I woke up to the mooing of cows in my warm tent, which was getting hot by the minute as the sun shined bright and hot at 7.30 AM. I thought the cows had entered the campsite and the fear of one of them crashing into my tent was annoying me. I first peeped out in a jiffy, only to see the cows grazing happily on a piece of land beside the campsite that was separated by a fence.
After a sigh of relief, I got out and was stunned by the early morning view of the mountains. I thought I’ll have breakfast on the way but then wasted a lot of time speaking to Sandeep and Shilpa. I also wished to take a nice dump in the ‘tent loo’. I did, It was a very smart and innovative concept of shitting! I realised that I had taken off almost every piece of luggage from the Duke.
I was riding to Sarchu that day and knew I’d be camping in Sarchu, so I shuffled my luggage in such a way where I needed to take off only one bag from a Pannier that contained the essential things I needed for a night. Folding the tent, shuffling luggage and packing took time but all was well packed as per my expectations and settings. By the time all was in place, it was 11.15 AM. After a quick photo session, I fired the Duke up. Sandeep and Shilpa said they would meet me the next day in Sarchu. I thanked Regzin, the campsite manager for his help, paid the dues and sodded off. It was high time I ate something. I don’t usually skip breakfast on rides but a proper breakfast beats a few nuts any day. Since Darcha was 10 kms away, I stopped at the checkpost there and had breakfast in a dhabha belonging to a lady who had guided me with local information near Keylong.
I was done with breakfast by 12.30, or should I say brunch and bought a few chocolates for the ride. A few kilometres after Darcha, the lone surviving BSNL Network too died. So I kept my parents updated about my whereabouts in Darcha itself and told them I would mostly be reaching out to them in a day or two through an army camp or after reaching LEH town, where I would get BSNL network. I find it a bit weird to not be in touch with family, but had to bear it only this time.
Even at 1 PM, the views were so crisp without the presence of harsh light that they looked spectacular. Special thanks to the white clouds that made the light even better. Fortunately, I hadn’t witnessed dark clouds in the region yet and hoped that it would continue to remain the same. The roads were a mix of tar and mud but it was mostly broken road that made it looked muddy. There were two to three stream crossings that I encountered on the way but they were manageable since the force of the water was moderate. In about half an hour, I reached Deepak Taal, a ‘Blue colored’ lake formed by melted glaciers from Patsio. The sight was beyond anything that I had seen, extremely pretty and energizing.
I took some underwater shots with my phone, thanks to Rynox’s waterproof mount. There was a Dhabha and some tent accommodations beside the lake too which seemed tempting to stay for the night but this time, I felt I had to get going. I got some pictures of myself clicked by other tourists and continued the ride with the same amount of excitement. The advantage not researching about these beautiful places in advance was pretty high, else I feel it would’ve spoiled the excitement. I didn’t even know that a lake like Deepak Taal existed until I saw it! After I rode some more with repeated picture halts in between, the climb towards Baralacha La initiated. The mountain pass lies at an altitude of around 16000 feet above sea level that connects Himachal Pradesh (Lahaul and Spiti) region to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
I felt no drop in oxygen, although I kept pressing the acupuncture lung points every time I was reminded of it. The ascent wasn’t very steep but was similar to climbing up any other hill station. The difference lay in the views though, the horizon in almost any direction, was filled with snow covered mountain peaks! I encountered another ‘Blue Lake’ on the way called Vishaal Taal. It was way below my altitude but from far, it looked gorgeous, especially with all the spots of snow that lay on the mountains around. It looked like a blue jewel from far, the kind of place a saint would prefer to visit. I did get the thought of going off road, riding down from a place where the descent was gradual and checking the lake out from a closer distance but the tyres on my Duke were street tyres so I was a little concerned about getting stuck. I was riding solo too, another reason I didn’t intend on taking any chances. There’s always a next time to experiment some things.
Baralacha La Pass signpost arrived within a few kilometers. I was very happy to see snow around, even though ‘snow purists’ consider that to be very little. The temperature at the pass was moderate too, I was wearing my riding gear with a t-shirt and underwear inside and didn’t require further insulation. I was extremely happy to not see Royal Enfield riders and other vehicles around. In fact, I couldn’t even sight a single vehicle for quite some time. Perhaps, the delayed departure from Jispa helped. The crowd usually leaves early in Ladakh, preferably before 8 AM whereas I started my ride at 11.30!
After a short photo session, I continued slowly and merrily. The descent too began immediately and I found myself closer to snow. Melting of snow was a common sight too due to which, there were approximately three to four stream crossings. One of the streams was had an aggressive flow where I gave some aggressive throttle input to get out. About 6 hairpins turns is what it took to descend from Baralacha La to 12,500 feet.
The last 20 kilometers to Sarchu were awful in terms of road quality. Covered with hard rocks, plenty of sharp bumps and sudden irregularities on the surface meant that the Duke’s suspension got enough battering. At many instances, I had to stand up and ride to spare myself and the motorcycle. The shape and color of the terrain changed though, there was less and less of greenery and the large brown rocks seemed like they were from mars. I stopped for a short chocolate break and admired the mountain pass behind me. The road evened out again and I began to encounter tents around, a sign that Sarchu was near. At 5.15 PM, I signed on the Sarchu police check post’s register and entered the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
I rode through the dhaba alley, looking for a camp site to pitch my tent and chill. The last campsite of Sarchu was what I rode into and asked permission to pitch my tent. The owner agreed and my tent was ready in exactly 5 minutes. Sarchu is an extremely windy place, as a result, I had to nail the tent to the ground. I enquired about food first since there was a comon kitchen at the campsite. The owner replied rather rudely saying he didn’t have anything, not even tea so I had to wait until 9 PM for Dinner. He suggested that I rode back to the dhabha and ate something there. Since I didn’t sense something right, I folded my tent temporarily and shoved it into the pannier, packed some stuff in a way I could ride for 500 metres and rode off to the dhabha from there. That campsite owner was clearly in a bad mood so it was wise to leave. The tent was then pitched next to the last dhabha from where I would order food.
Since I had to nail the tent the second time, I lost quite a lot of energy in the process. I ordered a Paratha and set everything inside the tent. I loved the beds inside the dhabha, they were neatly aligned but I had pitched my tent by then. Nevertheless, I had the paratha, regained energy and spoke to some riders in the Dhabha beside. They were from the UK and had bought Royal Enfields here for a ride to Spiti. Our conversations actually got pretty long until it turned dark outside. I asked the owner of the Dhabha, a lady, to provide Dal chawal and Sabji for dinner at 9 PM. She was kind enough to deliver it to my tent while I got some peace time inside. The wind was strong indeed and it had got cold, could've been 10 degrees outside, the inner thermals were just enough to wear.
While I had the dal chawal hot, I felt as though my bums were wet. When I felt them, they were. I hadn't closed the bite valve of my hydration bag properly and as s a result, a lot of water leaked into the tent, wetting some part of my luggage, sleeping bag and thermal liners. Damn! That wasn't something I asked for, I needed to sleep ASAP!I immediately switched to another thermal liner, picked my sleeping bag up and moved into the dhabha. Thank god, I pitched my tent beside the dhabha and not some place far away. The sleeping bag dried after a while as I had the rest of my dinner. The dhabha lady laughed at me for pitching a tent when there was enough room to sleep in her dhabha. She was right. I then got all the important stuff from my wet tent and called it a night in Sarchu. Thankfully , I was to stay in Sarchu the next day, that would give me enough time to dry my gear and luggage! It is such instances in an adventure that make it more memorable and make you laugh while you recollect them. :)
Part One- Motorcycle Diaries- A Journey To Ladakh (Keylong- Jispa)
Final Part- Motorcycle Diaries- A Journey To Ladakh (Sarchu- Leh)
By: Ssaajan Manoj Jogia
After a sigh of relief, I got out and was stunned by the early morning view of the mountains. I thought I’ll have breakfast on the way but then wasted a lot of time speaking to Sandeep and Shilpa. I also wished to take a nice dump in the ‘tent loo’. I did, It was a very smart and innovative concept of shitting! I realised that I had taken off almost every piece of luggage from the Duke.
I was riding to Sarchu that day and knew I’d be camping in Sarchu, so I shuffled my luggage in such a way where I needed to take off only one bag from a Pannier that contained the essential things I needed for a night. Folding the tent, shuffling luggage and packing took time but all was well packed as per my expectations and settings. By the time all was in place, it was 11.15 AM. After a quick photo session, I fired the Duke up. Sandeep and Shilpa said they would meet me the next day in Sarchu. I thanked Regzin, the campsite manager for his help, paid the dues and sodded off. It was high time I ate something. I don’t usually skip breakfast on rides but a proper breakfast beats a few nuts any day. Since Darcha was 10 kms away, I stopped at the checkpost there and had breakfast in a dhabha belonging to a lady who had guided me with local information near Keylong.
I was done with breakfast by 12.30, or should I say brunch and bought a few chocolates for the ride. A few kilometres after Darcha, the lone surviving BSNL Network too died. So I kept my parents updated about my whereabouts in Darcha itself and told them I would mostly be reaching out to them in a day or two through an army camp or after reaching LEH town, where I would get BSNL network. I find it a bit weird to not be in touch with family, but had to bear it only this time.
Even at 1 PM, the views were so crisp without the presence of harsh light that they looked spectacular. Special thanks to the white clouds that made the light even better. Fortunately, I hadn’t witnessed dark clouds in the region yet and hoped that it would continue to remain the same. The roads were a mix of tar and mud but it was mostly broken road that made it looked muddy. There were two to three stream crossings that I encountered on the way but they were manageable since the force of the water was moderate. In about half an hour, I reached Deepak Taal, a ‘Blue colored’ lake formed by melted glaciers from Patsio. The sight was beyond anything that I had seen, extremely pretty and energizing.
I took some underwater shots with my phone, thanks to Rynox’s waterproof mount. There was a Dhabha and some tent accommodations beside the lake too which seemed tempting to stay for the night but this time, I felt I had to get going. I got some pictures of myself clicked by other tourists and continued the ride with the same amount of excitement. The advantage not researching about these beautiful places in advance was pretty high, else I feel it would’ve spoiled the excitement. I didn’t even know that a lake like Deepak Taal existed until I saw it! After I rode some more with repeated picture halts in between, the climb towards Baralacha La initiated. The mountain pass lies at an altitude of around 16000 feet above sea level that connects Himachal Pradesh (Lahaul and Spiti) region to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.I felt no drop in oxygen, although I kept pressing the acupuncture lung points every time I was reminded of it. The ascent wasn’t very steep but was similar to climbing up any other hill station. The difference lay in the views though, the horizon in almost any direction, was filled with snow covered mountain peaks! I encountered another ‘Blue Lake’ on the way called Vishaal Taal. It was way below my altitude but from far, it looked gorgeous, especially with all the spots of snow that lay on the mountains around. It looked like a blue jewel from far, the kind of place a saint would prefer to visit. I did get the thought of going off road, riding down from a place where the descent was gradual and checking the lake out from a closer distance but the tyres on my Duke were street tyres so I was a little concerned about getting stuck. I was riding solo too, another reason I didn’t intend on taking any chances. There’s always a next time to experiment some things.
Baralacha La Pass signpost arrived within a few kilometers. I was very happy to see snow around, even though ‘snow purists’ consider that to be very little. The temperature at the pass was moderate too, I was wearing my riding gear with a t-shirt and underwear inside and didn’t require further insulation. I was extremely happy to not see Royal Enfield riders and other vehicles around. In fact, I couldn’t even sight a single vehicle for quite some time. Perhaps, the delayed departure from Jispa helped. The crowd usually leaves early in Ladakh, preferably before 8 AM whereas I started my ride at 11.30!
After a short photo session, I continued slowly and merrily. The descent too began immediately and I found myself closer to snow. Melting of snow was a common sight too due to which, there were approximately three to four stream crossings. One of the streams was had an aggressive flow where I gave some aggressive throttle input to get out. About 6 hairpins turns is what it took to descend from Baralacha La to 12,500 feet.
The last 20 kilometers to Sarchu were awful in terms of road quality. Covered with hard rocks, plenty of sharp bumps and sudden irregularities on the surface meant that the Duke’s suspension got enough battering. At many instances, I had to stand up and ride to spare myself and the motorcycle. The shape and color of the terrain changed though, there was less and less of greenery and the large brown rocks seemed like they were from mars. I stopped for a short chocolate break and admired the mountain pass behind me. The road evened out again and I began to encounter tents around, a sign that Sarchu was near. At 5.15 PM, I signed on the Sarchu police check post’s register and entered the state of Jammu and Kashmir. I rode through the dhaba alley, looking for a camp site to pitch my tent and chill. The last campsite of Sarchu was what I rode into and asked permission to pitch my tent. The owner agreed and my tent was ready in exactly 5 minutes. Sarchu is an extremely windy place, as a result, I had to nail the tent to the ground. I enquired about food first since there was a comon kitchen at the campsite. The owner replied rather rudely saying he didn’t have anything, not even tea so I had to wait until 9 PM for Dinner. He suggested that I rode back to the dhabha and ate something there. Since I didn’t sense something right, I folded my tent temporarily and shoved it into the pannier, packed some stuff in a way I could ride for 500 metres and rode off to the dhabha from there. That campsite owner was clearly in a bad mood so it was wise to leave. The tent was then pitched next to the last dhabha from where I would order food.
Since I had to nail the tent the second time, I lost quite a lot of energy in the process. I ordered a Paratha and set everything inside the tent. I loved the beds inside the dhabha, they were neatly aligned but I had pitched my tent by then. Nevertheless, I had the paratha, regained energy and spoke to some riders in the Dhabha beside. They were from the UK and had bought Royal Enfields here for a ride to Spiti. Our conversations actually got pretty long until it turned dark outside. I asked the owner of the Dhabha, a lady, to provide Dal chawal and Sabji for dinner at 9 PM. She was kind enough to deliver it to my tent while I got some peace time inside. The wind was strong indeed and it had got cold, could've been 10 degrees outside, the inner thermals were just enough to wear.While I had the dal chawal hot, I felt as though my bums were wet. When I felt them, they were. I hadn't closed the bite valve of my hydration bag properly and as s a result, a lot of water leaked into the tent, wetting some part of my luggage, sleeping bag and thermal liners. Damn! That wasn't something I asked for, I needed to sleep ASAP!I immediately switched to another thermal liner, picked my sleeping bag up and moved into the dhabha. Thank god, I pitched my tent beside the dhabha and not some place far away. The sleeping bag dried after a while as I had the rest of my dinner. The dhabha lady laughed at me for pitching a tent when there was enough room to sleep in her dhabha. She was right. I then got all the important stuff from my wet tent and called it a night in Sarchu. Thankfully , I was to stay in Sarchu the next day, that would give me enough time to dry my gear and luggage! It is such instances in an adventure that make it more memorable and make you laugh while you recollect them. :)
Part One- Motorcycle Diaries- A Journey To Ladakh (Keylong- Jispa)
Final Part- Motorcycle Diaries- A Journey To Ladakh (Sarchu- Leh)
By: Ssaajan Manoj Jogia