20th Oct 2019

On my previous ride “Long Way Round”, I finished my packing completely only two hours before the ride. I had an hour of sleep after that and rode for the first hour with eyes half-open. I ended up taking a nap in a dhaba after a mere 60 kilometres. 

This time, my packing and preparations were complete well in advance. By that, I mean 5 hours before my departure! Well, I wasn’t getting on a motorcycle straight away so I put that time to the best of use, by spending it with those I wouldn’t see for the next 120+ days, my family. The sadder part of going away from home for such a long time was leaving my babies behind, Snoofy is a 13-year-old Indie and Duke, a 6-year-old Lab.

The clock hit 3 a.m and my closest friends, my biker boys, Battalion Bikers came home to escort me to the airport. I bid farewell to Snoofy and Duke and got in the car with my brother Chandu and friends Mohit and Jeet. My parents along with my sister Sangeetha and brother-in-law Kiran followed us in his sedan. I stay in the north of Bangalore right next to the airport road and that 40-kilometre highway drive at night is one of my most favourite. With my hand outside the passenger window surfing the wind, my eyes wandered far beyond the dark horizon. This ride is one of my life’s biggest dreams. The beginning of a new phase in my life and I looked up at the sky and thanked the stars for making it come true.

I bid goodbye to my family and friends, my loved ones and walked into Kempegowda International Airport. I boarded my flight to Delhi on which I passed out for the length of the journey and was then transferred to the flight to Leh city which was a short one – hour flight. After taking off, as I looked through the windowpane, I could see the mighty Himalayas, waiting for me. This sight got my heartbeat racing. The flight touched down at Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport at 11 a.m. It was 7°C with the sun shining bright and I boarded a taxi to Shanti Guesthouse where I would be staying for the next 3 nights.

After a four hour nap, I wandered along, the almost empty Shanti Stupa road singing “Yuhi chala chal rahi”. and “Yuhi chalke” and I ended up reaching Leh market. Since this was my first time in high altitudes (the city is at an altitude of 11,562 ft), I struggled to walk those few kilometres to the market. I found a neat little Cafe named Rabsal Cafe and sipped on a Cappuccino to warm myself up as I waited to meet an old friend Rajendra in the market, whom I dearly addressed as Sir. I met Rajendra sir two years ago on Long Way Round in Delhi and we stayed in touch ever since. That is what travelling does to two people right? Binds them together for a lifetime over a single meet. This time, I was honoured to meet along with him, his wife Harminder Kaur Ji. After three hours of ‘Travel talks,’ I retired to my hotel and bed with my heart still racing due to the excitement.

Day 2 – Exploring Leh City 

The October temperature in Leh City during daytime hovers around 7°C – 10°C and at night it drops to a few degrees below zero. Having good warm gear is pivotal to getting a good night’s sleep and waking up fresh the next day. I had on, both my thermal fleece liner and jacket along with thermal pants. And jumped into my sleeping bag which ensured I woke up fresh to admire the mountains through the window in front of my bed.

I began my walk back to the market gleaming with joy like a little kid. For, I was on my way to pick up my ride for the next nine days in Ladakh! The market, unlike the previous evening, was full of colour and life. I enjoyed a cup of tea in the German Cafe before meeting Arnab who had arranged the Royal Enfield for me. It was a matte black Classic 500. I took it for a short spin and satisfied, I paid my advance for the rental. I was warned though, that due to the cold climate the battery had become weak and that I’d have to kick start the bike every morning. As a person who’s owned only a KTM all my life, riding a RE was going to be an interesting experience. 

I thumped my way from the market to the Shanti Stupa that lay on top of a hill in Chanspa. It was built in 1991 by a Japanese monk Gyomyo Nakamura. It overlooks the entire city of which it provides a mesmerizing panoramic view along with that of the mountains beyond and all around. 

Day 3  – Getting my Ride and Travelling to Lamayuru

I woke up with the same freshness to look at the same beautiful mountains with more awe, only to find an interesting addition in the scenery – the Royal Enfield. I’m a sucker for anything black and her look stole my heart. I decided to name her Ebony. The plan for the day was to ride to Lamayuru which was 115 kilometres away. A journey which I began by learning how to kick start a cold motorcycle! Honestly, with the altitude, I struggled for a good 15 minutes before the owner of the hotel decided to end the struggle by lending a hand.

Among the many things about Ladakh that get people drooling, the one that I drooled over was the arrow-straight section of the Leh – Kargil road. It’s not about blasting the bike at full power but the joy of having a view that spanned for miles! And the beauty wouldn’t end there. Each turn brought with it a new wonder. I couldn’t resist stopping every few kilometres to take my camera out and I couldn’t resist going off the road and getting on bridges to click pictures. And with my never-ending photo breaks, the 2.5-hour journey went on for 4.5 hours.

Just before I reached Lamayuru, I saw the strangest landscape. It seemed like the set of a Hollywood sci-fi film and was aptly named Moonland. It had several shades of brown where Khaki was the most prominent. The shape although, is a lot harder to describe which would be better left at the hands of the pictures to do. From there, Lamayuru was a stone’s throw away. There was only one hotel open in the town, the one right next to the monastery. I explored my options and chose the corner room on the first floor which gave a beautiful view of the valley below. 

The Gompa (Monastery) at Lamayuru was built in the 11th century and is one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh. When I saw it for the first time, I had no problem believing that. It looks the part with the paint faded in most places or even chipped off, bricks have fallen off in places and some crumbled structures. At first sight, I thought it was abandoned until I saw a monk walk in. I took a stroll around the monastery and with shivering hands (it was really cold that day) I followed the path the monk had taken. He was performing the last prayer of the day in the prayer room and with the permission of another monk, perhaps his disciple, I walked in and had a seat on the warm wooden floor of the cold dark room. I believe the prayer was in Tibetan as it is a Tibetan monastery, and although I could not understand a single word, it’s power was felt. I sat there for an entire hour with absolute silence lost in the prayer.

After a while, a devotee walked in carrying a traditional painted glass flask with hot tea and some biscuits. The monk took a break from the prayer and sipping on his tea asked me if I wanted some. My answer was an obvious yes. I had my tea quietly as the monk got back to his prayer. I waited for half an hour more till the prayer was complete and asked the monk if I could take his picture. He told me his name was Konchok Sundous and I figured he was the head priest (Abbott) of the Gompa. After the prayer, he was courteous enough to give me a small tour of the monastery. And as the sun went down he walked back to his house and I stayed back (shivering to the winds) to gaze at the beautiful orange – black clouds spawning at the end of the horizon laughing at my earlier assumption that the temple was abandoned. 

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The post Overlanding in the Himalayas #3: The Journey Begins-Arriving in Leh City (Day 1-Day 3) appeared first on Roadtales.

The PLAN for North India Motorcycle Tours:

Although the initial plan was to start the ride in August, the planning and execution pushed it all the way to October. I had wished to ride to Leh on my El Poderosa (Èsp: The Mighty One), my 2012 Duke 200, but the roads to Leh were just about to close. I could ride in but if it snowed hard I would get stuck there. Well, I could fly out but the bike would be stuck there till the roads opened next summer. That would make me rush through Ladakh and after waiting for so many years to ride there, that wasn’t something I wanted!

The plan then became to fly into Leh for the first ten days of the ride and then fly down to Delhi where my bike will be shipped along with all my luggage and then head to Spiti, Himachal Pradesh for the second leg of the ride. Bhutan would be the third leg.

My group – Battalion Bikers, the one with which I learnt how to ride a motorcycle, the one because of which I got a purpose to live is one, of the most important aspects of my life. We have a tradition of riding to India Bike Week that happens in Goa every year in December. So to be with them and keep the tradition going, I will be riding down to Goa for the beginning of the fourth leg to spend a few days with them and slowly make my way back up north to Rajasthan and finish the fourth leg of the ride, the only non – Himalayan leg.

I’ll be making my way to Delhi for the new years and heading to Nepal for the fifth leg then exit at Siliguri and begin the sixth leg, the longest leg (about 45 days) in the northeast! With the end of the sixth leg, I will have covered all 28 states of India and 2 other countries – Nepal and Bhutan.

Apart from the Goa – Rajasthan leg, all the other legs will be my first-time visit. And since they’re all in the Himalayas I am super excited for them! Ladakh! A dream for such a long time would be realized in just a few weeks! I am so ecstatic that I can hardly shut my eyes at night!

With all planning sorted the date was set – Oct 20th and the flights booked! Now it’s time to get the preparations in order!

Recommended Story – WELCOME TO THE HIMALAYAN EXPEDITION

The Preparation for North India Bike Riding:

MIND

The first and the most important preparation in any long ride is mental preparation. To be ready for breakdowns, setbacks, delays, crashes, injuries, homesickness (I don’t get homesick though, I love the road too much!) and anything that can make me want to close up and head back home.

BODY

Then it’s the physical preparations. Riding long distance and every day is not easy. There’s a big toll on the body – the neck, shoulders and especially the back. To add to that I have a bad knee. The physical state, mainly flexibility of the muscles determines how comfortable the ride can be and also to an extent determines the success of the ride. I had a good routine of running and practised yoga to keep the body fit and flexible.

MOTORCYCLE

The next is preparing the bike for such a ride. The most pivotal is engine health, especially since my bike is 126,000 kilometres old. The piston-cylinder kit is quite new, but the headset had done it’s time and needed replacing. Then it’s the usual chain health, cooling system, clutch plates, fueling system, electronics and safety and luggage accessories and tyres.

For safety I have the Bark buster hand guards which last as long as the bike will and crash guards by Zana motorcycles that I’ve been using since my previous ride. I also have their saddle stays and tail rack for luggage, a radiator grill to keep the radiator safe from stones flung by the front tyre, a handlebar riser for a more upright riding position which means more comfort and a GPS mount bar for mounting a GoPro and a phone holder. I got an Easy Clutch by Prosepc performance parts which on first impression is superb. It makes the clutch at least 3 times lighter and is a great comfort mod.

In the electronics department, I got a new wiring harness last year as the previous one had cuts and tapes all over. I got a new set of LED lights by Mad Dog Scout LED’s and paired them with my existing Nilight spotlights. I used the wiring harness and waterproof switches by Mad Dog as it makes it so much safer and reliable against dust, water and temperatures. I have a set of Hella sharp tone horns for the last 3 years, they’re quite reliable and has a strong sound. This is important on Indian roads. I ALWAYS use navigation when on the road, so having a charger is really important. The Indian brands are quite expensive, so I got a generic dual port fast charger from Ali Express for 500 bucks!

It’s important to have a mechanic who you trust, to do all the work for you and for me it was Thomson Richards who runs APT bike point in Bangalore. He’s a long-time friend and since the time I met him, he’s the only one who’s allowed to work on my bike.

The last prep for the bike is for the tyres. When you’re riding only on-road almost any road tyre will do the job. I’ve always preferred the Michelin Pilot Street radial. Since I’m heading to the higher Himalayas, I need a dual purpose tyre to handle the dirt, gravel, sand, slush and snow there and also give me speed and stability when on the highways. My choice was the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres which I picked up from tyremarket.com. It helps that they have the widest range of tyres to choose from. All the way from Michelins to Pirelli’s to Metz to Ceat… ahh! the list is never-ending. And the Pirelli’s are really the best choice as their road grip is far better than most road tyres.

LUGGAGE

Carrying spare parts is pivotal on any long ride. It adds weight, yes, but I’d rather have them and not need them than need them and not have them and waste time and money later to source them. In general, I carry at least 2 litres of engine oil, I prefer Motul 300V, oil filters, fuel filters, air filters, 1 litre of Coolant, 1 extra clutch and accelerator cable, extra spark plugs, front and rear brake pads, engine gaskets, Gasket glues, a surplus of nuts and bolts, 2 front sprockets, engine drain bolt, gear Shifter arm, fork seals, a whole set of oil seals and o rings, front and rear wheel bearings, 2 sets of Fuses, a cone set, a clutch cam, gear and brake pedals and a stator coil. All the things that I would need and wouldn’t be able to find easily when needed.

Well, these spare parts don’t fit by hand so I carry a host of tools with me. Always. Like a Stanley multi-tool, a wire cutter, a nose plier, a complete set of open and ring spanners, Loctite, Allen keys, an air pressure gauge, a screwdriver and a Stanley 1/4 drive socket set. I have also stocked emergency tools like a 4T tow rope, a generic puncture kit, a Resqtech air compressor, a standard medical kit, cable ties, electrical tape, electrical wire, M seal, JB weld, Feviquick and double-sided tape. Chain maintenance is taken care by a Bluebird Moto Jack that I picked up from Amazon and Tribocor chain cleaner and lube with a generic three-sided chain cleaner brush. For safety of the bike when off it, I’ve bought a cheap bike cover from Amazon and a good quality disc lock.

As a mechanical engineer I’ve always liked working on bikes, and I’ve been doing that for quite some time. But I needed more knowledge, so before I started I got training on advanced bike repair and maintenance by my dear buddy Thomson.

This ride is an Overlanding ride. Overlanding is a self reliant form of travel where the journey is the primary goal. It involves camping for the most part. Being a biker for most of my adult life, I hadn’t ventured into camping, hence didn’t have any camping equipment of my own. To keep my budget down, I decided to rent from a company called X – Dog trekking in Bangalore a 3 person Quechua tent, a -8 degree Himalayan Tribe sleeping bag, an air mattress which would double as my yoga mat and an air pillow. For cooking, I am carrying a generic stove which costs about Rs. 1,700 and a couple of 500 ml cans of butane which cost about Rs. 250. I am carrying 30 meals of ready to eat/cook meals from a Bangalore based company called Express Feast. I’ve used them before on my Long Way Round and back with them for the cost, the taste and the ease of preparation. I have sent an additional 30 packets to Delhi and will replenish my stock when I run out. I use an aluminium vessel to cook and eat my meals, along with a steel mug, an LED light, a head torch and a solid knife (this doubles as protection!).

Creating content is a thing I love. The main camera for the ride is the highly capable One Plus 7t and the secondary camera is my old LG V30. The phones each carry 256 GB and 128 GB storage respectively. I got a GoPro Hero 7 Black just for this ride. Storage is handled by 2 x 128GB, 1 x 64GB and 1 x 32GB SD cards. In my previous ride, I’d found that this wouldn’t be enough, so I’m carrying a safer and more reliable 1 TB SanDisk SSD and a backup for that a 2 TB Seagate HDD. To transfer the date from the cards and the phones I’m carrying my 5 year old HP laptop. A 20000 MAH MI power bank for power on the go and a Telesin 3 Gopro battery charger which doubles as an SD cardholder. For the GoPro, I’m carrying a whole host of mounts and a set of ND filters.

This may make me seem like a heavy packer. I am and I’m not. I pack only 4 t-shirts, 1 shirt, 1 pair of shorts, 1 pair of tracks, 2 sets of Klim riding inners, a – 5 deg warm sweater, a – 5 deg warm pant, a pair of warm gloves, 5 pairs of inners and that’s it. It’s going to be super cold in all the places I’m visiting, and the warm gear is crucial for completing the ride. For added warmth, I’m stocking 15 packets of Warmee, which are self-heating warmers made by “Warmee” in Mumbai and last for about 10 hours per packet. I’ve used them before on long Way Round and knowing that they work, they’re back in my pack.

There’s only one luggage manufacturer that I trust with my luggage and that’s Dirtsack. I’ve put their products to hell during Long Way Round and I’m using the 50L LongRanger Pro WP saddlebags, a 50L Frogman dry bag and the WP Boomerang tank bag for this ride. The ton of stuff mentioned above all go into the bags logged and in order, except the tent and mattress which are mounted on to the bags.

SAFETY ON THE ROAD

Riding gears are the next important thing on the list and I’m going with Solace Furious V2 jacket which has L2 armours on the elbows, shoulders and back and L1 armours on the chest and Solace Tourjet Pro pants with L2 armours on the knees and hips. Both the jacket and pants have Cordura 1000D abrasion-resistant fabric on high impact areas. I’m been using the Cortech Latigo air boots for almost 4 years now and they’re pretty worn out, so I’ve ordered for one of the best ADV boots by Sidi, their Adventure 2 Goretex. Which I hope, reaches me in time. I’m getting two sets of armoured gloves, one for dry and the other for wet riding conditions by Let’s Gear up in Bangalore who I’ve known for ages. The dry one is the full gauntlet gloves by Viaterra and the Bikeratti waterproof gloves. I’m carrying my 4-year-old HJC CL – 17 helmet for one last long haul. I also never leave behind a tinted visor for day time riding.

ROUTE

I don’t prefer planning every day in advance and like to go with the flow. So the route planning is always a skeleton and I add the details in as I ride.

SKILL

This brings me to the last part of the preparation – training. Off-road training. I’m entering Ladakh and Spiti at a time when it almost always snows and since I haven’t ridden in the snow till now, I can’t afford to go in unprepared and get stuck. I approached Tribal Adventure Cafe in Bangalore run by Sanjay, an INRC champion for my training which was focused on slush, as riding in slush is very similar to riding in the snow. With 6 hours of gruelling and sweaty training by Sanjay and his protégé Deepak, my preparation was complete.

With bags packed and bike shipped to Delhi it’s now time to fly to Leh!

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