Skip to main content

Riding the dream - Ladakh - VI: Acclimatization

 Today was going to be about rest, relaxation, acclimatization and doing the necessary chores. I made the below list of things to do:

1. Have clothes washed - Visited the beautiful Leh market the previous night and found out a place for laundry - handed over clothes then, with a promise to get them back today afternoon. The Leh market itself is very pretty, well planned and fabulously maintained.

2. Get essentials - oxygen pump, jerry cans to carry fuel - Purchased a portable O2 pump. Also bought 2 5 litre cans and 1 10 litre can, since I was not sure how I would be mounting these on the bike, with an agreement to return the ones I dont end up using. There was not going to be a petrol pump after Nubra valley, so it was imperative to carry fuel. After numerous trials and errors, I concluded the best way is going to be using the tail bag's side pockets to host 5 litre cans on each side. While in the market, met an elderly couple from Pune whose son was in the army and posted around Leh, and they had come to see him. It was a very pleasant, homely conversation!

In general, I felt prepared to handle most of the situations that may arise. The only one I hoped did not come up was puncture - due to the spoked wheels, my bike has tyre + tube setup, so attending a puncture would mean taking the wheel out and possibly replacing the tube.

3. Fix action cam - I realized the reason the action cam was not working as desired yesterday, was because its housing locking mechanism had gone kaput. Came up with a jugaad.


4. Get a BSNL sim card - My initial research told me that after Nubra Valley, my airtel sim would not have network upto Darcha (almost close to Manali on the way back). So decided to try getting a BSNL sim. Visited the BSNL office. After waiting for >30 minutes, was told that they provide sims only with local address or accompanied by local guardian. The lady there asked me to go to a shop nearby where they would arrange one for me. I did not totally comprehend this mechanism of working, but went there anyway. Apparently, they do not accept Aadhar as address proof. Only voter ID or driving license. I was not carrying my voter ID so handed over my DL. Then I was told only Maharashtra DL is not accepted! I turned back empty handed.

5. Visit DC office to get Hanle permit stamped - Went here after the BSNL disappointment. The gatekeeper told me they don't manually stamp permits anymore - so I was good with the permit I had.

6. Visit shanti stupa and other sites if possible - This was such a peaceful place with gorgeous views! It had a separate meditation room and I quickly jumped in for a serene 30 mins of meditation.





Back at Zaltac - realized that my rear rack for the top box had bent. Straightened it out and moved the rack a bit further ahead onto the plate for more weight distribution towards the front. 


While at Zaltac, I met a couple from Bangalore on a rented Bullet. They were scheduled to go to Nubra as well tomorrow, so we decided to tag along.

7. Finally, fill up the tank and jerry cans - Late in the evening, decided to head out to tank up. I pull in the clutch and bam - the clutch cable snapped! Luckily I was carrying a spare clutch cable so replaced it within minutes.


Headed out to the petrol pump alongwith the tail bag, which had the 2 5 litre jerry cans on either sides.
Filled up the tank. Before filling up the jerry cans, the operator asked me twice - are you sure the jerry cans are intact and not leaking? I was pretty confident that they were perfectly intact, since they were brand new from the shop. The 1st can indeed held the fuel fine, but to my horror, the 2nd one was leaking big time! Luckily there was a used jerry can lying around in the petrol pump and I ran to get it, transferred whatever fuel the leaking can was still holding, and topped it up. One side of my tail bag was going to be smelling petrol for a while now! 

The couple from Bangalore had gone out to Lamayuru today, and I got to know they came back only by 11 PM. Accordingly, I was prepared to start late tomorrow. The weather in general in Leh had been very pleasing so that was a blessing.

It was time to cross the mighty and ever popular Khardungla!

Continue to the next chapter

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mind the mind! My Vipassana experience..

 It was pure curiosity that nudged me to sign up for the Vipassana meditation course. Had heard a lot of good things about it from acquaintances and decided to take the step!  But there are so many centers! Which one to choose? That's when I came across  Saee Bapat 's recommendation for the Tiruvannamalai Vipassana Center . And I decided to apply here.  Frankly, near and dear ones had a lot of reservations about this course, and rightly so, as we had very little information about it. Questions came up like: - It is religious? - You will be a changed person - These things are to be done during old age - Householders cannot sustain themselves here - What if something bad happens? Talking, phone access is not allowed even. But I am glad I listened to my heart and went ahead, this was one of the best things I have gifted myself! Now here's a short day-wise recollection of how the 10 days unfolded for me: Day 0: Arrived at the center just in time. The female coordinator told me
Post a Comment
Read more

Snugbub Babywearing 101- Your Guide to baby slings, ergonomic carriers

Introduction This is a story of a typical woman who is expecting a child- abundant sleep (yes as per the concept of relativity), eating whatever and whenever she desires, lots and lots of shopping, catching up with friends, movies, maternity shoots, super supportive family members…… and then the day arrives when the much awaited baby(ies) pops out!! A moment of joy- absolutely! But what happens to the mother? Lack of rest, lack of sleep, constant pressure of ‘feeding right – feeding enough’, recovering physically, too many things to sort out which none of the pre natal classes taught her! And this is the phase when babywearing could become her best friend! So mums/ primary caregivers lets learn more how to make this happen- What is babywearing? Babywearing (BW) is keeping the baby close you, with the help of the modern BW carriers or a sadi or sturdy cotton dupatta. Here you will come across two terms- ergonomic carriers/ non ergonomic carriers. Ergonomic carriers are those,
Post a Comment
Read more

Rajasthan Roadtrip 2023: All those things that helped

 I had just finished my exam and already was facing severe withdrawal symptoms! Tejas luckily had not so tight work schedule (he was still working on the go). Kids unschooling had the flexibility to plan their days. We thought this would be just the right time for a roadtrip!  At this point, we all reflected- what does each one of us seek from this adventure? It varied from fun to seeing new places, change, being together, etc.  And like always we worked as a team rather than child vs. parents, to help meet everyone's needs. Where to?  Rajasthan, a state none of us had explored earlier. We had already heard a lot of good things about the state from friends and family. And decided- "We will explore Rajasthan".  How: Yes, we did explore other modes of travel like train and flight, but then choosing these meant losing the flexibility we would get in our own vehicle. At the same time, car travel that far would translate to a longer duration as well. For us the pros of a roadt
1 comment
Read more