Shashi's Musings

It's been more than a month since I got back from my Delhi to Leh bicycle tour, however, I only got time to write about it now. I did this tour along with Clive Myers and Sharath Jeppu. Clive travelled from the UK for the trip.

Our original route was Delhi - Manali - Leh - Srinagar - Amritsar, however, due to the floods and resulting devastation in the Manali region forced us to change our route. We reversed the route and planned to end the tour in Leh: Delhi - Amritsar - Srinagar - Leh.

The Tour in Numbers

Dates: Sun, 30-Jul-2023 to Sun, 20-Aug-2023
Days: 22 with 19 riding days
Total distance: 1422 Km
Time on Road: 178 Hours
Highest point: Fotula pass 4,108 metres

The Route

Click to view the interactive map

On the interactive map, the red markers indicate the starting point on the day, and hovering over it will show the start time, end time, and total hours on the road that day. The black markers show the fastest, highest, lowest, and finish points.

Daily Ride Details

This was the first time I packed the Bike Friday in a suitcase for flight travel and even though I had booked Air India with a higher check-in baggage weight limit of 25 Kg, the luggage was still overweight by 15 Kg. Sharath and I landed in rainy Delhi on Fri, 28-Jul-2023 evening and took a cab to YHAI, Chanakyapuri. We met Clive who had arrived in Delhi earlier that week. Sharath and I spent a few hours unpacking and setting up the bikes.

Sanju and Sridhar dropped me at Bangalore airport

Sharath's bike in cardboard box and mine in the blue suitcase

The bike is assembled and (almost) ready to go

We spent the next day completing the remaining packing and discussing our route. In the afternoon, we dropped off our empty suitcase and bags at my friend Deepak's home and we were treated to some amazing lunch at his place. Later in the evening, we had a nice dinner at an upscale Chinese restaurant, Fujiya in Delhi's Diplomatic Enclave. After shopping for bread, peanut butter, and jam (our daily pre-ride breakfast during this tour), we retired for the day.

Riding Day 1 - 30-Jul-2023 - Delhi to Karnal, Haryana

We started the day early around 5:30 am. Riding through beautiful New Delhi roads in the early morning was very nice and we heard some peacock calls too. We did hit some Metro construction work on the outskirts, but soon we were on the highway and crossed into Haryana.

We passed by a restaurant Hawai Adda in Murthal that has converted a couple of real aircraft bodies into a restaurant. Hawai Adda is a Hindi word that translates to Airport. Later we passed the Gupti Dhaam Digambar Jain temple where preparations were on for a major sermon that evening. We spent some time at the temple and then moved on. The day's ride was mostly uneventful but quite warm and muggy. We were able to get cold drinking water in most petrol bunks. Reached Karnal, found a good hotel, and wrapped up the day after a good dinner at a small dhaba.

Clive oiling his bike

Hawai Adda Restaurant

Gupti Dhaam Digambar Jain temple

Hotel Prem Plaza, Karnal

Riding Day 2 - 31-Jul-2023 - Karnal to Sirhind

Another early start before 5:30 am. Though it was a flat stretch, the heat and the humidity really took a toll. I also realized that my pace is much slower than both Clive and Sharath and I asked them to go ahead so that I could ride at my pace. Even after stopping for me earlier in the day, they reached around 2 hours earlier than my arrival time of 7:40 pm. Over dinner, I offered that we could split up as I can't keep up with their pace. Both assured me that they could go slower, however, this continued to be a pressure for me throughout the tour as I knew I was holding them up. While traveling in a group is comforting, going forward I think I will do solo trips only. This will allow me to enjoy the tour and experience the places and conversations with people a bit more deeply and at my pace.

Amazing how much luggage we were carrying

Major canal on the outskirts of Karnal

Entering Ambala

Surprised to see so many Motor Homes

Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji

Riding Day 3 - 01-Aug-2023 - Sirhind to Jalandhar

Another early start just after 5:00 am. Again a hot and muggy day but we had planned to go only to the outskirts of Jalandhar so took it a bit easier today. Passed next to the Hero Cycles factory in Ludhiana and that felt good. Nearing Jalandhar we saw upscale malls with many international brands. There was a 24-hour McDonald's next to the hotel where we stayed.

Resting at one of the petrol bunks

Fruit juice break

Riding Day 4 - 02-Aug-2023 - Jalandhar to Amritsar

Early start just like the past few days with a hope to cover the 90 Km distance to Amritsar by noon. We still took the whole day and reached our Airbnb home only by 4:00 pm. In the evening we visited the Golden Temple.

The following day was a rest day and we spent time in the morning washing clothes and cleaning our bikes. In the evening we visited the Attari - Wagah border and saw the flag-lowering ceremony. I hope someday I will be able to cross this border on a bike and visit Pakistan.

What's this milepost doing here?

Jang-e-Azadi Memorial

Breakfast at a nice Dhaba

Another aircraft waiting to be a restaurant?

The Golden Temple, Amritsar

The felled branches behind us are of Kari Patta tree - worth at least a few 100 rupees in Bangalore

So near, yet so far

Stadium-styled ceremony viewing gallery

Pakistan across the gate

Riding Day 5 - 04-Aug-2023 - Amritsar to Dera Baba Nanak

Dera Baba Nanak is close to the corridor from India to Pakistan through which one can go to visit Sri Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan. It is around 50 Km from Amritsar. Indian citizens and OCI card holders can register on this site to get an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) which will allow them to make the pilgrimage without a Pakistani visa.

We left early in the morning and rode through farms and small roads to get to Dera Baba Nanak by 10:30 am. We got a room at Sri Darbar Sahib Gurudwara. After freshening up, we had the Langar (food served at Gurudwara) and then did some seva (service) by washing the utensils. In the early evening, we went to see the Kartarpur Sahib corridor.

Dripping sweat at 5:00 am in the morning

Leaving Amritsar

It was really nice riding through farms like this on small village roads

Felt nice speaking to this elderly person who got us some cold drinks and water

Gurudwara Sri Darbar Sahib

The road towards Sri Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan

Fence separating India and Pakistan

Riding Days 6 - 05-Aug-2023 - Dera Baba Nanak to Kathua, J&K

We left Dera Baba Nanak around 05:30 am towards Kathua, J&K - a distance of 86 Km. It was an overcast day and we mostly missed rain so it was a good riding day on quiet roads. We had breakfast in Gurdaspur and a little after Gurdaspur we saw a marriage venue (Taj Heritage Garden) built like a palace / fort. There were preparations going on for a marriage and we spent some time there taking pictures and talking to people. Clive even got a turban tied and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We reached Kathua by 1:00 pm and checked into a nice hotel.

Taj Heritage Garden

Kathua market street - lovely colors in the cloud

Riding Day 7 - 06-Aug-2023 - Kathua to Lake Mansar

Leaving Kathua, we again played hide and seek with the rain - it was overcast and most roads were damp. We met Sant Sri Chhedi Maharaj ji who was making a pilgrimage from Gorakhpur, UP to Vaishno Devi near Katra, J&K. He used a cycle to carry his belongings but he wasn't cycling. He was doing a Dandvat Yatra (Prostration journey) - see video below.

A tributary of Ravi River

With Sant Sri Chhedi Maharaj ji

At Samba, we left the Jammu highway and turned right towards Udhampur. Just as we approached the turn, it started raining and we took shelter under the flyover for around 45 minutes. This was the start of the climbs and the scenery changed to hills and lush green forests. Reached Lake Mansar around 3:00 pm and had a late lunch. Cleaned the muck off the bike and oiled it to be ready for the next day's ride. Later in the evening was treated to amazing thunder and lightning.

A stream feeding Degh Nala

Climbing towards Lake Mansar

Muck from wet roads

Nearing Lake Mansar

Riding Day 8 - 07-Aug-2023 - Lake Mansar to Kud

We started from Lake Mansar around 05:15 am while it was still dark. The roads were wet from the previous night showers. Had Maggi and omelette for breakfast at a small shop next to a hill viewpoint. Reached Chenani_Nashri tunnel a little after 2:00 pm and we were told that bicycles are not allowed in the tunnel. The authorities offered to put our bikes on a truck and help us cross the tunnel. Not wanting to break our continuous journey, we instead opted to take the alternate route that required us to climb up to Patnitop. This would be a 21 Km climb. The initial part of the climb was hot as the sun had come up but the temperature improved as we climbed up and got closer to evening. Finally reached Kud a little after 6:00 pm about 13 Km into the climb and we found a good hotel to stay.

Masala Maggi breakfast

Resting on the way up to Kud, spoke for a bit with this shepherd. He was amazed that we spend so much time and money in traveling by cycle.

Kaladi cheese sandwich

Another aircraft finding an alternate end-of-life

Riding Day 9 - 08-Aug-2023 - Kud to Ramban

Today's ride was a short one at just over 42 Km and mostly downhill after the first 8 Km climb up to Patnitop. We started late around 8:30 am. Close to the top, we ran into Sunil Arora who does short tours by car around Amritsar, his hometown. He has got this car setup so that he can sleep in the car itself - pretty neat and cost efficient. At Patnitop we had breakfast with Sunil and later, on his suggestion, we took a small loop around Patnitop to see the meadows and Deodar trees. On the way down from Patnitop, my front disc brake cable snapped and after that I had to go really slow on the downhills relying on single brake. We reached Ramban around 3:00 pm and I was able to get us an accommodation at the government Dak Bungalow. I wasn't able to get a replacement brake cable but Clive helped me do a temporary fix by pulling the existing brake cable.

With Sunil Arora

Reaching Patnitop

Riding Day 10 - 09-Aug-2023 - Ramban to Banihal

We left from Ramban a little after 6:00 am for full day of climbs. Soon a biker coming from the opposite direction stopped us and told that there has been a landslide and no traffic is passing through. We continued and came to the landslide location.

While all vehicular traffic was stopped, pedestrians were able to make their way through. Clive did a recce and figured we could cross the landslide by unloading the bikes and carrying the luggage and bikes one by one. We walked down the side of the road to the bottom of the other side of the landslide and formed a relay with Sharath on the top. Slowly we moved all our luggage and the bikes to the road on the other side of the landslide. We got a lot of help from the Indian army folks, but among the three of us, Clive did most of the heavy lifting. It took us around 1.5 hour from the time we arrived at the landslide to the time we started cycling after crossing the landslide.

For the rest of the day, we did not encounter heavy traffic coming from behind and we had to deal with only the traffic from the opposite side. This worked out well since most of the road was under construction with dust flying around. The scenery was lovely and Chenab river or its tributary were next to us throughout the day's ride. I reached Banihal just before 4:00 pm by which time Clive and Sharath had found a very nice hostel-styled Hotel Maple run by J&K Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC).

Ramban Landslide

Landslide from the other side

Trafic queued up on the other side of the landslide

Chenab River

Chenab River tributary

One of the many tunnels under construction

With road construction contractors

Riding Day 11 - 10-Aug-2023 - Banihal to Srinagar

We started early from Banihal a little before 5:30 am with a target to reach Anantnag. Reached the Qazigund-Banihal tunnel a little before 6:30 and here too we were told that bicycles were not allowed in the tunnel. From Chenani tunnel experience, we were quite sure that this would be the case here too. So, without pleading too much with the authorities, we headed towards the shorter Jawahar tunnel at a higher altitude. The initial kilometer or so of the road was just rocks and we had a hard time riding on it - I walked quite a bit of this stretch. Once we got the paved road, we had a good time climbing on the quiet road in the early morning mist.

After crossing the Jawahar tunnel, we were treated to breakfast by an Indian Army contingent. The weather on the other side was sunny and warm. After another short stop for some fried aloo paratha in Qazigund, we rode fast on good flat roads and reached outskirts of Anantnag by 11:00 am itself. So, we decided to push it and ride all the way to Srinagar. Throughout the Qazigund-Srinagar stretch, we saw a lot of military presence and frequent military convoy movements. Traffic on both sides would be stopped as a convoy passed.

We reached Dal Lake around 4:00 pm and shortly thereafter our Airbnb home for the next 3 nights and 2 days.

Leaving Hotel Maple in Banihal

Roads from Banihal to Srinagar are in great shape

Above the clouds close to Jawahar Tunnel

Sunny on the other side of the Jawahar Tunnel

Fried Aloo Paratha

A slightly different take on Egg Bhurjee (Scrambled Egg)

Fruit juice break on the outskirts of Srinagar

Dal Lake

Srinagar - 10, 11, & 12 Aug 2023

We were welcomed to our Airbnb home by our host and it was her first time hosting on Airbnb. She made some tea and got us some snacks and even planned to make some chicken for us. However, since she wasn't sure of our diet, she had not cooked the chicken. We asked her to leave the chicken so we could cook it ourselves. Among the three of us only Clive eats meat.

Our evening dinner on 10th was kind of a disaster as the restaurant food was not so good and quite expensive for the quality. The following day, we bought some groceries and cooked a hearty meal of dal, chicken curry, egg curry, and rice. The chicken curry was so much that Clive ate it for all our remaining meals in Srinagar. During the day we washed our clothes and cleaned & oiled our bikes. I got new brake cables and fixed the front brakes, but, it was still not very good. In the evening we rode to Dal Lake. On 12th, we just took it easy and again did a ride to Dal Lake in the evening. Thinking we may have to camp on our journey from Srinagar to Leh, we purchased some groceries to carry.

We enjoyed the stay at the Srinagar Airbnb home.

Capturing the girls having fun on the bike, I inadvertently captured Clive's comical fall in the background

Sunset over Dal Lake

Riding Day 12 - 13-Aug-2023 - Srinagar to Sonmarg

Our original plan was to ride till a little before Sonmarg today, but we pushed ourselves to reach Sonmarg, which was a good thing as we would realize the next day. The net elevation gain from Srinagar to Sonmarg is over 1000 metres and the distance we traveled was around 74 Km. The scenery riding up the mountains was beautiful and saw snow/ice for the first time on this trip.

Wail Bridge over the Sind River - next to our breakfast stop around 8:30 am

Near Kangan around 4:30 pm

Around 7 Km before Sonmarg at around 5:30 pm

Near Sonmarg. It was cold enough to wear a windcheater.

Riding Day 13 - 14-Aug-2023 - Sonmarg to around Zero Point

Today was one of the toughest days of the ride. We continued to climb towards Zojila pass at an elevation of 3,528 Metres. Most of the road was made with bricks and had gaps between the bricks. Climbing on this road on my Bike Friday with smaller 20" wheels was quite painful. Reached the Zero point a little before 4:00 pm and stopped to eat Maggi and Omelette Sandwich. The shopkeeper told that Clive and Sharath had waited for me and had left just 30 minutes back. Phone connectivity was intermittent so we could only chat. Sharath informed me that they found a place to camp around 5 Km from the Zero point and gave some directions on how to find the place.

Soon after I started riding, it started raining and I took shelter under some construction equipment. The rain settled into a drizzle and didn't look like it will stop. So, I put on my rain coat and started riding. Soon I came to the bridge close to which Sharath and Clive had camped. I could see their tents but the spot was a few metres below the bridge level. I somehow found a path to go down and managed to get to the camping spot. Both Sharath and Clive got help from some shepherds to get their bikes down from the road level to the camping spot, so they were surprised that I was able to get down safely by myself. Sharath and Clive remained in their tents while I pitched my tent in the rain. It took a lot of effort to set the tent up properly in rain and dark. Unfortunately, a lot of water got into the tent and I had a fairly wet and bad night with very little sleep. Some dogs kept barking throughout the night. Came to know the next morning that these were shepherd dogs and their barking keeps the bears away.

Leaving Sonmarg

Baltal camp for Amarnath yatris

Glacier-fed stream

Glacier-fed Stream

Zero point - demarcates J&K from Ladakh

Riding Day 14 - 15-Aug-2023 - Around Zero Point to Kargil

After an uncomfortable night in the tent, woke up to a beautiful morning. The place that seemed painful just 12 hours back appeared serene and straight out of a picture post card now. First, I had to dry my clothes and the tent that had accumulated a lot of water. While I went about spreading my clothes on the rocks, Clive fired up his stove to make hot water for coffee. This was the only time in the entire tour that we camped and used the stove. For me, it was a good practice to carry the tent, stove, and cooking materials. Hopefully, I will make better use of these on my next tour.

Soaked in the environment while enjoying the hot black coffee and speaking with the shepherds. The nomadic shepherds were from Jammu and come to camp in this area to escape Jammu's summer heat which is not good for their livestock.

Packed up and left around 10:30 am for the mostly downhill 90 Km ride to Kargil. The scenery changed quite abruptly and dramatically from the green mountains in J&K to bare mountains in Ladakh. We had lunch at Dras and saw school children celebrating India's Independence Day. The people in Ladakh were much more open and interactive. We spoke with several groups of children and one set of children gave me and Clive greeting cards they had made for Independence Day.

Our camping spot next to the Shepherds' camp

One of the sheep dog puppies - was quite apprehensive and did not allow petting

Tea stall where we had maggi and boiled eggs

Kargil War Memorial

Shingo and Suru Rivers Sangam

Suru River

Reaching Kargil

Riding Day 15 - 16-Aug-2023 - Kargil to Mulbekh

We started from Kargil after 6:30 am and it was a climb right from the start. I wasn't feeling so good today so decided to stop earlier than the planned stop. I reached Mulbekh a little before 1:30 pm by which time Clive and Sharath had already reached and taken up rooms in a nice guest house. The guest house was opposite to Mulbekh monastery and I spent some time in the monastery after lunch. The monk at the monastery came back with me and tied Buddhist prayer flags on all three bikes.

Kargil town across Suru River

Wakha River

Mulbekh Monastery

Riding Day 16 - 17-Aug-2023 - Mulbekh to Heniskot

Started from Mulbekh a little before 7:00 am and started our climb towards Namika La pass at 3700+ metres. On the way to the top, we met a group of 3 motorbikers who had traveled all the way from Kerala. We reached the top around 10:00 am and after few pictures, we started the descent. During descent we met cyclists Mark and Melissa from Canada who were going in the other direction. They had done a tour in the Ladakh area thirty years back when the roads were either poor or non-existent.

We reached Heniskot around 3:30 pm and found out that the tourist home I had stayed in during our 2022 YHAI cycling trip was under renovation. On enquiry found that a house closeby might offer us accommodation for the night. Went up to the house and met Ang Mo and she gladly gave us two rooms for the night and included dinner and breakfast. It appears that many homes in the Ladakh area provide rooms to tourists to make up some additional income. Later in the evening we had a very good home made dinner of chapati, subzi, and dal. We even got home grown lettuce for salad and tried some home made liquor.

With Kerala Bikers

With Mark and Melissa

Amazing home cooked dinner

Riding Day 17 - 18-Aug-2023 - Heniskot to Nurla

Woke up to a beautiful morning and hearty breakfast prepared by Ang Mo. Came to know from her that His Holiness the Dalai Lama would be visiting and giving a sermon at Khaltsi the next day. Clive and I wanted to go for this, so we decided to go today till Khaltsi. But before that there was the 12 Km climb to Fotu La top - the highest point on Srinagar-Leh highway. We made it to the top in 2.5 hours and after few pictures, we started the 32 Km long descent towards Memorial Stupa. My front brake cable snapped again and I had to be super careful on the long descent.

We reached Khaltsi and found the town packed with visitors who had come to listen to the Dalai Lama the next day. Sharath insisted on staying in a nice hotel and considering that Khaltsi was packed, we decided to go ahead to the next town. We reached a hotel in Nurla and found that even here all the rooms were booked. After some negotiation, we were able to get a single room with an extra bed.

Fixed new brake cable but found that it was still not holding very well - possibly worn out brake pads. It will have to do for the remaining 90 Km to Leh.

Ang Mo's Kitchen Garden

With Ang Mo

At Fotu La Top

Lamayuru

Tharpaling restaurant - an oasis for travelers

Pho

Riding Day 18 - 19-Aug-2023 - Nurla to Pather Sahib Gurudwara

It is 65 Km from Nurla to Pather Sahib Gurudwarda. I knew I wouldn't be able to go back 12 Km to Khaltsi, spend time at the sermon, and then cycle 77 Km to Pather Sahib. But Clive wanted to see the Dalai Lama, so we decided that he and Sharath would go to Khaltsi while I will continue on alone to Pather Sahib.

I started from Nurla a little before 8:00 am and reached Saspul a little before 10:00 am where I stopped for a nice second breakfast. I stopped many times today to enjoy the scenery and take pictures. It was nice to be riding alone without pressure to keep up, and was my best day on this tour. Stopped for some time at the magnetic hill and watched people taking pictures.

Reached Pather Sahib Gurudwara at 5:00 pm. Parked my bike, freshened up, had several helpings of sweet milk tea, and watched people going about their business. It felt good to be almost at the end of the tour. Spoke to the Gurudwara manager and got confirmation that we can sleep in the hall. There were mattresses that we could use but no pillows or bedspreads. This wouldn't be a problem as we all had our sleeping bags.

Clive and Sharath turned up a little before 7:30 pm. Explained to them the arrangements and both were happy to have a place to sleep after their long day. After they freshened up, we visited the Gurudwara and spent some time there. Later we had prasad at the Langar and then retired for the day. Since the sleeping area was an open hall, there were people coming in and going out throughout the night so had a bit of a disturbed sleep, but still better than the rainy night camping.

With a biker having coffee

Apricots by the roadside

Simple lunch of dal, egg curry, and rice at Basgo

Indus Zanskar Sangam

Bharat Petroleum - World's highest bulk petroleum storage depot (3,440 metres)

Gurudwara Sri Pather Sahib

The sky on fire

Riding Day 19 - 20-Aug-2023 - Pather Sahib Gurudwara to Leh

Just another 25 Km to Leh - half of it downhill and then a continuous climb to Rover's Den hostel. We started a little before 8:30 am and had a couple of stops - one for breakfast and one later at a coffee shop in Leh. It was close to 12:45 pm by the time we reached the hostel.

After few quick pictures, I rushed to the Leh airport to receive my suitcase which was shipped from Delhi by my daughter. Got the suitcase and came back to the hostel. Packed the bike into the suitcase and the rest of the stuff into the duffel bag, had lunch, and took some rest. Later in the evening, we had dinner and I retired early as I had an early morning flight back to Bangalore via Delhi.

Climbing towards Leh

Entering Leh with Shanti Stupa in the distance

Ending the tour

Leh Palace on the hill

Wrapping up and what next?

This was my second longest tour but tougher than the longer Bangalore-Delhi tour. If this route was tough, I can only imagine how much more tougher it would have been if we had taken our original route of Delhi to Leh via Manali which has multiple 5000+ Metres passes.

On this tour I realized the importance of a match in both skills and mindset when touring in a group. The mindset match is probably more important.

I need to travel even slower for a better local experience. This was my first time ever in Punjab and I did not experience the friendliness and fun we all know about Punjab from movies, songs, and punjabi friends. Hopefully, next time.

As I write this, another war has erupted - in Israel this time. Why? Isn't it a fact that no one community can do well when their neighbours are not doing well. With the world becoming smaller due to ease of travel, the entire world can be considered one - both good and bad in any one region will impact almost all. Thanks to Netflix, I have been watching a few international movies - most recently about an Iraqi family living in Australia and another one based in Beirut. From these movies and my tours within India, I can see that the needs and aspirations of all are similar. Then why and what are we fighting for?

Upcoming tours:

Bangalore to Kanyakumari in December 2023. With this, I will complete the Kashmir to Kanyakumari tour this year, even though in three stages.
Delhi (or Chandigarh) to Leh via Manali in June/July 2024.

Few more pictures below from the Leh-Delhi flight. It would be amazing to walk on top of these mountains and glaciers.

Glaciers as viewed from the Leh-Delhi flight

Until next time...