While we were loading our motorcycles with luggage and setting everything up to start the journey, a sense of nervousness along with excitement was playing in my body. After all our dream ride was about to begin. We had the most amazing cup of ginger honey tea before turning on the ignition and bidding goodbye to our Manali abode.
Day 3: 2nd June, Monday- Manali to SarchuBefore I begin, it is important to know that night stay at Sarchu was never an option initially on my itinerary. I had planned a night stay at Jispa instead and the next day for reaching Leh. However, Sarchu was finalised because my teammates wanted to keep the riding distance short for the next day. This called for us to halt a night at Sarchu. Though Manali to Sarchu is just 175kms it took us around 9 hours to reach at the camp site.
Me, Rahul, Partha Da, Chunni Lal ji and Sayantan (from extreme left). P.C- Sayantan Pramanick
THE ROUTE: Manali- Solang- Keylong- Jispa- Darcha- Baralacha La- Sarchu
REFUEL STOPS: Near Tandi or one can refuel from Manali and start.
We were late to start but in no hurry. However, after starting the journey for Sarchu and leaving behind Manali for 10 kms I realised that I left my phone back at the hotel. I rushed back only to get the information that Chunni lal ji had found it and handed it over to Rahul. So here I am again at Manali, re-starting my ride. Now the next concern was catching up with the team that was gone way ahead of me. I reached Atal Tunnel with no traces of my riding mates all along the way. I was getting anxious. After exiting the tunnel I took help from the Himachal Pradesh police posted outside. I borrowed an officer's phone to ring my number hoping Rahul might take it but no luck. Finding no other way to reunite with them I resumed my ride hoping to find them ahead, instead found Sayantan riding behind me after some time and I sighed a relief. We stopped at Keylong for lunch where we reunited with the remaining members. We chose to have our meal a few kilometers away from the Keylong main centre at Hotel Zamling to avoid the touristy rush. After lunch we went to the terrace to soak in the nature and praise the views. The place was less crowded and offered (offers) amazing views.
Views from Hotel Zamling
We crossed the wonderful roads through the twisty mountains, riding over the longest bridge of Himachal Pradesh, Darcha bridge and then crossing the mighty and scary Baralacha La before reaching our destination Sarchu. As we stopped at Baralacha La situated at an altitude if 16040 ft above sea level I realised that I was struggling to breathe due to the altitude but it was quite manageable to ride. The issue happened whenever I walked or did some activity. Trust me instagram makes it look very easy and does not talk much about the real challenges.
Baralacha La- A piece of heaven on Earth!
However, this piece of heaven also has a deep kept secret which I will soon share in a different blog.
It was 7:30 pm by the time we reached. The setting sun above our heads, the vast valley, snow clad mountains and us with our motorcycles making upto the 14000 ft above sea level, how dramatic can the moment be!
Me (Left) on RE Himalayan 411, Rahul (centre) on RE Meteor 350 and Sayantan (Right) on Xpulse 210.
Image Credits: Sayantan Pramanick (Insta ID: @saiyan_tan)
The immense joy of riding your own motorcycle in this stretch is the next level high you can get!
So far things were going good. Though I was aware of the altitude of Sarchu and it's extreme conditions I was going to witness them first hand this night and trust me it was not a pleasant experience. The water was freezing cold already and I somehow managed to wash my hands and barely washed my face. By 10pm our dinner was served. The harsh cold called for rum but we were not carrying any with us. The temperatures dropped so much that it made us ask the owners of the camp if anything was available and they were happy to help. That's when we gulped down a glass of local wine made from barley. Looked like water but was quite strong and served the purpose. I moved back to our tent to sleep, tired from the whole day's ride and weak from the cold. I wrapped my entire body in the blankets but it too, felt cold. The cold winds blowing from the bottom of the tents through a very small gap was beyond the tolerance level and sufficient to make the beds and blankets feel like ice. I was woken up due to shortness of breathe. I pulled out my medicine box and took a medicine and that helped and soon I was back to sleep again. I am not sure how long I could sleep because I woke up again to the moaning of Rahul. He got a severe headache and had to take medication too in the middle of the night.
With the real life heroes of Sarchu Traveller's Nest, without them surviving at Sarchu would have been impossible
Day 4: 3rd June, Tuesday- Sarchu to Leh (Approx 250 kms)
The harsh night was over and I woke up feeling extremely tired. The washroom had water in it but I preferred to not use it after feeling it to be ice cold. At Sarchu, the tent owners work really hard to provide the tourists with the basic amenities. It is a difficult terrain and I can't be expecting a 5 star treatment at that remote place. Getting a tent, blanket and cooked meals is the best luxury that one can find there. The guys at the camp prepared Aloo Paratha for us but I chose to start the day with a terrible mistake of skipping breakfast. Terrible because at that altitude where temperature was -14C, the body burns more calories to keep warm and function, I started my day calorie-deprived and it led to fatigue and made me sleepy. I realised the reason for my fatigue until reaching at Rumtse. I had a plate of bread omlette then and that's when my body started functioning normally and the fatigue was gone completely.
Machines that made this ride possible
The Route: Sarchu- Gata Loops- Nakee La- Lachung La- Moray Plains- Tanglang La- Rumtse- Upshi- Leh
REFUEL STOPS: Karu. Mind it, there will be no refuelling options after Tandi when travelling from Manali until you reach Karu. So prepare accordingly.
Crossing the Gata Loops, three high altitude mountain passes, the stunningly beautiful Moray plains and gliding through the beautiful Ladakhi villages, we reached Leh. The ride was really really a difficult one. After all the most difficult roads lead to the most scenic places! The pictures might draw you towards this place but the nature plays a different game altogether at this height. Just when we started from Sarchu snowfall greeted us. Riding through the snowfall was a different feeling.
Thank you Sayantan for capturing this!
The Gata Loops was not a smooth ride. Narrow mountain roads with 21 hair pin bends and trucks plowing from the opposite direction. Need to stay alert and calm throughout. This was one of the toughest climb that we did in this trip. The Gata loops stretches about 10kms attaining a height of 17000 feet. Also, on the 19th loop you will come across a small temple where you will see a lot of bottles filled with water offered. It has a story behind it. Few years ago a truck broke down at this place and was in irreparable condition. The driver and the helper waited for help but no one crossed them as it was the last vehicle to enter before the road was closed due to heavy snowfall. The helper was also sick. Seeing no help coming the driver of the truck decided to leave behind the helper and seek help from the nearest village but got stuck in the village for a couple of days because of heavy snowfall. When they returned with help they found the helper dead from the harsh cold and hunger. The locals buried his body at the exact location where the truck was broken down. Soon after that strange encounters were reported by multiple tourist vehicles, truck drivers and local who travelled in this route. A weak person would wave at the drivers and upon stopping he would ask at a faint voice for water. Anyone ignoring the plea would face vehicle breakdown, flat tires and even an eerie presence inside the vehicle. Things got even stranger when someone offered him a bottle it would fall to the ground making the hand look unreal and in some cases vanished in thin air. Soon after this the local built a shrine to appease the spirit lurking in the area and to bring peace. Now several tourists, drivers offer a bottle of water when crossing the shrine.
Gata Loops from the top!
Coming back to the ride, we also crossed a few high mountain passes including Thanglang La at an altitude of 17582 ft, the highest pass of the Manali Leh highway. Nakee La and Lachung La are at an altitude of 15547 feet and 16600 feet respectively. Well, crossing 3 high altitude passes on the same day is indeed an achievement. While trying to capture a photograph at Nakee La I stumbled upon a chunk of ice and fell on my motorbike, which in turn fell down leaving my brake lever broken from the middle. Lucky that I was still able to use the brakes.
Lachung La 16600 feet. P.C. Sayantan Pramanick
Tanglang La 17480 ft. P.C. Sayantan Pramanick
The next stretch of ride through Moray Plains definitely needs a mention here. The scenic ride through this high altitude plateau stretches for about 40kms at an altitude of 15700 feet. Stopping here to capture the beautiful views literally took our breathe away!
Nature has magical powers to heal. The beauty of this place makes every mile on the motorbike worthy.
The last stretch of riding was quite pleasant. We were riding adjacent to the Indus crossing the beautiful villages of Stakna, Karu, Shey and others.
It was 6:30PM when we reached Leh. We had not booked a single hotel during this trip. Our bet was on homestays and thus, leaving the Mall road behind we ventured deep inside upper Karzoo looking for our stay for a couple of days. While Rahul and Sayantan were taking a look at the homestays, me and Partha da were waiting for them to return when we met Hortsering uncle. He came to us and asked us concerned if we were stuck or waiting for something. We told him that we were looking for a homestay to which he politely replied that we would get homestays easily and not to worry. Even if we find nothing, we would find a shelter a little ahead. He would love to host us and told us to come down to Chamtse guest house any time we needed. The warmth and affection in his words drew us to Chamtse Homestay and it was one of the best thing that ever happened to us during our Ladakh trip. The rooms are quite big for two to share with an attached balcony and a washroom. The food they offered us were delicious too. The long chats during dinner with Hortsering uncle, his wife and their daughters never made us feel like we were away from home. In fact, Leh is my happy place now. Chamtse Guest House was my home away from home at 11000 ft. Coming back to the trip, now Chamtse Guest House, Leh would be our home for the next 2 days. We would be acclimatising here and then head towards Nubra Valley, Pangong lake and Hanle. Our Happy Place At Leh
Thank you Rahul Chowrasia for this pic
Spending our lazy days at Leh to reaching the world's highest motorable road and the last border village of India, all will be up on the next chapters. Follow now to get notified when the next chapters go live.
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