21/09/2009 by admin.

The day started early with a drive from Pathankot to Chamba which would take over 4 hours. Up to now, we had been on the plains though now we started to climb. The scenery was breathtaking as we drove into the foothills of the Himalayas. So much so, my camera battery ran out as I took so many photos! It was ok as Ian had his.

We reached Chamba, which is the Shivalik Range of the Himalayas. After getting supplies, we got onto the road to Bharmour which would be our stop that evening. It was a 60km ride and the temperature was about 30c. After setting up the bikes, we set off down the road. Yes, we were on a road. Everything was amazing but this was not mountain biking, it was biking in the mountains. In our pursuit of off road, we decided we knew better and immediately found an alternative. 40 minutes later we were back where we started as the route we chose was a dead end. We decided to listen to the guide from that point!

We were both a little disappointed with the riding however, everything else was just amazing. It wasn’t going to ruin our trip. Our guide had also told us that we would climb a total of 200m during the day.

Actually the climbs up were quite hard. The altitude played its part in this. We took our first break near a village called Guna after about 3 hours. There was a wooden bridge to the village across a beautiful ravine. We of course had to cycle over. On the other side, we were told not to go any further. It turns out the wedding procession was just about to come up through the village.

Back across the bridge and we had a light lunch. The wedding party come across the bridge as the local bus pulled in. The ladies all got in the bus as the gents climbed onto the roof and off they went.

We continued and the road started becoming more rocky and dusty. There was less traffic but the local buses still ran between the villages and lorries working on a construction passed.

This was more like it. The views kept getting more impressive. Every village we passed, locals would look on in amazement. Some would cheer, the kids would run alongside the bikes. Quite a few would ask “how are you?” I got the impression that they knew we were English as we were mad enough to be cycling up through the Himalayas.

The road, or should I say track, was now proper mountain biking, though vehicles could pass. This was good as our support car would let us go off and join us every 2 hours. We stopped for tea in Luna, a tiny village. People gathered as we sat in the local cafe, which was a wooden building the size of a garden shed. Just an amazing experience to live life like this.

The last village we came to was Kaharamu. We waited for our guide as the road forked. A local came up to me and asked where we were going? He looked concerned because either route was up hill and steep.

Our guide pointed us in the right direction and the climb started. This was the steepest ride all day. Tiring and yet superb. We came round a corner into a valley with mountains either side. Ian later said this part was simply “the best mountain biking he had ever done.”

Time was running out as the darkness came down and to be honest, my legs were starting to tire. With the support car providing light, we decided to stop a few kms short of Bharmour. We felt we had failed though, later over an amazing dinner provide by our cook who had now joined us, we agreed, it wasn’t really a failure. We should not have taken our diversion at the start of the day!

It turns out the Bharmour was at an altitude of 3400m and we started at 2200m. Our guide told us that evening the reason he said it was only 200m that morning and not 1200m was he didn’t want to worry us! As if we were not going to find out.

What another amazing day. We’re in the Himalayas!

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Chris and Ian in the Himalayan foothills

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21/09/2009 by admin.

Row, my housemate, dropped me of at Heathrow. I seemed to be talking all the way and then realised that whilst I was incredibly excited, I was also apprehensive, maybe even nervous. It was certainly a feeling I had not had for a long time.

As I flew from Heathrow, Ian flew from Manchester and we caught up with each other in Helsinki where we had time for a few beers before our flight to Delhi. Interestingly, Ian had the same feelings as I had earlier. We really didn’t know what we had let ourselves in for!

On our arrival in Delhi at 4am (approximately midnight in the UK), we were met by our guide, Ankur and our driver. Ankur is 23 and recently completed his degree in Tourism. Ankur and our driver loaded the car and we set off to Pathankot. Pathankot is a 281 mile drive and will take about 11 hours. Our driver turns out to be very good. It really is just all the others! The motorways are an experience as we dodge potholes and then suddenly find ourselves on dirt roads. On motorways and in towns, the driving is the same. Everything and everybody on every mode of transport comes from every angle possible! Seriously! Cars, rickshaws, scooters, horse and carriages, people, wondering cows and loose dogs come across the roads from all angles. It’s rather crazy, though the constant sound of horns let’s everyone know that someone is there!

To stay in the back of a car for 11 hours sounds like hell. In an incredibly strange way, it was the best way to have travelled. We witnessed the changes from Delhi to Pathankot, from town to country and into the northern most city, Punjab.

After arriving in Pathankot, we drop our bags into the room and wander the streets. Our guide joined us as we weaved through a maze of people, cows, rickshaws, scooters, cars and market stalls. We hired a moto-rickshaw and sped off darting through the streets. How no one gets hit, I do not know. Anywhere else there would be carnage yet here it works as horns blast constantly.

It’s been an amazing first day. Tomorrow we are up early to start mountain biking. We have 60kms of riding, though we have no idea of the terrain! I’ll let you know. 

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Locals and their modes of transport

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