LADAKH - A LAND LIKE NO OTHER

Back from the most adventerous and the most mesmerizing tour of my life till now. Was an adventure at a different level all together. Was witness to a variety of experiences like extreme heat during the day followed by bitter cold during the nights along with landslides and travel through some of the most rocky terrains. That is what is the LADAKH tour all about. The majesticity and grandeur of the Himalayas just HUMBLES you. Unmatched natural beauty all through the tour. Even a million pictures will not be enough to capture the beauty of this place. What can be seen by the naked eye cannot be captured in the cameras and/or the panoramic pictures that you capture these days. Your naked eyes are the camera and your brain is the hard disk. The sky is a clear blue especially at 15000+ ft and cloudless too which you can notice in some of the clicks that I have taken.

People who have been to USA were reminded of American deserts with huge canyons like the Grand Canyon and/or Yosemite but LADAKH is much more than that. But I think the comparison itself would be unfair. The sheer variety and riot of colors and patterns on the mountains and rock formations that you are visually treated on this tour beats any of these places and coupled with it the high altitudes.

A point to note : You will be greeted by the word "Julay" very often by the locals in LADAKH which is the equivalent of our "Namaste"!!

The best time to visit LADAKH is from June to September as the passes open up only during this period and the weather is the warmest during this period.

You are visually treated to layers and layers of mountains throughout the tour, one after the other and some of them snow capped and some of them in different shades of colors like brown, dark brown, dark blue, dark green, maroon, violet, black and sometimes a riot of colors too. Can you imagine this with mountains. We always thought mountains would be brown. Some of them had such lovely patterns on them and they were so perfect it looked as if some sculptor has chiselled it to perfection. It looked straight out of a painting and probably only a painting can capture the beauty of this place to some extent at least. And then there would be combination of mountains with different colors side by side. Such grandeur and beauty is unmatched. Nature at its very best and Himalayas at its very best too..totally uncovered and raw..!!

On  my way to Leh.

On my way to Leh.

LADAKH seems to be a popular destination especially amongst foreigners. Did see a lot of tempo travellers with people from different nationalities during my entire travel in LADAKH. Did see some foreigners taking the cycling route also and though it might take a longer time for them to see through the entire place, I guess it has its advantages too. LEH also has a considerable foreign tourist population and that gives it a more lively & colorful look and feel. Did speak to a tourist guide who was touring with a foreign group and asked him as to from which countries he gets the maximum requests to explore LADAKH and he told me that people from UK, Australia and New Zealand are more adventerous and hence he gets more requests from these countries.

Once you cross ROHTANG pass you are in army territory and hence no access to mobile connections etc. Either way only BSNL & Airtel connections work & that too once you reach LEH and only post-paid cards work. Prepaid cards do not work. So forget using smartphones to boast about your current location/status on FB, WhatsApp etc. Dont expect the best of toilet facilities too and be prepared to be out of electricity for days together. So mobile and camera charging is a real issue on this tour. In some places the roads are really bad at stretches and the ride is really rocky and in discussing with other co-passsengers could gather so much that one of the reasons is that LADAKH is more of a strategic and sensitive location given its proximity to enemy territory and hence its more of a military area than a tourist one and hence probably the roads are not really upto tourist standards and the other one is that Himalayas being a seismic zone landslides are a given and hence its a waste of money, time & energy in rebuilding this time & again and/or probably a combination of both factors and might be some others which I am not privy to. But the grand views through the entire tour more than compensates for any hardships that one undergoes on this tour. The scenery never lets you forget that LADAKH is after all a high altitude cold desert.

We were a group of around 50+ which included both bikers and non bikers. LADAKH is known as a BIKERS HAVEN. Its a different thrill all together doing this tour on a bike. I am a non biker so was part of the non bikers group which travelled in a tempo traveller. We were around 13 of us. If you are planning on this tour be prepared to be content with Maggie Noodles and Soup for days together and I had to be content with the same too. The only food easily available once you cross ROHTANG pass and till you reach LEH are Maggie Noodles, Soup & maybe Parathas & tea for vegetarians & egg omelette for non veggies. We stayed at tents with the local people which was a different & great experience. One of the purposes of this tour was to interact with the locals there. The LADAKHI people are very friendly and service in the tents were really great. The LADAKHI people are up really early & active given the extreme climate. Also be prepared to give up the comforts of city life & be prepared to stay in tents with no electricity etc if you are to do this tour.

The route from Manali to Leh on the Manali-Leh highway is thru something known as Gata Loops which is a series of 21 hairpin bends that takes you to the top of the third high altitude pass on this highway, Nakeela, at an altitude of 16000 ft. The Gata Loops is known for its stunning location & breathtaking scenary and also for its difficult ascent.

Once you reach an altitude of 15000+ ft one may encounter breathing problems or AMS sickness as they call it due to lack of oxygen followed by loss of energy which is normal. A simple walk of 5 minutes might make you a little breathless. Many people in our group encountered breathing problems and reported to the nearest army hospital and were treated for the same. Not to worry in case you get sick at LADAKH as you have army hospitals at periodic distances & you get the best treatment almost free of cost. Luckily I managed to pull through this tour without much problems and also without Diamox - hehe. We were recommended to have Diamox from Manali itself and many people developed after effects like vomitting etc. Diamox is recommended to overcome altitude sickness (AMS) and to acclimatize onself to the high altitudes. One desi solution given to me by an avid trekker is to have a clove of raw garlic first thing in the morning. Did try it for a couple of days during the tour and but for the smell it worked. Another solution is to keep sniffing CAMPHOR. So one more achievement added to my list apart from the Khardung La, Chang La passes etc. Please note that it is not necessary that you will not have altitude sickness next time you are in high altitudes since you did not have problems this time. One of the members has been to LADAKH 4 times and had to go in for oxygen this time around. As they say - there are NO GUARANTEES in life.

Got close to the Pak & China borders too..!! The Pangong Tso lake is partly in India and partly in Tibet (China). This lake is a real beauty and you can see at least six to seven shades of colors in it at any given point of time. Colors that I could relate to were, light blue, dark blue, light green, dark green, violet & grey..hope the clicks that I've taken give you some feel of it, but again as I said earlier the beauty of this place is such that, what is seen by the naked eye cannot be captured in pics.

Pangong Tso Lake.

Pangong Tso Lake.

Kargil took us close to the Pak border too...about 6-7 kms away. One army man briefed us about the 1999 Kargil war and about the valiant soldiers who lost their lives in recapturing Tiger Hill and Tololing mountains. You can see the Tiger Hill mountain from the Kargil War Memorial though no one is allowed to go there. For people who dont know the importance of Tiger Hill, Tiger Hill & Tololing are mountains which were occupied by the Pak Army in 1999 kargil war and were re-captured by India and this signalled our victory in the war. The strategic importance of this place cannot be underestimated as from this hill the Pak Army could easily shell Indian postitions. 10 Pakistani soldiers were killed, and 2 escaped; 5 Indian soldiers were also killed.The main hero of the battle was Indian Soldier Yogendra Singh Yadav who was later awarded with the highest award of the Indian Army, Param Vir Chakra. Again the battle of Tololing was equally important given its strategic location and more than half of the entire casualties suffered during the Kargil War by the Indian Army was in recapturing this hill. Major Rajesh Adhikari (posthumously) and Digendra Kumar were awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second highest military honour for their daring actions on the peak. And finally I've to mention my favorite hero, Captain Vikram Batra of 13 JAK Rifles, who at the young age of 25 lost his life recapturing Point 5140. The capture of Point 5140 set in motion a string of successes, such as Point 5100, Point 4700, Junction Peak and Three Pimples. Along with fellow Captain Anuj Nayyar, Batra led his men to victory with the recapture of Point 4750 and Point 4875. He was killed when he tried to rescue an injured officer during an enemy counterattack against Point 4875 in the early morning hours of 7 July 1999. His last words were, "Jai Mata Di" and was awarded with the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest Military honor. Its a really different feeling when you are here at the war memorial and you become very emotional thinking about people who have sacrificed their today for our tomorrow. SALUTES to our great soldiers. We also saw the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers which were really beautiful.

On my way from Kargil to Srinagar. Confluence of Indus and Zanskar rivers.

Army March at Kargil War Memorial.

Kargil War Memorial Entrance.

You get to see some Interesting, Meaningful and Humorous Road Signs put up by the BRO and HIMANK while you are travelling in LADAKH. Here are some of them :

Ride on Horse Power, Not on Rum Power!!
Let Your Insurance Policy Mature Before You!!
Road Signs. They are Signs of Life!!
Darling I Like You But Not So Fast!! (One of my favorites)
If Married - Divorce Speed,  If Engaged - Go Steady,  If Single  - Watch the Curves
Drive Carefully, Live Cheerfully!!
Drive Like Hell, You will Be There!!
After Drinking Whisky, Driving is Risky!!
Are you going for a party? Then why drive so dirty!!
Left is Right, Right is Worng!!
Don't Gossip Let him Drive!!
Blind Curve Ahead, Check Your Nerve!!
Speed Thrills But Kills!!
Overtaker Beware of Undertaker!!
If you love her please divorce speed!!
Peep. Peep. Don't Sleep!!
If Married, Divorce Speed!!
Heaven, Hell or Mother Earth. The Choice is yours!!
Safety on Road is "Safe Tea" at home!!
Fast Wont Last!!
Be Gentle on the Curves!!
Be Mr Late than Late Mr!!
Its a HighWay Not RunWay!!
Way of Worship may be different But God is One!!
Do not mix Drinking With Driving!!
I am Curveceous, Be Slow!!
Slow Drive, Long Life!!
Driving and Day Dreaming Do Not Go Together!!
Love Thy Neighbor But Not While Driving!!
Mountains are a Pleasure But Only If You Drive with Leisure!!
Be Weatherwise or Otherwise!!
If you want to Donate Blood Do Not Do it On the road, Donate it in the Blood Bank!!
Overspeed is a knife that cuts a life!!
Life is a Limited Company with Unlimited Dreams!!
Night Doubles Traffic Troubles!!
Break the Speed, That is the Need!!
Hurry Burry Spoils the Curry!!
Be Mr Late Than Never!!
Remember There is Always Someone Waiting for you at the other end!!
A Spill' A Slip' A Hospital Trip!!
Drive With Reason This Holiday Season!!

We also travelled through Morrey Plains which is a cold desert and the landscape is just flat with loose mud.You can see desert on one side of the plains and snow capped mountains on the other side. However we could not make it to Nubra Valley. Probably instead of having 2 lakes in the tour it would have been better to have Pangong Tso lake &  Nubra Valley instead of the Tso Moriri lake as the landscapes are different which was one of the suggestions given to the tour organizer for the next trip. Some bikers did manage to do Nubra Valley too on their own. Hopefully I will do it next time.


We also travelled to LamaYuru also known as Moonland which has a different landscape and color of mud and is adjoining to the LamaYuru Monastery and is on the Kargil - Srinagar highway. One thing noticed throughout the tour is the sheer variety of different rock formations that you get to see.

A couple of bikers from our group met with accidents and had to abandon their bike rides as a result of fractures to their hands..so its really risky to travel by bikes. One of our group members had to abandon the trip due to ill-health. We were also in for landslides when we were on our way to Pangong Tso Lake and our group got split with the bikers being stuck at Pangong Tso lake and non bikers back in LEH. They had to spend an additional night there but during these times you get the best treatment from the Army. You get treated to some awesome food at the Army canteen too. So nothing to worry here, thanks to the strong Army presence.

On the way from Kargil to Srinagar you will come across the 'Magnetic Hill' located about 50 km from Leh at a height of 11000 feet on the Leh-Kargil-Srinagar highway which is a gravity hill and is alleged to have magnetic properties strong enough to pull cars uphill and force passing aircraft to increase their altitude in order to escape magnetic interference. In reality, the effect is an optical illusion and there is no magnetic disturbance in the area at all. On its south side flows the Indus, which originates in Tibet and goes to Pakistan. The so-called magnetic hill has become a popular stop for domestic tourists on car journeys.

On the way from Kargil to Srinagar is the Zoji La Pass located on the Indian National Highway 1D between Srinagar and Leh in the western section of the Himalayan mountain range and around 9km Sonamarg provides a vital link between Ladakh and Kashmir. It runs at an elevation of approximately 11,575 ft and is the second highest pass after Fotu La on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, Zoji La was seized by Pakistani raiders in 1948 in their campaign to capture Ladakh. The pass was captured by Indian forces on 1 November in a daring assault codenamed Operation Bison, which achieved success primarily due to the surprise use of tanks, then the highest altitude at which tanks had operated in combat in the world. You can see the Amarnath base camp from this pass.

Zojila Pass. On my way to Srinagar.

Sonamarg.

The non bikers had their share of aventure too. The tour was really great till we reached Kashmir Valley which was during the last leg of the tour. As we reached Sonamarg which is a beautiful place we spent time over there with some people doing horse riding etc and others just chilling out. After spending time at Sonamarg as we proceeded towards Srinagar due to some civil unrest there our tempo traveller was pelted with stones and our windows smashed as a result. Luckliy no one was hurt seriously. All vehicles were stopped at the Amarnath transit camp area and we had to wait there till around 11 pm before all vehicles were allowed to leave the place. We heard about other vehicles also being attacked. Initially we thought of spending the night at the Amarnath transit camp but later when it was announced that vehicles would be allowed to leave shortly, we heaved a sigh of relief. We reached our hotel amidst fear of another round of stone pelting at around 12 midnight (luckily nothing happened) and had our dinner and went to bed at around 1 am.

Next morning we were informed of curfew being enforced in Srinagar and had to confine ourselves to the hotel only. Curfew in this area is a common thing and people are used to living with this. In the evening we were allowed to do some sightseeing and managed to see a couple of gardens in Srinagar and went for Shikara Ride in the Dal lake. We were forced to cancel the last day of our trip which was Jammu due to continued civil unrest and all of us decided to call it quits and take the next flight back home as we were not sure how long the unrest would continue and the main part of our tour in LADAKH was already over.

Dal Lake.

There are two routes to Ladakh. One is through Manali and one is through Srinagar. We started our trip through Manali and ended it via Srinagar.

Day 1 & 2 : The entire group travelled from Mumbai by train to Chandigarh. This gave us time to bond with each other. There were a couple of bikers who travelled directly from Mumbai to Ladakh by bike though most of them had their bikes transported to Chandigarh and started their rides from there.

Day 3 & 4 : From Chandigarh we travelled to Manali where we spent 2 nights which included sightseeing. On the way we had food at the Chandigarh Dhabas. Manali is an extremely beautiful place with tall coniferous and apple trees all around along with snow capped mountains. Every where you turn your eyes you feel like taking clicks - a place from which you can't take your eyes off. Solang Valley is a must see in Manali and is known for its summer and winter sport conditions. The sports most commonly offered are parachuting, paragliding, skating and zorbing. I did paragliding and the climatic conditions were really great for this on this day (luckily no rains). My friend suggested that we try our hand at zorbing also, so gave it a try which is a giant ball with room for 2 people who are strapped to the ball & which is then rolled down a 200 metre hill and wow what an experience it was. Its just a 20 second thing but you get hit on the head & foot all through the rolling down process but I enjoyed it all the same. The HIDIMBA temple which is an ancient cave temple with a pagoda roof is also a must see.This temple dates back to 1553. Also visited the VASHISHT temple which is dedicated to the Sage Vashisht & to Lord Rama and which is renowned for its HOT SULPHUR springs. Dipped our legs & hands in the hot water srping...was very soothing.

Manali.

Hidimba Temple, Manali.

Manali.

Solang Valley, Manali.

Day 5 : From Manali we then proceeded to DARCHA through the ROHTANG pass which is located at a height of 13000+ ft and he roads are not good. The view through this pass was really beautiful and is open only from June to November. Once we reach the ROHTANG pass be prepared to sever connections from the world and from here on till you reach LEH no mobile connections are available. Also be prepared to travel through some really bad roads as not the entire strech of travel will be smooth.  We were put up in tents with the locals and had food over there which included Maggie noodles, soup etc. DARCHA is just a stopping point on the way to LEH.

Day 6 : From DARCHA we proceeded to PANG which is also a temporary tent settlement and is on the way to LEH. Again we stayed the night in tents with the locals and had food there.

Day 7 : From PANG we proceeded to see the Tso Moriri lake which is at an altitude of 15075 ft and spent the night again in tents at a resort. Tso Moriri is the largest of the high altitude lakes in India.

Tsomoriri Lake

Day 8 : After spending the night at the Tso Moriri lake we left for LEH the next morning. Leh being the capital and tourist hub of Ladakh has tons of accommodation options to suit budget of every type, from dorms costing very little to luxurious hotels and resorts costing a thousands of rupees a night. Here you can find lot of tourists from all over the world. Once you reach LEH you get all the comforts of a city. Your mobile connections are ON and hotel facilities are good and you get good food too.

Hemis Monastery

Thiksay Monastery

View of Leh from Shanti Stupa.

Day 9 : From LEH next morning we proceeded to the Pangong Tso lake which is a real beauty and you can see different shades of colors in it. On the way is the CHANG LA PASS which is the third highest motorable road in the world located at a height of 17500+ ft. We collected our soveniers from this place like key chains, t-shirts, caps etc. The non bikers returned back to LEH in the evening itself while the bikers were stuck at Pangong Tso lake due to a landslide.

Day 10 : From LEH we proceeded to the KHARDUNG LA Pass which is around 40 kms from LEH and is widely believed to be the highest motorable road in the world located at an altitude of 18380 ft. This PASS is of strategic importance to us as it is used to carry supplies to the Siachen Glacier. We collected our soveniers from this place too.

Day 11 :- Did sighseeing in LEH. A couple of Tibetan Monasteries (this was my 5th monastery visit in the last 2 months given that I had seen one in Coorg too!!), a couple of palaces and the Shanti Stupa (Buddhist meditation hall) are the main attractions in LEH apart from doing shopping in the LEH marketplace.

Day 12 : Left for KARGIL from LEH. Spent the night at KARGIL. One of the bikers met with an accident here and had his hand fractured and had to be surgically operated to replace a bone at the Kargil Civil Hospital.

Day 13 : Went to the KARGIL WAR MEMORIAL and halted at a Gurudwara on the way to KARGIL which is again constructed & maintained by the Indian Army. Offered our prayers there and had Langar before proceeding to KARGIL WAR MEMORIAL. After seeing the KARGIL WAR MEMORIAL, had great food in the Army Canteen. Got an opportunity to have good food after long time after having seen only Maggie Noodles for days together. Finally could lay hands on Chat, Dosas & Idlis :). Collected our soveniers from here too. From here we proceeded to Srinagar. Halted at Sonamarg on the way for lunch and sightseeing. Once we left Sonamarg after about 7-8 minutes our tempo traveller was hit by stone pelters and all the vehicles were stopped at the Amarnath base camp area and we were allowed to leave for Srinagar only in the night. Was really an adventure. We were stopped in the way couple of times by some local people to collect some municipal fees (must be what we call here as HAFTA).

Day 14 : Confined to the hotel premises due to CURFEW in Srinagar. was able to do some sightseeing from 5-8 pm. Saw a couple of mughal gardens and went for Shikara ride in the Dal lake with our group. Could not see the Adi Shankaracharya temple overlooking the Dal lake due to lack of time & curfew restrictions.

Day 15 : Since curfew was still in place and uncertainity all around, our group decided to call off the final leg of the tour to Jammu for one day & decided to take the next flight back to Mumbai. So we missed out on only Jammu as we were to take our return journey back home from Jammu via train. Instead decided to hop on to the next flight leaving out of Srinagar. The srinagar airport resembled a railway station with most of them leaving due to the civil unrest. The roads of Srinagar were empty while the Srinagar airport was choc-a-block with people wanting to leave the place. Flight was delayed by 2 hours but heaved a sigh of relief on reaching our very own Amchi Mumbai.

All in all a really adventerous and a breathtaking & awesome tour.