Day 135 – 19th August 2014 left 9.15am Altitude 3520 metres Srinagar – Kargil
What a day. After 5 days relaxing in Srinagar I was more than ready for a good days riding in the mountains, it was only 200km to Kargil but I knew it would take all day as we had to cross a high mountain pass on a dirt road. It was congested getting out of […]
Day 134 -18th August 2014 Srinagar
Another lazy day on the boat. I took a lazy 4 hour trip around the lake.
Day 133 – 17th August 2014 Srinagar
Another day relaxing and reading on Dal Lake. Heiko my German friend arrived at 5pm having been stuck in Lahore for about two weeks trying to get a battery for his bike, all sorted now so we’ll chill tomorrow and head off to Ladakh Tuesday morning.
Day 132 – 16th August 2014 Srinagar
It rained all night and morning so the decision to stay was easy. Staying with Bashir and his family on their houseboat is great, we discuss so many topics and I’m getting a good understanding of their lifestyle here and the issues in Kashmir. I spent the day reading and relaxing on the houseboat, I […]
Day 131 – 15th August 2014 Srinagar
I normally wake to the noise of air conditioning or a fan, today I woke to the sound of birds, It’s warm but not hot, the perfect temperature. I’ve been in India 5 days and I feel so healthy already both physically and mentally. Shameem (Bashir’s wife) freshly prepares breakfast, lunch and dinner, perfect. Bashir […]
Day 130 – 14th August 2014 left 7.30am Miles rode 189 Jammu – Srinagar
I rode for 2 hours (100 km) before I stopped for breakfast, I had ascended to 1,450 metres. It was still hot but the landscape had changed, I was on my way to the mountains and the road twisted and turned up a lush green valley where I saw many monkeys and eagles soaring high […]
Pakistan
Where do I begin with Pakistan, the diverse landscape, the wonderful people or the risk to my safety? The people have been so kind, helpful and caring, from Taftan in the southwest to the northern mountains. Whether they are the police, people who work in hotels or the hundreds of people who stop me in […]
Day 129 – 13th August 2014 Jammu
I took my bike to a street motorbike repair shop as the brake pads I had made in Pakistan weren’t lasting and they had a new pair in stock, amazing! They also looked at a problem I have with a noise coming from the front sprocket but couldn’t find anything wrong so my bike is […]
Day 128 – 12th August 2014 left 11am Miles rode 142 Amritsar – Jammu
I was enjoying Amritsar so much, the people, the temple and relaxing in a very chilled atmosphere I couldn’t decide whether to stay or go but as the Himalayas are calling I headed north. The traffic getting of Amritsar was manic but once I left Punjab and crossed into Jammu & Kashmir the traffic reduced […]
Day 127 – 11th August 2014 Amritsar
I had an electrical problem with my bike so I brought a new battery for just £17 then I went in search of a SIM card. After being told I couldn’t have one as I was a tourist I arrived at the place Urszula brought one a few days before, it took 2 1/4 hours […]
Day 126 – 10th August 2014 Amritsar
Late afternoon whilst trying to buy a SIM card Urszula and I found a bar, not a fancy bar, quite the reverse but they sold beer! They only had ‘Haywards 5000’ at 8.5% and as I hadn’t had a beer for a month and only half a dozen in 2 1/2 months I knew there […]
Day 125 – 9th August 2014 leave 12.30pm Miles rode 47 Lahore – Amritsar (India)
I planned to leave Lahore at 11am but at 10:45 the monsoon rains started so I waited and at 12.30 I made a dash for the border as I was told it closes at 3pm. The rain was so heavy getting out of Lahore the first challenge was 30cm deep rivers flowing down many roads […]