Day 6..

We had the whole day to spend in Manali, get acclimatised and get our bikes checked. A few picture sessions later, we were in the main market, the MG road of Manali... A variety of handicrafts, services, sweets, foods - South Indian, Punjabi, "Chainees" and of course local flavors.. The Hadimbamata temple was just up the road from there and they had a yak you could get on, as well a guy with a (sedated, but rather deranged looking) python, that you could have around your neck and get your picture taken...

That apart, the tall trees and bustling marketplace were the major distractions there. Now we went looking for a Bull garage, and luckily there was one right near our hotel, albeit a good few bends away. My bro Ashish had his bike taken care of, and I got my crashbar welded - no surprise something broke, considering the roads leading up to here.. But better now than later, cos it was only gonna get worse. On our way back, a bakery caught our eye, and we decided to pay a visit later.

Cafe Amigos - German Bakery it was. A few tables, picture postcards of Manali hangin around, psychedelic art work by the DJ, and a fresh baked counter made up the interior. And then when GNR hit my ears, I felt that I'd just entered the Toons of Manali :) What followed was too good to be true - Nirvana, The Doors, Van Halen and the like.. Add the good food and the insane cakes and this was fast becoming a place we wouldn't wanna leave! But leave we did, cos we had to... After the night was done, we'd have to leave early, very early, for the place where most of us would encounter snow for the very first time ever - Rohtang La.

Pre-dinner plans included fuelling, and the nearest fuel station was on the way to Rohtang, a few kms through Manali. On the way back, we were greeted by a sight, which to me was pathetic. A Safari had gone off the road and half of it was stuck in the gutter. Apparently a boulder had bounced off the bonnet and destroyed the windshield. If only he had opted for the 4x4, it certainly would've been another story.. But it wasn't a 4x4, so a lot of burnt rear rubber later, he gave up, and they evacuated. We headed back for our final slumber in Manali.

Day 5...

With sunrise an 5am and sunset at 8pm, we had to leave early, Manali was calling, and we were more than happy to get on and get going... So off we went, through Punjab, where every excellent piece of highway, unfortunately, had a detour that took us mud-plugging for a few hundred metres, but it was cool...

Then came Manali Ghat, a brilliant series of twisties, accentuated by the river Beas flowing in the valley alongside... Save for a traffic jam due to a truck spill that would've taken hours to leave behind, had we not been on bikes, the way was a-ok...

Now heading towards Mandi, we had all fanned out as the road widened, and narrowed, and widened again; through corners and crowds... About 40 kms later, I decided to check status... 4 were far ahead, 2 were far behind. And after a forsaken 180° fork in the road, I barely headed onto a freshly paved road, and had a small spill on the loose gravel.. Minor bruises, ok. Back up, and about just abt 4 kms ahead was the waiting party, just 2 of 4, again.

As we headed up to the final ghat that led to Manali, the mountains appeared taller, the air crisper, the roads curvier and the river too had gotten more vocal... Clouds lined the afternoon skies - a warning of the approaching downpour. A couple of softdrinks later, and the 2 remaining bulls having caught up, our group of 5 headed out...

What followed was truly out of sheer fantasy - movies or video games whatever turns your crank... Steep mountains with unbelievable rock overhangs on one side and a sheer drop into a river of freezing cold rushing white water on the other, all on a twisting road with a breathtaking view...

The others were up ahead at a riverside restaurant for a cuppa tea and some bites.. As light rain fell from the darkening skies, we decided it was never too soon to leave, for the last thing we needed was doing another long bit of the very same terrain in darkness... And left we did, only to stop again for a link-bridge that spread over the raging river... A few clicks later, we were on the move again. Coming up was a tunnel that signalled our arrival at Manali - close to 30°C as we entered, there was a massive drop in temperature as we proceeded through what was almost 2 kms of dark mountain shaft, with the steady thump of the Bulls echoing in full glory as we neared the other end. Then came the light at the end of the tunnel, followed by the chill of the cold mountain air. As unbelievable as it may seem, the temperature must've dropped at least 10°C from one end to the other, as we exited the tunnel... The view was heavenly now, and for the very first time for so many of us - in the distance we could see a snow-capped peak!

The air was alive with excitement as we plodded on towards the ice, feeling it's call urging us to push harder, move quicker.. Manali beckoned. We rode on, the Beas noisily rushing past in the opposite direction, and with rafting points coming up, we slowed again to take in the scenery, and more pictures...

The growth of cottages, bungalows and inns made it evident that we were now approaching the city. We found a nice, rather new place with fantastic accomodation, but were forced to look elsewhere because of the asking price. But then, that was a good thing, cos we hadn't actually entered city limits yet, and the toll gate we had to go through made that pretty obvious. Thankfully, a hotel agent had his pull, and we moved onto the place we were supposed to put up at for the next day... Traffic was a pain, and after a few winding roads and turns, we were there - a quaint little place with all we really needed to stay the two nights. One of the guys was called "Cookie", and everyone got cheap thrills in yelling for him every few minutes, and so it became something that would remain a part of the trip from then...

Sightseeing, finally after all the unpacking; it was pretty late, and the city started shutting down by 20:30... After a hot chicken dinner, it was back up for us and we called it a night...

Day 1, 2, 3 and part of 4...

Time constraints meant the bikes were transported to Gurgaon, in a container by a car carrier - a decision all of us would regret later...

The less said about Delhi, the better...

Yes, through the unbearable heat, we saw the Ba'hai temple, the Qutab Minar and the India Gate, and shopped in an air-conditioned underground market...

The sun was as visible at noon as a white light bulb in an open field at about the same time... The Nizamuddin station bus stop looked more like a dock, if you ask me... just over 2 days were spent there, and I was glad to leave it behind when we left on June the 4th. Having picked up our bikes, albeit with a few marks, scratches and rubdowns of the worst kind, we made our way from Gurgaon, back to Delhi, to catch the highway to Chandigarh. Ah, the beautiful open roads :)

Chandigarh welcomed us at midnight. We couldn't see any sign of accomodation, and road right through, because none of us were aware of the structural brilliance of the city. 3 roundabouts later, we were out of Chandigarh, blindly heading wherever the road would take us; in search of a place to spend the night. Come Highway Dhaba, and a kind owner who let us catch 40 winks for free, but only after we'd had a substantial dinner...

The ultimate trip^

"One day... One day I'll ride through the snow... Through snow-covered passes and mountains... To go where every Bullet should go, at least one in their lifetime... One day... Some day..."

May 31st, 2009, the first step towards the much-awaited, much-dreamed of journey to the icy north. To the land less travelled and much read about... Of course to get there, was an experience in itself, well, it was the experience...

I got to putting the whole down in words, but realised then, it would take a while... So I guess day-by-day is the best way to go... :p