HIMALAYAN ODYSSEY 2005

The route: Delhi - Leh - Delhi
The dates: June 27 to July 11, 2005.
 
How to get high on a Royal Enfield Undertaken by Royal Enfield riders from around the country, it is the greatest test of man and machine against nature. Come, take a peek into the motorcycle diaries of these inveterate bikers on a journey of self-discovery. Hop on and enjoy the trip on a Royal Enfield.
 
Day 1 - The start of something big
A mix of confidence, anxiety, suspense and fear all rolled into a sea of emotions capped by a range of multi-coloured helmets, drowned by the drone of more than fifty Royal Enfields is what signalled the beginning of the Odyssey. The introductions were followed by a short briefing from the core team. The destination for the first day was Chandigarh. After a few quick words from Siddhartha Lal, they were off from the National Stadium. Next up: a brief halt at the Royal Enfield dealership in Karnal. Along the way, some of the riders experienced a few minor snafus, which meant that they ended up reaching Chandigarh in a staggered formation.
 
Day 2 - Stop and go On this day, the riders had to cover nearly 300km, most of which were in the hills. Rain was also a perceived threat, and would add to travelling time considerably. An hour out of Chandigarh and they were greeted by menacingly large raindrops. The riders looked for a large enough hole, to shelter themselves; a small dhaba with a huge parking space. And that was, by default, the first regroup for the day. Along the way, the group got a first-look at the scenic beauty of the hills. As a result, the riders found themselves stopping, time and again, to take it all in, on camera and in their heads. They all reached the camp at Raison before dark. All topped off by a leisurely dinner and a warm campfire.
 
Day 3 - Cold comfort
It was cold. Out came the warm clothing and ahead lay the daunting Rohtang. This was the first major pass of the trip. The questions flew fast and furious. How cold would it be? Would the warm clothing suffice? Was it going to be a bad trip? Since there were no ready answers forthcoming, they prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. And for those of you who thought the worst was in store on account of the weather, think again. It was the traffic! They finally made their way out of the traffic to the other side of the Rohtang to be greeted by amazing weather - warm and sunny. It was as if Ladakh was welcoming them. After a quick lunch at Khoksar the riders kick-started their way to Keylong, which was to be the destination of the day.
 
Day 4 - The road to our destination First, the bad roads. Then, the freshly laid out stones for road construction. And finally, the slush and the muck. Worse, there was little time to complain. The only ones that carried on uncomplainingly were the bikes. Bike after bike hammered on to get over the top of Baralach La.
 
Day 5 - More memorable moments
If you thought the cold would discourage people from coming out early, it didn't. The fresh air and the scenic surroundings aroused even the laziest of souls. The climb ahead promised to be daunting. The destination: Debring, an obscure place located 6-7kms off More plains, very close to Tso Kar. To ensure no one got lost, Pang was decided as the regroup point. The road from More plains to the Debring camp was a fantastic dirt track where all the bikes and riders had their first taste of soft sand and water. There were a couple of falls and more cases of altitude sickness. Towards the end of Day 5, the group got to the camp, which was at a scenic location and had a tiny stream running through it. The hot tea, honeyed water, soup and steaming food ensured everyone slept well and prepared for what was to follow.
 
Day 6 - The action intensifies
The day when the group came closest to a medical emergency. One of the participants suffering from high altitude sickness was quite serious and was unable to arouse himself from his slumber! His feet were cold and he wasn't responding. The entire group sprung to action. Within no time he was put on oxygen and whisked away to the army MI room at Pang. There, he was administered some life-saving injections and then shifted to a hospital at a lower altitude in Leh. In Leh, the patient responded well to treatment. Fortunately. For the rest of the riders, meanwhile, it was time for the long climb to Tanglang La, followed by a gruelling descent into Leh. Leh marked the end of stage one of the trip.
 
Day 7, 8 - Leh Day
By late morning, the same day, the patient was flown to Delhi. One of the other participants also accompanied him. News of his rapid and complete recovery in Delhi boosted the spirits of the entire team. From then on it was time for lots of nothing in particular. Some were too tired to do anything apart from laze around. The others scurried from monastery to museum to restaurants to doing some shopping to taking in as much of Leh as they could. Some of the other riders decided to go white water rafting on the Indus. These were also days of reflection on the journey just completed and while most of the participants geared up for the ride back, there were others who decided they had had enough and to take the easier way back to Delhi via the Srinagar route.
 
Day 9 - Here we go again!
What lay ahead? The highest motorable road in the world - the daunting Khardung La. The entire city of Leh watched in awe as the beasts of the Himalayan Odyssey roared off. As the bikes made their way up the Khardung La, it started to drizzle. Soon, the drizzle turned to snow, that did not deter the roaring tigers on their way up. At the end of it all, Khardung La, seemed the easiest part of the journey so far. The riders were soon back in Leh for celebrations and to prepare for the arduous journey back.
 
Day 10 - Ride the wild winds
The sky was overcast and there were indications that the weather would turn nasty. There were also sporadic reports of the road ahead being closed due to rain and landslides. But the iron horses were not to be fazed. Even the incessant rain up to Rumtse and the subsequent snow over Tanglang La could not break the riders' will. There was hardly any traffic on the road that day and everyone made it safely to the camp in Debring.
 
Day 11 - No looking back
The riders were going back home. The weather didn't look good but as soon as they hit the road they just kept going. After regrouping at Pang, the riders proceeded towards Sarchu, our destination for the day. At Sarchu, the riders realised why there was no one else on the road. All traffic had been stopped and no one was allowed to pass till the road was considered good enough to travel on. The riders did, eventually, get to the camp, which was located on the other side of the check post.
 
Day 12 - Chilling out Thanks to a landslide, the road to Bharatpur was blocked. As a result, this turned out to be one of the most relaxing and enjoyable days of the ride. A day of no plans and with nothing to do. It was only late in the evening that the road opened up. Not sure on whether to proceed or stay put at the camp, first, it was thought it best to push ahead but then, after taking a lot of other factors into consideration, the riders decided to stay, get a good nights rest and make an early start.
 
Day 13 - Tough turf
This was probably the toughest ride of the whole trip. It was cold and snowing and Baralach La was covered in snow and ice. The ice caught many riders by surprise, nevertheless the odyssey continued undaunted. One needed more than just physical strength to keep the bike upright. One also needed a feather touch. Both of which were made difficult by the biting cold. Foot rests broke, exhausts gave way but the spirit soldiered on. Undaunted, with lots of help from the service crew that did a great job of getting the bikes back into shape, the riders moved on. Baralach La was the toughest part of the ride but that wasn't to say that the rest of the ride was easy. Every conceivable hill on the way from Sarchu to Manali had come down in the form of a land or mudslide. And every one of these roads had been cleared so traffic could pass. There was a massive line up of trucks before a roadblock in Keylong but it didn't deter any of the riders. The wait, the traffic, the dust, the bad roads and worse not withstanding, everyone made it back to Manali in one piece.
 
Day 14 - The home stretch
The good dry road and the lack of traffic due to the road being closed for the last couple of days made it one of the most enjoyable rides of the trip. Also most of the riders noticed a big difference in their riding abilities on the way up and now. A lot more confidence, technique and co-ordination was now visible. After regrouping at Bilaspur, the riders continued up to Chandigarh. At Chandigarh, the Royal Enfield owners' club came out in strength to meet the members of the Himalayan Odyssey and share their experiences.
 
Day 15 - Back home with ever lasting memories
Like tired, weary, happy travellers, the group returned to Delhi at a relaxed pace. The weather was fantastic; with a cloud cover shielding them from the strong sun. The group had been on an Odyssey of Himalayan proportions. The world would never be the same again.