Day 7 - Nubra Valley
After the river rafting adventure, we were back to our normal schedule. 26th July, Friday - we leave for Nubra Valley today. The plan was to leave around 9, go to Panamik ,visit the Monastery in Sumur, then see the sand dunes of Hunder and the Bactrian camels and then retire for the day at the guest house.
The drive to Nubra valley started almost on time. We will be passing through the highest motorable road (apparently its not, nonetheless at an altitude close to 18,000 ft it is high, very high!) at Khardung La today. The approach till Khardung La is quite good, with road widening work going on at some places. The first stoppage was at South Pullu for permits.
Signboard at South Pullu -
It was amazing to see such signboards at numerous places. At such high altitudes, where even breathing is a luxury, these guys (BRO) make roads and make life easier for the travellers. And, to top that - they provide a Road Complaint register too :) And, I am more than a 100% sure, there would not be even a single entry in that register. Such is the respect the BRO and the Army gets from the travellers and the tourists alike.
Moving on, we started ahead and next stoppage was going to be at Khardung La. There is some road widening going on near the top, and the BRO closes down the road every now and then. As soon, as we were about to reach the top, the road was closed by BRO. It was cold at the top, and drizzling.
The red flag being held by one of the BRO worker to stop the traffic.
Road widening work in progress.
While we were waiting there for the road to open, the slight drizzle turned into snowfall. The snowfall this time was much heavier than the one we witnessed at Chang La.
And, there was a scooty as well climbing the Khardung La!
After a wait of about 20 minutes, the traffic was allowed to move ahead towards the top. What the hold up had done was created a rush of cars and bikes at the top. We therefore decided to move ahead and stop here on our way back.
The milestone near the top -
After crossing Khardung La top, it was mostly downhill from there on. The drive was scenic as usual, and some road laying work going on at places. We stopped for lunch at Khalsar, and the food as usual was lip smacking. What these tiring long journeys in the hills does to you is make you appreciate the simple food all the more. I don't remember enjoying eating Dal chawal as much before as I had enjoyed it on this trip. And, team that up with some pickle and it was a treat for your taste buds.
As we reached the Nubra Valley, the temperature started getting warmer and the sun becoming brighter. From witnessing snowfall at Khardung La, it was hot now after just a 60 km journey. We were now moving towards the hot springs at Panamik. There are two arms of the route after Khalsar, one goes towards Panamik and Siachen (civilians are not allowed here), and the other towards Hunder and Turtuk. We took the arm which goes towards Panamik, and would be returning back to go towards Hunder later on. Turtuk was not in our plans.
Of what I had read on the numerous travelogues before starting this trip, the Panamik springs are sort of a disappointment. And, so we were all prepared for the disappointment :) . Nonetheless, the journey towards the Hot Springs is as scenic as any place of Ladakh. We passed through small villages (Sumur), where we did see a few guest houses as well along the way. It was a nice quite village with lots of greenery and a perfect getaway for someone seeking solace away from the maddening city life. We reached Panamik and, as expected the hot springs were a disappointment. It was a small stream of water flowing, which was a little warm, and nothing like the hot springs in Manikaran. Nonetheless, as we were prepared for the disappointment, we were a little less disappointed and managed clicking some pics. :p
After a quick stop of some 10 minutes, we moved back towards Hunder. On the way would be the monastery at Sumur. Although none of us was an ardent fan/follower of Buddhism the interest in the monasteries was quickly wading through. But, still we decided to make a quick stopover here.
It was already close to 5 PM, and so we had to rush now. We wanted to reach Hunder before sunset, and see the sand dunes. So, the monastery at Diskit was given a pass, and was decided to be visited on our way back tomorrow. After a short scenic drive and about 40 minutes later we were at Hunder.
Near Sumur -
Approaching Hunder -
Finally, at around 6 PM we were at Hunder. There were sand dunes, there were the double humped Bactrian Camels , there were tourist families with kids and there was Air Force & the Army.
A small stream of water flowing through the desert.
And, the camels -
The ladies decided to take the camel ride while we did some walking and clicking :)
And a group pic -
After spending some time in the desert, we were off to find our guest house. Rohit had booked Habib Guest House the earlier night, so off we went in search of it. Our driver knew the way to it, and it was a small place so it wasn't too tough finding it and its quite a famous amongst the visitor's as well.
The owner Mr. Dar was not there himself, and his son AB Dar was there. He had apparently waited for us and even tried contacting us, but since our phones were not reachable he was not able to. After waiting for some time, he assumed that we would not be visiting and hence rented out our rooms to somebody else. What he now had on offer for us was two rooms, one big enough for 4 people and the other for 2. We made a bargain and took the deal. And, it wasn't a bad decision at all as we later found out.
Soon, it started getting dark with the sun setting down. After a delicious and authentic Kahwah and some Ladakhi snacks made by the Dar family all of us decided to go for a walk outside. There was a Gurdwara and a Mandir nearby inside the Army camp and we could hear the sound of it. We asked a few people for directions, and finally were able to locate it after a short 10 minute walk.
Mandir -
We sat here in the Mandir for a few minutes, took the Parshad and proceeded towards the Gurdwara.
Gurdwara -
In the Gurdwara we were given some Prashad and offered some Juice as well. We sat here in the Gurdwara for quite some time. The Gurdwara and Mandir, both are managed completely by the Army. In the Gurdwara we had a small chat with the Army person managing the Gurdwara. It was quite an insightful discussion we had with him, he told about the hardships the army faces in maintaining these bases during the winter and how difficult it is to even survive at such altitudes in winters. At the end of the discussion, we were humbled and the respect we already had towards our Armed Forces had grown manifold.
The walk back towards the guest house was through the same lonely roads we came from. Walking back, we noticed the sky above and it was the clearest sky any one of us had ever seen. I don't think I have ever seen such a clear sky in my lifetime, you could almost make out the milky way. Almost nil pollution, clear skies and very less ambient light meant such a sight was a common thing in this part of the country. Seeing that kind of sky only had made the visit to Hunder worth all the journey we had undertaken since morning today.
After coming back, the dinner was ready at the guest house - and as expected the dinner was delicious and served in an authentic setting.
It was time for bonfire after dinner and some chit-chat. And, Mr. AB Dar played the perfect host. He was studying in Chandigarh and had come her for some holidays. He had lots of tales to share, about life in Chandigarh, life in Delhi and life in Hunder. The guy had travelled quite extensively and seemed a fun loving chap. He almost single handedly entertained two group of people :) He told us how Europeans would come here and hire a room and just sit outside the whole day and read novels, how they would get stuff from Leh in the summers, and umpteen more tales about life in Hunder.
And, then we all called it a day :). Half of us went out for a moon-walk and half of us slept. All in all it was a day well spent, and the hospitality of our hosts at Habib Guest house made it all the more wonderful.
Tomorrow, we leave back for Leh.
Next - The journey back to Leh from Hunder.
The drive to Nubra valley started almost on time. We will be passing through the highest motorable road (apparently its not, nonetheless at an altitude close to 18,000 ft it is high, very high!) at Khardung La today. The approach till Khardung La is quite good, with road widening work going on at some places. The first stoppage was at South Pullu for permits.
Signboard at South Pullu -
It was amazing to see such signboards at numerous places. At such high altitudes, where even breathing is a luxury, these guys (BRO) make roads and make life easier for the travellers. And, to top that - they provide a Road Complaint register too :) And, I am more than a 100% sure, there would not be even a single entry in that register. Such is the respect the BRO and the Army gets from the travellers and the tourists alike.
Moving on, we started ahead and next stoppage was going to be at Khardung La. There is some road widening going on near the top, and the BRO closes down the road every now and then. As soon, as we were about to reach the top, the road was closed by BRO. It was cold at the top, and drizzling.
The red flag being held by one of the BRO worker to stop the traffic.
Road widening work in progress.
While we were waiting there for the road to open, the slight drizzle turned into snowfall. The snowfall this time was much heavier than the one we witnessed at Chang La.
And, there was a scooty as well climbing the Khardung La!
After a wait of about 20 minutes, the traffic was allowed to move ahead towards the top. What the hold up had done was created a rush of cars and bikes at the top. We therefore decided to move ahead and stop here on our way back.
The milestone near the top -
After crossing Khardung La top, it was mostly downhill from there on. The drive was scenic as usual, and some road laying work going on at places. We stopped for lunch at Khalsar, and the food as usual was lip smacking. What these tiring long journeys in the hills does to you is make you appreciate the simple food all the more. I don't remember enjoying eating Dal chawal as much before as I had enjoyed it on this trip. And, team that up with some pickle and it was a treat for your taste buds.
As we reached the Nubra Valley, the temperature started getting warmer and the sun becoming brighter. From witnessing snowfall at Khardung La, it was hot now after just a 60 km journey. We were now moving towards the hot springs at Panamik. There are two arms of the route after Khalsar, one goes towards Panamik and Siachen (civilians are not allowed here), and the other towards Hunder and Turtuk. We took the arm which goes towards Panamik, and would be returning back to go towards Hunder later on. Turtuk was not in our plans.
Of what I had read on the numerous travelogues before starting this trip, the Panamik springs are sort of a disappointment. And, so we were all prepared for the disappointment :) . Nonetheless, the journey towards the Hot Springs is as scenic as any place of Ladakh. We passed through small villages (Sumur), where we did see a few guest houses as well along the way. It was a nice quite village with lots of greenery and a perfect getaway for someone seeking solace away from the maddening city life. We reached Panamik and, as expected the hot springs were a disappointment. It was a small stream of water flowing, which was a little warm, and nothing like the hot springs in Manikaran. Nonetheless, as we were prepared for the disappointment, we were a little less disappointed and managed clicking some pics. :p
After a quick stop of some 10 minutes, we moved back towards Hunder. On the way would be the monastery at Sumur. Although none of us was an ardent fan/follower of Buddhism the interest in the monasteries was quickly wading through. But, still we decided to make a quick stopover here.
It was already close to 5 PM, and so we had to rush now. We wanted to reach Hunder before sunset, and see the sand dunes. So, the monastery at Diskit was given a pass, and was decided to be visited on our way back tomorrow. After a short scenic drive and about 40 minutes later we were at Hunder.
Near Sumur -
Approaching Hunder -
A small stream of water flowing through the desert.
And, the camels -
The ladies decided to take the camel ride while we did some walking and clicking :)
And a group pic -
After spending some time in the desert, we were off to find our guest house. Rohit had booked Habib Guest House the earlier night, so off we went in search of it. Our driver knew the way to it, and it was a small place so it wasn't too tough finding it and its quite a famous amongst the visitor's as well.
The owner Mr. Dar was not there himself, and his son AB Dar was there. He had apparently waited for us and even tried contacting us, but since our phones were not reachable he was not able to. After waiting for some time, he assumed that we would not be visiting and hence rented out our rooms to somebody else. What he now had on offer for us was two rooms, one big enough for 4 people and the other for 2. We made a bargain and took the deal. And, it wasn't a bad decision at all as we later found out.
Soon, it started getting dark with the sun setting down. After a delicious and authentic Kahwah and some Ladakhi snacks made by the Dar family all of us decided to go for a walk outside. There was a Gurdwara and a Mandir nearby inside the Army camp and we could hear the sound of it. We asked a few people for directions, and finally were able to locate it after a short 10 minute walk.
Mandir -
We sat here in the Mandir for a few minutes, took the Parshad and proceeded towards the Gurdwara.
Gurdwara -
In the Gurdwara we were given some Prashad and offered some Juice as well. We sat here in the Gurdwara for quite some time. The Gurdwara and Mandir, both are managed completely by the Army. In the Gurdwara we had a small chat with the Army person managing the Gurdwara. It was quite an insightful discussion we had with him, he told about the hardships the army faces in maintaining these bases during the winter and how difficult it is to even survive at such altitudes in winters. At the end of the discussion, we were humbled and the respect we already had towards our Armed Forces had grown manifold.
The walk back towards the guest house was through the same lonely roads we came from. Walking back, we noticed the sky above and it was the clearest sky any one of us had ever seen. I don't think I have ever seen such a clear sky in my lifetime, you could almost make out the milky way. Almost nil pollution, clear skies and very less ambient light meant such a sight was a common thing in this part of the country. Seeing that kind of sky only had made the visit to Hunder worth all the journey we had undertaken since morning today.
After coming back, the dinner was ready at the guest house - and as expected the dinner was delicious and served in an authentic setting.
It was time for bonfire after dinner and some chit-chat. And, Mr. AB Dar played the perfect host. He was studying in Chandigarh and had come her for some holidays. He had lots of tales to share, about life in Chandigarh, life in Delhi and life in Hunder. The guy had travelled quite extensively and seemed a fun loving chap. He almost single handedly entertained two group of people :) He told us how Europeans would come here and hire a room and just sit outside the whole day and read novels, how they would get stuff from Leh in the summers, and umpteen more tales about life in Hunder.
And, then we all called it a day :). Half of us went out for a moon-walk and half of us slept. All in all it was a day well spent, and the hospitality of our hosts at Habib Guest house made it all the more wonderful.
Tomorrow, we leave back for Leh.
Next - The journey back to Leh from Hunder.
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