Heading northeast from Rishikesh, and following the mighty Ganges river valley, and then other river valleys leading as far into the Himalayas as I could go, before leftover snow from wintertime blocked the roads. The weather was unstable, and rain threatened for much of the trip, and there were even a few showers View image. I rode through increasingly dramatic and enormous scenery, with shear drops beside the road View image, with houses perced on steep terraces carved into the mountain to create some agricultural land where there was none View image, View image, View image, View image, View image. After 250km, I came to Josimath, a small but bustling town perched on a mountainside at about 2000m altitude, with stunning views of the surrounding mega-mountains View image, View image, View image, View image.

1000 metres higher up the same mountainside is Auli, the highest accessible village in the area, and India's premium ski resort (with only one cable car, one chair lift, one rope-pull, and a weird skiing ram figure in the cafe) View image. As the cable car was being serviced during my visit, I rode my motorcycle up to the top, past trees with large, rose-like flowers, and others with white spring blossoms View image. The ride involved some serious off-road situations which made me wonder if I was completely crazy. But once I got to the top, and the sun peaked through the rain and snow clouds, it was worth it for the breathtaking views, and to get photos of my bike above the snow-line View image, View image, View image, View image.

After 6 months in India, and hardly any stomach problems, I found myself with some casual, but persistent, diarrhea, which after 7 days suddenly became violent case of food poisoning. I was so nauseous and weak that I could not leave my room (and bathroom). A local doctor gave me some antibiotics and within a day, I was back on my feet. Those nasty pills are good when they work!!!

Many of the mountain people of this area hardly look Indian at all, being lighter skinned and slightly chinese or tibetan in appearance. In Josimath, I came accross this crowd, gathered spontaneously to watch a travelling magician's show. He kept them spellbound, baffled, and surprisingly willing to hand over their money View image, View image, View image, View image, View image, View image, View image, View image.

It was cold at altitude, and the weather remained wet. Visibility was not as clear as it could have been. I resolved to come back when the highest peaks (Nanda Devi, nearby, is the highest mountain in India, at nearly 8,000 m or 25,000 ft!!!!) are clear and visible.

I headed south, back down into the foothills, towards Corbett Tiger Reserve, in the hope of spotting the elusive animal. Here are some photos, taken during that trip:
This is the cook at a roadside Dhaba that made me lunch: View image, while this girl watched: View image.
These trees had amazing red flowers: View image, View image.

This tree was spared when the new road was built. Trees are considered holy in many parts of India: View image