[unk9ja]

A bikers mecca/ dream ride and what not it is called. It is on the top of every bikers to-do list atleast once in his lifetime. And this is true to me too. A ride to Ladakh is what a biker aspires to do in his lifetime. And this was true to me too.

The itch to ride up was there since 3 years when I missed out the opportunity with my wingman due to some work exigencies. From that point of time, my stead at that time, the famed Yezdi Roadking started to stutter and eventually landed in ICU from where it could not be rescued.

A year post this, and continuous search for a "original part" i.e piston for the Roadking failed, my family members decided to wage a war to get the bike out and eventually I had to let go my Roadking in good interest.

Suddenly the world of biking in my life was empty and I continued to move on with my Cheel, the MS Baleno. The vehicles in my garage are named after the charecters from the Jungle Book.

Another year gone and one day I see KTM being introduced in India. I see a couple of Duke200 in my neighborhood and my biking senses are again tickled by their looks. Mean machines. Then arrives the Ninja250 in my neighbor's garage and I am thrilled to see it in flesh. It was the most gorgeous bike I had seen till date with an excellent fit and finish. But the VitaminM factor was a bit of lowdown on this great bike. Added to this, one of the colleague from the Yezdi group joins a KTM dealership as manager.

A few days down, the launch of 390 is announced and I decided to wait for it. Days turned to months and finally on 20/9/2013, the keys to the 390 landed on my lap.

Bike in my lap, the passion for travel started to blossom again. Teambhp was instrumental in re-igniting the flames with travelogues on the Ladakh last year.

The preparation:

With the blessings of the family members, the preparation for conquering the Ladakh started. It started with the purchase of
1. Zeus riding pants, 6200INR
2. Rynox OptimusS tankbag, 3050INR
3. Rynox Nomad saddle bag and Dirtsack tailbag, INR7500
4. Zeus balaclava, INR750.

A good riding gear really pays off as I found during the trip. Thats for later. Next in line was rubber for my Duke. Interaction with friends in Facebook and a couple of people who had done this circuit, the Ceat Vertigo Sport tires were zeroed upon. Got the tires from Madhus which set me back by 4500INR and puncture protection another 1400INR. It was a trade off between Slime and Tyre protector. Slime won the battle with more people recommending it although it was costlier to TP.

The Duke with its orgasmic rubber



With the basic requirement met, it was for the route plan next. First I thought of shipping the bikes to Delhi/ Chandigarh by train or a transporter. Inquiries for the transportation led to a figure which was a shade below when ridden from Bangalore. After dilly dallying on options, I decided to ride from and to Bangalore. I became a butt of joke among my friends when I told them of this.

At this time, HVK announced the Ladakh951 package. It was no turning back from that point of time and I got in touch with Mr. Kumar. After lengthy discussions, the following schedule was chalked out
Day1: Bangalore to Pune
Day2: Pune to Chittorgarh
Day3: Chittorgarh to Abohar
Day 4: Abohar to Patnitop
Day 5: Patnitop to Srinagar
Day 6: Rest in Srinagar
Day 7: Srinagar to Rangdum
Day 8: Rangdum to Padum and back to Rangdum
Day 9: Rangdum to Leh.
Day 10: Rest in Leh
Day 11: Leh to Pangon Tso and back
Day 12: Leh to Turtok
Day 13: Turtok to Leh
Day 15: Leh to Hanle
Day 16: Hanle to Tso Morori
Day 17: Tso Morori to Keylong
Day 18: Keylong to Manali
Day 19: Manali to Panipat
Day 20: Panipat to Jaipur
Day 21: Rest at Jaipur
Day 22: Jaipur to Ankaleshwar
Day 23: Ankaleshwar to Chiplun
Day 24: Chiplun to Goa
Day 25: Rest at Goa
Day 26: Goa to Udupi
Day 27: Udupi to Kochi
Day 28: Kochi to Trinelvelli via Kanyakumari
Day 29: Tirunelvelli to Bangalore.

When the actual travel began, there was some surprises in store and we had to trim some of the routes and be satisfied with what we drove on, but no regrets whatsoever. Leaves were sanctioned and the hope just got pushed up a level more.


Coming weeks saw an added company in form of my colleague, Vidyashankar to the trip. At the beginning I though he was just keen to hear but later on when he aired his true desire to tow along, I had a company. A take out list was prepared detailing on the personal, bike and general things that needed to be carried along.


And then calculations on the fuel strategy. The Duke gives me about 30kmpl in the Bangalore traffic conditions. Taking a worse of 25kmpl, and with a range of 750km to cover, I got max 30 liters to carry with me to Hanle. With this scouting for a decent fuel can landed me at Shell outlet. 4 nos of 5 liter can were brought. In the meantime I approached a good friend of mine to fabricate a carrier for the fuel cans. But things went for a toss with he getting busy with his office work and me left high and dry. Then with the help of Mr. Hegde who supplies parts to our establishment, a carrier was built in a record time of 2 days. No drawing or dimensions. The persons entrusted with the work never disappointed. And this was the highlight from the moment I took the vehicle out of his factory to the return of the trip.





Day1:


Bangalore to Pune
Total distance covered: 925kms.
Start time: 0445 from my residence at Girinagar.
End time: 2045 at Koregoan park.


Vidyashankar was to drive from Electronic city and I start from my residence at Girinagar. We planned to meet at the NICE road junction on Tumkur road at 0500 and move on. The bike was moved out at 0440, well behind schedule as I had to travel 30kms to the meeting point.


Hurriedly the luggage was tied to the bike and it was goodbye time to all the family members and time to make a move.





I was in great hurry to make it to the meeting point that I overshot it completely. It was not until the Mangalore turnoff from the expressway I realised this folly. But carried on to the Tumkur road toll from where I called up Vidya and asked him to join me. Sooner he joined we made our official start to the journey at 0530.


Riding was a breeze and by 0815, we made it to Davanagere where we took a break for breakfast of yummy dosas.





This was also the first pit stop for the bikes where they were tanked up. The journey continued post another pitstop at a CCD. By 1300, we were in Belgaum. Here we overshot the lunch stop and found ourselves in middle of NH. Further down the highway, a decent looking dhabha was our adda for lunch. Post lunch and top up of the bikes, we continued.


At Vikasa Soudha, Belagavi.





Soon we crossed the Karnataka border and entered Maharashtra. It was literally a mayhem on the roads of MH. We encountered a lot of traffic and the roads too became bumpy. We reached the outskirts of Pune at 1840 and upon someone directing us, we overshot the turn. We snaked our way through traffic for about 2hrs before we reached our destination for the day, Koregoan park. We had a sumptuous dinner with my colleague and settled in his serviced apartment for the night.


A dinosaur at Karad





I did not notice the quantity of fuel going into the tank at any point of time in the trip, but have the amount for which it was filled, so posting only the amount of fuel going into the tank.


Fuel cost for the day: 2270INR.

[unk9ja]

Day 2

Pune to Chittorgarh
Total distance covered: 927kms.
Start time: 0530 from Koregaon park, Pune.
End time: 2045 at RTDC, Panna. Cittorgarh
Total fuel amount: 1780INR.

We started the second day from Koregaon Park in Pune and continued on the Ahmednagar road. Yesterday it was all 2 wheelers who were creating havoc on the NH and today it was company buses. We had to dodge the numerous company buses till Ranjangaon. Condition improved afterwards and we were able to pick up speed.

About 20 minutes were wasted in Ahmednagar as we stopped for breakfast. 20 minutes and we were still in the seat unattended. When we went in to inquire, we were surprised that the hotel was yet to open at 0715. We moved on towards Shirdi where we found a Vithal Kamath hotel Munched on some Misal Pav and carried on.

I was having the Misal pav for the first time. Was a bit spicy though.





The roads turned very bumpy and soon reached Shirdi. Crossing the towns in MH is a big pain as everyone has the right of way and seems to be in a huge hurry. After Shirdi, the roads became calmer and we continued on.





We stopped at the above place about 10kms to Manmad. Upon starting, the Apache had a different note from its silencer. One of the screws holding the silencer had fallen off. Vidya tightened with a spare one and we continued, but again the screw fell. We stopped in Manmad and got the right screw with a lock washer and fixed it. At this point a gentleman walked beside me and asked, "Aap log ISRO se ho kya? Wahi Scientist log. Yeh bamb bane ne ke liye istemaal karne wale cheez hai kya?" (Are you people from ISRO? And is this what you are carrying used to make bomb?) I was stunned and turned to see what he mentioned. It was my safety can at the back of the bike that made him think so. After clarifying we moved on but not laughing to our hearts content.

We fell behind schedule at this point and from here onwards, we hit the throttle till Manpur where we stopped for lunch in some dhabha. Again it was surprising that the dhabha served some unknown dishes. Finally the owner himself came to our rescue and recommended we have sev tamatar with rotis. Hot and spicy, even though I asked for less spicier one.

The sev tamatar and rotis.





We had a lot of chat with fellow truck drivers and they were all amazed that we are traveling on bike to Leh. They joked that we would reach in about 2 weeks time to Leh. Some of them were courteous and let us know what lies ahead and what to look out for.

Then we hit the Lebad turnoff and it was a cat and mouse game between us and a Swift Dizire. Because of this game, we made good progress at decent speeds. We soon hit Nimbhahera at 1830. The beautiful road which we had travelled till now became non existent and a big dust bowl welcomed us. It was literally crawling pace from this place to Chittorgarh. Frequent broken down vehicles added to the pain. We finally entered Chittorgarh at 2045 after a non stop run of about 180kms. A quick call to HVK and we were in RTDC, Panna. Dashed out for dinner. Spring rolls and tea never tasted better on an empty stomach till now after the sev tamatar experience in the afternoon.

The RTDC Panna. Ample parking space and a decent place to stay.



The spring rolls



Filled the bikes and hit the bed. Anticipating a better experience tomorrow.

Day 3


Chittorgarh to Abohar
Total distance covered: 785kms.
Start time: 0530 from RTDC, Panna. Cittorgarh.
End time: 2045 at Giorgio hotel, Abohar
Total fuel amount: 2180INR.

As usual, we started out at 0530. Was a bit bouncy ride till we hit the bypass. And lo behold, we had a good stretch of road in front of us. Hit Kishengarh at 0745. Was surprised at a IOC petrol bunk run by Mittal petroleum when the operator handed an electronic bill with the vehicle number. In our happiness of new found roads, we missed the Kishengarh bypass and hit the road towards Jaipur.

Stopped at a hotel for breakfast and updated my location to HVK and he shot back "Why are you going to Jaipur?" Then he immedaitely replied with an alternate route through Sikar, Churu that would lead us to Hanumangarh and finally Abohar. We followed this route and the hit lot of diversions as roads are being made and the worst part of this ride was we were channeled into villages sometimes.

The later part of the day was drive through the desert part which was very boring. It looked as though the same background was being played in front of us again and again. Stopped a couple of times for photoshoot. And in this part of world, the animals have a free run on the highways rather than the vehicles.

The freehands



The desert



Yours truly with my colleague.



Vidyashankar had a bad stomach sometime after Rawatsar. Had to stop for administering pills to overcome this. After this the roads became 2 lane but the traffic was scarce. We finally managed to hit Abohar. A call to HVK and we were in the cozy Giorgio hotel. Filled the bikes and came back. Vidya was feeling better by now. We had milk and hit the bed.

The room at Giorgio.

[unk9ja]

Day 4


Abohar to Batote
Total distance covered: 609kms.
Start time: 0600 from Giorgio hotel, Abohar
End time: 1815 at Batote
Total fuel amount: 1656INR.

Started the day at 0600 from Abohar. The roads in Punjab were a breeze to drive on today. Lush fields surrounded the roads all the way and it made us feel better today compared to the desert in Rajasthan yesterday. We were able to maintain good average speeds and by 0900, we were on outskirts of Jallandhar. Now we don't know why we went towards Jallandhar instead of going straight to Ludhiana from Moga. Perhaps yesterday's miss of turn just was too much, we stopped frequently to ask for directions and this led to this detour.

Somewhere in Ludhiana



After Ludhiana, we stopped at a road side dhabha for what was the most tasty and lip smacking aloo parantha we had throughout the ride.



After breakfast, we rode on to Jallandhar. We were in mid of peak traffic and it took us sometime to get out this sticky situation. Since we had saddle bags and the fuel cans strapped on the back of bikes, maneuvering the bikes into small areas became difficult. So we had to ride behind cars in the same way as theirs and this made things slow down. Again after Ludhiana, roads widened and we took the turn to Pathankot somewhere after. This was a neat good stretch of road with scarce traffic.

We entered the Jammu and Kashmir at 1330 through Lakhanpur. It was overcast when we entered and soon enough, the skies opened up. Within few minutes, we were drenched totally from inside. We decided to continue on. It rained for about an hour and during this time, the progress was painful. Added to this was the water splash from the other side of the road in bursts from the vehicles added to our misery.

Grand entry into J&K





Soon we stopped for lunch and during this time, Vidya felt uneasy again. Took some rest and started the journey.

The beasts resting at a pitstop



We entered Jammu and crawled with the traffic to Udhampur. Good roads with bad traffic and bad roads with scarce traffic. There was a huge traffic jam after Jammu and we rode most part of this on the left hand side, squeezing through the gaps for almost 6 kms. After the Katra diversion, it road was all ours.





A quick update of location at Udhampur to HVK and we were asked to go to Batote instead of Patnitop as there were no accomodation free. We had thought Patnitop was a big place and were surprised when we entered Batote.

Stay for the night was at JKTDC, Alpine. Mr. Khan, the caretaker was efficient in his service which needs a special mention here. The room was big enough but lacked light as a lone CFL burned through.



We had a simple dinner of Chapathi, chawal and dhal. Hit the bed early.

Day 5

Batote to Srinagar
Total distance covered: 196kms.
Start time: 0600 from JKTDC, Batote
End time: 1215 at Malik Palace, Srinagar
Total fuel amount: Nil.

Today was a leisurely drive to Srinagar. Since we had a little to cover and a lot on hand, got up late and started the drive at 0630. Surprisingly the empty parking lot was buzzing and my bike was stranded in the middle. With the help of Mr. Khan, gingerly moved the bike out of the scrabble which looked like this. My bike was in front on the Qualis and had to moved out in the gap which was left by the M800 and Nano. Sorry for the blur image.



The outside of the hotel was a scene to behold. Let the pics talk.











The scenes around us continued to be mesmerizing throughout the drive.















We entered the Jawahar tunnel and came out to a whole new paradise.

[unk9ja]

Had breakfast at the Lower munda checkpost. Since the checkpost was for commercial vehicles, it was abuzz with activity.





The bikes meantime needed the much needed wash. The duke in particular was a mess.





Reached Srinagar at 1200 and checked into Malik Palace opposite to the Dal lake.

On the way to Srinagar

[unk9ja]

Had a good rest in the afternoon. Visited the sunday bazaar in the evening.

Next day morning, went for a walk along the Dal lake. The lake has lot of weeds and dredging was being done. There were lot of plastics in the water which made it look filthy. However there were some nice things to cherish.

Attachment 1289945

Attachment 1289946

Attachment 1289947

Attachment 1289948

Fresh veggies arrive at the ghats.

Attachment 1289949

Attachment 1289950

Attachment 1289951

Vidya went for a spree of shopping for Kashmiri items, but returned a bit late. This resulted in me along with our baggeges being evicted from the room. Spent sometime at the portico, before he arrived. We left for Sonmarg for that day.

Day 6

Srinagar to Sonmarg
Total distance covered: 96kms.
Start time: 1345 from Malik Palace, Srinagar
End time: 1600 at Sonmarg Palace
Total fuel amount: 490INR

It was a leisurely drive to Sonmarg, which was about 94 km from Srinagar. Reached Sonmarg by 1600, had lunch at the Sonmarg Palace which was our halt for the day. The food tasted awesome here. The ambiance of the hotel is also excellent.

On the way to Sonmarg.



















Some of the pics of the hotel where we stayed.











View from the window.





In the evening, while having tea, highwaycruiser and his friend firefoot arrived by Ecosport. So got a good company of Tbhpians and HVKians in the hotel. Chit chatting away on the tales we had till now, and the next plans on offer, we had dinner. Hit the bed early as the next day, we had Zozilla to conquer.

[unk9ja]

Day 7

Sonmarg to Rangdum
Total distance covered: 266kms.
Start time: 0530 from Sonmarg Palace
End time: 1615 at JKTDC Alpine, Rangdum
Total fuel amount: 1400INR

We slipped out of hotel in darkness at 0515. Dawn broke out just as we started to hit the Zozilla pass. We were on a mission to make it early to avoid all the horror stories about the Zozilla. It was rather a leisurely drive on the Zozilla we had. No oncoming vehicles till we reached Batra Transit Camp. We stopped by at a couple of places to click pics.





















We reached the first check point on the way and the guard there asked, Bahut jaldi aa gaye hai aap log! (You people have come very early). We moved on after the entry into the register and were stopped at the Batra Transit Camp as an army convoy was heading out. The next 20 minutes saw us eating dust raised by 100+ trucks that moved out.





Soon it was time for the revenge as we left the army convoy in our dirt tracks. We reached the Kargil War Memorial at 0845. Parked the beasts and off we went to look at the memorial. A plane on one side, a huge flagpost with an Indian flag right in center welcomed us. We started to move towards the flagpost. It was 1000 as we reached the place. The events that unfolded on those fateful days of the Kargil war in 1999 was narrated by a Jawan. It was an emotional narration and by the end of the 15 minute period, most of us had a tear in our eyes and a lump in our throat. Saluting the heroes of the Kargil war, we went round the flagpost and the Hut of Remembrance.





































We continued the journey with a heavy heart towards Kargil. Kargil has a entry tax for all the tourist vehicles. We paid 50INR for the bikes and filled petrol to the journey we would undertake towards the Zanskar valley.

Reached Kargil at about 1100 and continued onto Padum. The roads were fine till Sankoo and then on the ordeal began. The roads vanished just into the thin air and we were left to tackle the dust bowl with rocks of various sizes. Soon we hit speeds of single digit average. But we dare to move on and we did. I did the footpeg ride and was comfortable to doing it. But Vidya being a bit tall did not find the rhythm in footpeg riding and he opted to sit it and endure. We crawled through and finally made it to Rangdum at 1615.
We did not click any pics on this journey as we were in constant search for the rhythm. Water crossings at a couple of places were long and ice cold water entering the shoes made the drive more challenging.
The beasts were given a check for any loose bolts and chains cleaned and lubed. Over a tea we pondered the next step. During this talk Vidya expressed his concern over the fuel he had. The 15 ltr tank was already nearing half the capacity and he did not have any cans. We still had another 125 kms to do onwards and return back. It was a decision time and we stuck that we would return back to Kargil without moving on. It was a tough decision that I still regret as I missed out Zanskar by a whisker after the endurance.

[unk9ja]

Day 8

Sonmarg to Leh
Total distance covered: 362 kms.
Start time: 0530 from JKTDC, Rangdum
End time: 1715 at Lings, Leh
Total fuel amount: 530INR

Made an early morning dash back to Kargil. We took it easy with snapping at some nice surrounding pics as we knew we will be back into comfort zone after the endurance of the previous day's ride.

I would dedicate this days ride with a bunch of photos. Words do not describe the way the Zanskar is. You need to experience it and to feel it and that is what it is all about.





























































Max limit for pics reached.

[unk9ja]

Continued from the earlier















And now for some river crossing attempt pics

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Piyadassi]

Awesome. Reminds us why we ride... and in my case why I want to buy a bike seven and half years after I broke both the bones of my forearm in an accident.

[laluks]

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

[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?

[unk9ja]

Day 8 continued.

Please read the point of origin for the day as Rangdum in the previous post.

Reached Kargil at 1145. A quick word with HVK and we started off to Leh. Initial few kms from Kargil were rough. We were even held up for some minutes as blasting work for road repair was being carried out.

Before we proceed further, I would like to tell you an incident that took place in Kargil. We were hungry by the time we reached Kargil as there are no good eateries on the way. The previous day, we had Omelet dripping oil and something like a pizza base for breakfast at Sankoo. We could not experience it further and so reached Kargil. There was a decent big hotel at the entrance which we entered. After sitting for a few minuted, we asked a man who came by if there is anything available to eat and he replied in a negetive. We cursed ourselves and started to leave when he asked if he can prepare a sandwich, for which we gladly agreed to. About 15 minutes later, the sandwich arrived. Vidya on looking at the same ordered one more. The sandwich got down the throat in no time and we got up and asked the man who served us for the payment. "Do sau tees saab" was the answer. I was stunned. I asked him again to which he repeated and again in English. Six slices of bread with 3 slices of tomato and 3 slices of cucumber for 230INR. This was one brunch which I had not experienced in my lifetime and would never forget.

We proceeded further, but missed the Mulbek Buddha. The roads were great throughout the journey. Passed the moonland of Lumayuru on the way. Then the Magnetic hill. Stood there for sometime and waited something to happen. Nothing happened from the 2 tries that people did with their vehicles. So moved on again. When we reached Leh, we had crossed over the Naimik La and the Fatula top.



















On the verge of getting Leh'd.



Ah, by the way, we achieved for what we started, Getting Leh'd. And it was satisfaction of getting it done for the first time, against all the odds stacked against us.

We had difficulty in finding the place of stay, but it was a wonderful experience we cherish for the next 3 days and a day more. The host, Dorjee did everything to keep us at home. We were joined by 3 bikers form Bangalore, an Innova from MH for the day.

The place where we stayed







The host, Dorjee



The dining area.


The garden surrounding the place of stay. All the veggies used for preparation of dishes are grown here in the backyard. Fresh, a treat to see.

















A small waterfall in the backyard. This stream runs out into a bigger one down the road. Crystal clear water.





The opening is to store potatoes for the winter.



A view from the room



The places to ride in Kashmir



The biker's group from Bangalore, Akash, Purushotham and company.

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In the night we had a heartiest dinner along with Wasim and his friends from Pune. Thupka, a speciality of the Leh was served which was a great hit among us. We craved for more after the initial tasting.

[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.

[unk9ja]

Day 9

Rest day in Leh

The first half of the day was spent in getting the beasts washed and a routine service of changing filters were carried out.

In Srinagar, we had a tough time in locating the washing station. Even after agreeing to his demands, the guy never got up to work on the bikes, so we moved on to Leh. Here we found the now defunct Telco service station as an option. We approached the owner and he agreed to do it. And oh boy, what a way to do it. The beasts were given foam wash thrice. The owner himself looked after the proceedings and he taught the fellows in the shop how to do it and in a correct way. Hats off to this guy for his down to earth attitude. And we would recommend anyone visiting Leh and trying to get a pressure wash to go here. It is opposite to the Leh airport compound with a faded Telco service board.











The sun was very hot and less forgiving this day. Had a good lunch and took the much needed rest. In the evening, we went to the Hall of Fame, which is at the entrance to the Leh. A brief documentary was shown and we went round the hall looking at the exhibits.