Archive for September 2008
Ladakh Ride – The Celebrated Moments
A follow up on the last post of my, now, not-so-recent Ladakh Bike Trip.
The 15 day road trip which I undertook along with Chamoli Dada and Surbhit in June this year hardly had any unsung day. And hence a detailed post (in all probability) will document all as it happened. But for now …
Presenting a photo-stream of the high points, of each day, of those 15 days.
Day I (June 8, 2008) : With clouds looming large, we made our first pit stop for tea around 4AM somewhere on NH1. I took the opportunity to fasten my rain gear one more time!
Day II : Had to reach Srinagar by sun down but … instead we camped on the banks of Chenab at Ramban
Day III : Cooling our heels in a houseboat on Dal Lake, Srinagar.
Day IV : Riding atop Zoji La. It was one treacherous climb amidst strong cross winds and loose gravel!
Day V : It took this women to stage a mini drama before the route (Kargil to Leh and vice-versa) was unblocked. The protest (road block) was against the fuel price hike.
Day VI : And we were in Leh, finally!
Day VII : Local sight seeing in and around Leh. This is the Shanti Stupa, one of the few places which was brimming with tourists.
Day VIII : The crowning moment! We crossed Khardung La – the highest motorable road in the world!
Day VIII : Descending into the Nubra valley. Words fail me here! The stark differences surprised me no ends. Vast desert (sand dunes too) with Bactrian camels and vegetation/lake exist in complete harmony here.
Day VIII : This was the end of the road for us. Panamik Lake and the Wish Pond were to remain unseen, probably for another time 
Day IX : A half constructed house came to our rescue. Phew!
Day X : The Chang La had to be conquered before witnessing the magnificent Pangong Tso
Day X : Fresh and Scrumptious grub! Steaming hot rotis and mutter paneer on the way to Pangong Tso.
Day X : Eyes wide Open, Mouth Shut. The highest salt water lake in the world – Pangong Tso
Day XI : Tarmac a la Serpent. Rode back to Leh from Pangong Tso
Day XII : Time to bid adieu to the Air Force Station and Leh.
Day XII: A personal milestone for Madonna! Somewhere on More Plains.
Day XIII : Read it for yourself. A day in the life of a Biker.
Day XIV : This town in Himachal Pradesh (near SunderNagar) was our pit stop for more than 5 hours. Why? Well, I’ll keep that for later
Day XV : Last stop before New Delhi – Karnal. Let me tell you – Lassi is a godsend in the summers of the North.
This was more than just a glimpse of the road trip, which I would love to do again. But there is still much more than meets the eye. You have to be there to feel it for yourselves. Posts in the ‘Ladakh Ride’ series will continue for some more time! Hope you like ‘em
Move (not Rock) On … ?
Disclaimer : This post has nothing to do with the recent blockbuster (so I have heard) ‘Rock On’. The similarity in the title with the same is purely coincidental and unintentional.
To say that it seems like it was only yesterday would be an exaggeration.
The other extreme, that the last two years dragged along would be a white lie.
Don’t mistake me for a Buddha follower when I take the middle path in saying that the last two years have been a mixed bag.
September ‘06 was when this blog started and it was the same time when I first moved to Bangalore. As one might think, the reason was a job shift.
To be precise, it was September 4th 2006 when I had my induction!
… Did you say I should have celebrated it with a toast yesterday?
Well, I keep raising toasts to life every now and then. Hence, I let this occasion pass!
It’s a no-brainer that work has been a non-descript affair, mostly. But Bangalore has been(was?) a welcome change. I certainly cannot go gaga over the city. There are 152 better places to live in the the world than this (Source: Busineesweek)
I do not know what tomorrow holds for me. But for now it appears that – “sab kuch thama hua sa hai” (Everything seems to stand still) as Sam put it in this short-note-of-a-post of hers.
