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Day 2 Continued:Rohtang Itch

On the way to Rohtang

Time to complete the log

Right from the first day, we were searching for Bhuttas. I mean whats better than a bhutta, hot and salted, nimbu maarke, in such a weather. Got them in Marhi which is about 11km from the top. The last 11km took almost an hour because of the road condition, two landslides a few trucks ambling down the pass and the sheer number of qualis/innovas.
Ofcourse, some people were kind enough to park their vehicles right on the road, leaving barely enough space for a big 4X4 to pass through

On the top, finally, i was disappointed. Too many tourists, soiled snow and shops. We decided to move ahead a bit. And rewarded we were

Enjoy !!

Near to Rohtang vally

RohTang

Rohtang vally: photo taken by subrata

Some guys parked at one of the turns beyond the pass and enquired, excitedly.. “Going to Leh!!”. I replied “Not yet” Next year i definitely will!!!

Way to Leh

The standard biker baba pic

Biker baba at Rohtang

Me.. posing.. hindi film style

Mikhail:posing

The Alien and the Earthling

The Alien and the Earthling at Rohtang

As we played and posed around.. the weather changed dramatically. At first i thought it was a drizzle. But the white specks on my jacket made me jump with joy. This was the first time i was seeing live snow fall. Soon, the snowfall got more intense. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon. We decided to stop for lunch at the touristy place we had left behind. Surprise Surprise!! most of the vehicles were gone.
Tactical Mistake #2:: When in unknown area, do as the locals do.

We didn’t. Stopped at a small tent for some tea. This is when the things started going bad. Soon, the snow fall had become violent and the wind had started howling. It was getting very cold now and the only respite was the gas stove on which the tea was being made.
We asked the vendor, whether we should make a move. He said “Don’t worry. Kal bhi hua tha. Bas dus minute ki baat hai”. We ordered one more round of chaai.. but now i was genuinely worried. Tables were upturned, not a soul seemed to be in sight.

Snow storm at RohTang

It was now 5 and light had started fading. The wind wasn’t letting up at all. Now, the vendor himself said, “Saahab!! yahaan rehne kaa intezaam nhi hai. Aap bikes pe kaise jaaogey.”
Subrata and i exchanged worried glances.
5:30 and still no let up. Visibility was down.

snow storm

I said, “we have to get off the mountain”. Can’t risk wasting anymore time. The multiple orders of tea + maggi thing had cost us 280 Rs !!!

Ventured out of the tent and my visor went foggy. Shit!!! no chance i could use it. Opened the visor and was stung by the ice.
This is when subrata took this mobile pic.

Snow covered bikes

Snow covered bike

A few kickstarts later, the zma roared to life. The 220 seemed dead. Have had a few starting problems previously. I pleaded with God “Not today!! just not today!!”
Tried dhakka start but even that wasn’t working. Finally, my moody bike relented and started up

We went ahead. 100m on, the windward side of the pass was covered with thick snow. The road was all white. Even at 10 kmph, i lost control. We skidded. Looked back for help from the Zma guys but saw that they had also fallen down. Subrata’s leg was stuck somehow in the Zma. Parking there, we helped him up. The Zma fairing had suffered a big crack. The clutch lever had broken in two. I looked around but there was hardly anybody there. For the first time.. fear engulfed me.
He said that he could drive it. So we started again. Both the pillions(my wife and bro-in-law) got off and we decided that they would walk down a kilometer or two while we would drive the bikes at a snails pace. Both feet on the ground.
We saw a Swift in the distance. A newly married couple was sitting in it. The Swift seemed perfectly capable of dealing with the snow. I asked them if they could take my wife down to Marhi while we follow them. The charming couple obliged and now the first of my problems were over. Went ahead a bit and Subrata fell down again. This time, he hurt his knee. I was shaking my head. This was just not part of the plan.
God has a way of testing you and then showing you the way, in our case, a truck
Talked to the driver who was ready to load up the bike. A few localites joined in and we were able to lift the zma up. Now, i had to take a call. Either i could continue alone in the snow or get my bike loaded up too. Bravery and bravado have a thin snow laden line and i decided not to risk freezing in the snow in the dark.. Plus i was concerned that the Swift might be able to negotiate ahead easily and if i got stuck my bike would be a big liability
Both the bikes loaded up, Subrata and Rishabh went in the truck while i joined my wife in the comfort of the Swift. Even with the heater on, i was shaking. The snow on my clothes was melting and simply soaking them.
Anyway!! we were safe now
Needless to say, the climb down the mountain was treacherous and took quite a while. We stopped at just one point where i finally mustered enough courage to take out my camera. The lens was all foggy. To hell with scratches i thought and cleaned it with my gloves.
Took a few shots. Here they are,

As we crossed Marhi again, i looked up. The dark clouds had engulfed the mountain above. I guess we had been very lucky

This was the most exciting part of the journey. Rest of it is just–
1. All wet and mudded in Manali(the couple dropped us there) among the scores of tourists in their bright shawls and monkey caps. Bongs, Bongs and more bongs. Well how can i complain!! i am a Bong too
2. We ate some boiled eggs so that we could finally get warmed up a bit.
3. We took a taxi from Manali to kullu as subrata said that he couldnt drive so better to take the bikes to kullu.

Day 3:
Sunday is a lazy time in the hills. Nobody gets up and even if they do, they won’t open their shops. Finding mechanics was tough. Some jugaad with rope to tie up the zma fairing, and we decided to move on.
The day was dusty and downright hot. But i had no complaints. We were alive.
As i sipped tea in a roadside dhaba near Ambala at 7 in the evening i reflected on a few things.
My tactical mistakes, pillions on these mountain rides and whether a car was a better option.

I drifted off to sleep and my wife woke me up. It was time to roll on. The wind gently energizing me, the rising moon for company, i was content. Saw a family get out of a car, all decked up and asking at the dhaba if they had a cooler, the kids shouting out for pepsis , their mouths full of fatty chips. I had the answer to the car Vs Bike dilemma
I revved up, engaged the gear, and screamed past them.
It was time to go home.

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Posted by mikhail On August - 14 - 2009 rohtang trip tour travel

Day 2: Rohtang Itch

Got up at 7. We were already behind the plan for the day. Wanted to bike till a few kilometers beyond Gramphoo. Not to be now. Finally.. at about 8:45 in the morning we decided to move, leaving the luggage in the hotel only.

The drive from Kullu is very easy paced and leisurely. Here are a few pics

RohTang:Notice the third goat from the left in the pic

Notice the third goat from the left in the pic. Its giving me such a funny and confused look

Manali

Finally reached Manali. The snow covered mountains were just so inviting. We were very excited.

RohTang: Manali

Here i made a tactical mistake. Inflated the tyres to the optimum pressure(28, 34)
Anyway, had a hearty breakfast of paranthas, poori bhaaji and bhaturey among ourselves. A few strolls on the Mall road in Manali and we were ready for the climb. It was already 11 in the morning and it had started drizzling a bit.
As we started up, the weather alternated between sunny and a slight drizzle.
Let the pictures do the talking now. Its almost one at night. Can’t write anymore