Here's the reason I wasn't able to be at HUBB UK this year...
I've been back to Asia, to the Himalayan region of India to be precise and I'm leading an all-female group of riders through Ladakh. Beforehand though, I had the opportunity to do a thorough recce and familiarise myself with the route..read on

Let me introduce Enid, a Royal Enfield Bullet - 500cc, fuel injection, gears on the correct side (unlike the older models of Enfield) and she's a great bike.




the streets in India are chaotic with most traffic being of the two-wheeled variety, usually with at least one or more pillion riders and also saris flapping around perilously close to the rear wheel



My first ride out was to the garage to get some fuel, considering how anarchy seems to reign on the roads, I was most relieved by the orderly queue that forms to get petrol at the garage



Here I am with the Enfield ready to set off - the guy I've got it from told me has never heard the comment
"ooh what a great colour, it matches my toenails!"



I'm using soft luggage from Giant Loop once more, and as usual, I've got all my camping gear with me.
One of my favourite breakfasts - dosa



The roads are not too bad at this stage, curious monkeys watch me ride past, and if I stop for long enough some of them even throw stuff at me.





The foothills of the Himalayas where everything is green and the hills are still rounded




The driving is a little bit crazy at times, I saw several accidents like this one


Everyone was pretty good-natured about it and allowed me to squeeze through between the car and the truck.


I'm finding it strange that I can reach the ground with flat feet!

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

A gratuitous shot of the Enfield, all geared up, I'm travelling light and this time including the extra warm Everest down-filled sleeping bag- it ain't small but it keeps me warm



Football pitches are a rarity over here - I liked the way that this one has been taken over for a game of cricket.



Cricket is THE sporting passion in India, every town and village I pass through there are children playing it, usually with a makeshift bat and ball.

I was allowed to gatecrash a wedding at the hotel, I arrived while the many and multiple photos were being taken, a queue of people had formed just to click of a few shots.



Whoops! - A puncture



I've started this journey in Dehradun, Uttarakand, India. A northern town nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas - hmm, maybe I'll go mad and try to create a map at some point.
I've got 11 days until my group arrives so I'm soloing the route we'll be covering to familiarise myself with it, then dashing back down to Delhi to meet the group as they arrive. I'm not sure what to expect, except that the food will be great - the last time I travelled in India, I actually put weight on as I was eating so much. I love travelling over here, the friendliness and curiosity of the people I come across, the noise, chaos and life in general - it's a fantastic place to explore.

the Enfiels is working well, I'm getting used to being so low to the ground, its revs can be very low as it chugs along, allowing me to be a bit lazy with the gear changes, usually when I'm also trying to take photos.




Motorbikes are everywhere and they're usually Enfields.
I made it to Manali, a town at 2200m, which happens to have a great new hostel that has just opened It's called Ride Inn, and I managed to find it quite easily, just following the signs through town.




My Enfield has a twin sister already resident here, and in the other direction, several bikes being worked on.




My hosts - Sneh and Godwin who hail from Mumbai, incredibly friendly and nice people.



All the furniture and fixtures in the bar café are made from motorbike bits, with a handy Ladakh guide painted on the wall.




And on another wall, a collection of the roadside signs with their Accident Avoidance tongue in cheek sayings - these are all genuine road signs seen in Ladakh.




the view from my bedroom window in the morning is amazing - snow-capped mountains stretching off into the distance




The Himalayas at their best.

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

I think you will find that Garmin sell City Navigator India and has beaten you to it! then there are OSM, GE, GM etc.
I forgot- you don't use a satnav - maybe you should as you could actually provide a valuable service to others on the Hubb.

Details of the Ride Inn
+918894539495
32.28650 77.17398

Very pleasant trip report!!!!

Your Enfield is the (almost) twin sister of the one I hired in Kathmandu for a loop of central Nepal way back in 2012.

Congratulations, and best wishes for the next part of your adventure!

__________________
Nick and his 2010 Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré

Great shots, makes you feel you're really there. Sigh... I'm thinking I need to begin painting my toe nails in brilliant turquoise too!

Agree with Ride the World, compared to India, where is REAL food and chai in S America?!!!

FYI, for those wanting to listen to some brilliant Tiffany stories, click on the All Over the Map link below and scroll down until you see Tiffany's picture. Then click again and prepare to be entertained!

__________________
Rallying for A Wild Life — THE FILM!
http://igg.me/at/AWildLife

www.LorraineChittock.com
www.facebook.com/lorraine.chittock

Hi Tiff,

Great to see your unique and entertaining reporting style again.

Regarding maps, do you use a smart phone? I use an App called Maps.Me that will give nice clear maps and recently added an altimeter - all without Internet connection. I have no need for a GPS with this App.

Look forward to the rest of your report.

PN

__________________
When you come to a fork in the road…take it!

BLOG: paulnomad.blogspot.com.au

FaceBook: www.facebook.com/PaulNomadRTW

Sorry Bertrand, I'll have to leave all the electronic gizmo stuff to my fellow travellers. One of the reasons I don't have the gadgets and GPS is because I spend so much of my time away from any sources of electricity. I love life out in the wilds, having to be reliant on electrical stuff just does not suit me.
and err, I like to think I already provide a valuable service to others on the HUBB

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

errrrm really? :confused1:
I could have sworn most motorcycles have 12 volts running around them!

IMHO, whilst a picture does indeed speak a thousand words- however, geo-coordinates are more useful in finding specific locations especially in places where one cannot speak the language.

As an example- to use this thread alone- putting up the coordinates of the hostel, the puncture repair place and so on, would provide specific info taken on the ground locally which is priceless to others visit that area.

Bertand Im heading to Manali next month an I have a montana all mapped up But In her description she mentioned that she found the ride inn easily by following the signs in town. Thatll do for me wont be bothered entering the Co ords.
and Im pretty sure if I get a flat tyre out there that I cant fix I wont travelling all the way to where ever Tiffany got hers fixed
Thanks for doing your report Tiffany looking forward to it
What a great service you provide

you obviously haven't seen Thelma's electrical system for some years :confused1: I haven't had a plug-in wotsit bit for years. I only use the bike's battery for riding and my heated jacket which is wired directly to a harness on the battery. But never mind, I won't split hairs with you about this Bertrand, hopefully someone will write a Ride Tale that you enjoy and approve of a bit more than mine and in the meantime you'll have to make do with the info that I am able to share.

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

Hi there,

You can find female guides to Ladakh here - LWTC - Home - a really great idea, maybe that could be of some use to you.

Other than that, great bike and trip! I did the Leh - Srinagar highway via Zanksar in 2009 on a 1983 Bullet, and then went to McCleod Gange. The Nubra valley, north of Leh, was fantastic.

Good luck with the rest of your trip!

PS yes the food in India is great, and what a brilliant place to travel. It´s easily the most compelling and interesting country I´ve ever visited. As an India-lover, the worst thing I´ve found about S.America so far is the terrible food, coffee and the lack of chai!!!

I haven't read such an informative and joyful trip report before. Make me feel traveling over there .Thanks. ..

__________________
Using Tapatalk

Hi Teote
many thanks for the comments and appreciation, it's nice to get good feedback and I'm pleased you're enjoying the stories - I do get a lot of joy out of travelling and it's good to know that is comes across on here.


Cheers
Tiffany

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

A rest day and then I was ready to hit the road once more, the mountains were calling to me and so I headed up Khardung La, the highest road in this part of the Himalayas.



An easy enough road to follow without the drama of river crossings etc, and little in the way of other traffic except the occasional dog





But there was a dodgy moment when I found out at the checkpoint that I didn't have the correct permit. I smiled nicely and the checkpoint officer said if I left my passport with him as insurance then I could go IF...I took one of his soldiers who needed a lift up - no problem I said and so onto the Enfield's pillion jumped a sapper.

We didn't get far before we had to wait for some roadworks to clear



I was particularly taken with the bulldozer driver who resembled an IRA hitman from the 80's



Soon after this the soldier jumped ship but his place was taken by a civilian hitch-hiker. I often give lifts to hitch-hikers on my travels and I have to say it is a lot easier in India where everyone seems to be around my height or less, unlike Scandinavia where one of my hitch-hikers was 6'8" (AND he was carrying 7 foot fishing rod). We were doing well, the Enfield's engine chugging away as we headed up the mountain road.
I paused for a photo opportunity



Hitch-hiker proudly posing with the bike and then I gave him my camera to take a picture
at which point...



Damn - another puncture.

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo

At 4000m with a flat tyre, heading up to Khardung La Pass - I explained the situation to my unlucky hitch-hiker, turned the bike around and limped slowly and carefully back down the mountain, I was only 3 kms from the top.




Although I had the tools etc that I needed to remove the rear wheel, which on an Enfield is pretty easy, I wasn't carrying tyre levers; so I stopped and asked the soldiers at a checkpoint for help.


They were delighted to pitch in once they realised what the issue was. Whilst I was served ginger tea, they clustered round and did the work - under my watchful gaze.



I couldn't thank them enough and promised to say hello next time I was back here. I'd used my spare tube and as I was only carrying one with me- this was just supposed to be a quick day trip, I reluctantly decided that with my current track record with punctures I'd better abandon my attempt to reach Khardung La. I retrieved my passport from the checkpoint guy and promised that I'd be back soon, then enjoyed a fast ride on the good tarmac stretches down the mountain accompanying some Scottish guys on their Enfields - racing?? Moi

I was very disappointed but consoled myself with the knowledge that I'd be back in a couple of weeks with my group and we would be heading over the pass then.

Back in Leh, it was time to take serious action on the puncture situation, which is how I found myself in this unusual position




riding pillion on my own bike through the streets of Leh as a local rode my bike to the best tyre guy in town. This guy -




We also had to sort out a couple of other issues and ended up in this workshop



Yes - this IS a professional's workspace, I particularly enjoyed the Hindu shrine in the corner




and the meticulously arranged tools

__________________
Tiffany
On the road from...I'm not sure any more
http://www.tiffanystravels.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUhV1r-kUo