Mental Excursions

  Thank you, Ladakh Leh Diary - 4 last Though a great suggestion, BRO stands for Border Roads Organisation here We had already decided not to go further to Chushul, ahead of Pangong, but return to Leh town and spend a day in the area. T aking the same road back to Diskit in Nubra Valley, we reached the fork where the tines lead to either Chang La or Diskit and we turned towards Chang La, the pass which connects Leh and Shyok river valley. By the way, Shyok means ‘the river of death’ but this tributary of Indus has been the lifeline for the people of the area. Geographically a daunting area, it is also avalanche-prone. The journey is arduous and the rocky heights make you dizzy. The roads are perennially under repair or widening which makes the stretch very dusty. It was so dry that my exposed skin got red and itchy and if I touched the inside of my painful nose, it’d bleed a micro-drop. Chapped in a mild word to what happened to my lips even under the mask. When y ou pack fo...

  Pakistanis who became Indians Leh diary-3 You remember one of our team members fell sick in Diskit? Fortunately, we were in town for two days and she could rest the next day. One of us stayed back to take care of the unwell person. Therefore, it was only three of us who got into the car around noon (the power supply timings delayed our departure) the next day to explore the area, albeit in accordance with our itinerary. From Diskit it takes nearly two and a half hours to reach Turtuk, a village on the Indo-Pak border. Crossing two steel bridges on the way which allow only one vehicle to pass at a time, we continued in the mountains. At an army post just before Turtuk, ID proof of the riders and drivers are to be deposited which one takes back on return.    On way to Turtuk Needless to say that in view of the sensitive location, the area is heavily guarded by the Indian army. At one point where a board said You are under enemy observation, I wanted to take a photo a...

  Breathing easy at Khardung La Leh Diary -2                                              Photo - Gyanesh Tewari Last week I had written about reaching Leh town but our journey was not even half done yet. Coursing through the barren stretch of land, we took off for Nubra valley, crossing Khardung La pass (17382 ft., though some sources claim that it is at 18379 ft.) that day, claimed to be the highest motorable road in the world (And as all claims go, this too has now been contested). According to Wikipedia   In 2013-2014, Chisumle-Demchok Road via Umling La (19300 ft.), which is one of the India-China Border Roads built as a part of Project Himank by BRO, surpassed Khardung La in elevation to become the world's highest motorable pass. The area got drier and drier as we drove up the mountains. Scores of spluttering Royal Enfields crossed u...

  Green Kashmir, Brown Ladakh Leh diary -1 Last time I had said that I would be travelling for some days, and travel I did for a week, in the rough terrains of our guardian hills/mountains in the north. Now, I am not among the people who risk their lives, limbs or any other part of their anatomy for the sake of fun, excitement or adventure. My endeavour is to preserve whatever I was born with, so much so that a run or a game of badminton seems like an adventure to me. You can well imagine why therefore, driving around Leh was an almost -expedition for me. Mani who is of course, on the other extreme on the adventure spectrum, promised that it was a once-in-a-lifetime-experience and we must go before our bodies start complaining of wear and tear and one is unable to go. The minus point was that two days was not enough time to prepare myself for this venture after my languorous Kolkata trip. Those who have seen Leh would tell you how exciting the route is, how beautiful are t...