The next day I headed out quickly again. I wanted to reach Mulbekh, or even Kargil and with crossing of two passes I knew it would be a big day…
Right from Lamayuru the road continued climbing up toward Fotu La, supposedly the highest point on the Leh - Srinigar highway. As it became a usual sight almost every day, I passed again through some military installations and workers camps guarded by ‘noisy’ dogs. Nothing dangerous though, just too much barking from far away… There were a few small settlements above Lamayuru too. The road was OK, with an exception of a 1 km stretch of sand and rocks. At the pass, two more dogs were widely barking at me disrupting my picture taking. But a few close stone throws and they quickly realized I was no fun to play with. (And no, I didn’t hit them!!!) There was a huge satelite antenna at the top, plus a few military barracks and trucks. After the pass there was a looong downhill with a nice road. I passed through some villages which names I cannot remember. Somewhere near Boudkharna (spelling?) village, which lies not far away from the start of a climb to the second pass of the day, Namika La, was an another passport checkpoint. Shortly before, there was a small mudslide which I could easily cross unlike everyone else in cars;)
The climb to the Namika La pass was short, 8 kms, or so, but as it was near noon, it became hot and sweaty;) There was a turned-over petrol truck with spilled oil all over the road, another accident of many I had seen so far… At the pass I met a group of young girls with a flock of sheep. Screaming at me in their highpitched voices ‘Hello’, ‘How you are?’ and something that sounded like ‘One pyen’ (or ‘One pen’) I wasn’t in a mood to engage in a small talk since that was all they spoke English. I only tried to ask them what the phrase ‘One pyen’ meant but my questions were falling on deaf ears. But as they couldn’t understand what I was asking, I could feel slight irritation in their voices and decided to head off. I guess it was just a language and cultural misunderstanding;)
I have been repeatedly ask for ‘One pyen’ (or sometimes ‘One bonbon’) from kids when riding through villages, especially past Leh on my way to Srinigar. I assumed that they just wanted something for free. My usual reply is ‘No pyen’ or ‘No bonbon’. I won’t go into detail why but it is pretty self-explanatory why I, or you, shouldn’t encourage begging!!! If I want to feel better, or increase my karma, I just donate my money to organizations that know how to use it effectivelly and actually help these kids.
From Namika La pas to Mulbekh, it was all downhill, with a few section of deep mud all over the road. In Mulbekh, I stopped at guesthouses right across the famous 8-meter high Buddha statue carved into a huge slab of rock. I had my lunch there downing two big bottles of Kasmiri apple juice and an omelette with chapatis.
Also, I met three Swiss girls trying to get to Leh. They were on a local bus but it had to stop because of a destroyed section of the road. It was almost 1:00pm when the bus showed up again. They rode only about 40 kms since 6:00am start in Kargil. On top of that, they needed to catch a next morning flight out of Leh to Delhi!!! That just shows you never to plan your travel itineraries to tightly. But I think, in the end, they were able to make it;)
Since it was only a little past noon, the road to Kargil was virtually downhill and Mulbekh’s sleeping options were unispiring, I decided to go all the way to Kargil. Because the road work (on the destroyed section) had just finished, there were lots of truck convoys passing through. With all the dust and diesel fumes, it was better just to stop and let them pass. As I was nearing Kargil, 9-10 kms before, the road became hell again, dusty construction all over the place.
Finally in Kargil, I stopped past a bridge into the town and ask a stationed army patrol which way is to the main Bazaar, the center of Kargil. As he turned around to point to me the city center, his automatic rifle, held close to his chest, was suddenly pointing at my face, maybe two inches away. I just hoped he had it locked… Once near the local taxi stand, I found my hotel easily, Greenland, tucked away in a side street, in a quieter area. For 300 Rps a night not a bad choice.
Start: Lamayuru, Jammu-Kashmir, India
End: Kargil, Jammu-Kashmir, India
Distance: 107.89 km
Elevation: +1,270/-1,975 m
Time: 6′33″
Avg: 16.5 km/h
Total: 1,385.5 km
Riding/Total days: 20/28
July 31st, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
Himalayas, India |
one comment
I left Alchi at about the same time as yesterday Leh, close to 7:00am. A very short uphill to get out of the village valley, back to the right side of the Indus river and I re-joined the Leh-Srinigar road again. For most of the day it was downhill, pretty much. I passed only through two villages worth mentioning. Nurla, twenty something kilometers from Alchi with lots of rascally kids jumping in front of my bike wanted to give me high-fives, and plenty of others trying to sell me small apricots for which this area is famous. I wasn’t too hungry so I continued toward Khaltsi (or Khalsi). There were lots of tea stalls with what else, dal and rice. I chose one that was full of guys, about ten of them working for a trekking company and heading to Padum, ahead of their clients. Food was good, I mean what can be wrong with a plate of steamed rice;)
Past Khaltsi, there was a quick passport checkpoint where the road forked to Dha/Hanu area to the right and to Lamayuru, and further Srinigar, straight over a bridge. For the first time in weeks I was riding below 3,000 meters high;) On the left side of the Indus river, I drove maybe 4-5 kms, when the road turned sharp away from the Indus valley and entered a small but high and steep gorge. It reminded me of the Zion National Park in Utah, the Narrows area, with a road built through it. Lots of small caves on the other side of the river too.
The road was fairly flat, only rising a few tens of meters until it reached a crossing to Wanla gompa. After that it was a steep, winding climb all the way to Lamayuru. Sometimes, it was narrow in places and petrol trucks had trouble to pass each other. Two kilometers before Lamayuru the road went through an area known as Moonscape, a soft clay-like made hills deformed by running rain water into surreal landscape. From there I could get a first glimpse of the Lamayuru village and gompa. Probably the best view as I couldn’t see a huge hotel built next to the monastery and destroying completely the view…
I booked into Shangri La GH, a rundown place with decent views of the gompa run by a nice family. The restaurant was just a home-cooking enterrprise on a bigger scale. But they tried hard and food was good. They even did a plate of great french fries;) The Lamayuru village itself was a disappointment, at least for me, a few shabby buildings and stores, with a ’smelly’ open horse stall in the middle of the village. But my GH was luckily further away from it. The gompa was undergoing extensive reconstruction, inside and out, but I could climb onto a roof and enter a few small halls. The main prayer room was getting a new wooden floor. There was a huge Japanese group with a guide, so I just listened in, ignoring the Japanese translation;)
BTW, if you decide to stay in the new hotel near gompa, don’t pay 800 Rps they usually ask, you can get it down to 200 Rps. Plus, don’t eat there, the food stinks. I have it from good sources;) A few travelers were kicked out because the hotel was expecting a huge jeep group to come in, charging them at 1,000 Rps per night.
The ‘banished’ travelers were able to find rooms in Shangri-La GH. We all joined together for a dinner on a roof of the GH with stunning night sky views, having a ‘lively’ discussion which later somehow steered onto a topic of the U.S. foreign policy and the Middle East. Now imagine, a Brooklyn-born Jewish American living for the past two years in Israel and a proud Bush supporter, a French couple with stereotyped views of the American society, especially regarding immigration, race and violence, and myself, opinion-wise somewhere in between. I just leave it at that it was very ‘lively’ talk;)
Start: Alchi, Jammu-Kashmir, India
End: Lamayuru, Jammu-Kashmir, India
Distance: 57.44 km
Elevation: +1,010/-645 m
Time: 3′30″
Avg: 16.3 km/h
Total: 1,277.6 km
Riding/Total days: 19/27
July 30th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
Himalayas, India |
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Yesterday, I finally made it to the top of the Shanti Stupa and enjoyed a stunning sunset over Leh. First time, I was prevented to go up because of my bike and the second time around, I came too late and also met Jamie with his girls there. So, I decided to join them for a dinner rather than continue up;) It’s quite an experience just to sit down on a ledge with Leh at your feet, feel the evening wind and observe the kaleidoscope of hues of brown, red and yellow on the mountains of Stok and Zanskar ranges. When I returned back to the GH there was another huge surprise. Steve and Jean-Pierre made it back from the Nubra Valley, a day ahead of schedule! All the way from Diskit, 118 kms, or so, a monster day with lots of climbing. It seemed like they enjoyed it despite feeling tired.
Plus, they met a Swiss couple who cycled from Pangong Tso to the Nubra Valley, a route they had originally planned to attempt but couldn’t get enough info about. There is a partly built rough road connecting them. But on some sections they had to push their bikes too.
Early next day, Jean-Pierre and Steve even woke up to see me heading off and wish me good luck. From now on, I needed to get used to cycling alone again. It was heavily overcast but it really was time to leave Leh behind. I spent too many ‘good’ days there;) The first 10 kms were a straight-forward and easy descent to Spituk and the Indus Valley. Later, I followed the Indus river for a while through patches of green fields and poplar trees. Near Phyang crossing, the road left the river below and started gradually climbing through a desert-like landscape, interrupted only by passing traffic and occasional ‘Hello’ or ‘Julley’ shouts from BRO road workers…
The road was anything but flat, undulating up and down… After I left the Leh Valley behind and passed through some military areas, again, I had fast and windy descent into Nimmu and Basgo villages valley. The lower parts of the road passed through a narrow gorge near which the green-brown waters of the Indus and sandy-brown of the Zanskar merged together. I stopped in Nimmu for a quick cup of chai.
The next village, Basgo, used to be once a capital of lower Ladakh with its dominant, albeit decaying, citadel/fort above the village. Not far away, perched on a rock ledge, was a Basgo gompa which has an enormous statue of Maitreya Buddha, according to a LP guidebook… I didn’t have time to stop and check;) The awesome views from the road were more than enough for me.
After the village, there was another climb out of the valley, on a recently made stretch of road, zig-zagging slowly up. When reaching high point, I could see a looong straight road going into the next valley, maybe 3-4 kms long. With the surrounding barrren landscape it reminded me of riding on Utah or Nevada roads;) On my way down, I passed a crossing to Likir, the location of another majestic gompa, and began a steep winding downhill ride toward Saspol and later Alchi.
After Saspol, I had to get off the main road, cross a bridge over the Indus and started a not so difficult climb to Alchi. I checked into the first GH, Choskor GH, with nice rooms (250 Rps for a double with private bathroom). It’s a little bit further from the Alchi gompa but that was good;)
The gompa, for being so famous, is really hard to spot. It is situated on a flat ground, similar to Tabo, in the middle of the village. So, there aren’t any fascinating outside views. Once I passed through all the tourist shops near the gompa and went inside the many temples, I realized why it is one of the most famous ones in the world of Tibetan Buddhism. It contains amazingly detailed and well-preserved artworks. Again, photography wasn’t allowed inside to protect the ancient frescos;( But I snapped a few ‘cluttered’ pics among the temples, stupas and lots of apricot trees…
Alchi was a few days past the harvest and the fields around were empty. But there was lots of carrying of fresh grass/weed around and almost everyone, old and young alike, were helping out. They stored it on roofs of their houses, where it gradually dried out, and I’m assuming was used during winter months to feed their stock.
Start: Leh, Jammu-Kashmir, India
End: Alchi, Jammu-Kashmir, India
Distance: 69.10 km
Elevation: +930/-1,355 m
Time: 3′48″
Avg: 18.1 km/h
Total: 1,220.2 km
Riding/Total days: 18/26
July 28th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
Himalayas, India |
one comment
So, my pleasant days of relaxing in Leh are coming to an end. As you know already, I have been staying in Galwan GH in the upper Changspa village. A very quiet place away from the chaos and cacophony of the Main Bazaar. No tourists, no stores, no restaurants, total peacefulness. Everyone’s experience in Leh is different, mine has really been great. I visited all the places I missed the last time around: the Leh Palace (or whatever is left of it), Tsemo gompa & fort, Soma gompa, Shanti stupa, Masjit mosque. I walked around the old city, visited polo grounds, cycled up the Khardung La pass and much more… I definitely enjoyed great food in Leh, a welcome change from simple menus of parachute dhabas between Kyelong and Leh;) Café Jeevan in Changspa and Ibex Restaurant off the Main Bazaar were my favorites. And whenever in Leh, don’t forget to visit Dzomsa, not only for refilling your empty water bottles with pressure boiled clean water but also to taste a glass of great lassi or seabuck-thorn juice. Originally, Oriental GH was my top choice to stay in but ‘luckily’ they were booked out on my arrival. It is a beautiful place to stay but a little too busy for my taste;) Still, a great choice with friendly staff and great cooking…
Prime Net Internet place (near Asia GH in Changspa) was my link to the outside world with decently fast satellite connections, good when uploading photos;) But more importantly, it had a fuel generator that jumped into action in case of power outages, an all-too-frequent occurrence in Leh. Plus, the friendly owner gave me good hints on current Tibet info and news. Thanks for that;)
In the last two days there has been a huge military presence in Leh with military police positioned on most street crossings and army personel in full fighting gear stationed near the city’s landmarks. Last I heard that the President of India is visiting Leh, Choklamsar and the Stagna military expo (or festival, if you will, called Ladakh Ekta Utsav). Therefore the army mobilisation and heightened security.
Purely by coincidence, I also met my friends from the Project Himalaya: Jamie, together with his trekking and climbing clients, and Joel, an expert on Zanskar trekking and India, in general.
Before I leave I’ll visit the Phyang Tsedup, a religious festival with Ladakhi dance performances. I’m afraid it’ll be ‘too touristy’ experience but as a serious amateur photog I hope to get a few nice shots, in the least… Even though the village is less than 20 kms away from Leh, I’ll still take a local minibus rather than cycling there;)
Time to move on and get cycling again… Saturday morning, I will head out toward Alchi and a few days later cross into Kashmir. I should be in Srinigar in about a week. So, until then, stay safe and have fun out there;)
July 28th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
Himalayas, India |
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Steve and I woke up quite early, 5:30am to get a head start and avoid the hot sun of late morning. Jean-Pierre started even before us, maybe an hour, or so. What a rascal. He definitely liked to get to the top first this time.
It was fairly straightforward climb, approx. 37 kms from our guesthouse in Yourtung. Road was good too. The only slight annoyance we had to contend with was heavy traffic, esp. military convoys going to the Nubra Valley. It was a windless day and it wasn’t fun at all to ride through clouds of diesel fumes. But the ever expanding views of the Indus Valley down below were hugely rewarding;) Passing through South Pullu, 23kms from Leh, we had to submit our passports and show permits. But the good news, just past the checkpoint was a new, not so long ago finished, stretch of smooth pavement for the next 5 kms.
Later, even more military trucks overtook us, now joined by lots of tourist jeeps too. 9 kms from the top the good road finished and we were on a usual dusty dirt road with rare patches of old pavement here and there. Everyone was climbing up with their own tempo. Jean-Pierre still ahead of us, spinning with Armstrong-like cadence, Steve pushing ‘biggish’ gears on his Rohloff and I was somewhere in between;) On a good part of the road, it was easy to ride 11-13km/h uphill, on the bad one, 7-8 km/h, and I was quite happy…
Not far away from the top, a jeep stopped nearby. A couple from Switzerland with their son and a local guide, offered me some water, even glucose bisquits. Not really wanted to take advantage of their generosity, I took the water but declined the bisquits. For a while, we talked about their and my trips. Thanks again guys, if you are reading this;) And, good luck on your excursion to Tso Moriri. Usually, folks riding in jeeps give me thumbs up, a quick passing smile, and that’s more than enough to make my day. I always appreciate it. It really is a huge boost. In exchange, I wave back, try to smile, or quickly pose for a snapshot, with the victory sign, of course;)
The last three kilometers, I rode with Steve together, more or less, to the top. The Khardung La pass was quite a surprise, when compared to the other passes I had crossed so far. A restaurant, lots of sings announcing arrival on the highest motorable pass in the world, two shrines, urinals and even a military memorial with the Indian flag. Plus, scores of trucks, jeeps and tourists coming up here for a quick look, or heading into the Nubra Valley for a few days. And lastly, not to be missed, military presence on the pass. I won’t go into details but it was sizeable. From time to time, a helicopter flew overhead. I tried to talk up one military guy, with a red barret, black sunglasses and his stern and focused gaze, he could easily pass for Jean-Claude Van Damme, except his Tibetan looks;) But there was no chance for a picture.
Btw, the Khardung La pass is nowhere near its claimed height of 5,602m. IMO, it is only marginally higher than the Tanglang La pass (approx. 5,300m) that we crossed a week earlier, by about 50 to 100 meters, at most. For more on the highest motorable passes in the world, check out this article…
With our bikes we achieved almost celebrity-like status on the pass. Random people were congratulating us, asking us about our rides and scores of Indian tourists wanting to take pictures of us, or just our bikes;(((. I’m used to taking pictures of others but this time I easily complied. It was fun for a while. I even met an Austrian tourist who stayed in Nepal 2002, in the same hotel as me (Hotel Utse). I remember it quite well because I met Peter Habeler, a mountaineering legend, there. He was the first one, together with Reinhold Messner, to reach the top of the Mt. Everest in 1978 without oxygen.
After 40 minutes almost everyone went their own way and the pass became deserted, with only military guys left behind. There were some huge black clouds bulking up behind a ridge, so I bid farewell to Steve and Jean-Pierre, wished them good luck, thank them for their good company in the last week and their invitation whenever I visit Australia. Thanks guys, stay safe and have fun out there…
A quick last glance toward mountains of the Karakoram range and it was time get on my way down, back to Leh. I ripped it up, taking over cars and motorbikes easily. I was wishing for a full-suspension downhill bike;) But the threatening clouds quickly came over me. It started with a light rain, later changing into a hail. I was peppered with ice pellets. Having a rain jacket helped but with nothing to put over my biking shorts, I felt the stinging ice very much on my thighs. On some parts I had to slow down because of the freezing pain;) But there was not much else I could do… With already wet and cold feet and legs, I could only ride lower into the warmer air of the valley below. So, after a record-breaking descent of one hour and 35 minutes from the top, at least I like to think so, I was back at my guesthouse in Leh again, with my bike shorts and the rain jacket dry too;) BTW, Leh didn’t receive a drop of rain from these high clouds;)
Tired and exhausted from the cold rain, I took a short nap…
Start: Leh, Jammu-Kashmir, India
End: Leh, Jammu-Kashmir, India
Distance: 75.12 km
Elevation: +1,705/-1,705 m
Time: 5′43″
Avg: 13.1 km/h
Total: 1,151.1 km
Riding/Total days: 17/23
July 26th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
Himalayas, India |
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