Saach Pass Day 3 - Udaipur to Poorthi

This was supposed to be a short ride of about 50 km with most of it being downhill. This allowed us to start the day 30 min late and get in some pictures of the riverbanks early in the morning.

As soon as we started cycling, we realised that the roads have now drastically changed. Infact from here on, the concept of road was basically limited to a path full of stones, mud and at places construction material.


We crossed a beautiful village very close to our campsite, which had pastel coloured mud houses and small narrow mud lanes in between. Had I known about this place before, I would have spent my previous evening here instead of Udaipur in search of pictures.


Right after this village we also crossed one of the fastest flowing streams of the day.


The rest of the road towards Poorthi, was all by the river side, sometimes right beside it and sometimes going on the edge of narrow cliffs.



A few km before Poorthi, we turned off the main road and headed towards our campsite. Right there a few 100 meters onto this road, a stream flowed across forming a large puddle that spanned about 40-50 ft in length, seemed atleast a foot and a half deep at places and covered the entire road. There was a narrow trail on one side, but losing balance meant a sure shot dunk in those muddy waters. While most of us were able to navigate this puddle with little difficulty or atmost getting their shoes wet, one of us unfortunately bore the full brunt of this puddle. No one warned her of the depth, and she ended up getting dunked in those muddy waters. Fortunately, there was no damage except the obvious shock of what just happened.


Our campsite was across the river, next to a helipad. We crossed over on our cycles and waited for the camp to be set. Since the bridge was narrow, the larger vehicles could not make it through and it took time for us to set camp.

Some of us found an icecold stream to bathe in ( nothing beats the grime as cold water from the mountains).

A few kids from the nearby village dropped by to say hi in the evening, and we had a great time playing catch with them.


As the sun set we took a stroll on one of the nearby trails to get a view of the hills around.




Back at the camp, we had an early debriefing and retired a bit early to bed, thanks to one of the most daunting days that lay ahead of us.

Saach Pass Day 2 - Dalang to Udaipur

We woke up pretty early and after a quick breakfast served by our support team, we were all packed and ready to go towards our next stop. - a few km ahead of Udaipur. (Not the one in Rajasthan).


First thing’s first we had to get our bikes up to the road from our campsite, and the competitive spirit kicked in early. Someone started cycling the short uphill, and soon many of us were falling in line only for one of us to break their cycle chain even before we had crossed 500mts. But Hey, when you have someone like AC with you - everything can be repaired. Out came the chain tool, and in a matter of minutes the cycle was up and running.


The road went downhill till Tandi bridge, from where we would be taking a left towards Udaipur. The road on the right continues towards Leh, and that was not the adventure we had embarked upon this time.


We cycled all along the Chenab, through cabbage fields, sometimes close to the river while at times much higher up.





Our campsite was in the middle of a small pine tree forest ahead of Udaipur, and labelled Mini Manali by the support team. It was right on the banks of the river and was one of the most beautiful campsite of the tour.


We reached early in the afternoon, and had a nice hot water bath and relaxed for sometime. In the evening we strolled up to the village to visit an old temple which had beautiful wooden carvings inside (Apparently those carvings are from the times of Pandavas themselves. )

As sunset, we spent sometime by the river enjoying the cool breeze and the waters. Post our usual dinner and briefing, we spent sometime trying to spot the Milky Way before finally retiring to bed.
Tomorrow onwards the real ride was about to start.

Saach Pass Day 1 - Manali to Dalang

The next day we started at 6.30 am. Khemraj sir flagged us off, and the Sun put up some amazing sights for us to see. Since we knew we were cycling through the tunnel and avoiding Rohtang pass, we assumed it would be an easy ride. As in how high would a tunnel be, specially when it is meant to bypass Rohtang. Well pretty high. It took us a good 3 hours to ride up to the start of the tunnel.


The ride through the tunnel was pretty amazing. We probably were the first cyclists to pass through that and we ensured that we cycled in a single file with all our blinkers on. It was an amazing experience. Once on the other side, we got our identity documents checked (Covid protocols) still in place, and then after a nice breakfast/ lunch we proceeded on our way to Dalang.


It was a rolling ride through some villages by the side of the river and it presented some amazing views on either side. The campsite itself was located on a slope next to the highway. We settled in our first camp and waited for our daily dose of tea and snacks.




Evening was spent in walking down towards the river, and catching the last rays of the sun on the various peaks nearby. After a nice dinner and a briefing of the next day’s ride, we turned in.

Saach Pass Day 0 - In search of Truth

The route from Manali to Dharamshala via Sach pass - Roughly 470 odd kms of cycling over rough terrain and 2 passes to reach Dharamshala

4 years and post Covid - here we were - a bunch of people eager to get on the saddle and cycle through parts of Himalayas once again. This time though in search of Truth - aka the Saach / Sach pass.

Om, by himself had attempted this journey a few years back but had to abandon it midway due to unfavourable weather conditions. This time he made sure he had enough people with him to overcome whatever may come in the way.

So after some practice rides (interrupted by Covid) we were set to start our Journey on 21st August 2021. HS and AC had gone ahead to assemble the bikes and kept on sending pictures of the beautiful bikes and weather - making us jealous and eager.



So on Saturday morning - all of us arrived at Delhi via multiple flights, caught up at the airport and ended up in one of the restaurants in CP to kill time, till it was time to board our bus for Manali. The time spent in that restaurant was an indication of things to come - never ending food and drinks on the table ( Some of them overly spiced thanks to tips to the chef from some of our very own)

The bus journey turned out to be arduous and it took us a huge amount of time to just get out of Delhi, not to mention the pathetic roads and traffic both made worse by rains. After dinner at midnight, accompanied by a live orchestra ( yes Covid never seemed to have existed in this part of the world) we settled back for the journey towards Manali.

The delay at the start and lots of road work in between meant that it was impossible to recover the time we had lost. We ended up landing at Manali well past lunch time. But once you are in the mountains - the fatigue, the delay is all whisked away by the crispy fresh air and the majestic peaks visible in the distance.


Within minutes we were warmly welcomed at our hotel, Fog Hills, by Khemraj sir and our crew. However, when you are with a bunch of crazy cyclists you end up checking out your cycles before you end up dropping luggage in your room. We ogled at our brand new shiny bikes, itching to take them out for a quick spin.

After a quick lunch, it finally was time to check out the bikes, fine tune them and get them ready for the ride next day. What followed was - endless adjustments, putting on different bike bags, setting up go-pro mounts, mobile mounts and taking the bike out for short spins to see if everything feels fine.

At 18:00 we had a detailed briefing session about the entire route, the campsite, road conditions and the do’s and don’ts for the entire trip. The most memorable part of it - “mountain side se chalana hai, raaste pe dhyaan dena hai.. nahi to seedha Chenab ke raste Pakistan pahuch jaoge. (Stick to the mountain side while riding, and keep your eyes on the road, else you will miss a turn, fall in Chenab and reach Pakistan). There was other information offered about gradients, the location of campsites and how easy / difficult the road was in patches. I am sure each one of us had butterflies in our stomachs listening to that. We were also introduced to the team that would be taking care of us through the next 7 -8 days.

A beautiful view of Manali from the balconies of Fog Hills resort.

The earlier plan was to start cycling from Dalang (our first campsite) - and hitch a ride in the cars till there, but no one was keen to pack the cycles in the car - and hence we decided to start from Manali itself - via the Atal Tunnel to Dalang - on the next day - 23rd August.

After an early dinner and a nice walk in the starlight, we retired to bed - ready to start our journey the next day!!

Spiti Cycling Tour Day 11 - Reading the future

We woke up pretty early - around 3.30 /4.00 am to try and leave earlier and to gain some ground. We packed our bags and got ready. The rain had eased up in the night and while there were clouds in the sky, it was not raining.

All around us the mountain peaks were coated with fresh snow, making it a sight to behold. If I could, I would have spent the entire morning capturing pictures of those peaks as the Sun rose in the sky. Unfortunately we had ground to cover, so we bid adieu to SG and ML, got sat in the car and started off on our journey.


Thanks to the earlier day’s stream crossing disaster our shoes were still wet, so we had worn fresh dry socks, covered them in polythene garbage bags and then worn our shoes!! Now, you know the discomfort that we were dreading!!

While leaving from the campsite, I ended up taking the back seat of the innova and in a matter of minutes regretted that decision. Each turn gave us majestic views of the snow covered peaks and I could do nothing but to capture them all in my eyes. (The back seat of the Innova does not have openable windows, which meant I could not capture the views in my camera). The road was too narrow and treacherous and stopping the vehicle for every pic was not an option . So with a heavy heart and convincing myself that some sights are just to be experienced and not captured in the camera - we moved towards Batal, our first stop for the day. This is the starting point for the climb to Kunzum pass from the Lahaul side.


We stopped at Chacha Chachi Dhaba for breakfast of Parathas, omelettes and fern (lingdi as known in local language) pickle. The dhaba is very famous and even in those early morning hours there was quite a crowd there. The walls of the dhaba are covered with clippings of news paper articles that praise/recognise / award the owners for helping travellers stuck in the snow. There have been multiple instances where travellers/ trekkers around the Kunzum pass have been stuck in a snow storm and have been rescued and provided food and shelter by the dhaba owners. We read through all the articles while polishing off the parathas and almost more than half a jar of the fern pickle. We thanked chacha chachi and soon proceeded on our way towards Gramphu.


The road towards Gramphu - if it could be called a road that is - consisted mostly of boulders and gushing mountain streams. There was no way that we would have been able to cycle through that terrain and at the same time cover the distance that we were aiming to. Even driving through the terrain was a tenacious job and it was only thanks to Bachhitar’s driving skills that we managed to cover those patches. (The innova is not a 4X4 and has a low ground clearance - so navigating it in such terrain, while ensuring that none of the rocks damage the car from below - is a skill!!! Coz if your car does get damaged - you are stuck coz there is nothing for miles on either side and all you can rely on is the kindness of drivers passing by - hoping that they have the necessary skill and tools to fix it or that they can get a mechanic from the next village to help you out. That is if the car can be fixed on the road - if it requires towing to the garage - Good luck with that) Giri had a comparatively (I say comparatively - trust me it was not at all easy) easier time navigating his 4X4 with higher ground clearance through the same route.

The non existent road towards Rohtang

For those of us in the Innova - we also were privy to some wisdom that was hurled at other cab drivers and tourists by Bachhittar. “Photo le rahe ho…. khud photo ban jaoge” (You have stopped for taking a photo, beware, you yourself may become one if you don’t move quickly). “ paani ayega to roti bhi na milegi” (if there is a landslide- you won’t even get a piece of bread) . There was absolute truth in what he was saying though. The terrain is treacherous to say the least. We made slow progress - thanks to the terrain as well as some oncoming vehicles. At times you had to wait till one vehicle crossed over before the other could move.

After a while the road conditions eased up a bit - boulders gave way to pebbles - and we picked up a little speed. Rain had no intention of letting up though. We had a quick tea break, more as a respite for our drivers than for us before proceeding towards Gramphu. Even if the road conditions had eased a bit, the rains and some bad patches ahead meant that we had to wait to unpack our cycles.

Stuck in clouds and a long way to go.

Finally we reached Gramphu, the base of Rohtang pass from the otherside and unpacked our cycles. Now all that was left to do was to cycle up Rohtang and then roll downhill to our final destination - Solang valley. Since it was raining pretty heavily - I decided to ditch the camera - and ride with a light backpack. The ride up Rohtang was all through slush and mud but great fun. It felt good to get the legs working again after the long ride in the back of the car. I realised that in these conditions it was a bit easier to climb through the small channels of water flowing on the road than through the mud. We kept climbing at a steady pace getting drenched in the rains. As we got closer and closer to the Pass, it started getting cold. I started realising that my forearms were getting cold and fingers getting frosty. I made a mental note of changing over to a set of full fingered gloves for the downhill to beat the chill.


Our plan was to halt for a quick cup of hot tea / maggi at the top of the pass (most of us recollected lots of stalls serving tea/coffee maggi from our previous visits 4-5 years back) and then roll down towards Solang. Seemed pretty easy on paper. But we were in for a surprise.

As I reached near the top of the pass, Bacchittar and AM were there at the last hairpin waiting for us. I told them that I will go ahead and wait for the rest at the first Dhaba I find. I cycled up to the plaque to take a photo at the top of Rohtang pass. I looked around to check for a dhaba / tea stall to wait and shield myself from the cold, but there were none. Apparently the govt. had removed all the teastalls from the top of the pass in order to curb traffic and pollution -(welcome decision definitely but not from my point of view at that moment . My next action was to change to the full fingered gloves in order to protect from the cold, but I realised I was not able to remove my gloves from my hands. I had to request a cab driver to pull the gloves off my hand and then wear the full fingered ones. Since there was no place to stop at the top, I cycled back to where AM and Bachittar were waiting. I told them that I would start going downhill and would stop at the first dhaba /tea stall that I would come across. ( This was supposed to be somewhere around Marhi - a mere 8 km of downhill) Also mentioned that others should follow suit, as it was too cold at the top and it would not make sense to wait there. By this time both the Sid’s, SP and HS had reached. While SP was changing her gloves, me and both Sid’s decided to roll down together towards Marhi.

Ready to brave the cold.. little did we know what was coming ahead


As we started going down, fog rolled in, making it extremely difficult to see beyond a few meters. Rain had intensified and the rain drops were stinging the face. It was difficult to even speak with each other. For the first few turns I could see both the Sid’s were right behind me. We were warning each other about the turns / potholes, lane changes ahead. A couple of turns later, realised that one of the Sid’s was not there. It was impossible to stop and check out - given the weather, road and visibility , so we just hoped that he had slowed down and banked on the fact that the backup vehicle should be along soon to help in case if he required anything. A few more turns later, lost sight of the other Sid too. I was shit scared and worried, but there was no place to stop / turn around and go back. I was shivering, face was cold and turning frosty due to the constant rain and cold winds. It was an effort even to keep the eyes open. Fingers refused to obey the signals of the brain, making it difficult to apply brakes or change gears and to make matters worse the downhill just kept adding to the speed on those turns.
Earlier when I had started on the downhill, I had thought to myself that I will push through to Palchem (the point where the ride was earlier supposed to end), come what may, but soon enough I realised that it was not going to happen and I would have to stop much earlier. I just kept my eyes focussed on making to Marhi.

Soon, I saw it, I swerved my cycle to the side, got off the bike towards it. A person working at the dhaba saw me come, figured my plight (must have seen many like these before), told me to go directly in the Kitchen. He also asked me how many more were coming from behind ( he sensed we were part of the group - I told him 7 more) and rushed into the kitchen.

I removed my gloves, almost literally put my hand in the fire there on one of the stoves - but could feel almost nothing. I was shivering head to toe, and the stoves and fires all around in the kitchen were doing little to help. Soon after SidO joined me, and both of us were in the same plight. One of the cooks gave us both a cup of tea - and we could see the glasses shaking due to our shivers, the hot tea spilling on our fingers - but feeling nothing and neither being able to control the shivers. It took almost 10 good minutes before we could feel normal again. One by one other members of the group started trudging in - pretty much in the same plight as us. SidP however was till missing - but someone told that they saw him walking downhill, waiting for the backup. Apparently the brakes on his cycle had failed. Luckily he had figured it out in time, got off the bike and had started walking downhill- while keeping an eye on the backup. Unfortunately that meant he had to suffer the bad weather for a longer period of time.

The only people who came relatively unscathed through all of this were AC and JD - and that’s thanks to their experience of handling harsh weathers. When they reached Rohtang top, they could sense the weather was too cold, they put on a fleece jacket under their rain jacket and had then cycled down - which ensured that they were much better off than us. After a lot of teas and another helpings of hot parathas we finally got the cold under a bit of control, enough to get out of the rain soaked clothes and put on some dry ones. We packed our cycles in - there was no way anyone was going to cycle more 30 kms in that rain and weather - and got in the cars. Come to think of it we hardly rode 1/4th of the distance that we had oringally planned to do but no one was complaining about it.

Enjoying a hot cup of tea and some warmth in the Dhaba at Marhi - after everyone regrouped

The rest of the journey to our hotel was pretty uneventful, save for getting stuck in the traffic - and as usual people cutting lanes to create an even bigger mess. Eventually we reached the hotel. Giri and Bachittar had decided to push off to Shimla in the evening itself. So we thanked them profusely for taking care of us and bringing us back in one shape throughout the trip and bade them goodbye.

Saying goodbye to Bachhittar and Giri


After unpacking and a much needed hot water bath - we met together to celebrate and relive the last few days over dinner.

Desserts are always a must


As I drifted off to sleep that night - I couldn’t help remembering the articles that I had read earlier in the morning at Chacha Chachi Dhaba - of travellers getting stuck in adverse conditions. We had ended up in a similar situation and it was none other than a Dhaba kitchen that had saved us!

In my mind I thanked all the wonderful souls that stay and operate these dhabas in harsh conditions all across the Himalayan range, mostly all round the year, taking care of us travellers and providing us with food, warmth and a shelter!!

The next day was just spent resting and whiling away time in Manali, till it was time to board our bus to Delhi and catch the flight back home to Pune! Return to civilisation apparently but… somewhere the heart feels more happy and at home in the mountains and on the cycle than in the city!

Cycles locked and loaded - till next time!

Spiti Cycling Tour Day 10 - The Moon Lake

We woke up at 4.30 am to get ready for the big day. This was supposed to be the highest pass that we would climb on this trip.

After a hearty breakfast of Tibetian bread with honey, butter and scrambled eggs we set off for the day. As soon as we turned a few corners we could see fresh snow up on the mountains ahead. While it sure was breathtaking to see the mountains clad in snow white sheets, it also bode a warning as to how the weather could be at the top of the pass. And just as if to prove that we could see a thunderstorm approaching us very early in our ride.


By now the group had split in 2 - and AC took a call that it would be wise to pack the bikes and load them on the 4X4 instead of trying to brave the rain on the pass. When you ride as a group, safety in the mountains becomes the prime responsibility. However, the guys at the front didn’t want to pack their bikes and were riding ahead to avoid the sweep. The rest of us ended up loading the bikes in the 4X4 only to see that 1 km ahead the weather had opened up to a bright and sunny day. Talk about unpredictable weather in the mountains. So there we were again, unloading our bikes and starting the climb towards Kunzumla again.


The ride up the pass was pretty easy. Yes it was a long climb, but nothing too steep or challenging, it was just a matter of patience and to keep going on and on. ML and AM did a bit of hitch hike up the pass as both of them were not riding due to bad shoulder condition which was worsened by the roads. They used to walk / run in patches till the backup vehicle caught up. They then rode in it till the point it crossed a few of us on the climb, and then they used to get down and repeat the cycle.




The ride to top was pretty uneventful. Bacchittar, one of our crew members had brewed some black tea for us, God knows what he put in it, but it was the best tasting black tea I have ever had. Flavourful, a mixture of sweet and spice and hot. We all had a cup of tea before proceeding towards our campsite - Chandrataal -literally translating to Moon Lake.


It was supposed to be a downhill from here - with traversing the last few kms to the campsite. What we didn’t expect were the cold winds. As the downhill was full of switchbacks, there were these freezing cold winds that would hit us on our face on some patches and then would be behind us on the next turn. Even though we had our jackets on, it hardly made any difference.


Halfway through the downhill, we reached the point where we had to take a detour towards the campsite. This was a small road that traversed the mountainside. Tricky bit - we had to cross quite a few streams on our way. While some were small enough to just keep pedalling, the first big one that we encountered - got us a bit cautious, not for being washed away, but more so for getting our footwear soaked and having to ride the next day in those wet shoes. So we stopped before, removed our shoes and socks, waded the icy waters barefoot, pushing our cycles through it. On the other side we were back in our shoes and pedalling ahead. It was at this point that AC had caught up and we discussed that it should have been easily possible to ride through the stream without wetting our footwear. It seemed possible as long as we don’t have to stop in between or we end up losing our balance.

Pic by Amal Mitra

So come the next stream both me and AC were up for the challenge. This one was a longer crossing as the stream flowed along with the path for sometime before going downhill. All seemed nice and easy till some idiotic car driver ahead of us decided to stop in the middle of the stream, causing us to lose our balance and we ended up with wet shoes and socks !!! Luckily - the campsite was not too far away and we were spared the discomfort of riding in freezing cold shoes for long.

After a lunch of Daal and rice, we hitched a ride in our backup vehicle to see the lake. (Campsites are almost 2-3 kms away from the start of the lake to avoid polluting it) We reached the lake and started exploring around the periphery only to be greeted by rain. The wind picked up speed too, and since it didn’t look like it will clear out quickly, we returned back to the campsite. It rained the entire afternoon and evening and we were holed up in the tent in that gloomy weather.

Chandrataal lake

Fun fact - the Kunzum pass connects the Lahaul and Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh. While the Spiti valley is more dry and arid devoid of trees, a semi dessert, the Lahaul valley is known for high rainfall and is known for mountains and valleys covered in pine forests. Nature just seemed to be educating us on the field with a live demonstration.


We also got news that there were heavy rains - towards our destination for the next day - and the road conditions had deteriorated and would have made cycling difficult. The next day the original plan was to cycle from Chandrataal to Batal and then to Manali via Rohtang pass. This was supposed to be a good 80 -90 km ride including the long climb up Rohtang. Both our crew members got news from the other drivers who had come from that side, that the road had been washed out due to heavy rainfall and they said advised us to ride in the vehicles instead of the cycles in order to avoid any mishap. We decided to take a call towards night, depending on the rain situation at that point. The rain didn’t let up and finally we did take a hard call, that we would load our bikes in the 4X4 and ride in it till we got on a patch of road from where we could continue cycling. While many of us were disappointed, it proved a good decision in hindsight.


ML and SG had decided to return to Kaza from Chandrataal instead of continuing with us. SG was supposed to go on a trek with his friend in the whereabouts of Kaza while ML was gonna walk along the mountains in the Pin - Parvati valley. They figured that they would ride out with a couple of drivers who were headed that way the next day.


We ended up in the kitchen tent for dinner - a small tent where all 8-10 of us fit in to avoid the rain outside, and had a quick meal of Rajma n Rice. (fun fact - to cook Rajma (beans) at that altitude required a humungous effort and time for the chef. Apparently took 20-30 whistles of the pressure cooker to cook them)


With nothing else to do, we retired early - listening to stories from AC about his races in Italy. Each one of us prayed for good weather for the next day as we drifted off to sleep - hoping that we could ride as many of the 90km .

Spiti Cycling Tour Day 9 - Photoshoot in the outdoors

It’s going to be an easy day!! Well that’s what we were told - 60 km of easy ride along with breathtaking views. Most importantly no big climbs. (Just the things our Tour Operator says which we have learned to ignore in hindsight :P )

After a hearty breakfast of bread and scrambled eggs. and wishing the trekking group good bye, we started off on our way. Since the distance was not much, we stopped frequently to take pictures, making most of the vast valleys and good roads. Some patches of the road and landscape reminded me of the More plains on the Manali Leh route.

The happiness was short lived though. Good roads soon became bad, bumpy roads or non existent ones and the flat and rolling route soon started weaving its way through hills. Nothing as steep as Nako but still uphill nevertheless. (Now you know why we learn to ignore the TO). We crossed the Spiti river at Gramphu and proceeded to Hansa where we stopped for breakfast. On the last leg towards Hansa SG managed to break his chain and had to pack his bike. At Hansa Cap took stock of the situation and for the time being asked him to carry on with Amal’s cycle as he wasn’t riding due to his shoulder injury.

The small shop served as a small cafe + the local grocery store. We ran into a few locals there who were more than happy to chitchat with us, and I had a great time capturing some portraits while we rested.

From here it was just 16 km to Losar our stop for the night. However these turned out to be extremely challenging. The headwinds made it even more difficult to push through. At one place we had to cross a stream through the boulders of a washed away bridge carrying our bike on our shoulders. The journey although slow was extremely gratifying and provided some of the best photo opportunities.

Losar arrived and we were welcomed by a slight drizzle. We were in a small homestay with our rooms on the first floor and a common dining area below. The kitchen had a rustic look and reminded me of a kitchen that I had visited on my way to Karwar.
We were served piping hot Rajma, french beans with hot rotis. I have always wondered why even the most basic meals taste so delicious in the mountains - may be its the air, the simplicity of the people living there and the magic of the water & soil that seeps into the food.

After a hot water bath and a quick nap, the evening was spent scouting the nearby mountains for sights of the elusive snow leopard. As if we could sight it from so far away!! Each mountain around the village had a different characteristic and made interesting subjects for photos.

Some of us walked through the village to build an appetite for dinner and met a few school boys who were intrigued by us. As the sun set, the cattle came back from the mountains providing some hustle bustle for a few moments in the sleepy little village


Dinner was spicy egg curry, potato sabji, a gravy of rajma and chana (beans and chickpeas) served with Kemo. Kemo is a local bread - made in the shape of a croissant but non sweet, made of wheat flour and steamed like a dumpling. We compared the tiny village with villages in Europe where tap water was potable ( not the usual case across India).

We also got a glimpse of the hard lives that the locals lead. While we were retiring to bed, our hostess, Kalzam, was still cooking food for some other travellers who had stopped by, after which she would have her own dinner, tidy up the kitchen and then wake up again in the morning to make breakfast for us.


The rooms were cozy with 4-5 beds in one of them and nice thick blankets to keep the cold at bay and all we needed was a good night sleep to climb to the highest point of our trip the next day!

Spiti Cycling Tour Day 8 - A football match, and a race for the rains

It is interesting to note how the body gets used to a routine. Even though there was no hurry to go anywhere, most of us still found ourselves in the kitchen waiting for the morning cup of tea at around 5.30/6.00 am. It was amusing to watch Captain walk in at the same time, battle ready (which essentially meant - carrying his backpack which included everything that would be required to fix a bike or even build one :P in case anything went wrong) for another day of cycling. Upon asking, we got to know that he had just come back from a 2 km ride to see off some of his friends. You can always trust Captain to be prepared for everything!!

Soon after we were done with our breakfast, we were on our way to the first stop of the day - Key Monastery. The climb hardly mattered as we were happily seated in the vehicles today. As we parked the vehicles at the base of the monastery - we saw a few of the younger monks enjoying a game of football. Within minutes the ever enthusiastic Joss, and the never to be left behind - Sumedh had joined the game. While Joss was all about finesse and showcasing his dribbling skills with the ball, Sumedh relied on power to get the ball through wherever he wanted. It was fun to watch the young monks give it their all against the other team in order to score a goal.

After enjoying the game for a while, we climbed up to the monastery which offered panoramic views of the Kaza valley and the farmlands around it. We were served the traditional sweet black tea which had something peculiar about it, a mix of sweet and spice which made you feel satiated and left you feeling warm. We only got the same tea once afterwards when Bachhittar brewed it for us at Kunuzum La … but the recipe till date remains a mystery. Later on, who knew that a few weeks after being back in Pune, I would stumble upon some mixture that would come quite close to that taste - but of-course without the magic of the location and the people - it would not be the exact same thing ever.


The next stop was Kibber. Kibber is one of the highest inhabited villages in the region and a treat for those who want to catch the glimpse of the famed Snow Leopards in the regions. The season for Snow leopard sighting though, is slightly later in the year. We strolled across the village to the NCF Office. The office also acts as the base for all NCF volunteers that are there for various projects. It just so happened that we were in the village on the day when they were praying for rains by performing a sacred ritual. Not wanting to miss out on such an opportunity, we walked to the edge of the village where the ceremony was taking place. Though we couldn’t make much sense of the ceremony, the crowd that had gathered was a sight to behold. The ladies had all turned up dressed in antique turquoise jewellery, which apparently passes from mother to daughter over the years. The kids were dressed in bright colours too and many of them were seen munching on lollypops and having their own gala time.


The second part of the ceremony involved, riding a few selected horses to the top of the distant hill. These horses wore saddles in bright colours and on a signal from the elders, their riders pushed them towards their destination. The entire journey takes around 2-3 hours. Rinchin, too had his horse on the line and was off with the rest of the gang as soon as the signal was given.


After a quick chai at the NCF office and lunch at Kibber, we came back to Kaza and took on the task of cleaning our cycles. We walked to the Sol cafe in order to try some hot chocolate, but it turned out to be average. In search of good food and the ever essential shopping for the trip, we kept walking through the market, buying a bit of this and that before we finally found our place for dinner - an Israeli cafe. The market walk, and running after the kids on the street to photograph them had made us hungry and we gorged on pizza, schnitzels, burners and shaksukas while listening to Captain’s photography stories - his tales of capturing snakes, and other reptiles in his camera. Joss invited us all to his place in Goa where he promised to take us prawn fishing and promised that while we barbecue the prawns, we would get to hear an orchestra of frogs.

It was while walking back to the cafe that we realised that it was EID and dropped in to say Eid Mubarak to Bashir (our hotel owner) and he graciously offered us some kheer. The early hours of the night were spent clicking the Eid ka Chand and listening to beautiful old melodies being played on some radio in the valley.

After bidding adieu to the trekking group we retired for the day.

Spiti Cycling Tour Day 7 - The Taste of Spiti

Our stomachs didn’t seem to agree with our tongues and some of us woke up with a bad stomach ache. After the tiring ride of the previous day, the energy in the camp was a bit on the lower side. A bowl of porridge and honey also didn’t help sprucing up the energy. Moreover Amal came down with shoulder pain and decided to give the ride a miss. ( He did play the photographer part perfectly though, capturing some blissful moments of our journey through the day).


The going was very slow, but slowly the scenery started changing. We got stunning views of the valley, the sun peeking from behind the mountains, shining on the river, meadows on both sides and the occasional flock of blue sheep roaming in the mountains seemed to help us get in the groove.



Our destination was Kaza with a slight detour to Dhankar monastery. The slight detour was a journey of 8 km which served mesmerising views along with a side dish of gruelling gradient at each turn. Counting down the kilometres at every milestone, we finally reached the monastery (rather a cafe with the view of the monastery). We parked out bikes, sat in the Sun, gorging on delicious pita bread sandwiches and viewing the monastery from the distance. Our stomachs full, and with no intent to spend more time in entering the monastery, we decided to take the route that skirted it at the base and roll along to rejoin the road back towards Kaza. I know, I know, all the climb just for some pita bread sandwiches :P . Well, what do I say, we are connoisseurs of good food !!

The ride to Kaza got better with time except for the last climb towards our hotel - Snow Lion. The owner served us some nice piping hot food ( sabji and roti) . Thanks to the spare day that we had in Kaza, everyone got done with their laundry and had a nice afternoon nap. Late afternoon everyone finally found their way to the common corridor, chit chatting and waiting for the evening tea.

Deepti and Rinchin decided to drop by to meet Manjiri and Sumedh ( Deepti and Rinchin both work in Kibber with the NCF, for snow leopard conservation and they had some breathtaking photographs of the big cats) We promised to visit their centre in Kibber the next day, and then left to explore the town of Kaza.

After Nako and Tabo, Kaza was more of a small city, streets bustling with lots of vendors, shops everywhere and cafes doting the landscape. We saw quite a few tourist groups roaming around exploring the city. A chance encounter with the wings of Himalayas (another group) prompted an exchange of recommended dishes at the sweet shop - Jalebi, samosas and gulabjamuns coming to the fore.

With a lot of time to kill, we meandered on towards the river, watching the Sun set over the valley. The mountains behind bathed in the golden light, while purple hues formed in the sky towards the other end. Each one found their own spot to enjoy their solitude and soak in the beauty around us.



The bill at Taste of SPITI - look at the number of icecreams we ate :)

On the way back we stopped at “The Taste of Spiti” a small cafe run by Ishita who also does a lot of volunteering and NGO work in the Spiti Valley. Manjiri wanted to plan her journey post the cycling trip with Ishita and so we barged into the cafe. Pretty soon, we had ordered everything on the menu. Although, the overall food was great, we soon zeroed in on the ice cream with Bailey’s. Within minutes we had finished the entire stock of ice-cream that they had and Ishita had to ask us to come back the next day for the next round. Grudgingly we agreed and walked back to our hotel.






In the evening another tourist group had landed in the hotel. Some of us caught up with them, discussing star trail photography and such. With no early start the next day, we ended up chit chatting about our career paths and how we were, where we were. Amal, who after completing double masters in fluid mechanics and heat transfer, had worked his way through many positions in AT&T to finally retire (from a corporate job) with an aspiration to build a positive energy house back in the USA. He also wanted to go back to school and learn some more ( Some enthu I would say :)) Sumedh and me were pretty much in a similar boat, with software techie backgrounds. Joss, very much like his personality had an intriguing story to tell. An ex army guy , and current VP of operations for a major airlines, he told us about his journey of cycling from Pune to Kanyakumari and back, surviving on just toffee and bread, and some food from temples. He narrated his experiences of his 2 month hike from Darjeeling to Kathmandu, living on rice and the food that they got in the villages. One of the experience was about a time when the villagers had got offended when their group had put a lock on the guest house that they were staying in . With Joss around, there’s always an interesting story to be heard.


It was closer to midnight, when retired to our rooms for the night. A rare late night during the expedition.

Spiti Cycling Tour Day 5 - Climb all the way

On the toughest day of the ride, you want to wake up feeling the strongest, but then things don’t always turn up in your favour. Woke up feeling a bit under the weather, popped a glucose bolt tablet to keep the energy up and grabbed on usual breakfast of bread butter and jam.

Luckily the initial part was all downhill - the switchbacks which had taken us a good 40 min to an hour to climb were done in 10 min. The path continued downhill crossing a few bridges, lots of army Jawans going for their morning run and barren hills around. We cruised till we were level with the river and continued our journey to cross one final bridge before the climb started.

It was supposed to be a 40 km climb - the first part winding up through the gorge that the river had carved over the years. This was probably the hardest and steepest part of the climb. Everyone halted after the initial leg of the climb to get some respite and ofcourse, click some photos. After the usual round of selfies, portraits and profile photos, we saddled up continuing on our way to the switchbacks.

The Climb to Nako - Road review 1

Switchbacks in Maharashtra usually mean medium grade slopes between the turns and sharp climbs on the turn. Luckily in the Himalayas, the switchbacks are much easier. You have a low gradient between the turns and a lot more distance between them, and a medium gradient on the turns making these switchbacks quite easy to ride. All of us kept pretty good pace on the climb, with the occasional stop for photos. On one such stop, Amal picked up a few grass blades from the roadside and asked us to smell them. The fresh sweet and citrusy scent of Juniper bought a certain freshness to the tiring morning. For the next few days, all our our handle bar bags were adorned by a few sticks of Juniper.

The climb continued till Kah on good tarmac and was pretty easy. The entire group cycled together and no-one lagged behind. After Kah the tarmac gave way to the usual dustbowl of a road and the climb continued. This time no switchbacks, just plain old winding road in the barren mountains till we reached a diversion towards Nako (our destination for the night).

View of Climb to Nako 2

A quick stop for refreshments at a cafe, and the climb continued. We were greeted by a small oasis of green in the middle of the barren landscape. Those 10 min of climb through the shade felt lovely in the afternoon heat.

Finally after an arduous day of climbing, we reached at par with Nako. It was still a few km away, but the climb was done with. As me and Amal stopped to click some photos of an old doorway, a car with a few teenagers stopped beside us. They had seen us climbing and had stopped to check in on us. Whether we needed water, or if we needed some help. It was good to see strangers caring about cyclists in the midst of the mountains. We thanked them, assured them that we were ok and continued on our ride.

We missed the turn to our campsite, but that in turn led us right into the village of Nako, and the photographer in me jumped with joy. (yes, even after the 40km of climbing). Nako is a beautiful village set on the slopes of a mountain range and overlooking other ranges on all sides. The village itself is made of mud houses with splattered paint walls and beautiful wooden doors. I knew I was going to have a field day while walking through the village.

The campsite was found in due time, and a lunch of Chowmein, Thukpa and momos was served. We ate to our hearts content, while Sangha (the Tibetan Mastiff ) kept an eye on us. Within an hour most of us were napping after cleaning the bikes and ourselves.

View of Nako

We woke up to strong winds and a bit of rain in the air. For a moment, I was afraid that my chance to capture the village of Nako would be washed away. Luckily for me, it rained on the mountains in front of us, which allowed me to capture some beautiful images, both of the rain and of the village of Nako.






Dinner of soup, rice and chicken manchurian was served along with daal and paneer. While packing for the night, I noticed that I had misplaced the eyepiece of my camera. A quick search provided no results. Although the photos would not have been affected, it would definitely have caused some botheration while clicking the photos. Deciding to search for it one more time before starting the next day, I retired for the night. One of the toughest day (At least on paper) was done.

The never ending climb to Nako- A short timelapse of cycling to Nako

How to make the most of your weekend Lake District visit (UK) ...(arriving Saturday afternoon, leaving Sunday afternoon)

This blog has been written based on the author's own mistakes and the things he missed by not planning  in advance.  He wishes he did have done this research earlier or someone could written this peice earlier in order to make the most of this day in Lake district.!!!

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Spiti Cycling Tour Day 4 - Dirt Track

It was time to get back on the saddle. The steep uphill climb from the campsite to the road made things even more difficult.  Everyone started pushing their bikes up, everyone, except for Captain (Of course - Captain never pushes his bike around). The plan for the day was simple - go downhill till Karcham (20 - 30 km) and then ride to Pooh, where a small climb awaited us. The rest of the route was supposed to be rolling. It felt like a good day to ride. The feeling lasted only for a few moments.

As a cyclist, the first thing that you do before starting a downhill is to check your brakes. In our rush to get going, we missed it, till about 5 min into the ride. Someone called out for a brake check and all seemed fine, until Shilpa yelled out, that her brakes were not working. Luckily for us, she managed to stop without using the precautionary barrier that we formed with our cycles. Captain immediately got to work and within no time, we were back on the saddle, cruising down the slopes.  I managed a makeshift Go-Pro, using my cell phone and the handlebar bag to snap a few videos. 

A hyperlapse of the downhill from Sangla to Karchham on my makeshift go-pro - Oneplus One hitched to a handlebar bag

 

 

Rocky Neighbours 

2 houses stand apart on a rocky ridge on the road to Pooh. The clouds and the blue sky just added to the setup

Each of us, including the cycles, must have easily put on a couple of Kgs courtesy, the dust on the road. Most of the route was under construction. We had to break a couple of times in between owing to roadblocks. Even the landscape was devoid of any greenery.

The deteriorating road conditions throughout the day and the disappearing tree line. The day was hot sunny and not say dusty, 

We stopped at Spillow for brunch,  and had an awesome lamb Thukpa. We even picked up a few chocolates to help us through the last leg of the ride. As we approached Pooh, the road became slightly better.  Each one of us tried to cover the last climb as fast as possible, eager for a hot water shower and some good food.  Of course, food came first as the back up vehicle was yet to arrive with all the bags. 

 

The climb of Pooh. It felt that if we didn't have a challenging uphill towards the end of the day, the ride didn't feel worthwhile. Every single day, we climbed up for our stay, only to descend the same slope at the start of the next day and head fu…

The climb of Pooh. It felt that if we didn't have a challenging uphill towards the end of the day, the ride didn't feel worthwhile. Every single day, we climbed up for our stay, only to descend the same slope at the start of the next day and head further. 

 

This was the first time that the youngest kid of our group - (Chota Hrishi) had managed to complete the entire day's ride. We all celebrated his success by having ice-cream. 

 

On our way up, each one of us had noticed the Army Bakery, and plans were made during lunch time to gorge on some junk food in the evening. Come evening, we hiked downhill to grab some burgers and chips. Unfortunately for us, the chef was on leave and all we could lay our hands on was one veg burger amongst the 8 of us. We somehow managed to share it amongst the 8 of us, comparing our feat to eating one sesame seed between 7 people.  

Captain being vocal about what we missed on that day !! :) The dejected face says it all :)

Captain being vocal about what we missed on that day !! :) The dejected face says it all :)

 

We trekked back to our hotel, with gloomy faces and ended up watching the sunset from the terrace of the building. As darkness set in, we took a break from the various versions of Hindi everyone was attempting to speak and had a quick tasty dinner before retiring for the night. 

 

The next day was supposed to be a good 35- 40 km climb and everyone needed ample rest for it. 

Spiti Cycling Tour Day 2 - The never ending ride

A good night's sleep does wonders for the mind & body. Feeling energetic we all trooped into the restaurant at 5.30 am to grab our breakfast. Jam, butter & toast with tea / coffee, till Manjiri opened a jar of her homemade, lip smacking peanut butter. Within the next few minutes the toasts and the peanut butter had disappeared from the table. 

As the sky started to lighten, I observed the Shrikhand range of mountains, hoping to catch a glimpse of the peaks in the morning light. Lady luck did smile upon me and I got a couple of shots before we left for the day.  

Just as we were about to leave, the skies cleared up, giving us a peek of the snow clad Shrikhand range

Today's ride was supposed to be tough. A 20 km downhill, interrupted by a short bike and hike to overcome some road repairs and then rolling terrains till Karcham. From Karcham it was supposed to be a steady climb till Sangla, which was supposed to be our campsite. While coasting downhill towards Jeouri, we saw a lot of jawans running for their morning parade practice.  

The road continued next to the Sutlej, rising up and down as the river flowed through the valley, cutting deep ravines.  It was a bumpy ride to Karcham, but with majestic sights to behold.  Rocky overhangs forming tunnel like structures, deep gorges on the sides and steep downhills in between. The comparatively heavy traffic on the narrow road made it difficult to stop and click pictures.

Enroute we crossed Wangtoo, from where a road leads to the picturesque  BhaBha valley. It is one of the most scenic and easy hikes in this region. 11 years ago, when I had embarked on that journey, the roads were under construction, and work was going on some big power projects. In the last 10 years, the area now boasts of tar roads and many hydroelectric projects.

The weather was pleasant and we made good progress till Tapri. A quick breakfast of special masala maggie and honey lemon tea later, we were back on the road. For some reason on such adventures, Maggie always turns out to be the first choice for a mid meal snack - lip smacking, hot and just about filling. 

One of the many hydro electric projects near Karcham

One of the many hydro electric projects near Karcham

The route from Tapri to Karcham laid out magnificent views of the Sutlej and the mountains beside it. Gigantic walls of hydroelectric projects dwarfed us while we rode alongside. At Karcham we crossed a small catchment area and started our climb towards Sangla.

The terrain changed, the road became a mix of tar and dirt road, climbing up in a series of gradual climbs and switch backs.  What seemed an easy climb at first, soon turned out to be a nightmare. 

Although the views were grand, the climb combined with the Sun kept sapping on our energy reserves. It was only a continuous supply of On The Run bars, Chikki, enerzal and bananas that kept us going. 3 hours into the climb, in the lowest gears, we managed to reach Sangla, elated that we had finally arrived.  The excitement lasted for 5 min, as we realized that we had 5 more km to go for the campsite. "5 more Km? How bad could that be?" ,thought I ...and in my enthusiasm egged both the Sid's, who happened to be looking for a quick snack in the market, to ride on.  Till date they still curse me for that decision, as we it took us an hour to cover those 5 km.  It really seemed a never ending ride. 

On the way we came across inquisitive school kids who clambered over each other to be a part of a photograph, and a lady who saw us cycling and asked us if she could take the cycle for a spin, only to shy away when we offered it. 

 

We finally reached the campsite at 4 pm, exhausted, weary and covered with dust. The camp manager had been kind enough to keep the lunch spread open for us, and we made the most of what was offered. Hrushi's Garmin was questioned again and even though the camp was beautiful, he did have to listen to everyone cribbing about the additional km's that they had to cycle post Sangla

After a hearty meal and a hot water bath (nothing helps you unwind faster), we relaxed in the heavenly campsite to enjoy the evening.  We watched the Sun set from the camp, ruing the lack of energy to cycle back some 2-3 km to one of the finest view points on the road and watched as snow laden peaks emerged in the moonlight.

 

The scrumptious dinner was topped off with a piping hot coffee by the campfire, listening to old Bollywood songs on someone's MP3 player. 

Eventually, fatigue came calling and we made way to our tents for a much deserved, good night's sleep. 

Glimpses of the ride from Sahaan to Sangla

 

 

 

 

Spiti Cycling Tour Day 1 - Ready Steady... N Go

Riding with fitness crazy people comes with its own fun /perils /  challenges /craziness whatever it may be, depending on your own fitness levels. 

So the first day of the ride, was supposed to be 100km easy ride. Easy because a good 60 odd Km being downhill, 20 more rolling (to be explained / experienced) later and only the last 20 being a climb. (This would be the first day that would raise doubts about Hrushi's Garmin distances). So technically it should have been just a 40 km ride, piece of cake...or so we thought.

A glimpse of what the entire road looked like early morning. It was one of the best downhills ever. Great tarmac, sparse traffic, cold mist and dense woods.

5.30 am, everyone's on the saddle, breakfast of jam n toast in the bellies, brakes checked and ready to sail. Only one slight glitch...no visibility beyond 50 mtrs. Awesome!!!  Riding down those twists and turns... full speed ahead, with car blinkers and headlights to warn us of vehicles around us and the entire pine forest shrouded in mist was a mind-boggling experience. Eerie.. but damn exciting. 

 

With Captain being very strict about being the last person, it meant that I had to do intervals in order to get pics - Race ahead of the pack, stop, click pictures and start with Captain again. Looked like a cake walk on the downhills but came back to hurt later on during the day. 

Layers n layers of hills, some shrouded in mist some bathing in sunlight, a few villages strewn on the slopes and a winding road passing through them.  A haven for cyclists!

The last 20 km of the downhill were rolling (more ups & downs... rather more ups than downs) and by the time we reached the base, the Sun was out and it was hot and humid. We ended up cycling beside the Sutlej, with not so great views. The weather and the constant ups n downs made it all the more tiring. At Rampur, a slow town traffic made matters worse. Finally we caught up with the lead vehicle outside Rampur, by a roadside Dhaba. We gobbled up a paratha and started our climb towards Jeouri. 

Having Captain at the helm meant the schedule was tight with strict deadlines in place. Atleast for the longer rides. Today in order to attempt the climb of Sarahan, we had a cut off of noon (or was it 2 pm?) at Jeouri. Being the crazy people that we were, all of us despite enjoying the ride and stopping at every possible scenic location along the way to click photos or selfies, we pushed harder to reach before the cut off. Coz, after all the fun always was in the climbs. 11 kms before Jeouri, we had our first set of casualties.  Sid, followed by Hrushi started suffering from intense cramps due to dehydration. They literally had to stop, take ORS and before getting back on the saddle. Many of us also started getting cramps and slowed down.

Near Jeouri another obstacle appeared ... Rain. The one thing you don't want on a climb and specifically when you are tired. We pulled up at Jeouri, well within the deadline, but had to stop in order to get out of the way of persistent rain.

There were quite a bit of discussions and failed negotiations with Cap, about attempting the climb, but in the end everyone ended up in the back of the car and going up to Sarahan. (The discussions were pacified by a delicious chinese meal at Jeouri) 

The 20 km climb through apple, apricot and pear laden orchards, was a sight to behold. As always we wished that we could stay there forever. Once at the top, we checked into the hotel, (one with a beautiful view), freshened up and went to work on the bikes. That being done, the next plan was to visit the local temple (Wooden carved) and take a walk in the pheasant sanctuary nearby. 

The walk gave us some good views of the mountains, and we hoped to catch a sight of the Sun's last rays hitting the peaks. Amal made a beautiful bouquet of wild flowers that he picked on the way. 

A beautiful evening comes to an end. The temple stands tall amidst the smaller houses and the sunset sky

Back at the hotel, we celebrated Hrushi's birthday with a cake and delicious food, followed by a very interesting discussion about the womenfolk of Iran & Himachal. 

Everyone retired early, as the next day was supposed to be another gruelling 100 km ride, and more tougher than that of today. .. 

Peeping through the clouds, the Sun casts its rays over the valley one last time.

Spiti Cycling Tour Preface - Riding through the Middle Land - The Wake Up call!

 Such a lovely morning...nice N sunny....sunny?? Today...?? Shit!!!!! What time is it...??? Those were the exact sequence of thoughts when i woke up at 06.32 hrs for a flight at 07.30 hrs....

Alarm failed...uber call failed....dad called...again failed......and finally the Sun woke me up... 

It took me 5 seconds to arrive at a plan B,   and 10 seconds to convince myself to give the original plan a shot. Desperate call to my younger brother, the mad rush to get to the airport.... ....5 min into which I realized that my wallet is still napping in the cupboard......a frantic u-turn.... to  collect it...and back on the road again...only to reach the airport in 20 min, rushing  through the check-in (thanks to a few friends who had  managed to convince Indigo on letting me in), and finally boarding the flight with all the passengers.....without making anyone wait.....

The adventure had begun with an adventure!!! 

Wait, what adventure??

As you get older N older, you try to prove to the world or rather yourself, that age is just a number. So here I was, 5 years after the epic Manali - Leh - Khardung la cycling expedition, back on the cycle, this time attempting to ride an estimated distance of roughly 680 km, from  Narkanda to Manali via Chandrataal and Spiti.  

For those who thrive on data and facts, this is what we had planned

upload.jpg

 Roughly 680 km

Route - Narkanda - Sarhan - Sangla -(Chitkul) - Pooh - Nako - Tabo -  (Dhankar) - Kaza - (Kibber) - Losar - Chandrataal - Rohtang - Manali

Max elevation - 4590m

Number of days -  10 

Average age of the team - 42 years ( yea.. i was amongst the youngsters on the trip, and no shame in saying that sometimes it was tough keeping up with the people in the lead :) ) 

 The trip promised to be a hell of a ride and the start definitely lived upto it.

In comparison, the rest of the day seemed pretty average. Seeing an airhostess  being blessed by an elderly passenger in the aisle of the airplane,(rare event) changing planes at Delhi  (done that a hundred times), met the other co passengers of the trip at Chandigarh (knew most of them) and finally boarded the bus to Narkanda. 

A quick stop for lunch at  Haveli restaurant, provided a glimpse into what was gonna be the norm for days to come. Scrumptious food and loads of it and washed down with Baskin & Robin's chocolate ice-cream. The probability of gaining weight at the end of the trip seemed rather high.

Tea breaks like these are a big respite for tired legs. The view just proved to be the cherry on the top

Tea breaks like these are a big respite for tired legs. The view just proved to be the cherry on the top

As  dusk approached  and we drove around the outskirts of Shimla, the nip in the air increased. Finally we reached Narkanda, our pit-stop for the next two days and were welcomed  by Hrushi and AC (captain).   

Construction continues on the Shimla bypass. 

Construction continues on the Shimla bypass. 

The day had  been a long one, but after the delicious and simple dinner served, no one could resist the temptation of a moonlit walk in the cold, crisp air of the Himalayas.   

 

All set for the acclimatisation ride !

All set for the acclimatisation ride !

The next day morning, after a hearty breakfast, we got to getting our saddles ready. Checking out the frames, putting on the saddles and bottle holders, checking the brakes - readying the brand new bikes was fun. Under the watchful eye of AC, all of us prepared our rides for the next 10 days and set out for a quick spin around the hills.  We were supposed to do a simple ride of 20 odd km to Tani Jubbar - a small man made lake in the hills - a place next to Kotgarh which I had visited a few years back. 

 

The ride to Tani Jubbar seemed pleasant, most of it being downhill through the pine forests. It did feel like this was going to be a cake walk, till we hit the last turn to the lake and that 200 mts of climb gave us a glimpse of what was gonna happen on the way back to the hotel.

Tani Jubbar the temple and the lake

Tani Jubbar the temple and the lake

A few photographs of the team at the lake (if you call that one) and we were back on the saddle, this time sweating it out on the road that climbed up towards Narkanda. 

Once back, the cycles were given another check, knowing Captain, this was just gonna be the routine everyday and then we retired for a simple but filling lunch.

The afternoon was at leisure and most of us spent it lazing around. Shilpa joined us a tad bit late, but more eager than all of us to start the ride.

Some of us were eyeing a trip to Hatu peak. It's one of the highest peaks in the vicinity and a good hike on a nice day. But we had strict instructions to rest our legs, so we decided to get on a truck and hitch a ride to the top. I had been to Hatu some 2-3 years back in December, when I had hiked my way to the top. That day had been bright and sunny, the cold December air being warmed just enough by the winter Sun, however today there was rain in the air. It was a fun ride up the mountain through the narrow twists and turns.

 The temple itself was shrouded in clouds with  zero visibility of the area. We spent some time at the top, waiting for the weather to clear, but our chances looked bleak. 

The ride back was even more fun, with the rain pelting down on us, we struggled to get under the tarpaulin at the back and hold it in place against the wind. Back in Narkanda, the Sun welcomed us and we stepped in the local coffee shop  for some hot drinks. 

Met this sweet little kid Kechen and his uncle (who was the owner of the restaurant) at the coffee shop. Kechen was in the town for his holidays and is the same age as my nephew. Initially reluctant to even look at me, the moment he saw the camera, …

Met this sweet little kid Kechen and his uncle (who was the owner of the restaurant) at the coffee shop. Kechen was in the town for his holidays and is the same age as my nephew. Initially reluctant to even look at me, the moment he saw the camera, he did not want to go away. :) had a great time with him. 

Early dinner while watching Pakistan win the cricket match and all of us were off to bed - ready to hit the tarmac the next day morning at 5.30 am.  

The Norway Diaries - Oslo

it was time to pack the bags for the last time, say good bye and prepare for the journey back home.

The land of tunnels, the land of the wild, the country of runners! - The wilderness, the squidgy turf beneath the feet, the endless mountains, the cascading falls, the cozy villages scattered in the countryside, the weathered barns beside the roads, log cabins in the hills, crystal clear waters running down, the breathtaking fjords and endless meadows, the land of the midnight Sun, and the nights that gleamed with Northern Lights, the perfect solitude for the lonely soul and the  charm of cities like Bergen for those who longed company - Norway left me wanting for more... and I made a promise to come back some day!!

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