All about the Nitrojains Leh Ladakh biking trip in June 2016.
Day 10: Pangong Lake to Karu 27th June '17
We woke up pretty much frozen but had a very good sleep at the cottages. The cottages had an outdoor heater and we had to fill buckets of hot water and take back to our rooms. An experience in itself!
Absolutely mesmerizing blue shade of Pangong Lake
Pangong Lake is best early in the morning as you will find less clouds and the lake will really be beautiful. We were awake by 6-6:30 am and the lake had a brilliant turquoise blue color! However by the time we got ready, had breakfast, packed our luggage onto bikes and were ready to leave, the sky became overcast and unfortunately the lake lost it brilliant blue color.
Our bikes parked outside our cottages
Happy Happy Happy! Photo taken at Pangong Lake
Nitrojains conquered Pangong Lake!
More 7 stacked stones on route to Pangong Lake
To reach Karu, you will have to backtrack some part of the route you crossed yesterday ie from Pangong to Durbuk then heading towards Sakti and ending up at Karu. You can even head back to Leh, or stay at any of the monasteries at Thiksey or Shey. You can say we have started the second leg of the journey as its a similar route of the other route bikers take, from Manali to Leh. The distance from Spangmik to Karu is appx 125km but do be prepared to have lots of stopovers and spending time at Pangong Lake.
Route from Spangmik to Karu
One of the most memorable moments happened on this route, quite unexpectedly we might add! We were casually riding along when to our surprise, we spotted a completely frozen small lake to the side! It actually became that cold at night that the entire lake was frozen solid! We immediately got off our bikes and trekked to the lake to soak in the natural wonder of the world.
Frozen lake on route!
Sumit overwhelmed by happiness!
Komal in God mode!
Navin strikes a pose by the frozen lake
The roads are pretty standard by now and you will have got used to tackling any type of road and riding in any condition by now. Even then Leh/Ladakh continued to surprise us and at some places, some of our fellow riders had difficulty or got stuck and we had to help each other, during these moments. Remember we were 10 solo riders in one group, each with different riding skills. At some places the turns were really steep coupled with bad roads and incoming vehicles.
Getting off our bikes to help each other on difficult spots
Overall the route is really scenic with lots of photo opportunities. The route from Spangmik to Karu takes us via the Chang la pass which is another pass to conquer on the Leh / Ladakh trip. As always, the roads on passes are bad and quite tricky to ride on. However it is nothing compared to Khardungla or even the mighty Zojila pass! Changla pass is at 17688ft and is the second highest pass in the trip. As per the medics, it is advisable to not stay at the top for more than 20-25 mins as it could be detrimental to health owing to its high altitude. The world’s highest research station, established by the Defence Research and Development Organisation is functional in Chang La at a height of 17,500 feet!
The mighty Changla Pass
Praveen at Changla Pass!
Nitrojains conquer Changla pass as well!
The descent from Changla pass is good with really beautiful scenery and fresh air all around. The roads are winding and cut into the mountainside. You can see the roads for miles on end and that itself is a spectacle to be witnessed live! You are also descending into a green valley which starkly compares to the barrenness of the surrounding mountains.
Some of our Enfield Thunderbirds had rear disc brakes heating problems, due to continuously braking during the descent. They had to frequently stop and throw water on the rear discs to cool them down.
ADVICE: Try to avoid taking Thunderbirds on the trip. They have rear disc brakes which heat up due to the constant braking and frequently fail! You DO NOT want brakes to fail at these mountain passes! Almost all our riders on thunderbirds experienced this and had difficulty on the journey. We suggest you stick to the Enfield Classic only.
The valley seems like a golf course!
Thats not a "Z", thats our roads carved into the mountains!
Taking breaks when the Thunderbirds brakes failed due to friction heat
There are some spots which are particularly tricky and you will have to help each other. Remember while riding on dusty roads, try to use the front brake as little as possible. Pressing the front brake will lead to your bike skidding instantly and you will lose control!
Once we descended into the valley, the ride upto Karu was pretty uneventful. We did meet another rider group at a tea stall, who told us that they attempted the Shyok river route, just a day after we did. However they encountered major floods and mud slides on the route and had to return back half way to Leh! They showed us video of big boulders and rushing muddy streams on the same Shyok river roads we rode on, just a day before them! We were all amazed and thanked our Gods who seemed to be with us on this trip.
Karu is a very small town with very few places to stay. Try to reach early otherwise you will have difficulty finding accommodation. We ended up finding 3 rooms with only 1 bathroom! Even then we were grateful that we at least found something and settled in for the night.
ADVICE: There is a petrol pump at Karu. Remember to fill up your tanks and the spare bottles as well! If you cannot find accomodation at Karu, head towards Leh and you will definitely find something. The roads are good and you can travel quickly.
