Kochi to Leh,
and all the way round.
Six of them rode up to Ladakh in September 2026 with a website that kept asking their phones where they were. This is what came back: 85 photographs, 63 things written at fuel stops and dinner tables, 3 stories written in the evening, 1,291 words of them, and 50 messages back from the people who stayed.
Read it downwards. It is in the order it happened, which means the pictures they sent and the answers from home are in one column rather than two — that is how it actually went. The colour of the page is the sky each chapter was photographed under, worked out from the hour on the photograph.
- 7
- chapters, none of them named by hand
- 12
- days with something in them
- 1,270 km
- ridden, by their own odometers — the phones caught 529
- 4,269 m
- highest reading, near Merak
Bengaluru to Delhi
15 September — late afternoon
On the way to airport. Cab no. 2
- 117 km
- tracked
- 1,155 m
- highest reading
- 8
- photographs
Tue, 15 Sept
117 km
1,155 m
Woohooooo
Preveen, 17:10 Dil to pagal hei😎
Someone at home, 17:12 Kfc time @ kempagowdaSanjit, 20:05
Rameshwaram time at Kempegowda 🔥Ajay, 20:07
Ente kochine ottakakiyooo ☹️
Someone at home, 20:11 Boni evdeee? Which time @ kempgowda for him?
Someone at home, 20:12 - :)
Meera, from home, 20:13 Boarding flight ✈️
Preveen, 20:22 Everyone together!Preveen, 20:32
Rocking, flying to Delhi... It's getting colder here....Preveen, 20:51
Don’t forget your jackets.. <3
Meera, from home, 20:54 Taking off in any moment...Preveen, 20:58
Mani’s Dum biriyani @ DS Synergy Max
Someone at home, 21:32 Landed successfully in DelhiPreveen, 23:32
Going to Sanjits Home for a napPreveen, 23:49
Delhi to Leh
16 – 18 September — night over the plateau
Short nap time !!
- 36 km
- tracked
- 3,495 m
- highest reading
- 28
- photographs
Wed, 16 Sept
Day 1
15 km
3,489 m
Reached airport??
Meera, from home, 04:51 Waiting for take off
Someone at home, 05:32 Touchdown 🔥Ajay, 08:14
Reached hotel. Peace ☺️Ajay, 08:46
#BreakfastBoni, 10:02
Have you reached Ladakh, then
Someone at home, 10:26 Ye we reached. Hedging breakfast. Tea, bread omlet and rottiPreveen, 10:29
Bread, bullseye and watermelon here at Yelahanka
Meera, from home, 10:38 Early Dinner. With mild headaches....Preveen, 18:57
Ajay, Boni just lost critical thinking capabilities...
Preveen, 19:03 What happened to the thinkings???? Curious....
Meera, from home, 19:28 Athu ivanmaaar nirbhandhichappo oru 90 ml!Ajay, 19:54
ufff direct 90mloo... samadhikanmm!!
Someone at home, 19:57
Thu, 17 Sept
Day 2
3,487 m
Good morning and view from our window!Preveen, 11:20
BloomsssPreveen, 11:59
To the ones at home ❤️Ajay, 11:59
For the ones at home ❤️Ajay, 11:59
Ayush sat down and wrote 393 wordsThe Curse of Dusky's Chicken BoneRead it
Exquisite chicken here at home..
Meera, from home, 14:10 Breakfast with duskyPreveen, 14:23
Getting better with aclimatization... Head aches settled.... Atleast for now
Preveen, 14:24 Our own dusky!Preveen, 15:50
Stepped out to the Leh Market. So beautiful!! 💕Preveen, 17:43
Got our E-SIM!Preveen, 18:18
Oxygen Can ready! ✅Preveen, 18:28
How does oxygen in a can feel??
Someone at home, 19:47 Monalisa loves momos!Preveen, 20:04
So do we! We love momos too! From the best!Preveen, 20:05
Laphing was toooo good!Preveen, 20:06
A sweet walnut fudge after a hot and spicy momos was all we needed. Must try! Felt the peak happiness!Preveen, 20:07
Dinner at Tibetan Kichen. It's freezing here... Hands in pain...Preveen, 20:08
Fri, 18 Sept
Day 3
19 km
3,495 m
MorningssPreveen, 09:36
Breakfast to start the ride!Preveen, 09:55
New photos please….
Syama, from home, 11:59 bike and gear up photos evdeee?
Someone at home, 13:42 👍
Someone at home, 14:38 Ravile kalppa puzhungiyathu aayirunno...
Someone at home, 14:39 Indus valley
Someone at home, 17:21 Gurudwara
Someone at home, 17:21 Day 0 completed successfullyAbhiram, 18:04
Bakki 2 bikes kaha ho.... You all have come back to same hotel today right!
Other two bikes kaha ho... You all have, from home, 18:27 Enjoy and share the pics ...
Someone at home, 18:56 👍💕
Sujith, from home, 19:13 The one and only bhaya ❤️Ajay, 20:50
Fort protected by Sherson 🔥Ajay, 20:53
Hai Appu
Someone at home, 20:57 Hlooo....
Boni, 21:14 War memorial Leh Ladakh. A moment of silence for the ones who sacrificed their today, for our tomorrow 🇮🇳Ajay, 21:16
Delicious chicken lettuce cheese wrap reporting from Bengaluru 🫡
Meera, from home, 22:48
Leh to Hunder
19 – 20 September — full day
Conquered Khardungla 🔥
- 124 km
- tracked
- 3,366 m
- highest reading
- 9
- photographs
Sat, 19 Sept
Day 4
78 km
3,366 m
Ayush sat down and wrote 488 wordsThunder in the ValleyRead it
Ayush sat down and wrote 410 wordsA Last-Minute addition to the FamilyRead it
Guys hope all are enjoying the ride and views . And sanju …missing u a lot 🥺🤍.
Someone at home, 14:46 120 kms ride completed to Diskit Monastery and yeahh what a ridee !!
Sanjit, 14:46 On to track Sol reopened ✨😁 Waiting for you guys to come back … there will be treat from me ….
Someone at home, 14:50 Day 1 chilling at Bengaluru 😍 And waiting for coming back to Koch for tasty Sol treatsss 🌝
Meera and Syama, from home, 15:04 Maitreya Buddha ✨️
Sanjit, 15:07 Dinner served well ✨
Someone at home, 18:39 Tried new cuisine here today… we liked it.
Someone at home, 18:40 Reached home riding through a beautiful sunset 🌅
Someone at home, 19:08 Diskit Monastery and its protectors!
Preveen, 19:46 Preveen filmed something here at 19:46. The clip is still listed in the row that carried it, and the store it was uploaded to is refusing to hand it over — so it is locked rather than lost.
We went for round 2 at truffles 😌
Meera and Syama, from home, 20:39 Dunes of Nubra Valley!Preveen, 21:14
Camels... Camels... Everywhere!Preveen, 21:15
Mission report: ALL GOOD from Nubra Valley!Preveen, 21:16
Sun, 20 Sept
Day 5
46 km
3,143 m
It has been drizzling here since early morning. Hope climate is manageable to ride from nubra to shylok, enjoy the ride. all look fresh and cute❤️
from emerald, from home, 09:31 Going to do something new ✨
Syama & Meera, from home, 15:08 Just like us, weird faces all the day!Preveen, 15:40
Sunflowers!Preveen, 15:41
Rocks and Brews! Preveen reporting!Preveen, 15:41
Bring back those weird rocks 🌝🙃
Meera, from home, 16:36 Had a really fun weekend, went to a 🍿 film then roam around Panampilly by hopping cafés and got to try a sourdough beef pizza with pesto was absolutely chef approved one . Let’s go there once u r back ….. also don’t forget my stones 😍
San, from home, 17:59 The Product!
Meera & Syama, from home, 19:03 Stay tuned for the processs🌝🌝
Syama and Meera, from home, 19:04 So we went for a workshop… the Japanese Kintsugi!! It uses the ancient Japanese craft of repairing broken pottery with gold lacquer as a powerful metaphor for emotional healing and psychological resilience. Please enjoy our chaos 🙃
Meera and Syama, from home, 19:36
Hunder to Merak
21 September — night over the plateau
#Dinner at Merak, Pangong
- 54 km
- tracked
- 4,269 m
- highest reading
- 4
- photographs
Mon, 21 Sept
Day 6
54 km
4,269 m
Weekend chilling at Kochi. :)
Balettan from Emerald, from home, 12:49 Pangong Lake!Preveen, 21:47
Rivers...Preveen, 21:48
Delicious Thukpa with momos made by Syama here at Bengaluru
Meera, from home, 22:02 Starry night everyone. Sleep tight 😴Ajay, 23:07
Sanjit, 23:22 All Izz Well 😂✨️
Sanjit, 23:23
Merak to Hanle
22 – 23 September
Oru ledakh pennukaanal!
They covered 43 km here and sent almost nothing. Not one photograph reached the site from the road on these days — only the trace, and whatever people at home were still sending up to them. This is what a road with no tower on it looks like from Kerala.
- 43 km
- tracked
Tue, 22 Sept
Day 7
Vacation started🥳
Syama, from home, 17:06 Today's pic of the day 💯 Jai Jawan ✨️
Sanjit, 19:43
Wed, 23 Sept
Day 8
43 km
Birthday done right! 🌝 Happy birthday Syamechii❤️❤️
Meera, from home, 11:35 Oru ledakh pennukaanal!
Preveen, 22:44 Preveen filmed something here at 22:44. The clip is still listed in the row that carried it, and the store it was uploaded to is refusing to hand it over — so it is locked rather than lost.
Hanle to Korzok
24 September
They covered 100 km here and sent almost nothing. Not one photograph reached the site from the road on these days — only the trace, and whatever people at home were still sending up to them. This is what a road with no tower on it looks like from Kerala.
- 100 km
- tracked
Thu, 24 Sept
Day 9
100 km
Got Amul ice cream in Vande Bharat !
Meera and Syama, from home, 12:16 Kochi ethii
Meera & Syama, from home, 14:04
Korzok to Leh
25 – 26 September — night over the plateau
A walkthrough on Hanle Observatory!
- 36 km
- tracked
- 10
- photographs
Fri, 25 Sept
Day 10
36 km
A walkthrough on Hanle Observatory!
Preveen, 22:46 Preveen filmed something here at 22:46. The clip is still listed in the row that carried it, and the store it was uploaded to is refusing to hand it over — so it is locked rather than lost.
Ajay and his love for dogs!! 💖
Preveen, 22:49 Preveen filmed something here at 22:49. The clip is still listed in the row that carried it, and the store it was uploaded to is refusing to hand it over — so it is locked rather than lost.
Fueled up from the highest petrol pump in India!Preveen, 22:50
Very long queue for fueling up from Nyoma, the highest petrol pump in whole of India!Preveen, 22:51
Abhiram enjoying his mountain view from the room!Preveen, 22:52
First time to witness horses roaming around naturally through the valley.Preveen, 22:52
Me and the Moon!Preveen, 22:53
Something I wanted to do ever since I stepped on Ladakh!Preveen, 22:54
A monastery that resembles Hogwarts!Preveen, 22:54
See our navigator and backup van!Preveen, 22:57
Sat, 26 Sept
Day 11
Our wolf, Sonam aka Jomon!Preveen, 12:08
The shape of it
Every position their phones managed to record, drawn as one line. The gaps are real: Changthang has long stretches with no tower, and a road nobody could report from is a road that is not on this map.
Where the phones were
875 pings · the gaps are the places with no tower
What it looks like from above
drag to turn it
The six
What each phone managed to say for itself. They rode the same road; the differences below are batteries, pockets and towers.
Ajay
- Pings
- 73
- Tracked
- 57 km
- Highest
- 4,269 m
Ayush
- Pings
- 30
- Tracked
- 51 km
- Highest
- 3,466 m
Abhiram
- Pings
- 19
- Tracked
- 88 km
- Highest
- 3,466 m
Preveen
- Pings
- 694
- Tracked
- 529 km
- Highest
- 11,701 m
Boni
- Pings
- 35
- Tracked
- 4 km
- Highest
- 3,470 m
Sanjit
- Pings
- 24
- Tracked
- 17 km
- Highest
- 863 m
And at home, Meera and Syama, who wrote the other half of this.
1,270
km ridden
the trace caught 529; the plan said 1,066
11,701 m
highest reading
off a phone barometer
9
days on the road
of 17
875
pings home
63
postcards
56
photographs
0
clips
3
stories
1,649
words written
from the road
53
notes back
12 people
207
love sent
16 L
fuel
₹1,706
The rest of it
Replay
The whole fortnight played back in a minute, one ping at a time.
The inbox
Both halves of the conversation on their own, if you came looking for one message rather than the trip. Still open.
The gallery
Every photograph on one screen, newest first, with no story around it.
Counted from the database on 5 November 2026.
The 1,270 km is the riders’ own figure, off the odometers, and it is the one number on this page that did not come out of the database. The trace covers 529 of it: a phone pings when it finds a tower and Changthang has stretches with none for hours, which is also why the map has gaps in it.
Every height is a phone barometer, good to about thirty metres, and it is called a reading rather than a height for a reason — the highest one here was taken near Merak, and no phone managed a fix on Khardung La itself, which is higher than anything on this page.
6 video clips were filmed and are still listed in the rows that carried them, but the store they were uploaded to is refusing to hand them over. They are not lost here — they are locked there.