Back in Leh, I rented a mountain bike for the next days: I took one of the best of the shop, a Giant with disc brakes. The biking company usually proposes daily tour to get down from the Kardung La, a 5602m pass and actually the highest road on the World. They bring the bikers with the Jeep who can enjoy the 40km descent of 2000m. So I went with the group on the Jeep but instead of coming back to Leh, I drove to the Nubra Valley behind the pass, with the idea of coming back a few days after all the way up and down to Leh.
I first stay about one hour on the top, enjoying the view and waiting for some guys I met in Pangong Lake two days before but had to go before I saw them. Starting at 12:30 down, I really enjoyed the first 2 hours down, in the good memory of my MTB tours back in Germany. I even tried to get a little off road, but was soon too much because I got a tire puncture! Changing the tube was not an issue, but the pump they gave me was not working properly! So I was stuck in the middle of the valley without possibility to bike anymore! Some effort to go back on the road and waiting for some help, 2 bikers (with motorbike) helped me to get a lift with a car back to North Pullu, the army base 14km from the top (~ 8km higher from my position). This Indian group was very friendly, and the army guys could finally manage to put pressure on my tube. The main issue was the valve of my tube: too thin to be used directly with vehicle pumps. But a little tissue around and a good compressor can make it. Just that the compressors of the army trucks were not perfect, and it took a while and many tries to fill the tube! A craziness to see the trucks pushing the gas to get it work, I am biking also to be “eco friendly”!
Anyway, I could continue my trip again down, but this adventure cost me quite a lot of time, and the late departure at 16:30 from the base gave me some stress to bike the 62km remaining km to Deskit, the place I planned to stay for the night. I first thought of staying in Khalsar, 20km before Deskit, but this would have compromise the next days. So I took my bike again but it soon got too dark to continue, and I could not find my lamp anymore (anyway too weak to bike)! I got lucky a bus soon came along: I put the bike on the roof, and the 17 remaining km were much better inside the bus!
Arriving in Deskit by night with almost no light in the town, it was quite challenging to find my way. I could finally find a guest house in the main market, where another Indian guy helped me to bargain the room!
I could really start my bike tour in the valley on the 7th, driving the 90km from Deskit to Turtuk in the valley along the Shyok river. This valley is particularly impressive by the contrasts in the landscape, from the sand dunes to the snow in the top of the mountains around! I made a first big break in Hundar, only 8km after the main start (and getting a little more pressure in my tube in a car garage getting out from Deskit). In the sand dunes around Hundar, two humps camels (Bactrian) were introduced 50 years ago, and now offer possible camel rides. I was particularly interested to see them after having riding their brothers back in their original place in Gobi desert in Mongolia. The group of around 40 camels in Hundar was actually better looking than the ones I saw in Mongolia: the camels get indeed a lot of hair in the winter, but loose them for the summer. And the Gobi desert in July was much warmer than Hundar now in September, particularly in the night. So the camels there were much hairy and better looking than the thin one saw in Gobi!
Leaving Hundar shortly before noon, I still had 80km to drive to Turtuk, the last town opened for tourist before the line of control between India and Pakistan. I thought it would be easy to find a restaurant on the way, so I had not prepared anything for my lunch. I was waiting for Changmar and then Thoise some 20km after Hundar, but Changmar looks like a ghost town and Thoise is just a big army base. Coming in Skuru, I saw some cars stopped close to a place I thought it could be a restaurant. But it was the school of the village! When I came there, I just asked for some possibilities to eat, and a teacher offered me the rest of their picnic! Very friendly!
Back on the bike, I drove up and down until Turtuk. I was being told the way was almost flat, but you feel more the parts up and down with bicycle! Among the cars passing along, some Israelis I met in Pangong Lake were also on the way to Turtuk. By the way, the Israelis are probably the biggest group of foreigners in Manali and Leh! Impressive for a country with only 7 million inhabitants!
The way further to Turtuk crossed a village where plenty of kids were impressed with by bike! I was a joy to be supported like that! I had somehow the feeling of being in the “Tour de France”! Particularly in this town, I understood that the Buddhist Ladakh was behind. The people there are Muslim there: you can see women with scarf, mosque and Arabic written in the school walls!
I arrived in Turtuk short before sunset around 7pm, just the time to get to the upper part of the town to check a guest house. Again lucky: I found the Israeli group directly there! We enjoyed the diner together!
The day after (the 8th), I spent some hours going around in the lovely and picturesque town: plenty of trees and vegetables, narrow ways between the houses and smiling people!
I left Turtuk around 10:30 and drove all the way back to Deskit. Although Deskit is higher than Turtuk (3100m vs 2800m), the way back seemed easier to me, the wind against me the day before made the last kilometers quite exhausting. I arrived at Deskit around 16:15 and directly went up to the Deskit Gompa (monastery) on the top of the hill. A though way uphill! The nice monastery was worth it. The renovation being made by Czech association from Brno (fortibet.cz), I had a though for Tomas, my former bike mate in Frankfurt originally from Brno!
In Deskit, I stayed in the same guest house (Zambala in the main market) where I was waiting for a new pump, brought by some guys from the company I rented the bike. I left the city at 9:30 with better provision for the lunch. When I passed the intersection to the other branch of the valley around 10:40 17km from Dikit and 16km from Sumur, I hesitated to go to this last place, drove for 3km but come back to avoid the stress all the way up. In Khalsar, I saw other mountain bikes, thinking I was not the only crazy guy making this journey: the 6 bikers from US&Canada had their own guide and organized trip.
While biking down, I used to be faster than car and motor bike. I met twice on the road a Spanish-German couple and met them again later in Leh by chance. They used to be on bicycle as well: www.cyclingarchitects.com
After 800m uphill within 22km and many pictures clicked on the way, I stayed in Khardung for the night. The ‘Homestay’ was very nice and could speak with Sabun, the 13 year-old-son. I shared the Thupa (Ladakhi noodle soup with goat) for diner with the whole family (grand ma, dad, mum and their last son Sabun).
As many families, they had satellite dish so could enjoy the TV for something like 1500 rp a year!
In the morning, I joined Sabun to the Khardung middle school, where 2 teachers deal with 16 kids from 1st to 8th class! The kids were training for a dance performance they have next week!
I started biking up at 10:15, stopped in North Pullu for lunch 2 hours later, 17km and 650m higher. Some army guys met the day before offered me a tea!
Leaving at 13:15, I reached Khardung top at 16:40! The 14km and 750m up were not easy, particularly when the weather turned bad between km 7 and 3: the rain, hails, storm, lighting and wind almost killed me!
I was proud to be on top, and enjoyed all the 40km down to Leh in 90min!
All in all, the 375km, 4500m down and 2600m drove within 5 days were very nice!