I salute these guys. You are my inspiration.
http://www.bodenseepeter.de/2007/09/01/manali-leh-2/
One day.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 10 of 10
Patiala to Delhi
Home run
We woke up late to the scent of Aloo Paranthas and Halwa being cooked in the kitchen. When you play ungettable your loved one wants you even more. This is exactly what the Aloo Parantha had been doing for the last ten days. We devoured the heavy breakfast and felt at peace.
Then we went sightseeing with our local friend who showed us houses of some friends from college and office, some palatial bungalows, the State Bank of Patiala's headquarters, the National Institute of Sports and the Thapar Engineering College.
We left for Delhi at mid day. It was very hot and humid. We thanked the person who invented air conditioner for cars.
I reached my place at around 7 PM after a brief tryst with Delhi's traffic. Parents were happy to see me in good shape. I distributed the stuff I'd bought along from Ladakh and Srinagar.
After a 10-day vacation of the kind many dream about but only a few embark upon, I feel a sense of achievement. This is probably the closest I'd go to the elements. I can now watch the Tata Safari's famous 'Reclaim your life' advertisement with a been-there-done-that look on my face.
Until next time!
Home run
We woke up late to the scent of Aloo Paranthas and Halwa being cooked in the kitchen. When you play ungettable your loved one wants you even more. This is exactly what the Aloo Parantha had been doing for the last ten days. We devoured the heavy breakfast and felt at peace.
Then we went sightseeing with our local friend who showed us houses of some friends from college and office, some palatial bungalows, the State Bank of Patiala's headquarters, the National Institute of Sports and the Thapar Engineering College.
We left for Delhi at mid day. It was very hot and humid. We thanked the person who invented air conditioner for cars.
I reached my place at around 7 PM after a brief tryst with Delhi's traffic. Parents were happy to see me in good shape. I distributed the stuff I'd bought along from Ladakh and Srinagar.
After a 10-day vacation of the kind many dream about but only a few embark upon, I feel a sense of achievement. This is probably the closest I'd go to the elements. I can now watch the Tata Safari's famous 'Reclaim your life' advertisement with a been-there-done-that look on my face.
Until next time!
Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 9 of 10
Srinagar to Patiala
Today was all about covering kilometers.
One of my friends from this trip hails from Patiala. We had decided yesterday that we'll try and cover the 500 Km distance between Srinagar and Patiala in one day and will start early morning to accomplish this. We had given standing instructions to the driver to wake up early for we'll be ready with our luggage at 5 AM. When the driver knocked at our hotel rooms at 5:30 AM, our rooms were resounding with our snores.
We got ready and packed quickly and left without breakfast. We could see how Srinagar looked like a military zone in the morning with army men with red flags and sniffer dogs patrolling every nook and corner of the city and the outskirts. It was scary enough for us to not stop anywhere for tea. Later we came to know that the ongoing holy Amarnath Yatra was the reason for such heavy security, to keep the terrorists at bay.
Between Srinagar and Jammu is a place called Pida which is famous for its dhabas serving Rajma-Chawal (rice with red kidney beans curry). We had a heavy brunch there and moved on.
The Jawahar Tunnel separates Jammu from Kashmir. Drilled through the huge mountains, it is of utmost military importance and at 3 Km long it is among the longest tunnels in Asia. It is a standing example of man's persistence to tame Nature. We felt proud as we passed through it, though it reminded us a bit of the Delhi Metro's underground route.
We took a turn around 40 Km before Jammu and bypassed it by going through the Samba sector of J&K. This way we saved around 2 hours of Jammu's traffic.
After a few kilometers at Pathankot we hit a massive traffic jam. The locals had blocked the road demanding water. They would let go only after some water tankers came from Jammu to rid them of their misery. It was ironic since it was raining at the time. However our daring and skillful driver managed to take the side lane and cross all the mayhem almost unnoticed. At one point some women saw us driving past and they picked up stones threatening to hit our car. We stopped briefly and drove on when they were distracted elsewhere.
After that the journey was quite uneventful and we reached Patiala amidst heavy rain at 9:30 PM. Aunty had cooked a sumptuous meal for us which we downed in no time. The trip was almost over now and we had to head back to Delhi tomorrow.
Today was all about covering kilometers.
One of my friends from this trip hails from Patiala. We had decided yesterday that we'll try and cover the 500 Km distance between Srinagar and Patiala in one day and will start early morning to accomplish this. We had given standing instructions to the driver to wake up early for we'll be ready with our luggage at 5 AM. When the driver knocked at our hotel rooms at 5:30 AM, our rooms were resounding with our snores.
We got ready and packed quickly and left without breakfast. We could see how Srinagar looked like a military zone in the morning with army men with red flags and sniffer dogs patrolling every nook and corner of the city and the outskirts. It was scary enough for us to not stop anywhere for tea. Later we came to know that the ongoing holy Amarnath Yatra was the reason for such heavy security, to keep the terrorists at bay.
Between Srinagar and Jammu is a place called Pida which is famous for its dhabas serving Rajma-Chawal (rice with red kidney beans curry). We had a heavy brunch there and moved on.
The Jawahar Tunnel separates Jammu from Kashmir. Drilled through the huge mountains, it is of utmost military importance and at 3 Km long it is among the longest tunnels in Asia. It is a standing example of man's persistence to tame Nature. We felt proud as we passed through it, though it reminded us a bit of the Delhi Metro's underground route.
We took a turn around 40 Km before Jammu and bypassed it by going through the Samba sector of J&K. This way we saved around 2 hours of Jammu's traffic.
After a few kilometers at Pathankot we hit a massive traffic jam. The locals had blocked the road demanding water. They would let go only after some water tankers came from Jammu to rid them of their misery. It was ironic since it was raining at the time. However our daring and skillful driver managed to take the side lane and cross all the mayhem almost unnoticed. At one point some women saw us driving past and they picked up stones threatening to hit our car. We stopped briefly and drove on when they were distracted elsewhere.
After that the journey was quite uneventful and we reached Patiala amidst heavy rain at 9:30 PM. Aunty had cooked a sumptuous meal for us which we downed in no time. The trip was almost over now and we had to head back to Delhi tomorrow.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 8 of 10
Sonamarg to Srinagar
Today we saw first hand why Kashmir is called Paradise on Earth.
We woke up early and decided to take Sonamarg’s famous pony ride to the Thajiwas Glacier. We were told that the ice had mostly melted, but the place is famous for its views of the slopes and the stream rather than the ice. The cottage caretaker arranged ponies for us at Rs. 300 per person for a 5-6 Km round journey to the glacier. Before that we had a quick breakfast at the guesthouse’s cafeteria.
As the ponies slowly marched ahead from the cottage, the beauty of the valley started unfolding around us, trying to prepare us for the spectacular climax of the journey. The ponies had to cross a gentle stream on the way where they halted for a minute for a well deserved drink of water. On more than one occasion I thought I’d fall off – the track was so precarious, but the ponies did a good job.
The beauty of the place where the ponies took us is hard to put in words. It comprises of a gushing white stream running down playfully from the ice cap of a distant mountain, which turns more gentle as it flows into a slightly sloping lush green valley. We were standing in this valley along with a herd of sheep that were nibbling on the grass. To this add some mist and a gentle, cool breeze and voila, you have your very own Paradise on Earth.
A handful of tea shops have come up at this place who do a brisk business selling tea and Maggi noodles. Small wooden bridges have been built at many places on the stream making both the banks easily accessible. Water is too cold even to touch, leave alone drawing up your pants and sitting down with feet dipped in the stream.
We spent almost an hour there when it started to drizzle. It was time to head back from this paradise to our car at the guesthouse and move on to the next destination – Srinagar.
Srinagar is a two-hour drive from Sonamarg. The road runs along the Sindhu river for the most part. We reached Srinagar in the afternoon, the last 7-8 Km of the drive being along the Dal Lake. The first view of the lake isn’t the best of sights – the surface is covered with algae and hyacinth, and the water stinks of rotting vegetation. We saw a large earth-mover engaged in removing the sea weed from the lake.
Fist thing to take care of on reaching Srinagar was to get accommodation for the night. We inquired at a few hotels on the Boulevard Road by the Dal Lake including the J&K Tourism Development Corporation’s hotel; however they all were quite expensive, charging up to Rs. 2000 for a double room for a night. We consulted our Lonely Planet guide book and finally took two rooms for Rs. 700 each at the Dhum Dhum Hotel located at one end of the Boulevard Road. The price of this low tariff is the noisy street facing the hotel. Soon after taking the rooms we went out to see what Srinagar has to offer.
The people here are a proud lot – they do not think very highly of other tourist places, especially those located in the same state, like Leh. On more than one occasion we were told how barren Leh’s mountains are and how the people there do not deserve the tourist money and attention they get. We, of course, loved Leh and were not very appreciative of such comments.
We shopped for some souvenirs at the J&K Government’s Art Emporium on the Boulevard Road. Then we went for a Shikara ride on the Dal Lake. Shikara is a typical Kashmiri boat – a Shikara is to Srinagar as a Gondola is to Venice.
This boat ride was also an amazing experience. Although the water was infested with sea weed and hyacinth, the views and the serenity more than compensated for it. Even the smell of the water was a part of the experience rather than a deterrent. Of course it could be a problem if someone decided to stay overnight in one of the thousand houseboats lined up in the Dal Lake, but for a one hour Shikara ride it did not matter so much. The person paddling for you will generally take you to one of the shops on the ‘floating market’ – a group of boats housing local merchandise and souvenirs. Surprisingly these shop-boats are equipped to accept credit cards, a facility which even some land-based shops do not have in Srinagar.
As for the houseboats, they are a popular camping place for tourists who do not wish to stay in the regular land-based hotels. A typical houseboat has four double rooms, a common living room, a television, and electricity. Food is prepared on the boat as per your order, and Shikaras can carry you ashore for Rs. 10. A general annoyance is the saffron and souvenir vendors who keep stalking you in their own boats. They do not spare the tourists taking Shikara rides either.
After almost two hours in the lake and purchasing some stuff from the ‘floating market’, we went for dinner. We savored the famous Mutton Rogan Josh – a Kashmiri dish made from lamb’s meat. The vegetarian dishes were not so great though.
We had heard that Srinagar closes down by 8 PM; however today the markets at the Boulevard Road were open well after 9. We took an auto-rickshaw to our hotel and now plan to leave for Patiala early morning tomorrow.
Today we saw first hand why Kashmir is called Paradise on Earth.
We woke up early and decided to take Sonamarg’s famous pony ride to the Thajiwas Glacier. We were told that the ice had mostly melted, but the place is famous for its views of the slopes and the stream rather than the ice. The cottage caretaker arranged ponies for us at Rs. 300 per person for a 5-6 Km round journey to the glacier. Before that we had a quick breakfast at the guesthouse’s cafeteria.
As the ponies slowly marched ahead from the cottage, the beauty of the valley started unfolding around us, trying to prepare us for the spectacular climax of the journey. The ponies had to cross a gentle stream on the way where they halted for a minute for a well deserved drink of water. On more than one occasion I thought I’d fall off – the track was so precarious, but the ponies did a good job.
The beauty of the place where the ponies took us is hard to put in words. It comprises of a gushing white stream running down playfully from the ice cap of a distant mountain, which turns more gentle as it flows into a slightly sloping lush green valley. We were standing in this valley along with a herd of sheep that were nibbling on the grass. To this add some mist and a gentle, cool breeze and voila, you have your very own Paradise on Earth.
A handful of tea shops have come up at this place who do a brisk business selling tea and Maggi noodles. Small wooden bridges have been built at many places on the stream making both the banks easily accessible. Water is too cold even to touch, leave alone drawing up your pants and sitting down with feet dipped in the stream.
We spent almost an hour there when it started to drizzle. It was time to head back from this paradise to our car at the guesthouse and move on to the next destination – Srinagar.
Srinagar is a two-hour drive from Sonamarg. The road runs along the Sindhu river for the most part. We reached Srinagar in the afternoon, the last 7-8 Km of the drive being along the Dal Lake. The first view of the lake isn’t the best of sights – the surface is covered with algae and hyacinth, and the water stinks of rotting vegetation. We saw a large earth-mover engaged in removing the sea weed from the lake.
Fist thing to take care of on reaching Srinagar was to get accommodation for the night. We inquired at a few hotels on the Boulevard Road by the Dal Lake including the J&K Tourism Development Corporation’s hotel; however they all were quite expensive, charging up to Rs. 2000 for a double room for a night. We consulted our Lonely Planet guide book and finally took two rooms for Rs. 700 each at the Dhum Dhum Hotel located at one end of the Boulevard Road. The price of this low tariff is the noisy street facing the hotel. Soon after taking the rooms we went out to see what Srinagar has to offer.
The people here are a proud lot – they do not think very highly of other tourist places, especially those located in the same state, like Leh. On more than one occasion we were told how barren Leh’s mountains are and how the people there do not deserve the tourist money and attention they get. We, of course, loved Leh and were not very appreciative of such comments.
We shopped for some souvenirs at the J&K Government’s Art Emporium on the Boulevard Road. Then we went for a Shikara ride on the Dal Lake. Shikara is a typical Kashmiri boat – a Shikara is to Srinagar as a Gondola is to Venice.
This boat ride was also an amazing experience. Although the water was infested with sea weed and hyacinth, the views and the serenity more than compensated for it. Even the smell of the water was a part of the experience rather than a deterrent. Of course it could be a problem if someone decided to stay overnight in one of the thousand houseboats lined up in the Dal Lake, but for a one hour Shikara ride it did not matter so much. The person paddling for you will generally take you to one of the shops on the ‘floating market’ – a group of boats housing local merchandise and souvenirs. Surprisingly these shop-boats are equipped to accept credit cards, a facility which even some land-based shops do not have in Srinagar.
As for the houseboats, they are a popular camping place for tourists who do not wish to stay in the regular land-based hotels. A typical houseboat has four double rooms, a common living room, a television, and electricity. Food is prepared on the boat as per your order, and Shikaras can carry you ashore for Rs. 10. A general annoyance is the saffron and souvenir vendors who keep stalking you in their own boats. They do not spare the tourists taking Shikara rides either.
After almost two hours in the lake and purchasing some stuff from the ‘floating market’, we went for dinner. We savored the famous Mutton Rogan Josh – a Kashmiri dish made from lamb’s meat. The vegetarian dishes were not so great though.
We had heard that Srinagar closes down by 8 PM; however today the markets at the Boulevard Road were open well after 9. We took an auto-rickshaw to our hotel and now plan to leave for Patiala early morning tomorrow.
Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 7 of 10
Leh to Sonamarg
Sonamarg is located between Kargil and Srinagar.
We started at around 7 AM from our guesthouse in Leh to try and reach Srinagar by evening. It generally takes 10-12 hours to cover the 400-odd Km distance. Kargil is the midpoint.
The road was excellent as we started. We reached the Gurgudwara Patthar Sahib, a Sikh place of worship made and maintained by the Indian Army. It is among the world’s highest-located Gurudwaras at 12 thousand feet.
We had a great breakfast at Khalste, around 100 Km from Leh. We reached Kargil at noon, however we did not stop there. 40 Km from Kargil is Drass, the second coldest inhabited place on earth after a town in Siberia. Though at this time of the year and the day, the temperature was high enough to keep us comfortable in T-shirts. Here we also sighted Tiger Hill, from where intruders from across the border were famously flushed out by the Indian Army in the battle of 1999. Markings of the 10th anniversary celebrations of this victory could be seen on several mountain slopes.
We were 40 Km from Sonamarg when we realized that we were out of fuel. The next gas station was only at Sonamarg and we were still to cross the treacherous Zozi La pass. We asked for diesel from an army camp but could not get it. Then we tried asking the trucks passing by, offering to purchase it from them at a higher price than market, before finally getting 10 liters for Rs. 500, almost double the market rate. This exercise consumed an hour and we thought it prudent not to go on till Srinagar but stop a few kilometers before at Sonamarg.
Sonamarg is a heavenly place with lush green mountain slopes with herds of sheep and horses grazing, and a gentle white stream running across the valley. The famous Hindu pilgrimage, the Amarnath Yatra, also starts from a place close to Sonamarg. As a result there was heavy military presence in the area since these pilgrims are often a target of terrorists.
The main market of Sonamarg is exceedingly small and the large guesthouse of J&K Tourism Development Corporation occupies the centerstage. We went straight to its office and a friendly old man showed us our options to stay for the night. We took a luxury cottage up on the mountain slope for a discounted price of Rs. 1800 for the night. The cottage had two spacious bedrooms, a drawing room and a kitchen. One of us is a tea freak and he was overjoyed to see the stove where he later made his own tea, the way he likes it. We had a filling dinner down at the market. We also bought some tasty Kashmiri apples.
We were happy to have stayed at Sonamarg since it would have been very late if we tried reaching Srinagar today, plus we would have missed the sightseeing at Sonamarg which we plan to do tomorrow.
Sonamarg is located between Kargil and Srinagar.
We started at around 7 AM from our guesthouse in Leh to try and reach Srinagar by evening. It generally takes 10-12 hours to cover the 400-odd Km distance. Kargil is the midpoint.
The road was excellent as we started. We reached the Gurgudwara Patthar Sahib, a Sikh place of worship made and maintained by the Indian Army. It is among the world’s highest-located Gurudwaras at 12 thousand feet.
We had a great breakfast at Khalste, around 100 Km from Leh. We reached Kargil at noon, however we did not stop there. 40 Km from Kargil is Drass, the second coldest inhabited place on earth after a town in Siberia. Though at this time of the year and the day, the temperature was high enough to keep us comfortable in T-shirts. Here we also sighted Tiger Hill, from where intruders from across the border were famously flushed out by the Indian Army in the battle of 1999. Markings of the 10th anniversary celebrations of this victory could be seen on several mountain slopes.
We were 40 Km from Sonamarg when we realized that we were out of fuel. The next gas station was only at Sonamarg and we were still to cross the treacherous Zozi La pass. We asked for diesel from an army camp but could not get it. Then we tried asking the trucks passing by, offering to purchase it from them at a higher price than market, before finally getting 10 liters for Rs. 500, almost double the market rate. This exercise consumed an hour and we thought it prudent not to go on till Srinagar but stop a few kilometers before at Sonamarg.
Sonamarg is a heavenly place with lush green mountain slopes with herds of sheep and horses grazing, and a gentle white stream running across the valley. The famous Hindu pilgrimage, the Amarnath Yatra, also starts from a place close to Sonamarg. As a result there was heavy military presence in the area since these pilgrims are often a target of terrorists.
The main market of Sonamarg is exceedingly small and the large guesthouse of J&K Tourism Development Corporation occupies the centerstage. We went straight to its office and a friendly old man showed us our options to stay for the night. We took a luxury cottage up on the mountain slope for a discounted price of Rs. 1800 for the night. The cottage had two spacious bedrooms, a drawing room and a kitchen. One of us is a tea freak and he was overjoyed to see the stove where he later made his own tea, the way he likes it. We had a filling dinner down at the market. We also bought some tasty Kashmiri apples.
We were happy to have stayed at Sonamarg since it would have been very late if we tried reaching Srinagar today, plus we would have missed the sightseeing at Sonamarg which we plan to do tomorrow.
Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 6 of 10
Leh / Khardung La
Two of us woke up at 6 in the morning to make a quick trip to Khardung La pass – the highest motorable pass in the world. It lies 40 Km from Leh and falls en route to the Nubra Valley, which itself is about 110 Km from Leh.
The other two, which included me, woke up late and went out for breakfast and some internet surfing. We had been cut off from the world for a good 5 days now; I wanted to know how my stocks were doing. Internet is surprisingly fast here in Leh, but the charges are quite high – Rs. 90 per hour of surfing. I surfed for about half an hour and was glad to find that the world was still in place, my stocks hadn’t dipped, I hadn’t been fired yet and the Facebook friends who liked me till last week hadn’t changed their mind.
We roamed the market for a while; as we asked for the newspaper from a book store, the lad proudly presented the newspaper from two days back, saying this is the latest edition to hit Leh.
Our friends were back from Khardung La by noon and we sat down to figure out a good way to spend the rest of the day. Rafting in Zanskar was one idea, but we were already late for the day trip. We tried to inquire about some massage centers so we could rejuvenate. We were told that such parlors are now banned in Leh because of some shady activities that were being run under the garb of massage. We thought damn, we’re too late.
However there is one rejuvenation center being run in a hospital under the supervision of doctors. It is a joint venture between a meditation center in Leh and some doctors from Kerela specializing in Ayurvedic therapies, including a whole range of massages. The center is located 12 Km from Leh.
After a light and refreshing day today and an excellent last three days, we decided to move on from Leh tomorrow morning. Plan was to head back to Delhi via Srinagar. We heard from a few people that Leh to Srinagar could be done in one day instead of stopping at Kargil for one night en route, which we had originally planned. We are thinking of giving it a try and have packed our stuff.
Adios Leh, you’ve been just like a dream.
Two of us woke up at 6 in the morning to make a quick trip to Khardung La pass – the highest motorable pass in the world. It lies 40 Km from Leh and falls en route to the Nubra Valley, which itself is about 110 Km from Leh.
The other two, which included me, woke up late and went out for breakfast and some internet surfing. We had been cut off from the world for a good 5 days now; I wanted to know how my stocks were doing. Internet is surprisingly fast here in Leh, but the charges are quite high – Rs. 90 per hour of surfing. I surfed for about half an hour and was glad to find that the world was still in place, my stocks hadn’t dipped, I hadn’t been fired yet and the Facebook friends who liked me till last week hadn’t changed their mind.
We roamed the market for a while; as we asked for the newspaper from a book store, the lad proudly presented the newspaper from two days back, saying this is the latest edition to hit Leh.
Our friends were back from Khardung La by noon and we sat down to figure out a good way to spend the rest of the day. Rafting in Zanskar was one idea, but we were already late for the day trip. We tried to inquire about some massage centers so we could rejuvenate. We were told that such parlors are now banned in Leh because of some shady activities that were being run under the garb of massage. We thought damn, we’re too late.
However there is one rejuvenation center being run in a hospital under the supervision of doctors. It is a joint venture between a meditation center in Leh and some doctors from Kerela specializing in Ayurvedic therapies, including a whole range of massages. The center is located 12 Km from Leh.
After a light and refreshing day today and an excellent last three days, we decided to move on from Leh tomorrow morning. Plan was to head back to Delhi via Srinagar. We heard from a few people that Leh to Srinagar could be done in one day instead of stopping at Kargil for one night en route, which we had originally planned. We are thinking of giving it a try and have packed our stuff.
Adios Leh, you’ve been just like a dream.
Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 5 of 10
Pangong Lake (Leh)
A most extraordinary day indeed. We saw the craftsmanship of Mother Nature, cooked noodles on our grill near the most remarkable lake in the Himalayas, risked drowning while crossing an angry gushing stream, and our taxi almost toppled while negotiating a steep diversion from the blocked road.
Agenda for the day was to visit the Pangong Lake, 150 Km from Leh. Permits are required to go to the lake, as also to the Nubra Valley via Khardung La pass. We got one from an agent at one of the several adventure tourism shops in Leh for Rs. 170 per person. The permit is a single page with names of the tourists and the validity period (ours was 4 days); you can visit Pangong and Nubra with the same permit. You need to carry multiple copies (8-10) of the permit since the authorities keep a copy at each checkpoint.
We started at around 8 AM from our guesthouse. There is a small police post at Karu where you need to stop and get the permit checked. There is no clear signpost asking you to stop there, but it is necessary and you have to watch out for the place – it is located right after you take a left from Karu towards Pangong.
The road is good for the most part. You cross the Chang La pass en route, which is the world’s third highest pass after Khardung La and Tanglang La. However there is one really rough stretch where vehicles often get stuck, and it is aptly named the Pagal Nullah (mad stream). It is a point where water from multiple streams floods the road during the day. The water comes from melting ice and the level rises as the day progresses. It is usually very tough to cross after noon. Pangong Lake lies only a few kilometers beyond this spot.
The driver was somehow able to cross the stream and we reached Pangong around 1 PM.
The first glimpse of the lake was enough to make us forget our sore backs from the 5 hour journey. It was just like we had seen in the hundred photographs of the lake before coming here. The lake is located right in the middle of barren mountains and runs for 130 kilometers. Its water is salty, crystal clear and a lovely shade of blue. It looks its best when the sun is shining brightly, just as it was when we reached there.
After savoring the unspoilt beauty of Pangong for a few minutes, we took out our bar-be-cue grill from our taxi. A few minutes later a bowl of Top Ramen noodles was simmering over the coals we had bought yesterday. We were living the dream.
After a great couple of hours at the lake, we headed back to Leh. This meant we had to cross the Pagal Nullah again; only this time, the water level would be higher. We got off the car when we reached the stream which allowed the driver to easily cross over. But this meant that we had to cross the stream on foot now. Three of us were able to somehow tread the strong current and cross the highly uneven pebbled bed of the stream. However one of us was stuck and was finding it tough to wade through. Water seemed to be flowing down in increased volumes every minute and we were losing breath quickly in the rarified air. We made a sort of human chain finally allowing our friend to cross the stream. We required a few big puffs from our oxygen cylinder after this adventure.
Further on, the road was blocked by heavy machinery for repairing the road. The only person who could operate the machine was away. To bypass it we had to use the diversion – a steep slope by the side of the road which joined the road a few meters down. We thought it unwise to keep sitting in the car as it performed this maneuver. As it started moving down the rough slope, the rear tyres lifted off the ground. We pushed the car down from the rear and it managed to roll down without toppling over. Oxygen puffs again.
We reached Leh in the evening, signing out at the police posts where we had made a register entry while coming. After a light dinner we retired to our guesthouse. Today’s events had left some of us very tired and we called off our tomorrow’s trip to Nubra Valley. At most we could see the Khardung La pass and come back. This journey would be an hour and a half one side, compared to a five hour one-side journey to Nubra (via Khardung La).
A most extraordinary day indeed. We saw the craftsmanship of Mother Nature, cooked noodles on our grill near the most remarkable lake in the Himalayas, risked drowning while crossing an angry gushing stream, and our taxi almost toppled while negotiating a steep diversion from the blocked road.
Agenda for the day was to visit the Pangong Lake, 150 Km from Leh. Permits are required to go to the lake, as also to the Nubra Valley via Khardung La pass. We got one from an agent at one of the several adventure tourism shops in Leh for Rs. 170 per person. The permit is a single page with names of the tourists and the validity period (ours was 4 days); you can visit Pangong and Nubra with the same permit. You need to carry multiple copies (8-10) of the permit since the authorities keep a copy at each checkpoint.
We started at around 8 AM from our guesthouse. There is a small police post at Karu where you need to stop and get the permit checked. There is no clear signpost asking you to stop there, but it is necessary and you have to watch out for the place – it is located right after you take a left from Karu towards Pangong.
The road is good for the most part. You cross the Chang La pass en route, which is the world’s third highest pass after Khardung La and Tanglang La. However there is one really rough stretch where vehicles often get stuck, and it is aptly named the Pagal Nullah (mad stream). It is a point where water from multiple streams floods the road during the day. The water comes from melting ice and the level rises as the day progresses. It is usually very tough to cross after noon. Pangong Lake lies only a few kilometers beyond this spot.
The driver was somehow able to cross the stream and we reached Pangong around 1 PM.
The first glimpse of the lake was enough to make us forget our sore backs from the 5 hour journey. It was just like we had seen in the hundred photographs of the lake before coming here. The lake is located right in the middle of barren mountains and runs for 130 kilometers. Its water is salty, crystal clear and a lovely shade of blue. It looks its best when the sun is shining brightly, just as it was when we reached there.
After savoring the unspoilt beauty of Pangong for a few minutes, we took out our bar-be-cue grill from our taxi. A few minutes later a bowl of Top Ramen noodles was simmering over the coals we had bought yesterday. We were living the dream.
After a great couple of hours at the lake, we headed back to Leh. This meant we had to cross the Pagal Nullah again; only this time, the water level would be higher. We got off the car when we reached the stream which allowed the driver to easily cross over. But this meant that we had to cross the stream on foot now. Three of us were able to somehow tread the strong current and cross the highly uneven pebbled bed of the stream. However one of us was stuck and was finding it tough to wade through. Water seemed to be flowing down in increased volumes every minute and we were losing breath quickly in the rarified air. We made a sort of human chain finally allowing our friend to cross the stream. We required a few big puffs from our oxygen cylinder after this adventure.
Further on, the road was blocked by heavy machinery for repairing the road. The only person who could operate the machine was away. To bypass it we had to use the diversion – a steep slope by the side of the road which joined the road a few meters down. We thought it unwise to keep sitting in the car as it performed this maneuver. As it started moving down the rough slope, the rear tyres lifted off the ground. We pushed the car down from the rear and it managed to roll down without toppling over. Oxygen puffs again.
We reached Leh in the evening, signing out at the police posts where we had made a register entry while coming. After a light dinner we retired to our guesthouse. Today’s events had left some of us very tired and we called off our tomorrow’s trip to Nubra Valley. At most we could see the Khardung La pass and come back. This journey would be an hour and a half one side, compared to a five hour one-side journey to Nubra (via Khardung La).
Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 4 of 10
Leh
Now I can boast that I drove an Enfield Bullet motorbike for the first time, in Leh.
We had a good night’s sleep and woke up hale and hearty. After grabbing some random breakfast we packed our stuff and shifted to the bigger guest house we had booked yesterday. Soon we were ready for our relaxed day in Leh.
Leh is a small town and motorbikes are a popular means of getting around. I took an Enfield Bullet on rent for Rs. 500 for the day. The bike was not in the best condition but I got used to handling it in a while. I’d never driven a Bullet before – it is 500 cc of pure muscle and is damn heavy. Plus, the brake and the gears are oriented opposite of the regular motorbikes. It is not easy to tame the beast on plains, and here I was trying to reason with it on the slopes at 12 thousand feet.
Of us four friends, only two drive a motorbike. We two went off zipping around the Leh streets while the other two went sightseeing to monasteries in the taxi. We had lunch at the Summer Harvest restaurant – a place recommended by Lonely Planet for its Chinese fare. The food was good indeed and the servings were huge. We could not last half of our main course.
We roamed the markets of Leh the entire afternoon and shopped for some local specialties. In the evening we headed to the Shanti Stupa. This experience was so sublime; we did not feel like coming back from the place. The view of the entire town with the mountains for background was more spiritual than just pleasing to the eyes.
We then saw the Leh Palace, a forsaken building rising above the town which doesn’t exude the grandeur of a palace but does make you feel like a king when you look at the whole town from up there.
After frolicking around a bit on the bike we returned it to the rental shop. After dinner we retired to our guesthouse. On our way back we luckily got some coals from a road-side vendor of bar-be-cued mutton. We plan to use it to cook Maggi noodles at Pangong Lake tomorrow. Amen.
Now I can boast that I drove an Enfield Bullet motorbike for the first time, in Leh.
We had a good night’s sleep and woke up hale and hearty. After grabbing some random breakfast we packed our stuff and shifted to the bigger guest house we had booked yesterday. Soon we were ready for our relaxed day in Leh.
Leh is a small town and motorbikes are a popular means of getting around. I took an Enfield Bullet on rent for Rs. 500 for the day. The bike was not in the best condition but I got used to handling it in a while. I’d never driven a Bullet before – it is 500 cc of pure muscle and is damn heavy. Plus, the brake and the gears are oriented opposite of the regular motorbikes. It is not easy to tame the beast on plains, and here I was trying to reason with it on the slopes at 12 thousand feet.
Of us four friends, only two drive a motorbike. We two went off zipping around the Leh streets while the other two went sightseeing to monasteries in the taxi. We had lunch at the Summer Harvest restaurant – a place recommended by Lonely Planet for its Chinese fare. The food was good indeed and the servings were huge. We could not last half of our main course.
We roamed the markets of Leh the entire afternoon and shopped for some local specialties. In the evening we headed to the Shanti Stupa. This experience was so sublime; we did not feel like coming back from the place. The view of the entire town with the mountains for background was more spiritual than just pleasing to the eyes.
We then saw the Leh Palace, a forsaken building rising above the town which doesn’t exude the grandeur of a palace but does make you feel like a king when you look at the whole town from up there.
After frolicking around a bit on the bike we returned it to the rental shop. After dinner we retired to our guesthouse. On our way back we luckily got some coals from a road-side vendor of bar-be-cued mutton. We plan to use it to cook Maggi noodles at Pangong Lake tomorrow. Amen.
Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 3 of 10
Sarchu to Leh
I had thought that I would have a sound sleep since we were so tired with all the traveling yesterday. However altitude sickness got the better of me and I could sleep only intermittently and kept turning in my bed. A gust was blowing outside and the tents fluttered violently. The tethers did a good job to keep them in place all night.
I woke up with a bad throbbing headache, the kind you have after a night of heavy drinking. I’d to gather all my strength to get ready and go to the kitchen tent for tea. As I left my tent I saw the view around our campsite for the first time. It was breathtaking – we were in the middle of nowhere with huge barren mountains all around and a smooth straight road extending from infinity to infinity on either end. The tents looked so meek surrounded by the gigantic creations of nature. The breeze and the view eased my head a bit and I downed a hot cup of tea in record time.
My friends weren’t feeling very well either – they’d also had a sleepless night in the rarified air at 14 thousand feet. We force-fed ourselves some breakfast, loaded our luggage back on the taxi and left for Leh. We were all apprehensive about the Tanglang La pass we needed to cross in order to reach Leh – at over 17 thousand feet it is the second-highest motorable pass in the world.
The road from Sarchu to Leh was in an average condition with some rough patches. For instance, one of the bridges we crossed was barely hanging there. We got off the car and had to direct the driver to cross gently and precisely over the surviving girders. Then at one place our car got stuck in a pool of icy water on the road and we had to remove our shoes, get down and push the car with all our might to get it out. The lack of oxygen did not help either.
Between Sarchu and Leh lie two spectacular stretches of land – the Gata Loops and the More Plains. The 21 Gata Loops are formed by the winding road that climbs up one of the mountains to the Nakila pass. More Plains is a flat, barren stretch of land that lies after Pang. Though very dusty and rough, it is still a welcome break from the atrocious twists and turns of the mountain track. It reminds you of Arizona where they test rocket cars and watch them break the sound barrier.
More Plains give way to a steep climb to the Tanglang La pass. By this time we were getting a bit acclimatized to the high altitude. Armed with this and the thought of our nearness to our destination, we gathered the courage to come out of the car and click some pictures at the pass. We watched as some taxis drove by without stopping and taking the chance. A group of motor bikers arrived there in an exhausted state with the look that they could go no further. Somehow, we survived.
After Tanglang the going was great – we had to cover only a couple hundred kilometers to Leh and the journey was all downhill.
The surroundings change spectacularly as you enter Ladakh. You have the first sighting of the Indus river. Houses begin to appear with small cultivated farms and gardens. Behind them are the barren, brown mountains with not a shrub on their steep slopes. We relished every moment of our first contact with civilization after almost two days.
Our mobiles started catching a signal as we entered Karu, about 40 Km from Leh. We informed our families of our successful tryst with the Himalayas and altitude sickness. Some friends were jealous to know how much we had seen and enjoyed in the last two days.
The weather now was quite warm and our jackets and sweaters started coming off. We reached Leh in the evening to find tourists roaming around in t-shirts and shorts. The first thing to take care of was arranging a guesthouse. We asked around to find no vacancies since it was peak tourist season in Leh. Finally we found a small guesthouse in one of the hidden alleys where we took two rooms at a cool Rs. 400 per room. The rooms were tiny but well furnished with carpets and wooden furniture. We found a bigger guesthouse a small distance away that had livelier rooms with a great view, priced similarly. However there was no vacancy for the day, so we booked it for the next three days.
We took hot bucket bath and went out for dinner at Il Forno, a rooftop restaurant famous for its pizzas. The place was packed and we had to wait for a table. The food was good, though we could not eat much as our appetite was still shriveled. We went off to sleep directly after. No travel was on agenda for tomorrow and we could wake up as late as we liked.
I had thought that I would have a sound sleep since we were so tired with all the traveling yesterday. However altitude sickness got the better of me and I could sleep only intermittently and kept turning in my bed. A gust was blowing outside and the tents fluttered violently. The tethers did a good job to keep them in place all night.
I woke up with a bad throbbing headache, the kind you have after a night of heavy drinking. I’d to gather all my strength to get ready and go to the kitchen tent for tea. As I left my tent I saw the view around our campsite for the first time. It was breathtaking – we were in the middle of nowhere with huge barren mountains all around and a smooth straight road extending from infinity to infinity on either end. The tents looked so meek surrounded by the gigantic creations of nature. The breeze and the view eased my head a bit and I downed a hot cup of tea in record time.
My friends weren’t feeling very well either – they’d also had a sleepless night in the rarified air at 14 thousand feet. We force-fed ourselves some breakfast, loaded our luggage back on the taxi and left for Leh. We were all apprehensive about the Tanglang La pass we needed to cross in order to reach Leh – at over 17 thousand feet it is the second-highest motorable pass in the world.
The road from Sarchu to Leh was in an average condition with some rough patches. For instance, one of the bridges we crossed was barely hanging there. We got off the car and had to direct the driver to cross gently and precisely over the surviving girders. Then at one place our car got stuck in a pool of icy water on the road and we had to remove our shoes, get down and push the car with all our might to get it out. The lack of oxygen did not help either.
Between Sarchu and Leh lie two spectacular stretches of land – the Gata Loops and the More Plains. The 21 Gata Loops are formed by the winding road that climbs up one of the mountains to the Nakila pass. More Plains is a flat, barren stretch of land that lies after Pang. Though very dusty and rough, it is still a welcome break from the atrocious twists and turns of the mountain track. It reminds you of Arizona where they test rocket cars and watch them break the sound barrier.
More Plains give way to a steep climb to the Tanglang La pass. By this time we were getting a bit acclimatized to the high altitude. Armed with this and the thought of our nearness to our destination, we gathered the courage to come out of the car and click some pictures at the pass. We watched as some taxis drove by without stopping and taking the chance. A group of motor bikers arrived there in an exhausted state with the look that they could go no further. Somehow, we survived.
After Tanglang the going was great – we had to cover only a couple hundred kilometers to Leh and the journey was all downhill.
The surroundings change spectacularly as you enter Ladakh. You have the first sighting of the Indus river. Houses begin to appear with small cultivated farms and gardens. Behind them are the barren, brown mountains with not a shrub on their steep slopes. We relished every moment of our first contact with civilization after almost two days.
Our mobiles started catching a signal as we entered Karu, about 40 Km from Leh. We informed our families of our successful tryst with the Himalayas and altitude sickness. Some friends were jealous to know how much we had seen and enjoyed in the last two days.
The weather now was quite warm and our jackets and sweaters started coming off. We reached Leh in the evening to find tourists roaming around in t-shirts and shorts. The first thing to take care of was arranging a guesthouse. We asked around to find no vacancies since it was peak tourist season in Leh. Finally we found a small guesthouse in one of the hidden alleys where we took two rooms at a cool Rs. 400 per room. The rooms were tiny but well furnished with carpets and wooden furniture. We found a bigger guesthouse a small distance away that had livelier rooms with a great view, priced similarly. However there was no vacancy for the day, so we booked it for the next three days.
We took hot bucket bath and went out for dinner at Il Forno, a rooftop restaurant famous for its pizzas. The place was packed and we had to wait for a table. The food was good, though we could not eat much as our appetite was still shriveled. We went off to sleep directly after. No travel was on agenda for tomorrow and we could wake up as late as we liked.
Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 2 of 10
Manali to Sarchu
A tiring day indeed – we covered a lot of ground today.
It generally takes two days to cover the 500 kilometers between Manali and Leh. We left Manali at around 8 AM and took the Manali-Leh highway to try and reach Sarchu (approximately midway) by evening via Rohtang Pass. A number of taxis and tourists were headed with us, though only till Rohtang. Day trips from Manali to Rohtang are quite popular and these tourists usually head back to Manali in the afternoon.
The moment we left Manali, the scenery started unfolding around us. Grass-covered mountain slopes looked great with the numerous tiny purple, pink and yellow flowers mixing magically with the green. The road is not particularly wide and the ascent is slow and treacherous. We got stuck in a bad traffic jam and reached Rohtang later than we’d have liked.
Rohtang is a highly commercialized place where the first thing that strikes you is the pervasive smell of horse poo – people generally go sightseeing around Rohtang on horses. Rohtang itself doesn’t have much to offer sans some nice views of the surrounding mountain peaks. We didn’t spend much time there and hit the road again.
Thankfully the traffic almost vanished since not many venture beyond Rohtang. However the road was in a real bad shape and progress was slow. Next stop was Keylong which is the official stopover point for government buses going to Leh. However if you are not traveling by bus it is advised to cover more ground and camp at Sarchu for the night. It means around 120 more kilometers but a more relaxed second day when you head to Leh.
We had a quick lunch at Keylong. It was late afternoon and we were already quite tired, but the restaurant owner advised us to continue our journey to Sarchu, citing friendlier road condition ahead. He also had a fantastic map which gives the altitude of all key stations between Manali and Leh along with the road distance, in the form of a line graph. I’d been thinking of drawing a similar map myself for this post, but now I’ll directly post the picture of the map I took there.
To reach Sarchu you have to pass the Baralacha La pass which is pretty high in altitude. We had our first feeling of altitude sickness when we got down to take some pictures there. We felt dizzy and thought it best to move on fast and complete the descent to Sarchu. It was getting very cold and we crossed the first camps at Sarchu at around 8 PM. Sarchu is only a small campsite with no concrete structures, no electricity and no mobile phone signal. The camps are solar powered and the few light bulbs glow only for a couple of hours in the evening. We took two double tents which were furnished with beds, blankets and had a small washroom at the back. They usually charge around Rs. 2000 per tent, but we got a discount since not many tourists were around. Dinner was served in a large common tent in the fashion of school mess.
It was pitch dark and we couldn’t see what was around the campsite. However, the sky was absolutely clear and I could see the maximum number of stars I’d seen on a single night. Pity it was a new moon night, otherwise the night time scenery would’ve been visible and most likely amazing.
A tiring day indeed – we covered a lot of ground today.
It generally takes two days to cover the 500 kilometers between Manali and Leh. We left Manali at around 8 AM and took the Manali-Leh highway to try and reach Sarchu (approximately midway) by evening via Rohtang Pass. A number of taxis and tourists were headed with us, though only till Rohtang. Day trips from Manali to Rohtang are quite popular and these tourists usually head back to Manali in the afternoon.
The moment we left Manali, the scenery started unfolding around us. Grass-covered mountain slopes looked great with the numerous tiny purple, pink and yellow flowers mixing magically with the green. The road is not particularly wide and the ascent is slow and treacherous. We got stuck in a bad traffic jam and reached Rohtang later than we’d have liked.
Rohtang is a highly commercialized place where the first thing that strikes you is the pervasive smell of horse poo – people generally go sightseeing around Rohtang on horses. Rohtang itself doesn’t have much to offer sans some nice views of the surrounding mountain peaks. We didn’t spend much time there and hit the road again.
Thankfully the traffic almost vanished since not many venture beyond Rohtang. However the road was in a real bad shape and progress was slow. Next stop was Keylong which is the official stopover point for government buses going to Leh. However if you are not traveling by bus it is advised to cover more ground and camp at Sarchu for the night. It means around 120 more kilometers but a more relaxed second day when you head to Leh.
We had a quick lunch at Keylong. It was late afternoon and we were already quite tired, but the restaurant owner advised us to continue our journey to Sarchu, citing friendlier road condition ahead. He also had a fantastic map which gives the altitude of all key stations between Manali and Leh along with the road distance, in the form of a line graph. I’d been thinking of drawing a similar map myself for this post, but now I’ll directly post the picture of the map I took there.
To reach Sarchu you have to pass the Baralacha La pass which is pretty high in altitude. We had our first feeling of altitude sickness when we got down to take some pictures there. We felt dizzy and thought it best to move on fast and complete the descent to Sarchu. It was getting very cold and we crossed the first camps at Sarchu at around 8 PM. Sarchu is only a small campsite with no concrete structures, no electricity and no mobile phone signal. The camps are solar powered and the few light bulbs glow only for a couple of hours in the evening. We took two double tents which were furnished with beds, blankets and had a small washroom at the back. They usually charge around Rs. 2000 per tent, but we got a discount since not many tourists were around. Dinner was served in a large common tent in the fashion of school mess.
It was pitch dark and we couldn’t see what was around the campsite. However, the sky was absolutely clear and I could see the maximum number of stars I’d seen on a single night. Pity it was a new moon night, otherwise the night time scenery would’ve been visible and most likely amazing.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009 – Day 1 of 10
Delhi to Leh
We started from Delhi at around 5 AM in our Toyota Innova taxi. We were carrying an unmanageable number of bags for luggage, but the carrier on our taxi’s roof proved to be a life saver. We even stuffed along a bar-be-cue grill – if we’re able to use it on our trip, it’d be a dream come true.
We had breakfast at Karnal and then we headed for Manali via Ropar. It had rained heavily in Delhi a day before, but today the sun was upon us with a vengeance. The heat and humidity were draining.
We reached Kullu in the evening, and on our way from there to Manali we stopped at a fantastic place where some tea stall owners had placed chairs and tables in the stream running along the road. One could sit there with feet ankle to knee deep in the fast flowing cold water, and relish omelettes, Maggi noodles and tea. It was a great respite from the heat and the fatigue of a long day on road.
We arrived in Manali around late evening and went straight to our guesthouse. We relaxed for a bit and went out for dinner at the Mall Road, the main marketplace of Manali. The guest house, owned by the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board, was a bit distant from the Mall Road; since our driver had already dozed off, we hitched a ride with a friendly chap of the Indian Army who dropped us at the market. The tourist season at Manali was over; I didn’t see any traffic of the kind I’d heard stories about.
I was visiting Manali for the first time, and I’ve to say it was a big let down for me. After all the hype I’d seen build around this hill station over the years, I was expecting a bigger show than Nainital or Shimla. But no. The shops were boring and the food sucked. This was after I ate at one of the more famous Manali restaurants – the Original Sher-e-Punjab. God knows how they’re in business ‘since 1972’, with that food and that service. The popular ‘4-in-1 Softy’ ice cream sold across the road tasted like cough syrup. But then perhaps I’m noticing these things because the tourist season is over; the mass hysteria of peak season in May-June would probably mask these flaws and such rants.
It is now past 1 AM and I’ve to wake early in the morning and head for Sarchu. Hope the weather and food is better tomorrow.
We started from Delhi at around 5 AM in our Toyota Innova taxi. We were carrying an unmanageable number of bags for luggage, but the carrier on our taxi’s roof proved to be a life saver. We even stuffed along a bar-be-cue grill – if we’re able to use it on our trip, it’d be a dream come true.
We had breakfast at Karnal and then we headed for Manali via Ropar. It had rained heavily in Delhi a day before, but today the sun was upon us with a vengeance. The heat and humidity were draining.
We reached Kullu in the evening, and on our way from there to Manali we stopped at a fantastic place where some tea stall owners had placed chairs and tables in the stream running along the road. One could sit there with feet ankle to knee deep in the fast flowing cold water, and relish omelettes, Maggi noodles and tea. It was a great respite from the heat and the fatigue of a long day on road.
We arrived in Manali around late evening and went straight to our guesthouse. We relaxed for a bit and went out for dinner at the Mall Road, the main marketplace of Manali. The guest house, owned by the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board, was a bit distant from the Mall Road; since our driver had already dozed off, we hitched a ride with a friendly chap of the Indian Army who dropped us at the market. The tourist season at Manali was over; I didn’t see any traffic of the kind I’d heard stories about.
I was visiting Manali for the first time, and I’ve to say it was a big let down for me. After all the hype I’d seen build around this hill station over the years, I was expecting a bigger show than Nainital or Shimla. But no. The shops were boring and the food sucked. This was after I ate at one of the more famous Manali restaurants – the Original Sher-e-Punjab. God knows how they’re in business ‘since 1972’, with that food and that service. The popular ‘4-in-1 Softy’ ice cream sold across the road tasted like cough syrup. But then perhaps I’m noticing these things because the tourist season is over; the mass hysteria of peak season in May-June would probably mask these flaws and such rants.
It is now past 1 AM and I’ve to wake early in the morning and head for Sarchu. Hope the weather and food is better tomorrow.
Road Trip to Leh (India): July 2009
Vehicle: Toyota Innova taxi
No. of people: 4 + Driver
What was planned:
Trip duration: 16-26 July (11 days)
Planned itinerary:
Day 1: Delhi to Manali
Day 2: Manali to Sarchu (midway between Manali and Leh), via Rohtang and Baralacha La passes
Day 3: Sarchu to Leh, via Tanglang La pass
Day 4: Leh – shopping, sightseeing
Day 5: Leh – day trip to Pangong Lake
Day 6: Leh to Nubra valley, via Khardung La pass, night stay in Nubra
Day 7: Nubra – sightseeing, back to Leh by evening
Day 8: Leh to Kargil
Day 9: Kargil to Srinagar/Gulamrg/Pahalgam, visit Sonamarg en route
Day 10: Srinagar to Jammu
Day 11: Jammu to Delhi
Estimated length of journey: 3000 Km
Expected budget: Rs. 20,000 per person
How it materialized:
Trip duration: 16-25 July (10 days)
Actual itinerary:
Day 1: Delhi to Manali
Day 2: Manali to Sarchu (midway between Manali and Leh), via Rohtang and Baralacha La passes
Day 3: Sarchu to Leh, via Tanglang La pass
Day 4: Leh – shopping, sightseeing
Day 5: Leh – day trip to Pangong Lake
Day 6: Leh – rest
Day 7: Leh to Sonamarg, via Zoji La pass
Day 8: Sonamarg to Srinagar
Day 9: Srinagar to Patiala, via Jammu
Day 10: Patiala to Delhi
Actual length of journey: 3250 Km
Total expenses: Rs. 15,000 per person
No. of people: 4 + Driver
What was planned:
Trip duration: 16-26 July (11 days)
Planned itinerary:
Day 1: Delhi to Manali
Day 2: Manali to Sarchu (midway between Manali and Leh), via Rohtang and Baralacha La passes
Day 3: Sarchu to Leh, via Tanglang La pass
Day 4: Leh – shopping, sightseeing
Day 5: Leh – day trip to Pangong Lake
Day 6: Leh to Nubra valley, via Khardung La pass, night stay in Nubra
Day 7: Nubra – sightseeing, back to Leh by evening
Day 8: Leh to Kargil
Day 9: Kargil to Srinagar/Gulamrg/Pahalgam, visit Sonamarg en route
Day 10: Srinagar to Jammu
Day 11: Jammu to Delhi
Estimated length of journey: 3000 Km
Expected budget: Rs. 20,000 per person
How it materialized:
Trip duration: 16-25 July (10 days)
Actual itinerary:
Day 1: Delhi to Manali
Day 2: Manali to Sarchu (midway between Manali and Leh), via Rohtang and Baralacha La passes
Day 3: Sarchu to Leh, via Tanglang La pass
Day 4: Leh – shopping, sightseeing
Day 5: Leh – day trip to Pangong Lake
Day 6: Leh – rest
Day 7: Leh to Sonamarg, via Zoji La pass
Day 8: Sonamarg to Srinagar
Day 9: Srinagar to Patiala, via Jammu
Day 10: Patiala to Delhi
Actual length of journey: 3250 Km
Total expenses: Rs. 15,000 per person
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Neemrana Fort, Rajasthan (India): May 2009
This trip resulted more out of the urge of an early-morning long drive at high speeds with open car windows than our curiosity for the Neemrana Fort. As such, we did not study the destination very deeply and rolled off at 5 AM from our place in Gurgaon.
The fort is located around 100 km from Gurgaon, in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. The direct route is to drive 90 km straight from Gurgaon to Shahjahanpur on the Delhi-Jaipur highway (NH-8), and then take a right turn. The locals don't know it by the name Neemrana Fort, so just ask for the 'quila' - Hindi for fort.
Actually the building is not just a fort; it has been made into a plush hotel with room tariffs ranging from Rs. 2000 a night to upwards of Rs. 20,000. So it is known as the 'Neemrana Fort-Palace', quite like Udaipur's Lake-Palace. They say one of the luxury suites here is Kate Winslet's 'most favourite room in the world'.
We reached there around 7 AM and saw a number of cars parked on the slope leading to the fort's gates. The number plates read Delhi, Haryana, UP - Neemrana Fort is indeed a popular weekend getaway for Delhiites who come here for a day's stay to revel in its glittery beauty by sundown.
As we were parking our car, a staffmember of the fort-palace, clad in traditional copper-colored kurta and white pyjama approached us and told that all rooms were booked and the fort opens for visitors at 9 AM. Plus, entry is not free - you need to pay Rs. 500 per person and can stay inside till 4 PM. If you wish to have breakfast in the fort, that'll be another Rs. 400. Likewise for lunch.
Waiting for two hours till 9 AM and paying Rs. 500 just to take pictures did not sound like a fun thing to any of us. So we decided to turn back after clicking some pictures from the outside and exploring the surroundings for a bit. Though we did agree that it could be a good holiday idea to book a room at the fort-palace for a Saturday and swim away to glory all night in the fort's fantastic swimming pool. But for now, this was not the plan - we just wanted a long drive, and a long drive is what we got.
On our way back we did the amazing 'breakfast menu' at McDonalds in Manesar (20 km from Gurgaon on NH-8). There we met the G.O.D.S. - 'Group of Delhi Superbikers' - a gang of around 15 men who probably zip on the NH-8 every weekend on their Ducatis and Hayabusas, and stop by at McDonalds for breakfast. You know what could be a good tag line for McDonalds? "Try our fabulous Breakfast Menu. Even the G.O.D.S. are lovin'it."
The fort is located around 100 km from Gurgaon, in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. The direct route is to drive 90 km straight from Gurgaon to Shahjahanpur on the Delhi-Jaipur highway (NH-8), and then take a right turn. The locals don't know it by the name Neemrana Fort, so just ask for the 'quila' - Hindi for fort.
Actually the building is not just a fort; it has been made into a plush hotel with room tariffs ranging from Rs. 2000 a night to upwards of Rs. 20,000. So it is known as the 'Neemrana Fort-Palace', quite like Udaipur's Lake-Palace. They say one of the luxury suites here is Kate Winslet's 'most favourite room in the world'.
We reached there around 7 AM and saw a number of cars parked on the slope leading to the fort's gates. The number plates read Delhi, Haryana, UP - Neemrana Fort is indeed a popular weekend getaway for Delhiites who come here for a day's stay to revel in its glittery beauty by sundown.
As we were parking our car, a staffmember of the fort-palace, clad in traditional copper-colored kurta and white pyjama approached us and told that all rooms were booked and the fort opens for visitors at 9 AM. Plus, entry is not free - you need to pay Rs. 500 per person and can stay inside till 4 PM. If you wish to have breakfast in the fort, that'll be another Rs. 400. Likewise for lunch.
Waiting for two hours till 9 AM and paying Rs. 500 just to take pictures did not sound like a fun thing to any of us. So we decided to turn back after clicking some pictures from the outside and exploring the surroundings for a bit. Though we did agree that it could be a good holiday idea to book a room at the fort-palace for a Saturday and swim away to glory all night in the fort's fantastic swimming pool. But for now, this was not the plan - we just wanted a long drive, and a long drive is what we got.
On our way back we did the amazing 'breakfast menu' at McDonalds in Manesar (20 km from Gurgaon on NH-8). There we met the G.O.D.S. - 'Group of Delhi Superbikers' - a gang of around 15 men who probably zip on the NH-8 every weekend on their Ducatis and Hayabusas, and stop by at McDonalds for breakfast. You know what could be a good tag line for McDonalds? "Try our fabulous Breakfast Menu. Even the G.O.D.S. are lovin'it."
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
India - First Impressions!
If you want a straight-from-the-heart account of a foreigner's first few weeks in India, visit http://marianaintheworld.wordpress.com. This blog belongs to Mariana, my Brazilian friend who arrived here in India in the beginning of 2009.
(The blog is in Portuguese and posts are Google-translated into English.)
(The blog is in Portuguese and posts are Google-translated into English.)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Lansdowne, Haridwar, Rishikesh (India): February 2009
Lansdowne (Lancedown) is a small hill station in Uttaranchal – perhaps the closest one to Delhi. I and my colleague Amar were looking for a weekend getaway and this little-known scenic town looked like a good option.
It is located 250 km from Delhi, in the Garhwal region of the Himalayas. Considering the manageable distance we initially planned on hiring a car for the trip but had a last minute change of plans. The Indian Railways online booking system might not be the most user-friendly, but I’ve slowly gotten good at using it. So we booked return tickets from Delhi to Kotdwar, the closest rail head to Lansdowne. The train was Mussoorie Express.
Our train left Friday night at around 10 from the Old Delhi Railway Station and catching it on time was a story in itself. Leaving our Gurgaon office at 7 PM, we needed to pack. Then we had to buy a memory card for the camera for which we parked our borrowed car in a tow-away zone outside the mall, ran like maniacs between showrooms before finally buying a 2 GB card and accidentally getting billed for an 8 GB one through credit card, realizing the mistake only much later. And then the taxi we had booked for the train station did not turn up. Thankfully the station is now connected by metro rail, so we took a painful ride on a packed minibus to the Dwarka metro station. Briefly stopping at Amar’s place for dinner, we managed to board the train, barely though.
After a (thankfully) uneventful eight hours we were happy to finally reach Kotdwar early next morning. I can’t say the same for a German backpacker who disembarked with us. To give you a brief background:
Mussoorie Express goes from Delhi to Najibabad where it splits into two. One part takes you to Dehradun via Haridwar, while the other set of bogies heads to Kotdwar. So when you board the train at Delhi, you need to make sure you are in the right bogie. The German had apparently missed this and landed in Kotdwar instead of Haridwar. Anyways, the angels that we are, we negotiated with a taxi driver to take her to Haridwar (100 km from Kotdwar) for Rs. 400. Pity she never gave us her phone number.
Kotdwar to Lansdowne is a 41-km uphill drive and Jeeps ply between these two for a standard Rs. 400. You can also take shared 10-seater Jeeps for Rs. 40 per seat.
The drive to Lansdowne was lovely with the morning sun playing hide and seek from behind the pines. The local river ‘Khoh’ faithfully accompanied us halfway to Lansdowne offering some fascinating views. The road was smooth for the most part except for a few bumpy patches. It was much colder than we expected; we were told it had snowed a fortnight back in Lansdowne – a rare spectacle.
In one and a half hours we arrived at Lansdowne’s centre, the Gandhi Chowk. We – or rather, I – had the famous gigantic Aloo ka Parantha (fried Indian bread stuffed with potato) for breakfast at the Mayur Hotel. There we also met a funny character – a little brat of a boy who’d show tourists around the toilet and recite a story of how he was being paid half of what he was promised by the hotel owner and how he fed his family from the tips he earned from the tourists. No, we did not tip him – we had done our good deed of the day by helping that German girl.
‘Retreat Anand’, the jungle resort we had booked in Lansdowne, lay 3 km from Gandhi Chowk, connected by a motorable but kachha road. The taxi charged Rs. 150 to take us there. In fact, the taxi charges in this area were fixed with no negotiation possible – Gandhi Chowk to resort was a flat Rs. 150, and to Kotdwar was a flat Rs. 400.
The resort reception was open-air. As I signed the check-in register, I noticed the last tourists came here as long as 10 days back. Whew, our very own Hotel California?
We got a ‘deluxe’ cottage for Rs 1000 a night, after an off-season discount. After some rest and light breakfast, we moved out to trek the hills with a crude map of the area drawn by the resort manager. So we weren’t surprised when we lost our way soon and started charting our own territory. We crossed a stream with big, round boulders and freezing water. Our initial plan, had we come by car, was to carry a grill with us and do a bar-be-que near such a stream. It’d have been heavenly.
While returning to the resort we sighted some local children playing cricket in a small, flat clearing. We joined them and were surprised to see their knowledge of cricket – the urchins carried nicknames of cricketers from across the world. So Amar came to be their Harbhajan and I became the bespectacled Vettori. We played for a while and took ‘team photographs’.
After lunch at the resort we went downtown again to Gandhi Chowk to check out the local attractions – the Bulla Lake and the War Museum. Lansdowne is a cantonment area maintained by the Garhwal Rifles regiment of the Indian Army. Perhaps this is also the reason for its striking cleanliness compared to other hill stations.
We had planned to stay two days in Lansdowne, but ran out of things to do on the first day itself. Lansdowne proved much smaller and lonelier than we anticipated. Plus, the jungle resort was starting to get on our nerves – it was super-cold, dead silent, the food was bad and outrageously high-priced. It was as if the staff was saying from behind that pretentious smile – “the nearest shop is 3 miles.. you want something cheap and tasty? Go, walk through the jungle and get it.” So we decided to get moving and spend the spare Sunday in Haridwar-Rishikesh. (For the uninitiated, Haridwar and Rishikesh are important Hindu pilgrimages located on the banks of the river Ganges, where devotees descend in thousands to take a dip on sacred dates determined by the lunar calendar.)
We set off early in the morning to Kotdwar from where we took a bus to Haridwar. This two-hour bus ride through the ‘jungle route’ was more intense than racing a wild camel in a sandstorm in the middle of Sahara. There is a ‘highway route’ as well to Haridwar, though the ‘jungle route’ is a lot shorter. At either end of the dusty jungle patch were beautiful little villages which afforded a peep into north India’s agriculture-based lifestyles and ecosystem.
We disembarked at Haridwar from where Rishikesh is around 30 km. Blue-coloured three-wheelers (called ‘Vikram’) frequent the route. They charge Rs. 30 per side on a sharing basis and Rs. 250 if you book the full vehicle. We took the latter option.
From thereon we did the routine – a dip in the holy Ganges, lunch at Chottiwala (near Ram Jhula, Rishikesh), and the evening Aarti at Har ki Pauri in Haridwar. We also visited a Gurudwara which holds significance as the first checkpoint on the way to Hemkund Sahib, an important Sikh pilgrimage. Everything done, we had a couple of hours to spare before our train left, so we engaged in a spiritual dialogue on religions and beliefs by the side of the Ganges.
The trip was almost over, but there was a twist in the tail. Our train reservation to Delhi was from Kotdwar and here we were in Haridwar. The train was the same – Mussoorie Express, but our bogies coming from Kotdwar were to join with the train only at Najibabad, one hour distant from Haridwar. So we boarded the train and explained the situation to the ticket examiner. He raised concerns but was more cooperative once we expressed our willingness to pay for the un-reserved ride from Haridwar to Najibabad, whereafter we moved to our reserved seats and had a sound sleep. We woke up to the hustle-bustle of Delhi early next day, and had all the time in the world to go home, get ready and drive to the office.
Though our 2-day trip was far from the calm, serene, relaxing weekend getaway we had planned for, in retrospect I feel that it would have been incomplete without all these surprise turns.
Expenses:
Delhi-Kotdwar one-way rail ticket (AC 3-tier): Rs. 350
Kotdwar-Lansdowne taxi (jeep): Rs. 400
Lansdowne downtown to jungle resort taxi: Rs. 150
Forest resort cottage (Deluxe): Rs. 1000 per night
Bus from Kotdwar to Haridwar: Rs. 50
Three-wheeler from Haridwar to Rishikesh: Rs. 250
Getting lost while trekking, playing cricket with locals, a bumpy bus ride through the jungle, and a spiritual discussion by the Ganges: Priceless.
You can view the pictures from the trip here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=106318&id=597905358&l=5acf1c05ea
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Zenith Waterfall, Maharashtra (India): July 2009 (Planned)
I love waterfalls. One of my fantasies is to jump from the edge of a steep rock into the plunge pool of a waterfall. Amen!
I've found some information about a waterfall near Mumbai. It's called Zenith Waterfall, located 90 Km from Mumbai on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Nearest railway station is Khopoli and is well-connected with Mumbai. I'm planning to visit the place this Monsoon season. I've seen some pictures and they look tempting. The link for one travel account is:
http://www.oktatabyebye.com/travelogues/659-maharashtraslashamazin-waterfall.html
It looks like a crowded tourist destination, but I still need to check out. I'll post the details once I make the trip myself.
I've found some information about a waterfall near Mumbai. It's called Zenith Waterfall, located 90 Km from Mumbai on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Nearest railway station is Khopoli and is well-connected with Mumbai. I'm planning to visit the place this Monsoon season. I've seen some pictures and they look tempting. The link for one travel account is:
http://www.oktatabyebye.com/travelogues/659-maharashtraslashamazin-waterfall.html
It looks like a crowded tourist destination, but I still need to check out. I'll post the details once I make the trip myself.
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