Basgo Ruins Of A Bygone Era!

Among the many stunning stops on the Kargil Leh highway Basgo ruins was like a crown of jewels. Just a small detour off the highway took us to these ancient ruins where once stood a massive clay castle and Maitreya temple. This is one of the most treasured monuments of Ladakh. The views from the highway were so captivating that we were attracted towards it. The most unbelievable fact is that this monument was built using clay, stones and wood. These colossal ruins are such treasures not just of Ladakh but the whole World. It is a must visit while on a trip to Ladakh.

Basgo, once capital of Lower Ladakh, was a political and cultural center and now overlooks the ruins of an ancient town. The Basgo Monastery was built by Namgyal rulers in 1680 on top of a clay hill. Later on a castle, also known as Basgo Rabtan Lhartsekhar, was built by the father-son rulers Dharamraja Jamyang Namgyal and Singay Namgyal.

The entire castle is now in ruins and only two temples stand today. Of what remains the massive Maitreya Buddha statue, natural color paintings on the walls, centuries old thankas paint a beautiful tale even today. The folks inside the temple were making miniatures religious offering using clay and butter and some of the offerings were getting a fresh coat of bright red paint.

This historic monument offers breathtaking views of the surrounding hills with different shades of colors. It was really disheartening to see that there are not many visitors to this spectacular sight providing an insight into a bygone era. Soaking in the views for one last time, we continued our journey to Leh. 

The road to Basgo ruins adds on a dash of adventure. En-route on the highway, very close to saspol we really enjoyed our breakfast. We had one of the best maggie thanks to the homemade masala they added. Also, we had "Maiyas" fresh badam milk that was free off any preservatives, artificial flavor and color and had plenty of real crunchy badam flakes. 

One thing we consistently noticed and were in awe with across Ladakh and Ladakhi business was their absence for greed. At every purchase, no matter how remote the village was or how small the business was, we were charged only on MRP every single time especially "In remote corners such as Diskit, Suru just to name a few." In such locations, we totally understand if they would charge us a few more rupees. We were so impressed by their ethics when it comes to running a business. This was in stark contrast to what we come across in the city where from milk packet to bottle water "Cooling Charge" and other dismal reasons are given to charge customers more than MRP. It is not about a rupee or two but the cheapness that most of the businessman in the city go to to make a few extra bucks. Ladakh truly left a brilliant image in our minds.

The entire stretch of highway is adventurous and memorable. Our deepest gratitude to BRO and several hundred others who have toiled real hard to build and maintain such amazing highway so people like us can have an adventure of a lifetime. It was such a joy to ride on these roads that we did the Kargil - Leh stretch not nice but twice and of the 230 km highway the best part in our opinion was the amazing stretch between Likir and Nimmo. The entire stretch had absolute stunning views of the hills and the lengthy stretch is free of any obstacles hindering our view. We simply stood there soaking the views and forever etching them in our memory. 

Soak In Views Of Mesmerizing Moonland From Lamayuru Monastery!

Leh to Srinagar highway is one of the best National highways in India. Apart from the stunning Natural beauty, massive perennial rivers that form deep gorges, high altitude passes, indomitable Buddhist monasteries and sculptures beautify the highway. We rode on this beautiful highway and were on our way to another amazing monastery- Lamayuru Monastery crossing the two awesome passes on the way- Namika La and Fotu La. The highest point on the Srinagar-Leh highway is Fotu la pass and the most challenging one being Zojila Pass while Namika La offers grander views of the surrounding valley.

After crossing Namika La enroute Fotu La, we were stuck for a very long time. A mourning procession was being carried out by the followers of Islam. It was a religious event for which the followers had occupied the entire National highway for quite some time. Vehicles had piled up on either sides for a considerable amount of time. While it is perfectly right to celebrate or moan any religious/ historic event, it is nuisance to occupy a National highway and bring traffic to a standstill in the name of Religious freedom. If any religious ceremony has to be taken out on the streets then why do we have exclusive places of Worship? This was the only sour part of the entire ride as there was no need to occupy a National highway.

After the traffic was cleared, we headed to Fotu La. It was a pleasure riding on these roads and was brilliant to see sheep graze on these steep mountains and at the same time balance themselves. The roads are beautiful and its a sheer delight to ride on these perfect hairpin bend curves and we beamed with pride when we saw an old bajaj scooter turn on these sharp curves with as much ease as our bullet. It was such a beautiful moment.

We finally reached the celebrated 11 century Lamayuru Monastery. Lamayuru is also known as Moonland for it's lunar like landscape. One of the oldest and largest monasteries in Ladakh, Lamayuru means eternal in Tibetan. Also know as Yung Drung, the monastery is home to more than 150 monks and is 127 km from Leh. Legend has it that area was once a lake that dried up and is believed to have been home to around 400 monks earlier.

With most of the structure in ruins, it also houses a cave and is known as cave monastery. Naropa a Buddhist Indian scholar spent years meditating in the cave here. In the 16th century the monastery was declared a holy site where even criminals could seek sanctuary.

The mighty Indus makes this barren land fertile and there are several wooden bridges that connect the highway to the other side of the hill across the river. Like several monasteries in Ladakh region, this centuries old amazing monastery has extensive places of worship, stunning natural color wall paintings, beautiful thankas.

This was the first monastery that we saw which was more like a maze. Narrow pathways led to many chambers and alleys. All religious instruments in this monastery seemed to be covered in gold or silver including the conch. One of the highlights of the monastery is the stunning views of Moonland from here. The entry fee is Rs.50 per person. The highly commercialized monastery has plenty of stay options around.

Alchi- The only Monastery Built In Kashmiri Style Architecture!

On the banks of Indus river, some 65 km from Leh lies the beautiful village of Alchi. We took a small detour on the Leh-Kargil highway and a massive bridge along with a series of small chortens lined across the road welcoming us to the village of Alchi. It is renowned as the oldest Buddhist learning center in Ladakh.

The monastery in Alchi is one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh and is famous for its Kashmiri style architecture. Another interesting aspect about Alchi monastery is that it is the only monastery that we have been to and know of that is built on plains/low ground unlike others that are usually atop a hill. Administered by Likir Monastery there are several temples within the monastery complex and the Kashmiri style architecture is very evident in the the assembly hall and the main temple which is a three storeyed structure.

The main temple has a stupa in the center surrounded by three gigantic incarnations of Buddha. It is known for its age old paintings that are very well preserved. The wall of the monastery have elaborate paintings depicting teachings of both Buddhist and Hindu kings of that time. These paintings date back to nearly a thousand years and this is one of the reasons that has made the village famous as these paintings have been well preserved. There are elaborate carvings on the wooden doors and pillars of the temples. We were left spellbound by the attention to detail on these paintings and massive carvings. The temple is surrounded by chortens as they were given equal importance during that period.

There is a Tibetan handicraft market that has engulfed the monastery. The massive entry door of Alchi monastery seemed tiny in front of the hundreds of shops around that sell souvenirs. The array of shops selling souvenirs reminded us of many famous Places Of Worship where the stall owners try to sell their products and make you feel guilty for not offering anything to the Gods. While this kind of put us off, the simple and stunning monastery was worth it.

Alchi was not just home to an age old monastery but was also home to a palace which now is in absolute ruins. This palace compound was strikingly similar to that of Leh palace. The views from atop the palace ruins of the surrounding hills would be captivating to say the least. It would be a perfect place to watch the sun go down behind the hills.

The Alchi monastery is mobbed by several guest houses and stay options and you would be spoilt for choice. The village is super commercialized with many fancy restaurants and posh hotels catering to different budgets.

Home stays always give us an amazing comfortable experience that no posh hotel can match up. We strategically chose our home stay a kilometer away from the monastery- "Chhoskar Homestay." The distance made sure that we had a very pleasant and serene stay experience. We picked a room at the top most floor that offered us amazing views of the abandoned palace compound and the hills. The best part about the home stay is the magical lawn that has amazing seating arrangements and a hammock which made it the ideal place to sip mint tea and enjoy lovely evenings. Their garden has several apricot and apple trees.

The comfortable rooms had clean sheets, geyser fitted attached bath and wifi. The hosts were very nice and kind people. They treated us with fresh apricots right from their garden and amazing mint tea. We got a steal deal of Rs.800 per day. The icing on the cake was we had an open terrace all for ourselves and at nightfall we had amazing views of starlit sky.

Taking a stroll around the village, we were surprised to see so many apricots not just in the locals' homes but strewn around the streets and it looked like an apricot village. This beautiful sight continued on the Kargil- Leh highway as well. We were way too tempted and decided to stop on the highway and treated ourselves to these yummy fruits. Most of the highways have trees that are not fruit bearing and the fruit bearing ones are usually a part of a farm. This was our first time spotting such yummy fruit bearing trees on the highway for all to enjoy.

Mulbekh- Where Buddha and Lord Shiva Blend In.

The entire stretch of Kargil- Leh highway is any riders dream with spotless blacktop. While most of the highway provides massive views of brown mountains, Mulbekh Village on the highway surely was appeasing to our eyes. Some 45 km from Kargil, we were particularly blown away by the beautiful greenery surrounding Mulbekh Village. Their farmlands, friendly villagers and the famous Gompa right on the highway made us halt in Mulbekh for a night.

The Gompa also called as Chamba Gompa is famous for it's Chamba statue. This structure is carved out of a single rock face and the striking feature of this sculpture is it's sheer gigantic size and absolute picture perfect carving. Towering 9 meters or 30 feet, the carving is believed to be of Maitreya Buddha. However, many scholars believe that it bears strong resemblance to Lord Shiva. This structure is believed to be carved in 1st century however, documented proof dates it back to 8th century. It is also home to ancient relics and inscriptions.

We took a leisure walk around the gompa in the evening and it was magical with the gompa embraced by sunflowers. The evening winds were pretty cold and we saw a farmer take a break in his farmland, light a cigarette to keep himself warm after a long and tiring day's hard work.

We checked into a home stay, "Paradise Guest House and Restaurant," right opposite the gompa. Our room opened up to amazing views of the Maitreya's sculpture. It was so soothing to hear the brass bell ring every time the prayer wheel completed a round. The amazing perks of slow travel - we get to spend extensive time at the destinations we want. The food served here was simply lip smacking. There was lot of flavor, good taste and value for money. Among many things, the egg kathi roll and mathri are a must try here. The family running the home stay were very kind and rendered great service.

The next day we continued our ride on this brilliant highway and headed to another amazing monastery- Lamayuru Monastery crossing the two awesome passes on the way- Namika La and Fotu La. The highest point on the Srinagar-Leh highway is Fotu la pass and the most challenging one being Zojila Pass while Namika La offers grander views of the surrounding valley.

Planning a Road Trip? How Best To Pack/ Transport your Bike By Train.

There are countless options when it comes to road trips in India and if the road trip happens to be on a motorcycle the energy levels shoot up sky high. A bike ride especially to Leh, Ladakh belt is what every biker craves for. This belt is the most enchanting one, be it on a rented or personal motorcycle . In our opinion, riding your personal bike is much better than a rented one.

There are several perks of riding our personal vehicle. First, it would be in excellent condition and well maintained as compared to a rented one and one could be very confident that there are not going to be any major breakdowns en-route. Second, this option is more economical. In total for a 47 day trip we spent Rs.7290 for transit and packing to and fro. (From Hyderabad to Delhi- Rs.3140 & Chandigarh To Chennai- Rs.4150.) Hiring a similar bike even for 12 days would have costed us Rs.18000 as per day rent for the same bike is Rs.1500. And the feel of having one's own bike is such a celebration as we bikers consider the vehicle an integral part of the family and not as a machine. The three of us are out on a road trip!

The best option to transit your bike is the ever reliable, safe, economical and now very smart Indian Railways. We have used their services several times to transit our bike and have been thoroughly satisfied with their services. There are 2 options when it comes to using Railways to transit your bike- "Luggage" & "Parcel." The highly recommend one is to go for "Parcel Service."

Procedure For Parcel:

Take your bike to the Indian Railways parcel office and right outside you will find porters who would pack the bike using gunny bags and empty the fuel tank dry. After packing and emptying the tank, you would have to push your bike to the booking office. You will be provided a form, fill out the form mentioning your bike details and specifically mention that the tank is empty. Include the to and from station correctly. The supporting documents required are a copy of RC book, Valid Insurance and ID proof. Most importantly the owner of the bike MUST be present. Post this, the details are fed into the railway database and a bar-code is generated with relevant details which will be pasted on the bike. A million thanks to Honorable Minister Suresh Prabhu and Indian Railways for coming up with such smart initiatives. (Note that this facility is not made available in all Railway zones yet.)

Earlier these details used to be either written on the gunny bag or on cardboard. After you have paid the parcel charges, they will give you two receipts with all relevant details- one of which will go with the bike and the other is handed over to you and is required at the time of claiming the bike. Thanks yet again to the smart initiatives, we get an SMS status and PRR number. After this you have to park your bike inside and your job is done here. The entire process is very simple and you do not need the help of touts or agents. It takes anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes even with moderate rush.

Procedure For Luggage:

The second option to transport bike is using luggage service. This  means you are travelling by train and carrying your bike as extra luggage. Prerequisite is that it is mandatory to have a confirmed ticket as your bike would travel in the same train. You have to be at the station at least 2 hours prior to the scheduled departure while rest of the process remains the same as parcel service.

Both options have their pros and cons. With luggage, though the bike is an extra luggage there is no guarantee that the bike would travel with you. If they are not able to find enough space on the train, it might leave on a different train. Also, since you have to be with the bike from start to end you expose yourself to several instances of greasing everyone's palm to make sure your bike is loaded and offloaded.

With parcel service, you leave the bike at least a day in advance and everything happens on its own. Keep in mind that if your bike reaches the destination way too early and is not claimed within the stipulated time frame you will be levied holding charges. So plan your time accordingly.

How To Take Delivery Of Bike:

At the destination station you have to go to parcel office's "Outward Gate." Make sure the bike has arrived and produce the receipt, after verifying the details your bike will be released. You will be given a gate pass which will be checked by RPF. After this checking you will leave the gate and only then can you unpack your bike.

Few things to keep in mind:

The bike will be delivered only at the destination station and nowhere else, even to the owner. So make sure you give yourself adequate time at both stations to load and offload your bike. Most times the train stops only for a few minutes and you might not be able to offload your bike which might be a major problem. It would be a good idea to book your bike to the last station or where it stops for a longer time and get it delivered there. For example: If you opt for destination station as Pune and for some reason you are not able to offload your bike there and the train continues to Mumbai(the last station) your bike will not be handed over to you in Mumbai. You have to load your bike from Mumbai to Pune on another train and pick it up from Pune.

In case of parcel service, the onus is on Indian Railways to ensure that it reaches the destination station. It would be best to take trains that are from point to point. Keep in mind Indian Railways moves tons of cargo everyday and you have to find space. You can track the location of your bike with your PRR number. Fuel tank should be bone dry and this will be checked thoroughly. Carry a razor blade or knife with you for unpacking and to cut the nylon rope.

If you are heading to Ladakh:

One very important reason to have your own bike is it helps you overcome the restrictions imposed by the Leh Taxi Union. Bikes rented from any part of India other than Leh RTO jurisdiction are banned from visiting Pangong Tso and Nubra Valley. Though the rented bikes can enter and exit Leh, they cannot visit the places that have the maximum footfall. Do remember there are multiple check points set up by the taxi union and documents are scrutinized so going with the attitude of "Chal Dheklenge!" might not really be of any help. This is where personal vehicle has its advantage. However, note that the rider and owner name or surname match is required. If the bike is not in your name or the owner is not accompanying you on the trip you have to prove that the bike was not rented.

With all this, your bike is all set to kick-start the road trip!