Ride the Himalayas Day 6 7-15-19 Kaza to Moonlake Camp, India

 

Ride the Himalayas    

7-15-2019       Day 6 of the "Ride the Himalayas" Starting in Kaza

The incredible monastery next door to the hotel was as usual, so spectacular that I had to get up early to go shoot it with nobody around.  I took a LOT of photos of it then headed across the road to the many Stupas and probably 100 prayer wheels all lined up.  I enjoyed taking all sorts of shots of these monuments.

After breakfast and packing, off we went to our first destination the Key Monastery.  This is quite a site up on top of the hill with views forever.  I have seen various photos of the monastery and would have liked to get one from where they were taken but.... they were up another mountainside and it was just to steep, I was to tired, I could hardly breath from the elevation and not enough time (is that enough excuses...)  There were a few young monks washing the stairs outside the entrance of the main plaza type area which started at a doorway but it turned out to be a short hallway lined on both sides with beautiful gold leaf or gold painted prayer wheels. Once through the hallway there was a small common area before the stairs up main entrance of the Monastery.  You could walk around up there and in some cases get to the edge of the buildings where no ropes or barriers existed and take quite a fall.  

After seeing that wonderful monastery we motored on through the steep mountains then stopped after we crossed the mighty Chicham Bridge which is at 13,596 ft (4,144 m) and over 1000' above the river below.  (Just don't look down and you'll be alright!)   This bridge saves quite a bit of time between villages and was completed in 2017.  One of our photographers on the trip Vidit took me out on the bridge to a spot and pointed down to the bottom where a tractor or truck went over the side somehow and it didn't look pretty.   

Vidit trying to stay warm.

My knees were hurting pretty bad and felt really bruised from banging against the gas tank.  Being a street rider I guess it's one of the things you learn (hugging the tank with your knees or at least wearing some kind of pads) when riding on dirt bikes but I'm a newbie so I just enjoyed the pain and keep on riding.  ha, ha, ha

 

I'm not sure where we stopped for lunch but it was kind of a sacred place.  A beautiful valley with some horses walking around, quite windy as well.  It was probably  good thing we stopped as the SUV got a flat tire and we watched as much chatter took place about how or what to do.  I'm sure a few of us Yanks could have gotten it done like a NASCAR pit crew but it was fun to see how other folks do things.  While all this was happening someone started playing music on their phone and an impromptu Dance fever moment hit some of the guys; Mischa, Von and Evan were dancin around so funny, we had to take photos and video.  Hahahaha

Most of the road was quite remote and at the top of Kunzum pass there was another shrine area that everyone had to drive around for good luck.  It was super windy/cold  up there on top of the pass (14,931' or  4,551 m) and there were a LOT of prayer flags and other flags.  The site was really quite unique and surprising all at the same time. 

After heading down the other side of this pass through streams and snow we had to wait for some of the others to show up.  My bike was DIRTY!  Here is it with Dave (one of my wing-man) in the background.

If you don't think it is a tough climate up in the Himalayas then this might help you understand, the roads are tough to maintain and there are high winds, huge snow storms that dump a ton and then rock slides and other natural catastrophes.  Take a look at this poor sign that has been through the wringer.

(Amit lead rider, Stephen, Von, Jjr Pawan, and Dave)

Now time to head for our next camp which had MORE spectacular views (are there any bad views in the Himalayas - I think NOT!)  We got to the Moonlake camp and Rahul mentioned we could ride on to a beautiful lake up the road a ways (Chandrataal Lake).  We had to take our passports as we were going into a park and the military security was checking all of us.  Rahul also didn't mention that there were a number of stream crossings and one of the deepest so far which all of us got our boots totally soaked.  There is nothing like cold soaked boots in the morning to start out a new day.  Hahaha.  Here are a few shots of the camp and view.

So Von, Stephen, Dave and I got to the parking lot and then had to hike for about 1/2 a mile  until we could even see the lake, again in moto gear it wasn't easy as we were again in the 14,000 foot elevation range so much huffing and puffing.  It was also chilly, overcast, windy and starting to sprinkle on us.  Here I am looking and feeling rough after another hard day riding and hiking.

  

That night I went down to the dinner tent and nobody was there, it was windy and COLD!  I could hear people in another tent so I walked over and inside there was a wood stove, beautiful rugs all over the floor and everyone was in there chatting and keeping warm.  Later we went back over to the frozen dinner tent and had dinner.  I think the cooks made some pizza (in addition to the regular menu) for us that night which all of us loved.  It was a cold night but we all managed.

 

The other tidbits of news for the day: 

• Yadav broke the forks on his Himalayan but luckily didn't get hurt
  
• A van got stuck in the river crossing it was so deep and to show everyone who is boss  Rahul goes through it riding BAREFOOT!
• Von crashed in some sand but didn't get hurt 
• And somehow my new nickname is "Professor"!
  

 

Ride the Himalayas Day 5 7-14-2019 Mud Village to Komic and back to Kaza

 

Ride the Himalayas    

7-14-2019       Day 5 of the "Ride the Himalayas" Starting in the Pin Valley

We woke up to beautiful blue sky's this morning.  The grounds around our camp were soggy as everything was basically saturated from the river which was raging and only 20-30 yards away.  There were beautiful little purple flowers (a type of Marsh Orchid but did not fit the description of the Himalayan marsh orchid) everywhere which was nice to see in the barren landscape. Mischa and I got up before 5 and he went for a walk to take some of his incredible photographs.  The camp chefs were up early and made pancakes and eggs along with Chai tea which I think is like water to all.

  

After breaking down camp the ride back to the main road was slippery from the mud.  As I finally got to firm ground I made the curve a little to wide and the front wheel got caught up in some large rocks and at less than 2 mph I went down.  At least the bike and I didn't get hurt.  I picked up and Von was there to spot me in a heartbeat.  Paul helped me get it started as there was some computer reset I needed to do with the key.  Once the bike was running I zipped up to the rest of the group.

We headed back out of the Pin Valley National Park and although it had snow leopards, sheep, and a few other critters, we saw none.

The views in these valleys are so vast and mountains seem to go straight up.  You can easily see the way they were created with violent upheavals of rock going every which way.  I'm sure this is a geologists dream come true to visit here.

I kept stopping and shooting but only with my phone as the camera around my neck (Fuji) was gone?  I looked in my mirrors and felt all around but could not see the strap.  After stopping to many times for shots I blasted up to the bridge where everyone was waiting.  I asked Paul to see if he could see my camera and he did, it was hanging around the back side next to my backpack from my spill earlier that morning.  I was much relieved to have it back and available.

Today we kept riding along the river beds and up the the little town of Kaza where we got gas.  It was quite warm in the sun and anytime it hit my head it felt like a blow torch was blasting on it in the thin atmosphere and elevation.  I'm glad I brought my hat that I could put on anytime I took my helmet off.

 From the entrance of the town through the exit and beyond there were many large pipes piled all over for either water or sewage or some kind of town improvement.  We kept on riding along the dusty, bumpy road out of town to our next destination.  Way up the mountainside was a small village called Langza (14,300' - 4360m).  Up high on this mountain the area turned into a nice rolling green grassy hillside with white houses and other buildings.  On the top of one hill overlooking the land was a large Buddha statue that  was being cleaned and repainted. 

We had a group photo in front of the Budha (I'm on the left) then headed on past the worlds highest post office to the worlds highest village, Komic (15,050' - 4587m).  The village had about 114 people, a restaurant and monastery.  We had lunch up there, walked around a bit and rested since all of us were pretty tired.

Heading back down the mountain and back to Kaza a bunch of us stopped where the post office trail was in the village of Hikkim.  I decided I wanted to check it out, what the heck, who knows if I'd ever get back and since I was here - Just do it!   Walking down the trail to the PO (14,567' - 4440m) was not bad but wearing riding gear and boots was not really the proper attire for comfort or hiking.  I had a guy take my photo in front of the place and then I headed back up to the bike. 

 The elevation had me huffing, puffing and just plain took my breath away.   When I got back to the bike Rahul and the tail rider Yadav were there and we all took off down the mountain.   The cliffside road was half paved, lots of holes, water crossings and dusty but it took us back to Kaza where our hotel was waiting and that is all that mattered.

The town of Kaza is below.

We got in at early afternoon which was great so all of us did some laundry, had hot showers, took photos of the incredible Kaza Monastery right next door.  The Kaza monastery took 4 years to build and the Dalai Lama swung by in 2009 according to a monk that came out and talked to me.    Evan, Gala and I went in for a peak and it was absolutely gorgeous inside.

Ride the Himalayas Day 4 7-13-19 - Incredible Monasteries in the Spiti Valley

 

Ride the Himalayas    

7-13-2019       Day 4 of the "Ride the Himalayas"

The wind up at LakeView hotel in Nako was very brisk all night and was great for drying out our clothes (jacket, pants, sox, boots, gloves, shirts, etc.)  Some of the clothes (shirt & socks) were not totally dry but close enough.  

In the morning all of us were rudely interrupted in our sleep by a vehicle alarm that took some time to get shut off.  I wondered why anyone in this tiny village would even have an alarm but it got us up.  HA,HA,HA   We wanted to take a shower but no hot water so we checked our chargers (phones, GoPro's, other cameras) with all the camera batteries and they weren't charged either???  Hmmm...  apparently there was a generator for power (which we didn't know about) and it was turned off around 11:30 PM.  It's a good thing Von Lester and I had a few battery power banks so we hooked them up to our batteries/phones and charged away till after breakfast.   

We were on the top floor of the hotel with a huge patio outside of our rooms, this provided a good view even though it was a little foggy & overcast when we got up.  All of us headed down to the main restaurant for breakfast and were treated to Scrambled eggs which was awesome as we hadn't had those on the trip yet and it was a nice treat.

Rahul did a ride briefing of what we might encounter for the day (he did this every day), then we headed back upstairs to pack and get ready to head out.  Today we would ride to two different monasteries.   

We finally got all packed up and headed out through town on the skinniest of roads.  I'm surprised the larger SUV and Truck made it down there to the hotel but they did.  With anyone walking on it the road was barely wide enough for us to get our bikes through.  The sun was out and it was beautiful now.  

Finally back on the main road we kept heading up and up the pass and over more amazing terrain.  

At another Military checkpoint in the town of  Sumdo (we are the closest yet to the Chinese border at 3-4 km).  They didn't want us to take any photos so of course I was the one they were talking about.  LOL   We can see their post on the mountain across the narrow valley.

I don't know how long it was after that stop but around 11 AM we turned off the main highway and headed up a small dirt road.  We wound our way up the canyon a ways until we arrived at what looked like a small army post and little village.  I'd say there were maybe 50 people in the village and the street had stone walls along both sides that kept folks on the main road and away from the homes.  While riding through the main section of the village there were a bunch of ladies sitting in what appeared to be plastic or lawn type chairs and they were all dressed up with silver headdress type gear that covered their faces.  As we got to the other end of the village there were some trees and a small orchard.  Then IT appeared on the hillside.  There was no mistaking this magnificent monastery.  We wound our way up the road to it and the paint job on it was incredible.  So much detail, so MANY colors and the blending of colors, I could have stayed and shot photos all day.  

This was the famous Gue Monastery next to the village of Gue which is just a few kilometers from the India-China border.   We arrived and were taking photos by 11:30 in the morning.  All of us spread out and were just soaking up the beautiful scenery.  Behind the monastery there was a small building which housed the perfectly well-preserved 550-year-old mummy of Sangha Tenzing.  One thing that was very interesting in the small building housing the mummy was a few photos of the Dalai Lama.   That guy visits all these places which is super cool (IMO).

The roads are continually dusty, lots of construction and treacherous but fun all at the same time.  We rarely get out of 2nd gear and have seen a lot of unique mountain and rock formations today.  Some of the formations looked like the Bad Lands of South Dakota.  

We even met a local guy in the middle of nowhere.  The guy loved meeting us and having his photo taken, I hope he felt like a Rock Star 😀.  The mountains rise very steep from the valley floor and we are now seeing small glaciers along the roadside.  

Ok back on the road to our next stop 40 km away - the Tabo Monastery in the small village of Tabo.  We had lunch on the side of the nice road leading into town under the shade of some trees.  The temp was a bit hot for all of our riding gear so most of us took off our jackets, pants and boots.  

After lunch we were in for a treat as we went to visit one of the oldest monastery's which was founded in 996.  We drove down to the middle of town where the Monastery was and walked to the entrance.  You could not take cameras in and we also had to take our shoes/boots off to go in.  There were a few different rooms, the first room had a short ceiling and there were paintings all over the walls.  Another had all sorts of statues in sitting positions hanging up high on the wall.  These statues were very large, much larger than a regular person.  All of the statues were different and dressed in beautiful outfits.  They were many of the different deities.  The large room was a prayer room with rugs in it.  Towards the back there was an alter area & behind that another small room with a large statue of Maitreya Buddha.  I walked around the backside of the alter and there was a large skylight and I think a lady monk. The funniest part was when I passed by her a cell phone went off and started ringing and it was HERS!  Cell phones were not allowed into the monastery.  LOL

On the way back to the motorcycles a bunch of us stopped by a souvenir shop.  I picked up a small singing bowl for a screaming deal of 1500 INR which is about $22 US.  A large signing bowl I have at home cost me about $250 - Gack!  

Today was a day we had a few bike incidents, Gala went down a few times but nothing serious.  We helped her right the bike and she kept on going   She is doing an awesome job for being only a street rider like me.  She says she is a bit terrified but certainly doesn't show it.  I don't think you should play cards with her.  Ha, Ha  Evan on the other hand went off the road and crashed today, we think he broke his arm.  The most inexperienced of the group he has done an amazing job riding and has good spirits. 

The last section of the road were in the beautiful Pin Valley National Park.

We got to our tent camp today and what an amazing view.  Our camp was about 12,500' and the temp was around 50 F when we went to bed and SUPER windy.  The tents were on a small island and the ground was pretty saturated from the river close by but our tents were on dry ground.

Rahul said it would be the most difficult so far and it was.  

  

 

 

Ride the Himalayas 7-12-19 - Riding Day 3 Eskape Adventure camp to Lake Side Inn

 

Ride the Himalayas    

7-12-2019       Day 3 of the "Ride the Himalayas"

This day is going to be a long one so just prepare yourselves.  After a chilly night I went out to take some photos of this magical area.  So quiet and beautiful with majestic mountains all around.  

The photo below is looking towards China 

So one of the mysteries we all wondered about was how our bags got down here to the camp because you couldn't drive the truck or SUV down the road as it was blocked and the only way here was either on foot or the narrow concrete cow path.  Well we learned quickly.  The support crew was amazing.   The bikes were barely big enough to sit 2 normal people on them but then these guys were hauling up monster oversized luggage and totes!  Incredible.

Here is the fun part heading up to the main road. 

Today's route, the day with the most adventure.

The ride from the Eskape Adventure Camps back down to the Karchamm Dam was quite uneventful.  We stopped for a quick break then headed up Highway 5 until we reached the town of Reckong PEO (where the Monk Travels is on the map) which is way up the hillside from the river below.  

This "stop" would be the first of a few issues that we overcame on this day.   It was here that we had a few hour layover for some sort of pass to go ahead further north on the road.  We had to fill out some paperwork that was turned in along with our passports and then we waited and waited.  While waiting we had lunch and also did a little bit of shopping and photography.  

                          

This was the crew that helped us all along the way.  Yadav (left sitting was our tail gunner), Kapil Dev  (2nd stair our chief RE  mechanic), Dharam Thakur (cook), and sitting on the right is Amit (our leader and fun guy to chase around the Himalayas on the bikes)  

 The photo below is about the same place as the shot of the guys above I just turned left to about the 8 O'clock position and took a photo up the hill. The large tent was for a wedding that was going to happen in the near future with a DJ and the works! 

Turning to the right looks down the road which we drove up.  You can see my bike with my red jacket hanging on it.  There are some small shops along the left side of the road.

This is looking up the canyon where we would eventually be riding.  Road  #5 goes along the river down below but we had to get the OK by the government or something to be allowed to continue or then needed a record that we were there.   I'm not sure of what this checkpoint was all about.

After hours of hanging out we were finally able to start down the road however there was a landslide that blocked the road and we had to take an alternate route.  Since we missed "The Death Road" because I think there was a landslide there the new road was called "Death Road 2"  Rahul said it was just as treacherous or he said that just to make us feel good.  Ha, ha, ha.

Photo by Dave Hamilton

 

After a few miles of this dangerous route we stopped for a quick break.  This was the view from where we came.  The road was a single lane (typical) but VERY few places to pull out and let a vehicle pass if coming from the other direction.  The Indian people have nerves of steel to drive a car, SUV or truck on these roads as it is a LONG way down to the bottom and really no shoulder.

Here we are at the rest stop.

Once we got back down to the main road which was at least another hour of this road we waited until everyone arrived and then headed NE again on highway 5.  I of course was stopping to take photos every few min so I got left behind which was fine with me.  We went up and down and all over the hillsides.  The incredible beauty was around every curve and I wanted to take photos of everything.  Finally I decided I needed to catch up and started making time on the road as the sun was starting to get close to the mountain level.  After what seemed to be another hour I started heading up the mountain side and around one of the curves it looked like a super long parking lot???  What the heck is going on?  I decided to just keep riding and passed hundreds of cars and trucks.  I finally got to the front where the rest of the group was and found out that there was ANOTHER land slide! 

The next 3 photos are by Ken Freund who just hiked up to the slide to check it out.  Great shots of what we were having to wait for.  Somehow they had gotten heavy equipment up there to move the large stones and slabs, where they pushed them over the side of the mountain.

Photos by Ken Freund

What do a group of guys waiting for the BRO (Border Roads Organization) to finish up road work do?  Either hold a protest or take a nap.  Ha, ha, ha  I have no idea who took this photo but we were tired and it felt good to relax.

The sky was turning dark by the time the BRO crew got the road cleared and we were happy to get back on the bikes and head to then next hotel.  The road where they worked was soft & powdery which was a little tricky but once through we all took off. Around the next mountain and then up the switchbacks in total darkness.  I turned around and could see what seemed like miles of headlights heading through the just cleared section.  I wanted to stop and take a photo but it was to dark and I didn't want to get separated from others in our group. 

Of course in the pitch black we (Dave Hamilton and I) came around a corner and there was a sign and some people standing around but I didn't recognize any of them.  Dave stopped and I kept going up the mountain.  Hey, I love curves and was having a great time but after a few min I had passed every car and truck and there was nobody ahead of me.  I had been watching my mirrors and saw someone on a bike slowly catching up so I slowed and it was Amit.  That curve in the road was where we were supposed to turn off to the small village of Nako where our hotel was, The Lakeside Inn.

As usual the small road to the hotel turned into a small trail and dirt but we all parked and checked in.  Our room was on the top floor which was very nice. The funky hallway was to the back and up some irregular stairs was not lit, so a bit of stumbling went on.  Ha, ha, ha   I think most of us either washed our clothes that evening or they were soaked so everyone put them on chairs to dry out on the large balcony.  I told you today was a big adventure.