K2K-2012 - Day 10 to 11
Day 10
I am on the bike ready to start for the day at 10:30 in the morning. Looks like i did not learn from my mistakes? Well no, its always something new that stops me from leaving early. As long as its new, it makes the journey more interesting and gives you something more to learn Today's delay has to do with a mistake i committed yesterday. BUT - being in Sonamarg and knowing for sure that your return journey is via Manali, its justifiable to leave late since you get to enjoy it more once the sun is up. In fact i would advice a day's stay in Sonamarg - enjoy the nature and additionally visit the glacier which is pretty close by.
Yesterday, while riding to Sonamarg i was getting low on fuel. But per my calculation i had enough to reach Sonamarg - and that was a huge mistake.
After checking into the hotel with another 30 km worth of fuel left, i en quire for a fuel station. The owner of the hotel - Chandu - who is almost my age saw my excitement with snow capped mountains that he got me a room with an awesome view and after a long friendly chat with him i get to know that he too needed some petrol for his car. I offer to ride him down to the fuel station on my bike and that made him very happy. We trace back around 15 km to the only fuel station available there. The guy managing it says that only diesel is available and petrol would most probably be available the day after. Would have wished i had somebody taping this to capture the look on my face. After half an hour of asking around for fuel sold in loose i give up. Chandu came to my rescue - he made a few calls to the taxi guys who ply tourists to Sonamarg from Srinagar and made sure i have at least 10 liters available the next morning. So i have no option except to patiently wait for the fuel in the morning.
I wake up early in the morning, run out in the bitter cold to the best view of the mountains around. The first rays of light from the morning sun on the peaks capped with snow makes it look like glittering gold. Only can be experienced but cannot be captured in its entirety on a small camera i had with me.
Finish up my daily chores have a refreshing breakfast, all suited up at 9 and i wait until 10:15 when the guy with the fuel finally arrives.
Anybody proceeding to Leh via Srinagar - the last point of refuel after Srinagar up until Kargil should be considered as KANGAN. The fuel station in Sonamarg mostly will not have petrol and above all the quality is suspect going by the stories i got to know later in the evening yesterday.
The weather is so good, i am so fresh that i fail to see any board that reads "Zoji La". The bad roads only made me think of this as preparation for Zoji La. I climbed up steep ascents and also came down hill. The roads got better to such an extent that i did stop by for a few pics. But i kept up my pace hoping to cross Zoji La as quickly as possibile hoping not to loose lot of time over it. This briskness brings me to the Kargil war memorial. I get in, take a pic of our national flag proudly fluttering and proceed. Now i am in two minds, am i on the right path? Am i wrong when i knew that the Kargil war memorial comes AFTER Zoji La? So i stop to ask around and an aged person points me in the opposite direction when i ask for Zoji La. I assumed he did not understand hindi and ask him for directions to Leh and he points in the direction is was proceeding. This gets me all excited that i passed Zoji La even without knowing it - i call up Kumar and share this miracle when i get a phone signal :)
After Zoji La
At the Kargil War Memorial
After listening to horror stories about this pass and looking at various pics and videos, i am so relieved to have crossed Zoji La. On one hand i was happy for this and on the other hand there was a hint of dissatisfaction of missing out on the experience similar to what i had seen in those scary pics and videos. This joy results in me reducing speeds to almost 20 kph - taking out the camera and shooting videos with one hand on the accelerator. This happens all the way to Kargil.
Kargil gives me the creeps, its a feeling very similar to what i felt in Srinagar. This was the exact feeling that made me skip Srinagar and settle down in Sonamarg. After riding through the city i was really perturbed about the safety of my bike since most of the parking is on the road side. I take a call on the go and cross the city to a fuel station - tank up - have lunch at a nearby place and ask for directions to the next place i can find accommodation. I also call up Kumar to update all this and ask him for his advice with regards to accommodation.
The next place is Lamayuru and its 110 km from Leh. Also Kumar warns me that it might take me atleast 4 hours since the road conditions are bad in between. I still did not want to get back to Kargil and hence start off for Lamayuru. Its a quarter to three right now and i make a dash for the destination.
The next 10 km was so good that i thought i will reach Lamayuru in the next hour. The next 50 km was so bad that i was sure it will take me more than 4 hours to reach that place. There is road construction going on. They are getting the initial foundation layer for the roads and hence have dug out the entire path for the next 50 km. This was pure off-roading which i had not done even on Zoji La. I was standing on the foot pegs through out this stretch.
Once this stretch is done with, you have a race worthy tarmac. Pitch black tar, no hint of a shine its totally matt black and guess the thickness of this coating? One full feet - yes - it was a road with one feet of quality tar. Imagine this on a twisty curvy road with the scenery of majestic mountains (no greenery - its just barren mountains with occasional snow on the peaks). Its anybody's dream come true for some high speed riding I was maintaining a 90 to 100 on this stretch. But good things don't last for long and this dream had to come to an abrupt end after around 20 km.
I see that i am now supposed to climb a mountain. I can arch my neck upwards and see one or two trucks kicking up a lot of dust at its tip. It is already 5 in the evening and the sun is now hitting me almost horizontally. The part exposed to sunlight is mildly warm but the other part in the shadow is almost freezing to an extent that i cannot feel my butt cheek nor the fingers doing the clutch duty.
I start freaking out just 5 minutes into this climb, till then i had bad roads but now i have dust as deep as 1 feet in some stretches (i put my feet down to balance and my shoes disappeared underneath the dust was so thick it came up almost half way to my knee). Also the construction meant there are no sign boards and the occasional vehicle that passes you by kicks up so much dust that there is zero sunlight penetrating through it. Its a sudden night scene at 5 in the evening. I was the only one climbing up, all these occasional vehicles were going down at insane speeds creating these dust clouds. I am scared out of my wits thinking about when i would reach Lamayuru.
I make it to the top of this mountain and it reads "Fotula Pass - The highest point in the Srinagar Leh highway". I actually read "Fotula ne teri fhaad di kya?". The view of the landscape from Fotula with the evening sun hitting at an angle is out of this world. It was beautiful. I still had to make the descent, so no photoes its a glance a smile and i proceed down.
Once you reach the foot of Fotu La the roads are back to normal and i read a sign board for Lamayuru
Below Fotu La proceeding to Leh. It was 6 in the evening and it was already freezing cold.
Reach Lamayuru and ask at a tea stall for good accommodation. I check into Hotel Moonland (09419888508) a fairly decent place considering my physical and mental state.
I was the only person in their restaurant with bermuda and just a half sleeve shirt and muffler - shivering to the bones and ordering for dinner. I was not prepared for this cold and did not have any thing in my luggage to deal with this. I had my thermal liners for the touring jacket and pant but there was no way i could touch it with clean hands after what i had been through in Fotu La.
My bike at the end of a dusty day.
I meet another biker in the hotel for the first time over this trip. He had the cherry red ZMA and the conversation started since i still love the Karizma so much and that got us going!
He is from Japan and is doing a PHD in Hindi. He has stayed in India from the past 10 years. At the end of the conversation on a humorous note he told me that the previous night when he saw me he assumed that i was a local since i was bold enough to venture out of the room to the dinner hall with just a bermuda and a shirt
Even he was proceeding to Leh but had other plans before visiting Leh.
I leave at 9:30 towards Leh. Took a very very relaxed ride to reach Leh by 2. After calling up Kumar and having a chat with Akhil with regards to accommodation i check into Hotel Oriental (below Shanti Stupa).
After Lamayuru
The lovely Gata Loops
A never ending road some distance before you reach magnetic hill
The confluence - 40 km before Leh
My dream destination! :)
Reach Lamayuru and ask at a tea stall for good accommodation. I check into Hotel Moonland (09419888508) a fairly decent place considering my physical and mental state.
I was the only person in their restaurant with bermuda and just a half sleeve shirt and muffler - shivering to the bones and ordering for dinner. I was not prepared for this cold and did not have any thing in my luggage to deal with this. I had my thermal liners for the touring jacket and pant but there was no way i could touch it with clean hands after what i had been through in Fotu La.
My bike at the end of a dusty day.
K2K-2012 - Day 11
Leh was just another 150 km and i was assured that the roads are much much better. So i get up late in the morning and take all the time to get ready to leave Lamayuru. Its 9:30 when i leave.I meet another biker in the hotel for the first time over this trip. He had the cherry red ZMA and the conversation started since i still love the Karizma so much and that got us going!
He is from Japan and is doing a PHD in Hindi. He has stayed in India from the past 10 years. At the end of the conversation on a humorous note he told me that the previous night when he saw me he assumed that i was a local since i was bold enough to venture out of the room to the dinner hall with just a bermuda and a shirt
Even he was proceeding to Leh but had other plans before visiting Leh.
I leave at 9:30 towards Leh. Took a very very relaxed ride to reach Leh by 2. After calling up Kumar and having a chat with Akhil with regards to accommodation i check into Hotel Oriental (below Shanti Stupa).
After Lamayuru
The lovely Gata Loops
A never ending road some distance before you reach magnetic hill
The confluence - 40 km before Leh
My dream destination! :)