2 Months And A Half Off! (Part 9)

This series of posts is a day by day account of my two-month-and-a-half trip that begins with a stay in Bangkok, followed by a train ride Amritsar, a bike trip from Leh to Manali and a yoga teacher training in Kullu Valley, the end of the habitable world.

Day 16: The Day Before 

The day before our long bike trip to Leh, we headed to New Manali to buy some things that we'll need for the road. One of the most taxing errands we had to do was getting a sim card that we can use in case of emergencies. Here, a photo, a copy of your passport and visa and some signed document from your guesthouse or hotel are needed to get a sim card. Luckily, the man selling the sim card was nice enough to sell it to me without asking for the signed document from our guesthouse. And, I was given several packets to choose from. Here in India, even your mobile number can change your luck.

I must've picked an unlucky number. The minute I turned on my phone I started getting phone calls from unknown people. Around five numbers have called me repeatedly. And, telling them that they've called the wrong number didn't deter them from calling again. It was absolutely frustrating I had to keep my phone on silent or turn it off.

Day 17: Day 1 of the Manali to Leh Epic Bike Trip

At around 6 in the morning, our bags were packed and we were headed for Keylong, our destination for that day. The small town was around 125 kilometers away from Manali. 

Even though the drive from Manali to Keylong wasn't that long, we had to leave early in order to avoid the traffic on the narrow roads. Also, being ahead of everyone else meant that we will have loads of vehicles to count on for help should we have any problems with our bike. Another good reason for being early is that the water in the stream is higher in the afternoon than it is in the morning.

Our drive from Manali to Rohtang Pass started out smoothly. White, feathery clouds covered the mountains opposite us. And, we saw several waterfalls along the way.

Our first challenge were the muddy bits that we'd been warned about a couple of days ago. We crossed like three or four stretches of mud pits and I could feel the tires slip as we went through them. And, it didn't help that we were sharing the road with trucks, buses and jeeps. Fortunately, my boyfriend's amazing motorbike riding skills kept us from falling off. His shoes were absolutely soaked by the time we got to an asphalt road.

The muddy road up Rohtang Pass.

After the muddy bit, we had a mix of smooth asphalt roads and areas filled with gravel and sand. We also crossed a couple of small streams which added some spice to our trip. We were lucky to have an early start since the streams we had to cross were shallower and less threatening.

The road up the pass.

Moving along the scary mountain roads

Rohtang Pass

We were up close and personal with the mountains.

This is a scene that city folks don't normally get to see... And, I thought it was beautiful.

There was a waterfall in every corner.

Before we reached Tandi, where we were going to stop for petrol since this is the last town with a petrol station, we stopped at Glacier Cafe for a cup of chai. Below it are several rooms with clean bathrooms. And, opposite the cafe, are melting glaciers that looked like silver on the mountain's dark gray surface.

A melting glacier on the dark mountain surface.

After getting some petrol in Tandi, we headed to Keylong which had very dusty roads. We arrived at around 1 PM and found out that we had a flat. Luckily, we passed a mechanic on our way into town and the problem was fixed in no time.

Nalua Guesthouse (Keylong, Altitude: 3,080 meters, 500 rupees per night)

We picked this guesthouse because it had a restaurant and a small shop. The rooms were very sweet with ensuite bathrooms, hot water and a shared balcony with a nice view of the mountains.

The Guesthouse

The View From The Guesthouse

Sunset at the terrace.

Travel Tips

Leave early. The roads are narrow and being ahead of all the other vehicles makes the drive a whole lot easier. The streams are also much shallower in the morning.

Enjoy the view. The scenery along the way is the climax of the trip. Nothing can be more beautiful than the untouched green mountains and silver waterfalls you'll be passing by on the way. Stop and take a picture. 

Fill up and bring spare petrol. Tandi is the last place you can get petrol on the way to Leh.

Do some sightseeing (if you have time). There are a lot of temples in Tandi and Keylong. I didn't make it to any of them.

2 Months And A Half Off! (Part 8)

This series of posts is a day by day account of my two-month-and-a-half trip that begins with a stay in Bangkok, followed by a train ride Amritsar, a bike trip from Leh to Manali and a yoga teacher training in Kullu Valley, the end of the habitable world.

Day 14 (PM): Hadimba Temple

When I returned to the guesthouse I had a nice chat with boyfriend's old friend (who had arrived from Leh the night before). Since she was keen on doing some sightseeing, we decided to head to the Hadimba Temple which was walking distance from our guesthouse while my boyfriend sorted out our bike.

From the Eagle Guesthouse which is located around 100 meters from the clubhouse, we walked towards the bridge, crossed it and climbed up the steps opposite it. This led to the uphill Hadimba Temple Road which is lined with vendors hawking t-shirts, accessories and other wares. We even passed a couple of women asking for 50 rupees to have a picture with their extremely furry rabbits.

The simple wooden temple was built in 1553 by Raja Bahadur Singh. It was dedicated to Hadimba, a character from the Mahabharata, who became a goddess after going through tapasya which is a combination of meditation, prayer and penance. The Hadimba Temple, was built over a rock on which she meditated.

It was in this temple that I prayed for our safety during out bike trip. It was a very Indian experience -- The man in the temple placed a red dot on my head and gave me some red rice crispies. I smiled and tried some. But, since I didn't want to eat the whole handful, I chucked it into my bag and left.

The Hadimba Temple

Some kids singing outside the Hadimba Temple.

Ibex horns on the walls for warding off evil spirits.

A very nice park filled with pine trees.

A Tree Shrine

In the same area, beside a colorful carousel and a huge heart where couples are supposed to have their pictures taken, we found a tree with loads of flowers and other ornaments. It looked like a shrine of some sort. With no guidebooks to tell us to whom it was dedicated to, we had no idea why it was there.

A very beautiful shrine

A tattered carousel that shows a lot of character.

Green Forest Cafe (on the way to Hadimba Temple)

On our way down the hill, we decided to stop by Green Forest for lunch. They've got really nice cheese and vegetable momos (dumplings) and curry-flavored thukpa (vegetable noodle soup). This restaurant serves these Tibetan staples with an Indian twist.

Day 15: Test Drive

The next day, my boyfriend and I decided to take En Oi, the 500cc Enfield Machismo that we rented for our trip to Ladakh, for a test drive. Since he's gone through the road to the Rohtang Pass the day before, he was excited to share the stunning views with me.

After yoga, I walked up the steps to meet him in Vashisht while snapping some pictures on the way.

The area seems to be populated by these scaly things.

A man carrying some leaves up the steps.

The View of the Beas River from Vashist

Basho (Vashisht)

He drove pass when I reached the top of the steps. And, we headed to Basho for some breakfast before going for our drive. The view from the restaurant's terrace and they've got a really nice vegetarian burger. 

The River View From The Terrace Of Basho

The Road to Rohtang Pass

After getting a spare helmet from Bike Rentals Manali (where we rented our motorbike for 1,000 rupees a day), we began our trip up the road that led to Rohtang Pass. The road was fairly smooth with loads of switchbacks that looked like mutated hands on Google Maps. And, as we went higher up, the views became even more stunning.

With each turn, we were greeted by waterfalls sliding down the rock surface. And, as we moved up, we had a better view of the green valley before. The dark earth, the green grass and pine trees, the glistening waterfalls and the blue skies had such a rich contrast it was impossible to take a bad picture.

Tom and En Oi on Rohtang Pass

One...

Two... Three...

Four... The pass is just filled with waterfalls.

It's a nice feeling to be so close to the clouds.

This is what dreams are made of...

And, nightmares as well...

We didn't get to Rohtang Pass that day. We stopped before we reached the challenging muddy bit that lead to the pass, took some pictures and headed back to our guesthouse.

Casa Bella Vista (On the way up to Hadimba Temple, on top of the steps across the bridge)

Since it was my boyfriend's birthday, we decided to have a long lunch in Casa Bella Vista, where they served cold beers and really good Spanish-Italian dishes. The staff was so accommodating that they helped make their desert (a scoop of ice cream topped with chunks of brownie floating in a cup of espresso) extra special by putting candles and flowers around it.

bruschetta

Their version of Patatas Bravas.

Four Cheese Pasta.

Havana.