aliveinscotland
Registered user
I have cut these posts and thread, as they stand better as a trip report.
Richard
I've just got back from 4 weeks ride from Dalhousie to Shimla via everywhere. My style of riding is to find a base, do 4 or 5 long rides from there, returning each night, then moving 200km and repeating the process. That way I don't get to have heavy luggage when I'm adventuring.
Get a bank account with built in travel insurance.
Yes, you can get an eVisa, they accepted Bank of Scotland.
Take a pen with you through Delhi airport, there's a tiny piece of paper you have to fill in. Be sure to have the full address of where you're staying and maybe practice writing it on a post-it note.
The biometric machines are a pain. If one gives you hassles just move to another.
The metro from the airport is great, way better than braving the tuktuk rank and the traffic.
Riding in India. Rule 1 your horn is your friend - rather overuse it that meet a Mahindra on a tight corner.
To get used to riding there, follow the scooter herd, and keep eyes open for any shortcuts they know. Be assertive but not stupid. On mountain ranges be careful of buses - if you're going to overtake, do it at speed, the other traffic will make a plan around you.
The biggest problem facing the roads dept, especially around the Mandy - Manali road is the roadside collapsing onto the tar. In order to get traffic moving, they simply grader it away, including the tar underneath. So you'll find many patches where a perfectly good road become a potholed mud patch just around a hairpin.
On a bike so what, but be aware that many cars drop to one mile per hour.
Shelve your testosterone before going there. There will always be people wanting to go faster, people who spend their day on the horn. It's not worth getting agro over it.
I believe there's some issue with using hired bikes in Leh, google it and take note of how others have dealt with it.
I got lost once because the cable fell out my phone which I was using as a GPS, and it went flat. I ended up riding a freshly graded road 11 km up a mountain with cliff face above, sheer drop off on the other side. Just stick to the side with cliff face, no point in being a hero riding a metre from the edge.
If there's been a dropout, leaving a big hole, they'll have placed big rocks around it. Treat any ground following that as if it too could drop - aka stick to the cliff side.
Oh yes, it's virtually impossible to do more than 40km in an hour in much of that country. Between other traffic, goats and hairpin bends. Don't build route plans without taking that into account.
Be careful what you eat. Remember you are there to enjoy the ride. Rather stick to bland food and live to ride exciting roads. Omelette worked for me. Remember don't rinse your mouth, don't open your mouth in a shower, don't take ice in your drinks. The water will make you sick, and motorcycles weren't designed with diarrhoea in mind.
I struggled with the smog, so I used a website called aqi.in which creates map overlays showing air quality. I eventually chose my routes by trying to stay in the green.
Tea doesn't brew in the Himalayas. I stayed at 6600 feet altitude, which meant water boiled at 87°C, too cold to brew a tea. It's something you don't think about, but two minute noodles have a similar problem.
Many roadside stalls will make you an omelette, and serve steaming hot chai.
Manali is smog city, don't plan to stay there too long. I found Zostels and The Hosteller good affordable places to stay.
I bought a motorbike bag via Amazon.in from a company called ViaTerra, the specific model I chose was the ViaTerra Claw, for the princely sum of £32 and it is excellent quality.
Be sure to take rehydration powders with you, great for post diarrhoea treatment. I also took water purification tablets, never used them but had the option for the just-in-case of a motorcycle breakdown in the middle of nowhere.
I rode solo.
In rural areas it is hard to find English speakers for anything more than greetings. I found that soldiers very often speak good English, it's worth remembering.
A bus station is a good place to source mobile phone cords at odd times, of which I managed to get sand into mine.
Just about everything shuts on a Sunday in rural areas. This can include fuel.
Get used to being stared at. It can be disconcerting.
Can't think of anything else
Dennis
Sent from my SM-G990E using Tapatalk
Richard
I've just got back from 4 weeks ride from Dalhousie to Shimla via everywhere. My style of riding is to find a base, do 4 or 5 long rides from there, returning each night, then moving 200km and repeating the process. That way I don't get to have heavy luggage when I'm adventuring.
Get a bank account with built in travel insurance.
Yes, you can get an eVisa, they accepted Bank of Scotland.
Take a pen with you through Delhi airport, there's a tiny piece of paper you have to fill in. Be sure to have the full address of where you're staying and maybe practice writing it on a post-it note.
The biometric machines are a pain. If one gives you hassles just move to another.
The metro from the airport is great, way better than braving the tuktuk rank and the traffic.
Riding in India. Rule 1 your horn is your friend - rather overuse it that meet a Mahindra on a tight corner.
To get used to riding there, follow the scooter herd, and keep eyes open for any shortcuts they know. Be assertive but not stupid. On mountain ranges be careful of buses - if you're going to overtake, do it at speed, the other traffic will make a plan around you.
The biggest problem facing the roads dept, especially around the Mandy - Manali road is the roadside collapsing onto the tar. In order to get traffic moving, they simply grader it away, including the tar underneath. So you'll find many patches where a perfectly good road become a potholed mud patch just around a hairpin.
On a bike so what, but be aware that many cars drop to one mile per hour.
Shelve your testosterone before going there. There will always be people wanting to go faster, people who spend their day on the horn. It's not worth getting agro over it.
I believe there's some issue with using hired bikes in Leh, google it and take note of how others have dealt with it.
I got lost once because the cable fell out my phone which I was using as a GPS, and it went flat. I ended up riding a freshly graded road 11 km up a mountain with cliff face above, sheer drop off on the other side. Just stick to the side with cliff face, no point in being a hero riding a metre from the edge.
If there's been a dropout, leaving a big hole, they'll have placed big rocks around it. Treat any ground following that as if it too could drop - aka stick to the cliff side.
Oh yes, it's virtually impossible to do more than 40km in an hour in much of that country. Between other traffic, goats and hairpin bends. Don't build route plans without taking that into account.
Be careful what you eat. Remember you are there to enjoy the ride. Rather stick to bland food and live to ride exciting roads. Omelette worked for me. Remember don't rinse your mouth, don't open your mouth in a shower, don't take ice in your drinks. The water will make you sick, and motorcycles weren't designed with diarrhoea in mind.
I struggled with the smog, so I used a website called aqi.in which creates map overlays showing air quality. I eventually chose my routes by trying to stay in the green.
Tea doesn't brew in the Himalayas. I stayed at 6600 feet altitude, which meant water boiled at 87°C, too cold to brew a tea. It's something you don't think about, but two minute noodles have a similar problem.
Many roadside stalls will make you an omelette, and serve steaming hot chai.
Manali is smog city, don't plan to stay there too long. I found Zostels and The Hosteller good affordable places to stay.
I bought a motorbike bag via Amazon.in from a company called ViaTerra, the specific model I chose was the ViaTerra Claw, for the princely sum of £32 and it is excellent quality.
Be sure to take rehydration powders with you, great for post diarrhoea treatment. I also took water purification tablets, never used them but had the option for the just-in-case of a motorcycle breakdown in the middle of nowhere.
I rode solo.
In rural areas it is hard to find English speakers for anything more than greetings. I found that soldiers very often speak good English, it's worth remembering.
A bus station is a good place to source mobile phone cords at odd times, of which I managed to get sand into mine.
Just about everything shuts on a Sunday in rural areas. This can include fuel.
Get used to being stared at. It can be disconcerting.
Can't think of anything else
Dennis
Sent from my SM-G990E using Tapatalk
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