Leh,Ladakh:Once in a lifetime experience

by G-4 !!!

.....................the story just begins, to be contd.

PS - All said and done, the gang, i.e. Anshuman(shahi), Shachindra (panduzo) and Rajarshi (bangaali) have already decide to be there next June on bikes with tents and will go upto Leh/Ladak for sure, come what may. Stop us if you can......

"This was August'2002 when we did our trip to Lahaul. Lines from that article. The prophesy ("The Oracle" of Matrix fame told us) came TRUE. We were THE ONE(s) and LEH has been conqured. ... (more)

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How Bizarre .......

Approaching Leh !
This is where you get to see the very first glimpse of the mighty...

Hemis Monastry !
A must see place, this monastry(gompa) is situated 40 kms southeast of Leh.

Hemis Gompa.

Front View : Hemis

Prayer Wheels: Hemis.

Photograph 22

Photograph 23

Photograph 24

Me 'Bongs', the only pillion all the way
At times, when the roads were too steep, carrying a pillion on the bike was a...

'Truck made' shortcuts. Nvr follow them.
Watch carefully and you can see a truck using the short cut. They use it both...

Photograph 25

Photograph 26

Where the hell R V ???
Just before "Sinking Area"... yes... as the name suggests, the roads...

We Dit It !!!
fyi .......

AmEx Duo at Khardung La
Can't say anything about KHARDUNG LA. It would undeniably be an...

View from the Top: Khardung La !

Heavy Snowfall at Khardung La.
Not now stupid, even I know what you see in the pic can't be...

Indians : Guess Who ??
Guess whoz wid akka boy Aamir Khan ? First 5 correct answers will get a treat...

Our good forture or bad ... can't say ..
On our way to Drass, we were stopped by the Army jawans near Kargil...

Not that way Aamir ..... This Way !!!
Aamir - Autographs, not now ... not here ..... please .... can't you see...

For Bob, GungGung, Dave, etc......

Shey Palace: At the Top.

Just below 'Chang La'
Although the 3rd highest pass in the world, it seemed to be the...

Chang La: 3rd Highest motorable Road pas
So, finally, 1st,2nd & 3rd highest motorable pass in the world were...

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article published 7/23/2003

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WE ARE GOING THERE AGAIN - July 2012. To relive those moments.
— Shachindra Pandey, December 17, 2011

where are you guys....
I remember reading somewhere that you guys are planning to revisit this place...has that already happened? Please share your experience and how you relived the moments. I have been your follower and commented in the past as well and I am so looking forward to this. All the best. — Lt Vivek Saraswat
— Lt Vivek Saraswat, August 25, 2011

maza aa gaya
guys, you really rock. after reading this I read your other articles as well - read as could not resist the temptation. I don't see any recent posts - what happened? Am sure all of you would be caught up in the corporate maze by now. keep the spirit alive and share more. Cheers !
— paresh tripathi, September 16, 2010

SINGH
FOR LAST FEW DAYS I AM PLANING A TRIP TO LEH, LADAKH INSPITE OF BEING SUFFERING FROM SLIP DISK.NOW AFTER VIEWING ALL THE STUFF BY YOU GUIES, MY FEELING OF GOING THERE WITH MY WIFE SEEMA AND TWO SONS HONEY & SUNNY BECOMES MORE STRONG. THANKS, YOU GUIES HAVE DONE WONDERFUL JOB
— RAJESH SINGH, February 25, 2010

my e mail id is bhardwajmanoj88@gmail.com. wating for ur answer,
— manoj, January 17, 2010

i saw ur all pictures, i really liked, through ur pic i see the leh, brother ve r making to plan go for leh via manali, can u give me some information,from which month u ll start our journey to leh, tell me about hotels and food, and how much money ll spend on this trip, and most imp thing, what we ll do or what we ll do not on trip, we ll go by on bikes, if u ll guide me i shall be very thankful to u for ur advise,
— manoj, January 17, 2010

Dare Devils
Really a very daring and great act by you all congrats. Really beautiful pictures
— Sumit, December 17, 2009

hi this my email id plz reply on dis-ankitpruthi14@yahoo.com
— ankit, August 30, 2009

breath taking road
hi guys u hv made a wonderfull acheivment,pictures are really awesome,i just need your help-that i wnt to go there by car is it save or not?do reply please i m waiting for your reply and one more thing which segment car u prefer suv or sedan.
— ankit, August 30, 2009

OMG !!!
wow guys .... I have been planning a vacation to leh for the last couple of years and still not freezed it. These pictures and simply awesome and just the fact that it was done on bikes makes it one of a kind. Cheers to your gang and your feat.
— Tejas, June 16, 2009

This is just too good..
Hey, THis is just too goood.. You must have had the time of your life.. I am also plannign on the same trip.. is there some way I can contact you?.. I would really appreciate it.. could you drop me a mail on harshal.kalamkar@gmail.com Thanks a lot... [Fantastic pics.. try to but them in a movie.. with some song in the back ground. :)]
— Harshal, April 6, 2008

Gud pics
Hi,

U guys seems to have really enjoyed...........Must have been fabulous drivin all up these monstrous hills. Wat do u do Man?

VJ
— Vijay Kumar Jamwal, September 16, 2007

oh man ...
Hey guys, this is simply awesome. I was surfing on google for info on Leh and came across this travalogue. Envy you guys for having metup with Aamir..... and of all the places in the world, THERE.
— Aditi Sanyal, September 13, 2007

great pictures!! dis makes peope realise hw beautiful india is. kashmir,leh ladhak u rock. m comin soon!!
— dhaval sanghvi (28/6/2007), June 28, 2007

woowwweee
no words to describe.... magnificient utmost all .. loving india every single moment... how nice if i cud b there 2 *sob*.... u guys r lucky devils...!! from an awwweeedddd malaysian
— Premala, March 29, 2007

Hats Off boys !
i just read and saw a marvelous piece of nature's poetry ! I could not stop before the end.
— Debashish Mukhopadhyay, March 18, 2007

Amazing.....you guys are real achievers
I must congratulate each one of you for the successful completion of this trip. Visiting Leh was my dream but did not have courage to do so. You guys have actually helped me to work on my will power to go there and continue from where you all left. Awesome guys………………you are the real heors!!!!!!!!!
— Sameer Sood, January 26, 2007

A good trip to be shared
The places and the photographs are too nice to be shared with all. We like the Pangong Lake : Well earned view phto most. Please take a little time to our husband-wife effort at www.geocities.com/ebhraman.
— Tapan Kumar Roy, October 25, 2006

UR PICTURES ARE FABULOUS. I ALSO WENT TO A SAME KIND OF TRIP IN JUNE, 2005. WE WERE 5 IN ALL INCLUDING MYSELF, ALL COUSINS. WE STARTED FROM DEHRADUN TO CHANDIGARH - JAMMU - SRINAGAR - AMARNATH JI'S YATRA - DRASS - KARGIL - LADAKH - LEH - PAGONG SE LAKE - LEH - MANALI - CHANDIAGRH AND DEHRADUN. IT WAS A LIFE TIME EXPERIENCE AND THE BEST PART WAS DARSHAN'S AT AMARNATH JI. EVERYTHING WAS MINDBLOWING AND TOPPING ON THE CAKE WAS EQUATION BETWEEN 5 OF US.
— AMIT SINGH, February 24, 2006

hi guys, guess the bong has his badde today! Wishin him a very happy birthday. Wishing you many more of such great trips in future.
— anonymous!, October 11, 2005

gods must be crazy....
or shd i appropriately say, u guys are crazier. Wow man, amazing trip, pictures and description. I just could not get off this page till I had read it all. Cheers !
— Abhishek, August 4, 2005

hey u guys planing another trip ???? lemme know .gimme a phone number too if u can id love to make this trip
— amar, July 21, 2005

Your article is breathtaking.Your photos are superb. Memories of 1997, when I have taken the same route came alive again. (Just published here two articles on these exciting days).
— Dan Adler, June 25, 2005

Great to see the heavenly earth
Lucky enough to have visited such a wonderful and divine place on earth.
— Bharadwaj, May 17, 2005

Awesome pics G-4! I'm impressed.
— Rashmee Raut, February 25, 2005

Manali to leh
Hi G-4, First of all wishin gyou a many happy new year -2005, well guys your trip has really inspires me a lot, but unfortunately it seems that it is too late for me due to time costrant and the group who can ready move to do the same. anyway let me have your contact no. so that i can talk to your for the same.

Ashutosh Rohilla 9811411431
— Ashutosh Rohilla, January 1, 2005

Operation Desert Mountain..
Thank you very much G-4. We got the encourgement by your this article.. and decided to move on the mission Desert Operation. Sunil and Fasil from Delhi, Suryabhan from Varanasi accopmanied me. But best part, I have never did ride the bike before this mission and when started, it was Power Machine - The Enfield. Wonderful experience.. Special thanks to Anshuman.. We started our mission on bike from Delhi on 12th Aug via Manali, Leh-Kargil-Drass-Shrinagar-Jammu-Delhi.. Unforgotable experience..
— Vijay Kumar Chaubey, October 26, 2004

I envy you guys, you seem to have had 'the' once in a lifetime trip and will be tripping on it for the rest of your lives. Keep it up! And Sudie give me ur contact no. man.. where have you disappeared Violin man?
— Such, October 4, 2004

awesome man awesome!!!!!1
gr8 pics fellas!! must have been an awesome experience!! u covered the entire region very well! i guess the next time u shld try zanskar. i am also plannin a trip to leh via lahaul takeoff point being kinnaur(my native place).b/w i have also posted some travelogues on kashmir n kinnaur that mite interest u!! njoyyy arun
— arun negi, September 17, 2004

Operation Desert Mountain - Complete
Hi all, Mission accomplished. Operation was successful. We took the route as mentioned in my previous comment. I will be submitting our own detailed account of the events on this site shortly. And also on my own site - www.yamunapar.com next_cent@yahoo.com
— Sunil, September 16, 2004

Good Show Guys.
Hi Guys, I am a retired Lieutenant from Indian Navy. I myself have been involved in many such adventure activities. The last of which was a bike expedition along with my wife from Visakhapatnam to Gangtok and back, covering a distance of 6000 kms in 23 days. I was planning to cover up Delhi- Leh-Delhi sector this year aroud 20 september. Would be gratyeful if you can give me an idea of the weather during this period. Keep it up.

Vivek (+91-9825347357)
— Lt Vivek Saraswat, August 4, 2004

simply great .......guys .....
These really are cool pictures and great.. Hey I stay in pune and want to go there.. can you please let me know the total expenditure and the way that you took .. You have give the map on the site but would request you to give me a bit more brief information... please let me know the details at the earliest ... and also let me know if there are any other sexy place to visit in our great MOTHERLAND ... Take care and try to mail me asap.(Kuldeep.Doshi 9850088483)
— Kuldeep Doshi, August 3, 2004

gotta hit the trail!!!
dear friends....ur thread was a delight to watch and has only fuelled my desire to visit the paradise called ladakh! i plan to go on the journey in mid july 2004.....any1 having info bout how to go by,the necessary preparations,and if possible we cud go together.im 19 yrs old,abt to start college-just wish to fulfil my dream bfore studies begin!
— abhay, June 25, 2004

AWESOME MAN AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi GUYS!!!!! I m really proud of u guys..well done!!..u guys have achieved which not many have done it..urs pics are really inspiring..u guys have inspired me to have a shot at mighty rohtang-leh highway with my friends very soon..all the pictures were amazing..pics of mighty khardungla, suraj tal, pangong lake..and the kargil highway..were out of this world!!dont have words to describe it..guys we need travel tips from u before i travel with my friends..I need ur email address pls mail me at my email id dude4you007@yahoo.com

Till then wishing u good luck for all ur future journeys..and keep putting pic in this site..would like to know where r u planning to go this year in 2004.

Waiting for ur reply from u great guys!!

Gurmeet Athwal
— Gurmeet Athwal, June 20, 2004

Hi people I know I am very late here but better late than never. Had thought of naming the snaps I liked the best but t'was diffclt to decide which one's better that the other. Will mention a few special ones though- Pangong lake obviously It was AMAZING!!!Changla & surcha camping areas. Pic 22-26,Kid in the window(bob),Living on the edge, Morning from Himalayas,The loner, land-slide, Khardungla -view from the top,Rumtse greens,How Bizarre and the Sinking area .words would be understatment for these snaps But i'd still say-ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!
— madhur, May 23, 2004

You lucky bastards !!!
Lemme give you a direction for your next adventure - try the friendship highway - kathmandu to lhasa. U guys gonna luv it. U wud need chineses visas. Great show guys!
— Nix_, April 23, 2004

Awesome !!!! I'm dumb-struck ......
Thanks for sharing such grand pictures.... It just took me back to beautiful India that cherish in my hearts of hearts. I wonder what our ancestors would have felt dwelling in the heart of such beauty. No wonder they came up with religious ideas and veda shloks in such marvelous unlimited beauty and gifted us all with it. Unfortunate it is for us that this land is not explored and cherished by all the people of the world and there are so many political issues in such spiritually unbound beauty! What is the name of that lake? Is it manas sarovar that puranas refer to? I am sure there must be some reference to it in Puranas before chinese and muslim invasion.
— Devika, April 21, 2004

India so Beautiful?
I never know India is so beatiful. All the shots are amazing. After seeing these I also feel I should go to Leh with a gang. Just give me a snag how you have done it guys?
— Anand Gopalan, April 19, 2004

Operation Desert Mountain
The reason I started searching for articles like these was that I was planning the same trip myself. And it's really, really exciting to find that after all there are some people in the world who share some of your outlooks. I mean, look at all those people who have done it, and all those who have cared to comment favourably on these trips. I am planning to make this trip in June 2004, anyone care to join me? My other mail is next_cent@yahoo.com and info about me on my yahoo profile. And guys, great article, really helpful for preparing myself for this amazing trip. See ya after I am back. Thanks, ciao. -Sunil
— Sunil, March 29, 2004

Hi Guys !
Great photographs ! Really enjoyed seeing them (though not as much as you might have enjoyed taking them !) Looking forward to see some more travel photos from you.
— Girish, March 3, 2004

Hi guys, your journey was excellent, no doubt..pics are marvellus. I am also planing to go LEH and Ladakh via Manali-Ladakh road in July/Aug-04. I am looking for company. Anyone interested, please write me on vijay.chaubey@srilrpg.com or vkchaubey@yahoo.com or contact 9811434484. I am from Delhi R.K. Puram
— vijay kumar chaubey, February 9, 2004

Hi Anshuman, First of all hats off to such a daring effort for the "once in a lifetime Experience" in ladakh. We too have a dream of going to ladakh via manali-leh highway, but it was on some 4WD but never on bikes. We are planning for the last three years but each time something or the other comes up. After viewing your site and those pics(the pics are superb, amazing, awesome, excellent,....) we too are determined this time "come what may we will be there in july/aug 2004". Yes, I am sure we will do it this time, and hopefully on bikes.
— Anil Bisht, December 10, 2003

Amazing Land
Hi Sachin, Soody & gang.

These photos are excellent, Pang gong photos are toooo good. Reminds me of the trip i've done. Good work on the photos and the comments. Keep it up and looking forward for a new adventure. Rajiv
— Rajiv Kumar, December 5, 2003

Thanks !
Hi Karan, Thanks for your nice comment. But you never mentioned your e-mail address ? How will one contact you. And also, hats off to your DAD ! He's doing a tougher job there I would say. Convey our regards to him. - Anshuman
— G-4 !!!, October 27, 2003

hiii my name is karan. iam 14 yrs old and i was very happy to c these photos. my dad is in the army serving at kargil. SO FOR ANY MORE INFO..U CAN CONTACT ME. any way u had a tough trip
— karan narang, October 27, 2003

hey guys the things u did during this trip will be one of the most enjoyful things in ur life.this thing does not come in everyones life. cheers guy u did what i want to do..... mohit
— mohit, September 8, 2003

Wow!!
Wow... what an expedition. I am overwhelmed with the photos and the description. Ours is a great country, geographically. Lets make it greater in other respects as well, folks.

It also brought back all the memories of my Ladhak trip when I was ten years old. My father is in the army, and was stationed there. And hats off to the soldiers who live there to protect our borders.

-Amit
— Amit Sethi, September 3, 2003

Guys...Hats off to you all for this adventure...very rightly titled..Once In a Lifetime Experience. May you all go to many more untapped wonders in our beautiful country and give us lesser mortals a glimpse of paradise !!! All the very best and GOD BLESS !!!
— Madhumita, August 21, 2003

Awesome pics
Hi Guys These pics are really wonderful and i know so was your trip as have seen more pics than this ....all were cool specially the 'Aamir khan' pics shachin this comment is for u ....just joking .Suddi- shachin n gang hats of to u all .... very courageous of u to go through the trip on motorbikes.Amazing trip hope u guys always continue with your adventure spirit and fun. All the best. jaya
— Jaya, August 16, 2003

Awesome mates....I have enjoyed all the pics posted....each one better than the next.....Seems to me you guys had a blast(he..he..Shahi-Bangali kaminoooo) and I'm sure a pretty sore behind end of it all...1300 kms on bikes wow....How about a repeat trip in Dec, try to get an armoured car for it(Just kiddin)....Till the next time.... Salute to you guys....Cheers & God Bless.....
— Vikram, August 14, 2003

Great adventurous trip
— Suneet Gupta, August 13, 2003

great! thinking to visit Kashmir one day...n meet Aamir there :>
— ernie, August 5, 2003

Wow...Lovely pics........Quite an adventure you guys did!
— Suninder, August 3, 2003

Looks like a top adventure G-4 guys. We all hear about Kashmir being wonderful but it seems so hard to get there. Certainly your shots make me more determined to do so - cheers.
— Martin Ryan, August 3, 2003

BRAVO G 4 (PROUD TO BE UR SIS)
AMAZING PICS......U GUYS LOOK WONDERFUL..... I WISH I WAS THERE WITH YOU GUYS..... AND DADDA TUM TO AAMIR KI INDUSTRY SE CHUTTI KARVA SAKTE HO BAS APNA SKIN TAN DOOR KAR LO( AUR MAMA JI NE JO MANTRA DIYA HAI USKA JAAP ROZ KIYA KARO).LOVE TO ALL OF YOU. MILI.
— mili, August 2, 2003

amazing
Hey G-4 guys...

The pics were great and u must have done a great job organizing ur trip.
— Shailesh, August 1, 2003

hi sudi
Sudarshan, you have done a fantastic job. Keep it up. I wish u had met Panki also. He was there too.
— praveen puri, August 1, 2003

In Reply ...........
Thanks for your comment Herald. We had taken a rugsac full of spare parts including clutch plates, kick-dogs, point, brake shoe, tyre, tubes, all kinds of wires, etc. Yes, of course, due to lack of oxygen, the bikes wouldn't start. Every morning, it was a battle to get them started ... On passes, if it's not too dusty, its better you remove the air filter pipe, so that the machine gets enough oxygen. If its dusty, by doing this you can choke your carburetor, so you got to be cautious. - Anshuman, G-4.
— G-4 !!!, August 1, 2003

Bravo!!! A trip that was worth every bit!!! Absolutely amazing pictures -- guess I have done my trip thru' these pictures!! Thank God U guys are back in one piece!!!
— Rohini, August 1, 2003

What an adventure! It would be quite a feat even in an automobile, but on motorbikes it's really an accomplishment. Were there any mechanical difficulties or problems with the bikes due to lack of oxygen?
— kmherald, August 1, 2003

You guys are great ... abhi kuch logon ka khoon garam hai ... these trips really boost moral of our army personnel ... we must plan these kind of trips ... khud ke liye aur Desh ke liye bhi ... Cheers ...
— Jolly, August 1, 2003

Well Done young men. Next time you plan something of this sort. Contact me. I may join. I also had plenty of such experiences. My bones are still intact Aur Dil Abhi Jawan Hai. Cheers
— Commander(Retd) VK Jaitly, August 1, 2003

awesome....really breath taking and so fresh.....
— shalini, July 31, 2003

The pictures inspired me immediately to plan for such adventures tour. The place is beautiful and you guys must have enjoyed more than it's been looking through the pictures.
— Dheeraj, July 30, 2003

Hi G-4,
Your pics are awesome, such great adventure! I've always been fascinated with India 'coz it has everything - from spectacular landscapes; to colorful culture, customs/attires, & people; unspoilt natural areas, exotic wildlife, & etc. I hope to go there early next year, such a beautiful & big country. Cheers!!!
— [Eltneg], July 29, 2003

abey chamgadaro amir khan kaha sey mil gaya tum logo ko??
— prasun, July 29, 2003

Where is the write-up my friends and who all went, what all cooked up there, the army friends we made , the bengali guy we lost in Leh, the gujarati family we met in Keylong, etc? Hamare saath rahoge to aise he aish karoge !!!!!!!
— Varanasi, July 27, 2003

Wonderful!
Keep it up!
— Tariq, July 27, 2003

AMAZING!!..AWESOME!! ...pang gong lake...breathtaking beauty man!!..dont know wat else to write..there's soo much to say but cant find the right words!...just wanna say...u r doing a great job...keep going!
— vidhi, July 26, 2003

BHAI MAZA AA GAYA ZANNAT HAI.
— PRASHANT, July 25, 2003

Once in a lifetime? Never! These scenes are so wonderful that it impels one to go back for seconds and thirds... Thank you so much for sharing this trip with us. Namaste!
— gung gung, July 25, 2003

AMAZING NATURE
Nature has always bestowed upon us its blessing in various forms, but it is we who have not realised its true potential. We as Indians always dream about visiting foreign locales and engulf ourselves in its thoughts. But doing this we tend to forget that India is the only place where we would find whole world under one shed. All these boys who have been on this voyage have done a wonderful job by making us acknowledge that how much we are not actually aware off. These photographs have been wonderful expedition of adventure and zest in life.

MAY GOD BLESS THEM ALL!
— Anupam Kushwaha, July 24, 2003

amazing!!!
These snaps made me realize how far I am from the hidden secrets of nature. The place looks amazing can't be expressed in words.I guess it would have been really very adventurous trip for you all. In one word marvellous.
— sheetal chauhan, July 24, 2003

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