Zanskar-Changtang Motorcycle Diaries

Weather suddenly got very cold and windy, and I am still roaming in my summer clothing. As I felt the cold wind in my body and head, I remembered my ride of Umling La. We crossed Photi La very late at around 06:30. Her decision to go back to Umling La still surprises me. We didn’t saw a single vehicle crossing us. Nobody ride on these routes late in the evening. As soon as the sun sets at 18,000 ft., the evening wind start penetrating all of your layers then slowly into your hands and feet and at one point all gets numb. And it start getting painful the moment it reaches to your nails. But that day was different; my energy was on good level. We hardly knew that after reaching at world’s highest pass and descending it down that we have to cross one more 6th highest pass and that too in the late evening and then descend it down to reach Hanle.

When we reached to our homestay at Hanle and what a nice homestay it was. Owner so caring and polite. All the time riding, we had the hope for the warmth of the homestay. After reaching, my riding partner was shivering from cold, and we both were in the need of warmth and some good food. In the whole Changtang I had the pleasure of having roasted barley with yak cheese in salt butter tea. This is the best evening supper for a good night sleep.

I was not preparing my ride this autumn rather I was planning someone else ride and while planning, my own ride got planned. I had to buy everything for myself and my bike. I had no idea that my bike will turn out to be so good as I have lost hopes for it on the long rides. I was keeping her more for the city rides. But the mechanic, changed it all. Just like a cancer patient recovers from an illness with the help of a good doctor. Mechanic was brutally honest and blunt, throwing insults at the owners of poorly maintained bikes.

As the flashbacks happen, I begin writing again. I am not consistent with my writing. The internal settlement for writing is long gone. Recently, I have been experiencing these flashes from my trips. I am on this dirt track that we took in the noon to Umling La via Nerbole. This rugged feeling with never ending tracks and no sight of vehicle and esp. when you take the road for the first time. I have experienced this scenario before in 2016 when I took Tso kar route from Tso Moriri. I was the only rider. And thing with the dirt track is that you are focused on the road so much that you lose track of time and at one point you ask yourself, am I going in the right direction and you just realize that you have been riding for so long and all alone and you may have drifted wrong and you have to ask someone for the directions ASAP.

I remember taking my camera out again and again with the same set of procedures and with the same speed and timing. This is the beauty of these dirt tracks, you remember all, even the tiniest of details.

My altitude has changed at a very fast pace after Manali. From Gumbok Rangan, I reached Purne around 2 and booked a room in a homestay, unloaded my luggage and jerry cans. I still had time to do Phugtal monastery trek. This trek was very much needed due to AMS and to make things go at slow pace. I had lunch in their dining and rested for an hour. I started at 3:30 and rode upto the mid way of the trek, parked my bike and started walking along the Tsarap river witnessing the beautiful colours of Tsarap river giving beautiful contrast to the mountain colours. You will be welcomed by zanskar landscape from here onwards. Every colour so rich and air so fresh. Nothing feels real and of this world. Monastery will leave you awestruck and you will be transported to a different era. Monastery was almost empty as monks went to leh and many travellers were camping around the monastery. I had lesser time to explore, as soon it will start getting darker and i have to walk alone all the way down to Purne.

After taking some good shots around, i started my return for purne and reached around 7 to my room. This was the most complete day, i rode for 3-4 hrs, did a short trek and met many people of different culture and countries. I slept late after star gazing, night at Gumbok Rangan and Purne were hard due to AMS but you won't see betterclear skies anywhere else.

On my Zanskar run in Padum, I have decided to return. I was so confused in my head with bad headaches and all the AMS. I was riding the same roads of Padum again and again just to find a decent restaurant and I think I was little unconscious this whole ride from Purne to Padum. And somehow, I managed this storm and pulled myself up and started towards Nerak after my early lunch. Nerak has etched in my memory and this memory is forever. After ZangLa, it’s all off-road till Nerak. Valley gets narrow and you are riding along the river and between gorges. This landscape was new and I was having time of my life and I haven’t seen any vehicle crossing me and not a single human. Except 2 road workers. But the views like these makes you forget everything. Sound and thump of the engine, riding and seeing Zanskar landscape is enough.

I reached Nerak in daylight and there is only one homestay, Tashi Homestay. Now when I remember going to this place, it feels like a fairy tale. Going round and round around the mountain and the surrounding mountains getting bigger and bigger. I haven’t felt this much silence in a while. After reaching the top, I see 2 houses and few workers engaged in construction and owner smiling at me from a distance. This smile was the immediate expression of welcome and happiness to see other human. I guess they rarely see new faces up here. One can see Chocho Khuri la pass from the top and every mountain is an art itself from here. Homestay was empty with only the owner wife and rests were in big cities or in Ladakh capital. She took extremely good care of me and one of her friends also gave company and helped in dinner preparation. I started my ride again next morning at sharp 8. I knew this will be a long ride and the villages which I want to see for so long are all on this route and this is a very long route with no roads and only high passes and strong winds. But even the harshest of weather doesn’t make you feel lonely on this land. It had to do with the landscape and people. Run from kargil to Padum was my most beautiful ride to this day and this ride was more exciting as I will be riding in the interiors of Zanskar valley. I never imagined this style of landscape can be witnessed from the road itself but rather mostly in treks only. Zanskar is my pilgrimage from the year I first came here and it will remain so. All of these words are making me feel doing injustice with what I saw. I can only say, one must go to Zanskar alone. Going alone can only make you feel the best of this place. I have been lucky in both of my rides that I travelled and rode alone on all of the roads.

As far as I can remember, I was numb for the whole day on my ride to Leh from Nerak. No more voices and thoughts in my head, completely blank like something got reset this morning. I was very curious when I started my ride as I have read so much and seen many pictures and was waiting for this for so many years. Ride is completely off road till Wanla but not tough. Mostly, I was ascending and descending passes. I took many great pictures and felt that every village requires a night stay. Perhaps when I come next year, I wish to see sunrise and sunset in every village I passed. This ride turned out to be a very long ride. I started at 8 and reached Leh at 8. I only remember 3-4 faces that I met and rest was all mountains. At one point, while descending down the last scissor for Hanupatta village, where one can see the whole Hanupatta village. I haven’t been more tender and softer in my heart in my whole life. This feeling has dominated every other feeling I ever had. Landscape is unimaginable. I can see beautiful mountains in the background of the village and mountains leading to the village looks from another planet. Mountains in front of the village has completely different shades and shape. And a stream is flowing parallel to the road to Photoksar and that stream plane is elevated, it was not at the bottom and it was meeting another mountain at the end. This whole landscape made me so satisfied in the inside; it was like my ride has ended here. I have felt, for which I was craving for so long. In that moment, i did not had an ounce of ego and everything got surrendered.

At Leh, I met my friend and stayed at their home. I have planned my ride further to Changtang and Hanle, but I was thinking of dropping these places and return back. I rested next day in Leh, roaming in the city is mandatory. I made a friend from Bengal who was also riding solo and was coming from a Kashmir trek and then a jeep ride to Leh via Zanskar. She had the same plans of seeing Changtang valley and Pangong. We planned to ride together as I was not in the mood of doing that route solo. Luckily nothing happened in my Zanskar ride, but I can’t ride much on luck. She had experience of riding in Spiti before and we made our itinerary for the next 4 days and started riding next day morning.

Stay at Spangmik was unexpectedly beautiful. We booked a cabin on the bank of the lake. Accommodation and food were excellent. After so many days of mountains, seeing so much blue hues of lake was most complete feeling. Next day ride was along the lake, a dream come true and may be able to see my dream lake Mitpal Tso this time.

Bike was performing exceptionally well. We started at 8 and had many stops to capture the blue hues of Majestic Pangong. Not only the blue hues but background mountains are equally splendid.

We refueled again at Chushul and stared climbing the ascent of not so popular KaksangLa; you got to love the names. We crossed Mitpal Tso and descended Kaksang La and then descended another pass Hor La to reach Yaye Tso. We stayed for 30 minutes at this lake. Color of water was exceptionally beautiful. We had a late lunch at Mahe as nothing comes in between Mahe and Chushul. This ride of 70 kms is the perfect ride one can ask for in Changtang valley esp. ride from Mitpal to KaksangLa.

We started riding for Hanle but could make only up to Rhongo and it was not easy finding an accommodation and that too in the nighttime. We were taken care by a very good family and served delicious food. Next day was all about Umling La and roads less taken. Stretch from Hanle to Mahe is a paradise for photographers. We stopped a lot and enjoyed a lot riding on this route.

We parted away at Sumdo as my time to return has begun. I met many riders from south on my way back home and had a beautiful company of two riders from Hyderabad till Chandigarh. Stay at Vashisht was very relaxing and refreshing. All of the tiredness was swept away in a single day. Acclimatization has been very good this time except the first few days of Zanskar valley. One-week short ride exclusively for Zanskar has already been planned. My mind is stuck at the roads I didn’t took, Lingshed, Fukche and Demchok. They will haunt me till I visit them. Lot of memories and photographs till then.