Starting the blog with probably the best journey i've had so far... the Himalayan Odyssey!
It all happened because it was supposed to happen! Fate. The Himalayan Odyssey was to begin on the 27th of June 2005 from New Delhi and the scheduled return was on the 10th of July. But the time I came to know about this, my company joining date was thought to be on the 4th of July. Damn! I had given up hopes. But one fine day our HR calls me up and says the joining date has been postponed to the 18th of July. She asked me if I had a problem with this. He He! Things just couldn't fit in any better.
I skip the part of my Mangalore to Delhi journey and my escapades(?!) there. Joined the Odyssey gang on the 26th in Youth Hostel Chanakyapuri where we were given instructions regarding the trip, the rules and regulations (what are those?!!) blah blah... The group consisted 43 bikers from across the country. Three 
women, two of them riding and one pillion. The next morning the ride started from the National Stadium with the flagging off ceremony done by Sidharta Lal, the CEO of Eicher group. We were instructed to maintain an average speed of 80 kmph during our ride to Chandigarh. So me, like a good guy, started the ride with a constant speed of 80. I slowly realised that I was among of the few last ones in the pack. Even the female riders had overtaken me! To hell with 80 kph! Started ripping and soon was among the leading pack. After some 5-6 hrs of high speed riding, long breaks, we reached our destination for the day, Chandigarh at 3 p.m. where we were put up in Hotel Park View. The distance covered: 250 kms.
women, two of them riding and one pillion. The next morning the ride started from the National Stadium with the flagging off ceremony done by Sidharta Lal, the CEO of Eicher group. We were instructed to maintain an average speed of 80 kmph during our ride to Chandigarh. So me, like a good guy, started the ride with a constant speed of 80. I slowly realised that I was among of the few last ones in the pack. Even the female riders had overtaken me! To hell with 80 kph! Started ripping and soon was among the leading pack. After some 5-6 hrs of high speed riding, long breaks, we reached our destination for the day, Chandigarh at 3 p.m. where we were put up in Hotel Park View. The distance covered: 250 kms.The ride next day was the most enjoyable one. About 70 kms from Chandigarh, we took a right turn to hit the ghat roads. Nice winding roads, high speed curves... Riding is an absolute pleasure on the Chandigarh-Manali highway. Passing through Mandi, Bilaspur and after two punctures in my rear tyre and quite a few snaps, we reached Raison (near Manali) where our stay was in an adventure camp beside the Beas. Distance between Chandigarh and Manali: around 330 kms.
Day 3 and our picnic was over. A major traffic jam near the Rohtang Pass and all the bikers stranded for about 3 hours in near freezing temperature. We tried to make the most of the situation and started throwing snowballs on one another but after sometime the chill factor really got onto us. I started to get a feel of what mountain sickness is. A few river crossings on our way and my feet soaked in chilling water. After about 120 kms of riding, reached Keylong, our day's destination. I was down with fever that night.Day 4: The riding conditions became worse. I started the day with fever, and soon it was coupled with 
mountain sickness. I began to lose my mind and integrity. Wider and deeper river crossings, Barachala Pass, everything is hazy in my memory now. Was feeling as though I would drop off the bike anytime. Somehow managed to keep my bike upright and ride to reach Sarchu (107 kms). Nausea, headache, fever, loss of appetite, irritation at anyone, anthing, anywhere..... To make things worse, no sleep that night! That has to be the longest night I've ever spent...
mountain sickness. I began to lose my mind and integrity. Wider and deeper river crossings, Barachala Pass, everything is hazy in my memory now. Was feeling as though I would drop off the bike anytime. Somehow managed to keep my bike upright and ride to reach Sarchu (107 kms). Nausea, headache, fever, loss of appetite, irritation at anyone, anthing, anywhere..... To make things worse, no sleep that night! That has to be the longest night I've ever spent...Day 5 was just as worse, though I began to enjoy the landscape around me. Passing Lachulunga, 16500 ft - the highest pass so far, the gorgeous Gata loops with 21 hair pin bends we reached More (pronounced Moray) plains. Plains at a height of about 16500 ft from sea level, surrounded by a chain of white snow-capped mountains!
The most beeaauutiful place I've ever been to. Inspite of having acute symptoms of mountain sickness, I could manage to put a smile across my face looking at the landscape around me. Simply mindblowing. And guess what? We were to camp at a place called Debring on the very same More plains that night! To reach the camp, we had to get off road and ride on soft sand which can be tricky. A sooper camping spot. But.... there is a dark side to this place. It turned out to be the most dreadful camps amongst all. Overnight stay at 16500 ft is no joke. I somehow managed to sleep well that night(thankfully), probably coz i didnt have sleep the previous night. Everyone else in the group suffered that night. Hemanth, the guy on the bed next to mine didnt get up the next morning..... He was taken to the nearest military medical camp and then air-lifted to Delhi. He is now safe and sound :-) Distance from Sarchu to Debring: around 125 kms.
The most beeaauutiful place I've ever been to. Inspite of having acute symptoms of mountain sickness, I could manage to put a smile across my face looking at the landscape around me. Simply mindblowing. And guess what? We were to camp at a place called Debring on the very same More plains that night! To reach the camp, we had to get off road and ride on soft sand which can be tricky. A sooper camping spot. But.... there is a dark side to this place. It turned out to be the most dreadful camps amongst all. Overnight stay at 16500 ft is no joke. I somehow managed to sleep well that night(thankfully), probably coz i didnt have sleep the previous night. Everyone else in the group suffered that night. Hemanth, the guy on the bed next to mine didnt get up the next morning..... He was taken to the nearest military medical camp and then air-lifted to Delhi. He is now safe and sound :-) Distance from Sarchu to Debring: around 125 kms.Day 6: I seemed to be back to normal after a good night's sleep. Rode to a nearby lake in the morning with a few others and then headed off to Leh (around 150 kms). Very much accustomed to high altitude now, also helped by the fact that we were descending constantly to reach Leh (11000 ft), I began to enjoy the trip. Upshi was the first civilization we got before Leh. From then on, it was a smooth ride to Leh on surprisingly good roads. We were put up in Hotel Lingzhi. Had a nice hot water bath (after 7 days :-) and the only one for the next 7 days also!) and went to sleep, peacefully.
Day 7 was a welcome break for all of us and was spent lazing around Leh. Leh is a serene little town surrounded by snow-capped peaks. The narrow streets are lined with shops owned by Tibetan monks and you can see 'Save Tibet' posters all around. The Tibetans, far away from home, have been surprisingly 
successful in maintaining their identity here. There are numerous Buddhist monasteries in and around Leh. The main attractions in Leh are the Leh Palace and the Shanti Stupa. The Leh 'Palace' is completely dilapidated and deserted now. The Shanti Stupa is on a hilltop and is tastefully built. Once on top one can enjoy the panoramic view of the chain of mountains around.
Coming back from Shanti Stupa I accidentally noticed an astonishing sight. It was around 6 in the evening and in one direction, only one mountain was gleaming in golden colour! None of the other snow-capped mountains around had that glow. I stood there, speechless!
successful in maintaining their identity here. There are numerous Buddhist monasteries in and around Leh. The main attractions in Leh are the Leh Palace and the Shanti Stupa. The Leh 'Palace' is completely dilapidated and deserted now. The Shanti Stupa is on a hilltop and is tastefully built. Once on top one can enjoy the panoramic view of the chain of mountains around.Coming back from Shanti Stupa I accidentally noticed an astonishing sight. It was around 6 in the evening and in one direction, only one mountain was gleaming in golden colour! None of the other snow-capped mountains around had that glow. I stood there, speechless!
The next day we were off to do our final conquest: Khardungla! The highest motorable road in the world, 
at an alititude of 18300 feet. An ascent of about 8000 ft in around 40 kms makes the climb the steepest one. As a pleasant surprise, the weather changed dramatically and we experienced our first snowfall on our way up. Once on top, everyone started doing the victory jig, and we went about hugging anyone and everyone around for the sheer joy of being there with us in our moment of glory! The temperature on top was -4 at 12 noon!
at an alititude of 18300 feet. An ascent of about 8000 ft in around 40 kms makes the climb the steepest one. As a pleasant surprise, the weather changed dramatically and we experienced our first snowfall on our way up. Once on top, everyone started doing the victory jig, and we went about hugging anyone and everyone around for the sheer joy of being there with us in our moment of glory! The temperature on top was -4 at 12 noon!The next morning we started on our return journey on the same route. Due to the weather change, the ride back was considerably tougher. But it made the trip all the more enjoyable. Snowfall, freezing temperature, landslides, numb fingers and toes. Thoroughly enjoyed riding in those conditions! Due to heavy snowfall and landslides, the road got blocked near Bharatpur and we had to spend an additional day in Sarchu. What a day! Doing NOTHING, no connection to the outer world, just lazing around, not feeling guilty of not doing anything. Total bliss, not a care in the world :-). Sadly the road got cleared in a day and the next morning we started off early to avoid getting stuck in a 300-truck traffic jam. What followed was THE toughest stretch of ride one can ever get in a lifetime. 6 o'clock at Baralachala and the water on the road had frozen. Riding on snow is one thing, but riding on plain ice?.... Demands such intense concentration and riding skills that sometimes you stand and wonder 'how do i ride my bike for the next 10 feet?' The sole aim in life seemed to be to keep the bike upright, somehow. 
Even the rear tyres of the TRUCKS used to sway, seriously! One more stretch of ride on our way back worth mentioning is the ride from Manali to Chandigarh. Some 4-5 500 CCs and me and my friend's 350 CCs rode like maniacs on the ghat stretch. Taking on the curves at more than 100 kmph on that ghat stretch, that was the rashest I've ever ridden. 6-7 Bullets on the rampage like that, every other vehicle on the road would just make way for us. We owned the roads... as we headed back to our final destination: Delhi.
Even the rear tyres of the TRUCKS used to sway, seriously! One more stretch of ride on our way back worth mentioning is the ride from Manali to Chandigarh. Some 4-5 500 CCs and me and my friend's 350 CCs rode like maniacs on the ghat stretch. Taking on the curves at more than 100 kmph on that ghat stretch, that was the rashest I've ever ridden. 6-7 Bullets on the rampage like that, every other vehicle on the road would just make way for us. We owned the roads... as we headed back to our final destination: Delhi.There is no better way to experience the Himalayas than on bikes. The blissful feeling you get when you stop the bike to look out into the valley far down below the road or the narrow winding roads in front of you is priceless. Certain places all we could see was the blue sky, 360 degrees of snow and a trail of tarmac in front of us. Nothing else! That was a sight to remember..... Although have been to a trek in the Himalayas after the ride, the mountain ranges are calling me, again. And I have to go. It's only a matter of time before I start off for another Himalayan expedition.....
The photos of the trip are here
Thus continues the quest...
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