## *This two wheeled monkey got off the saddle of his two wheels and actually walked!*

https://steemitimages.com/DQmdLEFS2E4VGgZQcWahwn9mFSVPbB38g5Hq1b3muRodMks/20180408_133504.jpg
[Click here to view the full size image](https://steemit-production-imageproxy-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/DQmdLEFS2E4VGgZQcWahwn9mFSVPbB38g5Hq1b3muRodMks) *Serolsar Lake*

Last week, a friend and I were traversing the mountains of India on our motorcycles. We landed up at Jalori Pass. A mountain pass in the Himalayas which sits at a height of 10800 ft (3120 metres). 

**Jalori Pass** is known for the steep climb on either side of the pass, the Mahakali Temple at the top and a couple of short treks around the place.

Motorcycling is perfect for exploring new places and getting about quick, on the road less travelled, but there are a few restrictions which motorcycles impose, as we found out! We were fully kitted out for riding, with armoured jacket, pant, helmet, gloves and riding boots. Perfect for riding, not for trekking. But such minor details were never going to hold us back. 

We parked our bikes at the Jalori top and headed down the trail to Serolsar Lake on foot. *Hoofing it isn’t quite a motorcyclist’s strong point*, we are too used to motion with a flick of the right wrist! 

The first couple of kilometres of the trek was downhill. As we saw a bunch of people moving up in the opposite direction, my friend couldn’t help but giggle at their plight, as they struggled up the climb. 

https://steemitimages.com/DQmZdewZsneqNJ7UWmjMUMxyu5mnWWfGRWDUCDk9ZBwRHVx/20180408_125359.jpg
[Click here to view the full size image](https://steemit-production-imageproxy-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/DQmZdewZsneqNJ7UWmjMUMxyu5mnWWfGRWDUCDk9ZBwRHVx) *The photographer, taking his own sweet time to compose his picture*

My friend, a photographer, couldn’t help himself but stop every couple of minutes to shoot something with his camera, while I trudged along. Though as we progressed, I realised the camera was his excuse to stop and catch his breath! He was pooped after covering just quarter the distance. **Cigarettes clearly don’t help with building stamina!** Add to that the previous night’s party which involved a lot of rum and we had the perfect recipe for a slow hike.

https://steemitimages.com/DQmUNCK7gb3mpb8woyQz9LbKHqCDwmCNXvHUzeCA4zQ5sWR/20180408_130651.jpg
[Click here to view the full size image](https://steemit-production-imageproxy-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/DQmUNCK7gb3mpb8woyQz9LbKHqCDwmCNXvHUzeCA4zQ5sWR) *Photographers, take a month of Sundays to get things done!*

https://steemitimages.com/DQmPDnR1dAfh7QREitAWVfjhsbh6cFkkDWzgBGJKHQFvZei/20180408_130829.jpg
[Click here to view the full size image](https://steemit-production-imageproxy-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/DQmPDnR1dAfh7QREitAWVfjhsbh6cFkkDWzgBGJKHQFvZei) *I have walked past and he is still at it!*

https://steemitimages.com/DQmWcEVWMtWTSJw7VtVMMfD5SxHoQZZ6X2voy3NkLDjYSWA/20180408_132933.jpg
[Click here to view the full size image](https://steemit-production-imageproxy-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/DQmWcEVWMtWTSJw7VtVMMfD5SxHoQZZ6X2voy3NkLDjYSWA) *The Lion King was presented on that rock to the denizens!*

https://steemitimages.com/DQmP9SX7wGpMQ3JF91FqLjf2ZYAcTifiMD8E2McyM25gFKh/20180408_132712.jpg
[Click here to view the full size image](https://steemit-production-imageproxy-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/DQmP9SX7wGpMQ3JF91FqLjf2ZYAcTifiMD8E2McyM25gFKh) *Dreamy accommodation for the urban mind!* 

After covering four and a half kilometres we finally reached the Serolsar Lake. The tiny lake was quite a disappointment, we were hoping for something bigger and better. On one side of the lake was a temple which had a few devotees in it. As we approached the lake, a weather-beaten board stated, that we needed to remove our shoes before getting near the water for religious reasons. Fortunately it was cold enough to push away any thoughts of jumping in the lake! 

On the other side of the lake we were in for quite the surprise. There were a couple of busloads of college kids who had come there for a picnic and were playing loud pop music on their portable speakers. The music echoed across the lake and the bright clothes of the kids made an interesting contrast to the brown green woods. 

https://steemitimages.com/DQmVqFHLfN9CDqbTmRKQRjT2JrFbEvXkevrhBNT2dkoufBj/20180408_135037.jpg
[Click here to view the full size image](https://steemit-production-imageproxy-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/DQmVqFHLfN9CDqbTmRKQRjT2JrFbEvXkevrhBNT2dkoufBj) *The temple in the background with the colourful kids in the foreground!*

We waited for the colourful picnickers to depart as we sat on a rock overlooking the lake enjoying the serenity of the mountains. But the weatherman had other plans, as the sky darkened and drops of water splashed on the lens of the camera. This particular part of the forest is known for its Himalayan bears and man-animal conflicts. With that information in mind we quickly backtracked to our motorcycles. 

https://steemitimages.com/DQmcJGgbuSkKHFCk4Hy6oytwTuCQ5jCbACpcp5AhnXkLCxh/20180408_121749.jpg
[Click here to view the full size image](https://steemit-production-imageproxy-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/DQmcJGgbuSkKHFCk4Hy6oytwTuCQ5jCbACpcp5AhnXkLCxh) *They did say their were bears!*

The return leg wasn’t as easy since we now had to climb the 4.5 kilometres that we had descended earlier! My friend’s laugh and breath both disappeared, as he huffed and puffed his way up! Adding to his misery were a bunch of fleet footed locals who were practically running down (in comparison to our waddling) and some of them were wearing high heels! It was unfathomable for our urban minds, seeing girls wearing makeup and high heels as if there were going to their neighbourhood mall, while we were struggling to complete our ‘trek’!

After a total of 9 km, our misery came to an end as we got back onto the saddle of our bikes. We were so famished that we wolfed down sickeningly sweet tea and instant noodles at a roadside eatery. 

The lake might have been a bit of a letdown, but the trek through the dense vegetation was well worth the effort. 

## Though, we felt the elation of the elevation only once we had reached back to our hotel room and had our dear bottle of rum back in hand!

https://steemitimages.com/DQmPwd9ESwuzGePxQQaoyFL71bsJ57Rqz5gdW47bKWUCUiu/20180408_142142.jpg
[Click here to view the full size image](https://steemit-production-imageproxy-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/DQmPwd9ESwuzGePxQQaoyFL71bsJ57Rqz5gdW47bKWUCUiu) **A rough translation** *Om, Jai Mata Di (In the name of mother goddess)* *Notice: Please don't throw plastic packets beyond this point. Thank you.* *Tea, coffee, water, cold juice* *We make food on order* *Local dish is Siddu* 

https://steemitimages.com/DQmeiFSngkz7bVQgC5rnxoeZXJ7undobFYmLELYq56w6G8R/20180408_150011.jpg
[Click here to view the full size image](https://steemit-production-imageproxy-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/DQmeiFSngkz7bVQgC5rnxoeZXJ7undobFYmLELYq56w6G8R) *Exhausted on the return trip*


https://steemitimages.com/DQmVNgSyRcjQxgMQtNCdA6iSZ4DGja5XPbaiQkHLTpXfjDT/Jalori%20Map.jpeg
[Click here to view the full size image](https://steemit-production-imageproxy-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/DQmVNgSyRcjQxgMQtNCdA6iSZ4DGja5XPbaiQkHLTpXfjDT) *The cool hand made map by the father of the hotelier in whose property we were staying*
 

#### All pictures clicked on a Samsung S5