Since '02 xBhp is different things to different people. From a close knit national community of bikers to India's only motorcycling lifestyle magazine and a place to make like-minded biker friends. Join us

Axor
Magazine
Castrol Power 1

Work on your panic braking skills.

Our Partner

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

The Great Escape - Ladakh: A Journey beyond Reasons!

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 13
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 13 template Next
  • MG
    replied
    Finished reading till Day 10.

    Reading the condition of Steve at KhardungLa I think it was very risky that he get down alone but glad to know he did that safely.

    Nubra is a very special place and one of my favourites from the trip. After looking at the pictures of Shyok route I'm cursing myself that we didn't take that route, seems more like a homeground for me but at the end we had to be sensible at that time.More on that when our log comes.

    MLa was seriously some effort and kudos to you for doing it on the ZMR which is not the easiest bike to ride.

    ChangLa pictures made me smile. Finally a place where we had more snow than the rest of people and a story to tell.

    Waiting to read the rest of the story.

    Leave a comment:

  • steveburnside2001
    replied
    Originally posted by MG_Biker1806 View Post
    Finally finished with reading logs till Day 5. Very good stuff and like Ken's album Zozilla looked deadly. We just got a km of bad stretch in Zozilla.
    Your comment on the fact that ZMR is bad on cross winds points to the fact that probably the weight distribution is not good(Even ZMA is pretty bad in countering crosswinds).

    From Drass to Leh you guys really took a lot of time. We started at around 10, got screwed between a army convoy (lost an hour and half), something happened(more on our log) army convoy overtook us and we again got screwed(lost another hour), punture (lost another hour), meet up with Mumbai group but still we reached Leh at around 7.
    glad to see that you enjoyed the log. waiting to read your experience as well. the zma is not good during crosswinds but this time with the ceat tyre combo , it was barely noticeable and the bike was very stable even in heavy crosswinds. the zmr had issues as it had a full fairing and this did not help with cross winds and water crossings.

    the journey from drass to leh took us about 10-11 hours. couple of reasons for the delay

    1. we were exhausted crossing godzilla the previous day with heavy rains.
    2. we never pushed ourselves - our initial target for the day was to stop about 100 kms before leh and when we were close to leh we decided to push it.

    Leave a comment:

  • MG
    replied
    Finally finished with reading logs till Day 5. Very good stuff and like Ken's album Zozilla looked deadly. We just got a km of bad stretch in Zozilla.
    Your comment on the fact that ZMR is bad on cross winds points to the fact that probably the weight distribution is not good(Even ZMA is pretty bad in countering crosswinds).

    From Drass to Leh you guys really took a lot of time. We started at around 10, got screwed between a army convoy (lost an hour and half), something happened(more on our log) army convoy overtook us and we again got screwed(lost another hour), punture (lost another hour), meet up with Mumbai group but still we reached Leh at around 7.

    Leave a comment:

  • Ananth
    replied
    Originally posted by cbz xtreme View Post
    Wow Ananth. Great. Even the return trip was not a easy deal I suppose..?

    That last pic of Tanglanla was like a graphic. (Point and shoot or some graphics added).
    Tried a HDR, didnt come out well i guess

    Leave a comment:

  • cbz xtreme
    replied
    Wow Ananth. Great. Even the return trip was not a easy deal I suppose..?

    That last pic of Tanglanla was like a graphic. (Point and shoot or some graphics added).

    Leave a comment:

  • Ananth
    replied
    One more of Tanglang La

    Leave a comment:

  • Ananth
    replied
    Day 10: Pangong Tso - Chang La - Tanglang La - Pang

    Day 10: Pangong Tso - Chang La - Tanglang La - Pang





    The Initial hurdle was to pullup the bike from the Homestay to the road, which is atleast a feet or two from where the bike is parked. I was a bit skeptical, but the bike pulled up cleanly. Steve followed up & we proceeded on. The last sight of the Pangong still holds a special place in the heart. It was so calm, yet attractive & Elegant. Rode the last few kilometers seeing the blue beauty and all worries were washed away in those crystal clear waters!

    Our Room:



    Pangong Tso:









    Near Tangtse:





    GPS Works!!

























    The pass was about a few kilometers above the TCP, The amount of snow was enormous. Not an eyesore - But it was so glittering & too bright. I could not change the settings or switch modes in that cold wind for the right picture. Even the SLRs were used as a Point & Shoot and move on



































    The roads from there to Shakthi / Karu was rather easy. Tarmac all over - And it was rather climb down for the most part. Smooth corners, well marked diversions made us cover distances quick.





















    A quick pee break & we were off towards the ever challenging Tanglang La. I was told that it is so barren & it always Snows at the top. Heck! There is so much snow around already, wonder whats in store for us. Good thing was that the GPS atleast gave us what the next POI & distance properly. We were able to manage / decide on breaks / places to eat n rest well in advance. After Upshi, Our next break was near Rumptse. There was nothing much other than a old Military Canteen that we saw there. The Sun was out and we were getting dehydrated fast. I took the Sunscreen and applied a thick layer on my face & especially the nose. I had already got my nose burnt a couple of times now.





    Steve pushed ahead while i relaxedly went for a pee, drank some more water & some chocolates & moved on. Meanwhile the guys from KA catched up & they were fast! I can never ride like that on hills, nor any road. May be I'm just a beginner - But riding on pathetic road conditions with such speed / aggression is uncalled for. Around 30 Kilometers away from Tanglang La - and the mountain roads was making me dizzy. It was like going around yourself for a 100 times. And seeing the gps track made me piss up, I was literally going circling around the hill for about 15 - 20 minutes, yet covered no big ground. The roads became worse & worse, Steve was munching miles as if it was his own backyard, and i could hardly maintain 10 - 20 kmph on such terrain. Slowly the barren tracks & mountains were starting to cover up with Snow. More or less a common sight now. As we climb up to the pass, it was getting increasingly difficult, but still manageable. But for Steve, It took a lot of concentration & i could sense he was frustrated. The roads were sliding down to the right (cliff) and the snow was melting and making the roads fill up with water, some ice & a lot of water puddles. So even if we ride on the left end, the inclination pushed us to the right side of the road. I didn't feel much of it, But steve was having great difficulty climbing Tanglang La. It required more attention & concentration and be cautious all the time. The oncoming Sumo's were another problem, they will not bother about motorcycles on their oncoming - they drive in with the same amount of speed and make us stop in the edge of the road. It could be that they lose their torque or what ever but, I wouldn't want some one brushing my saddlebags while passing by every other corner. Nearing the top, It was all snowed up - Yes, It was so white & bright - and eyes weren't able to adjust to that amount of bright white snow.















    So then, we finally reached the TOP after so much gasping, breathlessness. It was so windy, cold at the TOP of Tanglang la - we stopped not more than 30 seconds, two pictures & we started riding down. Normally It was Steve who starts the ride down first, but it was so harsh there that no one was there at the top. Saw many Swifts & a Honda City too on the oncoming, so that gave me hope that Barlacha La should be motorable.It all boils down to Barlachala now, the only other difficult pass. And i would consider Rohtang as the toughest, for not abount incline or weather, but the amount of people on road causing a havoc. The climb down from Tanglang La was no different, Steep - barren - snowed out and battered roads.



















    Steve spotted a tent there & pushes there for a stop. I see that he is worn out! Atleast I am worn out in the long push from Rumptse to More plains, 50 kilometers of Off-Roading experience. At the Dhabha, we meet a whole lot of Bikers. some 20 of them. Most of them from Bangalore, few from Maharashtra and we 2 from Chennai. A small meet up and they were fixing up a Pulsar 220, which had a flat tyre in Tanglang La. Too bad the owner rode all the way with the flat bending his rim. We cannot fix the tubeless puncture now. They searched around and got a tube and fixed it. Thankfully we were all prepared. I went in to the small tent there and ordered for Tea & Maggi. On conversing with Bikers there i came to know that they were stuck in Manali side for more than a week, and they had so much to speak about already. From Bullet giving up at Gramphoo to Crossing Rohtang at 2 AM. It was very interesting to hear them speak.

    They were regular to Ladakh, visiting every year - Yet i wonder why they would ride from Pang and stop by More Plains for the night. Yes, There is acomodation in More Plains (a Tent, Just like Pang). But it could get very cold in More plains in the night.



    Meanwhile I quickly emptied one more bowl of Maggi while Steve was busy speaking to people outside. In the middle of the desert you have so many like minded people and no one else to disturb. I wish we could stay there for the night, but we still had some sun light and the time was around 6 PM. 90 Minutes of light is what i assumed, and we have 40 kilometers to cover. It is gonna be tough, but still we would want to make it soon. We started and the pleasure of riding in More plains is all one should experience. Its not different to other roads, but still the vast wide open landscape - never ending terrain - and you could go on & on without feeling the altitude we are speaking (14000+ feet above MSL) We tried to off road a bit, but got back onto the road - heck! even the roads were like off roading. With dimming sun light and clouds teasing us as though it would rain, we pushed ahead. There is some construction work going on now, and so there were so many TAKE DIVERSIONS! Funny to read, In the vast landscape you come across Take diversions, and because of that too - our speeds were reduced. We were soon joined by the Bikers we met in Upshi again and also the other buddies we met in the More Plains restaurant. The diversions meant we had to take off-road and ride on loose sand / mud. I slipped a few times but managed to pass through. Steve too had his luck. And we come across yet another diversion, Steve went in first and i tailed him, I see a small incline from the off-road back to the proper road. Steve missed traction and he stopped a second. I had no idea how high the incline was, went ahead and lost control as Steve stopped. My Visor was filled with fog & I open it to see i fell down trying to climb up the road. 3 - 4 Bikers run in to help. I was all right, This could be the third time I'm falling. Im slowly getting used to it.We stop for a few pictures, Try some more off-roading and then move on.





























    The darkness was creeping in, With our poor headlights we cant do much, we pushed a bit, increasing the speeds as careful as we can. It was already 7 15 PM and Sunlight wouldn't be there by time you realise its too unsafe to move on. The clouds were looming over, Steve said it would rain soon and we need to reach Pang ASAP. It didn't rain thankfully, But we rode on without much breaks, not much pictures - No pee breaks, No butt breaks. We had enough of them already. The last ghats to reach pang was literally killing. Far Too much crosswinds making my bike swing like a needle. I would have almost been killed if i had not reacted fast when a huge wind took me over from a corner to the edge of the cliff. I was cursing myself why i didn't remove the full-fairing. At times we praise the amazing engine it has got, the amazing seating posture, the wonderful breaks (compared to older ZMA) and yet crib for the mediocre fairing they provided without any wind tunnel or what ever test. I was thinking to even remove the fairing if at all it breaks in some water crossing or something. It didn't happen and am still living to say it sucks in cross winds. We finally reach Pang, and Steve stopped by a TCP. He checked with the soldier and he casually said he didn even ask us to stop. So then we went ahead further searching for the tents to stay for the night. By now it became dark, time was already around 8 PM. The 30 minutes we spent in More Plains did make a difference. But thankfully, we reached on time.





    We finally reach Pang settlement, took the first tent and crashed in. 200 Bucks for the whole tent, yet we were struggling for warmth. I took in 2 blankets, yet i was shivering inside. Bought a new thick woolen socks, wore the woolen gloves and yet was jittering like anything. I don't know when i slept, but it wasn't a comfortable night. Couldn't eat anything nor go out and shit in the wild. Lonely and tiring night it was trying to get some warmth which nothing could help us with. Wish we could have bought a scotch, but not even had energy to move the blanket and go out for a tea. Around 1 AM i think i would have slept only to be woken up in fever & sweat by 2 AM. threw the other blanket which was heavier than me and rested with my eyes closed and again drenching in a world of thoughts.

    Leave a comment:

  • cbz xtreme
    replied
    Originally posted by Ananth View Post
    I'm off for a short monsoon ride to Kerala, Wont have access to my laptop for the next 3 days - Would update the pending logs by Weekend. Thanks.
    Going alone or with Steve..?

    Leave a comment:

  • Ananth
    replied
    I'm off for a short monsoon ride to Kerala, Wont have access to my laptop for the next 3 days - Would update the pending logs by Weekend. Thanks.

    Leave a comment:

  • Ananth
    replied
    Originally posted by rossiter View Post
    I trekked about 1 km up to M-La. Khardung-la was a cake walk.

    Just like you and the Fortuner, I had a Qualis escort me and my stuff to K-Top.. The lady inside was going berserk shooting pics with my SLR . It was very useful, since I rarely stop for pics.

    Superb log and pics. Really appreciate the time taken and the effort put into the log. Easily one of the best this year, and will be tough to better this one

    And if I'd known that you were talking to me sitting on a sand dune in Nubra Valley, I'd have turned various hues of the rainbow with jealousy.

    And my favourite pic of the log so far:
    Thanks so much Akhil. That's one of the best complements i have ever got

    Leave a comment:

  • rossiter
    replied
    Originally posted by Ananth View Post

    Akhil trekked to the top of Kardung La or Marsimik La ? I remember him saying, he was stuck while climbing Kardung La and got a Frost bite once he reached the top!
    I trekked about 1 km up to M-La. Khardung-la was a cake walk.

    Just like you and the Fortuner, I had a Qualis escort me and my stuff to K-Top.. The lady inside was going berserk shooting pics with my SLR . It was very useful, since I rarely stop for pics.

    Superb log and pics. Really appreciate the time taken and the effort put into the log. Easily one of the best this year, and will be tough to better this one

    And if I'd known that you were talking to me sitting on a sand dune in Nubra Valley, I'd have turned various hues of the rainbow with jealousy.

    And my favourite pic of the log so far:

    Leave a comment:

  • whizzkid_ram
    replied
    Originally posted by Ananth View Post
    Thanks! Can you rephrase your sentence in the simple english i could understand, please!
    Dude, I know that you are better than me in Engleeesuu

    Resplendent - Impressive, Attractive

    Amour - a Love affair

    I made it simple, hope you understand now

    Leave a comment:

  • Ananth
    replied
    Originally posted by whizzkid_ram View Post
    Resplendent place & +Wow+ set of clicks there....You 'd had started amour with your ride..
    Thanks! Can you rephrase your sentence in the simple english i could understand, please!

    Leave a comment:

  • whizzkid_ram
    replied
    Resplendent place & +Wow+ set of clicks there....You 'd had started amour with your ride..

    Leave a comment:

  • Ananth
    replied
    Originally posted by cbz xtreme View Post
    I feel you could have asked Steve to drive your bike for some time. This should have kept energy levels high, as you will feel fresh, when you take your steed the next time.
    I wouldn't want to do that, If it was so, I would have hoped on to the Fortuner in the beginning itself. Besides, Steve was down & out - He was almost sleeping inside the fortuner. He wasn't really keeping well to be riding a bike at that point of time.

    Leave a comment:

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 13 template Next
Working...
X
© xBhp.com 2026. All rights reserved.
Designed by xBhp