Day 2 - Rohtang and beyond, till Sarchu!
For all of the tourists bound for Manali, Rohtang is the ultimate destination. Most of the people never go beyond Rohtang. Situated at a height of around 13000 feet, it is the highest you can go if you are a tourist to Manali. Rohtang pass/the route till Rohtang pass is also notorious for long traffic jams, broken roads and slush. Sample the pic shared by Rohit from a website, of the traffic Jam at Rohtang -
Don't know if this was a recent pic or not, but I was actually expecting something like this if we delay our start time from the Hotel in Manali. So, 5 AM was the time which was decided and at 5 AM sharp everyone was ready. Chauhan Ji came to the hotel at 5:00, and we were set to roll! We finally managed to leave from our hotel at 5:30, a little off the scehdule but well within the accepted and expected deviation :)
At Rohtang Pass -
So, a few pics and we moved ahead.The next stop was again at a picersque location during the descent from Rohtang Pass. It was a beautiful location, where the sky was clear, no fog and a breathtaking view.
That's Chauhan Ji taking a pic of all of us -
And, we moved ahead again! Some bad roads, some local route knowledge about the Lahaul & Spiti valley and the Baga river by Chahuhan Ji, we stopped at our next stop for Breakfast. It was at Koksar. We had an amazing tea and Hot Maggi here.
The under construction Rohtang Tunnel
An accident along the route, between Koksar and Tandi. We stopped here for a few minutes as Chauhan Ji checked on the guys working on the car. The car apparently skidded and rammed into an oncoming truck. There were no injuries, and these were Toyota guys working on the car -
The famous Petrol pump and even more famous sign board at Tandi!
The roads had been a mixed of well laid tarmac, a few dusty patches and a few small river crossings -
Soon, we crossed Keylong and reached Jispa! And, it was just around 11:30 AM!! There seemed no point stopping at Jispa now, we were not tired and we had plenty of day still left. The logical decision was to move ahead to Sarchu, as this would have meant utilizing more of today, and a little less of travel on next day.
So, we decided to move ahead. Sarchu is about 85 Km from Jispa and takes about 4 hours. Next stop was going to be at Deepak Tal, a small beautiful lake a few Km ahead of Darcha. We stopped here for some rest, as we had been in the car almost non-stop since Koksar, just with a small halt at Tandi for refuelling.
Deepak Tal -
And, some guys decided to swim across -
A short break here, and we moved ahead. Up next was Sooraj Tal, and Baralacha La. We did not stop at Sooraj Tal, actually I did not even notice when it came and went. I was aware it was somewhere before Baralacha La, but just did not come across it on the way. Chauhan Ji told us that we may encounter snow at Baralacha La, but there wasnt any. Just after crossing Baralacha La and before Killingsarai, we stopped at a beautiful spot just to take some rest and click some pics :) This was the first time, we all were warned about breathlessness by Chauhan Ji. As soon as we got off the car, and took a few steps we could actually feel short of breath after taking a few steps. Don't know about others - but this excited me :p, it was the first signs that we were at such a high altitude :p.
Up next was the famous bridg at Killingsarai. The approach road to Killingsarai was scary and the bridge itself was scary. The bridge is known to be broken quite frequently by the mountains, and we just saw it for ourselves, why is the place called Killingsarai. This place is known to Kill cars. When the bridge is broken, everyone has to cross the river, and if the wateer level is too high or the current too fast, you have to wait for it to recede and then cross it. Luckily for us, neither was the bridge broken nor was the water level too high.
Thats the bridge at Killingsarai -
Soon, after some back breaking roads - we were greeted with some nice tarmac - This was Sarchu!
At 15 minutes past 4 PM we were at our destination for the day, Sarchu. Chauhan Ji took us to a camping site, where we bargained a deal and decided to stay put for the night. The tensts were nice, but it was very chilly and windy at Sarchu.
All of us were hungry, and there was some very nice dal-chawal prepared by the guys at the camp. (to be honest, I dont remember what vegetable was there along with rice and dal, but I clearly remember whatever it was I loved it). After some rest, we decided to roam about and get some pics clicked. The views at Sarchu were simply breathtaking and a paradise for someone who loves photography.
The amazing and strange sand structures-
Soon, the Sun started going down - and with it the temperature too. Sarchu, as we were all aware was also notorious for causing AMS(Acute Mountain Sickness), we were a little careful and avoided over exerting. There was some breathlessness, but nothing seemed alarming as of now. Nidhi and Bhawna did complain of some headache and Nausea, even Arun seemed a little tired, but there were no signs of any severe AMS.
Soon, it was time for dinner and we all decided to call it a day. It was too windy and chilly for any kind of bonfire outside (even though there were a few Europeans who were happy in their shorts, while we were all packed in Jackets and Thermals!). We changed, and retired in our respective tents.
Next - The longest night for some, and the journey onwards towards Leh!
Don't know if this was a recent pic or not, but I was actually expecting something like this if we delay our start time from the Hotel in Manali. So, 5 AM was the time which was decided and at 5 AM sharp everyone was ready. Chauhan Ji came to the hotel at 5:00, and we were set to roll! We finally managed to leave from our hotel at 5:30, a little off the scehdule but well within the accepted and expected deviation :)
The journey had finally begun! We were off to Rohtang, with fingers crossed!
As we began our ascent towards Rohtang in the early hours, we were greeted with some beatufiul views. We saw the Sun rising and peeking through the mountains. There were no traffic jams like we had feared, and the tarmac was fantastic. The infamous Rani Nullah came and went, and we didn't even notice. Yes, you read it right, we crossed the Rani Nullah without breaking a sweat. The first major hurdle had been crossed, and I guess the 5:30 AM start helped, as this particular stretch is very notorious for Jams and slush. And, within an hour we were at Rohtang Pass. The first major high altitude pass we were going to encounter over the next few days. Unlike Manali, it was very cold t Rohtang, and it was foggy. Time for the woolens to come out, and a few pics:
Enroute Rohtang Pass -
At Rohtang Pass -
Rohtang pass has been freed up of all the shops, and apparently is much cleaner now. As we were there wuite early at around 6:30, we actually couldnt make out how much
this has helped. Anyhow, I think thats a step in the right direction and should be applauded.So, a few pics and we moved ahead.The next stop was again at a picersque location during the descent from Rohtang Pass. It was a beautiful location, where the sky was clear, no fog and a breathtaking view.
That's Chauhan Ji taking a pic of all of us -
And, we moved ahead again! Some bad roads, some local route knowledge about the Lahaul & Spiti valley and the Baga river by Chahuhan Ji, we stopped at our next stop for Breakfast. It was at Koksar. We had an amazing tea and Hot Maggi here.
The under construction Rohtang Tunnel
An accident along the route, between Koksar and Tandi. We stopped here for a few minutes as Chauhan Ji checked on the guys working on the car. The car apparently skidded and rammed into an oncoming truck. There were no injuries, and these were Toyota guys working on the car -
The famous Petrol pump and even more famous sign board at Tandi!
The roads had been a mixed of well laid tarmac, a few dusty patches and a few small river crossings -
Soon, we crossed Keylong and reached Jispa! And, it was just around 11:30 AM!! There seemed no point stopping at Jispa now, we were not tired and we had plenty of day still left. The logical decision was to move ahead to Sarchu, as this would have meant utilizing more of today, and a little less of travel on next day.
So, we decided to move ahead. Sarchu is about 85 Km from Jispa and takes about 4 hours. Next stop was going to be at Deepak Tal, a small beautiful lake a few Km ahead of Darcha. We stopped here for some rest, as we had been in the car almost non-stop since Koksar, just with a small halt at Tandi for refuelling.
Deepak Tal -
And, some guys decided to swim across -
A short break here, and we moved ahead. Up next was Sooraj Tal, and Baralacha La. We did not stop at Sooraj Tal, actually I did not even notice when it came and went. I was aware it was somewhere before Baralacha La, but just did not come across it on the way. Chauhan Ji told us that we may encounter snow at Baralacha La, but there wasnt any. Just after crossing Baralacha La and before Killingsarai, we stopped at a beautiful spot just to take some rest and click some pics :) This was the first time, we all were warned about breathlessness by Chauhan Ji. As soon as we got off the car, and took a few steps we could actually feel short of breath after taking a few steps. Don't know about others - but this excited me :p, it was the first signs that we were at such a high altitude :p.
Up next was the famous bridg at Killingsarai. The approach road to Killingsarai was scary and the bridge itself was scary. The bridge is known to be broken quite frequently by the mountains, and we just saw it for ourselves, why is the place called Killingsarai. This place is known to Kill cars. When the bridge is broken, everyone has to cross the river, and if the wateer level is too high or the current too fast, you have to wait for it to recede and then cross it. Luckily for us, neither was the bridge broken nor was the water level too high.
Thats the bridge at Killingsarai -
Soon, after some back breaking roads - we were greeted with some nice tarmac - This was Sarchu!
At 15 minutes past 4 PM we were at our destination for the day, Sarchu. Chauhan Ji took us to a camping site, where we bargained a deal and decided to stay put for the night. The tensts were nice, but it was very chilly and windy at Sarchu.
All of us were hungry, and there was some very nice dal-chawal prepared by the guys at the camp. (to be honest, I dont remember what vegetable was there along with rice and dal, but I clearly remember whatever it was I loved it). After some rest, we decided to roam about and get some pics clicked. The views at Sarchu were simply breathtaking and a paradise for someone who loves photography.
The amazing and strange sand structures-
Soon, the Sun started going down - and with it the temperature too. Sarchu, as we were all aware was also notorious for causing AMS(Acute Mountain Sickness), we were a little careful and avoided over exerting. There was some breathlessness, but nothing seemed alarming as of now. Nidhi and Bhawna did complain of some headache and Nausea, even Arun seemed a little tired, but there were no signs of any severe AMS.
Soon, it was time for dinner and we all decided to call it a day. It was too windy and chilly for any kind of bonfire outside (even though there were a few Europeans who were happy in their shorts, while we were all packed in Jackets and Thermals!). We changed, and retired in our respective tents.
Next - The longest night for some, and the journey onwards towards Leh!
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