2014-10-11-Brecon Beacons Pen Y Fan and 4 peaks trek

What was supposed to be a simple trek with minimal planning and short route turned out to be my most adventurous outings in the UK in the Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales. For photographs see links below at the end.

I reached the Llwyn-y-Celyn YHA hostel on Sat at 12 PM and got my first shock – no lunch served and the nearest pub would be 1 hour walk – public transport not reliable. Till I could decide my next steps it started raining heavily. Chucking plans for lunch I feasted on the backup food I had got of a Mango and some dry fruits. Rains subsiding I went out for a short walk which in itself would turn out into a mini adventure to find a summit without proper direction or map.

As per my habit I started observing all the topo maps hung on the hostel walls. I saw a nearby summit of Fan Frynych. Just made a mental note of the location and left for a marked short forest walk around the hostel of about 45 mins. After milestone #8 I lost track and ended on the main road. The mountains across the road seemed inviting with the glacier corroded CRAIG CERRIG-GLEISIAD in view as well, and then suddenly I remembered the Fan Fryncyh summit which I remembered from the map which I saw at the hostel.

I had nothing to loose just time to kill and with the weather opened up and sunny now – super clear skies and autumn colours all around I decided to give the Fan Fryncyh a try. Not really knowing which one it would be from the hills around did not make it easy. I made a rough guess and started walking – getting lost or stopped by a fence and finally my feet submerged in 1 feet of Bog (Slush). Anyways I carried on and what did I find?

I found a post box type of a wooden enclosure and there were pamphlets of the description of the area and the routes up the Fan Fryncyh. I was lucky J and also in right direction as well. Now I picked up pace and within 30 mins was at Fan Frynch top with amazing views of the Wales country side all around and also the summits of Corn Du and Pen Y Fan which I would trek tomorrow. I could also see the rain falling in the far away flat lands – what a view. The rain was coming  towards me so thought of abandoning my plans of a longish traverse above the CRAIG CERRIG-GLEISIAD but instead took a steep downhill route in that valley. Once I came to the main road I was gifted with a view of an amazing rainbow. A day well spent, can’t ask for more. A nice relaxed evening spent reading and light dinner and off for a sound sleep.

Sun seemed to be a nice day. The sky seemed clear with heavy fog in the valley and around the hostel. The initial route to the Taff trail from the hostel was confusing even after the directions printout they had given. The route was not well marked so after 20 mins of wandering I came back to the hostel and asked for directions and then I was bang on target. Had just missed the direction of a faint trail earlier. Once I reached the Taff trail got nice views of the valley with the autumn colours, slight fog and clear skies – a very rare combination. The route to the Corn Du summit and onwards to Pen Y Fan was simple from the Storey Arms.

Once I reached the top of the mountain range another set of awesome views waiting. The sky was clear with the valley in thick cloud cover slowly rising – giving an impression that we are walking above the clouds. Nice mountain views all around with the wide plateaus for a change and occasionally we could see all the way to the horizon – the most amazing cloud play I have ever seen. The walk from one summit to another was pretty much the same. You have a tough uphill climb then a flat summit again a steep descent to the common col and there starts another ascent to next summit. This was repeated 4 times until I covered all 4 starting from Corn Du, Pen Y Fan, CribYn, Fan Y Big. The further away I walked, less people I met until finally on Fan Y Big I was the only one. What an awesome feeling after finally completing all the summits planned and being alone by yourself on top with amazing views all around is a feeling hard to beat.

The blunder part started on descent. I took things a bit easy trying out a different route parallel to the mountain range but in the lower valley. It was off the trail and going was slow. Clouds were starting to form and I was not very comfortable to be trapped in a rain storm etc so decided to descend back to the main trek route. Once I reached the plains it was a boring monotonous walk through fields and road network of interior country side. (though the views were nice, I was just plain tired and walking on tar road most of the time is no fun). Since I did not follow the actual GPS route due to it ascending to the mountains again and it was getting late, I took the roads which added lot of miles till I reached the hostel.

Finally I was just ½ km crow fly distance away from hostel. I could see it across a river valley. I decided to take a short cut not walking all the way to the formal river crossing bridge which would save around 2 miles of walk. The short cut was through a private farm and I would have to jump over the barbed wire fence on the other side. I entered by opening the gate and walked past a group of Cows and Bulls grazing. As I was nearing the fence a bull started charging at me without any warning. I had to run. It was scary. Finally 3 bulls were charging towards me. I kept running till I could get a sufficient lead which would give me time to slowly put my foot on the fence and jump over without hurting myself on the barbed wire. I did it finally and was on the other side and relieved. The bulls making angry sounds. This was tiring after a 25 km walk but I was happy to be able to outrun the bulls for some timeJ

Not wanting to get my feet wet – I balanced myself across a fallen tree over the rivulet and reached the hostel in 5 mins tired but satisfied and with lots of adrenaline rush due to the bull chase J. A nice hot bath, bottle of beer and dinner of mutton and noodles made my day.

The misadventures don’t end here J Next day morning I missed my first connecting bus at 7 AM since the driver did not see me at bus stop even though I waved out at him. Maybe he was drunk, sleepy or it was plain dark. Fortunate to have all connections an hour later I reached London by 2 PM tired but satisfied. Cheerz.

https://picasaweb.google.com/zenosh/20141011BreconBeaconsPenYFanAnd4Summits#

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152738554696181.1073741872.595556180&type=1&l=1ddba30a3c

2014-09-05-Kyrgyzstan

Central Asia has always amused me with its interesting and bloody history, various empires conquering it and then disappearing in the sands of time, the mystic of the overland Silk Route from Europe to India, China etc. So finally I decided to take the plunge and see this amazing land for myself.

Kyrgyzstan – the land of high mountains, glacial lakes, Yurts, vast pastures with Horses, Sheep, Yaks, the nomadic herdsmen, not to forget the ever smiling and helpful people with the amazing Kyrgyz cuisine of bread, soup, mutton, momo’s, dry fruits, fresh milk cream, Kumis (fermented Mare’s milk) and lastly the lively mountain music which the locals listen to. This is the place where kids learn to ride horses before they can barely walk. With our driver Norden who became our friend and the Yurt stay owners and trek guides – thanks to them we had an amazing 8 days driving / trekking in this central Asian republic. Not to forget Tarun – without who’s encouragement and company half the itinerary would not have been possible or not as much fun, and lastly Marrat from Advantour who made the initial planning of this trip almost a breeze. Enjoy the photographic journey to Kyrgyzstan in this album, and here’s to the next adventure in Tajikistan and hopefully the amazingly remote Afghan Wakhan corridor in future and a dream fulfilled. Amin. Photo links and detailed write-up below.

Full set à https://picasaweb.google.com/zenosh/20140905Kyrgyzstan#

Some photos on Facebook à 4 links

Set 1: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152678402071181.1073741865.595556180&type=1&l=69af72daa8

Set 2: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152678414591181.1073741866.595556180&type=1&l=729ff40700

Set 3: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152678427571181.1073741867.595556180&type=1&l=ea469be6ca

Set 4: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152678441006181.1073741868.595556180&type=1&l=55ca20d78a

Those who have time or inclination can read the more detailed version below.

What a way to start my central Asia adventure in Kyrgyzstan. I missed my connecting flight to Bishkek from Istanbul due to delay in flight from London. Spent the whole day in Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport CIP lounge waiting for the next Pegasus flight to Bishkek at 8:00 PM. I had some tense moments at the airport since the airline staff was not super helpful and no one new proper English. Finally one female attendant gave me a suggestion of not trying to go out of the airport and spending on VISA but just staying put at the airport Lounge, with all expenses paid by Pegasus. I am more comfortable getting lost in the mountains rather than at an airport in the artificial cocooned atmosphere with no one understanding proper EnglishJ Next steps – I quickly called up Tarun to tell him about my one day delay. I was lucky enough to get him since he was just going to switch off his cell to board his flight from Dubai. He did a great job of getting everything done while at Bishkek, shopping for food, coordinating with Marrat for change of plans etc.. Also called up home to inform about this fiasco.

I won’t bore you with the details on how I spent one full day inside the airport – one thing for sure – now I have a good map of the airport in my mind by taking walks around the whole area accessible to transit passengersJ. I did not have any games on my cell phone – so went to Google Play and found a game recommended by Harsh Vardhan called “Hill Climb Racing”. That game was a savior for me and I spent some good hours trying to while away time and getting good scores there J Harsh – are you listening.

Anyways people say – when travelling to Central Asia take everything with a pinch of salt, and this experience did teach me to be a bit more calm in such situations which are very much possible when you travel to destinations with less flight connections.

Reaching Bishkek on 7^th Sept, a day late at 4:30 AM, taxi driver waiting for me. His name was Obek and spoke broken English, but he did his best to make me feel at ease in this new land. I reached USSR Hostel at around 6:00 AM, hugged my friend Tarun who was half asleep and myself crashed on the bed, only to be rudely woken up at 9:30 AM, Marat and driver waiting downstairs with the car, ready for our trip. After wrapping up stuff with Marat (coordinator of Advantour) we went by car to a mall where we did my SIM card recharge, brunch etc and we were all set to leave Bishkek and step into wilderness.

We had not done any day wise planning before the trip and that held true even when on the road / trek, our plans sometimes changed on hourly basis and our driver being pretty flexible with that. Instead of night stay at Kochkor (a small mountain town 200 km from Bishkek) we decided to directly go to Song Kol lake – an alpine lake 3000 meters above sea level south west of Kochkor. The road from Bishkek to Kochkor was very good and hence we reached there in 3 hours giving us time to move ahead in daylight. Once we left the main road at Sary Bulak the real fun started. The road turned into a dirt road and the barren mountain scenery in full view, the vast green pastures, shepherds and their large herds, small villages, river valleys, and finally the top of the Kalmak Ashuu pass giving us amazing views all around.

Some time after the pass we got the first view of Song Kol lake with its turquoise blue waters. Nearing it was much more fun – getting off the main dirt road we were driving on the vast pasture land with distant yurt camps visible. On top of a small hump in the flat terrain and we got the most amazing sunset we have ever seen. Sky orange and reflecting the same colour in the lake – words cant describe. We reached our Shepherd Life Yurt just before dark, settled and had dinner with group of Swiss tourists. Our first brush with the traditional Kyrgyz food of soup, meat, bread, dry fruits, fresh cow milk cream, jam etc. Sleeping in the Yurt was a good and comfortable experience with nicely decorated walls and colourful warm blankets and mattresses – it was like sleeping in a large luxurious tent.

Next morning perfect clear sky, chilly winds and nice views of the turquoise blue Song Kol lake, vast pasture land, handful of Yurts and horses. For some time I forgot that I am in Kyrgyzstan, thinking I have reached Mongolia instead J

We had breakfast inside a Yurt consisting of bread, porridge, jam, fresh cream, dry fruits, tea and  listening to local Kyrgyz music – felt like heaven, time standing still, no thoughts in mind, just enjoying the moment. After breakfast we decided to give horse riding a try – first time for both of us, and it was a total flop show J The owner refused to come with us to guide us, and we were on our own after some basic instructions. So Tarun’s horse refused to move at all, my horse did go ahead which was very good, but when I gave him a signal to turn right or left, he stopped and started grazing J And in the vast grass land I did not want to go too far out in a straight line. So we just leapt off our horses and instead went by the lake side for a walk. Weather turning bad in a jiffy we decided to have a quick lunch and there came our first sudden change of plan. Instead of staying here for one day, we decided to leave for At-Bashy so that we can spend more time at Tash Rabat.

We decided to go back to the main road via a different route from Song Kol – that was via Kara Ungkur village. This route was much more scenic than the standard Sary Bulak route we took while coming to Song Kol. This was very clear within no time we left Song Kol.

The route initially climbed up a bit towards the mountains giving us a very good view of the wide pasture lands and the mountains all around with the Song Kol river also visible. We could also see the 32 hairpin bends which our route would take down into the valley. Spending good amount of time at such amazing view points and soaking the amazing views and sunshine, we finally reached the river valley. Refilled our water supplies and took some rest by the river side. After that it was a pretty much non stop drive to At-Bashy reaching there at around 9:30 PM with the roads not being in good shape, broken and very dusty. We wasted some time in trying to get our night stay done at a very good Nomadic Yurt camp at At-Bashy but the owners were at Naryn so the plan went kaput.

Norden our driver was very helpful today. He helped us find a nice hotel at At-Bashy at the dead of the night where there were not many people to help and those who were there did not know English. We found Hotel Tash Rabat near the huge Horse’s head statue with clean and big rooms but no food. The hotel owner was kind enough to open his kitchen for us and allowed us to use his stove and utensils for us to cook food. He had a nice dinner party of soup, bread, MTR (Chana masala and Palak Paneer) and Dal in the big kitchen.

Next morning I got up early and went for a short walk, and At-Bashy did not disappoint me. It was just the way described in the guide book – small town surrounded by mountains with nothing much to do and that’s what the charm of this place is. Clear sky and cool morning breeze made this a very pleasant walk. Was able to visit the old Muslim cemetery on the mountain ridge which gave good views of At-Bashy and the vast wide valley through which the main road to China passes. The cemetery is different than what we see elsewhere – there are small house like structures built around the graves and look very elegant to view and the whole place when looked from far gives you an impression of a miniature sized town in the mountains. We had nice filling brunch of cutlets, rice, gravy, bread and tea at a local café in the nice bazaar of At-Bashy.

On the way to Tash Rabat we also saw the ruins of Koshoy Korgon – 15 km inside from the main road from Kara Suu village. The ruins were in bad shape but definitely worth a visit along with the museum which has text written in English as well and give good information of the whole Naryn Province, the old scriptures found engraved on the rocks in the mountains, old archaeological remains, weapons and some great paintings which give you a peep in the rich and vibrant history of the region.

The road from At-Bashy to Tash Rabat is a treat to drive on. Vast desert land visible on both sides with high mountains far away and the straight road visible for miles ahead inviting you. Finally we come across the dirt  road diversion to Tash Rabat. The road winds through a narrow valley surrounded by mountains with green pastures around. This was the place I was waiting for. We reached the CBT yurts 1 km before Tash Rabat. The coordinator there Tursun was very helpful and pleasant to talk to. Within no time she arranged the guide and horse for our trek to Chatyr Kol lake near China border next day.

The place was absolutely amazing. Yurts surrounded by high mountains and lush green valley, with a stream flowing close by giving company, horses grazing around in the pastures. We had a nice time doing nothing – just soaking in the amazing atmosphere around, playing with Tursun’s small daughter and the naughty goat which kept coming in our Yurt for explorationJ

After taking some rest we decided to visit Tash Rabat – 1  km away, a well-preserved 15th century stone caravanserai (resting place for travellers on the silk route) at 3000 meters altitude. It was a strong structure with small rooms and openings from top for light and ventilation with a big dome at the centre. After some time exploring the insides we decided to go trekking on a small hillock for acclimatizing for tomorrows trek and also to get some good views. And what a view from top – one side we got the view of the valley where our yurt was located and from where the road enters towards Tash Rabat, and on other side the rugged mountain valley from where we would trek to the pass for Chatyr Kol lake. Nice weather made it a very pleasant excursion and we had some good rest and dry fruits on top – not to mention the numerous photography sessions J

Next day god gifted us a crystal clear day with not a cloud in the sky. A perfect day for a long walk and some amazing photography opportunity. Of course it was chilling cold at night - the proof being the frozen stream outside our yurt. Our guide Jhonney (Tarsun’s husband – Jhonney being his nickname) was ready with the horse in no time and also fortunately knew some very basic English. We started our trek after a filling breakfast and packing our bags on the horse. I was carrying a light bag with just the essentials, and Tarun was carrying his DSLR camera which was as heavy as my essentials bag J

Our route followed the river valley for approx 2 hours meandering between the huge barren mountains devoid of any vegetation, with the green pastures around the valley, Yaks and horses giving us company and the occasional tourist. The altitude gain was very gradual but walk was long and made it tiring due to the altitude, dry air and sun beating down on us. But never the less this high altitude terrain brings out the best in me and I feel at home (more than the claustrophobic Istanbul airport where I had to spend a day J)

The altitude gain started after we had to leave the river valley floor and turn right towards the upper plateau. Scenery turning more barren and wild (amazing) and we were also getting tired due to the long walk. I had a nice nap of 15 mins in the sun before we started walking again. After amost 4 hours of walk from the start we reached the base of the tough pass climb to 4100 meters. We took another 2 hours to finally reach the top of the pass via some amazing barren mountain scenery and had the most amazing view of the Chatyr Kol lake and the mountains in China beyond. The pass was very windy so after 10 mins we decided to start descending. Another quick change of plan within minutes. Our original plan was to actually camp by the lake side but due to extreme tiredness we decided to turn back and instead camp mid way to Tash Rabat. It would have been a killing 10 hour walk the next day back to Tash Rabat, if we would have gone to Chatyr Kol lake.

Suddenly we were jumping around like small kids since we were descending altitude and felt more at ease. But the long walk was taking a toll on my bad back. So on a good spot by an abandoned pasture hut we decided to camp. It was 7 PM with one more hour of day light we told the guide to go back to Tash Rabat and we would go there on our own the next day. It was getting very cold. So very quickly we got to work – pitching the tent, having noodles, coffee and dinner. Finally we zipped up in the tent for a long and uncomfortable night – at least for me since somehow I did not get any sleep till 5 AM – maybe due to coffee in the evening.

Here comes early morning and all the tiredness of the previous day vanishes. Yet another super clear day, some chilling around the campsite with amazing views all around, having breakfast and listening to some music – that’s life I would sayJ

Finally packing up our bags and lifting the heavy load on our backs we started our slow walk towards Tash Rabat. We took many breaks on the way back due to the heavy load and also to enjoy the amazing views around. We reached Tash Rabat in around 2 ½ hours. Again relaxed there for a while in the Yurt, had nice lunch of local Kyrgyz cuisine and started for Kochkor from where we had planned to do another 2 day trek to Kol Ukok and Kol Tor before concluding our trip at Bishkek. It was a boring 5 hour drive back to Kochkor since the road from Naryn to Kochkor is in bad shape and full of dust. Luckily we avoided this stretch on our way to Tash Rabat since we took a detour to Song Kol lake.

At Kochkor we stayed at Nordens place (Shyrdak Travel guest house). His family also runs a guest house at Kochkor besides their house. It has a Yurt outside which serves as a mini restaurant for guests. The guest house is nice, hidden away from the main town and streets, with clean rooms and nice decoration inside.

Next day Norden was quick to take us to the CBT office at Kochkor to arrange for a guide and horse for our trek to Kol Ukok. While in discussion with the coordinator there it was very clear that we would not be able to do Kol Tor since it was 3-4 hours further up in the mountains from Kol Ukok lake.

The trail head for Kol Ukok starts from the Isekeev village, further ahead from Bolshevik which is around 15 km from Kochkor. Our guide Khubat came with us from the CBT Kohckor office. The horse was waiting for us at the trail head with its keeper. After arranging our bags on the horse and with same arrangement of a small bag with me and equally heavy camera with Tarun we started our trek. To be frank the initial part of the trek was not very appealing. But once we reached a certain altitude the beautiful valley started unfolding with nice views all around. This was my first brush with independent horse riding in mountain terrain. Finally I was confident of navigating the tricky mountain routes on my own. Thanks to Khubat for giving some useful hints. This was of course a better experience then we had at Song Kol lakeJ

We had lunch besides a rock outside a Yurt camp. It was a nice break on the trek. We started our walk towards the Pass from where we would reach the Kol Ukok lake. Our plan was to camp besides the lake for the night. But again there would be change of plan not really within our control. The black clouds started gathering on the mountain tops- specially in the direction where we were going. I decided we should just keep going, but then within no time it started raining and then snow fall. That’s when we decided that we would have to stay put at a Yurt further ahead and abandon the plans of camping by the lake side. That was a good decision. Fortunately we found the Yurt in the next 10 minutes. Whatever happens, happens for the best.

This was not a typical tourist Yurt but here is where we got the true nomadic feel of Kyrgyzstan. The owner stayed here with his wife and 2 small kids, girl aged 6 months and boy 3 years. They had their horses and cattle and had fresh milk and cream daily. The boy named Samaar, had become friendly with us even though we could not communicate in a common language. He always came inside our Yurt to check on us every few minutes and liked the Pringle Chips we gave him. Finally we gave him away the whole can. He ran to his mother to show it to her. He was very happy. We relaxed in our yurt with Khubat and had a nice chat on bollywood and the actors / actresses. Shahrukh Khan and Aiswaria Rai seemed to be most popular and surprisingly Mithin too and the song I am a disco dancer. The guide sang it for us too J

Within the next hour the weather again changed drastically. It cleared up showing the fresh snow on the mountain tops and nice bright sunshine again to top up with an amazing rainbow. We came out of the yurt in the chilly air to enjoy the amazing view and do photography. After a hearty dinner which we cooked in the yurt we went to sleep.

The next day early in the morning after a light breakfast we left for the last stretch of the trek to the pass and the Kol Ukok lake ahead. The weather was nice and clear. Since I was fresh in the morning it took just an hour from the yurt to reach the amazingly beautiful Kol Ukok lake amidst the snow capped mountains on the other end. We rested there for almost an hour enjoying the amazing views around the lake and having dry fruits. It was now time to return back to the yurt for a wholesome lunch and some rest. We had a nice time around the yurt interacting with the family there and having lunch with them. The best part was having the Kyrgyz bread with fresh cream from cow milk, then some soup, dry fruits and topping up with the mildly intoxicating Kumus (fermented Mare’s milk). Now it was time to bid goodbye to the family and get back to Isekeev for Kochkor. While going back to Isekeev I was on the horse for almost full time, navigating independently through some of the rough terrain feeling like a Kyrgyz nomad for some time, knowing very well that our central Asian adventure was coming to an end.  

After reaching Kochkor we packed all our stuff in the car and reached Bishkek at 8:00PM, settling the final accounts with Norden and Marrat. We had a great time in the 8 days we spent in the nomadic Kyrgyzstan – trekking and driving in some of the most remote and desolate landscapes.

Tired but satisfied with only 2 hours of sleep got up at 2 AM to go to Manas Airport for flight back to London. Ready for the next central adventure in Tajikistan travelling the amazing Pamir Highway and the branch which goes parallel to the Afghanistan border at the Wakhan Corridor  -hopefully in 2015. Cheerz.

Itinerary

1.      05 Sept – Fri - Flight to Istanbul from London Stansted (3 ½ hours)

2.      06 Sept – Sat – Istanbul airport unplanned stay due to connecting flight missed and flight to Bishkek next day (5 ½ hours)

3.      07 Sept – Sun – Flight to Bishkek – Bishkek to Song Kol
Good road from Bishkek to Kochkor so 2 ½ hours, and further to Song Kol another 2 ½ to 3 hours. (total 290 KM)

4.      08 Sept – Mon – Song Kol to At-Bashy (155 KM via Kara Unkur route)
Scenic route from Song Kol to Kara Unkur (3 hours approx with photo stops)
Bad main road from Kara Unkur to At-Bashy (4 hours approx).

5.      09 Sept – Tues – At-Bashy to Tash Rabat (100 km including Kara Suu – Koshoy Korgon ruins) – very  nice road so 1 ½ hours on main road – excluding the Koshoy Korgon excursion.

6.      10 Sept – Wed – Tash Rabat to Chatyr Kol trek and camp
Tash Rabat to Pass overlooking Chatyr Kol ( 6hours trek with 4 hours of almost flat walk till pass start)

7.      11 Sept – Thurs – Tash Rabat to Kochkor (232 km – 5 ½ hours approx – road from At-Bashy to Dolon Pass very bad and dusty)

8.      12 Sept – Fri – Kochkor to Kol Ukok trek camp (17 km drive from Kochkor to Isekeev village). Trek to Kol Ukok from Isekeev – 5 hours approx.

9.      13 Sept – Sat – Kochkor to Bishkek (2 ½ hours – 201 km – good roads)

10.  14 Sept – Sun – Bishkek to London flight

Contacts:

USSR Hostel:  $10 per person for a bed
Asel 
+996 551 854540 (What'z app, Viber) 
+996 550 357540 (What'z app, Viber) 
ussr_hostel@mail.ru
Chui Prospekt 127, App. 132, Bishkek, KG 

Marat - Advantour
Advantour Kyrgyzstan
Kievskaya 131/2, Bishkek 720001, Kyrgyzstan
Tel: +996 312 900592, +996 772 152139 Fax: +996 312 311170

Driver: Norden: 0779131339

Norden’s guest house details: (Nordens brother Altamia – English speaking guide)

Shyrdak Travel guest house

27 Omuraliev Str, Kochkor, Naryn Reg, Kyrgyzstan

Tel:

+996 773 153143

+996 779 474787

+996 708131328

www.shyrdak-travel.kg

shyrdaktour@gmail.com

At Bashy nomadic camp yurt stay:

I would suggest a real nomadic yurt camp in At-Bashy. they have herds of sheep, cows and horses that they take care of. setting is remote and very beautiful. it is not a regular tourist site, so you will get to see daily life of a nomad. horseback riding is available, and the length depends on your ability to ride. 70 kilometers away from the yurt camp, is a Kelsu lake. if you can handle couple days of riding, it will be an interesting route. Everything is tailored to your interests and abilities, so any tours can be arranged of any length. prices are cheaper then CBT's: 500 per night per person for BnB and 250 som per meal. Horses are 700 soms per day. if you ride around the farm, just tip the horse keeper. 
contact +996 555 220 733 or +996 556 224 733 or +996 555094360

www.nwtravel.kg 
nomadsworldtravel@gmail.com

CBT Tash Rabat:

Caretaker : Tursun – a.tursun29@mail.ru

Her card:

Sabyrbek Aiylchiev

Naryn Oblast, At-Bashy region, Kara Suu village, Index 722614, street Kudus, 29.

www.Tashrabatyurt.com

+996 773 88 90 98

+996 772 47 10 20

+996 707 47 10 20

Cholpon95@mail.ru

 

Costing

Yurt Stay: 500 – 600 SOM (including breakfast)

Meal: 250 to 300 SOM for lunch dinner or breakfast if separate

Car rates: 0.40 to 0.45 USD per km (100 km per day minimum charges)

Driver food + acco – around 25 to 30 USD per day flat rate mostly

Self drive rentals are 80 to 120 USD per day (1000 USD deposit) excluding fuel

Guide: 1200 som per day

Horse: 700 som per day

Our Costing for 7 days of road + trek trip:

Flight: 450 GBP

VISA: 62 GBP

LOI + OVIR: 62 GBP

Total (Flight + VISA + permit) : 574 GBP (935 USD)

Cash spent on trip: 514 USD ( 315 GBP) – includes food, stay, guide, horse, car+driver (basically everything we spent there)

Total cost: 889 GBP = 1449 USD = 90000 INR (approx per person)

2014-05-31-Scotland Highlands

A nice 12 day vacation in Scotland starting from Edinburgh city (small and lively) where we spent 2 lively days touring the city by bus and walking in the lovely bylanes, saw the Edinburgh Castle too which gives a very nice panoramic view of the city and the coast.


Next was going further north to Braemar in the remote Cairngorms National park. We enjoyed walking and driving in the Cairngorms. First day was spent walking around the Muir of Dinnnet forest going to a naturally formed cave in the forest and then a lake (Loch Kinnord) in the opposite direction. Then we spent a pleasant evening in the amazing gardens of Balmoral Castle, a must see in this area.


Second day was spent walking around our hotel in Braemar. We went to a walk to the Birchwood forest below the Morrone Hill. It was a nice flat walk with nice greenary all around and the higher snow clad mountains visible. We even attempted the Morrone hill but had to abandon it due to rains.


The scenery was out of this world, difficult to expalin in words but photos do some justice, specially of the drive from Braemar to Glencoe via Tomintoul seeing the small but elusive Corgarff  Castle between the highland mountains. It was almost like driving in the Ladakh - Changthang plateau with rolling hills of various shades of brown with 4*4 roads going up the mountains in an insanely steep gradient.


Glencoe is another nice village area in the highland mountains on the west coast. We stayed in a small Bed and Breakfast just 3 miles before Glencoe. Next day we went up the Nevis Range in a Gondola to a winter Ski area. We had nice views of the whole mountain area around Nevis range. Yohaan was the most happy since we trekked up 45 mins so that we can have a snow fight in the remaining Glacial melt of summmer. Fortunately this was a clearday enabling us to enjoy it to the max.


I felt very satisfied this evening since I was able to take Yohaan to a garden just 10 mins walk from our Hotel. What a view from the well maintained Garden at 9 PM light of the surrounding mountains. Never seen a garden with mountain views on all 4 sides. Yohaan enjoyed playing there to the max and I had to literally force him back to the hotel.


Next day I went to trek up the Pap of Glencoe. It is a short  but steep climb up but you get amazing views of the surrounding mountains and lakes. I was fortunate that the weather opened up once I reached the top and I sat there soaking the sun and the amazing views. In the afternoon we went to an amazing fossil center on the Mallaig coastal road from Fort Williams. Had an amazing lunch at one of the road side Inns. Yohaan had a nice time seeing the fossils of dinasours like TRex etc.


Next day while driving towards Loch Lommond we took a nice stroll around the forested and amazingly scenic Glencoe Lochan (Lake) before going ahead. Loch Lomond was more of a relaxing stay with we going to the Baloch castle gardens and the Sea Aquarium where Yohaan enjoyed a lot again. The Inn where we used to go for dinner was amazing - with an old world charm, friendly bar tenders and nice food.


Thats all, my back suddenly went bad as usual and it was not that rosy for me now onwards. On the way back to Edinburgh we stopped at the Sterling Castle. I rested around the cafe while my wife and kid went to see the castle. Reached Edinburgh and rested for the day before taking train back to London.


Scotland has much to offer to any outdoor person and I would surely return here once more before coming back to India.


Photos:
Picasa: https://picasaweb.google.com/zenosh/20140531ScotlandWithFamily?authkey=Gv1sRgCOL3iLPC-sOpxgE#


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152478280926181.1073741861.595556180&type=1&l=3a03d9f712

2014-05-03-Peak District Cycling Trip

My first solo experience of the English country side on my bicycle and its the same as India, the same warm welcome everywhere you go and people going out of the way to

 help you and make you comfortable, sharing experiences and views and in general about the place, which you don’t get when travelling in a group.

Enjoy the snaps and the small writeup below:

https://picasaweb.google.com/zenosh/20140503PeakDistrictCyclingAndTrekking#

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152380085306181.1073741857.595556180&type=1&l=f402914e5e

First day a continuous incline of 3 miles from Glossop to King Clough Head Farm - tired since my legs not yet used to cycling :). But it was an amazing clear and sunny day.

Reached the King's B&B and met up with Terry my host, and very helpful as well. Then went to a road side Inn (Grouse Inn) for lunch at 4:00 PM and had a nice Salmon, Chips and Salad soaking the warm afternoon sun. After which as usual I found a Bridle path to the moorland and decided to explore that. Went on a hill top there with my bicycle and relaxed and enjoyed the early evening views and cool breeze. Later went back to the room to relax and came back for early dinner at 7:15 PM (since things close down early here) but the Chef had already left so I was very bluntly told no food available now. Cursing my luck I decided to try out another Inn at a small village known as Little Mill Village on the other side of King Clough Farm.

The route was adventurous - leaving the small tarmac road, getting onto a dirt road and crossing a stream and finally joining a tarmac road again. I met a person by the road side that helped me with the finer details of the route of the Little Mill Inn ahead. He would meet me again for the 2 days I went for dinner to the Little Mill Inn. We became good friends having beer and chatting during the evenings. The Bartender there was also good and helped me select the dishes perfect to my taste buds. I was in love with the Little Mill Inn – typical old British village surroundings, small Inn with wooden furnishings, fire place, the funny comments on the wall and the music going on in the background.

Next day was supposed to be tough, I decided to cycle to the Kinder reservoir (lake) and then trek to Kinder Scout – one of the higher hills in the area. It was a easy cycle ride to Kinder Lane since all of it was downhill. I would rather not imagine the 3 miles which I would have to climb uphill when coming back after a 4 hour trek. The last part to Kinder Lane was very scenic with nice forest and a peaceful campsite with a small brook following the road.

The gentleman at the end of the Kinder Lane was kind enough to let me allow parking my cycle at his place along with some stuff I won’t need for the trek. He also guided me with the detailed route.

The route started on the left bank of the Kinder Reservoir, beautiful greenery all around and cool breeze for company with overcast sky all day. I took the Williams Clough route up and came down via Sandy route which meets the Williams Clough route by the bridge. This area is a typical moor land with grass / stubs growing all over the place with various shades of green, yellow and brown. This was unique mountain scenery which I had never seen. Once I gained some height – it was a sight to behold, the vast brown moorland stretches with the thin trek routes going all the way to the horizon giving it a feel of Ladakh, Changthang Plateau. I also met 2 trekkers with whom I shared a nice conversation and also snacks. After viewing the Kinder Downfall (water fall) I returned back via the Sandy route having a nice break of cheese sandwich (which Terry had packed for me) by the small brook and the bridge. As said earlier the uphill ride back to King Clough was not pleasant. I had to walk a bit and also got down 3 times before I reached the top of the pass.

Finally last day I decided to go for a short ride to Ladbroke Farm (not sure of the name) around 2 miles one way. It was a nice off road trail not actually meant for my Hybrid but I enjoyed it to the max. Some fine views and a killer incline made my day. Finally bade goodbye to Terry- my host at King Clough Head Farm and left for Glossop station to catch the train back to London. This is just the start of the journeys on my bicycle. Hopefully!.

2013-09-18-Ladakh Ride-Kakasang La-Wari La-Dha Hanu

Back from one more fulfilling ride to Ladakh from 18 Sept  to 6 Oct 2013 covering 2300 km - it had everything one can hope for in such an adventurous ride - breathtaking views, altitude sickness, strangest bike problems and power loss at most challenging times (Ameya's piston getting stuck and my petrol lock breaking), getting lost, bad weather, snowfall, getting caught on wrong side of law , camping days, meeting amazing people and staying with them.. etc.

Highlight - did the Kakasangla route from Mahe to Chushul - Kakasangla is higher than Khardungla, also managed Wari La route to Nubra valley in heavy snowfall and ended with a nice diversion to Dha Hanu route from Khaltse.

This ride was like life - sometimes it was like heaven with mind blowing views and bike performing well and no one stopping us on restricted routes - and sometimes like hell when the bikes broke down with strangest of the problems, bad weather and our health not being 100% due to tiredness and altitude sickness- but finally me and my riding prtner Ameya made it together. A ride to cherish.

Photograph links and read further if you have time J

https://picasaweb.google.com/zenosh/20130918LadakhRideKakasangLaWariLaDhaHanu#

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151925421671181&type=1&l=8da50338ae

Our ride started in a very explosive way indeed. We were caught with petrol (which we going to use to fill our bikes once we get them on New Delhi station) when going to the outstation platform on Mumbai Central to board the Rajdhani Express to Delhi. It took quite a bit of convincing and dough to the police officer before he let us go and it took us quite some time to recover from the shock that our trip had almost ended before starting.

Next day it took quite an effort to take out both the bikes from the New Delhi station since the loader had loaded both the bikes in either end of the train. Finally at 11 AM we were all set after filling petrol. We met up with CP who was on his Ninja 650 to Ambala for servicing coming all the way from Barmer and had amazing lunch at a Dhaba. Riding on smooth roads all the way till Kiratpur we were able to cover almost 400 km the first day and ended the ride with open air night stay on a bed by a small road side Dhaba in free.
 

Taking the scenic and less traffic Naggar route via Bhunter by which we avoided the traffic ridden main Manali highway and the main Manali itself we finally met up with Godwin Snehal and Dipesh at the Rohtang road Indian Oil petrol pump. We were supposed to stay with Godwin at his rented house in Shenag village. Dipesh was also there riding all the way from Mumbai on his Ninja 650. We felt like poor bulleteersJ We had a nice time at his place just relaxing by the veranda, walking around the village and spending a quite evening at a small stream. At night we had an amazing party with home cooked Chicken Biryani (Thanks to Godwin and Snehal for the wonderful dinner) and also meeting up with Eric our old friend who always gives us amazing homemade apple wine and stays there with his wife and small kid.

We had nice clear weather next day which is very rare when we are crossing Rohtang. Bidding goodbye to Godwin and friends we started for Rohtang and further. Taking small breaks and enjoying the clear sky we moved ahead slowly viewing the beautiful villages of Sissu and Gondia. Due to improved road conditions and good weather we covered the distance till Darcha quite easily so we decided to move ahead for the night. That was our biggest mistake. We became overconfident and did not ask about the altitude of the next night halt. We reached Zing Zing Bar and I knew that we would have a bad time tonight since it was at 14000 feet which means we jumped 7000 feet in one day without a rest day at Manali.

The night was extremely cold in the tented accommodation at Zing Zing Bar, though altitude did not hit us hard. We had a nice chat with 2 Punjabi couples who also offered us some dry fruits (Ask me and Ameya for more details on what we thought about the relationship they shared J ).

I was not feeling too well due to altitude on a cold and windy morning at Zing Zing Bar. The night temperature had plummeted below zero since I could see a thin layer of ice on my bike seat. Ameya’s bike refusing to start but finally we had success by rolling the bike and starting by putting in second gear. Since I was down with altitude sickness (headache and nausea) we decided that we would rather try pushing till Leh today rather than spending one more night at 14000 feet. Anyways there is a long stretch of high altitude road before that happens so we made the best use of it by going slow, taking frequent breaks and enjoying the stark barren scenery and the unique mountain carvings done by millions of years of wind and ice erosion, on this route when passing through the high passes Baralacha La, Nakeela, LachungLa and Tanglang La and places like Sarchu, Pang, Debring.

I felt better when we reached the open vast expanse of More plains. What a breathtaking view we got from there. Reaching Leh the same day would be very ambitious so we decided to call it a day at Late village some 60 km away from Leh. It was 8 PM and chilling cold when we saw a home stay board on the road and jumped to that opportunity.
 

Next day we reached Leh by 11 AM since we had very less distance to cover. Finally was relieved to be in the warm and comfortable room at Otsal Guest house at Changpsa road, Leh. Met up with Otsal who owns the hotel and with whom I was coordinating when planning this ride. Rested for some time in the room and then went for some shopping and later spent a nice evening with Lt Col Vishal Arora (Ameya’s army contact) at his army base near Leh airport. We had some drinks, starters and a simple wholesome dinner at the luxurious bar within the army premises.

The next day was supposed to be a well deserved rest day at Leh but was spent servicing our bikes at Tashi, food shopping for the remote ride ahead, getting our inner line permits etc. And how can a day go without an exciting incident – so we had a company of a small mouse in our room for which we had to spend quite an effort to drive it out of our room. It was a nice experience to see the half shutdown Leh with very less tourist since we had come here at the very end of the season.

The same momentum continues the next day as well. It was supposed to be an easy ride to Chumathang which is around 140 km from Leh and with good road connection. Ameya’s bike refused to start in the morning even after servicing the previous day and to add more chaos while trying to start the kick and the piston got fully jammed. Luckily it is off season and Tashi the mechanic was there within next 15 mins. He opened the spark plug as well as the clutch cover and moved the alternator manually and the piston came out free. After changing the oil and further checking we were all set for the ride at 12 PM after filling petrol. The ride to Chumathang is nothing to write about since some part of the road is dug up and dusty due to 2 laning in progress and it was pretty hot that day. We follow the Indus River on this route. Reached Chumathang by 6 PM and it was chilling cold already, checked into a small hotel by the river side and relaxed in our room only going out for dinner.

Read on for further bike breakdowns. We had plans of early start and to camp at Tso Moriri this day. Even before we could start our ride Ameya’s bike piston and kick again got jammed during cold start in the same manner like previous day. We were totally disheartened now and started making plans of loading Ameya’s bike in truck to Leh and I proceeding ahead alone. But then the prior experience on such ride comes into play. Ameya had seen exactly how Tashi had freed up the piston yesterday and I had the necessary tools. So we started the operation of Ameya’s bike and within an hour we were successful.

I had a strong gut feel that instead of going to Tso Moriri we should try the Kakasang La route since now Ameya’s bike was fine and in case it happens again during cold start tomorrow we would have at least done a new route which might not be possible in later years due to the sensitivity of the region and army check post en-route.

Jugad at Mahe check post and after some asking around Mahe Gompa we were on our way to Kakasangla. My dream finally coming true. It was only because of this route that I decided to do Ladakh again this year. Total isolation on the route not a sound or a person in sight, and mind-blowing scenery typical barren mountains of Ladakh with varied shades of brown and yellow and the most beautiful turquoise blue colour lakes of Yaya Tso (visible from Hor La) and Mitpal Tso (visible from Kakasang La).  The location of the Yaya Nunnery was also breath taking nestled right below a mountain far away from the road in total wilderness. The road till Hor La was tarred and after that it was a dirt road but nothing of too much challenge. The view from Kakasang La was something to die for. We felt we were on top of the world with all the mountains visible till the horizon and the surreal Mitpal Tso Lake inviting us to its bank via a dirt road.

Downhill was full of sharp and big stones laid on the road since it was under construction as well as an under construction canal due to which we had to take a diversion. After numerous hair pin bends of Satatho La we were finally on our way to Chushul and tar road had also started. When you reach Satatho La you can see Pangong Tso lake from the highest point on any road.

Reached Chushul and had hard time finding accommodation when a kind villager Tsering Mutup agreed to give his tent for a price. There is no concept of tourists staying overnight so the villagers did not really know how to entertain us and in the process sounding a bit dumb or rude at times. Otherwise Chushul is a beautiful village surrounded by vast expanse of wet lands and green pastures now turning yellow due to onset of winters. I felt like I was in Hanle on seeing the views around.

Tsering also offered us some blankets and warm water to us. Slowly I could feel the transition of the villager from a total stranger to trying to genuinely help us to be comfortable. Next morning he also offered us breakfast of Puri and aachar.
 

After having breakfast we decided to take it easy today and just walk around Chushul and see Chushul Gompa up a small hillock. Unfortunately the monastery was closed but the views from top of the hillock of the unending expanse of Changthang was worth the tiring trek to the top. We could see the road which descends from Kakasangla, the route coming from Erath as well as Mann Merak and the vast expanse towards Tsaga La road. I felt as if I was on the terrace of Hanle palace viewing the expanse and wetlands as we had done in 2007.

The Erath road which we took for Tangtse was also scenic with typical Changthang plains as well as the rugged snow capped Himalayan Mountains – lots of photography and food (cheese sandwich) breaks to enjoy the mountain scenery, Kiangs crossing the road, the amazing Harong Wetlands and the horses grazing therein. Finally reached Tangtse and celebrated our ride so far with Beer after a short prayer to GOD FATHER BottleJ I feel we should have camped at the Harong wet lands.

Next day we had to cross the mighty Chang La and the weather was not at all encouraging. It was cloudy and clearly visible that it was snowing on upper reaches of the mountains which means snow fall at Chang La. Never the less we started the ride and had decided to stay at Sakti and attempt Wari La next. I stopped to photograph some cute school kids at Durbuk and Ameya went ahead. I not knowing that he had taken the wrong route towards the under construction Shyok valley road, raced ahead to catch up with him. Within no time the hair pin bends of Chang La started and as predicted snow fall also. Ameya was no where in sight so I told some taxi drivers as well as army post at Tsultak and Changla top to look out for a solo biker on black thunderbird. I also waited for him at Tsultak check post and Chang La top for more than an hour. It was snowing very heavily at Changla top so army folks told me to proceed down else risk getting stuck on top at 17000 feet. But luckily Ameya also came in next 15 minutes and we rode downhill together.

Riding down in very slippery conditions we saw the most amazing view of the snow covered mountains and the winding road, stopped for a break and photographs before proceeding ahead to Karu for a fuel refill and there after to Sakti.

Weather improved when we reached Sakti and we got some amazing light play to photograph the amazingly green Sakti village valley, and after much searching found a home stay at a kind villager Tsewang Dorjey’s place some distance after Takthok Gompa. After settling down at Tsewang’s guest room we had a nice chat with him while having cups of butter tea and Jhau which is the dry fried version of some local grain and Satoo is the atta they make from Jhau which can be had as is without further cooking. This was the best evening of the ride as we got a chance to experience the local life, food and culture. Tsewang also showed us his bow and arrow. He practices Archery and had won 2^nd prize at a local competition at Leh. Of course we also tried our luck at it with his bow and arrow but not much successJ

Dinner was a mix of his local dish of vegetables and atta (Thupka or Stew as they call), our MTR and Upma. We sat together along with Tsewang and his wife in the dining room and had a wholesome dinner while talking about life in general and our experiences on the ride. Tsewang works in BSNL as a network tower engineer so has gone to all places close to the border like Sasoma, DBO, Siachen Base camp, Fukche, Demchog etc. A job to envy I must sayJ

Next day again the weather was not encouraging so we decided to call it a rest day. We walked around home stay with Tsewang showing us around – saw the water driven chakki (amazing innovation that a Chakki was working with water force and no other artificial energy source – the water was channelized below the rotor which in turn moved the stone which crushed the grain to create flour), later we walked to TakThok Gompa from where we get very good views of the green Sakti village valley (the main chamber carved out of hard stone on a mountain cliff and the strange custom of people sticking currency notes on the ceiling and offering juice, liquor, perfume etc to the god) and also saw the parents day celebration at Manjushri school nearby.

It seems Tsewang was not too pleased with us staying for one more day and also weather cleared up so we decided to push off to Wari La. Slow and steady we gained height, also took some breaks to enjoy the amazing mountain views. But fate had other plans. Snow storm once we reached the top (even a tempo was turning back so we did not have chance on our bikes to cross the pass in this weather) so we had to return back and shamelessly asked him for one more day stay due to lack of options.

Next morning we were all enthusiastic to try Wari La one more time. I went to load my bike with luggage when very much unlike my habit tinkered with the petrol lock since it was leaking small amount of fuel. And shockingly the petrol lock broke into 2 pieces, so wasted 2 hours again emptying the petrol tank, putting the bike on one side and doing a temporary fix with Stickfast and MSeal. Since this was temporary arrangement we decided to go to Leh instead, and not do any remote route lest the lock breaks apart again. But when we came at Wari La road intersection I saw clear weather and took U turn. Ameya came later and smiled at me and shook his head. He knew that I wanted to do this route badly.

Smooth run till 3km remaining for Wari La top. Then it was snow and ice on the road due to last day’s snowfall. The landscape was amazingly white and fully snowed out. The last 3 km took 1 ½ hour with lot of pushing and half clutching. My bike fell once before the top and just as a snow storm approached us again, Ameya came back and helped me out.

Downhill was also not easy due to slippery conditions. 6 cars were stuck coming up, and they were making the road better by breaking the ice with Shovel and putting mud. That made our job a bit easy. I lost concentration on the downhill and fell twice, it was very difficult and tiring to control the heavy bike on a downhill in slippery snow and a single lapse of concentration and you fall.

After 6 km from top the road was free of snow so we took a long break eating snacks since we did not have anything since morning and were very tired of all the hard work at the pass. It was total vishram for half hour and photography time to capture the vast and deep valley on the Agham side and the snowed out Wari La side.

We saw a strange Shivling on the way down created out of stone by a shortcut. Amazing view of the valley on Agham side, beautiful Tangyar village with camping grounds and colourful valley between Tangyar and Agham. It was so beautiful that I felt like stopping and exploring the fairy tale like gardens of red, green, yellow, orange trees and shrubs and a small rivulet flowing in between sometimes to be crossed by a small wooden bridge.

Then the view opened up to the broad and desert like Nubra valley after Agham all the way till Khalsar. We stayed at a guest house meant for monks at Khalsar in a nice, small and cosy room.

After nice Breakfast at New Punjabi Dhaba we left for Khardung La and further to Leh. Initial ride was scenic with the beautiful Khardung village view. Further ahead full traffic jam at Khardungla top where we wasted 2 hours with uncooperative Army trucks and bulldozer which were not letting us go ahead. I almost had my clutch plates burnt since I was not allowed to go ahead and on hard ice I could neither stop my bike. It had snowed on Khardung La as well and the pass had just opened after being closed for 2 days so we had hard ice 4-5 km before and after the top making riding difficult anyways in all the messy traffic. We reached Leh by 4 PM and rested after fixing my bike petrol lock finally. Had a couple of drinks with Otsal and had a great evening with his fun talks. Dinner was at Jeevan Café nearby with amazing Pizza and pastries. It was raining full night. We were happy that we were out of the high altitude region now.

Next day was a rest day before we start our ride to Srinagar. Chatted with new friends Rahul (a pilot with Jet Airways) and Ankur (air force doctor) who were also staying at Otsal guest house.  Some shopping for family folks to reduce the guilt J, had some cool snacks and cookies and later Israeli dinner of Hamas.

Since we had 3 days to reach Srinagar we decided to try out the Dha Hanu route as well which is a diversion from Khaltse to Kargil. Smooth wide road from Leh to Khaltse. Then we took Dha Hanu road – small tarred road barren scenery interspersed with green and beautiful villages and Indus River always keeping a keen eye on us throughout. We camped before Bamia village. It was a nice campsite elevated from the road with a rock nearby where we could rest our backs and sit. So that was our kitchen + dining and star gazing place J Full course food menu – tea, noodles some rest and then again MTR and noodles for dinner clubbed with nice star gazing and hiding our torch lights from the vehicles to avoid unnecessary attention from villagers.

Nice change in scenery after Batalik village the next day with yellow / green trees lining the road and then first barren village on this route Lalung just before the Hamboting La pass. The scenery around the pass was amazingly barren. Once on the top we could see the whole mountain range on the Kargil side. We had breakfast at a small Dhaba before we meet main Kargil road and lunch at Drass. Nothing much to write on this route.

We clicked the last photos of Ladakh type terrain on this ride before we hit Zozila top after which it would be the greens of Sonamarg. 2 hours break after Zozila top due to road widening work due to which we had all the time and had a nice chat with army fellows posted to monitor the road work. We reached Sonamarg at 5 PM and due to Ameya’s jugad we got a nice posh dormitory (Rs 1250 per bed) to stay in for just Rs 250 in the JKTDC guest house. Nice lawns and greenery full of pine trees around the guest house. A very refreshing sight before we start our boring ride to Srinagar next day.

We started early from Sonamarg in the cold morning air. Saw the HAWS (High Altitude Warfare School) army person doing rock climbing, got an itch to join them for a while but then we were short of time. Overtaking army trucks and other vehicles we quickly reached 15 km before Srinagar. By luck we spotted Nitco Transport warehouse when we were asking for directions and decided to give our bikes right away rather than coming back after checking into a hotel. Nitco guy was asking more and Ameya’s bike again stalled so we were running out of options. After some calls we came to know that GATI office is also in same area and they were doing it in cheap with home delivery so we decided to go with them. Nice office at GATI with helpful guys and with water cooler and empty space to do our bike packing, luggage repacking etc. One guy also helped us with hotel in Srinagar.

Had amazing lunch at veg Vaishnao Dhaba after checking in to the Arjumud hotel near Dal Gate #1. Evening was spent walking to ATM and having amazing samosa and papdi at a sweet shop, shoe polish to impress the air hostess in the flight to MumbaiJ, buying drinks and boiled eggs for the party at room. I repent not buying super cheap, sweet and juicy apples to take them home. They were selling at Rs 15 for 1 ½ Kg. Can you beat that price?

Next day had a nice morning walk at back side shady but scenic area of Dal lake – which of course we came to know later. Amazing breakfast at Vaishnao Dhaba of mix paratha and Kashmiri Kahwa – sweet tea without milk but with badam peaces added. Then it was mad rush and security checks at Srinagar airport before we boarded the flight and reached Mumbai at 7 PM. The ride ends for now but the memory remains. Not sure where the trails will lead to next year.