed Sumo crossed me at the village named LUJ and the road started descending shortly afterwards towards the Himachal Pradesh-J &K border outpost of Sansari.Noticed that cannabis weed grew on both side of the road in gay abandon and whatever cattle were grazing were munching coolly on it.
The police outpost at Sansari was manned by very well educated and mannered new police recruits who entered my I.D details had a long conversation with me about my KTM,my jouney and what not-their accommodations were very clean and up to date washrooms up the roadside and they offered me tea which i politely refused citing my tummy is full.
Just across the police outpost is the Sansari nallah which was in full force and carried an awesome amount of water.The river Chandrabhaga is refered to Chenab from here on.
The Sansari nallah

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The river widens at this point to accept the large amount of water from the nallah.

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The moment i crossed the Sansari bridge,i was in JK territory and the region is known as Padder valley.Now the road turned up into a steep incline in a series of hairpins and gains altitude fast-the road here is nothing but a rock strewn muddy path and i had to half clutch the KTM with care to avoid wheelspin on the road rendered slippery due to the overnight rain.Took a short stop here to rest the bike and take in the fragrant air and enjoy the solitude.While resting,the thought of the predicament of anybody trying to go down this slippery road did come up and just hoped he cross it safely.Here i came across some families walking along the road and waved to them but they didn't respond

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Shortly after this stop,came up to the beautiful village of Ishtyari which is a big village with a high school.

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Crossing this village and one can see the full section of the so called Cliff Hanger road in front of oneself-i sure was excited.

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Around 100meter long section of the road has been cut into the side of the mountain

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This foliage in the middle of the road shows both the resilience of nature and the low traffic on this road.

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I rode this beautiful section of the road with frequent stops to fully take in the atmosphere and paid my gratitude to mother nature for her beautiful architecture of the landscape.The good thing for me here was that most of the road was soft mud and my ride got that much more comfortable.Also from Ishtyari,vehicles started to show up off and on

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Proceeded to the next village named Tyari and found a small shop and had tea break and had talk with the young lad running the show who told me that the whole of Padder valley is inhabited by Rajputs-whether Hindus or Muslims and is peaceful co-existance with pea,potato,barley,majra and rajma being the main crops across the valley with pea cultivation predominant in the higher reaches.He told me about a valley higher up-Gandhari Valley-and said it was very very beautiful and a must visit.Thanked him and moved on.It was 11am by now and i had covered only 40kms in 3hours.Kishtwar was still 80kms away-so decided to rein in my breaks.Crossed 3-4 more beautiful villages,water crossings and nallahs of which Sol village is the transit point for 25tons of peas everyday brought down from the villages high up.The place was teaming with mules.And the Sol nallah was also a strong strong flow of water.

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The farmlands at village Sol

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At around 1.30pm,reached Gulabgarh-which is the starting point of the Mata Machail Yatra of 32kms along the Machail Nallah to the Machail Mata Shrine and the town was teaming with people.
Crosssed the town towards Hatoli where i met with fresh landslide and was delayed by an hour as the road was cleared

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At around 1.30pm,reached Gulabgarh-which is the starting point of the Mata Machail Yatra of 32kms along the Machail Nallah to the Machail Mata Shrine and the town was teaming with people.
Crosssed the town towards Hatoli where i met with fresh landslide and was delayed by an hour as the road was cleared

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Gulabgarh-named after one of the kings of Jammu-who facilitated the development of this town for the convenience of Mata Machail devotees.

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The roads were broken in places right up till Kishtwar -which is a very picturesque town but did'nt click pictures much except at the Kishtwar Char Chinar chowgan park as i was now running short of time.The park had more animals loitering around than people.Strong army presence is evident from Kishtwar onwards. It was almost 6pm by the time i crossed Doda by-pass and noted the route cut for Bhaderwah and Bhasoli for some other trip.

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And from there straight to Batote -where i took a short break for a cup of tea and a plate of noodles,then the Chenani tunnel and onwards to Udhampur.I did stop at the new shops of the famous KUD mithaiwallahs and collected sweets for home.The road before Udhampur is undergoing widening and it was very dusty.Rode nonstop till Jammu and was in Jammu at 8.45pm safe and sound though tired with a fatigued backside and the start of bum burn.Took a hotel,had a relaxed emptying of the bowels,had a bath,tasty dinner and was off to sleep.Next morning,a 5 hour high speed ride with a breakfast break had me back at home at 1.15pm.
Total -1119kms in 79 hours and memories of a lifetime.
With Grace from the Gods of Mountains,Passes,forests,bikes and tyres and the Blessings of parents my trip was safely complete.

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Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

Solo Two Wheeled Rolling on the Cliff Hanger Road

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