Ladies in Ladakh

I thought that might grab the eye a bit - no, it's not a tour of the bordellos of this fine Himalayan region, but a group of all-female riders striving to be the first to complete this tough ride through one of India's most beautiful areas.

I've already recounted my solo reconnaissance trip with the adventures I had along the way including the blizzards and an iceberg on the road. I survived to tell the tale
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=986258

And now it's the turn of my intrepid group.
I had made the return journey to Manali and taken an overnight bus out of the mountains and down to Delhi
and experienced other forms of public transport including the tuk-tuks (or auto rickshaws as they're referred to in India)



It was quite an introduction to the roads of India when someone else is driving - they have 145cc CNG driven engines and most are pretty rusty with holes in the floor. But what a great ride, they have the most incredible turning circle and the drivers are fearless in the heaving chaotic mass that passes for traffic in this hugely congested city.

I met up with my group as they flew in, the jet lag soon disappeared, though not helped by the extremely high temperatures, Delhi was hot at 46 degrees centigrade (114 Fahrenheit).

We had a look around the city


This is where industrial amounts of curry are produced.

we went a bit more upmarket for our meals, including this place with the great doorman



We drove out of Delhi on a minibus, though some of the traffic looks quite civilised



We would be getting on our bikes some miles away in the foothills of the Himalayas, where it's a bit cooler and quieter
In the meantime, we enjoyed the sights as we were driven








With our first mountain hotel not only having great views but also a pool with a view and cold beers





the serious business was about to get underway -



I was reunited with my beloved blue Enfield, while the others were introduced to their Royal Enfield Bullets.


I soon got them into the swing of things

OK, subscribed.. what else is there to do while having a late breakfast.

Good on you girls, should be a hoot

In.

I'm in!

On board!!

This is going to be interesting-----" Coats Cross Country in Chaos"-- A Cat herders delight -----

Good to see the usual suspects signing up for this report, one added advantage when I'm travelling with a group is that I get more pictures of me (it may be dubious as to whether you feel that's an advantage or not) I also get involved in more comedy moments, and here is one of them - a sneak preview of a couple of weeks down the line



Yes folks, it's Ms Coates with Giant Loop luggage on a camel.

Way before all that though my group were put through their paces in a carpark as they got used to riding the Enfields and memorising the mantra "Do NOT grab front brake"



slow control - always important




I start to feel like we're a mini-biker gang



And the crowds got bigger and bigger as they gathered to watch Ladies on Motorbikes - the Bullet is the most powerful bike in India and is considered highly unsuitable for women.



We're happy with our riding, and with our Ladies in Ladakh T-Shirts, and head off for dinner and a couple of beers to wash it down with.

the next morning sees us up early and hitting the road...with caution

Subscribed

Been looking forward to this.

this should be good....

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/venash/9475685450" title="Oelegem-camelfoot (15) by Vindogonios, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7287/9475685450_e5daa346fc_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="Oelegem-camelfoot (15)"></a>


All right, I'll take a break and join in.
Lead on...

I'm in on this one

Lurked on the solo part but gonna be active for this part,thanks for the link Tiffany,you are truly the coolest for taking us along.

I’m in Tiffany, looking forward to the ride. Thank you for taking us along.

Sounds like this will be a good ride!

The view for my group



It's not often I get to see what the view is like for my groups as they follow me.

The foothills of the Himalayas have few major towns and reasonably quiet roads as well as some cooler weather which is a big relief for us.




We can take things easy, as we don't have too many miles to go- and of course it's great t be overseas and yet still be riding on the left


At the risk of being accused of lulling my group into a false sense of security, I have to post up this picture - rather shocking one




Showing not only a smart looking car but also a decent road AND it's got road markings :eek1

a bit of a change from what lies ahead




but we'll worry about conditions like that when we get to them. In the meantime it was all smiles




and a chance to stop for chats and to take photos




If the guys in the garage had been surprised before when I turned up on my Enfield, they were even more surprised to see a whole group of ladies on Enfields





Roadworks, so we had to stop



and in typical European (and Indian style) we filtered through up to the front - something I have been told off about in America on many occasions by car drivers who have been almost incandescent with rage.






We did have a bit of rough riding to do, on the road leading to our hotel in Shimla



It was dirt surface and wet and also seemed to run through the local rubbish dump, so the worst part was the smell
and into the hotel carpark




A debrief then we piled into a taxi to get to the top of the hill in Shimla