Cycling from Manali to Khardung la was on Sahaj Parikh's bucket list for a while. He was working with First Pilgrim and happened to hear stories from people who went there and came back transformed. Their voice would change and their eyes would sparkle, in an almost mystical fashion, as they spoke about their experiences. He needed to know what it was that provoked such emotions. There was only one way to find out. And he did that!
Rohtang
The sky was clear so they quickly warmed up. First two days were going to be fully uphill till they cross their first pass — Rohtang. Things kept getting smoother as they put kilometers behind them. The roar of Beas kept getting fainter, and buildings became fewer and farther in between. From Kothi, they got some food packed and reached Gulaba just before dark. They pitched their tent in the campsite of Nepali construction-workers. The tent was the last towards the valley, next to a solitary tree, overlooking the lush green Kullu valley and the cloud-covered mountains that surrounded it.
The next day was not a sunny one. At Marhi they were already surrounded by clouds, so they didn't get to stop too long for lunch. In a couple of kilometers, it started to rain. Fortunately, it was a Tuesday. So, the pass was closed for snowball-flinging tourists. The absence of traffic, however, didn't make it any less tiring.
The next town, Khoksar was 20 km away and the road kept getting worse with every turn of the wheel. Sahaj's teeth were chattering because of the rough road and the cold. But stopping was just not an option now. Soon enough, he reached Khoksar, having cycled over his first ever mountain pass.
Baralacha La
They went from Khoksar to Sissu, found a homestay and left for Keylong the following morning. The road was fine in the beginning but very soon it became rough and dusty. At Tandi, the rough stretch ended and the road went up along the Bhaga river.
At Keylong, after having an amazing thali at Jammu Dhaba for lunch, they decided to hike to Khardang gompa, on the other side of the river. After visiting the temple, they left before sunset and had dinner accompanied by a bottle of change at a nameless local Dhaba.
After Keylong, the road kept going up and vegetation got thinner. Barren mountains were not uncommon now and there were stretches of rocky-dusty terrain which would be impossible to find in the Kullu valley.
Nakee La — Lachung La
Post-Baralacha-La terrain was strange — almost post-apocalyptic. The sun had acquired a piercing intensity. They didn't want to stop at Bharatpur for long. Sarchu was 30km away. The steep part of the downhill was bad but about 20km before Sarchu there was a sudden transformation in the surroundings.
They kept going and the landscape stretched on till they reached Sarchu and found a lady who would give them food and space to pitch tents in her backyard. They had entered Ladakh.
The next day was another passing day. The first twenty-odd kilometers were through rolling terrain before they reached the foot of Gata loops. These twenty-one part-dirt-part-tar bends stacked vertically stood looked down upon them as they started the climb for Nakee La. Sahaj lost count of the loops after 12 or 14 as they kept getting longer. But there were no signs of the pass, even after the loop was over. Turned out the pass was another 6 kilometers uphill. It took him two hours to haul a tired body to the pass.
The night was cold and a cloudy morning followed. Lachung La was just 5 km uphill but they had to start soon to avoid bad weather. Just one more pass now stood between them and Leh.
Tanglang La
A long downhill followed the twin passes. The terrain was still rocky and dry and brown. Pang was the first town on the other side. The sight of a small hill next to the town, however, wiped the smiles off their faces. There was no choice but to get on with it. One pedal at a time.
A strong headwind made the climb seem longer than it was. On the other side, the Moray plains spanned from Pang till the foothills of Tanglang La. Vast green flat land stretched till a horizon of grass covered mountains. It was almost evening by the time they reached Debring.
The next morning was cloudy and it did not get warmer as Sahaj waited. So, they made the move. 15 kilometers between them and the pass. It started to drizzle near the top and the thin air kept making it harder to go on. But inching ahead, he made it and rewarded himself with some hot soupy Wai-Wai.
Leh
The other side of Tanglang La was a cyclist's paradise. The road was smooth and the views were grand. It was time to forget about pedals and brakes and let the bike fly. It was time to ride away from the icy peaks and into the valley. Rumtse, the next village was all downhill from there. The stream flowing from Tanglang la kept getting wider as they approached the town. The brown and white colors started to disappear and soon they were in the company of patches of green grass and peacefully grazing cows.
Right before evening, they started the stretch till Upshi. In those few kilometers in the twilight hours, Sahaj was struck by the magnificence of Ladakh. Because of the limited daylight, they kept going without stopping. It was already dark when they reached Upshi.
Upshi was touted as the "only major town after Keylong" where they have electricity and phone signal and such luxuries. They encountered several angry hosts shouting at disgruntled travelers, and dark alleyways going over shops in the market leading to shady buildings before finding a place to sleep.
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