Ladakh Ride blog – Rider Escaped

Ladakh Ride Day 23 – Finally Reached Kolkata

Rider Escaped — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 09:48:00 +0000

Ladakh Ride Day 23 – Finally Reached Kolkata

We woke up a little late, around 6:30 AM, and packed everything for the last time on this trip. Finally, this was our last stretch of epic Ladakh ride, Aurangabad to Kolkata. We got a little bit delayed due to payment, but it was okay. Quickly mounted all the luggage on the motorcycle and cold-started it.

We enquired about “Litti-Chokha”, a special dish of Bihar, although it is neither fancy to see nor rare to get in different states. The famous shop was around 15 kilometers from our hotel, so we decided to skip it this time.

Roads in Bihar are good for the ride, almost smooth tarmac throughout the state. But the major problem was dodging vehicles coming in the wrong lane; sometimes we could see way ahead, sometimes it became a close call. We cannot change people, so we have to make a safe move, riding consciously.

We stopped at the Swakala toll plaza to have some food. After having puri sabji and tea, we started again. I always feel more fatigued in the last 2-3 days of a trip, so we decided to cover as many kilometers as possible.

Beware of Morons!

We were maintaining steady speeds, and very soon we entered Jharkhand. People generally say, Beware of truck drivers but I always say Beware of four-wheelers although not everyone is a reckless driver. But few are there to put you in an awkward situation.

In a broken patch section, we were moving at 30-40 KmPH speeds due to traffic, and a car from Jharkhand (Maruti Ciaz) started honking. I always give side to anyone, asking for a side. But this time, there are trucks in front, and the driver of that car continued honking for more than 5 minutes. Once I got the required space, I gave them the signal, but those guys crossed us very closely and abused us.

I was about to get tempered, but somehow I managed to stay cool, and that car sped like hell and disappeared almost immediately. This kind of driver can be dangerous for you. BEWARE OF THEM!

We decided to get some rest and have a cold drink, so we stopped at a restaurant, kind of a place. I spent almost 30 minutes having ice cream and cold drinks. We needed it. We saw a few more rash drivers on the way later, but those maintained a good distance while overtaking. It was midday, so we stopped multiple times before entering West Bengal.

In between, we stopped for almost everything: water, snacks, relaxation, refuel, etc. We were begging to stop after every 40-50 kilometers between Aurangabad to Kolkata.

Finally entered West Bengal

Approximately 2 PM, after entering West Bengal, we stopped at a shop to buy cold water. Guess what! We asked him in Hindi, and in three weeks, we got so used to speaking Hindi everywhere. Our home was still more than 200 kilometers away. Now it was time to bear the pain and reach home. The road was butter smooth as usual, so reaching home was easy.

After a long time, we faced the city traffic of Kolkata for almost 5 kilometers. Filtering traffic with the loaded motorcycle was a bit problem; we all have to face the opposite side of the coin. We safely reached home around 7 PM, completing the Aurangabad to Kolkata ride, and yes, we informed Mr. Raj Singh and Mr. Kuldeep Sharma.

It was the biggest ride (6500+ KM) as of now and definitely gave me a bunch of experience, met almost every kind of people, and lastly soaked ourselves in the beautiful nature of Jammu & Kashmir. I will post a few tips and tricks for a long tour shortly.

Conclusion

Being a remote place, a lot of preparation is needed before the Leh Ladakh Tour, be it mentally or physically. Don’t forget the weather in the Ladakh region is extreme, and most of us are not accustomed to it.

So, be prepared, and everything in your Leh Ladakh tour will go well. You may also check out below generic posts below to make your Leh Ladakh trip successful and memorable. I am sure you will love it.

If you are doing a road trip to Ladakh, you may find my Kolkata – Ladakh – Kolkata on a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 journey helpful.

Lastly, get Leh’ed soon.

Although we are in the process of queuing up the next post shortly. Till then, subscribe to the Rider Escaped Newsletter and connect with us on Social platforms to get future updates quicker.

Don’t forget to check out our complete Ladakh Ride Blog series.

Certainly, if you loved this post, share this with your buddies. Also, if I missed out on anything, do let me know in the comments section. I will include it in the post.

Sharing is Caring

Thanks! Have a great day ahead.

The post Ladakh Ride Day 23 – Finally Reached Kolkata appeared first on Rider Escaped

Ladakh Ride Day 22 – Kanpur to Aurangabad

Rider Escaped — Tue, 26 Feb 2019 05:43:00 +0000

Ladakh Ride Day 22 – Kanpur to Aurangabad

It was time to wrap up the whole trip, so we decided not to explore any place but go straight home in 2 days. Our home is exactly 1000 kilometers, so we divided 500 kilometers a day. We woke up early in the morning, which always helps to cover a huge distance in daylight and end up done Kanpur to Aurangabad.

We paid the hotel bill and cold-started the motorcycle. As we came close to the end of the trip, mounting all the luggage on the motorcycle every day became the most boring part of the day. Somehow, we tied everything properly, started the navigation towards the highway. Exiting Kanpur around 07:00 AM was not a challenge, but a few patches were under construction that slowed us a bit. At some time, we hop onto NH., it was time to have tea and boost ourselves.

We stopped at a shop, had tea, and the shop owner was curious to ask about our trip. Once done, we started to ride at full pace. Being on a RE Thunderbird 350, we were cruising at 80-90 KMPH. I always believe a good rider never speeds like hell, and being safe on-road ensures better handling in critical situations. It is okay to speed up while overtaking or to reduce boredom, but keep in mind that safety is the priority.

As usual, we started to feel fatigued on the almost empty national highway, and we stopped at a lot of places to relax. Before entering the Allahabad expressway, we refueled our motorcycle. Our body was seeking proper rest, and we were pushing it to its limit. We had lunch at a Dhaba on the expressway, the taste was good but different.

Riding at a constant speed of 85 KmPH helped us a lot to cover good distances. We stopped at Handia to have cold water, and meanwhile, I asked a nearby mechanic to tighten a few nuts on my motorcycle. I did not want to face any problem due to loose nuts & bolts.

Reaching Varanasi was a bit difficult on the under-construction road and bumper-to-bumper traffic. I hope this construction will be done shortly, which will reduce the travel time in between. Once we reached Varanasi around 3 PM, we suddenly recalled the road conditions waiting for us. More diversions and bad patches in between. A sudden, small bad patch in a buttery smooth road is always dangerous because you have to be more cautious. Although we had an idea of the condition so we covered the distance very consciously.

Sunset near Sasaram was amazing to boost us for another 50 kilometers till the destination of the day.

We managed to enter Aurangabad around 6:15 PM and booked an AC room in the hotel Maa Mundeswari. This hotel has a very good parking area, and the adjacent restaurant is good too. Although there were a few faults in the room, like one water tap was not working, most of the TV channels were off, etc, maybe because of bargaining, they allotted a faulty room to us, but manageable.

It was sufficient for us, so we did not complain much; instead completed our dinner early so that we could get a good time to relax. This was our second time in Aurangabad, and we observed that hotel prices are more in Aurangabad compared to some popular tourist places in the country.

We were about to reach home after a long trip the next day, so we set an alarm a little bit early, put everything on charge, and went to sleep.

Conclusion

If you are doing a road trip to Ladakh, you may find my Kolkata – Ladakh – Kolkata on a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 journey helpful.

Lastly, get Leh’ed soon.

Although we are in the process of queueing up the next post shortly. Till then, subscribe to the Rider Escaped Newsletter and connect with us on Social platforms to get future updates quicker.

Don’t forget to check out our complete Ladakh Ride Blog series.

Certainly, if you loved this post, share this with your buddies. Also, if I missed out on anything, do let me know in the comments section. I will include it in the post.

Sharing is Caring

Thanks! Have a great day ahead.

The post Ladakh Ride Day 22 – Kanpur to Aurangabad appeared first on Rider Escaped

Ladakh Ride Day 21 – Delhi to Kanpur

Rider Escaped — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 12:30:00 +0000

Ladakh Ride Day 21 – Delhi to Kanpur

It was the time to bye Delhi. We had started around 7:30 AM. Delhi to Kanpur was around 530 Kilometers. Due to the busy traffic, we reached the Yamuna Expressway a little late. Although it was around 9 AM, smog covered all around. Riding on the expressway sometimes feel fatigued, and this day was no exception. We paid Rs 205 as a toll tax for our motorcycle and continued on the eight-lane expressway.

We stopped at a Subway around 9:45 AM to have breakfast, we ordered some non-veg burger and cold drinks. In the Yamuna Expressway, food stations were not frequent, approximately a 50-60 km gap in between. So, if you want refreshment or fuel up, do it whenever you get it. It was a bright sunny day, and on the concrete tarmac, we got fatigued every hour, so we were taking a break very frequently.

While taking breaks, we sprinkled water on our faces and waited for 5-10 minutes to overcome the tiredness.

Somehow, dodging the boringness, we managed to reach the outskirts of Agra, and now it was time for the Agra-Lucknow expressway, the smoothest expressway in India as of now. After crossing a few kilometers, we started to feel fatigued again, but not like the Yamuna Expressway, due to its concrete tarmac, we felt more sleepy and fatigued there. Paid Rs. 220 toll tax till Kanpur exit.

This elevated and access-controlled expressway lacks food stations and petrol pumps as of now. We were covering distances very fast, you won’t believe the quality of the roads until you ride there. After 100 Kilometers, we saw a kind of canteen, the food price, as well as taste, was average. We spent half an hour getting relaxed and refueling the tank.

Horrible NH-34

It was around 200 kilometers to Kanpur, and this expressway would end for us in 140 kilometers. We finished the expressway within 1 hour and 45 minutes. Now it was NH-34.

We anticipated, NH-34 would be good like any other National Highway. But to our surprise, it was a single-lane highway, and to be honest, this stretch was the most pathetic in the Delhi to Kanpur section. Maybe we were complaining throughout the day about the boring expressway, that’s why God gifted us this horrible road.

It was dangerous in places, roads were filled with largely sized potholes and cow chips. We could have enjoyed the road in daylight, but in the dark, we chose to cross this place as early as possible.

We struggled a bit to get a budget hotel in Kanpur, so we decided to search near the station area, found Hotel Atithi Galaxy, and navigated therethrough a few congested areas. Budget AC rooms were quite small but clean. I tried to book through Goibibo, but they refused to give a clean room in online booking, so we spot booked for Rs 1000; the motorcycle was parked outside. Definitely, I would never recommend this hotel to anyone, but if you don’t have any other option and want to have clean rooms, you may check in.

They do not have four-wheeler parking, but two-wheeler can be parked in front. Food quality was average. What I felt strange about was their behavior, somewhat rude, and the service people always looked for tips.

It was time to do regular chores, put everything on the charger, set an alarm for the next day, and download maps. Finally, at the end of the Delhi to Kanpur ride, we crashed into bed.

Conclusion

If you are doing a road trip to Ladakh, you may find my Kolkata – Ladakh – Kolkata on a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 journey helpful.

Lastly, get Leh’ed soon.

Don’t forget to check out our complete Ladakh Ride Blog series.

Certainly, if you loved this post, share this with your buddies. Also, if I missed out on anything, do let me know in the comments section. I will include it in the post.

Sharing is Caring

Thanks! Have a great day ahead.

The post Ladakh Ride Day 21 – Delhi to Kanpur appeared first on Rider Escaped

Ladakh Ride Day 20 – Delhi Sightseeing Time

Rider Escaped — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 07:26:00 +0000

Ladakh Ride Day 20 – Delhi Sightseeing Time

It was our last day in Delhi. So, we planned for Delhi sightseeing, to explore a few well-known attractions like Qutub Minar, Red Fort, Jantar Mantar, and Ugrasen ki Baoli. We slept well over 10 hours, so started the day with a fresh mind. Had our breakfast in Kerala Tiffin just opposite our hotel, food was good and cheap too.

We started at 11 AM, our first point for the day was Red Fort. We parked our motorcycle, booked an electric-rickshaw towards the ticket counter. Interestingly, if you pay with a debit/credit card, the entry fee will be less. After a security check, we entered through the famous Lahore gate. The first thing we noticed, is renovation work throughout the fort. We got amazed seeing shops for souvenirs, clothes, and ornaments. There are different points inside, Diwan-e-Khas, Diwan-e-Aam, mosque, etc. same as another Mughal fort. Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built this fort. It had great importance at that time. To know more click here.

After that we moved towards Connaught place, to have our lunch and also to visit Jantar Mantar. We went to KFC, spent some time there having Chicken meals. Jantar Mantar is very near to CP (Connaught Place), there is a parking place too. We bought entry tickets and kept our helmet in the locker room for a small amount. Although this place is very beautifully decorated, those who love astronomy will love this place more. The Jantar Mantar is an equinoctial sundial, consisting of a gigantic triangular gnomon with the hypotenuse parallel to the Earth’s axis. A lot of scientific structures like Samrat Yantra, Jai Prakash, Ram Yantra, and Niyati Chakra, etc. The primary purpose of the observatory was to compile astronomical tables, and to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon, and planets; sources Wikipedia.

Once done we moved towards Ugrasen ki Baoli, a hidden gem. A few well-known movies shot here like PK, Sultan, etc. Although, I liked the place because of less crowds and its structure.

While we started moving towards Qutub Minar, we saw India gate so we stopped to click a photo in Daylight and then moving towards Rashtrapati Bhavan. Motorcycles are not allowed inside the Bhavan premises but the local auto driver told us that Auto or cab can go inside to some extent. We continued through good roads, crossed Ganga, and passed famous AIIMS. Roads in entire Delhi are good in condition, but traffic signals felt a little awkward to me.

Then, we reached Qutub Minar, probably the most famous spot of Delhi sightseeing, bought ourselves entry tokens. There are few points to explore inside Qutub Minar premises. All places are well marked and enough information is also highlighted. Although, this place was crowded than any other spots we visited, definitely worth the visit.

We spend nearly an hour or so and decided to leave to avoid peak hour traffic congestion, reached our hotel. On the way we had panipuri, it was okay-okay. In dinner, we stepped in nearby Domino’s Pizza, had some cheese burst pizzas. While returning to our hotel we refueled our motorcycle to its brim, so that we can start early morning the next day towards home.

We had quite a good experience in Delhi sightseeing but we missed a lot of things like experiencing metro, Akshardham temple, Shalimar Bagh. We will definitely explore all the places on our next visit for sure.

Being a remote place, visiting Ladakh needs lots of preparation to be it mentally, physically. Do check out below generic guides to make Ladakh trip successful, I am sure you will never regret.

This posts are for both riders and non-riders, hope these make your trip successful and memorable, get Leh’d soon.

You can find the composite link of my Kolkata – Ladakh – Kolkata on a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 journey below.

https://riderescaped.com/category/ladakhrideblog/

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Ladakh Ride Day 19 – Shopping for Motorcycle

Rider Escaped — Sun, 03 Feb 2019 03:11:00 +0000

Ladakh Ride Day 19 – Shopping for Motorcycle

After a long time, we slept so well that we woke up around 9 AM, had some tea. It was time to shop for our motorcycle. Initially, I thought of buying a windshield, a digital console bracket that was broken in Leh, and a pair of LED lights. For the last few months, I was following Royal Bullet Accessories World YouTube channel and thought to visit their shop at Karol Bagh, Delhi.

This shop was really good for Royal Enfield lovers, at least the products were way cheaper than Kolkata, not sure about neighboring stores. I got a pair of LED lights and a free electrical Switch; they installed it on the leg guard. The only thing I don’t like is, they fitted the lights by drilling into the crash guards instead; they could have used clamps/brackets/mounts. Drilling crash guard might loosen its strength it. Somehow, I had already purchased the product, and they made a hole in one side, so I did not stop them.

I asked about the windshield; they had the big ones, but I needed a specific size, obviously smaller than they had. I just went to see Chopra Automobiles, Delhi. Yes, this small store is famous for having a dealership of almost every popular brand out there, and all this at a very competitive price. They did not have the required windshield size, I was looking for.

I bought myself a spare tube for the rear wheel. If you don’t know why, check out the Pangong to Leh post. Although I felt they overcharged me, the same tube cost less in Kolkata. I was roaming for my motorcycle’s windshield, it always provides good protection against the wind while riding at speeds, less wind means less fatigue, which results in a continuous ride for a long.

I found a shop, but it was not in stock, but they asked about its shape and size, so I described what I needed. Within 10 minutes, they got one. I had thought of doing a bargain, but after hearing the price, I couldn’t. Rs. 500, and fitting Rs. 150, in Kolkata, I bought it for Rs. 850 + Rs. 150 fitting. It was a good deal, at least to me.

I enquired about the digital meter bracket, and everyone was saying not available separately. As a final resort, I went to the nearby Royal Enfield Service Center, and the service manager was very nice. He tried to get the bracket replaced, but had no luck. He asked one mechanic to glue it, by god, that glue can fix anything. I came back to Kolkata from Delhi, crossing very bad roads in some parts, and to date, nothing has happened.

We went for lunch to a nearby restaurant, Ghamandi Restra. Ambience-wise, it was great, but tasted a little different; the biriyani was good. After that, we rested for some time.

We heard a lot about Connaught Place, so we decided to go there. Traffic in Delhi was comparatively heavier, but manageable; traffic signals were a bit confusing in places. Connaught Place is circular, and all well-known brands have their store there. We parked our motorcycle in Palika parking. Roamed the complete circular way, there are many stalls selling ornaments, books, soft drinks, etc.

One thing I liked the most was the Indian flag at the center. It was hosted with pride, felt great to see. While returning, we visited India Gate, which was well-lit and, due to the late evening rush, was less crowded. So, we parked the motorcycle nearby to an ice-cream seller and walked towards the gate. One of the best things I have ever seen, in the morning also this gate also looks majestic, thoughts beautiful lights that will not be there.

While returning, we had our dinner and came back to the hotel. We talked to our parents, watched some movies, and went to sleep. The next day, we had plans to explore the attractions in Delhi.

Conclusion

If you are doing a road trip to Ladakh, you may find my Kolkata – Ladakh – Kolkata on a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 journey helpful.

Lastly, get Leh’ed soon.

Don’t forget to check out our complete Ladakh Ride Blog series.

Certainly, if you loved this post, share this with your buddies. Also, if I missed out on anything, do let me know in the comments section. I will include it in the post.

Sharing is Caring

Thanks! Have a great day ahead.

The post Ladakh Ride Day 19 – Shopping for Motorcycle appeared first on Rider Escaped

Ladakh Ride Day 18 – Pathankot to Delhi

Rider Escaped — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 06:45:00 +0000

Ladakh Ride Day 18 – Pathankot to Delhi

We woke up a little late, around 7 AM, and freshened up quickly to be on the road as soon as possible. After a long time, we were about to ride on the proper six-lane highway from Pathankot to Delhi. We paid the hotel bill, lubed the chain, the cold started the motorcycle, and mounted all the bags.

Exiting from Pathankot, at around 8:30 AM, was not a problem, and quickly we were on the highway. It was time to munch kilometers again, the road was butter smooth and very soon we crossed approximately 55 kilometers. We stopped at a McDonald’s to have breakfast. After a long time, we had the burgers. It started to get warm outside as time passed, so we quickly had a meal and started towards Jalandhar.

Around 11:30 AM, we started to feel fatigued because of the heat; a few days in the Kashmir-Leh region made the heat impossible to bear. Anyhow, we have to ride and reach Delhi. We were stopping every 40-50 Kilometers and were looking for a shed to take rest, drink water.

At times, it was so pathetic that we thought of staying back and starting late at night. But anyhow, we had a phobia of riding at night, so we continued our journey forward. Struggle to bear with heat!

Around 2 PM, we saw a KFC before Rajpura, and again we stopped to have something; frankly, we stopped because of the AC. Anyway, we had some meals there, spent some more time. By then, we were looking for pleasant weather rather than staying somewhere because we had to ride to our native in the coming 3-4 days, which was about 1800 KM.

Fast forwarding the stops we had, around 4:30, we made a big mistake to miss the Panipat elevated expressway, maybe it started after a toll booth, and as usual, we crossed it from the left side, and bang, we missed. There must be an entry, we thought. But to our surprise, no, we had to continue for 10 kilometers in congested city traffic.

At 05:45 PM, we stopped at a tea stall, had tea, and captured the beautiful sun about to set for the day. Still, 85 kilometers left for the day. It was getting dark, so we rushed a bit. I started to ride carefully because of intermittent traffic due to road construction. Pathankot to Delhi seemed to be very long after the Srinagar-Leh stretch.

Finally, we entered Delhi around 7 PM. It was time to look for Hotels. I had to purchase a pair of fog lamps and windshields for my motorcycle, so I thought to stay near Karol Bagh. We visited 4-5 hotels in the Karol Bagh area, and all were overpriced, considering the amenities they offer; the asking price was not even justified. Somehow, we managed to get a good hotel, “Hotel Le Sancy”. I will not say it is the best, but it works well for us. Rs. 1200 for a day with AC, a clean washroom, and a comfy bed.

We unloaded the bags and parked the motorcycle in front of the hotel; they assured the safety of the motorcycle as they had a 24-hour receptionist and CCTV. We freshened up, ordered food from the menu. Biriyani was not available in the Hotel itself, so the guy bought it from outside and we paid accordingly. It tastes average. We watched movies for some time. We were about to stay there for two days, so we went to sleep without any worry to wake up early the next day.

Egg Biriyani at Hotel Le Sancy, Delhi

Conclusion

If you are doing a road trip to Ladakh, you may find my Kolkata – Ladakh – Kolkata on a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 journey helpful.

Lastly, get Leh’ed soon.

Don’t forget to check out our complete Ladakh Ride Blog series.

Certainly, if you loved this post, share this with your buddies. Also, if I missed out on anything, do let me know in the comments section. I will include it in the post.

Sharing is Caring

Thanks! Have a great day ahead.

The post Ladakh Ride Day 18 – Pathankot to Delhi appeared first on Rider Escaped

Ladakh Ride Day 17 – Banihal to Pathankot

Rider Escaped — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 04:23:00 +0000

Ladakh Ride Day 17 – Banihal to Pathankot

The weather in Banihal was quite pleasant in the morning. We decided to start a little late, and at best, we would stretch till Jalandhar on day 17 of our Ladakh Ride. It was a clear day, sitting next to the beautiful garden and swiping all the pictures from the last few days, I felt quite relaxed.

Around 9:30 AM, we started from Banihal, and moderate traffic congestion was there, and within a few kilometers, it became heavier. It was a stop-and-go kind of situation. Although we were gazing at the beauty around us. A few patches had slush due to the rain that happened last night. Very soon, we were bored with the traffic, which was so dense in places. As usual, like the last day, we started to ride in the opposite lane, although most of the time, it did not work, and we ended up waiting in a queue for a long time. It was frustrating; on top of that, we started to feel warm. In the Morning, it was cold, so we thought it would be moderate throughout the day, but after Ramban, we had to stop aside to remove all thermal wear. Luckily, we had an extra pair of bungee cords, so we tied everything to saddlebags.

Traffic conditions were the same till the Chenani National Tunnel, and again, this tunnel made us happy like water in between desert. This time, we crossed it slowly to notice sounds echoing inside; it was a smooth ride. After crossing the tunnel, we saw a few food stations, so we stopped and had our lunch.

Our plan was to take the Jammu National Highway instead of the shortcut state highway towards Samba directly (more than 45 kilometers). So, we handled the last 20+ kilometers of bad stretch with the happiness of getting a good highway back again. But after reaching Udhampur, we saw some bad patches on the highway, so we decided to take a U-turn and take the known SH route towards Samba. In these bad patches with some good views and lots of pain in the body, we finally reached Samba.

For the first couple of Kilometers, we sped like 90-95 KMPH, after that we settled down on a steady 70-80 KMPH because of drowsiness. Our bodies were aching like hell, and we wanted a good amount of rest, so we decided to reach Pathankot by sunset.

We were checking on the Goibibo, MakeMyTrip apps to get some good deals. We reached Hotel Abhi International, found on (Goibibo), and checked the rooms. Finally, I made the payment for the booking on the app with a good discount. It was our first time booking a room through the app. And we got a shock from the hotel manager that there is no confirmation for our booking. Somehow, the guy felt our tiredness and allowed us to check in first.

We called the customer care, and within 15 minutes, the manager got the booking confirmation email. I must admit the quality of support Goibibo had provided; otherwise, we would have had to pay again. We ordered some snacks and tea, freshened up, and went outside to try local panipuri (Gol Gappa), one of the best panipuris we had ever.

I came back to the hotel room, packed everything properly in bags, put everything on the charger, switched on the AC, and crashed in Bed.

Conclusion

If you are doing a road trip to Ladakh, you may find my Kolkata – Ladakh – Kolkata on a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 journey helpful.

Lastly, get Leh’ed soon.

Don’t forget to check out our complete Ladakh Ride Blog series.

Certainly, if you loved this post, share this with your buddies. Also, if I missed out on anything, do let me know in the comments section. I will include it in the post.

Sharing is Caring

Thanks! Have a great day ahead.

The post Ladakh Ride Day 17 – Banihal to Pathankot appeared first on Rider Escaped

Ladakh Ride Day 16 – Kargil to Banihal

Rider Escaped — Sat, 26 Jan 2019 10:43:00 +0000

Ladakh Ride Day 16 – Kargil to Banihal

It was around 5 AM, I woke up. Outside was really cold, maybe it rained last night. We already had planned to start early so quickly got ready. Around 7:30 AM, we started after paying our hotel bill. It was still quiet outside. Our plan was to cover Kargil to Banihal or beyond.

The road was empty. So we quickly covered a good distance and reached Drass. Here we stopped for a tea break, locals were good to speak with us. They advised us to cross Zoji la before 12 to avoid snowfall, even three guys from Maharashtra, we met last day also faced the same problem.

Ah! I forgot to mention, I was running on reserve fuel of my motorcycle by then, although it was approximately 5 liters. But in these terrains, mileage would be less. Somehow we did not have any option rather crossing Sonamarg and look for petrol bunk.

After crossing the checkpoint before Zoji La pass, we stopped for some time for refreshments. This place itself is quite beautiful. Roads were slippery in Zojila due to snowfall and rain last day, we were riding slowly but the passing by trucks and cars were likely in rush. They were overtaking in don’t care manner. It was a narrow road so we were looking on mirrors and let others pass. Keep in mind “Safety is no. 1 priority”.

This time we did not stop at the top because of its situation. By then we were feeling, how this Zoji La would be at the beginning of the season, definitely worth the listing in “one of the most dangerous roads in the world”. But the complete circuit looks way more beautiful than it was earlier.

Once the road became smooth, we were started thinking about fuel. We hardly could go 60-70 KM on a good patch now. With all the worry, we were riding through a beautiful valley, not even stopped to have some food also. Probably near Kullan, it started drizzling a bit, now we were rushing to avoid the cloud. Literally, looking at clouds, we were calculating should we wear rain liners or not. Drizzling was intermittent so we did not stop to put rain gears and moved ahead.

Finally, after 130 KM from Drass, we got an HP petrol pump and refueled till its brim.

Our plan was to rush as far as possible and also to watch Dal lake one more time. So, we had our lunch at a local shop, it was one of the worst biriyanis I ever had. I would rather call it rice with boiled chicken. We took the diversion and reach the Dal lake. Then we stopped at the local shop to have some juice so that we can buy some time to see the lake. We came to know that something happened last to the last day so security was quite tight.

Without wasting time we straight to Anantnag. We got six-lane road after a long time and started to speed up. This time we noticed, there are multiple shops to buy the famous “Kesar” and Kashmiri Bat. Within a very short time, we reached Qazigund and got stuck in traffic. We were in a flyover and middle of all vehicles.

No choice but had to wait for some time until few localities asked us to follow them, We started to move ahead from the opposite lane, this lane was completely empty. Once we crossed the flyover they suggested taking the opposite lane to avoid the congestion. Even some four-wheelers were also doing the same.

You will not believe we had to do the same thing till Banihal, yes, more than 35 KM we rode on opposite lane sometimes rushing on empty lanes, sometimes dodging incoming traffics. It was getting dark. So we decided to stay at Banihal.

We spot booked JKTDC Banihal for some Rs. 1000, it was a great room and the outside looks amazing. Within 45 minutes it started to rain heavily with the thunderstorm. It was a good decision to stay here otherwise we would not able to make it till Ramban.

The manager of the hotel was a very kind man, he stays with his family. Even the food was also very good. I will recommend this place always than staying anywhere at Ramban.

If you are on a road trip and planning to stay before Srinagar, it is the place for you. Other options can be Patnitop or some offbeat places. But please don’t stay in Ramban.

The traffic jam was there whole night even next day also till Chenani.

Ladakh Ride Day 15 – Leh to Kargil

It was our last day in Leh, still Leh – Manali route was blocked due to heavy snowfall. We did not have any choice to...

January 24, 2019

Ladakh Ride Day 17 – Banihal to Pathankot

The weather in Banihal was quite pleasant in the morning. We decided to start a little late, and at best, we would stretch till Jalandhar...

January 29, 2019

Ladakh Ride Day 18 – Pathankot to Delhi

We woke up a little late, around 7 AM, and freshened up quickly to be on the road as soon as possible. After a long...

January 30, 2019

Conclusion

Being a remote place, a lot of preparation needed before Leh Ladakh Tour, be it mentally or physically. Don’t forget the weather in the Ladakh region is extreme and most of us are not accustomed to it.

So, be prepared and everything in your Leh Ladakh tour will definitely go well. You may also check out below generic posts to make your Leh Ladakh trip successful and memorable. I am sure you will love it.

If you are doing a road trip to Ladakh, you may find my Kolkata – Ladakh – Kolkata on a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 journey helpful.

Lastly, get Leh’ed soon.

Although, we are in a process to queue up the next post shortly. Till then subscribe to Rider Escaped Newsletter and connect with us on Social platforms to get future updates quicker.

Don’t forget to check out our complete Ladakh Ride Blog series.

Certainly, if you loved this post, share this with your buddies. Also, if I missed out on anything do let me know in the comment section. I will include it in the post.

Thanks! Have a great day ahead.

The post Ladakh Ride Day 16 – Kargil to Banihal appeared first on Rider Escaped

Ladakh Ride Day 15 – Leh to Kargil

Rider Escaped — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 08:10:00 +0000

Ladakh Ride Day 15 – Leh to Kargil

It was our last day in Leh, still Leh – Manali route was blocked due to heavy snowfall. We did not have any choice to stay back for a day. So, we planned to cover Leh to Kargil on that day.

As usual, we woke up, sit behind the window with a cup of tea, soaking ourselves in the best possible view for the very last time on this trip. We packed all our luggage, paid the hotel bill, and went to meet our well-wisher, Mr. Kuldeep Sharma, and Mr. Raj Singh. With their blessing, we started from Leh around 10 AM.

It was painful to say goodbye but we had to. We were returning from the same Leh-Srinagar route. So, we will not bore you guys with the same things rather something we did not experience earlier.

Firstly, we spent some time in the Magnetic Hill spot, to see cars moving against gravity. It was fun, there were two shops to rent out ADVs and go further on the hills, although they have already marked the path. If you like adventure, you must try.

Instead of spending time in Lamayuru town, we spent some time a few kilometers before. It was a quiet surrounding, even passing vehicles were not honking. Local said mountains in this range are made of Multani mitti which is very good for the skin. Check out the below image, isn’t this place beautiful? Let me know in the comment box.

Then something happened which we had never experienced before. Suddenly it started to drizzle while climbing Fotu La top and very soon we saw snow on our windshield, yes snowfall. We were happy and scared at the same time because snow is something which can cause loose traction and we are not used to it. Although we had ridden on snow during Khardungla and Changla but come on, that was something we can see and this we could not predict where the little snow is. Somehow, we rode slowly and managed to cross the patch. It was a thrill.

Obviously, it was colder than the day we were going towards Leh. Roads were the same and we easily entered Kargil on time.

Note: Local people again collected Rs. 50 for entry to Kargil like last time. To be frank I doubt their authenticity.

I booked the same hotel Silk Route Inn, this time we bargained a bit and got the same room for Rs. 800. We met three bikers from Maharashtra, they were also staying in the same hotel and the next day they would leave for Leh. They had wasted 4-5 days in Manali due to the blockage. Somehow they managed to come this way.

Due to almost offseason, they did not have Tata sky recharged, so they had to wait until they change the complete box.

Cook was still not there so we went outside and had Chicken Roll in dinner. Our initial plan was to reach Drass but somehow we spent some more time on the way. Okay, no issues, you should never rush but enjoy the trip.

Ladakh Ride Day 14 – Pangong Lake to Leh

I woke up before 06:00 AM and went to the washroom. I saw frozen water everywhere except for the bucket. It was freezing cold outside...

January 20, 2019

Ladakh Ride Day 16 – Kargil to Banihal

It was around 5 AM, I woke up. Outside was really cold, maybe it rained last night. We already had planned to start early so...

January 26, 2019

Ladakh Ride Day 17 – Banihal to Pathankot

The weather in Banihal was quite pleasant in the morning. We decided to start a little late, and at best, we would stretch till Jalandhar...

January 29, 2019

Conclusion

If you are doing a road trip to Ladakh, you may find my Kolkata – Ladakh – Kolkata on a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 journey helpful.

Lastly, get Leh’ed soon.

Although, we are in a process to queue up the next post shortly. Till then subscribe to Rider Escaped Newsletter and connect with us on Social platforms to get future updates quicker.

Don’t forget to check out our complete Ladakh Ride Blog series.

Certainly, if you loved this post, share this with your buddies. Also, if I missed out on anything do let me know in the comment section. I will include it in the post.

Thanks! Have a great day ahead.

The post Ladakh Ride Day 15 – Leh to Kargil appeared first on Rider Escaped

Ladakh Ride Day 14 – Pangong Lake to Leh

Rider Escaped — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 10:28:00 +0000

Ladakh Ride Day 14 – Pangong Lake to Leh

I woke up before 06:00 AM and went to the washroom. I saw frozen water everywhere except for the bucket. It was freezing cold outside and windy. I met Sarat Uncle, a guy from Pune. He is 64 years old, I have never seen a man of this age active like him. He came along with 10 more people and all are above 60 years old.

We both were roaming. At the backside of the camp, we found a small water body, half-frozen. We were capturing pictures and suddenly the sun came out. It was like a pleasant surprise. we witnessed the sunlight started to fall on snow-capped mountains. So, calm surroundings.

I forgot to mention, last day we called our parents from one telephone booth near to our camp, they charge Rs.5 per minute. Only BSNL postpaid occasionally works here, although no reliability.

After we came to camp, the hotel staff gave us a bucket of hot water. After freshened up, we had breakfast and decided to start a little late. We all wanted to touch Pangong Lake, so we all went to the bank and spent more than an hour.

Finally, around 09:00 AM we came back to camp and packed everything. Sarat uncle and his friends left around 09:15 AM, all of them were kind enough to wish us a happy journey, even they shared some hand made dry food with us. We left for Pangong to Leh around 09:45 AM. Pangong was looking majestic, it was bluer than last day and as we move ahead, shades were changing. We stopped to click pictures near 3 idiot point.

The return journey on the same route left nothing to describe again. But somehow I was missing the beauty of Pangong. We tried to cover kilometers fast because we had to cross Changla Pass (one of the most unpredictable passes en route Pangong to Leh).

Just 10-12 Kilometers before, we saw many riders gathered for something. We stopped and found, one couple had a puncture in the rear tire. They stopped others. Local drivers stopped and tried to fix the puncture but due to the unavailability of a proper puncture repair kit for the tube, they were failing. I gave my spare tube and within 10 minutes they changed it.

They tried to compensate with money but it was our gift to them. making someone trouble free made us happy, why we need money to help someone. We were sharing road condition details and after some time we blessed each other and moved ahead.

We had to share the token number to Tangtse check-post. We were taking short breaks until we crossed Changla Pass. Road condition changed after Durbuk, it was snow all around. On some stretches, roads were slippery due to the snow melted mud. Somehow, I was more scared than Khardungla, because of stiff climb in turns, lack of oxygen and slippery road condition, motorcycle started to feel out of breathing although it managed to reach the top without any hiccups. Nothing to describe here in words rather, below pictures will tell everything for me.

We stopped at the cafeteria, ordered coffee to get warmth. Spend approximately 30 minutes and started to decent. Till some odd kilometers, snow was there on road. After that most of the roads till Karu were either broken or under construction. We literally managing to balance sometimes, although it was very adventurous for us.

10-15 Kilometers before Karu we got network connectivity and immediately our phone rang. It was our parents, asking for our status. Quickly conveyed them, we are okay and will call once we reach Karu. We were glad to get a fresh tarmac of 4-5 Kilometers to Karu, speeded a little bit to have the feel.

Karu is a junction from where Pangong and Manali route diverts. A lot of restaurants were there. We had some parantha and tea. When I called my mom, I came to know that the Leh-Manali highway is still closed due to heavy snowfall & landslides. More than thousands of visitors were stuck. We thanked God for not going towards Tso Moriri, locals can manage drive in heavy snow but we cant.

Within an hour we reached Leh, I straight towards Tashi Bullet Workshop to get my motorcycle checked. Once done, we came back to the same hotel, Hotel Ladakh Heaven. Pangong to Leh’s journey was definitely adventurous.

OMG, they kept all our luggage in the same room we stayed days back. We again met the families we bid on Day 12. They were happy for us and asked to share our journey. Mr. Kuldeep Sharma, gave me Rs. 101 as a blessing. So, kind of them. We were truly amazed to see someone, caring so much for us.

We had dinner and set an alarm, put everything on the charge. Last day in Leh.

Due to heavy snowfall, we did not cover Tso Moriri, Leh-Manali route, and a few other places, but this is an opportunity for us to come back again. The most important point was, we were safe all the time. Thank you, God.

You may also like to check our Pangong to Leh Ride video below. This our first series of Moto-Vlog videos. Share your feedback to improve us.

Ladakh Ride Day 13 – Diskit to Pangong

I woke up early morning around 05:30 AM, it was a pin drop silence all around. We got hot water around 06:00 AM, quickly freshen...

January 16, 2019

Ladakh Ride Day 15 – Leh to Kargil

It was our last day in Leh, still Leh – Manali route was blocked due to heavy snowfall. We did not have any choice to...

January 24, 2019

Ladakh Ride Day 16 – Kargil to Banihal

It was around 5 AM, I woke up. Outside was really cold, maybe it rained last night. We already had planned to start early so...

January 26, 2019

Conclusion

If you are doing a road trip to Ladakh, you may find my Kolkata – Ladakh – Kolkata on a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 journey helpful.

Lastly, get Leh’ed soon.

Although, we are in a process to queue up the next post shortly. Till then subscribe to Rider Escaped Newsletter and connect with us on Social platforms to get future updates quicker.

Don’t forget to check out our complete Ladakh Ride Blog series.

Certainly, if you loved this post, share this with your buddies. Also, if I missed out on anything do let me know in the comment section. I will include it in the post.

Thanks! Have a great day ahead.

The post Ladakh Ride Day 14 – Pangong Lake to Leh appeared first on Rider Escaped

Ladakh Ride blog – Rider Escaped

Ladakh Ride Day 23 – Finally Reached Kolkata

Beware of Morons!

Finally entered West Bengal

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Ladakh Ride Day 22 – Kanpur to Aurangabad

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Ladakh Ride Day 21 – Delhi to Kanpur

Horrible NH-34

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Ladakh Ride Day 20 – Delhi Sightseeing Time

Ladakh Ride Day 19 – Shopping for Motorcycle

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Ladakh Ride Day 18 – Pathankot to Delhi

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Ladakh Ride Day 17 – Banihal to Pathankot

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Ladakh Ride Day 16 – Kargil to Banihal

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Ladakh Ride Day 15 – Leh to Kargil

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Ladakh Ride Day 14 – Pangong Lake to Leh

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