Enduro Himalaya - Ladakh June/July 2011

[Deleted account 211025001]

Having previously been involved in the Callums Road trip I was wondering what to do next and getting itchy feet. Then a few conversations later with guys who had been on Global Enduro trips and a plan was hatched. Now I’ve always wanted to visit India and even more so the Himalayas so a two week ride through Ladakh, Kashmir and ultimately an assault on the ‘world’s highest rideable pass’, the Khardung La at 18,400ft, seemed just the ticket.

Unbelievably it’s now over a year since I got back from the trip. I’ve been meaning to write up a report but, well, I just never seem to have got around to it……………finally I’ve got some spare time and, before my failing memory forgets too much, I’ve decided to put down on paper my experience of the trip. In all honesty I’m doing this as much for myself as anything, so that I have a record of the trip. It’s gonna be fairly picture heavy, I hope you don’t mind but despite editing them down loads I’ve still ended up with quite a lot of shots that, one, I feel represent so well what the trip was like and, two, I just like. So, I’ll bung them all up with the odd comment here and there.

Now, when it comes to itineraries and stuff I’ve never been one to get too concerned with the detail so, even at the time I was never too sure where I was or what day it was and a year and a bit on there’s no chance I can piece it all together properly. Places, events and the order it all happened in just merge into ‘the trip’ – maybe I should have got one of the t-shirts some of the other guys had made up with the route on!

Anyway, here’s the itinery copied from the supporting paper work we got given, I think we pretty much kept to it – it was the first year that this particular route had been attempted so that in itself had an attraction. We would be the first group to ride it and it was to be one of the most full on trips yet put together by the Global Enduro guys………….

Fast forward to the end of June 2011……………………

Gear packed and ready to go. We would have a support truck to carry our kit but conscious of having to lug stuff around in airports and stuff I still tried to keep my kit down to the minimum. Wearing all my bike gear on the plane I managed to get two weeks of essential crap into one bag:

Landing in Delhi we take an internal flight to Chandigarh and are then driven to Shimla, the old ‘colonial summer capital’ and where we were to pick up the bikes. It was on this drive that I got my first introduction to driving ‘Indian style’. An assertive but never aggressive way of doing things, horns used to indicate you’re coming through/overtaking and double overtaking on bends……….all a bit daunting at first!

Some of my first impressions of India on our drive to Shimla:

Stopping en route and waiting for first taste of chai…………. oh how I soon got to love chai!

Arriving in Shimla, tired yet excited we were meeted and greeted and all ended up with a bhindi. I still look quite human here; soon to change:

Up early the next morning to be greeted by my first waking view of India from my room:

Breakfast, a quick briefing on what lay ahead and we are allocated out bikes:

We get told how to ride a bike:

I customise mine with the Guardian Angel my mum gave me for the Callums Road trip:

And we’re off, initially, busy traffic and busy roads and then into the surrounding wooded hills, all of us getting used to the bikes and some of the guys getting their first taste of gentle off roading:

We were a very disparate bunch of guys, ranging in age and sex (one lass, Caroline, new to bikes and defo. very new to anything like this), and all sorts of backgrounds. We paired up with one other with whom we’d be sharing rooms/tents and I found myself with Simon, a London based architect and all round nice guy. We spent our first proper night here:

And ate outside here:

This was the first chance we really got a chance to get to know each other so a late night was had and the trip ‘proper’ would start tomorrow……………….

Up early (we were always up early…………..) we hit the road and settle into our own pace. At the beginning of the day we would have a chat on where we were going. Alex (the trip ‘leader’) would usually ride up front with other team members and the mechanics taking up the rear. You were free to ride at your own pace, on your own or in groups, and if the guys at the rear caught up with you they would wait until you were ready to press on – no pressure and it always worked really well.

Anyway, enough of ‘we did this, we did that’……….some picture of the next day or two and how things began to get more and more alien and more and more interesting:

Lunch at a small roadside café – the food (always) was sooooooooo good (and nearly always veggie )

A night in Manali and then we would spend most of the next day on the Rotang pass and the gateway to the Himalayas.

Manali was busy and touristy, but in a nice way, and everybody went to bed excited by the day to come. Now the Rotang is the main (only) route to get north into Ladakh, Kashmir and Tibet. It carries convoys of fuel tankers for the substantial military presence on the northern and eastern borders as well as countless Indian tourists wanting to experience snow and the mountain air at the top of the pass. What followed was a very hot and exhausting ride picking our way through mile after mile of stationary traffic on what is not much more than a wide track. As we got higher the road deteriorated more and more with sections where we were quite literally riding down the outside edge of the road, a sheer drop on one side and a stuck car or truck on the other, genuinely hairy at times. Also, the higher we got the wetter it got with some sections of road being a foot deep in truck churned mud with vehicles getting stuck left right and centre:

 

[MilkMaid]

Love it...

.... oh happy happy memories!!!

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

.... oh happy happy memories!!!

Andres

PS Feel free to fill in any bits as I'm really struggling to remember stuff.................

 

[DrAlf]

Looks like a brilliant trip. Thanks for the write up. I'm going to add this to my "must do" list

 

[neil 23]

That lookes brilliant Andres, great photos as well

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

Once up on the top of the pass, and having given a hitch hiker a lift up the last half of the route we stopped for a well earned bowl of noodles (a truck stop staple in these parts) and glass or three of chai. It was a surreal place; locals dressed in 80’s shell suits (up to the minute trendy ‘snow wear’ and kids and adults alike playing in the snow………………..

Then it was back down the other side and suddenly it was much quieter and seemed like another world altogether; the tourist traffic going no further than the top of the pass. We also got to see our first signs of the predominant Buddhist religion in these parts……………

That night we stayed in the mountains proper and going for a short walk away from the hostel we were staying in that night I got to see my first ‘proper’ night sky. All I can say is that it was mind blowing, I have never seen so many stars!

The trip was at this stage starting to take it’s toll, we’d already had one head on with a bike’s front end written off (the rider was ok) and all of us were getting tired. Whilst the miles covered were not great the riding was intense at times and early starts and late nights were all adding up.
Me starting to look a wee bit knackered:

The roads were bcoming more and more remote and we started to come across some real fun river crossings. Most were crossed with little drama but one crossing I witnessed the rider hit a rock half way across, hung a right and stopped just a foot away from riding over the edge and a very shear drop!

Up proper high now and we start to see more memorials, stone mounds and prayer flags – we stop for more noodles (Maggi) under the biggest scree slope I’ve ever seen.

Sam ‘Himalaya’, our dead cool fixer decided to take a short cut and got the jeep stuck – some very tired peeps later (the altitude was already noticeable) and he was pulled up back onto the road:

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

Starting to get really high now and we were heading for our first stay under canvas but still a lot of, challenging in places, riding to be done

At another peak we came across this field of cairns and prayer flags

And I built this special cairn for a very special person

It was quite something to think that some of those cairns could be hundreds of years old and I wonder how long mine will be there for?
We had to leave after 10 minutes or so due to the altitude and get back down to a height where breathing was easier

Click on the pic for a wee vid:



One more stop for noodles, chai and some shopping

And we arrived at our, so far, highest over night stop

Still knackered

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

The sun went down

And we all moved into the communal tent for some grub. Feck, did it get cold, food was scoffed down in an attempt to warm ourselves up and get some much needed energy and I retired to bed wrapped up in all my clothes, sleeping bag and blankets.

This was also my first night of trying to sleep at altitude…………..it’s weird and knackering. As you relax and your breathing becomes more shallow so you take in too little oxygen. As soon as your body notices this it jerks awake with a start and you lie there panting trying to get your breath back. Then you relax, start to fall asleep, shallow breath and then jerk awake again. Repeat through the night and get up at six having had feck all sleep – lovely! Freezing cold, make your out of breath way to the tent for breakfast and then back on the bikes and on our way…………………..across deserted dessert plains, thick sand, amazing rock formations and eventually, after the longest day so far to lake Tso Moriri.

Stopping at a local school for some chai…..

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

The last few miles to the lake were exhausting, one of those rides that seems to go on for ever, just when you think you’re nearly there you realise that there’s still some way to go. This was one of a couple of occasions when I was ready to just stop and crash out where I was. The combination of no sleep the night before, another long day, altitude and the gullies full of deep sand that sapped your strength really took their toll.

Eventually we arrived at the lake and another night under canvas. I had a memorable chat with an Indian family from Leicester on their first visit to their parents’ home and they shared what food they had with me. A couple of hours later and I was stuffing myself on yet more delicious, hot, veggie food cooked for us in the tent.

When I went back to me tent, as ever out of breath, I again walked away from the lights, plugged in some Sigur Ros on my iPhone and lay there in the pitch black looking up at a Himalayan night sky – again, blown away, totally!
There followed yet another night of no sleep and difficulty breathing – this time accompanied by some very full on psychedelic dreams. Again, not unusual given the altitude.

Awake first thing (again) we rode down to the lake and fully appreciated just what a beautiful spot we were in – far across to the east the mountain peaks we could see were China. This was as far east as we would go. Next we were to head north west to Leh and the Khardung La Pass.

Arriving in Leh and, as normal, I’m knackered……………………

 

[MilkMaid]

Don't forget...

... the More Plains.

Imagine a desert at 4,000+ metres where the only road through has long since disintegrated to dust. Then imagine a range of sky-high mountains to the left, a similar range to the right and a huge vast empty space filled with sand and nowt else in between. Now imagine stopping to take photos, only to realise that everyone you once knew has completely vanished. As in there isn't a sign of another human being. It's quite eerie thinking you're never going to see anyone. EVER AGAIN!

Now imagine the relief, when on the horizon you see a plume of ... is that smoke? Only one way to find out: GUN IT!!!

Erm, nope it wasn't smoke, it was a cloud of fesh fesh that one of your 'new friends for life' has just kicked up having gone over the handlebars at full chat. He's alright. In fact he's laughing his arse off. Not sure he'll be so happy when he's done it another few times, but for now (for both of us) it's an immense relief to no longer be alone. That must mean it's time to GUN IT again until we find the rest of the group.

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

... the More Plains.

Imagine a desert at 4,000+ metres where the only road through has long since disintegrated to dust.....................

So good we rode it twice........................

Andres

 

[John RTW]

Nice ride report and beautiful pics , getting out your tent and star gazing in the early hours took my breath away. Amazing.

 

[(RIP) petcul]

Love the report. Great pics and cool processing

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

We stayed in a beautiful old hotel and had, at last, a day off to explore and generally recharge the batteries

Leh is a beautiful town and was the ancient capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh. The town is dominated by an ancient palace and monastery built on an outcrop above the town. The day was spent with a mooch around the town and a visit to the monastery. It was also at this point that a father and son couple dropped out, having found the going too tiring and the son in particular not coping well with the altitude.

Finally, we check we have enough FPC’s and final drives in the spares truck, as tomorrow, we attack the Khardung La Pass.

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

Up early and we are on our way, initially on a good sealed road we hit a police check point. Police and military check points were to feature quite a bit over the next days as the area we were now in bordered both China and Pakistan and the Indian military presence in the area had to be seen to believed at times as we rode past some very large and very remote military bases.

Soon after the tarmac ran out and so began the long climb to where we would eventually be 18,400 feet above sea level. Again, once there, we would only be able to stay for 10 minutes or so due to the lack of oxygen so pictures were posed and taken and we rode back down over the other side. TBH although it was the ‘sort of’ highlight of the trip the riding itself was relatively easy compared to other parts of the trip so despite standing atop the highest road in the world it didn’t seem quite the big deal I’d thought it would be – don’t get me wrong though, it was still a hell of a buzz!

On the way up:

The summit:

Then a long ride down into the very hot and dry Nubra Valley for our next stop

Every stop a chance for a kip

We ended up in a beautiful setting, tents in amongst fields of crops……………..silly amounts of beer were bought (I don’t think the owner knew what had hit him), a strange box person joined the group and one of the nicest home cooked meals of the whole trip

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

We’d now got as far as we could go and needed to turn back, riding some of the route we’d already come along as well as some new roads.

Waiting for a rock fall on the road to be cleared – much of keeping the roads open is done by the army in this area

Rock fields

Prayer wheels

……….and cool road side signs

Back over the More plains, much fun was had in the fine sand and resulted in my one and only ‘get off’, however, as I catapulted over the bars the bike dug in and stayed upright so it wasn’t strictly an off……….

And I’ll finish off with a few, unplaceable, images that I like

And…….finally…………..a good selection of the good guys I did the trip with, many of whom are now friends – there's a certain Dr from Brighton in amongst the mugs……………

Passing back over the Rotang Pass on our last days riding was grim, it was raining, it was cold, it was muddy, very muddy. My stump was hurting, my hip was hurting and I’d had enough. Half way down the Manali side I stopped, my wheels up to the axle in mud. I hated the bike, I hated the trip and I hated all the guys I was riding with. I wanted to stop there and then and to be back home in a nice warm, dry bed. I started to cry.
Sat there, on the bike for what seemed like an age, I felt a tap on my shoulder and one of the guys looked me in the eye and told me to stop being so pathetic and then called me most of the names under the sun – he then rode off. I was feckin’ livid. I wanted to kill him. I started the bike and tried to chase after him.
To this day I haven’t a clue who it was but if you’re reading this, nice one and ta. It did the trick and within a couple of hours Id pulled up at the rendezvous point and we all rode into the hotel, our final destination, together.

We were exhausted but elated – what a trip, what a great bunch of guys and what a beautiful country, really beautiful.

And here’s a picture of some real heroes – our mechanics – most of these guys travel up from the south of India. They ride all day, helping, fixing minor problems and generally looking after the riders. They then work through the night to fix major faults and service the bikes. We all had total respect for them, they deserved it and some

Would I do the trip again and would I recommend it? You bet I would!

It’s not cheap but very good value – you could do it cheaper on your own with mates but you probably couldn’t do it in the time available due to the amount of paper work etc that went into getting us through restricted areas, the fixers travelling ahead of us to do the sorting with us just sailing through check points.

Maybe the idea of doing an ‘organised’ trip doesn’t appeal? It didn’t to me either but having spoken to peeps who’d been with these guys and now having experienced it myself I think the perfect balance was drawn between organisation and you being left to your own devices – it never felt ‘organised’ and I genuinely felt that I pushed myself to do stuff I’d never have thought I could do.

Maaaanali, wo, wo, wo, wo, Maaaaaanali……………………

All colour piccies taken on an iPhone4, mostly using the Hipstamatic app.

All B&W piccies taken on an old Nikon FM2 with 28mm lens and Ilford HP5 (and thanks to Robin for riding back to get it when I left it in a field of cairns!)

Andres

 

[(RIP) andrewgsadv]

Andres,

Fantastic,really enjoyed this ride report,so much so I made tea whilst all the photos loaded. Photobucket is groaning and squealing. Have to say altitude and me dont mix so may never follow in your footsteps but a man can dream.

When you finished i bet you felt truly EPIC.

 

[Timolgra]

Superb RR mate.....did you take caffeine

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

Superb RR mate.....did you take caffeine

........plenty of other stimulants were available, especially in Manali

Andres

 

[Robbo1200ADV]

Andres !!! A Fantastic report , beautiful pictures which really capture the trip . There is a book in there I am sure , you should do something with all you have there. It was a pleasure to ride with you guys , and of all the trips I have done with Global , its the one that blew me away the most. A combination of scenery , altitude but most of all the group of people, made it a very special trip and one that it would be hard to replicate !! So much so I did not go this year as I felt it could not get better than that !!! I am doing 2 Cambo trips though so that will have to do !! I think you'd love Cambodia as well !! Take Care Rob