Chapter 14: Stretching the Limits

27-Aug (Mon):

Kargil

Kargil

Kargil - Zanskar Valley – Kargil

7.15 AM

9.15 PM

205 KMS

Day dawned bright and sunny but a bit humid, with a tinge of haze. Hardly had opportunity to appreciate Kargil skyline in that dark. As we had reached late in the night, All we had focused was reaching Kargil and nothing else was on top of our minds.

We had yet to refuel the car. The fuel station was across the bridge and a good 3 kms away. We reckoned that we would find the pump open for business as the time was about 7 AM. So, off we went and thankfully, the pump was indeed open and surprisingly, a bit busy too.

Panaromic View of KARGIL

Panaromic View of KARGIL

Army School at Kargil

Zanskar Valley is one of the least visited spots in Ladakh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanskar) and this is mainly due to the distance and fact that roads here are dirt tracks for the most part. Most people like to take this excursion at the end of their trip while returning from Ladakh via Srinagar. However, it was the opposite for us. It was an enroute deviation for us for a 2 day trip. Started off the day after a quick tea at our lodge. Drove out of the town towards Leh to fill the tank and our Jerry can to suffice for a 250 + 250 kms drive.

From Kargil to Panikhar the roads are metalled and barring few freshly laid stretches, it’s full of potholes but easy to negotiate. The work of tarmac on the unmetalled parts is in progress in its own speed. First major town you came across after leaving Kargil was Sankoo, 42kms from Kargil. Had a very oily breakfast and none of enjoyed the breakfast. Had to spill a lot of food as none of us were in a condition to digest the volume of oil served with food. rOTi and omelets were (fried instead of roasted) dipped in oil!

Some of the simplest test for the day

Some of the simplest test for the day

The next major stop was Rangdum, 88kms from here. Roads from Sankoo started improving as we entered Panikhar and you are greeted with lush green valley and snow covered mountains peaks and glaciers dotting the horizon. Panikhar is one of the most scenic places in Suru Valley and a photography stop here is highly recommended. Indeed in our enthusiasm to enjoy photography we were not covering the distance at the speed that we should have been covering. We also came across some crater crossings where we got down helping Bandi negotiate the pot holes with a lesser load of 160 kgs. At the back of the mind even though we knew we were delaying, we had stretched our speed to the limits possible. As we reached viewpoint for NUN Glacier, we came across a large mass of stone gravel on road for a distance of around 200 mts. It was pretty rugged stretch and we decided to do with only driver on wheels. However, the biggest challenge for the day had just arrived.  This was a grade 4 stone crossing. We felt this was the end of the road for us !

A newly blasted rock along the roadside had blocked around a 50 mts of stretch at an height of 3 – 4 ft. The view was pretty scary. One would (including me) would have driven back, otherwise for being a convoy. Avinash had already crossed the stretch on his Scorp and we stopped way back.  Got out to estimate the stretch including the tough patches that may hit the underbelly of the car. After a crisp discussion we decided that our car (having low ground clearance) would not cross particularly one stretch of a large stone. Else it could make through the gravel. Avinash with all enthusiasm got onto the wheels and steered through the stretch. The video speaks for itself.

<VIDEO LINK>

Stone Crossing

A moment of triumph

We breathed a sigh of relief. My love to car had multiplied only cause it had proved critics wrong. By this time we had crossed a point of return for Avinash in his last year’s trip. We were indeed happy that we crossed that point, also came ahead and crossed one of the toughest crossings for us till now on this trip. As we were slowing down Avinash, we decided that we will break our journey at Rangdum and Avinash would continue till Padum. We would catch up with him tomorrow morning at PENZI LA or at DARANG DURANG Glacier.

He sped away and we drove at our own pace. When we reached a point of 101 KMS milestone as per HVK Travelogue, had a magnificient view of KUN Glacier. This was also the point that sang iti shrI for our trip on this route. We were following an Army gypsy that was half submerged when it crossed the water crossing in front of us.

We needed a depth guide for us to guage the depth once again as we also had to do stream crossing, nullah-crossing, (may be also termed as a burial ground, if there is cliff right next to you. Thank God, it was not the case here) and take on a two/three-feet drop as well! All of this and no road, just dirt, gravel and stones before we got on to the road once again!

We thought for sometime to decide on our next course of action. We had a couple of options in front of us

·         Drive through risking damage to the car

·         Stay put that night there and wait for Avinash to join us next morning

·         Return back to Kargil ?

A moment of thought

Deep beyond this point (App 140 Kms) is Darang Durang Glacier

Water Trap AKA Water Crossing .. that was the end of road for us

However, for me, it was time to draw the line between bravery and stupidity and I did the same. Proposed option 2. A Samaritan drove towards us from the opposite side who had brought a message from Avinash. There were many more such tough crossings and the one in front of us was not the end of adventure for the day for us. Decided to drive back.

Bandi after seeing how Avinash crossed the previous stone crossing wanted to drive the stone stretch on our way back. He indeed crossed the stretch with good skill. Indeed the terrain had changed much due to more stone blasting in the meantime. We had a customary Achievement photo shoot. The Sun was going down faster than what we wished. We had taken 6+hrs to reach this place and we had to return quicker to avoid driving in the night.

As we drove, the moonlit night started showing not only the stars, but also the first view of the melting ice from some of the ice capped mountains. These were covered with clouds earlier during the day; it seemed that a master craftsman had done the ice-carvings.

It was one of the scariest of the drives as for long stretches we did not come across any vehicles, and young men sitting in groups in dark in road bends. We just ignored everything and drove into the hotel we stayed the previous night.

KUN Glacier

A simple water crossing

Lonely Stupa at Prakchik

Stone Blasting in progress 

It was a day of mixed feelings. Some mission accomplished.. and some still left over for our next trip.

Chapter 13: Pride march on the VIJAYPATH

26-Aug (Sun)

Srinagar

Kargil

Srinagar -   Gandarbal (Alt 5249) - Sonmarg(Alt 8694) – ZOZI LA (Alt 11575) - Drass(Alt 10170)  - Kargil (Alt 8858)

7.15 AM

8 PM

214 KMS

Route map for the day

Srinagar To Kargil

Day dawned gloomy and there was a slight drizzle. Weather was much cooler than Jammu had been and much more pleasant weather. The day promised to be exciting with a fulfilling drive.  We loaded the luggage.

As I cranked the car, it started giving out ICE shaking sound from the engine. Thought it was scary for a moment, it settled down to the normal levels in less than a moment.

We followed the road (the Boulevard Road) that winds its way all along the Eastern bank of the Dal Lake which at this time was sleeping, a light mist covering its surface. Lake cleaning was in progress. It was a tranquil and memorable scene, much at odds with the history and present of Kashmir.

Soon, the lakefront ended and we were riding thru the suburb of Habak and Khaja Bagh, looking for a place where to have breakfast. Somewhere short of Ganderbal, we stopped for a break and a meal. Parathas, puris, chholey and tea – typical North Indian breakfast was pretty tasty. We hardly knew that this was going to take us all the way till our dinner time! Drizzle had stopped by then.

Sonmarg: Soon after Ganderbal, the plains ended and the hills started. With the start of the hills came the first sight of tourism.  The winding and at times rough road led thru the famed Sonmarg valley.  Sonmarg is closer to 9000 ft in altitude. The power was tapering off and the car gasped for air as it moved ahead.

We stopped for a photo break right at Sonmarg. It is easy to imagine why this place is so famous. Pine-covered hills on both sides with a gushing snow-fed river in the middle made for a classic Alpine scene. The air was superbly bracing. I hardly could say that I missed my wife very much here.

In winters, it would be fully covered with snow and a haven for skiing. It was indeed a lovely place. This was the location for innumerable Hindi movies of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s before the trouble in the valley shifted the romantic scenes to Himachal Pradesh and other parts of Europe. A small part of Kashmir and by extension, India, died then. We also came across Kashmiri lads playing cricket.

We drove past the headquarters of the High Altitude Mountain Warfare School. These are among the best Alpine troops anywhere in the world, even rivaling the Alpine Korps of the Wehrmacht in WWII.



Curves on the ascent to Sonmarg



Dezire... guaging the challenge ahead

Sonmarg

Baltal is a camping ground for pilgrims, 15 km north of Sonmarg on the Sindh River at the base of Zozila pass in Jammu and Kashmir (India). This little valley is only a day's journey away from and provides a shorter high-altitude alternate route to the sacred cave of Amaranth. It was a deserted place by then as the Amaranth pilgrims had receded. The tents were still visible with the recent trodden trek path leading deep into the valley.

Look our for the white tents: Amarnath Base camp at BALTAL

View of 14 km trek route to Amarnath Cave Shrine beginning at BALTAL

Sighted many armymen in this form, Bandi posing for one such pic at beginning of ZOZILA @ BALTAL

Zozila Pass: Road deviates at Baltal and leads to Zozila. The road starts climbing almost immediately on entering the valley. About 10 odd kms short of the pass, the scenery changes abruptly - from fir meadows a la Kashmir Ki Kali to naked black soil almost akin to moraine. The drizzle early in morning had left the surface wet and it and we were climbing up but nothing to break our progress. Soon, the snow line started, the air became colder and colder as Zozila came closer.

Landslides here and there were cleared on the approach to Zozila was not a nightmare. Yes, it was bad going but nowhere near terrible. There were very few slush stretch but it led into paved way till the dip on the other side of Zozila. As we was nearing the Zozila pass (being the first test for my car) I had to use only first and second gear and the speed was as low as 15 to 20 km/ph. But, otherwise ascend was smooth. We crossed a group of motorcyclists, one of whom pointed us to turn right. That was a juncture without any road signs. Later came to know that the left road was horrendous and was not motorable for a sedan. Avinash at a later point in the day shared his last year’s experience of taking that route, a U turn because of traffic jam and the time that he saved!  We crossed Zozila Pass without any great strain on the Car. FIRST TEST OF MY CAR WITH THE ENTIRE LUGGAGE WAS COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY.

Push it Bandi.. Push it: Bandi on wheels at ZOZILA

If anyone had to pick up AMS, this was the altitude. NOW ONWARDS TILL WE DECEND TO MANALI, WE WERE ALWAYS ABOVE 10,000 FT. ALTITUDE AND THROUGHOUT and none of demonstrated any signs of AMS. (It was the same throughout the journey till Manali)

Right at the end of the pass, was a signboard of WELCOME TO LADAKH REGION.  We stopped just for a couple of minutes to take a few photos and pushed on. The road was not that bad now but again, at no place did any of us feel any sense of unease about crossing any part of the puddles or slush.

Had a tea break and some photo session at Matayen village enroute. Also had good time taking pics with the kids at that place. All way through from our entry into Ladakh region, we came across kids (mostly of construction workers camped enroute) . Had good time sharing chocolates that we had taken just for them.

Epithept at ZOZILA WAR MEMORIAL

Entered Drass region before Noon and got the first sight of the battlefield of 1999 war with Pak. We missed the deviation to Tiger Hill from where we can have a distant (40 KMS away) sight of the majestic Tiger Hills. Took a turn back to that point (MUSHKO VALLEY)  and the road to Tiger Hills.  So were the other ranges where our army had fought with the enemy.

Road leading to TIGER HILLS: Off the limits for civilians

Centre of the picture: TIGER HILLS: The latest entry into Indi's pride List

Apart from the fact that Drass was in the centre of action during the Kargil face-off with our neighbours, this place is also famous for being the second-most coldest inhabited place on earth; As history records it, on 14th January of 2011, the temperature here had dipped to sixty degrees centigrade below zero!!!

We kept on moving  on towards Kargil after a brief photo shoot and one crossed Tololing range and reached KARGIL War Memorial. I had wore the INDIA printed T Shirt that day specifically and offered a minute of silence to our brave soldiers at the Memorial and then visited the Museum and the Souvenier Shop. The soldiers over there were very cordial. They indicated the important landmarks, which at that time used to be on the lips of almost the whole country – Tololing, Tiger Hill et al. I bought one T Shirt which reminded the 1999 war and it was the priceless memento of this trip. Also picked few memorabilia for near and dear ones. The soldiers there were very cordial.

From what I read on Wikipedia on the Kargil War, I could see them trying to fathom the difficulties that one could face there and how the men must have fought there. We went into the museum and looked at the maps. I could understand that it was one of the most difficult ones conducted by an Army and Air Force, anywhere in the world. The remnants of enemy ordnance by way of twisted pieces of mortar tails, shell fragments and odd detritus generated lots of curiosity and much click-click of cameras.

KARGIL WAR MEMORIAL

Anecdote from a fellow traveler

“There were other visitors too and in typical Indian fashion. They removed their footwear before entering the museum, thus conferring on it the status of a hindu temple. It is at such time that makes you marvel at this crazy mixture of cultures that makes us Indians. We think nothing of being inhuman to our fellow beings (Being a Bangalorean, I come across this behavior daily) yet can bestow such honour on the dead. I saw some moist eyes too, especially among the ladies who must have been extrapolating their husbands/sons/sons – in – law in the names of the fallen and in the photos of the braves that lined the walls. I saw one middle-aged lady being comforted by her husband; perhaps the gravitas of the place overwhelmed her or maybe, she must have lost someone close to her in that mad conflict. I did not want to say anything to her for fear of becoming more emotional than I already was. “

All war memorials, more so war graves, the world over witnesses such heart-rending scenes. Parents, in-laws, wives, husbands, children, friends – all come to reminisce about the times they spent in the company of the dear departed. Some weep quietly, some cannot control their tears and go away to a secluded corner to seek communion with the departed soul, others appear to be overcome by shock while still some others shake their heads at the immense waste of it all - the flower of a country’s youth cut down by the circumstance of playing the Great Game.

As a couple of tear drops rolled down my cheek, I paid my private homage to my fallen soldiers in my own way.. by resolving yet again to stand true to their faith in me, to respect them as I have always done. Honour is Everything. I appreciated whole heartedly the efforts of media to keep them motivated by taking the civilian heroes to meet the real heroes of India.

I hope the message was well received

After paying my homage at the War Memorial, it was time to move on. Gradually we reached Kargil and as I had read, it was quite different from Drass sector (almost a replica of Srinagar). The last stretch of road was newly laid and the drive was awesome !! cant compare to any speed drives that we had anywhere till now !

<VIDEO LINK - watch out for this space >

We hardly recognized the hamlets Kharbu , Hardus and Thasgam went by, we did not stop there but carried on to Kargil. It was getting late. By this time everyone was tired and dreary; the drive was long and we had climbed a lot for a day, especially, because all of us were new to high altitude.

There was an interesting incident then. We came across a narrow turn and the traffic had piled up to cross over. The cleaners from the trucks on the opposite side swiftly took reverse (almost a queue length of 15 trucks had to do this from the tail end). From the expert dexterity of the crew, it was obvious that such cases were not uncommon here!

Kargil:  We reached Kargil outskirts at twilight. We took some time for us to find the place where we were to put up for the night. We parked our car in the district hospital campus and checked into PARADISE HOTEL in front of the hospital, unloaded the luggage and adjusted ourselves in the two-room set. That night, we were damn hungry as breakfast had stretched well till 7.00 pm! Dinner was Dal/ Roti.  

After dinner, spent few minutes to hang around in the evening weather of Kargil.  There was an interesting incident then. We had to get some more luggages from the car, and post dinner we just walked to Car. To our surprise… the rear window was open. Thank God. It was our own mistake of not rolling up the window. All the things inside the car was intact, and prayed once again for having bestowed us the wisdom to leave a few things to take back post dinner..

In all this excitement… the river flowed with a muted roar, the traffic had fallen silent, the stars were out and there was a slight breeze, cool and comforting. I prayed for favourable weather and retired for the night.

That night I had plans of taking some interesting snaps of the moon. The sky was so clear; one that I had not seen for a long-long time. But we felt so damn tired… I decided that I will not miss this in my next trip. All of us crashed and were happy to get into deep sleep in seconds!