The Far North
Day 1
Jan 30, 2020
Delhi — Jim Corbett
I have always loved Delhi for some reason — there is some vibe about the city you just cannot ignore. We (myself and three other friends) flew a day early from Chennai to ensure we caught up with the group who took a bus from Delhi — Auli a day later. I finally got my hands on the Himalayan in Karol Bagh, New Delhi and was rather excited about this trip.
It started well and about 50 km down I smashed the gear lever while trying to go through the two wheeler lane in a toll, thanks to a solid rock in the middle of the road. It was bad karma, I thought and slowed down the distance we could cover on Day 1. This also meant our fancy stay in Sterling Corbett was out of question given that there is no entry to Jim Corbett after 10 PM. First things first, bike had to be fixed for us to get a move on and just a few metres down, we found a small workshop who wanted to give it a shot. Remove the clutch case, weld the joint that let the gear upshift or downshift and voila, the bike was good to go.
It was hard to believe an impact as small as that could screw up an internal part. Himalayan got a lot of attraction from the locals, mostly all smiles and the obvious kitna dega, kitna cc ka bike? — which I responded to with my lousy Hindi. Oh, the only upside was the sand-fried peanuts from a roadside stall which I thoroughly enjoyed while the bike was getting fixed. Life is good on the highway!
Day 2
Jan 31, 2020
Hapur — Kashipur — Ram Nagar (Jim Corbett)
Since Day 1 was royally screwed, we decided to cover as much as we can on Day 2 and this meant riding hard. First stop was at RE service in Thakurdwara and with little help offered on the problems we had on our bikes, we decided to take our bikes to Batra Royal Enfield, Kashipur and damn they are glad to see anyone riding a Royal Enfield and want to genuinely help them out however they can. The lemon tea here was so good we ended up asking for more and all they wanted was a photo.
We fixed the minor niggles on the bikes and pushed to our resort (Le Roi) in Ramnagar. The roads began to get better with a few curves here and there meant the riding started to get more enjoyable. All I could think about was some good food and sleep at this point and Le Roi didn’t disappoint.
Day 3
Feb 1, 2020
Jim Corbett — Dewalikhal
Time for the twisties and all that we crave for out on the road. There is very little that comes close to the feeling of pushing limits in the mountains and it’s surreal as it gets faster. Unfortunately, Himalayan was no Tiger and it could only do so much but did it so well. The roads here challenge you at every corner and the sense of presence is mind blowing — small villages here and there, gorgeous trees, snow capped mountains far, far away. It only got better and better as we passed one mountain after another.
It starts to get harder after sun-down, you see very little of the road and ride out of pure instinct and feel. At this point, all your worries seem unworthy as the world begins to show us how small we really are.
It began snowing late into the night as we pushed forward (my first snow while riding a bike) which almost felt like a movie only to come back to the reality with few slides here and there. Though we wanted to continue riding to Auli, the frozen hands started to give up — and heated grips on Himalayan is too much of an ask.
The kind gentleman in Dewalikhal let us stay in his place for the night seeing the condition we were in and did all that he could. Try sleeping in a small 10*10 room when it’s sub-zero outside with blankets that were colder than your body. I managed to pass-out frozen after a point of time — only thing that kept me going was thinking about the next day’s ride. I slept thinking never ever to take things for granted — there is an old saying along these lines — food on the plate, roof over your head, a comfortable bed and you’re richer than most people.
Day 4
Feb 2, 2020
Dewalikhal — Joshimath
I mostly spent the morning in Dewalikhal trying to comprehend the life in a small town like this and taking in the view — it felt peaceful here and even though I had to freeze myself to sleep the previous night I didn’t miss the city life one bit — why would you when there’s so much beauty around!
Some morning chai, smokes, hot samosa and we still needed the heat much like the pooches around here. The morning portrayed a different picture and was so much better — a dog basking in the sun, kids playing around and a small town coming to life. The intriguing thing about being on the road is you never know where you’re going but end up in the right place most of the time — exactly where you need to be.
By this time, bike started having cold start issues. not even a couple of km from this place and there was the first slip — black ice, black ice, black ice and rear just slipped out of place and there’s nothing you could do. it’s definitely not something you want when you’re riding downhill — luckily Himalayan had good tyres and managed to catch some traction on a dry patch.
The heat of the sun was welcoming and it was back to getting lost into each corner that comes your way. This is the good part of riding in mountains irrespective of the bike you ride — it can still puts a huge smile on your face and you push harder and harder, test your limits and the bike’s every step of the way and let all the beauty around sink in.
Joshimath breached and it welcomed with a breathtaking view and I was glad my first himalayan trip was on a motorcycle — it felt good. I was 16 kms away to the top and to sign off the brilliant ride, we wanted to take our bikes all the way up even though we had the option to take the rope car or a cab to the top — silly idea which I would learn along the way.
- half way up saw a military truck struggling to get traction and it was a 4*4
( 🚩 ) - couple of slips here and there but no falls ( 🚩 )
I met a few locals who graciously shared the good stuff ( 🏁 ) and laughed when I told them I was taking my bike all the way up. Few hairpins later, I saw nothing but snow with two dry patches on either side to ride on — this was not just tricky but felt unnecessary. I guess the bike felt it too and finally decided to give up on an uphill — it was more like a SCREW YOU.
Try turning around a 200 kg bike on a slope — this felt harder than the whole ride itself. This felt like an important moment and I decided to take a photo.
It started to get darker and we decided to take a cab to get to the top. The 4 of us who took the bike reached a day later despite starting a day early and caught up with rest of the group who had come in a bus from Delhi. I was only looking for a place to sleep by now and they even had a blanket warmer here (fancy) - I was happy that I didn’t have to get frozen like the previous night.
The snow capped mountains and a sky full of stars from my bed led to a moment of vivid appreciation of how brief and precious life actually is — our existence in itself is miraculous and it’s a shame we don’t enjoy the vastness and abundance like we should.
Day 5
Feb 3, 2020
Auli
I could wake up to this view everyday!
This was the only full day I got here and I wanted to soak in as much of this place as I could.
The mornings were nothing but tranquil here — sky high mountains, hot food on the table, scenic landscapes everywhere you turn. The four walls and eyes to the screen seem like a crime at times like these. Me and a good bud lit one up (spot) while Gilmour was graciously holding his own in Faces of Stone — definitely coming back here again.
While a part of the group went for a trek further up, finding a safe spot for the Himalayan for the ride back tomorrow was a priority and I thought this was a good opportunity to go further if possible and try out some local food.
Day 6
Feb 4, 2020
Auli — Rishikesh — Haridwar
Toughest 12 hours ahead and it was pretty evident the day was going to be long before it even started. The last days are always hard, the mere thought of leaving a peaceful world and moving closer to chaos never feels good but the thought that we always have new roads to ride on and new places to see keeps you going. Life was slow in Auli in a rather good way — essential living and very little of so called urban modern needs. The ropecar down gave a birds-eye view of Auli and I was only thinking how I’d miss my morning music routine, some Gilmour and the majestic Nanda Devi.
Bidding adieu to one of the most beautiful places you’ve ever been to is never easy. If it wasn’t for the snowy roads, I’d have tried to go to Mana (the last village) leading to the Mana Pass — the ancient trade route between India and Tibet. To be honest, it was all worth it. I’d rather take my chances on the road than sit in a bus and not feel one with wherever I was going. Whoever who said that two wheels move the soul wasn’t exactly kidding.
John Muir and his quotes come to mind every time I get closer to the mountains. Here’s a good one with some scenic mountain loop!
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity”
― John Muir, Our National Parks
The most beautiful sunset in Srinagar along the Alaknanda river and I pushed as much as I could before the light went out.
In a way, the loneliness gets to you as it gets darker especially when you’re by yourself and you don’t see much except from your bike’s light, strange places only seem stranger from your point of view. The mighty Ganga flowing to your left and an eerie silence that can creep anyone out on the lonesome highway and times when you lose sense of where you’re headed and why you’re where you are. Things do start to slow down after sun down!
Few hundred kilometres later, two others from the group caught up and we stopped to get some noodles, chat with a random stranger who was trying to help us fix the headlight throw in one of the bikes, a quick smoke — saddle sore started to creep in by this point and the last 50 odd kilometres seemed harder than ever.
Back to the rooms in Haridwar, I got my much needed shower and rest after long hours on the saddle.
*only took 12 hours — shuts eye!
Day 7
Feb 5, 2020
Haridwar — Delhi
The hustle bustle is back and it’s weird how your mind shifts as you move closer to the cities. It’s almost not enjoyable by any means unless you’re there for a while. By this time, the electric starter on my bike came back to life and I did not have to push my bike or roll it down the slope every time to get the engine going — what a relief!
Few parathas and some chat in a roadside dhaba and that kept us going till Karol Bagh, Delhi where we had to drop our bikes. From there, a cab to the airport, some beer to celebrate a safe trip and some whiskey back home.
As I write this long pending piece, I still miss being on the Himalayan and cannot wait to get back on a motorcycle. These few days on the road will always remain etched to my being as I was going through a wreck then and couldn’t really gather myself. The open roads teach you a lot if you are present and listening — mostly to push you further till the views gets better.
India is beautiful!
P.S. I made the mistake of not penning down thoughts on the fly and this piece is mostly from the photos I took and of what I remember. I hope the pictures do some justice even if the words don’t..
