ajbvision

I was really kicked about the bicycle trip. I was going to cycle from Khardung La, the world's highest motorable road (18380 ft) to Leh, a distance of 37 kms. I reached the cycling company and test rode my bicycle. Since there was still time, I thought of having some breakfast, while all the others test rode their bicycles. Once all of us (there were 3 people from Italy and 2 from Switzerland), were done, the guys tied all the bicycles to the roof of the cab and we were ready to go. We started our drive upto Khardung La. Since I had already crossed the Khardung La, on my trip to Nubra valley, I did not take much from the ride. After a couple of hours, I was there. I had a cup of black ... read more

The previous day was exciting and eventful. We rode our bikes on the SriNagar Leh highway, crossed the Magnetic Hill, visited the Patthar Sahab Gurudwara (one constructed and maintained by the Army), the Sangam (where the Indus and Zanskar rivers meet); rode back to Leh and then took the Leh Manali highway and visited the Hemis monastery. Of course, earlier in the day we took the wrong turn and headed for a military camp; we were stopped at the entry gate itself and asked to return back. But when one is on a trip, where so much happens at the same time, one doesn't really get time to think about everything. We left around an hour before noon passing by small villages on the outskirts of Leh city. Children smiled and waved at us and we ... read more

The excitement started off with me getting a call from the HP tourism office saying that my bus had been preponed by one hour. I finished my work as fast as I could and rushed to the booking office in Central Delhi. The bus left at 6:30 in the evening. After a rather uneventful 14 hours, I reached Manali. It has just rained and the weather was gloomy. I checked into my hotel and called up the paragliding company. I was disappointed when they told me that it was still raining at Solang valley and there was thick fog too; making paragliding not possible. Nonetheless, I decided to venture out. I had my breakfast and boarded a local bus that took me to Solang valley, 13 kilometres from Manali. With nothing much to do, I stood ... read more

We kicked off our journey, from the National Highway 8 (New Delhi). I started enjoying the ride once we left the city behind us. There was greenery on both sides of the highway; vegetation, lush green fields and trees at different places. Living in the city, where one is used to seeing high rise buildings and crowded roads; this view came as a refreshing break. So, although it was very hot on the road, this view made the ride enjoyable. We stopped in the middle to ensure that we were going the right way. The people spoke Hindi in a different accent and I could tell that we were in a different state. After a little more than two hours we were at Flying Fox Neemrana. The view from the fort was beautiful; I could see ... read more