Reaching Further up the Spiti Valley

The evening before Damen told me that the next two days would be highly challenging.  So I elected to stay with the truck and let Sanjay ride the bike. (I made a note that I would later personally compensate him for doing this.)  Apparently, in spite of the higher elevations, Robin was feeling marginally better and decided that she wanted to be back on the bike.  So the boys pulled/lifted her bike back out of the pickup and it bounced on it's tires as the front dropped to the pavement.  The Royal Enfield weighs over 430 pounds.  Not light.

Sanjay Prepping the Bikes

I was impressed by the motorcycling experience of my companions.  Robin had said she started riding when she was 15.  That makes 50 years on motorbikes.  Back in Australia she has several bikes and one is an Enfield Himalayan.  So she was particularly familiar with that model's quirks.  Robin was around 5'2" in height so her feet barely touch the ground. Damen had been a highly competitive racer both in Europe and India (won a national race here).  Neil and Charlie had raced and Lynn had done adventure motorcycling all over the world.   

For myself, I had redefined this trip.  I would never claim that I was a motorcyclist. This challenging trip confirmed it. As I've written, I was able to adapt to the motorcycle but I had serious limitations that I would not ignore.  During this trip I was being able to continue to see the Himalayan environment. But I was comfortable using the truck for the roads where I lacked the technical capacity.  A man must know his limits.

Going back to health, I noted that Damen was a heavy smoker and usually had a cig in his mouth soon after we stopped for a break along the road. He also was quietly suffering from the altitude as well as a toothache. He said the tooth and gums were infected.  I believe that altitude changes can inflame the gums and soft tissue.  Anyway, he looked haggard.  Lynn, Neil and Paul seemed to be the healthiest of the UK bunch.  Baloo was also an intermittent smoker and seemed to have a cough at the higher altitudes.  

Kibber to Losar

Norling Homestay

Kibber In the Distance

After departing Kibber, Baloo and I followed the group to the Chigham Bridge which spans a 1000 foot deep gorge.  Time to get out and take photos.  The bridge was completed in 2017 and is the highest bridge in Asia at 13,956 feet elevation.

The Highest Bridge In the World?

Many of These "Traveller" Vans

While parking by the bridge, I took a photo of the Force Traveller Van. It is made by "Force", an Indian Company. It is a licensed copy of an old Mercedes design from the 1980s. Manual transmission and diesel engine.  Fairly high clearance and robust.  I believe there are both 12 and 17 seat models. There were thousands of these traveling in the high country.  The Traveller is really a truck chassis with a large van body sitting on top of a frame. These appear to be durable and seem to be of the right design for a small bus type application in this rough road environment.  These vans provide both city-to-city bus transport as well as being used by tour companies.

Hairpin Turns and Cliffs

Small Irrigation Canal to the Left of the Road

Baloo and I rolled into Losar which was a small town stretched out along both sides of the road.  The group was already parked at the homestay were we were going to stay.  After getting out, I saw a small Chai cafe across the road with two touring bicycles parked in front.  I hightailed across the road and went inside and found Martin and Katja, two Danish cycle tourists. Their website is Here . They were on a Big Himalayan tour. Ultimate Destination was Turkey!  I sat down with them and we had a nice chat.  I'm a quarter Danish and have relatives in northern Jutland and and done a solo bike tour there 12 years ago. We swapped emails and addresses. Perhaps we'll reconnect someday when I visit the family in Denmark. 

Katja and Martin (Blog Screenshot)

Our group was staying at Singha Ling Homestay.  Charlie and I shared a room again.  He was doing better and was somewhat recovered from his cough and sore throat. I was glad that he was being able to enjoy the ride more.  Losar was also at 14,000 feet of elevation so we had not gained nor lost much elevation since Kibber.