The next day instead of taking the Leh-Manali road to reach Delhi, we decided to take the Leh- Srinagar road. Basically because the roads are much better on this stretch and over and above we wanted to explore some more places. But there was a setback we all dreaded, one of our members had a spill and injured his back. Luckily however, it wasn't bad.

Instead of taking chances we convinced him to take a flight back to Mumbai while we booked his Bullet with a transport agent in Leh, who would deliver it to Delhi from where the other 60kph members would send it onwards to Mumbai.

It was really sad and moving to see one of our members, one who had been riding with us from the beginning of the expedition leaving us halfway. But then, such is life.

The next day we started for Kargil. Halfway on the route we were informed by the army that we couldn't cross Zozi - La pass as it was closed, so instead of Kargil, we decided to stay at Lamayuru. Lamayuru is a small village on a hilltop, with Lamayuru monastery dominating the landscape.

A relaxed start next day as we didn't have to cover much ground; we had to reach Drass, from where we had to start at 2 a.m. for Srinagar. Zoji - La pass can only take one way traffic, so up movement starts from Drass at 2 a.m.

Drass, being the second coldest inhabited place in the world was freezing cold at 2 a.m. Literally in their hundreds, trucks lined up before the pass greeted us early in the morning. Finally we made it to Zoji - La pass, it would be the last pass of our ride.

A 60kph tradition, we all climbed up on the milestone of the pass to click one last snap at high altitude.

We were now in the famous vale of Kashmir, once a paradise for tourists but now a place where guns and bombs spread terror and dread

Sonmarg, known as meadows of Gold was the first place where we saw green in abundance after riding through the cold deserts of Ladakh. Sonmarg lies on the route to Amarnath, which is a famed religious pilgrimage and considering that it was season for the annual Amarnath Yatra, it was crowded with thousands of devotees and tourists.

It was a similar situation at Srinagar, people everywhere, guides and touts (starved of tourists) calling out to us and peddling their wares.

And yes, the blaring horns seemed to say, " Welcome back to city life".

A comfortable stay at a houseboat on the famed Dal lake and then we were reliving the trip experiences with fellow Bulleteers from the Rolling Thunder Motorcycling Club in Banglore whom we had also met in Leh.

After all the inclines and dirt roads and loops, after all the challenges of having to live with the most basic of facilities, Kashmir to Mumbai - 2,300 kilometers of straight roads with all the facilities in the world was almost mundane and boring.

As the saying at 60kph goes, "One can never come back from a ride". After Mountain Tamers I realise how true words can be at times. I am physically here in Bombay, but memories of the ride are cherished everyday. While I continue to suffer from Low Altitude Sickness and the challenges of riding in city traffic and surviving the city's rich facilities.

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