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Are you planning to visit Ladakh and drive to its various attractions? Here is a guide based on my personal journeys in Ladakh over the last two seasons. Before you continue, you may want to read these posts:
* A suggested itinerary for Ladakh
* What to pack when driving in the mountains
* There are many other posts on Ladakh – click here to read
* Nature calling in Ladakh? Some handy tips
* You may want to purchase my book, Postcards from Ladakh [continue reading…]
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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… [continue reading…]
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The table they wanted is the one next to the ground sitting. Click on image for a larger view.
Soon after I checked in to my camp at Sarchu (located at the border of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh) a strange incident took place: a group of people came to the camp in a small truck and asked the manager for Rs. 2,500. He said he was not authorized to do so and they should contact the owner.
The owner does not stay at the camp. And there is no way of contacting him from Sarchu. There are absolute no telephone links of any sort in this desolate high altitude cold desert. And who were these people? They had come from the Gram Panchayat (the local village Government) to collect an arbitrary, unofficial tax from the camp. Seeing the manager adamant in not paying up, they then made a weird sounding request to take the table I was having coffee on. [continue reading…]
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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!!
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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…]
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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…]
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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.
Click on any image to see a larger version.
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I reached Sarchu en-route to Leh from Jispa for a night halt at the Blue Poppy Camp here. The setting of this camp was highly picturesque – but the conditions equally harsh.
Getting out of the car, I was greeted by the camp’s managers warmly. And lots of chilly winds hitting the head straight, the warm Mountain Hardwear Dome Perignon hat made of Polartec 200 fleece and Gore Windstopper fleece picked up from REI of not much use in the conditions.
Located at an altitude of about 14,300 feet, my travel planner had advised me to break journey here on the way to Leh to get better acclimatized to the altitudes. Turned out to be a bad tip. [continue reading…]
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