Passion for Travelling...

                         It was a busy Friday afternoon at office, people rushing to complete their tasks and leave as early as possible to mark the beginning of another frolic weekend. I was in hurry more than everyone else; because for me it was the start of a long vacation which I’m gonna spend in some of the exotic locations on the planet. After months of planning and calculations the day has finally arrived to embark the journey of a life time, which I’ve been longing for years; a ride that is all about adventure, fun, risks, endurance and determination. Yes, a bike ride to the mighty Himalayas…                          The planning and exploring began before three months for this much awaited trip. The trip buddies were none other than my friend Sreerag and his wife Sujini. There were a few other people who showed much enthusiasm initially, but...

                        The 10th day was all about riding through various passes and multiple viewpoints. Starting off from Rumtse where we halted the previous day , the first pass we covered was the Tanglang La , situated at an elevation of 17,480ft. Even though the temperature was below 10°C, the roads were better which made riding comparatively easier.                          There was only a little snow here and there on top of the pass, but it gave a closer view of the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas. After the customary click near the sign board with the pass name and height, we continued the ride.                           We had breakfast from a small hotel run alone by an old lady. One thing that most of the hotel owners here did was, whenever any rider arrives at the hot...

                          The excitement was paramount when we began the 7 th day of the ride from Leh, where we stayed after the previous day's ride . The reason was nothing but the thrill of conquering the mighty Khardung La , one of world’s highest motorable passes. We left Leh town by 7 in the morning with the temperature well below 5°C. We stopped at South Pullu check post, 14kms before Khardung La top, to submit the vehicle details and also had tea from a shop nearby, which was the only tea shop on the way.                          As we went higher, the temperature was decreasing fast, which made driving more strenuous. My hands were going numb and was struggling to keep hold on the accelerator. The only option I found to get my hands some warmth was by often placing them on the engine. The initial greenery on the hills vanished as we went ...

                        On the  sixth day  of the trip, we continued our ride to Leh from Khangral, which was our stop the previous day . There were lot of monasteries on the way at Lamayuru, Alchi, Phey and many more. Other major spots on the way were the  Magnetic Hill  as well as the  Hall of Fame Museum . We couldn’t visit the latter as it was closed for lunch break when we reached there. On reaching Leh town after 3PM we immediately went to the DC office and obtained the Inner Line Permits that are needed to visit the protected areas around Leh.                           In the evening we visited the  Leh Palace , built in the 16 th  century. The roofs of this 9 floors high palace provide a panoramic view of the Leh town bordered by the Himalayan mountain ranges. The palace has a museum as well that has...

                         Our first spot for the fifth day of the ride was the Kargil War Memorial , located in the foothills of Tololing Hill, in Dras where I took halt the previous day . It is built in the memory of the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the Kargil War. After taking the entry tickets we entered the memorial and the sight of the huge tricolor flag flying high on a 100ft long pole definitely stirs-up the feeling of patriotism and pride of the nation in every visitor.                          We first watched a 30-minutes long documentary which gave a glimpse of events happened in the entire Kargil war. One should visit the others part of the memorial only after watching this short movie. Only then he’ll feel the proper emotions this place holds.                     ...