KASHMIR SERIES, DAY 9 – 16
SRINAGAR – LEH
Biking to India’s highest town & the Dalai Lama. This is the day the chaos began.
WHEN YOU’VE ONLY EVER DRIVEN A MOTORBIKE ONCE BEFORE, KASHMIR OR ANYWHERE IN INDIA IS PROBABLY NOT THE BEST PLACE TO PRACTICE.
Forget the comfort of a car. Forget the patience of hitchhiking. On a motorbike you get dust in your teeth, wind in your face, and the very real chance of being driven off the road by countless Indian nutjobs. Armed with nothing but linen trousers, Vans, and blind optimism, I set off from Srinagar.
DAY 9 – BAPTISM BY BREAKDOWN
Forty-five minutes in, the bike broke down outside an army base. Typical. But this being Kashmir, soldiers immediately gathered round, tried to fix it, and when they couldn’t, called the rental company and demanded a new one. You’ve got to love the military here.
Minutes after the replacement arrived, the old one roared to life as if mocking me. I wasn’t falling for that. I took the new one and rode on toward the Himalayas.
The road was dotted with tea stalls and roadside dhabas — perfect excuses to stop, sip chai, and chat with locals. Soon, I climbed into the Zojila Pass (11,575 ft), a twisting maze of hairpins leading to jaw-dropping views of the valley below. These roads were sketchy enough but it was only when I seen the original pass that I knew how lucky I was to be driving in 2025.
Hours passed, numb a*se, cramps in my neck and countless signs reading “I love BRO”. It took my a few days to release BRO isn’t a sibling but instead an abbreviation of Border Roads Organization. This is the equivalent of signs in the UK saying “I love the National Highways” or in the USA “Department of Transportation.” In fairness whoever builds these roads should be getting this kind of credit!
Hours later I crossed into the region of Ladakh and arrived into Dras, known as the second-coldest inhabited place on Earth (after Siberia). Luckily, it was summer, my linen trousers just wouldn’t have been up to it. Dinner? Instant noodles eaten from a glass in my hotel room. The glamorous life of travel.
DAY 10 – KARGIL WAR MEMORIAL & HUNDERMAN
The next morning I visited the Kargil War Memorial. Standing among the names of fallen soldiers was a heavy reminder of just how brutal high-altitude warfare can be. This region is as stunning as it is contentious.
A few hours beyond sits a village called Hunderman, one of the most unique in the world. Once Pakistani, then Indian, it has changed flags more times than the locals care to count. From the ridge, you can see Pakistan in the distance — a sobering reminder of how arbitrary borders dictate lives.
Kargil War Facts:
- The Kargil War (1999) was fought between India and Pakistan at altitudes above 18,000 ft — one of the highest battlegrounds in history (BBC).
- More than 500 Indian soldiers lost their lives reclaiming positions occupied by Pakistani troops.
- The conflict ended in July 1999, but both sides still patrol the border heavily, making this one of the most volatile frontiers on Earth.
DAY 11 – CLOSE TO DISASTER
The climb through the next pass, Namikala Pass (12,139 ft) was stunning — that was until I watched as a truck completely misjudged a corner, tilted onto two wheels, and nearly flattened a family coming the other way. A very real risk of these roads everyday. Suppose sometimes it doesn’t matter how safely you can drive, your fate is as much in someone else’s hands.
At the summit, I met yet more soldiers keen for photos. They even posed with my bike as though it was photoshoot. Dangerous region? Hard to believe when you’re laughing with men carrying AKs.
From here the road followed the mighty Indus River, the very river that gave India its name. Other bikers joined along the way, some from as far as Calcutta — weeks on the road. Together we stopped for chai not far from the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield, where soldiers still endure temperatures of –60°C. Thousands have died here, many not from bullets but from the sheer brutality of altitude and cold.
Biking to India’s highest town & the Dalai Lama
RELATED READ: SKYDIVING OVER HAWAII
LEH – BEAUTY & BOREDOM
Eventually as night fell I arrived in Leh, heading straight for the Shanti Stupa, a white-domed monument built for peace — ironic, given the region’s history. I thought this would be the perfect finale. It wasn’t.
Biking to India’s highest town & the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama Facts:
- The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, has lived in exile in India since 1959 after fleeing Tibet.
- He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for advocating nonviolence in the Tibetan struggle.
- Revered worldwide, he’s considered both a spiritual leader and a political symbol of Tibetan identity.
DAY 12–15 – A WEEK FROM HELL
Leh gets rain 10–12 days a year. I managed to hit all of them. Downpours and fog shut the town down. Flights were cancelled. But what was worse… the WIFI was down. For six days I sat in my hotel room staring at the ceiling, occasionally venturing out for the same meal, Tibetan food hits different though!. My “it is what it is” mindset was tested to breaking point.
To help, when I finally checked out, the hotel accidentally charged me $900 instead of $90. “Its ok we will give you rupees.” What am I going to do with $800 of rupees? I suppose a bit of luck the airport was closed! At this rate I might need them if the weather continues.
Biking to India’s highest town & the Dalai Lama
DAY 16 – EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING
Another day of chilling, I deicded to take a walk and noticed the roads blocked and crowds gathering. Finally some drama in this town. Turns out, the Dalai Lama himself was en route to fly out. Good to see I wasn’t the only one stuck here.
So I grabbed a khata (ceremonial scarf), stood by the roadside, and minutes later watched one of the world’s most revered spiritual leaders pass by. Exiled in 1959 and a Noble peace winner in 1989. After days of frustration, it felt like fate.
Maybe spending four days in isolation, meditating over bad noodles, was the perfect preparation to see him.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The ride from Srinagar to Leh was unforgettable: crumbling passes, roaring rivers, soldiers and near-death corners. Leh nearly broke me, but seeing the Dalai Lama was a once-in-a-lifetime ending I couldn’t have scripted better.
It sure wasn’t the finale I’d planned, but maybe that’s Kashmir in a nutshell: chaos, kindness, and constant reminders that you’re not really in control.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
172/229
NEXT UP
You’d be amazed at what you can do in Delhi for a few hours! Click to read.
This post is part of the Kashmir Series, for the entire series click here, or for episode 1 click here.
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Question Time
- Would you dare ride a motorbike across Himalayan passes with almost no experience?
- Do you think the soldiers of Kashmir make the region feel safer — or more intimidating?
- How would you cope with being trapped in Leh for a week with no wifi and only instant noodles?
Let me know in the comments below . . .
