Monday, May 11, 2009

Day 63 - May 10 - Lachen 2 G'D'mor 2 ToongCheckPost!

May10 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail:GPS Geotagging

The Alarm wakes me up and i was depressed at the thought of skipping gurdongmor or should i get too adventures and try my luck at Thangu. Just as i walked out i see the Black Jipsee. Wow something working in my way. But not so fast cos still have to request and have to acknowledged. Patiently get through with preparations and waited for the builder to wake up. The hotel owner has already requested but she has been told in negative.

When i woke up i went and told about my journey and problem and he understood well. The gentle man agreed to give me 3 ltrs. Thought that should be fine get me to the lake and some distance back. Will ride i neutral if i have to cos it will be down hill coming back. The driver by mistake drains out 4 ltrs. And pours it into my bike any way. The Builder Gentleman does not even take money for the fuel! I thank him a lot and get going. Moving all the luggage to the room and taking only needed things int he panniers. Yes i can reach Gurdongmor today. Now i have never been commuter like fuel conscious before. Now i plan to keep the revs under 3k and ride as much high gear as possible. Get into neutral as soon as i get a downward incline. But the roads are only getting worst. I need to keep the momentum to save fuel but the speed is jerking me and shaking the panniers a lot. Try hard to find a balance. The scenery is breathtaking around. But the bad road makes the concentrate more on the roads than around. I was even told to hurry cos the army may not allow further if its too late or weather gets bad. I even have to hurry. Man i wish i could ride peacefully like yesterday. Make very few stops. The road gets to horrendusness. Now i am above the tree lines and with the bare mountains. I reach the Army check post at Gaigong and a cafe at the height of 15 thousand feet. One soldier was wondering if should take permission to allow motorcyle? the other said he has permission let him go. I breathed a sigh relief. Plus there was lot of 4/4s ferrying tourists and the weather was spliendid just like yesterday.

Now i am free to go to the lake 17 kms ahead. And soon i get to the high altitude planes with wide open spaces which i dreamed of riding for few years now. Not to the scale of More planes but big enough to give the feel. There were quite a few tracks and vehicles picking their own. I ate dust from overtaking 4/4s in straight paths but when there is a junction there is none to ask! Lot of loose tracks suddenly branches to the right from the main track going to bunker. Yes have to take them cos i see a couple of 4/4s far away raising dust. Fair enough i take them too. The track looks smooth and 100kmph ones from far but when u get on it, its very unbikerly with all loose gravel and sand. Ride to the speed when supports two wheels. Stop quite some times to click around. Standing in the middle of the plane with no one around was just amazing. Always wanted to feel that. Got to go ahead. Quite confusing with so many branching of tracks. Only to be reassured when i see a sign board to the lake. Soon we have to climb at steep incline. Could see the Gurdongmor baba temple above and have to do the climb at 17000 feet. Chugging and struggling my bike makes it up the rough boulder'y incline in first gear. And behold there it is the High altitude lake with vivid blue clour amongst the surrounding snow clad mountains. Went berserk with the cam. The army were giving free tea/biscuits and hot water for free. Lot of tourists vehicles and typical questions flow. The lake is some 40 feet below and its like we are on a platform on the bank. I see a track on the other side going down to the lake. Asked a soldier if i can go there. He said sure why not since i came from so far away but see if u make it.

For that i had to get down the incline and do a water crossing on with huge rocks. Was wonder should i go through the exertion at that altitude? but no thinking only riding. It was tough i must say almost gave my legs cramps. But i made it across keeping my shoes dry. Now another painful steep climb and finally i got down to the lake level with the bike. Felt great being there. Of course the poser in me not far behind. wanted to spend more time there. But could see clouds gathering on the southern skies. Have to leave the paradise now. Wanted to ride back before the last of the 4/4s leave. You know just to be on the safer side. As i reach the plane, 4/4s zoom ahead of me from either side. The drivers are in real hurry to get back. They know that come afternoon the weather deteriorates. Reach Gaigong to collect my original permit. The soldiers wanted a chat with me and asked me to sit for a while. They gave me a hand full of dryfruits, a chocolate and Fruitjuice! They have this awesome neckwarmers. Boy do these army folks get good quality stuff.

Start the climb down and i get hit by small gains of sand. sand? no no its the snow or ice rather. They were so hard that they simply bounced of me. Soon it got more and is got down a bit water droplets. Well it will be raining at lower altitude so i get into my rain gear. Its also getting late like 2 pm. have to negotiate all the bad roads with bad weather and save fuel as well. This time even offroads i get down with just the breaks to save fuel. Thats a lot of mid work. The bad roads taking a toll on my body as well. Nearing lachen i just hoped that there was network so that i could call my dad and rest for the day. But not luck no network yet. Boy did i want to stay back and rest. But could not keep my dad in suspense for second straight day without saying i am ok. Was too much worried about him worrying about me. So cursing the BSNL i prepared to ride down. Had maggie and started by 4. Reached Chungtong by 4.30 with my bike giving amazing mileage and i still had around 50 kms of fuel left. Thanks to all the enjine off, neutral and highgear and low rpm riding. Just wondering how much i can save on fuel if i think in those lines :D. Should take around 2.5 hours to get to mangon right? Well what do ya know reaching chungtong i came to know that here is another land slide just before shingik! Boy! common some 1 is really conspiring against me. cant stay there cos no network. I head that i can get network near the landslide area. But i have no fuel to go there, come back and go to mangan again. And there is no place to stay there!!! But gave priority to make the call and road down to uncertainty. one guy told there is an army camp before the landslide. Hoping for that i rode down.

Got the faint signal and called dad. Now i was relieved and have only to find a place to stay for the night. As i ride ahead just seeing at houses etc so that i can ask for a place to stay in case i cant cross. Reach the blockade and quite a line up of 4/4s full with tourist waiting for the crossing. The folks tell me that even a bike cant cross cos a bulldozer as the blocked he way and broken down. Could have crossed had i made it an hour back! Wow just wow. I did not find any army camp. Did not want to ride up to chungtong with the unstable section. Just asked quite a few houses if i could stay with them. But negative. One house the guys said i could stay, but it was the only house around for KMs so dint feel like staying there. As i ride slowly back its dark at 7.15 and its raining and even mist to add to the fun. Strangely i was not afraid! Even was considering couple of road side shelters to stay!! Then i reach the Toong police check post and told about my travel and my current predicament. Inspector Pema Bhutia decided to help and gave me a room near the check post. He said there is nothing in the room. I was like, its ok, just give me a place to lie down! was that dead tired. He become a real good host and gave me a couple of quilts. WOw a private room and cozy quilts what else does one need. He even took me to the near my hut hotel for some food. They have only maggie. Hey that will surely do.

Get back tot he room and stand outside and it was really great feeling staying at the place in the night where i could here the roaring river just behind the check post complex. Then i see few 4/4s coming. Did the road open? Naa they had just transshipped passengers across the blockade! Then i crash for the day, with the whole body aching.

climbing up to Thangu...


Eye catching scenery...








Reached Thangu...





Getting high post Thangu...


Riding along the snow line now...





Lot of 4/4s racing along...








At Gaigon cafe and military check post...





Getting onto the plains at 16000 feet...





Always wanted to ride at these open places....


And i pose


Very few colors around.


The final climb...


I made it to the lake at 17100 feet...


My bike along the shore....


The soldiers there....


The height of the lake...


Lot of 4/4s visiting the lake and the Gurudongmor mandir....


The Majestic blue lake...








Too naive not to bring my bike into this picture...


Do a high altitude water crossing at 17000 feet so that i can get near the lake...


And there i am...





Thats where most tourists stop... but what else is the bike for :)


From the water level....


These stones sink as i step on them...


Hehe


Make a climb to get back to the main path. the baba temple...


I made it across the dreaded water and stones... yeppie...


On the way back in the planes... Amazing being all alone there in that wide open space...
But space was not as big as i imagined, ride a few mins and out of the planes...





4/4s race ahead of me from either side...





The soldiers at the Gaigong check post give me a bit of dry fruits, a chocklet and fruit juice.:D


The soldiers there...


One hefty yak...


Heading south to not so good weather...








These yaks kinda chased ppl from a 4/4 when they came out to take a pic... I got scared so went ahead and zoomed for this pic...


The valley covered with flowers...


yeah water falls every where...


This is where i stayed.. its just under construction but room of good...


more water falls enroute chungtong...


The waterfall was almost dry the other day when i came the other way... but now its roaring. This comes around manul...

2 comments:

SKS said...

one of the better pics day huh... the poses are nice :)

Praveen said...

Yeah SKS, every thing was so clear. The weather was great atleast in the morning.