Return to Ladakh - The first hiccup

19-Jul-2009 0500 hrs our time. We were up alright, but nowhere close to getting on our way. It took us over a couple of hours to get everything packed, fixed up on the bikes, redistribute the bags to get the weight distribution right, and get on our way. And this was with the bungee cords. If this had been the last trip, the same exercise with regular nylon cords would have taken us twice the time!

If you are headed for Rohtang, there's a good reason why you should be leaving early. Come morning, and hordes of tourists hit the road for Rohtang. Most of them just go up there, click a few Patel snaps, ride a pony, throw snowballs at each other, and head back along the same road to Manali. There's also all the trucks that leave Manali to get across the pass to Lahaul & Spiti, or to Ladakh. On a regular road that would be fine, but the road to Rohtang (especially past Marhi) is just a slush pit in most places!

So we left late allowing all these guys to go up ahead of us, and the result was we ran into a HUGE traffic jam just up above Marhi. The traffic was standstill and enterprising locals were already there selling tea and bhutta. If you are stuck in a traffic jam though, a bike is the best thing to be on. We managed to sneak through between most of the vehicles, till we came to the problem spot. It was just one hairpin bend, but the road was only slush, about a foot deep. One of every 3 vehicles was getting stuck, and then there'd be all the pushing and revving to get it unstuck.

We thought we could go through, but the couple of cops present would have none of it! Everytime one of us tried to start our bike and get through, we'd hear this guy screaming abuses at us! Eventually though, with some effort, we managed to sneak past the cop, only to find out that Manoj's bike died on him and would now refuse to start! That feeling of disappointment rose up in my guts again. We tried a while but saw it wasn't working, so we called Anu for help. Anu remote diagnosed the problem to be a dead battery, and said he'd be there in a couple of hours with a replacement. So Kavi, Chavan, and me waited, while the other two headed further up to refill our water supplies.

I had a headache and was feeling a little woozy. Most likely symptoms of AMS, but I suspect it also had a lot to do with the situation and the disappointment. In retrospect I was jumping the gun, but at that point, I almost felt like it was a lost cause, like we might need to head back and try again the next day, or maybe try again the next year!

Nothing like that happened though. Anu came and replaced the battery, and we got started up and on our way. Kavi who was already drooling over the 'hot Anu', now also had him as her knight in shining armor and savior of her trip. We did not hear the end of it over the next few days! Half an hour got us to Rohtang, and after a quick snack of Maggi and chai, we hit the road again.

The roads are considerably better past Rohtang, and the traffic is almost nil. The road is pretty decently maintained, and the stretch between Khoksar and Sissu is especially good. Beautifully laid tarmac snaking along the river bank made this some of the best riding on the trip. We passed our campsite from the last trip and headed straight for Keylong, where we intended to stay the night. There was some bad roads, but as we realized over the trip - if you get past Rohtang, you've pretty much made it! We fueled up at Tandi (our last fuel source before Leh), and got to Keylong by nightfall with only enough energy left to crash at the Tashi Deleg.

Sight of the day: A couple of Himalayan eagles soaring above us while we were waiting for Anu to come. Even in the state that I was in, the eagles brought a smile to me. Pure grace and beauty!