Map created by EveryTrail: GPS Trail Maps
131 KMs Trip meter 16753 KMs
Must say i had a nice cozy sleep in the home stay. Middle of the night i heard some water dripping into the room! Too lazy to check where as it was not dripping on me! 5 am when i had to go to the loo noticed the water had dripped allover the place except where i was sleeping and my luggage. Lucky! But i guessed it was not rain cos if it were then lot more water should have come it. So i guessed it might have snowed last night. And i was right. It had actually. It was pretty cold in the morning. Every thing around was damp as the light snow fall had melted away. All the bare mountains around Rangdum are now draped in light white color. Time to move on. Now i shudder thinking about the water crossing 5 kms away. But have to try it any way.
Pack up and leave by 7.30 am. Hoping that the water level would be less. It was a lot less and in fact it was clear and i could see the bottom. Though not much height, the water had force and it was very uneven in the bottom, premeditated i took the now right lane and tried to manuver in a narrow path and before i know the front tire dives in a few inches and i am stuck. There is 5-6 inches concrete ahead and the rear wheel is on gravel and is wheel spinning. And no way i am can man handle and pull it out. To add to it when i look at the left lane, boy it would have been just a ride through! sheeet! felt really stupid. Now i wait like 10 mins for any vehicle to arrive but not 1 does. Try to honk at the people in the village nearby and i guess they dont here it. Now i was running out of patience and some how pulled and pushed and moved the front wheel to the left a bit and now if i had to go ahead the front wheel had to climb the 5-6 inches concrete almost parallel with lil angle! Without thinking much, rev and let go the clutch and michelins did it. Propelled out of the mess before i realized! Phew! Took a couple of pix and moved on. In 5 mins i see not 1 but 3 sumos approaching! where's a sumo when u need one! with the killer behind me now i can really enjoy the ride ahead. The path in suru if not bettor atleast does not have loose stones and gravel as much. A sense of euphoria hits me and i take frequent breaks. Increased avg speeds also helps. Its very pleasant all around seems just perfect. Found a nice place for long break where there was a stone by the path like a recliner! Just enjoyed my cake looking around the whole ambiance sharing with none.
See lot of wild horses this time. time flew and now i was hungry. The last time i had made this stretch i had skipped meal to save time. But not i want food, no skipping and all! As i passed over parkachik town saw a nice looking road going through the town below and there was a pretty building in the middle. well since i was hungry assumed it was a hotel! Rode ahead and turned back into the path going to the town and the building turned out to be a school! The residents kinda seemed surprised to see an outsider as well. Its a kashmiri village and guess for privacy sake a bypass path was made above the town. Any was looks will have stay hungry for some time as i had finished my cake. After a few kms i see the deviation to J&K tourist bungalow of Tangole. Thought of trying my luck there and yes fresh food is available there. what a relief. It was a very nice place with mountains all around. Food any time by the care takers. The rooms were pretty neatly maintained just for 200 bux! Very much tempted to stay there but have to call up my dad by evening. This was a communication blackout zone. It was run by a kasmiri family where on the elder kid daughter knew hindi and boy was she enterprising. Any way got my roti and vegetables and i had my fill. Bid byes and rode on. As i pass the path work area i thought i had missed the nunkun glacier. No worries i have had an eyefull once. But after a few kms there it was. Now just another reason for break.
As i get lower trees spring up from no where and in not time i am riding in forest! pass a few villages and as i near Sanko i have do some murky water crossing! Well it was evening and all the streams swell by the evening. It did not even register when i crossed it in the morning before and it was kinda surprise. Any way, after sanko some stone path for few kms and then it was all smooth tarmac with bad patches. Well i will take it. After all seeing black top after hundreds of kms! Make it to Kargil by like 5 and wanted to fill fuel the same day just in case. Its a hard work to get fuel in kargil as one has to ride up to the Kargil leh highway few kms and its all stones and dust due to road work. Manage it and just crash at the room. Cant believe managed Suru and zanskar alone. Good to be back in kinda civilization. Will be getting to Leh the next day. Yest LEH! Think of starting a lil easy.
Pack up and leave by 7.30 am. Hoping that the water level would be less. It was a lot less and in fact it was clear and i could see the bottom. Though not much height, the water had force and it was very uneven in the bottom, premeditated i took the now right lane and tried to manuver in a narrow path and before i know the front tire dives in a few inches and i am stuck. There is 5-6 inches concrete ahead and the rear wheel is on gravel and is wheel spinning. And no way i am can man handle and pull it out. To add to it when i look at the left lane, boy it would have been just a ride through! sheeet! felt really stupid. Now i wait like 10 mins for any vehicle to arrive but not 1 does. Try to honk at the people in the village nearby and i guess they dont here it. Now i was running out of patience and some how pulled and pushed and moved the front wheel to the left a bit and now if i had to go ahead the front wheel had to climb the 5-6 inches concrete almost parallel with lil angle! Without thinking much, rev and let go the clutch and michelins did it. Propelled out of the mess before i realized! Phew! Took a couple of pix and moved on. In 5 mins i see not 1 but 3 sumos approaching! where's a sumo when u need one! with the killer behind me now i can really enjoy the ride ahead. The path in suru if not bettor atleast does not have loose stones and gravel as much. A sense of euphoria hits me and i take frequent breaks. Increased avg speeds also helps. Its very pleasant all around seems just perfect. Found a nice place for long break where there was a stone by the path like a recliner! Just enjoyed my cake looking around the whole ambiance sharing with none.
See lot of wild horses this time. time flew and now i was hungry. The last time i had made this stretch i had skipped meal to save time. But not i want food, no skipping and all! As i passed over parkachik town saw a nice looking road going through the town below and there was a pretty building in the middle. well since i was hungry assumed it was a hotel! Rode ahead and turned back into the path going to the town and the building turned out to be a school! The residents kinda seemed surprised to see an outsider as well. Its a kashmiri village and guess for privacy sake a bypass path was made above the town. Any was looks will have stay hungry for some time as i had finished my cake. After a few kms i see the deviation to J&K tourist bungalow of Tangole. Thought of trying my luck there and yes fresh food is available there. what a relief. It was a very nice place with mountains all around. Food any time by the care takers. The rooms were pretty neatly maintained just for 200 bux! Very much tempted to stay there but have to call up my dad by evening. This was a communication blackout zone. It was run by a kasmiri family where on the elder kid daughter knew hindi and boy was she enterprising. Any way got my roti and vegetables and i had my fill. Bid byes and rode on. As i pass the path work area i thought i had missed the nunkun glacier. No worries i have had an eyefull once. But after a few kms there it was. Now just another reason for break.
As i get lower trees spring up from no where and in not time i am riding in forest! pass a few villages and as i near Sanko i have do some murky water crossing! Well it was evening and all the streams swell by the evening. It did not even register when i crossed it in the morning before and it was kinda surprise. Any way, after sanko some stone path for few kms and then it was all smooth tarmac with bad patches. Well i will take it. After all seeing black top after hundreds of kms! Make it to Kargil by like 5 and wanted to fill fuel the same day just in case. Its a hard work to get fuel in kargil as one has to ride up to the Kargil leh highway few kms and its all stones and dust due to road work. Manage it and just crash at the room. Cant believe managed Suru and zanskar alone. Good to be back in kinda civilization. Will be getting to Leh the next day. Yest LEH! Think of starting a lil easy.
Mountains draped in white in the morning due to the light snow fall in the night...
I see sparrows here, there is extinct in Bangalore!
Now i ride back....
Look back one last time before i turn away....
There my bike is stuck in the fast flowing water....
Managed to pull the bike out of the mess....
Does not look much in the photo graph but its a nasty one...
This is cheating, where is blue water and yellow red grass?!!
Another creature, the name i am ignorant of....
Was a fantastic place to take a break. Looks like it rained a couple of days its sure is lot greener then i passed before....
A big herd of wild horses....
Me digging in from my biscuits and cake!
What luxury!
The river in the valley....
Some bad patches....
Raging waters below....
There it is the NunKun glacier again....
Some part is blue too....
Once more me with it....
The parkachik village below....
Piknik for local people....
Parkachik Tourist bungalow located nicely....
What looked like a hotel to my hungry self from above was actually a school!
Pretty looking village....
Trying my luck at Tangole Tourist bungalow for food....
Thats the care taker's kids AminaBanu and Zakhara Battur....
Cute Zakhara...
Plenty of parking space here....
Some macro...
Pretty good room for 200 bux ehh....?
This shot was directed by Amina, holding the teapot!
The slush monsters kinda going to sleep so did not trouble me much....
More flowers on the way....
Residents of Tangole village...
The pretty Tangole village...
Now who did this? there are not tire marks so i am the first one after this was done!
Flowers and flowers all the way....
Suddenly i am in a forest!
The teaser tarmac....
A bird! dunno the name...
Last look at the mountain which was showing it self the whole day. Basically u head straight to it and ride around it and then straight to get to Rangdum!
Go to fill up the fuel in the Kargil and see a Polo match happening below...
4 comments:
Hi
You are a lucky person
I got happy seeing the images you shot.
Kargil is really the gate of paradise
Man! You are a real inspiration. You are living life KING SIZE.
really dude..KING SIZE.. KEEP ON ROCKING
Hi, though I am an Indian my contact was for 3 days in Bombay - the animal you mention is a marmot. Your Pics. are really great - keep it up.
Ruth
ruth.dacruz@hotmail.com
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