The real beauty and might of the Himalayas reveals itself after Manali. 50 kilometers from Manali is Rothang pass at 3978 mts. Rothang itself is a famous destination for the adventurous among tourists and weekenders. So, these days one gets a chance to have breakfast at that high altitude standing by the black mist caused by the pollution of diesel vehicles.

This mess however clears up after Rothang with a steady decline until Koksar, from where the plains begin. With snowcapped peaks & gushing waterfalls as a backdrop lie small villages along the riverside.

From here onwards, the vegetation decreases, hinting at the desolateness of the region ahead. We also passed the last phone booth for 385 Kms. at Keylong, the last petrol depot for 365 Kms. at Tandi, reaching Darcha. Now, we were finally on our own; out of contact from the rest of the world for two whole days.

Darcha looks lovely in early morning with the surrounding peaks shining with an orange glow
reflected from their snow clad heights.

40 kilometers ahead on the odometer, we were at the Baralacha-La pass at 5866 mts. Here, passing Army trucks offered us tea, an offer we couldn't refuse - a moment of intense pride.

After half an hour at Baralacha-La, we encountered an enemy that can't be seen but can only be experienced, High Altitude Sickness. Apart from the pitfalls of coping with high altitude, we also had to deal with innumerable streams. Running free with freezing cold waters formed by melting snow from the snowcapped peaks above. The combined forces of nature was making progress snail-like and sapping our energies, so we stopped at Saarchu after only 90 kilometers. It was the smallest, yet one of the toughest rides of my life. All of us were suffering from headaches, feeling nauseated and very lethargic.

Camping in a makeshift tent hotel put up by locals, watching everybody wrapped up in blankets I realized the fragility of life; living in the city where everything is at your fingertips, it is a revelation to experience the helplessness one feels in situations like this. Yet there was no regret, just the novelty of viewing life from a different perspective.

Next day, we were ready early in the morning, though it was way too cold to start riding, but we were determined to make up for the time lost. So we started, with frost on the bikes and shoes . It is here at a bridge on the river Malung, that the state of Jammu and Kashmir starts and Himachal Pradesh ends. Not that there are any of the welcome signs that one sees in the rest of the country though!
Soon we were at Gatta loops, an amazing ride through 21 steep loops, which takes one to the height of 15,302 feet. Just after Gatta loops, we were at our 4th and 5th passes, Naki-La and Lachlung-La. The ride was getting interesting with the Himalayas offering a different view at each turn. But the real treat was yet to come and the signboard saying - "MORE PLAINS - ENJOY THE NATURE WHILE DRIVING" seemed to put what was in store for the senses, quite aptly.

40 kilometers of straight stretches after riding on mountainous terrain for the past few days finally allowed all of us to drink in the grandeur of the Himalayas, unimpeded. I had a hard time deciding which way to look, front, back or to the sides, More plains seemed like a deserving gift after a very tough day's riding the day before.

But a signboard saying "Tanglang-La - 38 KMS." got us all charged up again. After all, it is the second highest motorable pass in the world and we were bikers!

It was an uphill ride once again with roads worsening and all throughout one could see the Border Roads Organization workers mending the roads. The last few kilometers before the pass were through numbing cold and even top of the line gloves were not worth the money.

A quick stop at the pass and we all descended passing through ice walls on both sides, a freezing ride indeed. At Rumtse after some hot tea and we were off to Leh, relieved by the knowledge that the roads ahead were all across plain stretches.

After Rumtse, Ladakh seems to blossom up with life. With the mighty Himalayan peaks still in the backdrop, exotically named villages like Sasoma, Guya, Latu, Miru and many others pop up parallel to the Sindhu River.

This stretch had some of the interludes that make riding through India a glorious affair. Kids rushing out from hilltops and houses, flashing their hands forward for the rider to give them a clap, the babel of unknown tongues, the colour of rustic dwellings and literally a hundred and one discoveries every minute.

30 kilometers from Rumtse, one gets the first sight of Indus River in the Ladakh valley, it is here that we picked up a word, "Julley". An all purpose greeting in Ladakh meaning hello, good bye and thanks.

A brief stop to watch the sun set from Thiksey monastery and hey, WE ARE IN LEH!

11 days, 2,500 kilometers from Mumbai, through the deserts of Rajasthan, through inhospitable passes, through numbing cold and treacherous terrain. And we still had 21 days of riding ahead of us.

Next...
After Rajasthan, here again we saw sand dunes, even though we knew that Ladakh is a cold desert, it was strange to see sand dunes after snow-capped mountains...(read on)


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