Himalayan Heights: Aug 28 to Sep 9 2023

[Airguitar]

The following vide needs a bit of explanation.
I work at an Airline in Luxembourg as a 747 Technical instructor. Occasionally, we make training videos and I, being the only native English speaker in the department am the designated "David Attenborough" when it comes to voiceovers. I made two videos after this fashion for the amusement of my colleagues and friends.

 

[Airguitar]

To be fair. That's higher than piston Cessnas can fly.

Jy weet mos wat ek meen...

 

[Zeff Cowboy]

How you okes breath up there I have no idea. I am getting hypoxia just reading this thread.

 

[Airguitar]

How you okes breath up there I have no idea. I am getting hypoxia just reading this thread.

Actually, the ride is very carefully planned with altitude increments and decrememnts to acclimatize you. We had guys ranging from their 30's to their 70's and everyone coped very well, except Mike, whom I suspect breathed in too much dust and caused him complications later in the ride, as we will soon discover.
All in all I can attest that Ride Expeditions researched and planned this ride to the smallest detail. It was well worth every penny!

One of the Texans (Alfie) just messaged the group today to say he's come down with Cholera!!! And even he says it was still worth it!

Alfie in hospital..

 

[uyster]

What an adventure !!! Awesome , spend money on this rather than material things.
When I go through tough times (which seems to be non stop) these are the memories that keeps me going.

 

[Airguitar]

What an adventure !!! Awesome , spend money on this rather than material things.
When I go through tough times (which seems to be non stop) these are the memories that keeps me going.

I appreciate the perspective. I have a slightly different angle on it too. To me, this IS a material thing. Sometimes we are blessed with opportunity and means to do a thing like this, so we go ahead with it. Not so for everyone. We are a fortunate few and I daily thank God for the opportunities I am offered.

Going to an exotic destination certainly helps you see yourself, your neighbourhood, country and planet with new perspective. It's partially why I am taking the effort to record this journey: so that those who never get the opportunity can also reap some reward from it, but also so that my memories of this experience will be recorded, to revisit from time to time.

If you never get to the Himalayas, if the furthest your journey takes you is Hartbeestpoort Dam, as long as you have found peace with your fellow man and had an opportunity to surround yourself with good people, you will have lived a life worth living. If someone stretches out a hand to help you up from a fall so that you can keep going, whether it happens in Keylong or Kimberley, you have understood what it means to be a brother and a friend. That's why we do this.

 

[Airguitar]

We had 2 Septigenarians on the ride:

Sandro, 72. Fell badly on the second last day and broke a wrist and knee. Got put into a cast and finished the tour in the back of a taxi. He's now recovering well in Italy and expects to be riding by December.

He is a fine gentleman indeed and gained immediate respect from everyone.

Phil (74) from Melbourne.
He came along with his 2 sons Andrew and Richard and kept pace with them all the way. Once again, Phil gained immediate respect and had us chuckling at the banter between himself and his sons.
He finished off his tour by doing this:

Richard and Phil taking a leap of faith.

 

[Chrisl]

Airkitaar if you could choose a bike for this same route what would it be? Same route in the same tour speed format?

 

[Airguitar]

Airkitaar if you could choose a bike for this same route what would it be? Same route in the same tour speed format?

Good question, which I have been turning over in my head since I got back.
The Enfield to me was a disappointment for the following reasons:

• Lack of power: Claimed 24 horsepower, but all those horses are old and lame. There's an optimum pace for every riding situation and the Enfield battled to meet that demand in places. Open the throttle and wait... a long time.. Even on a downhill, and got worse with altitude. This became a life-and-death situation when trying to pass an aggressive driver on a limited stretch of road.
• Where the road gets rough it gets really rough, and in several places we actually rode across a boulder/pebble field. The Enfield is sure-footed but the suspension is more suited to the road.
• For a 400cc scrambler it's too heavy. (184kg). Look at the size of the crank case on that sucker! Straight out of 1937!!
• The footpegs are so situated, that when standing, your calves impact on the side covers and try to lever your feet off the pegs. This forces you to push forward and almost dangle your jewels over the speedo.. Very awkward!

• Where the road gets rough it gets really rough, and in several places we actually rode across a boulder/pebble field. The Enfield is sure-footed but the suspension is more suited to the road.

So what would I choose?

• A modern bike with electronic fuel injection is a must when going to high altitude. No need to re-jet the bike. Here, the Enfield was OK.
• A lighter bike would be easier around the hairpins, but not essential. I went up Sani pass on my 2014 Tiger 800XC, and I found myself missing it on this ride. I'd want one tooth less on the front sprocket, maybe even 2 because it's geared pretty tall in 1st, which is not optimum on gravel hairpins. Even with the Enfield, I was slipping the clutch a lot, however for different reasons. It was just so underpowered! Downside of the Tiger would be the weight, although it's not a lot heavier than the Enfield but the handling is infinitely better. Good suspension is what makes or breaks an adventure bike.
• A 21" front wheel!!!!!!
• However, if I were to start clean slate I'd most likely go with a midweight adventure bike like the Yamaha T7 or maybe even a Honda CB500X. Even a CRF300L would be better. You will do fine with 45-50 HP, as most of your riding is at low speed. This is not an enduro race or a rally, however A well-balanced, mid-powered bike with capable suspension would have seen far fewer spills on the hills.

BUT!
I have to give credit where credit is due.. The Enfield got me all the way up and down the mountain without failing on me. My real gripe mainly comes from how hard it made me work to get there.

 

[Airguitar]

The young girl who spied my Teddy. Pierre marched us outside and made us pose for a pic. It's a nice memory. I bought another one in Leh shortly after and it completed the tour on the bikes of Alfie, Derrick, Kevin.

We all thought these bears were hideous and gaudy, but the kids loved them. Once again it cast perspective on our own lives.

 

[Airguitar]

One thing that was constantly on my mind throughout the ride, is that these mountains, which seem so eternal and permanent, are in a constant state of deterioration. They are continuously "Crumbling to the sea", as the lyrics of Stand By Me suggest. Even these massive monuments are only here for a while and then they will be gone.

Somewhere after the Gata loops, two old friends fulfilling a dream together.

The B.R.O. (Border Roads Organization) maintain the roads and regularly put up little quips, encouraging travellers to be safe.

Every high pass left us on a high.

As we descended the valley towards Leh, the incidence of Buddhist shrines along the road increased, as well as the amount of green plants.

The roads were pretty good too!

The valley leading to Leh was lined with multiple military installations. Infantry, Intelligence, Artillery, Signals. You name it!

Arrival at the hotel in Leh. After a long but relatively easy ride as far as technical aspects was concerned, we were happy to get off the bikes and get a beer down...

 

[Airguitar]

The Hotel Druk Ladakh is quite a place, and we were glad for big soft beds, green lawns under our feet and cold beers in the hand.

Taken in Keylong, wit beentjies en rugby broek!!

Next day was optional rest day in Leh or take a ride to Alchi Monastery. You didn't have to ask twice..

The Teddy and Tassels are now on Alfie's bike! He missed a corner man and went belting into downtown Leh. Rob had to go chasing him down.

Here again the confluence of two rivers. The landscape just never disappoints.

..and big BRO is always with you, grammatical errors and all!

A bridge is a good place to tie a flag!

Military bases everywhere and regular checkpoints!

Gateway to Alchi Resort..

Where there's Poplars, there's People.

Our crew enjoying another amazing lunch in Alchu.

No photography was allowed inside the monastery, but we were able to snap some wisdom at the tourist office..

Prayer wheels. They are supposed to be rotated clockwise only. Oops!!

There goes Steve from Salt Lake City, and Sandro from Milano.

Now, Steve and me went off in search of a toilet. Not a Delhi Belly urgency, but both of us needed to "Unload". After walking a while we found the only male public toilet: An Asian squat loo, with no toilet paper. We sheepishly took turns going into the stall (First Steve, then me), getting riding pants down as far as they could go with boots on. Steve claims to have defied some laws of physics whilst doing his business. Then the little butt sprayer was put to use eradicating any stray particles from the nether regions. Luckily the water pressure was about 175psi, so free enemas were the order of the day.
When I went in, I removed boots, then pants, squatted, sprayed, cleaned the whole toilet floor before getting all my kit back on, Steve standing outside laughing his *** off.
That's the only time in my life where taking a crap got me all out of breath.
Now, here I am, breaking our oath of silence on the matter.

Then, back to the Hotel for Sundowners...

 

[Chrisl]

Prayer wheels. They are supposed to be rotated clockwise only. Oops!!

 

[Airguitar]

It was time to say goodbye to the bikes we picked up in Shimla. Local business politics dictate that we rent local bikes in this province (Ladakh), so new steeds were lined up for us. After transplanting our phone mounts, etc. we got faniliar with the new, exact same bikes. Mine was a bit bent at the handlebars from a prior accident, and the gear shifter was in a different position, too high, making it more difficult to shift up. The foot brakes also took a lot further down than I wanted, so Manoj adjusted that for me.


Dinner in Leh was at a scenic restaurant where we enjoyed more indian food and international humour.

At this point mike had been battling to breathe and was coughing a lot. He was still up and about but deteriorating quickly. Next morning would be a hard ride, technical and with a high pass. He decided to see how tomorrow finds him. It did not find him well and Rob suspected Pulmonary Edema. His Oxygen sats were low and decreasing.


Much amusement when I explained to the others that in South Africa, this Beer would be called "Puke Mountain"

However, it stayed down..

I went off walking in downtown Leh with Derrick, Alfie and Pierre to track down a pharmacy. I was hoping to buy some meds to help Mike.
And I had a teddy to purchase...

It's a quaint town. One I'd welcome seeing again. It was very quiet, despite all the people milling about.

Next morning at breakfast, I handed over the newly purchased Teddy and Tassels to Alfie..

 

[Chrisl]

Pulmonary Edema.

Scary, a family friend got symptoms of that on Everest earlier this year. He was a doctor and make the call to turn around himself but it was too late.

 

[Airguitar]

Pulmonary Edema.

Scary, a family friend got symptoms of that on Everest earlier this year. He was a doctor and make the call to turn around himself but it was too late.

Mike is OK. He actually travelled across the Changla pass to Panggong Lake in the backup vehicle, hoping to recover and get back on the bike, but this was not to be.

 

[Airguitar]

Mike at breakfast, disappointed that he won't be riding. The concern on Ryan's face is visible.

For reference, we ate at 3567 meters. We're going up to 5800 meters. Mike will tough it out in the van despite low Oxygen sats.

Alfie getting the Teddy settled in. I have to say all this teddy stuff was taken in a good natured way and, Derrick (Alfie's brother) took the teddy back to Texas with him.

Leaving the tall trees of Leh for the next 3 days. There was a tangible feeling of sadness by the entire group that Mike was not on the bike with us. At the same time, the excitement was not overly dampened by this turn of events.

After a while, tar roads gave way to gravel, and ever more dust kicked up by army trucks.

..and funky delivery trucks..

changed to moonscape, ot more aptly, Mars-scape. I kept thinking Elon Musk should bring his Mars colony here for orientation..

Looking back down where we started.

..and we're not at the top yet.

4974 metres!

Mike stepped out of the van, looking grey. Still very pissed that he's not riding. Ryan was ridingt Mike's insistence.

Disappointment scrawled across Mike's face, not realizing that he's HERE!

And on to Changla top!! Pierre grinning like a cheshire cat!

Father and son Sandro and Martino enjoying a victorious moment together.

The backup team have done this a few times already. Ho-hum...

The obligatory Shrine, complete with blaring, loud music!!

I persuaded Mike to step out of the van and take a photo with me.
He was in a lot of pain and feeling low. The pain was from the coughing fits that take it out of your chest and diaphragm muscles. I actually heard him cry out a few times from the pain.

He pushed on where others (myself included) might well have stayed in the hotel back in Leh.
If I recall, his Oxygen was around 46% here!!!

Photo bombed by a jovial local guy..

Cue the Star Wars music... the bar scene in Mos Eisley...

 

[Airguitar]

Time to get going..

Taking a break on some tufty grass somewhere..

Real pretty here...

Mind the gap!

Random check point in the middle of nowhere..

Newly surfaced roads, ready to be washed away next monsoon season.

It dawned on me that the most important purpose for keeping the roads in good condition was for the army to be able to move quickly when called upon to do so.


The first signs we were nearing Lake Panggong

...and there it is. The highest saltwater lake in the world!

Dirty grins everywhere

Even Mike cracked a smile!!

It didn't last

To be fair he was really suffering!!

Still, we enjoyed the moment.
This last slide needs some comment. You're looking at four native born South Africans, most of whom are now Aussie citizens. The fifth guy is Siddo, who is 100 percent Wallaby. However he has spent significant time in South Africa and has a strong affinity for all things South African. He lamented to me that he wishes he spoke more Afrikaans. So really you're looking at the Saffa mob.
You should have seen the faces when I showed up with a pack of biltong on our first night in Sarchu...

 

[Airguitar]

Our destination was the resort of Man. You can see it's about 40km from the Chinese border on the southern side of the lake, which is pretty big!

My "Attenborough" video

 

[Airguitar]

A weary Sandro took his seat and waited for the bags to arrive. We all needed a hot shower, cold beer and hot food.

Bags on the way.

Our camp site: Yurts (Or Gir's if you're Mongolian), with the bikes already faithfully lined up and awaiting fueling and quick inspections before tomorrow.

We also had an eye on the weather. While we were prepared to ride in the wet, we really would rather not!

As it turned out, the clouds did not stay for long, but long enough to make me dread it..

At this pint Mike was not doing well and the decision was made to Taxi him back to Leh on Oxygen. We all walked down and saw him off. Ryan opted to go back with his dad and take care of him.
We all really respected him for putting his dad first.

So, the next 3 days would be ridden without Mike and Ryan. We would ride back up the valley along the lake and then up Nubra valley, where we would experience the hardest roads of the trip. Wait.. din't I say that yesterday? This time I mean it.