NewDelhi- Manali- Laddakh.
This road is considered a biker's paradise as it abounds in scenic beauty, offers minimum modern facilities and poses seemingly unsurmountable challenges!
Richie undertook this journey with two of his friends in the month of July and came back tired but very happy.
The route taken by them was- New Delhi - to Ambala - to Manali - to Jispa - to Pang - to Leh - to Khardungla - back to Leh - to Chang-la - to Pangong-tso - back to Leh and then, back to Delhi again via Manali.
This is a small account of the journey, as told to me by Richie, with a lot of pictures. Some of the pictures are so pretty that I don't tire of looking at them again and again. I hope that you will also enjoy reading this account.
Our journey from Delhi to Ambala is smooth, we enjoy riding the bike. Next day we start from Ambala.
all eager and loaded-up, enjoying the scenic beauty. 
We really enjoy this unique idea of a restaurant! ---
Manali is as beautiful as any hill station.
Next morning, it's time to start the real journey, away from civilization so, we load-up on extra petrol (as it will not be available till Leh), warm clothes, eatables and soft drinks. We later find out that drinks are available on the way also.The road is good and the journey is smooth. At places the scenery is so beautiful that we are forced to stop and drink it all in!
And then we move forward, enjoying the scenery, the weather, the ride! At places it feels as if the clouds are coming down to meet us! There are natural water-falls, patches of wild flowers and, at one place, hang-gliding going-on which is very tempting but, we have to move-on.
Then the road turns bad and we get a taste of the real ride on this route! The road is very bumpy and muddy and we encounter the first minor casualty when our bag containing tools comes unstuck and we are forced to make a brief halt. The lesson learnt- tie your stuff securely and tightly! We do this and soon move forward as we want to cross Rohtang pass and reach Jispa on time. Rohtang is cold, crowded and enjoyable.It also offers a beautiful view.
Rohtang
We come to a big landslide on the way, being cleared by the border roads people. It leaves a very wet and muddy tract in it's wake, which is difficult to cross.
Come good roads and we get into the mood for fun and stunts! But it does not last very long as we come across various nallahs flowing on the road; some small, some big; their icy water numbing our feet! After each such crossing, we are forced to stop to dry our shoes and socks (to save our feet getting frostbite). The lesson learnt- carry extra pair of shoes and socks. The plus point? You get the time to enjoy the scenery at leisure!
And thus, we move forward, enjoying the spread of nature around us but, a small mis-hap is awaiting us! We come to a tract that is being prepared for road-construction and so, a layer of some fine dust has been spread on it. I make the mistake of slowing- down the bike, which goes out of control and, me and bike both land in the dust, me after two somersaults! But thankfully nothing is broken so we move forward.
At last we reach 'Jispa' where we halt for the night, in luxury tents. We inquire at Hotel Jispa but it is full. These tents are expensive but comfortable (cheaper ones are also available).
- Jispa
Forward we move again, rejuvenated by the night's rest. No need to repeat that the scenery is breathtakingly beautiful all the way!
We travel on some more bad roads, cross some more bridges and nallahs, meet some crazy bicycle riders (crazy enough to undertake this journey on bicycles!), some domesticated sheep, see some beautiful and welcome flowers and then make a brief halt at an Army check post where we see bunkers, constructed in anticipation!
-- notice the flowers in this corner
After a small breather, drying of shoes etc. it's time to move forward again.
The roads are muddy and the scenery is, as usual, beautiful. Some mountains look to be totally made of rock and shale! We keep moving forward. The next destination is 'BaraLacha-La'.
As we move nearer to BarLacha-La, snow on the mountains around us keeps increasing.
As we move nearer to BarLacha-La, snow on the mountains around us keeps increasing.
Entering and crossing 'Barlacha-La' is an exhilarating experience! Though the snow is reduced in July, passing through walls of snow is very unique and literally chilling ! The half-frozen Suraj Tal, which is on the pass, is stunningly beautiful and clouds make a perfect backdrop for the immense snow!
- 'Brrrrrrrrralacha-La'
Suraj Tal --
Coming out of 'Barlacha-La' also, the scenery is equally beautiful.
After some more lakes and rocky roads we are able to reach Sarchu and take a well-deserved rest. Drying of feet, socks and shoes has become a ritual by now but this time it really really is needed and welcome as the last nallah we crossed was a kilometer long and the going was difficult, totally numbing the feet! I lost the clutch-plate, somebody lost an exhaust, one or two people met with accidents and every body got tired, mentally as well as physically.
We are not able to stay in Sarchu for long as we must reach Pang before night-fall, where we'll be spending the night.
So, we are on the move again, crossing Sarchu plains and entering the Pang valley. Here we do not get any fancy luxury tents but, local village people have put-up some tents where we get food, water and place to sleep. These tents are cheap but compromise on the facilities like proper toilets.
Next morning we again start on our onward journey but just outside Pang camp we come across a traffic-jam due to an upturned truck. We wait for some time but then decide to make a detour around the truck, on the slope. The slope is tricky and a fall could be dangerous but, we are able to make it on the other side and are happy!
We move forward once again, this time in anticipation of the famous 'Morrey plains'. We pass through mountains sans any vegetation and made-up of rocks and mud but, they have a beauty of their own which is 'unique', to say the least. We see some interesting natural formations on the hills around us. We also pass through the equally famous 'Gata Loops'.
--- Gata Loops
After travelling some more through beautiful barren lands with a stream running alongside, beautiful backdrop of snow-covered mountains and thick clouds, we ultimately reach the sprawling 'Morrey Plains'. Though we'd been expecting these plains but still such a vast desert ,on such a height, in between the mountains.... is unexpected! It is very cold and very charming, though not a very enjoyable ride. Here I also share some of my food with a laborer who is working to construct a road for the convenience of people like me!
--- Morrey Plains
After leaving Morrey plains, we move forward towards Tanglang-La.As we move up, the road turns quite bad but the scenic beauty is abundant. Tanglang-La is the second-highest motorable pass in the world and attracts a lot of tourists. It offers a mesmerising view! A temple is also a must at every 'La'.
As we come down from Tanglang-La, after some time the road quality improves, which will now reman the same till Leh. We see some colorful mountains on the way and green patches in the valley where-ever there are streams running through.We cross the beautiful 'Lato' village on the way and enjoy some more beautiful scenery as we ride-on.One very regrettable thing that we notice is, people littering the place with trash.
The rocky, dry desert-land of Laddakh has a charm of it's own but there is greenery and trees in and around Leh, thanks to the efforts of the Armed forces.
Ultimately we reach the beautiful city of Leh.
Leh is a modern city and full of tourists! Next morning we start for Khardung-La, all packed-up in warm clothing. We are planning to come back to Leh by evening and not go to Nubra valley, as we don't have that much time so, we do not carry any luggage.
We move through some more muddy mountains of Laddkh and as we move up the green area of the Leh valley presents a very pretty picture.
We make a brief stop at a small settlement on the way and soon afterwards the road starts turning bad; it remains bad till the end. The view around is awesome but we have to concentrate totally on the road.The ride is bumpy and slow, the cold numbing and we have a small mishap also but, ultimately we reach Khardung-La!
The Leh Valley ---
Khardung-La is the highest motorable pass in the world.Here we meet a group from south India who are planning to travel from Khardung-La to Kanyakumari on bikes! We say 'Good Luck' to them. The view around us is 'awe-inspiring' to say the least! You really feel 'At the top of the world'! Nobody is allowed to spend more than half an hour here because of mountain sickness; the air is too thin. One of my friends succumbs to it and has to be put on Oxygen for some time at the Army M I Room.The lesson learnt- do not run around up and down too much; walk slowly and keep activity to a minimum.
-- just before falling sick
The road beyond, to Nubra valley, which
we leave for some other day ---
And then we have to come down again. Coming back, we are much more relaxed and pay attention to details that we'd missed earlier like, Yaks grazing, a fat mountain pigeon enjoying himself, the Khardungla- frog rock, the beautiful Leh valley again, with some donkeys grazing on the hillside etc. The rocky mountains look dangerous but we are happy. And thus we ride-on....through some more barren mountains and some more picturesque scenery and come back to Leh.
Yak --
--- notice the pigeon on a smaller rock, in front of the big rock in the middle
The next day we plan to go to Chang-la and beyond, to Pangong-tso, so we start early as we are planning to come back to Leh by evening. The day dawns very crisp and drizzly and we start all bundled- up in warm clothing. I make the mistake of not wearing proper clothing for wet weather, for which I suffer later!
As we leave Leh, we see beautiful green patches around the stream. As we move forward, the day becomes very cold, misty and wet. We cross the King's palace on the way. It is so cold that we don't feel like uncovering our hands to click pictures so, we have very few pictures of this ride.
At last we reach Chang-La! It is a tough ride for the body as well as the bike as the gradient is very steep and the progress slow. We see many vehicles turning back as they are unable to climb! Chang-la is the third-highest motor-able pass in the world and is quite tough to climb too! The jawans of a Madras Regt. stationed here offer masala tea to visitors. It is a mixture of tea and coffee but it is drinkable and hot, so it is welcome.
Chang-La's height is less than Khardung-La but, because of the bracing winds and moist weather, the cold here is bone-chilling!
We click some pictures, visit the temple of 'Chang-La baba' and move forward towards the famous Pangong lake.
After almost freezing to death, we leave Chang-La behind and move forward once again, towards Pangong-tso. The scenery is very unique and as we are nearing Pangong, the clouds are so low that it is very enjoyable to see their shadows flitting across the hills.
Pangong-tso is even more beautiful than we'd expected! It is immense and truly enchanting, though two-thirds of it lies in China! It's a salt-water lake so there are no fishes or other aquatic animals but we see some birds and ducks frolicking in it.
I really feel like the 'King of the Universe' and I'm sure others are also feeling the same! We don't feel like coming back though it's very very cold but, come back we must so we stretch our legs a bit, click some more picrtures, meet a very cute local child and then we start on our backward journey.
Somewhere beyond where the two sides are meeting,
we are told the Chinese are watching us; which is a thrilling idea. ---
While coming back we encounter the same scenery, cross the Chang-La again and reach Leh by night-fall. By the time we reach Leh, the cold has started affecting me and I feel very tired and sick but, a good night's sleep and rest almost restores me.
Next morning we have to leave Leh and start on our journey, back to Delhi, by the Kargil- Srinagar road but it is not to be! In the morning we hear that Curfew has been clamped in Srinagar and 6-7 other places in Kashmir after problems created by militants. We hear that the situation is quite serious and we may not be able to go via that rout for many days! As we do not have any days to spare, we decide to come back via Manali only but again, we come to know that Rohtang Pass is also closed due to a big landslide and Kullu-Manali roads are also flooded. We decide to send our bikes back by truck and hire a cab. Now we can not do anything else but wait! By evening word comes that the road has opened so we load our luggage in the cab and start back! We travel through the night, half sleeping, half awake. The next day also we keep travelling. We pass through the familiar landscape once again and I say my good byes to this harsh but mesmerising land that has taught me some important lessons in life!
We make a brief stop-over at Sarchu and I'm sure all of us had the same thought in mind that, we'll return! We had not imagined that we'll be returning by the same route but, as we do, we take this opportunity to just sit back, without any tensions of controlling the bike or wetting our feet and enjoy these sights once again! We see some land slides on the way also and, some cheerful boys clearing them. I try to capture a bird in the centre of a picture but the cab is moving too fast for it so it appears on the right extreme.You also just sit back and enjoy this beauty of nature.
At last we reach Rohtang. But after reaching here we find that the road is still not clear or, maybe, there's been a fresh landslide so we settle for a long wait again!
We wait for many hours but, ultimately, we pick-up the luggage on our backs, travel about two kilometers on the goat-tract and take another cab which takes us to Manali. After spending the night in Manali, we take the bus to Delhi the next morning.
Thus ends this journey! We come out of it tougher, soberer, more tolerant of others and more inclined to help anybody in need!
This trip has taught us some very valuable lessons in life like, always stop to help; don't take things, life, good health for granted; always keep your work first and leisure later etc.; the enjoyment will automatically come to you! It also taught us the importance of meticulous planning before starting any new venture.
