Manali-Leh Assorted Photos

Deleted all bad ones, then deleted not so important ones, then not so good ones, then few good ones too... but the size still does not go below 1GB.... here are few photos from my secondary camera that kind of captures my days as an ant - The ant that rode on an ice cream sprayed with chocolate chips for few days and heaps of brown sugar for the rest:  http://www.filejumbo.com/Download/E818A03C50D3598C

Mandatory Pre-requisite to view photos:
1. If anyone is travelling on those hills they would appear not bigger than an ant. So imagine an ant on those mountains to gauge their depths & heights
2. Imagine you are that ant travelling on one of those far off hills
3. These photos are not of landscapes that can be seen from far off but of those through which one rides and lives through out the journey

Do put a comment if you find any problem in getting this file.

How to Stage a Fiasco at Himalayas

While I sit back and try to digest the debacle of my latest cycling tour, the excitement of Cycling Indian Himalayas(Manali to Leh) and the associated planning activities haunt my psych. Even after a month, I have to pinch myself to calm down and conscously drub the hangover of the excitement....there is not even a single day that I have not thought about The Mesmerising Giants though they took couple of swipes at me. Here are few observations on my planning
1. All find a time of year that is farthest to snow season while I scourged and begged on the forums to give me a time which is closest to snow season
2. All postponed their tours due to bad weather this year but I kept preponing
3. Aug to Sept worked out to be the best period as per statistics & Calculations but I chose June
4. The mountain passes kept closing down one after another and visitors postponed their trip while I went ahead and booked the tickets event after the first pass closed down
5. Many people turned back from Manali fearing getting struck between passes. I crossed the passes and got struck
6. Many people even cancelled their trip as deaths due to blizzards and avalanches pured in while wanted to see them to comprehend

If you want your tour also to be a fiasco then do exactly as what I did! But wait a second... what happened to those 'others' who thought wisely? Here is the answer Visitor at Nako... The Giants continue to devour lives with much more vigour than ever in a new Avatar.

Fortunately (!?)  the Himalayas had unleashed their wrath thas was not seen since 1956 with Blizzards and Avalanches that sucked in 400 goats and few sheperds in one day, few trekers who trekked into the understimated snowy mountains, roadies enoying a snow ridge and all those that it could lay its hands on. Having lost valuable days in stalking each mountain pass for days, I decided to taste the Himalayas with a motor bike instead of a bike. We literally crash gated each pass and forced ourselves into Leh  which took us 10 days ..... others do it in two days during a normal summer - Others ride while we had to drag (No exaggeration) our bikes on the snow for kms!! Return from Leh was more excrutiating with time running out and The Giants in mood to let us go. All in all it was a calculated offseason tour to see the Himalayas in its roughness but The Giants went too far in showing that turned the tour into a fiasco which I do not mind repeating

I am not sure whether I will have enough time to show justice to my experience in this writeup but 20GB of unedited videos of every stretch, I am sure will be a big enough crystal ball for all the Manali-Leh dreamers to gaze at.

(Will update http://www.twitter.com/cyclogues every time I have something interesting to share)

Manali-Leh Prep: MSR Hubba Tent & Basic but long necessities

Wow... felt like I am playing with a feather pitching this tent..... it takes 2 mins to pitch this tent and less than 2 mins to learn!! yes that is exactly what it is needed to pitch this tent but others warn that it is the case only inside a protected living room and not in high winds and tough outdoors.

However I wish the vestibule was towards the leg space instead being beside the body .... that way I would have escaped any unwanted odor of touring paraphernalia. And few more pegs,guys cords, tent repair patches would not have made MSR a loss making company!

Other basic (I never knew I have such a long basic necessities) things that will be going with me looks like this

Cycling
Packed Cycle
Allen Keys
Chain tool
Hand pump
Camel back
Puncture Kit
Tubes
Cables (Break & Shifters)
Break pads
Chain
Rack & additional screws
Bar ins
Front light
Back light
pedals
Gel seat cover
Helmet
Eye Wear
Panniers
Bungee Chords
Cycle locks
Sun Tan Prevention Lotion
Pannier rain covers
Handle Bag
Glucose Powder (big)
Salt
mud guards


Camping
Tent
Sleeping bag
Big Dagger
small fruit knife
tooth paste
toothbrush
soap
shaving kit
deodrant
Shoes
socks
Light??
Chappels
Towel
Paper Tissues
Thermal top
Thermal Pant
T Shirt
Alpine Jacket
Duct tapes
Fire lighter
Paper cups/Plates/Spoon
Inner Wears
Track Pant
Sleeping Mat?
Woolen Monkey Cap
Needle and Twine Strings
Tentative Plan & Maps
tent repair kit
stakes
AMS Pills (Bromix & Ginger tablets)
Plastic covers
Old news papers
Suthli String
Musquito Repellant Cream
one days survival food + EveryDay Breakfast(Cereals, Hurittu, Avalakki, Puliyogere Mix, Puri, raisins, cashews, almonds, biscuits)
Woolen Gloves
Water Bottles
pepper spray
Cloth clips
Rubber Bands
Whistle
Personal Details Card

Apparels
Cycling tights
Cycling jerseys
Normal shorts
Rain Jacket
Rain pant
Fleece Jacket
sweat band
wrist band
Front Shade
Cycling Gloves
White Dupatta
light towel

Misc
Phone
Eye Lens Kit
Wallet (Money, Debit Card, Passport)
Phone Charger
Air Tickets
Gifts to women, men and children
Prescription glasses
Batteries
Still Camera
Solar Roll & Power Bank
Video Camera & fixtures & PC Sync Chords
Laptop & batteries
iPod
Small Mirror
RhinoStat
Crocin

Manali-Leh Prep: Thorns, rains and snow

Well, bad luck

1. Boss who approved leave is transferred and I am under a new boss who has tons of work for me. Need to request for leave again but not very hopeful of getting it

2. An onsite opportunity which I was looking forward to, want me to be at onsite around 22nd of June

3. After much workout I find I have put on 2 kgs more !!

4. Great disturbances in the Jammu region. Heavy rains, flood in Srinagar region, Landslides in Rohtang, 6 feet snow in Baralachla, 2 deaths due to avalanche in Chang la region, Srinagar-Leh route closed for heavy vehicle and recently opened for oneway traffic, Manali to Leh has been closed without any sign of reopening. I dont think I can cycle on this My washed out cycling route

5 People are returning back without able to reach Leh and the forecast is very poor

AND here is what I did......... I went ahead and booked the tickets for June10th!! Will think about the obstacles at Manali

Manali-Leh Prep: Steps to (in?!) Heaven

Having decided to camp, I thought I would be a free bird to sleep and go as I wish unlike others whose night halts are pretty much same and overlap. But as the details are finalized and analysis of various factors draw to a close, I am surprised to find that I have fallen in line with others in terms of route and halt just like a blue eyed young blood who wants to change the world but  falls in line as it tastes manhood and melts into the commonality!!...

My tamed itinerary looks some thing like this (refer image at the end for an idea on relative altitude)

Day0 (Friday): Take evening flight to Delhi

Day1: Reach Manali in the noon/eve. Loiter around absorbing the culture and the ongoings-> Checkout Vashishtha

Day2: Hike/climb Mount Patasu for acclimatization. This is a must because halting at Marhi is a must and altitude acclimatization is a must to halt at Marhi. Other option for acclimatization is Bhrigu lake at Rohtang. The latter is amazing as per my research but I have to travel to Rohtang on the same road that I will be cycling on Day3.. I do not want the Manali to Rohtang magic route to be unveiled by a motorcycle.. this will rob the excitement & spoil my day3 cycling. Patasu hiking is 5 hours I suppose. So after this-> Identify camping site at Solang Nala-> Come back to the hotel->checkout->go the camping site identified->pitch tent ->assemble the cycle->sleep in the cradle of  mountain backdrop inside MSR tent without rainfly (currently it is raining heavily in Solang Nala :-(   )

Alas 2 days of leave is gone without any headway in the tour's purpose ie., cycling towards Khardungla... but can anything be done about this?..... too many 'must' to tamper with

Day 3:Wake up at 6 am and pack up before young sun rays start painting the mountains. experience the mountains under the spot light of sun and start the tour (kind of feel like saying expedition...... that is the term I have used to get leave from my Boss :-)    ). Halt at Marhi (39 kms). Though I can cycle more that day, climbing of Rohtang will be out of my acclimatization range and camping on the otherside of Rohtang will not give me an option to slide to low altitude in-case AMS hits in the night.... so I am forced to camp at Marhi and waste(?!!) half a day here

Day 4: Marhi to Tandi (66 kms). Again though I can take in another 20 kms, I cannot go beyond Patseo on day 5 because incase I want to go, then I will have to mandatorily climb Baralacha la and slide down to Sarchu to sleep that night to satisfy 'climb high sleep low' principle. In the process I will be climbing 6000 feet in a day! ... that falls right into AMS dont's. So instead of getting closer to Patseo with great effort on day 4 and waste large part of day 5 it is better to enjoy enroute on day 4

Day5: Tandi to ZingZingbar(58kms) Though can take in another 30 kms I cannot do that for the reason explained above and hence have to wast major part of day. Also ZingZingbar is slightly above Rohtang for which my body would have acclimatized (it does not satisfy 'climb high sleep low' principle) and if any AMS in the night due to this I can always slide down to Jispa which is below Rohtang altitude very fast. One other team has selected Baratpur as camping site but per me that falls right into AMS dont's

Day6:  ZingZingbar to Brandy Nala (56kms). Since I will be climbing Baralacha la that day, sleeping at Brandy Nala which is way below Baralacha la satisfies 'climb high sleep low' principle. Though I can take another 30kms, gata loops and Lachanlang la pass encopassing next 50kms will be staring at me at Brandy Nala. So am forced again to waste large part of afternoon at Brandy Nala

Day 7: Brandy Nala to Morey Plains (80). Since I will be covering Lachalang la and sleeping at way below spot - Moray Plains, it satisfies 'climb high sleep low' principle and those will my toughest 80 kms in my life I suppose. So no wastage on this day!!

Day 8: Moray Plain to Tikse(117 kms): Longest easiest ride of the tour except the climb of Taglang la. Tikse is 20 kms away from Leh and is in 'patal' compared to Taglang la.. so no AMS worries... but this is supposed to the most beautiful stretch... hope I will not be forced to hurry through this beauty due to the distance to be covered....So no wastage on this day!!


Day 9: Tikse to Khardungla (60kms). End the tour at Khardungla and return to Leh... maybe take night bus to Manali from Leh

Day 10: Leh to Manali. Board night bus to Delhi

Day 11: Manali to Delhi.

Day 12: Early morning flight to Bangalore and Report to work...if alive..... Phew!!

Manali-Leh Prep: AMS+ riding solo self supported = gama?

'Don't be gama in the land of lama' of HIMANK is giving me sleepness nights. What are all the things that may make me a gama while cycling in the land of lama?

First thing that strikes me is the AMS+ riding solo self supported  = gama?

Having a history of bronchitis, I am little concerned about AMS for this trip. Here are few tips that I could collate and I would be following.

AMS:
- Happens mostly after 2500m and above
- Symptoms
    Mild: Headache, Lethargy
      Moderate: Nausea, dizziness
      Chronic:
        Dry cough with pink liquid, bronchitis (lung related)
        Extreme dizziness (Cannot standup), Stiffness (cannot bend hand/legs), near blackout (Brain related)

- Diamox can be taken 3 times a day and is useful for warding off altitude sickness for those with little time to acclimatise. It must be taken for the duration of exposure to height and simply stop it when you get back to a reasonable level. However it is better to acclimatise normally
- Eating COCO plant will help alleviate symptoms (Contentious)
- Ginger root extract will help alleviate symptoms(Contentious)
- Drink Water frequently (instead of too much at one go)
- Consciously take intermittent deep, long breathes every few seconds
- No alcohol, avoid heavy meals
- Climb High,Sleep low
- Watch out for every 1000 feet gain
- Acclimatization must for every 3000feet gain
- Body needs atleast 24 hours to acclimatize at a height
- At times symptoms Progresses from mild to Moderate to Chronic. Progress can be avoided if symptoms are identified
- Difficult to identify symptoms unless you know your body very well and very keenly observe for any symptoms.
- Ride down if the mild symptoms does not subside but aggravate in 2 hours after treatment. This is the ONLY remediation for AMS... all others are suppressors which might actually aggravate once their effect is gone!

Riding the Blue Mountain: Day 9 & Hangover

The plan was to take a bus to Bangalore from Mysore. The hosts who thought that we are feigning our strength got the answers when the team decided to cycle back to Bangalore instead of taking Bus!... yes cycling had become their default mode of transport and all of them could not understand why they should take a bus to Bangalore.... they woke up, mounted their cycles and headed to Bangalore – Another day for the heroes!

Post Ride

It took couple of day for all of us to realise what we had done.....the stark contrast of city life reminded us of the nature’s lap where we had played for past 9 days.......

I personally had found inner happiness in doing this but that has a problem... it is hard to logically identify & explain reasons for inner happiness. Every person at office who came to know about my tour said two things - You are crazy, why did you do that? The second question was raised by all those whom we came across during our tour too!...but I could not answer it though I wanted to, because I too did not know the answer myself....I tried but every time I concluded that I was too busy enjoying it and had not thought about it ..... now that I have time for all complex & meta-physical analysis, the reason turned out to be a paradox - i.e., Simple and Techy:

"Cycling is living & experiencing earth & our community at large in a n-dimension, n-definition, n-inches, n:1-contrast, n-Hz, n-scan rate with touchable real characters (me being one of them), real heroes, real drama who fill you with strength and inspiration - in slow motion and handed out with a good and strong heart at the end of it"

As I sit in front of the stoic TV watching a NatGeo adventure, I can already see myself flirting with the below beauties this year

1. Mysore -> Masinagudi -> Ooty (One of the steepest known climbs in Western Ghats)

2. Hassan -> Mullainagiri->Kemmangundi (Highest peak in Karnataka & Famous hillstation)

3. Mysore->Dimbham->Mettulpalyam->NH67->Ooty (Steepest & Mighty in Westernghat per me)

4. Hassan->Shiradi->Charmadi->Khudremukha (Most beautiful untouched mountain in Karnataka)

5. Ghats of Augumbe (To visit Cobra Research institute)

6. Manali->Leh->Khardungla->Marsimek (One stretch of the complete Himalayan circuit that I plan to do before I hit my grave)

I am not sure which ones I would be able to tick mark by year end ... for if wishes were horses beggars would have rode it........ bye for now.