Day 8: Leh – Khardung La - Hunder/Nubra

We were in somewhat relaxed mood on day 8 and started off late again, to discover that there was some problem with Jatin’s brake. We looked out for the mech, but they were all closed, it being a Sunday. We fixed it up ourselves, but it took some of our precious time. By the time we started it was 12 PM. After riding some 30 kms we reached South Pallu check post. We were stopped there and were initially not allowed to go ahead as last time for vehicles going uphill is 11.30 AM. We pleaded and were somehow allowed. I had to adjust my air-oil mixture as bike was not performing well. It was a relatively bad stretch beyond South Pallu to Khardung La and gain in altitude was also much. We reached Khardung La around 2 PM.

‘Khardung La – 18380 ft – Highest motorable road in the World’ and you can’t help but need to pose there next to the sign board. And your pilgrimage is through. :) K-Top was covered with snow and temperature must have been sub zero. It was getting difficult to resist that cold and we were feeling tired and dizzy because of less oxygen levels there. Prasoon, in that dizziness coined the idea of dropping Nubra and resting back in Leh, but that was outrightly turned down by Jatin and me.

We started towards Nubra and road was real bumpy till North Pallu. As we crossed North Pallu we saw tarmac and we pressed our accelerators. We enjoyed the ride on that tarmac and that route. All our tiredness vanished, and we pressed and pressed and paused for clicks and again pressed. We reached Khardung village and again had maggi for lunch. We witnessed all different kind of views on this road from snow to big gorges to desert to river and what not. It was a real bliss! And Prasoon, later agreed that it was a good decision to come down to Hunder. In our excitement we passed Hunder and continued on the same road till we were stopped and told by military that it was heavily restricted area beyond that point. We came back to Hunder and anchored for the day. It was 7.45 PM.

Total distance covered: 151 kms