Himalayan Odyssey Day 5 - Kalpa to Kaza

Its gonna be a long dusty road ahead..

.. with short breaks of asphalt..

and after a while the road just gets worse..

but with some nice asphalt breaks in between

Straight even roads we could speed..

and water falls that disappears right under the road below us..

Another long wait to get the military permit as from this point onwards it was a high security area near to China and Pakistan borders.  The roads were maintained and controlled by the military.  All along the road from here onwards we will be watched from the distance from military posts hidden on top of the hills.  Any unauthorized diversion from the main road will be reported and investigated.

Who says you cannot take picture facing the sun?

More road carved from the rocky mountain face

One of the hundreds of  'entertaining' road signs

The long and winding road...

More treacherous section with a steep drop on one side..

We had to stop and waited for the heavy machinery to clear a rock fall which they shoved it aside to let it drop several thousand fee to the river below.  The river has cut deep into the ground below and cannot be seen from this point.

The two motorcycles were mere dots several thouisand feet at the bottom loop as seen from this vantage point.

Finally reaching the top of the loop after going through 22 'elbow' turns

Looking back at the loops we just passed.

Posing at the top of the loop after traveling about 10km from the bottom of the loop

The road stretches for miles in the distant and riding in this altitude, cold temperature , blazing sun and the risks of serious dehydration is real.

Small villages that dotted the hillsides

The roads were narrow, scary and truly treacherous and I hardly saw any smiles..

Rests stop - the local alternative.

The comparative size of the villages and the mountains gives an idea of the distance we need to travel.

Looking back at the road we have been.

The image the slow riders.. see the dots above.

High altitudes farming

dealing with constant water hazards along the way.

Still several kilometers to go.

The three of us went off the road and starts racing up the hill slope.  This Royal Enfield bikes is built like a tank!

Some wanted to ride on..

It was geeting dark and were were still several km from our campsite destination.

View of the sunset lighting up the opposite hills.

Himalayan Odyessey Day 4 - Narkanda to Kalpa

We did not see much of Narkanda as we arrived quite late and it was already dark.  We left early the next morning at the same time the children were about to go to school.  We will be travelling 197km to our next destination in Kalpa stopping by in Reckong Peo  to apply for our permit to enter the high altitude regions of Himalaya.

More hillside towns along the way..

The morning traffic comprising of vehicles, human and animals..

The usual cigarette and piss stop..

More weeds by the roadside.. maybe I should smoke these..

The morning ride along this curvy asphalt road nestled deep within the mountain folds in this cool weather was heaven for any bikers worth his salt..

The local faces in the town of Badahl

Another local face in the town of Bardahl.  He got curious when I took a picture of the local above.  So I asked his permission to take his photo as well..

This stretch onwards were really beautiful and unforgettable..

The road were carved out from the rocky cliff face and continues on for several kilometers..

  I saw everyone was grinning silly riding this stretch..

Truly awesome dreamy landscape..

Just when I was enjoying the mountain ride, the asphalt road ends and it was rough, dusty and gritty.

This stretch onwards were really treacherous as the road were slippery because of loose pebbles and bike and rider could easily fall into the river below.

Looking back the stretch we just passed while eating dusts..

Despite the dirt road and the accompanying choking dusts, the view was spectacular!

We reached Reckong Peo by noon and we had to take turns to to individually apply for permit before we can proceed with our journey into the higher altitutes.  Reckong Peo, also simply known as Peo by the local inhabitants, is the capital of Kinnaur District. At a height of 2,290 metres (7,513 ft), Reckong Peo is 260 kilometres (162 miles) from Shimla

Aakash of Royal Enfield India, our convoy leader resting with Datuk Douglas at the side walk sheltered from the blazing noon sun in Reckong Peo.

Our hotel was in Kalpa about 5km west of Reckong Peo.

The local apple-size thistle in the hotel's garden

Large red roses abound at he hotel 's garden

Kinnaur Kailash. Views of this stunning snow-capped mountains abound from the hotel balcony.

Apples orchard around the hotel ground.  We had our feast of course..