Mission Ladakh Zanskar Siachen 2007 - Day 07

Rangdum – Sanko – Kargil – Lamayuru – Leh

Sun rises from behind Rangdum Gompa (far away from the village houses)

Night was very cold. I couldn’t gather the courage to go out for Nature’s Calls immediately. I got hold of some Hot Water (arranged the previous evening) and cleaned my nostrils of the frozen dirty mucus (This had become my daily morning chore – much more important than Brushing :D) When we got out and saw Prakash ready with the car, we found the Rest House in charge missing. We kept 150/- with the World Bikers (still inside the quilt) and asked them to give it to him.

Hari gets playful with the kids

Rangdum seemed to be inhabited by the purest Aryan race

We started our journey towards Kargil and as decided the earlier day, either we’ll stay at Kargil or proceed to Leh. There is no point going to Mulbekh where there are no comfortable Army Camps to stay :-) We stopped at Sanko for breakfast and the place was excellent (again, relative!) We were all hungry and relished the food there, although less in quantity. Our next stop was, well, the Road – the place where Construction work was going on. This was one of the primary reasons why I did not enjoy the Kargil – Leh Highway. This time, however, the stop was shorter (not more than 30 minutes) and we proceeded till Lamayuru. We wanted to reach Budhkarbu in time so that we can have good lunch there. Luckily, we did it. I planned to call Uncle that very evening to ask him about the billing procedure but I overheard somebody saying that he was on his way from Drass to Leh.

Bulldozers lage padhe hain road ki chaudhi karne...sorry road KO chaudhi karne

We visited Lamayuru Gompa on the way and spent around 40 minutes there. Prakash couldn’t find any lunch there also and we decided to stop at Khalatse. There, while Prakash had his food, I searched for Phone to make calls – most importantly to Uncle but again unreachable. And then again, the food at Budhkarbu started reminding me of itself. I searched for a place to do it but was told, that there was none. Wait till Khalatse ends and then sit anywhere behind the stone. I insisted and took Prakash with me back 3 km to the Checkpost (Batalik diversion) to answer my call. Pacified with the help of that covered pit, we returned with a couple of fellow on a hitchhike. As soon as we were about to leave Khalatse, the entire traffic was blocked. Nothing should be missed; I tried thinking on a positive side, when it was over an hour of blockage, due to a huge Army Convoy passing.

Lamayuru Gompa

It was quite dark, when we reached Leh. He dropped us at our Guest House and we decided that we would meet again at 2 PM the next day for some local sightseeing. We went inside and found that everybody was out for a party. Only Meme (Ladakhi for Grandpa) was here with the helper, Shyam Bahadur. On sending him to call Aunty, he said, they won’t return until late. Farhan and Bikiran fell asleep while me and Hari started waiting for Aunty so that something could be cooked. Finally, we decided to cook Maggi and asked Shyam to bring it. I cooked it and after having it, everybody went into deep slumber.

Mission Ladakh Zanskar Siachen 2007 - Day 06

Drass – Kargil – Sanko – Panikher – Rangdum – Penzi La – Drang Drung – Rangdum

The day started at 5 AM and we were ready by 5.40 to leave, although our Driver was still absconding. I must mention that although the rooms in all the Army Camps were awesome, the toilets were not so well maintained. The drainage system in most of them was not in order but no complaining on our part – What else, could we ask for, in such treacherous terrain? :-)

Dras War Memorial

Towering Tiger Hill

When we reached Drass War Memorial around 6.30, the Sun was already shining hard overhead. We requested the Guards to open the gates and they opened immediately. One of them had even saluted, mistaking Bikiran to be an Officer since he was in that kind of dress :-) For the next 1 hour, we were just reeling under the emotional, psychological and physical turmoil – our Army must have undergone during Operation Vijay. We read the logs of each and every battle there and listened to the explaining Jawan carefully, as he showed us Tiger Hill, Tololing, Pt 4875 (now known as Batra Top after Capt. Vikram Batra) and Mashkoh Valley. After 1999, the Forward posts are never emptied in winters and this causes a lot of expense in terms of Casualties in the extreme conditions. I literally saluted the Memorial and gathered the will to sit back in the car for the journey ahead. On the way to Kargil, we met the interesting signboards yet again warning us regarding the danger lurking just beside. That meant that we were driving right across the LOC. Thrilled with the realization, we managed to get outside and get ourselves clicked. Soon, we saw Indus taking leave of Ladakh and heading towards Kashmir from where she will take leave of India to feed Pakistan.

Pakis could watch this road in summer of 99

Wall built in 8 hours to protect Ration/Arms truck from Shelling

Indus says GoodBye!

We stopped in Kargil for breakfast – but I guess, we were too early. No restaurant in the main market had opened up for breakfast. Finally, we found a place where the guy got ready to serve us Bread-Butter. While he prepared it, I went outside to try calling home but I was told that the telephone exchange of the entire Kargil region is burnt and it would only be available either in Sonamarg or Khalatse. Dejected, I returned and looked around. The place was okay, apart from the posters and the slogans in Urdu from the Irani leader. I showed them to Farhan and he calmed me by saying “Why are you worried? We’ll just eat quickly and proceed”. I took his word and ate. We were not satisfied but it was getting late and we wanted to leave. I went in the kitchen and what I felt there can be explained as: Dark, Dirty, Stinky and Repulsive. I somehow managed to cross all the heaps of the meat and the only thing I was saying was “Mom, you would have lost your consciousness, if you would have been here”. We went till the Fuel Pump on the other side of Indus in Kargil towards Leh before retreating back our way and took the left turn towards Padum.

The road was playing hide-n-seek with us, as we entered the Suru Valley. It was in Sanko, luckily that we remembered that we didn’t have Mineral Water with us. On asking, we got an unheard new brand of Mineral Water – as expensive as any other Global brand. Gradually, the road disappeared completely and we reached Panikher check post of J&K Police. We were already confused till now and a little apprehensive of where the dirt track is leading us – when I realized the importance of Milestones. All our identities were registered there (in case, we go absconding) and were shown the Nun-Kun peaks. Although, we were told that we would be able to see Nun-Kun peaks better and closer from Parkachik, Hari (being the smarter one) clicked a zoomed picture of both Nun and Kun. Thereafter, we took an alternative shorter route from there on, which would bypass Panikher and Parkachik villages and while we did this, I was struggling to get views of Nun-Kun, however Parkachik Glacier was better visible.

Badi Bahen - NUN

aur Chhoti - KUN

Parkachik

The terrain changed from green to lush green – the Suru Valley showing its majesty and it was exactly like Switzerland. The dirt track was really very bad with no milestones when we came across a jeep. We immediately stopped them and asked about the distance remaining - whether we would be able to reach Padum – our destination for the day. It would be tough, we were told and on asking about Drang Drung, we got stunned looks. One of them got out and came to have a closer look at us – he explained that they are Geologists studying the Drang Drung Glacier for many days and haven’t seen any tourists who are even aware of the glacier. We got the best estimates of the distances from them and after they had left, we decided that it was not worth going to Padum. We would stay at Rangdum, go ahead only till Drang Drung and return. We reached Rangdum past 2 and went in looking for rooms at the PWD Rest House. We were late by just 60 seconds when 2 world-bikers from Germany and France booked one of the 2 rooms available. We frowned but realized that even one was big enough for us :-) While I was busy enjoying the surroundings, Hari got busy clicking their customized BMW’s. I enquired about the place to have lunch and within few minutes, reached the Zanskar Express. However, we decided to eat at a neighboring restaurant because of better options. The place was quite dingy again but better than Kargil. We had our lunch, quite satisfied and meanwhile, decided to go for Drang Drung today only as it was 3.30 PM. We would be able to return by 6 comfortably.

Welcome to Rangdum

We moved ahead of the Rangdum Gompa and soon found loads of Marmots moving here and there. Hari tried clicking at least 12 times before he could catch a good zoom of one Marmot. They were too cute. I was in deep slumber when I was woken up by others and told “We have reached Penzi La”. I looked around but couldn’t find any signboard confirming this. I said “First, reach Penzi La”. Nobody was ready to believe that this is not Penzi La. Prakash got down to ask a local lady and only proceeded when she told him to. Prakash was inexperienced on this track so even he didn’t know the exact location of the Glacier. After few minutes, we finally reached Penzi La, where it was written and a Tibetan temple made. I looked around for the Glacier and found a big ice-sheet. When Prakash indicated that this is the glacier, Hari went on the record “So, this is the Second largest Glacier of India”. I was mute, confused – feeling like I was responsible for this trip and this glacier was far from being worth of all this. I insisted to go ahead and it was a matter of minutes when we saw a big sheet of snow at a distance. I knew it had to be this. On Prakash’ request, we got down and started trekking towards the Glacier. It was the first time we realized that actual distances are far from what they seem in Mountains. On trekking for sometime, getting out of breath, we found that the road came winding down to the place. We tried hard and luckily, got Prakash’ attention and instructed him to come down. On reaching the car, we gladly got in and proceeded towards the point closest to the Glacier. On trekking for sometime, we got across a deep trench difficult to pass so we clicked the Glacier from there and started back. We went ahead till we got some more good pictures of the Glacier and returned back.

Majestic Drang-Drung Glacier

This is the 300 km Road from Kargil to Padum!

Dinner at the same place was good (Remember, good is a relative term now). I opted for Maggi this time for the obvious reasons. At 5 ft distance, I could see the cook burning something at the stove. Farhan confirmed that it was indeed a Chicken being roasted. I was speechless and thought again about Mom :-) I completed my Maggi and enjoyed the beauty of that cold night, as we walked towards our Rest House. Hari went to sleep but others were in a different mood altogether – Me, Farhan and Bikiran – We chatted, chatted and chatted till it was 2 AM and Hari awoke. It was time, I guess, to sleep otherwise tomorrow would be hell.

Mission Ladakh Zanskar Siachen 2007 - Day 05

Leh – Nimu – Khalatse – Lamayuru – Fotu La – Budhkarbu – Mulbekh – Kargil – Drass

I had decided the earlier day that Farhan and Hari would go to Uncle’s house for getting the Car to our house rather than me. I thought it is better to make others realize that it’s not easy to do all the planning, as well as implementation (which included running here and there). They were back with the car around 8 AM and after BRUSHING our teeth, we left almost immediately after having a light breakfast. Again, I didn’t quite like “Khambir” the local bread, partially due to lack of appetite. Farhan, meanwhile, explained me the entire plan as written by Uncle on his official Letterhead.

Our Driver, Prakash, was a complete dude – branded from top to bottom. Sporting a French Cut, I bet he looked smarter than any of us :-) I noted the readings and other formalities, started cruising the curvy roads of Leh. As soon we crossed the Leh Gate, we saw the venue for Annual Ice Hockey competition (the water was as placid as it can get). We were a little sad already on knowing that this car didn’t have a CD player. The terrain after the Airport was stark dry and barren – nothing insight except the mountains and the lonely straight road leading us to eternity. As we got away from Leh, we reached the point of Magnetic Hill – the place where gravity is defied by the presence of some magnetic material inside a hill in front. We parked the car inside the white box and yes, the car started moving on its own! Luckily, Hari had captured a video of me guiding the car.

Zanskar meets Indus

Approaching Nimu, we saw the fantastic first views of Zanskar meeting Indus – and the color changing. There were numerous artificially created green areas amidst barren landscape near these towns and villages. Next was Khalatse and as we crossed it, the checkpost 3 km ahead showed us the diversion, which I was not aware of. Batalik was merely 75 km from there, and I remembered Yogesh telling me that Khalatse was the place from where all the Military activity started. I wondered how close Batalik must be to LOC and promised myself that I would do it whenever I come here next time. The next stop – became Fotu La – the highest point on the Srinagar – Leh Highway. The height was quite low and we felt hot.

If you want to go to Batalik, Go Right from Khalatse!

Lamayuru

As planned, we reached Budhkarbu in time for lunch and I started preparing myself to talk to the Army Officers. The conversation was quite smooth but the wait quite long. We were quite hungry by the time the lunch was served. We relished each bit of it – “Kale Chane, Arhar Dal, Roti, Rice, Raita” – Good meal after 4 days. We filled our tummies like anything and paid the Mess Bill, as told earlier. Our Driver took some time, however, to return from his lunch at Budhkarbu village before we could leave again. We crossed Lamayuru and the famous Moonland and soon found that the road ahead was blocked due to Construction work going on. The Highway was being expanded from 70 to 100 feet on which I thought – what a Highway it would be. We met a Doordarshan Engineers team there who told me that the Suru & Zanskar valleys are like “Switzerland”. Stuck there for more than an hour amidst dirt and heat left us with little energy and so we didn’t stop at Namika La since it was not a big deal for us now, I guess.

Moonland near Lamayuru

It was well past 5, when we reached Kargil and Prakash told us that the loading rod of the Scorpio is broken and needs repair. We searched for Mahindra Service Station and found one in the dingy space of mechanics besides Indus. There, I felt the pressure inside building up. This Nature Call, I felt, was supposed to be answered now. Gladly, Farhan helped me with the water while I found a covered pit. As I relieved myself, I remembered the heavy food I had at Budhkarbu and smiled to myself :-)

We were on the road again to Drass and on the way, enjoying some of the most sought after signboards but soon, it turned dark and there was nothing we could see. We reached Drass by 9 and missed the HQ where we were supposed to stay. It was only when we crossed Drass, we asked a Checkpost Jawan, and he asked us to turn back from there. When we reached the HQ, all the Officers had gone to a party and the Phone lines were closed for the day so it was quite a task for us to get inside, given the temperature. After all, I remembered, Drass is the second coldest inhabited place on Earth (after Verkhoyansk in Siberia). We got 2 cozy rooms – me sharing again with Bikiran. TV was showing a documentary on the Kashmir issue and the curfew had just been flagged on January 19, 1990 when the channel was changed. Hari and Bikiran wanted to see something else – something more entertaining and I and Farhan gave in. Dinner was served inside the rooms as the Mess was closed and as earlier, the food was beyond awesome. The last compartment of the tiffin had Gulab jamun as the Dessert.

Mission Ladakh Zanskar Siachen 2007 - Day 04

Sarchu – Nakee La – Lachulung La – Pang – Taglang La – Upshi – Karu – Leh

Rams get to work as the Sun rises!

Sunrise at 0530

Our day started at 4.30 AM – when the alarm went off. I think most of us were already awake (except Hari). It was unanimously decided that we would give most of our daily chores amiss :-) For the first time, I felt my nose was blocked due to all the dirt filled dried/frozen mucus and I immediately asked for Hot Water, with which I melted the mucus in next 20 minutes, cleared my throat through gargles – had a cup of Hot Tea and was ready for the trip ahead. Before anybody could realize, we countered Gata Loops (A series of 21 loops on single slope which would take you upwards by around 1500 ft). All along the sharp pin bends, all of us decided, childishly, to count in our own respective native languages. Farhan chose Hindi so I chose Sanskrit.

Abandoned Truck at Lachulung La

Road under Rock before Pang

Maggi Thukpa at Pang

Pang - World's Highest Military Station

It must have been not later than 5.30 when we left Sarchu because even after climbing 2 formidable passes – Nakee La and Lachulung La; we reached Pang well before 9 AM for breakfast. “Julay”, the lady greeted and her daughters offered us Hot Water. We drank gladly and others ordered for Maggi/Omelette. I didn’t feel any appetite and the lady there could understand it, yet I ordered Maggi hoping that its fumes would induce hunger. Luckily, I was successful and ate the Maggi Thukpa. During our meal, our Driver Namgail told us that one of the tyres was punctured and needed attention. As we finished our meals, a Foreign tourist came inside for breakfast and all the females in the tent started shooing him away. He could explain us in broken English that he was being subjected to biased treatment. As told later by females, he supposedly had misbehaved with them in the night after getting drunk. We couldn’t have helped it and so, we marched ahead after making the payments. We tried to get the puncture repaired at a mechanic shop beside the road but in vain.

More Plains

I don’t know what all of us were thinking at that time – because all of us were busy on our own when suddenly we took the left bend and the pleasant surprise came – More Plains – we all went crazy almost immediately at the stark beauty of the place. Just imagine – Vast Expanse of Flatlands and horizon seems like 200 km away - at the height of 16000 feet – Can the beauty be explained? :-) But to our horror, Namgail went on a speeding spree, leading the car into the middle of the plains while the road went on a side. One hand, the Speedometer needle touched 100 and on the other, our butts and necks were already crying due to the shocks coming from the exhausted Shockers of the vehicle.

Yaks having their breakfast!

Looking back at the Long Way we've come - at 120 kmph!

Its snowing at Taglang La! and We can barely smile in that cold!

Soon, we saw a herd of Yaks for the first time and Namgail told us that this is the place where the “road” from Tso Kar meets More Plains. And then we started ascending to the final and one of the most formidable passes of the World. A group of Surds in an Innova had told us that the Taglang La was closed due to snowfall but since our driver is Ladakhi, he would be able to take us through. As we were getting close to the Pass, the amount of snow increased gradually and the wind was getting colder; eventually turning into snow. I was so delighted – I cannot explain – to experience snowfall at 12 noon on June 19 at a place that is in Northern Hemisphere (and so close to Equator). At the Taglang La Top, all of us found difficult to breathe – and nobody could gather the courage to click all of the important points. I think, all of us had lost some thinking power also because when I wrote “Ankit was here” in the snow; Hari exclaimed to me “Don’t be selfish, Ankit” and wrote all others’ names also. I am still trying to understand the reason behind that :-) I visited the temple there, which had all the Gods of all the religions and castes that I could recall and when we started descending, we could find lot of local women (might have been hired by BRO) to clear the snow on road.

Hari and Farhan lend their hand in clearing snow - while Bikiran watches on! I try too!

Soon, the snow was left behind and the wind was growing hotter. Again, the terrain changed and when the milestone told me “Upshi 3”, I intuitively asked Namgail whether Indus is behind “that” cliff. He looked at me with astonishment and asked me “You have come here before?” I smiled and said – “No, It’s logical. Indus is supposed to join us at Upshi and I can make out that there is a valley behind that cliff.”

View of Shey Gompa from the Highway

We stopped at Upshi for lunch – and now there was no Roti. We had to order authentic Tibetan Thukpas, which I found too bland :-( but nevertheless, I ate whatever I could and then we proceeded. As Karu came and I saw the first PCO in 30 hours, I expressed my desire to make some calls – Home and most importantly, our Agent in Leh. We stopped but the call could not connect. Finally, it was in Leh at Riffat General Store, where the call could connect and Javed, our agent, explained the way to Namgail. It took us 30 min to reach Javed’s office because of the traffic jam and further 20 minutes to reach Lasu Guest House (our friend’s house).

What a clean house and a variety of Cookies and Dry fruits satisfying our appetite. I asked Javed to arrange for the cab tomorrow for Zanskar. Meanwhile he would arrange for our permits. He took leave of us, promising us the details of the Cab in the evening. I was too tired (and sad because of the 12.5k deal from Manali to Leh) and wanted to lie down when Hari asked me to explain the entire plan. I felt very frustrated that even after sending so many detailed mails with Itineraries and the Map – he didn’t care to read any of that but I later thought even I would have been least interested in reading mails. I explained everything to Hari and answered all the counter-questions but when Hari suggested that we should go to local J&K Tourism Office to verify/confirm these details – I went crazy inside (“Every bit of my information is first-hand and better than any Tourism office – The only better sources than this can be Truck Drivers”) and murmured – “I am very tired, if you want to go – please!” I knew that after this kind of travel, nobody has the power to roam in Leh at this altitude and look for J&K Tourism Office and as it stands, nobody did go!

And here lies Leh - from Shanti Stupa!

We took BATH and stepped outside for a trek to Shanti Stupa. It was on the top of the hill just beside our house in Yurtung. Although I felt a little apprehended by the climb, Farhan motivated all of us and soon, we were at the top. Wind was chilling but the view of Leh town was fantastic. I was surprised to see that the Stupa, unlike any temple, did not have any room inside to worship. It was just a sculpture like thing built amidst nowhere.

Atop Shanti Stupa

The next task was to proceed to the market for shopping, calls to home and emptying the cameras. The God must have been very happy from our behavior that as soon as I climbed the last of the steps of the Stupa, we met one of our friends there. She introduced us to her mother and invited for a cup of tea. We soon found ourselves inside Karzu Palace which is locally called Alpha Mess – her father being at a very senior post in the Indian Army. As I looked at the watch, I realized it was little late to go to market and then to our house so we transferred the pictures there only. All of them were very impressed by our Itinerary – the map and all the other details – which were, well, arranged by me. We were about to leave when her father arrived and enquired us about our deal for transportation. He talked about a deal which he uses and offered us to use that. We took some time off and said “We would get back soon”. What followed was an intense study of all the distances – resulting in our unanimous decision that we would go ahead with Uncle’s deal. However, my concern was how to refuse Javed for his services. We thought it might be a problem – but what is to be done – is to be done. We tried calling Uncle but his phone was unreachable (It is very difficult to reach BSNL Cell phones in Leh from PCOs which are not BSNL). Ultimately, we decided to go back to Alpha Mess and tell him personally. By this time, my physical state had worsened. Again, I was under Whopping Cough and could only help it with Hot Water.

It was past 9 by now and when we started back for the house, it was absolutely dark and silent. A little scary, I must confess, because we were not sure of the right way. We just kept on following the angular sight of Shanti Stupa and soon, reached the house. Javed waited there for us and when I came down for supper after changing, I told him about the case and he, being such a true and good person, gladly accepted (I was so relieved and I vowed that I would send him at least double business in near future).

Mission Ladakh Zanskar Siachen 2007 - Day 03

Manali – Marhi – Rohtang La – Koksar – Keylong – Darcha – Baralacha La – Sarchu

Clock struck 4.30 and I woke up by the Alarm. I had not shat for 2 days now and I was getting worried about it now. This made me go inside and forcing it. Fortunately, I was relieved :-) and as soon as I was ready, my phone rang and the Driver told Bikiran that he would be here in 5 minutes. I was ready with the luggage and I took my bag with me to the Gate. He came, took a U-Turn and took me to the Patli Kuhal Taxi Union Office (around 24 km towards Kullu). He told me the entire drama that I had to play there and I knocked at the Office Gate. The officer there woke up and quoted me 16,000/- I was surprised – even the Driver checked. Apparently, after 10 minutes of playing it – the officer understood the drama and irritatingly called the Driver inside and told “I’m allotting a ticket of 16,000 to you. Now, you arrange it on your own. I don’t care.” Both were happy – hurried back to Manali and I called Bikiran to check out and be ready. Our hurry was marred by a huge herd of sheep.

I think it was around 6.45 when we were finally ready – Ready to follow the trail – What trail – we shall see! That same herd was again there to obstruct our way, as we took the turn towards Rohtang. As decided, we stopped at Marhi for our breakfast (Damn Costly!). I decided, I would not pay him the entire amount of 12,500/- at once. He had also told me that his friend might take us from Darcha onwards. When I told him about this, he was distressed and I, somehow convinced him to accept 6,500/- now and then I would pay him 6,000/- at Darcha.

We were just about to reach Rohtang La when he stopped. There was a jam! :-( But fortunately, there was some snow sheets and since Hari had seen snow for the first time in his life, time was not difficult to pass. On trying, I could even call home and tell Mom the exhilaration that I could already feel. I also told her that I might not be able to call her for next 2 days. We must have waited there for an hour or so when the traffic cleared and we crossed Rohtang La in a blink of an eye.

Will do this trail - Soon!

First Pass Conquered and we were now descending into the Lahaul Valley – my first dream. Terrain changed dramatically – Trees disappearing – Stones and Rocks finding their place. I asked the Driver to stop at the place where the road from Kaza meets. When I took a picture there, I told others – “There are some pictures I HAVE to take – Don’t ask me why, what, etc.” :-) We reached Khoksar checkpost and I clicked the Bridge again about which I had read in Yogesh’ blog that it had been destroyed in 2005.

Tandi Fuel Pump

The car was giving some problems – It was skipping and hence, halting anywhere. This was dangerous and it had to be repaired. We stopped in Keylong at a Repair Garage. While the mechanic took it for a test-drive, Hari was busy clicking some good frames around. When he returned, it was decided that the mechanic would drive till Darcha. It must have been around 1 PM when we reached Darcha and as soon as we entered the Tent Restaurant, I uttered that word which I had been dying to say “Julay” :-) The lady there replied “Julay” smilingly and welcomed us to a whole lot of options – Dal/Kadhi Rice, Roti Sabzi, Maggi, Thukpa, Momo. The team ordered Mutton Momos whereas I went ahead for Dal/Kadhi Rice. It was delicious – I must tell you – There is nothing like homely food in a cozy tent at such a cold place where nothing else is available. We savored every bit of the food, bought some mineral water bottles and were ready to leave; when the Driver told us that he had already transferred the luggage to his friend’s car who would take us to Leh. I made the balance payment and he took us across the long bridge where his “friend’s” car was parked. Voila – It was a JK-10! We understood immediately but didn’t say anything.

Suraj/Vishal Tal

Without wasting time, we settled in the new car and started ahead. His name was Namgail and I was unable to understand anything he was speaking. Finally, I gave up. Clmbing up and up – I felt the first signs of the air thinning. He spoke himself “Agar Oxygen ki problem hoti hai toh Vicks ki goli lo”. I tried avoiding it but later popped one. There was a small unnamed but very serene and beautiful lake on the way. On our way back, we came to know that it was called Suraj/Vishal Tal. In no time, we reached Baralacha La. Stopping some 50 meters ahead; we had to go back to the Board for clicking snaps. Bikiran made the mistake of running but after some 15 meters, he realized that it’s not a joke to be running at 16,500 feet above sea level. Oxygen level is low – REALLY! And it’s got nothing to do with your physique, health or power.

Baralacha La - 16,500 Feet

Power n Effect of Wind Erosion!

Starting again, we were getting overwhelmed by the Terrain. All of us were dumbstruck and then we saw this just before Sarchu. The mountain had been eroded by air into strange anthill-like formations. Spectacular! And that’s when Farhan exclaimed the quote of the journey – “And I thought; only women are beautiful on this planet!” Soon, we cross the bridge over River Sarchuka and as we entered J&K, BRO welcomed us to Project Himank. We settled in for a tent through Namgail. They quoted us 30 per bed in the Common Tent and 300 for the complete separate Tent. I bargained easily and the deal was set at 200 for the Tent. We threw our luggage there and while Namgail took the car for some repair, we set out to click pictures – Milestones, Signboards, and Lovely Terrain everywhere!

BRO Welcomes you to Project Himank

As the night fell, I started feeling uncomfortable. It was cold and since I was roaming outside, the cold wind entered my chest and I was under Dry Whooping cough already. They offered me Hot Water and asked me to remain inside. I ordered for Maggi and went to sleep, after taking Diamox. Bikiran, although looking fine, also decided to take a pill. While I stepped outside, Farhan showed me an amazing arrangement of stars and the moon. One star was resting perfectly on the crescent of the Moon (which we were told later in Delhi that it was Venus – not a star). It deserved clicking but I guess, neither Hari nor me was in a state to look for the camera in the darkness and go out of the tent again to click it.

Sarchu Bridge: HP-JK Border

The night that followed was the toughest of all. It was high, it was cold – Air was really thin – and it was really uncomfortable. None of us (as we discussed the next morning) could sleep properly and it seemed that we were all having Cheynes Strokes Respiration cycles. After getting sleep I used to wake up suddenly and looked around for the reason of my waking up. Bikiran was on my side and when I expressed my desire to piss, he told me that he had just gone outside – it’s not so cold – just go, do it and come back soon. I did so and since I was sleeping with 4 layers of woolens on, I didn’t feel much cold! Just a little shivering and cold breeze crossing my spine – nothing more! Farhan told us in the morning that he was also awake at many times especially when I and Bikiran were talking about going outside; he had heard most of our conversations.

Mission Ladakh Zanskar Siachen 2007 - Day 02

Kiratpur – Bilaspur – Sundernagar – Mandi – Pandoh – Kullu – Manali

It must have been midnight when I awoke suddenly and saw there was nothing I could see in the front through the Windshield. It was raining hard, and everybody (as I got to know later) was awake but silent in fear of heavy downpour, while I was thinking about whether Rohtang La would be covered with snow now. When I woke up – it was only 4 AM. Everybody was asleep except people who were under Hill Sickness already. I tried my best to ignore the puking sounds and rather concentrate on the Hill Roads – and to my good luck, I was successful.

First Sighting of Beas

We made our first stop for Fuel somewhere near Sundernagar and thereafter for Breakfast before Mandi. Everybody had woke up and was reeling with the mountains under the clear skies. Although it was time for the first picture of the trip but nothing good came in the frame. We were soon joined by Beas, and some spectacular scenes started appearing including the Pandoh Dam. We reached Kullu by 9 AM but there was some procession going on and the roads of Kullu are the narrowest, I have ever seen that it took us more than 2 hours to reach Manali.

Accommodation, obviously, was not a problem. We headed straight to the Log Hut Road and within an hour, our rooms were ready. My main concern was to arrange for transport to Leh. After making a call home, I asked the Hotel Manager about the Cab to Leh. He called the Taxi Union Office, I suppose, and quoted me 8,000/-. I was happy and booked the same immediately. As soon as I broke the good news to others in the room, I got a call from him saying that he had misheard – the rate was 13,500/-. I gulped – but I could only murmur “Okay”. Now I would have to do it on my own.

Trek to Hadimba

We got ready, had our lunch and started walking towards the Mall where the main Taxi Stand was. As told earlier, eluding the main Stand, I and Bikiran walked towards the end of Taxi Queue and soon we got hold of a Taxi Driver, who was alone. We told him the requirements and connected him to our Leh Agent – they talked it out in detail but he wasn’t convinced whether he would be provided with a return passenger, as promised. Reluctantly, he told us “I’ll give you a call in sometime”. We went back to the Park where Farhan and Hari were waiting, and we proceeded on to Hadimba Temple. It was a good hike – especially because we followed the Staircase route. It was very crowded and I was not amused by it even a bit. I searched for the famous Fruit-Chat hawker, whose products we had relished 15 years ago – he was not there. We visited the temple (Long Queue) and thought it was time to hurry back to the Taxi Driver. On the way, Farhan thought he would get clicked with that furry rabbit or the huge Yak but changed his mind when I told him – they would charge at least 50/- for the picture.

Born a Demon - No Problem, Marry a God n Get yourself a Temple!

This time, all of us went to the Taxi Driver and when we reached, we were told that he would not be able to make it. “It’s Risky!” He recommended us to a friend of his who runs Daily Taxi to Leh (1-day journey). The rate for the same would be 1400/- per person. I declined but now my friends started thinking of other options like Bus. Although I was convinced that Booked Taxi is the best and only good option, I had to at least enquire about other options. All of us went from one place to another enquiring about the options, which came out to be:
1-Day Tempo – starts tomorrow morning 2 AM (Cancelled)
1-Day Taxi – starts tomorrow morning 2 AM (Cancelled)
2-Day Journey by Bus – starts Day after tomorrow (Cancelled) – At this, I was delighted because if this Bus would start the next day, then I would have had to concede.

At this point, I got hold of a Driver who quoted for 12,500/- (1,000/- less than the official rate). He said his cab is on the top at a nearby office of Patli Kuhal and he can get his customized Ticket from there. There was a pile of discussions between my friends that were overflowing my head and causing a heap of headache. Even now, I get that headache, after thinking about it. That was one of those tough times. Finally, everybody was convinced that this would be the best option and agreed. But when I went to finalize the deal with him, on asking when are we leaving – he said “2 AM”. We were shocked “(Oh No! Not Again) Bhai, Subah 2 baje kisliye? Humein 2 din mein pahunchna hai. (Why at 2 AM? We want a 2 day journey)” He was completely shattered – after all, his one day would be lost. After a few minutes of argument and peaceful convincing, he gave up. He asked us to be ready by 5 AM. We would go to Patli Kuhal and will leave Manali by 6 sharp!

I was so relieved (not knowing that similar worries would again show their face later) and now everybody wanted to go to that river bank, which everybody had earlier seen from a distance. We reached there soon and found that somebody had arranged for River Crossing. Rates were quite nominal – 50/- but I was still under Mom’s words “Don’t do something risky”. I waited for Farhan to do it and after he had arrived back safely – I thought “Well, this entire trip is risky. Let’s go ahead!” :D I waited further for Bikiran to complete and then I was sure, if the rope could take Bikiran’s weight; then it would be absolutely safe for me. And yes, it was awesome – an amazing experience – Loud noise of River running underneath and Adrenalin was at its maximum flow when my rope was oscillated up & down. My feet were almost numb with the chilled water.

Hanging over the Manusa

Soon, we re-arranged our stuff, decided to have our dinner down here only. It took us at least 30 minutes and a trek of at least 2 km to decide a place which was both cheap and good for the meal. While they ordered, I made a quick phone call and shared few of my experiences till now (The Cost). We reached hotel and I told the Assistant there that we’ll check out at 5.30 AM. As soon as I lied down to sleep, I realized there was only 1 Blanket and suddenly Loud Music started playing with the Cold. I had to go out in the Nightdress to ask them for Blankets and to lower down the volume of the Music. Apparently, the Manager was absconding and the Staff was drunk – so they replied by just smiling and asking me to enjoy with them. I ignored and went back to the room. Fortunately, the noise lowered and I was taken into deep slumber.