Thanks nio...yes will upload more...

Aryan:thanks.
When i did spiti last year from shimla side, i never experienced mountain sickness at all. even in Leh i never encountered AMS when i was there in june. it happened this time. But, it was okay no major problems. i spent 2 and a half hours at the lake and enjoyed it. Do go this year, you would get siberian geese at the lake.

Nice pics there!

Very Nice!!

@Anshul - nice ride indeed. These pics act as as coolers for mortals like me sweating it out in Lucknow that too with books!!
If you could please post some more pics as I'm still hungry.

@Aryan - Please don't dicuss plans in thread as I feel jealous of you. LANSDOWNE & now another trip in line...... not good.
Well just kidding... do it more & enjoy to hilt.

Hey thanks a lot Abhishek. Why are you sweating it out in lucknow??

Oh! Amazing pictures. I SO want to ride out right now. Thanks for sharing those Anshul! Terific work.

Day 2

DAY 2:

BATAL:

I am sitting in a wee little dhaba surrounded by huge barren mountains in Batal on the Manali-Kaza highway listening to “jaane woh kaise log the” from Pyasa on a 1945 radio…a perfect medley and setting after a day long eventful ride. Juxtapose this with sitting in an video editing suite in Gurgaon surrounded by apple's amcintosh's….would any day prefer the former.

So, I started around 9 from Katrain, a delayed start because of cramps. Saw a doctor and left for Manali, where I got the petrol and picked up few chocolates and biscuits for the ride. There was a long queue for diesel. I got curious when I saw an Enfield in the queue bearing Maharahtra number. Wow, a diesel enfield! I waited for a while for the guy and spoke to him once he was done with the fuelling of his bike. His name was Manish and he was on the way to Leh from Nagpur. Kudos to him for riding a diesel bullet all the way from Nagpur. I wished him luck and proceeded towards Batal, the destination of the day.


Okay now, “har gadhi” from Saransh. Getting back, ride from Manali to Marhi was good. Though, there were a few slushy patches near Gulaba. After a quick brunch at Marhi, I proceeded towards Rohtang and there were no roads only slushy patches to negotiate. I had difficulty in negotiating some of them. BRO are widening the roads and some of the work is almost done.

After taking a right turn from Gramphu to Kaza, there are some of the most beautiful views of lush green meadows. Sheep’s and wild horses grazing coupled with blue skies and snow capped mountains was a sight to look out for. Just to immerse in the moment, I stopped at a particular stretch walked up to the green patch and just sat there gazing at the vista. After a while, I lied down on the grass and soon fell asleep for an hour or so. It was one of the best sleeps I have had in a long time. Felt great after sleeping in nature’s lap.

Oh! Another favourite song- “ek akela is shehar mein” What a coincidence!
The slushy roads and rain of the previous day gave way to water streams. And the water was COLD! It was impossible to keep one’s feet in it for more than 10 sec. After crossing one of such streams before Chhatru, I remembered advising a rider from Bangalore to ride in this stretch (MANALI TO KAZA), who was cribbing that he didn’t get his feet’s wet in his trip to Ladakh.

After zipping past Chhatru, I was really looking forward to crossing Chotta Dhara as this is one of the difficult streams to cross, specifically at the hour I was riding. But, I negotiated it and a few others which followed quite well.

It seemed like I was the only few souls traveling on the stretch as I came across only 2 bullet riders in my entire ride from Gramphu to Batal. Nevertheless, I didn’t think about it a lot as I had the Chandrabhaga River and the huge mountains accompanying me and at times there were moments when I just gawked at what was there in sore for me at the next curve. All this never made me feel a lone traveler at the heights I was riding in.

Okay now, my favourite song from Anand, “kahin dur jab din dhal jaaye”

ROUTE TAKEN: Manali-Rohtang pass- Gramphu- Chhatru- Chotta Dhara- Batal.

DISTANCE COVERED: 134kms.

EXPENSES: 270 fuel; 50 choclates; 60 food.

It may sound dumb..but there are some stupid questions one needs to ask badly....
Can we carry little O2 cylinders? Little as in the size of Room freshner cans.. Are such cylinders available? IF yes then they would come in handy when one would feel breathless.

Here are some more. Will add some B&W's tomorrow....

Let me know when you are going....will accompany you. Can't get over the view of the lake....

@moeed: thanks man.

Which HPTDC hotel did you check which has cottages next to the Beas? And how much did it cost?

Reading Day2, I am not sure if I would mind sitting in a room surrounded by Macs editing videos!

Enticing is an understatement!!!
Anshul, kudos... I am loving it, waiting for Day3.

Anshul: Fantastic stuff bro..the pics are simply mesmerizing...

Ken- The name of the hotel is Apple blossom. The room costed me 400 bucks.

B2L and inder cool: thanks.

Here are some of the B&W's.

@Anshul,,pics are really mindblowing,,i liked ur B&W work very much, specially the last set^^^^too good bro..!!bring some more pics.

@Anshul: Great!!! I am getting restless..... and you know why!!!

@Aryan: Kab Chalna hai bol????