Himalayan Motorcycle Adventure - Full movie

Motorcycle Adventure Dirt Bike TV is supported by Adventure Spec in England. Rally Raid Products Giant Loop in the United States and Adventure Moto in Australia. Well done Hay Nosh, what a spectacular view, look at those mountains, they just reach the bright horizon. Mountains, are you really those mountains? Yes. You've got to be kidding, Dave. It's pretty, but it's not a mountain. You should come with me to the Himalayas. The Himalayas? Yes, they are mountains. Hay Nugget Hay Chief, buddy, we're on our way to Himalayas. Himalayas, where is it? And it was a chance encounter in the forests of Australia that led me to the spectacular Himalayan mountains of northern India.

This is the story of two fellow Indians,

motorcycle

adventure

rs in their own right, who proudly introduced us to their magnificent country, its people and its culture. The landscape is impressive, but we find much more in this land of extremes. The experience was profound and I will never see the world the same way again and that is the power and privilege of

motorcycle

adventure

: discovering things about the world you never knew and gaining insight into the world others will never have. Our journey begins in Delhi, a city packed with 20 million people where pollution makes it difficult to breathe.

Our senses are overwhelmed by a cacophony of sights, sounds, smells and crazy traffic. For Nosh, our visit to Delhi is mandatory. As he says, you can't begin to understand India without experiencing this crazy place, I brought two riding companions, Nugget, the pie thrower from Narrabeen, and Stephan, who I call my adopted son from Hamburg, Germany. I have traveled thousands of miles with these two guys, they are excellent travel companions. Well, the Himalaya plan is being put together, we are all united now and Stephan has just arrived. It's 10 hours waiting to pick up the bikes around 12 and then start riding north.

That's the plan I'm doing right, I've only known Stephan for two minutes and I already have him with my arm around him. This is not the broken Himalayas. Hi Five. She has left. The typical woman takes my money and runs. What are your first impressions of her, gentlemen? I am very overweight. They are all very skinny. Overwhelming the smells, it's about twenty different smells in about a minute. I believe it is me. It was that I don't believe it. Our next task was to pick up our rental bikes. It's a modest selection to say the least and there are no flashy adventure mounts on this ride.

Whatever you get out is what you get, KTM, come on Steph, what do you get Pulsar? We would quickly discover that the luck of the draw would become very important and some poor bastard would pick an absolute lemon. Bikes are selected and here we have the Ohlins suspension. Yes, just kidding. You have too many things there, do you think? Waterproof bag yes and leaves enough space to sit. Yes. So I bought the Giant Loop Fandango tank bag that has all the tubes and then we came back and all I chose was a dry bag with double ends and I think that's enough, I just criss-crossed it and I think it will hold. above, but it is waterproof.

I'm going to buy a Bajaj Pulsar 180 and I just did a little test and it's going great and I'm happy but I don't think Nugget is very happy so he takes a better look and finds out what it is. happening with him. Find out what's happening. You have a KTM, you should laugh. 8 liter tank, from a tank you should get about 150 HP and the seat is like a brick. I have 99 kg. boy Oh look at this, it goes for my favorite, the sheepskin, that's what I carried across Russia, a little persuasion, oh no, I made it worth gold, trust me, no monkey's paw for you .

Fandango tank bag I realized, so it's a 390 Duke 390 Duke, you go in style. There's Nosh, you've got the Impulse, yeah, 150cc raw power, which is our 180 or something or 220cc, the KTM is 390. That GL tank bag is bigger than the bike. Getting through the crazy Deli traffic was plentiful, but staying together was a daunting challenge if we got lost, there was no plan B. This is absolutely crazy. Our plan to go to Chandigarh, in the foothills of the Himalayas, and meet Ashish. our fifth horseman. Early in the evening, Nosh suffers a puncture and 20 minutes after this recovery we find ourselves on the side of the road again, this time Nosh's bike has more serious problems.

It was a big day for Nugget, it seems like he gets up to have sex with the Great Basin of him, it's like he has a drunk lover, isn't it just the grip? Luckily, Ashish comes to the rescue and we reach Chandigarh late at night. And last night we welcomed our friend Ashish, the savior, he had his ute and we put the bike in the back. The adventure began immediately, but now we must pray to this friend here, Ah Garnesh, who removes all obstacles. Garnesh. I played it in the trunk today. It's good, Nugget, we put it in India, yeah, in the best place, we're here at our Airbnb place, which is pretty cool.

I'm quite impressed, it's actually on a nice piece of property here, it's one of the first to be built, you can see the progress. India is really going to come in leaps and bounds, but it was an eventful night in Delhi traffic, what do you think? Absolute chaos, every man for himself. Delhi is by far the worst driving conditions I have ever seen. It's not very often you see tractors pulling trailers without lights, no, no, and there was one there. We had some logs towed about 40 feet long on the National Highway, on the National Highway, in the dark, without warning, so here you come. and you still go out on a lane and there are these logs that you just want to get impaled on, but Nosh did very well with the first accommodation, which is a fucking five star, but what he said to me is that as the View improves, accommodation worsens. .

Nosh chooses his friends very wisely. Ashish is an engineer and is good at Nugget and I have a decent set of tools. These little Bajaj pulsars that Stefan and I rode are fantastic, but here's something interesting: it's a mandatory piece of equipment, it's a sari guard to prevent women's saris from getting caught in the spokes and sprocket. What are you up to, Nugget? In fact, I'm going to remove this seat. He makes me ashamed. It is absolutely rock hard. The old KTM racing seat. I don't know if I should say it in the

movie

. Yes, I'm going to take it.

Go in and sew a pillow on top like this. You lose your credibility, mate, big time. 99 kilograms sitting in these small seats is like sitting on a pale fence when it comes to judging. He must be a gentle wanderer. The beautiful Nosh following the Impulse is dead again. He's dead again. He is like Dracula. He can resurrect and die. He's dead again. He is Impulse. And Ashish very kindly lent the bike to his wife. I didn't actually run past her like that. You should ask her. Dave is quick to give it to everyone all day long, so we repair bikes all day.

It is going to be very difficult to climb the Himalayas. The motorcycle is supposed to have gasoline. The guys kept telling me not to drain the water, sorry, drain the fuel, there's a bucket

full

of water inside, so we think we already had the problem yesterday when we picked up the bikes. Yeah, same thing, I mean, they just weren't well taken care of. but anyway that's what adventure does: you can't just ride your bike and fill it with gas, you have to eat shit before you eat watermelon. Oh, we left our first stay in India with a very strong impression that the Indian middle class is rising and falling in a big way.

India is a country that is undergoing great social changes, the middle class population has already reached 267 million and will double in the next 10 years. We were on our way to the foothills of the Himalayas and our goal for the day was to reach Shimla. Shimla is the capital of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and was declared the summer capital of British India in the 19th century due to its temperate climate and cool forests. Thank you so much. Shimla should be the British administrative capital in the summer months, they have everything. moved from the plains of Delhi to Shimla, if I say everything, the entire administration moved with files in boxes and there were hundreds and thousands of files, everything moved to Shimla for six months and then returned to Delhi in the winter months, when Shimla snowed excessively, absolutely excessively, the British Raj.

I'm a bitch. Spicy blood. It only has a few chilis. We're big hairy bikers we eat chili that's what happens it burns twice what do you mean it's called eat today and feel it tomorrow you can feel it twice Looking for a pillow Nosh welcome to the KTM family It's Nugget's butt that hurts no make mine His butt hurts again. He has the same solution that my dad had the smart dolphin generation well yeah thank you very much this is Ashish what's going on right this is a baby from India yeah and read this guy's hand and tells him his future.

What is it? saying let me try to translate because he doesn't speak the language, I totally understood a very sharp mind and he says that shiva is going to bless him and that he will do very well in life the babies are devotees of shiva and that's why they keep saying bollin art what is another name for shiva. Correct. and he tells you that you should, you will be happy for the rest of your life. Thank you. It's good to have them together. Open up India to help us understand. Our pleasure. After overnight stay in Shimla, we will leave early morning from Manali.

Ashish and Nosh promised us that after lunch we would start running on a beautiful route that they had covered in a motorcycle rally the previous year. Fantastic ride at Nosh, absolutely beautiful country altitude where we went over a 4200 meter pass, that's right 16,000 feet, yes that's right, you feel a little breathless but you just go up and then down so it's okay. No, what are they feeding us? What are daal subjee and jepati going to eat? Yes, it's like a pizza oven. Oh right, it hits you guys a little there, he brings out his jepati tandoori roti, that's dahl I think, and it's called subjee.

It's a little. hot you are not going to cry for us again or we will call you the crying German. Crying German doesn't sound good. I like the German cat better. You are my Australian wombat. It looks like a wombat. I agree with you on that. He is stocky. My uncle explained to me what a wombat is: small neck muscle and the rest of the body. You are the banker, so you had to feed five hungry men, how did you do it? And some tea. There everyone had a good portion of food. 400 rupees turns out to be $8.00 worth of delicious food.

It's a time for us to go, that's the easiest way to see, at that pace, we don't continue like this. Ashish and Nosh have something special for us. Nugget has another friend. Make friends wherever you go, you want to ride a bike, don't run away, no, just shut up. You, strong man, that little friend who is poison, yes, what would catch fire, oh yes. Where are the boys Wait a man it's not okay it's not okay it's not okay it's okay, we're going back thank you very much we're okay, we're going to take the healer with me I don't think so Oh Stefan, what happened no, you look very pale if you have any injury done to your chest no Stefan touched his shoulder and broke his collarbone we saw it stick out it doesn't stick out but it sticks out right in the skin and makes a big indentation this here is very unforgiving this cobblestone and very smooth David and Nosh fixed it, how can you See, it caused a bit of a stir here with the accidents, but the locals are very happy to help and are really helpful which is great.

I've only known you for two days and we're already going to divorce. Well, we got Stefan out of the Himalayas with a broken collarbone. This path is very interesting at night. I look down into the valley, it's like we're on a plane, it must be, I don't know, at least a few thousand feet down, I can see lights. I'm pretty upset this happened to Stefan, but I guess it could be a lot. Worst friend, that was ridiculous. I don't know why we did it just to risk life and limb to go down that road for a broken collarbone.

Mate, dangerous enough for a day trip, what else does the night say? I came to a corner and there was a front loader coming towards me with no lights on, there were cattle in the middle of the road there were bricks so big that we couldn't even pass a motorcycle, what does that tell you because it was a suicide? No, I will not drive at night in India again. It was I'm not going to do it. I prefer to sleep on the side of the road, which is the craziest 50 kilometers I've ever done on a motorcycle.

He almost ran over a man. It's four times more dangerous than chasing the Finns. Four times more dangerous! Little German bitch drinking milk while she goes down that hill. I thought my children were going to be orphaned and that these guys were going to live a long life with a broken collarbone. Comrade, that was the most dangerous thing I have done in my life. You saw little pause but something that breaks a lot here, yes there is the break, another break, but a break, a break here. Go on, there's one, two, three, four breaks, but I can see something a little more serious.

That? There is no heart, there is no heart. When Dave said you have no idea that Nugget is like a son to me, I honestly thought. I have a 12 hour trip and my plane leaves in 12 hours. Yes, you have to get going. Sometimes bad things happen. Yes, things happen. It's been an adventure to ride since we arrived in India, we've been plagued with bike problems and yesterday Stefan broke downThe clavicle. Indian children feel that if we want to leave our misfortune behind, we will have to pay homage to the mountain goddess Kali Mata. Our challenge now is to find her dream.

Ah, nugget, she beat him. I saw that I gave you a ticket for negligent driving and you crashed into that truck. You got stuck in that trucker hole, I think there's a lesson in that normally we're all in really heavy traffic and you just have to have 120% concentration and you know there's no traffic right now and Nugget just relaxes. Don't think it's a problem, I never touch it, did you? I saw the stopy, it's in the

movie

! Nugget denies ever honestly crashing into the back of the truck, we'll go to the reference video for that. Indian children try to find this temple, it is a female temple.

What is the name of the goddess? The goddess is called Kali, Kali, Kali. Kalimata Temple yes yes yes yes Kali mata here somewhere this road takes you to Kali Mata Yes you can go directly through there and you will receive a lot of thanks, won't we say a lot of thanks to the Indian guys? Hey Indian guys, we solved it. We know where it is, we're not going to tell you, we're going to get you there, we're very confident, come on, okay Nugget, so we're going to put all our bets on the table that the Indians couldn't find.

The Aussies have it, so go here second to the right, go straight and we'll catch the goddess. Okay, okay, let's see how we go and when we're

full

, we won't put it on video. Oh God, I hope we're right about this, oh, here's this one, here's the temple. From Australia, thank you, we have a wrong God, yes, there are like a million gods in India, so this is our goddess called Dwalamata, it means fire, the Lady just said. Let us go down further because we want to get out of the mountain of the gods. So I think Nugget got lucky that if he was in the back of the truck he might need the fire god to put out his bike.

I didn't touch the truck in India, it would work and it was just squeezing traffic, needless to say. Go back a meter, the video referee will indicate that you made a stop, he made a stop and the guy hit him again. I thought he was going to get a front wheel stuck. And I have the goddess Kali to thank. I'm not very good with women and she knows I'm coming because she just saved me. She wears a necklace of skulls, male skulls, and she has found a boy under her feet. You don't want to mess with her.

She sounds like my relationships with women. Respect for nugget, respect mate with this one. She must have known she was going because she saved me at that time. Well, you know, Kali also demands goddess, she demands sacrifices and Stefan could have been the sacrifice, I hope so. It is a sure sacrifice. I just thought she was a demanding goddess. You don't want to stop on these hills. Look around these places, there are millions of Indian gods who worship their goddesses and this is one of the most important goddess names. Kali is also considered the goddess of death, but you must get permission from her here.

I think we've had enough of a bad run and we need it on our side, so that's a good reason to get up early and come here. So when you enter Kali's temple, she is a black goddess. Kali means black and her people call her Kalimata, so Kali is black and Mata is mother. She has a necklace of skulls around her neck. She is a devastating goddess. When you enter the temple, first you ring the bell, every Hindu temple has a bell, it clears your mind and takes you to the temple area, there focus your mind on what you have to do, bow here, say your prayers, sit down. small donation in which it helps the temple and the village area also because it is a form of income for them as well and then you walk clockwise around the temple always clockwise and as you return At the beginning you must slowly turn your back towards the being. neither goddess nor idol Well, Nosh, I rang the bell, walked around the temple clockwise and made some wishes that I will keep to myself, that's a bit human, but do you think she will be clever after a look like me?

We will know on October 5th good answer good answer. There Ash Does Himalaya have any meaning? Yes, of course she does. Ella means snow and Laya means home. So the Himalayas are the home of snow and you will notice that it has started moving towards Manali, now it will be all beautiful white mountains covered in snow. . . In reverent obedience to Kali Mata, we left the temple with newfound optimism, seeing a troop of langur monkeys assigned to fetch things. In Indian culture, Hanuman is the popular Monkey God who leads a troop of monkeys to defeat an evil king and bring happiness to the kingdom.

It's a new day, so let's hope luck comes our way. We need to make up for lost time to reach Manali in the evening. Hi Nugget, what did you find? Dude I have three Indian adventure racers and they have the Royal Enfield HImalayan, that's the bike I am after racing one of these since I got here. They don't want to change to the KTM, so we are in trouble. He believes that wherever we go we could pick it up. In Manali there is a road called Manali Nugger Road, there you will find all the bike rentals.

Its nickname is Nugget HImalayas, it just went on sale in India a few months ago, it is very popular, it has good suspension, a good engine and it is made for work, but above all, a good seat. Bye bye. I have to sit on it. I was going to kidnap him, but I thought it would be better not to. It's a beautiful bike. Who said Royal Enfields themselves are a load of rubbish! We're getting wet, friend. It seems like something is coming down. Now, Nugget, I'm calculating. Put on your raincoat. I think I have about three minutes because the rain is hitting us.

It starts to rain Hay Nosh looks like a small waterfall. To you my friend. Sorry, there you go, road tires are nice, yeah, not conducive to what we're doing right now. But hey, what you're doing looks good. So what we've typically done is people keep up as usual. I went a little further away and went up the mountain through a village called Cote which is a very technical route and we went back to the same route and now we go up the Jeloree pass and the thing about the passes here is that you see there is a temple here above. and most of the passes will have a temple because the pass was so dangerous back then that most people passing through it stop to say a small prayer to receive the blessings of Kalima.

This is the same temple we went to. this morning and then move on so she can keep us safe. Now you can see the first glimpses of snow up there, that's where we're going guys. It's an earthquake-proof construction made of shale, big thick walls, and look at the weight of the shale on the roof, but those buildings last forever in this extreme risk earthquake. area. It was a cookie, eat sticky eggs and chai tea, this was our best day of driving adventure yet and we celebrated with boiled eggs and pasta. Nosh judiciously suggested an early dinner if we had a good night drive to reach our destination Manali.

The KTM Dukes have gone far beyond their design limits and both Nugget and Nosh have now set their sights on switching their mounts to the new Enfield Himalayan adventure bike. Our accommodation Nosh. Hosting's good friend Nugget gets a top spot. He doesn't stick his fingers in your chest hair. We are in Manali right now. 16 hours on the bike last night. I'm very short of breath here now that it's 2600 meters. Yes, I estimate something like that maybe 3000 meters. When you go up the stairs, you notice it. Yeah, hey, check it out. Ashish advised Nugget on the subtleties of Indian haggling before we headed into town in search of some Enfield Himalayan adventure bikes for him and Nosh.

Understanding the art of negotiation in India. Indians like to haggle, so these guys, if they see an Indian, the price is already raised, when they see a tourist like you, if they are going to raise the price even more, what they want to do is whatever price is offer them. offer it to people in one place and you are happy with something around 60% we just start walking away then they call it Sarbs Sarb Sarb herbs and then they come back look whatever I am a Royal Enfield Himalayan the new model . They estimate that it can climb a rubber tree.

It has a cozy seat, comfortable for insects. Good ground clearance. So the KTM is broken. Yes, the KTM is for teenagers. Definitely not a country bike! I think everyone will agree with you, yes you did well where you took him, in fact the Nuggets hole finally gave way and he gets into an Enfield Himalaya, what do you think mate? Nugget made a tough deal and now he and Nosh would ride Enfield Himalayas. Tomorrow we would leave at high altitude towards the town of Sarchu at 4200 meters about 14000 feet. Succumbing to potentially fatal altitude sickness was now in the back of our minds.

We left Manali towards Leh, on our way to the Rohtang Pass, which is at 3800 meters, and stopped for the night at Sarchu, which is at 4200 meters, half too late, so yeah, it's about 14000 feet, so We'll feel the altitude tonight. and there may be some anxiety, there may be some headaches, there may be nausea and yes, that's altitude for you, yes, imagine it. So how are we going to know if we have low oxygen or not? So we have this pulse oximeter, yeah, basically put it that way, open it up, stick your finger in there and start getting a reading there, yeah. in a little bit there you go, so that's the amount of oxygen in the blood, yes, and that's the heart rate, but yes, you don't want to go below 75%, so you also carry emergency oxygen.

One of the keys is that we did it. I didn't have enough time to acclimatize, we had some time, but not at that altitude, so yeah, let's see what happens. Nugget is now in a Himalaya as we head to our next camp which is at 4200 meters which is quite high. So Nugget, this Himalayan has a bit of a bad reputation. This is what I think for the last two months that I have been waiting to climb the Himalayas. Here's what I think: It's a brilliant bike for all the naysayers. It's a brilliant bike for reaching the Himalayan foothills, but no further.

It's a bad start to the morning, I can't imagine doing it at altitude. Famous Last Words Nosh grabbed another lemon and for the rest of the trip we would take him to some of the most spectacular mountain scenery he could find. We were finally on our way to high altitude and adventure. The Rohtang Pass loomed vividly in the distance and the ant tracks of cars marked the way. The first overtaking maneuvers on these roads left you with your heart in your mouth, but drivers are much more careful than in Delhi because they know that something up here will surely mean death.

We still have a way to go. What's it called? It's a cheese omelet. I thought you were going to say something tandori or tandori butter toast or something like that. Very good guys, we have eaten four chais, two cheese tortillas and three packages of cookies. So how much do you think it will be? Nugget 430 rupees, 8 Australian dollars. No? 200 rupees. Dave, 290 rupees, not 390 rupees. It's 310 rupees. It's ridiculous. How much does that Australian cost? $6.00. Are we going to live here Nugget? I'll end up here on the side of a house. I'm already the size of a house! A bigger house.

The sign says Indian Viagra, it's a Himalayan herb, yes, and it's a local Viagra. Long before Viagra was invented, we already had it here. We have to investigate this. Okay, let's ask him. It's okay Dave. This is what Indian Viagra looks like. It looks like hash oil, yes. Do you want to take something home? Unsure? If you're sure? Is powerfull. The last thing we need on a motorcycle. It's an erection. The path of erections. Road to erections. He Nugget, we know the name from the movie The Road of Boners. Ashish just showed me the Indian Viagra.

The Enfields are starting to see height. They are quite spongy. This little Bajaj hasn't touched it yet. We are probably at about 3400 meters. Not well. I really love this bike. I'm really loving it, I think I could take it home. The Rohtang Pass was a milestone because its altitude prevented rain from producing weather systems that further north, the lush green of our journey thus far would be replaced by barren desert beauty. So we crossed Rohtang and came here to the next valley. This area is called La Jolla and Spiti and you can see that it is starting to turn into a mountainous desert because it does not rain over Rohtang.

We also have a checkpoint here. We have to register our bike numbers before moving forward. Within a matter of kilometres, the landscape took on a completely different appearance and at first it was difficult to understand its scale. The Rohtang Pass was also the dividing line between the dominant cultures and beliefs. No longer protected by the Hindu goddess Kali Mata, our destiny was now in the hands of Buddha. 4850 meters and a light dusting of snow I must say I feel uncomfortably breathless at this point. 66 pretty low. Come now. Dropped to 66. What? My oxygen. I can go Guys, get out of the way or we will definitely run out of oxygen. what are you doing 67!You said we were in trouble at 67!

Normal blood oxygen saturation is around 95% or higher at sea level. At this rate, our levels were well below 70%. In planning this trip I always felt that we were not giving ourselves enough time to acclimatize and that we would pay a penalty, the least of which would be confused headaches at the thought of clumsiness and nausea in the worst fluid of the heart and in rare cases death. Our hearts responded to the challenges of altitude by reducing output per beat and speeding up from about 70 beats per minute to 90 beats per minute to maintain blood flow. Tonight we have with this beautiful Tibetan.The lady's guest house stopped.

Excellent start in Sarchu. How is the trip going today Ash? Bright. I love going back to the mountains, there is something very relaxing about riding here. What do you think of the accommodation? Oh, it's a cookie. It is very cozy and warm. I just want to live here. It's great to be back in this kind of area that is so similar to the Chinese side of the Himalayas. Is the same. It is brilliant. What are you eating Nugget? Dahl and rice, some dahl and I have some goolay here. This is called subji. Yes subji! It is a cross between cauliflower potatoes mixed with vegetables.

Absolutely beautiful. So, Nugget, how was your first night in your cubicle? at 4000 or so meters? I took my first attitude tablet last night and it blew my bladder, you know, a 75 year old man said he peed every 45 minutes I think. Yes. Inside and outside. In and out. Terrible night. It's very good, I love it, fantastic Julay Hay Nosh, how about this Himalaya? It is comfortable. This is my third bike in a week. Check this out, Ash only has a multimeter with him. A big one! Can you get a bigger one? In fact, you can and it lasts there.

It will have to be this big. I have one on eBay for $2.00. So let me do it right. If you give me problems using this multimeter I will return it. It is low. It doesn't start, it's 11 volts. What are you doing with your 10 volts? You need 12 volts. point five and above. Let's start the bike. Let's get started and check if it loads or holds nothing. Yes, if held it should go up to 12 volts. I find it surprising that we couldn't find a decent hill in the Himalayas to really get this bike going. Where are we where are we going?

Just yesterday we crossed the Barachala bar and entered the valley here Sarchu. We want to go to Leh eventually but we will see how the day goes, it will be three passes, today we are going to cross the first one four seven four zero meters Nakila pass the second one is a little higher Lachulung at 5000 there is a camp here Pang we could stay there it may not depend on how long we do More Plains is a beautiful place to drive straight Plains to the horizon you can really step up the accelerator is the next step five thousand two hundred meters is the second second The second highest pass in the world on this road.

In fact, if we pass it, we will try to stay somewhere here in Upshi or Karu, those are small towns before the main district capital which is Leh, so that is the plan for today. It sounds like a plan. We had stayed in the small township of Sarchu, about 300 kilometers west of the Chinese border, a kind Tibetan family had taken us in for the night and we were rested and ready to go. The Tibetan flag of independence flew proudly in this settlement, although I had previously traveled extensively in Tibet, China, I had never before seen this flag fly free and proud.

Over the next few days we would cross some of the highest passes in the world and the stunning mountain and desert landscape would be permanently etched in our minds. So we left our wonderful accommodation in Sarchu. I have to tell you that it is a little uncomfortable to sleep at that altitude. Here is the sign for 13850 feet. I took Diamox, it's the first time I've taken Diamox and I must tell you that I peed like a cat about 3 liters during the night, I went up and down four times, but the funny thing is that it actually made me feel.

A bit better. Normally when I go up to altitude I have acclimatized a little and I don't feel uncomfortable at all. You are quite sedentary on a bike and the little Bajaj Pulsar works very well. You know you don't need the fanciest bike to have an adventure and I think this Bajaj 220 CC bike proves it. Over the years, motorcycle adventure had done much to enrich our lives. I was here right now, in one of the most spectacular mountain desert landscapes I had ever seen, due to a chance encounter with Nosh in the forests of Australia, the determination to turn an idea into reality has rewarded us all. .

We were in the far north of India on the trip of a lifetime and witnessed this very special place. The grandeur of this giant landscape had lifted our spirits and this day would forever be remembered as one of the most exhilarating motorcycle rides I had ever experienced. Nosh's motorcycle decided that he wanted to enjoy the view a little more. The bike has completely cut off thinking it was the fuel. It was refueled with the tanks we had but it is not the fuel. Let's see what it is if you can get it going. We will spend the night in the village of Pang located at the bottom of a valley at an altitude close to 15,000 feet.

Nugget, you have ice on your seatmate. Yes, it was pretty cold here last night. That is sure. Ha ha, MAD TV! Yes. Beautiful day. Yes, a long night at this altitude, yes, sleeping was a bit difficult. Yes. I think I woke up 10 times in the last eight hours, yes, we survived. A little uncomfortable to sleep on the last Nugget. I guess so, we are at 4500 meters, approximately 16000 feet. We are quite high. Sleeping at this altitude is not recommended. We really had no choice. Yes, I had an uncomfortable night. Midnight at the Bombay Belly, yes I started to feel a bit nauseous in my head around one in the morning, yes I was short of breath and yes I was breathing hard, a bit of anxiety so yes it can get to you.

Come on, little Enfield. You are made for the Himalayas. That's also the maximum uphill speed! That's as difficult as it speeds up. So Nugget the Blood Enfield didn't want to start. Well, we'll see if the old Bajaj is going to start. If he knew what was good for him, he wouldn't do it. So far you have given up seven days of hell. I haven't done that. Purrs like a kitten. This occurs in the Himalayas. The Enfields better get out of here! The Nuggets bike carby didn't like the altitude but it didn't matter, this was a special place with the ice shaken off our bikes under the stunning blue sky we headed to the spectacular More Plains.

We arrive and drive to Leh, an ancient trading city, a Silk Road city with a history of harmonious religious diversity where Buddhists, Islam and Sikh religions have practiced side by side for a thousand years. But right now we were immersed in the magnificent grandeur of More Plains. This region of Sarchu Pang in the Himalayas would forever be etched in my mind as one of the most notable motorcycling adventures in the world. There is no better feeling than riding More Plains with your friends on a motorcycle. Life just can't get better than this. So we are simply comparing the oxygen levels of the locals with ours.

His heart rate is 73. He has the same oxygen levels as us. Our heart rate is 90 and hers is 71. It's perfect, it's amazing, right? Get a photo with me please. What is your name? She is 76 years old. How long have you lived here? She lived here for 20 years 20 years at 4500 meters. She's really fit, she's fitter than any of the young people here. and she is fitter than any of us. Yes, it's amazing that she is 76 years old. Yes. This lady has been living in this environment for over 20 years and she is in better shape than all of us.

Our next objective was to cross the second highest motorable pass in the world, Tag Lung La. Road and weather conditions were excellent as we climbed to the top of the pass at 17,480 feet. Tibetan prayer flags or lungta bless this stunning landscape. Flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength and wisdom. The colors represent the five pure lights, Sky and Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. The air is purified by the movement of the flags. Exposed to the elements, the flags fade and are replaced by new flags that represent new life. The valley below would surprise us with a feast of impressive geological formations.

Another awesome day of travel was coming to an end and I wondered if it could get any better than this. We descend from More Plain to the ancient city of Leh, on the Silk Road. It was a relief to be at a lower altitude and we slept like babies. Leh had been the capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh and was dominated by the nine-story-high 17th-century Leh Palace. But its history goes back many centuries, as it was an important stopover between Chinese and Indian traders with trade routes converging from all directions. The main products traded were cashmere wool, grain of salt, cannabis resin, indigo and silk.

One of the most surprising things about this ancient city is that people belonging to many different religions have lived together peacefully and there are no records of any conflict. Buddhists alongside Muslims alongside Sikhs, Hindus and Christians have all lived together peacefully for almost a thousand years. We have this Gurudwara here, a Gurudwara is a Sikh temple, this particular Gurudwara was called Gurudwara Datun Sahib and Sikhs consider this tree. It has a manifestation of one of the great objectives of Guru Nanak Singh ji. We call these brothers of pain. These two guys had terrible problems with carbs at altitude.

We call them furry, electrically sore brothers. Nosh has it sorted and is organized to get a 115. 115 jet needle. It will run like a Honda CR500! I'm going to get to the top of that step and land on the next step. He said that he will start running like a tiger after the squirt. I estimate about a third of a tiger. That's a rich spark plug. He is trying to determine what size jet he is going to use. Use the cable as a reference. That sounds better, Nugget, well done, hey, you fixed it. Steve McQueen fixed it.

I'm going to have to take my bike to the showroom. It's one of two things: the coil or the rectifier. Unfortunately for Nosh, his bike was full and the coil burned out and there were no parts available, which would mean he would have to start the bike for the rest of the trip. Not having good lights that would be quite significant in the coming days. We've gotten off the bikes and are trying to stretch them out a bit. We haven't seen a lazier group of cyclists who wouldn't want to walk three steps away from their bikes, so they'll go to this monastery called Guzung.

And that's all there. No no! It's a little higher, right? Yes, just a little. Yes, just a little. All rocks with beautifully carved prayers. Nosh has given us the task of reaching this monastery. It is very significant. We would like to be at about 4,000 meters. Taking each step is impressive. To say the least. It better be worth it, Nosh. But interestingly, this is where the llamas come for their three-month, four-month, and six-month solitary retreats, and they meditate here for as long as the chief Lamas have indicated to them. It is quite an important spiritual place in the Buddhist religion and for Lamas like Bueno We were very lucky to meet a friendly Junior Lama who loved motorcycles and was willing to show us around the monastery and have a cup of tea with us for a chat .

Thank you, thank you, no problem, no headache. Not good. Yes, we have been at altitude for some time. It's a handmade lock and a handmade key that's five hundred years old at least, at least I'm looking. There are four of us, but one more is not coming, so you already saw your Big Show photo. Looks like Big Show. Pulsar is small. Yes. Your great. Enfield is good. Enfield bullet. I like my Bajaj. Bajaj is small. In case of an accident, you knock them down. Eating every step I took to reach these 4000 meters, this monastery was cursing you but what an experience.

Sitting down and having a cup of tea with the Junior Lama is great fun and he's a very happy, jovial guy who was genuinely interested in what we were doing and I, although I thought we had Nugget there in play, then he came back. and he told me, big man on a small bike, but a magical day. I am very happy to have come here. It's very he just feels the spirituality. He is just fantastic. Now Guidry went up to this monastery. There are about twelve hundred Nugget. this 5000 year old monastery we met this Junior Lamahe he has been there for six years meditating there and very interested to know where we were from so I showed him a couple of photos and guess who he zoomed in yeah yeah that's right, so it has a message.

So take a look. There are four of us but no one else has come. You've seen the photo of him. He is the Great Show. He is calling Me friend! He is. Yes. This Junior Lama in a 1200 year old monastery is calling you chubby. Calling me fat. Mootar, that's a word I've learned. I've heard it a little. We later discovered that Junior Lama inHe was actually being complimentary. Big Show was an American professional wrestler and seven-time world champion. He is also an actor who had roles in Star Trek Enterprise and The Waterboy. Our Junior Lama had a knowledge of the world that surprised us.

So after a couple of days of rest here in Leh, we will head to the highest motorable road in the world here, Khardung La, at 5600 meters. We go down that pass and on the other side we turn right along the Shyok River and we will continue surrounding the river. The road here turns into a trail and the trail will take us to the main road here in Derbuk and from here from Derbuk we head along the normal road to Pangong which is the biggest lake we have here in India. There is a very famous Ladakhi saying that our lands are so barren and our steps are so high that only the best friends and the fiercest enemies come to visit us.

India's extremes of poverty and wealth. It is precisely this amazing country of extremes that really tests your idea of ​​humanity. We headed to the highest pass in the world, Kardung La, at 5,600 meters, about 18,000 feet in old money. I wonder if my little Bajaj 220 will take me there and I'm pretty sure she will. My burrito. At 18,400 feet, Khardung La may be the highest motorable pass in the world, but it's not that difficult to get to unless, of course, you take a shortcut on a 200cc road bike. Cracking weather. spectacular views. There was excitement in the air. We were heading to the borders between the two most populated countries in the world.

Nubra Valley represented our next phase of adventure, but while we were having the time of our lives, the world of road repairers was anything but. We could see we were doing it hard, but we didn't realize how hard they were doing it until we stopped to chat. The workers come down the mountain to have lunch. Six months of the year are here. Basically doing this path stone by stone. You can see it there laying this path stone by stone. Where are Nosh from? From a state called Charken and I was born in a town in the same State.

They are probably about 100 or 150 kilometers from where I was born and lived most of my childhood. They are paid 20,000 twenty thousand rupees for six months, that is, five hundred dollars. Ridiculous, right? $500 for six months, basically forced labor at altitude. That's amazing, isn't it? Here's how this works: There is a middleman who makes me a lot more money than these guys and he is practically controlled by Marfia, so all of these guys will be from this state. the labor supplier makes most of the money, these guys, yeah, they are basically fodder for the supplier. And we just go by bike.

I told him that a bike cost 20,000 lakh. Six years of work for him. Six years of work to buy that bike. Nubra Valley was a stunning entry to the main event. The Shyok River Valley. The Shyok River is a tributary of the mighty Indus River, one of the longest rivers in Asia that flows through China, India and Pakistan and empties into the Arabian Sea. During the thaw, this entire valley fills with life-giving water and feeds millions along its journey. Any paved road on the valley floor is at the mercy of the spring thaw and trail conditions vary significantly.

I have never seen nor had the privilege of writing in such a beautiful majestic landscape. I felt immersed in the grandeur of this place and the warm glow of the setting sun just added to that experience. Nosh, look at this country! Well, we're a little later than we thought. Breathtaking scenery. Nosh engaged the clutch again. He chooses the most beautiful places to start working. This isn't much fun without lights. It is not like this? As you can see, this is the city of Shyok and this gentleman here we were offered a place to stay and he is going to cook us some humble food and we should be sorted for the night.

Well done, my friend, well done. Just what I think we need this. Do you have ice cream? I'm sure he does it with Nugget. I'm sure it is. That was fun. Now that is adventure. Oh, beautiful room. Thank you so much. Thank you. Yes. No. Nugget is comfortable. yes, thank you today Julay hey Julay, thank you, thank you. Nosh, we live like kings. Kings in dahl. What was that? You can't have a bicycle movie without a fart. Oops. Nugget, this is great, right? Our host will take us on a secondary road to China. Show us the route to China.

Nobody knows that. Then our host took us along this trail that goes straight to the Chinese border. The only people you will find up there are Indian military and Chinese military. Now this is the kind of thing you discover when you stay in those secluded places and meet the villagers and listen to the people and hear their stories. This to me is the epitome of adventure. This is what I love to do. The size of the bike is irrelevant, the type of equipment you have is irrelevant, what is relevant is discovering things about the world that you never knew, getting a view of the world that others simply don't know and it is a great privilege, and that is what it catches me.

Returning to adventure all the time. Now there is a small problem that our host forgot to tell us about how to get to this secret track and that is that there is a checkpoint there where only Indian citizens are allowed through and excludes foreigners, so Ash is on his way to China . Before him is the world. Highest suspension bridge. It may not seem like much Nugget, but it's the first time. Is he the one crossing now? I can see. Hey, I can see it. Welcome, wow, hello, the world's tallest suspension bridge. So when he was talking to the guy down there.

The border police, but yeah, the army guy said there were quite a few troops on the border there and I asked him if there was any problem there. He said now there is no problem, but in Hindi he said. Which means there is a minor exchange of gunfire. It happens every day, yes, that's good, this is a way of saying it casually. I'm kind of glad we didn't go that route, Nosh. No, I think so too. Anyway, I don't think we're allowed to go any further than we were. Our first interaction with the Border Patrol had gone well and we were rewarded with Ash gaining very temporary access to the world's highest suspension bridge.

For the rest of the day we will be near the border, where tensions between China and India result in some jostling. Our goal for the day was to reach the stunning Pangong Lake that stretches from India to China. Pangong is a thin lake 134 kilometers long and at its widest part only 5 kilometers. On the right side of that river on the opposite side of the road, there is like a walking trail. It's about two feet wide and all raised, it looks like the old Silk Road. Will we never see it? Yeah, let's go back, man, it's amazing that the Indian guy where we stayed tipped us.

So if you keep your eyes open on the river bank you'll see the ancient Silk Road where traders used to walk centuries ago and I think I've seen it if you can see the rock formations up here, it starts down here. Down to the base the river continues its way all the way up, look how it goes up around that rock up there, it's almost vertical and they filled it with small stones and/or kept it in place. Amazing. Oh yeah, I can see it, yeah, I just think people have been walking around for centuries trading.

The sections that are still in place show what good craftsmen they were. Pangong Lake is a sensitive border boundary and in August 2017 there had been some tug-of-war between Indian and Chinese soldiers. A huge, beautiful silk flag flies proudly on the shores of the lake, assuring us that we were in India and a powerful statement to their neighbors across the lake that they were not going anywhere. The lake's crystal blue water contrasts starkly with the arid, rugged mountains that surround it. It is a special place that attracts Indian couples to announce their love and commitment to each other.

The pebbles at the edge of the lake are flat and round and make an excellent location for the Rock Skipping World Championships. The rock world record, you think, I think I'd beat your ass, you're just a pussy. Come on, show me. There are rocks rubbing everywhere. Come on, you have to get 24 jumps. 24. I couldn't even do that when I was 12 years old. Here Nosh, just take this camera, just take this camera. A lot of useless pussies. I'm worried about you taking it on your shoulder. You've been complaining about your back for a few days. I'm going to skip this for you.

Don't turn your back outwards. And if I don't get five jumps out of this, I'll jump there in my boxers, okay, okay, five. Take off your gear, princess. No, you can't be serious. Nugget Lake, Peng Kong, is very important to Can I understand the name of this lake correctly? Pangong Lake. You come in. Oh, you can't be serious, Nugget. I have to go back with my clothes. Pangong Lake is very important to me. Four years ago, on the other side of the China side that I crossed when I was going from London to Sydney, we went around the edge of the lake on the G21 9 road and now I'm on the Indian side and you know if it wasn't like that.

To Nosh and Ash, you know Nugget and I probably wouldn't be here and it's a real privilege to be on the other side. I worked hard to get here, but it was worth it, but I will never bet on skipping stones again. Now it was time to return home. During these short weeks, our experiences and exposure to a difficult environment have changed our bodies and our minds. We were now acclimatized to the high altitude and no longer suffered from headaches or nausea and had learned to pass trucks with confidence in circumstances that before would have seemed simply crazy to us.

We had traversed the highest and third highest passable pass in the world and by the end of this day we would have completed the first three 17700 almost 18,000 feet. Our loved ones at home were increasingly occupying our hearts and minds, but this was not the time to relax and let our guard down. Despite fatigue and the occasional mistake, we had a couple of days in which we covered many kilometers and continued advancing until the evening. Our return to Sarchu village and a chance encounter with some Indian cyclists made me realize the cultural significance of our Sunjay adventure. and Tulsa and what made you leave the city to come and see the mountains.

Every cyclist has a dream that he must achieve. He has to go to Leh once in his life. Oh wow, yes. That's what we did. Oh, that's good, we've joined you on that pilgrimage. It's great to see you guys. It's okay, travel safely and we'll see you on the road today. This was the ride etched in the hearts of cyclists across India. A journey that they must undertake throughout their lives. This small town of Sarchu had one more surprise that saddened me in one way but in another confirmed what we are seeing around the world: climate change is affecting people in their lives and in some areas like Sarchu those effects were more than what I could imagine.

He says his town is deserted. Nobody lives there anymore because there is no water. There is no water to grow crops because there is no snow. About 15 or 20 years ago all the towns had to move because there is no water. proof of global warming. This town has moved six kilometers to here, so the entire town has had to move. To survive. To survive, yes, yes, there is no agriculture, there is nothing in the old town, so it is deserted, they have just left, they have come here. I will say that every year the snow here gets less and less.

It's fair to say that Nugget and I were starting to get sick at home and were heading out for a big juicy, thick ribeye and some Aussie culture. When we arrived at Minali, I was browsing through Ashe's iTunes and by chance I found just what we needed. The nods of our Indian friends made it clear that cultural boundaries could be broken with a little Acka Dacka (ACDC rock band). And while we were homesick, we appreciated that Ashish and Nosh's generosity in showing us around India had given us a unique and special view of this magnificent country.

They welcomed us into their home and made us feel like part of their family. The entire time I was in this country I felt alive and our trip had cemented one thing in our minds: we would return. When it came to adventures, India had delivered. How many nights have I slept with you Nugget? We would have to be up to 13. I have never slept with a man other than you. What is your morning ritual like? We woke up and chatted a little. Pillow talk. And we put on face cream. Make our lips. Because they are very dry.

I sleep in my boxers. Dave sleeps in his shirt, which I find very unpleasant. He lifted me up. I used his toilet paper. I was not happy. I went to shower yesterday morning and Dave said the towel hanging there is mine. Don't you dare use that. I said okay. So his ritual is that at 6 o'clock he is in the bathroom. So I was waiting until this morning to go to the bathroom. Dave, don't use my toilet paper! At 6 o'clock I was going to tell Dave, when he went to the bathroom, that the toilet paper is mine.

It's the same as not using the towel but it slipped in at 4 am. One day you willI'll show. I used to lend him my soap. I'm sure she was putting it up her butt crack. The soap was white and covered in hair and looked like a fucking badger. I have to get a photo of that. That's where all my hair has gone. I just wiped my head and everything fell out. Good times on tour. It has been an experience. I feel like TV's 'odd couple, Felix and Oscar'. Now we make the bed, we made the bed together, yes, and Sonia, I even showed you how to turn it over, yes, we are going to take a photo for Sonia so she can look, we pretend that you know that we have turned the bed over and we have I have fluffy pillows God, I didn't, that's one thing, you know, the adventure of riding us I didn't expect, but actually you know.

Going to the Himalayas like I haven't slept well with Nugget from time to time. It's strange that it happens to you too. get a head-to-toe sleeping bag. So last night we ran into some fellow adventurers. Steve, great to see we had a great chat last night. I hope to see you in Australia in about six months as I travel around Southeast Asia. And then across the Simpson Desert. Thanks for all your advices. A right of passage my friend, a rite of passage, we don't stay safe from the strong and we arrive in Sydney and celebrate that your 690 looks good, looks great, well set up and you've been to some fantastic places, keep in mind that the front tire shows. a little shit.

Both tires a shot. Got a new set of TKC 80's at Deli for me. I want to come back from this, but getting this far is quite inspired by yourself, yourself, your journey through London to Sydney Yes, it's a curious coincidence, isn't that the meaning of all the places in the middle of India ? I ran the race but I was going to freeze. You don't win the race if you don't have your bag with you. Where did I lose that? Miles back. I knew he was gone. Dude, I wasn't going back for that. I'm not losing the race from here.

I just watched it, I went well Emma, ​​I got it. Is it all the way back on that track or not? I'm not losing 17500 meters for me. It seems that we have acclimatized to the altitude. I feel pretty good, yes. Well, friend, I think you understand the gravity. games handicap for our 35km downhill race. You guys have the advantage because now we have gravity games. How far is up to 30 kilometers deep, isn't it? Now that was the other one. This is 17 kilometers deep. So let's go from the top here. Let's go for it. I have no choice, my bike won't start.

No, my bike won't start. Oh send, turn off my bike. Nugget, you want to line up for the gravity games. Well, this disadvantage is for the sleeping bag, okay? State, smart head, she said, don't let gravity start the gravity games. I'm going down, you damn cheater. I saw you start that bike. Police, you big bastard. You interrupted me. I have Nosh. Yeah. I'm looking at it, I think he's cheating a little.