Got Leh'D

 

Finally it happened, I got leh'd.

I never thought that this day would come but you know what things don't happen on their own. You have to make them happen... Like I did.

This trip has been on my bucket list for the longest period of time or should I just say over a decade.

I have been practicing for this on the Mumbai roads for years during the monsoons when the water level would be way higher than it should be. Supposed to be the trial run for the water crossings that I would encounter over there.

I would be clueless in my initial years on how to plan this trip. These were the days when information was not easily available about planning such trips especially on a bike. What was amusing that there were other people who would get inspired by my other rides and go there.

The funny thing that I came across during writing this post was my tweet about doing a ladakh trip in 2015 and then surprisingly in 2020 I described it as my Eleanor. Something that I don't even remember.

I planned this trip within a month after coming back from my trip to Hampi, Aihole, Pattadakal & Badami caves. Out of nowhere I decided I have to make this happen. It was now or never.

Then began the research and yes the route that needs to be taken. I was adamant that I need to cover both Turtuk & Hanle which by the way very few travel operators offer together. In standard options its either one not both. Tso Moriri lake was like a add on.

I have to say that during my research of travel operators, it was Instagram that came in handy and helped widen the net and get in touch with them and not much of google. Finally I circled on one operator who was the only who offered all the three places in their package. 

Phir sochna kya tha. Book kar diya.( There was nothing to think further and went ahead and booked it)

This was going to be another solo traveling but with a group tour. I have never done a group tour except for the one I took with my family to Ashtavinayak Yatra ages back. This was going to be interesting, should I say very interesting :)

On top of that I had to decide if I want the bike on a sharing basis or as a solo. I initially thought sharing would be good, since I don't know how good or bad the terrain is. Having a pillion is better if we can share our rides and expenses too.

Then again riding solo on that terrain is something what the ladakh bike trip is all about. 

Its almost is a rite of passage for any biker to conquer those mountain tops, passes and roads as its tests you on every nook & corner and to see if you have got it what it calls to be a RIDER!!

I must say the challenge to ride solo was tempting, very tempting.

Finally I decided it was going to be solo. What is life without a challenge? 

The most troubling part of this trip was packing the luggage that needed to be carried along. The caveat to this trip was that one cannot carry trolley suitcases beyond Leh and they have to be a backpack. 

I spend three anxious nights on how to do it and along with that the airlines luggage weight restriction and yes carrying a helmet, tank bag, riding jacket with protection gears & gum boots (yup you heard that right!)

In the end, I had to let go carrying my helmet & somehow managed to fit everything in the suitcase & check-in bag on the D-day.

On the D-day, it was the check-in counter that almost gave a heart ache. The junior airline employee checked the suitcase weight it just fell short of .50kg. Everything was going fine and he issued me the boarding pass as per his senior instructions on the adjacent counter. 

As I turned around, the senior employee asked me to weigh my backpack which truth be told was bigger than a standard size one. It came 1kg extra than it was supposed to be, however I was let go without any charges to be paid which was a relief.

Did I tell you that I was wearing my riding jacket on the flight as it was too heavy to put in one of those bags.

The flight took off and the two seats next to me was empty. In fact the flight was relatively not that full. I got to stretch my legs and sleep for a while in peace. 

The real fun began when the plan had to descend to make a landing on the Leh airport. 

Trust me, that is one hell of a joyride & anxious moments that no one talks about. The plane descends to a lower altitude, curves around a mountain behind which the airport lies and then out of nowhere would again ascend higher before again going low to make a landing. That felt like a trailer of this ladakh trip of what was to come...

The day I landed was supposed to be a rest day. Doing nothing and drinking water all day. Still ended visiting the Leh market and came back to the hotel on foot.

The next day we were allocated our bikes which were 500 cc royal enfield bikes. That day we visited places around Leh like Shanti Stupa, Magnetic Hill, Gurudwara, Hall of Fame, etc.

This was also my first group ride. My understanding of a group ride was that you stick together & follow a buddy system of helping people in case anyone is left behind. Then again the reality  was different.

This kind of worked in my favor as I ended up actually driving solo in such a scenic valley. It doesn't get better than this and was more than I could ask for.

I happened to be the only solo rider in the group. From time to time ladies would sit behind for a joy ride.

The route planned or circuit was Leh---Nubra Valley---Khardungla Pass---Turtuk---Hunder---Pangong Lake---Hanle---Umlingla Pass---Tsomoriri Lake---Leh

Each one of those places has its own story to tell.

I saw the Milky Way through naked eyes in the night. Turtuk was certainly worth a visit and the stories we heard from the hotel owner about the occupation of the land by the Indian army. Met the King too while visiting his palace. Saw natural cold storage. Visited the last India village.  Rode on a double humped camel & did archery. Captured a beautiful sunset in Hanle. Conquered the two highest passes in the world. Visited the lakes Pangong & Tso Moriri. 

Pangong looks more commercialized now with the Three Idiots scooters, bum seats almost everywhere. Tso Moriri on the other hand was quiet and serene. There was another lake that got my attention was Kyagar Tso . It took my breath away. 

Did I forgot to mention the animals that we came across? The marmots, horses, donkeys, sheeps and different kind of birds all witnessed over here. 

I also had celebrity sightings in the form of a stand up comedian who was flying to Leh on the same flight. I don't like that guy a bit. The other person was the politician Rahul Gandhi riding on a KTM 390.

Ladakh had me in bonds, the routes are so scenic that one is actually tempted to stop every now & then and capture them through your camera lens. Then again there are some experiences that needs to be felt and remembered for what it is & cannot be comprehended or captured. Its all about how it makes you feel.

It was not enough that the colors of the mountains were changing as we rode further but the contours, the texture of the mountains too along with the ever changing scenery. I have never seen a land which goes through so many terrain changes.

There was a moment when I was riding on a good patch of road and the landscape in front of me felt like a painting. It was surreal and definitely not a figment of my imagination. One has to see it to believe it.

Nature has its own way of surprising us, humans.

Off-roading has always got the better of me. The first time I did off-road was on a gravel of stones meant for road construction and going towards the Ajanta Ellora caves in 2018 which was a long stretch. Off-road for me meant that you have to fall at least once from your bike.

I had fallen from my bike thrice. Thankfully there were no major injuries except for scars left behind on my leg for falling on the engine which burned up my skin. 

This was not the making of those gravels, riverbeds, rocks & water crossings  which somehow I learnt my way to ride through it even though the rear tyre would keep shifting on its own making me think the next fall is not far behind.

It turned to be the sand which is so fine that you will never know what hit you. During my first fall I was full in control of the bike, riding well when out of no where I lost control in the sand and fell down. 

Thankfully there were other riders of another group behind me who helped me to pick up the bike which I thought I wont be able to do alone as it weighs around 200 kgs.

 The next two fall also happened on the sand and during both the times I was on my own with no human presence around. I ended up astonishing myself as I picked up the bike with ease. 

It was the third fall that got the better of the bike & I almost fell on my back flying instead of the usual sideways as I let go the bike during the fall on a climb which was again the sands. The handle got bent from one side and the crash guard came off from one end. This thankfully happened on the last day of the ride and was still manageable to ride as we were supposed to reach Leh that day.

In the midst of all these, I lost one of my shades which fell from my jacket thanks to the off-road & rumblers. 

I also got lost many times as one might know there are not many markers/signboards to let you know which way to go. It was fun on its own.

One of the things that I have not spoken about is the immense respect for our Indian Army. The respect that they command over the local people is for one to see. In fact there is a popular saying among the locals that children don't want to become doctor or engineers, etc. but want to join the Indian army.

I felt so proud when I used to salute them when I saw them passing by and they would reciprocate. They are doing so much yet its the people who live in harm's way know their importance and for most of us it means nothing in our day to day lives.

Ladakh has so much to offer and its still so raw even though commercialization has picked up  its pace. Its something that the locals and even I dislike as they believe the charm of the place could be lost in the coming years. 

As the plane took off from the runway, I looked outside to those mountains, the only thing that I  bought with myself was loads of memories for a life time. 

As I turned around my gaze, there was a sheepish smile on my face as I was screaming on top of my voice inside my head saying "I got Leh'd"

What about you? Still thinking...

P.S. I know this has been a long post and could have been even longer as I omitted to write about certain things/stories/places, about the people with whom I traveled and on. Something ugly also took place on the second last night of the trip which I will share in my coming post.  

This post is all about my experiences of Ladakh. The fun, the adrenaline rush, serenading the mountains & what nots. Did not want to ruin it by writing negative incidents. 

Till we meet again. Julley!!

The Long Hair Short Story

 

Toh kafi tapasaya ke baad woh din aahi gaya ki mere baal itne lambe ho gayi main usse choti bana sakta hu.

Parantu uske peeche chupe pidha, gum aur jo dard sahena pada hain is safar main woh sirf musafir hi jaanta hain. 

Chalye mere bachpan main chalte hain. 

As a kid I wanted to grow long hair. Speaking of this desire would evoke strange responses from Indian parents who would threaten to cut the hair in the night while sleeping.

As a kid growing in an Indian household, it was like living in the British Raj where your freedom was decided by your parents.

Never thought that the day will come until it finally happened.

Corona virus happened and the world turned topsy turvy straight out of a hollywood movie. Movements were restricted, masks to be worn at all time and office work to be done from home i.e., Work from Home (WFH).

In midst of all these, saloons were also shut and people were having a hard time taking care of their hair & facial issues especially the women. For a majority of the men, trimmer did the work.

Since I was on my own on this, I decided to play the long game and it paid off when the hair started to grow longer (but not long enough to tie a pony).

Except not the way I wanted. Men with long hair would always look spick & span and I wonder why I am not. The hair above my ears decided to take a different path on its own.

As one visits a doctor for their illness, I decided to pay a visit to the barber shop which had by then opened up.

As I sat on the barber's chair, I explained the guy that I am growing my hair long and he needs to take care of the hair above the ears. Before he moved his hand on the scissors, I asked him if he understood my requirement. He nodded yes.

The next thing he does is snip up my front hair and no amount of screaming at the guy would make it grow back again. Growing hair is like planting a seed into the ground and watering it over the days, weeks and months to see the stem of the plant growing and getting bigger. Except this one gets cut short.

I was back to square one and the dream soon became a distant one. Called up one of my friend who had kept the John Abraham long hair look from Dhoom to share my grief. Asked him if someone can get this wrong and he said no & had laughs at my expense. Talk about some luck.

Days, weeks & months passed. Slowly & steadily the hair kept growing and finally I was happy. However this time there was another problem. I had a different layer of hair growing at the back of the neck making me look like Sanjay Dutt. As I did not liked it I thought a little bit of snip should do the trick.

This time though I went to a different hair saloon. Went through the same drill and yet ended up getting the hair shorter. I wish I was making this up but this was the sad truth. 

Happened to meet few of my friends later and saw one of my other friend end up with long hair. Spoke to him for his advise and he just let it grow and did nothing. Hearing my barber woes made him laugh and not so for me.

That's almost a year and half worth of efforts gone waste. 

Never thought growing hair can be so troublesome. Most importantly how dumb can be the barbers who dont know how to handle the long hair looks. I was running out of hair saloons and prayers made to god to make sure they get it right.

The good thing though happened in the last six months I was able to grow it back again and this time finally I got it right without a visit to a barber. Finally mere baal ki chotti bani gayi.

However it was short lived since I had to take the decision to keep it as is or go back to my normal hair cut for reasons that cannot be disclosed.

Though short lived, it made me happy knowing that I was able to tick off one of the items from my bucket list.

This is my Long Hair Short Story :)

Closure

 

Closure is something that is good to have. When there is ample amount of clarity that things have come to an end. 

No guess work, no overthinking just precise & clear. No matter what goes in one's mind, closure is like the big full stop that one cannot miss.

The question does arise though do we get a closure at all? The way it should have been in the utopian world of righteousness.

Though disturbing the answer is a big NO. Majority of the times we don't get the "oh it's a wrap" and we can move on with our lives.

It just only makes you think if this what its supposed to be. Something perhaps not acceptable to one. Then again one cannot change it and have to come terms with it & make the choice of either accepting or rejecting it.

Both of the choices can cause a lot of pain or agony before one ends up with the dilemma of continuing it till the extent they can. The passage of time can either be a boon or bane if you choose either to move on or be stuck with the hurt.

Do we really need the closure to clear things in the air? Is it not better at times to not have the answers that we are looking for and deliberate about the what ifs & what nots.

Sometimes not getting the ending one wanted enables us to stretch our imagination and ability to tell the story the way we want which could have its basis on the foundation of truth or lie.

Maybe closure is the choice we make to either accept a situation as-is or take the initiative to change it for the good or bad. Only time will tell how it works out.

Its only when we look back at the puzzle of the jigsaw fit in together that gives us a better understanding of how it could have been managed better. If only there was a time machine to go back in time and change it for the good we believe in.

Irrespective of the closure, it remains with you till the end. Every time someone speaks of it, it brings back the emotions/feelings felt back in time. Memories come back to haunt again with sleepless nights.

The dance of the monkey continues until we get hold of it to stop. A choice that could do very well for one when you are not in the position to change the status quo. Its better than burning up oneself for life if one seek justice/righteousness. 

Only a fool end up burning themselves up in the fire of their own emotions which does no good to anyone.

Perhaps closure is the lesson of letting go when you know its better to let go than hold on to it. Then again it all comes to the choice we make during those turn of events that decides the outcome. 

One can finally go to sleep peacefully in the night knowing you did what you had to about the choices that were made. No matter how much one looks back in the past, the closure needs to be bought in one's present & future.

As the movie quote sums it all:

“Zindagi mein bhi end mein sab theek ho jaata hai. Happys Endings. Aur agar, aur agar theek na ho to woh the end nahin hai dosto, picture abhi baaki hai.”