A 16 day trip to the magical Himalayas was an extravaganza in itself. The iternary was all set and we started off our journey from Bangalore to Himalayas. Reached Delhi in the afternoon and hopped into a bus to Manali which is at a distance of 513 km from Delhi.
Boarding the bus to Manali had set the excitement in us for the next coming days on the road. Spending that night in the bus made me realize the pain of waiting I must say. We reached Manali at 8 am next day where our bikes awaited us. We had decided to rest in Manali for a day, before we started the grand journey towards our destination but the market and the scenic view around the place was certainly irresistible and we took a tour around the place before we hit the bed.
Day 3: Manali to Keylong
Getting accustomed to the weather was a great challenge but the riding kept us going. Our first pit-stop was Koksar, a small village which is at an approximate distance of 63 km from Manali. The most beautiful and the coldest village in the entire Spiti valley made me long for a hot cup of coffee but we had to settle for a plate of Chowmein as it was almost lunch time and we really starved for some food.
Filling the heart and soul with the mesmerizing beauty and also satiating our hunger was a great relief before we started our ride again towards our destination. Riding non-stop for another 40km on the uneven roads with rocks is certainly not an easy task but that is what makes you a great rider. It takes almost 4 hours to ride through these roads; we stopped at the Tandi petrol station to get some petrol. Everyone who crosses this junction has to get the petrol filled here else the next station is only at Leh and you can now imagine the importance of this petrol station.
Started back towards Keylong at around 4 PM from Tandi and we were excited on meeting our km target as per the schedule and this made us look forward for the coming days with utmost excitement. Every time I took a turn on those roads, I was only reminded by one thing, “I am the most curvaceous thing in the whole world; feel me but do not try to hug me”.
Keylong is at a distance of 30km from Tandi and with the serene vistas surrounding you, every inch of the land and every bit of the sky is a heaven amidst the elegant Himalayas. Savoring the yummy mutton momos and mutton soup, it was no less than an abode of angels.
Day 4: Keylong to Tsokar
Getting kissed by the early morning sun, we stopped at Gispa; another small town where you find a lot of shacks that offers hot and yummy parathas to the travelers and started our journey towards Tsokar.
We had to cross through Zing Zing Bar, Pang and Merro to reach Tsokar. On the way to Tsokar we were greeted by the beautiful lake Tsarap Chu with the mesmerizing snow-scape of the Himalayan beauty. The long ride of 240 Km was exhausting and nothing else was as delightful as the thick plush blanket and the cozy bedroom.
Day 5: Tsokar to Leh
The day towards Leh started with bread toasts and parathas and a non-stop ride till Meyru was breath-taking. Stopped at Meyru to catch the first glimpse of the Indus valley and rode towards Leh with a lunch-break at one of the dhabas in Upshi. Riding through the gorge from Upshi to Leh is an experience in itself, the narrower the roads the tedious and exciting the ride gets and yes, finally we got Leh’d at 4:30 PM and the story continues in the next episode.
Dreamer signing off from Leh!
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