These points are for basically for me but could come in handy for others who want to go and visit leh.
1. You
2. Friends
3. The Machine
4. Survival stuff
You:
Leh is one of the places where YOU would count a lot. Its a place where health does matter. Your fitness shouldn’t only be good enough for you but be good enough that in case one of your friends need your help - he/she can count on you.
So first what would happen to your body when you go at that altitude?
Once you climb above 10.000ft, you would notice the difference. The lack of oxygen makes breathing hard. It’s not like that you have to take deep breaths but if you run or do some activity which requires a decent effort, you would notice your body asking for more breath - just like what you have when running. But in this case it would happen too soon.
Now if you happen to have been able to adjust to the climate then it’s good else you might feel as if you are feeling nauseatic. Which would be because of the reason that you are not able to digest food because of the lack of oxygen. No digestion means lack of hunger which means lack of power which means… starting of all the problems. But you don’t need to worry too much. A) Because Army is there to help you in case something goes wrong. (You can’t order them but if you talk politely, they would be more than happy to help). B) There are medicines available. Dimox being one famous one among the people. I tried to go on the trip without having one but ended up having it after my health deteriorated.
Friends:
Now if you are going on such a trip and planning on going by bike (motorcycle) or bicycle or trek, go with friends you know. Because if something happens to you - you would need them more than anything else. And to be honest not everyone would be like ok lets help the person… after all everyone is there for their fun and you might find there reaction rather surprising.
Go with people you know or people you know who care or people who are hero types. Hero type means who have in them the energy and guts to help you.
The Machine
If you have your own mode of transport like a bike, cycle, car, 4×4 you need to take care of your machine in advance. What you would need is some extra pair of things that can break or wear out. For instance I on bike took tyre tubes, clutch wire etc. Since I knew that a puncture could happen and a wire might snap.. I was ready with it. I was also carrying engine oil which I would need in case of leak or just simply to change. So its important that you know what extra stuff you need. Now all these tubes or wires would be useless if you happen not to carry tools to use them. I mean come on, if my tire gets punctured how would I blow air in the tube - use lung power - no way. So you should carry tools along.
Make sure that your machine is properly set. Get it serviced and ask your mechanic if it can take toll on it. I took my old CBZ 157cc bike on the trip and believe me - it was sounding crazy when it got back to Delhi. The trip did take a toll on it.
Survival Stuff
Assume that you are half way between Keylong and Leh and something bad has happened to you or one of your friends. Now what do you do? There are no restaurants near by (2010 there would be) and there is no one you can call (no cell phone coverage). So now either you curse your self, your luck or just take it. In any case you would need to survive from cold air, no place to sleep, no food and no water. So what to have with you. Its advisable that you do carry extra winter clothing or tent in this case. Hopefully, more of water proof stuff. We took chocolates and dry noodles along to eat. And a friend Hrishi was carrying stove too.
Its also advised that you take medicines along - for stomach ache, headache, pain and some vitamins too. Water should be there in good amount. I was feeling thirsty every now and then. If you are on bike, cycle you could take the water (Hydration) bag along like [http://www.webmountainbike.com/camelbakmule.html]
How to prepare for the trip on bike
Now if you have decided to go on the trip, its important to know about the place. In India people don’t tend to do their homework because of busy schedules but its advisable that you do.
- Read articles. Example: http://www.bikenomads.com/wiki/index.php/Leh
- Watch youtube clippings: These would give you info about how the place look like, I wish I would have done that.
- Check photographs
- Talk to those who have been there: I did a lot of talking online but nothing in person. Which I think was a big mistake. Face to face interaction is better.