Day 3

Day 3

Our plan was to start as early as possible and view the sunrise at the Dal lake but lazy bums as we are, we could not get up that early in that weather. As we packed our bags and loaded then on the bikes we get another shock- the ZMR had a puncture. Now we were about 50 kms outside Srinagar and it was around 6 in the morning we did not expect the puncture guys to be open so soon. To our surprise we found one 5kms from our hotel – problem was he did not know how to repair a tubeless tyre and kept on persisting that we add a tube. We were not sure about the tube option and pushed ahead. the roads from here on till Srinagar resembled the forest road in Wayanad leading to Sultan Bathery. There were army personals posted every 500 meters on this highway as well. Finally found a puncture repair guy 10 kms outside Srinagar and got the rear tyre fixed. Reached Srinagar at around 7.30 in the morning and started looking for a shikara ride on the Dal lake. We could not find suitable parking spots for the bike so we planned to have breakfast at a hotel opposite to Dal lake leave the bikes there and go on the shikara ride. This plan was not successful as the guard would not allow our bikes with our saddle bags in their parking lot. My first reaction was WTF!!!. Then came to realize that bomb blasts happen time and again in Srinagar and this was the reason for his refusal. Went to a private parking lot and had our bikes parked. Jumped on the shikara and went on a ride for 1 hour. The ride was pleasant and relaxing (something we needed.). Once the ride was over we were off on the Srinagar – Leh highway. tanked up on the way and proceeded towards Sonamarg.



The ride from here on was different. We began to see a lot of bikers heading on the same route. We stopped many time to capture the beauty of the Kashmir valley, the rivers, the meadows- all said and done one thing I found after seeing so many pictures of Kashmir – it still surprises you with its beauty and pics do not do justice to this place – you will have to experience it. As we headed towards Sonamarg it became obvious why the place is called heaven on earth. I will not talk anymore and let the pictures do all the talking.

We stopped at Sonamarg to have lunch. Food was average and not even to close to what we had in Punjab. As we decided to proceed further, the weather gods had a different ball game for us. It started drizzling. We had our rain gear ready and did not realize the seriousness of the situation and proceeded towards our first mountain pass- the Zojilla pass.

Zojilla pass is located about 10 kms from Sonamarg and our plan was reach Zojilla in 15 minutes and then Drass in an hour. Boy were we in for a surprise. As we kept proceeding the roads kept getting from decent to bad to worse. Just when we thought it could not get any worse, the road disappeared, it was due to a landslide and the trucks were stranded there. The bro was clearing the landslide to make it motorable (ladhaki terms). Bikers were allowed to ply through and we had about 8-9 bikes joining us as we were crossing this pass. As we kept going closer to the pass we say a huge traffic jam. Good thing for bikers is that we can squeeze in and head forward. Bad thing was if you miscalculate when you are squeezing in you have the cliff to play with. On a serious note this was not an easy pass at all. As crossed the traffic jam we were in for the next surprise- the drizzling became stronger and the roads were nothing but much and slush which is a bikers nightmare. Good thing for me was the tyres gave excellent traction and I managed to cross this section without any major hiccups. Ananth was struggling a little bit as his front tyre was not giving enough traction and the ZMR being a heavier bike did not help him either. Finally we were at the top. Zojilla was one of the toughest passes we crossed on this trip yet we were not tired- I guess this was due to the fact that we saw snow for the first time on the rod. Snow walls were 12 feet tall and the mountains had fresh snow which made the pass look majestic and astonishing. We could not get the customary pics next to the signboard stating Zojilla pass as the rain had intensified. We decided to proceed towards Drass. The ride from here on was tough – heavy rain, bad roads poor visibility, freaking cold weather- this has to be felt to know the pain we were in. we did not stop at all and were pushing ourselves- big mistake. Both of us were protected from the cold and the rain by our gear- the only gear which let us down was the Cramster gloves. After riding for (I am not sure but felt like ages) we stopped at a village and decided to ask for help. Sad thing was the village was deserted except for some truck drivers who were having lunch. Took shelter for about 15 minutes, go the news that Drass was 20 odd kms from there. Started the bikes and kept our hands next to the engine and the exhaust to get some heat. This did not work as the engines had cooled down in the 15 min break we had. The rain finally began to subside as we were riding towards Drass. Reached Drass and booked a room at the J&K tourism bungalow for 300 rs. The rooms were clean and worth every single penny. We could not even remove the saddles as our hands had gone numb. Finally dumped our luggage in our room and I decided to head into the market to get a decent pair of gloves for the ride. Picked up some woolen socks as well. Went to an STD booth, made some calls back home and hit the sack.

Drass is the second coldest inhabited place in the world and we realized just that. I had 2 T shirts, my leather jacket, thick blanket and still found it ridiculously cold. Somehow caught some sleep as we had a big day tomorrow. We were going to get leh’d .

Did we get leh’d the next day of did mother nature play a new game with us. Watch this space for more.

Now that you guys have read this long log, enjoy the pics.more pics of this day will be posted by Ananth

Sign board at the parking lot showing the situation the city is in


first nalla crossing


my fav pic of Dal lake taken by Ananth of the 1000d


The roads at Zojilla


The squeezing points I was talking about is to my right

Could be. I thought i saw some where that it was 7 Kilometers. Would edit the post to 2.5 Kilometers


I was adviced not to drink Aerated / Bottled drinks. The high altitude could have some adverse effects. That was what i was told of, Not sure what the reason is!

How about Gatorade or RedBull? Don't they work better than coffee/tea? - just asking out of curiosity.

the ride from jalandar to pathankhot was good despite the rains. it became uncomfortable when we reached patnitop as it was getting very very cold. the cramster gloves were useless in this weather. to me the road leading to srinagar- about 80 kms before it(not sure what the ghat section is called) was scary. sharp turns and a lot of truck traffic thanks to the manali leh road being closed. i was getting drained as we kept riding. biggest problem i faced in this trip was the fact that i am not a coffee/tea drinker, only options for me were aerated drinks - this was not helping me as well. overall i would have to say one of the most tiring day in the whole trip. as the sun set it became ridiculously cold even after we decended from the ghats section and into the valley.

to add a couple of pics

the name of the hotel we stayed in jalander and its T.NO is in the last pic- it has parking space and was good enough for 700 rs.

Whoa!!! Guys!!! want to know which is the right one!!!!
Source - http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/454537-post.html

Source - http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/447025-post.html

Source - http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/449407-post.html

Edit - I missed Aman's post; probably your single digit speeds made the tunnel look like 7.2 Kms instead of 2.7

comments in bold..... :-)

Day 3: The Rat Race

A weird irritating alarm wakes us up for a beautiful morning. Steve had kept the alarm at 0400 hours, just to see to that we are ahead of the schedule. Original plan was to cover Amrisar - Patnitop, But since we had to skip Amritsar, We were planning to ride ahead of Patnitop and stay somewhere midway to Srinagar.

Steve refreshed up soon and wake me up at 4 15 AM. I had a nice steaming bath, it refreshed up my nerves. 4 30 AM, We vacated the room, started tying in the saddles. The weather was nice, a bit cloudy. Steve suggested we rope in the tarpaulin covers as it seemed like it could rain. He was spot on, The moment i opened the saddle to open up the Swiss Knife, I had drops of water falling on to my sleepy eye lashes. I quickly cut the 6 x 6 tarpaulin cover i bought into two. Tied up my saddles and also the back pack with the extra dresses which i never used!

0500 AM - We were all set to go. There were hardly any on the streets, We had come a good 2 kilometers from the Highway onto the town to get a better accomodation. It took us a while, but finally we figured out the highway. Tanked up on a nearby petrol pump. Gosh! I had kept the cash on the backpack, so had to untie it and then take out the money from that. Back pack again goes into the shoulders! From here on, where ever we tanked up - The difference in mileage / petrol consumption was to a maximum of 1 - 2L for a tank up. So the FI is doing its bit, be it hills or plains. It started drizzling and we were enjoying the cool morning ride. The highway was somewhat smaller, with many oncoming trucks - But wonder why, not many like us overtaking them.

A hour passed, Steve was riding in comfortably, But for me the crosswinds was giving me nightmares. Overtaking was not so easy, and i could not speed more than 60 kmph. It was raining, with cross winds and skiddy roads - I did not want to risk anything. I took it easy once again riding around 60 kmph and steve in his usual 70 & 80 regardless of what ever road he rides on

Stopped by a Tea Shop, Time to relax. The Back Pack was proving a bit of a hindrance. It was a bit heavy, and ZMR weighing more than thrice my weight now!



The Rain gear - DuckBack - Absolute value for Money!



The rain seemed to subside a little and we started on towards Pathankot. After riding for a while, we came across the first up hill road. The road was nice, after a short while we saw a temple - with lord shiva's Idol. Infact it was Huge! I had never seen such a huge Idol of Shiva before. We again relaxed a bit, playing with lots of monkey's there and proceded towards Jammu.





The rains again started to lavish on us. We rode on. After a brief while - Steve was feeling a bit hungry, and we were starting to get a bit exhausted. We could not keep good speeds due to rain and cross winds. We crossed Pathankot amidst heavy rains. We did not stop anywhere for pictures, not even for a pee break. We stopped some 30 kilometers before Lakhanpur - the Jammu Kashmir border for Breakfast.

The Dhabha



Steve - Researching what makes the parathas different from state to state :P



Not only Nokia Connects people well, This cheap phone had a battery backup for upto 4 days!




We really did not enjoy the food. After having some delicious food in Punjab, the parathas were no match to it. We just stuffed the stomach with some butter roti and some sabji's. I had my usual tea and moved on. The rain again seemed to subside a bit. We moved on.

One amusing thing i saw in these parts of the world was the local rickshaws. I could not capture it because of rains, but these auto - rickshaws had the face of a lorry and the tail of a normal auto. It looked funny indeed. As again, the roads were decent, we could maintain around the 80 kmph mark. Soon, we reached Lakhanpur - The border of Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab.

The customary picture at the border :





For sometime, the roads in Jammu & Kashmir wasn't so good. Infact no roads the instant u cross into the border. It gradually becomes OK. Rode for another 50 kilometers, stopped somewhere for another tea. Steve has his share of some juice. Tried to call up HydBiker from Hyderabad, But he was too busy riding / I did not know. I could not listen to what he spoke and vice versa. Spotted a couple of R15's in the opposite side, thought it could have been them.



We crossed Jammu and the roads started to be a bit more broad and not much traffic. With rains relaxing a bit - it was time to maintain higher speeds.



We stopped by a Hero Honda Showroom to tighten the chain and to get the Engine Oil that we missed buying in Delhi. Alas! They wont stock Engine Oil in 1L cans, but can only fill it on the Bikes. We just tightened the chains and lubricated it and marched on.





Near the river Ravi:



NH1C - Which connects Jammu to Udhampur was covered in very less time. We reached Udhampur ByPass and decided to take it to avoid the city - we knew it wont affect us much, we just wanted to see if we could see any of the old country roads. At the end of the Bypass lies a small test for us. It was funny to see a highway turn into a place like Takeshi's Castle - That you gotta cross this mud path to pass through, else go back 12 kilometers - go into the city and ride through :P It was not difficult, but a pain in the ass for cars like Esteem / Alto that came in the opposite direction.





Does any one recognize the odd one out?



From here on, It was rain rain and more rain. Not sure if the weather turned out against us. The roads to Patnitop was scary. So many trucks, Skiddy roads and crosswinds to push me from one lane to the other. It started to be a bit grueling. This part of the world is supposed to be more beautiful. We could not enjoy the ride. We just kept on riding. We could not stop for pictures, heck! Not even open up the tank bag to take out the point and shoot!

The roads were narrow, and sharp corners - with my front tyre giving not much traction - I was really going in a snails pace! We would have ridden for about 8 - 9 hours now and covered 350 odd kilometers. That too in rains. Not bad i would say! We crossed Patnitop, Stopped for a coffee after a few kilometers. There was this HUGE traffic jam in front of us. I thought it could be because of the incessant rains. But No! A Bus just tripped off the hill :shock:

Accident near Batote: Picture Courtesy: daily excelsior



I saw a ARMY office coming into the tea stall to wash away the blood stain on his hands. He painfully said : two children, One women and the driver dead So many are hurt. I was feeling so bad for those souls who lost their life for no wrong of them! If only the driver had driven carefully on those slippery roads!

Before Patnitop:



One Photo please :



The Valley:



That's how green it was, But still nothing comes to the greenery we see and smell in the western ghats





We then rode on, crossed Batote, Ramban with more rain. I started to Shiver. Damn the Cramster Gloves Steve said. I told him it was not meant to be waterproof. But we had no other go. With water entering the shoes to my hands getting soaked - we were helpless. We did not also want to stop and waste time. We rode till we could, Original plan was to ride till Srinagar, But i could see Steve draining out fast.




We stopped somewhere for a pee break, and only now i recognize that there was a board: Graveyard Area





Crossing Jawahal Tunnel was another nightmare. There was not much lights inside the tunnel and with my puny ZMR's head lamps - i was asking for trouble. I was scared when i was riding in the middle of the tunnel - Not much vehicles in front of me, One Huge fast truck coming towards me from behind and i hear a loud Gun Shot. I was like, dont shoot at me We some how cross the tunnel and on to the other side of it. I was relieved only after crossing the 7 kilometers or so of that tunnel.

In-fact riding through the tunnel reminded me of the Movie : Fast & Furious where in they ride under a tunnel to escape to Mexico. It was fun to tuck behind a truck, keep maintaining the same speeds - no clue when to turn left / right - but you still make it when required. It was indeed fun.

We rode again till we reached the Titanic View Point. It was already around 6 30 PM when we reached this place. It was about to be getting dark. We really did not want to waste energy walking upto the viewpoint. We were getting more and more lazy to take photographs. It was as though riding was more blissful than taking photographs in the middle of a rainfall. But now how i wish i had taken so many picture of Patnitop & surroundings



Spoke to a few locals and they said there are places to stay in Qazigund. Steve was tired. He could not ride any further. With light dripping by, we were asking for trouble. But the very view of Snow peaked mountains gave me all the energy i needed. The roads were horrible. I could not ride. I could not even maintain 30 kmph. The loads of cabs were honking and taking my breath out. I gave way and stopped on the road side. Later i progressed in single digits and finally onto some speed. Our Steve was joyfully moving away in his own speed - Good for him he changed his front tyre which gave his all the traction in the world. Stopped by in a village called Ruzloo for filling up the air, the bike felt better. We then proceeded to Quazigund, Only to find that the sole hotel there does not have bike parking.

The locals adviced us to ride to Srinagar instead and the roads are good enough from there on. I was all for riding to Srinagar and to get up leisurely. But considering Steve's position, we had to call it a day - but ASAP. We then rode through the winding roads of Kashmir. It was fun, I was enjoying the ride. But right after i crossed Udhampur till now, I was not really comfortable with the way the Bike was handling. We soon reached a place near AnantNag. We were about 50 kilometers before Srinagar. Steve checked if there was any hotels nearby and there was one, just in front of us. It had a nice and large place to park the Bikes. Paid 450 for the room. But the saddest thing is that: The room is just enough for two people. Hardly any place for placing the bags, and the room was horrible. Steve had to accept it because he could not ride any further. I had to adjust and sleep , under the vision of so many insects, bed bugs, and some more crazy creatures tucking into our shoes on the floor. I slept on, with pains and numbness from the days ride. But it was totally worth it.

Tomorrow, We take a Shikara Ride on the Dal Lake, Cross SonaMarg, Push through Zozilla Pass and Stay on the World's Second Coldest Inhabitant Place

Day 4: Srinagar - ZoZilla - Drass

Thank You.

Thanks machi, You really missed it. Steve was even saying after we left, heck - even once when we were crossing BarlaChala that you would have enjoyed it Anyway, Next time is always there - Hope you are having a wonderful time with the little boy

Anyway, One more teaser for the time being:

Roads towards North Pullu

Damn... i missed this one... Steve was kind enough trying to pull me in for this all day.. yet my bad not able to make this one...

Great going Ananth & Steve... Long live your touring spirits....

Let alone Ananth & Steve talk about their difficulties!!!

I have no words after seeing these pictures.

You guys are amazing braving all the way to heaven.

I'm sure by now many would be thinking about a trip to Ladakh leh after going through this thread.

It was so nice of them that i could not stop mentioning about them here!

Yes, More about them would come in the logs

Thank You & I'm not well versed in writing. Just another blabber-er!

My answers in Bold.

We sent it through a Private transporter, It was sent & RECEIVED safely, just with mainly scratches - But no major hardship to the Bike. It will cost you less if you send it on a train though the normal route - As is :

1. Parcelling the Bike and send it as a luggage

2. Take it in the same train as yours. - Bike gets loaded / unloaded in front of you - No major delay. This is a safer bet.

Ananth - Appreciate if you throw some light on motorcycle transportation. Here're my specifics, but feel to answer as much
- Did you have to hand over the original keys to the transportation company when you hand over the motorcycle in Chennai?
- What about the vehicle docos? I hope the photocopies should be provided when booking right?
- What if someone decides to remove the fairings, turn lights, side shields, seats & tanks & then transport? Is that possible?

Day 2: Finally, The Trip Begins!

I was somehow sure, The Bike wont land up in Delhi before 0700 AM. But due to some reason or the other, We wake up soon. Called up the transporter, No signs of the Bike coming. Another day wasted i thought. We could not afford to waste any more days. Refreshed casually, Watched some TV, Imran had arranged for some cook to prepare some food for us. We ate some parathas for breakfast - sat around waiting for the transporter to call us. Atlast, Around 11 30 AM, The Transorter called saying the Bike has reached Delhi. And is to be collected from OLD DELHI. The news was so sweet, But god knows why it went to Old Delhi instead of Nizammuddin nor why it was delayed so long.

We quickly take a shower and leave for Old Delhi. Mean while in all this excitement, I wont know where i kept the spare key!! Searched for a good 10 minutes, Still wont know where i kept the Spare Key. So we rode to Nizammudin to get the Original key from the Transporter, which took 45 minutes in the blistering delhi heat & traffic. After getting the keys, we searhed for the route to Old Delhi Railway station and then to know where my bike was unloaded to. The contact in Old Delhi was not responding to calls, Finaly - he said he was travelling and would be there in 15 minutes. We waited near the place he mentioned. 30 minues, no signs of him calling us.

13 00 hours - We call him again, he said he will take another 10 minutes. God damn him. We were furious. Imran was even questioning why am so cool about all this. What could i possibly do? waiting game is what i could possibly do! I meanwhile wanted to get the petrol required for the Bike t start, so I take Imran to the petrol pump near Chandni Chowk and fillup a 2L Bottle with Petrol. Reached back the Parcel Office there. We went in to see if he was there, But he wasnt to be found. He had mentioned the Bike was already unloaded and SAFE. So go around looking for the Bike, for sometime we could not identify it, finally i find it up in the middle of a huge packages and It was SAFE. Just a bit dirty, No it was Dirty like hell.

13 30: I start untying the Bike - Packed with all types of cloths & materials. I called up the contact at Old Delhi, No response. Again, God Damn him. Waited for 5 more minutes. Started the Bike, It started - No issues with the Bike, Lots of Scratches - Few rip offs on the edges and stickers peeled off. I really did not bother, Bike reached SAFE. Imran asked to just start the Bike and try to take it out of the compound.But, There is a couple of Policemen / a Watchmen taking bribe from every vehicle going out of the Parcel Office.

I have the Bike's papers - But the Papers about transporting the Bike is with the contact / transporter - Not sure how to exit the compound, without getting caught. So i start the Bike, Move it around, 1st gear - 10 kmph - there goes a Lorry - Tuck Behind it - It stops - uuf , Not sure if i over take it, the guy will pop up and ask for the papers. It took some time, I slowly over take the lorry, engage 2nd gear - Move on fassssst!

Steve was waiting right on the gate, other side of the watchman's room. Steve was shouting at me to stop and come back. To me it was as though the watchman was asking me to stop I speed and go some 200 meters away, take a U turn, ride on the pedestrian platform and come back. uuuf! So much for a grand Leh trip. We should come across all this, thats the best part of it.

So, The Bike is here, I'm out. I'm all free, Nothing to stop us for starting the trip. I buy a mineral water bottle and empty it immediately. Delhi's heat is pouring on me. It was exhaustive. We proceed on, crossing Red Fort, On to the Highway, Imran parted us with a good bye and wishes for the trip.We owed him a lot for the success of the trip!

1400 - We are on! We are to reach Pathankot for the night, It seemed possible, But still doable only if we could stretch. Since a day and a half is already wasted, Our initial plans to visit Amritsar / Wagah is wasted. I still somehow wanted to visit Amritsar, But steve was determined to make it to Pathankot. It took a while to make Steve agree for Amritsar, But on grounds of reaching Amritsar early - Which seemed Impossible

15 30 - The Highway was not crowded much, contrary to what we have down south - I saw the highways HUGE and broad! As again we were getting exhausted, Steve wanted to rest, So we spot a McDonalds after karnal. We thought it would have been AirConditioned. To our disappointent it is one another, heavily crowded multi restaurant hall. We quickly empty a couple of burgers, french fries and a LARGE Coco Cola. Time to Move ON.

17 30 - The Ride from Karnal till Ambala was tough. Heavy Heavy cross winds. I saw something like a cyclone on the road, huge dust waving up from right side of the road to the extreme left. Steve, with his luggage and weight moved on CASUALLY! I on the other side was pushed away from the right most lane to the left most lane and almost on the rails kept there for road work. If i had not stopped a second before i would have crashed on one of those hoardings. I stopped for a while, drank water and moved on. Still i could not cope up. May be the Full Fairing is doing the spoil sport. Uncleji's on a HH Splendor with triples were over taking me with ease. I wasn't bothered about some one over taking me over me riding safely. But still i was so perplexed of riding across cross winds. Some how i manage it through, riding not more than 40 kmph on a fast highway.

We stopped by The Madras cafe for a shirt coffee break. Just to find that the shop has no link to the word Madras, The coffee was horrible - so drank some more water and moved on.

1810 - Steve was waiting for me at the Punjab border, enjoying his SugarCane Juice. He just complaining that they add a masala to any drink he orders. I did not want to waste my taste buds and had some water. We decided to reach Ludhiana and then decide if we were to call it a day there or proceed on. I was still itching to ride to Amritsar, We started increading our average speed, I was maintaining around 90 and steve as usual in his 85 kmph mark, enjoying his music in iPod.

1930 - We surpassed Ludhiana, and it was still Bright. I was told that Sun light would be there atleast till 7 PM, but it was 7 30 PM and still sun was shining bright, we decided to halt up at Jalandhar. We reached Phagwara around 2000 hours, where the sun began to be shy and went under the clouds and finally set immediately, the roads turned out to be crazy. Met a few more Bulleteers riding down to Leh. They told me that their group is of 36 members! I was shocked, 36 members to Leh - I did not see how good they will enjoy the trip or if it will really be so good to have so many bike thundering down on those small battered mountain roads. I left it to themselves and moved on.

2030 - Finally reached Jalandhar. It was a quiet town, But not so many options for hotels, atleast not to my eyes. Found a couple of hotels - One was too costly and the other cheap, but no safe parking for the bike, so we passed through and we finally found one for 700 bucks. It was worth the money for us at that point of time. Air Cooler / Hot water 24 hours a Day, Open Parking and a garden to relax. The room was clean as well. We quickly untied the saddles, dumped it in the room and went out for dinner.

Frankly, It was the best dinner i have ever had outside my home. Such tasteful food. I emptied a couple of sabji's myself. The parathas and roti's were just amazing too! If i myself ate so much, think yourself of steve With a full stomach, and a cool room - I hit the bed and crash sooon..

Pictures:

ZMR - At Old Delhi Railway Station:



The Parcel Office:



HH ZMR - All Loaded Up



Tanking Up



All set to go from Delhi



Imran, Sending us off






Madras Cafe, Near Ambala



Too many Take Diversions, Gotta be Alert!



Punjab Border:



Beautiful Evening, Punjab



Guest House, Jalandhar



Aman Vaishno Dhabha, Would love to go there again!



Day 3: The Rat Race

@Ananth - Very excited to read & I feel part of it (talented in writing); keep up the pace, with the approaching weekend, we expect to see good inflow of the logs.