Day 1

Day 1(Thur, 20th Oct): And The Journey Begins...

Trekking is a new found passion of mine and I'm finding it equally thrilling and amazing as my motorcycle adventures. Many a times during my motorcycle trips where I have come across a beautiful mountain view, I've always felt this sudden desire to climb it. To stand at the top of its peak, to experience the spectacular views it would offer and to know how it feels to be up there. And this desire of mine was fulfilled earlier this year in April, when I did my first solo trek to Prashar Lake. After completing Prashar Lake trek, I realized that I'm capable of doing much bigger treks. And, when my Ladakh trip got cancelled which I planned for September, I decided to go for the Shikari Devi(Hunter Goddess) trek. Shikari Devi temple lies in the Shikari Devi wildlife sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh. It is situated at the top of the hill and is surrounded by thick oak and coniferous forests. At 11,000 feet from sea level, it is said to be the highest peak in the entire Mandi district and known as the 'Crown of Mandi'. This place can be approached from Janjehli or Karsog valley. Janjehli is the base for Shikari Devi trek, it is about 100 kms from Sunder Nagar. The trek distance from Janjehli to Shikari Devi temple is 16 kms, half of which goes through thick forests of oak, spruce and pine trees and takes about 3.5-5 hours. For those who want to go by car or motorcycle, there's a jeepable road from Janjehli to the temple. Vast green pastures, amazing panoramic views and breathtaking scenic beauty, sunrise and sunsets makes it a treat for nature lovers. The temple is open from April till mid November.

It's the only roofless temple in the entire north India. there have been several attempts in the past to construct a roof for the temple but they were all failed. As per locals, the goddess simply wouldn't allow it to happen. This place receives lots of snow during winters. Although the entire region around this temple gets covered with several feet of snow, it has been observed that the area inside the temple remains snow-free. Hunting is banned in India, but before it was banned, the hunters(shikaris), before going to the forest for hunt used to visit the temple and pray to the goddess for success in their hunt. I was really fascinated about this place, so decided to do the trek on my 31st birthday.

Left home @ 1:30 am, destination for the day was Janjehli village(starting point of trek), a little over 500 kms from my home. I was expecting to reach before 5:00 pm. It started to get cold after Narela, I was shivering by the time I reached Panipat and desperately felt the need of a sweater. Took it out of my backpack, wore it and had tea with biscuits at a roadside dhaba near by. This was enough to warm me up and I was soon back on the road. The next tea stop was at Ambala, a much needed one after being battered by the cold. I was desperately waiting for the sun to come out, it finally came near Kiratpur and soon it was all bright and warm. So stopped there for a while to bask under the sun. You always feel so relieved and comfy when you spend some time under the sun after being hit by cold. But then you shouldn't spend too much time in the sun especially when you haven't had night's sleep and have been riding continuously since night, as it starts to get too comfy, laziness kicks in and you feel like dozing off. And that's exactly what happened, my eyes started shutting down. I knew this was bad as I had a couple of scary instances in the past where I ended up taking short naps while riding and lost control over the bike but somehow prevented myself from getting injured. So I washed my eyes thoroughly with plenty of water to get rid of this sleepiness and continued towards my destination.


Gurudwara Majnu ka Tilla, NH1

Near Karnal

Tea Break @Ambala

I was feeling hungry as the only solid meal I had was at dinner last night, roughly 13 hours ago. So stopped at a dhaba near Sunder Nagar and had a yummy parantha with milk tea for breakfast. The ride from Sunder Nagar to Janjehli is a pleasure ride, not many vehicles ply on this route. Till Baagi, I rode beside the beautiful Sunder Nagar lake and few kms post Baagi, the traffic got reduced to just a few vehicles every few minutes. Weather was nice and warm, the route was beautiful, I was really enjoying the ride and in no hurry to reach the destination. Time was about 4:00 pm when I reached Pandav Shila, just 3 kms before Janjehli. It's got this huge rock, which was placed here by Bhim, when Pandavs visited this place during their exile. Locals claim that this massive rock can be moved by just two fingers, well, that didn't happen in my case. But I was able to move it a bit with both hands. Finally @4:30 pm found a room in hotel Sandhya just a km before Janjehli. Its a nice hotel, rooms are clean, service is good and the staff is very friendly. Went outside on a village stroll, met few locals, had a chit chat with them and enquired about the trek route. They mentioned the shortcut from Bhulla which goes through the jungle but advised not to take it as I'll be trekking alone and I can easily get lost. Time was 5:30 pm and it started to get dark, so decided to head back to the hotel. People sleep very early in villages and all the shops shut around 7:00 pm. Bought couple of pack of chips, some local chocolates and a sprite pet bottle from the shop outside the hotel. Came back to my room, had a much needed hot water bath, it really felt rejuvenating and relaxing after a long and tiring 15 hour ride, had dinner around 7:00 pm, then finally dozed off.


A blissful ride beside Sunder Nagar Lake


Some temple @Chail Chowk

Pandav Shila, 3 kms before Janjehli...this massive rock was placed here by Bhim, when Pandavs visited this place during their exile. If you go by the locals, it can be moved by just two fingers, well that didnt happen in my case or may be I wasn't doing it right...but I was able to move it a bit with both hands.


Approaching Janjehli


Janjehli

Day 2

Day2(Sun, 14th June): A Wonderful Day...

No Vodafone network for prepaid connection starting from Jammu, it worked fine until Udhampur post that the signals started disappearing one by one. This means, from here onwards I would be virtually disconnected. I was ready to leave Jammu by 9:00 am but then it started raining. I had enough rain bath yesterday and was in no mood to get wet at the start of the day, so just waited for the rain to pass. And when the rain calmed down around 10:30 am, I headed out towards Srinagar. Roughly about an hour from Jammu, comes this only dhaba on the left side of the road. I stopped there for a tea break, while parking the bike, I noticed the drive chain had dried out at some places. I took out the chain spray, put it on the ground and started looking for some rock or any hard object, which I can squeeze under the main stand to tilt the bike so I can lubricate the drive chain.  I found a rock, just about right size and placed it where I wanted it to be. And as I was going to pick up the chain spray bottle, a white Fortuner came thundering down and mercilessly ran over it. It was a new bottle and was air tight, so it exploded, creating a loud thud that could be heard from far away. Two big fellas jumped out of the Fortuner to inspect it, they looked at the crushed and dead chain spray bottle and laughed out loud as they headed towards the dhaba. I felt embarrassed as I was expecting an apology which obviously didn't come. That awkward situation made me half angry and half funny, so I approached the driver, the big man in spectacles and asked him in a light joking manner..."How can a grown man, whose been blessed with four eyes, couldn't see a huge CS bottle?". They both paused for a moment, then again laughed out loud. The driver hugged me and said "Sorry Phaji(brother), it happened so fast so just couldn't see it". To which, we all smiled, shook hands and had a good conversation afterwards. They asked me all the details about my trip and wished me all the best. I felt their good wishes were more valuable than the chain spray but still I needed something to lubricate the drive chain before it goes kaput. Just few kms from the dhaba, I found a roadside mechanic shop and got the drive chain lubricated.

Few hours later, on the Jammu-Kashmir highway, I found myself in a massive jam caused by trucks, literally hundreds of them stacked up in a queue stretching for miles. Trucks from Punjab, from Haryana, from J&K and other parts of India. They transport rice, walnuts, dry fruits, oil, etc to J&K. I squeezed through them and went as far as I could but then was stuck at a point and had to wait there for an hour or so before the jam cleared. Reached Banihal in the evening around 4:00 pm, stopped there for a while to absorb the beauty of this village. After riding on bad roads and getting stuck in Jam for hours, Banihal was a treat to the eyes and soul. It offered refreshing views of the Kashmir valley, a very beautiful village consisting of rice fields, colorfully painted wooden houses, clear views of the mountains which were miles away, all this coupled with great weather made it well worth spending some time there. Not far from there is another beautiful village, Verinag, as soon you as exit out of the Jawahar Tunnel, you reach Verinag. Verinag welcomed me with its awe-inspiring views, light drizzle, lush green mountains and a double rainbow, I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. Nature just poured all its beauty out there and as a spectator I watched one of nature's best shows. If Banihal was beautiful, Verinag was surreal, its one of those few places where you can just sit for hours admiring its mesmerizing views. Reached Titanic point, I just sat there and relaxed for a while, had a cup of hot tea and met a group of bikers from Gujrat. There are a couple of shops at the Titanic point, owned by the villagers, you can get tea/coffee and maggie there. You can find villagers selling woolen caps and mufflers. I knew I was getting late for Srinagar, I knew it would get dark when I get there but I didn't want to miss the sunset at Verinag. Not very often you get a chance to witness such amazing sunsets and when you do get it, then you should not let that opportunity go away.

I left Verinag when it started to get dark, no breaks till Awantipora, a bike was on my trail for some time, felt like I've been followed, it soon overtook me on a dark, isolated road and waved me to stop. There were two men on that bike, their faces were covered with mufflers. I wasn't sure what was going to happen next and was a bit panicked to be honest. When one of the men started walking towards me, I sensed trouble and quietly sneaked my right hand into my pant's pocket, grabbed the army knife and just held it in there. It was a very tense moment, he was getting closer and closer, finally he stopped just few feet away from me and this conversation started.

Him: Where are you coming from?
Me: Jammu
Him: Where are you going to stay tonight?
Me: Srinagar
Him: I can help you get a room there at a hotel.
Me: Is that your hotel?
Him: Yes, I have houseboats too, you can also stay there?
Me: Do you have your hotel's card with you now?
Him: Yes
Me: Can I see it?
Him: Sure.
(He handed one over to me)
Me: Is that your picture on the card?
Him: Yes, that's me.
Me: What's your name?
Him: Jan Mohammad.
Me: You're a handsome man bro, you shouldn't be hiding your face.
(He takes removes the muffler).
Me(thinking): That's really him in the picture, he sounds legit and not a threat anymore. I've never stayed in a houseboat before, it would be a new experience for me, so I decided to go for the houseboat.
Me: What's the charge for hotel room and the houseboat?
Him: Rs.500 for the room and Rs.2000-5000 for the houseboat.
Me: That's too much, I'm on a budget and can't afford to pay Rs.2000 for a night.
Him: Just have a look at it, you will definitely like it and will happily pay the money.
Me: No, I'm not paying Rs.2000, take me to your hotel.
Him: At least, have a look at it once, then may be we can negotiate the price.
(He was able to convince me for the Houseboat).
Me: Alright! Let's go and have a look at it.

I followed him and we reached Srinagar in an hour, it was 9:30 pm, he took me near the houseboats and called one of his friends. Munir Ahmed, a tall guy in black leather jacket and blue jeans. He introduced me to him, then I got to know that all of Jan Mohammad's houseboats were already occupied, he rode all the way from Awantipora to Srinagar for his friend Munir, to help find tourists for his houseboat. He could have easily provided me Munir's location and contact number, but he choose to travel some 30 kms and took me there himself. Real friends are hard to find, I was amazed to see such fine example of true friendship, which has become very rare nowadays. Munir took me inside the houseboat, it had two bedrooms with attached bathroom, a dining and a drawing room. Luckily, some tourist who was supposed to occupy the other room didn't come and it was just me all alone in the houseboat. Since I was going to stay for two days, I was able to negotiate the price to Rs.1500 for a day. Went to the market near by, had dinner in some restaurant there, came back and collapsed into a deep sleep.

Banihal

@Jawahar Tunnel





 
Verinag

Some village en-route to Srinagar

Jan Mohammad's Card

Day 1

Day1 (Sat, 13th June): Safety Gear is a MUST...

After reading numerous travelogues and seeing thousands of pics...It became a dream to ride my bike to Ladakh...To experience the beauty, adventure and thrill it offers... Then finally, in June, 2015, nearly after four years, my dream turned into reality.

A hectic day in the office, but the feeling that tonight I'll be heading for a soul fulfilling journey charged me up. Came from office @ 10pm(Friday night), had dinner, packed all the stuff, bid adieu to mom,dad and left home @12:15am. I prefer traveling at night for three reasons... to avoid getting roasted in Delhi's scorching heat, to avoid the crazy traffic jams and the fact that I get so excited that I don't get sleep at all. So why waste time and wait for the dawn.

Like always, stopped by Gurudwara Majnu Ka Tilla on NH1, to take blessings from the almighty and to pray for my journey ahead. Saw a big group of bikers near Mubarka Chowk, hoards and hoards of them, they were all packed in their riding gear (I would meet them later at Zozila). By looking at their riding gear, I realized that in all the hurry I forgot to wear my safety gear(knee and elbow pads), a huge mistake and I would pay for it later. There were dark clouds all over the sky, couldn't spot a single star, so I asked god, it would be really nice if he can shower some rains and make this ride more joyful. To which he listened and in no time sent thunderstorms on me, well, I only asked for a light drizzle. I realized that we need to be very specific nowadays, even with the god. It really started raining cats and dogs, to a point where the droplets weren't droplets anymore, they felt like needles piercing into my face. I was all drenched and it was getting difficult to ride, so I had to take multiple stops near Sonipat, Ambala, Jalandhar and Pathankot.

Reached Ludhiana in the afternoon and was welcomed by a sandstorm. I was feeling very hungry, so decided to stop by a roadside dhaba for brunch. I patiently waited for the storm to settle down while sipping a cup of hot milk tea, after about an hour, the storm calmed down a bit, so I decided to move on. Started feeling signs of fatigue since I was awake for over 24 hours but the real culprit was the bright sunlight. Its always very hard to stay focus and keep the eyes open when you've been riding for over 12 hours and had no night's sleep and now the sun's out and shining bright on your face. But I have faced similar situation in the past and know how to deal with it. The trick is to have frequent tea/coffee breaks, thoroughly wash your eyes the moment they start shutting down and eat very very less. But it would be a lie if I tell you that I was not affected by it at all. Fatigue was taking its toll on me and there were times when I was forced to take short naps(few seconds) while riding. Met with heavy rains again at Jalandhar and Pathankot.

The funny part about Day1's ride was that at one place I was getting drenched by the rains and on other place was getting parched by the sun and winds and this happened with me not once, but four times. My feeling was similar to that of a dirty cloth's that gets soaked, washed, spinned and dried up in a washing machine. Finally the rains vanished after Pathankot. At one point, near Udhampur I met with a minor accident when I tried overtaking a car on a curvy stretch. While taking the curve, the Ladakh carrier came in contact with the road, I lost balance and the bike tipped over. My right knee got scratched, but thank god, I wasn't riding fast and got away with just a minor wound. I realized how important it is to wear safety gear and cursed myself for forgetting it at home. But Ladakh carrier, God damn you! It was the first time I was riding with the carrier, the extra bulge created by it at both rear ends of the bike changed the riding dynamics to certain extent. After this accident, I had to adjust my riding style and be more careful on corners and curves as the ground clearance on both rear ends was clearly reduced by a few inches. I finally reached my destination Jammu in the evening around 7:30 and found a room in hotel "Touch Wood".


Gurudwara Majnu Ka Tilla, NH1


@ some dhaba near Ambala

NH1

Near Pathankot

@ a dhaba near Pathankot

Approaching Jammu

My room in Hotel Touch Wood

Day 11, 12 & 13

Day11 (Sep 23):

Woke up around 7:30am, was able to charge my mobile for 15 mins, good enough to bring it back to life and now I should be able to click some pics. No breakfast, no tea, I wanted to reach Manali asap before the nature's call comes knocking again. By 8:30am, I left Chatru, the Chatru-Rohtang stretch is much better than Losar-Chatru, less bumpy and just few water crossings. The distance from Chatru to Manali is about 80kms. Just few kms before Manali, It came back knocking again, and this time it had no intention to go back. It was getting very hard to hold it up and the urge to do it was getting more and more intense. Finally reached Manali and found this hotel "Hotel New Shivalik" and got a room for Rs.600. Sadly, that was not the end of my torture, the cruel hotel manager must have known my current state and to add to my misery, he gave me a room on the very top floor(3rd) and the hotel doesn't have lift facility, so I had to take the stairs. Imagine carrying 40 kilos of luggage in that condition and climbing all those stairs, that was indeed the toughest part of the trip. With every painful step, I somehow made it to the top, locked the door and after 16 hours of torture, I finally pooped and relieved myself.

Today was a rest day, so just relaxed in the room, then in the eveining, went out and roamed in the market, came back to room and slept.

Some pics @ Rohtang pass

The jugaadu footrest which I found at Batal


Day12 and Day13(Sep 24, 25):

The plan was to reach Solan, stay at massi's house and leave for Delhi the next day. However on my way back, I missed the road after Bilaspur that goes to Shimla and instead took the Rupnagar-Chandigarh one. Which I only realised when I got stuck in a huge jam caused by trucks from Rupnagar all the way to Kiratpur sahib. Couldn't go back, so had to continue with this one. When I was near Ropar, my bike's engine was heating up pretty bad and making weird noises, checked the engine oil level and it was way below the mark. There are many automobile shops in Ropar, so bought the oil from one of the shops and there is a mechanic near the two-wheeler parking area, so got the oil changed. He suggested me not to stay in Chandigarh as rooms there would be very expensive instead stay @ Gurudwara Bhatha Sahib in Ropar. Glad I followed his advice and paid just Rs.50 for the night stay, rooms there are very neat and clean with attached bathroom. Besides, I got the opportunity to have Guru ka langar there, which is always yummy. The next day, took blessings from Gurudwara and headed to Delhi, finally reached home in the afternoon.



Gurudwara Bhatha Sahib, Ropar

At the end, I can describe my Spiti experience as Divine and complete Nirvana.