Biking to Leh: Day 4

July 20, 2012 Friday

The bike vendor was calling us since early morning as we failed to give final answer yesterday night. Finally reached the shop at 1130 Hrs and completed all the formalities. If you rent a bike then you will have to deposit 10 days advance and some security amount. Along with that you will have to deposit any of your government issued identity. In our case we deposited 7,000 Rs as 10 days advance and 10,000 Rs as security amount. Along with that I handed over my PAN card. Make sure you carry your driving liscence and Passport with you. If you are a non Indian tourist then don't forget to carry your passport with you. The bags that we carried were too heavy and we bought a rope to tie them, but its better to carry bungee cord "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bungee_cord" as at every stop you will have to unload luggage from your bike and reload it back. One bungee cord costed us 35 Rs and also carry two cans with you because the last petrol filling station before Leh is 365 KMS before. One petrol can costed us 50 Rs. The mistake we did was not covering our luggage with a plastic cover as there is a lot of dust in the way and water may also create a big problem specially if your bag is not waterproof. Tie the luggage as tight as you can because the way is very rough and a single mistake can put you in a big problem. Also carry some dry fruits with you and it would be best if you carry a small tent and a little gas stove with utensils required to make tea, coffee and noodles. Carry noodles enough to feed yourself for two days and don't forget to carry water. Also carry gumboots of good quality with you as the normal shoes will not be able to protect you from the water. Gumboots are costly in Manali. Better if you purchase it from your hometown. Gumboots of brand called Action costed us 390 Rs. Along with that please carry good quality helmets with visor. Helmets will be provided to you by the bike vendor and you don't have to pay extra for them. Also carry an extra tyre tube, break and clutch wires, bike documents, torque wrench of proper size, air pump, bike engine oil and spark plug. Also make sure you know about how to deal with the bike in case the bike stops functioning and specially you should know how to change the tyre tube in case it gets punctured. Apply moisturizer and sunscreen on your face and carry tubes of moisturizer and sunscreen with you. If you are driving then do wear warm gloves. Put on your gumboots and wear a polythene after wearing woolen socks so that your foots don't get wet even if water enters your boots. On your way to Leh, you will pass through many mountain passes and you may get altitude sickness. Please carry some garlic that you can get from the vegetable market and a medicine called "Dimox". Keep on sucking garlic and in case you get altitude sickness then you can take the medicine. The major symptoms of altitude sickness are headache, nosebleed, weakness, insomnia etc. In some cases altitude sickness may be fatal so please don't take it lightly. Drink as much water as you can and don't stay empty stomach. PLEASE DON'T CONSUME ALCOHOL DURING THE ENTIRE JOURNEY. We saw a man in real bad condition because of altitude sickness. The worst part is that if you don't carry a first aid box of yourself then in case of any medical emergency, you will be helpless as the roads are not that good and even with a good vehicle it will take lot of time to reach hospital. Please get medical checkup before leaving. I remember a suggestion by a truck driver that take care of yourself because people die like street dogs here. They sleep in night and are found dead in morning because of altitude sickness. Anytime landslides may block your way. Indian Army is doing very good job in maintaining the road to Leh and they will help you in case you need any help. In our hometowns we really have no idea of how tough job the Army is doing for us. Don't forget to salute every army man whom you meet in the way. They are the one because of whom we sleep in peace.

So, this is how we started our ride to Leh 1400 Hrs. In the way till Rohtang La you will find many shops selling special suits that protects from cold and water. You can rent the suit from them. Make sure it fits you. Here again you have to show your magic of bargaining. We rented two suits for ten days in 400 Rs. This suit will also protect you from the dust and sunburns. We moved ahead and encountered the first landslide before Rohtang La. BRO (Border Roads Organization) was cleaning the way. Make sure you are at a safe distance from the machines and the place where landslide occurred. The route is spiral on the hills so if you are standing on the bottom side of the road where landslide occurred; then stay far as possible because the stones coming from top may hurt you. The way got clear and we moved ahead. Rohtang is very beautiful and the mistake we did was we started the journey late. Start your journey at 0900 Hrs so that you get beautiful photographs. Also make sure you cross Rohtang La by 1500 Hrs. We started late and missed many good photographs. Finally we reached a town named as "Keylong". Make this as your first stop. Many people drive up to Sarchu the very first day but I found Keylong much better. You will find electricity and cell phone network here. There are many hotels and restrooms. If you reach Keylong after 2130 Hrs then you may find it difficult to find a restaurant for dinner. We reached at 2115 Hrs and booked a room in 200 Rs. That was a separate room. Took dinner at Chering Dhaba where the lady was cooking food in front of us and it was fresh. I don't have contact numbers of that lady but the co ordinates for that place are 32.5723N and 77.0269E. The restaurant is opposite to "Neelkanth Nalwa Guest House". The same lady arranged for the room nearby. You can contact the guest house owner directly. His name is Tashi and his contact number is +91 941877 3309. If you cross Rohtang La before 1800 Hrs then don't forget to get your petrol cans filled with petrol at Thandi petrol station because there is no filling station after this filling station till Leh. The co ordinates of this place are 32.5456N and 76.9743E. It is safe to park bike outside the restroom but carry your luggage and petrol cans with you.

The suggestions for today are:

Start riding as early as possible. 0900 Hrs will be the best time to start.
Check the bike completely before beginning the tour. It would best if you cover the local places in Manali with the same bike for one day so that you are assured about the quality of the bike engine.
Make sure that the luggage stand is new and strongly fitted. Check that the welding is done properly or not.
Make sure the tyres are new and the tyre tube inside do not have punctures.
Carry the bike papers with you and the tools required to change the tyre tube and general bike parts in spare like break and clutch wires, spark plug and a new tyre tube.
Carry your driving liscence and passport, specially if you are not an Indian.
Carry your own first aid box.
Beware of altitude sickness. It may be fatal so take the precautions mentioned above.
Drink lot of water and never be empty stomach.
SAY NO TO ALCOHOL DURING THE RIDE.
ALWAYS WERE HELMETS.