Mission Ladakh Zanskar Siachen 2007 - Day 10

Sasoma – Khalsar – Diskit – Hunder – Khalsar – Khardung La – Leh

Sun's first rays play with Siachen's snow - from Sasoma

The morning happened quite early. By now, we were well acclimatized and habitual of waking at 4.30 AM :-) Tea served was amazing, again. We clicked few pictures of the surroundings but truly speaking, the beauty cannot be captured with any Cam. The In charge there told us about the nearest Airport in Thoisse and the Military Hospital there ahead of Hunder.

We retreated back to Khalsar and when we took the turn to Diskit, the road was beautifully created in the Shyok valley. Vast expanse of plains on either side of the road ended when the road started climbing the mountain because Nubra takes a U-Turn to meet Shyok and the valley narrows again.

The terrain changed dramatically. I was waiting to see the Desert but I realized that Diskit was supposed to be before the Sand Dunes, where we stopped for Breakfast. Again, I guess, we were quite early there to our dismay but luckily, one guy reluctantly agreed to serve us. I had 2 Plain Paranthas for the same rate as 1 Omelette, which others had. It was quite filling. Meanwhile, our CMP Officer went on cribbing how we could have had a good breakfast at Khalsar.

We proceeded till Hunder and on the way, got to see the majestic Sand Dunes. We took the U-turn for the Desert there from before Hunder and went till the Jungle in the middle of the Desert. There was nobody to be seen. On observing carefully, all the Bactrian Camels and their owners were resting inside the Jungle – on enquiring, they said, Indians can’t afford the rides so we didn’t come outside. The rate was 150/- for 5 minutes. On bargaining, they had come down to 10 minutes but not any less. I was fuming, absolutely.

Tribute to our Rajasthan trip - and missing comrades

We enjoyed the sand there. Hari tried to capture many terrains in one frame, while we paid our tribute to the Rajasthan trip and our other missing comrades Kannan, Ravi and Swamy. We decided not to go ahead till Thoisse and go back to Leh.

I tried to capture all terrains in One click - Grass - River - Snow - Dry Cliff

On our return, we reached North Pallu, again for Lunch. And for a change, I met a very rare species there – A Baniya Army Officer. We had a good chat and a good lunch :-) We thanked them profusely and left by 2. This time, when we reached Khardung La, the Sun was on the opposite side and we got down to click another round of pictures. Also, the Souvenir Shop was open and I got inside to buy something. Coffee Mug was out of stock; hence I got a Beer Mug, on much pondering. Meanwhile, I had invited Hari to click all the not-for-sale memorabilia of the Place inside the Shop.

JK Tourism's Logo shows the bias against Ladakh - Just a Shikara and that too Sweet Blue!

Terrible Marketing Myopia!

Ribbon-Cutting at Khardung La in 1973

We reached Leh well in time and found Javed there. Today was the day, when we were supposed to finalize whose Car we would take for Tso Moriri and Manali. Pangong Tso trip had been changed to a single day making us come back to Leh.

We got out to the market and started trying Uncle’s phone but it was either unreachable or no reply. Eventually, I decided to go to his home. We reached there and Aunty told us that his cell phone must be silent otherwise there is no problem. And yes, it had been silent. Well, Uncle explained all the future plans ahead and the place to do billing the next day, after we return from Pangong Tso. He told us that the rule with the Army hired Civil Taxis is that they would take 50% of the return journey. We calculated the distances and told that Leh to Manali via Tso Moriri is 610 km and return would be 475 km. So Total Bill would be for around 850 km and hence, it was decided that we would go ahead with this plan.

They offered to have the meal with them but we had to refuse them as the Julie Aunty, back home, had prepared special dishes for us. It was well past 9 when we got back, and found a new member there. It was my friend’s friend – Oliver – a Frenchman, who teaches Skiing for 8 months in French Alps and runs this Guest House in partnership for 4 months. We had a good chat over the delicious meal, although, Aunty and Uncle looked bored simply because we were talking in English. We wondered – how they talk with Oliver for the rest of the time. I made the call to Javed, explaining him that we would not take his Car for even the final time. Inside, I was very guilty of taking back Business from him but I couldn’t have helped it.

Mission Ladakh Zanskar Siachen 2007 - Day 09

Leh - Khardung La - Khalsar - Sumur - Panamik - Sasoma - Snout - Sasoma

And the day finally arrived when we were supposed to do the honours – to cross the Highest Motorable Road in the World!

As instructed, we reached the Alpha Mess to pick the CMP Officer, who had been placed by Uncle to accompany us throughout the forthcoming trips to Inner Line Areas. We directly left after a short while and soon we were climbing the winding roads north of Leh. We reached South Pallu, well before the scheduled time when the Tourists are allowed to cross. Because of us, the Check Post had to allow few other Tourists also to proceed. We could see the wind chilling our spine again and the snow was growing in quantity. The tower was visible from a distance and when we reached there – the adrenalin flowing through my vessels was unexplainable. We had reached the places of all – Khardung La – The Highest Motorable Road in the World!

I remembered Uncle’s special warning (in addition to the precautions, I knew) not to spend more than 15 minutes on the Top. Hari clicked loads of pictures – as instructed – with the board – on top of the Marble, with the Flags. We were treated with Hot Tea and to our amusement; other tourists were indeed staring at us with curiosity wondering at the fact that we are getting tea at the Top of the World :-)

Highest Motorable Point on the face of this planet!

We started descending ahead and it was time for Breakfast, when we reached North Pallu. The Breakfast was absolutely ready in the camp – I was wondering – is it a place to relish such delicious Gobi Paranthas with Butter, Pickle and “beautiful” Curd? Well, we proceeded ahead and when we stopped at Khalsar, we were confused. Not later, we were served Tea and then we realized that it was all a part of the hospitability. We were overwhelmed and just went on discussing how it would have been, if we were accompanied by any liquor-loving friends.

Quite true!... Literally! BRO Zindabad!

On reaching the bifurcation, we took the road towards Panamik and the next stop was the Hot Sulphur Spring. The weather had turned hot yet this spring was welcome for my Cervical & Spinal Aches. However, on observing, the place was haunted (nobody to be seen for miles) and the source of the spring was untraceable. We soon reached the Panamik Check Post where the Tourist Area ends. Our CMP Officer got down and soon, we were on the No Tourist’s Land. The milestones started showing Sasoma but there was no sign which showed that we are close to the World’s Highest Battlefield. Road was fairly good and the tracks showed tyremarks of only the Military Vehicles. The weather was hot for the most part and the terrain was dry – peaks capped with snow.

Treating my flesh and bones with sulphur spring - Panamik!

My eyes wanted me to sleep but my mind told me not to – and soon, we were past Sasoma, where there were no milestones. After sometime, we could see some activities and developed blocks at a distance. We knew this had to be the Base Camp!

As we crossed the Huge Bridge over Nubra River, my conflicting thoughts of clicking that bridge were smoothened by my friends. We were stopped by the Guards there, but soon let into the Base Camp. As we proceeded, we saw Jawans working on something or the other – most of them must have just finished their lunch.

65 kilometer after the Tourist Permitted Area, finally – for the first time, in my life, the Road Ended and we saw "Siachen Dwar". We stopped much before the Gate where the Jawans guided us into a Camp. Upon entering, everything blacked out – in contrast to the outside Sun that it took us some time to see comfortably. The room was full of Officers having their lunch and the TV showing some advertisements. It was marvelous to see the centre position being grabbed by the stoutest and the most powerful Officer among all. He enquired Farhan about our relationship to Army – and we could just say “Friend”. We had our lunch in the back room of the Lounge, the walls of which were jutted by all the details about the Battalions, which have been posted there since 1984.

On waiting for sometime in the Lounge, we met a Captain – who, supposedly, had been held responsible for showing us around. At first, when he got to know that none of us are from Army Background, he was annoyed and expressed it subtly. I was very irritated by the way he taunted on Farhan – “There should be some purpose in life. Money is not everything.” And etc.

After all, each one of us is doing something or the other for the country. I respect the Army men utmost, above all, for their work and the responsibility. But saying that we are nothing – is incorrect. If India is considered among the top countries today, it is not because of the Army – it is because of the Economy and the boon that Outsourcing has been to this country. I wanted to tell him that we are part of that community which is working to uphold India’s respect as a Good Service Provider to the world. I know if you wouldn’t be there, there would be no existence of India but we are no less. However, I didn’t say anything thinking that might worsen the matter. Let the Captain take his time to pacify.

Can you tell me what is beneath these rocks? - Frozen Earth!

Soon, he started explaining about what the Glacier is and explaining to us the plan ahead. As he guided Prakash into Siachen Dwar, we just sat there speechless, under huge thrill factor and waiting for more. The dirt track culminated in a temple which was named after a Jawan who saved the entire Glacier almost single-handedly, when it was first attacked in 1984 by Pakistan. Captain did explain to us about the strategic importance of the Glacier for India – one, It is natural protection against Pakistan and China – two, It would create a very short route from Pakistan to China which is undesirable by India and – three, Pride (which means whatever Pakistan wants, will India give it to them). We paid our tributes to the Temple there and strolled ahead near the Glacier.

Temple of OP Baba - the sole Siachen savior from 1984

The Ice wall was huge and it seemed that a simple knock on the wall would make your hand bleed. I couldn't believe when I could actually touch the Glacier with my own fingers and big icicles were constantly breaking from the glacier on the mouth of Nubra and were flowing in that beautiful river. He asked us to pose in front of it – although I was skeptical of the ice-stones falling from the top. Fortunately, it didn’t happen with our heads. We moved ahead and he showed how the seemingly Black Soil was actually all Snow and Ice. Black, I guess, due to the regular Artillery Firing. Tough Frozen Land - Just Rock-hard Ice!

Snow n Ice everywhere - Blackened and Damned!

He explained that it takes 22 days for jawans on foot to reach the Actual post from the Base Camp and every Battalion hangs a Bell at the temple before leaving. We retreated back because we were quite late to be able to visit the Training Area, let alone our physical capability to even reach there. We moved on the other side of the Nubra and to our astonishment, there was a good enough developed area with many cannons dug in the earth – all pointing towards North-West i.e. Pakistan :-)

He explained to us that when the original Amarnath Shiva ling melted for the first time in 2005, a second Amarnath appeared here. From then on, it has been called the Second Amarnath and the trek that leads to it, has been jutted with Steel gates bearing the names of the Regiments and the battles they have won in the past. From a distance, the trek and the stones encompassing the 2nd Amarnth seemed exactly similar to the other Amarnath. On the way back, when I told him of my friend, who recently turned Captain; he confirmed that my friend is 6 months senior to him. From then on, he turned quite friendly and less taunting – actually, no taunts :-)

Most Interesting list of Battles!

We proceeded ahead to Siachen War Memorial, whose architecture is spectacular. It bears the names of all the people who died on the post (after all, on an average 40 people die every year on the Glacier - let alone those who lose their limbs, digestive power, breathing power or snow-blindness…the list is endless.

You just need to read them to comprehend our feelings!

Hari clicked all the quotes written there – they were very motivating and emotional. One, which he couldn’t capture – I wrote down in my Diary:
“One who ”

You just need to read them to comprehend our feelings!

Getting back to the Camp, we were served Tea and Cookies while Captain got his laptop to transfer the pictures. He showed some of his pictures on the post and I could just imagine how difficult it would be to just stay there. We soon bid goodbyes and proceeded to Sasoma for the night stay. On the way, however, we were blocked as the RT Drill was going on. We reached Sasoma, well in time, with unforgettable memories of India’s largest Glacier, which is the World’s Highest Battlefield – Thanks to Pakistan and China.

Again just read the Board - and keep on imagining our feelings on achieving what an Indian citizen could only dream of! We cannot thank you enough Brig Uncle!

Back in Sasoma, we were treated like VIPs and the food was awesome beyond explanation. I found a copy of Jagmohan’s book “My Frozen Turbulence in Kashmir” there and read first few pages of it. That is one book, I want to read as soon as possible – a topic which is very close to my heart. I slept with the dreams of this place getting peaceful, which I know is not possible. In fact, that day is awaited when the entire Glacier would disappear due to the enhanced Warming effects due to Battle.

Mission Ladakh Zanskar Siachen 2007 - Day 08

Leh – Shey – Thiksey – Hemis – Leh

We woke up quite lazily at 8.30 when the sun was shining ablaze. I performed Kunjal to cleanse my system and reached the kitchen at 9.30 for breakfast. Aunty wished all of us and gave the Khambir – this time I enjoyed it much more. I discussed my plans with everybody that I would take a self-massage and Sunbath and then get ready for a trip to market. Hari told us from his morning trip to the market that there are very good T-shirts available there. I proceeded, as discussed, and sent Bikiran with Hari first. Farhan accompanied me later, and I shared all the discontent I had, at that time – due to the taunts and jokes of others about my bad health and other things. (After all, I was suffering from Sinusitis, damn it - and I was still doing all possible things) I had decided that if anything comes more, I would simply go on my own. I will tell everybody “Take your money – Arrange your own things. Now you all are on your own and I will find my own way”.

Hemis Gompa

Fortunately, that did not happen and our trip to market was quite successful and eventful. We bought good T-shirts and other items, especially, me and Bikiran. As promised, Prakash was there to pick us up at sharp 2. But due to a misunderstanding, Aunty had not prepared the lunch for us. We went to the Amdo Café for lunch and savored every bit of it. Incidentally, it was a Saturday and somehow, Guys couldn’t get the much awaited Mutton Momos and Thukpa.

We proceeded to see Thiksey Gompa first, which is situated on a hillock. Then we proceeded to see Hemis, where I could not enjoy much due to untimely Nature’s Call :-) I answered it, while others were busy with the Gompa. Then we went to the Shey Palace. The interiors at all the places were not very different. In fact, each one of them was perfectly similar, although quite peaceful and enticing.

Siddhartha stares at us and asks the mankind to calm down and to slow down!

This Lama was particularly and unanimously cute and he had wished us a very confident "Julley"

Sun setting across the Indus River

while I perform the Pooja of the Sindhu ;-)

The day ended with the Fish pond beside Shey Palace and then the Sindhu Darshan. The place was empty but could be felt how busy it would be during the Festival. We reached the market and decided to make the purchase for the next day – Water. Meanwhile, I got busy with the call and luckily, this time, got through. Uncle explained everything on the phone very carefully. I was thrilled on knowing that we would be visiting the places of all – the majestic Siachen Glacier.

We reached the Rest House in time and over the dinner, I enjoyed the conversation on the Ladakh & Kashmir’s history, I started with Lasu Uncle. Especially, I was thrilled with the fact that Meme (my friend's grandpa) had encircled the Pangong Tso on foot, while going on one of his trips to Tibet for trade. Their business had come to a halt in 1959 when China captured Tibet. After numerous years of bad times, they had finally grown back with the help of education. I slept with the dreams of Pangong Tso and the sight of Indo-China Border. The best of the trip was yet to come!

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.