Chapter 3: Ladakh Ride'25 | Extreme Weather and Re-Planning at Leh

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After surviving the harshest chilly night in a camp and the most difficult terrains of Sarchu, then riding till Leh crossing the Gata Loops, the multiple high altitude passes, Moray Plains we were extremely tired from all the brunt. Our homestay at Leh, Chamtse Guest house felt like a luxury. Having 24 hours hot running water is indeed a luxury at places where temperatures are below minus degrees. A roof above our heads, the warm blankets and the home cooked Ladakhi dishes helped us to rejuvenate and recharge our bodies. Leh helped in recovering and preparing ourselves for the next stage of our journey.

The Plan: 

The plan was to acclimatise in Leh for a day and then leave for Nubra Valley via Khardung La on the next day. We would have stayed at Diskit for 2 days as we wanted to keep 1 day for sight seeing and a ride to Thang and come back to Diskit. The next day we would ride to Pangong spend the night there and leave for Hanle. We had Umling La to conquer so 2 nights at Hanle was the plan. But nature had other plans for us. No matter how well you have planned your trip, everything falls apart in front of nature.

Day 5: 4th June- Leh

Leh received a lashing rainfall whole night. As I woke up I saw Partha da getting ready with all bags almost packed. It was Partha Da's last day with us in this journey. He wanted to visit the Gumbok Rangan also known as Gonbo Rongjon, in the Zanskar range. It is holy and considered to be home of Gonbo, an avatar of Buddhist deity. The name means abode of Gonbo. With best wishes we bid Partha da goodbye hoping to meet again on an adventure soon. A little about Partha Da, he runs a garage in Kolkata with the name Ladakh Moto Garage. He is truly an adventurous soul, pretty chilled out and travels like a pro. No accessories fitted on the bike but loves to travel the classic way, keeping it raw and real!

Partha da with his beast, ready to conquer Zanskar

Bidding goodbye to Partha da and wishing him luck we prepared to ourselves for our first day at Leh. We visited the Shanti Stupa, Zorawar Fort and the Stakna Monastery.

We explored Ladakhi food from one of the most authentic ladakhi cafe, De Khambir in the mall road.
We tried out the Ladakhi dishes like Khambir, a Ladakhi flatbread made from barley. We had Cheese Egg Khambir, flatbread stuffed with Egg and Cheese. The freshly cooked Khambir tasted amazing! We also had Skyu and Tsochik. Tsochik, also known as Chutagi, is a traditional Ladakhi dish made with pasta-like pieces of wheat dough simmered in a thick vegetable. Oh! I forgot to mention the butter tea (gur-gur chai) we had there. It is made from yak butter, salt and infusion of tea leaves. By the way the butter tea helps in acclimatisation and altitude sickness. We also made some new friends from France Benny and Mathilde. We spent a good afternoon discussing travel, job and knowing a bit more about each other. Their hiking adventures are truly awe-inspiring. 

Mathilde and Benny at De Khambir

After having Ladakhi meals for lunch we headed towards the Stakna Monastery. The views from the monastery is straight out of the wonderland. The Indus river and the lovely mountains in the backdrop is a treat to the eyes. Though the praying time was over we explored the monastery and headed back to our homestay.

It was time to take rest and prepare for the ride to Khardung La! Oh wait! Did I hear someone saying that Khardung La is closed and bikes are not being allowed? I rushed down to find a Punjabi family speaking to our home stay owner, Hortsering uncle. Khardung La received heavy snowfall due to which army closed the road for the tourists and allowed 4 wheelers to enter only if they had tyre snow chain. After speaking to the Punjabi family who had returned unable to cross the pass, it was time for us to rethink the plan. We decided to extend our stay at Leh for another day and wait for the snow to clear off so that we could stick to our actual plan of riding to Nubra via Khardung La.

Day 6: 5th June- Leh

We woke up and the first thing that I did after freshening up was to check the status of Khardung La. I spoke to uncle and he told me that Khardung La would remain closed for the next couple of days. The weather conditions was extreme and it still received snowfall. I knew we would have to modify our plan now for sure. Since Khardung La was closed we started off lazily. After our breakfast at the homestay we freshened up and by the time we left it was afternoon. So, we decided to have our lunch first at a Tibetan restaurant usually flocked by localites. The food we ordered were not as good as we thought it would be but manageable. We ordered Chicken noodles and Tibetan Tingmo, a steamed bun with lamb curry and fried lamb momos.

Rahul diving into food without wasting time

After the meal, we visited Rancho School, the place where 3 Idiots was shot. Rancho school is not run by Sonam Wangchuk (Phunsuk Wangdoo in 3 idiots movie) . This is actually a school and its name is Druk Padma Karpo School. If you are looking for Sonam Wangchuk you need to visit Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh. 

With some of the future Ranchos at Rancho School (Real name: Druk Padma Karpo School)

                                             
Outside Druk Padma Karpo School

While returning though we stopped at Shey Palace but did not go inside as we really wanted to spend a few hours by the Indus side at Sindhu ghat. After clicking a few pictures at the iconic 3 Idiots school we headed towards Sindhu ghat. We managed to find a spot away from the crowd jumping across the flowing river. We pulled off athletic stunts to jump off from one side to the other but while returning we had to get our feet wet, our athletic skills were not enough. Sitting next to the flowing Indus, surrounded by the snow capped mountains I could hear the silence speak. My heart felt the peace like never before. 3 hours went by and we lost track of time. 


The magical Sindhu Ghat

It was almost 7 when we left this heavenly place and now I needed to head towards the Royal Enfield Service centre. Remember, I broke the brake lever at Nakee La. The service center at Leh remains open from 9AM to 9PM  and is operable for 8 months only. I fixed the brake lever for approx INR 380 and returned to Chamtse homestay. 

Since Khardung La was closed for another 5 days we decided to visit Hanle first, then Pangong followed by Nubra valley. By the time we would cross Khardung La we hoped the roads would clear. So, it was time to pack the bags and prepare for some serious riding. Rajan bhai from Punjab and Mousumi from Kolkata were to join us in the adventure. Both of them were staying at Chamtse Guest house. This part of motorcycling is what I love the most. On two wheels, we don’t need to know each other. A nod, a wave, a shared struggle against the wind, that’s all it takes. Brotherhood is instant.

Rajan Bhai and Mousumi joined us from Leh

Our next chapter is all about Hanle, conquering the Umling La and spending 2 nights in the cold desert.
Although I missed out on exploring a couple of places near Leh this time but that is a good enough reason to visit Leh again!





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