वेद्नेस्दय 15th

We had been briefed by Raj about the bikes and were getting used to them. There are 3 500cc Classic & 2 350 cc Classic Royal Enfields. The bikes are fabulous for the type of riding we are doing. Steady and solid. The sport bikes wouldn’t be so much fun! The traffic, animals, people horns beeping ‘ I want to pass’ or ‘I am passing’ make for a noisy environment.
We were told to be up and ready by 7am…. We left at 10! Julene was discharged from hospital and was travelling in the car. We left her bike at the hotel.
We travelled to South Pulu where we stopped for about an hour for permit checks and road opening information. The altitude was affecting us with easily getting short of breath. We had some food at the canteen local deep fried bread…… interesting and of course tea.
The ride up over the Kardongla Pass is only short in ks but long in time. The tar gives way to gravel, sand and rocks. Throw in snow, slush, trucks, buses, animals and it was probably the hardest ride we have ever done. Up at the top approx 5600m depending on which map you read it is the highest motorable road in the world. We stopped for longer than the recommended time for photos etc. Once again getting short of breath and headaches. Kerrie, Michele and Jo were SO RELIEVED to have actually made it! We breast cancer gals had a moment for our mates that have not been as fortunate as we have. We left pink ladies up there with the prayer flags.
The shop was SHUT so no souvenirs- sad face.
One of the gals had to jump in the car so Raj took the lead. The trip down was not much better- still snow and slush. Hope the helmet cam has picked up the conditions. It was amazing scenery riding through the mountains but not a lot of time for sightseeing…. Keep those eyes on the road/track.
Down at North Pulu the other check point we kept going a little further for lunch. The road was good and it was a treat to almost have fun (the beauty of Indian roads is that you cannot assume anything!)
The Nubra Valley was amazing to ride into. The mountains and road were not too bad. A few rough patches. One water crossing. Raj had shown where not to go & Jo didn’t hear the NO THROTTLE part of the conversation. Consequently nearly lost it but managed to avoid Raj, the lake and his bike. Kerrie fared better and got through with only a toe touching the water!
The guesthouse was clean & we had HOT water showers. We were so relieved to have survived the pass but were not too keen to do it all again the next day. Luckily we had 2 nights here.