Nomadic Knights-Himalayas Roof of India

Yes Zeman and my mate Dave were stranded on the other side of the River…… they had a nice meal,and comforts night 😎 Next day the river had vanished . Quite a trip
 
He’s a fantastic guy ! And a great story teller . In very safe hands with Alex . Send him my best
 

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I like the second photo with the camp fire, you all look knackered!


We were . We left at 0700 and got to camp at 2230.
Should have been there at about 1400.
One of the hardest days ever on a bike , negotiating rock falls, roads washed away , landslides , numerous water crossings including a 50 metre stretch of fast flowing water .
That landslide apparently killed nine people and made the national news .
We couldn’t turn back as the sandy track we’d taken in the morning had been totally washed away .
Probably the hardest part was about 30km in the pitch dark up a very twisty track of sand/stones/mud cut into the cliff face with a drop of thousands of feet just to our left . Fucking insane .
We were promised an extreme adventure and we have certainly had one .
Manali is a fun town . Plenty of stinky weed grows at the side of the road ! Nice trout to be had from the river as well . Have fun
Just arrived . Pissing with rain . Eating in town later so no curry for a change .

Alex really is a mad bastard . One of a kind
 
We were told when we booked that accommodation would range from posh hotels to the very basic home stay .
We’ve had two nights in lovely hotels . Tonight it’s probably the most basic of all apart from the night in a tent .

Take a look at this . Looks like Doc is in town 😜

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The bathroom is the piss de resistance. Just stunning

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We’re here in Manali, made famous by the Beatles during their hippy faze and very few places have parking for 18 bikes and support vehicles .
At least the shower was hot .
 
That’s a wrap .
Back in Kufri where we started 13 days ago

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About 2550 kms ridden

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Some of the hardest riding I’ve ever done .
Most of it was straightforward but day 3 was a tester off-road .
Day 10 was ridiculous , involving rock falls and landslides which wiped out tracks . Ended up riding narrow gnarly tracks cut into a cliff in the pitch black with thousands of feet drop off for about 30km.

Then day 11 riding about 50kms up and over Sach Pass in the rain and mud at over 14500 feet . We spent days above 10000 feet .

Definitely not a trip for an off road novice .
Paul had never ridden off-road so did a three day course . But he still struggled , eventually binning his bike over a cliff . It’s still there as the recovery truck got stuck for 2 days due flooding .

It’s not been a holiday but a proper adventure which was rather extreme at times .

Alex Pirie who runs Nomadic Knights is a legend . He runs a very tight ship and the organisation is brilliant . But he calls a spade a shovel and speaks his mind . I got bollocked twice for riding too fast 😜
We started with seventeen riders . Two fell by the wayside and only five didn’t fall off , including me and Scoops .
Some fell numerous times and most days 🤦‍♂️ .

A trip I’ll never forget .

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PS

Got stickers too 😜

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We had similar problems in 2011 with landslides on the 2nd Day ,attempting to ride in the dark is no fun .

Thinking of going again in the next few years with my son before I'm to old .

Adventure of a life time ?
 
Thanks for sharing the photos and the write up. (y)

I picked this up today in my local café. A week ago I'd have been very tempted but having read your posts I think I'll give it a swerve.

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A week ago I'd have been very tempted but having read your posts I think I'll give it a swerve.
Its the nature of the area. Unstable through wind, rain and tremors. I got stuck on the KKH for 5 days as a section of road and a village slipped into the Indus. Happens all the time.
 
And to cap it all, you had a letter published in Ride magazine for August 👏 or at least, I presume it’s you!

How was the waving and nodding in’t Thimalayas?
 
I did 10 trips in the Himalayas and each one was very different. It depended on the Weather and that would dictate if there were landslides and diversions . A few people just couldn’t handle it and went home day 2 , some couldn’t handle the altitude either with vertigo or anxiety . But most found it a life changing trip . The South of India embraces you but the Himalayas …it can be a hostile place and likely to change quickly . Before my first trip in 2006 I did the BMW off road course and that really helped and I was not phased by anything I saw out there . That and Alex is so experienced he will help you enjoy this trip of a lifetime . It is indeed an adventure not a holiday . Looks like you guys had a good one and one to reflect on for some time
 


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