CARESS MY CURVES!

Starting from Leh, the capital of Ladakh in north-western India, Ian Kerr explores the mind-blowing expanse of the Kashmiri Himalaya

- Ian Kerr MBE

Heading out of the city of Leh on the super smooth blacktop main road heading for Lamayuru, the first of many road safety signs at the side of the road urged us to 'caress the curves but not to cuddle them.' Another pointed out that speed was like a knife and would cut you to death, while the next one urged you to give blood, but not on the road!

I could list many other trite and very amusing signs ("love thy neighbour but not while driving!") all urging drivers and riders to take care.

I thought of a local road safety officer friend of mine who would just love to plagiarise these for the UK as they might have some effect. But I soon realised that, in India, visitors like us were perhaps the only ones likely to take note as another 20-tonne truck belching out diesel fumes tried to push me off the road as the driver kept accelerating, intent on letting nothing slow his progress. Later we saw remains of several of these trucks that had ignored the signs and misjudged the curves resulting in a roll down the side of the mountain, left there as reminder to others!

It was Wednesday, day three of the High Himalayas trip marketed by Orange and Black in the UK, and our small team of nine riders had assembled at the Oriental Guest House on the Monday. Seven of us were customers, mostly new to the area, but our tour guides and back-up crew had completed the tour many times. However, this was to be the first with a new destination on route, the recently opened Umling La, touted as the world’s highest motorable pass at an elevation of 5,798m (19,024 ft) and therefore nearly 2,000 ft higher than the previous highest (Khardung-La), and the same height as Everest Base Camp. The 54-km-long pass is on the ridgeline between Koyul Lungpa and the Indus River and connects the villages of Chisumle and Demchok and took six years to build.