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Rohtang Pass - November 7 to 10, 2004 |
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It was the perfect start. We decided to meet at the Motibagh Gurudwara. And got there exacty at the same time. Clicked some pics and set off for the trip at 5:30 after resetting my trip meter. Kept riding at 80 max in the city. Reached NH1; it was still dark and there were lots of trucks on the highway. Kept riding until slowly the traffic thinned out and then we were cruising at a constant 85. 74 Kms later, we decided to stop to have break fast. We stopped at Hari Dhaba. It was 6:45. It was colder than expected. I was wearing just a thin sweat shirt and a jacket. Put on a pullover and I was set. Yogesh slipped into a heavier jacket. Had breakfast and by the time it was bright daylight. |
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Salil and Yogesh |
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Now, we started ripping. Kept a constant 95 - 100 Kmph, and had our next break about 3 Kms after Karnal. Trip meter showed 147 Kms. Took some pics and set off after 5 mins. About 15 mins later we saw a ghastly pile up of 5 cars . Qualis, Indicas, M 800, all crashed into one another, all due to a dog, which was still under the wheels of the Qualis. Thankfully, no one looked injured. |
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11:00 AM and we were in Chandigarh. We decided to stop and have some refreshments at the Sec-34 Mkt. Tried to get in through the by lanes, but were stopped by a constable - it was a one way. I thought - wow, one way in a by lane and that too at a time when it was totally deserted! We came around the other side, I spotted an entry into the by lanes and got in. But Yogesh missed it and got in through some broken sidestones in the pavement. And all of a sudden, there were more constables. I was given a parking ticket and let in through the barricades. |
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But Yogesh was stopped. 'You came in the wrong way', they said. No amount of convincing would make them agree that it was technically not a wrong way. Instead, he threatened us with a fine of 1000 bucks! Well, some more arguments and 50 bucks () later, we were on our way. Had Pepsi at Mehak Food Junction (cold drinks cost 12 instead of the usual 10). And just as we came out, there was this nicely polished Aquila shining beautifully with all its chrome in the sun, parked outside the shop. Roamed around Chandigarh a bit (unintentionally - we lost our way at some point). Chandigarh is beautiful, and the traffic police are strict - very strict. |
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Next stop (rather we were stopped) at Ropad, at a railway crossing. The usual - people crossing the stop bars by tilting their bikes, scooters, cycles, everything. At one point there was even a jam - one uncleji got his scooter stuck midway under the bar and there was a queue right on the rail lines waiting to pass through! Finally after 10 minutes of waiting, a lone rail engine passed by. The gates opened and we were on our way again. About 15 Kms and there was another rail crossing. Another wait of 5-7 minutes and the same rail engine passed by again - d�j� vu! |
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Some brisk riding, and we were touching the hills. The roads were great. But too many overloaded trucks, moving at a snails pace ensured that we couldn't do more than 40 Kmph Avg. Had lunch at a 'Breakfast Lunch Dinner' dhaba at Barnaur. Got into two layers of thermal wear and prepared for the long, cold ride ahead. Soon, we had some great scenery, and we stopped frequently to take pics. Couldn't resist using my new DG-cam and this ensured that our progress was slow. |
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We reached Mandi by 5:30, tired and sleepy. We had just 4 and 1 hours of sleep the last night. I would never recommend anyone to do long trips if they have not had a good night's sleep. We were contemplating spending the night at Mandi, but kept going. Had tea shortly. This freshened us up and we decided to call it a day at Kullu. On the way we had a race with a M 800, and we showed him who's the king in the hills. The race proved good for us - we reached Kullu fresh, and had the energy to make it to Manali. Reached Manali at 9, stopped at the Kalinga hotel and had room service deliver dinner. Sleep never sounded so sweet! |
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Day 2 |
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