Introduction
In search of answers to my life long doubts and chasing my dreams I embarked on the greatest journey of my life till now. It was a long wait. I can’t even remember how long back this idea of going to Leh on bike came to my mind. The start was not as perfect as I wanted. I got my leaves sanctioned for august and also found a mate go along with me.
We had planned to leave on the night of August 12, 2005. My leave got cancelled on a day before that and I had to ditch my friend who then went alone. My leaves were postponed till September 3, 2005. This gave me a bit of more time to prepare for the trip. There were some other guys from the biker group “xbhp” who were planning to go. We met on weekends and planned out our trip. I was trying to find someone to go along with me along with my other preparations. I got a new set of tyres for my bike, got it serviced got new bungee cords.
I was the only one traveling alone as I could not find anyone to go on 3rd September. Although the other xbhp teams would ride behind me with a gap of a day or two, going alone was not a very good idea but I had to go. Finally the day arrived. I could only go to sleep at 2 a.m. the night before leaving and had to wake up at 3:30 a.m. so only 1.5 hrs of sleep before embarking on my journey. I woke up, got ready and was ready to leave home. My folks were there to see me off. I strapped the luggage to the bike. One rug sack at the back tied with a bungee and one shoulder bag tied on the fuel tank.
Chapter 1
I started at 4 a.m. slowly as I was not accustomed to ride the bike with a full tank and so much luggage. I reached Azadpur mandi in half an hour. It was still dark and I moved towards Chandigarh. I had my first stop after 1.5 hrs and 100 kms when the bungee holding my rug sack gave way on one bump on the road. I stretched my limbs and rested for 5 minutes before moving on. I halted again after another 1.5 hrs and completing 210 kms. I started feeling sleepy and was dozing off on the bike. I reached Chandigarh at 8 a.m. I stopped to put some water in my eyes to keep me awake. I stopped at a Dhaba in Ropar for breakfast at 9 a.m. I had a nice breakfast of Aloo Parathas. I bought some chocolates for the way and started at 9:35 a.m. from there. Soon I had hit the hills. The ride started to feel good but so had the sun become more ruthless. I continued and after a while there was a strange sound from the front tyre. I kept moving for a while and then decided to cool off a bit at Bilaspur.
I started again and then after a while stopped for lunch at another dhaba. After lunch I hurried along to reach Manali. The road after Bhuntar was bad and there was traffic too. I reached Manali at 4:30 p.m. I went into reserve on reaching Manali and got a full tank again there. I found a descent hotel to get a room as I was too tired but had to get the sound from the bike checked up. After keeping the luggage in the room I went to a nearby mechanic who diagnosed the problem as dry chain and so he put grease on the chain which obviously was a bad idea. I found another mechanic some 5 kms back towards Kullu. He washed the chain and the cover and put oil in it, washed my bike and told me the sound was from the front disc pads and it was risky to move ahead without replacing them. He told me that I will get them some 15 kms further backwards. I was already thinking whether I will be able to complete my mission and the tiredness on top of it was telling me to start back towards Delhi the next morning.
I went 15 kms back but now there was no sound and the new mechanic told me that the sound might be due to dust which got cleared when the bike was washed and the pads were fine and there was no need to worry. On knowing that I was heading towards Leh and that too alone he advised me to go with some other people as it was risky and he being a local would not dare to go alone. I started to think that should I wait for a day in Manali for the second team and then move forward with them. I had started to doubt whether my bike would not give me any further problems as there were no proper mechanics after this for around 485 kms.
I went back to Manali and had dinner at the same place where I had dinner 4 years ago. I had visited Manali with my college group then and had gone to Rohtang that time. The aunty at the dhaba was pleased to know that I remembered her shop. I ate heartily as I was too tired and went back to my room and just slept. I had serious doubts whether I would be able to move ahead the next day.
Chapter 2
Next morning I woke up at around 5:15 a.m. I had a severe headache. I took a dispirin. I then went in for a shower. Since I had switched on the geyser last night, it got broken and I had to take a cold shower. Finally, I was ready to move at 6 a.m. I got out of the hotel room and was welcomed by the cloudy horizon. My doubts about waiting for team B started clearing and I was thinking of dropping the idea to move ahead that day. I came out of the hotel, saw my bike and had some strange rejuvenation in me. Talked to a localite about the rains and then decided to move on even if it rains. I crossed Manali and started to move towards Rohtang. My rug sack gave me a lot of trouble initially. It was cold and the rug sack kept falling sideways. I had to stop many times to adjust it. It was hard. I overtook trucks then had to stop to adjust the bag and then had to overtake the same trucks again as they went past me when I was adjusting the bag.
Finally, I managed to properly balance the bag. I got comfortable with the road which was obviously in a bad shape as compared to what I had seen till now. I had to cross some minor water streams. I found some fog on the way, nice view of the valley below and finally reached Rohtang after 2hrs. It was a naked Rohtang without any ice. I proceeded to descend from Rohtang towards Koksar. Suddenly, the roads disappear and sand and gravel welcomes you. I managed to overtake the trucks again which ha passed my while I was clicking at Rohtang and then see a Tata Sumo and some guys waving for me to stop. I stopped and they asked me where they can find some snow. I was bewildered at the question but replied jokingly that they would have to accompany me to K-Top. Someone had told the poor chaps that there was snow at Rohtang and they came all the way from Delhi only to be disappointed.
I moved on, climbed down Rohtang amidst the trucks and the non existent road. I Crossed over the river and moved towards Koksar. I reached Tandi after a while only to find the petrol pump with no electricity and a broken down generator. The generator was fixed and finally after tanking up I moved ahead. There was a truck stuck in the mud which was pushed out by a crane. I crossed that patch with a little hesitation. I stopped at a place before Keylong for some breakfast. I could only find some samosas, tea and some nice guys. Then came my first jolt. I was busy enjoying the scenic beauty while riding when suddenly I returned my sight on the road and there was a truck coming right in front of me. I managed to escape somehow. I stopped at stream to cool the bike off for a while. Here I met some nice people from Germany on a bus en route to Leh.
We had a nice time for a while and then it was time to ride. I started to climb BaraLachaLa. It was all rocky and dusty with no signs of tarmac. On the top I met a cyclist from Austria (Fritz) moving towards Leh. Couple of snaps and we both took our modes to Leh. After climbing down from the top some roads began to appear though the descent was a bit harsh with my rear bag dangling sideways often and I had to assist it back to its place.
The scenery began to grow more beautiful and the roads opened out. It was a bumpy ride with the bike going in all air for a while as I could not stop speeding. I crossed a couple of tent camps and reached Sarchu. I registered at the check post and proceeded towards Sarchu. I was supposed to meet the German group at Sarchu. Couldn’t find a proper accommodation at Sarchu so I backtracked 8 kms to one of the tent camps I crossed. I took a tent there and waited for the group to arrive. I was famished as I had no lunch so decided to eat some Maggi. After that played some cricket and went to my tent to rest. I was very tired. I tried sleeping and then the AMS hit me. All my fears returned. What if I get seriously ill and am not able to drive. I tried to sleep, drank water and then was interrupted by the tent owner for dinner. I couldn’t eat much. I met some oldies on the way to Leh and it was inspiring. I went back to the tent. It was very windy and cold. I took a diamox pill and drank water throughout the night and could not sleep properly.
Chapter 3
It was a new day again. All the ill effects of the last night gone and I was ready to move on. I had some tea and biscuits and started towards Leh. I crossed Sarchu again. This time I need not register at the post as I had already done it yesterday. I tried to catch up with the Sumo which carried the oldies for my camp but they had a half an hour lead against me. I reached the Gatta loops and the first fear of having to turn back occurred due to the recent event of one of our member’s bike getting broken down here. Finally I made it to the top with not a single first gear climb.
After Gatta came Nakeela, a very uneventful drive which followed on to the second pass of the day – LachulungLa. I met the germans here again along with some more cyclists. After a 20 min halt here I moved ahead towards the highest pass en route to Leh. The road after this climbed down to Pang where I had a hearty breakfast. I had to register at the post again. I was feeling a little weak and hence had two rounds of tea and some omelette. The tea tasted a little strange. I think it was made of Yak’s milk.
I think I had crossed the sumo on way as they crossed me again while I was eating. I moved again. I soon reached the mighty more plains. It was just out of the world. 45 kms of flat land at this altitude! I drove without a single sight of another moving object for more than 10 kms. After this I saw two cyclists. The ride on the more plains was enticing and I attained goods speeds on this stretch. I cleared the 45 kms in 1 hour. The bike would just go uptill 80 on full throttle in the 5th gear.
After the plains the climb to TangLangLa was very good. I found a woman with a child on the way in search of water and there was no one in sight. I gave one the water bottles that I had to them and some toffees to the child. It reduced some of the weight from my tank bag. The climb was strenuous. I finally managed to climb it and reached the top.
I met the oldies from Sarchu camp here. The downhill after this was bad as the road was under construction and I was under the fatigue of a three day ride in the hills. The next on the route I passed many small towns (Rumtse, Gya, Meru, Upshi). I could see the broad Indus river somewhere between Meru and Upshi.
Then came Karu. I had not stopped for lunch anywhere and decided to reach Leh first. I met another couple on a broken down bullet. I couldn’t help them much as I didn’t know much about the bullet. I reached Leh late in the afternoon. The first thing to notice was the roundabout from which the left went to Srinagar and the right to the main Leh market. I noticed some bike repair shops on the way and wanted to get the bike inspected for the sound which had started again near the front wheel. I decided to come back later for that. The fuel meter still showed that it could do around 200 odd kms. I called up Tashi whose reference was given to me from a friend of mine. She was somewhere around Leh so I decided to find a place to stay first. I started hunting for places to stay around the market area. After looking at some hotels I went a little further and found a board of a holiday inn (Pamir). After some inquiry from the locals I was led to a house and I got myself an independent room with attached toilet for a mere Rs. 100 a day. I was told that I might still find the DC office open I kept my luggage and hurried towards the office. Unfortunately it was just about to close for public dealing so had to come back. I decided to get the bike inspected now. This time again the sound was because of dust and so I went for a bike wash. After returning from the wash I was famished and decided to get a wash for myself. I took a cold water bath. I went to the market, met with Tashi, had dinner and came back. It was dark at the guest house as everyone had switched off their lights and became hard for me to find the way back.
I managed to reach the room and just slept.
Chapter 4
I had a really nice sleep and woke up late around 9:15 am. I had to call up Tashi to arrange for the permit. I got ready real fast and pushed out of the place. I went to the DC office and gave my application for the permit. I was told to collect the permit by the evening at 4 p.m. The rear brake lever of my bike started sticking so I went to the mechanic to get it checked. He was busy so he called me up after 1.5 hrs. I went back to the market for some breakfast as I was really hungry. I ate an English breakfast. I went back to the room to re-plan as I was delayed in getting the permit. The idea of coming alone was good as on the way I could stop anywhere and maintain my own speed but in Leh it became boring being alone.
The bike had done 442 kms on a full tank from Tandi and still had enough fuel to give around 180 km in plains. I gave some toffees to Rizgon, my new 3 year old friend and his mom was kind enough to offer me some tea.
I went back to the mechanic. The mechanic was a magician. Just a little oiling in the lever assembly and the brakes were as good as new and I was thinking that my brake shoes had been worn out. I got the engine oil replaced too. I met Stif there who was from Mexico, an architecture student, on a break fro 4 months. He was looking for someone to go with him to Manali. I offered him that if he wanted to leave on 10th then he could come along with me.
I refueled for the next day’s journey. I got the address and the contact number of the place I was staying. I got ready to meet Tashi. I tried calling her but in vain. I got the permit in the evening. I met Ghulam, a tours and travel person, who said that he might accompany me till Pangong Tso. I did some shopping in the market. After this I came back and decided to explore the area where I was staying and I stumbled across the German group once again. They were all happy to see me again. We had a group photograph.
Chapter 5
I woke up in the morning. I got ready and headed out for Khardungla. After seeking directions from a native I was on my way. The winding road was slowly unwinding me. It was refreshing to have a view of the Leh town from up in the mountains with the protecting ranges all around it. I was not the only one intoxicated, I found a military truck which had partially tilted off the road and was hanging precariously over the edge. Although I was under the effect of the extreme beauty of the environment the truck driver seemed to be drunk and was taken off the truck. He was adamant on to gettting the truck out himself.
One and a half hour later I reached the top. It was a feeling I cannot describe, being on the highest motorable road in the world at a staggering 18385ft on my bike. I parked my bike a strolled around a bit surveying the military base there. After a while there were more people reaching the top. Among them were a couple from switzerland who whad travelled for 7 months on their BMW crossing Greece, Italy, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and were now in India. Another one from Germany had come all alone on his Cagiva Elephant. Two people from the south, one a russian on his CBZ and another on a 10 year old Honda Goldwing. Then there was a group of enfielders.
Some of us started to climb the adjoining peak which was covered in snow. It was very tough as due to the rarified air we had trouble breathing and were getting tired soon. We came back down in a while. We met up with some people who had climbed Khardungla on their bicycles. One of them was 70 years old!
I bought some souveniers from the shop there and then started back towarsd Leh. I had no plans to continue to the Nubra valley as I was short of time. I was accompanied by the Honda Goldwing, Cagiva raptor and the CBZ. We rode together for some time and I kept giving respect to the bigger machines by staying behind them. After about n hour of peaceful riding it was time for me to loosen up the child inside me and break the shakles of respect. I sped off leaving behind the mighty warriors from the outside land. I reached back Leh,had some lunch, went back to the cottage and rested.
Chapter 6
Heading towards the mighty PangongTso, I met some kids on the way who were going to school. I gave a lift to one of them. These people are really sweet. The ride to ChangLa was far from comfortable. It was cold with a lot of wind and it was very tough to climb. The last 10 kms were done in the first gear as I didnt have enough power to go to the next gear. After the descent from ChangLa on the other side I was stopping more than usual. This was not because of the call of the nature but the call of the natural. The beauty of the landscape was enticing. I kept on riding in an environment which I will never be able to explain or express.
After four hours of riding I reached the mighty Pangong Tso, 150 kms of sheer beauty with only one third of it in India. I drove uptil the lake.
I stayed there mesmerized by the mountains surrounding the lake. After a while went ahead by the side of the lake. Some more time by the lake, meeting people, it was time to return. I saddled back on my 16 horses and rode back towards Leh. It is an amazing experience riding between the barren mountains with miles streching both ahead and behind and no one in sight. You keep going on wondering when would you see another living being. You feel like stopping and lying down in the middle of the road.
Riding up the ChangLa in the afternoon was not easy either. Gushes of wind kept pusing me back. I struggled to reach the top. There I met some other bikers riding down to Pangong. I kept on riding and reached back Leh by around 5 in the evening. There I met up with my friend Tashi for good byes as I had to leave next morning. There was a news of a bridge been broken near Kokhsar. I had to decide whether to take a chance and go via Manali and hope that the bridge would have been fixed or return via the Kashmir route. I did not have much time on hand. I could make the return via Manali in 2 days but if the bridge was not fixed I might get stuck longer. The return via Kashmir is ideally 4 days (Leh-Kargil-Srinagar-Jammu-Delhi) but I knew I could make it in 3 days which was the time I was left with.
Being the kind of person I am, balancing between risk taking and being practical I decided on return via Srinagar.
Chapter 7
The next morning I woke upto cloudy skies. I thought I had never hated rains before as I did that morning but I was wrong. There was more to come. Hoping that I would leave the clouds behind me as I move towards Kashmir, I set off on my return journey. By this time I was a pro at setting up the luggage on the bike and it didnt trouble me for the rest of my journey. I rode hard towards Kargil.
I was thinking of doing Srinagar in one day but then the Zozila pass is not open for traffic towards Srinagar in the evening so I decided I will make it to Drass although normally people go uptil Kargil the first day which is some 70 kms behind Drass. Normally this route is done in 4 days (Leh-Kargil-Srinagar-Jammu-Delhi) but I had to do it in 3 days as I did not have any more leaves left.
Although my mind was occupied with the fact that the clouds were not disppearing I could still enjoy the flat expanse of land at an altitude of 3000 meters. It was an amazing experience driving there. After short stint of straight drag I hit upon an army convoy. I overtook some 50 army vehicles and it took me around 45 mins to do that.
The winding turns towards Lamayuru took me close to the edge many times. I stopped at a shack for some breakfast. I had one of the most amazing maggi there. I moved on trying to push away from the clouds which did not look in the mood of leaving me. I crossed FotuLa which was very windy and it was difficult to keep the bike straight.
I reached Kargil and it was not what I had imagined. I thought it would be a desolate area with army camps but it was more of a settlement over there. I crossed it and continued towards Drass. The road between Kargil and Drass is exposed to the Pakistan army and it is mentioned to be cautioned while driving there. Now I knew about this road but didn’t know that it was between Kargil and Drass and by the time I realized I had already crossed the road.
It started to drizzle. I rode hard trying not to get wet. I was successful and Drass was in sight. It was again a small settlement but more beautiful than Kargil. Towering in the background was the magnificent Tiger hill which our brave soldiers protected in the War of Kargil. I went to the only Hotel available in Drass, hired a bunk and ordered for some food. It was around 3:30 pm and I had not eaten anything since breakfast.
Here I met with an interesting guy. He was the caretaker of the Hotel and looked kind of shabby but he spoke good English. After some discussion I came to know he was M.A. in English, worked in LIC for a while and then left it and now used to travel to places and work for some time and then look for other places. He was a very interesting guy with many stories to tell. By the evening it became dark and cold and then came the sound of some heavy machinery rolling on the roads. It was the same guy on a Honda Goldwing that I had met on KhardungLa. We met up and then decided that will continue together in the morning towards Srinagar. There was another American guy who joined in. He was on a splendor. We all retired to sleep after dinner.
Chapter 8
Remember I told you about how in the previous morning I thought I had never hated rains as much as I did then before. This was the day when I would be proved wrong. It was very early in the morning. The sun had not risen, it was dark and everyone was getting ready to go. The Goldwing left 5 minutes before me. I was on the road behind it. There was a greater cloud cover. I had thought that the clouds would be gone by this morning but they came back with a vengeance. I had successfully evaded them the day before and they were not giving up.
The battle was on. I soon caught up with the American. He was carrying his back pack on his shoulder but then he had to go till Srinagar only where he would stay for a while. It was dark and gloomy. We rode on. Soon after we started our climb towards the tenth and the last mountain pass on the route, ZoziLa, it started to drizzle. There was no escape. I moved on with the hope that it will stop but soon I started to get wet. I saw the Goldwing guy with his mates by the side of the road putting on their rain suits. I decided that it was time I put on mine.
All dressed up in our rain suits we started climbing the pass. The rain started to pour in heavily as if it were waiting for us to put on our shields and then it would attack in the spirit of fair fighting. We fought back. By the time I reached the top I had lost the guys on the Goldwing. They rode a little slow as they had bulky machines. I identified myself at the check post and continued to climb down to the other side of the pass.
The rain kept pouring in making the descent very difficult. The front disc stopped functioning and I was only left with the rear brakes. This was not enough, the mud slush created on the path due to rains didn’t allow me to use the rear brakes either as the rear tyre would just go crazy so I had to use engine braking only for the descent. The path was very narrow. No wonder why only one side of traffic is opened at a time. It was a nightmare to get the bike down on the other side of the pass in the lashing rains. The kept slipping either way. I had a tough time keeping it in the middle.
Two hours of fierce battle between the rains and me, I finally emerged out unharmed though I would not call it victorious as more was yet to come. The roads began to get wider and the rain slower which means I went faster. Enjoying the serene beauty around me I moved closer to the Switzerland of India. Srinagar did not have the same visual representation as I had conceptualized in my mind. It looked like an open jail with a military guard present at every 500 meters on the road.
Another army convoy and I had to take a break for 15 mins as I had to wait for the convoy to pass. I reached Srinagar. I had to decide whether to stay at Srinagar that day or move on towards Jammu. Jammu was around another 300 kms away. I was not sure how much of this 330 kms was mountain roads and how much plains. The clouds had partially cleared. I was advised to stay in Srinagar as it was risky travelling in the evening by Udhampur just before Jammu. Looking at the clouds I decided to move on as it was still morning and I thought soon I will hit plains and cover 300 kms easily.
I was wrong. The whole route was mountain roads and the rains had not left me. I took some time to clear the Srinagar city as it was congested with traffic. I rode alongside the Dal lake. Finally, I was out of the city and heading towards Jammu on the highway. There was a blockage in the traffic on the highway. Upon enquiry from the soldier I came to know that there were some terrorists in a house some distance ahead and there was firing going on. No one was allowed to go ahead. We all waited patiently but the thing was that we could have been stuck there for some hours or even some days. I was thinking that it would had been better if I had gone back via the same route on which I had come.
Two hours later and after striking a conversation with two guys in a Santro heading towards Delhi, we were allowed to pass. The guys suggested that I moved along with them as it would be safer near Udhampur. I kept following them. They kept a good pace. We stopped at a shack for some food. I did not had any lunch and hence ate some snacks. We started again on the winding mountain roads. The guys on the santro advised me that these roads are trecherous and people often sped up and lost control. I noted down the word of caution in my subconcious. Some distance before the Jawahar tunnel, it started to rain. I stopped to get my rain suit and I lost the guys in the Santro. I sped in order to catch up with them but in vain. They were no where in sight. I kept moving, reached the Jawahar tunnel entrance.
I was checked and then was allowed to go. I thought the rain will vanish on the other side of the mountain after the tunnel. It was a long dark tunnel. A bit scary but finally I was out on the other side but no sign of the rain stopping. I kept moving in the rain, speeding whenever I found a straight stretch. It was the worst day of my trip. I was moving through these beautiful valleys but was not able to enjoy it. It was dark and gloomy. I was not stopping anywhere as looking at the clouds I could feel it will rain there for another 2,3 days and I didnt want to stay and get wet the next day again.
Though I had given up hope that it will cease to rain every once in a while I prayed that it stopped raining. I think I was getting affected psychologically because of the gloomy and dark skies. I longed to see the sun, dry my self up. One of the people I had met at Drass told me they would be staying at Patni Top. I was also thinking about staying there and not move towards Udhampur in the evening. I stopped at a PCO to call up my folks. The rains kept pouring in and I kept moving on. It was scary riding on the hills with the rains lashing. I could feel losing traction at some of the turns.
I reached Patni Top. I stopped my bike for 2 seconds and moved ahead. Many calculations crossed my head. The non stopping rain, my longing to see the sun, reach delhi made me move on. After some more gruelling hours of driving in the rain the roads started to descent and I could see the plains in the distant. I was thinking of getting to some hotel before Jammu. I was riding through the Udhampur area and whenever I got alone on the road I was aware of the advises. I managed to cross the area unharmed. The rains had stopped finally and it started to become dark as in evening was approaching. I was searching for hotels by the roads but could not locate a descent one and I didnt want to divert from the route to search for one.
I reached a fork on the road. One went to the Jammu city and the other was a bypass. I decided to go on the bypass and find some shelter. At around 8 in the night I find a shady hotel room around 100 kms after Jammu. I was very tired and had to cover some 500 kms next day so just went out to have dinner and came back and slept. Although the room was very dinghy, small and dirty, I was so tired that I slept soundly.
Chapter 9
The final day arrived. I woke up and got ready. This day didnt have much events happening. I took a refueling break and then a break for lunch at karnal and reached Delhi by around 3pm. There were some showers just before Delhi but this time I was not worried as I was nearer to home.
Conclusion
Looking back at the whole episode I think I was able to chase and track down my dream of doing this journey but this trip also increased my appetite for dreams. The difficulties on the trip made me stronger. When you are alone you are not depending on anyone else and hence using each of your strengths to the most. This further strengthens you just like using muscles strengthens them. I don’t say that I was not afraid at any point during the trip but this fear acted like an aphrodisiac. There were moments where I thought of returning back but in the end always I went ahead and it was because of this fear. It made me push forward because I wanted to face my fears.
In the end I was home, stronger and I had achieved one of the dreams I had for a long time.
