Eighteen
hours of non-stop adventure, thru some of the most dangerous mountains
on earth, highest passes, and mesmerizing vistas...stay tuned for more
pics and details as this journey of a lifetime unfolds :)
Stacks of Aloo Paranthas, a sight i had never seen before !
I chose to go inside the warm confines of the dhaba in search of a hot cup of tea,because on that windy...chilly morning, i really craved for the warm touch of a hot cup in my freezing hands. But i found something more than hot tea inside the dhaba, a sight I had never seen before, stacks of Aloo Paranthas, all ready and stuffed, ready to go to the hot tawa, warming itself on the stove next to them.
Even at that early hour the dhaba owner was ready to serve hungry travelers with piping hot Aloo Paranthas. Just a look at them made my tummy rumble with anticipation of some warm and tasty paranthas along with the hot cuppa...no better breakfast in those heavenly surroundings.
After a much needed tea break our journey started again, and as Sun started climbing higher over the mountain tops and lighting up the valley, beautiful vistas unfolding. I could not resist the temptation to roll the down the window glass a bit and have a better view at the mesmerizing scenery, as the slightly dusty window glass was not doing any justice to the scenery, but the freezing cold wind did not allow me to keep the glass down for long, and within few minutes I had to roll it up again.
As we moved deeper inside the valley the amazing vistas continued, the mountain sides were colored in green,and the scenery looked like a painting... or like pages from a picture book.
As i looked out of the window in wonderment, i felt like a child , totally overawed by the exotic surrounding. My hands had to struggle with the camera, as i constantly reminded my self to capture some pictures of this beautiful dream before it was over.
As the cold morning slowly progressed, and my journey through the picture postcard country continued, i clicked some more pictures through the windscreen of the bus from my seat upfront, next to the driver. The right side of the valley was still under the cold shadow of the mountains, and i saw very little life stirring their at that early hours. The left side of the valley was the first to receive the warmth of the early morning Sun, and like elsewhere India, some hardy folks were working the farm lands. Making something grow in these super cold surroundings is a miracle in itself.
I came across this house. Set in such heavenly surroundings, with views to die for,a home for some really lucky person.
The peppy Force Traveler moved thru the mountainous terrain easily, and i enjoyed the lovely scenery and clicked pics, soon it was time for the second tea break of the morning, and Suraj Singh stopped the bus at a tiny dhaba set against the backdrop of tall mountains.
With the short tea break over we resumed our journey. As we moved forward towards Leh the topography kept changing, we could see a distinctive change as we crossed over into Ladakh state from Himachal. Slowly the greenery started giving way to an arid mountain desert landscape.
We also started finding more and more snow and ice around us, the approach roads to the mountain passes and the landscape around was full of snow, sometimes it felt like passing through a snowfield, with just a tiny black ribbon of a road running through it. The narrow road with tall icy shoulders made the climb to the high passes more difficult and dangerous. On some narrow turns the sides of the bus did touch the ice walls.
In some places the walls of snow and ice were much higher than the height of our bus. As the summer approaches, and the temperatures slowly rise, these huge ice walls have a tendency to collapse with the melting ice and bury the roads under them bringing the traffic on Manali - Leh highway to a standstill. But right now there was no such dismal scene on the horizon, with sun shining brightly in the blue sky, I was enjoying my dream ride through the tons of snow…. believe me, I had seen so much of snow and ice only in pictures…. never in real life !
The 490 km long Manali - Leh highway passes through some of the highest passes in the world. The average height of the road is 4000 meters, and at its highest point at Taglang La - which is incidentally the second highest pass in the world - it is 5328 meters high. In winters most of the the highway is buried under snow. At the end of long winter, much before the first traveller sets its foot on the road, Border Roads Organization (BRO) starts the massive operation of clearing and repair of this road. Thanks to the tough men in BRO and their machines this highway was made possible, and it is due their inexhaustible energy and hard work this road is made useable every year, for army and civilians.
The top of Taglang La was desolate , not a soul in sight .
The road sign which says it all !
Black ice on the
road to Rohtang top, one slip on this takes you thousands of feet
down to the dark valley below. We saw one Sumo which had slipped on black ice
and smashed luckily into the ice wall , driver was safe, and there were no
passengers.
Howling
winds and mountains of ice everywhere Rohtang top at 5am
We reached
Rohtang top after a three hour journey at 5am, bus stopped and some of the more
daring souls stepped outside to experience Rohtang at that early hour. After
the the warm cocoon of bus it was like stepping into a freezer, with cold
winds howling around us like a banshee, and I could see powdery snow flakes
flying around shining brightly, whenever they passed the headlights of the bus.
It was bitterly cold, with mountains of ice everywhere, and within a few
minutes my feet were freezing in my Woodland shoes, the cold from
the frozen ground started to travel right up the thick shoe sole and the two
pair of woolen socks, and I could feel my feet going numb. But the scene
in the fading darkness around was so amazing that forced my brain to
block all the discomfort and kept enjoying for few moments more...till
Suraj Singh started honking the horn, but I stayed on ... savoring in
every moment of the scene around.... a amazing experience of a lifetime, till I
reluctantly walked back towards the bus and climbed it to move on to my onward
journey to Leh.
 | ||
|
On the other side of Rohtang Top first rays
of Sun light up the mountain peaks while the valley is still in darkness.
After crossing
the Rohtang Top we started on the downward journey to the valley far below, walls
of ice lined both sides, while the narrow road twisted and turned thru
them. Suraj Singh concentrated on the steep slush filled slope, trying to take
the bus down without any mishap on the slippery road.
Our ride for Leh - Force Traveler mini bus, fast and comfortable.
First tea stop of
the day at Khoksar, after successfully crossing Rohtang Pass. It was very cold,
but still some people dared to wash their faces, splashing ice cold water on
their faces from the lonely tap outside the dhaba was their idea of adventure i
guess :D
|
Stacks of Aloo Paranthas, a sight i had never seen before !
I chose to go inside the warm confines of the dhaba in search of a hot cup of tea,because on that windy...chilly morning, i really craved for the warm touch of a hot cup in my freezing hands. But i found something more than hot tea inside the dhaba, a sight I had never seen before, stacks of Aloo Paranthas, all ready and stuffed, ready to go to the hot tawa, warming itself on the stove next to them.
Even at that early hour the dhaba owner was ready to serve hungry travelers with piping hot Aloo Paranthas. Just a look at them made my tummy rumble with anticipation of some warm and tasty paranthas along with the hot cuppa...no better breakfast in those heavenly surroundings.
After a much needed tea break our journey started again, and as Sun started climbing higher over the mountain tops and lighting up the valley, beautiful vistas unfolding. I could not resist the temptation to roll the down the window glass a bit and have a better view at the mesmerizing scenery, as the slightly dusty window glass was not doing any justice to the scenery, but the freezing cold wind did not allow me to keep the glass down for long, and within few minutes I had to roll it up again.
As we moved deeper inside the valley the amazing vistas continued, the mountain sides were colored in green,and the scenery looked like a painting... or like pages from a picture book.
As i looked out of the window in wonderment, i felt like a child , totally overawed by the exotic surrounding. My hands had to struggle with the camera, as i constantly reminded my self to capture some pictures of this beautiful dream before it was over.
As the cold morning slowly progressed, and my journey through the picture postcard country continued, i clicked some more pictures through the windscreen of the bus from my seat upfront, next to the driver. The right side of the valley was still under the cold shadow of the mountains, and i saw very little life stirring their at that early hours. The left side of the valley was the first to receive the warmth of the early morning Sun, and like elsewhere India, some hardy folks were working the farm lands. Making something grow in these super cold surroundings is a miracle in itself.
I came across this house. Set in such heavenly surroundings, with views to die for,a home for some really lucky person.
The peppy Force Traveler moved thru the mountainous terrain easily, and i enjoyed the lovely scenery and clicked pics, soon it was time for the second tea break of the morning, and Suraj Singh stopped the bus at a tiny dhaba set against the backdrop of tall mountains.
With the short tea break over we resumed our journey. As we moved forward towards Leh the topography kept changing, we could see a distinctive change as we crossed over into Ladakh state from Himachal. Slowly the greenery started giving way to an arid mountain desert landscape.
We also started finding more and more snow and ice around us, the approach roads to the mountain passes and the landscape around was full of snow, sometimes it felt like passing through a snowfield, with just a tiny black ribbon of a road running through it. The narrow road with tall icy shoulders made the climb to the high passes more difficult and dangerous. On some narrow turns the sides of the bus did touch the ice walls.
In some places the walls of snow and ice were much higher than the height of our bus. As the summer approaches, and the temperatures slowly rise, these huge ice walls have a tendency to collapse with the melting ice and bury the roads under them bringing the traffic on Manali - Leh highway to a standstill. But right now there was no such dismal scene on the horizon, with sun shining brightly in the blue sky, I was enjoying my dream ride through the tons of snow…. believe me, I had seen so much of snow and ice only in pictures…. never in real life !
The 490 km long Manali - Leh highway passes through some of the highest passes in the world. The average height of the road is 4000 meters, and at its highest point at Taglang La - which is incidentally the second highest pass in the world - it is 5328 meters high. In winters most of the the highway is buried under snow. At the end of long winter, much before the first traveller sets its foot on the road, Border Roads Organization (BRO) starts the massive operation of clearing and repair of this road. Thanks to the tough men in BRO and their machines this highway was made possible, and it is due their inexhaustible energy and hard work this road is made useable every year, for army and civilians.
The top of Taglang La was desolate , not a soul in sight .
The road sign which says it all !
