Trip Making --- Manali-Leh-Manali

A chronicle coverage of this trip is inked by my parter in crime Kiran. Link to the Snaps.



Well here is the banal version of epitomizing the whole trip:
"We successfully completed the trip we started on 29th of June 2007 from Bangalore, reached Leh, and returned back to Bangalore on July 8th 2007".

However, this trip has had an impact on our lives in ways more than ONE. There is a sense of immortal charm to this trip , which resonates deep in our minds till date. All the events that unfolded have vivid memories which we treasure and cherish.


Looking back there is no point denying there is a very thin line between adventurism and foolishness. A greater part of what triggered this foolishness was the movie below with the ever haunting music.

The quotes with which the movie begins "Probably all this does not make sense , but if you are 23 it seems just right" . Incidentally, Scott Adams in his book God's Debris makes similar comments on the age of 23 at the very start of the book “If you are 23, yours odds of liking it are very good”. Here is the link to an on-line version of the book. Also books like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig, provide alltogether a different angle towards bike riding. God bless my good friend who gifted me this book.

Hmmmm.....


The Plan : To drive the roads of the highest motorable roads of the world.
The Method: Improvisation.

However, here is the collaborative document which we used to plan the trip. But one strong learning from this trip has been that the reality that entails the planning, is entirely different and something which has to be experienced. When it(reality) hits you, the only solace is improvisation. Nevertheless, one may find the pre-reading useful as it helps one form some mental picture of what to expect.

Satisfied with our googling capabilities, we set out to conquer the Himalayan terrain as if it were yet another drive on Bangalore roads. We had a day to search our bikes in Manali, where we had put in some thought to minimize risk by hiring two bikes, than risk a single point failure. We also did learn up some basic bike handling stuff, like cleaning spark plug, replacing clutch wire(a very common failure esp in Bullets), replacing engine oil and other basic fixes to common problems. Being an engineer(even though a software engineer), getting to know a good engineered product like YAMAHA is a kick in itself.

In worst case(O(N)), out exist strategy was to put the bikes on a truck and ride back home. Completely oblivious to the events in store, we set out on a 5 day tour to Leh from Manali.

[To be continued ... ]


“Many will call me an adventurer - and that I am, only one of a different sort: one of those who risks his skin to prove his platitudes.”
-Ernesto 'Che' Guevara

Addendum :
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Link to Gustavo Santaolalla - Motorcycle Diaries theme (live) by Arijit: