HIMALAYAN ODYSSEYa busy day with riding gear and motorcyclescrutiny, and getting our T-shirts, caps andother goodies. As the day ended the feelinghad already started to settle in that the rideof a lifetime started the next dayAfter a night of nervous sleep, we wokeup early in the morning on the 25th, loadedthe luggage truck and rode in formation tothe historical India Gate to find hordes ofother <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Enfield</strong> enthusiasts, media andfriends/family of riders for the HimalayanOdyssey 2011 flag-off. After some words ofencouragement from <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Enfield</strong> CEO,Dr Venki, the ride was flagged off amidstmuch fanfare. With the mountains on ourmind we rode 260kms of the Delhi-Chandigarhhighway in a mere 6 hours, bunchingup in smaller groups on the outskirtsand rode into the city. A good warm-up ridefor the most of us, we were just starting toget to know each other.<strong>The</strong> next day, we woke up to a wet Chandigarhand out came the rain gear. Someriders were anxious and some had the mischievousgrin on their faces but everybodywas up for the challenge—little did we knowthat we had an entire rain-soaked day ofriding! <strong>The</strong> transition from the plains intothe hills was brilliant and with every passingkilometre, the sights got better. Despitethe rain, cameras came out of the bag andthe shutterbugs definitely seemed happy.<strong>The</strong> rear end of the group reached Manalia little after dusk. At dinner the riders satdown to recollect how the plains were behindthem now and how the days ride hadprepared the whole group for the days tocome—starting with the most popular passof them all the Rohtang Pass!Rohtang Pass, at an altitude of 13,051ftis a major tourist attraction and almost everytourist who comes into Manali does visitRohtang. As a result of this the roads leadingup to the pass are always chock-a-blocwith tourist vehicles and the unpredictablerain (sometimes snow) doesn’t help! We too,had a share of this and were stuck for a fewhours leading up to Rohtang, not to forgetthe tough time manoeuvring through theslushy terrain but what lay on the otherside of the pass was beyond words. <strong>The</strong>entire landscape changed with a 360° ‘pictureperfect’ scene. After a stop at Koksar,we reached the fuel station at Tandi. Andif you do miss out on tanking up here, thenext filling station on the road is availableonly at Karu, all of 365kms away! <strong>The</strong> riderstanked up here and split into two groupswith one staying in Keylong and the otherat Tandi Camp.We woke up on 28thto a cold morning and whatlay ahead was a day whichwas to take the wind out ofmost of us. We were to ride from Keylong toSarchu and over the mighty Baralacha La(16,040ft). Like each day on the HimalayanOdyssey, the riders were briefed aboutthe challenges that lay ahead. After thequick re-group at the police check post inDarcha, the riders moved ahead towardsone of the many water crossings en routeto Sarchu. Water crossings if not dealt withskill, probably can be the worst nightmarefor riders. With a few hiccups, plenty of adviceand some help at hand eventually allthe riders made it through the water crossings,crossed Baralacha La and rode on toBharatpur. This place is all but 50 metresin length and has about 10 gypsy tentsscattered on either sides of the road. Mostriders got into the tents, feasted on chocolates,soups, the legendary Maggi and dalchawal!<strong>The</strong> ride from Bharatpur to Sarchuwas fairly easy and we arrived at the campwith a good 3 hours of day light to spare.This was also the day the team doctor onthe Himalayan Odyssey had a field day. Nosooner did we arrive at camp, the doctorhad to swing into action with some riderscomplaining of breathlessness and nausea.<strong>The</strong> camp at Sarchu, at 14,074 feet was incidentallythe highest where we stayed whileon the Odyssey.On 29th we first tanked up again (fuelthat the support team had carried along forus) and were all set for the longest ride ofthe Odyssey, Sarchu to Leh. <strong>The</strong> days ride,apart from being the longest also has itsfair share of highlights. From the high-altitudesand tracks of the More plains to the21-hairpin bends of the Gata Loops and thethree mighty Himalayan passes we reachedthe gateway to Leh. We had to literally pushourselves after scaling Tanglang La, thesecond highest pass in the world and theregroup at Upshi. By evening we rode intothe town of Leh, the capital of Ladakh. <strong>The</strong>next day was a scheduled rest day where theriders had time to recuperate and explorethe town.1st of July was perhaps going to be daywhich all the riders would cherish for therest of their lives, this was the ride up toKhardung La. After the two-hour ride wereached the highest motorable road in theworld. <strong>The</strong> feeling was of joy and triumph.<strong>The</strong> sight of 72 jubilant riders with thumpingmachines and clenched fists pointed atthe sky had left the other tourists wonderingwhat it takes to come on a bike. Afterclicking pictures and the customary teaat the Army-run canteen, we moved on toNorth Pullu en route to Hunder, a village inNubra valley. It felt as if we were suddenlyin some other part of the world, it was verydifferent from the scenes and landscapeswe were now used to seeing. Nubra is famousfor its sand dunes and also the doublehumped camels. <strong>The</strong> next, we rode back toLeh and thus rode over Khardung La again.This gave the riders another opportunity toget clicked. Now the riders had started tobecome comfortable with the terrain andwe reached Leh in the early afternoon.3rd July saw us start the second leg ofour ride. We rode a comfortable 170kms toPicturesque Ladakh16
<strong>The</strong> 3 Lead riders.Resting atop a mountain passWater CrossingHelp always at handOnwards to KalpaHomestay at DemulBaralach-LaEntering Losar17
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