India day 11 - 14

I think I may have made a mistake with the days……

Today is day 11 (10/7) and the big day. We breakfast and get the bikes started and head out for the petrol station. We are not carrying any luggage other than the bike spares and tools. We head out of town and turn for the Nubra Valley and Khardung La. Leh is about 11000ft. We climb out of town and past the entrance to Leh Monastery which dominates the town skyline. The road switch backs on itself time after time. The road is tarmac and as we climb a chill sets in and I notice that slight breathiness. We reach the Police checkpoint where the details of the bikes are taken and the officers remove our copy permit. We stop at a tea stall for Chi and quickly knock out the air filters of dust just to give the bikes a fighting chance. Waterproofs to protect against the cold and winter gloves. The road is busy with Army TATA trucks and tourist taxis. After the tea stop the tarmac has gone but the road continues to climb up and up. The marker posts give the altitude. Its getting cold and the oxygen is really thin. We are stopped by a work crew for a few minutes and over the ridge of the mountain we see a rainbow. We get talking to a couple from Delhi who have flown up to Leh they insist on having pictures with us. The road opens after a short while and we climb until we are stopped again this time a bulldozer is clearing a landslide. It takes about 20 minutes for the driver to push the rubble over the edge. At one point a small creature runs across the road it turns out to be a Himalayan Marmot (bit like a beaver).

Eventually we turn a corner and there is a few buildings and the sign which says Kardung La, Highest Motorable Road in the World 18,380 ft. We have made it. Us and a tourist group of Indians have numerous photos taken with bikes and flags. There is snow in air, it is cold and I am woozy/dizzy and its hard to breath. Everything is too much trouble. Its really busy so we go into the worlds higest café and have tea and biscuits. There is a good layer of snow around the buildings and on top of the ridge is a building where all the prayer flags are connected to. I’m too short of breath to go up there. We all go to the gift shop and buy souvenirs. With all the pictures done we leave and suppose we have been on top 40-45 minutes. Coming down seems much longer than going up, but as we descend the air gets much better. Slowly we get back into town and return to the petrol station and fill up for tomorrow. Its taken a few hours but worth it. Mission accomplished. The rest of the day is spent sorting things out for the ride West.

We go out for Pizza (again) and celebrate our success with a few Kingfisher beers.

Day 12

We leave early settle up the hotel and head West towards Kargil. Its hot and dry and as we leave Leh it turns into an desert. The terrain is not too dissimilar to the Grand Canyon. The roads are good to start with and we make good progress. Scenery is stunning. Canyons and mountains are the norm. The road is busy with tourists and army traffic. The closer we get to Kargil the worst the roads become. The roads are back to the Manali-Leh highway standard.

Eventually we get into Kargil and we find a hotel just off the main road (Hotel D’Zojila). It’s cheap cheap but a right shit hole. Bare wires in the shower, dirty and uncomfortable We are all weary, sunburnt and sweaty. At least it has hot water, well warmish. But we only need somewhere to crash before carrying on to Srinagar tomorrow.  

                                                      Just to the right of this is the Shower

Its Ramadam at the moment and Kargil looks more Muslim from other parts of India so finding dinner could be tricky. We are very close to Pakistan, from looking at the map its only just a short distance to the India/Pakistan Kashmir border. A quick wander into town looking for a restaurant was not fun. There was a distinct atmosphere and we stood out from the crowd. We could not find anywhere to eat so went back to the hotel where we managed to get some basic food. That night we wedged a chair against the door and went to bed early.

Day 13

Up very early to get the hell out of dodge. We left the hotel and fuelled up and got on the road to Srinagar. The road started off very bad. We also encountered massive army convoys going our way and coming towards us. Eventually we reached tarmac and got some miles under our belt. We passed through a town called Drass, that was a very dodgy town and did not feel safe. Luckily managed to keep going. As we cleared the towns we went out into the wilds. As with every other day the scenery was stunning. The lower the altitude the more green the countryside became. The scenery very much like the Alps. The population were very Muslim from the India we had seen so far, from the looks of the place we could have been in Pakistan or Afghanistan.

 

 

We came to a fork in the road and the army directed us up a roadway. We saw a switchback road leading down the mountain and below we saw the refugee camp from the 2006 earthquakes which still exists. It took us a long time to get down the mountain and encountered loads of trucks. The roadway was narrow in places with thousands of feet to fall to a certain death. The Indians were still driving like TWATS.

We stopped for Chi just before Srinagar and then made the nervous trip into the town. (only a couple of weeks ago the army lost 8 soldiers in a shoot out with Islamic Militants.) We rode into the town and found ourselves in between the police and a group of locals, the roadway covered in rocks and bricks, I would asume some kind of 'community tension'. Nobody seemed to mind the traffic flowing through the middle of it.

We were looking for Dal Lake to stay on a house boat. We may our way towards the lake and a motorcycle came up alongside us. The rider was Hanni, he took us the lake and offered us his houseboat. We went to look at it. It was about 30m long 5m wide. The boat was rough looking from the outside but inside was carpeted with

 

ornate furniture. At 600R=£6  each per  night with dinner and breakfast we decided to stay. The boat also had a German couple staying the night.

 

After storing the bikes we boarded and showered and had Kashmir tea. Following dinner we took the owners small boat for a paddle around the lake. Not an enjoyable experience as the boat was very small and unstable. We managed to acquire 4 cans of beer and drunk them after dark on the veranda with the German couple. Bedtime was about 10pm and out like a light.

 Day 14

0240  hours awoken by the local Imam with the call to prayer and to eat before sunrise. 0400  call to prayer still sounding. 0450 get up for boat ride to the Dal Lake fruit and Veg market. Us three plus the German couple all go and watch the morning’s entertainment. The traders are shouting and arguing about prices occasionally water gets splashed. We are pestered by hawkers selling all sorts of wares. The veg market is a really interesting insite into life on the lake and 2hours later we are back at the Sea Queen for breakfast. Coffee, omelettes and toast. We pack up and get a boat to the shore. We say goodbye to the German couple and hope to meet in Amritsar. The boat owner rips us off over the price of the mornings water taxi which for me left a bitter taste.

Once on the road its hard going hot and humid but at least we have tarmac. We are heading towards Jammu. The going is slow and we have to descend through the mountains. Total mileage 160K and one stop by the Kashmir Police. We end up in a dive of a hotel about 125K from Jammu. All of us are knackered from the early morning start. Plan is to have an early night then early start and get into Amritsar for some rest and contact with the outside world. I have a slight pain in my Achilles Tendon which doesn’t help walking up the hill to find dinner. Dinner is chicken curry and chapatti’s. Early night night for an early start over 300K to Amritsar. Forgot to wipe my feet on the way out of the hotel.