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..

Himalayan Odyessey Day 3 - Gushaini to Narkanda via Jalori Pass

We left Gushaini early early to our next destination Ramphur Bushair in Narkanda at an elevation of about 2,700' down from about 4,700' in Gushaini and 9,000' from Jalori Pass.  The travel distance for the day was about 120km.  The whole trip was arranged in a way that we will get ourselves acclimatised slowly with the elevation and lower oxygen level within the next several days before attempting to stay longer beyond 8,000'.

Altitude sickness also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS), altitude illness, hypobaropathy, or soroche is a pathological effect of high altitude on humans caused by acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude. It commonly occurs above 2,400 metres (8,000 feet). It presents as a collection of non specific symptoms acquired at high altitude or in low air pressure, resembling a case of "flu, carbon monoxide poisoning, or a hangover". It is hard to determine who will be affected by altitude sickness, as there are no specific factors that correlate with a susceptibility to altitude sickness. However, most people can ascend to 2,400 meters (8,000 ft) without difficulty.

The rate of ascent, altitude attained, amount of physical activity at high altitude, as well as individual susceptibility, are contributing factors to the onset and severity of high-altitude illness.
Altitude sickness usually occurs following a rapid ascent and can usually be prevented by ascending slowly. In most of these cases, the symptoms are temporary and usually abate as altitude acclimatisation occurs. However, in extreme cases, altitude sickness can be fatal.

 

 It was morning and when the sun came up it only lit up the opposite mountain tops while we were still in the shadows of the valley for a while..

We had to make our way to the cottage and out by pulling ourselves across the river on a metal basket that dangles on a one-inch thick wire.To glide across a white water on a rope pulley with the cool breeze in the face was an unprecedented experience an an adventure.

The local folks waiting for public transportation

School girls waiting for their bus.

Passing by one of the mountain towns.

The single lane town street.

The public transportation.. what to do when the bus is packed - sit on the roof top.

Single lane asphalt roads even in the mountains

The pleasant morning ride up the asphalt mountain roads was long.

 As the we climbed up higher towards the Jalori Pass, the roads gets rougher and in some parts its like going through a rock gardens..

The slow and rough ride and up the Jalori Pass.

 Finally, we reached Jalori Pass about 11.00 am and took a break

Until someone realised that he had left his wallet at the homestay about 40km back.  Two guys rode back to retrieve the wallet and while the others waited and ended up having lunch here at the pass.  Menu options - Maggie Mee or Chappati or both.

Posing around.. 3 hours is a lot of time to kill while waiting for the two riders to ride 80km to Gushaini and back.

More posing around with models in short supply with a view below from Jalori Pass at 9,000' above sea level

Riding on the other side of Jalori Pass

 Cigarette breaks next to a hut with heavy shale roof. Me? No, I don't smoke.  So it is called a watch the smokers smoke break..

 Passing by amazing steep mountain-side villages perched on cliffs.

A landslide - we were held back for another 2 hours while waiting for bulldozer to clear the roads.

We were late by the time the bulldozer cleared the landslides at about 4.30pm as we have barely covered 60km which is only half of the way. We were practically racing our bikes the moment we reached the asphalt road towards Luhri.  The road to Luhri was scenic as the narrow road was carved out from a cliff face meandering around the mountains following the river below. We took another break in Luhri for some light refreshments before proceeding to Ramphur Bushair just as the sun went down.  We reached our hotel past 7.00pm. (No photographs were taken due to the rush)

Himalayan Odyssey Day 2 - Chandigarh to Gushaini

Today is our first day on the Royal Enfield Bullet bike - a classic retro designed bike with little change in it's looks from the original model.  The predecessor of the Bullet was first produced in 1931. This was followed by a four-valve, single-cylinder model named Bullet in 1932. The 1935 G model was the first that assumed the 'modern' look, with vertical cylinder, cast-in pushrod tunnel and eventually fully enclosed valve gear.  The single was reintroduced in 1948-49 redesigned by Ted Pardoe, chief draftsman at Enfield in Redditch, England. The strong single cylinder engine allowed it to excel as a trials bike.Orders from the Indian government for use in it's army led to setting up of the Royal Enfield factory in India in 1955. The Bullet today is faithful to that classic design of the 50's albeit with several design and quality improvements.
 

 Everyone was eager and enthiusiatic and ready and all the bikes were shiny and our motorcycle attire were all gleaming. Gushaini is 250 km from Chandigarh and we will be travelling along Chandigarh-Mandi-Kanda-Gushaini.  

Barely 15 km and still within the city limit, we had our first breakdown!  One of the bikes had a puncture.  While waiting by the roadside, we were surprised when we saw "weeds" growing by the road side. Now I know why Marijuana are also called weeds.  In India or at least in Chandigarh it is growing everywhere and were actually growing as weeds.

 

The road to Mandi was an elevation up to 1,200m above sea leavel.

 The mountain-side buildings.

 Colourful lorries plies along this road.  The ride today are generally amongst heavy vehicles.

 

A former princely state, Mandi in the state of Himachal Pradesh is located in the banks of the Beas River. This historic city has retained much of its past glory and elegance. Steeped in the grandeur of its past, Mandi has made a flourishing changeover in to an effervescent and bustling city.  Famed for its stone temples, this city has popularly called as the 'Varanasi of Hills'. The majestic palaces and finely carved temples speak out the princely elegance of this pictorial town. Elegant mansions of Victorian era add the charm of this beautiful picnic spot. Mandi is believed to be the place where the great sage 'Mandav' had undertaken his penance and legends say that his reparation was so severe that the rocks were turned black due to it.

The ride continues on to a dirt road up the mountains and traffic remains busy with heavy vehicles.  Unfortunately it rained mostly after Mandi and the camera was kept in the bag and no photograph were taken.  An accident occurred after Mandi when one bike lost control and went under a bus.  We had an injured rider whom had to travel in the back up vehicle and a damaged bike up into the lorry.

When we were in Gushaini, we stayed in a tiny hamlet nestled in the folds of the Tirthan Valley in Kullu district. This mountain hamlet would have been like any other village that dots the hills and mighty mountains of North India.  Raju Bharati, an enterprising man has converted his house into a pleasant homestay amidst an orchard of apples and peaches trees.  The cottage is partially hidden under lush mountainous foliage and across the Tirthan river and hidden from view from across the river.  The double bedroom was made up of wood and locally-sourced pine woods.

Posing at the hamlet myself, Fadil of Royal Enfield Malaysia, Ruslan an architect and Azman a contractor businessman.