Two days back the four of us Asif, Parichay, Deepankar and I embarked on one of our bike trips to Spiti Valley.
Parichay and Deepankar joined us from Mumbai.
We had three beasts to ride us to the picturesque Spiti Valley. Asif’s Pulsar Classic 180, My “Eleanor” Pulsar Classic 180 and the new beast on the block My Pulsar 150 Dtsi.
Day 1: Delhi to Fagu
We started at around 6:00 am on the scheduled day and the plan was to reach Narkanda on Day 1. Parichay and Deepankar were on their first bike trip while Asif and I had done numerous trips together. Our average speed was cut down as Asif and I had to wait for Parichay and Deepu to catch up. This waiting gave us time to click some pics and more rest then required and also the jouney got longer.
The honey bee.....
Smoking Mountain...
Miles to Ride before I sleep...
The other two duos were tired by the time we reached Fagu (22 km from Shimla) and we decided to make Fagu our first pit stop.
Sunset @Fagu....
So, the first day ended without much happening except the feeling of elation which we get riding on those curvy mountain roads.
We stayed at HPTDC hotel (The Peach Blossom). As it was getting dark we stayed in the room, had a chatting session, finished our dinner and went to sleep.
Hotel @ Fagu...
Our small group of luggage....
Day 2: Fagu to Karcham
The morning was bright and sunny and we were happy to relax and stretch our legs in the small lawn that the hotel has. Little did we know that it was going to be the most happening day/night of the trip.
Sailing on the curves...
We started off after having breakfast and reached Narkanda within an hour and had tea at our favorite tea stall which is on the turn from where the road goes towards Kotgarh.
Tea Stall @ Narkanda...
As usual some mountain dogs were having rest there and we enjoyed patting them and feeding them with biscuits. I always had a fear for dogs but the friendly nature of mountain dogs and their cuteness killed that fear.
Asif Trying out the bigger Beast....
In Narkanda we all planned that Asif and I will go on with our pace and will not stop and wait for the other two. Instead once we see some place good for lunch we will halt and then will wait for them to join.
Nature at blooming best...
The journey from Narkanda started and was only interrupted with stopping now and then for capturing the beauty of nature. The road from Rampur was excellent and we were maintaining nice speed.
Welcome to "K" Valley.....
Size does matter...
Too shy to be clicked....
Learning : How to be happy in all situations...
But destiny had other things in store. We were riding in tandem and I felt Asif’s speed dropping and I knew there was something wrong and well it was a flat tyre. We had just crossed Jhakdi and so I decided to go back and check for someone to fix the tyre. There was a mechanic but he wanted the bike to come to his shop, so I went back and we both rode back to the shop. The whole ordeal took almost half an hour and still there was no trace of the other two duos. As decided we went ahead without waiting for the two of them. By the time we reached Jeori it had started raining. We saw a tibetiean border police camp. We stopped and covered our bikes with the “poncho” that we were carrying and thought of waiting for sometime for the other two.
Our eyes fell on a hotel and we thought why not get over with the lunch here only and then proceed further. We took our beasts and parked them infront of that hotel. One on one basis we attended to the call of nature and in sometime the other two also came. We had lunch and started towards the next phase of our journey which was as planned was Kalpa.
We rested a while before starting from Jeori and it was around 5:00 in the evening by the time we reached Wangtu. All of a sudden nice road gave way to muddy road due to some dam work going on over there. With rains pouring on us, muddy and slippery road beneath we were enjoying the wheel spinning and skidding fun.
Beginning of the long Ordeal….
We thought it was just a matter of 2-3 kms that we will have to face this ordeal but well it started and kept on going. The vehicles coming from other direction bore marks of the road on which they have traveled.
It was getting dark and the road was frequented by some really big vehicles carrying building materials. Asif was leading the way with Parichay and Deepu in middle and me keeping a track on the two from behind. More looked in store as there was some noise which came from the Beast that Parichay and Deepu were riding. We got down and parked and started having a look, the noise seemed to come from the chain/sprocket. With night engulfing the light and mud coated chain and other parts, we couldn’t make out any head or tail.
There stood a temple of Durga and the place where we stopped was entry to an Army basecamp. We took the troubled beast near the temple and tried to check it for error but without any success. We decided to camp there in the temple but were told by the sentry at the army base that we couldn’t as it was an army area. Parichay’s bro is in army and after his brother talked to on phone with people at this camp we were asked to go to TPO guest house around 3 kms from there and spend the night there.
We contemplated about riding such late in these conditions and then decided on going ahead to the guest house. My mind was running in all directions and then came the guest house. The army men there were very hospitable and we got two BIG rooms and were also served dinner and tea. We were drenched in rain and so we changed clothes, switched on the heater and went to sleep hoping for nice bright sky the next morning.
@ Army guest house - All drenched...
Day 3 – Karcham to Nako
We were greeted by nice sunshine in the morning which motivated us enough to start our trip early morning. The road was still the same but daylight and sun instead of rain made it easier to handle the conditions.
The P150 was still making that odd noise once in a while and we were a little worried about the same. We thought of getting it checked if we came across any mechanic and as luck would have, near Powari we saw a mechanic shop and got the bike checked. Nothing much to do there was just a screw that was touching the chain and was making that fearful noise.
Beast checkup @ Powari...
Waiting for filling its Pit..
We and our beasts both had out pits filled in Powari and started off with new zeal and energy.
Dhaba @ Powari - We had Rajma Chawal...
Milestone - More to come...
It was a nice ride ahead from Powari and we reached Spilo where we had to get Inner line permit. The person sitting at the checkpost was very nice and was amused to know that one of the bikes was from Bihar (my Native place).
Taking inner line permit @ Spilo...
The road was awesome and we couldn’t help but wring the throttle and once in a while to rest our butts we used to stop at some scenic locations, click some pics and then went ahead with what we love.
It was huge and made a big howling noise...
For the shutter bug...
As we progressed towards Nako the silence engulfed us which was broken once in a while by some vehicle coming from opposite direction.
Colorful Loneliness...
No one was to be seen and both Asif and I were enjoying the solitude together.
Serpentine sliding away....
Solitude....
We decided to stop for a while and wait for the other to accomplices and also click some pics (its difficult to decide what was the priority).
Asif caught relaxing....
For the love of the Beast...
Just when we were feeling like leaving all the urban things behind and starting a new life in the quietness and wildness of the mountains we saw the world chasing us
Here they come all charged up....
And so the beautiful thought was interrupted but for good as some really beautiful landscapes and people were to be seen and met.
Trying to catch a breath and the beauty....
The Riders in arm.....
The sun was going down but we were not worried about reaching our next destination ‘coz we were living the moment of lifetime on those roads with our fellow riders and our trustworthy beasts.
We reached Nako with sunlight to spare and decided to stay at a hotel which was located just next to the famous Nako lake and overlooking the small but beautiful village of Nako. They had rooms as well as tent facility and we opted for rooms as it was damn windy and chilly.
Flocked by goat heard @ Nako.....
Asif, on with his tripolouge....
Slowly the night settled in and we were struck by the beauty of that small remote village of Nako. It was mesmerizing something that can only be felt and not explained.
Mesmerizing Nako lake....
Our host arranged a bonfire for us along with some nuts mixed with onions and lemon juice and then cup of hot tea.
The bonfire....
We just sat there beside the bonfire trying to capture as much beauty, silence as we could. These are the moments when the belief in the greatness of God come to fore, for nature is something which is never short of surprising you.
Day 4: Nako to Kaza
The day was as bright and sunny as we could expect. Asif saw a trek route just from where we were staying and went up to have a look. Well when he came back he had some nice memories with him.
Morning sun kissing the mountain peaks.....
Small temple at the top.....
Prayers floating all around - a closeup.....
Nako Village....
We sat and soaked in some sunlight and then had our breakfast.
Soaking the early sun.....
It was time to load our beasts and bid adieu to our host. The day started quite nicely with all of us moving ahead with expectations for better vistas and we were not disappointed a bit. We also visited the Helipad at Nako.
Helipad @ Nako.....
One more.....
The turns and twists were getting more and more beautiful and so was the ride.
The road and The river turned in Tandem......
Then came the loops through which we descended down and down and down
Loooooopy......
Down the loops.....
And met our brave army men who were more then happy to have a click with us.
Bravery and determination team up......
Most of the time the roads were very nice but at times we met with dusty road, but well a bike trip to the mountains without such roads is not worth. So we were enjoying the roads and the views to the full extent and then came the doorway to Spiti Valley
Doorway to Spiti.....
We were cruising nicely, but as fate would have it, there was a landslide just 5 kms from Samdo and we came to a standstill.
Landslide ahead of Samdo....
At first it seemed like well why did such a bad thing happened to us but well it was goodness in disguise. First of all we got time to enjoy sitting there in the middle of the road and having conversation with an Israeli couple.
The Israeli couple.....
Secondly we and a bulldozer operator had some fun
Bulldozed.....
Thirdly we saw the first blast of rocks with dynamite with our own eyes and well the bang did make a lot of noise.
Having a Blast.....
And fourth and the last but not the least good thing that happened was we came to know about “Geu” a small village on the border of Tibet which had a mummy around 500 years old whose hair and nail grows and needs to be cut every year.
We were welcomed by a very colorful gate as we moved towrds Gue.
Gate to Gue......
The road to Geu was nice and with river flowing alongside gave a very happy feeling.
The first view of Geu and we decided to stay there but was disappointed to know that it was an Army basecamp and civilians were not allowed to stay.
Look @ Gue.....
The temple was at some height were the mummy was placed
The Mummy temple....
And the mummy.....
The Israeli couple that we met near Samdo were also there on our way from Gue we saw a nice spot to use our shutter bugs.
For the memory....
When we returned back the road near Samdo was cleared and we moved ahead towards Tabo. We had never expected such beauty and were struck by wonder and admiration for what we saw was nature at its best (maybe. ‘coz I haven’t explored entire India yet). We stopped near chango bridge to give a call to our family members and saw a beautiful ornamented gate over there.
Gate @ Chango.....
Just as we entered Tabo we saw a hotel towards our left and decided to have Juice and Maggi over there and relax a bit before moving towards Kaza.
Snacks at 10,000ft....
The way was quite photogenic (just a figure of speech) from Tabo to Kaza. The pictures speak for themselves. Some wonder writing on the mountain wall
Wonderous - Imagine the effort....
Some more for the shutter bug....
I love to call them biscuit mountains
Riding along biscuit mountains.....
The biscuit mountains standing tall.....
The snow laden mountains - at an arms length......
The serpentine river- crawled to the horizon....
On our way to Kaza we saw a live example of population control and family planning
Family planning....
And then again the unwinding river in late evening
The river guided us and accompanied us like a blessing until we reached the gates KAZA
The gate to KAZA....
We went inside the city, Deepu as pillion of Asif and me and Parichay carrying the luggage, Asif was riding infront of as, then he stopped at a Y point and looked behind, Deepu shifted his weight to the wrong side and Asif’s leg was caught under the falling beast and was twisted. First casualty welcomed.
HPTDC’s hotel was shut down as it was off season due to unforeseen snowfall. So we searched for another hotel and it was quite cozy. Asif was given some hot water treatment and then Volini was applied. We had some chit chat session, dinner and then went to sleep.
Day 5: Kaza to Tabo
Next morning we inquired about the local hospital and I took Asif for some treatment.
Returning from hospital @ Kaza....
That day elections were going on in Kaza and so everything was closed. Only emergency was opened and there Asif got his foot bandaged and the nurse and the doctor were kind enough to give us some medicines free of cost. We then went to the Monastery and also played cricket with local lads.
Monastery @ Kaza- top end view....
Monastery @ Kaza - Front view....
Sachin's, Sehwag's and Zaheer's of tomorrow.....
That day we just roamed through the streets of Kaza and our plan to visit nearby villages had to be put on the back burner as we wanted Asif to reach the plains as fast as possible. His feet near the fingers had turned black and we knew it was going to give problem. We decided to go to Tabo and started at around 12:00 from Kaza. It was decided that Asif would be riding with me as pillion.
Some nice fun was in store for us today. We were moving towards Tabo with me riding in the lead and the other two behind me. At one place I saw the river water sparkling under the effect of bright sun and at once I felt like reaching for it.
Call of the Sparkling river.....
I stopped and asked for opinion, everyone was game. The beasts knew what was required and the route changed.
Ride to the river....
Wacthing its rider play...
What a poser....
The foursome enjoying some....
After having some childish fun by the river we started the ride ahead. More was in store as we encountered a herd of mountain deers crossing the road right infornt of us. We stopped and watched in amusement. We didn’t click any piture when they were near as we didn’t want to disturb them, so once they crossed the road and went a bit farther to the mountains they were shot
Mountain deers...
We reached Tabo and stopped near the monastery guest house. I was quite amused by the kid riding a bicycle and couldn’t resist but have a pic with him and with his running nose.
@ Tabo guesthouse gate - the flowing noses....
Cricket fever goes everywhere; even the small monk ain’t untouched
Maybe the highest cricket ground...
Hit it, if you can - The Tabo Express.....
We went inside the monastery and greetings (Juley) were exchanged with the monks. The simplicity of the monastery was amazing.
The Monastery @ Tabo......
Simplicity @ its best....
Asif and me.....
Prayer wheels and the Gate to peace and tranquility.....
The colors of buddhism....
After appreciating the beauty and architecture of the monastery we came to the same hotel which we had visited last evening and took two rooms, while the beasts rested outside.
Resting ground of the beasts @ Tabo.....
We stayed awake late in the night, watching the pics each one has shot and appreciating each others efforts. Goodnight.
Day 6: Kaza to Kalpa
We all woke up early morning not with the intention to start early but with the intention to spend more time at such a beautiful place with our eyes and mind wide open instead of sleeping. After having breakfast and playing with the dog whom we had given biscuits to eat the last two evenings and who was more then eager to follow us, we decided to part ways with Tabo.
Playing with a friend....
Plan was to stay at Reckong Peo that day. So we rode towards the new destination with some breaks for chocolate, water and nature call
All alone and one with the nature.....
Choclate & Water break....
And some streams by the road.....
And we reached Reckong Peo, but to our dismay it wasn’t as quite as we had expected as it was the main town. So at once the plan was changed and we decided for Kalpa. The road was quite nice and the wind was chilly. But all is well that ends well and the HPTDC hotel (The Kinner Kailash) at Kalpa was too good. We reached Kalpa just before sunset.
Kailash Parvat stood gaurd - while we slept.....
With the Kailash Parvat in view and cozy room, we enjoyed some hot water bath and relaxed. Had Dinner and went to Sleep.
Day 7: Kalpa to Fagu
The road was known to be bad as we had tasted it some days back, so we decided to start early. But how could we miss clicking some pics for the memory lane.
Hotel Kinner Kailash @ Kalpa......
Buddha.....
After having a light breakfast of Aaloo paratha, Puri Sabji, tea and coffee we started. As we started approaching the dam area, heavy machinery came in view.
It was Huge.....
Dam Construction on full swing.....
The road conditions had improved as there was no rain and so the mud and slippery part had given way to bit of a dusty road. We came across the same temple where we had taken shelter the other evening.
The Durga temple - gave us Shade......
We reached Fagu without anything eventful and again stayed at the same hotel. After freshening ourselves we went to Shimla for an hour or so.
The famous church on Shimla Mall road....
Good work with the lightning @ Shimla.....
We came back had dinner and slept with a heavy heart that the next day was the last day of the trip.
Day 8: Fagu to Delhi
With heavy heart and slow moving legs we saddled the beasts for the last leg of our journey. The last leg is generally the most uneventful.
Just as we were reaching Parwanoo Asif and I felt that the other two riders who till now were riding just behind us have vanished. We stopped and were waiting for them just then a person on scooter came and informed us that there was an accident and the riders had luggage just like us.
Our heart skipped a beat and at once we were on our way back. The black beast was parked on one side with Parichay sitting on the barrier and Deepu right next to him. We parked near them and we saw Parichay’s bleeding hand.
After washing and putting some dettol I bandaged his hand. The reason for all this was some Rash driving by some four wheeler from Delhi who in the hurry to overtake made them move to the loose gravel where the skidded.
The Bandaged hand....
We stopped at Mc Donald’s for some snack in the late in the day and then rode to Delhi. We reached my house by around 8:00 pm and then it was time to bid adieu to the fellow riders.
Conclusion:
Every ride teaches a lesson or two. This one made me aware of my limitations and made me stronger in handling difficult ordeals. Made me believe that whatever happens happen for a greater good and we should not get perturbed or intimidated by the situation at hand, because our vision is too short.
Every ride to the mountain acts as a fuel towards my burning desire to ride. This one was one of those rides which have made me even more hungry to go on my dream ride. By the time my next rides comes I will have a new Eleanor to accompany me on my ride. The beast will grow even larger and stronger to take me to the vistas that many dream of.
