my name is Erich Soldat. is It all began with getting introduced to our ride that would carry us for the days ahead as a trusty steel steed. My 450 Himalayan turned out to be a docile yet capable ride that provided a plush and reliable ride all day long.
Day 1
It would willingly go wherever I pointed the big 28” wheel, and the tractor-like engine pulled me along unflinchingly, as long as the revs matched the job. The big Showa front forks were up to the task of removing jarring bumps, and the wide handlebar gave much control and leverage over the direction chosen.
Our first outing was a steep climb up the hills behind Leh to reach the Shanti Stupa, which is a large statue of a peace Pagoda, installed in the late 14th century. A relic of the original Buddha is supposed to be enshrined in its base. The location also gave us a nice view of Leh and the lush valley below. We motored on to Sangam, about 30 kilometers outside of town, following dusty roads and getting a taste of what riding a motorcycle in Ladakh entails – or so we thought.
Reaching the junction of the Indus and Sanskar Rivers, we took in the impressive scenery of steep mountains around us and two large rivers converging in a gorge way down below. A quick photo stop at the Magnetic Mountain broke up the ride back to Leh where we were treated to one of the many “Best meals of the trip” at a local restaurant that featured continental fare. We also found out that this Saturday, there was neither meat or alcohol for sale anywhere as it is an auspicious day in the Buddhist calendar. As most of us were sill getting accustomed to the high altitude and seeming lack of oxygen, nobody missed having a drink. However, the regimen of Diamox made drinking any carbonated beverage less than enjoyable. Most of us spent the evening packing for the day of full riding ahead, figuring out what to bring along and what to leave in the bag or suitcase that our driver with his vehicle would bring to the next location.
Day 2
After a hearty breakfast, we set out with plenty of warm sunshine and immediately started to ascend dusty, rock and gravel covered roads to reach the Changthang Overpass. At 17590 feet, it is one of the highest motorable overpasses around and we encountered a chaotic scene at the top where busses, cars and motorcycles fought for space or parked or attempted their best to avoid tourists that disregarded all safety precautions for a quick selfie or snapshot. However, we truly lucked out with the weather conditions as the jagged mountain tops around us made a stark and wonderful contrast to the vast valleys below while snowcapped summits far away presented us with the best the Himalayas have to offer. It was also the first time we really felt out of breath at such high altitude.
The roads gong down towards Nubra Valley were the finest yet, with many twists, turns and hairpins to push the little single cylinder and make the most out of every shift. A big grin started becoming a permanent part of my facial expression as I chased Sam down the curvaceous road, crossing occasional streams or passing the first of many military trucks. We broke for lunch at Diskit Monastery during the hottest part of the day and enjoyed some cool refreshments and bought trinkets. We took photos of the towering 99-foot-tall Maitreya Buddha, a 14th century monument to the Tibetan Buddhism that provides the religious base for most of the Ladakh territories.
Scorching heat remained with us for the rest of the day and we looked forward to our arrival at Nubra Valley, where a camp of Tents awaited and we were able to cool off at the nearby stream of glacier water. After we had a chance to set up and freshen up (first cold shower of the trip), we mounted our bikes once more to visit the Nubra Sand Dunes where we were offered rides on double humped camels or could try ourselves in archery. The camels are remainders of the time when the silk road was active and connected eastern Tibet and Central Asia through the high Karakoram Pass. Merchants, livestock, and trade caravans relied on this path until mid-20th-century. After dinner, a bottle of whiskey showed up and we relaxed with our team for a while before turning in.
Day 3
After a good night’s rest, glamping in a King Size Bed with my friend Wolfgang, we got up early to enjoy a curry breakfast, loaded our bikes and set off in the morning sun through rocky valleys and high-altitude stone tundra to make our way towards Pangong Lake, our final destination for that day. However, as we were told after a coffee stop, several roads were impassable due to the hot weather melting the glaciers at such accelerated rates that passable streams became raging rivers, making a safe traverse with our motorcycles not advisable. The less direct way to our evening’s abode now would take us across the Wari-La pass first (17429 feet). This overpass was most reminiscent of Switzerland as the smells and scenery were very similar and seeing wild Marmots completed that Swiss Memory.
The narrow but well-built road (thank you BRO’s) was a joy to ride and Sam even found some creative “abbreviations” to some hairpin turns, allowing us to get ahead of some slower vehicles. Reaching the town of Sakti, we continued along the popular and busy road to and over the Chang-La Overpass that we shared with dozens of belching army trucks and sightseeing tour buses. Local drivers often add a mix of Mustard-oil and kerosene to the diesel, which not only results in lack of power but also produces exhaust fumes that lash at your lungs.
For many of us, this was probably the most challenging of riding in India so far as the road was narrow, passing on the right felt unfamiliar, the absence of guardrails was disconcerting and the road conditions changing from asphalt to gravel made for some treacherous situations. But we all made it to the top for a welcome break while all the traffic we had passed slowly rumbled by, letting us know that slow and steady wins the race… Well, we overtook them all once again on the ride down to Tangtse, close to the Chinese border. Using your horn around blind turns, honking at trucks, cars, buses and other motorcyclists ahead soon became the norm to assure a more speedy average of travel.
From the top of the pass, we enjoyed highway style roads for about 30 kilometers, which were clearly built for the Military and you could not escape to notice that there was a lot of army presence in the area, bases littering all of the valleys around with hundreds of barracks, landing strips, fuel depots, thousands of soldiers in uniform and of course, check points. We stopped several times each day at this or the other roadside hut where documents were shown, stamped and nods given…
Towards the later afternoon, we reached Pangong lake (the world’s highest Salt Lake, as it is sacred, there is no fishing, boating or swimming allowed) and settled in the Mud-Huts that were our shelter for this night. While these buildings looked fun and like a good use of local material (Mud), we soon realized that merely brushing against- or touching the structure would leave crud embedded in your clothing, luggage and gear. Both dinner and breakfast at this small lodge were unremarkable but we reminisced about the memories of a great day of riding and looked forward to the next leg of our journey.
Day 4
Our group first set out to visit the location of an Indie movie called “3 Idiots” where we took photos on movie props for a small fee of 50 Rupees. Onwards to the Rezang La War Memorial that honors the 114 brave soldiers of Charlie Company, 13 Kumaon Regiment, who made the supreme sacrifice during the historic 1962 Battle against 3000 invading Chinese troops.
Most of us had to take off their crusty boots as to not dishonor or dirty the white marble floors and pristine halls of their heroic past. After lunch, Sam kept it interesting with a few off-road detours and short cuts that also brought us through some amazing landscape with dry desert sand underground (underwheel?) in barren valleys, ever present mountains to the left and right, devoid of habitation, with no dwellings and no discernible road ahead. But dots and tracks were connected and we found ourselves on the last stretch of paved, curvaceous road to Hanle, where we would stay for two nights. Bursts of cool rainfall reminded us that we are still well high up in the mountains where conditions can vary promptly.
There was a buzz at dinner amongst the member of the two DreamRiders tours at the hotel. Everyone was planning to venture out early morning to reach the top of the vaunted Umling-La overpass by sunrise. Will it be cold, rainy, foggy? At 19024 feet altitude, anything is possible and conditions are never predictable. We all packed out day-bags for cold/wet and went to be early as
Day 5
Started at 3:30 am, when Wolfgang and I suited up to get ready to disembark on a cool, dark Wednesday morning to make the 2-hour ride to Umling-La. The first 40 minutes were white knuckle riding across fields and rock strewn trails while following your own headlights and the red rear of the rider in front of you. At one point, a herd of wild horses crossed our path in full gallop. Forcing us to hit the brakes but gaze in wonder as they disappeared over the next crest.
We continued climbing up serpentine roads, higher and higher, colder and colder to reach the summit as the first group at 6 am. We took photos and selfies, shook hands, gave hugs and high fives while grinning broadly, making sure to commemorate this “accomplishment”. Soon, other groups of riders arrived and we took our leave to stop for some coffee and tea at a road-side dwelling that was run by Tibetan Mountain folks. Their hut was dark, and the smell of kerosene burning drove us back out into the cold mountain air.
Seeing and riding the steep, rocky trails, dips and turns of our earlier route at daylight was quite a revelation. The terrain and path chosen was by far more challenging than anything we had encountered so far but yet again, our trusty Himalayan guided us safely back down the same roads we came up earlier in the dark.
After an 8 am breakfast, we all took a well-deserved nap and looked forward to a day off in Hanle to digest the morning’s high and catch up with everyone in the group. We rode to the nearby monastery (Hanle Gompa) and visited the large weather station atop a nearby hill (IAO – Indian Astronomical Observatory). While we enjoyed a nice beer in the afternoon, we witnessed some rain coming in, giving us a most clear and vibrant rainbow with intense colors across the entire spectrum. It was a REALLY GOOD DAY – all agreed.
Day 6
Departing Hanle at 8:30 on Thursday morning to start our final day of riding – a 240 km (150 mile) ride along paved roads, all the way back to Leh. We stopped to refuel at the worlds highest service station in Nyoma and then broke for lunch in the town of Chumathang where they also had sulfuric smelling hot springs to cure joint pain and skin diseases). Most of the afternoon’s riding was accompanied by intermittent rain and sunshine, cold- and warm spells and with the constant Himalayan winds in our faces. We added a stop at the magnificent Buddhist Monastery in Thiksey that houses 10 different temples. This palace most resembles the home of the Dalai Lama – the Potala in Lhasa/Tibet. It also offered a great view of the green valley and town below.
The remainder of the ride was bittersweet as the kilometer-markers showed increasingly smaller numbers to remind us that all good things come to an end. Recent rainfall turned the roads into an obstacle course of puddles and lakes to avoid while slow, dense traffic in the town of Choglamsar gave us a taste of what kind of air pollution is accepted as normal and how mud and sludge accumulate when there are no gutters and no canalization. Several large trucks splashed us with murky brown water but nobody seemed to mind.
Overall, I was quite surprised by the constant pushing and stressing by the locals - everywhere and all the time. On the roads, there was zero patience and drivers would take amazing risks to gain an inch or two. Pedestrians on the sidewalk acted just the same and it is astounding how everyone seems completely oblivious to traffic; folks standing not next to but IN the streets for no practical reasons or for taking pictures in the middle of the road. Add in the sacred cows meandering, the countless stray dogs always on the wrong side of the street and we have a good recipe for using your horn!
Alas, we pulled into the courtyard of the Rising Himalayan Hotel and turned off our rides for the last time. After unpacking, repacking and a nice, hot shower, we enjoyed a light, continental meal without curry and met up with our team and the rest of the group for a few commemorative drinks at the Lechen Bar. We toasted a few last times, promised to send photos, stay in touch, leave good reviews and shared many more laughs together.
Overall, I could not have been with a better group of people and found that everyone always looked out for each other. The staff was constantly available to help us and made every effort to keep us safe, hydrated and well taken care of.
While riding with old friends and “almost family” like Harri and his kids, my long-time friends Mike, Peter and Wolfgang felt wonderful and familiar, it was a pleasure to also meet Doug from Dallas and have him as part of our gang! Even when he was not always feeling great, Doug rode all the worst terrain, challenged himself for Umling-La and joined us for fun and banter whenever possible.
I am sure that I speak for all of us but this was a trip of a lifetime and we thank the DreamRider’s team to make it memorable and safe and I thank all of you that came along and shaped this amazing memory!
My best to everyone!
Erich
