ghumakkar.com

For the sake of keeping it short and in order to avoid a writer’s block, I would be condensing two days of riding in one post.

After the conquest of Khardung La, the ride back was some what depressing… what would a person do if the one thing which kept him going was a dream fulfilled? But these bouts of depression did not last long once BB was parked… had other things to consider… should I do the return leg of the journey from Srinagar/Jammu or come down to Manali and hit the plains from Ropar? and whether it would be easier than reaching here?

(more…)

After the futile effort of sightseeing in Leh due to the bike troubles and all that pushing & pulling, I had decided to crash out and enjoy my drinks in relative comfort of the hotel confines… Well that did not do much of good to me… woke up at 0530 hrs to a splitting headache… Not a very pleasant feeling if you ask me.

A whole bottle of water and several cups of tea later, I felt like I was bordering on feeling like a human and decided to get ready for the big ride… 52 kms of high altitude extravaganza which would see me, a normal run of the mill bloke, at 18380 Ft ASL…  the highest I could go… I mean an out of shape, physically unfit individual like me… Many of you might disagree by saying “I am in shape. Round is also a shape.”  I would counter by saying “The round shape is only good if you fall… loads of padding to keep the injuries to a minimum” (Have a blast figuring out how I know about shapes and injuries ;-))

(more…)

It was one of those hot and humid days in the state of West Bengal… in a town called Asansol, made famous by IISCO’s steel plant and various mining companies in the vicinity. Also made famous by a humorist poet called Hullar Muradabadi…

I was there on vacation, visiting in-laws and my cousins who are settled there. Having decided to take a breather from the hectic travel schedule of the past weeks, I was relaxing and decided to do the touristy bit towards the fag end of the trip. Only one outing in the entire 10-12 odd days I was there… that does not include the countless sessions in the Asansol Club’s Bar.

The decision to go to Maithon was made on a whim… we had nothing to do and it was a Sunday… usually a half day in most of the trading establishments… but due to the onslaught of the summer season, my elder brother was tied up at his showroom for longer than usual. Finally made it home by about 6 in the evening and decided to push for Maithon by about 6:30.

(more…)

Post the exhausting ride from Sarchu to Leh, I had dropped dead in probably the most comfortable bed on the entire duration of the ride till now. The beauty sleep lasted for about 9 hours with me having skipped dinner… I awoke at 0900 Hrs and was feeling as hungry as a pack of rabid wild dogs who have been not fed since time immemorial… Decided that I needed a cup of tea to get the weary and tired body moving, I called up room service and ordered it.

(more…)