An unforgettable road trip to Leh

Kiran Telang

“To dream, to breathe, to fly, to float: to gain all while you give; to roam the roads of lands remote; to travel is to live.” - Hans Christian Anderson

A road trip to Leh in August 2009 was a one of my most memorable journeys. Six of us drove from Delhi to Leh via Manali and returned via Srinagar . As they say that it is not the end that matters but the journey, and what a journey it was!

This trip took us through some of the most beautiful and unique landscapes in the world. The drive through Shimla and Manali was picturesque with the mountains presenting differing hues of green. Wild roses along the road and the rollicking Beas added to the charm of the surroundings and lifted our spirits. Beyond Manali we began the toughest part of our journey, through some of the highest passes in the world. Small mountain springs with clear cold water surprised us at various turns on the roads. Unfortunately the road from Rohtang to Keylong was broken, full of pebbles and dust. This made think of changing our travel plan and return via Srinagar instead of Manali as originally planned. I am glad that we changed our route, as we had some wonderful experiences and met some very interesting people on the way in our changed itinerary.

We halted for the night at the small Himachali town of Keylong after crossing Rohtang pass. Walking through fields of sweet green peas, watching a weaver work on his loom and beautiful Himachali women returning home from a day of work in the fields gave us glimpses of the simplicity and beauty of life in this lovely town. The next stop Sarchu at 14000 ft was something else! Altitude sickness made us rush to the Army hospital for medical aid. And all throughout our journey from there on, the Indian Army posts came to our resuce. A simple thing as getting a few breaths of oxygen at the Army medical centres made a big difference on that altitude.

The drive from Sarchu to Leh was tough but exhilarating. It took us from 14000 ft to 18000ft and then coming down to 12000 ft which included crossing the Gata Loops, 21 back to back hairpin bends rising 1500 ft within 7kms. Crossing the Nakeela pass and the LachangLa we took a break at Pang where the Indian Army has the ‘Highest Transit Camp in the World’. The road from Pang led us to the Morey plains, locally known as Chuha Maidan, which is a wonder in itself. A 40km long table top is at 14000ft, unbelievable! Then came TanglangLa, the second highest motorable road in the world at 18000ft. We were told that once this was crossed, we would be able to overcome the altitude sickness problems, and we did! Crossing quaint settlements like Rumptse and Upshi we reached Leh late in the evening.

Our stay at Leh was for three days.  We put up at a beautiful homestay where we could pick our own vegetables from the garden and eat the freshest food we had ever tasted. Leh town with its smiling  people, and colourful bazaar was a treat. The visit to Khardungla, the highest motorable road in the world was also a great experience. So was Pangong Tso Lake which was absolutely stunning in its pristine beauty. The water was crystal clear reflecting the blue of the skies and the grey of the mountains! A tent stay there would have been heavenly. Someday….

Leaving Leh we drove through the Kashmir valley with an intention to reach Srinagar. Boards on the NH 1 warned us ‘Careful, the enemy is watching you’, not something you experience on a normal vacation! We reached Drass late in the afternoon and visited the Kargil War Memorial. We got so engrossed in looking at the war museum and listening to the stories shared by the soldier who was escorting us that we lost track of time. We were warned against moving out in the evening after 5pm. So we decided to stay the night at Drass. Fortunately we could get a place to stay at the Tourist Bungalow. In the morning when we were about to resume our journey to Srinagar, we were stopped by the Army. There was a bridge just outside of Drass which was damaged, all vehicular traffic was halted and would probably be allowed to move only the next day afternoon. Fortunately for us we got back to our room in the Tourist Bungalow. The caretaker there was a very nice old gentleman who took us on a tour to the nearby hills from where we could see the LOC and told us the stories of their life in Drass and about the Kargil war. Drass being a very small town, bore the brunt of hundreds of people stranded on the road. The town ran out of food supplies in these two days as it was the only road connecting Drass to Srinagar. Once the bridge was repaired in record time, again thanks to our Army, we were able to re-start our journey to Srinagar. The landscape changed again. We passed through the lush green of Kashmir Valley, passing by Gulmarg to reach Kashmir. A short stay in Srinagar to visit the world famous Nishat and Shalimaar gardens and the Dal lake and we were off to Delhi via Jammu.

And then we returned to Mumbai, back to our routines with a huge bagful of wonderful memories to last us for a lifetime.