Hebden Bridge Matters Magazine

Check out this months Hebden Bridge Matters magazine where I appear to be on the front cover!!! Inside is a four page spread featuring some of my photographs and an article...so fame at last!! How ironic though that I rode the most dangerous roads in the world then dropped the bike in Morrisons car park and bust my ribs...hey ho

Kibber to Losar to Rothang to Manali in 1 day

"Breakfast is served at 5am", we were told, and I knew this day was going to be a killer! Two boiled eggs, hot chai and Tibetan bread later we set off on the ride to end all rides. Well, to cut a long story short, I didn't make it! About 3 hours into the ride the air was becoming thinner and I was wheezing again, I lost concentration on the Kaza pass, felt the back wheel go from underneath me and I fell to the right side of the bike (luckily it wasn't the left or I would have been over the edge). I smashed my head on the rocks, no soft mud this time, bruised my ribs but not my pride and decided to call it quits for the day. This time I had nothing to prove, I had rode the Rohtang pass successfully and the Jalori too and exhaustion had well and truly set in past the point of no return.

Riding on the Moon

View of Kibber

Into Thin Air

After an exhausting day we arrived in Losar at 6pm. I was finding it increasingly more difficult to breathe by this point and after feasting on fried momo's and noodles I took to my bed early. However, I woke up at 2am unable to catch my breath, I decided to sit up which helped slightly but after a sleepless night of tossing and wheezing I decided to consult Ayo our medic. He decided I would benefit from extra oxygen and hooked me up to a canister for a quick 10 minute blast after which I was feeling much better. And so off we set from Losar to Kibber.. The ride can only be described as unbelievable, the weather was kind and I was enjoying the twisty turns and stunning views of the Himalayas. Remember though, never to take your eyes off the road or you will end up as part of the road, this is potentially hazardous riding conditions and you need 100 percent concentration 100 percent of the time. I've never rode on the surface of the moon (obviously) but I"d imagine the landscape to be kind of like this (well, in my imagination anyway). Thankfully the ride wasn't as difficult as previous days and we all arrived safetly in Kibber before sunset.

Shot of Losar at sunrise

Manali to Rohtang Pass

MANY RIVERS TO CROSS Another early start was in store for us as we left Manali behind, riding through the early morning mist and drizzle that we had now become accustomed to, the sweet smell of cannabis ever present in the air (it grows wild at the side of the road)

we climed higher and higher until we reached the top of the Rohtang pass. Admittedly, I wasn;t looking forward to today's ride but the weather turned brighter as we descended over the other side of the pass and I managed to successfully ride the rock, mud and boulders without coming off. However, as always in this unpredictable place, the riding was soon to become increasingly more difficult as we climbed another pass (Kaza) and the dreaded river crossings loomed. I did manage quite a few but they were becoming more difficult and deep with hidden rocks and boulders around every turn. I ended up dropping the bike with the bike landing on top of my leg with me wedged underneath. Luckily, someone was looking down on me and Ranju our mechanic rushed to my rescue. Unluckily for me after completing the Rohtang pass and the increasing altitude and a few more soakings in rivers crossings coupled with 8 hours riding I decided I couldn't carry on and decided the spend the last two hours ride in the Jeep.

Jalori Pass

Another ride in the extreme...due to a landslide we were informed that we wouldnt't be able to ride to Tabo and the only option was to retrace our steps and ride back down the original Wangtu-Ranku road (by this point I really was beginning to feel like a contestant in one of those Japanese game shows where the only objective is to stay alive and in the least pain possible!!)..I am sure I will look back on this but today I am wet and tired and having to ride damp from yesterdays'soaking. I managed the river crossings successfully, however, my worst nightmare, the thick slippery mud finally claimed me and I dropped the bike in mud up to my knees. Luckily for me the mud was very soft and I didn't hit any hidden rocks so essentially not a bad day all in all...just very wet and tired

Shangri La

DAy 4 - shangri la After a short ride to the nearby town to get our innerliner permits sorted for the Spiti Valley we fueled up our bikes (mine came to R300, about 3 quid) ready for tommorow's big ride to Tabo and its famous monestry. "Tabo monestry stands in the cold and arid barren desert of Spiti with 9 temples, 23 chortens, the monestry held its 1000 year of foundation in 1996" I had been reading about Tabo and its monestry and its somewhere I was looking forward to visiting. However, it wasn't to be as later on in the day we heard reports of another landslide and the road was completely impassable. The plan for today was to double back the way we came down the Karchem to Wangtu Road (I use the term road very loosely here!!) The only problem with riding is that you cant take photographs plus you are concentrating all your efforts on actually keeping the bike upright in the first place.

Ok, I didn't keep it quite upright, I fell off in some knee deep mud, luckily for me it was soft mud or I would have been in trouble, anyhow no harm done. I have come to the conclusion that this trip is not for the faint hearted and that yesterdays posting being the ride of my life will shortly be replaced by another more exciting and equally crazy road. Watch this space!