The Setup

I'll start by being honest. I was not most interested in this ride. Most of all because my most frequent long distance tourer, Nilu, was missing from this ride. Then, Nishant was also absent. I was more interested in visiting a new place like Bhutan or Nepal or North East. With the number of tourists heading to Leh increasing heavily, it was not that big a challenge as it used to be. Mind you, its still not easy. But the ride did turn out to be a very memorable one. Quite adventurous.
The final tally of riders included:
Gyananath Moshahari - Hero Honda Karizma
Vihans Gupta - Yamaha FZ-16
Mrinal Doley - Bajaj Avenger
Mrinaljeet Dutta - Bajaj Avenger 200
Rohit Saini - Royal Enfield Electra
Ajit Singh - Royal Enfield Thunderbird
Saurabh Khanna - Royal Enfield Electra
Diptinder Singh Chhabra - Royal Enfield Electra

The tally would have surely been more had we allowed another comrade Aasish Francis to join us, who was traveling with a female pillion. Aasish, I'm very sorry to say No to you. Guys, I'll get back to you someday on this one.
The start was not encouraging. Monsoons had just begun and there had been news of heavy flooding even on NH-1 near Ambala. Moreover, our plan of going via Srinagar was disrupted as news of violence and curfew came from the Valley. Parental pressure was mounting to postpone the trip. We knew that any postponement would mean cancellation of the trip. Even if the trip would somehow happen later, the riders would not be the same and that would not promise the same amount of fun. Our planning was very meticulous. We were to touch all the major points through very adventurous routes.

09 July 2010

So after much coaxing and convincing, shopping trips and many, many discussions later, the day of departure finally came. I escaped from the routine office life at 5 PM. The first loading session is always the longest. It took me a whole hour to pack all the stuff on the Bullet. I was carrying one extra tent, sleeping bag and gum-boots. All the weight amounted to so much that when the engine fired up and the vehicle started to move, it was wobbling. Slowly and steadily, I reached the gathering point at the famed landfill site at the start of GT Road by 8:15 PM. Straightaway, there was a problem. Vihans was having trouble with the self start of his FZ. The emergency was the lack of a kick start option. His mechanic was attending to the bike, but did not find the cure of it.
With crossed fingers, we set off towards Panipat. The road after Alipur border has become very pleasurable to ride, even at night time. We made it to Gyan's home in just 2 hours. Gyan was his usual self, having started beer without waiting for us. Our plan was to leave from Panipat at 4 AM as the following day would see very long distance riding. Easier said than done. Its an insult to reach Gyan's home and straightaway go to sleep. You simply cannot go to bed without having 2 bottles of beer. Still, we did manage to finish everything by 1 AM and went to sleep.

10 July 2010

Next day, everyone woke up with Gyan's calling. The time was 6:30 AM. Nobody remembered their alarms going off. It was all bright outside. We were terribly late. Just like other times, we decided not to hold drinking sessions at Gyan's place anymore in the future. We set off at 7:30 AM, three and half hours behind schedule. Called up Rohit at Ambala to meet us on the highway.
Ambala was crossed easily with the highway wide open. There was still evidence of the havoc rain had created on the sides of the roads. Rohit bhai caught up with us at a dhaba just before Rajpura after entering Punjab. We were taking a route so that Chandigarh could be bypassed. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, they say. During rides, we follow it to the hilt. The difference is that breakfast becomes the meal for the entire daylight time. Aloo Parathas, Curd, Lassi and lots and lots of butter.
Before setting off, we called up Ajit ahead at Chandigarh to meet us at Kharar. We asked him to pick up some premium liquor too. This was a special ride that deserved some special alcohol. He picked up a Jack Daniels and Black Dog. But before reaching Kharar, we reached another hurdle. The bridge connecting Banur and Kharar was broken. The way across was through a 3 feet deep nallah. This was the first of many nallahs we would face on this journey. This one was deep enough to drown the silencer. Most of us did not want to undertake that crossing, instead preferring to take the 10 kms long diversion. Gyan is the aggressive one. He saw the localites crossing with their 100 cc bikes. This was enough to try out himself. The high silencer position of Karizma helped and he was across. We told him to catch up with Ajit and wait for us.
At first, there was some guilt of taking the diversion. But then riding on that village road amongst the lush green paddy fields, we were too glad on taking that route. The sort of moments that make you proud of your country. Rohit bhai was surprisingly fast on this route. He was so fast that when we caught up with Gyan and Ajit after Ropar, he was still riding ahead. Some cold respite was needed quickly. Ajit suggested Lassi, but that would make us sleepy. Dutta still had it. We later realized the person we were dealing with. This guy is a total, straightforward, out and out rider. When on his machine, he does not get distracted. Just give him the destination and time and he'll get there, even if the others do not.
After Ropar, came the stretch towards Kiratpur. During our last visit, this stretch was under construction being converted into 4 lanes. It was all ready this time and the sailing was super smooth. This road brings out old memories. Ladakh 2007, Lahaul-Spiti 2008, McLeodganj 2009. Nostalgia.
We waited for Rohit on reaching the turn towards Bilaspur. He was still racing ahead in a mood of his own. This was quite unlike him. He was just a few kms ahead. Now the hills started. As soon as the ascent starts, the mountains prepare you for what will be coming next. The pickup drops and you are surprised to know that you've been using full throttle and still no result. Nature is a great teacher.
Now, we were part of the notorious Bilaspur ACC traffic. All of us were covered in dirt. This made us thirsty. We had to take emergency measures. Dehydration cannot be taken lightly. Gyan halted at the first theka and 4 strong beers opened. Rohit bhai feels out of place in such situations as he's a teetotaler. He does not usually smoke, but this time he did.
Refreshed we continued our journey. We reached Sundernagar and stopped for lunch. A very late lunch besides the canal. The next meal would be only at Manali. We stuffed ourselves. The food was great too. Now, it was getting dark too. Time to stick together. Darkness even brings the runaway Gyan together with the group as his Karizma headlamp does not rotate.
We crossed Pandoh dam. Again a brief halt at a tea stall to regroup and then prepare for the final assault. "Assault" reminded us to stock up for the night. Close to Kullu, we picked up 2 Old Monks. We crossed an empty Kullu. All the crowd was at some VIPs marriage ceremony.
After crossing Kullu, on the ascent towards Manali, we saw a crowd rush at one of the local thekas. There seemed to be some scuffle going on. All of us passed the trouble cleanly. But, we faced another trouble only a few feet ahead. Ajit's rear tyre had been punctured by one of the broken beer bottles near the theka(Puncture #1). At that time of the hour, past midnight, there was no help to be found. We had to help ourselves. Vihans was the first to dive in. Others took full advantage of this and just stood to the side. It took us 2 hours to fix the puncture. An extra hour was because the glass was still stuck in the tyre even after Gyan had given it his full hand brush.
Reaching the Manali entry, we stopped to pay the "green tax". I wonder if that money is really put to use. There's no checking in Manali whether they have entered after paying tax or not. Vihans took full advantage and got us across the gates by paying 50%. He's so good at such communication that the guards also stopped a local guide to take us to a decent, cheap hotel. Cheap it was. At Rs 300 per room, it was a steal. Saurabh was somewhat disappointed here. I think he's used to some luxuries. Like it or not, this was going to be our home for the next two days.
After some washing up, we gathered in the main chambers for the holy cleansing. Its useful in making the dash to Manali in one day only as the next day is reserved for rest. So, you can really enjoy the evening in peace. Thats why we all were wide awake at 3 AM and making life hell for the hotel staff. We made him get us anything to eat. He managed to bring egg bhurji and toasted bread. Clean hands or not, everyone dived in.

11 July 2010

We woke up lazily. The day's agenda was mini-servicing of the bikes, buy more stuff for the trip, search for Gagan, the Mr. Know-it-All at Manali, visit Lazy Dog, watch the World Cup Finals. It was a busy day. The group split up into two for faster servicing. All the servicing of our group was done quickly. The other group had to bear with heavier tasks of clutch plates replacement and chain set replacement. Since we had some extra time, we went to Lazy Dog. Unfortunately, the owner Yon was out for that season. It looked like we would be watching the Finals elsewhere.
Gagan was found at his shop after some mix-up. He's a treasure. This guy knows Manali inside out. He gladly came with us for the entire day. The rest of the time was spent in shopping for essentials. It was here at Mall Road that our group had the first fall(Fall #1). None other than the ace faller, Gyan. While walking he missed a step and banged his foot.
Jerrycans were available at Rs 40. With no choice, we had to relent. Torches, woollen socks, paper soaps, Gagan helped us in finding everything. The shopping tired us. Gyan and Vihans opted for tel-maalish. We reached back to the hotel to put the stuff. And then quickly out again to Club 7 to watch the Finals. The place was laid out well. Sofas lined up in front of a gigantic projector screen. It was going to be so much fun. Already the crowd was getting divided over who they were supporting, Netherlands or Spain.
Gagan arrived sometime later and played his magic. Our group was led into a separate lounge area exclusively. But only for a short while though. As the crowd started pouring in, the place was getting short of seats. We got out into another seating area to join the crowd. We didn't mind. Football matches must be watched in a crowd.
The match turned out to be a disappointment. It was slow paced. Most of us were supporting Netherlands, the team that defeated Brazil. The majority of crowd was Spain-supporting. And Spain won by 1-0. The night's adventures were still not over. My Bullet was boxed in the parking by a Maruti 800. Only Dutta, Doley and Gyan were left with me at that time. We had to pick up the car and push it back a couple of inches to make room. After freedom, came stupidity. We rode our bikes into Mall Road. Cops caught us at the end and asked for papers. Whether it was the beer breath or our stupid, smiling faces, we still don't know, but the cops let us go. We had pushed our luck too far and it was time we call it a night.

12 July 2010

There had been reports of Rohtang Pass being closed the previous day. Still, we found it better to wait at the pass than at Manali and moved on. It took us about one and a half hour to reach Marhi. There was a huge crowd there. On interacting, most of all by Ajit(he's a very good PR person), we found that some of the travelers had been waiting at Marhi for 3 days. There had been heavy landsliding following dynamite blasts. The road is being double laned. Some of the guys did show us some hope saying how lucky we were that the pass would be opened today. Little did we know that luck would take few more days to come to our side.
We started to move ahead after having a leisure breakfast of egg maggi, the staple food of this trip. We did not get far. Vihans' FZ did not start. We tried everything. We even brought in couple of mechanics of other groups, but no result. There was no going forward. We had to board the bike on top of a pickup and bring it back to Manali. Gagan helped us in finding another cheap hotel. Mangaldeep at Gompa Road. A mechanic checked the FZ completely and fixed it up. He promised that it would go all the way. By now, Vihans was very concerned about the performance. He asked the mechanic to come to the hotel after his day was complete. We were planning to take him along with us. It would be a good insurance policy for all of us.
The tension was evident on Vihans' face. When we reached the hotel, there was very less drinking. The news floating around was that Rohtang got opened in the evening. We had to leave very early if we were to keep up with our schedule. One rest day had already been lost. Vihans was telling us about all the education he had while traveling in the pickup.
When the mechanic came, he asked for an exorbitant amount of money. We declined and let him go.

13 July 2010

So, we made yet another ascent to Rohtang. At Marhi, yet another bad news awaited us. A truck got stuck at 11 PM in the night. BRO had been trying to move it since then. Sensing that we would have to be forward as soon as the way cleared we made our way further up. Not very far though. Just one loop below the blockade point, there was a tricky climb. Many 4X4s were also struggling to climb this point. Several other motorcycle groups were stuck at this point. Brotherhood shows in such circumstances and we helped push each other over the rough stretch. I was cross with Rohit and Ajit at this point as they were not helping, and let them know it. Things were normal after that.
Just a few meters ahead and we reached the trouble spot(hereby referred to as LoC). BRO folks were working frantically to clear the way. The truck could be seen lying across the slope. The front wheels were barely on the road and the whole body was at the side of the mountain. It was a wonder to see how they were still holding it from falling. There was going to be a very long wait. Even if the way got cleared somehow later, the oncoming traffic would get the preference.
Some people were able to bypass the LoC with the help of mules. Then it started drizzling too. Things were getting better and better. We utilized the time by catching up on our sleep. An empty dumper was parked nearby. We spread out the Godrej flex cover carried by Doley, inside it and stretched ourselves. In other circumstances, I would have called it a sweet sleep. But at that time, it was just sleep. Ajit, Saurabh and Rohit laid out their tarpauline on the road itself. When we were done sleeping, well, almost all of us, Vihans was still fast asleep, we got hungry. The only option available was a bread and chhole vendor. He was doing brisk business. He ran out of his ingredients. His supplies were replenished by another stuck vehicle. Necessity is the mother of invention. None of us was carrying any water or water bottle. The only source was a nearby stream. The container we had was hip flask. You get the picture. That water is purer than most of the 20 litre containers we get at home.
The crowd was now getting agitated. It had been hours now and still no result. The crowd now started to push the BRO to drop the truck over the side. The BRO responded by lathi charge(a miniature version, not the full fledged charge). But the mob is a powerful, blind and deaf entity. Meanwhile the truck drivers collected together and managed to get in touch with the contractor over mobile. The owner gave strict instructions that the truck should be brought up by any means possible. The BRO was stuck in the middle. It was going to be another lost day. There was even the news of a crane being brought all the way from Manimajra, miles away. Army cranes could be seen moving up from Manali towards the LoC. It looked like we would have a clear road in the morning. We decided to descend till Marhi and camp nearby. Some of the others also thought of the same idea. It helps to carry tents. The established tents were selling a night stay at Rs 1500 per head.
It was at the camp site that we saw another group. They were owning one KTM 950 cc Adventure and a BMW R1200GS, two bikes at the top of my wishlist. These bikes have the drive-anywhere capability. Vihans was turned off by the sheer height of the machines. Yes, they are quite tall. And then, the KTM owner disrespected his machine by asking for a push. WTF !!!!! These bikes do not require any sort of push. You should commit suicide before asking someone to push your KTM and then kill yourself again as a double-check.
It was here that Vihans had his first fall(Fall #2). On a straight path when he was wearing no protection, he rolled his bike over a stone. As darkness fell, we brought out our second bottle of Old Monk. All of us assembled in the middle tent, eight men squeezed into a 4-men tent. The neighbours would have a tough time sleeping. It was cold. Rum really helps, two-fold. Hoping for better luck the next day, we went to sleep.

14 July 2010

Another lazy wake up. We could see from the camp site that the truck was still dangling at the LoC. It would be a long wait. As we began to wrap up the tents, Vihans had his second fall(Fall #3) in the same fashion that he had done the previous day. At that time I laughed. Soon, I was the victim as I was turning my fully loaded Bullet and miscalculated the slope(Fall #4).
The news was that the pass would definitely open today. Grabbing some beer from the nearby theka(Carlsberg at Rs 90, naturally cooled) and tea for the others, we sat down at our regular dhaba with the maps. We had met a group of 4-5 bikers from Tamil Nadu the previous day. They had opted to take the Spiti route to the other side of Rohtang. Word had also reached us from Nishant that two of his friends were already in Leh after taking the Srinagar route.
The Spiti route was discounted as it would be a diversion of some 700 kms that would leave us with little energy if we ever reached Leh. Then also, we would not be able to explore anything. We began to calculate how long it would take for us via the Srinagar route. Gyan's analysis showed that it was the same situation through that route too. It would have meant 4 days of relentless riding with no scope of rest. So, we just waited.
As we lounged around, Rohit went for parajumping. He had been wanting to do that since long. The rest of us passed the time by being a part of the curious crowd gazing at the latest Akshay Kumar - Aishwarya Rai starrer movie being shot close by. The Rohtang effect had long reaches. People were struggling to get a view of the stars. No problem for us as we were all armed for the occasion. Vihans had brought binoculars and Ajit had a very powerful zoom lens. We considered lending out the binoculars @ Rs 10 for 5 mins. There was ample business opportunity. Funnily, many honeymoon couples had also lined up to get a view. I might not have the experience but isn't honeymoon time for a couple to be devoted entirely to each other? Why do you want to line up to see a couple of strangers? One of the onlookers even rushed through the security covers in a bid to hug the hero. The cops took him aside and gave him a whack. Served him right. I hate people who idolize other people.
Rohit had had an adventure of his own. He fell down while landing from the parajump(Fall #5).
After a heavy lunch of dal-rajma-rice, news began to pour in of the pass opening up soon. Quickly, we got dressed and reached the point where a couple of BRO people were stopping the traffic. The pass had truly opened. The oncoming traffic was allowed to cross first. There were loud cheers as it passed the ongoing crowd. Only a few vehicles later, we were given the go ahead. There was a long, long line waiting to cross. Heavy vehicles were to move on later. Taxis and motorcycles were allowed. Slowly we reached the LoC. The truck was still over the edge but it had been somehow stabilized. The path however was one gigantic slush-pit. The non-Bullets of our group crossed first. The heavy laden Bullets needed a push to get across.
FINALLY, WE WERE THROUGH. It had taken us 4 days to cross this 10m long piece of land. All were jubilant. The only way was forward. Strange enough, there was no signage at Rohtang Top, marking the summit. We rode non-stop till Koksar and stopped at the first dhaba. It had gone quite dark. Keylong was still 45 kms away. We did not want to cross the pagal-nullah at nighttime.
The dhaba owner, Tsangpo, was a jovial one. A drunkard too. It was an apt time to open Black Dog. Tsangpo gave us good service. However, the ladies were not amused. We were keeping them awake. The bottle was quickly empty and we went in for the meal. Tsangpo offered us shelter @ Rs 40 per head. There were no blankets though. Ajit missed that statement and went to sleep in his sleeping bag topped up by one of the lying blankets. One of the ladies was calling to him to return her blanket. But he was fast asleep. We had to take the blanket forcefully. The night was really cold.

15 July 2010

Today we planned to cover a good amount of distance. Sarchu, if possible. We did leave Tsangpo's dhaba in good time. The road till Sissu was a breeze. Then it started deteriorating. The pagal-nullah before Tandi was not much of a threat. It was deep though. On reaching Tandi, the last petrol pump on this route before Leh, we topped up. The fuel was being rationed as the supply trucks had not yet reached the petrol pump.
We reached a very dusty and sun baked Keylong. Several of the accompanying riders had been here last night and now had moved on. Some were still left. Breakfast was ordered. It was here that Vihans got a brahma-astra for his bike. Until now, he had been starting his bike by removing the air filter. The mechanic fitted all of it back and instructed him to start the bike by turning the fuel supply off. He also told him to keep the fuel supply low by turning it off time to time. The bike gave no trouble during the entire journey after this. Maybe, it would have worked on the Bullets too, but none of us tried. It would be difficult to do the on-off while carrying such heavy load. It was at the mechanic's workshop that our ace faller, Gyan had his second fall, that too while sitting on a chair(Fall #6).
After a heavy breakfast, we set off. The road was now a dusty mess. Nearing Jispa, it improved for a while. Stretches that took the speedometer upto 70. By now, I was again getting cross with the group for not sticking together. Gyan and Vihans were flying ahead. Saurabh and Ajit were riding by themselves. Only, Rohit, Dutta and myself were sticking together. In this sort of terrain, its important that you all stay together. Whenever the guys ahead used to stop and wait for the others, they used to choose some remote spot with no scope of water or tea nearby. So, while they finished their smoking, the others were left just watching. I took some of the anguish out by purposefully stopping at Deepaktal for tea.
After Jispa and Darcha, came the ascent towards LachulungLa. But first, near Zingzingbar, Vihans had another fall(Fall #7). This time too he was not wearing any protection. He had a couple of wounds. For the rest of the trip he was found scurrying to find Band Aids.
Now came the ascent to the famous BaralachLa. There's always snow to be found here. The sun was at its peak which meant most of the snow was melting and that meant wading bikes. We came across the magnificent looking Vishaltal. Chunks of ice floated over crystal clear water. The view was magical.
We reached Sarchu as it was getting dark. Took shelter in the first camps that came. Rs 500 with dinner and breakfast. Attached baths. AMS is a silent assassin. It strikes silently and coldly. Many of us were now its victims. Gyan and Dutta were in the worst shape. They went to sleep without having dinner. We had been cautious and had been taking Diamox since leaving Rohtang. Still, it can't be prevented. I'll remember Sarchu as the place I lost my beloved Sony Ericsson W700i phone, my companion for four years.

16 July 2010

Bikers usually have an active image. Not us though. We were the last to leave the encampment. The road through Sarchu is fantastic. "Feel like God". Doley was not having that feeling despite being on an Avenger. He was having trouble with pickup. The root cause was one of his boots stuck between the wheel and mudguard. The boot was in tatters. They had to be disposed of. Doley was wearing mudboots for the rest of the journey.
We zoomed all the way to Gata Loops. Gyan was carrying the camera this time and even took a video. His mudguard had been cracking and dangling. He removed the front half completely. Looked like a proper dirt bike.
A big obstacle came before LachulungLa. Deep nullah and the flow was faster than we had faced before. During water crossings all of us were united. The lighter bikes used to cross first and then point out the correct path to the others. We made sure that all the motorcycles were safely across. Feet were sloshingly wet now. The cold water was also causing cramps. Thats another advantage of taking the Ladakh trip in September. Water crossings are easier. Of course, the weather is always unpredictable.
There were many more such crossings, all resulting in wet feet. NakeeLa was crossed with ease. This pass is always the ignored one. Even I had missed getting myself clicked during the last trip. This time, I didn't. When we reached LachulungLa, we only found Ajit to be the sole person waiting there. Everyone else was ahead. I lost my temper. What sort of group was I riding with? During my first trip, we had a sense of pride on reaching every pass. We used to have bike lineup pics and the riders pics. This one seemed to be going all wrong. I lost it. I started riding faster. Much faster than my usual pace. Bad thing to do when in that sort of terrain. I quickly overtook the others.
Nature is a patient teacher. It waits for you to straighten yourself out. If not, then it teaches you a lesson. I was taught one when following a trio of trucks. I started to overtake, saw the path ahead as non-passable and applied brakes. The newly installed disc brakes locked the front tyre over the gravel and I hit dirt(Fall #8). The KTM knee guards took the brunt of the fall. The headlamp was pushed inside. My hand was sprained. I looked around to see if anybody else saw the incident. No one. Funnily, this enraged me. I had been around to push others' bikes and pick them up. Now, when I hit bottom, no one was around to pick me up. Somehow, I managed to pick the Bullet up and get on the seat.
My mood remained foul when we reached Pang. Enroute we noticed a broken front mudguard, later claimed to be Dutta's. I did not even stop when the others were taking scenic photographs. I planned to give an earful to everyone once we reached Leh. At Pang, we had the staple Tibetan food, Thupka. Gyan and Dutta were still reeling under AMS' influence. They wanted to reach low altitudes as quickly as possible. Saying, they would wait at Rumtse, they parted early. We left half hour later.
Of all the places you see while traveling to Leh, I find More Plaines the best. A flat area at an altitude of 5000m, you cant see it anywhere else. Its the place where even the biggest of groups can ride side by side. The huge expanse makes you feel so small as to be insignificant. One turnoff was that the offroading section of the Plaines had become quite rough. It used to be smoother than most of the National Expressways. The huge tourist flow is destroying the beauty of the region.
We had to cross huge mudpits when we finally touched the circumventing road. The trick is to touch the road as late as possible. Now, all of us looked the same, dusty selves. Then Doley did the unimaginable. Till date, I've not seen or met anyone who would take nature's bigger call while traveling on this flat expanse. You might argue that Man has no control over these things, but you'll certainly not want to take it in a place with very high visibility. It was breezy. So after Doley was done, he was seen running around wrapping the loose tissue paper. That single incident made me cool my nerves.
We had barely moved on when Doley had another problem. This time, his bike. The rear tyre was flat(Puncture #2). Trouble was the spare tube was being carried by Dutta. None of us was experienced in changing the Avenger's fat tyre. It was a big challenge. Believe me when I say that it was harder to get out of the rim than those of Royal Enfields. Our inexperienced hands had also damaged some of the threads of the axle. We had a tough time putting the bike together again. Ajit had meanwhile succumbed to AMS at this point. We were still at an altitude greater than 15000 ft. Now, there was a slim chance that the mighty TanglangLa would be crossed in daylight. To me, its the toughest pass on the way to Leh. Also, the grandest.
The ascent began. The path ahead could be seen across 3 mountains winding its way at an angle of nearly 30 degrees. The milestone says only 22 kms, but it takes nearly two hours to cover that distance. Whenever you cross take a turn, you expect the top to come up next. Then you find there's another series of turns left, and so on. The path starts to get worse. Then finally, we see the Buddhist flags indicating the top of the pass. We had made it and there was still sunlight. The second highest pass of the world. The words on the signboard echoes your sentiment, "Unbelievable, isnt it?".
The way down is even more treacherous. All the melting snow had roughened the road to a new level. Dreadful shocker clunks were frequent. The promise of a better road near Rumtse kept us going. But there was a lot of hardwork involved to earn that reward. By now it had got dark. We caught up with another Delhi based group. One of their Ladakh Carriers had broken. They were tying it back together. Hard task, if you count the load on the carrier. They had shared some of the load with another motorcycle.
As soon as we switched on the headlights, I had a problem. My beam had been damaged by the fall. It was pointing straight up. I could not see the path ahead. There was still some distance between me and the second last rider, Rohit. I had difficulty bringing up enough courage to race my Bullet enough to catch up with him blindly. Now, I stuck with him following his taillight. Also noticed that my odometer had stopped rolling. No further readings could be recorded now.
Our troubles were still not over. The patch we had applied on Doley's rear tyre, was leaking air. It had to be pumped up frequently. Thankfully, the road ahead was now a clear and well laid one now that TanglangLa had been crossed. Our big mistake was that we did not stop at the puncture shop at Rumtse. Doley was very anxious on breaking records on one pumpful of air that he passed the shop without noticing. We got as far as 15 kms from Rumtse when the tyre just gave up. Rohit grew quite mad as we had planned to stop at Rumtse for tea. Its not advisable to deny tea to Rohit.
It was late at night and no mechanic could be found now. All the villages we passed were deserted. The nearest village was Meeru 5 kms ahead. It was debated how to get there. Some suggested riding on the flat tyre, some suggested pushing. Concerned about the rim, Doley chose the latter. At that time, any decision was wrong. We had been riding since morning. It was getting chilly. Doley simply was not in a position to push the bike for 5 kms. He did manage to complete 2 kms, then sat on it. Handling a punctured motorcycle is very good exercise for the forearms. Doley's strength increased thrice by the time he reached Meeru. And then he was tired exponentially. Meanwhile, we had sent Ajit ahead to look for a mechanic. Finding none, he was waiting at Upshi. We believed that Dutta and Gyan would be soundly sleeping in Leh.
We requested a resident to keep the bike safe for the night promising that we would fetch it in the morning. Now Doley got in pillion with Vihans for the next 10 kms to Upshi, a difficult task. Leh was 85kms away. The time was 11 pm. All of us were dead tired. My anger had faded away seeing that all of us were together in times of trouble. Thats what matters. There was only one open dhaba. The owner was a lady dragon. She even kept the numerous truck drivers behaved. We were just a group of bikers. The reason was the co-owner, a beautiful young woman whom Vihans fell in love with immediately. He devised a clever plan to get married in the hills. This would ensure a lifelong annual trip.
As we ate a harsh but tasty dinner, the lady gave us a scare. She said that she did not have any room for the night complaining that we had wasted the time by eating. We were stumped. It would take another hour to reach Leh. Although the roads were good, but we had had it by now. Moreover, we could reach Doley's bike easier if we stayed here rather than at Leh. The Dragonlady, however did manage to get us a room on the other side of the road. It was a cosy place. We left our luggage on the bikes itself. We were so tired that we could not even smell our stinking feet. We were asleep even before our heads hit the pillows.

17 July 2010

That night's sleep was one of the sweetest ever. Doley was the first to get up. I woke up at around 9 am to find him playing with a baby. Doley loves babies. One of the elders was praying in the neighbouring room and that acted like a catalyst to our sleep. Mobiles were still not working. We had to ride to Karu, 20kms away to get the signal. Talk about out of reach. Since Doley and I were awake, we went to Karu to call Gyan and look for a puncture repair shop. We found the shop, but all the PCOs were not working. Something to do with the crashed Airtel tower.
We rented a pickup truck to fetch the bike from Meeru. He charged a very nominal Rs 500. That's another beautiful part in Ladakh. Locals do not try to fleece you. Doley, Ajit and Saurabh went with the truck to Meeru. We all regrouped in Karu. Back on all of our bikes. The 30 kms to Leh passed smoothly. Finally, we had reached Leh, 9 days after we left Delhi. Gyan met us outside a small workshop near the circle and guided us to their hotel. He did not reach their without a mis-navigation. He and Dutta had reached Leh last night at around 11 PM only and crashed into the first hotel they saw.
Now the hotel did not have enough capacity. An alternate one was found nearby, Hotel Choskor, with indoor parking in the lawns, balcony for the night, which we did not get the time to use. All of us were angry at Gyan for deserting us. Gyan informed us that he had two punctures when he inspected the bike(Puncture #3). We would have to get the bikes checked up today. But first, we desperately needed a bath. After freshening up, everyone was mighty hungry. The hotel did not have any eating facilities. So, we went out exploring.
From this day on, "Knowledge Conflicts" happened throughout the journey. It is inevitable that if the number of veterans in a group exceed one(our group had three), then they are always found clashing over the places to go locally. Hey, even I'm not exempted from this. Its just comes naturally. I'm not saying there are ugly spats. Its just harmless fun for the others who just follow. Wait, can't describe that as harmless. While looking for a place to lunch, we were roamed around and around the entire town, sometimes following one veteran, sometimes the other, with no conclusion. Vihans had had enough and then applied brakes in front of an ideal place, 100 Oceans Bar and Restaurant. Beer was very much needed. Rohit had cider juice in a beer bottle so he did not feel left out. Beer has all kinds of benefits. It removed all the friction and anger we had been feeling this time. I've always voted beer to be made available as easily as bottled water. Just try and reap the wholesome benefits. Maybe, we can even resolve the Kashmir issue through beer. A bad joke to say at this instant since we were going to be in for a rough time crossing Kashmir.
After beer and lunch, we went to the mechanics, again splitting up. Mohan Sharma. He looked very busy at the moment. So, I went to the neighbouring Bansals. Not a patch on what Mohan Sharma could do. I should point out here a thorn stinging at my side. Ajit did not take photos of us here as he found the location unattractive. I plan to keep reminding him of this point in all our future meets.
Gyan, Doley and Dutta, the "Kela" crowd, were dispatched to get Tee shirts and permits made for the whole group. Ajit met them at Shanti Stupa. In the evening, all of us gathered at the Fort Road market. More personal orders for personal Tees were placed. For dinner, the "Kela" crowd informed us that they had already eaten. We went to Penguin Garden Restaurant for beer and dinner. All kinds of cuisine was ordered. Momos, Grilled Chicken, Chicken Salad. The world cuisine was integrated at our table.
We went to bed earlier than usual as next day was to be the day of reaching the World's Highest Motorable Road and beyond.

18 July 2010

Another early-rising day for us. This was not turning out to be a relaxing holiday. The big solace was that phones were unreachable. Oh, did I mention I had forgotten my cellphone at Sarchu? I miss that to this day. It had been my companion for nearly 5 years.
We packed up our tents and sleeping bags to camp at Nubra. As soon as we started to take off, Saurabh discovered his front tyre to be flat. Being Sunday, no shops were open. He had to ride a good 7 kms outside Leh to find a shop to carry out the repairs. We made use of the time by having breakfast and got some samosas packed for those who could not. We also decorated all the motorcycles with those little Buddhist flags. They attracted a lot of attention for the entire journey.
When we reached the South Pullu check point, we were informed that a nullah a few kilometers before North Pullu had become dangerous. We were rushed ahead. Now, we climbed the final 8 kms to K-Top. This was the World's Highest Motorable Road. We let out a loud cheer as we reached the top. This is the highest our machines would ever go. Cameras got busy clicking everything. I had been saving the Indian flag, lent by Nishant till this day. Now was the time to bring it out and wave it proudly. The huge crowd dulled the enthusiasm a little. This used to be a very isolated spot and now look at it. The souvenir shop had a huge sale.
Now, it was the time to venture in new territories. Nubra Valley. By now, we were so experienced that we scoffed at the news of the dangerous nullah. How hard could it be? Turns out, Very. The stones were very sharp and big and the water flow was furious. Our most stable rider till now, Rohit barely had a fall(Fall #9). The surrounding people supported and he was saved from being washed away. Making our way across, we paused for some fluids and to dry our wet feet. Meanwhile, an Innova got stuck. Try as it might, there was no motion. Last we saw, it had to be picked up and pushed back.
The road ahead is all downhill. Expectedly so as you reach the lowest points in Ladakh from the highest point. Plus, its so smooth. Speeds. We stopped at North Pullu for a meal. Till now, we were unable to procure Wai-Wai. It seems that Maggi has done a takeover of the entire state. Even here, we got a cheap variety of noodles other than Maggi, called as ____. Not as tasty as Wai-Wai. Other items ordered were, the usual Maggi, Mutton Thupka.
Filling ourselves, we moved on. The mountains that could be seen from KhardungLa were still moving alongside here. I had seen pics of a changing scenery at Nubra, but even after moving 50 kms, it was still the same. Didn't know how far we would have to go for a different view. Oh yes, Gyan had a fall here(Fall #10). He was trying to take a shortcut. Thats why the shortcuts in Ladakh are terribly dangerous. Although, they look tempting, they are very tricky.
The scene changed only at Khalsar roundabout. You reach a wide open flat area here. The surrounding area is all sandy. The straight road leads to Panamik. The left turn takes you to Hunder, Turtuk and Base Camp. Possibly, the Siachen Base Camp. Our target was Hunder. Maybe, we'll stretch the target in a subsequent visit. This left road is a very nice spot for photography. A 1.5 kms straight stretch following the curvature of the earth. An oncoming BRO truck had to wait annoyingly as we cleared the path after a few photographs.
The next scenery change was only after Diskit with some 8 kms left for Hunder. Now sand dunes were visible. The Ladakh Cold Desert. Its a unique sight to see sand dunes at this sort of altitude. One of nature's many wonders. On reaching Hunder, we began to scout for a place to camp. At one instant of time, all of us were roaming inside the village on entirely different paths. The interior of the village had many resorts but in the name of camping, they had tents in between 4 walls and a garden. Camping requires wide open spaces. So, we went to a spot right at the beginning besides a stream. We had to put up the tent before dark. We had already placed an order for dinner at one of the village's restaurants. Who will be the lucky ones to fetch them was left as a debate for later.
The tents were put up and firewood as assembled. Gyan and Ajit fetched snacks and glasses from the restaurant. Water streams is our weakness. It arouses a primeval instinct to have a natural bath. Vihans, Doley, Rohit and myself quickly stripped and dove in. The stream was a very shallow one and we had to lie down to get completely wet. The water was not as chilly as one might think. Another advantage is that you do not feel cold. Now, we were all set to finally open the special Jack Daniels Ajit had been carrying from Chandigarh. This was a monumental occasion. How many have the privilege of enjoying a campfire at Nubra? I took over the duties as bartender. For people who needed some dilution, we used the nature fresh stream water.
Now began the debate of who would bring our dinner? Much coaxing later, ____ and ___ went. We had a lovely spread of mutton and chicken and some vegetables. 4 local dogs were in the vicinity. They were very healthy from all the throwaway food from all the camps. It was also planned to have an early departure so that we could cross the mad nullah before it got dangerous. Like that was going to happen. HAAAHH.

19 July 2010

Next morning, we gathered up all the thrash and disposed it off in the village tea stall. "No Littering" is our strict policy. Sat down for a breakfast of samosas and masala dosas. Irony, Masala Dosa in Ladakh. Ajit had already done a round of the nearby area where they do Camel Safaris. These are Bactrian camels, double humped. Seeing the photographs, we also could not resist paying a visit.
The Safari costed Rs 150 for 15 mins. There was some dispute over the camels we were offered. Two of them were malnourished. You do not want to travel all this way and then photographed over an emaciated camel. After fighting over it, they finally changed and brought in healthier ones. Unlike the single hump camels, these were shorter in height. But they made up for it in their bulk. Rohit was still having trouble from his fall during parajumping(Fall #5) and declined the safari. This left him available for camerawork.
It was almost noon when we left Hunder. Leh was 125 kms away. When we were close to Khalsar roundabout, each one of us thought of an ingenious pose with our bikes. Now, the road was uphill. But still we made good progress till North Pullu only to find a huge jam. Our Rohtang luck was still following us. The PagalNullah was terrible. Even though BRO was working since morning, all the traffic was blocked. We had to wait another 3 hours at the checkpost. Being so crowded, there was no meal to be had at the restaurant. They were up to their necks in orders. The temperature was also on the higher side. We took our refuge in the shade besides the kitchen.
As soon as one man saw the route opened up, he informed all the others. There was a mad rush now. It was the sort you see at Delhi's traffic lights. Motorcycles were caught between the huge number of cabs. At every turn, there was a long line of stuck traffic. More PPFTs. Dutta also had a fall at one of the turns(Fall #11). He had been one of our luckiest riders. If there was a mad rush towards KhardungLa then at the K-Top, there was utter chaos. Some sadhu was visiting, probably from Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Why do people idolize such wasteful souls, I never comprehended.
Only Rohit and I were together. We were thinking of taking a bike line-up pic this time, but our fellow riders had moved on. Even if they had been present, there was no space to take such a pic. Another large group called as Ferris Wheels had their Bullet 500s lined up. The riders were all foreigners, some even females. They looked grand. We found the rest of the gang waiting after another nullah crossing. Mountain passes are like a mirror. The descent is a close replica of the ascent. Nullahs are found at similar distances, Tarmacs start after similar gaps.
The drama was still not over. During the descent, I saw Ajit was not riding his usual self. He was much faster than usual. Again Nature came into its teaching mode. With Leh being 7 kms away, he hit dirt over a tight road and gravel(Fall #12). Thanks to all the protective gear, there were no injuries. With the exception of Saurabh and Doley, everyone had taken a tumble. These two became the envy of everyone. After the tumble, his Bullet failed to start. We all stuck together as he rolled down the final distance.
The Bullets yet again went to Mohan Sharma. There were small corrections to be made on every bike. You can meet almost every comrade at that shop. Some are newcomers, some are leaving. Bikes going in and out. No wonder, Leh is called the Mecca for bikers. For dinner, we went to a small but popular restaurant at Fort Road. The owner was another dragon lady. We reached the restaurant a little late and were the only ones left inside. Shockingly, we learnt that it was a dry day. Somebody did try to explain why but I did not understand. Also, there was no non-veg food available. The food we got was delicious. The dragonlady was mad that we were not giving a collective order. Alls well that ends well. Tomorrow we hit ChangLa and the most beautiful lake in the world.

20 July 2010

Ajit gave the first surprise. Well not a total surprise but it was somewhat unexpected. He decided to skip Pangong and start the return journey one day early. He had to reach his office positively by 24th July. The seven of the rest started the steep ascent of ChangLa. It is steeper than all the other passes. The Bullets were having a tough time climbing. The gears had to be changed frequently. The 2nd gear did not have enough power to climb throughout and the first was too low. When the offroading started, many times we had to 'paddle-push while on full throttle' the bikes. Lets call this method as PPFT. It would be used many times in the future.
And moving, crawling we made it to the top of ChangLa, the third highest pass of the world. We missed the sign where it said "Free Tea provided by the Army" The mirror reflection theory was true again. The descent was mighty steep. Another pagalnullah was to be crossed. This one was even more treacherous as the stones were sharper and quite large in size. All our bikes crossed safely. When the offroading ended, smooth tarmac welcomed us. But even here, you cant go at high speed as the gradient is still high. 3rd gear was at its limit but I could not switch to fourth gear. Hence, frequent braking. This road has been much improved from what I last remember. All courtesy the 3 Idiots. The road now was clearly marked throughout. The greenery has also much increased. While nearing Tangtse, we saw some familiar faces. This was the group that was earlier mentioned as taking the Rohtang bypass towards Spiti. I asked if they did it and they confirmed. Man, real heroes. These guys had been continuously riding the time we had spent idling and still fresh enough to visit Pangong Lake. Thats spirited.
We stopped at Tangtse checkpoint for registering. A couple of cabfuls of girls were waiting. They asked if they could take our photograph. Some funny dialogue passed between me and Vihans over this. We are a shy group of people, you know.
For the unknown, there is a small water body right before Pangong. Gyan and I were leading and decided to have some fun. We waved our arms signaling that we had reached Pangong and slowed down. Vihans was stumped. He had been expecting a grand, blue spectacle. This was a small, grey pond. Gyan cited the clouds as the reason for the grey shade. We then told the guys that we are heading towards MarsimekLa. All were quiet until we reached the signboard, "First View of World Famous Pangong Lake". Vihans jumped with joy. Gyan and I laughed to no end.
The road forked into two. As it never fails to happen in such situations, we took the wrong turn and really started to head towards MarsimekLa. We corrected ourselves quickly and were soon parked in the ideal parking spot, inside the lake. It was breezy. Ajit had warned us before leaving that it would not be possible to put up our tents in those high winds. But first, came the time for photographs, with timer. I had a good exercise of setting the timer and then running towards the Bullet. The photographs truly make up for it. We went some distance ahead to look for a place to put up the tents. Although there was a vast amount of space available, we needed somewhere closer to food source. The dhabas at the start were the only sources. So, we returned. By now, it was drizzling and the clouds overhead were dark and sinister. If they burst, we were in for trouble. Our tents were simply not durable enough. We asked at the already setup tents there. They were all booked. We were in trouble. All of us sat down in one of the dhabas and discussed on the next course of action. Then the guardian angel spoke. The dhaba owner took us to the shed besides the dhaba and opened it to reveal neatly arranged beds and blankets, enough space for us. Vihans was so ecstatic that he gave a tight hug to the man. Then the angel turned even more divine. RUM was available. That too Contessa, imported straight from the military. Ignore the high price of Rs 350. It was nectar from the Gods. Our night couldn't have been better.
First we went to the lakeside for more photographs. There was little light but it was enough. We returned to the shed and had everything. Rum, coke, snacks. I really wish we could record one of those sessions sometime. They are hilarious. We laughed about the initial joke about the fake Pangong Lake.
For dinner, we went back to the dhaba. The food was hot and tasty. The sleep was very peaceful.

21 July 2010

In the initial plan, this was supposed to be our rest day. But we were so far behind schedule, that it had turned into a riding day as well. The only chance of rest was if we could make it quickly back to Leh. MarsimekLa had to be skipped. I so dearly wanted to go there for the utmost challenge of man and machine. They say that you have to push the bike for the last 5 kms. The previous day, we were asking one local for directions to the pass. He looked at our bikes and just simply said, "ye nahi jayegi". That is one challenge I have to have to complete. We thanked our angel gratefully and left for Leh. Now was the time for ascent to ChangLa from the other side. That meant PPFT(paddle pushing full throttle). As we were nearing the pagal nullah, there was a steep ascent with running water just one turn below. Us Bulleteers were left behind. Saurabh got stuck first. Rohit overtook him and was steadily climbing. We would stop later and help Saurabh out. I was close behind Rohit when suddenly his Bullet stopped. I still had enough momentum and could not stop in time and crashed into his carrier(Fall #13). No injuries again. First, I helped Rohit out. Then we pushed Saurabh up and then finally my turn to be pushed. The non-Bullets had passed this cleanly and did not stop. By now, I had stopped getting angry. This time the nullah was somewhat cushioned by BRO. But even then, we required lot of pushing to get through. The non-Bullets were waiting this time. Pushing the bikes at this altitude leaves one exhausted. We were all gasping and panting. When we reached ChangLa, the souvenir shop was open and free tea was also offered. The tea had a taste like none other. Doley bought the maximum number of souvenirs. He plans to bribe his office folks for future leaves when he gets his Classic 500. One of the visiting tourists asked if he could take picture with the bike so that he could later tell at home that he had come on bike to Leh. I hate such posers. I did not stop for him. However, Rohit bhai being the gentle person allowed him. These guys take unworthy credit by putting none of the effort. The descent to Leh was tremendous fun. It was less steeper than the other side and allowed for much pleasurable riding. We zoomed all the way. We saw another Bullet with two guys. They had masted a huge Ukraine flag on the bike. It looked fabulous. It earned Thumbs Up from all of us. We stopped at Karu for lunch at Punjabi Dhaba. He had freshly prepared chicken. We ate to the fill. Now the group divided. Dutta, Rohit, Saurabh and I wanted to visit Shye Palace. The rest wanted to just reach the hotel and crash. Rohit was the most eager tourist. But when we reached the Palace and the climb started, he beckoned for us to give up and return. Most of the palace area was locked off. So, it was not long after we also reached the hotel. A disturbing news awaited us. Ajit was still there. He had booked bus tickets to Manali and was sending his Bullet by tempo. The crisis at Srinagar had become even more dangerous. There was also the news of risk in Kargil and Dras. The second news was thought to be exaggerated. These areas have such high military presence that no one would dare even think of rioting. But the Srinagar news was definitely troubling. It had to be a collective decision. None of us was prepared to go back the rough road to Manali. Vihans' contact was warning us not to come to Srinagar. If we got stuck by any chance, the curfew situation meant we would not find a place to stay and eat. Saurabh reached out to some of his own contacts, as did Rohit. They found out that with the Amarnath Yatra in progress, traffic was open. The risk was definitely there. The city was closed off. Now, we had to decide whether to take the risk or not. At that time, we decided to go for it. Till date, we do not know if it was a logical decision or not. Anything could happen. We were happy on exploring this new route and the mighty ZojiLa. Even the name has a sinister sound to it. That decided, there was no further talk about it. We got the bikes filled with petrol and then tied most of the luggage in the night itself. Saurabh, Rohit and I also visited Shanti Stupa. This was our last night in Leh. I went to the city theka to look for Obi rum. Sadly, they were out. I did find Chinar though. Only some of us had a peg or two that night. Dinner was at Dogra dhaba. The food was brilliant. It was going to be a long journey home.

22 July 2010

The long journey home starts. We left as soon as daylight emerged. The road outwards is very smooth. We passed Pathar Sahib Gurudwara and Magnetic Hill. No halts there. The brilliant road continued onwards. We had planned to reach Sonmarg today. There were enough warnings the day before that you will have to leave very early. So, we had to cover the maximum distance early in the day after which army convoys will become a regular feature.
The first 70 kms were covered quickly as we took a stop for breakfast at _____. The place was sublime, right next to a fast flowing stream. The Assamese amongst here were the most happy people when they saw their home state manufactured chips being sold here. Vihans had kept himself busy by stepping into the kitchen to make eggs himself. The parathas were brought in later. Another group met us. These were 5 people coming from Bhuj. They had been riding all the way on one Classic, one Honda Shine, one Machismo. These guys show that you do not need any fancy gear to ride. All you need are pure, fucking raw guts. We looked overdressed and overloaded in front of them. They even did not have anything to eat. The eldest amongst them who was riding the Shine told us that they would only be eating in the evening after reaching their destination, Dras.
Now came the ascent to Lamayuru. This is a tricky one. The thin road runs right along the edge. If any vehicle came from the front then you are standing dangerously close to a deep gorge. One slip and thats it. Maybe, the new diversion being created will be safer. The good road continued till FotuLa top, the highest point on the Srinagar Leh road at 13479 feet. This was the first pass where we had witnessed tarmac all the way. And that was all. A short distance ahead and the roads disappeared. I had thought that Kargil and Dras, being strategic military points would have nice, clean roads, but no. Instead, it was very dusty. Such surface has a tendency to tire you down very soon. But despite that we kept going with minimum number of breaks. We were sufficiently filled with food and had a great distance to go.
The locals now were changing from Ladakhi to Kashmiri. One can notice the change happening as you pass through. Near Kargil, a sign greets you, "You Are Under Enemy Observation". We had heard about this one but standing there looking at it, it does shake you up at first. Then we saw the other travelers roaming freely, some even bringing out cameras. We did the same and the fear was gone. It was first planned to stop at Kargil. The market area was too crowded. So, we thought of stopping at a dhaba at one of the towns ahead. But there was none to be found. We would have to go all the way to Dras.
At one of the villages prior to Dras, one of the villagers told us that ZojiLa has been closed due to heavy rains. So whats new? It has been happening at every pass until now and it would have been a surprise if we would have passed the mighty ZojiLa neatly. Right before Dras comes the War Memorial, built in memory of our brave, Indian soldiers killed during the Kargil War. Only Rohit and I chose to stop here. The rest had reached Dras. A dress rehearsal for the next day's parade would be taking place here soon. The Tiger Hill and Tololing Range were clearly visible. It boggles the mind to imagine how our soldiers climbed these immensely steep slopes to kill intruders. The chest blows up another inch and then more as you realize the true meaning of the words, Pride and Honour. It has the effect even now as I write these words. These are the people that keep our borders protected so that you and me can sleep peacefully in our homes.
I discovered a puncture as we touched Dras(Puncture #4). The fixer was found some distance ahead but he was inexperienced in handling motorcycle tyres. We had to take the tyre out ourselves. As we fumbled, a truck driver came around and helped us. It made us feel even more ashamed. I called up our Bullet specialist, Zaheer in Delhi to ask for instructions. After the tyre was taken out, it was fixed quickly and again attached. But by now, it had gone dark. We would have to spend the night at a place that had recorded the second coldest temperature in the world. J&Ks Tourism Bungalow offered a neat bargain.
Without wasting time, we got together and sat down for rum. The Chinar bottle was almost finished. For dinner, we went to the neighbouring Ali's. The mutton was out of this world. Although the gravy was thin, it contained all the flavour of the meat and masala. Only the Mughals know how to cook mutton.
We would have to leave very early the next day as we had not reached Sonmarg. That meant crossing ZojiLa, Sonmarg and Srinagar the next day.

23 July 2010

This was going to be long day. Many obstacles awaited us. We did take off in good time. But after riding only 10 kms over potholed roads, Rohit had a rear tyre puncture(Puncture #5). Two passing soldiers suggested to take the tyre only 2 kilometeres ahead to the next village. So, we again got busy taking out the tyre. Doley took the tyre to the village to get it fixed. We waited. The soft mud was making a mess of Dutta who did not have a mudguard. He noted that it made a great design on his helmet. But his clothes were indistinguishable from the colour of the mud. Luckily for him, it had not rained. An army convoy passed us. They would surely flatten some of the mud at ZojiLa. After the tyre was re-fitted, we wondered how many more were to be faced. We were running out of tubes.
Then we reached ZojiLa War Memorial and then tiled paths took us to ZojiLa. When going from Dras, there is little slope to actually tell you that you have reached the top of a mountain pass. That surprise comes later. A thin narrow path thousands of feet up in the air. Riding on the edge. The path is always covered in huge amounts of slush. Very tricky. If you gather some courage to peep downhill, the mountains make sure that you never do that again, its that scary. The Great Teachings of Nature.
While descending we could also see the huge encampments of Amarnath Yatris. They had covered acres of the valley below. Helicopters were flying with devotees for a quickie. Now the roads widened greatly. After the treachorous ZojiLa slush, we made good use of these roads and reached Sonmarg in no time. Breakfast. Parathas and loads of butter.
The next stop will be a great distance away. We had to cross the greatest obstacle now. A curfew-struck Srinagar. Surprisingly, the gradient of the slope faded away and it levelled out. I had no idea of the size of the Kashmir Valley and would find out now. A great opportunity to make up for lost time. With great speed, we reached the outskirts. The traffic was growing thinner and thinner. One more change was the military person changing into para military ones. CRPF jawans were patrolling the roads throughout to protect the Yatris. Now all of us rode together in close formation. At one outpost, we were diverted to go from the longer route circling the entire Dal lake. Some tourists could also be seen in shikaras. The roads were almost barren. This helped us in crossing Srinagar quickly, as it should have been. Its a shame to watch this beautiful place being ruined by constant rifts and curfews. Its creating a serious shortage of resources here and the more those are denied, the more agitated the people will become. Curfews are not the solution.
After crossing Srinagar, we were somewhat relieved. But when we neared Brijbahara, we took a turn and saw a scary sight. A mob was protesting on the highway. For a moment we thought, This was it. This was what we had feared and now we would be in the midst of it. One man signalled us to pass through. It was a peaceful mob. CRPF personnel were walking besides it and we were let through. This was one of the most scary moments of my life. Such experiences help you in appreciating life, the life that you crib about daily.
At another town some kilometers later, huge crowds were again pouring on the roads. This time there were no paramilitary persons around. It turned out that they were just regular citizens out to visit the mosque on Friday. It had to be a Friday when we would be crossing Srinagar. We passed carefully. We had travelled for over a 100 kms now without stopping. A break was definitely needed. My head was snoozing. But we thought of crossing the Valley first. The Valley wasnt going to get over so soon. We had to travel another good 50 kms and we were still int he Valley but now we simply had to stop.
Tea and namakpaare provided some wake up call. Jawahar Tunnel was now 30 kms away. So the hills were close by. I dont recall having travelled so much distance without stopping. While ascending to the Tunnel, we reached a signpost, "Titanic View of the Kashmir Valley". I did not stop as I was anxious to enter the much adoed Jawahar Tunnel. Doley did for a few pictures. We all lined up just before the Tunnel. Unlike the one near Kullu, this one is 2.5 kms straight-lined. We entered together. Loud hoots could be heard as we let our lungs speak out inside the tunnel. So did our Bullets. We revved them high. The effect of the thump you get inside a tunnel is symphonic.
We thought we had crossed the worst. We thought it would be a smooth sail from here on and we would reach Patnitop easily, our designated target of the day, as per plan. As we neared Ramban, traffic grew dense. The huge onslaught of Amarnath Yatris was increasing. 6 kms before Ramban and we had to stop. There was a long queue of vehicles ahead. Trucks, buses, cabs all filled with Yatris. Seeing our Longbow flags, many yelled at us, "Jai Bhole". They thought we were coming from the Yatra. We were asked frequently in the jam about our source. We proudly replied, "Ladakh". The jam seemed to be heading nowhere. It was time to take advantage of our two-wheelers and break the queue. We crawled ahead slowly. Inserting our bikes into the smallest of gaps. The whole of Ramban was crossed this way. But the queue was still not ending. By now, it had got hot too contributed mostly by the exhausts of all the vehicles. How some of us were still riding with theur jackets, I dare not think. Finally, after 5 more painful kilometers, there came a gap. Relieved, we revved up our bikes, only to stop 2 kms later at another tail-end. The going was to be this way for the entire day.
We stopped at Peerha, just before Batote for a meal. My parents had told me a lot about the Rajma-Chawal served here. They were absolutely right. The dish is served and then topped up with scoops of ghee. Pomegranate chutney is served on the side. The taste is unparallel. Finishing one plate is a mountaineous task, but we managed to do so. And then had some more. This place is worth a visit only for that meal. It was dark now. The riding was getting too painful. The headlights of oncoming vehicles was increasing the risk. We had to stop for the night and then start early the next day. We chose a hotel at Batote. It was like a dorm. Seven beds lined up with one attached bathroom. The next morning would be a busy one. Taking advantage of the tourist season, the owner charged us Rs 1000. Time came for another round of Chinar. Only few participants.

24 July 2010

We had narrowly missed our target Patnitop by 10 kms. Had it not been for the huge traffic chaos, we would have made it, or possibly beyond. The next day again started with us running on the white line in the middle of the road to overtake the traffic. Vihans is the master at this being brought up in Delhi-6. We had targeted Delhi for today, a good 700 kms away. Quite an ambitious target. Towards Udhampur, another group accompanied us. This was Ferris Wheels, the same group we had seen at KhardungLa. Man, they were rash. Their motorcycles were light, with no luggage. All were wearing high-end protective jackets. So, all they had to do was sprint. And sprint they did. They were overtaking the traffic rashly. It was better not to mess with them.
Near Udhampur, after the petrol station, we took the turn towards Pathankot. This route bypasses Jammu. Doley's chain was loose. So we stopped at a dhaba besides a small workshop. While the work on the bikes was being done, we had breakfast. The staple food, aloo parathas, butter and curd. And in Saurabh's case, always one crisp chilli-salt paratha.
We were slightly apprehensive about this route. But it turned out to be lovely. Lowhills with gentle curves. The straight roads were in great condition, save for a few patches. We also passed Ranjit Sagar Dam. That time was right for beer and we stopped at the first theka. But we did not drink here. We planned to drink it amongst the trees in the hills. We picked up and started and were immediately stopped at the nearby checkpost. They asked for IDs. Meanwhile, the beer cans were hanging from Gyan's and Vihans' bikes. The guards could see us buying from the theka. But they completely ignored the beer. This is the treatment you can expect in Punjab. Alcohol is a way of life. As we descended from the dam, we were stopped at another checkpost. They also ignored the beer. I just love Punjab Police.
We stopped some distance ahead in the shade of some trees and brought out the beer. It was still a long way to go, but as we say, "thoda sa late ho jayenge" which later converts to "ab to late ho hi gaye hain". That beer was necessarily needed. All this time, Dutta had been missing. He's like one of those long range horses having sideviewblockers. Later we learnt that he reached Delhi by midnight. Once he sets sight on his goal, there's no stopping.
As we touched NH-1 at Pathankot, it was well past noon. Now the road was double laned for a few kilometers. Once this section completes, it would save a lot of time raching Pathankot from Delhi. Some distance ahead, we saw Gyan and Vihans parked besides the road. Vihans had his shorts open. They were hanging at his knees. The story that they told had us in splits.
Vihans was leading and Gyan was right behind him. Suddenly, Gyan notices that Vihans bike started skidding. He braked sharply, threw off his helmet and gloves and started opening his shorts. Gyan thought he must be suffering from dumping pressure. What really had happened was a honeybee had slipped into Vihans' shorts, travelled all the way upto his butt and stung him. When we reached the spot, Vihans was applying ice over the stung area. We laughed all the way to glory. I'm sure none of us would have laughed if it had happened to us. But then, none of us would have been riding with our legs on the legguard leaving an open passage to the butt. The passage wouldn't have been open if he had strapped his knee guards over the shorts.
As we entered the plains, it got hot. Really hot. We had to stop again for lemon soda and replenish body fluids. Delhi seemed a target too far. I checked with my parents in Ludhiana whether they would have the capacity for 7 hungry riders to stay. Parents never say no, unlike us. We were all welcomed. Dutta was still not reachable.
As we crossed Jalandhar, it was past 5 pm. Vihans had to stop again as the bee sting was paining him. He was not in a condition to ride all the way to Delhi. Rohit had planned his own thing of riding till Ambala for the night. That left 5 of us to go to my home. I had been to this home only twice previously and that too from the road coming from Delhi. Now, we had to enter Ludhiana from Jalandhar's side and I did not know how to get there. Sounds funny, doesnt it? I didn't know the way to my home. Reminds me of the time when in Leh Gyan said to Doley, "Give me the number of my wife".
We had to wait at a chowk so that my father could come and fetch us. Mothers are always so thrilled to see their children. Then one filthy motorcyclist followed another. It had been a long time since we ate and dinner was laid out. Home made chicken. I had thought we would be leaving after resting for a while but when the others laid themselves out after dinner, they could not be woken up. We would be leaving the next day only.