Motorcycle Trip to Himalayas

Pre – ride preparations:

After few weeks long planning and some negotiations at office we were all set for a 15 days trip to Himalayas. Khardung La, Leh was the destination. Initially we were the team of two – me and one of my old pal ‘Jatin’, but we were joined in at the last moment by another friend of mine ‘Prasoon’. Prasoon did not have any bike so we asked him to rent one from Delhi. With all plans set, we decided to catch up in Delhi on 9^th June.

With tips from other experienced riders and some research we made an extensive list of things and spares to carry on our trip. (drop a mail in case someone need help on the list) Each item from matchbox to sleeping bag was listed.

I needed to ship my bike from Mumbai to Delhi. When Speed Age informed that they no longer ship household goods due to some new company policy, I decided to book the bike on my train ticket and booked a ticket on Shatabadi. (Parcel and on ticket charges are different. On ticket it costs around Rs. 1600 + 1% of the value of bike u declare + misc packing and loading charges. You can take your bike to the station few hours before departure and make sure it is loaded carefully)

Day 0 – 9^th June 07

I reached New Delhi around 10 AM and met Prasoon & Jatin, who were waiting there for me. Got my bike unloaded and all three moved directly to Kar

ol Bagh for spares and stuff. Headed straight to Khajanchi and got all our spares. Prasoon managed to get a Thunder Bird from Madaan Motors on rent. It was a long and extremely hot day and it was 8.30 PM by the time we finished our shopping.

Thereafter we had to see a friend so came back late after meeting him and managed to catch some sleep around 3.30 AM after finishing packing of all our stuff.

The Ride

The Route: Delhi – Chandigarh – Udhampur – Anantnag – Pahalgaon – Anantnag – Srinagar – Sonemarg – JoZi La – Drass – Kargil – Leh – Khardung La – Nubra – Khardung La – Leh – Tanglang La – Pang – Sarchu – Jispa – Darcha – Keylong – Rohtang Pass – Manali – Chandigarh – Delhi

The Riders:

Rahul – Thunderbird ‘05

Jatin – Electra ’05 with new tyres

Prasoon – Thunderbird ’03 (on rent)

Total Distance clocked: 3040 kms

Start date: 10^th June 07

End date: 24^th June 07

Total riding days: 15

Day 1: Noida – Chandigarh – Hoshiarpur

Day 2: Hoshiarpur – Samba – Udhampur – Patnitop – Batote

Day 3: Batote – Anantnag – Pahalgaon – Anantnag – Srinagar

Day 4 – Rest day at Srinagar

Day 5: Srinagar – Sonemarg – ZoJila – Drass – Kargil

Day 6: Kargil – Lamayuru

Day 7: Lamayuru – Leh

Day 8: Leh – Khardung La - Hunder/Nubra

Day 9: Hunder – Khardung La – Leh

Day 10 & 11: Rest at Leh

Day 12: Leh – Upshi – Tanglang La – More Plains – Pang – Sarchu

Day 13: Sarchu – Jispa – Darcha – Keylong – Tandi – Rohtang Pass – Manali

Day 14: Manali – Mandi – Chandigarh

Day 15: Chandigarh – Delhi

Post – ride hangover.

That hangover is not yet over and it will be there for atleast some time to come. Best thing that happens after such ride is that you tend to think what all went wrong, and how the ride could have been better. Even I have so many thoughts running and would love to make my next ride to the mountains even more rewarding. One piece of advise here for riders who are planning this route for the first time. ‘Start early’ – Start early and you get enough time to enjoy your ride and to appreciate nature. Check your bike the day before and tank it up. Especially in mountains starting early should be the mantra.

Enuf of gyan, now packing up till the next trip.

You can find more pics at

http://picasaweb.google.com/rahulsingh.mail/MotorcycleTripToHimalayas

Cheers,

Rahul