THE "ALMIGHTY HIMALAYAN" RIDE - PART 2.

"Not all those who wander are lost".

J.R.R. Tolkien

Bangalore - Amritsar - Srinagar - Leh - Ladakh - Lahaul Valley - Spiti Valley - Kinnaur - Shimla - Chandigarh - New Delhi - Agra - Bangalore.

30 days - 10323 kilometers - 3 international borders - 4453 photographs - 1 ride of a lifetime.

"My first solo" - dedicated to the heaven on earth.

If you have missed part 1, here it is.
Part 1.

PART 2.

India is downright "EPIC" and Kashmir is it's jeweled crown. In fact, Kashmir is a many-faceted diamond changing its character with the changing seasons. Awesome grandeur, pure serenity, unparalleled pristineness and extravagant beauty makes this place one of the best destinations the world can offer.

And It was about time I traveled across this land of personified paradise to explore myself the  unknown path of wilderness and immaculate mountains and valleys of the Himalayas.

12th of June 2015 (Day 7).
Sonamarg - Zozi la - Dras - Tololing - Kargil - Batalik.
Total expenses = INR 1485

I woke up to brilliant blue skies and a vista of snow-covered crag between jagged blue-hued mountains etched into surreal rock formations. And what can I say about the ravishing landscape and turquoise stream emerging from the Tajiwas glacier. I woke up to this, literally.

If gods wake up to see this everyday, I wouldn't mind being one.

7 am. I spent very less time to pack everything up and was all ready in about 30 minutes. I got my tea brewed at a local tea shop and was laughed at when I asked for a liter of bottled water. "There is your unlimited supply of the freshest water on planet earth", he said and directed me towards this.

Now I knew why I was a butt of sport. The Himalayan water was so damn refreshing, it basically rejuvenated my senses. It was indeed the freshest water I ever tasted in my lifetime. The locals happened to be some of the friendliest humans I've ever met in a while. After sparking a conversation with them and sharing stories, it was time I visited the Tajiwas glacier.

I started trekking and at one particular moment, my heart started skipping beats. Not because my heart had parts missing but I was looking at that one thing which I never ever had seen in my life before - "SNOW". And before my brain could even think, I was tumbling all over the snow making the shittiest sculptures the world has ever seen. At that particular instance, I didn't give a darn about the world problems. And I just jumped, spun, twirled, rolled, ran, and sled to my heart's consent.

10:30 am. I found myself cruising towards one of the most ridiculed (read as most dangerous) motorable passes in the Himalayas - The infamous "Zozila pass". Zozila pass is a roller coaster ride of bad roads, hairpin bends, landslides, avalanches, glacial melts, snowfall, freezing winds, chilling cold and what not. It has nothing but narrow broken mountains and dirt tracks with snow up to 100 feet on both sides of the road at some parts and freezing knee deep sludge and mud and water level crossings with spectacular gorge at the other.

Some stretches have the deadliest blind curves, where speeding is a one way ticket straight to Satan's den. A mere speed of 10 kilometers per hour happens to be the maximum speed here. One funny move by you, and you get royally screwed by the mountains. That translates to a bone-shattering fall for thousands of feet where one dies before the bottom is reached.

The adventure riding in this part of this world is mostly reserved for the brave ones. The spine-chilling and the nerve-wracking ride along these toughest terrains with most dangerous conditions is hands down frightening. And when I say most dangerous conditions, I don't mean riding downtown to another Starbucks in an unknown neighbourhood. I mean roads that can easily kill you, or at the very least destroy you physically and/or mentally.

They say India is a land of 3 million gods. One wrong move and it takes more than 3 million gods to help you out here. The basic rule when you're in mother nature's backyard is, you play by her rules unless you wanna end up dead. And that's exactly what I did. I'm not cocky enough to say I  conquered this road. This road conquered me. I just went with it.

The only thing that kept me going was the adventure lust and the Royal Enfield solidity. And the best part was the mesmerizing beauty offered by mother nature in this region. It was simply jaw dropping and took my soul away within minutes. The scenic beauty here, hits you like a sledge hammer but in a good way and that's enough for any traveler to keep his engine running. See what I mean.

Adventure riding, toughest terrain and awe-striking innervation. What more could I have asked for??.

3 pm. I was in Dras. Popularly known as the "Gateway to Ladakh", Dras is the coldest inhabited place in India and the 2nd coldest inhabited place in the world. And the Dras/Kargil war memorial at Tololing, doesn't give a chance to be missed. The Tri-color flag waving to the slightest breeze with jagged huge mountains in the backdrop and a MIG 21 aircraft with brilliantly painted colors in the front, is a sight worth remembering.

But the main attraction of the whole memorial happens to be the sandstone wall, in the open, which has the names of all the Indian army personnel who sacrificed their lives in the process of recapturing some of the peaks occupied by the Pakistan army; like the Tiger Hill and Tololing.

While we eat, sleep and do cartwheels, there is someone out there who stay up all night guarding our boundaries in the most extreme conditions and most volatile borders battling a war. I've got only one word for the Indian Armed forces who protect us and keep us safe. RESPECT!!!.


Getting to Leh on road can happen via two routes, one being the conventional National Highway 1 which goes along Mulbekh - Lamayuru - Leh. The other being the more hazardous, unexpected, desolated and super beautiful one laned boulevard traveling along Batalik - Dah - Hanuthang - Skurbuchan to reach Leh. Most are unaware of this route, and some who know the route, completely avoid taking it because of the obvious reasons. Well, I took the second one (*wink*).

6 pm. After exiting Kargil, I headed towards Batalik. Oh Lord!!!!. The vistas. Each and every turn has a different and unbelievable setting. A setting which seems to be out of this world. Take a look.

And then came the first water level crossing of this route. Crossing it was no child's play. A fall there meant an open invitation to hypothermia. Getting drenched in the water with freezing cold temperature is never a good idea. Hypothermia hits you before you know it and the after effects may be fatal sometimes (considering you won't find medical assistance for 100 miles). This one was moderately difficult and I crossed it with some effort.

A few instances later, the rain gods came out to play with a vengeance. It doesn't rain in this part of the world, it bloody pours. And the rain just clings to you like a jealous lover. I pushed myself riding in the rain for miles and miles (the route is desolated, remember?) until I found a local shack to take refuge. Now the almighty changed plans and upped the ante. It started snowing along with the pouring rains. The temperature considerably reduced and the visibility became zero. I could hardly see for more than 10 meters.

It was late and continuing the ride meant complete foolishness. I had no other choice, but to request the shack owner to accommodate me for the night. He said yes without even thinking. That was the moment I asked myself, "would I have done that?. Would I have trusted and accommodated an unknown person?. Would I have allowed him inside my house as a guest and fed him food?". I had so many questions. And he did it with a warm and comforting smile.

A small tea shack built of rocks placed on one another with a soiled floor and a tarpaulin to cover the wooden log top (water dripping at some parts) was all there was. Did I mention no electricity??. But the ambience and the sweetness of the shack owners left me reminding that money and luxury isn't everything. The brothers fed me food and provided me with the warmest blanket to make myself comfortable. What can I say?. I was overwhelmed.

Overnight stay = somewhere in between Kargil and Batalik.
Stay type = A local tea shack.


13th of June 2015 (Day 8).
Batalik - Dah - Hanuthang - Skurbuchan - Khaltsi - Lamayuru - Fotu La - Budhkharbu - Namika La - Mulbekh - Namika La - Budhkharbu.
(I rode until Mulbekh and came back to Budhkhabru).
Total expenses = INR 1010.

7 am. The weather was bone-shakingly cold. I couldn't think straight but sipping on a hot cup of spiced tea (Namkin chai) sure did help. Criss-crossing the mountains witnessing the breathtaking view of slow moving clouds brushing the surface of the snow covered peaks,  I reached Hamboting La (13202 feet above sea level) the highest point on Kargil - Skurbuchan route.

13202 feet is a pretty staggering height. The oxygen is scarce and if you are not properly acclimatized, AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) hits you and if untreated, it may cost your life sometimes. The signs of AMS may be anything from headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, whizzing, dizziness, and more. The best way to avoid AMS is to descend to a lower level where the body gradually acclimatizes. Well, I was fit as a horse. If I were to die in the Himalayas, AMS would never had played a role.

If you think, the various high altitude passes in the Himalayas is a piece of cake, here are some stats for you.
Height of Chennai - 150 ft.
Height of Bangalore - 3000 ft.
Height of Mumbai - 46 ft.
Height of New Delhi - 709 ft.
Height of Kolkata - 30 ft. Now, the Mighty Himalayas doesn't seem to be a piece of cake, does it??.

Amongst the magical mountains, I catch my first glimpse of the first village along the crossroads. On rocks and hills and huddled in valleys between dazzling green fields are mud-washed buildings with slanted window frames painted in dull colors. Exactly looked like a setting from the age of empires. That's when I knew I was heading in the right direction.

Then appeared the second water level crossing of the route. Locally known as "Nalla", these water level crossings pack a punch. The force of the water is exaggeratingly high. One slip here, and you fall face down in freezing water. On the surface, the crossing looks calm, but underneath, it's like a monster ready to be unleashed. With knee deep water flowing continuously on rocks of size of a human head, getting across is more than a difficult task. It literally takes the breadth out of your lungs to cross one of these. And did I tell you that the nallas are about 20 to 30 meters in length?.

With two more huge monster level crossings, I reached Skurbuchan village after the ever beautiful Dah and Hanuthang villages (not before falling twice and holding on to my dear life). I'll be a man of few words and more pictures here. You tell me whether taking this adventurous and completely desolated route was justified or not.

Picturesque enough??.

Crossing over the wooden bridge and looking at white-washed buildings with erected window frames painted with eye popping colors, lines of rain-sodden prayer flags hung limply from flat roofs, situated in the middle of the mesmerizing mountains with the greenest trees on the planet in the foreground was a sight worth dying for. I was in Skurbuchan.

Taking this route didn't mean I had to skip the notorious National Highway 1. I wouldn't have missed NH1 even if I were half eaten by a Snow Leapord. I was crazy enough to ride back until Mulbekh to get a piece of action of NH1. From Khaltsi to Mulbekh, the highway doesn't disappoint. With stunning views all along, NH1 is a perfect dragway which is meant to be ridden on.

Caution : Beware, this highway (NH1) is so bloody charming that, you won't feel like taking a road trip anywhere else after you've tasted this tar.

The highest pass on Srinagar - Leh highway, Fotu La is a breathtaking 13479 feet above sea level. From there I hoped to see NH1's other-worldly landscapes. But when I got there there's dense clouds and freezing winds and it's all I can do to hop out, shivering, and take a couple of photos of the cairns, prayer flags and Buddhist stupas marking the top.

Its only when I descend I catch my glimpse of NH1's real beauty. I used to download pictures of this highway and think for myself that I would go there one day, and that one day was today. A sense of achievement; now that's something which is worth investing in travel.

Mulbekh has this huge Maitreya's A.K.A Buddha's statue engraved on a rock. Usually known as Mulbekh Maitreya or the future Buddha (funny name), the carving is one of a kind. It comes along the highway and there's no way one can miss it. Scenic beauties, dangerous haphazard turns and friendly people greeting you all the way is all you find on this turnpike and that's not a bad thing.

It was time I traversed back to Budhkharbu from Mulbekh. I usually stay away from crowded places and today was no different. Budhkharbu is somewhere in the middle of the highway and to get here, one has to pass through Namika La (altitude 12198 feet) one of the two high altitude passes on Srinagar - Leh highway.

I ended up in a local tea shop and started a conversation with the local (also the shop owner). Tsering Dorjay happened to be his name. A man in his mid 50's. We talked mostly about the kickass scenery along NH 1 and unimportant stuff. Knowledge is power after all. Especially unnecessary knowledge!!..

It was getting late and I asked for a place to crash for the night. "My home happens to be 2 miles from here, you are most welcome to spend a night there" he said (nice people remember?). "This is great. I mean this is crazy great", I said to myself and replied, "I would be really thankful if you accommodated me for the night". He closed his shop early because of me and we ended up in his house minutes later. A typical Buddhist house made up of mud and painted white, had an authentic feel to it.

Just as we entered the house, I saw her. Oh man, was she beautiful!!!. She, with her adorably glowing, porcelain like skin with large dazzling chocolate brown eyes framed by long lashes, had the most cutest smile on her cherry lips. The girl (aged 26, I found that out later when we started conversing) looked stunningly gorgeous in her simple white dress, like a painting of a goddess bought to life. I just stared at her without blinking. In fact I almost drooled. True story. The women over there (the Himalayas) are strikingly beautiful.

Turned out she was the daughter of Dorjay. Anyway, a small house with fully furnished kitchen with amazingly colored and arranged utensils (including porcelain), no electricity and two other rooms to sleep was all there was. If we have to learn anything about ambience, hospitality and treating a guest, the Buddhists are the ones from whom we should learn from. With a wholesome meal (which included chapathi, yoghurt, butter, pickle, dal, rice and Namkin chai), the day ended after sharing my travel stories with them.

This was my first Homestay of the trip.

Overnight stay = Budhkharbu.
Stay type = Home-stay.

To be continued.....

Up next,

 Until then, ride hard ride safe!!!.