Ladakh Trip: Day 6 (Rest day, Manali)

After some grueling rides, finally, today was a rest day! No rides planned. Just had to run some errands, do some laundry, and most importantly relax! I woke up to this morning view from our hotel room. What a sight sipping a hot cup of tea!

After breakfast, we left for Old Manali where we wanted to do some minor fixes to the bike. This was a real encounter with the Manali traffic. I mean, it was simply crazy. I seriously wonder why hills stations don't offer permits to restrict the number of vehicles within a particular zone. It causes pollution, inconvenience to the very same travelers who are there to enjoy. And I really doubt the traffic was anything but enjoyment.

We somehow located the Royal Enfield showroom. I got my bike's air filter changed, chain tightened (a bit), lubed and my bike was in good shape. One of my fellow rider had a number of issues with his motorcycle which were finally fixed in the evening! Got this pic on the way back!

We parked the bike in a free, public, parking lot. By the time I came back, so many cars were parked in the middle of the exit row that there was no way for my bike to pass.The driver in one of the cars mentioned that all the cars would be in neutral gear. We checked, and he was right. Dhakka maar maar ke, we made adjustments to take my bike out. I was like WTF??? Jugaad?

Shweta and I left around lunch time from the showroom. We bought a sunscreen and came back to the hotel. I had another round of massage in the evening and looks like I am all set for the Manali -> Leh ride that starts early morning tomorrow. My cousin got the permit applications done and the utility van arranged. He is gonna show up early morning tomorrow. I think he said like 4:30 am. I am so excited for the Leh ride. This is why we came all the way to Manali. This is it!