Spiti Valley

I got my Inline Permit in Kalpa, but only after a 6hour wait along with around 30 other travelers all wanting the same thing. It didn't help that there was another power cut so the computers in the office were out of action. Still, using the time wisely, some guys on rented Enfield Bullets showed me how to start and ride one which took a fair bit of getting used to, not least of all because the gear and brake levers are on the opposite side to regular bikes. Still, the Enfields look bloody sweet!

On the first day, I rode to Nako, a lovely little village way up in the mountains. On this side of the hills, I'm outside of the monsoon region so its nice and dry here, almost-like in fact. The people here are very friendly and no one bothers you either. I was going to set up my tent by the small lake I'd heard about, then found that you could rent a tent already kitted out with bed and light for 150Rs so I did just that. Not long after I arrived, a couple of guys turned up on Enfields, a Japanese guy and a bloke from Belgium. Soon after that, all three of us went looking for some local Hooch called Momo I think, made from local fruits and sugar. Eventually we got a litre for 80Rs and settled in for a good old night drinking and looking at the stars.

The following morning was very warm and I ended up getting a little sunburnt while we had breakfast outside. My new chums were heading in the opposite direction so I headed off towards Kaza. Again, I was treated to some more fantastic mountian views although the road was pretty bad in places having been taken out by landslides. I stopped off in Tabo to look at an old monastery (1000+ years and get some lunch. I happened to meet an older couple in a huge overland truck from Germany so ended up having lunch with them in the village. After lunch I went over to the bike and noticed someone had stolen my vent pipe which is connected to the filler cap- why! I make a mental note to put the alarm on at all times, even in supposedly quiet little villages such as this. I took a look at the monastery but it was so dark inside and I was pretty pissed off about the theft so I didn't stay too long. I made it to Kaza by evening but there I found out there would be no petrol till the following morning so I stayed put, having a fairly quiet night reading and listening to music.

I planned to camp by a lake the next night so bought a few supplies and set off for Chandratal Lake. After getting some petrol, I was fitting my GPS to its bracket when the antennae came off in my hand. I got it back on with the aid of some electrical tape, but suspect it's days are numbered. It's had a hard life after all, though I later decide that it was probably damaged by the same people who were messing around with the bike the day before. I find I'm in the mood for taking lots of pictures today as the scenery and weather are great. I even manage to take a few vidoes of myself riding, which I have to edit to cut out the running to and from the camera. I cross a high pass of 4550m, and on the way down the other side have my first puncture with the DR. I reckoned I'd just passed the turn off for the lake but couldn't go anywhere till I fixed it. I was on a narrow dirt/gravel road that zig-zagged steeply downwards and there was only room for one vehicle so got as close to the edge as I dared. I got out my kit which included a colapsable walking stick to lift the back wheel off the ground. I got out my poncho to use as a ground sheet when the wind caught it and blew it down to the next level so I just jumped over the edge and managed to catch it before it disapeared. Climbing back up wasn't so much fun at 4,300m though. It took 2 hours to get the wheel off, get the inner tube patched and put back together. In all that time, not one vehicle stopped to ask if I was ok except for a group of young Israeli girls who were walking back from camping at the lake.

Once I finally get moving again (it would have taken 5 minutes with my Beemers tubeless tires!) I head off the road to the track leading to the lake which turns out to be 15kms of very rough road with a few small rivers to cross for good measure. The track eventually stops a few hundred meters from the lake with a sign saying vehicles are allowed no further, but as I'm not going to leave the bike and luggage there nor lug what I need over to the lake, I ride over the stone barrier and on to the walking track. I find a spot on top of a hill overlooking the lake as I'd spied a few people camping lower down and didn't want to be Mr Moto spoling the peace and tranquility for the other campers. I got the tent set up for the first time on the trip and got my 2 minute noodles on the boil however at 4,300m, it took a fair bit longer than that to get hot. It was quite beautiful there, especially when the stars came out though it quickly became bloody freezing and I retreated to the warmth of my sleeping bag.


The next morning, I was up at 6am and packed and back on the track by 7am. I was frankly terrified I'd get another puncture on the way back but touch wood, the patches seem to have held. The road wound though a rugged valley for most of the day and I eventually found a place to stop for breakfast getting a potato gipati and coffee for 20Rs. The road to Manali turned and went up across the Rohtang Pass which was 4,000m and an utter bastard of a road. On the north side, it was fine because it was dry but on the south (and hence the monsoon side) it quickly became wet and muddy. It was also a very busy road and although the visibility was reduced to about 20m in the fog, very few drivers bothered to put on their lights, only adding to the excitement. I spotted a lot of foreigners on rented Enfields going up the hill, they're pretty popular round here and can be rente from Manali for around 500Rs per day. Still, despite their classic looks, I hope their brakes and tires were up to the task as the high pass road was mostly made up of slippery wet mud!