Riding the Legendary Roads to: LADAKH ! 18-26 June 2016

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About Ladakh

“Ladakh is a beautiful region located in the northern tip of India between Pakistan's Kashmir border and China's Tibetan Border. For many centuries, Ladakh was totally isolated due to the very high altitude of the Passes surrounding the region, and Leh, Ladakh's ‘Capital’, was only accessible to trading routes during a few months in summer. Today, and despite the new airport, Ladakh is still quite isolated, and there is only one road –open between May and October- linking India to Leh. This road is: -> The Legendary Manali - Leh Highway ! <- In June 2016, I decided to attempt the adventure and rent a legendary Royal Enfield Classic motorbike to ride the 485 awesome kilometres between Manali and Leh. Going through the many passes above 5,000 meters altitude, the water streams, the deserted valleys and the never-ending bends proved to be a fantastic and unforgettable challenge!"

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		Itinerary
		Royal Enfield
		Riding Precautions

The Itinerary - Although there are only 485 km between Manali and Leh, it is recommended to do the trip in 3 days so that your body can get used to the Altitude, and so that you can get to truly enjoy the trip. For me, the adventure started by arriving in Delhi Airport on 17th June. Here is a tip for any traveller arriving in Delhi without pre-arranged transport: don't think! Just take the TRAIN to city centre!! From there you can get tuk-tuks easily, and avoid all the MANY airport scams. I arrived in the morning so I had time to visit the Red Fort, and do a bit of shopping at the Royal Enfield shop at Khan Market, the mandatory stop for all Enfield Fans! Buses to Manali leave in the afternoon (5:30pm) from Pilar 10 near Ramakrishna Ashram Marg Metro Station. Don't look for a bus stop; there isn't any... The only way is to find the stretch of road where lots of buses are "parked" along the road, and ask around for your bus. The night-trip takes 15 hours... Once in Manali, I met the awesome group of riders with whom I would have the privilege to ride to Ladakh; a young and dynamic bunch of guys from all over India! We also got to meet & get briefed by our fantastic guide Kirti and the expert mechanic Lakhan. Here is my riding itinerary. Feel free to contact me should you want contacts to do the trip! Meet the team! And our Guide Kirti:

*Day 1 - 18th June* Arrived in Delhi, and took the night bus to Manali. *Day 2 - 19th June* After meeting the guide & the awesome fellow riders of the group (13 of us in Total), the day was spent visiting Manali and getting used to our rides: the Royal Enfield Classic 350cc. Manali is a popular town for Indian tourists. The weather is particularily cool and provides a good break from the 40C that one can expect in Delhi at this time of year. As a result of the town's popularity, expect crowds at the main sights such as the temple or the market. *Day 3 - 20th June* This is the first day of the ride which took us from Manali to Jispa (150km), and through the first main Pass: Rohtang Pass at 3,980m altitude (13,058ft) *Day 4 - 21th June* On the second day, we covered 166km from Jispa to Pang, and for me, this was the most challenging day. The roads where a bit difficult with gradients, sand, rocks, potholes, and we crossed a total of 3 passes, all at very high altitudes: Baralachha Pass 5,030m (16,503ft), Nakee La pass 4,739m (15,548ft), and Lachulung La pass 5,079m (16,663ft). *Day 5 - 22th June* This was the last day of the Manali-Leh trip with 171 km covered. This last day was easier mostly because there are less passes to cross, and because the road condition as we entered Ladakh got better and better. On this last day, we rode through the highest pass of the Manali - Leh highway, i.e. Tanglang-La Pass at 5,328m altitude (17,480ft). Reaching Leh early afternoon, I took the opportunity to visit Leh markets and the impressive Leh Palace. *Day 6 - 23th June* The day was spent visiting the areas around Leh. In the morning: we ride to Khardung La, allegedly the highest motored road in the world, at 5,602 m altitude (18,379ft) and in the afternoon, I rode to Thiksey Monastery 30mins south of Leh. You have to take note that once in Ladakh, you are not allowed to use Indian Bikes anymore, and you have to rent Bikes registered in Ladakh. *Day 7 - 24th June* We all left Leh by van to reach Pangong Lake 8 hours later. The trip is beautiful, and passes through the 2nd highest pass: Changla La! Once at Pangong, we enjoyed the lake, walked around, had a quick swim and camped beside the lake. *Day 8 - 25th June* After an early photography walk, enjoying the beautiful wildlife on the lake, I joined the group for breakfast and we started the trip back to Leh, and visited Hemis monastery on the way. Day 9 - 26th June Flew back to Delhi in the morning from Leh Airport, which is located 20mins drive from Leh.

			Itinerary
			Royal Enfield
			Riding Precautions

Royal Enfield - History The Enfield Manufacturing Company Limited was created in 1891 in Redditch, UK. At that time, the company manufactured mostly motorcycles, bicycles, lawn mowers, engines and various metallic parts. The company was contracted by the British government to provide guns, hence the evolution of the brand to "Royal Enfield" by 1893, and the "Made like a Gun" trademark. The company evolved and designed & produced awards winning motorcycles including the Royal Enfield Bullet motorbike which is the longest-living motorcycle designed in history, and which is still produced today! The reputation of the bike for its dependability, its robustness and its power quickly made it the work-horse of the British army, which used it on many battlefronts, and used it extensively in the commonwealth countries, including India. In 1955, Enfield Cycle Company partnered with Madras Motors in India to create an entity based in Chennai; Enfield of India, and started producing bullets en-masse to satisfy the huge demands of the Indian Army. By 1970, the Indian plant far outperformed the Original plant in the UK, and the Production of motorcycles in the UK ceased in 1970 and the original Redditch, Worcestershire-based company was dissolved in 1971. Today, Royal Enfields are still being designed & manufactured in India, and the brand has recently benefited from the resurrection of interest for classic bikes amongst the general public. In India, this bike is legendary and it can be seen and heard absolutely everywhere. The pilgrimage for Enfield lovers, is the Manali to Leh journey, where the performance of the bike, as well as its robustness are a huge comfort! In Ladakh, riding this bike is a must!

Characteristics There are today a few different models for Royal Enfields, but they come mostly in two categories; either the 350cc, or the heavier 500cc. The single-cylinders engine provides remarkable torque but tends to suffer in high rpm. Enfields are not designed to go much beyond 100 km/h, and it will vibrate and shake to remind you of this every time you attempt to do so! Enfields are rather designed for really enjoyable cruising with great up-straight position, smooth transitions, good balance, ample room for bags/tools/extra fuel/tents, straight forward mechanics, low fuel consumption and powerful headlights. The old-style seats & suspension, unique thumping sound, and vintage looks complete the perfect classic portrait of the bike!

		Itinerary
		Royal Enfield
		Riding Precautions

Tips & Precautions - The Roads Although the roads to Ladakh can be very enjoyable, they also have the reputation of being amongst the most dangerous in the world. Motorbike driving Licenses are required to be able to rent a bike, and before doing so, I would recommend that you make sure that you have sufficient experience and confidence to be able to face whatever this road may throw at you! Some portions of the road are really good, but most of the time, you will have to watch consistently for pot-holes, sand, water and gravel. There are a lot of 180 degree turns with gradient, and these can be tricky on descent when there are gravels. Depending on the season, you may have to face adverse weather (rain / snow / icing) and the water-streams may not be crossable due to the high level and fast currents (mostly in April/May when snow melt). The best season to attempt the journey is definitely June / July, but being in the mountains, the weather can change extremely rapidly, and you will always have to be prepared for bad weather. Traffic to Rohtang pass can be very bad, with huge traffic jams forming up. This is generally OK when you are on a motorbike, but you need to be careful of the edge of the roads as there are no fences, and the cliffs are really steep. The rule given by our guide was to avoid Military convoys and Fuel convoys. These guys don't stop, cut all bends, and don't really care whether you are here or not. The best technique is to just let them through, and at each bend, ride slowly and be prepared to stop and give way. As a general rule of thumb given by our guide, do not stop in areas where potential landfalls or rock falls are obvious. There are lots of slopes where the rocks seem to be just levitating and ready to fall, so having a pee or taking pictures there is not a good idea!

	Altitude Sickness Altitude Sickness is to be taken seriously on this trip, as most of the journey takes place above 3,500m altitude. Using medicine is not necessarily the best option as it may delay the symptoms until you are stuck somewhere high, and has all its list of side-effects which can actually be confused with altitude sickness. The trick is to drink lots of water, and refrain from drinking alcohol, smoking and doing excessive effort. If AMS strikes, it will be obvious enough (huge headache, vomiting, vertigo) and the only solutions are to inhale medical Oxygen and go down as soon as possible. Pang is usually the hardest points because you have to sleep at 4,600m. The lack of Oxygen is tiring, but actually also prevents you from proper sleep! It can make you loose appetite, suffer from headaches and slight nausea. However, spending some time at these altitudes and doing some light exercise accelerates the acclimatization to the altitude. On the many passes over 5,000m, it is not recommended to stay more than 15 mins on top, as vertigo, nausea and headache may kick-in very rapidly. There are some military posts at such altitudes with first-aid equipment and Oxygen Cylinders, but the safest is to go down.

What to Bring - Waterproof clothing - Riding shoes, Riding gloves, riding jacket - Helmet (can be provided by the guide) - Warm clothing in layers to adjust to the temperature changes -Spare socks, spare sweat-shirt, Spare warm gloves. -Some extra food & water -Sunscreen, Lip balm and the usual first-aid kit. If you ride by yourself, you will have to bring with you Bike spare parts and extra fuel!

			Itinerary
			Royal Enfield
			Riding Precautions

Challo!*
-> Continue the Story: The roadtrip!