drk
Active Member
A bike ride to Ladakh is a dream for many, and weeks of planning goes into it. Yet for someone like me who operates on ‘HIS’ will, Ladakh happened for the third time without even me knowing about it till 18 hours before departure.
I was on an official trip to Manali, and as it was ending, my wife came to meet me. The next day, we were going to Rohtang, when this thought came to me that rather than descending back to Manali, I could move onwards to Ladakh. The long weekend was ahead of us and in four days, from Manali, we could have a quick to and fro journey to Leh. The main reason was to show the road to Ladakh to my wife, and give her a glimpse of Ladakh. As a civil servant, it is hard to find time for long trips and rather than postponing it for a longer trip some other time, I thought of taking the plunge. I was confused of I should tell it to her or keep it a surprise, but realising she may need to pack accordingly, I told her of the plan when we were out for a walk in Manali, looking for a bike to hire. On finding a suitable bike, the permit was made quickly at the SDM office, and by 9 pm, the bike was delivered to us. After a short test drive on this Bullet 500, I had a feeling of satisfaction that we would be riding to Ladakh the next morning.
We reached Rohtang by noon,
and this delay was attributable to many reasons.
The traffic on the way to Rohtang, and official work were the prime causes,
and yet, once I reached the top, this world was left behind,
and the dream world lay ahead.
I felt free of weight descending on the other side, and the coming four days were for ourselves.
The bike was making a knocking sound on higher altitude, but nothing much to worry.
The road to Spiti valley was seen on our right,
and further downhill, we crossed the checkpost and headed towards Keylong.
we were late for the day, and after filling up our fuel tank at Tandi, headed to Keylong.
I knew that we would need some more fuel to make it to Leh, but then that could be obtained on the way from tent owners (so I thought).
The Superintendent of Police at Keylong is a senior and and old acquaintance from my previous visit,
and we met him in his office.
It was already 2 30 and our target was Sarchu, on the other side of Baralacha la,
so we continued ahead.
The weather deteriorated soon after,
and we had nothing to save us from rain.
This unpreparedness was deliberate,
leaving everything to His mercy, and chance.
On reaching Deepak Tal, or Patsio,
we decided to halt in the tents.
I like this place- the beauty of the lake,
and the clear reflections of the mountains seen in it.
ANd though these tents were here before as well,
I noticed them this time only,
and battling the increasing cold, rain and wind,
we got inside the restaurant quickly.
Though it was only 3 30, we decided to call it a day.
There were many reasons behind this early shut down-
I had slept for hardly two hours the previous night,
finishing off my work at Manali,
and on the other side of Baralacha la, there was no place to descend in the event of getting mountain sickness.
Sarchu was at a height, we were already exhausted and this was the first time my wife was in higher altitudes.
From Patsio, going back to Keylong was easy, though it was as high or even higher than Sarchu.
After meals, we slept and were woken up four hours later for dinner.
The much needed rest was taken and we were ready the next day for a long haul trip to Leh.
DAY 2-
Early morning at Patsio is beautiful-
with the clear reflection of mountains in Deepak tal.
There is no wind to stirr the calm waters and its hard to tell which side is real and which is the reflection.
Without waiting for breakfast to be made,
around 5 am, we left for Leh.
The Baralacha la lay immediately ahead of us and was crossed.
The bike again made the choking noise as it did on Rohtang,
somewhat more this time.
Reaching the other side,
we took breakfast at Killing sarai-a beautiful place just below the Baralacha la pass.
This pass is the most beautiful pass on this Highway.
The snow here, along with the glacial lakes on both sides, looks beautiful.
Towards Keylong, lies the source of Bhaga river- Suraj Tal,
and towards Sarchu- the waters form Tsarap river.
Tsarap forms the Zanskar watershed,
and thus,
I now understood the hydrology of the Leh Manali route.
One crosses from Beas watershed to Chenab by crossing Rohtang,
and then the Chenab watershed to Zanskar at Baralacha la.
Onwards, the small area of Whisky / Biskey Nalla on the other side of Nakeela is of internal drainage.
After crossing Laching la, at Pang, one comes across a very clean stream of water,
which goes on to join Tsarap river in the Zanskar basin.
One can think of rafting from here to Nimoo where Zanskar joins Indus.
That would be an adventure to remember.
And on the other side of mighty Tanglang La,
one descends and finds a beautiful stream which near Upshi, joins the Indus.
Thus, this is how one reaches Indus valley, and the city of Leh.
Coming back to where we were,
after an early morning departure and crossing Baralacha la,
we reached Killing Sarai, crossed Sarchu,
took some petrol @ 140/l, and regreted not carrying enough with us,
and had some more snaks at Sarchu.
At Sarchu- one enters ladakh,
after completing the entry formalities in both Himachal and Ladakh.
A board says-
Welcome to the paradise on earth.
Indeed, I think.
The road ahead of Sarchu goes to Pang-
but this section is probably the most beautiful and challenging section on the Leh Manali Highway.
One moves along the beautiful Tsarap Chu river, which actually is Zanskar,
since it is the longest among all rivers that make Zanskar,
and the most voluminous one.
The valley is beautiful,
with many unique erosional features,
formed by mixed action of wind and water.
Hereafter, one ascends the famous Gata Loops- 21 of them.
My wife counted all of them,
thus making sure they are in place.
And this act of counting reduced the boredom that comes with endless hairpin bends on a road.
On the top, one crosses Nakeela,
a pass which has nothing special about it,
apart from the fact that now the bike was having much greater knocking sound.
Down, one crosses Bisky Nalla,
this is a place which has come as a boon for cyclists,
who cannot complete the distance between Sarchu and Pang in a day. (some of them manage to do it)
We crossed another pass- Lachung la, which is a beautiful pass.
A small mountain stream comes down on the other side.
The scenery now becomes dramatic.
The landforms are beautiful,
the shapes and sizes of the rocks,
sand towers sculpted by wind,
and the clear waters of this glacial meltwater stream.
On my last trip as well, we had stopped here.
I wanted to take a bath here,
but we moved on without stopping this time as Leh was far.
This place is called Kangla Jaal, and there is a beautiful sand arch on the Right while going to Leh.
Pang wasn't far now and we reached there,
after crossing a stream which joins Tsarap river later.
Pang has an Army transit camp, said to be the highest in the world.
After having lunch at Pang,
we started again.
I was eagerly looking forward to The Morei Plains,
which we reached soon after leaving Pang.
Here, I accelerated and the speed remained constant above 75 kmph.
The altitude is around 4900 metres and air is thin-
yet the road is very well maintained and straight,
and this is the most pleasurable leg of the Leh Manali Highway.
The bike managed to chug along,
but as soon as the ascent started from Debring,
the bike did not take any acceleration.
I reduced the gear to second and then first,
and accelerated,
and yet the bike crawled.
The carburettor settings were not according to this altitude,
and thus since the beginning the bike was having problem on high passes.
Tanglangla which lay ahead was the highest,
and the condition of the bike has also worsened.
Later I was told that even the air filter was fully clogged.
This was the first experience of hiring a bike.
Two bikers were standing and we reached them.
They tried ot help but couldnt find a way out.
I transferred some luggage and my wife accompanied them,
as I tried to complete the remaining six kilometre jounry uphill to reach Tanglangla.
The bike did not move faster than 10 kmph,
that too when I moved it in a zig zag manner in order to climb the slope.
When I approached the pass, it gave away totally,
and for two kilometres, I had to drag the heavy bike,
on the Highest point of this highway,
where breathing in itself is a struggle.
Somehow, I managed to reach the pass, where my wife and those friends were waiting.
From here, downhill ride was easy,
and as we descended, the bike was able to chug again.
without stopping anywhere,
we rushed towards Leh,
to find a mechanic before sun down.
Just before Upshi, the bike made another knocking sound and after a kilometre, it stopped.
It didn;t start at all,
and then another biker coming from behind,
who has seen my struggling on the pass stopped to help.
He said that the bike had ran dry-
which was no surprise since I had taken only three litres petrol from Sarchu.
He gave me some petrol,
and we reached Karu- 20 kilometres ahead where one finds the first petrol pump after Tandi in Himachal.
I knew a bike mechanic in Leh,
and we reached his shop,
He changed some settings in the carburettor,
said that the air filter was clogged and cleaned it to the extent possible by air.
The bike felt much better after he changfed the settings,
and I hoped to take it back to Manali.
tanglangla had left me with bitter memories and I did not want to encounter the pass again,
giving it its due respect and aintaining a safe distance.
Now, it was time to enjoy the night life of Leh.
I reached a friend who runs an adventure travel company, and met him.
He checked us in a hotel, and we were good to go places now.
A quick visit to the Shanti Stupa was followed by dinner at Changspa,
and the next day,
we were to begin our return journey.
This was not the end though, as our next two days were to be full of surprises.
I was on an official trip to Manali, and as it was ending, my wife came to meet me. The next day, we were going to Rohtang, when this thought came to me that rather than descending back to Manali, I could move onwards to Ladakh. The long weekend was ahead of us and in four days, from Manali, we could have a quick to and fro journey to Leh. The main reason was to show the road to Ladakh to my wife, and give her a glimpse of Ladakh. As a civil servant, it is hard to find time for long trips and rather than postponing it for a longer trip some other time, I thought of taking the plunge. I was confused of I should tell it to her or keep it a surprise, but realising she may need to pack accordingly, I told her of the plan when we were out for a walk in Manali, looking for a bike to hire. On finding a suitable bike, the permit was made quickly at the SDM office, and by 9 pm, the bike was delivered to us. After a short test drive on this Bullet 500, I had a feeling of satisfaction that we would be riding to Ladakh the next morning.
We reached Rohtang by noon,
and this delay was attributable to many reasons.
The traffic on the way to Rohtang, and official work were the prime causes,
and yet, once I reached the top, this world was left behind,
and the dream world lay ahead.
I felt free of weight descending on the other side, and the coming four days were for ourselves.
The bike was making a knocking sound on higher altitude, but nothing much to worry.
The road to Spiti valley was seen on our right,
and further downhill, we crossed the checkpost and headed towards Keylong.
we were late for the day, and after filling up our fuel tank at Tandi, headed to Keylong.
I knew that we would need some more fuel to make it to Leh, but then that could be obtained on the way from tent owners (so I thought).
The Superintendent of Police at Keylong is a senior and and old acquaintance from my previous visit,
and we met him in his office.
It was already 2 30 and our target was Sarchu, on the other side of Baralacha la,
so we continued ahead.
The weather deteriorated soon after,
and we had nothing to save us from rain.
This unpreparedness was deliberate,
leaving everything to His mercy, and chance.
On reaching Deepak Tal, or Patsio,
we decided to halt in the tents.
I like this place- the beauty of the lake,
and the clear reflections of the mountains seen in it.
ANd though these tents were here before as well,
I noticed them this time only,
and battling the increasing cold, rain and wind,
we got inside the restaurant quickly.
Though it was only 3 30, we decided to call it a day.
There were many reasons behind this early shut down-
I had slept for hardly two hours the previous night,
finishing off my work at Manali,
and on the other side of Baralacha la, there was no place to descend in the event of getting mountain sickness.
Sarchu was at a height, we were already exhausted and this was the first time my wife was in higher altitudes.
From Patsio, going back to Keylong was easy, though it was as high or even higher than Sarchu.
After meals, we slept and were woken up four hours later for dinner.
The much needed rest was taken and we were ready the next day for a long haul trip to Leh.
DAY 2-
Early morning at Patsio is beautiful-
with the clear reflection of mountains in Deepak tal.
There is no wind to stirr the calm waters and its hard to tell which side is real and which is the reflection.
Without waiting for breakfast to be made,
around 5 am, we left for Leh.
The Baralacha la lay immediately ahead of us and was crossed.
The bike again made the choking noise as it did on Rohtang,
somewhat more this time.
Reaching the other side,
we took breakfast at Killing sarai-a beautiful place just below the Baralacha la pass.
This pass is the most beautiful pass on this Highway.
The snow here, along with the glacial lakes on both sides, looks beautiful.
Towards Keylong, lies the source of Bhaga river- Suraj Tal,
and towards Sarchu- the waters form Tsarap river.
Tsarap forms the Zanskar watershed,
and thus,
I now understood the hydrology of the Leh Manali route.
One crosses from Beas watershed to Chenab by crossing Rohtang,
and then the Chenab watershed to Zanskar at Baralacha la.
Onwards, the small area of Whisky / Biskey Nalla on the other side of Nakeela is of internal drainage.
After crossing Laching la, at Pang, one comes across a very clean stream of water,
which goes on to join Tsarap river in the Zanskar basin.
One can think of rafting from here to Nimoo where Zanskar joins Indus.
That would be an adventure to remember.
And on the other side of mighty Tanglang La,
one descends and finds a beautiful stream which near Upshi, joins the Indus.
Thus, this is how one reaches Indus valley, and the city of Leh.
Coming back to where we were,
after an early morning departure and crossing Baralacha la,
we reached Killing Sarai, crossed Sarchu,
took some petrol @ 140/l, and regreted not carrying enough with us,
and had some more snaks at Sarchu.
At Sarchu- one enters ladakh,
after completing the entry formalities in both Himachal and Ladakh.
A board says-
Welcome to the paradise on earth.
Indeed, I think.
The road ahead of Sarchu goes to Pang-
but this section is probably the most beautiful and challenging section on the Leh Manali Highway.
One moves along the beautiful Tsarap Chu river, which actually is Zanskar,
since it is the longest among all rivers that make Zanskar,
and the most voluminous one.
The valley is beautiful,
with many unique erosional features,
formed by mixed action of wind and water.
Hereafter, one ascends the famous Gata Loops- 21 of them.
My wife counted all of them,
thus making sure they are in place.
And this act of counting reduced the boredom that comes with endless hairpin bends on a road.
On the top, one crosses Nakeela,
a pass which has nothing special about it,
apart from the fact that now the bike was having much greater knocking sound.
Down, one crosses Bisky Nalla,
this is a place which has come as a boon for cyclists,
who cannot complete the distance between Sarchu and Pang in a day. (some of them manage to do it)
We crossed another pass- Lachung la, which is a beautiful pass.
A small mountain stream comes down on the other side.
The scenery now becomes dramatic.
The landforms are beautiful,
the shapes and sizes of the rocks,
sand towers sculpted by wind,
and the clear waters of this glacial meltwater stream.
On my last trip as well, we had stopped here.
I wanted to take a bath here,
but we moved on without stopping this time as Leh was far.
This place is called Kangla Jaal, and there is a beautiful sand arch on the Right while going to Leh.
Pang wasn't far now and we reached there,
after crossing a stream which joins Tsarap river later.
Pang has an Army transit camp, said to be the highest in the world.
After having lunch at Pang,
we started again.
I was eagerly looking forward to The Morei Plains,
which we reached soon after leaving Pang.
Here, I accelerated and the speed remained constant above 75 kmph.
The altitude is around 4900 metres and air is thin-
yet the road is very well maintained and straight,
and this is the most pleasurable leg of the Leh Manali Highway.
The bike managed to chug along,
but as soon as the ascent started from Debring,
the bike did not take any acceleration.
I reduced the gear to second and then first,
and accelerated,
and yet the bike crawled.
The carburettor settings were not according to this altitude,
and thus since the beginning the bike was having problem on high passes.
Tanglangla which lay ahead was the highest,
and the condition of the bike has also worsened.
Later I was told that even the air filter was fully clogged.
This was the first experience of hiring a bike.
Two bikers were standing and we reached them.
They tried ot help but couldnt find a way out.
I transferred some luggage and my wife accompanied them,
as I tried to complete the remaining six kilometre jounry uphill to reach Tanglangla.
The bike did not move faster than 10 kmph,
that too when I moved it in a zig zag manner in order to climb the slope.
When I approached the pass, it gave away totally,
and for two kilometres, I had to drag the heavy bike,
on the Highest point of this highway,
where breathing in itself is a struggle.
Somehow, I managed to reach the pass, where my wife and those friends were waiting.
From here, downhill ride was easy,
and as we descended, the bike was able to chug again.
without stopping anywhere,
we rushed towards Leh,
to find a mechanic before sun down.
Just before Upshi, the bike made another knocking sound and after a kilometre, it stopped.
It didn;t start at all,
and then another biker coming from behind,
who has seen my struggling on the pass stopped to help.
He said that the bike had ran dry-
which was no surprise since I had taken only three litres petrol from Sarchu.
He gave me some petrol,
and we reached Karu- 20 kilometres ahead where one finds the first petrol pump after Tandi in Himachal.
I knew a bike mechanic in Leh,
and we reached his shop,
He changed some settings in the carburettor,
said that the air filter was clogged and cleaned it to the extent possible by air.
The bike felt much better after he changfed the settings,
and I hoped to take it back to Manali.
tanglangla had left me with bitter memories and I did not want to encounter the pass again,
giving it its due respect and aintaining a safe distance.
Now, it was time to enjoy the night life of Leh.
I reached a friend who runs an adventure travel company, and met him.
He checked us in a hotel, and we were good to go places now.
A quick visit to the Shanti Stupa was followed by dinner at Changspa,
and the next day,
we were to begin our return journey.
This was not the end though, as our next two days were to be full of surprises.
