21.9 Kalpa – Nako Lake
We get up in time and go back to Reckong Peo for breakfast. I buy a new horn as the compressor of my Stebel Magnum horn seems to have difficulties with the thin air at this altitude. I also buy a liter of engine oil – Castrol Active 20W40 for Rp. 260 (about €4!!). Man, oil is really cheap in India!
The NH-22 continues to be bumpy, but there are also some sections of great pavement, which apparently was just done.
After crossing the bridge we reach the Police Checkpoint, where we have to present our innerline permits:
I have a look into the book at check point. There are only a few foreigners who went through recently. The police men cannot tell me which direction these guys went, so it’s unclear if there were heading towards the Spiti Valley or back to Shimla or Manali. However, from the license plates recorded in the book, I figure those tourists must ride local Enfields. No proper overlanders in that region these days. :(
Guy wants to take a test ride with BigBertha as the road is brilliant. All goes well until the first bumpy section, where he almost falls. “Great ride!” is his conclusion, “but I would need to get used to the weight of this monster bike”
The ride up to Pooh is just wonderful. Great views and the scenery almost changes after every turn. The roads are literally cut into the rocks.
Up at the Nako Lake I spot two Yamaha Ténéré 660’s with Swiss license plates. It’s Janine and Fabian, a Swiss couple on their “round Asia” tour. Their travel blog can be found at Ténéré Experience Tours
They had the pleasure of traveling with Michael Martin for a couple of days. I’m excited to meet Michael as well. He is a famous photographer and motorcycle adventurer.
I spent all afternoon talking with Janine and Fabian about travel stories and our routes. After India, they’ll go through Nepal – Thailand – Laos – Cambodia – Singapore. They then will ship their bikes to Japan, from where they will explore Russia – Mongolia and the “Stans”.
As Janine and Fabian are mostly camping, they prefer to cook their own dinner. I provide my cooking gear and we all have a fantastic dinner evening:
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