It was a pleasant winter evening. I was at my friend, Ashok's place and we were browsing Facebook when I suddenly stumbled upon a friend's album. It had some of the most picturesque photographs I've ever seen. Mighty mountains, lush green valleys, snow capped peaks, wanderlust inducing roads and much more. It was an album of Ladakh. That moment, Ashok said, "I am so going to Ladakh, I don't care if anybody comes with me or not, but I am going". I looked at him in agreement and said,"Someday buddy, someday".
It was the month of February in 2014. I spoken to Sandy a few days ago telling him about my friends visit to Ladakh. This friend of mine rode all the way to Ladakh on his beloved Bullet, all alone. I used to think, "man these guys who ride all the way have some bloody balls. I don't know if I could ever do what they have done. Someday, I will go there and witness paradise first hand." Sandy, being the usual himself, looked skeptical at first. He said he wasn't so keen on traveling to Ladakh as he had already seen most of the Himalayas while at IITD. But I knew Sandy. He is someone who can change his mind in a split second and come up with some random reason for it. Anyway after speaking to him I tried to sleep. After a while, the beeper of my phone beeped indicating that someone has sent me a message on whatsapp. Hari and Ashu wished the rest of us goodnight. And for a moment I remembered the road trip Sandy, Hari, Ashok and I has gone during the previous monsoon. I was thinking to myself, this is one group that I can travel with anywhere and everywhere. Couple of days passed, and one fine night, Sandy pings on our whatsapp group, "Guys, pack your bags, We are going on a bike trip to Ladakh after the summer."
At first I thought, this is Sandy, must be joking for sure. But then, Ashok sounded all excited. They started deciding on the duration and dates. They asked me if June 21st to July 6 was ok. Pessimistically thinking, I said yeah fine.but in my mind I felt, come on 14 days??I'm sure someone, or everyone is gonna back out. Then Ashok did something I knew worked for us in the past. He booked his flight tickets to Delhi and asked us to do the same. Reluctantly, Hari and I booked our tickets and so began the wait for the journey of our lives.
Over the next few months we discussed, debated, fought on the entire plan and still with doubts on our minds we prepared for a visit to paradise. Over the course of planning, 4 more guys, friends of Sandy, decided to join us. We were introduced to Sachin a.k.a bhavari, Sagar a.k.a bele, Rajshekar a.k.a Anna and Nithin, a.k.a Tintin. And thus formed our team. Ashu seemed excited about joining us, though she hadn't booked her tickets. I told Sandy, since Ashu was with us, we must not hesitate in getting the best accommodations. Months passed and when we were lest than a month away, Ashu backs out. I began to think, this is it. Everything is gonna fall apart now. If Ashu backs out, Hari might too. Then someone else. The only guy I was confident about pursuing this trip with was Ashok, a hardcore traveler with resolute intentions. He constantly reminded us about the things we needed to pack. Thanks to him I didn't lose interest. As the D day came close, work began to pile up at office. I started getting worried as I could not find time to do my shopping and planning. Finally on the last weekend before we embarked on our journey, Ashok dragged me for some shopping. We bought shoes, raincoats, bungee cords, got Ashok's visor fixed, tarpaulin sheets. And it suddenly occurred to me, we were doing it. A bike trip, and were going to hire Bullets from Delhi. I had never ridden a bullet before. All I had done was 40 thousand km on my Bajaj Platina. How was I suppose to handle 180 kilos of the best mountain bike in the country? Ashok decided to get his Unicorn, while Hari trusted his Yamaha R15. Nithin to decided to get his legendary Bullet. The rest of us decided to trust our fate hire bullets from Delhi. Thee boys had asked us to buy some additional stuff and we did so. Finally the last week arrived. After all the hype that I created at office, I hoped nothing would go wrong in the last mile. And then, D-day.
I took the day off hoping not to respond to any calls from office. Did some last min shopping and headed to the airport. At the BIAL bus stop I met Ashok, whom was showing of with his shades. He ran up to me and hugged me saying "Macha, after four years of dreaming, it's finally happening". That was the moment I felt, yes, I was going on my dream journey. We met Hari a few min later who said he wasn't sure of making it till the last min. He had come packed with his saddle bags while Ashok and I were with our rucksacks. And we waited for nithin, who was joining us in the flight. Finally, after almost missing his flight, Nithin joined us in an indigo flight 6E114, non stop from Bangalore to Delhi.
As we landed in Delhi, we were exposed to the famous Delhi heat. At first I mistook it for the engine heat from our iron eagle of a plane. But Hari smiled at me an said, get used to it buddy. "Yeh Delhi ki gharmi hai". We were suppose to stay and pick up Sachin who was joint us from Mumbai. After meeting him, we head out to stay at Sagars place for the night. It was a hot night and only thing that kept us going was the thought of the snow capped peaks of Kashmir. Hari's R15, Ashok's unicorn and Nithin's bullet had arrived the previous day via train. The rest of us went to get our Bullets the next day. And finally it was all set. 8 boys, 7 bikes, our luggage, and the road, all ingredients of a perfect recipe for adventure. And we set out to conquer our dreams.
On the first day we managed to reach Panipath and stayed at a lodge after some hunting. I was still getting used to my mammoth of a bike. We fed ourselves well and prepared for the next day. In the morning all of us got our bikes checked and when all the packing was done, we decided to hit the road. The destination was Jammu, 480 km away from Panipath. A tough task through the heartland of Punjab. We rode through the plains of Haryana stopping for breakfast at Karnaal. We decided to ride in pairs as we had a long way to go and the R15 was curious to test it's limits. So was the unicorn. Finally we picked up speed and rode 100km at a stretch reach a dhabha on the Jalander highway. We fed ourselves with roti n daal and then headed out on the Jalander Pathankot highway. We rode for hrs, getting lost a couple of times and faced our first problem when Nithin's bike fell victim to a tire puncture. By know Hari n Ashok were just miles away from Pathankot and since we were losing day light, decided to spend the night at a hotel in Pathankot. After getting Nithin's bike fixed, we headed to a hotel. 400plus km in a day took it's toll on us. My decision to wear half sleeves back fired as I caught a tan in the sun. I had to take a bath twice to feel a bit cleaner. We had our dinner and slept as we had a big day coming up. We were going to enter Jammu n Kashmir.
Come morning, and we started our engines. The roar of the bullet filled our heart with excitement as we headed to a fuel station. Looking at our gear there, a gentleman asked us if we were on an expedition. Yes, the word said it all. We were on an expedition to conquer Ladakh. Our destination for the day was Srinagar. We entered Jammu and rode into the famous Nehru tunnel. 3300mt of shear darkness with just our headlights to guide us through a narrow tunnel. The roar of our bikes made us rev our bikes even further as we cruised through the tunnel in less than 5 min. As we came out we screamed with excitement. We were now heading to Srinagar through the valley. A tough road with immense traffic, ups n downs and serpentine lines of cars trying to make it through the hills. With our bikes we managed to overtake lots of vehicles. However every time we stopped a big convoy of army trucks and cars overtook us. We pushed ourselves and our bikes to the limit and squeezed our way through the traffic. For those of you who are from Bangalore, do not compare this traffic jams to the ones we face around Whitefield or Hudson circle. The traffic jams at this part of the country are much worse as it takes hrs to clear up and one could be at a stand still for a long time. And if someone's car breaks down, well you might as well take rest for few hrs as everything behind the car comes to a stand still until the car is fixed. Well I must say, that bikes are at an advantage but be advised, you can only ride at first gear or at the max second gear with all the traffic and curves. Srinagar is 240km from Jammu, and I don't remember how many hills we had to cross but I do remember that the views were breath-taking. Lush green hills followed by hills cultivated for farming, followed by coniferous trees and serene peaks, we crossed Patnitop. Riding through Patnitop, I couldn't help but think about how people brag about visiting Ooty and such hill stations. But Panitop makes Ooty look like something in your rear view mirror. After riding for hrs, we finally reached a point 68 km from Srinagar. It was already passed 7 pm and we stopped for chai. After a round of photography we headed on to the road. We guys told each other, just 68 km macha, max an hour n half. Let's burn the road. Those 68 km were the longest 68 kms of our lives. We went on and on riding, but this 68 km din't seem to end at all. It got really dark and couldn't see the hills anymore and just followed the traffic, hoping it would lead us to Srinagar. We rode and rode and finally at 10:15 we reached Srinagar. We stayed at a home stay in army land hoping that it was safe. We fed ourselves, bathed, chatted and had fun. Sandy was in the mood of mischief but we were so tired that we stopped responding to him after a while. Finally our ignorance paid off as sandy got bored and slept. I must say that I had a tough time sleeping as sandy and Ashok seemed to have a snoring competition. The next day I asked Hari, how he managed to sleep so well. He let out his secret by saying, all one needs to do is make sure they sleep before sandy or Ashok sleep. That way you won't face the starting trouble you would face when their snores sync. If Ashok n Sandy are reading this, guys, I hope you get married to women who snores as much as you do.
Since I am recalling all the details from memories over 2 years old, please do wait for the second part where we traveled from Srinagar to Kargil to Leh to Pangong Tso to Manali to Chandigarh to Delhi. Yep that was an amazing journey too. But it might take a few weeks(or months :) ) for me to write that. So hang on..
It was the month of February in 2014. I spoken to Sandy a few days ago telling him about my friends visit to Ladakh. This friend of mine rode all the way to Ladakh on his beloved Bullet, all alone. I used to think, "man these guys who ride all the way have some bloody balls. I don't know if I could ever do what they have done. Someday, I will go there and witness paradise first hand." Sandy, being the usual himself, looked skeptical at first. He said he wasn't so keen on traveling to Ladakh as he had already seen most of the Himalayas while at IITD. But I knew Sandy. He is someone who can change his mind in a split second and come up with some random reason for it. Anyway after speaking to him I tried to sleep. After a while, the beeper of my phone beeped indicating that someone has sent me a message on whatsapp. Hari and Ashu wished the rest of us goodnight. And for a moment I remembered the road trip Sandy, Hari, Ashok and I has gone during the previous monsoon. I was thinking to myself, this is one group that I can travel with anywhere and everywhere. Couple of days passed, and one fine night, Sandy pings on our whatsapp group, "Guys, pack your bags, We are going on a bike trip to Ladakh after the summer."
At first I thought, this is Sandy, must be joking for sure. But then, Ashok sounded all excited. They started deciding on the duration and dates. They asked me if June 21st to July 6 was ok. Pessimistically thinking, I said yeah fine.but in my mind I felt, come on 14 days??I'm sure someone, or everyone is gonna back out. Then Ashok did something I knew worked for us in the past. He booked his flight tickets to Delhi and asked us to do the same. Reluctantly, Hari and I booked our tickets and so began the wait for the journey of our lives.
Over the next few months we discussed, debated, fought on the entire plan and still with doubts on our minds we prepared for a visit to paradise. Over the course of planning, 4 more guys, friends of Sandy, decided to join us. We were introduced to Sachin a.k.a bhavari, Sagar a.k.a bele, Rajshekar a.k.a Anna and Nithin, a.k.a Tintin. And thus formed our team. Ashu seemed excited about joining us, though she hadn't booked her tickets. I told Sandy, since Ashu was with us, we must not hesitate in getting the best accommodations. Months passed and when we were lest than a month away, Ashu backs out. I began to think, this is it. Everything is gonna fall apart now. If Ashu backs out, Hari might too. Then someone else. The only guy I was confident about pursuing this trip with was Ashok, a hardcore traveler with resolute intentions. He constantly reminded us about the things we needed to pack. Thanks to him I didn't lose interest. As the D day came close, work began to pile up at office. I started getting worried as I could not find time to do my shopping and planning. Finally on the last weekend before we embarked on our journey, Ashok dragged me for some shopping. We bought shoes, raincoats, bungee cords, got Ashok's visor fixed, tarpaulin sheets. And it suddenly occurred to me, we were doing it. A bike trip, and were going to hire Bullets from Delhi. I had never ridden a bullet before. All I had done was 40 thousand km on my Bajaj Platina. How was I suppose to handle 180 kilos of the best mountain bike in the country? Ashok decided to get his Unicorn, while Hari trusted his Yamaha R15. Nithin to decided to get his legendary Bullet. The rest of us decided to trust our fate hire bullets from Delhi. Thee boys had asked us to buy some additional stuff and we did so. Finally the last week arrived. After all the hype that I created at office, I hoped nothing would go wrong in the last mile. And then, D-day.
I took the day off hoping not to respond to any calls from office. Did some last min shopping and headed to the airport. At the BIAL bus stop I met Ashok, whom was showing of with his shades. He ran up to me and hugged me saying "Macha, after four years of dreaming, it's finally happening". That was the moment I felt, yes, I was going on my dream journey. We met Hari a few min later who said he wasn't sure of making it till the last min. He had come packed with his saddle bags while Ashok and I were with our rucksacks. And we waited for nithin, who was joining us in the flight. Finally, after almost missing his flight, Nithin joined us in an indigo flight 6E114, non stop from Bangalore to Delhi.
As we landed in Delhi, we were exposed to the famous Delhi heat. At first I mistook it for the engine heat from our iron eagle of a plane. But Hari smiled at me an said, get used to it buddy. "Yeh Delhi ki gharmi hai". We were suppose to stay and pick up Sachin who was joint us from Mumbai. After meeting him, we head out to stay at Sagars place for the night. It was a hot night and only thing that kept us going was the thought of the snow capped peaks of Kashmir. Hari's R15, Ashok's unicorn and Nithin's bullet had arrived the previous day via train. The rest of us went to get our Bullets the next day. And finally it was all set. 8 boys, 7 bikes, our luggage, and the road, all ingredients of a perfect recipe for adventure. And we set out to conquer our dreams.
On the first day we managed to reach Panipath and stayed at a lodge after some hunting. I was still getting used to my mammoth of a bike. We fed ourselves well and prepared for the next day. In the morning all of us got our bikes checked and when all the packing was done, we decided to hit the road. The destination was Jammu, 480 km away from Panipath. A tough task through the heartland of Punjab. We rode through the plains of Haryana stopping for breakfast at Karnaal. We decided to ride in pairs as we had a long way to go and the R15 was curious to test it's limits. So was the unicorn. Finally we picked up speed and rode 100km at a stretch reach a dhabha on the Jalander highway. We fed ourselves with roti n daal and then headed out on the Jalander Pathankot highway. We rode for hrs, getting lost a couple of times and faced our first problem when Nithin's bike fell victim to a tire puncture. By know Hari n Ashok were just miles away from Pathankot and since we were losing day light, decided to spend the night at a hotel in Pathankot. After getting Nithin's bike fixed, we headed to a hotel. 400plus km in a day took it's toll on us. My decision to wear half sleeves back fired as I caught a tan in the sun. I had to take a bath twice to feel a bit cleaner. We had our dinner and slept as we had a big day coming up. We were going to enter Jammu n Kashmir.
Come morning, and we started our engines. The roar of the bullet filled our heart with excitement as we headed to a fuel station. Looking at our gear there, a gentleman asked us if we were on an expedition. Yes, the word said it all. We were on an expedition to conquer Ladakh. Our destination for the day was Srinagar. We entered Jammu and rode into the famous Nehru tunnel. 3300mt of shear darkness with just our headlights to guide us through a narrow tunnel. The roar of our bikes made us rev our bikes even further as we cruised through the tunnel in less than 5 min. As we came out we screamed with excitement. We were now heading to Srinagar through the valley. A tough road with immense traffic, ups n downs and serpentine lines of cars trying to make it through the hills. With our bikes we managed to overtake lots of vehicles. However every time we stopped a big convoy of army trucks and cars overtook us. We pushed ourselves and our bikes to the limit and squeezed our way through the traffic. For those of you who are from Bangalore, do not compare this traffic jams to the ones we face around Whitefield or Hudson circle. The traffic jams at this part of the country are much worse as it takes hrs to clear up and one could be at a stand still for a long time. And if someone's car breaks down, well you might as well take rest for few hrs as everything behind the car comes to a stand still until the car is fixed. Well I must say, that bikes are at an advantage but be advised, you can only ride at first gear or at the max second gear with all the traffic and curves. Srinagar is 240km from Jammu, and I don't remember how many hills we had to cross but I do remember that the views were breath-taking. Lush green hills followed by hills cultivated for farming, followed by coniferous trees and serene peaks, we crossed Patnitop. Riding through Patnitop, I couldn't help but think about how people brag about visiting Ooty and such hill stations. But Panitop makes Ooty look like something in your rear view mirror. After riding for hrs, we finally reached a point 68 km from Srinagar. It was already passed 7 pm and we stopped for chai. After a round of photography we headed on to the road. We guys told each other, just 68 km macha, max an hour n half. Let's burn the road. Those 68 km were the longest 68 kms of our lives. We went on and on riding, but this 68 km din't seem to end at all. It got really dark and couldn't see the hills anymore and just followed the traffic, hoping it would lead us to Srinagar. We rode and rode and finally at 10:15 we reached Srinagar. We stayed at a home stay in army land hoping that it was safe. We fed ourselves, bathed, chatted and had fun. Sandy was in the mood of mischief but we were so tired that we stopped responding to him after a while. Finally our ignorance paid off as sandy got bored and slept. I must say that I had a tough time sleeping as sandy and Ashok seemed to have a snoring competition. The next day I asked Hari, how he managed to sleep so well. He let out his secret by saying, all one needs to do is make sure they sleep before sandy or Ashok sleep. That way you won't face the starting trouble you would face when their snores sync. If Ashok n Sandy are reading this, guys, I hope you get married to women who snores as much as you do.
Since I am recalling all the details from memories over 2 years old, please do wait for the second part where we traveled from Srinagar to Kargil to Leh to Pangong Tso to Manali to Chandigarh to Delhi. Yep that was an amazing journey too. But it might take a few weeks(or months :) ) for me to write that. So hang on..
