Biking to Leh: Day 8

July 24, 2012 TUESDAY

I admit that yesterday we were not able to plan the trip properly. We could have covered more places yesterday. After getting up today, we planned to visit the mysterious magnetic hill and a junction of two rivers called Sangam. On the way to Magnetic Hill, there is a Gurudwara called Pathar Sahib Gurudwara which is really very beautiful place. We went there in hurry but I opted to sit in the Gurudwara for some time. Very peaceful place it was. After that we tried driving on the road towards magnetic hill and I was surprised to see the phenomenon in front of my eyes. This place defies gravity. After this we went to a place called Sangam where two rivers called Zanskar and Indus meet each other. This place is beautiful and some vendors offer river rafting here. Rafting in water without any pressure flow was not a good idea. After visiting Sangam we returned back to Leh and in the way visited "Hall of Fame" where you can see the glory of Indian army. You feel proud to be part of such a great nation being there. You can read about the sacrifice made by brave Indian soldiers in the name of our nation. The thing that disappointed me there was a photo of the captain of Indian Cricket Team Mr. Mahendra Singh Dhoni that was framed near the entrance door. I am not against him but at least defense forces should be kept out of politics. He is a cricketer, so his photos and belongings should be framed and displayed in some sports center so that he can motivate the young players. Hall of fame is related to Indian Defense Forces, so they should not display anything else but only articles related to Indian Defense Forces. India really need to change a lot at many places. I remember reading a letter written by an army man to his parents during the Kargil War just before he sacrificed his life in the war. I was unable to complete reading the letter. It made me emotional. After Hall of Fame we got our punctured tyre repaired. 20 Rs for each puncture and the clutch wire was repaired for 30 Rs. The cost of welding the carrier was 300 Rs that we skipped because the charges are so stupid and annoying. If you need any spare parts for your bike then there are two good shops located at 34.1465N, 77.5689E and 34.1527N, 77.5798E respectively. You can get the bike repair shops on the right side while driving towards airport. After getting the bike ready we went to Shanti Stupa and I loved the place. The meditation hall of that stupa was really beautiful. One can meditate perfectly in that hall. In the evening, Shanti Stupa is decorated with lights and you can get beautiful photos. Along with that you can get very beautiful photos of the Leh city from that stupa. We were late in coming down to the market for dinner and today also we compromised with milk in butter. We met some bikers on the shanti stupa who were from Bangalore. They came in a group of 10. We planned to go to the worlds highest motorable road called Khardung La with them.
Suggestions for today are:

Make sure your bike is well repaired. After a long journey of almost 500 kms, its a better idea to get the bike serviced.
If the tyre got puncture then get a new one or repair the same since we have to return back.
If you are interested in river rafting at Sangam then carry extra clothes with you so that you can change in case you get wet.
In the evening get your petrol tank filled if you are planning to drive towards Khardung La next morning. Also make sure you have extra clutch and break wires.
Get two or three copies of the permit that you got for visiting Nubra Valley and Pagong Lake.

GALLERY

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(There are videos after the photos)