This was a one week trip both up and down started on 26th February when it is least safe to travel to Spiti. But the reason why we traveled at that time is that snow is at its peak during this period. People call in White Spiti during this time. If you visit this place in June, it is said to be extreme beautiful with all the lushy green views.
Spiti Valley is a cold desert mountain valley located high in the Himalayas in the north-eastern part of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The name “Spiti” means “The middle land”, i.e. the land between Tibet and India.
At our stop for ‘GUE’, i saw a ‘MUMMY’ for the first time. A real Mummy with its teeths on. The Mummy still grows head hairs and nails as told by locals. They cut it from time to time. It is know as Mummy of Gue told to be 400 years old.
Then we reached ‘Tabo’. Old monastrey, beautiful animals, such a soothing place.
Then we arrived at our final stop ‘Kaza’. Kaza is the main location of Spiti. This place was covered in snow. Even the roads were invisible. We had to drag our bike on foot at some times. There was no balance. Lakes were frozen. It seemed like a different planet altogether. As far as i saw, there were mountains covered in snow one after another.
Independence Day is annually celebrated on 15 August, as a national holiday in India commemorating the nation’s independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947. This ride is organised by many bikers in India to celebrate the joy of India’s independance.
This ride was organised in Chandigarh by multiple biker groups. We all gathered and did ride in whole city followed by a National Anthem in the end. It was raining and no one had any raincoat, still everyone continued without a single stop.
Both male and female riders were a part of this ride. Everyone is so enthusiastic with riding these days. There are even organizations of only women riders like ‘WIMA’ (women’s international motorcycling association) supporting women motorcycling since 1952.
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There is nothing much to write or share about this evening. We all were so engrossed in fun that we didn’t click any pictures at all. Me and my friends decided to go to Shimla, a hill station in Himachal Pradesh, India on new year’s eve. We started this 70 mile ride from Chandigarh with a car and bike. As am fond of riding, i was riding the bike.
The night was young, we all reached Shimla among a big crowd. There was music and there were fireworks all around. We made a lot of new friends and created some everlasting memories that night. There is a video on my YouTube channel by the name “New Year 2017-Chandigarh to Shimla”.
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Haripurdhar is a small town in Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, India. The town is situated on a high ridge overlooking a deep valley. The town is at an altitude of 2500 metres above sea level. This town was early known as ‘Dungbhangayani’. Earlier this was the summer capital of Sirmour.
The ride started from Chandigarh. It was a one day journey with 340 kilometres round trip. The roads were mesmerizing in the beginning but as we continued towards the destination it kept on getting challenging. There was too less of space on the road for two vehicles to cross from both directions. Also there was valley on the sides with no safety to stop vehicle from falling.
At a point there was so much snow that we had to wait for the road to get cleared by a JCB machine. It took us around 3 hours to reach Haripurdhar from Chandigarh. After reaching the destination, the whole group enjoyed a lot with a snowball fight. This was one happy day of our lives.
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“The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride” is a global motorcycle fund-raising event, raising funds and awareness prostate cancer research and men’s mental health programs on behalf of Charity Partner, the Movember Foundation.
Watch the crowd video here-https://youtu.be/kkAlp2SgKWU Hosted by ‘Royal Mavericks’, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride brings together over 50,000 well dressed gentlefolk on stunning motorcycles for Men’s Health across 90 countries. The goal for 2016 is to raise awareness and $5m for Prostate Cancer Research and Suicide Prevention Programs.
The morning mood will be elevated by precisely selected 80’s western classic music. All Royal Enfields, classic styled Harley Davidsons, Yezdis, Jawas, Triumphs, Indians, Nortons, AJS, Matchless, Rajdoots, Lambrettas, Two stroke motorcycles (Yamaha RX100, Kawasaki KB100 etc.) and scooters, All Bajaj, Priya, LML and Vespa, joined the ride.
There were refreshments at START POINT (a 5 star property) and full unlimited 5 star lavish buffet breakfast after riding across capital. There were short round of discussion on motorcycling by righteous guests and a brief on PROSTATE CANCER. Also there were prizes for-
1) Most Distinguished Motorcycle. 2) Most Distinguished Couple. 3) Most Distinguished Gentleman. 4) Most Distinguished Lady. 5) Most Distinguished Support. 6) Most Distinguished Moustache. 7) Most Distinguished Beard.
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Video link- https://youtu.be/e0lpxZNo8CQ . Independence Day is annually celebrated on 15 August, as a national holiday in India commemorating the nation’s independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, the day when the UK Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act 1947 transferring legislative sovereignty to the Indian Constituent Assembly.
This was my first self organised ride in Hisar, Haryana, India, my birth place. This picture was taken in front of my house. My bike is in centre along with my beighbour Sahil’s bike and my childhood friend Vineet’s bike. These all are Royal Enfields.
We started this ride from city center and took a round of whole city while shouting slogans of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Hindustan ZindaBad’. NCC officer Rakesh and Doctors were also part of this ride along with college students. We ended the ride in after 1 hour or so. We participated in this ride to celebrate the joy of India’s independence.
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Shaheedi Diwas of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev is a regional public holiday in the northern Indian state of Haryana on March 23rd each year. Also known as Haryana Martyrs’ Day, it commemorates the execution of three martyrs on this day in 1931.
A total of 800 bike riders including me became part of this ride. Our objective is to pay tribute to Legendary Bhagat Singh for his sacrifices towards nation’s welfare. Watch the crowd video here https://youtu.be/WBXxXSDkphc .
The ride began from Delhi and it was Sunday. The group started with a small number and as we kept on moving, other riders joined us on the way from their city. Riders were waiting on the highway as they knew about the ride. Even my old rider colleagues from Chandigarh came to this ride. There were lots of riders who were carrying the national flag on their bikes and a lot of Sikhs were wearing Kesari Turban as the color represents Sacrifice in India. You can also find this color In Indian National Flag.
The ride ended at Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib, Tirawari, Karnal, Haryana. The price of bikes in the ride ranged from 50,000 INR to 20,00,000 INR.
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26th January’2016-Chandigarh to Barog (Himachal Pradesh)
Republic Day in India is celebrated on 26th January. It is the date on which the constitution of India came into effect in 1950. This day, India became an Independent Republic replacing the Government of India Act, 1935.
The picture above is from the End Point of ride at ‘Barog’. There were riders from different groups in this ride. One is ‘Royal Enfield Chandigarh‘ and other is ‘The Bullet Cafe‘ now divided with a new group ‘The Thumpers‘. Me and Rajan (on yellow bike) were solo riders.
This picture was taken in front of a Dhaba (Restaurant) at Barog. It is known as ‘Chachey Da Dhaba’ (Uncle’s Dhaba). This place is famous for its ‘Aloo Pyaz ka Parantha’ among riders and was often visited onweekends for a tea and Breakfast ride.
The ride was to begin on 5am early in the morning. I still remember the excitement. It is not possible for any rider to sleep easily the night before ride. You are just lying on the bed looking at the clock. The night passes in wait and riders gets sleep on a average on 2 to 3 hours.
Alarm beeps. Jackets on along with other riding accessories. We all get our gas tanks pumped and assemble in front of ‘Suraj Theatre’ at Panchkula. Each rider is allotted the number on which he/she is supposed to ride to maintain discipline. We form lanes of two bikes with a leader to lead and a tail rider to keep check on everyone’s safety. Headlights are kept on to easily spot other riders that gets left behind for any reason.
Morning breeze doubles the joy of ride and motivation gets boosted when you ride in group and see other riders on the road. The ride was completed with breakfast at Barog. We all took selfies and had tea. The purpose of this ride is simply to celebrate the joy of ‘Republic Day’ by uniting together and sending the message of celebration among public.
On the way back down, one by one rider keeps on turning to different roads towards their home with a ‘bye gesture’ and this is how our ride for the day comes to an end.
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In this blog i will cover my journey of “Pang, Leh, Kargil, Srinagar, Jammu” and my final destination for which i started this journey at first place i.e. “World’s Highest Motorable Road”. At the time of my travel, Ladakh was a region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Then Ladakh became a Union Territory on 31st October 2019 according to the act passed by Parliament of India.
On Day 5, i halted at “Pang”. This is not a good place to stop by because level of oxygen is too low here. I walked only 10 steps and stood still to catch my breath for next 10 steps. This place have no plant or trees at all. It is all surrounded by sand hills and i was standing in the middle of it. I pitched my tent for the night next to a doctor’s tent where the doctor was not available at the moment i checked in. I was going through the worst headache and i was breathless. I was literally thinking of going back from this point but half of my journey was already covered. I waited for the doctor for hours and went back to my tent without meeting him. That night was the toughest night in my life. I was half dead due to headache and high fever. I had no water left and i was starving. I wanted to talk to my mother to feel better but there was no network at that place. They have a cue in Pang to make calls through satellite phone where people stand for hours to make a call. Next morning i met the doctor, he gave me some pills for my headache and told me not to stop anywhere before i reach Leh.
On Day 6, i left for “Leh”. There i took a room at a cost of only 350 indian rupees with free dinner included. This was the day when i reached “The Highest Motorable Road of The World” at “Khardungla”. This is located at a stretch of 25 kms from Leh. Now all my sickness was gone. I was at the “top of the world”. I stayed there for sometime and felt that moment. Then i came back to Leh and did local sight seeing. There are museums and temples. One of the famous temple i visited here is “Shanti Stoop”. Then i went to “Hall Of Fame”- a museum where you will know about history of their culture, traditions and wars. On this very day, I was on Cloud 7.
On Day 7, i left for “Kargil” when i encountered “Magnetic Hill” on my way. There are two lines drawn on the road, if you park your vehicle between these lines, the bike/car will start to move on its own. I experienced this wonder on my bike. It is said that these hills have magnets that pulls the bike/car. I even have a video of this incident on YouTube. Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu47iN9Vr8s. I totally enjoyed my halt at Magnetic Hill. There were steep hills where everyone was riding for fun. Video of the steep hill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZLxIABt8GE. On this very road there was this Gurudwara- “Gurudwara Sri Pathar Sahib”. I had such a hygienic, heavy and satisfying meal at this holy place, provided to everyone by the Sikhs for free as a good deed. Then comes “THE WAR MEMORIAL” of Kargil. This place is dedicated to all the Indian Martyrs who sacrificed in the battle of Kargil in 1999. One of the names that was being highlighted is “Captain Vikram Batra”, who fought with bravery with many others for India’s win over the Kargil. One picture features the beautiful hills known as “Moonland” below this paragraph. My stay at Kargil was full of exposure of so many new things that i did not see or hear about earlier in life.
On Day 8, i left for “Srinagar”. Dude, this place was so not ok. I felt terror at every second. Some young Locals were looking at me, they were following my bike and were constantly staring at me as if i was some alien. This place is a war zone. Anything can happen here at anytime. You will find a police or army officer standing at every 50 to 100 metres of distance. Here i stayed at a Hindu temple in the night because i was not feeling safe. Outside that temple located at “Lal Chowk” there were two army trucks. Soldiers were posted with fencing and guns there 24*7 for the safety of people inside temple. This was not something that was there due to a particular reason. Srinagar is like this at all the times. This was also one kind of thrill i never experienced before.
On Day 9, i halted at “Jammu”. This city is very developed. I used to think of it as a small place built on hills. But in real, Jammu is majestic with open roads, restaurants and much more. I enjoyed my whole day at Jammu, had pizza, roamed in the markets and then next morning i left for Chandigarh. On Day 10, i covered a total distance of 400 km non stop. The road from Jammu to Chandigarh is straight and smooth. My average speed was of 100 km per hour.
With this, my solo trip came to an end. It was a successful journey with lifetime memory that i would like to repeat once again. Thank You for reading 🙂 Watch the video here https://youtu.be/p5kAZ1Q4bpQ
Like i mentioned in my previous blog, I have shared picture of my phone that i still have with me as a souvenir broken during this Road trip. Picture highlights:
Giant Vulture eating a dead animal corpse
Camping on lands of Jispa
Last Fuel Station of Tandi before Leh
Day spent with my brother
Waterfalls along way
After first day at Chandigarh and second day at Manali. Today was my departure for Tandi (the place with last fuel station before Leh). Riders carry empty cans of 10 litres with them to carry extra fuel for emergency as next fuel station after Tandi is at a distance of 365 km of barren, broken, uphill, downhill and somewhat plain roads.
On my way to Tandi, i saw a vulture for the first time and too was so big. They were in a group of 3 feeding over a dead animal’s corpse. It got dark by the time i reached Tandi. I couldn’t see anything apart from the road where my bike’s headlights were falling. It was ghostly experience because of all dark surroundings, wind making noises, movement of trees, top of mountains and no human near you for miles.
‘REAL ROAD TRIP TO LEH STARTS FROM THIS POINT’. Right after i reached Tandi, i saw so many bikers taking a halt there preparing themselves for the stretch that was next to come. I got my bike fueled to the top and sat there for sometime to mentally prepare myself of the stretch ahead. Then i started for Jispa that was just 35 km away. I pitched my own tent alongside my bike in Jispa (picture above). At night, i couldn’t see where i was pitching my tent as there were no streetlights. When i was sleeping i took my knife out and kept it my hand because there were some animals around my tent in the night who were howling. Somehow the night passed and i witnessed the amazing open sky with river flowing right next to me in the morning.
Jispa was the last place where i had some network in my phone and surprisingly my brother called and told me he is also somewhere near my location and is headed to Ladakh. Then i spent an extra night in Jispa to meet my brother and next morning we both took off separately as he realized my road trip was meant to be a solo trip.
Day 5 at Pang, was the toughest day in my Leh Ladakh Road trip. No oxygen, Zero Stamina, Headache, No Food Supplies, No Doctor for immediate check up. A NIGHTMARE! I will write about my stay at “PANG” in next blog. Till Then… Protect yourself from Corona 😀
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