The Tata Nano just after the Rohtang Pass

Driving to Ladakh in any kind of a vehicle (especially when the roads still have snow / black ice on them) can be a tricky affair for the most experienced of drivers. But when someone decides to venture out in a Nano (the ‘baby’ car from the Tata Automobiles stable with a reputation for catching fire without the slightest of provocations) and comes back in the same car to tell the story, it is another thing altogether. Sanjay Madan and Pankaj Chanana did just that: they left their Landcruisers home and ventured out in a Nano. The following is a story of their journey, as narrated by them. (we have done minimal editing to it). (Sanjay will be coming to the Kunzum Travel Cafe in August to narrate his story in person. If you want to join the interactive talk, let us know and we will inform you when it is scheduled). Read on…

It didn’t take too long to take the decision and finally add this little car to our fleet that includes the Land Cruiser. TATA NANO – much talked about as ‘the common man’s car meant to be driven on city roads’ made its way to the rooftop of the world and proved itself to be the “TOUGH TODDLER” that it is being called.

On 29 May, we began our journey to Leh – Ladakh from Delhi and reached Nalagarh Fort, about 285 kms north of the city. Fuel average on the 1st day was 20.4 kms/lts with the A/C running.

30 May – Drove to Manali (290 kms from Nalagarh). It was late evening by the time we reached. Since we were going uphill, the average was 16 kms/lts on A/C.

31 May – Started at 0530 hrs and made our way to Rohtang Pass at the height of 3980 mts. While this little car was scaling heights, heads continued to turn …everyone had that amazed, questioning look – is this the TATA Nano?

Made a stop at the Tandi Petrol Station (2573 mts) and got an affirmation from them that it was the first one to climb this height. In fact, they hadn’t even seen the car before that day… Fuel average at this point was 15.5 kms/lts.

Reached Hotel Ibex, Jispa late afternoon and heard that the roads further were closed. The next 6 days were nothing but a painful wait for the route to open.

6 June – Met an Army Colonel Mr. K.S Kajal, enroute to Ladakh who assured us that if the route opened then we would be able to make our way further along with their convoy.

Finally, late noon, we made our way towards Barlacha La Pass at height of 4892 mts.  It was a tough patch with 6-10fts of snow walls on both sides and we crossed this 20 kms patch with snow-clad hills with the help of the army personnel.

White Beauty!

Around late evening, we reached Sarchu (4253 mts height) and stayed in the Army transit camps – thanks to Colonel Kajal.

7 June – We packed our bags in the morning and drove on. Just after Gata Loops, we had a near death experience where the car skidded on black ice and went out of control for a microsecond. The tyres had to be deflated to get the traction on road.

Skidded on Black ice - Barely managed to save insurance company's money

After that we crossed Lachalang La Pass (5065 mts) and Tanglang La Pass (5360 mts), and finally reached Leh that evening. However, our journey wasn’t over yet – the aim was to drive this Lil’ Car to Khardungla Top, which at 18380 ft is the highest motorable road in the world. Fuel average here was 14.8 km/lt.

8 June Took the permit from Leh DC Office and headed towards Khardungla Top. Soon, the ‘tough toddler’ scaled new heights and proudly made its mark on the highest pass in the world! It was quite an achievement.

9 June – Crossed Fotu La Pass at 4108 mts, reached Kargil at 0400 hrs, and sank into the bed immediately. Began the journey to Srinagar at 0800 hrs. The highlight of this route was Zojila Pass at 3529 mts, famous for it’s difficult passage; even the regular commuters face difficulties here. As if this wasn’t enough, it started to rain, making the journey more challenging. Fuel average was 15 kms/lts here. Finally reached Srinagar by 1800 hrs.

The next day itself, we started the journey back home; drove straight for 26 hrs covering a distance of 900 kms from Srinagar to Delhi (another performance test for the car) and reached Delhi by the evening. The average here was 24 kms/lt.

Like they say – Where this is a will, there is a way! Cheers!

Contact:
Sanjay Madan / Pankaj Chanana
4241,D-4,Vasant Kunj,
New Delhi-110070.
Ph- 09717080066, 09868094254

The Team

Tough Toddler Leaving its Footprints on the Highest Mountain Passes

Who needs a 4x4 on this terrain?!

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Annie’s friend giving me a flying kiss at the Nyokum Yullo festival in Boasimla.

“I want to marry you,” calls out Anne.

“Er, I’m already married,” I reply.

“So?,” she asks with a shrug of her slim shoulders. “What’s the problem?”

“There is no problem,” I reply with a flattered grin, “I just need my wife’s permission to marry you.”

I am standing in Boasimla, a village deep inside Arunachal Pradesh, home to the Nyishi tribe. Today is ‘Nyokum Yullo,’ their annual festival, marking the advent of their New Year. It is a time to pray for a good harvest and communal harmony. Hundreds have volunteered to sing their traditional songs and perform dances like ‘Rikham Pada,’ ‘Buya’ and ‘Ropi.’ Everyone is  dressed in their traditional best. Including Annie. She is wearing a red and white dress, silver armlets, a belt with mini cymbals and thick, multi-stringed necklaces of red and blue beads. Everyone is happy, and it is an ideal time for Annie to pop the question. Cannot fault her social sensibilities – the Nyishis have practiced polygamy for ages. She would happily be ‘Wife No. 2.’ Even if polygamy is now limited mostly to village headmen, politicians and the rich.

I had come to Arunachal expecting to find tribes caught in a time warp. It did not take long for any pre-conceived stereotypes to disappear. Annie’s mother can only converse in a dialect spoken for centuries, but her daughter’s generation speak fluent English, carry mobiles and have email addresses. Wherever you go in the state, you will see a society in transit as development
and technology align them closer with the rest of the world. Places like the Ziro valley have emerged as hubs for high standard schools, attracting teachers from across the country, enabling a pursuit of non-agrarian professions for locals.

A local guide directed me to the Apatani tribe in Ziro for ‘interesting’ photos. He was right: the older women sport big, round black nose plugs while the men tie their hair in a knot. And they have tattooed faces. But these sights will not stay for long. The younger women go to beauty parlours to get face jobs done, and wear denims and other modern clothing.

The kids are even more ‘evolved.’ Toddlers have crèches to themselves in villages. A group of six year olds asked me for sweets, but I had none on me. To get even, they started teasing me, beating their bottoms 3 Idiots style. Some of their friends provided a background score singing Main baarish kardoon paison ki… from De Dhana Dan, the recent Akshay Kumar – Katrina
Kaif flick. There are no cinemas here, but pirated DVDs and satellite television have culturally invaded the remotest of regions. But it seems midwives still play an important role in getting these kids into the world; on the road to Kibithu, I saw advertisements offering cash incentives of Rs. 2,000 to mothers who delivered in hospitals. And Rs. 600 to women who got the
pregnant women to the hospital.

But an Arunachali’s traditional bamboo hut continues to be his castle. Most stay in their ancestral homes, even when they can afford better, parking cars like the Hyundai Verna outside. An old woman, nearly blind, in Hong village in Ziro allowed me have a look around her house. It had a central fire for cooking and warmth, and the family sleeps around this. There was one
additional bedroom, with the toilets on the outside. The hut was raised on bamboo stilts, and I could see pigs living below. These pigs are important food, and they help clean the toilets by eating what people leave behind. Ugh! The walls of an outer room were full of heads and horns of Mithun cows sacrificed by the family over generations; their number is a matter of pride
for them. I could not communicate with the lady directly, but she did ask my guide why I was taking so many pictures.

Notably, I always saw more women around than men. Looks like some things don’t change. Women continue to tend to the fields, fishing in ponds and taking care of all household chores. Traditionally, men would stay in the forests hunting, collecting wood and building houses. But greater environmental concerns and changing lifestyles mean they have to seek other occupations – including Government jobs. Many tend to the family bamboo holdings. They are also experts at cane and bamboo crafts.

Their faith in a higher God and the rituals practiced continues unabated. All house fronts will have symbols – made of leaves and wood or in the form of painted crosses using white rice powder – to keep the spirits away. The Apatani tribe in Hong Village of Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh perform an annual ceremony at a designated spot just outside their village. The ceremony is
called Myokum, and is done for the welfare of the family. It is a tradition that has apparently been taking place forever; only those families who have been doing so earlier are allowed to continue doing so.

How sociable are these women? Very, as Anne demonstrated. They are all fun too. Most would cooperate as I took their pictures, grinning and laughing. I came across a group dancing and singing in Tajang village in Ziro valley, celebrating the fifth anniversary of their temple.  They invited me join in the merry making over rice beer – I have never danced with thirty women all to myself. Some of them tried to flirt and cozy up with me. Flattering, even if all of them were over 60.

Arunachal Pradesh is beautiful, and its women pretty and high spirited. Too bad for married men who go there.

Distances / Times between points in Arunachal Pradesh
How to reach capital Itanagar by road: Fly to Dibrugarh, Jorhat or Guwahati, and head to Tezpur – all in Assam. From Tezpur, it is 170 km / 4 hrs to Itanagar by road.

·    Itanagar – Ziro: 120 km / 4 hours
·    Ziro – Boasimla: 52 km / 1 hour 45 minues
·    Boasimla – Daporijo: 120 km / 3 hours 30 mins
·    Daporiji – Aalo (Along): 167 km / 4 hours 30 mins
·    Along – Pasighat: 111 km / 4 hours
·    Pasighat – Hayuliang: 290 km / 10 hours
·    Hayuliang – Kibithu: 135 km / 5 hours

Note: All distances are approximate, and time is without stops. It may take longer depending on driving speeds and stops taken

Some handy tips for driving in Arunachal Pradesh
·    Always keep extra wollens, food and water handy
·    Check tyre pressure
·    The last fuel station is at Khupa near Hayuliang
·    Many roads in Arunachal are open for only four months from November – February, do check road conditions before you set out

This article was originally written for and published in the DNA newspaper.

Sign on the road to Kibithu urging women to come to hospitals for delivery.

Women working in a field – men are rarely to be seen working in the fields.

A nearly blind woman cooking in here house in Ziro.

Children teasing me in Hong village.

Sign for a crèche in Hong village.

An old Apatani woman in Hong village: She asked me for money to take her pictures.

What does the future hold for these Apatani women?

This old woman was dancing and ‘flirting’ with me.

An image from the Nyokum Yullo festival in Boasimla.

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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!!

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.

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The Peace Zone at Zing Zing Bar

It is also a place where one can seek peace. After all, it is in search of Shanti, as it is called in Hindi, that lures many westerners to India including to the Himalayas. The signs all around this place were testimony to the search for peace by the while travellers. I remember meeting a girl in Triund, a four hour trek from Dharamsala, from Switzerland who identified herself as Shanti.

If you are in Ladakh, you only have to want it. The region has peace written all over it.

Peace on the rocks at Zing Zing Bar

A Peace symbol painted on the ground at Zing Zing Bar

A shack at Zing Zing Bar

Travellers seeking peace and a possible high at 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.

This is also the spot where two major rivers originate: The Chandra and the Bhaga. They merge to become the Chandrabhaga at Tandi, a few miles from Jispa when you start the journey back towards Himachal Pradesh in the opposite direction. It gets renamed the Chenab in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir. From where I was standing though I could see no river though.

Buddhists seem to attach a lot of religious significance to these passes. Invariably you will find some colourful Buddhist flags tied and fluttering in the wind. I had seen these before too but not stones stacked atop each other. Each such stack had about seven stones in decreasing size. It is also a sort of a religious symbol for Buddhists and you can expect to see these all over the region. Not just at high passes but even along roads.

The journey to the top of the world was well under way.

Prayer stones at the Baralachla Pass on the way to Ladakh between Jispa and Sarchu

Prayer stones at the Baralachla Pass on the way to Ladakh between Jispa and 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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Deepak Tal (Lake) where Hozer's Cafe is located. Seen is the boat he rents out too.

Located about 13,000 feet above sea level, Hozer and his wife set this business up for only the 4-5 summer months in a year. And had been doing so for five years when I was passing through. The conditions are too harsh for anyone to venture in these parts looking for a cup of tea for the rest of the year.

I met similar entrepreneurs a few miles ahead at an interestingly named place Zing Zing Bar. Some of the owners here came from Manali and other further away regions, making enough in the four months from tourists to pay for a mostly unemployed status the rest of the year. Interestingly, the Indian Army base at Siachen Galcier has a watering hole in the officers’ mess named Zing Zing Bar too. The only difference is it is open all year round, with many a nervous soul finding solace when fireworks start by their Pakistani counterparts from across the border.

Such hospitality can be found all over the Himalayas. Thank God for it. I may not have been able to survive the starvation to write this post.

The inside of Hozer's Cafe where you can sleep for the night

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.

While some villagers get to work as daily wage labour, like the old lady herself, the main occupation was agriculture in the summer months. The principal crop in Jispa is potatoes, sold mostly in the mandi or wholesale market, and peas which are sold locally. In the extremely harsh winters, when temperatures fall many degrees below zero, locals keep themselves busy knitting apparel and weaving carpets – but only for their own use, not to sell.

Surprisingly, all the children in the area go to school according to her. And teachers come too. She may not have been exaggerating. From the activity I saw in the school, it seemed to be running very efficiently. Mind you, this is a big deal in India where teachers are often absent leading to students staying away, aggravating the illiteracy problem even further. The school operates from 10 in the morning till four in the afternoon. And maintains its schedules in the winters too except when excessive snow makes movement impossible.

She was fine with having her photos taken. Before cheerfully going off with six young lady companions to build the road travellers like me drive on.

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.

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You have not only the river, originating from the Baralachala Pass a few hours drive further on, but the surrounding peaks covered with mist and clouds creating a postcard picture look. Step out early morning for a walk with a drizzle on your face, and soak in the rich greenery around, and wonder why few recommend Jispa for a holiday. You could spend days here, walking along the river or picnicking at spots of your choosing within a few hours driving around. You can also visit the Jispa Rural Museum housing reminders of the history and way of life of the residents of the Tod Valley of the Lahaul district (where Jispa is located), and also buy handicrafts made by local women; I missed seeing it as it was closed. The only place to stay in the modest, yet sporting a large structure, Hotel Ibex (also known as Hotel Jispa).

Locals using roadside tap to wash utensils and to brush their teeth

A stroll in the village can be full of sights in itself. Despite the abundance of water in the river along their houses, many residents still need to depend on a tap on the road for washing utensils, filling water in containers and to even brush their teeth. Early morning sees workers on the way to earn their daily wages at Government road construction sites, including an old woman I chatted up. You have a bus picking passengers with a sign inside prohibiting passengers on seats one to three not to sleep, lest it becomes contagious and the driver gets drowsy himself.

And then you have a karyana (grocery) store run by an ‘ex-man’ Karam Singh – methinks it should have been ex-serviceman; this region is full of those retired from the armed forces. What made for a highly encouraging view was that of the local school. It seemed more active than one would expect it to be; the old woman I spoke to confirmed all children go to school regularly and teachers do so too. It is a big achievement in India where education for most is in a sorry state of affairs. Under the Government’s Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (universal education for all) program, a board highlighted the targets: by 2003 all children had to be in school, and by 2010 all of them should have completed their education till at least the eighth grade. Jispa looked like on course to achieve these milestones.

As common all over Ladakh, Jispa too has some Buddhist chortens (stupas) conveying the usual sense of serenity. As do the Buddhist flags fluttering all over. And then there are the Ladakhi style steps cut on a log of tree that promise to be a stairway to heaven if you can climb these without support.

Make Jispa a destination, not a halting point, the next time you are in these parts. For that heavenly experience.

Locals walking in the drizzle with their cow

Another resident walking in the drizzle

Workers off to earn their daily wages in the morning

A sign in the local school with targets written in Hindi

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.