LANSDOWN CIRCUIT (March 2016)

It was a long weekend during Holi and we had a Short crisp plan for just five days. Lansdown is the nearest hill station from Delhi. I had been there for so many times but that was going to be my first bicycle ride in that region. During my early touring days, I read one cyclist blog who attempted the Lansdown ascent from Kotdwar side. Read was interesting, but then I realized, he exaggerated about the steepness, as the ride was smooth and moderate.

The Circuit

This was Rajesh’s second tour. And I was trying to make it little easy for him. Our Original Plan was to start from Lansdown but Due to some safety issue for my car breaks, we decided to start from Dugadda, where the actual uphill ride starts. We couldn’t get PWD rest house for the night stay and contended with a home stay on the main road. For rest of the journey we enquired about all the possible stays on the way. During every such tour, it’s every evening adventure to get a suitable stay. Rajesh was getting bit worried about the steep route for next morning, so we decided to start very early.

In morning, after taking a light breakfast we managed to start at 7:30am. Road was clean wide with mild traffic. ORS solution was good idea for energizing ourselves. With 9-10 short halts we managed to finish 25km steep ride in 3Hrs, last 5km from Deria khal were challenging with more degree in slope. Lansdown is the headquarter for Garhwal rifles. And they won first prize for best campus many times. This reflects from the cleanliness of the area. We also saw a documentary on Garwal Rifles which tells about its history. After having a meal we rode up to the highest point, Tip & Top. Over all the town is good but staying there on weekend is expensive. Only few resorts like GMVN (at Tip & Top especially their tree houses) and Fairy Dale are worth staying. We had half day remaining so we decided to stay at a place called Sisaldi, which was about 12 km away on Tadkeshwer road.

It was a steep enjoyable downhill ride for next 9 km. It’s mentally tough negotiating uphill at the end of the day. Last 3km were bit tough. On the way we decided to take a shower from a tap on the road which revitalized our body and soul. Sisaldi lies in the middle of two valley vistas. We arranged our stay below a small shop which had a silent surrounding. Village had a very picturesque location with small temple at one corner hill and had a view toward Corbett national park. Locals cautioned us about a man

eater tiger who took away a child recently. Fear is always thrilling and we already had tiger reserve on our further route.

During breakfast next morning, an old man asked our whereabouts and about our journey. I said “I’m a local boy and Rajesh is from Dehradun. And we will be going to Dugadda via Rathwadhab skipping Tadkeshwar Mahadev”.  With a Surprised gesture he asked why we want to skip Tadkeshwar as it’s a famous local shrine situated in the middle of deodar forest. I replied “I am Aswal by the way”.  Old man understood the reason. Every local was aware that Leaves of Sal Tree & Rajput Aswals were not allowed in the temple due to old beliefs. This question was asked a lot of times during this journey. Contrary to old beliefs, I already had visited Tadkeshwar 15 years back when I was in college. That time I was not aware of the local sayings.

From Sisaldi we had a steep route ahead till the highest point called Chakuliakhal from where Tadkeshwar Mahadev Temple was just 5km away. There was a dense forest of Burans (heritage edible flower of Uttrakhand) on the way. And then came, the longest downhill ride I ever had. Road quality was superb. From chakuliyakhal till Rathuwadhab there was no uphill ride. There is a beautiful valley, Panisain on the way with lot of flat surface along with rivulet.

Cycle Repair

Immediately after crossing Panisain Rajesh front cycle tyre burst. We had extra tube but small pump was not working. Luckily, help arrived on a motorcycle. That person took Rajesh to nearby house which had mechanical pump. We fall behind by one hour which cost us lunch at Gadipul a small market. Valley opened up wide with oak trees. Soon we joined up with the Corbett park peripheral road. Landscape with the wide river on right and dense forest on the left was amazing. Ratuadhab was at the confluence of the rivers. At Forest rest house we requested Ranger for our night stay. He didn’t allow us for the Bunglow as the reservation was possible only through the internet. And one has to reserve Bunglow as well as safari at least 45days before for such deep forest Corbett properties. Somehow Ranger officer allowed us to stay in the outhouse for the night as we didn’t had option as it was getting dark. Outhouse was a mini zoo with lots of noise but we managed that show with some volatiles.

Route for the next day was through the dense forest. With initial gradual uphill for 10km there was smooth downhill. We could have stayed at jungle rest house which was 17km away but there were no supplies. There was a lot of variation in landscape at Sonn Nadi area with flat grazing areas for elephants and narrow valleys with small rivulets. We had our lunch at Dhontiyal, and steep uphill started after 3km for almost 10km up till Sendhikhal. PWD guest house at sendhikhal was in ruin, area was a good camping site with water and views. After that there was a downhill stretch till village and about 2-4 km uphill ride. And at last there was a steep downhill maroon color road till Dugadda. This ended our circuit at around 3pm. Over all this circuit is good for long weekend trip.

MANALI TO KILLAR (October 2015)

MANALI TO KILLAR

Cycle Tour, October 2015

It was already late in October for any cycle trip beyond Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh.  My friend Bhanu was poking me since last year for another cycle tour. I was very tightly packed with project schedule. Somehow, I managed to get this weekend to weekend nine days vacation for a thrilling ride. This time we had a new group member, Rajesh who was daring to take his chance for his very first attempt. Our planned route was through Rohtang pass and Sach Pass. Rohtang remains open officially till 15 November and Sach remains open till 15^th of October. That means government will be clearing the road if any snowfall occurs.

We loaded our bikes on Volvo Bus from Delhi to Manali on Saturday night. Bhanu has a bad habit of rescheduling plans. He fixed our lunch with his facebook friends at Patlikull about 30km before Manali. We had a great lunch in the middle of apple orchid. And we decided to start off from there only. During cycle tours we always choose a less traffic road option no matter if it’s a longer one. So we took the route via Nagar (old capital of Kullu). The road was steeper than what we expected. Our shoulders start touching our knees. First day is always thrilling & your adrenalin pumps extra hormone, especially when people admire you on the way. We reached late at night. It doesn’t matter if Old Manali is at the extreme end of the main. we like to stay there only to synergies our spirit with its vibrant environment.

Next day we started very late at around 1pm as we invested time on buying necessary gears like Velcro, cap, sunscreen, first aid kit, etc. With four Paranthas, each of us packed their belly tight for long battery backup. Rajesh was learning shifting gears on the second day as previous day because of dark, he didn’t have time to practice. We had lunch at village called Kothi near Palchan 12 Km after Manali. And after that it was continuous pedaling up to Marhi which was 50Km from Manali. Cycling in the dark was risky but after shutting down our lamps, we discovered that rhythm of pedals on the smooth steep curvy road in moonlight was actually distressing our bodies. There were two grey moonlighted canvases, the road & the sky, on which, lot of trees were painted black with their shadows.

Willows vista at Sissu

Marhi was the last stop before Rohtang Pass. Next 17Km were most challenging we were at high altitude. Because of low pressure, air was thin and breathing was difficult. We started at 10:30am and it took 2.5hrs to reach the top. We crossed more than 17 hair pin bends. Chilled air was cutting my face on every alternate segment. With every road bend, altitude on my watch was increasing by 50m and the view was getting wider. Reaching top was more satisfying than any design troubleshooting. We celebrated for some time and moved on to the other side of the Rohtang. For 5Km road was smooth. Soon it transformed into a rocky-shocky ride.  440Velectric waves were ejecting out of the handle which shook my skeleton with every jerk. Uphill rides are difficult but safe whereas Downhill rides are enjoyable but riskier. And at higher altitude downhills are very chilling because you don’t pedal and body temperature decreases. You have to stop very frequently for temperature makeup. Downhill ended at Khoksar and it started raining when we reached there. Bhanu was with me but Rajesh left before the rain. We stopped for the lunch but rain didn’t. Only Bhanu had alternate BSNL connection which was in network so we couldn’t contact Rajesh. We decided to stay at Khoksar only and thought, we will catch Rajesh on the way next morning.

Khoksar - one point Perspective

We had a weather forecast for snow and rain till next day morning. We were chilling at PWD guesthouse it ended at 12noon. From there onward we had a long route along the river Chenab. It was a smoothie straight ride from Khoksar and we enjoyed the picturesque beauty of the landscape at Sissu. I can never forget the vista of autumn matured pale yellow willows & poplar trees on the road. We asked so many people on the way, who were coming from the opposite direction but there was no sign of Rajesh. At Tandi we stopped for the lunch. There people told us about Rajesh, that he was a bit confused about which way to go. But he stick to the planned route and headed toward Udaipur. Bhanu wanted to chill at Keylong (capital of Lahoul) which was 7 Km from Tandi but on the Leh Highway. I was getting worried about Rajesh as I was feeling responsibility. So I decided to scout toward Udaipur, alone. It was Late at 4pm and sun would be down in next 2 Hrs. It was a lonely ride but the road was almost straight and I reached Thirot at 7pm. There was a probability of Rajesh staying at PWD Guesthouse at Thirot. Soon I found him eating dinner alone. We both smiled and things were OK again. I left message for Bhanu that we will be proceeding further on the Planned Route.

Confluence near Tandi

    

Pangi Valley

Quality of road degraded as we moved toward Udaipur. There were two very famous pilgrimages on the way Trilokinatha Temple & Mirikula Devi Temple. Udaipur had a full-fledged market where we had local milk. It also had a beautiful river bank. We got surprised seeing the condition of Road which was washed away with small rivulets flowing over them. And some people warned us for rock fall areas on the way. We planned for Purthi for the day but we could pull our bikes for next 25Km only from Thirot. We stayed at PWD guesthouse at Tindi. Best thing about these PWD Guesthouses is that, they are cheap (Rs.300-400 tariff) and they have good quality of bedding, spacious landscape around and mesmerizing views from the window. Tindi Guesthouse was on the hill across the river.  We had some trouble with the drunken caretaker when he denied for our stay without police permission. But all got settled when we had local wine on the dinner.

Bad roads after Udaipur

Road condition remained same but there was a beautiful jungle on the way when we entered Pangi Valley. Color contrast of five layers Black road, Cyan Chenab, Green forest, Snow white and blue sky on the top were forming a surreal compositions. I had already decided during the start of this journey to stay at PWD guesthouse at Purthi. As I read on someone’s Blog about the ghost of a British forest officer which roam around the guesthouse. It was located in the middle of the wildlife century. This classic property with a big drawing hall and cozy bedroom was about 150yrs old. While we were basking in the beauty of dense forest, Bhanu was roaming alone in the high Miyar Valley. With the same landscape we reached Killar. This town was bigger than Udaipur. That was the unlucky day for us when we got to know that Sach Pass got blocked during last snowfall. So we had two options left further. We could have continued our journey via Kishtwar which was 120Km away. But that was a longer route through Jammu. Going back to Manali was the better option for time saving. So we took a shared jeep, tied our bikes on the roof. We also picked Bhanu on the way and reached Manali back on one the single day. 

Chandigarh to Manali (August 2010)

Biking through the Himalayas

One great day in August 2010, Bhanu called me up and asked “Hey Deepak, have you ever thought of cycling up to Ladakh?” I said “Are You Mad!!?? What about the bicycles and leaves?” He said “Don’t worry about bicycles. We have ORBEA as our sponsors; office leaves are up to you.” And that’s how it all started. Bhanu was senior to me in college. We had one thing in common – ‘Passion for Adventure’.

Negotiating Steep road near Kofridhar

As this was my first Bicycle Tour, I prepared for it with all the seriousness. I wanted to keep this event personal but Bhanu pushed it to the newspaper, radio, and internet – wherever he could. After all, he’s a marketing guy. We started from Panchkula after an interview with Big FM. As we approached Parwanoo, the road got steeper and I was getting out of breath. This was the first time that we had engaged 2x2 speed gears. It was difficult to decide on the correct speed gears on the slope as for some of the steeper stretches 1x2 speed gear was also inappropriate (for our bikes 1x1 was the lowest and 3x7 was the highest speed gear). Soon our energy drained off, as we were struggling with the slope without carbs and fluids. After having some glucose and roasted maize from the road side, we moved on. After Dharampur, the road was almost straight up to Solan. That night and the next morning we were suffering from aching limbs and rashes on the legs. The next 10 km to Shimla was a joy ride on the ‘buttery’ road and we made it in good time.

After Shimla, our plan was to leave the main highway to avoid traffic. And we also wanted to explore the real countryside. So, we took the route through lush green Mashobra. Organic apples on the way were very cheap and we filled a lot of them in our panniers. About 10km ahead of Basantpur, a road bridge over a local stream had turned on its side. We were amazed that the bridge was still in one piece. We called it the “Sleeping Bridge of Basantpur”, as it just looked like it has taken a break from its duty of ferrying the traffic and was taking a short nap on its side. Passers-by pointed toward the alternate path (a steel gerder for a water supply pipe across the river) with sarcasm, thinking we will not try. We crossed our keeping brakes tight as the stalled traffic and crowds watched our heroic feat! Just after 3-4 km, we came across a huge waterfall right in the middle of the road. We were getting late. But the conditions were perfect - two days of stinking rides, a strong sun, and a huge waterfall in the middle of a winding road. It was all too irresistible and we instantly made up our minds to stop, as if by ESP (Extra Sensory Perception). After all, it was for these thrills that we were out there! We just drove into the waterfall with our bikes. This “out of the world experience” is something neither a Swiss Alps vacation nor site-seeing by a land-cruiser can provide. And while we were still basking in the sun, something funny happened that made our faces turn a little pale. As I was trying to strap on my trusted partner, CASIO chronograph watch, it slipped and fell almost 20 feet below the road. I jumped down into the valley and managed to find it in the bushy undergrowth. But how was I to get back up on the road? We had no rope with which Bhanu could pull me back! The previous year I had completed my Basic Mountaineering Course from HMI (Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Dehradun) and knew rock climbing was risky with a cold body. While climbing back, my shoulder overstretched and I was in pain. Bhanu dangled on his one leg, securing himself between two roadside slabs, and finally I managed to catch hold and be pulled up. The small shoulder injury was not a hurdle, as we only had to pedal, pedal and pedal throughout the trip. 

Waterfall before Saverakhad

That day was very long and we reached Saverakhad (a village on the way) after dusk. We asked the owner of the solitary shop, if any rooms were available for the night. Luckily he had a room further up, next to a wonderful stream, where we parked ourselves. After a very exciting and exhausting day, it was just perfect – a setting sun in backdrop, stream at our feet, and a bottle of ginger wine to enjoy. Don’t know if this has happened to a lot of people we know… another tick in the diary of “days lived”. But, the night was horrible, the whole room was abuzz with sounds you never hear in cities - chirps, buzz, crickets and what not. We were too tired to be zoological that night, so we slept without bothering.

In the morning when I looked out of the window, I knew why the place is called “Savera-khad”. We were inside a valley and our view was covered with two ridges on either side, between which, the sun rose. A small rivulet was flowing in front of our modest accommodation; the place was like a dreamland! Jalori Pass was a mystery that we looked forward to, with awe and adulance. Bhanu often spoke about how a small car full of friends and some kilos of apples could not ascend even in second gear. We stayed at the Panchayat Ghar of Kamand village that night. We were drenched in sweat and moisture. But it was too cold even for a shower. It was chilling but, unlike Saverakhad, we had a good mattress and quilt for the night. We ate dinner in a small shop where they served us rice, daal and cow’s milk to drink. They did not fail to mention that a fresh landslide has taken place just before the Jalori Pass, which might recur if it starts to rain at 11,000 ft. The thrill got us high, surreal images of the pass were already flashing in our minds, “a steep pyramid dense with trees and we were pedaling our bikes with front wheel in the air.”

Jibi Valley

Next morning we began with enthusiasm and a full stomach, but after 15 minutes we realized that the next 5 km might tear out our souls, or at least our lungs from us. It was difficult even to engage 1x3 gear. Most of the time we were at 1x2 speed gears. The gradient had increased to 1:8. A look at the speedometer said 3.7km/hr. Every pedal was a medal! I can’t even remember how many times I had stopped the bike. At some places, there was heavy fog and temperature was around 11°C, sweat and mist mixed equally in our hair giving us a strange feeling. Finally, we saw the ridge. We took almost an hour for those 6 kms. At the top, people (French, Israelis, and Indians) stopped and clapped for us. We basked in the sun, rested at a dhaba and relaxed. Bhanu had told me that Jalori Pass is going to be a preliminary test for Ladakh, if we qualified. After this difficult task, it was going to be a long downhill drive on the other side of the pass. That beautiful place is called Jibi Valley. We stayed there overnight and left next day for Kasol. This road meets Manali highway at a place called Aut. We went through a 3 km long tunnel - it felt like we are doing time travel. At Kasol, we got to know that there has been a flash flood in Ladakh five days ago and 300 people have been killed. The roads after Rohtang Pass were also blocked due to landslides. We cycled up to Manali and waited for next two days but barriers were still down. We met a Spanish group and had cultural exchanges over dinner.

Next day I heard a bad NEWS - That my fiancé’s cousin had expired. I was shocked and decided to go back. I told Bhanu that I will leave, if he wants to wait, he can. I loaded my bike on the Volvo Bus and reached home the next morning. While returning back in the bus alone, all that we did during the last week flashed before my eyes. It was bad luck that we couldn’t reach the targeted destination, but the journey had taught us many things for life. We discovered many parallels between Life and Journey.

The journey that started with a quest and enthusiasm, ended with wisdom at rest.

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Route: 484km (7Days)                                         aug'2010