Sarchu to Leh

With another 270 km to cover, I get up early in the morning at around 5am, feeling a bit better from the Altitude Sickness that had hit me the previous evening. To my surprise, my host was up even earlier and greeted me with a hot cup of chai. He advised me to leave early in order to reach Leh by late evening. Packed myself once again and soon realised that my boot was still wet; with no other option geared up to leave Sarch at about 7 am. While leaving I was subjected to the surprise of my life. Any guesses on how much I was charged for the stay, hot water and genuine hospitality? FIFTY RUPEES!! I handed over 200 bucks to my friend and bid goodbye.

From the moment I started my bike, the excitement was building; couldnt believe that I was going to reach Leh. I get goosebumps even now when I think about the moment.

In less than an hour I encountered the first high altitude pass- Nakila which was at a height of 15600ft. I had move inch by inch due to the nature and terrain of the path. Frankly speaking I even wanted to give up at times due to the physical and mental starin. Each time I kept reminding myself of how I managed to ride all the way from South India all by myself until this point. Wouldnt I kill myself if I gave up now, just 200 odd kilometers away? Ti keep myself motivated, I remembered seeing the bicyclists in Keylong, who endured much harsher physical strain.

Just as I crossed one, there was the second high altitude pass LaChung La which was at a mind blowing 16500 ft above sea level. This was the highest road I had ever rode on in my life until then. But again along with the height came the hardships. It was pretty much uneventful until I stopped at Pang for some chai and fuel.

To my surprise I found a lot of vehicles in there, most of them returning from Leh to Manali. There was a group of 4 German bikers who were returning to Manali from Leh and shared their table with me as soon as I reach Pang. Although I was half their size with a less loaded bike, we were all on the same page when it came to riding. One of them was short on engine oil, was therefore a bit worried. Since I had emptied my spare oil in Keylong I couldnt help him. My fall sometime back which had robbed me of some fuel made me buy extra petrol here, sold in plastic cans for Rs.100/litre. I had no choice but to go for it. Wishing each other goodbye, we went in the opposite direction with me headed towards Leh.

Each momemt I thought I couldnt be surprised further, I would run into a bigger shock. Within no time I ran into Morey Plains- the notorious 40 km flat land amidst the cold desert. Not a single soul in my sight I was suddenly engulfed by monstrous mountain ranges all around. I was now riding on a flat desert with no pathway and the sun playing hide and seek. I had absolutely no clue where I was heading and even used the horn for the first time, knowing that no one was around to even respond to the noise. I kept shouting out loud, standing up, sitting downn, stretching my legs, all while riding. Even if I had ran naked around, there wasnt even a bird or dog to laugh at me. Another half an hour of riding gave me a sudden sighting of dust flying ahead. Although it looked pretty near, it took me another 10 mins to spot the tracks. yes a truck was going ahead and I gladly followed the trail left on the sand, but managed to reach the truck only a little later. With common sense prevailing I decided just to follow it, rather than overtaking it.

Soon I was out of Morey Plains and crossed a little hamlet Debring, preparing to encounter the hardest test so far- Tanglang La. The climb to this high altitude pass was back breaking. I could feel ever single piece of my body taking the beating. BUt then the moment I reached Tanglang La, everything was forgotten in a jiffy. Its the second highest motorable road in the world (debatable), standing at an altitude of 17,582 ft. Heartily clicked a few pictures on celebrating the milestone and rode downhill quickly, since it isnt advisable to spend a lot of time at high altitudes.

Here is when I had my first fall. Until then I was riding at a maximum speed of 8-10km/hr in first gear. Suddenly there was a fine stretch of new tarmac for a couple of kms, which got me excited. As I revved my bike to 60km/hr, I was unfortunate to encounter loose rocks in a turn. If I braked, I would have fallen some thousands of feet below on the left. I therefore flew to the right, with the bags just flying above my head, while my bike skid towards the left. Another couple of meters towards the left, I would have lost it. Knowing it was lying safe, I just lay there on the road for sometime, trying to get some oxygen and rest. After about 10 minutes an Army truck came by to my aid, lifting me and my bike up. Since I was geared properly, I escaped injuries, while causing abrasion to my rain gear and boots. My bull as usual withstood all tantrums, while only leaking a few litres of petrol. Fortunately I had topped up my tank earlier in the day in Pang.

This fall prepared me for the worse and after another stretch of horrendous roads (read as no roads, only boulders), I finally got a glimpse of Leh in Upshi. In between there were a few exciting river crossings from the mighty Indus and a couple of small villages. Before the day light faded, precisely at 5:40 pm I reached the city of Leh. I was grinning to myself and wanted  to call close friends to share the joy which was sky high by now.

As usual I hadnt booked any hotel, so spent half an hour searching for good place to stay. Having encountered the journey of my life, I wanted to treat myself to a good hot shower (hadnt showered since I left Manali) and a little luxury. Checked into Oriental Guesthouse, which sat at the foot of Shanti Stupa, a couple of kilometres away from the market. It was pure bliss to get rid of my riding gear and dirty clothes to just meditate under the hot shower for an hour. I had done it!

Keylong to Sarchu

After a goodnight's sleep, I went down to fix my bike. Once again Martin's (by now he was officially my bike guru) wise words aided me in getting my bike to the mechanic. What would have happened had I not got the spare clutch plates at the nth minute??? Yes, I was told by the mechanic in Keylong that I could get them only in Leh. What an escape! After an hours job, I got my bike running fine again and headed straight to the petrol station to tankup since I wouldnt be able to find another one for the next 350kms.

After a snack and chai we left Keylong by noon. Martin was still undecided on where he was heading next, hence decided to ride along until Darcha, another high altitude pass. Two hours of non-stop riding led us to the nearest base camp for some carbohydrates.

On the restart, it started drizzling. Without wasting a minute we stopped to put on our rain gear over the riding jacket and pants. At high altitude riding wet would be absolutely a nightmare, with the chilly winds piercing the body. Thats when Martin decided to return. I thanked him for all the help and timely advice and parted ways not knowing when we would meet up next. I havent heard from him since then, but would cherish his friendship for a lifetime. From Darcha as I started to move along without a single vehicle in sight for more than a couple of hours, the rain was getting heavier. Water had already got into my boots while crossing a big stream (thanks to the damage caused to my boots in Rohtang)and it started taking its toll on me now. Although I stopped for a couple of minutes, rain and chilly conditions prevented photography of this wonderful paradise. Neither words nor pictures can do justice to the natural beauty.

As I started descending to my destination for the night, Sarchu, the rain stopped and I was fortunate enough to click a couple of pictures of his breathtaking land.

At around 6 pm I reached Sarchu base camp and unsurprisingly there wasnt a single other tourist there. An old man welcomed me with open arms and without asking a word just brought some hot water in a glass and bowl. I had no clue on the formalities. Without uttering a word I just gulped the hot water in a second before I was offered chai. Thats when he asked me to take off my shoes to soak my feet in warm water. He was a seasoned host, I reckoned. Wet feet could kill you in such extreme conditions. Although I couldnt see another soul in sight, I was happy to know that I was in safe hands that evening.

Did I mention that Sarchu is at 13,500 ft? Yes, I just had my first bout of Altitude Sickness. After warming up my feet, I was shown the tent where I could sleep. Although it could accommodate about 8 people, it was all for me now. Electricity was a problem though. My torch doubled up as a candle in there and I sank under 3 layers of quilt. Soon i realised that I could neither sleep, nor sit nor rest inspite of being tired. Went out for a walk hoping to feel better, but it was freezing, made worse by the desert winds.

Seeing me suffer, my host handed over a bottle of Old Monk for which he asked not a penny more than the MRP. I gladly shared it with him over dinner of hot rice and gobi
masala. I came to know that his family lived in a village in Spiti, while his son was sent to a school in Srinagar. They did not have any electricity or any basic infrastructure in their village, because of which his son visited them only in the summer. Was disgusting to think how dare our shameless politicians brag about 'India Shining'! Zipped up my sleeping bag and dozed off around 8.30, hoping to catch some sleep under those heavy quilts.

Kumbalgarh Fort, Rajasthan

It has been nearly three months since my last post. I think its high time I updated my travelogue before my memory starts failing me. What I'll do with the format is, instead of mentioning days, i'll stick to the places alone. There are quite a few pics which will describe the journey more colourfully.

Vikram and Eva had planned to return to Ahmedabad by Sunday night, but decided to halt since it didnt make sense to miss the Sound and Light show at the fort, which was at 7 pm.

Vikram at his posing best! (couldnt resist posting it.:)

Outside our tents

 We therefore checked out by noon and found another guest house which cost us less than 500 bucks. A group of 26 bikers from Udaipur invited us for lunch after learning that we rode all the way from Ahmedabad.

After a decent lunch, we had a good afternoon siesta and then rode to the fort.

Kids playing along the roadside pool

An intimidating entrance gateway led to steep range of steps. Before Vikram and I could plot our strategy to start our climb, Eva was well over the top, posing for pictures with the locals, who thought she was from the Oriental East.

The best thing about the locals was that whenever they saw some outsider with a camera, immediately they start posing for pictures. At first I didnt understand, but then was more than happy to click away pictures capturing wonderful smiles and colourful clothing.

Once you reach the top, you realise that the fort actually runs along a huge mass of land housing a number of temple complexes and it is inevitable to avoid comparisons to the Great Wall of China. We were told that the total running distance of the fort was 38km, which was very impressive considering the height at which it was built. It was built by Rana Kumbha in the 15th century.

Fort during the Sound and Light Show

The next day they headed back to Ahmedabad, while I rode towards the Pink city-Jaipur.

Pursuit of Happiness

F R E E D O M ! ! ! the word that best describes my current state, although some may call it UNEMPLOYMENT.

Thats right I have quit my job and started on my long awaited road trip across India. During the last 6 months Ive literally been a laughing stock of my friends, since my so called journey had been postponed a brazilian number of times; couple of blokes even offered to pay me if I ever left..;-)
Anyways all thats history now...13th of Aug was my last working day. Ironically I had to start my road trip on the 14th, a day before our Independence Day.

Day 1

After a small send of party by my newest friends Tharun, Sanat and Syed, I left Kochi on 14.08.2011 at 5:30 am . Sanat accmopanied me until Calicut, where we stopped at his house.

Sitting in the university campus, Sanat's house had a very earthy feel about it. Natural water bodies amidst thick vegetation gave an exotic feel to the whole place; who wants to slog it out in a over crowded polluted city. How can I not mention Sanat's sister Shruthi running around clicking pictures with her child like enthusiasm.

We visited an ancient temple on a hillock, from where one could view the entire Calicut region. A thick cover of Mangrove forests engulfd by the river and the Arabian Sea, utter bliss!

The next stop was at the virgin beach along the Kundalini Bird sanctuary, riding under 5 foot high bridges and knee deep puddles.

Fishermen busy removing their catches and kids displaying their angling skills, this rocky beach is any photographer's paradise.

After a sumptuous lunch, I left for Wayanad to meet my friends who were travelling from Bangalore for the Independence Day weekend.The ride just before the Ghat section, which is the final leg before Vythiri was nothing but a nightmare; not because of the first rains in my ride, but due to the pathetic road condition.It took me nearly an hour to cover this 13km stretch. Reached Parathodu at 4:30 pm, the point where Sanat's caretaker Stanley was waiting to take us to the jungle house. Once Jojo, Manu, Appu and Eashwar arrived,we bought some snacks and left for the guest house not knowing what to expect. I hadnt experience anything like this before- the climb to the house was maybe 75 degrees sloped, a thrilling 5 minute ride.On parking our vehicles, we had to further hike up to into the forest with all our luggage in hand, which proved to be an even harder task.What a relief it was to finally sight the house.

To describe the property, it was a very modest house with two rooms, a kitchen and a sitout, with the loo outside. the only source of water a hose outside the house; The entire hillock had an amazing system of water sourcing, siphoning the natural water though a series of hose pipes laid in the gravitational direction of the hill and we were told that this system had been in place for more than 40 years. Coming back to the description of the house, there were no beds or cots to sleep. Eashwar and I had a sleeping bag each, while the others slept on straw mats. To top it all the power went off as soon as we parked our dead a***s in the portico.

We were sitting in pitch dark in the middle of the forest with only the insects and birds giving us company. Not to be bogged down, we lit up a born fire to beat the cold. Unfortunately even the firewood refused to pay heed to our desperation, due to their wet nature. As we succeeded in lighting the fire, the food arrived to further lift our spirits, ensuring that our get together was a memorable one.

Distance Covered- 300 km
Journey- Cochin to Wayanad with 1 stop at Calicut
Road condition- Cochin to Calicut- Very good
         Calicut to Wayanad- 5% Good, 65% Bad, 30% Worse

Weekend ride to Munnar

We planned on a weekend trip to Munnar for the Oct 2nd weekend. Manu, Appu n Divya travelled in Appu's car, while I hopped on my Royal Enfield.
my main agenda of the trip was to test my bike and my fitness level!!
Appu had booked 2 rooms in Munnar through a local friend. Having decided to leave early on saturday morning, manu n I stayed at Appu's place, while Divya cooked an excellent dinner.
All set, we just realised that we didnt have alchohol. Being the 1st of the month, no supply in kerala and saturday being Gandhi Jayanti, we were doomed. Having just returned from bangalore that morning, i was already feeling very tired. While Divya was preparing dinner, we drove around the whole city looking for any sale of liquor and finally returned home past 10 pm in vain.
After a heavy dinner we slept at around 1 still hoping we'll be up by 6 atleast. Being a holiday none of us wanted to rush it...Up at 9, we three guys were ready in half an hour, while the lady of the house came out at 10:30 am....Had breakfast at Indian Coffee House, while still trying our luck with the spirits. nope!!

Stopped by at the petrol station and hit the road finally at 11:30. unfortunately we had to slow down before Muvatupuzha, where a religious procession blocked the roads for half an hour.Reached Adimali by 2:30, where a friend promised to deliver the 'parcel'..still no luck!

Stopped for food at Adimali where all 4 of us had a silent lunch, disappointed that we wudnt have any liquor for the evening...
the fun begins now. closing in on munnar the ride was getting more exciting for me..
wet, winding roads and hairpin bends broke my back at every turns, while i cut through the descending mist. the visibility was less than 5m and the headlights/fog lights was my only sign of opposite traffic.
My agenda for the trip was partially fulfilled, and i was in high spirits already...

On reaching the , only to find that there were no rooms vacant..great!as an alternative they took us to an annexe, which looked like a side y joint. Appu tried calling his friend, who never really tried to help, while divya was ready to head back to cochi....

Our trip seemed to have taken a full beating, starting the delay, to the lack of alchohol and now no place to stay. I tried contacting a friend of mine to see if he could help us and luckily he found us an awesome place which had 2 suite rooms at very affordable pricing..our balconies overlooked a lovely stream...

the group was getting cheered up now and after a hot bath we head to the town..i must mention here that it wasnt a great idea to travel to munnar on a public holiday, since the town was jammed with tourist buses and other vehicles. and dont forget the rains here!!

we finally managed to buy some rum and vodka which were exorbitantly priced and head back to rooms.
The spirits complimented the excellent weather, accompanied by decent food....after all of us got high we still managed to go for a drive looking for elephants (which was a very bad idea) and some liquor ofcourse. hit the bed by 3 i guess?

had breakfast and went to madupetty lake, were another traffic snarl greeeted us. saw a couple of trained elephants which looked under-fed.

Checked out from our hotel and dined at a Jain/Rajasthani/Gujrati/Marwari restaurant. left munnar by around 2:30 and headed straight to Cochi. I had to take a break after the hills, since the fingers on my left hand had gone numb. There was no looking back after that, hit our destination non-stop, reaching cochi by around 5:30. On my return journey rains were pouring down like crazy and I was completely soaked. but then there was no point in stopping, since the rains werent goin to stop completely.

Having tested my bike, it was a highly satisfying trip for me...now i know what has to be tuned in my bull and me...;-)

Trip Statistics:

Cochin to Munnar - 138km+145km (to and fro)
Roads- Good in parts to worse
Weather Conditions- incessant rains

Shall meet you soon with a longer ride...
until then, happy riding!!!

Travelling on a motorcycle around the country

Imagine a life not worrying about time, no boss to answer to, no schedules to meet, no phones to answer, no targets to meet, no EMIs or credit card bills to worry about.
You can do all what you want...visit your friends whose marriages u missed, visit your cousins, catch up on movies, catch up on reading, most importantly- Wake up late in the morning and sleep until ur content...

Isnt that we call Utopia??

Finally the decision has been made...

I QUIT!

If you had noticed, I started this blog named 'Motorcycle Diaries' 3 years ago, hoping that one day I could emulate 'Che's journey (ofcourse not the political side). The Time is NOW...

Come this December you'd find me doing all the above...;-)
Ive planned to hop on my Royal Enfield travelling through the vast stretches of the countryfrom South to West to North and East on an unplanned trip, with only the direction in sight.

With no paticular agenda, ive decided to just keep riding and stop at friends & to-be friends places  wherever possible..not sure if it would be possible to pitch tents in remote villages/forests (not keen on getting harrased by the cops).

The whole idea sounds exciting and honestly i really dunno what to expect.
If you are planning to go on a ride during the same time, Id love youto join me in any of the legs of the tour.
Pls drop in your contacts, ill get in touch asap.

Others are most welcome to chip in with your ideas/advice/experience/thoughts on the unplanned journey!

Cheers