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Originally posted by caravikiran
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Nice answer from the army man.
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And Then there's KRISS
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Day 5,6 - Logs and pics
Day : 5 - 27th August 08
Having relaxed a bit the previous evening, we all got up fresh (relatively, mind you J) in the morning. Today’s plan was to reach to one of the worlds largest & highest lake – Pangang Tso. Though unwilling we had to check out of the cozy hotel room and carry on with what we had set out for. We had breakfast in the hotel and left by 9:30 AM. The lady who owned the hotel was generous enough to give us some apple to eat on our way. We carried on the beautiful Leh – Upshi road till karu, which is around 50 kms from Leh. Here we had to take a left to proceed towards Pangang Tso lake. We reported at the army check point and showed our permits. Thankful to Bunny for the permits which were ready by the time we reached Leh on day 3. We proceeded towards Chang La, another one of those highest passes in the world. Road condition is the most horrifying thought we were all having. Roads were good. And we were climbing. Any incline with good roads will make my tongue stick out J I went ahead to capture some pics of my fellow riders. And positioned myself at an elevation and took the snaps which I wanted to take while each one passed me one after another. Then I started and Vi had stopped and waiting to return the favor and he took my snap when i was riding in the mountains. Soon our nightmare became true, the asphalted roads disappeared and we were doing our, by now, usual offroading stuff and climbing in such conditions is very tough on machines. Soon we reached Chang La. There was huge snow filled mountain peak just next to. We rode down the road again to get us clicked with the snow filled peak in the background. We then proceeded towards Panagang Tso. Roads improved. Another army check post. Some of us ate the apples we got before we left the hotel. I had some chocolate biscuits with me to eat. We had covered about 60 kms I think and it was around 12 PM. We proceeded towards Pangong Tso which was around 100 kms more. Roads were good. No vehicle in the opposite direction and none to overtake us. We were riding pretty close to each other. We stopped for lunch at a tent next to a river stream Pangang Tso was still around 50 kms more and it was 2:30 PM I think. Do I have to mention what we had ?? J We had a little fun time at the tent and off we went towards the lake. I started last again and was riding last. Vi was ahead of me and Is was ahead of him. We (Vi &me) took a turn and saw Is pushing his bike in the opposite direction. We realized what has happened. He was okay, just a small fall. We started again after having some water. We found one beautiful small pond and pulled over for some photo session. Then we started again. I was riding ahead with Bu & Ni. Rest of the 3 were just behind us. We 3 first reached the notorious stream called as “Pagal nala” (Mad Stream). This was one of the numerous water streams we had to cross through out the trip, right from Manali. This was different. No doubt this was the deepest one to across. Water level in this stream increases as day progresses and sun melts the snow up the mountains. This stream is infamously know for washing away even army trucks because its water level would increase all of a sudden, without warning and the current would become strong enough to wash away even the heavy trucks. Bu first crossed, followed by Ni Bhai. I then removed my shoes and socks, I didn’t wanted them to get wet. I also crossed it pretty easily. The stream is about 50 feet in length. I had to put my feet down a couple of times in the water and the water was freezing cold…rest 3 came soon Vi & Is faced some difficulty is crossing the stream. Our destination was just around 20 kms away from here. The first view of the Pangong lake, I was eager to reach it. Took a couple of snaps as the rest of them went. We reached Pangong Tso by around 5 PM I think. What a sight was it. Like an ocean, there is no end to it. It was all more than just worth it. We went on the bank of the lake for another 10 kms searching for accommodation. This was one of the worst stretch of road, but the fact that we were used to it by now, helped us to ride through it. It was even more disappointing when we learned that there is no accommodation there and we had to back track the 10 kms to reach for the first accommodation place. It was nearing sunset time and the view of the lake was breath taking. While all of them went to enjoy the sunset by the lake, I took a little rest in the room, which was next to the lake. We had a good dinner (not the usual menu). The night sky was memorable. It was the best night sky I have seen in my life. So many stars around. Me and Bu were outside the room admiring the view of the sky and we saw two shooting stars with in a span of 15 mins. Awesome sight. During dinner when Bu asked who would accompany him to the highest road (unofficially) Marsik Mik la (M-Top), I had no hesitation in answering a yes and I knew my bike would be the last to say “I can’t climb any more !”. But later I realized I was the only one who said Yes. So, Bu & me were going to go to M-Top the next day morning and then back to Leh. Rest of the group would return back to Leh. I had to get up at 5:30 AM to leave with Bu. We kept enough buffer time for ourselves since we knew the roads were bad and didn’t know how bad they were.
Kms coverd on day 5 : Around 170 kms
Total Kms for the trip : 1300 kms
Departure Time from Leh : 9:30 AM
Arrival time at Pangong Tso : 5:00 PM
Army Checkpost just after Karu.
There they come
Ishaq..feeling like god…!
Bunny, Nitin, Vivek & Chanderjeet
Pics at Chang La
Mini Pangang Tso J
Caught You both !!
Lunch Break next to the stream.
Bunny Crossing Pagal Nala
Nitin Bhai’s turn to tame the nala.
First View of Pangong Tso lake
Mr. Cool = Vivek J
Day : 6 - 28th August 08
It was the most eventful day for me in the trip. I got up at 5 AM and saw Bu still snoring in his dreams, I thought he had changed his mind..so I slept again. At 6, he woke me up. He said he is starting in half an hour. I was like…how on earth can I start in 30 mins with all my procedures J I was ready to go by 7 AM. 15 mins before that Bu had already left for M-Top. He had told me the route leading to the army check post where we had to take special permissions. I was supposed to meet him there. I said bye to the group and I left with their wishes. I reached the check post at around 7:30 AM. By that time Bu had convinced the army officials there to allow us to ride to the worlds highest road. We were delighted to get the permission, determined to re write history, we began our ride which turned out to be the toughest till date. M-Top was around 22 kms from the army post. There is no road, you can’t even imagine about the sign boards. No human soul anywhere. The inclines were intimidating. I came across these lines to convey what we felt “I do not ask to walk smooth paths nor ride on easy road ; I pray for strength and fortitude to climb the rock strewn road. Give me such courage, I can climb the hardest peaks alone; and then I shall learn to transform every stumbling rock into a stepping stone”. Its always the discussion which we have with ourselves that matter, isn’t it ?? The inclines got steep and the road tougher by every passing km. I was riding behind Bu for quite some time. We had to stay together since there were no roads. There were just tracks, formed by army trucks. We were very confused about which one to choose as there were many of them. I was riding in 2 nd gear continuously for around 5 kms now. Bike wouldn’t go up. Then I pressed the clutch and wanted to shift to 1st. To my amazement, the bike was in first gear itself for all this 5 kms…i used clutch to give some momentum and went ahead of Bu. Then I could shift to 2 nd and then 3 rd for a brief period. It got colder and colder. I stopped by a frozen part of stream to check Bu’s progress. He was coming. There were two tracks here, one which went the usual way of climbing hills - hairpin curves and the other a steep incline to shortcut the hairpin. I told Bu to take the hairpin but I guess he didn’t get me and took the steep incline one. I went ahead with the hairpin and passed Bu as he was still struggling to climb the incline. My odo was reading 20 kms from the army post and I had reached top of a cliff. I was wondering there is no other peak higher than this visible with tracks in it. There was a small mile stone, I checked what it was and it read M.Mikla 0 kms…which means I had conquered M-Top…what a feeling it was ..”What looks to be nothing, that finally becomes everything ……and what is everything(roads) suddenly changes to nothing” .. I went and signaled to Bu that this is it. He was just 50 mtrs from it. After struggling hard he finally reached. He saw the milestone and an emotional Bu fell flat of the ground on his back. We had a little photo session. It started snowing mildly as though gods were welcoming us to the top J. I asked Bu, what was the temp reading in his watch. He said “4 Degrees and dropping J” It was 9:20 AM.
We had spent close to 20 mins on probably the highest place we can go with our bikes. Concerns of AMS hitting us again started to bother us and we decided to make a move before the snowfall picks up. Anyways there was nothing around to gaze at, apart from the snow filled mountain ranges. Having accomplished our goal, we were relaxed and started the descent. We were actually well ahead of time. After the fall I had during Tanglangla descent, I had developed a dislike for decline on gravel. Bu, ripped of literally and soon he vanished into the horizon. I was taking it very very slow and he was took the decline very very fast J The valley was direction was to our right. My decline Phobia hit me again. The tracks had marks on left and right with loose sand in between. I was distracted for a moment and next thing I see, I had left the left part of the track and was on loose sand in the center. What next ? I fell..simple.. J Fortunately I was doing around 30 kmph, so no major damage. But the bike had fallen inclining downhill. It was very tough ask for me to first lift the bike horizontal and then lift it up completely. Just lifting up the bike took me a good 10 mins. I had to relax in the middle after 5 mins. Air is so thin at such heights, we fell so weak, absolutely no strength what so ever !! Slowly made my way to the Army camp where Bu was waiting for me. We had not had our breakfast yet and it was around 10:45 AM. To our pleasant surprise, the army ppl at the base had prepared tea for us…so nice of them. We galloped it with some biscuit I had and thanked the officers there before we began our journey back in an attempt to join our group. In the whole 40 kms (20 + 20) of stretch, we encountered only two vehicles and it was of a little surprise that both of them were army trucks. One in each direction. So, the dream of being at the highest road had seen the light of the day. We had a sense of completion , then we realized, we had to ride still a good 1200 kms before we can complete our HX. We were riding at a pretty steady pace very close to each other. We encountered the “Pagal Naala” at around 11:15 AM. Water level was very less compared to the previous day. We crossed it effortlessly apart from the fact that I didn’t remove my shoe & socks and they were wet L. We stopped at the same eat out next to the stream where we had stopped y’day. We asked that guy if some group of bikers had stopped by, he said just an hour ago. We said to ourselves, not bad we can surely join them before Leh. We had some food (usual HX menu J) and it was around 12:15 PM. We left for Chang la. We were just 5 kms before Chang La, we found Vi & Ch standing by the side of the road. Ch’s bike couldn’t take the torture any more and she refused to move ahead. Clutch plates were charred I guess. It was decided that me and Bu will proceed towards Chang La / Karu and look for a pick up truck. Meanwhile if Vi & Ch find some truck, they would ask for help and transport the bike. We crossed Chang la, didn’t find any help there. Bunny went ahead. I was about to reach Karu (I had left Vi & Ch 40 kms behind) when I was Bu riding in the opposite direction with a pickup truck following closely behind him. It was decided that Bu will go ahead to Leh and I will go back in the truck to help get Ch’s bike. I parked my bike in a road side house. People in this part of the world are very humble, down to earth people. I put all my luggage in the truck. Truck slowly started to climb. I saw so many beautiful places around all of which I had missed while riding. My camera’s batteries were dead, so no snaps. After a 35 kms drive which almost took an hour, we were just about to reach Chang la, I was Vi & Ch coming in their respective bikes. I asked the truck driver to signal them and they realized I was there. What happened next was totally unexpected. Ch asked me “What happened ???”.. I was like ……at first I thought he was kidding, then when I realized he wasn’t I was dumb stuck J Form there Ch & Vi rode on their bikes towards karu as I enjoyed an another hour of drive inside the truck. We reached the spot where I had parked by bike. Put all the luggage back on the bike and then paid the truck driver for the drive and proceeded towards Leh. I went ahead as I was tired and wanted to catch some rest. Reached Leh. Is & Ni had by this time settled down in a hotel in Leh. Bu had also reached the hotel. I joined them soon, freshened up,Vi & Ch reached by then. had dinner and slept to catch up some sleep.
Kms coverd on day 6 : Around 210 kms
Total Kms for the trip : 1510 kms
Departure Time from Pangang Tso : 7:15 AM
Arrival time at M-Top : 9:20 AM
Departure Time from M-Top Pangang Tso : 9:40 AM
Arrival time at Leh : 7:00 PM
Pics From Day 6.
Those of you wondering what the teaser pic of HX 5 is…..
This is the highest altitude a bike can possibly go, at 18500 + feet.
May be the first 220 & ZMA to reach here.
We Made it….
Bunny thanking his ZAM.
A snap of the track we followed to reach M-Top.
After Chang La
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Superb pics and logs Ravi. Your bike missed my bike truly.
You put us in suspense. What the hell happened next after the snow? Do I need to ask you the question??
Last edited by ravi@17bhp; 10-02-2008, 01:12 AM.HH Karizma (Current) || CBF Stunner PGM-FI || Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler
Honda Aviator || Kinetic Flyte || Kinetic Blaze || HH Splendor
Two ZMAs, 9 Days in Western GhatsComment
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Looks like you guys had a good ride! Nice to see you in the thick of the action Ravi. Am happy you and your beloved 220 made it all the way and back
"Tough times never last, but tough people do." - Robert Schuller
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R.I.P Kriss; 15.06.1981 - 11.10.2009 -- You will not be forgotten.Comment
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@ caravikiran - it's not the inclines and dirt track that makes it difficult for vehicles to performs but the scanty level of oxygen present near passes. It robs the bikes of all the power and you feel like riding a 60cc moped.
Did 220 with fi also felt this problem? Ideally it should have adapted to the atmosphere change and leaned the fuel mixture accordingly.
On my first trip on moore plains my unicorn did not cross 80 as I was running a ZMA jet. In the next attempt with a stock jet and K&N i was able to touch 100 on the same stretch.
I would be interested in hearing how the 220 performed in comparision to carburetted zma in the mountains. Did you feel drastic loss of power near passes especially tanlangla.
cheers
vishwasComment
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@ all : Are youguys able to see the pics in this page ?Comment
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Yep Prabhu. I am able to see all the pics.Originally posted by prabhubravo View Post
HH Karizma (Current) || CBF Stunner PGM-FI || Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler
Honda Aviator || Kinetic Flyte || Kinetic Blaze || HH Splendor
Two ZMAs, 9 Days in Western GhatsComment
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awesome trip guyz! pics are absolutely mindblowing!Adverts here :DComment
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Nice ..
waiting for the rest of the log...
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ravi anna......updating thread when???
me english good very
07 HH Zma
11 Honda Aviator DLX
14 Ford Figo 1.4 TDCI (Now Caged:( )
16 Scooty Zest
11 CBR 250RComment
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Snaps from HX 5
Well..things have been very busy at office for the last couple of months.
Thanks to Vivek - inspite of his office proceedings being same as mine, he had given me the DVD of pics from all of us about two months ago.
So, here i am uploading all the snaps - feast for eyes.
Pics from Day 1
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Lovely pictures there caravikiran do you have more??You Make Your Choices, And You Don't Look BackComment
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Yes Ankur...lots of them
Day 1 are just trailers....i have selected 11 from day 1.
i have 37 !! for day 2...uploading them..Comment
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Wow awesome pics waiting for the trip logs to be completed ....and Ravi do you have the Chennai G2G pics??
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