The day is still very much vivid in my mind when I bid goodbye to my Ladakh buddies, from Pune railway station; This saddened me for years since further plans had to be canceled because of some unavoidable circumstances. And then, circumstances change, priorities changes!!! Something which was once very close to the heart took a back seat! Steadily, as time passes, priorities get re-primed but Ladakh somehow got entangled in the cobwebs! Until 2022!!!
Amun-Ra has completed Khardungla
No, it does not excite me to imagine riding on the perceived highest motorable road in the world (in-fact its number 11); I was in-fact more thrilled at Baralacha La Pass BUT the mere realization that ultimately I have been able to fulfill one of my dreams, makes the trip all the more memorable, yet painful!
As many of you know that I am part of a Royal Enfield riding club called Blitzkrieg Riding Club (BRC) and this road trip would not have been possible without the support of the entire team and their good wishes. Post consultation with our lead I decided that it's in our best interest to have Amun-Ra transported to Chandigarh and then continue the ride for the mountains from there. Factors like budget, Age of Motorcycle, off the shelf brand new bullets etc, contributed to this conclusion. There were 20 motorcycles in our group, out of which 5 chose to ride from Pune (3RE & 2KTM). The rest of us had our motorcycles transported to Chandigarh via Safexpress.
Thankfully not much harm was observed on Amun-Ra post the journey apart from the fact the headlight cowl had taken a slight dent and one of the knuckle guards had come loose.
Ladakh is no longer considered as a very difficult patch to ride (Special thanks to the team of BRO) and there are innumerable accounts documenting the same. I will therefore just try to compile few of my observations, in my way
1. Atal Tunnel [9.02 kilometers] is really long and it's a pain to contain yourself within the speed limits. Banihal Tunnel [8.50 kilometeres] also introduces similar feelings. I consider myself privileged to have been able to cross both these tunnels and the experiences have been exceptionally brilliant.
2. The most challenging section for me was while crossing the Baralacha La Pass, on the 18th of June. And that brings to a very lightly discussed topic. The need for warm-waterproof riding gloves. I have been using Rynox Full Gauntlets, but they are no match for rains. This resulted in numbness at fingertips since it was raining snow while we were during the ride. (I probably could have penned down better had the fingers worked while on the pass!) There was a time when I lost sight of the group since snow was getting accumulated over the visors and I had to continuously wipe them off; Things like a snow wall and the rear end of a standing truck just became inseparable and fortunately Amun-Ra was inches away from kissing as this got logged in my memory. Unfortunately taking a break was not feasible in that wilderness; The sheer amount of effort that went in to properly clean my glasses & visors and take a stock of the situation, will always be remembered thereafter.
A point worth a mention is never to use Surgical gloves
within the riding gloves. I used the same and paid a heavy penalty as well. My logic for using this was primarily to keep the hands dry since the gloves were all wet. Little had I anticipated that this will also impact the flow of blood to my fingers. By the time I realized my dumbness, I was literally trying my wit's end to get rid of these. Till today, one of the fingers has a certain chin-chin sensation, hope the condition improves with time.
My Studds does not have a Pin-Lock and from what I heard from others, the helmets that have that feature did not help them either! The combination of rain-soaked gloves/shoes, and moderate snowfall accompanied by strong gusty winds really played havoc with my composure and I am glad that both of us have seen this through to recollect and relish.
3. Owing to such extreme temperatures at Baralacha La Pass, we decided to have the night halt at Sarchu. The neatly crafted and chiseled mountain walls will get you intoxicated with their colorful walls. Consider yourself lucky if you can find any distractions. Neither the small hutment-like accommodation we
dashed into nor the limited options for catering to nature's call, will make you think twice before going under the layers of blankets. The fact that "Good night" was spoken around 7PM, made the night longer. If only my vocabulary could depict my state around midnight, buried deep under blankets and caged within cold walls.
4. On the 21st June 2022, I rode to the Khardungla top. In fact, I was quite surprised by the way it got unfurled abruptly in front of me. Just after the last turn, one can make out of the mighty presence owing to the layers and layers of prayer flags and over-excited crowd, all jostling for a share of memory. Riding in a closely knitted group definitely has its advantage in these scenarios and we Blitzkriegians did spend some quality time at the top.
5. Pangong lake's mesmerizing beauty has definitely been captured in depth by many. But I wonder if ever there has been a situation wherein wanderers decided to travel at night to ensure the well-being of fellow riders. It so happened that a few of our buddies had taken an accommodation which was at the start of the lake area, whereas the rest of the group was grounded nearly 7 kilometers away. So post-midnight, we decided to give them a visit and ensure that everything is OK. Little we had anticipated that they would be sound asleep and our frantic "shout-outs" would sound like distant dream calls to them. One hell of a sore throat I had the next morning, but the picturesque stary night sky will always be chiseled deep.
The first view
The beauty of the place is just not the lake, but the surrounding snow-capped mountains with all their awe and might.
6. I understood why it's risky to ride through the Zoji La pass, more if one chooses to cross at night (I wonder if that is allowed though). But something that was not expected was to get all white-washed because of the loose soil all around. The combination of dirt, loose gravel, unsuspecting turns and Yellow Tata bulldozers kept the adrenaline contained within the limits of frustration and achievement. Yes, a tunnel is being excavated as I pen down my thoughts, so probably within the next couple of years, this would also be memories.
7. For security reasons, while the army convoy is moving, civilian vehicles are instructed to stay put on the highways. We were stopped thrice and the average waiting time was 40 minutes. Though this was the most tiring part under the hot sun and riding gears, it worked wonders for me as I got the opportunity to fix my hanging exhaust pipe and also not be too late in regrouping.
To be continued ...