Although the number of bikers to Ladakh is constantly increasing every year, but even then biking to this terrain is no mean business. It is physically challenging and psychologically draining. The human & the machine, both need to be best of fitness. This journey can be divided in different parts. Although few bikers would try to do it the other way by taking off from Srinagar to Leh and then returning from Manali side, but still Manali-Leh is the most favoured route; and, there are various reason for this to be. First part of the journey is from Manali to uphill Rohtang La and to downhill Gramphoo on the other side. Rohtang La at 13050 feet is the first mountain pass en route Leh. Between Manali and Marhi, you may find some little waterfalls emerging out of melting snow...
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Recent death of a Bengali tourist due to cold near Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh, when struck in an unusually heavy snowfall brought to my mind a chilling reminder of that day… or perhaps night when me and my partner could have met the same fate and almost at same place and in similar… or may be tougher conditions. It was by large distance, the toughest night of my life and but for those three kind souls, could have been the last one. 5th July 2005 was intended to be one of the most significant dates in my adventure life, and it indeed proved to be albeit in starkly different context. It also proved, like in this case too, that weather can be too deceptive; it could topsy-turvy all plans and put your entire carefully planned itinerary into waste bin. It could be a cruel joke sometimes.
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