Blogs from Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, India, Asia - page 12

Day 4 – 29.07.2010: The day started with a hit on snooze button of the alarm clock at 0500 hrs. Warmness of the bed-room inside Log-hut and last day’s tiredness were the reasons why nobody was willing to come out from quilt. But the excitement to travel the less travelled road was much stronger than the comforts. Within an hour, we all were ready for a journey of 473 kms via some of world’s highest motorable mountain passes. Our first destination was Rohtang Pass which was 52 kms from Manali on Manali-Leh highway at an altitude of 3978 mts. Prior to reaching Rohtang Pass we took our trainer and skiing kit from Manali. Rohtang is a famous tourist destination which remains open from April/May to October/November that too depends on weather conditions. For rest of the ... read more

Got up at about 6 am and left to Khardung La. Ravish and JP decided to stay back and hence I went with Brian and Payal in the same xylo driven by Ali. We had breakfast before we left and reached Kardung La the highest motorable road in the world at about @ 18380 feet by 8 am. There me and Brian trekked to the highest point of pass and took some awesome photographs. Then had maggi and ladhaki chai at the cafeteria there and then started by about 10am and returned to leh by about 11:15am. Then had lunch at Thongsal and did most of the packing. At 4pm went and got my Bike’s crash guard fixed which had bent a little when I had a fall on the way to leh. Then went to ... read more

We had the luxury or sleeping till 7am for the first time since we started this trip on the 26th of may 10 days ago. Got up and arranged for applying for the inline permits and then had breakfast and went to the main bazzar and went to a mechanic to get the JPs bike checked just opposite the SN memorial Hospital. The mechanic there did a few things and told us that was all he could do and at high altitudes the bikes give some small issues like this and it is not a concern. Then went and had lunch at German bakery and came back to the hotel by 4pm. Since the permit had not come cancelled the Khardung la program and then fixed up taxi for Pangong lake and then took a nap ... read more

Trip to the Himalays - Mighty yet so calm... read more

On our third day in Ladakh it was finally time for our first longer excursion. We were still quite groggy in the morning after yet another exhausting night; it seemed we were not yet fully recovered from the change of altitude. The thought of leaving the warm bed, now a fortress of blankets and jackets layered on top of each other like the Earth's geological strata, and setting foot on what must surely be ice cold tiles in the bathroom felt just as alien and uninviting as trying to walk on the moon without an encounter suit. Then there was the promise of hot water nagging in the back of my head, I just knew I would be in for disappointment on that front. But surely the hotel manager had reassured us that yes hot water ... read more