“The impulse to
travel is one of the hopeful symptoms of life.”
Very rightly quoted by the American writer Agnes Repplier
which perhaps summarises my recent road trip to Ladakh- QUEST TO LADAKH 1.4,
the best. We, in our routine life often forget that the essence of being happy
is doing what we are longing to do. This road trip of mine was a long desired
one & the very decision to join it was a selfish & impulsive one. It
was so because I did not had a logical answer/explanation to these doubts
popping up in my mind at that time, that - I was not going to see my beloved
for 2 weeks & letting her to manage life/household on her own, turned down
a family trip to Australia which my parents badly wanted me to join, I might
end up being jobless for a longer time as I had to quit my current job to
break-free, the risk of injuring myself on the trip would have had its own
consequences & so on…And today, as I write my travelogue, I am full of
pride that I had made the decision to venture out with my rider friends from
Royal Bikers (RB) gang towards Leh-Ladakh - the Mecca of every RE rider. RB
core team Manu, Amit, Varun & Nishant had put in commendable efforts to help
me live my dream.
The preparation for the ride was an exciting time. The group
chat on Whatsapp had made all 40 riders aware about all necessary (&
unnecessary) accessories, gears, dos & don’ts, importance of carrying
‘towels’, medicines and many more stuff. Every day a new topic was being
discussed there where almost every rider participated. One fact that was being underlined
through the discussions therein was that we all wanted to be best prepared for
the ride & were over excited and raring to go.
The 14-day
trip to paradise (initially planned for 15 days) started on 25th May’14
from the gates of KayTee Automobiles (KT) with the following (planned)
itinerary:
Day0- May 24th- Assembling at Mahipalpur, Delhi;
Day1-25th- New Delhi - Hoshiarpur (440km);
Day2-26th: Hoshiarpur - Udhampur
(245km);
Day3-27th: Udhampur - Srinagar (252km);
Day4-28th: Srinagar - Kargil (218km);
Day5-29th: Kargil – Leh (240km);
Day6-30th: Leh;
Day7-31st: Leh – Nubra (130km);
Day8-June 1st: Nubra – Leh (130km);
Day9-2nd: Leh - Tso Pangong
(210km);
Day10-3rd: Tso Pangong - Tso Moriri
(320km);
Day11-4th: Tso Moriri - Tso Kar (90km);
Day12-5th: Tso Kar – Jispa (220km);
Day13-6th: Jispa – Manali (140km);
Day14-7th: Manali – Bilaspur (180km);
Day15-8th: Bilaspur - New Delhi (390km)
However, there was a small change in the schedule. Unfortunately, the route had to be altered after Day9 as the
Manali route had not opened for the motorcyclists till that time. Contrary to our expectations, the return journey was more eventful, full of incidents &
adventure which brought the best out of us. Read on to know more.
Day0 - Hello All!
It was the day when all riders had assembled at the Modesty
Palace Hotel, Mahipalpur for
the briefing session. The introductory session
started with Manu introducing the core members & informing all the riders
about the key points for a safe ride, way of riding, dos & don’ts etc. One
of the important rules of the ride was, that no one being allowed to ride under
the influence of alcohol/drugs & it was clear from Day 0, to which everyone
adhered with. It was an august gathering of all riders from various spheres of
life & having one common thread binding everyone- Riding their RE machines to
Ladakh! It was amazing to see the passion of the riders who had come down from
various parts of the country including Chandigarh, Faridkot, Panipat, Gwalior, Varanasi,
Mumbai, Nagpur, Baroda, Ranchi, Hyderabad & Vizag. There were a few who had
bought their bike just to join this ride & some even had come on a ride for
the very first time. I was not the only one there, some like me, had quit their
current job to accomplish this dream ride. Hope they too had a backup option. I had met some of the riders Maneesh, Tarun,
Anuj earlier during a warm-up/breakfast ride to Murthal & went on to be
close buddies forming our ‘foursome’
group and having awesome time together. It was amazing to see the enthusiasm
among the riders, be it the youngest rider of 23 years old or Shivaraju, who is
just 50 years ‘young’. In fact he was one of the most active riders of the lot
who is a trained para glider & avid trekker. The group had a good mix of
professionals working in public & private sectors, govt employees, bank
employees, engineers, defence personnel, railways employee, chefs, entrepreneurs
etc. who were ready to shed the comfort of their respective air conditioned
offices & face the gruelling conditions en route. Also, this ride was going
to be a test of our patience, perseverance, ability to adapt & accept
situations.
 |
| Briefing & Introductory session |
It was Day0 & extraordinary events were expected to occur.
Pardeep stuck his feet in his new RE boots & was helplessly reaching out to
every rider as he was unable to off his shoes. Finally I & ‘Pahalwaan’ Varun
had to put in all our strength to pull them out to bring him relief. Another
rider Rahul who woke up that evening to discover that his bike was not
functioning well & ‘missing’ beats was seen tensed as he was trying sort
out the problem. He was directed to Kaytee workshop where the accompanying
mechanic Rajinder managed to resolve the issue. ‘Missing’ Rahul appeared to be
less than happy entire the ride as his bike was demanding some or other
maintenance almost every day. To avoid such hassles fortunately RB had
organised free check-up camps which most of us had availed to ensure that we
have a trouble-free ride. Unfortunately riders who had missed attending the
ride were the once who majorly faced issues. It was a basic duty of the rider
to ensure that their machines are ride-fit & those who missed a thorough
check-up, did it at their own peril.
After the formal introductory round & exchanging
pleasantries, riders had their dinner & were ready for the D-day when they
kick-start the ride to Paradise. Four of us- Manu ‘sardaar’, Varun ‘pahalwaan’
Nishant ‘orange cap’ & myself went to KT to get the flex banners fixed on the
back-up truck which was carrying the spares, our luggage, mechanic & lot
more. It took some time to get that fixed after which we rushed back to be on our
beds by 11.30pm as the wake-up call was at 4.30am & I did not want to be
left back on first day itself.
Day 1- Riders, Kick-start your machines (25th
June, Delhi)
 |
| Day1- All set to roll |
Got up before my alarm shouted out…perhaps it was the
excitement that did not us sleep & we all were ready in our gears &
luggage loaded on our bike/truck by 5am. We moved out from our hotel &
assembled at KT to start our ride together. At the gates of KT, found another
group of riders who had come to see-off a fellow rider. Felt good to see the
brotherhood among riders. But the goodness feeling vanished when they began to
ride with us. Few maniacs from that bunch who were riding like idiots, as if
they own the road and bikes are meant to perform stunts & cheap show-offs.
Thankfully, they accompanied us up to Murthal & then we were cruising on
the highway on our own. It was a sight to watch. The caravan of our bikes spread
over almost a kilometre were pumping our machines DUG DUG DUG…toward Hoshiarpur, our pit stop for the day. We had
our breakfast stop at Zilmil Dhaba, Karnal where Sushil joined us. Salute to
this guy who had decided to join the ride a couple of days back, borrowed the
bike from his friend & came in without any gears (last one was kind of irresponsible
act). After sumptuous parathas, chai & interactions between the riders for
an hour over the breakfast we moved ahead. Manu & Varun were leading the
troop while me, Varun ‘Spicy’ (coz he works at Spicejet) & Nishant (aka Orange Cap due to his distinct
Orange colour helmet) were at the tail end ensuring that all riders are heading
correctly towards the destination & that no one was being left out. A break after every hour’s ride was scheduled
to replenish water/energy drinks & remain hydrated. Such breaks also
allowed us to regroup as some of the riders were stopping by for some or other
reason. Smaller incidents were bound to happen viz ‘Missing’ Rahul’s bike
issues, punctures etc. were expected & thankfully the halts/pit stops were
planned accordingly. An unfortunate event occurred while we were entering
Haryana border when a Punjab Roadways bus tried to ride my bike & almost
crushed both of us. Thankfully I managed to get off my bike as soon as I
realised that I was hit, but my bike was damaged. Lying on the ground as I
turned around to see my bike which was crumbled under the bus, I thought that
my ride was over. However, thankfully the bus had stopped as soon as it hit my
bike & its wheels spared both of us. Else someone would have been writing a
blog mentioning me & my bike. I was shaken by the accident & tried to
get up. Found that my bones were at the position where they should have been
& could not see any blood. That gave me the confidence to scream at the
driver to reverse his bus & get off my bike. As the bus reversed, I saw the
digital console, silencer, leg guard, petrol tank & rear part of the bike
severely damaged. Thankfully the tyre was spared. The leg guard & saddle
bag (borrowed from my friend Vaibhav) took the load & saved my bike for
being written off. Our back-up truck arrived the spot & RE mechanic Rajinder
took control of the bike to make it ride worthy. As me & Nishant were shouting our lungs
out at the idiot driver who was not ready to accept his mistake, some Manu
& Varun joined us in a while. The driver made a mistake by trying to scare
us by telling that he knows some ‘gundas’ in the region. All we had to do is
make a distress call to get the entire gang (who were waiting ahead for a water
break). Seeing the gang, the driver perhaps had pee’d in his pants & agreed
to compensate for the damage, which was a negligible small amount compared to
the loss incurred. But after an introspection later on, I thought it was
necessary to teach him a lesson & it was the better way that to indulge in
fight & hooliganism that we generally see in such road accident cases. The
presence of ~40riders had turned the scenario completely & the power of one
group had helped to resolve the issue quickly without even requiring to touch
the driver. Thanks to every rider to have returned back for the support &
especially Nishant, Varun & Manu for managing the situation so well. Felt good
to be riding as one group. And was feeling better that I was wearing the riding
jacket & trouser which protected my bones & saved me from a major
injury. Once the issue was resolved I checked myself thoroughly for any
pain/injury & found a bruise on my right knee which was manageable. Basis
this experience, I requested all fellow riders to put one their riding gears
& they had saved me for sure. Rajinder’s sincere efforts had ensured that
my bike was moving in the best possible way & my beauty had started in the
first kick itself. As it roared, I was assured that my ride was not over yet
and we regrouped & moved ahead. |
| Waiting for fellow riders with Nishant & Manu |
Day 2 – Ready for hills (26th June, Hoshiarpur);
Distance Covered ~440kms
Sardaar Manu was particular about the departure time &
instruction was clearly written on the wall the
very
to us in once instance.
Perhaps he was one of the few who would have understood why we were there &
respected that. And this respect was earned by every rider who ventured out to
fulfil his dream, braving all hardships. While having out lunch at a Dhaba,
around 80kms away from our destination, I met Mr Faryaaz, a RE showroom
 |
| With Anuj at Hoshiarpur before start of ride |
 |
| Lunch Time |
Day3- Passport to Srinagar (27th May, Hoshiarpur);
Distance Covered ~685 kms.
 |
| Breakfast stop near Patnitop |
We all were excited for many reasons, primarily that we won’t
have to bear the heat anymore as we were going to cruise at a higher altitude
and my reason was that I will be riding between the hills to reach Srinagar-
the city which is one of the most beautiful places in the world & that I
always wanted to visit to. I applied medicines & bandage around my burnt
finger to be able to ride on with a gloves which was important for a better
grip & control. Initially it was painful to put on & take off my gloves,
but off late, I got used to it & focused on enjoying the curves of the
hills. Riding through the hills always gave me a different kick & pulls me
to join a ride. For many riders it was
their maiden ride through the curves and everyone seemed enjoying it. After
setting out early at 7am we took our breakfast halt after crossing Patnitop
around 70kms away from Udhampur. Unfortunately the dhaba was short of resources
to feed all of us at one go so our back-up truck driver- Hasmukh, displayed his
culinary skills by making Parathas for most of us, which surely sorted the
confusion & helped us to leave the place early. The road to Srinagar on
NH1A was well made & glimpse of snow-capped peaks made it more appealing.
We kept clicking the hills, majestic roads & effusive river as & when
we stopped for our hourly breaks. By now, most of us had formed smaller groups
with like-minded fellow riders, though we remained a part of the larger group
during the ride. I was travelling with Maneesh aka ‘Shahrukh/Jwala’, Tarun aka ‘Beauty’
& his brother Anuj, the Air Force engineer. We crossed the famous 2.8 kms
long Jawahar Tunnel around afternoon and cheered throughout the tunnel,
enjoying the echoing sound of our machines & also clicked some snaps inside
(not knowing it was prohibited). As we came out the tunnel gang was waiting at
the point known as ‘Titanic View
Day4- Passing by the reclaimed hills (28th May-
Srinagar); Distance Covered ~ 945kms
Every morning we all were excited about the upcoming ride
& braced ourselves to be ready for the new challenges that we were
expecting during the ride. This morning we all were excited to leave our mark
on the
infamous Zoji La (pass) which is the 2nd highest pass on the
Srinagar- Leh NH 1A road. The 9 km pass is located at a height of 11575 ft.
above sea level and was going to be our first tryst with dusty roads, deadly
pot holes, streams & iced roads with snow walled passages. We were asked to
put on the thermal lining in our biking jackets & pants and I was looking
forward to get on the pass as quickly as possible. As we left Srinagar for
Kargil, on the Srinagar-Ladakh Highway (NH 1D), we crossed Sonmarg & other
beautiful smaller towns- Ganderbal, Kangan, Gund etc where the green valley
greeted us with warmth. We took the liberty to take numerous breaks as we did
not want to miss to capture the scenic valley in our cameras. River with strong
water currents flowing beside the highway, snow on the mountains nearby,
cotton-like clouds in the blue sky combined with a bright sun made it
 |
| At Zoji La |
the
perfect start for the ride & tempted us to click pictures after every 10
kms ride. However we resisted that & kept moving with the gang. The real
test of the riders was we had approached Zoji La. The initial phase had dust
and potholes & then there were 2-3 feet deep holes, no roads, mud &
slush, snow alongside, water logged stretches, light stream of water from the melting
snow and much more making it the perfect off-road strip and our first ride on such
strip a memorable one. There was a huge traffic which was delaying our pace
& at times forcing us to find our way between the trucks & ride along
the edge of the hills which was fascinating & thrilling too. Some riders
fell, got stuck but no one was hurt while passing this stretch. During our halt
atop the pass for a photo opportunity, a slump of ice dripped down the mountain
& fell on a rider’s bike which was parked behind mine. It appeared as if a
bucket full of elephant’s ‘shot’ was poured on his bike’s meter console. We all
laughed in a unison on being told it was Chankey’s. We then rushed to help him clean
it & avoid causing any damage to his bike due to this. As we moved ahead
the torturous road continued till Drass testing our patience & endurance. After
crossing 
 |
| @ Kargil War Memorial, Drass with Samir, Maneesh, Tarun & Anuj |
 |
| Evening session at Kargil |
Day5- Getting Leh’ed (29th May- Kargil) Distance
Covered ~ 1163kms
Next day, had to wake up early to get hold of Rajinder to
repair the malfunctioned rear brake. Realised that 5am was too early for him to
get into action so I did some exercises & ran around 2-3kms on the hilly
highway enjoying the spectacular view of the river flowing beside Kargil city.
He started working on my bike at around 7am & found that I the brake fluid
had drained out after the accident and had caused this issue. It was a tough
job to find the fluid at that point of time as the shops open only after 10am in
the small city and we didn’t want to waste our time waiting for them to open.
So I went places to get some help but returned empty handed. In the meanwhile
had asked all riders to move ahead & not waste time by delaying the start
of day’s ride. Amit & the back-up vehicle had stayed back to help me out. Hasmukh,
our truck driver came out with a few bottles of spare lubricants stored for his
truck & fortunately one of them was bottle of brake oil. That brought a big
relief to us as it meant my bike would be running in few minutes.
Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way. Rajinder kept pumping the rear disk
brake which wasn’t able to produce the required amount of vaccum for its
functioning. Even after trying for an hour, there was no light of success &
Amit suggested to get my bike loaded onto the truck and let Rajinder carry on
the repair work as the truck moved towards Leh, the day’s destination. It meant
that I won’t be able to ride it & enjoy the drive through the hills. Since
we did not have a better alternative, I agreed & loaded it onto the truck.
Felt abysmally low to see my bike on the truck & hoped that the problem was
resolved before the next halt. I got on Amit’s car with high hopes that I will
be on my bike at the upcoming scheduled stop, which again did not happen. We
stopped at Mulbekh Gompa (monastery) located 45kms away from Kargil where the 9
mtr.
tall Maitreya Buddha’s statue is carved out on a large rock overlooking
the highway. As we reached there, the trio of Maneesh, Anuj & Tarun were
waiting for me to join them. As they came to know about my bike’s condition,
they happily offered me to carry as a pillion on their bikes as they knew
missing the bike ride in such a scenic location was depressing. It felt better
to have made buddies with such good souls but had to turn down their offer &
got onto Amit’s car hoping that my bike would be ready soon as Rajinder was
continuously working to mend it. As I left Mulbekh in Amit’s car after clicking
some snaps there, we saw some off roading opportunity. Amit, an avid
adventurer, rider & much more was kind to seek my opinion before setting
off for the adventurous ride. I realised that I had to make the most of the
options available to me at that point so happily agreed to Amit’s off-raoding
adventure plan & thankfully I did so, else would have missed an experience
of my lifetime. His car- Tata Xenon, a 4x4 beast which got on to the hills
easily and made the trip a real adventure one. From getting
 |
| Rajinder working to repair my brakes @ Kargil |
 |
| with Amit @Mulbekh Gompa |
 |
| Off-roading with Amit on his Xenon |
Next day (30th May, Day 6) I woke up at 6.30am
& went out to lookout for Rajinder who was equally frustrated for not being
able to fix the brake, but was determined to fix it at the earliest. Since he wanted to sleep for another 30 mins so
I set off for a run & explore the beautiful Tibetian town. After running for
a couple of kilometres & running out of breath, I headed back to him &
we started our pursuit to fix the brake. I spoke with few bike shops (who lend
out RE to visitors about the problem) & they happily agreed to help, but
only after 10am. I did not miss the chance to enjoy a cup of tea with freshly
baked croissant from the German bakery outside our hotel with Varun, Amit &
his brother-in-law, who had joined us that morning. After our breakfast, I went
back to the parking area where my bike was being worked upon and was told about
the miracle- that the problem was fixed & I was ready to ride on my bike.
It brought a big relief to Rajinder who was trying to fix it for last 24 hours.
I happily set out for exploring the city with fellow riders and had roped in
Kamal Thakur who was well abreast with the city & its history. We covered quite
a few places including Shanti
Stupa, Hall of Fame (War memorial) where we
revisited the Kargil battle stories in detail, watched videos/illustrations to
enrich our knowledge about the historic battle, Spituk Monastery overlooking
the Airforce runway, Indus viewpoint, Shey Palace, Thiksay Monsatery, Druk White Lotus School also famous as Rancho
school from the blockbuster movie- 3 Idiots. We did not leave any opportunity
to capture the historic monuments and also kept clicking on the go as we had
decided to take pillion riders for the city tour & save some fuel too.
While coming back we braved rain, dust storm and almost were being carried away
by the strong winds. We managed to ride back safely & as planned, spent the
evening shopping for Tibetian antiques, jewellery for my beloved, Prayer flags
for friends and Leh’s special embroidered T-shirts for myself. In the evening all
riders gathered over drinks in their private space & then collectively at
dinner which was finger licking good. Everyone was equally excited &
thrilled for the next day’s ride to Nubra valley through Khardung La, the
highest motorable road in the world. Manu shared the next day’s plan along with
precautionary guidelines. We bid good night little earlier that night, as we
had to get up & leave early next morning.
 |
| Gang at the Shanti Stupa, Leh |
Day 7- Testing La (31st May- Leh) Distance Covered
~1463kms
It had been a week since we left our home, office, beloved
families, and unwanted stressed situations at work to live our dream in the lap
of Himalayas. And this day was very crucial in the entire itinerary, as we were
slated to cross the highest motorable road in the world- Khardung La, situated at
an altitude of 18380 ft to reach our destination of the day- Nubra Valley. The
valley was located around 150kms away in the north-east region of Ladakh. Though
there is an ambiguity on Khardung La being considered the highest motorable
pass, but nothing has been proven yet, so we were more than happy to take it as
the highest one. We all were looking forward for this day not just to add a
feather on our helmets but to test how strong we were as a rider. As we set off
after having a light breakfast & hearing the stories of last year’s ride
where riders got stuck in the snow storm, we hoped for a safe & memorable
ride. Experienced riders in our group had instilled the confidence among many
newbies enabling them to ride ahead without fear. After crossing South Pullu check
point the road becomes less motorable & more dangerous with presence of
loose rock, gravel, snow, mud, slush etc., all ingredients to make it the even
more dangerous than any other pass in the region. The BRO was at work to upkeep
the ~40km stretch, but the climatic conditions kept damaging it frequently,
making it the most difficult terrain to conquer. From that point to Khardung La
Top we had to ensure that we did not take frequent breaks dur to the low oxygen
level in the atmosphere making us prone to fall prey of High Altitude sickness.
Unfortunately, our Varun (pehalwan) was the first one to fall sick. After riding
barely 2km from South Pullu he experienced breathlessness, head ache & felt
sleepy, all being the symptoms of the illness, and was unable to ride further.
Oxygen puff was given to him from the portable cylinder that Manu was carrying
for the entire group. His bike was taken back to the check post to be parked at
the military camp & he got into Amit’s car. Other riders were asked to
cross the stretch as it was not safe to be waiting there. We kept moving
towards the top which was around 9kms & it took us almost >30 mins to
reach there. It was a moment of
Day 8, Jaldi chaLA to Leh (1st June’14-
Hundar,Nubra) Distance Covered ~1600 kms
Next morning as decided, four of us had set out early to
visit the dunes which was an enchanting sight. I was fortunate enough to see the
green bushes, white sand dunes, brown mountains, snow-capped peaks all in one
frame & were delighted to be there. We got our bikes on the dunes &
clicked some pictures there before returning to the camp for
breakfast. On
reaching back found that everyone was ready on their bikes to move out & so
we skipped our breakfast and moved out with the gang. The fear of falling prey
to the Altitude sickness shook many riders & heard that many riders having
taken Diamox tablet to pass the Khardung La test. I ensured that I stayed
hydrated & stopped every 30 minutes to drink water and also wanted to cross the Pass at the earliest. It worked and I was
absolutely fine at the top. While riding to the top of the Pass, light snow
drizzle made it a tougher ride and also a memorable one. I made a brief halt at the top
to enjoy the beautiful place again without any fear & panic this time and
clicked some more pics and also bought a T-shirt as a momento from the Army
store there. Then we quickly had set out towards the South Pullu post and had our breakfast - Maggi
& juice which was very much required at that point of time. Since we had
started quite early, we reached Leh by 2pm and had the remaining day at our
helm to shop, eat & do whatever we wanted to. Around late afternoon, we set
out looking a German bakery which was visited by Amit, Manu, Nishant &
others last year. Finally we got it & had some delicious food there &
the chit-chat over food made it a good hour spent. We also checked out another
Tibetan market & brought some more stuff for home. Also shopped for few
more customised t-shirts which were the best souvenir for a rider to carry
back. We also tried the momo’s at a
small but busy restaurant while enjoying the IPL final match. Then we headed
towards our hotel & gathered at the dining area where everyone was called
to sort out the difference among the riders. All erratic riders were cautioned
& riding rules were reiterated to ensure it was followed by all. Post
dinner we watched the decisive last few over of the IPL match which KKR won
& then headed towards our rooms to hit the bed.
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| Sand dunes at Hundar, Nubra Valley |
Day 9, The Majestic Lake after yet another La (2nd
June, Leh); Distance Covered ~1730kms
It was the day when we had to test ourselves & our
machines again as we commenced our journey towards the majestic Pangong Tso
(Lake). To reach there we had to cross Chang La another deadly pass located at
an altitude of 17590 ft and is also the 3rd highest
motorable road
in the world. One of the driving factors was our hunger to see many more scenic
locales & this hunger helped us to achieve one feat after another. We
wanted to leave early, again as always, and this time there was more genuine
reason, that the best time to visit the lake is before 3pm. So the entourage
kicked their machines & went roaring as they left Leh. We four tried to
stay together and took smaller breaks to stay hydrated & not miss any photo
opportunity. Enroute the 240 kms drive through the hills, we passed several
small towns, army posts & numerous stupas which characterise the region. The
10 km stretch of Chang La was as expected to test our skills again with similar
characteristics as that of the previous passes -mud, pot holes passages covered with snow, water melting from
snow resulting in formation of streams & mud slush… the perfect ingredient
for an off-roading track. We slipped, skidded, fell but managed to surpass it
without much damage. In fact our ride to Khardung La had made us a seasoned
rider to over such challenges by now. At the Chang La top, we gathered for a
group photo & no one wanted to leave the opportunity to climb atop the milestone
rock, resulting in a chaotic situation there. At the top, there is a Chang La Baba
temple (which we did not visit) & small eatery joints where we preferred
not to eat to save ourselves from the altitude sickness. So after halting there
briefly, we left & headed towards the lake. I had met my rider friend KK
again at the Top who was returning to Leh after visiting the lake. The roads
were well maintained post Tangste, a small town enroute and we tried to speed
our way to reach there at the earliest.. Though we couldn’t ride fast enough as
sand, gravels prevented us from riding at a higher speed. We were aware that we had visited the region
which a local Ladakhi saying describes as the land being so barren & passes
being so high that only the best of friends & fiercest of enemies would visit
them. Another saying describes the region as the only place where one can
suffer frost bite & heat stroke at the same time. That’s the
characteristics of the region & makes it dangerously unique. At Tangste, all of us
were very hungry & waiting for the food stop. Unfortunately we could not
find a eatery there & time was also running out. Nishant went into the
village to check out ofr the same & fortunately found out one. But at the
point it was already about 1.30 pm and were were about 1 hour away from the
lake. Having food there meant that we would have missed the best time to be at
the lake. So through a poll we decided to keep moving and stop at the lake
where food options were available in plenty. We rode for another 45 mins to a
point where we got a first glimpse of the lake & were delighted to see the
beautiful blue lake surrounded by the mountains. Finally we reached at the lake
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| at Chang La |
 |
| The Majestic Pangong Lake |
Day 10, Bagful of pebbles & happy memories (3rd
June, Pangong Tso); Distance Covered ~1970 kms
As we woke up, found the sun shining bright and the lake appeared
ever more glorious than yesterday. We wanted to freshen up fast but was unable
to do so as water in the taps had frozen. So had to wait for hot water bucket
to arrive & got ready quickly. The camp staff informed that the temperature
had dipped below -3 degrees last night and it was quite normal around this
time. We set off for the movie’s shooting site on the two bikes of Beauty
(Tarun) & Anuj as it was 350 cc thunderbird which had enough fuel to reach
Leh without refuelling. The shooting site was fascinating and scenic locale engrossed
us with its beauty. I am at short of words to describe the splendid location
which is the best location that I had visited till date. We
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| Hemis Monastery |
On reaching Leh we four headed straight to the bike washing
centre. Though I was reluctant to clean my machine because I felt that the dirt
& mud stuck all over the bike narrated the ride story in its unique way. In
the words of a rider, the dirt signifies your experience and should always be
there to narrate the ride story. Still went ahead to clean it up to avoid any
chance of break down which clould have been caused by the dirt. Another reason
was that, I along with every other rider was hopeful to be able to cover the
Manali route & wanted to have our bikes at its thumping best. After the
wash I got waited for fellow bikers who were getting their bike checked from a
famous local mechanic Mohan Sharma. Although
I was sure that my bike was roaring at its best, still wanted to be doubly sure
so asked him to scan through my machine & he reassured that all was fine.
Since this stay at Leh was not planned in our itinerary, so our hotels were far
away and we four had put up at Hotel Jorchung where our dinner was served. Over
dinner, we came to know about the bad news that the Manali road wasn’t open for
bikers & we had to take the same route (Srinagar) back to Delhi, which was
less alluring now. We had our dinner at the hotel where an unpleasant heated discussion among
some riders which was an unpleasant incident & felt pity for them who
wasted their energies on fighting over smaller issues rather than making the
most out of every moment. Perhaps this was also a test of its kind which every
rider goes through in such long rides.
Day 11, Heading back (June 4, ‘14, Leh); Distance Covered
~2220 kms
As we started our journey back to Delhi through the same
route through which we had arrived, we had two options with us- first one being
we cry foul for going back without completing the pre-fixed route and hold the organisers
by their collar because he had been repeatedly questioned about the same. The
second one was to be flexible & accept the altered route with positive
thought that we can see the remaining places during the next visit. Considering
the numerous number of splendid locations that Ladakh had to offer, along with
the beautiful skies, changing landscapes at every 20 kms, ideal roads to make
the ride a memorable one and many more, I chose to be happy that there was lot
to be covered & look forward to during my next visit to Ladakh. However
some cribbers chose the former option & kept bitching about the
shortcomings. I wonder they must have made a blunder by considering to get on
this ride as rides are totally different from the organised packaged tours.
Feel sorry for them that their tour (& not ride) was not as per their
expectation & that they dialled Manu/RB Team instead of dialling a tour
operator. We stopped at the Gurudwara Pathar Sahib & offered our prayers to
Guru Nanak ji to
Day 12, Heading back (June 5th, ‘14, Kargil); Distance
Covered~ 2460 kms
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| Sunil, Ebrahim, Mrinmon & Dhiraj waiting at Drass |
We kicked our bikes & headed towards Srinagar through
the picturesque hills of Kargil which was not a new sight for us but fascinated
me again. Unfortunately the ride had come to a halt after a splendid 70 kms
ride at the check-post of Drass. As feared & anticipated the road was being
repaired at Zoji La, which was 3 kms away from that check-post, & hence
shut for 4 hours. To add to our misfortunes, only one-way traffic movement was
allowed on the Pass and we were told that we can move ahead only after 10pm in
the night. This meant that we lose the entire day by staying back at Drass and
our return schedule, which was already revised earlier, gets delayed by a day.
Samir & Anuj tried to speak with all possible resources to seek permission
to move ahead, but luck didn’t favour us that day. They finally managed to
convince the security forces to allow us to leave after 5PM which meant we
would be crossing the Pass in low light. After a discussion with fellow riders
we decided to move at 4am next morning & cover around 450 kms to stop at
Jammu. Though some riders wanted to move out that day itself but understanding
that majority of the riders are not comfortable riding at night, they changed
their mind & agreed to ride next morning. So we went out to find a hotel in
the small city & the gang moved into 3 separate hotels to rest for the
Day 13, Testing time for all (June 6th, ‘14, Kargil);
Distance Covered~ 2530 kms
Next morning as
planned, after getting up early, we packed our stuff & tied on our bikes
and were ready to roll at 4am. It was still dark then & the ride through
the pass was a different experience altogether. As we were entering Zoji La, at
the starting check point,
we ensured that we four and all other riders stay
together to handle any challenging situation. Thankfully the day light enhanced
its brightness enabling us to see the road better & also allowing us to see
the snow clad hills in a new way altogether. As dawn folded & day light
appeared the beauty of the mountains enhanced exponentially and leaving us
mesmerised. I wanted to stop & click some snaps on that beautiful sight but
feared that stopping mid-way would mean deviating from the agreed condition of
driving together throughout & risking of being left out in that deadly Pass.
The Pass was in fact more than dangerous at that point of time, due to the
recent snow fall and had deep pot holes filled with water, slush & gravel
making it the most difficult stretch to cross. We were already tired &
scared as we reached the half way mark of the 9 km long Pass. The spine
chilling weather was making the situation even worse as our frozen hands were
unable to handle our bikes extremely difficult. I was lucky to have bought a
pair of water proof boots which was utmost necessary to cross the water logged
stretched which at times were 2-3 ft deep. Our ‘Jwala’ Maneesh who wasn’t
wearing a water proof boot had a tough time while crossing the water stretches
and riding with wet pair of socks & shoes in that cold weather. To add to
our woes, there was decent traffic of trucks which was stopping mid-way and
forcing us to get stuck in the deep slush. It took almost two hours to cover
the deadly pass which is not at a greater height (11649 ft) but had become the
mother of all passes with the sludge, ice, water, gravel, deeper pot holes
throughout the stretch. And we were absolutely right when we proposed to rename
it as ‘Godzila- the killer pass’ as we stopped at the first Chai point to wait
for ever one. We recuperated over couple of tea glasses & left for our next
halt which was decided to be around Srinagar where we planned to have our
breakfast. As we were passing Srinagar, we were watching out for a joint where
we could eat when suddenly were stopped by Sushil who was looking much hassled.
Came to know that Ishwar had met with an accident with a local school student
while she was trying to cross the road few meters away from that spot. My first
though was that we were in deep soup. Firstly it happened in Srinagar, secondly
the injured was a local college going girl & thirdly because Ishwar was
injured too. I parked my bike & went inside the hospital to find Anant,
Mohit, Ankit Jai, Rohit & Samir there with Ishwar who was being taken away
for X-ray. The situation got intense as the student’s injury was serious &
she had to be taken to a bigger hospital for treatment. Every minute inside the
hospital was eventful with few hospital staff lashing out at us, localities
shouting & trying to hurt us, a mob of around 150 localites had gathered
outside the hospital in no time, who wanted to torch our bikes (which we came
to know later). Thankfully an Army van, which was on patrol, arrived at the
Hospital gate & dispersed the mob and that allowed us to bring our bikes
inside the hospital compound, which was a safer place to park. Unfortunately
the police constable who had come to check the situation & threatened us
that Ishwar would be hanged if the injured girl had died. It was not expected
for the policeman at least. However we maintained our composure & wished
quick recovery for the girl & Ishwar who had a dislocated ankle due to the
accident. The police also took away his bike & asked him to reach the Nayagaon
Police Station to discuss further proceedings. In the mean while Mumbai gang
also joined us at the hospital. Unfortunately
a fellow rider, who used to boast about being great rider ran away from the
scene and also tried to take me & others along with him. He was successful in
taking along some riders with him. We were in constant touch with Manu, Tarun
& others who were waiting outside. As Ishwar felt better, he left for the
police station in an auto rickshaw along with the constable & all of us
followed him. As we moved out of the hospital, we again felt the hostility of
the localites present around us, though some of the hospital staff were
considerate enough to deal with us & treated Ishwar appropriately. Gradually
as we moved towards from the hospital towards the station all other riders, who
were told to stay away from the hospital for the time being, joined us and we
formed a roaring gang of 30 bikers following the auto. I felt happy &
comfortable to see everyone riding together in a critical situation & knew
that no one could harm us when we were together. With boosted confidence, our
entourage reached the police station where only five of us were allowed to
enter to discuss. In the meanwhile, Anuj had fortunately discussed the incident
with an Army jawan posted at a traffic crossing who made him speak with the
Major, who helped us big time. He brought Anuj to the police station & also
called up the SP of Srinagar (Mr. Shailendra Mishra) to find a solution to the
problem. As the SP reached the station, he called everyone inside his cabin
& made us comfortable. Beyond our expectation we were served refreshments there.
After being treated so well there, for a moment I thought we were the chicken
who were made to eat well before being butchered J.
But I was wrong, as Mr Mishra was a gem of a person & extended all possible
help to bail us out. The only issue which had held there us was the condition
of the injured student. We were told that Ishwar was free to go once she was
out of danger & after settling the issue with her parents. We were hopeful
that Ishwar will be freed by evening once the doctor gives a green signal. Her parents
were quite supportive and kind enough for not filing a FIR against him. We
considered ourselves lucky to have met Mr.
Mishra, who himself was a RE rider
& had shared his ride stories with us.
He made us shift to a bigger & better station to be able to relax
& wait for the situation to improve. Then we decided to get divided in two
groups. One group consisting Manu, Varun, Saurabh, Mohit & Jai decided to
stay back to bring Ishwar along. While another group comprising of Nishant, myself,
spicy Varun & remaining riders were asked to move ahead towards Jammu. It
was almost 2pm when we moved out of city after an ordeal of >6 hours. After
feeding our burning stomach with some food at a dhaba at the city outskirts, we
tried to cover the 275 kms distance as fast as possible & ensuring we
remain together. However the hills & rough patches kept reducing our speed,
resulting in reaching Patnitop at around 9pm. We had crossed a 10 kms stretch
where traffic was stand still & at place there was no space for our bikes too.
At around 10.30, we reached Udhampur, when we were about 70 kms short of Jammu
and our bodies had given up. We had started the day at 4am & were on the
road for more than 18 hours by then. So consensus was reached to stay back at
Udhampur where we went around to search for a decent hotel & had dinner at
a dhaba which was about to shut. Hunger bomb had blasted in our stomach at that
point & even simple Roti & dal was tasting so delicious. On Anuj’s
insistence, we four moved toward the Air Force station to put up with Anuj’s batch
mate at his staff quarter. Also got an
update that Ishwar wasn’t allowed to leave the city that day as the student was
not released from the hospital during the day & was under observation.
However the doctors & police assured that next morning they could move out.
So all of them enjoyed at a houseboat in Srinagar to celebrate the favourable
situation & get good rest to be prepared for a longer ride next day.
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| Approaching Zoji La |
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| RB gang with Mr Mishra (Khaki colored trouser) |
Day 14, Marathon ride to home (June 7th ‘14,
Udhampur); Distance Covered ~2900 kms
It was decided to move out at 9am next morning but the
fatigue caught us badly resulting in delayed start. After breakfast &
refuelling our bikes we headed for home (Delhi) at 11am on the final day of our
quest, with around 650 kms to ride. We all were fervent to get back home and thought
to take breaks after covering longer stretches. It’s easier said than done. The
hot weather & scorching sun made it extremely difficult to ride for more
than 45mins. at one go. We bid farewell to the hilly roads at Jammu and were
back on the plain highway post that. It helped us to cover around 80-90 kms
every hour. The rising temperature which went well beyond 47 degrees was testing
our patience & endurance levels as well. It was becoming impossible to ride
without drinking water after every 30 mins & seemed that the water was
evaporating from our bodies. The heavy riding gears was causing lot of
discomfort, but didn’t even think of riding without them. At times after being
impatient, I was riding little faster than the remaining 3, only to slow down
& wait for them to arrive. Perhaps this was an advantage that a 500 cc bike
had over its 350 cc counterpart. We were easily clocking around 120 kms while
the latter was finding it difficult to cross the 100 km/hr mark. However
learning from previous day’s incident, we ensured to drive together with our
speed hovering around 90km/hr. During our breaks we took updates from Amit
about Ishwar’s release & were delighted to know that they were set free
around 12pm. At the start of the day’s ride, Nishant had suggested to stop for
lunch at Haveli restaurant at Ludhiana by around 3pm. We had reached the venue
around 45 mins late with Amit, who was accompanying us throughout. During our
last day’s ride it would have been wonderful to ride with all riders together
in the similar way we drove on this route 12 days back. This couldn’t happen as
few riders did not bother to stay back & support during the exigency, some
had to stay back with Ishwar & those who started together from Udhampur
were scattered, perhaps due to more frequent breaks taken by some riders.
However within a span of 30-45 minutes every one had arrived at the restaurant,
tired, drenched in sweat and exhausted. Came to know that Ebrahim & Sunil
had lost their way while Mrinmoy, Ankit & remaining Nagpur team who were
riding together reached as soon as we had reached. Maneesh shared his incident
where he had met with a small accident when a bike had abruptly hit him.
Thankfully he was lucky to not fall on the road like the other guy who had hot
him & he accelerated away from the scene to avoid any unfavourable
situation, like the previous day. In fact during an informal chat with the
police & army officials at Srinagar, we realised that if we had ran away
from the spot, we would have saved ourselves from the trouble. Maneesh
understood this & did not bother to stop at the spot and rightly so because
he wasn’t at fault either. At Ludhiana, getting into the air-conditioned
restaurant seemed to have injected new life into our bodies & after getting
refreshed over sumptuous lunch we left within an hour. While leaving some of
the riders began to contemplate riding the entire stretch uptill Delhi that
night. Finally some riders halted at Ambala and it was a sensible decision
because stretching beyond the point when your body retires is dangerous.
However we 4, Nishant & Varun rolled ahead & were determined to go all
the way. While leaving the restaurant Tarun & Anuj requested us to stay
back at their home at Panipat. It was getting late & we were getting
signals that our body fuel was draining out fast. However the ride at night was
more comfortable & easier than riding during the day. We kept taking breaks
at regular intervals and for water, stretching our muscles and refuelling our
bikes & stopped at Panipat toll where we bid farewell to the brother duo
with whom I had enjoyed thoroughly and formed the foursome gang. We decided to
move towards Delhi & not to stay with them as we also wanted to reach our
home & sleep there. So we parted after hugging & thanking each other
& hoping to get on a new ride sooner. Maneesh & me left for Delhi along
with Amit. We had reached Delhi border at around 1am & by then I had
already dozed off couple of times, so had to stop to wash my face & get
refreshed. The last 20 kms appeared like another 200 kms & was not getting
over quickly. At Mukarba chowk we finally bid goodbye & headed for our
home, sweet home.
Riding for ~650 kms was extremely tiring but within i was excited to bring back enough memories
& stories to share with everyone. In the words of Ibn Batuta, “travelling
leaves you speechless & turns you into a story teller” which summarises my
14-day expedition aptly. The experiences from even the smallest distance
travelled, the mesmerising sight of the hills, the tranquility of the lakes,
the roughness of the rocky hills, the potholes, the treacherous terrain of the
passes have left a permanent impression on my mind and I will cherish it lifelong.
As someone said- “In the end we regret the chances we didn’t take.” And this
time thankfully it took the chance and got on board to live my dream. Not only
I joined the trip, I celebrated it throughout. Today as I sit down to watch the
pictures & get into introspection mode, I realize that this journey has
changed me to certain extent. The very thought of getting on the trip after quitting
my job was something that I wouldn’t have dared to do few years back.
Thankfully I did it without any regrets as the experience gained on this trip
is monumental & will treasure it till end of time. Some of my friends
acknowledge & appreciate it while some may consider it utter
foolishness. I am able to appreciate the
smaller things we see every day and have become adaptable to the extreme
situations/conditions such as crossing the deadly stretches in the wee hours
& enjoying it rather than cribbing about it or being happy about having
Maggi for lunch & not blaming the organisers for a proper lunch arrangements
& many more of such instances. This trip also had reinforced my self-belief
and has strengthened me to take on the challenges head on & without being anxious
of any situation. Perhaps my accident on Day1 had made me stronger mentally
& made me believe that even though everything may not go our way, but with determination
we can make our way to the top. The scenic locales, rivers, lakes, have made me
fall in love with nature & now would not object if Subha (wifey) wants to
place some plants in our balcony, which I had strongly resisted till now. I had
shared a room with 2-3 riders who snored dangerously & even farted and thankfully
learnt to adjust to every situation instead of cribbing about it like some of
my fellow riders.As riders, we needed to understand that being on a road trip
there would be several ups & downs & we should be ready to accept it
with a smile. Perhaps this contended attitude was the key to enjoyment &
rediscovering ourselves. Unfortunately most of my rider friends from Delhi were
found to be less accommodating to changes while friends from other parts were quite
cool about the adjustments. I do not want to start a regional war by making
this statement but, unfortunately, this was experienced and my belief that
riders from Delhi were more adaptable was changed. However that does not change
my equation with them & my bonding gets stronger every time as I revisit
the days spent with them. In the words of Tim Cahill – “A journey is best measured
in friends, rather than miles”. I am proud that I have more friends now &
together we have covered >3500 kms and have stood by each other in testing
times & even to get clicked together at a scenic locale.
This trip has also made me realise that India is more
beautiful that I thought it was. I would surely want to travel more & see
the unseen than lusting for a foreign location.
The wanderlust has seeped deep
into my blood & my quest for travelling on my Royal Enfield is going to
take me far into the unknown territories, making me meet new riders/travellers,
sharing & learning from their experiences. Henceforth I would perhaps travel
more to enjoy the journey rather than the destination.
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| Royal Bikers at Pangong Lake |
Lastly, I cannot end without thanking the superb team of
Royal Bikers- Amit, Manu, Varun(s) & Nishant. Thanks for making this ride ‘The
Ride of my life’. We get better with every experience & wish that the
experience gained in this trip will help us burn our tyres for many more kms.
We should not be disheartened by the unpleasant incidences but be happy that we
braved them, took them head on & came out with flying colours. Fellow
riders- Manoj, Dhiraj Patil, Anant Singh, Shivaraju
Mariyappa, Anurag Sharma, Rohit Mantri, Mohit Sharma, Gopal, Ranga Rao, Sunil
Bhatija, Manish Bhatija, Ebrahim, Navin Bhatia, Mirmoy, Ishwar Hingorani, Anurag
Chaurasia, Amit Ganotra, Chankey Raj Singh, Ankit Rathi, Amit Bhatnagar, Rahul
Mohan, Pramod Gupta, Samir Abrol, Vikas Garg, Jai
Prasad, Kamal Thakur, Saurabh Saxena, Pardeep & remaining ones for being a sport & I am glad to be on this ride with each
one of you. A big thanks to my foursome gang - Anuj, Tarun & Maneesh with
whom I have conquered the hills honking our signature tune (which now
has been patented ;) & only we will be using it). The families of every rider deserves a bigger round of applause for
allowing them to join the ride covering the some of the most dangerous routes
and helping them living their dreams. Kudos to you guys. Not to forget, my
family, friends for your support & encouragement. Papa, I will be with you
in the next trip at any time you call me, provided the destination is in India.
And above all Subha, my super wifey, for being the best friend & pillar of
my support. It wasn’t possible if you had not got me this bike, encouraged
& kept poking me about my ride & its preparations, getting my ride list
ready, packing & many more…Love you for all that & wish you join me on
the next long ride to experience the magic together.
In the words of Buddha- “Its better to travel than to
arrive” and I wish to travel till It arrives.
P.S. Follow the link to check out more pics from my dream ride- https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152082156426511.1073741828.556181510&type=1&l=440be322b7
