Day 3 - Sarchu to Leh
Ok, before I move ahead to Day 3, there is a bit of Day 2 still left. After we retired in our tents, Nidhi and Bhavna come to mine and Rohit's tent. Apparently, one of the guys at the camp came to their tent without warning and opened the zipper of the tent. He was actually inviting everybody for the dinner not knowing that we had already done our dinner, and were about to sleep now. This scared the girls, and they came to us to tell about the incident. Rohit, talked to Nidhi and convinced them to go and sleep. After a little while, Arun came to our tent, and he told that the girls were scared. He suggested some shuffling in the tents. It was cold, very cold - I was cozied up in my quilt and Blanket, and was just praying that I am not asked by Arun to come out :p, I didn't say a word and kept acting like sleeping :p
Soon, Amitesh came inside the tent - and after a smile got inside the blanket :D In about 15 minutes I was asleep - with the Alarm set for 5 in the morning. And, this is how the day ended. Well, this is how the Day 2 ended for Amitesh and Me. But, for Rohit, Nidhi, Bhavna and Arun - there was a long night ahead.
At 5 Am sharp, the alarm rang and I woke up. I called out Amitesh's name to wake him up too. I was still in my blanket when Rohit comes to our tent. And, he told me and Amitesh the story of the night. Nidhi had a headache for the complete night, she even vomited. Rohit told me and Amitesh, still half asleep, that none of them were able to sleep the whole night. Apparently, Amitesh and Me were the only guys who slept that night. And, let me confess - even though it was windy and cold outside, I had a very nice sleep. If I write more about the experience of the 4 of them, I don't think I would do any justice to it. We had read blogs like "Longest night of our Lives at Sarchu", and the worst of the fears of Nidhi and Bhavna came true that night. Personally, I did not have any symptoms of AMS and had a very nice sleep, but the Ladies might have a different story to tell! I'll leave it up to them to explain more.
After freshning up a bit, Rohit, me and Amitesh went outside with the hoods of our jackets trying to protect our ears from the chilly wind that was blowing outside. We wanted to see the sunrise! Rohit, and me even did a 100 m run on the highway :p .. but, Amitesh was not able to capture that in the camera .. grrrr!
It was cloudy in the morning and we could not really 'see' the sunrise. But, this is what we saw -
After some pics, we all decided to have breakfast, and move ahead towards Leh. To skip having a bath here, was a call which no one took more than a second to take :p
After, the bags were packed again and loaded onto the car, we decided to move ahead! At Sarchu, there is a Army medical camp, and they provide any First Aid that maybe necessary to the travellers on this route. We asked Chauhan Ji to stop at the Army medical camp for a precautionary checkup. Nidhi was the worst affected by AMS it seemed, and so she went in first - and Bhavna too followed her. Arun and Rohit accompanied them inside. When they came outside, their mood was very different from how it was when they went inside - they were cheerful again :D. When the doctor checked them, the Oxygen level in their blood was very much normal - and there was nothing to worry about and everybody took a sigh of relief. The doctor gave them a Diamox tablet, as he cautioned that we were going to gain more height as we move forward - and we should take it as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, while everyone was inside the camp - and Amitesh was busy chatting with the foreigner who was also there with her friend getting checked by the doctor, I did this - :)
The Army Medical Aid Post -
The views -
And, we moved ahead! Sarchu is at the Border of HP and J&K. After Sarchu we entered the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The road ahead was mostly good, but a little dusty in patches. On the route ahead were many bridges to cross over from one mountain to another, the location of these bridges will leave you awed and their names will leave a smile on your face. Whisky Bridge, Brandy bridge to name a few :p
What reading loads of travelogues had done was, made me aware of the complete route. It was like, I had already been here on the Manali-Leh highway many times before. I was expecting the Gata Loops next, so I asked Chauhan Ji, when will they come. For the uninitiated, gata Loops is a set of 21 hair pin bends, with which you gain an altitude of approximately 1500 ft. And soon, the Legendry Gata Loops were there. All of us counted the hair pin bends, and when we reached the top, this was what we did there :p
After, Gata Loops was NakeeLa, a pass at an altitude of approx 15500 ft.
And, a few more pics before the dhabas at Pang, where we stopped for a some snacks -
The route from Nakee La all the way till Pang is breathtaking. I don’t have many pictures to tell you, but even the pictures won’t be able to do any justice to what this route is like. Pang is a Gorge/Canyon and It is absolutely gorgeous and dramatic at the same time. Infact the entire Manali – Leh highway is dramatic, but for me the stretch from Sarchu till Pang, rather till Tanglang La, was the most beautiful. Once, we had crossed the beautiful rock and sand formations, next were the Dhabas near to the Army Transit camp. We stopped there for some light snacks before we continued our journey towards Leh.
Dhabha/Restaurant at Pang -
Once we crossed Pang, up next were the Legendry More Plains. You can just admire nature, and be amazed to see such wide stretch of plain and vast land at an altitude of more than 15000 ft. What used to be dirt track once, is now a straight road for 35-40 Km. I believe BRO is now in the process of converting this stretch to a 2 lane road, as there was quite hectic BRO activity going on there. It was mostly tarred all along, apart from a few short patches where small bridges were still being made over small streams of rivers that flow through. It's such a pity that we didnt stop enough to capture more of this beautiful stretch and even more sad is that I dont have even a single pic at More Plains :(
After crossing More plains, up next was Tanglang La pass. Apparently, the second highest pass in the world (at least, this is what they say). Tanglang la is at a height of more than 17,000 ft. The journey from More Plains, right till Tanglang La can scare the s*it out of a traveller. Even though, Khardung la claims to be the highest motorable road – in my opinion Tanglang La is more scary and toll taking on your body as well as your vehicle. The road is mostly deserted, and until July 2013 was only a gravel track with raod laying work by BRO going on a war footing. I assume, by next year the complete stretch from More plains till Tanglang la would be tarred. Coming back to our journey, the drive all along from More Plains till Tanglang La was lonely on the dusty track. After climbing the huge, dry and barren mountains – we finally reached Tanglang La. Even though it was relatively warm all along the route from Sarchu till More plains, it got a little cloudy and chilly when we reached Tanglang La! At, 17000 ft – it was not recommended to stop here for too long, and after a few pics we moved ahead.
After, we crossed Tanglang la – up next was Upshi (where we expected to get Mobile signals for the first time in 2 days!). The road from Tanglang La all the way till Leh is a butter smooth road – which goes all the way till Leh. If, the climb up to Tanglang la was tiring and dusty, the climb down from Tanglang La was the exact opposite. Beautiful roads, and temperature getting warmer as we lost altitude.
We stopped a few Km before Upshi, where Chauhan Ji washed the car and we drank water and stretched ourselves :)
Finally, around 3 PM we entered Leh – and Rohit called the guy at the guest house who gave us directions to the guest house. And, at around 3:30 we checked into our guest house and said a Thank You to Chauhan Ji.
After settling in, and having a bath in the hot water – we ordered some lunch. The temperature in Leh was pretty warm, and you could actually manage with T-shirts in the day. In the evening, it got a little cold but nothing unbearable for a Delhite. We roamed a little in the market, and had a quite dinner at a rooftop restaurant. This ended Day 3 of our Journey and by far the best one till date! We had just completed the drive on the iconic Manali – Leh highway, which in my opinion is once in a life time experience.
Finally - Good Night! Wait a minute, before we say Good Night, this is just to show you how an Amateur clicks the moon at night :p
Tomorrow, we had to get the ILPs and finalize what we were going to do for the next week in Ladakh!
Next – Pathhar Sahib Gurdwara, Magnetic Hill, Alchi – on the leh-Srinagar Highway. And, Shanti Stupa in leh!
Soon, Amitesh came inside the tent - and after a smile got inside the blanket :D In about 15 minutes I was asleep - with the Alarm set for 5 in the morning. And, this is how the day ended. Well, this is how the Day 2 ended for Amitesh and Me. But, for Rohit, Nidhi, Bhavna and Arun - there was a long night ahead.
At 5 Am sharp, the alarm rang and I woke up. I called out Amitesh's name to wake him up too. I was still in my blanket when Rohit comes to our tent. And, he told me and Amitesh the story of the night. Nidhi had a headache for the complete night, she even vomited. Rohit told me and Amitesh, still half asleep, that none of them were able to sleep the whole night. Apparently, Amitesh and Me were the only guys who slept that night. And, let me confess - even though it was windy and cold outside, I had a very nice sleep. If I write more about the experience of the 4 of them, I don't think I would do any justice to it. We had read blogs like "Longest night of our Lives at Sarchu", and the worst of the fears of Nidhi and Bhavna came true that night. Personally, I did not have any symptoms of AMS and had a very nice sleep, but the Ladies might have a different story to tell! I'll leave it up to them to explain more.
After freshning up a bit, Rohit, me and Amitesh went outside with the hoods of our jackets trying to protect our ears from the chilly wind that was blowing outside. We wanted to see the sunrise! Rohit, and me even did a 100 m run on the highway :p .. but, Amitesh was not able to capture that in the camera .. grrrr!
It was cloudy in the morning and we could not really 'see' the sunrise. But, this is what we saw -
That's me posing at 14000 ft, 5:15 AM in the morning with chilly winds blowing -
After, the bags were packed again and loaded onto the car, we decided to move ahead! At Sarchu, there is a Army medical camp, and they provide any First Aid that maybe necessary to the travellers on this route. We asked Chauhan Ji to stop at the Army medical camp for a precautionary checkup. Nidhi was the worst affected by AMS it seemed, and so she went in first - and Bhavna too followed her. Arun and Rohit accompanied them inside. When they came outside, their mood was very different from how it was when they went inside - they were cheerful again :D. When the doctor checked them, the Oxygen level in their blood was very much normal - and there was nothing to worry about and everybody took a sigh of relief. The doctor gave them a Diamox tablet, as he cautioned that we were going to gain more height as we move forward - and we should take it as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, while everyone was inside the camp - and Amitesh was busy chatting with the foreigner who was also there with her friend getting checked by the doctor, I did this - :)
The Army Medical Aid Post -
The views -
And, we moved ahead! Sarchu is at the Border of HP and J&K. After Sarchu we entered the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The road ahead was mostly good, but a little dusty in patches. On the route ahead were many bridges to cross over from one mountain to another, the location of these bridges will leave you awed and their names will leave a smile on your face. Whisky Bridge, Brandy bridge to name a few :p
What reading loads of travelogues had done was, made me aware of the complete route. It was like, I had already been here on the Manali-Leh highway many times before. I was expecting the Gata Loops next, so I asked Chauhan Ji, when will they come. For the uninitiated, gata Loops is a set of 21 hair pin bends, with which you gain an altitude of approximately 1500 ft. And soon, the Legendry Gata Loops were there. All of us counted the hair pin bends, and when we reached the top, this was what we did there :p
After, Gata Loops was NakeeLa, a pass at an altitude of approx 15500 ft.
And, a few more pics before the dhabas at Pang, where we stopped for a some snacks -
The route from Nakee La all the way till Pang is breathtaking. I don’t have many pictures to tell you, but even the pictures won’t be able to do any justice to what this route is like. Pang is a Gorge/Canyon and It is absolutely gorgeous and dramatic at the same time. Infact the entire Manali – Leh highway is dramatic, but for me the stretch from Sarchu till Pang, rather till Tanglang La, was the most beautiful. Once, we had crossed the beautiful rock and sand formations, next were the Dhabas near to the Army Transit camp. We stopped there for some light snacks before we continued our journey towards Leh.
Dhabha/Restaurant at Pang -
Once we crossed Pang, up next were the Legendry More Plains. You can just admire nature, and be amazed to see such wide stretch of plain and vast land at an altitude of more than 15000 ft. What used to be dirt track once, is now a straight road for 35-40 Km. I believe BRO is now in the process of converting this stretch to a 2 lane road, as there was quite hectic BRO activity going on there. It was mostly tarred all along, apart from a few short patches where small bridges were still being made over small streams of rivers that flow through. It's such a pity that we didnt stop enough to capture more of this beautiful stretch and even more sad is that I dont have even a single pic at More Plains :(
After crossing More plains, up next was Tanglang La pass. Apparently, the second highest pass in the world (at least, this is what they say). Tanglang la is at a height of more than 17,000 ft. The journey from More Plains, right till Tanglang La can scare the s*it out of a traveller. Even though, Khardung la claims to be the highest motorable road – in my opinion Tanglang La is more scary and toll taking on your body as well as your vehicle. The road is mostly deserted, and until July 2013 was only a gravel track with raod laying work by BRO going on a war footing. I assume, by next year the complete stretch from More plains till Tanglang la would be tarred. Coming back to our journey, the drive all along from More Plains till Tanglang La was lonely on the dusty track. After climbing the huge, dry and barren mountains – we finally reached Tanglang La. Even though it was relatively warm all along the route from Sarchu till More plains, it got a little cloudy and chilly when we reached Tanglang La! At, 17000 ft – it was not recommended to stop here for too long, and after a few pics we moved ahead.
After, we crossed Tanglang la – up next was Upshi (where we expected to get Mobile signals for the first time in 2 days!). The road from Tanglang La all the way till Leh is a butter smooth road – which goes all the way till Leh. If, the climb up to Tanglang la was tiring and dusty, the climb down from Tanglang La was the exact opposite. Beautiful roads, and temperature getting warmer as we lost altitude.
We stopped a few Km before Upshi, where Chauhan Ji washed the car and we drank water and stretched ourselves :)
Finally, around 3 PM we entered Leh – and Rohit called the guy at the guest house who gave us directions to the guest house. And, at around 3:30 we checked into our guest house and said a Thank You to Chauhan Ji.
After settling in, and having a bath in the hot water – we ordered some lunch. The temperature in Leh was pretty warm, and you could actually manage with T-shirts in the day. In the evening, it got a little cold but nothing unbearable for a Delhite. We roamed a little in the market, and had a quite dinner at a rooftop restaurant. This ended Day 3 of our Journey and by far the best one till date! We had just completed the drive on the iconic Manali – Leh highway, which in my opinion is once in a life time experience.
Finally - Good Night! Wait a minute, before we say Good Night, this is just to show you how an Amateur clicks the moon at night :p
Tomorrow, we had to get the ILPs and finalize what we were going to do for the next week in Ladakh!
Next – Pathhar Sahib Gurdwara, Magnetic Hill, Alchi – on the leh-Srinagar Highway. And, Shanti Stupa in leh!
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