Saturday, August 22nd --› Friday, August 28th
(Written Oct. 8th, 1998 in Singapore.)
Day 1, Chandigarh --› Shimla (Altitude 2200m), 130km
Since we had lost a day in Delhi we had to make it up by combining day 1 and day 2. This meant that we did not look around Chandigarh and our final destination for the day was Shimla. As we headed out of the plains into the hills it became obvious that Delhi is not a good introduction to India.
It was quickly discovered that the front brake on a bullet does not do much. We also learned that the most important piece of equipment on any vehicle in India is its horn. No-one in India seems to follow any rules on the road. It all comes down to pecking order, and a motorcycle is low down on the list. There are many Tata trucks blasting along on bald re-treaded tyres blowing out clouds of diesel. When you want to pass someone you blow your horn to warn them and if it is a truck they either signal you to wait or pass.
DC quickly became the official photographer for the trip since that is his profession and as he had just come from a job he had all his gear with him. He also had a special cushion he had made up that allowed him to clip the camera under his chin. He attached a 14mm lens and would set his camera (Canon EOS 1) to have a 1 second delay after he pushed the shutter release. In this way while riding he could push the shutter release and then point the camera where he wanted. Eric had bought along a small video camera and so he became the official video taker.
After 30km we stopped for lunch at the Timber Trail hotel in Parwanoo. We ate while enjoying the view at the top of a 1.5km cable car. We then rode 100km, some of it through heavy rain and mist, on a twisty hilly road to Shimla arriving at 6pm.
During English rule Shimla served as the capital of India for 3 months of the year in the summer. They built a narrow gauge train track that has over 100 tunnels along its 100km. Every year the whole government was relocated to escape the heat of the monsoonal plains. Shimla is built on the steep horse-shoe shaped Himalayan foothills and is a beautiful site at night.
Day2, Shimla --› Mandi(Alt. 750m), 155km
'The first mishap'
I got up early to have a look at the 'Mall', a place were the locals meet in the evening. I was greeted by several monkeys, one doing a Tarzan act. Most India's do not go to work early instead they spend the early morning with their family and praying. In contrast to Delhi I was not hassled by anyone in the streets.
After breakfast and a shoot for the documentary we all followed Mike down some fantastic twisty mountain roads (most of the roads we rode on during the 3 weeks can be described this way). Andy, DC, and I were at the front. This, with the occasional addition of Eric, was a pattern that was to continue throughout the trip. We were continually looking from side to side at the lush green scenery.
Just before lunch I heard a screeching and looked in my mirrors to see Eric wildly fishtailing from side to side. He came to a stop, amazingly without droping the bike, and I turned around to help. It turns our that the chain tensioning bolt had sheered off causing the rear wheel to lock up. Eric had to ride Mikes bike until parts could be gotten for his.
We then got onto the fast (by India standards) sweeping highway 21 to Mandi. DC, John, and I arrived first and a couple of locals jumped on our bikes to guide us to our hotel.
Day 3, Mandi --› Manali(Alt. 2050m), 100km
On this morning I had to make my first rushed visit to the bathroom, now I knew I was in India!
Eric's bike was fixed but for the rest of the trip he had only one horn that barely made a sound. He was often found stuck behind a Tata truck trying to make his presence known.
We set of to ride through the Kullu valley. The scenery was breathtaking and the roads challenging (you can just assume this was the case everyday unless I tell you differently!). Most days we stopped several times at road side stalls for a cold drink or chai (hot tea Indian style with lots of milk and sugar). At one such stop we walked across a rickety bridge and discovered some beautiful young women making shawls on a loom. I took some pictures and bought a shawl. After lunch, for one of the few times on the trip, I rode without helmet/jacket/gloves.
The final ride to Manali was on narrow roads and through small villages. I felt like I was playing a video game as I dodged all kinds of obstacles. Arriving in Manali signalled the end of the 'easy' riding. Tomorrow we start to climb in altitude and we will cross the tree line and the snow line. While having diner we decided to have a poker run. Every morning for the next 5 mornings we each bought a card for 100 Rupees ($2.50) at breakfast and when we got to the top of the worlds highest road we compared cards.
Day 4, Rest day in Manali.
This was a lazy day. We looked around the town and did some shopping. We also got a much needed chance to have all the dirt/diesel removed from our cloths.
Day 5, Manali --› Keylong(Alt. 3350m), 115km
'Our First Mountain Pass'
This was the day we really headed into the mountains and the cooler weather. It was also the day of our first mountain pass (or La as they are called), the Rohtang La at 3978m.
Just before the pass in the middle of no-where was a gathering of cafe's with western music blearing in the background, which seemed strange. It started to rain while we were having chai and for the first time I put my rainproof trousers on. We rode through the rain and along a narrow muddy, gravelly, wet road to the top of the pass. Over the other side we stopped at a shack for lunch and while waiting for the film crew to catch up we registered at the police check point. These roads through the Himalayan mountains are only open for about 3 months of the year. People come and set up shacks or tents selling food/drink and then leave when the season is over.
After riding through yet more spectacular scenery we arrived in Keylong around 6pm. At the hotel some of us sat on the balcony and had a beer (made stronger by the altitude). DC lent me his discman and I sat back contented looking at the mountains and listening to some Jazz.
Day 6, Keylong --› Sarchu(Alt. 4250m), 105km
I woke up very tired and the beginning of the ride was hard for me. The scenery was once again spectacular. What amazed me was that everyday the scenery was different, there was just so much variation. I am not very good at describing/remembering scenery so you will have to wait to see the pictures. I do remember there were some incredible rock formations on this day.
I felt better after some chai and pushed hard to the top of the Baralacha La (4830m). We were all used to the bikes by now and could push them hard (or fang it as my Australian companions would say). We finally arrived at the Antrek camp site. It was set in the plains and the view of the surrounding mountains was amazing. Now that we were higher up there was no green and everything was very barren.
Being that we were at high altitude and we had the hardest day ahead of us we decided that the best thing to do was to drink beer and play cricket! We were all rooted (Australian phrase for exhausted). Most of us went to bed with headaches caused by the high altitude.
Day 7, Sarchu --› Gya (Alt.3300m), 160km
'The hardest day and the first fall'
Richard left ahead of us to film us riding up the Gata loops. Shortly after we left camp we crossed the border into Kashmir (a politically troubled state). Up until now we have been in Hindu India. Soon we will be in Ladakh which is mostly Buddhist/Tibetan. After the loops we went over 2 passes. In between them Greg decided to try and get in front of me by taking a short cut along a gravel path that allows him to bypass a zig and a zag. He did not quite make it and fell while hardly moving, just 15 feet from the road. Greg would get to buy us all a beer :)
We stoped for lunch and I was feeling pretty rough. I had had a severe headache caused by the high altitude and we had to wait in the sun for the film crew. After lunch we rode across a big plain on a fast but ripply road (read sore kidneys). A short way down the road we pulled off into the dirt and rode 3km to meet some nomads. This was a fascinating experience. These people live off the land and their animals and rarely meet outsiders and yet they were friendly and open. We gave them some gifts (food). People were fascinated by Eric's video camera and crowded around him. We were invited into a tent and offered yak butter tea. The tea was not good but we drank it to be polite. Some of the gang got sick from this later.
We left the nomads and headed for the Taglang La, which at 5328m is the second highest road in the world. We were all feeling the effects of the high altitude. The road was narrow, rough, and wet. It was a long way down if you make a mistake, there were no guard rails (as was the case on all of the mountain roads we rode on) and we had Tata trucks to fight with. The bikes had about half there usual power at this altitude. I gave one last hard push and was the first to the top were it was a bit cold. After a short picture taking session we decide not to wait for the film crew and to head down in hopes of relief from our headaches. My bike would not start and I quickly realized how thin the air was as after 20 kicks I am exhausted.
The ride down to the campsite at Gya was the only ride I did not enjoy. The road was fantastic but all that was on my mind was reaching the campsite. As we quickly dropped down in altitude to 3300m the scenery changed from barren back to lush green. The camp site was in a beautiful spot on lush grass five feet from a stream. After a hot chocolate, pain killers and a few hours rest my headache was gone.
Rupert
Himalayas motorcycle tour - Week 2