[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by FireFoot

It was indeed a pleasure catching you with you all at Sonmarg. I guess the only time we crossed paths for a bit was when we were on the way to Pangong and I guess you guys were riding back.

Glad to see you had an opportunity to put up a beautiful travelogue already. We have been lazy and caught up with a lot of office work since our return. But one from us will be put up soon hopefully.

We were also thrilled to find a Bhpian/ HVKian in the midst of nowhere. Thanks for taking your time out and talking to us even though you guys were dead tired. And yes we were returning from Pangon Tso when we bumped into each other. By the time we realised, we had moved out far. Sorry for not catching up.

Originally Posted by coolmel

Awesome! Awaiting the remaining part of the log. Makes me want to ride again. Otherwise, how was Ka's suspension and overall handling? Heard its on the stiffer side. Any issues?

No issues with the suspension. The bike handled beautifully right from the word go to the return. Even with full load, the confidence never wore down. I had a few instance when the bike snatched from me during cornering, but that was at extremes which I tried.

Originally Posted by laluks

Was waiting to hear the story, and surely these places gives me a flash back of my previous trips

Lalu sir, nothing to beat yours. It is always crisp and over the top. Your pics always describes a thousand words.

[hemanth.anand]

Unk9ja , Congratulations on getting Leh'd. I was waiting to hear from you...Thanks for taking me back to 2012. avinashsg was updating me on your progress. Eagerly waiting to read about your experiences of the next days.
Congratulations once again.
A special note of appreciation to HVK for helping so many people in realizing their dreams

[CoolBlueBiker]

Unk9ja, That was a epic journey you accomplished with Ka Reading your write-up, I somehow feel that IBA's SaddleSore 1600k is definitely your cup of tea. What Say?

Checkout their website: http://www.ironbutt.com/ridecerts/ge...t.cfm?DocID=30

[dreamseller]

Loved reading the triplog so far. And the pictures complement the narrative well. How did the 390 fare for the whole trip? Were there any hiccups? Also, do let me know your take on the tyres. I understand they must have been a blessing off-road, but would also like to know a feedback of the on-tarmac performance.

[JoseVijay]

What a travelogue! Amazing pics. Loving every bit of the narration. Keep it going.

You would never get lost any where in India until you are in the safe hands of HVK.

[mashmash]

Fantastic travelogue. Makes me feel being there, in that beautiful place. Its my dream to do it too. Subscribing to this thread for reference.

[vhharan1]

I felt like i was along with you riders on the journey!!! Super writeup and pictures to complement brilliantly. Looking forward to more.... Hats Off!!!

[unk9ja]

Day 10

Leh to Pangong Tso and back
Total distance covered: 336kms.
Start time: 0530 from Lings, Leh.
End time: 1715 at Lings, Leh.
Total fuel amount: 1700INR.

We started as usual, early at 0530 from Leh. En route we fueled up at Karu, but not before we went into 3 other pumps on the way. Seems like the pumps open a bit late here. Had to wake up the guy here. A Dezire trailed us into all the pumps and we stuck up a conversation till the pump was switched on. A lot of people are taken aback when we say we have travelled from Bangalore on the bikes. And in most cases, we get clicked for a change.









Tanked up and started out. Reached the fork at Karu that take us to Pangong Tso. Local people here asked us to buy forms and keep them ready for drive through the checkpost down the road. However we found the checkpost was open and no one bothered to stop us.

We soon hit the foothills of the Chang La, till where the roads are good. Post this, for the next 18-20kms, the situations worsens. The weather today was extremely chilly and with winds, the matter was worse. The finger tips became numb by the time we reached the Chang La.

[mnautss]

That is a really fantastic travelogue, and it only makes me more enthusiastic for my short Bike tour that I am planning this upcoming week.

And with all you experienced persons here, I would like to ask a few queries related to my trip.

First and foremost, I am not very sure about how will I be able to pack my rucksack and dufflebags safely on my rear seat.
Secondly, the in-stock TVS EUROGRIP rear tyre on my Pulsar 200NS has had upto 20 punctures till now in its 16 month lifetime (Roads in Bhiwadi are really messed up )
Third, With NO KICK START, how safe will it be to take up my Pulsar 200NS to Badrinath and up in this season?
Below is some info that might prove helpful:
1. Riding experince: Newbie (just a daily commuter and max trip of 350km one sided)
2. Bike owned: Pulsar 200NS
3. Destination Planned: Badrinath and Kedarnath
4. Start of Tour: Bhiwadi
5. Tour Date: 28th Sept. to 4th Oct.

[unk9ja]

Post the Chang La, the roads became smooth and scenic. We stopped at a lake some distance away from the road. This was a break and an oppurtunity to click away pics.
This place was called as Tsoltak, handwritten on a stone. However I cannot confirm the name of the place.













Post this break, we rode onto Pangong Tso. A huge river crossing welcomed us 10kms to destination. The gearbox of my ride got submerged into the water at some places. However the beast just chugged on.


We reached the place from where we could catch the first glimpse of the Pangong lake.












Finally reached the first point on the lake at 1030. We were, by this time begging to have a hot cuppa chai. An army canteen with Rendezvous written welcomed us at this point. Reached the place and asked if we can have a tea and the Jawan manning the canteen welcomed us courteously inside and informed that food is ready and we are welcome to taste it. Boy oh boy, we were enthralled. We agreed and the spread of rumali roti with aloo matar and chawal with dhal was at our table. We gorged on these heartily.








The aloo tasted different from the usual fare and was very soft and just melted in the mouth.





After thanking for the wonderful food, we moved onto the usual scene. Soon we were at the spot where the 3 idiots film was shot. And what a mess. A good crowd was already jostling for space there. Litter lay everywhere. From empty packets of wafers, bottles of cold drinks, broken bottles and what not. The entire place was messy. It would not be long before it would become "it was". We moved towards Spangmik in search of a good spot and further sight seeing.









































Max pic limit reached.

[NPV]

Uday sir - EPIC stuff!
Wonderful log, Excellent pictures, thanks for sharing your great experience!
Awesome planning & support, hats off to HVK and team

[unk9ja]

We started off from Pangong Tso at 1330 and reached Leh at 1715. Evening was spent shopping around the market. Fuel was filled for the next leg which was the highlight of the trip.

Day 11

Leh to Turtok
Total distance covered: 256kms.
Start time: 0610 from Lings, Leh.
End time: 1500 at Turtok holiday camp, Turtok.
Total fuel amount: Nil.

Settled the bill at Lings and Dorjee was kind enough to offer us a cup oops a flask of hot tea with biscuit. We gulped down 2.5 cups each and started with the promise to return back tomorrow for another round of Thupka.

Today's journey took us in the bylanes of the Leh before an open road beckoned us. Since we were out early, there was no one in sight. The roads were good till we hit South Pullu. South Pullu has a police checkpost and this is open during the peak season. Being off season now, no one stopped us and the Juggernaut rolled on.

Slowly we began the ascent to the famed Khardung La pass, the road became wide enough but also worse. We crawled at slow speeds and the ascent seems to be steep. In a span of 15 km from South Pullu to the K-top, the height goes up by a couple of thousand meters. About 4 km to top, we encountered a mild snowfall which became moderate by the time we reached the K-top.

A lone Xylo with 2 occupants were ahead of us and they obliged to tale our photos. Here is the cherised moment at the K-top.









Then the descent started, however the roads were still worse. We reached North Pullu on the other side and then things brightened up.

[schakravarthy]

Brilliant experience! Thanks a lot for sharing!

I had been to Ladakh this May, but since it was a family trip we travelled in hired cars. There's a regret deeply nestled and hence plans are seriously underway for a drive-all-the-way trip next year!

Ps- look how ChangLa was when we were there!

[aviorp]

Sir, congratulations on completing K2K successfully. Takes a lot of courage and determination to do this -kudos to you and your friend.

You missed Padum by a whisker, but there is always a next time. Btw, did you not refuel your cans in Kargil?

Looking forward to hear the rest of the story. Truly inspiring for wannabe riders like me.

[abirnale]

Uday, this is a terrific tLog! Took time to read through and getting inspired by every picture, narration you have put here. All this time I was under impression that biking to Leh and beyond from Bangalore isn't for adults of middle age! But you make me think otherwise. I hope someday I will make this journey on my thunderbird.

Any pointers on specific preparations physically you needed to do for such a long ride? Anything that would demand other than just being in good health but overweight

And hey, this calls for a quick celebration meet. Where are you riding next, will join!