Mother of all the bike rides – Khardung La, Ladakh!

It was one of those hectic days at office, and I received an e-mail from my ex-boss Hubert Augustine, about the upcoming motorbike ride to Khardung La. We had done handful of small rides, like Bangalore-Mysore (150 kilometers), Bangalore-Kanyakumari (650 kilometers), the newly proposed ride was mother of all the rides. I obviously replied to Hubes e-mail “Aye, Chief”.

Khardung La is 18380 feet above sea level located in Ladakh, and it is a biker’s paradise. Chief had planned the 11-day itinerary from Delhi to Khardung La, which was tallying up to 2500 kilometers. The ride was scheduled in the month of June, as the roads are cleared of snow. Plan your ride in advance as the roads are open only for 4 months in a year. 30 folks had confirmed the ride, and Chief took the responsibility of booking flights, transferring our bikes to Delhi, booking accommodation, and finding a mechanic who will be with us for the ride.

Since it was a bigger group of bikers, we managed to get sponsorship from Castrol, Wildcraft and Standard Chartered Bank. Castrol gave us really cool biker’s jacket, Wildcraft provided saddlebags for our bikes, and Standard Chartered offered to pool in money for the fuel. In return our sponsors wanted us to hold their banners on Khardung la (K-top), click loads of pictures and share it with them.

One week prior to our ride, we took our babies (read bike) to Bangalore Railway Station. The vendor was waiting to ship our babies to Delhi. My baby is a black beauty, has a sleek body, and her name is CBZ. During this week, we shopped all necessary spares for our babies, tyre tubes, clutch cables, headlamps, brake shoes, and accelerator cables.

I flew from Bangalore to Delhi to experience the ride of my lifetime. My childhood-buddies, Adi and Naveen were also part of this ride. Adi was my pillion rider, and Naveen was a fellow rider. We were roomies and riding buddies for the next 11 days.

Delhi

Delhi is hot during June , and we went to the warehouse near the railway station to pick up our bikes. We were skeptical about condition of our bikes after looking at the condition of the warehouse. Our bikes were bundled in newspapers and gunnysacks. After unpacking layers of newspapers, we were glad to see our babies in perfect condition. We filled up petrol on bikes and move to our motel.

Today was a no ride day, went about sightseeing in an air-conditioned taxi. Of all the places visited, I personally liked, Qutb Minar and Chandni Chowk.

Qutb Minar reminds me of the Gherkin in London. Wonder how Qutb was built 700 years ago with no cranes and heavy machinery. People are not allowed to go inside Qutb, but it’s a sight to see the erected structure and to hear stories of the King who died whilst playing polo.

Never take a girl to Chandni Chowk, as she will die of shopping for designer and cheap clothes. One can shop for varieties of shiny wedding sarees with heavy embroidery, and accessories like bangles.

Delhi - Chandigarh

It was 4:00 AM and we started our first leg of 250 kilometers ride to Chandigarh. Bikes were ready with water proof saddlebags; all the bikers wore a jacket, pair of gloves, and a full-face helmet with visor.

Our first hurdle was the heavy rains, in spite of waiting for 30 minutes the rain did not stop; we decided to ride in the rain to keep up the schedule. The Castrol sponsored jacket came in handy!

The Delhi-Chandigarh is a National highway, the roads are really wide and one can easily ride 100 KMPH. This stretch has quite a few road-side eating joints known as Pujabi Dhabas. It’s cheap, tasty and quick to relish some Rotis along with Dal (for veggies like me) or butter chicken (for carnivores).

Pit stop

We crossed Panipat, the ancient city which has connections with Bhagvad Gita and Mahabaratha. Our bikes rode in the midst of lush green farms. Watch out for cattles, buffaloes and tractors on the road.

Chandigarh girls are as beautiful as the city itself. The city is well planned, and divided into sectors. Each sector has a commercial hub, residential colony and a park. People here mostly speak Punjabi and Hindi. Many sardars wearing a turban reside in Chandigarh. It is said and believed that a sardar will drive a truck, run a dhaba, or do anything which is ethical to survive, but will never beg. We were stopped by traffic police in Chandigarh, ensure you carry all the relevant papers or be ready to shell out fines and energy explaining the cops.

We used our evening to clean our babies and check if everything was okay for next day’s ride.

Chandigarh - Manali

We started early again to avoid the traffic and the afternoon heat. The roads are both okay and bad, both are equally good experience. The bike ride ascend had started, we could see mountains at top covered in snow. Most of us had never seen snow, and were excited to reach the peak. Whilst ascending the mountains, the hairpin bends are narrow and only one big vehicle can use the road. The bikers usually have to let go big vehicles to pass by. Accidents are a common sight in the hilly terrain, but can be avoided with presence of mind and precaution. Long bike rides are not a race, instead enjoy the ride.

The best experience of this stretch was riding in a pitch dark tunnel for 3 kilometers. The air is much cooler inside the tunnel. Although there are few bulbs on the ceiling of the tunnel, most of the stretch is dark, which makes the ride fun.

Our 300 kilometers ride came to an end and we had reached the honeymoon city for many Indians couples. Manali is a small town thriving due to tourism. From the hotel balcony, one can see the mountains, the green patches, and the Beas River. The snow we saw from foothills was not visible in Manali, it was even higher!


The BeAs and the birds :)

We visited the Hidimba Temple in Manali.  The legend says, Hidimba Devi was a she-demon who resided and mediated in the foothills of Himalayas; hence a temple was constructed and dedicated to her. There is a National Park too, and outside the park you can get a picture of yourself with a Python around your neck (I don’t know if it is legal to own a Python) or ride a domesticated Yak. Manali is a nice place for trekking, stay for another day for trekking or venturing out in the woods. You might get lucky to spot a Snow Leopard!

In the evening the only shopping street gets buzy, selling warm clothes, leather goods, souvenirs, and Indian fast food. We picked up rubber boots to help us cross rivers. Purchase all necessary goods in Manali, such as medicine, liquor, and snacks. Our stay was in Drilbu, a warm place to stay with average food on the menu.

Manali – Tandi

We had planned to leave Manali at 8:00 AM, and to my shock the bike’s front tyre was flat and bald. The Chandigarh-Manali road had done its trick to my old tyre. Had I checked it the previous night, it would have saved time. Found a garage in Manali and replaced the front tyre and tube.

With all delay in fixing the tyre, we rode towards Rohtang Pass. Along with us were a backup jeep and a mechanic. It is a steep climb to Rohtang Pass, we were getting closer to the snow. The Jeeps carrying tourists is annoying, but bikers cannot be selfish. As we proceeded ascending, we caught first glimpses of snow on road. As we went up, there were more snow, and when we reached Rohtang, we felt the entire place was filled with white cotton. It was -3 degree Celsius and being a Bangalorean, we never get to experience the real cold. Some of the bikers were scared to pee, as it might freeze their hosepipes.

Experience nail biting cold in Rohtang

The localities are smart to make money out of snow, by just carving heart shapes on snow and names of the couples in glossy colors. The honeymooners seemed to enjoy getting their pics taken standing behind the heart carvings, how romantic, grrrr. Some localities were openly selling Bear claws, pashmina shawls, and saffron!!! It is believed if a pregnant woman consumes saffron, the baby will have fair complexion, I have no comments here…

Naveen and I took opportunity to paraglide in Rohtang. Felt like birds with wings when we were airborne. Although the glide lasted around 15 minutes, it was a sight to see the mountains from above. 


Tandem Paragliding

Tandi was not as cold as Rohtang Pass. We stayed in a cottage which was facing the Chandra-Bhaga River and snow clad mountains. The sunsets a bit early in this region, and one can see thousands of twinkling stars because of zero pollution and no lights. The cottage was illuminated by a kerosene lantern. Our cottage staff was very friendly and lit a bonfire and gave us some hot crispy Indian snacks. They even offered locally brewed alcohol and weeds, which we refused as we had another steep ride next day! 



Our cottages and beloved babies



Tandi – Sarchu

The mechanic was the first one to wake up and was helping lubricate the brakes, and clutch cables. Breakfast was bread and eggs. We started our bikes and reached the only station to fill petrol, the next filling station is in Leh – 365 kilometers away. The spare drums in the jeep were filled with petrol too. 



If you miss this signboard, be prepared to be stranded in a no man's land!

Whilst passing Keylong one of the biker complained of a sore bum. The only doctor in this sleepy village diagnosed the soreness as piles. For the next few days, the biker with piles had to use an inflated tube to sit!  

Breathtaking view from Keylong

The ride is fun – the road belongs to us as there are very few others who use them, other than the Indian army. On the left is the mountain and on our right following us is the Bahaga River. Bikers could sense the less oxygen level in the air.

There is no civilization here; we caught few glimpses of nomads and their Mules. Roads do not exist in many places, and we had to cross river on bikes. My pillion Adi got down from the bike while I had to cross the second stream, it was fun crossing the cold river until I heard a loud noise and my bike stopped moving. With help of Adi, we pushed the bike to the shore. After inspection we saw the chain guard took a beating from a stone and was obstructing the movement of chain. The mechanic was helpful here, and he quickly dismantled the chain guard and our ride was on!  



Nomads crossing stream with their Mules

We could not believe our eyes when we spotted a Sadhguru in a place which was far away from any civilization. The long haired Sadhu was wearing a saffron colored loincloth and walking barefoot with a sling bag. A couple of bikers stopped to take pictures of the holy Sadhu, but he vanished very quickly to seek nirvana.


No words to express beauty of Ladakh

Naveen had problems with his bike's spark plug, and was struggling cleaning it with a tiny piece of cloth, carry a spare spark plug for your ride. After 9 hours of ride, we had reached our destination Sarchu. We had luxury of staying in tents in the midst of mountains. Each biker shared their story while relishing the barbeque around the bonfire. This was the coldest night, the bone chilling night; even the tents and thick quilts did not help to keep us warm.  

Luxury at its best!

Morning was pleasant and everyone wanted some sunshine. The bonfire area looked messy, the resort guy told us that the Himalayan Bear had visited the area last night in search of left overs. We were blissfully sleeping and did not realize, till date we are not sure about the bear story!

 

Sarchu - Leh

We checked our bikes, and filled up petrol from the drums. The first lot of bikers had already left, we were late. The 200 kilometer ride in the cold desert started. There is no sign of people living; it’s only the Indian Army folks at the checkposts. The soldier’s life in these conditions is grueling and they guard the territory round the clock, risking and sacrificing their lives.

The Army folks are friendly and inquisitive to know the reason behind the bike rides. Perhaps they thought we are fools in search of Roadless-Roads. We ate chocolates and garlic to keep our bodies energized and warm. One of the soldiers smiled and hugged us when we parted with chocolates and a liquor bottle. Army men’s love for liquor was evident, when we passed through many passes named after beverage, Whisky Nullah, Rum Ptse, and Brandy Nala.

We passed through many plains, and saw wild Yaks rearing. At one place we were lucky to spot wild horses fleeing after hearing the thump of our bikes. Adi and I saw a yak-calf like creature ahead of us; we went really slowly only to realize it was a wolf waiting to hunt. We were scared looking at the intensity in the eye of this beautiful creature.



Notice the shadow of clouds and the wild Yaks

I loved the ride through Morey Plains - the highest flat land in the world. There is a stretch of good roads amidst desert on both sides. 

Fellow bikers enjoying in Morey

The road ends, and bikes need to sail through desert, thus testing the bike and the biker’s endurance.  


Fun riding in Morey Plains

Taglang La is the second highest motorable road at 17582 feet. The oxygen level in the air was less, and we stopped over for a couple of pictures, ate a clove of garlic, drank glucose water, and moved our bikes.


Im pointing at the numbers, ignore the grammatical errors

It was mesmerizing to ride through god-made arches and man-made bridges. We found a parachute tent, and were welcomed by an old lady selling noodles for 15 rupees! We slept on the beds until the granny was preparing noodles. All the bikers enjoyed the noodles and thanked the old women.

Some of the bikers had breathing problems, and the pit stops were increasing every 30 minutes. This may be the sign of AMS – Acute Mountain Sickness. Bikers took a chai break in a tiny village with about 10 houses, and within minutes surrounded by cute kids asking for chocolates.



Adorable kids of Ladakh

Leh welcomed us with ancient clay houses, and a monastery. It was after 2 days we saw a petrol bunk, so filled up our tanks. The petrol bunk boasted the words “You are on the world’s highest petrol station!”. There is an airport in Leh, but it is not advisable to take a flight. It is better to get acclimatized in lower regions before reaching Leh, this way one can reduce the chances of AMS. We were asked to keep our physical activity and enthusiasm under control. Our night stay was in a concrete building with a toilet!

 

Leh – Khardung La

Couple of bikers backed off as they were not confident in making to Khardung La, which was about 52 kilometers ride. The AMS is dangerous and can lead to swelling of brain and eventually death.

Ascend was steep, at times we felt the riding angle was about 70 degrees. My bike was struggling too, compared to Enfield Bullets. We were stopped at the checkpost and were forced to bribe to continue our ride, although we had all the necessary papers.

Roads in Khardung La are heavily guarded, and many tourists take jeeps from Leh to reach. We also noticed some brave folks on cycles. A natural rock has been painted to look like a frog, this is known as the Khardung La Frog.

The frog which doesn't croak

Roads become pretty bad and narrow as we ascend and are filled with gravel.  It is challenging to burn energy when the oxygen levels are really low. Our bikes maneuvered and reached on top of the heaven! We had a sense of achievement when we stood behind the red board. The view from Khardung La was astonishing.

Three Musketeers - Myself, Naveen and Adi at K Top

We took many pictures of Khardung La, and brought souvenirs from the shop run by the Indian Army. We had to start descending to Nubra Valley to avoid breathlessness.

Khardung La - Nubra Valley

The initial descend from Khardung La is a bit of challenge, due to snow, water-filled potholes and gravel. But once the challenge is over, it reminds me of playing biking video games. On our left side was the mountain with colorful flowers and on the right was the Shyok River. Not many visit Nubra, and this gives us the feeling of owning those roads.

Our 120 kilometers ride from K-top had come to an end. We stayed in tents, with God Father Beer in hand and spoke about the best ride of our lives. 

Yes, that is how heaven would look like!

We had covered over 1200 kilometers one-way, it was time to get up early next day and complete the remaining 1200 kilometers of our round trip!

If you have not visited Ladakh, you are missing LOTS in your life!