The Chronicles of Ladakh – 6500Kms,12 High Altitude Passes, 7 Lakes, 2 Tough Highways

Introduction

Astounding, Magnificent, Fantastic, Surreal, Incredible and many more other superlatives - we have heard that each of these is aptly applicable to a place called Ladakh.

Countless photos spread over the vast kingdom of internet confirmed that the adjectives are just. They were certainly enough to allure our wandering souls into the lap of barren and arid but gorgeously beautiful mountains, and we fell for it.

The planning for an exclusive Ladakh trip began in January when we read everything that's available on internet - especially two magnificent websites Indiamike and BCMTouring where wealth of worthy information are supplied by the veteran and seasoned roamers. They didn’t lose their temper by the silliest questions asked multiple times by an impatient me. So, a huge thanks to you guys – kshil, dheerajsharma14, sagarneel, Yogesh Sarkar, tsk, vardhan.harsh, Duranto jajabor and many more.

So the plan looked like as below initially, with sufficient (in my opinion) back-up days, covering the entire tourist circuit (a complete exaggeration) of Ladakh.

Day 1 : Pune > Delhi > Srinagar (Overnight at Srinagar)
Day 2 : Srinagar > Sonamarg > Zoji La > Drass > Kargil (Overnight at Kargil)
Day 3: Kargil > Mulbech > Lamayuru (Overnight at Lamayuru)
Day 4: Lamayuru > Alchi > Likir > Nimmu > Leh (Overnight at Leh)
Day 5: Inner Line Permits + Leh Local Sightseeing (Overnight at Leh)
Day 6: Nubra Valley Tour: Leh > Khardung La > Diskit > Hunder (Overnight at Hunder)
Day 7: Nubra Valley Continues: Hunder > Turtuk > Diskit (Overnight at Diskit)
Day 8: Towards Pangong: Diskit > Khalsar > Agham > Wari La > Tathok > Sakti > Chang La > Durbuk > Tangtse (Overnight at Tangtse)
Day 9: Tangtse > Lukung > Spangmik > Pangong Tso (Overnight at Pangong Tso/Spangmik)
Day 10: Towards Hanle: Spangmik > Karu > Upashi > Chumathang
Day 11: Chumathang > Mahe > Nyoma > Thit Zarbo La > Kyon Tso II > Kyon Tso > Hanle (Overnight at Hanle)
Day 12: Hanle > Loma > Nyoma > Mahe > Sumdo > Korzok > Tso Moriri (Overnight at Tso Moriri/Korzok)
Day 13: Tso Moriri > Tso Kar > Moore plains > Pang > Sarchu (Overnight at Sarchu)
Day 14: Sarchu > Darcha > Keylong > Tandi > Khoksar > Rohtang La > Manali (Overnight at Manali)
OR
Day 14: Sarchu > Darcha > Jispa/Keylong (Overnight at Jispa/Keylong)
Day 15: Buffer Day (Overnight at Manali)
OR
Day 15:Jispa/Keylong > Tandi > Khoksar > Rohtang La > Manali (Overnight at Manali)
Day 16: Buffer Day > Manali to Delhi Volvo (Overnight bus)
Day 17: Delhi > Pune

I heard somewhere that a Ladakh trip can not be complete if you don’t have any setbacks as unpredictability reigns supreme. What I didn’t know is that one can face setbacks even before he/she has set out for the journey. All of my friends, who committed to me that, they are certain for the trip – backed out one after another. Landslides at various regions of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, forced to close the highways and made me think twice before I embark on the trip. Houses were set on fire and this was then followed by an indefinite shut-down in Srinagar – felt like a catastrophe. But we were firm on our decision – come September, we’d be in Ladakh, waving our flags on one of the topmost peaks in the world.

We visited Tadoba in between, the log of which I have already shared. But the Ladakh planning continued till the day before the actual journey – I contacted the Hanle Guest House and had a chat with Rigzin prior to the journey and all went well. Slowly but surely, the D-day neared, we boarded the Pune to Delhi aircraft and thus began the Chronicles of Ladakh.

Day 1, 8th September, 2012 – The Journey Begins

Pune -> Delhi -> Srinagar (2250 KM)

Our Spicejet flight landed at Delhi around 10 am in the morning and after a light breakfast and a directionless trotting of hither and thither, we boarded the Srinagar bound aircraft. The flying machine touched Srinagar around 1.45 in the afternoon, sharp on time. We already had a word with the owner of the Hotel Sahara at Dal Gate about our stay, so our pre-paid taxi dropped us in front of the hotel around 3.30 pm.

Hotel Sahara is a small hotel surrounded by numerous numbers of colourful flowers to heighten your spirit, 24/7. A little glimpse of what we found in the garden is presented below, apart from the small but clean room and courteous staffs with smiling faces.













The Beauty of Dal Lake

Dal Lake, undoubtedly is the most famed possession of Srinagar. Since we had to get up early in the next morning to embark on our mission of Srinagar – Leh highway, we planned not to exert ourselves. So as per plan, after a sufficient rest, we found ourselves walking besides the famous lake. The weather was cloudy and cold. A gentle breeze was enough to freeze the mortals like us.

At one shore of the lake, existence of the famous (some of them are notorious for ripping off money too) houseboats galore. At the opposite bank, where we were, the road went straight towards Leh. The physical communication between these two shores takes place through the Shikaras. These small manned boats are too cute to be missed by the tourists. And there were no dearth of tourists in Kashmir.

The colours of the fading sun in the evening were visible on the ripples of the water. The lake provides shelter and food to birds and human alike. Apples were hanging from the trees on the banks of the lake – that’s the first time we saw this enchantingly beautiful scene. Mountains held their heads high in the horizon.

We were in love with the lake as everyone. Before we moved back to our hotel in the evening, I tried to capture a few moments through the lens. The beauty of Dal Lake was so attractive that we had to promise ourselves an exclusive Kashmir tour soon.

























To be continued...

Disclaimer:
Readers have to bear with me since my pace is slower than a snail.

Excellent Prologue and awesome Pics Looking forward to some amazing Experiences in days to come !!

Mindblowing!!!!!!.
Waiting eagarly for next posts. Wish to see what all & how much I have missed.
Pl tell something about ur camera , lenses and the photo editor software.How can I be in touch with you for information on your photographic skills.
Presently reading ur blog.
My heartfelt compliments and thanks too.


Mod Note
Please do not use SMS language. Kindly spell out all your words in full English. Thank you.

Hey Saugata,

Amazing photos.

Waiting Eagerly for some more pictures.

which camera were you used to take these beautiful pictures ?

Dear Saugata,

What a fabulous start of the TLog spaced with wonderful photographs!! When do we get the next instalment?

Anirban Mukherjee, Kolkata

wow Saugata,You Are too quick man...Superb Clicks and good narration...

Kunal.

That was fast, I was wondering you might take time to write up as the trip is big one. I am still struggling to complete my last years trip. I hope I take some inspiration from those pictures and your brilliant writeup!

Thanks everyone for the ever-positive words of yours, I am glad that all of you liked it. Just that I got some time away to work on the pictures, I came up with this, but as I mentioned, I will go with pace slower than a snail. I am working on the next set, so it will be uploaded soon.

Those who are asking about the camera and all, it was a simple Canon 1100D body, with a couple of lenses - one 18-55 mm and another 55-250 mm. Both served my purpose beautifully throughout the trip.

SSSoppimath - for you specially, you can get in touch with me for sure, please just drop me a PM. But, I am just a learner when it comes to photography and I am not being humble! I use Photoshop V7 for any editing if required.

Thanks Saugata. PMed

Srinagar > Sonamarg > Zoji La > Drass > Kargil > Mulbek > Namika La > Fotu La > Lamayuru (316 KM)

Leaving the Dal Lake Behind

The first thing we came to know when we woke up next morning was that it has been raining since yesternight. The good part was that the rain had transformed itself into light but steady and monotonous drizzle. Rigzin arranged one of his fellow drivers, Sonam, to dispatch us safely from Srinagar to Leh. We were really touched by the way Rigzin handled all the communication with a sense of responsibility that is missing from many so-called sensible fellows – this was the beginning of the Ladakhi hospitality that we would encounter over the next few days.

Sonam arrived sharp at 6.30 am as he promised the earlier evening over phone. In fact it was us who delayed the journey by 15 mins, as we honestly did not expect him to arrive on time!

We were on the Srinagar-Leh highway in no time with the Dal Lake as our companion. We expected to soak in the beauty the Dal Lake under the sun, but it was not to be. Instead it felt to be in an atmosphere which could aptly be used for mourning. The sky was still under the cover of blackish clouds and the drizzle was on which blurred the view somewhat, so even for Photography the exposure was not proper.







Sonamarg

Dal Lake faded into the background after some time. And the magnificent vistas which Kashmir is famous for started to open up, as we approached Sonamarg – meaning the ‘meadows of gold’ – which is 85 kms from Srinagar. Greenery and white linings as waterfalls of various sizes went hand in hand. In normal days, it would have been some picture perfect combination for photography enthusiasts, but weather played a big spoilsport here with its droning downpour. We saw the Thejwas glacier from a distance but for the metrological reasons, no photos.

We had to skip our initial plan to spend a few moments at Sonamarg, unfortunately.







Zoji La

Once we crossed Sonamarg, the ascent to the (in) famous mountain pass – Zoji La (‘La’ means ‘Mountain Pass’ in Ladakhi – started. Zoji La is the first of the 3 mountain passes one would have to cross on the Srinagar – Leh highway, and it is the most difficult of them all because of its notorious fame of being unpredictable during the monsoon.

The greenery began to disappear gradually and barren rugged mountains took its place. Waterfalls became scarcer and the supremely laid tarmac was replaced by an earthen road, full of slush and mud. A lot of wheel spin fun was encountered; sometimes the fun element was much less than fear. The relentless rain did not help to lighten up the spirits either.

The final ascent to the pass was an arduous one, not only because of the condition of the road (if we can call it that) but also because of the series of trucks and heavy vehicles. Zoji La traffic is controlled by the Indian Army, so it is advisable to cross the same, which we did, before the Army convoy starts from the opposite direction.

Without much fuss, we crossed Zoji La and entered the Ladakh region around 10.30 in the morning.















Drass

The road started improving somewhat after Zoji La, and we saw the Army convoys moving to the opposite direction while we were on our way to Drass. We were fortunate that we didn’t have to face them while ascending to or crossing the Zoji La.

The rain subdued itself a bit so the visibility and our moods both improved and we started clicking infinite number of photos of anything and everything. The vistas around us were completely different from what we have seen in the past – our definition of a hill station was changing. Only thing remained constant was the Suru River which, as a huge serpent, was moving towards us.

We saw the diversion towards Mushko Valley, Tololing and Tiger Hill which our Army re-captured from the opponents after hard-fought, bloody and merciless battle – even as a civilian you are bound to feel the pride and the thrill. We saw some of the enemy bunkers which still existed. Besides the left side of the road a huge stone wall stood to announce its existence as a protection from the firing during the night from those bunkers.

Though Drass was in the headlines in 1999 during the Indo-Pak war, it really has anything to offer to the tourists actually. But it is said to be the ‘Second Coldest Inhabited Place on Earth’ which is amazing. The temperature, in extreme winters, sometime goes as close as to -50C!!!

We had our breakfast in Drass around 11.45 in the morning and wasting not much time, proceeded to our next major halt at Kargil.

















The 1999 War Memorial, the Pride of India

A few Kms from Drass town stands the Kargil War Memorial which is a must-see for all travellers. This memorial was erected to celebrate the hard-earned victory achieved through ‘Operation Vijay’ during the ’99 battle. The names of all the martyrs who gave their lives for our tomorrow are inscribed on the memorial. The waving national flag with the aptly placed Tololing range as the backdrop would boost the morale of anyone. Certainly that was a moment of pride for us. A Salute to Indian Army!!

















Kargil

From the memorial, towards Kargil it was mostly a stretch of fantastic smooth roads to drive on with a few real bad stretches, through the never-ending Ladakh landscapes. The Suru River would go to Kargil with us as we were advised by Sonam ji. The greenery on both the banks of Suru was some welcome break from the desertscapes.

Kargil was the administrative head of the region and our intended stop for the night. I was all excited as we approached Kargil since I have read and watched so many things about this place during the ’99 war. But again, apart from being the headquarters and the desired break for the travellers, the town had very little to offer.

We reached Kargil at around 2 pm, Sonamji advised us to move to Lamayuru instead of staying at Kargil. Thus we could save a day which we could adjust later. His proposal made sense but we were worried about the acclimatization part, but he advised us to decide upon reaching Mulbek – if we start feeling the altitude effect at Mulbek we would stay at Mulbek or come back to Kargil.

So we headed towards Mulbek. On our way we saw the deserted shops and building which were ruined by the shelling in 1999. Many small huts bore the marks of bullets on their walls to remind us that the war was bloodily true enough.



















Mulbek

Mulbek was just 40 kms from Kargil but the road was in a mess with lots of ongoing maintenance. As it was not enough, we were delayed by the Army Convoys too. One thing one must note is the heavy army presence through this highway, for obvious reasons.

The surrounding became more and more barren and rugged. Greeneries were available just in patches at a few places and the absence of Suru River made the ambience more arid that it may really be. But the best part is that the rain stopped completely, but the sky was still wearing the blanket of the cloud.

On the way to Mulbek, there stood the Buddha statue, the Maitreya (or the Buddha of the Future). Built in around 7th or 8th century BC from a single rock, the statue is still almost intact reminding us about the height our architecture achieved in ancient days.

We arrived at the sleepy town of Mulbek around 3 pm, starved. The world seemed cruelly prosaic with hunger. So when we were served with fresh hot rice and lentils, the food disappeared in no time! After gathering some strength we roamed around the small village for 5 mins to stretch our legs till Sonam ji refilled his car’s fuel tank.



















Namika La

Immediately after departing from Mulbek, the ascent started for the second mountain pass called Namika La. The scenery outside was out-of-the-world. We never saw mountains which looked like to be made of sand and soil and absolutely no greeneries!

I felt a little breathless when we reached at the Namika La top, so Sonamji, as experienced as he was, advised me not to exert myself at all and take it easy as we have ample amount of time in our hands to reach Lamayuru.

From the top the landscapes at both the sides were astounding but I was happiest when I saw a small shade of blue above – the sky was indeed getting clearer. I felt I could jump in joy but controlled myself for the better.











Fotu La

From Namika La, another (and final for the journey) ascent began for the highest point on the Srinagar-Leh road and the 3rd mountain pass, Fotu La. The road was in a mess with slush, but nowhere comparable with ascent to Zoji La.

Apart from the bad road, the ascent was relatively easy towards Fotu La. The top was quite windy to stand, but the Prasar Bharti tower did it easily.

It was again getting darker and as we were tired too, we did not spend much time at the top apart for a few photographs and ventured towards Lamayuru.







Lamayuru

From Fotu La, the newly built tarmac led us to Lamayuru in no time, but yet it was 5 pm. The moment Lamayuru village and the gompa appreared at a distance, we were ecstatic as we have made this far in a day.

We easily found a cheap accommodation at the Niranjana Guest house with clean rooms and great view of the village below (common toilets). The guest house was situated just besides the Lamayuru monastery, and we were lured by the prospect that we could visit the Gompa in the evening and thus could start in the morning early.

A cuppa hot tea recharged us quickly and we entered the premises of the Oldest Monastery of Ladakh (Lamayuru Gompa is founded in 12th or 13th century) within 5 minutes. The monastery was not in great shape, but the prize moment came when we identified a group of lama kids were playing together and they did not shy away from the camera.

From the Gompa, the surroundings looked as someone had meticulously painted them as a whole with gorgeous colours which would never fade away. The village below was full of greenery as an oasis in the midst of the desert.

It was enough for us to call it a day after the tedious journey, so we returned back to our nest where we got freshened up, had our food (good food) in the dining hall, crashed into the bed and sank into a delicious slumber in no time.





















To be continued....

Hey Sougata,

I was missing !!!!

Fantastic and fantastic

We didn't go go/stay at Tangse, Hanle .....

So some more with my own experience..... I'll wait happily

Marvelous going, carry on my 'patting pal'

Fascinating report, Saugata, as always. And brilliant photos. Keep them coming.

CA Note - I have moved your thread to the Photolog forum. Please continue posting the report there.

Always ready to bear the pace when wonderful treat is on the way...

Saugata !! As usual outstanding photography !! so many good logs going ... on one side ashishda and on the other side you... just soooooooopppperrrrrbbbbb.....b lack & white dal lake photos are really excellent !