Ride to the highest roads in the world- a motorcycle trip to Leh

HOW IT TRANSPIRED

The much sought after trip for bikers in India as well as around the world is the biking trip to Leh. Thousands of bikers from around the world come to this part of India to experience the most challenging roads, diverse weather conditions and the most scenic and untouched places. Having been inspired by Che Guevera’s, Motorcycle Diaries during my college days, I always had this bug inside me calling out to take a bike trip to Leh. Well with excuses galore, I obviously couldn't make it until now when this opportunity for an official bike trip to Leh came up.

"An official 14 days trip sponsored by the company with paid leaves and reimbursement of expenses incurred” was what the biking circular read. There has been no looking back since then. No overpowering bosses or over caring mother or a nagging girlfriend could have stopped me from taking this trip; there were none though. Surprisingly!

As I have lived the dream and completed the road trip on a bike in 14 amazing days covering 3000 odd km with a team of 14 dare devil bikers, it would be an injustice, not to share my experience through this blog.

The route taken 

WARMING UP THE ENGINE

I had never prepared or planned, in my entire lifetime for any exam or job Interview or for that matter anything, in such detail and dedication, as I have for this trip over a period of 1 month. The first thing that I did was to make a list of items required to be taken on the trip. Striking off each item from the longest list, known to mankind,  everyday, gave me a real high. 

Preparation can be divided into two parts, the first is to, make your bike Leh ready and the other is to make your Ass Bike Ready.

MAKING THE BIKE LEH READY

Well, for being a first time biker , I would like to be excused (in this part of the world) for having a Bajaj Avenger 220 instead of a Royal Enfield model (Bajaj Avenger 220 rocked and performed to the core though). 

As I was aware of the trouble that one goes through with the lack of a kick in a bike, the very first thing that I did was to take my bike to a service station and get it checked and serviced, paying special attention to the parts concerned with the self-start. It included replacing the old batteries, checking the fuses, replacing engine oil, replacing disc etc. All other checks and replacement of worn out parts is most essential because in a trip like this, you are as good as your bike.

The following is the list of items that I took care to take with me for the bike:

• Clutch and throttle wire
• Spark plugs
• Chain lock
• Extra tube (front and back Tyre)
• Electric wire
• Duct tape/black tape
• Tool box
• Saddle Bags (Some people put carrier made of iron rods which is not a good idea as it adds to the weight of the bike and also has a nuisance value once broken)
• Bungee cords( four numbers)
• Puncture kit ( Shared with the group)
• Air Pump(Shared with the group)
• Engine Oil ( Shared with the group)

MAKING YOUR ASS BIKE READY

Surviving 14 days in these conditions requires you to be equipped with all the proper biking gears along with other necessary items. One should be prepared to face all weather conditions ranging from rain to snow.

I equipped myself with the following items:

• Leather Jacket for cold weather (a substitute for a bikers jacket)
• Wind Cheater cum Rain Coat
• Two pairs of gloves (one for city driving conditions and the other to protect from rain and cold)
• Ankle and Knee guard
• Shoes with ankle protection
• A pair of Ray Ban sun glasses
• A pair of thermocot 
• Two pairs of Buff- head wear( one woolen and the other cotton)
• Two jeans and one trek pants.
• Three T-shirts( dry fit sportswear preferably)
• Four pair of socks
• Optimum number of undergarments 
• Swiss knife( I found it very useful throughout the Journey)
• Camera with extra battery( A portable power bank to recharge cell phone is also quiet handy)
• Toilet kit 
• Sunscreen (SPF 50)
• To safeguard oneself from AMS, Diamox 250 Mg is an essential medicine to be carried besides other lifesaving drugs

The group also carried a first aid kit and plenty of other common medicines. 

In the end you must remember that "Saddlebags can never hold everything you want, but they can hold everything you need"~anonymous

WHEELS ON THE ROLL

“The game starts with a full pot of luck and an empty pot of experience. The object is to fill the pot of experience before you empty the pot of luck” ~ anonymous 

DAY 1/ DELHI - JALANDHAR/ 405 KM

Heat, dust, sweat, back pain,  and more heat

The journey began in the morning of 28th June as our team assembled at a common point at 6 am in Noida. After the customary photographs, the 14 days epic trip was flagged off by our officials. Finally, the much awaited journey had begun. Our day’s destination, Jalandhar, was 400 km away. The morning breeze and the shining sun greeted us as we hit the NH1 Highway. We had a pit stop at Sukhdev ka Dhaba, Murthal to energize ourselves for the day with mind blowing Parathans.

First Group Pic / Sukhdev Dhaba Parking/ Murthal/ Ashutosh, Yougank, Rahul and Me

At that point, our group was joined by two more extremely experienced bikers turning us into a group of 14. The journey beyond that was tough due to the high temperature and scorching sun accompanied with back and leg pain. On top of that, my bike started to show some never seen before self-starting problem which troubled me for the next 2 days. With much trouble, we reached Jalandhar at around 6 pm. Although we were tired with the heat, dust and sweat, the spirits were high; as we retired to our rooms in a motel.  Beer and good company is what you get in these trips, after a day of hard work.

Day 1 is always the toughest part of a biking journey as your ass tries to become accustomed to sitting on the bike for hours resulting in back and leg pain. Also, to avoid dehydration, one needs to take frequent breaks and re-hydrate the body with lots of fluids.

DAY 2/ JALANDHAR- PATNITOP/ 338 KM)

“When the breeze hits your knees, you forget what you do for a living” ~ anonymous 

With the tanks filled to the brim, we started for our next destination, Patnitop about 285 km away. Accompanied with the cloudy weather and intermittent drizzling, the 80 km ride to Pathankot in the broad and smooth roads, proved to be of pure, unadulterated bliss. After stuffing ourselves with Parathans at Pathankot, we headed towards Udhampur .The loaded trucks and hairpin bends repeated themselves while my biking skills were put to the test. Our troubled bikes, took a lease of breath as they visited their respective service station at Udhampur.  After my bike's self-start problem got resolved with a lot of troubleshooting at the Bajaj Service station, we had lunch and headed for Patnitop. With the soaring temperature and the stand still traffic, our average speed was almost reduced to 10 km per hour.  However as they say that happiness often comes from comparing, it was a happy moment, over taking all the stand still traffic km after km and making our way to Patnitop .

We were completely covered with dust and sweat as we reached Patnitop. In the evening, we went for a hike in the nearby hill beside our hotel to enjoy the chilly climate and beautiful view. 

View of Patnitop- Among the pine and cedar trees at the evening sunset 

Having Rum and chit chatting with fellow bikers in the first cold evening of the trip added to the experience.

DAY 3/ PATNITOP - SONMARG/ 260 KM

“Sometimes you need a whole tank of petrol before you can think straight” ~ some God level anonymous guy

Waking up early in the morning, packing your saddle bags and fastening it to the bike are the most boring things in the whole world.

We left Patnitop at around 6 am and crossed Jawahar Tunnel at around 10:30 am in the morning. Crossing the one way 2.85 km long, dark and cold tunnel was definitely the coolest thing of the day. The tunnel is the only lifeline connecting Kashmir to Jammu and is maintained by the BRO of the Indian Army. I was totally surprised to see a complete change of vegetation and landscape after crossing the dark and cold tunnel . Although the temperature was a bit on the higher side, the beautiful valley of Kashmir was breath taking.

We reached Srinagar at 1 pm and had a brief stop near the Dal Lake. We continued our ride under the scorching sun towards Sonmarg and had our lunch, after some 20 km outside of Srinagar. After lunch, as we approached, Sonmarg, the weather became gloomy and it started to drizzle. The ride through the picturesque road and beautiful valley was amazing. 

On the way to Sonmarg

Spectacular view of the valley of Sonmarg

The Chilly and misty wind greeted us and our bikes, as we entered Sonmarg through the bridge, in the evening. We got ourselves accommodated  at a cozy wooden cottage of J&K tourism which had a beautiful lawn covered with the greenest grass.

Bikes parked in front of J&K Guest House at Sonmarg

In the evening, some of us, went for petrol hunting as it was learnt that there was no petrol pump before Kargil and there existed none at Sonmarg. Fortunately we could get some 10 liters of petrol from a hoarder at 90 Rs per liter which we distributed among the poorest members who had half filled tanks .

The next day, we had to cross Zoji la  at 11,575 ft which was apparently the toughest pass of the whole trip.  We were briefed by our team leader, in the evening regarding the toughness level and to ride in a particular sequence so that we are able to keep a tab of every person. Ridding with half clutch had to be strictly avoided as it might result in burning of the clutch plates. We were expecting muddy roads, melting snow and steep terrain. All the members who have done this pass earlier, dreaded it, owing to bad experience like burnt clutch plates and being stuck in the mud.

Only one way traffic movement could happen at the pass at a given time as a result, the way from Sonmarg to Kargil would open only at 1:30 pm the next day; which meant a lazy and happy morning.

Rahul Chandra, although a seasoned biker,  had a sleepless night, not because of the difficulty of the pass but because of his half empty tank; which actually explains the quote at the beginning of day 3. 

DAY 4/ SONMARG - DRASS/ 70KM

"If you don't ride in the rain, you don't ride." ~ anonymous

  

I woke up late at around 9 am from the cozy bed in the cold and misty morning and had a lazy breakfast.  After filling our tanks from the same hoarder as his tanks got replenished in the morning, we had ample time for some local sightseeing. The day's original plan was to halt at Karigil at night which was at a distance of 120 km. We left Sonmarg at 1:30 pm when the pass opened for this side's traffic. 

The steadfast ride through the awe inspiring road of 15 km, leading up to the pass made a deep connect with my soul. The gloomy and misty afternoon with the sun peeping from behind the mountains and through the clouds; the cold air gushing at the face and the breath taking valley along the smooth roads will be registered in my mind forever.  

As we approached the first pass of our trip, the smooth roads gave way to rocks, boulders and dust. The roads were steep at some points, where we took care to ride in the first gears. There was a traffic build up at the top of the pass due to landslide at three places.

View of the deadly Zoji La with miles of traffic halt due to landslide

At the top of the pass, we also had to make our way through melting snow on either side of the road. We were stuck out there for almost 2 long hours while the BRO was on the job clearing the rocks with heavy duty bulldozers. However, as the roads cleared, while taking advantage of riding in bikes and overtaking other vehicles, we were the first people to get out of the place

 Bulldozing at Zoji La

The pass was not as tough as was being expected owing to the favorable weather conditions. Immediately after crossing the pass, we saw a lot of tourist vehicles parked at a point where people were enjoying the snow and Pony rides. We also took a break, had some photo shoot and enjoyed some hot tea and snacks.

After crossing Zoji La 

We drove all the stretch from Zoji La to Drass in the rains. The feeling of riding in the rain is unparalleled; with the smell of the wet asphalt after the first drizzle; water splashing  from your tires and onto your knees; the sound of the incessant rain droplets as they hit the ground; you feel that you are a part of the whole surrounding . On top of that, if you are driving in Ladakh amid the stunning valleys and mountains, your experience gets multiplied a thousand times which is simply indescribable; calling it something surreal and leaving it, would do some justice though. 

Although there was no need to stop as we were covered with proper raincoats and other gears, we took a halt at Drass where we had the most awesome Mutton prepared by the most humble person, Ali, which is highly talked and recommended by fellow bikers who visited before.Our group decided that as we were already wet and the light was becoming dim, we would halt at Drass for the night. 

Drass, as I came to know was the 2^nd coldest inhibited place on earth after Siberia where temperatures go as low as -55 degrees in the winters. 

We spent the night at a hotel which seemed  to be scary and haunted with the damp walls, the shaky floor, dim lights in the forsaken corridors, and the tripping sound of the rain droplets outside the window to create the sound effect.  The Night was windy and chilly with the relentless rain falling throughout.

DAY 5/ DRASS - LEH/ 280 KM

“Be gentle on my curves”; “Darling, I want you but not so fast” read some of the road signs on the way to Leh.

At Drass in the morning/ Manish and Me

After spending the night at the haunted place at Dras, it was time to go and get Leh-ed. The road from Drass to Leh can easily make it  to some of the most beautiful roads in the world. It’s not a smooth sailing though, with rough patches in between; however, 80% of the roads have been beautifully maintained by the BRO with some witty road safety signs.

The roads were wet from last night’s rain and the air was cold as we left Drass at 7 am in the morning. Just outside Dras, we stopped to see the Kargil War Memorial which was built to honor the Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the war, recapturing some of the peaks occupied by the Pakistan Army in 1999. After clicking some pictures and showing some respect for the memorial, we set off for Kargil. 

Kargil War Memorial

The roads leading to Kargil were the smoothest and the cleanest roads of the trip.

There is a heavy movement of Army Trucks in this road

I recalled the scenes from some Indian war movies on Kargil as we drove past a lot of Indian army trucks on the way. After refilling our tanks at the picturesque town of Kargil, we crossed two passes, Namika La at 12198 feet and Fotu La at 13,479 feet before we reached at the beautiful monastery town of Lamayuru.

At Namika La with the beautiful colored flags

Beautiful, smooth and  curvy (we are talking about roads)

The beautiful monastery town of Lamayuru

We had some photo shoot at Moonland outside Lamayuru which is an incredible buildup of rock and sand. Some of the parts of Moonland resembled the faces curved in Mount Rushmore. 

Moonland! I wonder how it would look on a full moon night

Perfect Pose at Moonland

After that, we stopped at a dhaba , 10 km ahead of Lamayuru where we had a decent lunch. Mesmerized with the straightest and picturesque road that you have ever seen with beautiful deserts on either side, you do start believing that you are in heaven. I stopped a thousand times in the 100 km road leading to Leh, taking pictures every now and then. One could easily cross 100kmph on a bike in this kind of road; however, I drove rather slowly as I didn’t want this ride to end.

The road that leads to Heaven

After the customary stopover at the Magnetic hill, we visited the GurudwaraPathar Sahib situated some 20 odd km before Leh, where we had evening tea and snacks.

At the top of Magnetic Hill

Followed by more stop overs, we reached the lovely town of Leh at around 7:30 pm. We could see a lot of tourists and crowd in the town as we have reached during Kalachakra 2014 ceremony. The ceremony would be presided over by Dalai Lama, which is to be held between 3^rd and 12^th July in Leh wherein around 150,000 devotees were expected.

After finding ourselves a hotel and completing all rituals, we had a sumptuous continental dinner at one of the multitude of amazing restaurants that you find in Leh. It was cold and rainy that night as I went to bed in the cozy hotel room thinking about this amazing road trip unfolding so many colors and experiences.

DAY 6/ LEH-FIED

“Keep your bike in good repair; Motorcycle boots are not comfortable for walking” ~ anonymous 

Today was a day for bike repair, local sightseeing and rest and more rest. After having a good night’s sleep and waking up late, we had amazing breakfast at Gesmo, a German Bakery located near the Fort road. 

Gesmo Restaurant Leh/ Me, Rahul and Manish

I had the sumptuous English breakfast, which was among a lot of other breakfast options followed by which, we took a ride of the city of Leh on our bikes.

'English breakfast' at Gesmo

The city is located at a height of 11,562 feet in the Indus Valley. The city looks very ancient, decorated with the ubiquitous colored religious flags all over the structures and buildings. Riding on a bike in and around the city with the slight drizzle of rain should be listed as a trip itinerary to Leh. A visit to the mechanic followed as most of us had some bike trouble which consumed almost half of the day.

In the evening we went to the beautiful and serene Thiksay Monastery, a 15kms ride from Leh in the Leh-Manali highway. Located on a hill at the outskirts of the city, the 12 storied Thiksay Monastery painted in white, red and ochre looked royal and elegant.

Thikssay Monastery 

A series of steps took us to the 15 meters high statue of Buddha which was enclosed within the 2 stories of the Monastery. We took time at the precincts of the Monastery admiring the architecture and the view of the valley which featured the royal palace at Stok, across the valley to the south, and the former royal palace at Shey, to the west.

The colorful flags at Thiksay Monastery 

The serene atmosphere of the monastery was overpowering as the evening approached and the sun started to set behind the beautiful mountains.

At the precincts of Thiksay Monastery 

It grew dark and cold as we drove back to Leh. Dinner was at Café Jeevan located at Changspa Road near our hotel.

There are a lot of places to be visited such as the Leh Palace, Stok Palace, Shanti Stupa, a series of other monasteries, and lot of other fascinating and exotic places but we had to keep those visits for the next time.  

However, the dream for every biker to travel to the highest road in the world is scheduled to be completed tomorrow. A good night’s sleep was necessary to get ready for the rough roads and harsh climatic conditions to be thrown at us.

DAY 7/ LEH - KHARDUNG LA -LEH/ 80 KM

Khardung La !-  The Highest Motorable Road in the World

Khardung La, the gateway to the Nubra valley and the Siachen is a pass to the North of Leh. It is situated at a distance of 40 km from Leh and is the highest motor able road in the World. Subjected to the height of 18,380 feet at the top, riders are often prone to Acute Mountain Syndromebecause of the lack of oxygen in their blood at that height. Fortunately our group took the precaution of taking Diamox 250 mg which reduces the effect of AMS by increasing the level of oxygen in the blood.  We would be going to Khardung La and returning back to Leh, the same day.

We left for Khardung La at 9 am in the morning after filling up petrol from the apparent sole petrol pump of Leh. The Sign board read ‘Khardungla 39 km’ as we entered the road that appeared out of nowhere from the city road of Leh. The roads were smooth for the first 25 km (where the speed was above 50 kmph) until we reached South Pullu check post where the terrain became really tough with the temperature dipping slowly as we gained height. Due to landslides at different places, we had some long hauls with long queue of Private taxis, jeeps and cars, along with other fellow biker groups.

After waiting for some 2 long hours at a tea stall, an army personnel advised that we go back to Leh as the chances of the roads getting cleared was difficult. Disappointed to the core,  but almost convinced, we started discussing the idea just when the traffic started moving .

Landslides are a common affair at passes. Just hope that you are not there when it happens

Moving forward, there was no way that I could drive in more than 2^nd gear while applying breaks at every step. The difficulty level of the terrain was definitely on the higher side with my low suspension bike bouncing off the boulders, rocks and pot holes while my back took the toll.

It started snowing as we finally reached the beautiful summit which was partially covered in snow. The view of the nearby snow capped peaks looked amazing .Feeling accomplished, to reach the summit; we started clicking pictures against the iconic milestone. I could sense the lack of oxygen as I felt breathlessness with every step I took. 

As we got colder and felt the lack of energy, amid the falling snow, we went inside the sole army canteen where we treated ourselves with the hottest lemon tea and pakoras.

It was fun having our group photo with the Indian Flag in front of the signboard of Khardung La shouting slogans that echoed the place before we started our descent back.

World's Highest Motorable Road

The ride back was equally tough. When I got back to Leh at around 4 pm, after the exhausting and debilitating ride, I straightway went to bed with a mild body pain which developed into a slight fever at night.  I popped up ibuprofen before going to sleep at night

DAY 8 /LEH-PANGONG/ 195 KM)

"Everyone crashes. Some get back on. Some don't. Some can't". ~anonymous

The Pangong Lake is situated at a distance of 195 km from Leh. The route to Pangong cuts from Karu, which is at a distance of 35 km from Leh on the Leh- Manali highway. Chang la a mountain pass at a height of 17, 688 feet , the third highest motor able road in the world lies in between.

The plan is to reach Pangong Lake and halt for the night in the tents beside the lake and come back in the next day to Karu and stay in a hotel for a night before heading to Tso Morori. To make this trip comfortable with lesser weight on our bikes, we had this wonderful idea to leave our saddle bags behind at Karu in a hotel and taking with us only the bare essentials. Since we were a big group, we could afford a room to keep our luggage for a night.

Luckily, I was relieved from last night’s fever and body pain and felt pretty good in the morning. We left Leh at 6 am in the sunny morning and filled our tanks at the petrol pump, just before Karu. After keeping our luggage and having our breakfast there, we headed towards Pangong Lake at 8 am. 

The road to Chang La from Karu (35 km) is again very scenic with barren mountains, beautiful valleys and smooth roads. Some of the roads were so smooth that I could not refrain from pulling the throttle.  As usual, whenever there is a high pass, the roads leading to the pass from both sides become rough because of the regular Landslides. In addition to rough roads, this pass also had the steepest ascent as compared to any other pass on the trip which added to the difficulty. We had a brief halt at the top of the pass where we saw the temple of Chang la Baba. People often confuse that the pass is named after Chang La baba which is actually not the case.

At Chang La- 3rd Highest Motor-able road in the world

While descending the pass, my back pack which was tied with bungee cords kept on sliding at the side in spite of a lot of adjustments. Frustrated and irritated, I decided to untie all the cords and fastened the bag again. This exercise done at a height of 17000 feet left me utterly breathless and tired.

Beyond Chang La, the roads were smooth till Pangong. We had some light snacks at Tangste, a village with some few shops and hotels, around 60 km from Chang La.  

At a Dhaba in Tangste - Tea and Snacks are as important as petrol

Journey from Tangste to Pangong with beautiful landscape and valleys was a delight.

After Tangste -There is nothing more beautiful than bikers, standing  in a row 

The bikes posed better than us

I had my first and only fall of the trip in this road while taking a turn at a very slow speed. Contrary to having injuries, as the riding gears came to the rescue, the fall was actually smooth. 

Call me crazy, but i enjoyed the small thrill ride. After that, I could totally relate to Manish , who kept on falling again and again throughout the trip; not because he is a bad biker but probably because he actually enjoyed them.

The roads were smooth beyond that; however there were water passages built across the roads at regular intervals which meant slow driving.  

First view of Pangong Lake

We reached Pangong at around 4pm with plenty of evening time to be enjoyed. Looking at the intoxicating  view of the pristine blue water against the backdrop of the barren mountains and clear blue sky with the cool breeze blowing across my face, made me feel that I was in heaven.

Heavenly!!!

The lake as I learnt is 134 km long at a height of 14,270 feet and is shared between India and China with India occupying 40% of the length.

Unparalleled Happiness 

Facebook Profile pic anyone?

Poses Galore

Shot from the movie 'Ocean's Eleven'

We took our tent accommodation at the very first settlement at the beginning of the lake at Lukung with 4 persons in each tent. The tents with attached toilet were fairly built to withstand the freezing temperatures at night.

The Accommodations

One should remember that there is no mobile network at Pangong. The only way to make a call is through a satellite phone located at a drive of 4 km from Lukung.

In the evening, we drove that 4 km to make some calls. Making that call for home from the hut after sitting in the queue for almost an hour made me feel the value of a 2 minute call which we take for granted. The night became cold as we retired to our tents.

DAY 9/ PANGONG - KARU/ 195 KM

The sun, the wind, the lake, the shore, the mountains, the roads, the bikes...can't get better!

I woke up late in the morning and had breakfast in one of those small restaurants along the lake. After breakfast we had a ride to the other side of the lake where we took group pictures at various spots.

Some 4 km ahead of Lukung

Way to the lake shore

Shooting for the perfect group picture of the trip, standing and jumping along the bikes parked at the shore was very interesting and engaging.  We took a long time admiring and shooting different hues and nuances of the heavenly lake.
 

Picture perfect

Behind the Scenes

It was around 11 am when we started heading back to Karu leaving behind this amazing place. 

At Tangtse - on the way back to Karu

Somewhere on the way

We reached Karu at 5 pm in the evening. We took rooms in the same hotel where we left our saddle bags, 2 days back. Rum in the cold evening put a perfect end to our remarkable day.

DAY 10/ KARU -WHISKEY NULLAH/ 160 KM

“Sometimes the fastest way to get there is to stop for the night”~anonymous

Today onwards, we would be heading back towards Manali on the Leh-Manali Highway which is one of the highest mountain highway in the world with an average height of 13000 feet. We would be crossing five mountain passes on our way with the highest elevation at Tanglang La (17,582 feet),

The plan for today was to reach Sarchu(217km from Karu) and stay at one of the comfortable tent accommodations. Sarchu is the preferred stopover for overnight stay either from Manali or Leh as it lies midway between them.

We had to travel a distance of 323 km from Karu before we find petrol at the next petrol pump at Keylong. Therefore, after filling our tanks at Karu, some of us carried extra cans of petrol for the way. While some people carried petrol bottles under their inflated jackets looking like suicide bombers, others tied their bottles to their saddle bags.

Saddling the horses in the morning at Karu

We left Karu at 8 am in the morning after having breakfast. After riding for 15 km from Karu, we arrived at the Upshi village from where we took a right turn to stay on the Leh-Manali Highway. A left turn at the junction leads towards TsoMoriri Lake at a distance of 240 km. We had a stop at Tanglang la, the highest point in the Leh-Manali Highway, to take some group pictures.

Posing at Tanglang La , 17,582 feet - The 2nd highest Motorable Road in the World

The road after Tanglang la and before More Plains was quiet interesting. Riding in the roads filled with consistent gravels was a different experience altogether; at some stretches , the rocks were bigger and at other stretches, they were smaller but were spread out evenly. Although we drove the stretch at 40 kmph; a slight application of breaks among the gravels would have meant a deadly fall. 

Rough Roads after Tanglang La

We took a break after some 40km of driving from Tanglang la at a tent dhaba.

Engaged in some Biker's talk!

Beyond that, we could see flat land; miles and miles of it, as far as we could see. The 40 km stretch of More plains at an altitude of 13000 feet with beautiful barren mountains on either side was breathtaking; this is probably where the aliens land their space ships to play a game of football. 

The person, third from the right, is an alien! Nobody knows how he appeared in the pic  replacing Rahul Prajapati. He must have done it at some alien speed.

The road covering the 40 km stretch was smooth and straight as an arrow; however, you could hardly speed up above 70 kmph with full throttle owing to the slight incline and probably the lack of oxygen at that height.

After clicking a hell lot of pictures on the way, some of us reached Pang at around 2 pm, where we had lunch and impatiently waited for other group members to arrive who were trying to repair a puncture. The wait extended for hours before they finally arrived at 4:30 pm. 

Sarchu was some 80 km and two passes away from pang; Lachulung La and Nakee La are the two consecutive passes before we reach Sarchu. We left at 5 pm towards Sarchu among the slow moving trucks; consequently, by the time we crossed Lachulung La( 16,450 feet) and came to a valley between these two passes, it was almost dark.

Riding at night was strictly not allowed by our experienced group leader; as a result, we decided to halt at this cold and God forsaken place called Whiskey Nullah. There were only two tent-dhabas out here on either side of the road which also provided some unprofessional accommodations. Fortunately, 6 of us got accommodated in three small tents whereas the others had to stay inside the tent- dhabas and face the chilly night.

Egg bhurji with daal and roti was served in the evening. The dhaba wala also arranged for a bottle of old monk for us. Unheeded with the advice of our senior members not to take any alcoholic drink at this altitude which may cause BP problem, three of us ventured for the irresistible bottle of Old Monk before we went to bed.

DAY 11/ WHISKEY NULLAH- KEYLONG/ 160 KM

Mastering the art of crossing naalas

It was the chilliest night of the trip where the temperature reached sub zero, which was apparent with the frost sitting on our bikes in the morning. Our bikes refused to start and had to be pushed around. 

At Whiskey Nullah- biker buddy, Ankit, who survived the night after drinking rum will give you the best advice against drinking alcohol at this altitude.

After fastening our saddle bags to our bikes, we left for Keylong at 7 am in the morning.We crossed Nakee la (15,500 feet) and descended the Gata loops, a series of 21 hairpin bends.

Gata Loops- a series of 21 hair pin bends

While descending the Gata loops, I saw a place where a lot of bottles were discarded. Later on, I came to know from people  that a truck cleaner, stranded here due to snow, died and was buried at the same spot by villagers. Since then, whenever, people pass through the Gata loops, they put a bottle of water at the same place where he was buried.

Barren beauty! before Sarchu

25 km after crossing the beautiful Gata loops, we reached Sarchu, which is a meadow and the last station of Ladakh district. It has an army base and a check post where the vehicles need to be registered before entering Himachal Pradesh. We had breakfast at Sarchu before heading towards Baralacha la.  We crossed our way through tunnels of melting snow to reach the top at a height of 16000 feet where we stopped and took our time clicking pictures and enjoying the amazing view of snow capped mountains all around the place. 

At Baralacha La -Beautiful Snow capped Mountains at the backdrop 

At Baralacha La-  we tried all the poses

The stunning lake of SurajTaal, just 3 km ahead while descending the pass, took my breath away. Surrounded by beautiful snow mountains, the lake is the third highest in India at a height of 16000 feet. Fed from the melting glaciers of Baralacha la, this Lake forms the source of Bhaga River.

Spectacular view of the Suraj Taal Lake

Riding further down by around 15 km, we came to the famous Zing Zing Bar where we had tea and snacks. Beyond Baralacha La till Keylong, we could find a number of water bodies flowing over the road because of the melting snow. This is where I mastered the art of crossing the naalas. The trick is to first identify your way and cross it at a single stretch at first gear without stopping in between.

Confidence is what you require in doing that!

It is in this route, where the view of the mountains and the valley suddenly change and become green with trees and vegetation; a departure from the view of the beautiful valleys and barren mountains of Ladakh. The stretch of 30 kmroad leading to Jispa was very uncomfortable filled with dust, rocks and huge water bodies accompanied with the scorching heat of the sun.

After the exhausting ride, we finally reached Keylong, where we took rooms in Himachal Pradesh guest house. In the evening, we had a small tour of the small town of Keylong on our bikes.

DAY 12/ KEYLONG -NAGGAR/ 140 KM

Hotel Chandra Bhaga at Keylong

We filled our tanks at Keylong, at the first petrol pump after Karu and started for our next destination Naggar which is 20 km ahead of Manali. To reach Manali, we had to cross the Rothang pass at 13000 feet. The ride from Keylong to Khoksar along the Chandra River in the Lahol and Spiti valley was quiet scenic. We entered our details at Khoksar check post before starting the ascent for Rothang pass.  The rough roads with the nuisance of heavy trucks on the way proved slightly difficult than expected. We took a right turn from Gramphu junction, which is 15 km from Rothang La, to remain on the Leh-Manali highway; a left from Gramphu would have led us to Kaza.

Rothang pass was filled with a lot of tourists who had come from Manali to enjoy the snow. The hills covered with snow was teeming with people who were trying out different rides. We took a long halt out there,photographing and enjoying the yummiest food from the street vendors. I had the best Maggie of the trip right here.

View of Rothang Pass

The descent from Rothang to Manali was again very spectacular amidst the misty and cloudy weather with strong currents of chilly winds. We could see a lot of people paragliding all the way down from different spots on the highway.

After the more than 6000 feet descent from Rothang, we didn’t enter Manali but continued along the right side of the Beas River and headed straight to a trout fish farm, which also served food,situated midway between Manali and Naggar. A series of steps from the entrance of the farm took us through a garden area to the outside sitting near the bank of the river. Although the food was served after a long wait, every dish served was delicious.

At the Trout Fish Farm before Naggar

We took our Hotel near Naggar castle road. The cold evening came to an end with a cold beer of bottle at the hotel balcony with a view of the beautiful valley of Naggar.

Bikes parked in front of our hotel at Naggar

DAY 13 & 14/ NAGGAR–CHANDIGARH-DELHI/ 550KM

"Patience is something you admire in the driver behind you and scorn in the one ahead". ~ anonymous

The 12 hours long drive on NH 21 from Naggar to Chadnigarh(280km) was filled with heavy highway traffic; the hair pin bends, the scorching heat and loads of dust added to the menace. The journey via Bhuntar, the 3 km long Aut Tunnel before Mandi, Bilaspur where we had lunch and the highway filled with potholes before Chandigarh was exhausting. We reached Chandigarh at our hotel, covered with dust, tar and sweat at around 7pm. Cold beer in the AC rooms provided peace at the end of the day.

"Faster, Faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." ~ Hunter S. Thompson

The next day, we started at 7 am in the morning and reached Delhi by 12 noon after a pit stop at Karnal for a breakfast. Ridding at 100 kmph on the NH1 in the morning till Karnal was enjoyable; however, beyond Karnal, the unbearable heat at 45 degrees was tough.

The amazing journey of 14 days came to an end as we parted our ways at the Delhi border.