This time when moving between Leh and Srinagar I took some more time for taking pictures, than on the way before, even it took me this time only two days. => So for me it is getting really reasonable to return the motorbike after 2 weeks, cause otherwise it would get probably to dangerous... My friend Sebastian knows it, how it works, as soon you are used to the bike, the traffic and the streets you are immediately one of the fastest on the streets - which could be really dangerous as people and animals on the road are always behaving that way you don't expect it.
Anyhow, I returned to Srinagar safely and did even there some more trips with the bike and now I am sitting at Indira Ghandi Airport waiting for my flight towards Kathmandu.
Here we have a wonderful view to the Indus valley close to Leh...
Again the Indus between Leh and Lamayuru...
Some kms away from Lamayuru, the valley (I don't know the rivers name) is getting smaller but not less beautiful.
Here another impression of riding the bike some kms after Drass. => Obviously I could not drive so fast with the camera in my hand, especially when the roads were like this. Most of the time the roads were paved and in a good shape, so really nice to run a motor bike on it.
Very close to the in official border between Ladakh and Kashmir this pictures were taken.
I mentioned it already in one blog before, that right now double of army people are located in Ladakh than actual people are living there. In this short clip you can get an imagination how it could look there on the roads... I had the feeling that this day 1000 military trucks were moving eastern towards Ladakh region to protect this land from Chinese invader ship.
Kashmir is green and really beautiful and which is most perfect, there are only little tourists, cause they doubt the security situation there - which is totally bullshit from my experience. This picture was taken close to Sonmarg, where you should stay at least some days when you are in Kashmir.
The closer you are coming to Srinagar the more rice fields you can find next to the roads.
One of the many rivers around Srinagar.
The day after I did a two day trip towards Gulmarg, which is a very famous skiing resort in winter time. Even the road toward it was great, and again I was surprised why no foreign tourists at all were there. This might be caused from security issues and of course the most read guidebook all over the world: "lonely planet" => I personally think that lonely planet is totally useless bullshit, cause it did not mention Gulmarg, Sonmarg, ... the way how it should have been, lonely planet are more concentrating on partying, etc. Therefore I recommend you to download it for free as a ebook and don't spend one cent on it... here we go: http://www.filecrop.com
In Gulmarg there were some nice friends close to the roads...
I did there some hiking in a really amazing nature,
saw Kashmir sheep...
nice local people,
and small beautiful rivers.
That night I slept at Gulmarg Meadows link, an very expensive camp. I did it that way, that I only payed 1000 Rupies and gave the same amount as a tip to the staff. So I always tried to support the staff and not the investors in the background.
But now a short summary: If you are doing Ladakh, which is definitely worth to do, get to Srinagar as well by motor bike, you will love it! There are organized tours, if you don't want to do it alone. Stay not longer than max one night in Srinagar (horrible place like Delhi), but do some of the places around, like Sonmarg (go there for hiking), Naranag (also perfect for hiking), Gulmarg (just to relax or also to hike) and many many more...
If you are staying in Delhi, stay close to the airport in Mahipalpur, it's much better and cleaner than at the main market and you also find hotels for around 1000 rupies. I stayed in this one, which was really ok. => http://www.hotelmayank-newdelhi.com/
Indians love to ask you where you are from to start a conversation... You'd make good in telling them you're from Italy, cause then they estimate you have less mony than e.g. people from Germany nad they also think you are having a similar menthality like them => so they might cheat you less ;-)
Anyhow, I returned to Srinagar safely and did even there some more trips with the bike and now I am sitting at Indira Ghandi Airport waiting for my flight towards Kathmandu.
Here we have a wonderful view to the Indus valley close to Leh...
Again the Indus between Leh and Lamayuru...
Some kms away from Lamayuru, the valley (I don't know the rivers name) is getting smaller but not less beautiful.
Here another impression of riding the bike some kms after Drass. => Obviously I could not drive so fast with the camera in my hand, especially when the roads were like this. Most of the time the roads were paved and in a good shape, so really nice to run a motor bike on it.
Very close to the in official border between Ladakh and Kashmir this pictures were taken.
I mentioned it already in one blog before, that right now double of army people are located in Ladakh than actual people are living there. In this short clip you can get an imagination how it could look there on the roads... I had the feeling that this day 1000 military trucks were moving eastern towards Ladakh region to protect this land from Chinese invader ship.
Kashmir is green and really beautiful and which is most perfect, there are only little tourists, cause they doubt the security situation there - which is totally bullshit from my experience. This picture was taken close to Sonmarg, where you should stay at least some days when you are in Kashmir.
The closer you are coming to Srinagar the more rice fields you can find next to the roads.
One of the many rivers around Srinagar.
The day after I did a two day trip towards Gulmarg, which is a very famous skiing resort in winter time. Even the road toward it was great, and again I was surprised why no foreign tourists at all were there. This might be caused from security issues and of course the most read guidebook all over the world: "lonely planet" => I personally think that lonely planet is totally useless bullshit, cause it did not mention Gulmarg, Sonmarg, ... the way how it should have been, lonely planet are more concentrating on partying, etc. Therefore I recommend you to download it for free as a ebook and don't spend one cent on it... here we go: http://www.filecrop.com
In Gulmarg there were some nice friends close to the roads...
I did there some hiking in a really amazing nature,
saw Kashmir sheep...
nice local people,
and small beautiful rivers.
That night I slept at Gulmarg Meadows link, an very expensive camp. I did it that way, that I only payed 1000 Rupies and gave the same amount as a tip to the staff. So I always tried to support the staff and not the investors in the background.
In the last clip you can see monkeys playing and searching for food in the litter... Yeah this is real India, even it looks most of the time so clean on my pictures, you could find really a lot of litter, suffering animals, dying animals, amazingly traffic jams etc. on the roads and next to it.
I see often parallels to China and other poor countries, so western countries are selling cars, Coca-Cola, etc. to these countries and after a while people couldn't move anymore in there streets, cause they are stuck in traffic, or the forests are looking like hell caused by empty Coke bottles and other litter.
I am also tending all the time to say, are these people crazy, why don't they change anything in terms of traffic, smog and litter? But on the other hand they are so happy to have a car or Coca Cola...
But now a short summary: If you are doing Ladakh, which is definitely worth to do, get to Srinagar as well by motor bike, you will love it! There are organized tours, if you don't want to do it alone. Stay not longer than max one night in Srinagar (horrible place like Delhi), but do some of the places around, like Sonmarg (go there for hiking), Naranag (also perfect for hiking), Gulmarg (just to relax or also to hike) and many many more...
If you are staying in Delhi, stay close to the airport in Mahipalpur, it's much better and cleaner than at the main market and you also find hotels for around 1000 rupies. I stayed in this one, which was really ok. => http://www.hotelmayank-newdelhi.com/
Indians love to ask you where you are from to start a conversation... You'd make good in telling them you're from Italy, cause then they estimate you have less mony than e.g. people from Germany nad they also think you are having a similar menthality like them => so they might cheat you less ;-)
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