A gratuitous shot of the Enfield, all geared up, I'm travelling light and this time including the extra warm Everest down-filled sleeping bag- it ain't small but it keeps me warm



Football pitches are a rarity over here - I liked the way that this one has been taken over for a game of cricket.



Cricket is THE sporting passion in India, every town and village I pass through there are children playing it, usually with a makeshift bat and ball.

I was allowed to gatecrash a wedding at the hotel, I arrived while the many and multiple photos were being taken, a queue of people had formed just to click of a few shots.



Whoops! - A puncture



I've started this journey in Dehradun, Uttarakand, India. A northern town nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas - hmm, maybe I'll go mad and try to create a map at some point.
I've got 11 days until my group arrives so I'm soloing the route we'll be covering to familiarise myself with it, then dashing back down to Delhi to meet the group as they arrive. I'm not sure what to expect, except that the food will be great - the last time I travelled in India, I actually put weight on as I was eating so much. I love travelling over here, the friendliness and curiosity of the people I come across, the noise, chaos and life in general - it's a fantastic place to explore.

the Enfiels is working well, I'm getting used to being so low to the ground, its revs can be very low as it chugs along, allowing me to be a bit lazy with the gear changes, usually when I'm also trying to take photos.




Motorbikes are everywhere and they're usually Enfields.
I made it to Manali, a town at 2200m, which happens to have a great new hostel that has just opened It's called Ride Inn, and I managed to find it quite easily, just following the signs through town.




My Enfield has a twin sister already resident here, and in the other direction, several bikes being worked on.




My hosts - Sneh and Godwin who hail from Mumbai, incredibly friendly and nice people.



All the furniture and fixtures in the bar café are made from motorbike bits, with a handy Ladakh guide painted on the wall.




And on another wall, a collection of the roadside signs with their Accident Avoidance tongue in cheek sayings - these are all genuine road signs seen in Ladakh.




the view from my bedroom window in the morning is amazing - snow-capped mountains stretching off into the distance




The Himalayas at their best.

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

I think you will find that Garmin sell City Navigator India and has beaten you to it! then there are OSM, GE, GM etc.
I forgot- you don't use a satnav - maybe you should as you could actually provide a valuable service to others on the Hubb.

Details of the Ride Inn
+918894539495
32.28650 77.17398

Very pleasant trip report!!!!

Your Enfield is the (almost) twin sister of the one I hired in Kathmandu for a loop of central Nepal way back in 2012.

Congratulations, and best wishes for the next part of your adventure!

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Nick and his 2010 Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré

Great shots, makes you feel you're really there. Sigh... I'm thinking I need to begin painting my toe nails in brilliant turquoise too!

Agree with Ride the World, compared to India, where is REAL food and chai in S America?!!!

FYI, for those wanting to listen to some brilliant Tiffany stories, click on the All Over the Map link below and scroll down until you see Tiffany's picture. Then click again and prepare to be entertained!

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Rallying for A Wild Life — THE FILM!
http://igg.me/at/AWildLife

www.LorraineChittock.com
www.facebook.com/lorraine.chittock

Hi Tiff,

Great to see your unique and entertaining reporting style again.

Regarding maps, do you use a smart phone? I use an App called Maps.Me that will give nice clear maps and recently added an altimeter - all without Internet connection. I have no need for a GPS with this App.

Look forward to the rest of your report.

PN

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When you come to a fork in the road…take it!

BLOG: paulnomad.blogspot.com.au

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Sorry Bertrand, I'll have to leave all the electronic gizmo stuff to my fellow travellers. One of the reasons I don't have the gadgets and GPS is because I spend so much of my time away from any sources of electricity. I love life out in the wilds, having to be reliant on electrical stuff just does not suit me.
and err, I like to think I already provide a valuable service to others on the HUBB

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

errrrm really? :confused1:
I could have sworn most motorcycles have 12 volts running around them!

IMHO, whilst a picture does indeed speak a thousand words- however, geo-coordinates are more useful in finding specific locations especially in places where one cannot speak the language.

As an example- to use this thread alone- putting up the coordinates of the hostel, the puncture repair place and so on, would provide specific info taken on the ground locally which is priceless to others visit that area.

Bertand Im heading to Manali next month an I have a montana all mapped up But In her description she mentioned that she found the ride inn easily by following the signs in town. Thatll do for me wont be bothered entering the Co ords.
and Im pretty sure if I get a flat tyre out there that I cant fix I wont travelling all the way to where ever Tiffany got hers fixed
Thanks for doing your report Tiffany looking forward to it
What a great service you provide

Thanks for the vote of confidence ShaneBaby - you'll have a great time, and I'm pretty sure you'll find everything that you want to without having to rely on electrical help.
From the woman who still uses the sun and Never Eat Shredded Wheat as a daily mnemonic to aid navigation .

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

I left Manali and Ride Inn, fingers crossed for fair weather, one of the bike riders I had spoken to (Eric originally from America but now resident in Manali with his wife and son) had told me about his journey a few days previously when chaotic traffic and bad snow conditions had made Baralacha La impassable and trapping vehicles up there - even motorbike were stuck, for 14 hours, whilst vehicles from the size of a car and upwards were trapped there for 36 hours.
After relating this to me, he said I shouldn't have to worry as an Army convoy had been sent up there to clear the road. However, as I gathered from the anticipatory looks on the faces around me, I was going to be the first bike they knew to try the route - Ms Coates- International Guinea Pig, that's me.

The next morning dawned fair and sunny




I even met a few other bikes on the road



Things can get a bit tight up there, as cars jostle for space on the narrow roads. At this time of year there are a lot of "snow tourists", people from the hot plains of India, heading to the mountains for a glimpse of snow.

You can see the gridlock that is caused.



I squeezed through between the vehicles, everyone is very good-natured and waves through the bikes.



I made it - similar to Tibet, each mountain pass is marked with hundreds of colourful prayer flags, flapping in the wind.




The top of the pass had a lot of snow



Not many people in sight except these shepherds/goatherds with their flock, making their way through the snow

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Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

you obviously haven't seen Thelma's electrical system for some years :confused1: I haven't had a plug-in wotsit bit for years. I only use the bike's battery for riding and my heated jacket which is wired directly to a harness on the battery. But never mind, I won't split hairs with you about this Bertrand, hopefully someone will write a Ride Tale that you enjoy and approve of a bit more than mine and in the meantime you'll have to make do with the info that I am able to share.

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo