Heavenly Himalaya - India - Motorcycle adventure with Safaris for the Soul
Through the visor of Rikki Dryden
As the rain and fog closed in around me, I ascended further into the Himalayas, the air thick with the mist of the mountain passes. The world seemed to shrink into a cold, wet silence, broken only by the sound of my bike’s engine. Then, out of nowhere, I saw them, three small girls, huddled together against a sheer cliff face, their faces drawn with the chill of the high-altitude storm. In that remote, desolate place, where the mountains seemed to swallow everything whole, I found myself standing before them, holding out my last koala. The moment that followed, when the smallest of the girls bravely reached out and let the little koala latch onto her finger, was one I will never forget. It was a fragile, beautiful exchange of warmth in a world that felt vast and indifferent. I couldn’t leave them shivering with the cold in damp clothes so I ran back to my bike to fetch something for them. I wrapped the girls in my emergency blanket, I couldn’t help but wonder, how did they come to be here, in the middle of this wild, unforgiving landscape? What lives they must lead, what stories they must carry. I left them with a piece of comfort, but it was they who, in their quiet courage, left an indelible mark on me.
Safari Schedule
Day 1 - Delhi
Thursday 15 August 2024
Day 2 - Old Delhi
Friday 16 August 2024
Day 3 - Train to Chandigarh then ride to Kasauli (65km)
Saturday 17 August 2024
Day 4 - Shimla (65km)
Sunday 18 August 2024
Day 5 - Shimla exploration day
Monday 19 August 2024
Day 6 - Shimla to Jibhi, Bangar Valley, Jalori Pass (3200m) (160km)
Tuesday 20 August 2024
Day 7 - Jibhi to Manali (100km)
Wednesday 21 August 2024
Day 8 - Manali
Thursday 22 August 2024
Day 9 - Manali to Keylong (90km)
Friday 23 August 2024
Day 10 - Keylong to Sarchu via Baralacha La Pass (4830m) (100km)
Saturday 24 August 2024
Day 11 - Sarchu to Leh, Ladakh via Taglang La (5328m) (260km)
Sunday 25 August 2024
Day 12 - exploring Leh
Monday 26 August 2024
Day 13 - The roof of the world! Khardung La Pass (5602m) (90kms)
Tuesday 27 August 2024
Day 14 - Leh to Kargil via Fatu La pass 4147m & Namika La pass 3760m (220km)
Wednesday 28 August 2024
Day 15 - Kargil to Srinagar, Dal Lake Houseboat (210km)
Thursday 29 August 2024
Day 16 - no more bikes, Dal Lake
Friday 30 August 2024
Day 17 - Srinagar to Delhi (domestic flight)
Saturday 31 August 2024
Day 18 - Taj Mahal
Sunday 1 September 2024
Day 19 - time to say goodbye to India
Monday 2 September 2024
Day 20 - back in Aus
Tuesday 3 September 2024
Mother India here I come!
Brisbane to Delhi
Thursday 15 August
Wednesday morning was an early start for my 6am Brisbane to Sydney flight then a 9:45am direct 12 hour flight to New Delhi India. While in Aus I grabbed about $300 AUD in Rupee to start me off with spending money for small purchases. The flight was half empty and I was on my window seat with a lady beside me in the middle seat, then there was a free seat beside her on the aisle. For the 12 hour flight she chose to stay in the middle seat and pop her handbag on the spare seat rather than jumping over and making room in between us. I have a feeling I will have to get used to being extremely close to complete strangers as I head to one of the most densely populated places on earth. Delhi has a population of over 33 million and 1.4 billion in the whole of India. Hard to comprehend when Australia’s population is a mere 24 million over our huge land mass. Air India hands down has the best airline food!! If you like curry)! Delicious curries straight up for breakfast and lunch! My mouth was on fire but the lovely little sweet side dish with coconut milk and pistachios soothed the burn.
The flight landed by 6pm Delhi local time and as I exited the plane the 34 degrees and high musky humidity slapped me in the face like a smelly wet sock. No luck getting a local SIM card at the airport but I did grab some bottled water for drinking and brushing teeth. Got out of the airport around 7:30pm due to bag delays but no customs checks so straight to arrivals with my happy driver waiting for me. A ride in the car to the hotel through pretty calm traffic, happy horn tooting, no seatbelts working.
The hotel Jaylee Vasant in New Delhi is absolutely stunning with lovely staff. I’m sure it wasn’t just moments of my head hitting the pillow before I was out like a light.
Day 1 - Delhi
Thursday 15 August
I arrived a day before the official start of the tour to settle in and rest before the start of the safari. I watched the Indian Independence Day flag raising ceremony and admired the lengths the staff went to to celebrate this important day, even with breakfast buffet dishes being presented in orange white and green flag colours. I headed in for an Ayurvedic massage and sauna before I went on an unsuccessful Sim card hunt, it was a public holiday so many shops were closed, including the telcos. Passing some buskers playing Indian instruments and singing as I walked to a nearby park with an old walled tomb, people enjoying the space, squirrels scurrying between trees and ownerless dogs lazing about. Back to the hotel to rest for the arvo.
I was so surprised to look out my room window over the city to see so many parks and trees covering the city! A pleasant discovery for such a city.
Some of the other riders arrived a day before me and more arriving throughout this day including my roomy Bruce from NZ. Everyone arrived, settled in and met up briefly at 9:30pm to welcome everyone and discuss tomorrow’s plan. Denise, Sarvika (Vicki) and Amar are the core Safaris for the Soul team in India. Riders Bob, Lesley and Dave from Adelaide, Alastair and Bruce from New Zealand and Derek from Coober Pedy. Everyone is super lovely and from all biking backgrounds and experiences. This is going to be a lovely experience with this group.
Day 2 - Old Delhi
Friday 16 August
This country feels so familiar to me and I can’t explain it!
Today is the first day of the safari and is on foot so we ease into India, so after brekky and briefing we head to Old Delhi by shuttle. We all thoroughly enjoy the city sites on the way, from overloaded tuk tuks with 9+ people, monkeys running on the wall tops, roadside markets, monuments, temples, rickshaws, pushies and scooters weaving in and out of the traffic. Being in the capital of the second largest country in the world is certainly an experience! It’s lovely to see people cleaning morning and night to keep this huge city as tidy as possible, even by reducing pollution with more and more electric vehicles replacing petrol tuk tuks, cars and buses.
Traffic gets tighter and tighter as we get closer to Old Delhi, looking out the window to see a bus pass us by literally millimetres from our vehicle! Off the bus we all scurried down crowded footpaths following each other like a family of little ducklings, stepping over merchandise spewing out of the shops. The smells of Old Delhi getting shoved up our noses, smells I’ve never smelt before, smells that must be unique to this place. Food vendors frying breads and pastries as people squeeze closer to get their share. Overhead power and phone lines tangle together creating a web suspended just above us, with the occasional rogue cord you have to duck around. So many people funnel into the tiny crowded laneways of the famous Paranthe Wali Galli and Chandi Chowk. A maze of condensed laneways lined with endless shops selling fabrics, jewels, decoration, gadgets, homewares, foods and anything you can think of. The most vibrant stunning colours and shiny things. Tin and copper wares, little dessert and lassi cups, curries and dals. With sweat dripping down my face and legs from the humidity and heat, I walk on broken pavement and puddles through waves of different scents electrify my nose and widen my eyes. My mouth waters before these stunning Indian smells are replaced by not so good waves of Old Delhi smells but again replaced by lovely wafts of incense past my face and fill my nose. The sounds are deafening of people yelling, selling their wares, tuk tuks and scooters tooting for people to some how make room and get out of their way as they bump past your elbow and rickshaws just missing your toes.
A bullock walks on by pulling a huge cart of goods as we traversed a main arterial and retreated into an air conditioned vegetarian restaurant for huge tray of different curries and dishes, by far the best flavour curries I’ve ever had! Everyone’s mouths were on fire! If it wasn’t for the side of yogurt I don’t know how we could have coped with the level of spice in these curries. All to be washed down with a sweet, sour, salty and spicy masala drink! Wouldn’t have another one but it was good to try! Absolutely stuffed full of food and yummy sweets of gulab jamun and jalebi left our pallets much happier and ready for Old Delhi part 2 in the streets as we headed to spice town!! Never have I ever seen so many magnificent colourful spices and smelt such exotic spices, senses overload!! Bulk bags of every spice you could imagine lined the walkways and filled every shop. The earthy colours and textures so varied. We tried a cardamon cola in a little air conditioned shop before heading back into the thick humid hot air. Docile cows wander the streets and lay down for a rest in the heat. I thought to get a few photos of the pretty cows and got a bit in her face and near copped a cow headbutt!! Message received loud and clear with a little screech as I hurried away and left her to her siesta!
We don’t see too many people with pale skin and light coloured hair here and don’t have too many gawking eyes on us, just a few puzzled looks as to why we are there seeing the locals living their lives, doing their shopping and daily duties. We jumped aboard rickshaws in pairs, Bob and I paired up and held on for dear life as our driver/rider struggled to move our mass weight through the congested streets, standing on the pegs using as much of his body weight and strength to get us moving. Derek near lost his phone and hat after his rickshaws rear-ended someone! All hands and elbows inside the rickshaw cage so as not to get crushed from passing carts. Our entertaining and kinda terrifying trip on the three wheeler of death ended in a lovely old laneway with ancient wooden doors, carved arches and monkeys walking the building edges above. The chaotic sounds of the streets vanished as we entered the laneway and a beautifully restored Haveli for an incredibly delicious three course high tea and chai. An Haveli is like a tea house mansion! This one had a lovely courtyard in the centre of the building open to the sky. My stomach begging me to stop putting food into it but I couldn’t! Our taste buds were absolutely spoilt and I had to taste everything! Near bursting at the seams we headed to the rooftop to see people of all ages on the surrounding rooftops flying little kites, looking for other kites to crash into or cut their cords and take down in a kite battle. It’s a hilarious game that’s played between strangers and enjoyed by everyone.
This cuisine rich day finished back at the hotel around 7:30pm for us to quickly pack our luggage to go in the support van for transfer to our next hotel. So we kept out a day pack, delivered our luggage to the lobby, showered and went straight to bed. Totally exhausted from walking and eating all day long while being totally overwhelmed with our experience in Old Delhi. But amongst the chaos hides so much beauty, you just have to look for it and appreciate it.
Day 3 - Train From Delhi to Chandigarh then ride to Kasauli (65km)
Saturday 17 August
I woke at 4am again, an hour before my alarm. Slept and rested ok but the excitement is building so the mind is running wild. An early brekky before departing the hotel at 6:30 in the shuttle to the train station for an express train to Chandigarh. I always enjoy transiting and watching the local life pass by, seeing men doing yoga in the many beautiful parks, monkeys running about looking mischievous, dogs sleeping, traffic quiet this time of morning. Men sleeping on rickshaws and footpaths as rain starts to fall and we have to jump off the shuttle due to gridlock traffic close to the train station.
In the humid thick musky air we weave by foot Squeezing between people and cars, our shoulders scraping past buses, continuous tooting of horns as drivers are desperate for the traffic to budge inch by inch. By far the most intense and dense traffic jam I have ever seen AND been in the middle of! Scooters getting squished between bigger vehicles and we try to stay as a group of 10 as best as possible between thousands of people as we get to the station. Families and people sleeping in the train station on tiled floors waiting for whatever train to their destination. We get comfortable in the carriage of 95% black haired men for the 3.5 hour journey. In the air conditioned train I watch the changing scenery and landscapes pass by. Endless farms and green fields with people working them disappear into a thick haze. The land is flat for as far as I can see, but not for long as I know what mountain range awaits! The toilet on the train was a test of my balance with the moving hover trying not even to touch the dirty walls.
Chandigaeh is a much smaller town then New Delhi and I'm glad we collect bikes here. Off the train, we again huddle together so as not to be separated in the sea of black haired people and shuffle out of the station. Across the carpark we meet our support driver Bunty and mechanic Asif then get allocated our trusty steed for the safari, Royal Enfield Bullet 500s. We strap our day packs onto the bikes, have a little warm up ride around the carpark while we absolutely bake in the sun and humidity. dripping sweat we have a quick refresher on the corner marking rules as we don’t have GPS on the bikes then off on our first ride up to the Velmore hotel up in Kasauli mountains, a short 65kms.
Taking off from the car park straight into the Indian traffic was exciting to say the least! It’s going to be hard to explain but here goes! With no traffic light or round about we waited for a slight gap in the traffic and headed out in a group to cross 3 “lanes” to join the opposite side of the road traffic and merged with predictable momentum and before we knew it we were off and up to speed. A quick stop at the fuel station to fill up as we try not to pass out with heat stroke. Getting light headed and hard to breathe in the hot humid air, soaking in our sweat then it off heading to the hills. Cows lay in the centre of the roads and others eat roadside. Trucks tower over us as we pass them tooting to let them know we’re there, cars and scooters oncoming down the wrong side of the road, traffic pulling out from side streets not looking to see who they should give way to so you have to adjust your speed and move over for them. Cars near side swiping you with their overtaking moves, people playing chicken crossing the road timing each step to judge the speed of oncoming vehicles to pass just centimetres in front and behind them. Predictable momentum is key!
It wasn’t long at all before we were up in the mountains with beautiful winding roads and super lush green hills, the temperature dropping with every kilometre. Roads kept us alert with surprise pit holes, cows, roadworks and speed bumps before towns. The bikes are pretty fun to ride! They seem perfect for these roads and traffic. Each with their own little characteristics and idiosyncrasies. A quick roadside lunch was absolutely beautiful and so great to see into the open kitchen with all hands on deck cooking and cleaning, all smiling and welcoming my curious eyes. Back on the bikes to escape the heat and head into cooler weather when the rain started and the roads become more tight and twisty as we head higher into the mountains and traffic eased up. The roads become single lane beautiful country roads with broken edges and pot holes but they were perfect! A welcomed break and roadside sweet chai as we wait for the support van to catch up and head to the hotel in convoy.
Friendly locals smile and wave as we pass by getting a fleeting glimpse of their lives. Horses, cows and mules wander alongside the roads, trucks with beautiful tassel decorations squeeze past us on the narrow roads. The rain eased and cooled us perfectly! We all rode pretty close together for this first leg and all seemed to be enjoying the bikes and the scenery. Our hotel Velmore was stunning, perched up in the hills, it’s quite new, has a pool and a magnificent view over the valley. The kind and welcoming staff greeted us with a blessing placing a red dot on our third eye and gave us a cold apple juice. We settled into our rooms before we indulged in a huge delicious buffet dinner. Every curry and Indian dish you could imagine to choose from. Over dinner Denise goes over the plan for tomorrow, getting us excited for what awaits. We will head up to Shimla, another short ride day on the bikes but with the heat and traffic there’s no complaints at all.
Day 4 - Shimla (65km)
Sunday 18 August
Waking up high in the hills to the sound of peacocks calling and no alarm as we had a leisurely 10am start time today as the ride to the hotel is a short one, but we’ve been warned it will feel like a full day! Mist in the valley, lush forest, insects and birds busy with their morning Songs and routines. Brekky and briefing, photos with the staff and we were on the bikes by 10:30. I doubled Vicki on the back so she can get some good photos and videos from the back of the bike. We headed north east further into the mountains on the windiest roads full of rushing traffic. We took a side road off the main drag down a steep narrow windy road barely wide enough for a car yet we somehow managed to pass cars and trucks only by going off road then back on then taking a much needed breath to get our hearts started again! Passed a sign that read “go easy on my curves”. At the bottom of this maybe 8km windy road near the bottom of this valley, we came to a temple grounds where we rested and had a picnic lunch. We wandered up the hill a little on foot to come to one of the most spectacular Hindu temples! Amar walked with us explaining many things about their Hindi gods and stories which was fascinating to learn. I was getting approached by local families to pose for photos with them and their little girls, I can only guess it’s because of my blue eyes, lighter hair and biker gear? Women don’t generally ride motorbikes here, just scooters. Several locals have been a little confused or interested in the fact a few of us ladies are riding these Royal Enfield Bullets.
Traffic after lunch was completely nuts! Back up on the main road I even got ran off the road by 3 government cars into gravel on the side of the road and I low sided at about 50kph (rather then getting smashed into a rock wall). Some locals who seen the incident stopped and rushed to our aid while screaming curses at the government cars that kept on their mission. A couple of bruises but no damage to Vicki, me or the bike thank god! A shocking reminder that this place is not for the faint hearted and has some serious risk with riding here. Vicki, the bravest of them all still jumped back on the back of my bike rather than waiting for our support vehicle, I’m not sure I would have done the same! Lesson learned from this incident, as soon as I see a government vehicle approaching in any direction, slow the hell down and get over off the road as far and safely as possible!
We were off the bikes by about 4:30pm, another short ride today up to Nature Resort Shimla, just 65kms away. Denise was right, it felt like a full day riding! So intense and dangerous on the roads trying to stay alive even at low speeds. But it’s an adventure right! We’re staying 2 nights at this hotel which is nice, tomorrow will be a laundry, shopping and exploration day in Shimla.
Day 5 - Shimla
Monday 19 August
Brekky was had overlooking the valley and coloured houses dotted throughout the hillsides. Today is a free day off the bikes to explore Shimla and acclimatise at 2200 meters. 10am on the shuttle into town learning some local Hindi words and seeing some near death crashes on the roads! We were dropped off at the bottom of town and caught a number of lifts up the hill and walkways suspended in the valley between terraces helped us reach near the top of this mountain top town of Shimla. A few monkeys wandered around the rooftops and walls, street dogs slept the day away after staying up all night and gigantic black and orange fluffy mozzies after a feed from us. Luckily they’re big and slow! People paying for horse rides on magnificent Indian horses, photos being taken at the statue of Gandhi and many locals enjoying this lovely space perched atop the mountain.
Huffing and puffing from the effects of altitude at 2200 meters, a few of us caught a cable car up to the monkey temple when the excitement really started! We took our shoes off to check out a little Jakhu Temple in bare feet and as we were putting our shoes back on, Alastair accidentally stepped on a big monkey’s foot or hand who in turn attacked Derek with screams and a bite on the leg and shorts! Everyone jumped and screamed, a local street dog stepped in and attacked the monkey who ran off. All hearts raced as we quickly grabbed our shoes and moved on and towards the main temple. Past the enormous Shri Hanuman idol standing a towering 33 meters into the sky, on the very top of the hill, which you can actually see from our hotel across the valley! Watching cute little baby monkeys playing and with eyes in the backs of our heads for aggressive monkeys we move on towards the temple.
We came to the Shri Hanuman temple which seemed to be guarded by several big monkeys on the stairs, and as we were walking up the stairs the monkeys were scoping out which one of us had good bargaining items on us to steal, Alastair was the chosen one! A large monkey in a flash jumped and crawled up Alastair and snatched his specs off his face and took off with them! In an attempt to buy back the specs I handed Alastair a little souvenir koala I carry for kids but the monkey was after lunch! Alastair went to buy some food and with the help of a local luckily was able to buy back his specs thank goodness! Another monkey was going through the pockets of another fella, another monkey holding someone’s shoe in his mouth was looking for the owner for a lunch bribe. We were so done with monkeys and all wanted to get the hell outta there asap while we all still had our possessions!
Lakaar Bazaar on Mall Road was full of shops with crafts, trinkets, scarfs, saris, food stalls, cafes and restaurants. The crowds are calm and everyone leisurely strolling around checking out this tourist place. Vendors try to get you into their shops and the smells of street food fill the air. Another fruitless attempt to get a SIM card over here with 45 minutes wasted in a dodgy little shoebox phone shop. grabbing my phone and passport from the shop attendant I had to race back to our meeting point to catch the bus back to the hotel at 3.
Back at the hotel we had a lovely relaxing evening reminiscing about the day, playing pool, chatting, dinner, briefing for tomorrow then an early night for everyone.
Day 6 - Shimla to Jibhi, Bangar Valley, Jalori Pass (3200m) (160km)
Tuesday 20 August
After a rest day we were all super eager to get back on the bikes, we were ready to go ahead of time and were off by 8:30. The temperature seemed mild but still humid, heading north with Vicki on the back getting out of Shimla traffic, she’s so game! Corner marking we’d stop roadside and use the opportunity to try and cool off a little and people were staring when I took my helmet off, they seem confused. I’m enjoying watching the craziness of Indian traffic happen in front of me and the smell of sweet street food being prepared right behind me till we see our support van then we take off again. The traffic is heavy with a lot of overtaking cars, trucks and buses by squeezing up the middle of the road between them and oncoming traffic. The horn is the most important tool while on the roads here, you toot it to let the vehicle in front of you know you’re behind them, when you intend to pass them and when you’re over taking. You must toot when coming into a blind corner on a narrow road to let any oncoming traffic know that you’re there also and need a little bit of the road. Some drivers are considerate and will make space for you to overtake them or pass with a safe space, then others will not and will be all over the road busy trying to overtake the vehicle in front of them or race around blind corners taking up the entire asphalt leaving you a small bit of dirt before a drop off to a certain trip ending fall or worse!
We stop and regroup frequently to ensure we all stick together as we don’t have GPSs on the bikes so strongly rely on the corner marking system working well. So far so good. I love the huge trucks that are decorated on every possible inch, looking like gypsy trucks so colourful and beautiful. A happy smiling boy hanging out the window excited to see us bikers, posing for a photo so I hand him us a little koala which he’s stoked with. Doesn’t take too long, maybe an hour till we’re getting out of the heavy city traffic and we start riding into the mountainous forest with lovely winding roads. Still the surprise pot hole and road damage to keep your eyes open for. I seen a mongoose run across the road in front of me, horses grazing roadside, cows either standing, walking or laying on the road even laying in the apex of blind corners! They are sacred so no one dares to injure them. The pot holes of death get bigger and deeper, crazy road damage from floods and landslides with rocks, mud and boulders across the road, monkeys walking roadside looking dodgy and people set up sporadically roadside selling whatever wares they have. The forest is lush and feels as if it keeps the humidity in as it starts to rain and drops the temperature a little. We pulled up for a chai at a little shop and to pop rain gear on. Monkeys coming to check us out if we have anything worth stealing. Typically the rain stopped as soon as we got back on the bikes and over the coming kilometres we all stopped roadside to peal off our rain gear as the temperature quickly rose again!
The scenery changed so quickly with each hillside we road around and climbed higher and higher. Huge rock walls tower beside the road and even overhang the road, so many fruit orchards in this area, and that means so many trucks and tractors on the road too. Out of the forest and through little hillside villages. People walking along side the road heading to markets, school or work. With our photo stops and breaks I seen that big blue Gypsy truck and young fella a few times throughout the morning, waving, smiling and tooting each other.
Lunch at a little restaurant in Narkanda was amazing! Some of the tastiest curries I’ve ever had! Washed down with a passion fruit beer, nonalcoholic beer like ginger beer. Cows strolling the street and monkeys on watch atop shops and temples.
After lunch we took an epic side road, the smallest asphalt road I’ve ever ridden on, in parts no wider than a meter! The tightest and steepest hairpin turns of my life test everyone’s skills so as not to have a head on with cars coming up from the opposite direction below. Through tiny villages school kids walk home for lunch with their mamas. Two little fellas passing by me, I stop and hand them a koala, they were so scared to come close to me and take the koala, I must have looked like an alien to them. We all pulled up at a corner marking spot to regroup, put my side stand down and realised I had parked right next to a marijuana plant! i look around to see the hillside covered with it! It grow everywhere here! As we ride we see huge bushes lining the roads and hills everywhere!
Locals wave and head wobble as we pass by. It started to get real hot and I was thanking my past self for packing clear safety glasses so I can keep my visor open for max airflow! Huge bunches of grass with 2 legs waddle slowly along the roads to some destination to feed cows. Yaks wait patiently roadside for tourist joy rides. It’s so nice to see India like I never imagined her! The stunning forests, the beautiful people, terraced hillsides, the highest waterfalls in huge valleys and raging rivers.
Regrouping and resting our butts and hands in a tiny village or more a cluster of a few shops and houses, we line the bikes up and are a curious site for the locals. Old ladies posing for photos, a solo cow wanders down the road and were off again when the support van caught up.
Heading up the mountains towards a 3100 meter pass and we get stopped by an avalanche that was getting cleared by a dozer. Friendly locals wait with us and pose for photos. After maybe 40 minutes we were able to get through but it felt so dangerous as rocks were still falling and one even got Derek as he road past and hit the back of his bike. So so lucky it was small enough not to make him crash!
As we head up to Jalori Pass the fog was thicker than I’ve ever ridden in with visibility no more than a few meters! It was so eery riding through the thick forest on the tightest windy roads with such thick fog. It lasted maybe half an hour or so then we got above the fog up the top of the pass. We stopped for a photo and to rest a little. The temperature dropped so much in this climb. We were all starting to get tired and weary so we cruised down the pass slowly and carefully to be at the hotel safe and sound within the hour.
We were off the bikes about 6:30, a huge day on the bikes and we only covered about 170kms! Our boutique hotel in Jibhi is a beautiful big bluestone and wood building in Kathkuni architecture with a river running directly behind the hotel. Falling asleep with the sound of the river flowing was magic.
Day 7 - Jibhi to Manali (100km)
Wednesday 21 August
Today was a short ride day so we had a late start to enjoy the forest and river surrounding the hotel and were on the bikes by 11 heading north to Manali. Through the thick green forest with tall bushy pine trees. The roads rough as, more like enduro than road or adventure riding! But it was all awesome! Was the perfect temperature for cruising in the forest and dodging potholes and cows. We rode through the Kulu Valley, also known as the Valley of the Gods which was absolutely breathtaking! Huge gorges between steep vibrant green mountains with the Beas River raging below. The twisty mountain roads were the best yet, so enjoyable, still with rough and broken sections keeping it interesting and a little dangerous. We’re all getting into the swing of the road survival techniques and really enjoying this adventure through northern India. The scenery constantly changing around every mountain. So many people with great faces, so interested in us when we pull up for corner marking.
We stopped roadside in a small town for a samosa and chai, a huge bull trolls through town before we were back on the bikes. The temperature today seems about 30 degrees and humid so we overheat quickly when stopped but cool off perfectly when we’re riding. The traffic around these towns much more manageable than the first 2 days and enjoyable. There’s so many huge bulls without a care in the world standing all over the roads even making trucks slow down and dodge them.
We headed into a 3km tunnel to our lunch spot which was about 30kms before Manali. Hydrating and fuelling our bodies. Just a short ride after lunch to be off the bikes nice and early about 4:30pm checking into our beautiful Hotel in Manali. We are here for 2 nights at this hotel and off the bike day tomorrow free day to explore Manali.
After showers and rests we all made our way at some stage or another to the hotel balcony to admire the view of the looming Himalayan mountain range! We are now in the Himalayan foothills and the energy in this place is so special! Words are hard to find to try and explain the feeling and views. These giant mountains such a presence, such a stunning scene. The view changing every minute as the daylight slowly fades, clouds slowly move from valley to mountain top. Everyone in awe of this view and mountain range.
We were absolutely spoilt with a delicious 4 course meal with the tastiest of curries and accompaniments. I was pooped so another early night for me but a few decided to head to Old Manali for 1 drink and to check out the local night life.
Day 8 - Manali
Thursday 22 August
Today is an acclimatisation day as we explore Manali on foot before the coming days high altitude riding. We shuttled into Manali town centre and headed off in our own directions to discover this small town. Derek and I caught a tuk tuk up into the tall cedar forest to the Hadimba Devi Temple, an ancient cave temple built in 1553. Derek thought it quite entertaining that I was a bit of an attraction, getting asked for maybe 8-10 photos with locals within about 15 minutes! Even got dragged along arm in arm with a beautiful eunuch for a video I suppose for her social media account. Her and her family were all lovely and all posed for photos with both Derek and I.
We strolled back down into town and found a motorbike and accessories shop… Needless to say we spent quite a bit of time in there and found some good bargains. Admiring some of the characters as we wandered through the markets and Tibetan Bazaar, surrounded by bright coloured fabrics and so many food stalls. We had a few sweets for a lunch snack, I paid too much for a scarf before tuk tuking back to the hotel.
Along the river we seen a building with a large tile slide down maybe 30 meters to the river, and Amar let us know that’s where bodies are cremated and their ashes washed into the river below on that slide.
An early night after another epic dinner! Himalaya here we come!
Day 9 - Manali to Keylong (90km)
Friday 23 August
Wet weather gear and warm gloves at the ready and reminders about altitude sickness prevention during our morning briefing in the hotel lobby before we were on the bikes at 9am. Into the Himalayas we ride!
Heading north we were to ride the Rohtang La pass at 3978m which translates to "pile of dead bodies" but was closed because of landslides so we headed to the 9km Atal tunnel to get from one side of the mountain to the other. The ride to the entrance of the tunnel was exciting! With the most daring overtaking of trucks and buses on the inside and outside, around hairpin corners, when they were over taking, squeezing between bumper to bumper traffic, through muddy sections and broken road section to try and keep up with Amar who was leading today. It was cool to try and keep up with how a local rides, even if he was more conservative as he had a bunch of Aussies and Kiwis following him.
The temperature is quite mild and perfect for riding today, we’re so lucky we have blue skies and no rain. The scenery straight out of Manali is changing to more and more mountainous, little villages are making the most of the summertime weather before the winters lock them down for 6-8 months. Seen a cow standing at the front of a roadside shop with its head inside the shop, not sure what she was doing but it was super cute and I should have stopped for a photo. A man walks with his 4 horses up the road between grazing areas, prayer flags decorate the trees, shops and bridges, they’re a beautiful decoration with the added benefit of keeping everyone safe while driving in this dangerous place.
We regroup before heading into the tunnel, put face masks and neck scarfs over our noses and mouths so as not to suffocate with the fumes trapped in this 9km tunnel. Headlights on and we’re off, pleasantly surprised at this relatively new tunnel with lights the whole way through, plenty of signage, good quality surface and obedient traffic sitting behind us as it’s one lane in either direction with no overtaking permitted. It was a really easy and safe 9kms and when we reached the end we all tooted as we emerged into the Himalaya! My mouth dropped as I look up to the mountain tops with little bits of snow and even glaciers! The group stopped at a check point for photos and a stretch before heading off in amazement.
We head into the Lahual Valley with the Chandra River with huge white boulders and brown ferocious rapids, up and down mountains, through Sussu at 3120m when I get my first altitude headache. I ride with it for an hour and try to ignore it. The roads were so fun with some flowing sections then some roadwork dirt sections. I see a little boy maybe 7 years old working with pick in hand out the front of his house as well as many road workers clearing landslides all along this valley. The faces of people up here are definitely changing and a lot different to those down south, a slight Tibetan look about them.
Waterfalls spring from ancient glaciers just meters from me, the sun is out, people working in small farms picking veggies, so many trucks on this road keeping the villages stocked up and economy working. We made it back down to Tandi village at 2500m and took an awesome side dirt road up the side of a mountain to a surprise local festival. We sat with the smiling friendly locals who gave fruit to us and happily posed for our photos. The dancing and costumes were absolutely awesome with strong drum beats vibrating right into our chests. We stayed for at least an hour before waving goodbye to our new friends. Straight into town to fill up fuel and have a sweet chai and biscuits. I look over and smile at the near bursting chip packets from the altitude.
We ride off with the Himalayan mountain giants making me feel so small and insignificant. Small patches of snow still on the tips of the mountains and more waterfalls coming from glaciers. A surreal feeling to be seeing these mountains and valleys with my own eyes, something I’ve dreamt about my whole life. Emotions start to run high as I’m riding and taking in this heavenly site! Trying to pay attention to the road conditions and traffic as the locals have somewhere to be and are not slowing down for the view or slow tourists. I took half a diamox altitude pill at our last stop and my headache dissipated after maybe 2 hours.
The bike seemed to struggle a little today perhaps from the altitude oh and I failed to mention in the first ride days journal that these bikes have next to no braking power! You need full back and front brakes to actually stop in a hurry! But I’m really enjoying riding these bikes though, they’re perfect for this type of riding.
We had a super fun and enjoyable ride to Keylong, squeezing through the main street enjoying seeing the shops and people and parked up at our hotel about 2pm. Dumping our bags to walk straight out the back to admire the view of the mountains and flowers of all colours in the garden. Prayer flags hanging in the apple trees wave slowly in the breeze. The temperature is just perfect at maybe 22 degrees, a welcome change to the 30 degrees we’ve been riding in for the past week. Our late lunch at the hotel was a beautiful local soup and momos (dumplings) which I ate way too many of! We all walked into the town as we were told this town of Keylong is famous for its sweets so I was off! Buying trinkets and scarfs I test out my bartering skills (or lack there of) as I would prefer to give the extra dollars to this town and it’s beautiful locals, even to the point of paying way way too much for some things! It was so wonderful to stroll the streets smiling and waving to locals, smelling the cooking sweets and burning insense. With acclimatising to the high altitude of Keylong (3080m) everyone is just cruising around preserving energy. Magnificent coloured scarfs, blankets and winter gear hang from the front of tiny shop fronts.
A little rest before another delicious meal and early bed! Small riding days but the altitude makes us pretty tired. I go to sleep with a sense of calm and overwhelm of being here, tomorrow we head further into the Himalaya!
Day 10 - Keylong to Sarchu via Baralacha La Pass (4830m) (100km)
Saturday 24 August
I woke to the view of the Himalayas out the hotel room window and clear blue sky. After brekky and briefing we were on the bikes at 10am and headed north east to Sarchu. The mountains were sparkling and the blue sky was glowing. The roads were windy and so much fun, even the broken rough dirt sections. We toot and wave at the endless road workers, hoping to brighten there day a little. We stop for a herd of goats and sheep to pass by with a 15 day old baby goat strapped to the back of the herder, later a small group of horses and their herder strolled by. We traversed a little water crossing without any issues and stop for endless photos of the stunning landscape, trying in vein to capture the magic sites we see. So many awesome hairpin corners in the ever changing colours of the mountains. We had two road workers jump on the back of Alastair and Bruce’s bikes for a lift into town. Prayer flags decorate the hills and roadsides and blow in the breeze. The weather today is absolutely perfect, early twenties, lovely and warm in the sun. The roads snake along the valley following the river, the lifeline of the people and animals here. We stop for chai in the morning in a little shop near the bridge then chai and noodles for lunch in a roadside tent and buy some handmade local wool beanies and neck warmers. These tents are also little sleeping quarters for passing truck drivers and the locals who live up here for the summer months, they pack up and escape before the snow season sets in. A few little kids who were with their mums working roadside got some koalas off me and seemed super happy with their little toy. So many amazing corners and roads today and the truck drivers all seemed to be in a good mood and tooting us in appreciation for our toots of appreciation as we pass them. So thankful these are “little” trucks and none with 2, 3 or 4 trailers behind them!
There are less cows sleeping on the roads up here but we still keep a keen eye out for them and pot holes that will end your trip and bike! We come across a spread out pile of hay on the road and we’re later told that the farmers lay it out on purpose so trucks and cars can crush out the husks and at the end of the day they remove the hay and what’s left on the road is husk and seed to sort! We stop at a stunning blue lake Deepak Taal, so clear the rocks in the bottom we right there. An old man washing his laundry by hand on a rock, other bikers stopping for a break.
We keep climbing higher on the bikes, through the stunning valleys on epic asphalt twisty road and even more epic dirt twisty roads. Stopping again at Zing Zing then on up through Baralacha La pass, at 4830 meters. We stop for some fun photos and keep hydrating before heading down the pass. There have been so many tears of joy and emotion today, everyone is feeling so lucky to be here witnessing this magical place and spending time in our own helmets and heads. The altitude has been a test for most of us with headaches and dizziness, I’ve been lucky not to have any major symptoms today. Derek and I angel gear (bike engine off) free wheeled down as far as possible till we got to some roadwork of a landslide being cleared, that was so much fun and we got so fast! The twisty dirt roads are my favourite, these bullets go so well on the dirt and just take all the bumps. My bike has over 83,000 kilometres on the clock and she’s still going great.
The bikes are starting to struggling at the high altitude of the pass at 4830 meters, so we ride as conservatively as possible till we arrive at our glamping site at 4400 meters just before Sarchu by 5pm, it’s a site for sore eyes. Beautiful big tents set up at the foot of the Himalayan mountains. These tents even have a bathroom with a flushing toilet and a basin! I couldn’t believe my eyes! In the main dining tent we had a quick tea as soon as we arrived then headed to our tents to relax a little before dinner. A strip wash with a bucket of warm water before dinner in the communal dining tent and an early night as tomorrow is our biggest riding day yet. Full warm clothes on for bed and beanie as the temperatures dropped dramatically after dark.
Day 11 - Sarchu to Leh, Ladakh via Taglang La (5328m) (260km)
Sunday 25 August
Up at 5am after an awesome sleep thanks to an altitude table before bed and a sleeping pill to ensure I had a good restful sleep. It’s common not to sleep well at these altitudes and I wanted a good nights sleep before our biggest riding day to come. Brekky was in the dining tent in full bike gear including gloves and beanie at 5:30 with beans on toast and porridge. I layered up for the early morning ride and many mountain passes with a singlet, full length thermals, polarfleece, lightweight puffer jacket, and moto jacket and pants.
We were on the bikes at 6am as the sun was rising slowly shining on each mountain face one at a time, highlighting it’s unique jaw dropping features of which photos will never capture the true magnificence of the site. The road winds along the Tsarap River and we see wild donkey grazing on the plains along the river. After a short 30kms we were into the absolutely epic and awesome Gata Loops! A set of the tightest and steepest 21 hairpins that climb their way up the giant mountain all the while trying to squeeze past crawling trucks on their way up and speeding trucks on their way down. You must time your overtaking and passing or end up over the edge! We even seen a pack of the elusive and rare blue sheep, more of a tawny deer goat looking animal. We stopped for so many photos trying to capture the awesomeness of this stretch of road but again photos will never convey what we seen and experienced.
Only kilometres up the road we were heading up another pass, Nakeela Pass at 4738 meters made up of beautiful and rough dirt twisties and hairpins with sections of asphalt here and there. Lachung La Pass at 5059 meters completed this section of mountain climbing then we headed down what we were calling the Grand Canyon of India and the dirt roads got super rough! First gear over rough sections and stunning cliffside sections of road that looked awesome! Totally dangerous but we’re all getting the hang of this death defying riding in the Himalayas and all make it through safely. We’re not riding in a group today although we catch up to each other with photo and wee stops throughout the day.
We pass many roadworkers with their babies and kids and see their tent towns set up for their work time in the area. The people are all so happy and polite. Flocks of goats and yaks pass us by on the road and the lunar like landscape and mountain giants keep us in awe of this place.
A much needed stop at tiny Pang for chai, biscuits and soup then we were in wide open plains between the mountains, with stone yards for sheep, different coloured quartz and rocks litter the ground and beautiful monuments and flags in the middle of nowhere. The asphalt roads had surprise woops and crests with huge hidden pot holes to keep you alert. Unfortunately just a little earlier a few of us came across an accident between two bikers, thinking a bike was overtaking on a corner and took out an oncoming bike. We think both were fine but perhaps pretty sore and sorry for themselves. A grim reminder to take it super easy and be careful on these roads even if you’re in the right.
We later pull up at a little cluster of houses/shops in Debring for lunch of noodles, omelette or aloo paratha with daal where we could watch the old ladies making everything by hand and the smell in their little kitchen was incredible. After lunch we smashed out some open k’s and climbed up to Taglang La Pass at 5328 meters which really felt we were on top of the world! I was feeling blissful and super blessed to be experiencing this! Unfortunately we seen 2 dead trucks over the edge of the cliff with their contents spread down the mountain side, another shocking reminder of how dangerous these roads are. As we descended the dark clouds came over, a few of us first riders out front had a few spots of rain on us, riders in the middle had some hail and the last lot had snow! Luckily we were riding away from the cold and before long we were riding down through the stunning Red valley I’m calling it as the mountains quickly became a beautiful burgundy maroon red colour with streaks of while quarts shooting down on angles. A remarkable site! The wind blowing the cold weather towards us we keep riding and stop for a quick break at Upshi.
The truckers seem to be getting happier and nicer the higher we climb, the people more shy and super nice. Our bikes are really struggling today with the lack of oxygen at these staggering altitudes but they keep chugging away albeit with next to no power.
Absolutely covered head to toe in dust we finally arrive in Leh at 6pm to our hotel and greeted by polite smiling staff who placed a white scarf around our necks. Utterly exhausted as it was a huge 12 hours since we left camp in the morning, we sat in the lobby for a tea and wind down, every one of us sunburnt and weary. I was super dizzy with the altitude and straight to sleep after a stunningly delicious meal at the hotel. What a day!
Day 12 - exploring Leh
Monday 26 August
After our biggest day on the bikes yesterday it's time to rest our bones and our butts! But there’s exploring to do! So after brekky we all walked up the street to the Leh centre town and were approached by beggars immediately asking for money for food, so we bought fruit from the ladies selling it on the footpath and had food to offer anyone who was after money for food. We explored the shops, talked with locals and took in the sites, smells, sounds and tastes of this cool city. There is such a rich local culture here very different to further south.
We all separate as I get lost in the first bricabrac shop I see and enjoy getting taught some Indian god history by the store man as I buy a secondhand bracelet for power and protection while travelling. The Tibetan Bazaar full of colours and smells of India, pashmina sheep wool blankets and clothes, silk scarves and shawls. The fruit selling ladies save a spot on the opposite side of the street with their empty boxes so they can jump over there when the sun becomes too hot on the northern side so they swap over and move everything to the other side of the street in the shade for the afternoon.
I meet up with Bruce and Alastair and head up the Leh Heritage Walk of the Silk Route, bartering with shop owners over jewelry and nic nacs, weaving our way through the tiny pedestrian ally ways heading up to the Leh Palace. Stopping for many rest breaks and walking very slowly to preserve energy at this high altitude of 3500 meters we admire the mud houses and old wooden doors along the way. The stone and wood Buddhist palace was built on a huge steel rock face some 500 years ago, a staggering feet. The ceilings and doorways are so small we have to duck down a lot to get through to side rooms, it’s musky and cool inside. One of the first rooms off to the side of the main hall entry was a child care room and a mothers room with a view other the city. We keep on exploring and as we pass by a closed door a super cool breeze like air conditioning blows strong into the palace under the door. The hallways are dark and low. We get to the temple inside the palace, remove our shoes and see a monk folding prayer notes and images of the Dalai Lama. We take in this sacred space with stunning decorations and see locals praying as we slowly walked out backwards back into the light.
Once we explored all there was to see in the palace we slowly headed down the many steps and ally ways to get back to the main bazaar. We separated as I had unfinished business with a vendor and some trinkets. I walked past a cow Laying in the shade of a building chewing on a cardboard box, so I handed it an apricot which it gladly took from my hand. I skipped lunch today as I was nibbling on apricots all day and have been eating like royalty on this safari. Dinner again was a delicious feast and I enjoyed the entertaining and personal conversations with my new friends. This is such a kind and caring group of riders, all making sure we have enough electrolytes, drinking enough water, have all the right riding gear we need and getting good rest.
After dinner a few of us walked back up to the main street to check out the night market and nightlife. There were so many people around and the cooler temperature was divine. We found a rooftop local music and food bar with a guitarist playing and singing. A lady from the crowd joined him to sing a love song to her husband which was very sweet. The venue is a non licensed venue so it only had non alcoholic drinks on the menu like mocktails and beers were called Bob Marleys, but when we ordered our drinks they asked if we wanted alcohol in them. Also no smoking was allowed in the venue but every table but ours was smoking. On the walk back to the hotel through a back ally we were met by a pack of street dogs that were a little sketchy looking, then one of the dogs decided to ditch his dog pack and join our human pack of 6. He walked with us down what turned into be the dodgy dog ally! We thought it was a bit cute he was protecting us from all the dogs we were passing on the walk back but in the end we gathered that he needed our protection to pass through maybe 20 other dog territories as we have dogs coming out at us/him left right and centre with hackles up barking and aggressive! We protected him as best we could till we finally made it to the hotel and wished him well.
Day 13 - The roof of the world! Kardung La Pass (5602m) (90kms)
Tuesday 27 August
Today we have a free morning but all decided to ride to a temple to make use of our time here. We are unable to ride our Bullets bought from another state up into Kardung La so at 10am on our pre-arranged Leh Royal Enfield Himalayans and Meteors we headed to the beautiful Thiksey Gompa, a 900 year old Buddhist temple up on a mountain ridge. We park up then walked through colourful gates, spinning prayer wheels with our right hands on the way in. The buildings are made up of every colour of the rainbow with the most intricate paintings and decorations. We take our boots off before entering the sacred spaces. Monks carry on their daily life with prayers and drumming as us gawking tourists are busy taking photos in awe of what we were seeing. One of the Buddhist statues stands maybe 2 stories high and takes your breath away! It has a building built around it so it pokes up in the centre of this beautiful temple building. I hope my photos help show you the magnificence. I gave some little monk kids a koala and Dave gave them some colourful pencils which they were super stoked with. The view from up the top of the temple was incredible, overlooking the tiny town and green snaking trees following the river and surrounding mountains. The stone walkways so shiny from hundreds of thousands of feet polishing them over the centuries. Ancient hand carved woodwork makes boring architraves, door frames and columns stunning and the mud render with finger marks keeps the rooms cool. Oil lamps and incense burns, drums beat and monks pray as we wander around the different levels of the temple and explore the different rooms. Every wall is painted telling stories of gods and lamas.
To the top of the world!! After a quick lunch and scoot back to the hotel to regroup, everyone was keen to mount up and head to the highest motorable road in the world, Khardung La pass, 5600 meters into the heavens! The roads started as fun local tiny twisty roads that quickly turned into climbing mountain asphalt hairpins then dirt. We climbed 2000 meters super quickly with a quick stop at the military checkpoint point to show our area permits. Yaks nibble at what seems to be dirt but there must be small shoots and grasses between the nothingness of these naked and rugged mountains. Pot holes and rough surfaces are hard to see in the white dirt roads and the dust and thick gravel were difficult to manage. We toot and wave at the hard working road workers and keep climbing. The Himalayan bikes seem to be coping better with the altitude than the Bullets and much better suited to the gravel and rough dirt roads. The mountains change around every corner and the never ending stream of trucks crawl their way up this giant mountain.
We climbed and climbed till we were at the same height as ancient glaciers and finally reached the top. I was super emotional to be on top of this pass trying to take in the scenery and what we got through to get up here and surviving to get here. It’s been a dream of mine to ride and explore the Himalayas and to be finally here in the highest motorable road in the world I’m really struggling to finding words to explain what I was going through. My senses were overloaded in every way as tears fell down my cheeks as I road higher and higher with the ever changing mountain faces and glacier appearing till finally I reached the summit! We all posed for photos with the Khardung La sign and a few of us walked higher to the shrines and prayer flags littering mountain peak, puffing without breath because of the altitude. Fighting back tears at the summit I take it all in.
I can look out over India, China and Pakistan as the borders are so close! The air is cold and wind blowing so we have a small chai to attempt to warm our hands and fingers as I raise a toast to Denise for making this dream achievable for all of us, choking on my words.
After an emotional hour up the summit we start the challenging steep rocky, sandy and gravelly decent back to Leh. Feeling completely in disbelief at what I and the group just accomplished we all ride back to the hotel on cloud nine.
Day 14 - Leh to Kargil via Fatu La pass 4147m & Namika La pass 3760m (220km)
Wednesday 28 August
We headed west this morning along the raging Indus river up through the Indus Valley with the dramatic bare rock mountains towering over us. We stop cliff side to admire the unique site of two rivers meeting and joining forces, the Zanskar River and the Indus River, it was a site to see. The roads were the best quality of the whole trip, mostly perfect twisty asphalt roads the winded through the valley with white stupas scattered throughout the landscape to commemorate past monks and nuns.
The bright green thick tree life following the river between the mountains provide the houses in the valley much needed shade and colour. We stop at a checkpoint and were flocked by ladies selling fruit and nuts, we all bought something small to support them and they don’t stop hounding us to buy more and more. They’re all smiling and lively just trying to get us to part with a few more rupee. The roads continue winding up the mountains and turn to fun dirt twisties and switchbacks. Bunches of women road workers sitting in the middle of the road digging and chipping away with hammers by hand and others up further sweeping rocks and debris off the road by hand. Alastair and I stop and shake our heads at how incredibly hard these people work and in disbelief. We toot and wave in thanks for their hard work and they’re always happy to wave back with their faces covered so as not to be breathing in dust and fumes all day long.
The landscape become moon like with bright white and cream rolling mountains of sandstone carved by the waters and wind over time. A remarkable site to savour for some minutes before riding on in quiet disbelief.
We pass by the home of one of the oldest civilisations known and visit the 10th century hillside monastery and mediaeval village below. This Lamayuru Monastery also know as Yuru Gompa was started from a monk living in a cave there all his life to find the ultimate enlightenment. This Tibetan Buddhist Lamayuru Monastery translates to the Eternal Monastery and is at a height of 3,510 metres up in the Himalayas. Prayer wheels and colourful intricate paintings decorate the entry to this monastery but as we enter the temple we’re unable to take photos and even have a security monk patrolling the temple to ensure no photos are taken inside. Why no photos? I’m not sure, but inside I see the same as other Buddhist temples with photos of lamas, carpet benches for lamas to sit while they speak with believers who sit on carpet lower seats or floor space. I see many detailed and shining gold statutes of Buddha in cabinets surrounded by donations of money and small gifts overflowing from the cabinet shelves, even a big bottle of Cola-Cola as an offering. I should have donated a little koala but it didn’t enter my head with eagle eye security monk intently keeping an eye on us.
We ride by many military bases in this area, the biggest bases and military presence I’ve ever seen. All soldiers happy to wave in appreciation of our acknowledgment of them and their service. The houses are ever changing style and design, in this are they are made of hand made mud bricks with thick wooden door and window frames and grasses drying on the roofs. I even spot a cave house in the secluded mountains above the river, what a spot that would have been to live.
We climb higher and higher, still blown away by the magnificence of this mountain rage which is the youngest in the world. We reach the top of Fatu La Pass at 4147 meters and her jagged mountain ridges across from us, stop for a quick photo and continue on as we’re getting cold and want to rest. As we descend the valley's mountains continually changing colours, shapes and textures which are hard to capture by photo.
Skinny donkeys high up in the mountains search for something green to eat alongside the road. The light coloured Luna landscape turns maroon and seems to have blood spilled over it to change its colours so dramatically. Covered in colourful cloth and scarfs, ladies sit on the side of the village roads selling fruits and nuts. The great asphalt winding roads continue for us to enjoy, a welcome treat after two weeks on the most treacherous roads I’ve ever experienced. A quick fried rice lunch and we keep pressing on. We stop for a herd of horses and donkeys being walked on and alongside the road lower in the valley before the final climb for the day up to Namika La pass at 3760 meters. Wet weather gear goes on as the temperature drops and rain clouds threaten us for the first time on this whole safari. Feeling fatigued from altitude and riding hard all morning I enjoy overtaking cars and trucks feeling comfortable with the way the Indians do life on the road. As I come down to earth my jaw dropping to see the river so full and flowing furiously. The rain starting to fall and I see signs for Himalayan brown bear, snow leopard and lynx in the area. What a treat it would have been to see any one of these animals!
We stop for a chai and break which couldn’t have come soon enough. As I park the bike I see a tiny temple with a rock carving above it in the huge boulder towering behind. An adorable little girl gets a koala, I pay the 20 rupees to enter and forget to take my boots off which had the monk up and reminding me politely “no shoes no shoes”. As I duck through the doorway and enter the temple my jaw drops again!! I look up at a huge 10 meter rock carving of a huge Buddha. 2000 years ago this was carved into this rock and remains an absolute treat to us travellers passing by in awe. We have a quick chai and chocolate, grab a quick photo with happy dogs and the friendliest local lady hitting my arm playfully when I show her the beautiful photo of her. She laughs and thinks I’m strange for wanting her photo.
The roads were heavenly asphalt today, really the best of the trip, it was like flying through the valleys and mountains just as I dreamed of as a small girl like an eagle flying free through the world. We ride into Kargil and feel as if we have crossed the border into Pakistan. Men’s faces have changed, their clothes and body language change, women all covered and Arabic signs replace Hindi signage. With Pakistan just 100kms away over the mountain border and China just a few hundred kilometers away no wonder the military is so strong up here. I learnt quickly to keep my limited Hindi to myself here and just stick to English in Kargil. Finally reaching our beautiful hotel and off the bikes at 7pm, right in time to hear the sound of evening prayer being sung across the town and neighbouring muslims joining in the prayer. Dinner at the hotel was with conservative dress and scarves covering our necks, the spread of food was absolutely delicious.
Day 15 - Kargil to Srinagar, Dal Lake Houseboat (210km)
Thursday 29 August
Our last riding day of the safari started with the sound of morning prayer over the town at 5am then dozing back to sleep till 6. A quick get up, get ready, brekky and on the bikes by 7:30 with the sound of Arabic flute music playing in the distance. I tucked my blonde plat into my jacket and we headed south towards a small town called Drass, famous for being the second coldest place on earth! Lucky for us it was quite mild but the rain was coming. We stayed in Drass for a chai and samosas for morning tea and the shop lady requested a group photo with us. Street dogs stand at the door putting on their cutest faces begging for some of our samosas. The rain started and we put our heads down and rode, so struggled to take photos today. We rode the valley asphalt winding road that shines with oil rainbows all over then higher and higher into another mountain pass to get to the top of Zoji La Pass at 3529 meters. It was raining all the while. The roads were bricked not asphalt or dirt. Apparently the conditions of this pass in the past were treacherous mud so now it’s bricked it’s much more enjoyable and a little less dangerous! Still with huge pot holes the width of the road and full of water so not knowing how deep they go you’re best to avoid them as much as possible. Trucks were never ending and some driving down the mountain at unbelievable and terrifying speeds.
We rode up into the clouds, thick fog and rain, around a sheer rock wall cliff face I came across three small girls huddled together trying to use the cliff for some protection from the wind, rain and cold. They were in the middle of nowhere on this huge mountain pass. I got off the bike, grabbed my last koala and walked over to them with the koala on my outstretched hand trying not to scare them. I knelt down on one knee just in front of them and showed them the koala and how to put it on a finger. The smallest and bravest girl put her arm out and index finger as I opened the koalas arms and put it onto her finger, she jumped when it latched on then smiled and laughed. They were freezing, shivering and wet so I went back to the bike and grabbed an emergency blanket and gave it to them. I wrapped them up and seen how excited and happy they were with their new shelter. I hope it will help keep them warm and dry. I held hands with each of them as I said goodbye and the middle one wouldn’t let go till I tickled here. Their big beautiful brown eyes smiling at me as I walked away. I wanted to take them with me, I would have made them fit on the bike with me. Even thinking of these girls now brings me to tears. How different our lives can be. What were they doing up there? Their parents probably nomadic people that live from herding cows and horses.
We descended the mountain pass in the thickest fog ever! Even thicker than the day we rode to Jibhi when visibility was about 10 meters. We were following a truck for protection but it was a fraction slow so Derek and I wanted to pass it but oncoming cars would pop out from the fog right in front of us, it was so thick and too dangerous to go into such thick fog so we sat back till we descended under the fog with numb fingers and boots full of water.
We finally got to Sonamarg, the Switzerland of India in Kashmir for lunch all sopping wet and wide eyed from the experience we just had on the Zoji La Pass! We survived it! After piping hot curries we wanted to get out of our wet gear asap so we slid back on the bikes and headed for Srinagar where our houseboat hotel was waiting. The traffic getting into Srinagar was testing our skill after a huge day coming down from the mountains. Srinagar is back at 1585 meters and in the centre of the Kashmir Valley. We squeezed in and out of bumper traffic and tooted our way through and arrived to the picturesque Dal Lake with ducks, water lilies and the biggest lotus flowers you’d ever see! We were pretty glad to say goodbye to our trusty (albeit rattley) Royal Enfield Bullets at about 4pm and boarded a little boat called a shikara that’s paddled by one man standing at the back of the boat. We enjoyed the peaceful short trip to arrive at our magnificent houseboat! What a surprise to board the houseboat and see top to bottom wood carved walls, doors, ceilings and lovely wood furnishings. A lounge, dining room, galley kitchen and several rooms each with its own bathroom with flushing toilet and a shower over bath. The attentive kind staff helped us off the shikara and onto the houseboat, helped hang up our wet gear all over the boat and bought us hot sweet tea. We thawed out and rested a little before a dinner fit for royalty with the staff dishing us out what seemed to be endless dishes! Falling to sleep with the sound of rain falling on the water outside was magical.
Day 16 - no more bikes, Dal Lake
Friday 30 August
It was a late wake up with the sound of rain still falling on the houseboat and after brekky we jumped aboard some shikaras to enjoy the lake and surrounds. People live and work on the lake and wait for floating customers to come on by and into their floating shops. We had men on canoes come up to our shikara trying to sell us things and checked out a traditional paper maché workshop and wood carving shop. The Zabarwan mountains surround the lake, Kashmiri carpet makers and sellers hope we will board their shops and spend up big. We paddle along the lake learning about the local water people and how they live from the lake, seeing water birds, lilies and lotus flowers happily receiving the rain. We paddle back in pure serenity to the houseboat for another huge feed and rest for the afternoon before we get ready to head to town for our farewell dinner.
The last supper! We jumped in the shikara to get to shore and in some taxis to a hand made silk Kashmir carpet demonstration and showroom. We learnt about the history of hand made carpets, how they’re made and how long they take to make, a small 4 by 3 foot carpet taking a year and a half for one person to make with each painstaking Persian knot tied by hand and cut. Five generations this rug making business has been in their family. We seen so many stunning colours and patterns, wool based and silk based. I will be back to buy a dream rug one day. A delicious dinner was had as we reminisced about what was an absolutely epic experience together. Denise presented us with a lovely gift each of Ganesh to keep us safe moving forward and we discussed the plan for tomorrow. Taxi and shikaras back to the houseboat for a few hours sleep.
Day 17 - Srinagar to Delhi
Saturday 31 August
Waking at 4:30am to the sound of morning prayer carrying over the still water to catch a shikara to the morning floating veggie market at 5am. The lake so still and illuminated slightly by the setting moon, ducks and water hens waking up and calling out in the early morning. Shikara vendors paddling and singing as they glide by in the fresh morning air still quite dark. We make our way to the floating market as the sun slowly lightens the sky through the water streets to the markets. Muslim ladies hide their faces from photos, men sitting at the tip of the shikaras rowing slowly selling flowers and veggies to tourists and I think the locals will be around later. A tea vendor gave me a little seed fruit thing from a lotus head and claimed it was for good health, it didn’t have any taste which was surprising. I bought a few sweet treats as I couldn’t resist and we headed back to the houseboat to pack up rest for our flight to Delhi.
Struggling to get my checked luggage under 15kg for the domestic flight I chucked my damp gear on and feet in plastic bags before slipping them in my wet boots. Nothing dried while staying on the houseboat, it was too humid. We had one last front row seat to crazy traffic through Srinagar city in our van, we were lane filtered and tooting like we were on a scooter with a mission! Coming centimetres to hitting cars, bikes, scooters, other vans and pedestrians we were all gasping and relieved to reach the airport!
There’s a huge military presence in the city with soldiers standing every 20 meters along main roads and heavy armored vehicles everywhere, on guard to deter any unrest or extremism. We had a security checkpoint at the entry of the airport where all bags and jackets needed to be scanned then again after check in where I needed to take off my boots and bike pants for scanning, thank goodness I had skins on underneath as I would have been wandering around security check bare arsed!
The flight to Delhi was a quick one, just Bruce, Derek and myself are staying on to see the Taj Mahal so we bid farewell to our new moto mates and transferred to our original hotel for the next 2 nights. The traffic in Delhi seems so calm compared to Srinagar madness. A quick dinner while reminiscing over the epic safari this has been and off to bed as we’ve been up since 4:30 this morning.
Day 18 - Taj Mahal
Sunday 1 September
After the worst sleep of the whole trip for me, Bruce and I woke early to go find some water bottles nearby but failed as we go harassed by street dogs to either give them food or get out of their territory. A quick brekky at the hotel and a 7am transfer to Agra, on our way to see the Taj Mahal and a Agra Forte. I can’t believe I’m going to see the Taj Mahal, a mystical and magical looking structure I remember seeing in National Geographic books as a child. Did I manifest this from my childhood I wonder.
Huge mandalas decorate highway overpass columns in all different colours. Men playing cricket in the early morning in every park we pass by. So many trees and greenery in this ginormous city. So many people all along the highway to the Taj Mahal. Families on bikes. Broken down bikes and cars. People taking breaks from driving. Cars driving up the wrong side of the highway. Side saddle ladies on motorbikes and scooters. Huge truck loads overflowing and I even saw a motorbike on a tuk tuk.
We collected Sri and Amir our tour guides and headed into Agra where ladies were everywhere wearing the most colourful and vibrant saris and outfits. We pass huge women god statutes and people busy working their roadside stalls. We are shocked at the heat and humidity when we leave the car and walk into the public gardens surrounding the Taj Mahal, we see a monkey steal two ice creams from kids, run away and eat them. I put my sunnies in my bag out of site of these little brats. Through a security check to ensure no food, cigarettes, lighters and pens are not taken in to deface or graffiti this stunning place. Battling the Sunday local crowds Amir gives us endless facts about the Taj Mahal as we get a glimpse of the white iconic structure through the entry gate and try to snap the best photos possible. No photo will ever do this place justice. Amir noted that Taj Mahal means crown palace even though it was never a palace, it’s a tomb and commemoration of the 5th Moghul Emperor’s love for his third wife when she died at the young age of 39. Her and the emperor are buried together in the Taj Mahal with the other two wives buried in other tombs on the corners of the grounds. Apparently there were about 40,000 workers not slaves who built the Taj Mahal and they were all paid workers. About 1,000 of those died from different injuries during construction from falls off the 70 meter high structure to white marble dust in the lungs. Construction commenced about 1632 and took 22 years to complete which isn’t a bad effort considering every gem stone decoration was cut and shaped by hand then the cut into the white marble by hand to inlay them perfectly flush. We weren’t allowed to take photos inside the tomb but the staff there showed us how the red gem stone flower petals and white marble illuminates with light behind it because of the crystal inside it. We can only imagine the site of this incredible place at sunrise and sunset! The flower decorations and inscriptions are made of cornelian, malachite, black onyx, turquoise, lapeslasplyn and tigers eye form the Congo, India, Afghanistan and America Arizona. The detail in every inch of the inside of the tomb was unbelievable. we take our time to walk back through the gardens looking back at the Taj Mahal. On the way to lunch we went to a stone cutting demonstration and showroom and saw artists cutting stones who are direct descendants of the stone cutters of the Taj Mahal. A specialised and painstaking skill passed down to generations.
After lunch we headed to the Agra Red Fort predicted to have been built in the 15th century complete with a moat with crocodiles! As we walk through the huge draw bridge, past the thick walls and see into the different rooms, bedrooms, libraries, princesses rooms and even the emperors room where he was detained after being overthrown and imprisoned by his own son. His lavish room had a water fountain and spectacular view of the Taj Mahal which he built. Lotus flower decorations are everywhere in this fort and rooms, a sign of prosperity and beauty. Unfortunately due to tourists and or locals stealing the gem decorations in the fort rooms many of them were off limits to the public now, which is a shame as there was the dark bathing room which looked from afar to be a magical galaxy of stars shining on the ceiling and walls.
I stop for photos with brave locals who come to ask me for a photo with them and I started to get selfies with them on my phone. We were trying to leave the fort and there were people coming at me from everywhere so we had to make a run for it! We handed our leftover lunch to a mother carrying her baby and begging for money, I hang out the window a few notes to some other beggars as we drive off.
Winding down on the 3 hour car ride back to the hotel in Delhi we slow for monkeys crossing the road and watch as Indian life plays out on this highway. Locals packed into trucks catching lifts between the cities hang on to rope, wave at us and enjoy the warm breeze, a 3 year old sits on dads lap pretending to drive, a young girl is fast asleep on a scooter squished between her mum and dad.
We got back to the hotel in around 8:30 at night to pack ready for departure tomorrow.
Day 19 - time to say goodbye to India
Monday 2 September
How do I possibly put my India and Himalayan experience into words! India is so unique. I love the diversity of our world and the beautiful people, sites and cultures around it. I found India to be absolutely mesmerising, shocking and enriching to my heart and soul.
The cuisine, exquisite! By far the best food I have ever had day after day especially for a vegetarian I was totally spoilt for choice. We never had a bad dish and the quality of local dishes and delicacies was second to none. Many restaurants were vegetarian due to their Hindi owners and chefs, never were we left disappointed with the variety of dishes and food. No one complained about eating vegetarian and we all ate new dishes, drank new drinks that were given to us and enjoyed the after dinner digestives and fresheners of sugar and aniseed. My body never suffered in any way and I think my spice tolerance has definitely gone up by a long way! Even the airline food was delicious! Getting to watch many chefs and shop owners making and cooking our lunches was so great, to see how effortlessly they made exquisite dishes was wonderful.
The smells of India were unique and powerful, scents that will stay with me forever, the good, the bad and the peculiar. From the musky scents of Old Delhi, old shops and buildings to the awakening smells of spices and curries cooking in the street markets and local restaurants. For a country so populated India was surprisingly clean. Yes there were dirty areas but even those seemed to be getting cleaned up, everyone was always cleaning and sweeping.
The people of India stole my heart, so happy, selfless, kind, gentle and polite (off the road)! Ladies glistening jewellery and stunning outfits made me smile inside and wish I had such a colourful culture. Playful and innocent children with huge brown eyes smile and wave to me and the old people of India with their faces of a thousand lines and stories captivated me as I did them. You can get away without learning any Hindi here as most people know a little English, but one of the things I love about travelling is conversing with the locals in their language or trying to. Even if it’s just hello, please and thank you out of respect. Indians are so polite we will be fine without any Hindi.
The culture, religion and gods so fascinating and intriguing. Never have I seen such a colourful display in worship and dress. Temples and monasteries some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen with passionate and devoted monks and people ensuring these treasured places stay accessible for all to enjoy while keeping their culture and religions alive. Religious festivals with intricate and colourful costumes and masks. Barren landscapes with small stupas of commemoration and prayer in the middle of nowhere. Tiny roadside temples, offerings to the gods and colourful prayer flags decorating roads, fences, bridges and passes to keep us all safe on our travels.
No matter where in the world I go I am always interested in the designs of buildings and houses. In India I seen a range of houses from mansions and apartments of all sizes to tin houses, mud brick and rendered huts, large nomadic tents in the wilderness to a tarp strung up between two sticks. People in the cities sleeping on their tuk tuks, tricycles and hand pulled carts or sleeping on the street. Buildings weren’t special in any region for me, apart from the temples and monasteries plus some flashy hotels with beautiful woodwork and that houseboat we stayed on was very special! Many of the shops and restaurants out in the country were actually mud houses that have been made to cater for travelers. Up in the mountains were the temporary shops and chai bars made from aluminium or steel frames covered in plastic for easy removal before the snow arrives every winter. Then there was the one and only Taj Mahal! Truly a sight for sore eyes, the greatest monument to love in the whole world.
The sites that I laid my eye on were nothing short of dramatic and unforgettable. From the majestic Himalayan mountains with their infinite beauty so breathtaking to bring you to tears, rushing rivers carving their way through enormous valleys to the colours of India so pretty, vivid and vibrant. Lush forests, open plaines where wild donkey roam, moonscape mountains with what seems to be no life and landscapes of India I never imagined. The Indian Himalayas really is the Roof of the World! All of the passes we traversed were spectacular and unique. Riding the highest motorable road in the world was truly something special and quite emotional. It wasn’t easy and to work together with your new mates to ensure everyone got to the top of the world is hard to find words for. It really felt I was in the heavens.
We were so so lucky with the weather the whole trip. It was extremely hot and humid in Delhi and Chandigarh but as soon as we were on the bikes moving and getting out of the cities heading towards the mountains the weather was perfect! Warm and humid off the bikes during breaks and site visits, perfect temperature during the nights and only one rainy day on the bikes being the last riding day so we didn’t have to put on wet gear the next day! It was fresh at the top of the mountains but I was never cold on the bike. Our biggest day on the bikes leaving at sunrise from Sarchu was cold but we all rugged up and warmed up as the sun rose.
Altitude was something to be respected and Denise and team designed the safari to gradually get our bodies adjusted to the high altitudes with slowly creeping higher and higher into the mountains, coming back down and going up higher the next day. A few people had altitude headaches and tingling fingers or toes that didn’t last long. We were constantly reminded to sip on water all day long, even when waking up at night time, sip water. Thanks to all of the advice and care I didn’t suffer at all from the altitude apart from a small headache on the first high pass day that didn’t come back the rest of the trip.
The Royal Enfield Bullet was the perfect all round bike for this safari. It handled all road surfaces and conditions while being comfortable, fun and reliable. We didn’t need a speed machine for this safari and in fact I think our average speed would be close to about 40-50kph with all the tight twisty roads from start to finish, thickest fog and Indian traffic. As mentioned in my Day 13 journal on reaching the top of the world we had to hire the Royal Enfield Himalayans for this day due to union and state rules around bringing in bikes from other states and territories. The Himalayan was great fun on the rough dirt roads of Khardung La Pass with it‘s more dirt orientated composition, bars, wheels, tyres and riding position.
Riding in India is like nothing else you have or ever will experience! It’s thrilling and absolutely terrifying at the same time! Traffic road rules don’t really exist or seem to, a super rough rule is to generally ride/drive on the left but this definitely isn’t obeyed and enforced. Same as helmets, these are compulsory but maybe 70% of people on bikes don’t wear helmets, even little kids and babies on bikes don’t have helmets on. Momentum, confidence, timing and tooting is key to riding in India plus knowing where you sit in the pecking order of the road! Being the smallest vehicles on the road we are at the bottom and must give way to cars, buses and trucks when needed or risk going off a cliff or getting squished between vehicles. Even with millions of people zipping around on their individually important missions the roads seem to work in harmony. Everyone works in with everyone so everyone gets to where you want to go with some swerving, tooting, squeezing, reversing and more tooting. You get the hang of it eventually but to start with it’s pretty scary.
The roads of northern India were mixed! Most were asphalt with pot holes everywhere up to a foot deep and huge damaged sections from flood damage or just overuse and no priority to repair. The dirt roads in the mountains were the most fun for me, again with super rough sections more like enduro than adventure riding but it was awesome. Around any corner, blind or sweeper could be a huge cow either standing or laying in the middle of the road, so you and all other vehicles need to work together to ensure everyone gets around them and carry on safely. There were many in the cities and towns with the surprise cow or yak out in the mountain areas. Flocks of horses, sheep and goats got more frequent into the mountains which everyone is happy to stop and turn off their engines till they pass, trying not to frighten them. Monkeys played roadside and ran across roads but mainly stayed in tourist areas to be able to steal valuables for food bribes. For surviving riding in India you cannot take anything for granted or get complacent, as Denise said many times, “Anyone, anything, anywhere, anytime!”
Traveling in India with blue eyes and light hair I was asked for photos and selfies mostly by young girls and their fathers. I felt like a celebrity at some stages, posing for photo after photo as people got braver and braver to ask when they already saw me posing with others. It was a pleasure for me to give them the photo they desired as I was requesting photos of beautiful old Indians along my travels. Everywhere I went, big brown eyes would meet mine and lock on longer than the usual glance. I was a little embarrassed but in the end just smiled and kept about my business. The nicest comment I received about my eyes was from an old man who grabbed my hands and looked into my eyes and said “Your beautiful soul shines through your beautiful blue eyes”.
India is not for the faint hearted or precious! It’s not like any other place I have experienced. You must be ok to go with the flow and pee behind a tree or boulder! If you’re ok with this India will be a sensory treat that will nourish your soul as it did mine.
Thank you to my new moto mates, my fellow adventurers Bruce, Bob, Dave, Lesley, Alastair and Derek. It was such a pleasure to ride with you and explore India together. We all rode well together and kept an eye out for each other, reminding each other to keep drinking water and making sure we all had everything we needed for the ride ahead.
Thank you to my friends and family for following my journey through India and the magical Himalaya. Your support and messages were so special to me and I appreciate every one of you, thank you!
Thank you Denise and team from Safari's for the Soul, Sarvika, Amar and Sri, this really was a premium adventure safari experience, getting dunked head first into the wonderful world of India! No detail was missed, it was faultlessly organised and we were absolutely spoilt with rich encounters with mother India and her people. Our support van driver Bunty and mechanic Asif were always on hand to help with anything we needed with big smiles. It's truly an experience I will never forget! Thank you!
For anyone looking for an adventure motorcycle safari of India and the Himalayas I highly recommend Safaris for the Soul to fulfill any bucket list dream you have to ride here or be a passenger on a bike or in the support van. After experiencing riding in India and the Himalayas it is critically important to go with an experienced tour operator who has extensive knowledge, experience and advice to keep you safe to enjoy this bucket list trip. Safaris for the Soul have been running adventures in India since 2005, hence the in-depth knowledge and faultless organisation of such a motorcycle tour. How grateful I am to have had this life altering experience and am over the moon to be heading back in August for a Women’s Only Himalayan Safari! Check out the below link and come ride the roof of the world! What are you waiting for!?
Women's only Himalayan safari - www.safarisforthesoul.com.au/visithimalaya/
India, I will be back! 🤍🙏🏽
