Friday 22nd October - An early rise at 4am to go to Leh. We got picked up at 5:15am from the
junction in the old village and then waited for a while down at the central bus
station for extra passengers. Finally got on the road at 6:15am.
Today promised
to be an incredible experience. A very long day, passing
over mountains and along valleys. The section up to Rohtang La Pass at 3,978mtrs was superb, even though it was still early
and the light was low. The name literally means
'Pile of Dead Bodies' from the thousands of travelers who have died there over
the years. From almost approaching the peak and down the other side we
had snow and a light wind, causing a difficult time due to ice on the roads.
The road snakes its way through the mountain pass with a jaw dropping scenery.
The snow got heavier. Something that reinforced the point that we would not stay in Leh for too long as we have to
return the same route. Many vehicles struggled to make some of the climbs. Numerous abandoned vehicles along the way. Mainly
trucks.
The toughness
and tenacity of the people who choose to live in these places is amazing. You
need to be a special sort who can tolerate it.
Thick skin and a rugged attitude. Just get on with it.
Shiera's
first experience of open air toilet in the snow and freezing temperatures. Sorry to mention it, but out here, the facilities are a
bit rough....and a challenge to your dignity!
We
stopped at Khoksar for
breakfast and foreigners only passport check. A digital display read 4 degrees C.
The snow
continued all the way and got heavier. By the time we reached Keylong in the Bhaga valley at 3,350mtrs, the snow was
coming down thick. We all sat in the van at the bus stand for a while before it
became apparent we weren't going to be moving. Apparently, the next pass up
ahead was blocked, so there was no way forward. Further on in the discussions
and it also became apparent that there was no way back either, as Rohtang La was now blocked also. No choice but to stay the
night in Keylong and see what happens in the morning...we were snowed in!
Most of
Keylong was closed for the winter, and the only accommodation choice, so it seemed was the dormitories at the Drabla guest house at the new
bus stand. 100 rupees for a bed, in a shared room with some Indian tourists.
The HPTC
canteen at the bus stand seemed the only
choice for food and could only serve up chai, cold drinks and the usual staple
of rice/dal combination. We would die if we had to stay here for long!
It was a very long
night! The loudest voices in existence were
in our room, with no escape. Before the night was out, like a thriller, someone
would die! You can tell I’ve been reading Dan Brown can't you?
Saturday 23rd October - Well at least nobody died last night, but it was close. There was a continuous chorus of
annoying guys regurgitating sputum at regular intervals, intermixed with farting
and snoring. The room was a freezing cold prison
cell with only candle for light as the town's
electricity was out. With the only cover being three or more layers of clothing followed by duvets that must be
relics from the '50s having been used in damp
conditions with no wash despite being used many hundreds of times. You can
imagine that this was like Shiera's worst nightmare.
We woke up
early and the snow was still falling. The views though, were simply stunning.
Most of the discussions seemed to indicate that we were snowed in for at least
2 or 3 days. Now how's that for Shiera's first experience of snow! Last night
we built a 'Snow Bunny'. Not a normal
snowman, but a snow bunny. And we had a
snowball fight. Awesome!
We learnt
that the town had a bazaar a short way from the bus stand, so headed there to
see if we could buy Shiera some good boots, as the present ones were leaking.
Keylong is a super place. Nestled in a picturesque valley with the awesome
scene of the surrounding snow covered mountains and crystal clear blue sky.
There is a phrase 'Every cloud has a silver lining'. Well the silver lining
here is that we have been stranded in a beautiful place. Not on everyone's
itinerary, but well worth it. We found a nice hotel and restaurant to relocate
to called Hotel
Tashi Deleg, down In the town. Good food and very nice husband and wife owner. After final confirmation
with our driver that we had no choice but to stay for a couple of days, then we
relocated to a super room for 500 rupees, with the most awesome view of the
mountains, and...quiet.... No more farting or snoring...apart from Shiera that
is! One of the walks from the central bus
stand offered an incredible view along the valley. The snow blowing over the
distant mountains occasionally cleared to reveal a picture postcard view to die
for.
The mountain
folk here are tough. And I mean really tough.
Some were walking through the snow in flip-flops. I even saw some kids in
T-shirts. If there skin was fairer, it would have turned blue to match the sky.
As it was, they have thick and rugged skin. Many ladies wear traditional
costume of black with decorative needlework. The school girls dressed in
Tibetan coloured uniform. Now that the winter has set in, they would get little
respite from this cold weather until next
April or so.
The snow had piled a
foot thick or more on the roofs, so they were busy scraping it off. Power and
telephone wires were layered in ice and many had collapsed under the weight.
The electricity was still out to whole town as a result of collapsed power
cables into the area. Maybe power will be restored sometime in the next day or
so. Last night we had to make do with small candles for light in the dorm and
toilet. No heating and no emergency generator either. At the Tashi Deleg they
have a backup generator, so we should have some electricity this evening and
some heating in the restaurant too.
Out
for a walk along the valley was superb. The sun had come out and the roads were
a combination of running water, slushy snow and mounds of snow fallen or
cleared from the roofs of the buildings. The sky was crisp and the panorama
magnificent.
Down
from the walk we stopped at a Dhaba
for some Thukpa, the staple diet of
the locals. Not one of my favourites I must admit. The one we had was a bit
slimy and full of gritty bits, but it warmed us up. I felt happier afterwards
when we got some freshly cooked Gulab Jamun from another café. Naughty but
nice!
Around
7:30pm they fired up the generator and we were able to move to the restaurant
for dinner and the comfort of a gas fire and some lighting. They had a separate
circuit to provide a single fluorescent light in each bedroom. Enough, but no
heating, so we piled on the quilts and blankets. So much that we almost
couldn't move.
Sunday 24th - At breakfast we met up with a group of Australians who
were also stranded here. They were on a filming project for a series of TV
programmes surfing around 28 states of India with a surfboard. An interesting
concept, and full of challenges along the way.( www.surf28states.com ). They
had a Yak pull them along in Manali as there is nothing to surf on. Here it was
pure luck being surrounded by snow.
We
got some very disturbing news this morning. Yesterday there had been six deaths
on Rohtang La pass. Some ladies who were at the bus station had lost there son,
and some of the others were Indian tourists from Bangalore and Calcutta.
Apparently their vehicle had gone over the edge. We were stunned, considering
we had come across that pass ourselves. It was understandable why it had been
closed until the army gave clearance for it to re-open. The latest estimate was
that it might open tomorrow. We will have to see.
The extra
time here gave us the opportunity to see Keylong from almost every angle. More
walks along each road radiating from the centre. Today was less snow than
yesterday due to the thawing from the sun, but it was still a magnificent view. The stay at
the Tashi Deleg has also been superb. They are the only restaurant worthy of
note I think, and their food is excellent.
The time here
has also been relaxing with an opportunity to do some reading. I just finished
Dan Brown's epic novel Angel's & Daemons.
Having seen the movie, the book adds some great seat gripping detail. Never
used to be into novels, but he writes books you just cannot put down.
Bored now
with nothing to read....what shall I do after finishing my writing? With
Shiera, when she gets bored that means it's time to annoy me. Maybe it's time
for retaliation!
Monday 25th October - I had a really restless night filled with many coughing spells. When
we finally got up we hear that the temperature last night had been about
-10degrees. At breakfast we got them to ring our driver, who luckily confirmed
that we were to head off to Manali this morning after the army gave the all
clear to go. We finally departed Keylong at about 9:10am. The journey was
amazing. The land had been sculptured with snow and the crystal clear blue sky
was beyond just being awesome. For most of the route we had to crawl along in
convoy, with numerous trucks and other vehicles trying to get out whilst they
could. Many accidents along the way too as the conditions were still
treacherous. Thankfully we made it to Rohtang La pass by mid day and then the tricky decent to the valley bellow. This section was
slower and more fraught than the ascent. The crazy thing was the impatient
drivers trying to overtake on dangerous
bends and some getting stuck. The lack of
intelligence of some drivers is beyond logic.
We arrived
back in Manali at 4:20pm, a little over 7 hours for the usual 5 hour journey. Before heading back up to old Manali we booked our bus tickets down to Shimla for day after tomorrow. Should warm up a bit down there.
Not sure
whether it was something I ate, but a couple of hours later I started to feel
bad. So tired, coughing fit and not able to eat much. We hadn't stopped to eat
all day and I should have been hungry, but couldn't stomach a full meal, and
had bad diarrhea. Had to go back to the hotel and straight to bed. Could just be a chill.
