Thunder of the Mountain
“It is always the same with mountains. Once you have lived with them for any length of time, you belong to them. There is no escape” — Ruskin Bond
Where did we go?
The District of Lahaul-Spiti.
Anuj and I went on a motorcycle trip to the District of Lahaul-Spiti in Himachal Pradesh. I rode my RE Thunderbird while he was on his Pulsar 200NS.
Why Spiti?
Spiti was an absolute complement for my immense love for mountains & motorcycle trips. Ladakh & Spiti are quite popular amongst motorcycle enthusiasts in India and Abroad. Having done the Ladakh Circuit twice I wanted to do Spiti before I head back to Ladakh again.
My journey
These were the craziest 1800kms over a span of 8 days I have spent till date. We were one of the first few bikers doing the circuit this season. The road from Kaza to Manali wasn’t even open when we started, we were not even sure of it opening on our way back. As a result of this we spent an extra day at Kaza waiting for the roads to open up.
The roads leading to Spiti Valley were not the best of what I have seen on Indian Highways. Prone to heavy snowfall and landslides most of the roads were broken and covered with thin sheets of ice, rocks and boulders. Moreover, traveling early in the season meant the local agencies haven’t had the time to repair the roads.
We got stuck in snow and slush, and continued riding in near freezing temperatures at night. The toughest of all was the journey from Kaza to Manali on the very same day the roads opened. This got us stuck in snow for 5 hours before crossing Chotadhara. Chotadhara as the name suggests is a collection of many strong streams one needs to cross. After that came the horror of Rohtang Pass. Rohtang stands at an altitude of 13,200ft and is quite risky to cross during the day, we were crossing it at 10 in the night.
Though the journey was tough, it was quit an amazing experience.
Planning Stage
One tool that I use the most for planning my roadtrips is Google Maps. Knowing how many days I have for the trip gives me a good idea of how far can I go. I set my radius and try and find interesting places.
For this trip though, we had a destination in mind- Spiti Valley. So we calculated the distance we planned to cover every day and made a rough itinerary.
Most of our planning and prepping went into getting the motorcycles serviced. Got few saddle bags fixed and bought some protective gear. The process consumed 2 weekends and we were ready to hit the road.
We finished our journey in 8 days instead of the 10 as planned. We had a good pace in the beginning and at the end on the flatter sections of the highways. We had to cut short our trip due to the snow fall and couldn’t explore Chandratal.
The only way one can travel around in Lahaul Spiti Region is by road, we were riding from one village to another. I must say Himachal Pradesh has a pretty strong bus network which connects almost all the villages. If stuck, you can completely rely on the local people for hitchhiking. They would help you reach the next most comfortable place you can be.
Some prominent places we visited were:
- Hikkim-The Highest Post Office in the World at an altitude of 15,500ft
- Komic-the Highest Village in the World connected by Road at an altitude of 15,000ft
- 550 year old Mummy of a Monk at Gue Monastery
- Visited many beautiful and historic Monasteries. Key Monastery in Kaza founded in the 11th century. Mud Monastery in Tabo which is the oldest in the country and dates back to 996AD and many others
- Pin Valley National Park
Apps that came in handy
Usually I have this habit of blogging my roadtrips on the go on Instagram. This time though I wanted to stay away from connectivity and my phone, thanks to the lack of proper network in the region I was able to achieve some solitude for myself. But yes we did have Offline Google Maps saved on our phones, in case we needed it. It did come in handy while crossing Rohtang in pitch darkness.
Favourite view
Himalayas are so beautiful and mesmerising its really difficult to pick a favourite. I am sharing few pictures here for you to indulge in. For more you can check my blog on Instagram, I go with the handle @seshadrisks
Few favourite things and moments from the trip
There is never a dull moment when you on a road trip and especially on a motorcycle. There is not a single moment you can miss (one cant fall asleep unlike a passenger in a car). The feeling of fresh cold breeze hitting your face and that smell of mountains, awakens all your senses.
If I have to pick few moments, they would have to be the beautiful Sun set at Hatu Peak. Getting stuck in snow and slush and the thrilling experience of crossing Rohtang at night to count a few
One happy memory that’ll stay back, from this trip
Riding all day from one place to other, reaching places deep in the mountains. Spending the day sitting in absolute silence with the river clattering in the background.
I would any day love to get out of this utter monotony of cities and go deep into the cold mountains away from the crowd and noise.
What struck us as being different
Every time I go to these remote places it amazes me how people live a much more natural and experiential life. Away from technology and modern comforts so much so they don’t even have running water pipes or constant electricity. Yet they survive sub zero temperatures with the warmest hearts and amazing hospitality towards tourists and visitors.
Any quaint out-of-the-way places?
By now you can make out my trip took me to the quaintest and out of the way places. Places that aren’t the usual travel destinations mostly due to their remote and restricted access.
Culinary delights or disasters?
Juicy Dumplings/Momos at Sangla, the filling inside had this juicy filling which would flow all over you the moment you take a bite. One of the best Momos I ever had.
Disaster has to be the Thukpa at the same restaurant, don’t ask me how it was- I don’t wish to be reminded
Any secret tips?
Carry some adhesive tape with you always. One thing I have learned over the multiple road trips I have done is to carry a wide adhesive tape. You never know when it comes handy, I have used it for lot of things out of random thought:
- Sticking rear view mirrors to stop them from dangling at high speeds
- Waterproofing my boots for crossing streams
- Used it as a scratch resistant lamination for my motorcycle. Suffering from OCD the last thing I would want is a scratched paint job.
- Used tape to seal motor lubricant cans
- Tape rain cover onto the saddle bags to stop them from flying while riding
So yes, one pro-tip: Carry Adhesive Tape
Where next?
Well, I have quite a lot of places on my road trip checklist, any one of them can be the next one :D
- Delhi to Runn of Kutch
- Delhi to Goa
- Darjeeling
- Nepal
- Bhutan
- The Seven Sister states in the East
- The Ladakh Circuit
Leaving some more pictures from the mountains :D
