Stuck in a minor traffic jam on the way from Jispa to Sarchu en-route to Ladakh, I found the sight of a road roller being carried on a pick-up truck very interesting. The truck was under contract with the Border Roads Organization (BRO) and was transporting the road roller to a road construction site. The BRO is a division of the Indian Army responsible for the construction and maintenance of roads along the country’s international borders.
The jam had started because another overloaded truck had got stuck in the soft wet ground and could not move around a steep bend on its own. A JCB construction loader was trying to pull it up. Not much progress was being seen till the truck with the road roller appeared. A tourist taxi driver standing next to me commented, “Now everything will get cleared fast. A BRO truck has to pass. The BRO rules in these parts and everybody has to make way for them.” Sure enough, within a few minutes we were all on our way.
A toast to BRO!!
Tagged as:
Border Roads Organisation,
BRO,
Himalayas,
Jispa,
Ladakh,
Sarchu
The name itself has a ring to it. Located between Jispa and Sarchu on the way to Ladakh, Zing Zing Bar serves many purposes. It provides a pit-stop to refuel the body with some food and beverages. Or to rest in one of the multi-purpose shacks which provide both board and lodging, even if of a communal kind. Or to even sit comfortably and roll oneself a joint as many travellers were spotted doing. Not as brazenly as one would see in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh though.
[Click on any image to see a larger version] [continue reading…]
Tagged as:
Drugs,
Himalayas,
Jispa,
Ladakh,
Peace,
Sarchu,
Zing Zing Bar
The Baralachla Pass on the way to Ladakh between Jispa and Sarchu
The first very high pass I crossed on the way to Ladakh was the BaralachLa (La actually means Pass). At 16,500 feet I had never been on higher ground – the closest I had been to the skies was at the Kunzum La (where I got inspired to start and name this blog) at about 15,000 feet in the Lahaul Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh.
Click on any of the images to see a larger version
What was it like there? It was cold and very windy – maybe this is where altitude sickness may have started kicking that made me suffer later in the day. But it was more than worth getting off there and admiring the landscapes stretching into the horizon. You don’t want to leave such spots ever but for the promise more like these waiting ahead. [continue reading…]
Tagged as:
baralachla,
Jispa,
Ladakh,
pass,
Sarchu
Hozer and his wife at their 'Cafe' on th way from Jispa to Sarchu
A true entrepreneur will go anywhere to service his customers. This includes Hozer who runs a food shack at Deepak Tal (Lake), about 23 kilometers (15 miles) from Jispa.
Actually he does lots more than that. Not only will his Hozer Café serve you dishes including Siddu, Veg Momo, Chowmin and Meggi (actually Maggi instant noodles from Nestle) but also provide a bed. The shack, a makeshift one, has a ceiling like a parachute with beds inside. This provides the right kind of night shelter for the adventurous who are out exploring Ladakh on foot, cycle or a bike. The rate varies between one to two dollars per person per night. He even has a yellow boat available for a round trip of the lake for just a dollar. Although a local from the area, with Tibetan (almost similar to Spiti and Ladakhi) as his mother tongue, he was comfortable talking in Hindi to me.
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[continue reading…]
Tagged as:
Deepak Tal,
Himalayas,
Jispa,
Ladakh,
Lake,
Sarchu,
Zing Zing Bar
I chatted up an old lady sitting by the side of the road outside my hotel in the early morning hours in Jispa, a town in Himachal Pradesh on the way to Ladakh. She was busy knitting, with as calm and happy an expression as one could have in the beautiful setting of this town.
She was waiting to go to work – on a road building project of the Government. Probably a part of rural employment guarantee program introduced by the Congress led coalition in power in New Delhi at the time. One wondered how much of a contribution her ageing body would make. But she did make for a fine conversationalist, telling me a thing or two about life in Jispa. [continue reading…]
Tagged as:
Himachal Pradesh,
Jispa,
Old Lady
Jispa is usually promoted by travel operators as a necessary halt on the way to Ladakh when coming from Manali. Not only are the subsequent distances to Leh and Tso Moriri too much to cover on the same day, but also to enable travellers get acclimatised to the high altitudes of the region. Jispa is located at a height of 10,890 feet above sea level in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh.
[Click here to get driving instructions to reach Jispa from Delhi or Manali]
To be fair to this town, or village, it could well be a destination in itself. When you sleep at night, and all you hear is the Bhaga river along which this village is located, you will know the reason why. But for an occasional vehicle passing by, including some oil tankers at three in the night, Jispa is as quiet as you can hope an inhabited place in India to be. With views as beautiful as you can wish them to be.
[Click on any image for a larger view] [continue reading…]
Tagged as:
Himachal Pradesh,
Himalayas,
Jispa,
Ladakh
You see these steps cut out on a tree log? Buddhists believe if you can walk these from the base to the top without holding on to any support, you will be assured a place in heaven in your after-life.
I took this snap at Jispa, en-route to Ladakh. I did not make much of it then – it seemed a local design for steps going to the roof of the house. I saw this again at the Alchi Gompa (monastery) on the way from Leh to Zanskar and interpreted it as steps going to the upper floor of the temple. And then I overheard a guide telling his clients of the power of these steps to get you a ticket to heaven. All you have to do is climb these in a manner that would be one fine balancing act. It is not as easy as it looks.
No one has confirmed this to me. Nor did I attempt climbing one. Let me look for lesser challenging ways to get to heaven. I am in no hurry anyway.
Tagged as:
Alchi,
buddhist,
Himalayas,
Jispa,
Ladakh,
Stairs
Stuck in a minor traffic jam on the way from Jispa to Sarchu en-route to Ladakh, I found the sight of a road roller being carried on a pick-up truck very interesting. The truck was under contract with the Border Roads Organization (BRO) and was transporting the road roller to a road construction site. The BRO is a division of the Indian Army responsible for the construction and maintenance of roads along the country’s international borders.
