The Next Level of Riding - The SPITI Valley - Part 1 - Chandigarh to Shimla

Its been a year since my ride to the himalayas, to Leh, to Ladakh and to Jammu & Kashmir. I had been itching to get back to those hills and mountains ever since the day I landed back in Bengaluru.

Fauji Bull all set to leave

I grabbed the opportunity to ride to Lahaul, Spiti and Kinnaur valleys as soon as it was announced in our club, Royal Indians Enfield Owner's Club (R.I.E.O.C). The restriction put on this ride by the club was that only riders who have experienced terrains such as Leh are allowed to join the ride. The maximum number of riders were also restricted to 6-8 members considering the uncertainty of the terrain. There was also a general lack of information about the whole area, with information coming only from a few sources. BCM touring forums were really helpful in getting status updates on road closures and conditions.

There was a different type of excitement this time around. I knew how to pack and prepare myself. I knew the spares I needed to carry, and I can say with confidence that I was much much more well versed with repair of the vehicles. Along with me were 5 other club veterans, each holding achievements of their own. We were indeed an elite team of riders, and this experience allowed us to gel and respect each other instantly, which became of paramount importance during the trip.

Getting Leh'd : Anger Management

The city of Budhkarbo at night

I woke up at 7am, opening my eyes I saw a few empty beds and a few with people snoring away. I stepped out and took another view of the valley. Very different from how it was the previous night. Apart from the small town the valley was completely empty. The camp also looked very different. It had been filled with military trucks the previous night, with no space for even an extra vehicle, but by morning the camp bore a deserted look. After my morning oblusions, I went to the mess to have some breakfast. I hogged myself down on some awesome puris, with some soya veggies and scrambled eggs.

Getting Leh'd : War Stories

Trying to utilise my acting skills

So, as you have read so far, we were all at the Drass army camp, with a broken down bike and a scary night's sleep. Para woke Bala, Gogo & me up at around 6. The prime focus was to try and fix his bike. I could only imagine how badly Para must have been praying, probably to some new gods as well, hoping that somehow we would manage to get his bike up and running. We removed the petrol tank and emptied it. Then pulled out the fuel filter and pump assembly and tried cleaning it. This is one awesome part of being the sweep. At every point, we are constantly discovering and learning more & more about our bikes. Gaining more confidence in our skills each time. After cleaning it and assembling it all back, we were all hoping, praying, begging for it to work, but alas, once-in-a-while prayers rarely work, and no miracle happened. Poor Para, god only knows how he felt. Much to his dismay, I had to secure the tow rope onto his bike again. The army officer told me that we might be able to find an empty truck at Drass town, and so the tow till town started.

Getting Leh'd : The dreaded Zojila

Paddling around Dal lake

The day started similar to one at home, I woke up and got off the bed close to 8am. The rest of the gang had woken up much earlier and head out to see the beautiful dal lake. Dal lake has a huge number of house boats, where tourists can choose to spend the night. Apart from this, smaller covered boats, called shikara can be hired to take a round of the entire lake. Post 7.30am, the floating market starts off. Merchants paddle up next to your shikara and show off their items for sale.

Getting Leh'd : Fuel issues

Saddles up and ready to go!!
Photo Courtesy : Anil

It was a comparatively relaxed start from the military camp at Udhampur. Everyone saddled up and assembled for a briefing. The lead announced that the two runners would switch positions. Gogo would become the lead runner & Vikram the sweep runner. Also discussed was the stops and the route. The itenary was to cross patnitop, reach peerah for brunch, then cross the famous jawahar tunnel and aim to hit Srinagar by 5.30pm.

Getting Leh'd : Crossing in to J&K

Riders getting Ready.
Photo Courtesy : Para

My phone's alarm started buzzing at 3.30am. Somewhere in the dream I was in, I kept hearing this annoying sound, and that pulled me out of my sleep. I sat up with a jerk on the bed, a disturbing habit of mine, which normally scares the hell out of whoever is sleeping next to me, but not Bala. I struggled trying to wake up the grunting boar (literally how Bala sounds when he's asleep). Seeing many of the other riders through the window, I saw they were already saddling up, and so I ran to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. There was no need to bathe, as I had smartly done it the previous evening.

Getting LEH'd : The start

Getting Leh'd : The Epic Saga Unfolds!!