[Pangong Lake- Jammu and Kashmir, very North India]

4200m

On my way back there is an awkward river crossing and my front wheel hit something and the bike leaned over to the side....and due to the rocks and the water I couldnt hold the bike + luggage upright any more, and had to lean it on the rocks, step off the bike and pull it upright again (with some help of some Indian jeep drivers who were waiting to cross the river also).

Pity cos I really really wanted to avoid wet feet as I still had to cross over a 5200+ m pass back to Leh!































Video

Pangong Lake

(Jammu and Kashmir)

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[Leh - Jammu and Kashmir, the very North Of India]

3505m

Leh is a pleasant capital city of the region. Like every other town in the region, its only green due to the irrigation channels which rely on the snow melts. Typical of the region, its amazingly hot in the sun with clear blue skies, thus its easy to experience sun burn and cracked lips, yet its wonderfully cool (jumper/jacket time) at night.

I was based here for about a month, making trips to Pongong Lake, Nubra Valley and Zanskar Valley.





























































Video

On the way to Leh

(Jammu and Kashmir)

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[Lahaul Valley - Himachal Pradesh]

Lahaul Valley is one of my favourites simply because it is green, and Chandra Dal (Moon Lake) was extra ice on the snow cone.

By far the roads in this valley were the most rough/treacherous I have ever ridden on, and that is saying something in India. The Kunzum pass is at 4590m and my motorbike really struggled here due to the steep inclines, lack of oxygen and condition of the road. At the time I thought the other passes above 5000m I was going to encounter were going to be even more difficult; I might even have to push the bike...but fortunately the Kunzum pass was the precedent.

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[I Dont Love Heights, Kibber - Himachal Pradesh]

One of the highest villages in the world at 4250m. They say if it rains for more than 10minutes it turns into snow. Even in summer the winds turn rather cold quickly.





















































Video
It took me 10minutes before I could work up the courage to do this. It really gave me the willies...

I Dont Love Heights

(Kibber, Himachal Pradesh)

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[Dalai Lama Comes to Kaza - Himachal Pradesh]

3660m

It is like the pope visiting Mexico or so, a huge event for the locals. Any which way they came.

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[In the Mud - Himachal Pradesh]

4250m

Mudh, my most memorable time on this trip. I ended up spending one month here; at first 2 weeks and then I came back after a week for another 2 weeks.

Literally nothing out here but a couple of guest houses and restaurants. Just what I needed at the time, silence, sitting in nature and lots of walking, with wonderful star gazing at night, especially when the electricity was out- I could easily see the Milky Way bands across the sky.

Literally did get stuck in the mud here. I was doing some maintenance on my motorcycle when it got stuck in false neutral- I literally had no gears. I was careful in planning my trip to bring all the necessary tools and spare parts- except for an allen key! (and no one in the village had one or the other tourists on motorcycles who came).

In the end I had to do a 5hr return bus ride to the nearest town where I met a foreigner living there. He was kind enough to go around town with me asking some of the locals if they had any tools. 2 days later I had a 4hr return ride to bring the tools back...I am so grateful I didnt end up having to put the bike on a truck and bring it to a mechanic as I have seen many tourists do in this area, and those hours watching the mechanic work on my bike paid off too.






























































Hung like a donkey...


















Video

Stuck in Mudh(Kinnaur Valley, Himachal Pradesh)

Stuck in Mudh (compressed video)

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[Dhankar - Himachal Pradesh]

3890m

If its not a Buddhist monastery perched precariously on a hill then its not a monastery it seems...

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[Tabo - Himachal Pradesh]

3050m






























Video

Tabo Village

(Kinnaur Valley, Himachal Pradesh)

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[Nako - Himachal Pradesh]

3640m















































Video

Nako

(Kinnaur Valley, Himachal Pradesh)

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