Wednesday 25 March 2015

Leh-Ladakh : Pillion rider's chronicles - Part 4!

6 souls, a wonderland, 2626 kms and sheer willpower! – The journey made thus!

Chapter 4 : Kargil - Leh

6th June 2014

We stayed put 10 Kms short of Kargil, at a considerable height. While Sunny had gone up-slope (the army establishment being there), Capt Sanjay, Hemu and self, waited downstairs gazing at the starry sky. The air had a fresh scent to it. Though it was both chilly and chilling. I could not help thinking of the 99 Kargil War and the fallen heroes. We could see nothing and we hardly spoke during the 20 long minutes that Sunny took to come and tell us that he had managed a guestroom. Hum kahaan hai, Hum kya kar rahe hai! was all that each one of us could feel. 

Bike Namakaran
The town of Kargil, as seen from a height



As day broke, we realized at what height we were! We could see smaller settlements below and rocky cliffs on almost 3 sides. It was here that we christened our bikes “Mad-No-Mads”. Wonder why we didn’t do it earlier. Guess we were now, getting into all sorts of gear. Capt Sanjay, the early-riser had cleaned the bike and made it ‘chakachak’ in his own words. Sunny followed suit and within no time, the carriers were loaded again. We had a sumptuous breakfast of paratha sabzi, decked up in our protective gears and started. 




This was by far the least of all adventurous days and the smoothest of all rides. We thoroughly enjoyed the bike ride and did not miss the bumpy and the challenging stretches. 

En route to Leh, the best stretch of road!
We crossed Namika La at 12,800 feet and Fotu La at 13, 471 feet. Now began the cold-desert topography with not much vegetation in view. Landscapes seen never before and curvy as also straight stretches of road, never riden on, before, totally made the day! Pure bliss! This was one day where riding pillion was totally worth it as I could feel no panic, no stress and thoroughly enjoyed the collection of songs I had on me! While Sunny was over-whelmed with the ride, I was, with every single of the million frames that flipped across! Upon eyes closed, I see them even today.


It is true that Ladakh is scenic. But I think the best part about our ride was that we clicked way fewer photos than we ourselves had imagined and let the visual appeal do the rest. The impact that this place, its scent, the air, the topography and the landscapes has on you and the way it touches your soul is to be felt rather that photographed. Unless the sole aim of the trip is photography.


Anyway, took a lunch break at around 2.30 as tummies were groaning. Found a decent ‘converted dhaba’ which was actually someone’s home with food made-to-order and we called for thalis. The owner had a sort of a mountain dog though it was the most scared creature I had ever seen. It was just the breed I guess, as later; I realized that it was only a pup. We hogged onto bhindi sabzi, rajma, rotis, daal chaawal and spoke very little as we were all famished! The homemade pickle added spice to the drowsy afternoon and spiked up our ride. There was a truck repair shop right ahead, so we thoughtfully emptied our bowels, drank water again, paid the guy Rs. 243!! (yes, that cheap) and started again.

Lamayuru, the Moon Land!


Crossed the town of Lamayuru. Known for its moon land, this small town is nestled in between a topography that resembles the moon and is quite mesmerizing. Although personally, I did not find it as exquisite as the other places I saw in the region. Perspective. The soft orangish or yellowish craters add a tinge of desert look to the land. 


Crossed yet another town of Khaltse and reached Nimoo. Got a slight cramp in my left thigh so took a quick halt. The sun was way over our heads but there was still a lot of time for it to set. It looked like we were going to make it to our destination in daylight!! Rode a few kilometers and took a touristy halt at Indus-Zanskar confluence.

Indus-Zanskaar Confluence!

The greens mixing with the muddy waters and serpentiling with greater force looked breathtaking from a height. We stalled a little as the spot was beautiful and finally took some photos, with Leh within comfortable reach. Proceeded and took a halt again just outside of Leh as it was tummy-calling time! Ordered a plate of momos (veg and non-veg). More pups (this time visibly) to play around with and called up OTG (a more-than-‘friend’ly person :p). She had lived here sometime back and Capt Ghumman, her husband (our otherwise neighbors!) had generously booked a guestroom for us. Spoke to her and hung up as the bill arrived (much to our shock) Rs.400 for 2 plates of momos! Headed towards Leh and started hunting for the Cantt. The town looked buzzing and alive with not only locals, tourists and crowded shops but also with bikers. This was our ‘confluence’! :p 


We reached the guestroom and changed as Sunny and self had to go meet his childhood friend who had also come on a similar ride with his friends. Met Ambar and Nupur (his wife who had just flown in to Leh that morning and fighting altitude sickness) and two others and their stories too, were enthralling. Zoji La had given them a tough time too. Worse, it was raining when they were riding. Although not quite underneath them, I looked up and thanked our stars! They (the riders) were now planning on scaling Khardung la and Pangong in the coming days. A quick coffee, a silly joke on how the tall Ambar would have to tie Nupur at the rear of the bike now, had me in splits. I laughed so hard that my eyes watered!! Quick goodbyes and we were back with OUR riders-in-prime. Eagerly awaited was Khardung La now! The famously toughest, highest point of the trip.

FACTOFILE :


Route : Kargil - Namika La (12,800 ft) - Fotu La (13,471 ft) - Lamayuru - Khaltse - Nimoo - Leh

Distance covered : 234 kms  


Total time taken : Around 10 hours (7 hours of actual riding + lunch/confluence/tea-time halts)
 
 
 

Thursday 19 March 2015

Leh-Ladakh : Pillion rider's chronicles - Part 3!

6 souls, a wonderland, 2626 kms and sheer willpower! – The journey made thus!


Chapter 3 : Srinagar - Kargil



4th June 2014

Kashmiri Cuisine stewed fresh by the houseboat owner

The Kashmiri Kawa  
Dal Lake
           




We hit Srinagar at around 2 in the morning and had our houseboat booked. The 2 brothers Naaz and Yusuf rendered us a very warm welcome and took us to our houseboat in a shikara. We spoke of black roses, Kashmiri cuisine at 2 in the morning and the person manning the shikara was more than happy to talk about his land. We thought that we would crash but suddenly, our batteries were charged! We sat on our knees (since bums had gone sensation less) and talked, as was to become our routine for days to come. With more squeals of laughter, we suddenly realized that people were in sugar sleep and decided to call it a night! Slept peacefully and woke up fresh to see the first view of the Dal lake.  Fresh, beautiful, flowery and scenty! Just sitting there and gazing around meant so much! Tofu aka Taufik was our butler boy. Though by the end of the stay, he became Hitler boy! The experience of being on a houseboat was enthralling enough to make us laze out all day. Kashmiri cuisine, the kawa and the freshly made ginger garlic bread kept us busy the whole day. Ankita and Major Raghav gave us company for a while. Took a shikara ride in the evening and then retired to the houseboat.  


5th June 2014


Woke up fresh and charged the next morning, to set on a new trail – Srinagar-Kargil! Here, we got into our cargoes for the first time. The real bike-riders’ feel was to come only then! With our knee and elbow pads in their appropriate places and our shoes on (someone needed help with the long laces ;)), we felt like we were going for a battle. Time, of course, proved us right. We started early at around 8 am and crossed Wayil, our breakfast destination where we took a not-so-quick halt. The paratha sabzi being the staple diet, with Sind running right next to us, we were amazed to see the width of the river and the embankment built to control her waters.

At Wayil, en route to Kargil from Srinagar!

They say still waters run deep but I am sure the rivers in Northern India will defy that. No matter the outer look, they are all feisty with monstrous energy waiting to carry you away. You must therefore, not, get, carried, away! One thing we developed in the course of our journey was the profound respect towards Mother Nature and the need to stay within all kinds of limits be it speed, distance or lanes! The sheer topography in this land is so humbling that you end up feeling quite small. Another thing that you must leave behind is that ego! If you hit the bull’s eye, Ladakh will most certainly teach you this! No need to go and live there, a visit is enough for a start!


En route to Sonamarg!

Anyway, we proceeded Wayil-onward to Sonamarg and were amazed by the beauty of the natural landscapes. Snow-capped peaks now started coming into view. With Boleros and Scorpios zooming past us, we were more than happy to take halts and breathe in the scent of these landscapes. No matter where and how we looked, it was picturesque! The Bull started leaking a tiny bit just before Sonamarg and we got a little worried but we soon fixed it and proceeded towards what was to become one of the most toughening experiences of the trip – the mighty ZOJI LA! 


However, we had to wait till 3 pm for the army convoy to clear just ahead of Sonamarg. And from there began the ascent to a not-so-difficult yet situational-made-toughest pass ever! Cut at 11,000 feet, we began scaling obviously at a much lower height only to realize that the road was not that good. Since the convoy had halted traffic and adrenalin levels of local drivers, they had literally taken off! At zooming speeds, bikers are a hindrance to them, so we had to compete to keep going! On assessment of all passes, Zoji La offers steeper curves up and down as compared to the others. Making a loaded bike, with a pillion, climb on such slopes was mighty challenging for SS but they did a fantastic job! Since snow had begun melting, minor streams had provided a perfect recipe for formation of slushes every now and then. We had to get down (much to my excitement) every now and then and give the bikes a push. Walked a stretch of 1.5-2 kms twice, along with the convoy. The looks that we were getting from fellow travelers, riders, locals and the army alike can be described as a combination of amazement, bewilderment, irritation, puzzlement, sometimes pride and the familiar “paagal toh nahi ho gaye!” look! We soon got used to it as it really motivated us to keep going! 

Although Zoji La was a much dryer pass as compared to others, the traffic and road construction along the very nature of its trajectory made it extremely challenging for us! Also, the most important factor in our case was that THIS, was our first pass! We really did not know what to expect. However, as they say, whatever happens, happens for the best as this very stretch of the journey totally prepared us for the challenges that lied ahead, unknown then of course!


A quick lift, twice, from a red scorpio with a group of 3 Jat friends helped Hemu and myself to get a minute-long recoup and helped SS navigate the bikes quickly in difficult patches. Once the pass was crossed, we reached Gumri and tried to have maggi and pakodas. The sheer crowding of the place set up by none other than the Indian Army (who else!!), it being the sole respite, made us do a quick exit. Capt Sanjay had his first fall experience in the mud, all whilst standing. This again, was to become routine! ;) (Sorry Capt Sanjay!) Although he did tell us a story of how our tanks were made to climb the hill right in front of us, leaving the Pakistanis spell-bound, during the 1947 war! In short, the halt was totally worth it!


We left from Gumri and were praying that the day’s adventures would now lessen a bit only to find icy-cold water falls created due to melting of snow, right ahead of us. We SAILED through the first two smaller ones but the third one decided to have a laugh of its own. Our bike was ahead (that being the case most of the time) and we slipped. I tried to do a Bollywood stunt with my feet up in the air to help Sunny navigate the bike but it proved to be a stupid idea. My weight shifted and I imbalanced the carrier causing it to skid. I tried to stand up on my feet (ohh this has totally different connotations here, believe me!!) and could not feel them! They were already wet but now had gone completely senseless. Hemu and me managed to stand up on a rock nearby and Sunny got stuck on a round stone from where the bike’s rear tire refused to budge. Capt Sanjay came to the rescue but the seconds gone by did not give the both of us courage to jump inside again. To be honest, it wasn’t even courage! I just couldn’t move! Not just my legs but even my senses went numb for a while. Capt Sanjay gave the bike a pull-push(??)....am not really sure which way it came free but we realized that we had to cross the same tract to go over to the other side. Without thinking, (finally!) I took Hemu by the hand and we jumped and crossed the stream. The water level was actually nothing but the coldness of it was a sensation never felt like before! Trust me, this was one of the most exciting (once feet were felt a bit) experiences ever!! 

Cold feet, only literally! 
 
For photu-sake!
What followed was spectacular, like literally, for others. We stood on a metal plank by the side of the road and removed our shoes. Our feet were blue. We started thumping on the plank to bring them back to life and the passers-by had loads of visual appeal thanks to us! Some of them were kind enough to stop and ask if we were okay, others looked quizzingly and zoomed by, not without giving a worried look though! Again, motivating enough to continue. Capt Sanjay had the bright idea of introducing into this scenario, the champagne bottle that he had so cherishedly brought on this trip! The snow-capped mountain wall right next to us provided for a perfect natural refrigerator. The photo of this incident alone can do justice to what I am trying to say. I am, just like my feet, at a loss of words too!


We then proceeded to Dras with roads getting slightly better as we started losing altitude. At a checkpost, we quickly warmed ourselves a bit as shoes were now hanging on top of our tent and sleeping bag at the rear of the bike. We were back in our chappals as we were not carrying an extra pair of shoes. (Tip : Always carry an extra pair of shoes) Reached Dras at around 8.30 pm. We took a quick halt at a local tea shop and had spiral-shaped croissants and tea. He told us that the road ahead was very good but we had to see it to believe it! One of the first stretches where we actually rode smoothly!! The BRO (Border Roads Organisation) by the Indian Army has done some fantastic job in this region. No matter how challenging the roads were for us, that was because WE were on bikes. Ensuring for connectivity in such a tough terrain in itself is a massive challenge and the BRO deserves a standing applause. They work when you travel because that is the only time of the year when roads are open and snow-free. Throughout our journey, we saw workers busy doing their bit in building some of the most difficult tracks of concrete in this unfriendly region.

Dras-Kargil road is ornamented by reflectors and since we rode in the night, this alone was a blissful sight for us. The valley could not be seen so we appreciated the smooth curves and welcomed the fresh breeze with open arms. (literally?? ;) ;))

FACTOFILE :



Route : Srinagar - Sonamarg - Zoji La (11,575 feet) - Dras - Kargil



Distance covered : 202 kms  



Total time taken : Around 14 hours (7.5 hours of actual riding + meals (bfast and dinner)/repair/convoy/Zoji La Pass halts)
 

Monday 16 March 2015

Leh-Ladakh : Pillion rider's chronicles - Part 2!



6 souls, a wonderland, 2626 kms and sheer willpower! – The journey made thus!



Chapter 2 : Indore-Jammu-Srinagar


1st June 2014

We left for Jammu from Indore and loaded 2 of our souls, our carriers, our BIKES…onto the train. Filled the remainder petrol in empty bottles and hid them in our hand luggage, which by the way, wasn’t much. But, we managed! On this entire journey, you will hear a lot of “But, we managed!!” The train journey was as always, fun. We laughed, danced, some people fought, everybody freshened up (it seems crazy but is one of the most important things whilst on a similar trip) and waited with impatience as the train crawled into Jammu station on the 2nd. There was a delay of 3 hours and the parcel office shut by then. The adventure had begun! Our initial calculation of reaching Udhampur the same night went for a toss. We stayed put in the Transit Camp at Jammu (these were to become our second home with the journey progressing) for the night and reached the station again at 9.30 next morning. 


3rd June 2014

SS (Sachin and Sanjay) went to offload the bikes and we finally got them at around 11 am. The Bull (Capt. Sanjay aka Capt Nitin’s bike) was missing the fuel pipe. So SS went to fix it and we finally sat on our carriers for the very first time! With no clue as to where she would take us, the unexpected turned out to be the best element on this trip! 

                                    The half loaded carrier
The ride had begun! The first few kilometers were a little scary as both the pillions were not used to bike-riding, in the real sense of the word. As I came to know later on, there was some T-shirt pulling even on the other bike! Our ways of expressing that we were a little scared sitting behind might have been different but the sentiment was mutual! :p This however lasted a few kilometers as we began trusting our riders! It was beside the point that they were our own husbands but trust suddenly gained a new and an exciting dimension! All I had to do was tell myself “He is as worried about you and the bike as his own self, if not more! So cut the paranoia!” That made me relax with each passing minute and Avenger suddenly became the best chair I had ever sat on, only much much longer!! :p :p 

We reached Udhampur and had lunch. The Avvy got a flat tire right outside a puncture shop (God was with us in this entire trip) and by the time we had it fixed, the sun was way over our heads and planning to set. We started the real ride after 4 pm (this was to prove our favourite timeslot later on) and then proceeded to cross the Pir Panjal range near Patnitop. This was our first PASSing encounter. Mud with water mixed in it, what we call “chikhal” in Marathi is lethal for a bike. So is gravel, sand, snow and the worst is melting or ted snow! This is knowledge gathered and I can proudly say - “But, we managed!!”. Having crossed the first minor pass, we decided to hit Srinagar straight and skipped Sanasar. The road was actually good by the standard that we established after the trip ended. We crossed Banihal at around 10.30 pm, met some bikers on the way who thumbs uped us! Much required as we needed some strength to make it to Srinagar. As we were told, we waited for the stretch where the ‘Punjab plains’ were to hit. They did in the last 50 or so kilometers and we could give the Bull and the Avvy a smooth raise. 

FACTOFILE :

Route : Jammu - Udhampur - Batote - Bahinal - Qazigund - Anantanaag - Awantipore - Srinagar.

Distance covered : 325 kms  

Total time taken : Around 14 hours (10 hours of actual riding + meals/recoup/repair halts)