Himalayas on Enfields ; The Easy Way.

[nikhuzlan]

Our RIDE LOGO

The plan was for a few of us who took part in the N4TI*N Ride in late 2012 ( story here : http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-...s/2879-n4ti*-advlux-tour-2012-full-story.html )
to Ride Himalayas sometime August 2013.

As it turned out, Kamarul could not join as he screwed his knee bigtime one week before departure when riding his new
KTM Freeride. His two brothers and a close friend also could not join in following Kamarul's mishap.
Eddy and his brother also could not make the date due to last minute family commitments.

That left SP Lee, Bruce Conrad and another friend from Santa Barbara California along with me. Margaret Conrad and
Florence Lambert, Bruce and SP's wives decided to join my wife Gerry for the ride.

I have done some research and made many enquiries on the options as to how to go about riding the Himalayas
in the best way possible, but still ensuring it will not cost an arm and a leg to do so.
Although it was not terribly difficult, neither was it easy to choose the best provider.

Eventually it was decided for us to tie up with a Singapore based company that has very strong ties with
an Indian Tour Operator with good track record of making things happen. Although this JV has great experience
organising Tours for trekkers, mountain climbing, cycling and even paragliding, it was their first foray into motorcycling tours.

Our Royal Enfields at Pangong Tso

There were many discussions on equipment and routing, and I was impressed with their flexibility in meeting our exacting needs. We wanted nice places to stay, a climb pattern that will mitigate AMS and ride schedules that were not strenuous. We also told them to ensure a trained medic is at hand at all times. That may sound dramatic, but the youngest was SP at just over 50. I'm 55, Chris hitting 60, and Bruce the least youngest at 70 years old.

The wives in their support car.

Bruce Conrad at Pangong Tso

We desire a trouble free ride, so insisted the bikes to be new, and even then, a competent mechanic must accompany the trip. There should not be any night riding, and early starts are to be avoided unless required by circumstances beyond our control. Camping facilities must be good, with electricity supply and individualtoilets attached.

Camping at Tso Kar Lake.

Our Support Team. L - R Gopal, Rajeev were the drivers, Chotu the Mechanic, Anil the Man Friday and Elliot, our Medic.
The drivers did an amazing job driving everyone safely and on time, Chotu made sure everything ran like clockwork, even washing and cleaning the bikes after every ride, Anil does everything, the proverbial "One Leg Kick All" guy. Elliot ensures we are all in the best of health. These are really good guys, hardworking and ever-smiling.

We also had a great Ride Leader, not in the picture for now.

With a Team like in place, how can we not help but enjoy the ride. The gamble to take on a company with little experience organising bike tours worked out well because of their transparency in planning, not hesitating to refer back to us if their arrangements are up to mark prior to commitment. On this trip, no one had any hint of AMS, no one had Delhi Belly, everyone had enough rest before the next day's ride. The bikes ran perfectly - no breakdowns, starts at first stab of the button.

The Incredible Pangong Tso

The Marmot near Tangtse

Horses on the Plains of Sarchu

Somewhere on the way to Tso Kar

KhardungLa

There will be a general assumption that its gonna be expensive, but in the grand scheme of things, it did not work out to be so. The little extra we paid produced great dividends. I will go again with them, and have no hesitation recommending these people to anyone planning to do Himalayas the "Easy Way"

We had a side Trip to the Taj Mahal and Fort Agra after flying in from Leh, spending two nights at the magnificent
JayPee Resort just 2km from the famed Mausoleum.

It was a great trip. We achieved everything we set out to do. Everyone was happy. And we will do this again next year same time,
same handler, but probably with our own Enduro Bikes.

We subscribe to this very much

The full story will follow in time.

 

[KTMphil]

Looks like it was a hassle free trip, shame about Kamarul. Good idea taking a support vehicle for the partners.

 

[nikhuzlan]

The Beautiful Pangong Tso at 14,500ft altitude.
LehPangong - YouTube

 

[brake034]

Awesome video! The great music combined with the sound of her Majesties Thunder and the stunning views make it a must see! Look forward for more coming up!

 

[robert]

just beautiful!!!! thanks

 

[nikhuzlan]

We left Kuala Lumpur and flew in the Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330 for a 5 hour flight to Delhi. Met a couple of colleagues and I joined them up front.

Gerry, my wife was happy where she was.

We stayed the night at a Hotel near the airport.

A bus picked us up the next morning and dropped us at the Delhi Train Station.

We took a 4 hour train ride to Chandigarh. Riding out of Delhi has never been part of our plan.

We switched to our two support cars at Chandigarh.

After an 8 hour ride on bumpy twisty lorry infested road we arrived at Manualaya Hotel, Manali.

Morning came, and we drew the bedroom curtains to be greeted by this sight.

Our bikes were already in the parking lot by the time we finished breakfast. I insisted on newish bikes, and we found the Royal Enfield Bullet Electra awaiting, fully serviceable and nicely clean. Oldest bike had only 2,900kms on the clock. All were fuel injected, had disc brakes and gear and brake lever on the proper sides. We were pleased.
We also met our Lead Rider, a cool guy from Manali named Khem, and Chotu our mechanic.

Khem, our Ride Guide.

Today we will do just local rides around Kullu Valley, getting familiar with our bikes and setting up our acclimatisation profile at 6,600ft.


Bruce, from Redondo Beach, California. This 70 year old one time Baja winner / many times podium, joined me on last year's Thailand/Laos/Cambodia Ride flew in with his wife Margaret to join this ride.

SP Lee, a fellow Malaysian, came along with Florence, his wife. Behind him is Chris eberz, a Baja nut, friend of Bruce, also came to join the ride. David, a Singaporean, is on the last bike. David has hiked all the way to the South Pole a few years back.

We rode around Kullu valley past one street settlements and lush greenery.

Ganja plants were growing wild by the roadside

The start of a great journey.

We visited Naggar Castle, now turned into a boutique restaurant.

Naggar Castle was built in such a way to withstand the occasional earthquake

Vehicles not registered in the State has to pay 'Green Tax'.

A short ride to the hotel.

We gas up for tomorrow.

We have to do an early start due to the traffic arrangements at Rohtang Pass.

Everything looks excellent so far. We now have 6 bikes, one Road Guide, two cars, one mechanic, two drivers, one Mr. Do-Everything and a Medical Officer. We feel better prepared than Charlie and Ewan when they set out for the Long Way Round.

 

[nikhuzlan]

Here's my view about the bike we rode on this trip.

The Royal Enfield 350 Bullet Electra. 2013 Model


First produced in 1955, this bike has been improved through the years making it a more reliable and user friendly machine, but retaining the old school charm that is very British. At 195kg ready to ride, its not exactly a lightweight but the small size and its low seat height makes it a lot easier to handle compared to the equally heavy BMW FF650GS twin especially in challenging terrain. Everything about the bike is rudimentary, nothing is Hi-Tech, and with power from the tractable single cylinder air-cooled motor at just under 20hp, it ambles along rather than rip the tarmac even at full throttle.
The 5 speed gearbox is sweet, although gearchanges needs to be positively made, and the heel - toe shift can be a nuisance for riders not used to operating such set-up. False neutrals can be common, and standing on the pegs can accidentally trigger an unwanted upshift.
The seat is comfortable, almost plush. With under 3 inches of usable suspension travel, the ride can get bumpy but the effect is somewhat lessened by the two equal sized 19inch tyres.
Handling is nicely neutral, but going fast is not something a rider would want to do as the tyres are probably 1970 technology, made for robustness and durability rather than outright grip. The gearchange pedal and rear brakes are on the proper side respectively.

The brakes are 'there', just sufficient to stop the bike, and four finger effort needs to be complemented by foot stomping of the rear brake to really stop hard. Although its a carbie version, there were no evident of fuelling problems on all our 6 bikes, despite riding from 6,000ft to 18,380ft.
The durability of this bike truly amazed me. Riding through stones and potholes with mud all around and through the numerous water crossings, it never missed a beat, nothing dropped off, and it starts with a stab of the button every morning.

At just under USD2,700 in India OTR, it is indeed a bargain although I will not pay anything over RM15K anywhere else in the world.
Having spoken to many local Royal Enfield riders as we rode through the Himalayas, I found the local opinion to be one of endearment for this model, especially for hardcore overlanding. Roadside repairs can be easily done, top end tear-off can be done in 30 minutes, and a full stripdown including gearbox is just 4 hours after the first nut is released to the point the motor is running again.

Fuel economy is pretty good and I suspect the motor will burn anything short of Diesel and motor oil.
As for failures among our bikes, we had a puncture, a few spokes needs replacing, and at Leh, the rear sprocket on Chris' bike needs replacement due to a manufacturing defect. Other than that, nothing broke.
The rarefied air at higher altitudes sapped power from the bikes, but there were no coughing or sputtering felt, but for sure at least 10hp went into hiding leaving the other 9hp to propel the bike. Expect a struggle if riding two up with baggage when above 16,000ft.

Bruce top speed testing at 15,000ft on the More Plains.

At Morey Plains ( 14,555ft ) I went full throttle and it barely broke 80km/h. The fastest I ever hit on the bike was just over 90km/h going downhill from KhardungLa. Speed may not be its ace card, but this bike is guaranteed to get you to the Himalayan destination. For this ride I'd take the Enfield over my GSA. I'd bet even the Sertao will find the going tough on the muddy rock strewn steep hairpins of Rohtang Pass, not to mention the numerous rocky water crossings descending from ChangLa Pass.

The Royal Enfield will have a little parking lot in my motorcycling heart. There's something inexplicably charming about this old motorcycle that could.

However, while i enjoyed riding the Himalayas on the Enfield, my next trip there will be on a proper Enduro bike, preferably a 250 - 400 class bike. I think the Enduros can do the legs in half the time with more comfort and twice the fun.

 

[KTMphil]

Great stuff Nik, bringing back some great memories of our ride through there. Less than 3,000 km on the bikes, they must have only been used for one or two tours beforehand, great photo's.

 

[nikhuzlan]

Himalaya 2013. Day 3. Manali - Marhi - Rohtang Pass ( 13,100ft ) - Kokhsar - Sissu - Tandi - Keylong. 120km distance.

Ladakh, part of the Jammu Kashmir Region in India, means Land of High Passes. For good reason. Lying at the foothills of the Himalayas, it is separated from the rest of India by the Kun Lun Mountains. Its the first mountain range to be crossed from Manali. Called Rohtang Pass ( piles of corpses ) , its not that high at 13,200ft ( Nakeela, Balarachala, Lachalungla, and KhardungLa are all above 16,000ft ). It is, however, the most treacherous as its the rainshadow barrier of the monsoon, and can have sudden change of weather from dry to blizzard in just a few hours. This has been known to kill many in caravan convoys of past years. At peak season the road can be very congested due to large number of vehicles, made worse by frequent landslides.
Between November and April Ladakh is snowbound, and the Rohtang Pass is closed, the snow too deep to plough through. Everytown from Keylong to Leh is cut-off. All necessities needs to be transported before road closure. The Indian Army needs to move supplies to the various Camps in this volatile region.
We saw a number of convoys making their way up and down the passes.
​

Marhi Dhaba at 10,500ft, a concentration of makeshift tea and snackshops 40km from Manali.

We left our Manali Hotel early, as we need to comply with the Route schedule set by the Police there. We want to avoid the noon traffic.
It rained just as we woke for breakfast, but thankfully the weather cleared as we rode off.

Something made by Chris' girlfriend before he left Santa Barbara.

Cars all loaded up.


Off we go


Roads were wet from the rain


Didn't take long for the road to live up to its reputation




Khem with Bruce behind


Chris


SP Lee


Traffic was light, just the occasional trucks passing by








We saw a convoy of Indian Army trucks, probably with supplies for the next 7 snowbound months.


Traffic Jam due to narrow roads




Marhi Dhaba at 10,500ft


Our two support vans below


The Army Convoy regrouping. They were very good drivers, always giving way to us when the road allows it. In fact, apart from the errant few,
most drivers on this route are pretty considerate, unlike the experience in the lowlands.


One of the easier muddy stretch


We regrouped just 3km from Rohtang Pass.






The small stupa that marks the Pass.




Just after passing Rohtang the road starts descending. There was an immediate change in the weather from the initial gloom
we saw the sun peek out of the clouds, bringing blue skies along with it.





The roads however deteriorated, with mud being churned up by passing vehicles made worse by the night rain.
I was smiling thinking how I would have fared if I brought my BMW R1200 GSA 'truck' here.








On our unloaded Enfields going through this was really easy and fun.










A short rest at 11,500ft, awaiting the landslide to be cleared.




For Enfield Lovers


After another 15 minutes we reach Kokhsar, a concentration of Dhaba surrounding the Military checkpoint. We stopped for tea there.






I crossed paths with Phil and Brett, who were riding the region together, but doing an even longer loop.


After Koksar the road got a lot better, with great tarmac that will make even a sportsbike rider dance with joy.
The occasional gravel was dry and dusty, instead of wet and muddy.








A glacier near Sissu


Road got dusty from Tandi to Keylong.






Entering Keylong.


They seem to be taking the Cleanliness mesage a little more seriously here.




Bike Parking


Tashi Daleg Hotel where we put up the night


Chotu immediately got to work checking and washing the bikes.


Evidently Phil got here before me with Som.....


The view from the room. Midway towards the right of the photo the Khardang Monestary can be seen with its yellow roof.




Meal's always ready for us.


VIDEO DAY 1 - DAY 3 DELHI - CHANDIGARH - MANALI - KEYLONG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSgUQtCGGsI

NOTE: Arty Farty photos of Monks, Temples, Local People, Children, will follow after the ride story.

 

[nikhuzlan]

Video of Day 1 to Day 3, Delhi - Chandigarh - Manali - Keylong

Himalaya 2013 Day01 - Day03 - YouTube

- - - Updated - - -

Keylong - Khardang - Jispa. 88km.

Its gonna be a short easy ride today. The last time I rode a bike this high was when I rode Yosemite two months ago, passing Tioga Pass on my way to Mono Basin. Great Ride, but that's another story for another day.

We could have gone straight to Sarchu, 200km away, but we do not want to risk getting AMS so another night getting comfortable at 11,000ft will be a good idea.

Great weather as I looked out the window. The sun lighting up the snow capped peaks in the distance.


Keylong stirs




Breakfast


Met a group of Indian Adventurers. They were from Chennai and Calcutta, met on the road and tagged each other. They were going straight to Sarchu. All were heavily loaded, a few two up. Muddy and rocky roads won't be easy. But they will make it. And they will have fun doing it.






We moved after a short brief by Khem on our route.




The 'road' to Khardang Monastery lies just 1k from Tandi bridge. We started our 1,000ft climb from there on what probably used to be goat tracks, now widened to a narrow one car width.

Tandi - Khardang turn-off




Onwards to Khardang








We stopped here, looking down on the road we came on just now. our two support cars can be seen below.








Passed some cheery kids. Forgot to bring some candies for moments like this.


Khardang Monastery


Kardang Monastery or Gompa is a famous Drukpa Lineage monastery, and is the most prominent monastery the Lahaul valley.

From Wiki;
The monastery is believed to have been built in the 12th century and houses a large library of Buddhist literature, including the Kangyur and Tangyur scriptures in the Bhotia or Sherpa language. There is also a good collection of fine thankas, musical instruments such as lutes, drums, horns, as well as old weapons. There are colourful frescoes and fascinating murals.
The monastery was in ruins until it was renovated in 1912 CE by Lama Norbu Rinpoche (died 1952), who, with Lama Kunga, turned it into "a proper educational and training establishment."
In the first room is a 4 foot (1.23 metres) high silver chaitya or chorten preserving the skull and ashes of Lama Norbu. To the right of it are statues of Padmasambhava and Tara (Devi), and in the back, one of Tagden Shakyashree, guru of Lama Kunga. 103 volumes of the Kangyur are kept here, while behind are 64 tantra books on various subjects. The second room is the main Prayer Hall with an eleven-headed statue of Avalokitesvara. On a high pedestal at the right are some of Lama Norbu's castoff garments and with a skull in front. In the third room is a six foot wooden prayer wheel with a brass bell on it. There are now about thirty monks and nuns (chomos) in the monastery, and two British nuns have studied, meditated, and been initiated in recent years.
The monks and nuns have equal rights, and the monks have permission to marry.The monks spend the summer with their families working their fields, in the winter they return to the monastery. There is a huge prayer drum in the monastery with the sacred six-syllable mantra, Om mani padme hum, written a million times on strips of paper. It also has a Narbo as its head lama.
Because the monastery is on the southern bank of the Bhaga River, it gets very little sun, while Keylong on the opposite side gets far more as it is facing south. Because of this the Moravian Christian mission, which was established here in 1857,was later moved across the river to Keylong.











The view from the Monastery is just awesome. Part of Keylong and the Bhaga River.







We left after an hour there






Back at Tandi we filled up at this most important gas station. There's none for the next 360km until Karu, near Leh. No issue for us as our support cars carry spare petrol.




The road to Jispa was mostly good.












There were still the occasional water crossing and gravel bit.










Nice roads again















Our Hotel at Jispa. Food here was great. Curry chicken after turning vegetarian at Jispa.







Chilling out after lunch






The Hotel also operates this campsite across the road.












Met this young couple taking photos by the river bank.






Sun disappearing behind the mountain range casts spotlight on the cliff wall.




Tomorrow we will experience our first night in a Swiss Tent at 14,000ft. And two asses to cross, both above 16,000ft.

Cool.

VIDEO DAIRY OF DAY 5 KEYLONG - KHARDANG - JISPA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HGiPNhdzew

 

[nikhuzlan]

DAY 5 : JISPA - DARCHA - PATSIO - ZINGZINGBAR - BARALACHA PASS - BHARATPUR - SARCHU

Today brings new excitement. Morning started slightly overcast in 14 degrees temperature, light winds with unlimited visibility.
We woke up to the sounds of Enfields being revved. It turns out that a group of Indian Adventurers checked in at the campsite last night, heading more or less the same way we were headed.


One of their bikes had a puncture and our mechanic, Chotu helped out.


Santosh and Payal Pandya


Rest of the Gang


Leaving Jispa



Our Group


Passing Jispa


A short ride to Darcha


Darcha is a checkpoint where permits to enter the Iner Line is required. Hardly a problem for us as all
were already pre-arranged.



There are two Dhabas at Darcha, providing food and drinks in case of a long wait. From here we start our gradual climb, leaving 10,500ft to Patsio, a high altitude Glacial formed valley at 12,500ft.






We left Darcha on roads that started out as gravel, but became a lot better as we climbed.


Bruce thought this is so cool. Mule Train with the walker on a mobile phone. Technology meets 15th Century.




We met other bikers along the way. Everyone friendly.


To keep things interesting, a few water crossings were scattered along the way. The water is from the melted snowcaps, and gets wilder as the sun goes up, heating the snow, accelerating the melting process. Ice cold water.












Our support vehicles made good time as there was virtually nil traffic.






This stretch seems popular with cyclists. We passed many of them. Crazy people. Respect.


We stopped at this Dhaba, all by itself next to a small lake.








Bruce and Margaret


Elliot, our MO checking out the toilet facilities


Dhaba, inside. Godsent if the weather turns bad. In fact, can be a matter of survival.


The Patsio Dhaba


Heading towards the Patsio Glacial formed valley.


Sheep belonging to the semi-Nomadic Tribesmen






Onwards


The Army Camp at the beginning of the Valley.




Beginning of the shallow climb to Zingzingbar






The Valley








Climbing to Zingzingbar, a roadworks encampment








We passed many heavily loaded Enfields on our way up to the Baralacha Pass.






The Baralacha Pass. Our highest point today at 16,500ft before we descend down to 14,500ft, onto the Narrow Plains of Sarchu.










After a short stop, its a gradual descent to Bharatpur, a collection of tents selling drinks, food and souvenirs.














The approach to Bharatpur was quite unreal. After riding through cold, dry and arid landscape, we find this concentration of blue roofed tents right in the middle of nowhere. Plainly awesome.


Chris couldn't resist doing a little shopping




Gerry bought the much needed skullcap and muffs.




Lunch was Maggi Mee, all the way from Malaysia.






Chotu and Anil waiting for their food.


After about an hour there we mounted up for our last leg to Sarchu.












Trail of water from the melting snow at the summit is very apparent. This will be our next crossing.



Landslide clearing. This is so common, and we now know its no drama, all will be well in 10 minutes.








Our campsite coming into view.


Stupa


Continued....

 

[nikhuzlan]

Continued....

Home for the night.






The tent comes with attached toilet, a proper bed and more blankets than you need. Good way to camp. Clean




Sp Lee and Florence ( she's into horses ) found paradise.....




The Tents we stayed in is called the Sonam Adventure Camps. I saw three different campsites at Sarchu. The ones we chose had 24 tents of various sizes. Stitched out of tough canvas, its double lined with a carpeted interior with twin bed. The cot inside the tent is provided with a thick mattress, pillow of cotton, bed sheet, polyfil quilt and a blanket. The attached toilets have specially designed western seat & wash basin fitting with Hot & Cold Water provided in bucket.

There is also a dining tent that seems large enough for about 40 people. Food is good ( vegetarian) and if we are better prepared we could have even brought our own stuff to cook there.

Sarchu does not have any electricity, but the camp has its own gen-set that runs from 1830 up to 2230hrs.

Love the campsite




Gerry decided to go riding on the plains.












The moon rising in the East, blocked by the Mountains


The cooks entertaining us with their makeshift instruments




Goodnight from Sarchu, sleeping under the stars, with the Big Dipper in the Northern Skies


VIDEO DAIRY JISPA - BARALACHALA - SARCHU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5JZsGgyBAg

 

[KTMphil]

Looks like you did some different routes to what we did, wonderful story.

 

[nikhuzlan]

Phil, consistent with "ADVlite" Theme I planned for a very easy ride, ie, only the highlands, not more than 14 days away, and a full support team. We definitely did a different route and did not cover as much ground as you did. We slept at Delhi, Manali, Keylong, Jispa, Sarchu, Tsokar, Leh, Pangong Tso. Himalaya Ride 2014 will cover Nubra nd Pangi Valleys, but on Enduro bikes instead. The Enfield were great, thumping, soul and all the British tradition thingy.
But an Enduro bike will be a lot more fun, less tiring, covers more ground, and will make the bumpy bits a lot smoother.
Himalayas are so right up there in biking adv, and the call for you to return beckons the moment you pack for home.

 

[nikhuzlan]

Himalaya Ride 2013 Day 6

We ride from our campsite at Sarchu to our next campsite at Tsokar. Just 24kms after leaving Sarchu, there is this series of 21 hairpin turns that takes us up to our first of two passes of the day, the 15,547ft NakeeLa Pass.

Apart from the stunning scenery and the great ride, Gata Loop has an eerie story to tell.

Some years ago, in late october, the passes were beginning to get snowbound when a truck was making its way down the Gata Loop. The Driver and the Lorry Attendant were heading towards Manali. Somewhere at one of the curves the lorry broke down, and after failing to fix the lorry, the driver decided that he will walk to the nearest village some miles along the route to get help. He left the attendant to guard the lorry as they were carrying valuable goods.

The driver got to the village and called Manali for assistance, but nothing can be done because all the passes from Manali are now closed due snow.
Weather then closed in, and the driver could not go back to the lorry. After a few days, the weather improved and the driver and several villagers walked to the lorry, only to find the attendant dead due to cold, thirst, hunger and exposure.
They buried him where he died.

A few months later, after the pass opened up again, many motorists were relating seeing a dishevelled man begging for water by the roadside. Eventually the villagers built a small shrine and people started putting sealed bottles of water as prayer offerings.



Gata Loop

 

[KTMphil]

Nik - was the fuel tanker still on its side on the gata loop?

 

[nikhuzlan]

Nik - was the fuel tanker still on its side on the gata loop?

Just bits and pieces when i passed by. I think they must have salvaged what they can and scooted off.

 

[nikhuzlan]

Himalaya Ride. Day 6. Sarchu - Nakeela - LachalungLa - Pang - Tsokar


We woke up to a beautiful bright day, with light high level stratus covering part of the sky, the sunlight almost glittering on the distant snow covered
slopes of the many summits around us.
Our initial fears about the discomfort camping in tents unfounded. We still managed to elude the onset of altitude sickness. Everyone in high spirits, looking forward to today's ride.
We will leave Himachal Pradesh and continue on into Jammu Kashmir. The border between the two districts lies just a 10 minute ride away.


Two mountain passes awaits ahead, the Nakeela Pass ( 15,547ft ) , preceeded by the Gata Loops, and the LachulungLa Pass, the higher of the two at 16,616ft.
Roads today are 'good' meaning there will be sections of tarmac with the usual interruption by stony gravel tracks.


We plan for a 141km ride, giving ourselves 5 hours riding time.


Morning at Sonam Sarchu ADV Camp.









A quick check on Oxygen Level Content and Blood Presure reveals that everyone is in top form.



Chotu fussing over the bikes, making sure it works well at above 15,000ft.



Packing the support cars



The best part ; back on two wheels






The Border marking the end of Hichamal Pradesh and where Jammu Kashmir begins



Security Clearance Formalities. Our Guide does a seamless job getting us cleared into everywhere we wanted to go, seamlessly.






Back on our bikes, the road and scenery causes sensory overload









Chris wearing a wide smile in his helmet



Gata Loop. ( story and video on earlier post )






We took our time climbing Gata Loops, stopping at many places to stare in wonder as we saw an old mule track 'pasted' on the steep mountain sides.



The old unused trail. Quite unbelievable actually.






The distance signboard.



We ride towards Nakeela Pass.












Chris had a small tumble on one of the steep shortcuts between the loops, forgetting the wheezy Enfield is only pushing out 9 hp at that altitude.
Elliot, our Medic, went straight to work.






After some photos, we rode down to a Dhaba just 8km and 1,500ft below.









We left Nakeela Pass, the road descending to a valley about 1,000ft below.



We stopped at a Dhaba at Biskynala. This one offers 10 beds ( I counted ) and is run by yet another Nepalese family. This is indeed a welcome stop for many travellers as the next two Dhabas are at Pang, 35 kms North East or Bharatpur, 90kms due west towards Jispa.









From Biskynala the road climbs to another Pass, the LachulungLa ( 16,616ft) before descending into the Pang Valley.






LachulungLa sits 54kms from Sarchu



The descent into Pang Valley is gradual, a marked contrast from the steeper slopes we have grown accustomed to. Roads are pretty good and we made good speed.



As we got into the Valley, the road levels off at around 14,500 - 15,000ft.



The road seems to run along a river, which would have been very wide in the wetter period after winter as the snow melts. When we pass through the river was a mere stream.



I call this place the Gorilla Head Valley. Note the shape of the rock.






This valley is definitely carved by ths stream over millions of years, kinda like a mini Grand Canyon.



Rare distance marker alongside the road.



SP Lee taking photos.



Roads carved on steep mountainside









We regrouped again just before Pang



Onwards to Pang





















Pang






From Pang we climbed another 800ft to the More ( pronounced Morey ) plains. I rode off the track to get some pictures of mountain sheep grazing nearby.












The More Plains is flanked by two ridges of mountain on either sides. Its flat and has the straightest road i have ever encountered on this ride so far. Its unlikely I will see another road as straight on this trip. The tarmac seems newly laid, perhaps just a few months before we arrived.
Bruce taking opportunity testing the Enfield's top speed.






David



SP Lee



As we got closer to TsoKar the road turned gravel



The turn-off to Tso Kar Camp was unmarked, and only tyre tracks leading onto the distance gave us a clue hat this is indeed a road.
We stopped and regrouped to ensure no one misses the turnoff.






The camp and the lake in the distance












Dinner was already waiting for us as we checked-in.






We turned in early as it got windy and cold outside. Tomorrow we are all looking forward to staying in a Hotel in Leh, and also doing the Laundry as well as getting our electrical stuff charged.


It was yet another great ride today.

 

[KTMphil]

We counted 46 curries consecutively.

 

[nikhuzlan]

Food was pretty OK but choices limited. Lack of meat ( not beef, but chicken, mutton and fish ) was a bummer. I come from Malaysia where the variety of food is huge and its available 24hrs so I kinda felt the food part.
But its a great lerning process so better prepared next time.

 

[brake034]

A quick check on Oxygen Level Content and Blood Presure reveals that everyone is in top form.

Wauw, Nik do you know what this persons ambient height saturation (%SpO2) is? Normally below 93% at ambient height doctors will start oxygen treatment.
Normal people will have a 100 or 99% saturation so this looks like a 15-16% fall in saturation! Did you guys use Diamox at all?
Due to my lung issue I have an average 95-96% saturation, I guess this kind of travelling would be very hard on my lungs.

 

[nikhuzlan]

Some of us took Diamox, one tablet for every 24 hour period, taken half 12 hours apart.
The funny part is none, not one had any sign of AMS, not even remotely. We had an acclimatization schedule that must have worked ;
2 Nights at 6,500, 2 Nights at 10,500, 2 nights at 14,500, 2 night at 11,000, another at 15,000, followed by 2 more nights at 11,000ft.
We had portable O2 but no one required supplemental supply at all.
No one went below 80%, most were at 90%, and this was the lowest reading.
Oldest was Bruce at 70, Marge at 67, Chris at 60, while I'm 55.

Maybe we were lucky, maybe its the preparation and climb schedule, but, whatever it is, we just sailed through the whole thing.

 

[nikhuzlan]

Himalaya Ride. Day 7. Tso Kar - TanglangLa - Leh


We woke up to a beautiful morning. The cobalt blue skies was initially covered by wisps if stratus clouds, awaiting the heat of the sun to before dispersing. Today we all are looking forward to staying in a proper hotel room in Leh after two nights in tents.








Chotu as usual is busy taking care of the bikes.



Flo basking in the heat of the rising sun.



Getting ready to ride



We rode to TsoKar, a lake just 3 kilometers from our campsite. At 14,500, its 1,000ft higher than Mount Kinabalu, and twice the height of Gunung Tahan. Fed by two snow melt streams, flanked by two mountains taller than 19,000ft, the Thugjey and Gursan Peaks, the plains surrounding Tso Kar support a small community of Gulls, Terns and Cranes. Salt used to be collected from this brackish lake by Nomadic Tribes until the last decade. Mountain Goats and Yaks, belonging to the tribesmen are left grazing wild.
This place is a popular stop amongst Adventurers going to Leh, another 140km North West. Just off the Manali - Leh "Highway", the turnoff is unmarked and can be easily missed. The ride to the camp is all gravel, but the best kind, no rocks, no potholes, just naturally compacted sand for about 10km.





















After 30 minutes we turned back onto the plains and rode towards the 'Manali - Leh Highway'















We were on higher ground looking back at our campsite and saw our support car bringing the ladies to where the Yak were grazing.









We regrouped and continued






After an hour of riding up 3,000ft we reached TanglangLa, the 2nd highest Pass. From here its downhill all the way to Leh, another 120km away.


Chris






Bruce






Soon everyone arrived.



Time for some camwhoring at the Pass















A Monk setting up prayer flags at the Pass monument.



Heading downhill for Rumtse, our planned break stop for some refreshments.



The road down from TanglangLa was pristine, fresh tarmac hardly a month old, not a dip not bump on the road, the kind a Panigale rider will shed tears for. This road went on for 20kms and we made good time coasting downhill aided by the probably 10hp the Enfield engine is putting out at this altitude.















Saw this Mule train at the bottom of the mountain just 10kms from Rumtse









Onwards to Rumtse












Stopped by this stream for a picture



Rumtse is a Military Outpost. Nearby there are a number of Dhabas offering tea and snacks, along with dormitory type beds for travellers.















From Rumtse we ride along a Valley, following the river that feeds the Gangga at Karu. We saw a few small settlements, and some Stupas that looks at least 500 years old. Stunning rock formation, soil colors running riot, in various shades of brown to orange.




































Close to Upshi we found another Mule Train. Beautiful village though.












Upshi is a checkpoint that has a huge Military presence with a Camp just 3 kms away. We rode along a Camp perimeter that must have been at least 4kms, almost a quarter of the distance to Karu.






Onwards to Karu, our lunch break before Leh, our final leg of the day.






























Karu is about 35kms from Leh. After lunch we rode on a North-Westerly direction to Leh. The roads were excellent, with no gravel section whatsoever.


















15 involved just to put up a sign.



Thiksey Gompa.


From Wiki
Thikse Gompa or Thikse Monastery (also transliterated from Ladakhi as Tikse, Tiksey or Thiksey) (thiksok Nambar tak pe ling) is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Yellow Hat (Gelugpa) sect, located on top of a hill, approximately 19 kilometres east of Leh in Ladakh, India. It is noted for its resemblance to the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet and is the largest gompa in central Ladakh.
The monastery is located at an altitude of 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) in the Indus valley. It is a 12-storey complex and houses many items of Buddhist art such as stupas, statues, thangkas, wall paintings and swords. One of the main points of interest is the Maitreya (future ****) Temple which is installed to commemorate the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama to this monastery in 1970. A 15 metres (49 ft) high statue of Maitreya, the largest such statue in Ladakh, covering two storeys of the building is deified in the monastery. A nunnery is also part of the complex.








Leh ahead, just 15kms.












Our Hotel in Leh.



Dinner






Our Route Today

 

[KTMphil]

Interesting, China is blocking photobucket, none of the images show here.

 

[nikhuzlan]

Himalaya Ride 2013. Day 8. Leh - ChangLa - Pangong Tso


Today we ride to the magnificent Pangong Tso Lake, a 185km journey that will take us across the ChangLa Pass ( 17,586ft ) after which we descent onto the ChangTang Plateau ( 14,000ft ) to Tangtse then onwards to the lake.



Pangong means " Long, Narrow Lake of Enchantment " in Tibetan. The saltwater lake sits at just over 14,000ft, is 135km long and about 7km at its widest point. Surrounded by high mountain ranges all round it looks like a longish bowl that begins in India and stretches into China. The border is still in dispute, so getting there will require a permit from Leh. The road to Pangong is mostly good, however there are portions that are still without tarmac and we found a number of water crossings that makes the riding interesting. The climb up to ChangLa Pass is steep and about 10km from the top the tarmac gives way to a gravel pebble strewn roadway. The ride down from the summit is also similar, with tarmac making an appearance after another 12 kms.


An Inner Line Permit must be obtained from Leh, to be presented at Tangtse, a checkpoint about 50km from the Lake. Only semi-permanent / seasonal accommodation is available, all in the form of tents with attached toilets. These tent complex are set just a few meters from the Lake Shore.


Departing the Hotel, we filled up for the 370km round trip. There is no fuel available for the whole length of this journey.



The road to Pangong Tso takes us to Karu, about 35km from Leh.



We rode along the same road on our way to Leh yesterday when we came from Tso Kar. A repeat along the same road was welcome, giving us another chance to see the numerous Stupas and Monestaries.









The Himalaya Range is still growing at the rate of 5mm per year. Apparently, Geologists attribute this to the collision of the Indian Sub-Continent with Asia, pushing the mountains up. They also believe that this will only stop 20 million years from now.
I have no reason to doubt them as evidence of 'Fold' Mountains are everywhere. Three pictures below shows the uplifting forces pushing up layers of rocky sediments to acute angles forming mountains from previously flat land that was below sea level.






Bruce having a moment of 'indiscipline' just for the camera.



Khem near Chemrey.



The climb to ChangLa Pass ( 17,586ft ) starts gradually from 11,000ft. The climb is made gradual to allow for underpowered lorries to use the pass. This means the road zig-zags along the steep slopes. The road is narrow, most of the time only 1 1/2 lanes wide that tightens up to just one lane at many points. The horn on my bike becomes a lifesaver.



The numerous amusing roadsigns keeps us entertained.



Shakti Valley.



This is the only area of greenery that we will see throughout the journey to and from Pangong. Tangtse on the other side of the Pass has some greenery, even a few trees exceeding 10 feet, but its was just small patches. The residents of Shakti Valley diverted man snow melt streams for agricultural use.





Remarkable place. Picture time.









We rode on, with ChangLa still ahead.



Mountain sheep seems comfortable grazing on steep slopes.



The road in the background zig zagging on the sides of the steep slopes makes for shallow climb angle, but adds tremendous distance to the ride.



A checkpoint that seems uninterested in us so we did not even stop.



More pics of the ride up






Rockfalls and landslides are common. Ths boulder probably just rolled down a few minutes ago.












Just 4kms from ChangLa we found this stupa, built in honor of a Monk named Chang. The Pass borrows his name.



ChangLa Pass.



Plenty of Military movement. Pangong Tso Lake is still in dispute.



The Pass is guarded by the Indian Army. They also have a teahouse wher complimentary tea is served. Great people.









Hot Tea at 17,700ft is just the thing to do.



Our mechanic stands guard as we had our refreshments.



ChangLa Pass. 17,586ft / 5360m



Con't

 

[KTMphil]

Looks like you had just as much fun as we did, the buffets, look remarkably the same (im not eating Indian food again unless i have too in 2013).

 

[nikhuzlan]

Looks like you had just as much fun as we did, the buffets, look remarkably the same (im not eating Indian food again unless i have too in 2013).

Phil, food will be something that will be better organised the next time I ride there in 2014. On this trip we were fortunate because Gerry my wife brought Maggi Mee from Malaysia, we have something familiar when the going got 'tough'. A few days without meat, fresh vegetable and seafood is tough.
Indian food in India is not quite like Indian food in Malaysia.
But then, I'm fussy coming from Kuala Lumpur where we can get reasonably priced good food of any flavor 24/7.