GOT LEH’D IN JUST 109 HOURS

Disclaimer: Such trips exhaust you enough to get mountain sickness and insomnia.

We all respect the fact that getting Leh’d is considered one of the most adventurous events of one’s life. While I do like long trips, this time I went for an excursion which was fast and rather super-fast during night hours.

I would like to thank Aamir Hussain for helping me by giving tips and sharing updates about road conditions, right till I lost my phone’s signal. 

PFB a log of the most interesting 109 hours of my life:

12th June, 1600 hours	Left from Infosys Chandigarh with my Dad, Mom and wife in a Santro Xing – We got late as we were unable to get clutch plates from any of the authorized service centers in Chandigarh
12th June, 2330 hours	Reached Jammu – Looked for hotels but instead of staying in one, had dinner at bus stand and continued the journey.
13th June, 0600 hours	Reached Srinagar – Refilled the tank and went around the Dal Lake. (We were using LPG till Jammu)
13th June, 0800 hours	Breakfast at river bank – Overpriced but delicious Paranthas.
13th June, 1030 hours	Reached Sonamarg – Had Lunch – Trekked up the hill and rested under tall trees.
13th June, 1400 hours	Left for Zojilla Pass – Got stuck in a jam for another 2 hours on the way due to land-slide – Had supper in Drass
13th June, 2200 hours	Reached Lamayuru. Finalized a hotel quickly as the house-keepers kept warning us that the electricity will be cut off in the next 15 minutes for the whole night – This was our first night stay in the last 30 hours.
14th June, 0900 hours	Left for Leh after eating self-cooked noodles and soup – We were carrying a gas stove with utensils and enough grocery to survive an earth-quake for 5 days while having full meals.
14th June, 1130 hours	Reached Leh – Refueled – Had Lunch – Left for Pangong Lake
14th June, 1500 hours	Reached Chang La Pass – Took out the oxygen cylinders and started eating candies.
14th June, 1930 hours	Reached Upshi – Found night stay in a room with glass walls and bamboo roof – Drove back 14 km to the petrol pump for getting more fuel in containers.
15th June, 0900 hours	Had breakfast – Packed more eatables after being warned about the terrain towards Manali – Left for Keylong.
15th June, 1500 hours	Stopped at Sarchu Check-post – Forced to stay in tents as the road was blocked till midnight – Had delicious Dal Chawal in a dining hall which was inside a white tent.
16th June, 0800 hours	Left for Manali – Said adios to Spanish mountain bikers – Got mesmerized by the BRO signs which are talked about in an article at DNA
16th June, 2000 hours	Reached Manali – Got stuck in jam for 2 hours – Continued after having dinner in Bunthar.
17th June, 0130 hours	Went through a ditch – Tyre rim got damaged and passed out the air – Changed the tyre while leaving the lights on – Battery got drained and push-started the car.
17th June, 0500 hours	Reached Chandigarh – Left half the luggage inside the car – Took a bath and slept for 5 hours – Joined office at 11 AM – Saw signs of exclamation on my friend Harsh’s face who claimed that I can’t cover Leh-Manali road in less than 3 days.

Little Secret: I was only able to do it while changing the driver’s seat with my Dad for few hours.

I am glad to be able to conquer the top three scariest roads in Ladakh: Zojilla Pass , road to Chang-la top and Rohtang pass section. So the next time you feel like going on a trip, go get Leh’d.

Random clicks available at: Facebook
Read more car trip stories at: www.carconnect.in

Reference Links:

• Srinagar-Leh Road status
• Manali-Leh Road Status
• Ladakh Travel Guide | BCMTouring
• How to prepare your motorcycle for Ladakh | BCMTouring
• Essentials for a Motorcycle Ride to Ladakh
• Accommodation in Ladakh and along the routes to Ladakh
• List of Hotels and Guest Houses in Ladakh
• Phone services in Ladakh
• First Aid Travel kit
• Ladakh AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) Survival Guide | BCMTouring
• Map: Ladakh & Zanskar (All routes)

The Zero Ticket

 

For those who are in Chandigarh and frequent sector 17, next time you get a parking ticket near Neelam Theatre, have a look at the amount. It proudly displays the number that got its invention in India, ZERO. I am not sure if this is genetic or not, but I am a “Bania” and I do check the parking ticket to read the amount of fee I am supposed to pay. So last month I got my first zero ticket and as soon as I learned this, I went back to the counter and got a fresh ticket with correct amount mentioned on it. I thought it was just a mistake. Next time I parked, I noticed the same big oval shaped number smiling at me through the ticket. This time I was in a hurry and just ignored it. Today I got another zero ticket and I decided to ask the person sitting at the counter, “Why zero tickets everyday?” To this he replied, “We don’t mention the amount as it changes with the number of hours you park for.” As I was again running late, I took a quick snap of the ticket and thought maybe I could prove it to be a scam later. Coz the last time I checked, there was no hourly rate. Moreover, I didn’t see the collector take a glance at the time on my ticket. So if you are reading this or if you have been a victim of The Zero Ticket, do share your thoughts via comments. Maybe we could help the authorities understand that they can’t just run their parking in the memory of Aryabhatta! 😉

CHD Citi Center Video Branding by Lifeiscool Media

Video Branding for 10 Acres of Premium Retail Space CHD Citi Center at VIP Road Zirakpur by Lifeiscool Media.

At Lifeiscool Media we believe in creating unforgettable experiences for our clients. if you have a brand, we can take it out to the masses in the most creative ways possible.

Motorcycling from Chandigarh to Kasauli

This video was shot during the breakfast ride from Chandigarh to Kasauli organized by Bikerzone.

New Year Ride to Shimla

I didn’t have much plans for the new year’s eve and the only places that were open for party in Chandigarh were either discotheques or high-end restaurants. As the open DJ night in sector 17 got wrapped up early, I had no certainty about what I’ll do at midnight. I was suggested to go home and sleep peacefully, but that didn’t sound exciting at all.

I decided to celebrate the new year at my friend’s place and left with him after having dinner. We went to the nearby shop, bought some fruit juice and shared a South-Indian dish(Images in gallery). When we got to his place, his four flat-mates were already there and were watching an award distribution show on TV.
It was 11.30 pm when we got this idea to get pastries, and thus we left on our bikes to search for a place to buy them at this hour of night. Finally we found an open shop and reached back home well before midnight. Just when the minute and hour hands of the clock were coming closer we started dancing. Slowly it gained the momentum and reached its height during the final count down. We continued to dance for another half an hour.

Just when we were sharing jokes, one of them asked me to tell him when I go on my next motorcycle trip. I straight away said, “If you are interested in a trip, why don’t we leave now?”. I suggested all of them to get on their bikes and leave for Patiala to eat the well-known “rajendra ke paranthe”. After much ado, finally the two of us decided to go on our own even though we were redundantly warned about the drunk drivers and strict police.

We wore the jackets, took our back-packs and started off on separate bikes. Just when we were about to take a turn towards Patiala, I stopped my fellow rider and asked him, “Why don’t we go to Shimla instead? road to Patiala is not that fun.” He thought about the weather, speculated the chances of frost bite but finally gave in. We got on the Himalayan highway and after riding a few miles I told my friend that I need to get some petrol as my bike was already running on the reserved fuel. It took us 3 U-turns, 6 closed petrol pumps, about 10 extra miles and a whole one hour to finally get the petrol filled.
After that we took just one stop which was much-needed as our hands were aching because of the cold. We had some tea, shared one ‘parantha’ and continued our journey. All this time, we were riding past the drunkards who were probably coming back from Shimla after celebrating new year. Some of them parked their cars on the roads, played loud music and were dancing with liquor bottles in their hands. There was a lot of traffic from the other side and I had to open my helmet’s visor so that the high beams didn’t affect my vision. This made riding even more difficult as I now had to bear the cold air on my face.

We finally reached Shimla at 4 am and roamed on the Mall road while clicking pictures. There was not even a single soul there, and it was indeed a unique experience to find peace on those roads which were known for their hustle and bustle. After walking through both the upper and lower Mall Road we finally found a shop open where tea was being prepared. We also ordered some buns with butter which turned out to be one of the most delicious breakfasts I have ever had.

We left from Shimla at around 6.30 am and reached back in about 3 hours, as we drove fast through the curves and turns while enjoying the empty roads and magnificent views.