The world is a playground - Open fields in Langza
Himalayan
Odyssey
3 friends || 2800 kms || Unlimited memories
the necklace ride
It was around April when I decided, I had to go, the mountains are calling. The obvious choice was to ride to Spiti – the barren land. I spoke to Sachin and Gautam and their response was like, this is what we were waiting for. Within a few days, we finalised the route, a route that we call as The Necklace Ride. One can figure that out by plotting the mapping of our ride.
Delhi – Shimla – Kalpa – Nako – Tabo – Dhankar – Kaza – Langza – Chandrataal – Manali – McLeodganj – Dalhousie – Amritsar – Delhi
\Well, the plan was simple: Rent a Himalayan and Raid De Himalayas.
So we reached Delhi by evening and went straight to Karol Bagh to pick up the bikes. The bikes were in decent conditions and we decided to load the luggage and head to the hotel. The next morning, we started towards Shimla. We stopped for Breakfast at some Dhaba in Murthal. Post that, we rode straight down to Ambala – Panchkula and then Solan.
As soon as you cross Panchkula, you will get the first glimpse of the mountains. I remember we stopped right there to embrace the serenity, we looked at each other with a smile on our face and simply nodded, let’s see what’s in store for us.
I saw a fellow biker, on a fully loaded Desert Storm, and as I passed him, I simply raised my thumb and he simply nodded. Little did I know that we would become really good friends somedays later. As they rightly say, you meet some of the nicest people on the motorcycles. By evening, we reached Theog, our stay for the evening.
Stay Suggestions:- NorthMoon Homestay (Suresh: 9418548286)
The next day was pretty eventful. From Landslides to passing overflowing bridges, to riding late at night and eventually meeting Vignesh (solo rider that I mentioned earlier). The plan was to head to Chitkul however it got shattered because the road to Chitkul was blocked due to heavy landslide and so we had to head to Kalpa instead. Kalpa is a small village in Kinnaur district situated up in the mountains. The mornings are magical in Kalpa, imagine yourself sipping in fresh tea in your balcony with Kailash Mountain in front turned orange as the sunlight falls on to the snow-capped mountains. We couldn’t make it to Chitkul and had to ride through Pangi Village to reach Spillow. This by far was the most adventurous ride of my lifetime. The Himalayans felt at home as we rode pass Kinnaur and entered Spiti Valley. We rode late into the evening to make it to Nako.
Stay Suggestions:- Hotel Rolinrang / HP Tourism Kalpa
I got up early the next morning and went out for a stroll. The entire village was surrounded by clouds. I saw Vignesh coming out of his tent playing old Hindi melodies. Little did I know we would soon become friends for a lifetime.
Well, there’s this thing with the mountains, you realize that they are so massive and you, your problems, your insecurities, they are all so irrelevant, all that matters is what you feel now. You live in the moment and forget the rest.
These were my feelings as I woke up that morning and sat next to the helipad wondering what it all means to me. Why do I feel so much of contention? What is it with these mountains that I love the most. Yes, I love the oceans, the beaches and everything in between but mountains, they have my heart.
We hit the road, this time Vignesh joined us as we headed towards Kaza. We stopped at Tabo for lunch and then headed to see the mummy at Gue Monastery. En-route to Kaza, we found a detour, a road heading up to a village named Dhankar. I am a firm believer of instincts and chose to head to Dhankar instead and boy-o-boy we weren’t disappointed. I still don’t know how but we met Vignesh again who was already there in Dhankar as if he knew that I would also head to Dhankar instead of Kaza.
Stay Suggestions:- 9459129237(Nako Homestay)
We were welcomed at the very first homestay that we enquired for stay. The people in the mountains are so welcoming, they would always embrace you with a smile on their face. There’s this sense of contention, being happy with what they have, perhaps the learnings from Buddhism to not get attached to materialistic desires. One can learn the very art of minimalism from the people in the mountains.
Tengzin, invited us to stay at his place for the night. Post dinner we sat on the roof to observe the stars. I had never seen so many stars with my naked eyes. We simply lied on the roof for hours, without speaking anything to anyone. It felt as if all of us were fascinated and had lost words to describe what we felt.
Stay Suggestions:- Tenzin Homestay, Dhankar (8988958703)
The plan was to ride, perhaps to Kaza, however, we were not sure. So we first headed to Pin Valley, the last village named Mud. I was awestruck by a small kid who ran towards my bike and enquired if I had chocolates with me. I said am sorry I didn’t have any, he was dejected but nevertheless, he smiled and said bye. I promised myself to carry chocolates with me now onwards. We stopped by in Kaza to have lunch at the famous Himalayan Cafe before heading to Langza, a small village famous for the Buddha Stupa. We climbed upwards from Kaza and after riding rough terrain for about 15kms, we were welcomed by the lush green fields. Imagine a wide flat patch of lush green land with snow-capped mountains in the back. The village was celebrating its annual festival. With a wide range of activities from archery, horse racing there was this aura of festivity around. We reached Langza and enquired for a stay. We settled down at Sonam Homestay located right next to the Buddha statue. The family was very welcoming. We discussed lives in Spiti and on topics about spirituality and Buddhism.
Stay Suggestions:- Sonam Homestay, Langza (9418757464/9459420400)
There’s a small village named Hikkim which has the highest post office in the world. We write postcards and sent out to our loved ones before heading to Kaza. Kaza is a pretty happening town, with small markets to cafes. In one such cafe, I came across Bhavesh Kakkar(solo traveler cum artists cum songwriter cum vocalist). The cafe came up to life as he played his compositions. The ambiance called up for beer as I slowly drifted with my thoughts of having the best time of my life. As if this is somewhere I belong. The entire feeling of being lost, as if we lose only lose ourselves to discover the other side of us. The side from which we have been running away. The next morning we headed towards Chandrataal.
Stay Suggestions:- Zostel Kaza
We joined Vighnesh in Key. He had decided to stay the night at the Key Monastery. We then headed to Chandrataal passing through Kibber, Losar, and KunzumLa Pass. Losar is the coldest inhabited village in India with temperatures falling down to as low as -45″ C during winters.
At times I would park my bike and simply sit next to the rocky broken roads, simply watching over the mountains. The ever-changing terrain, everything looks so near yet they were so far. The mountains being so massive that one would get a complex of being so small, or their fears, insecurities, or pride being so small in front of them.
We reached Bathal in the afternoon and decided to stay in the camps there. Post lunch, we rode to Chandrataal. You would be blown away by the very glimpse of the lake. I sat there observing the magic of sun rays falling on the lake and the surrounding mountains. Every scene felt like it was carved out of a beautiful dream.
Stay Suggestion:- Camps at Bathal
The agenda was to reach Manali by afternoon. But like they say, when you are crossing passes, you don’t plan the day, you plan the hours. We were stuck due to a landslide for almost 8 hours. I decided to climb the mountain next to us just for the heck of it. As I managed to reach the first base, I looked back and contemplated thoughts of how far we have come. Miles away from civilization, from the crowd. Happy about where I have reached, optimistic about where am going. We reached Sesu late at night and then headed to Manali the next morning.
I love the whole aura of a small town. As we explored the infamous cafes of Old Manali, I was again struck by the idea of opening a small cafe or coffee house up in the mountains.
Cafe 1947, is one such cafe. You sit under the trees next to the flowing river. Imagine the sound of the river and slight droplets of water, dim yellow lights, and cozy music in the background, good food, and friends. I had everything that one could ask for. Manali you have my heart.
Stay Suggestions:- Mother Tree Cottage
The next morning, we headed to McLeodganj. It was pure joy to ride through the curves and hairpin bends. We stopped in military Dhaba for lunch. By far, it has been the best experience of Rajma Chawal.
I remember losing myself in between as I stopped by and sat next to the cliff. I could see the far stretches of villages down the mountains. With the earthen smell all around, it seemed as if Dharamsala was here to welcome us.
We then rode through Dharamsala to reach McLeodganj in the evening. The small town has got a lot to offer. With busy market roads to roadside eateries to Monasteries, my favorite of all has to be the Illeterati Cafe.
Situated on the cliffside, it’s a small cafe with books all around. You pick your choice of book and a corner, sit by the whole day, and just sip in the tea or coffee and savor the views. Speak to fellow travelers, listen to their stories, and share your experience.
The next morning we headed to Dalhousie. We reached Dalhousie around 11 am and unpacked at Zostel, Dalhousie. Post lunch we headed to Khajjiar, Scotland of India. The sun was setting down quickly and we had to race against light to reach Kalatop. We then headed to the markets of Dalhousie. The city comes to life in the evening, with localities and tourists hustling through the busy main roads. It rained heavily in the evening and we reached Zostel late-night drenched in rain. I had the chance to speak to Ravi, the owner of the place. He spoke in length about how he got bored with the routine corporate life and decided to invest in setting a homestay in Dalhousie.
Dalhousie offers a lot to explore from amazing grasslands at Khajjiar to ancient villages of Chamba to the most treacherous passes, the SachPass.
The next morning, we headed to Amritsar. After riding through the mountains and the twisties, the Punjab highways felt boring. We zipped pass through to reach Amritsar by noon. Post unloading the luggage we decided to see the Golden Temple. We were accompanied by a gentleman who proposed to take us for sight-seeing.
We went to see the face-off at Wagah Border and then to the most amazing eateries in Amritsar. Later that night we went back to see the Golden Temple. I am not religious, to be honest, however, despite all the people, it still felt peaceful in there.
The next morning we rode back to Delhi as we had to catch the evening flight back to Mumbai.
