Women on Wheels : Leh, July 2015 - Part III

As promised, I am back with the finale of this breathtaking journey. How I wish we had more days to spend in Leh.

With that thought we started our journey back to Delhi, sad clouds cast a shadow over our heads 😔 

We decided to follow the same route back, the one we took while coming from Delhi. Manali was all chaotic with long jams and slushy roads, a couple of bikers informed us. It had already started to rain and news of landslides had started pouring in from all sides.

We left from Leh early morning on July 12th, got quite a bit of downpour on the way but managed to reach Drass comfortably by late afternoon. Checked in to the JKTDC rest house, lazed around for a while then went about for our dinner. As the chilly winds started touching our face, slowly and steadily, we turned to our blankets for comfort and snored away.

We were back on the road early in the morning the following day. The idea was to cross Zoji La before it turned into a swimming pool. With all the rains that it had received over the last couple of days, that was the least that we were expecting. And the expectation was bang on! We got water crossings and slush and repeat. 

Zoji La got its fair share of landslides as well. Had to drive super carefully with all the mud and slush and the road being reduced to just enough for one vehicle to pass. Managed to reached Sonmarg safely, stopped for a late breakfast or brunch as one may call it, hogged on hot and fresh stuffed parathas, tea and stunning vistas all around us. It continued to drizzle while we stuffed ourselves.

                                                                  Rain washed Sonmarg

The day ended with us stopping at the JKTDC rest house in Banihal (I think it's called Hotel Maple), cost us some INR800.00 for the room. Neat and clean accommodation with basic facilities. No room service available but the guy got us food from outside so that kinda worked for us. It was quite a day we had, called it an early night and off we went into Lalaland.

The Jammu-Srinagar highway had remained closed for the last couple of days owing to landslides. So even though we started as per our early morning ritual, we encountered quite an amount of that held up traffic on the way. Srinagar was under curfew by the time we reached there, we were instructed to simply drive through and thankfully nothing untoward happened. Did it scare me? Well yes. Will I go back to Srinagar? Hell yes! 💪

Went straight through to the Jawahar tunnel and finally stopped at Patnitop. Let me just digress a bit here, for your benefit of course! 😁

Patnitop and a few other places (Kud, Batote) on the way have been completely bypassed thanks to the newly opened (April 2017) Chenani Nashri tunnel. This tunnel is approx. 9-10kms. long (longest one so far in all of India) and it reduces the distance between Jammu and Srinagar by 30kms. *info sourced from Wikipedia

So if you wish to stop by Patnitop, please ignore this welcoming tunnel 😊

Ended the day at Ludhiana. Stopped at one of the many hotels on the main highway NH-1, don't really remember the name but that doesn't matter as there are plenty of options on NH-1. Maybe if I remember later some time, I'll edit the post.

The stretch from Ludhiana to Delhi is a breeze. And so, it also has speed guns aiming right at you. The last time I checked, the speed limit was 90kmph which I didn't know back then, I was at a 120 so obviously got challaned 😒 Thought of sharing this with you all, being the good Samaritan that I am 😇

Reached Delhi in five hours flat and then took forever to get home. It was right at this moment that it all sunk in. Those two weeks on the roads, each and every moment, all of it happened like a filmy flashback. It truly was a remarkable feat for both of us - I, for having driven through the entire journey and my darling partner, for sitting tight right by my side and never once losing faith in my driving skills. I mean, not that she had a choice 😝

Some fun moments to end the note with :

* We scandalized all of North India - an unknown woman driver and her equally unknown woman co-passenger on a route like this, I mean they're used to seeing celebrities do all this
* We got all sorts of curious glances - I think that had something to do with my height, I think people were not able to see me behind that huge wheel 😜

* This one's my favourite - while filling up the forms at the Kargil check post exit point, the police/army personnel at the counter kept doing his work waiting for the driver to furnish the form and other relevant documents, and I kept waiting for him to finish what he was doing and ask for the form. After a moment of sharing an awkward silence, I finally pushed the forms through. 
Guy behind the counter finally looks up (frowning) - driver kahan hain aur baaki log? (where is the driver and the rest of the passengers?)
Me (slightly embarrassed) - Main driver hun aur mere saath bas ek aur ladki hain (I am the driver and there's just one more female accompanying me)
Guy behind the counter - *smiles*
* This one my partner told me later - An army man gave us a salute while we were crossing Chang La. I obviously was in a different zone then, experiencing the heart being in my mouth moment, and didn't notice (facepalm moment)

I can go on and on about many more such experiences but you should have your own. So go out there, remember to be a responsible traveller and make awesome memories that'll last a lifetime..Bon Voyage!

Do drop in your comments. I'd love to read them. And if you haven't read the first and the second part of this gorgeous journey then without wasting any more time give it a read now:

👉Women On Wheels : Leh, July 2015 - Part I
👉Women On Wheels : Leh, July 2015 - Part II

Women on Wheels : Leh, July 2015 - Part II

Hola! I'm finally back with part II (link to part I Women On Wheels : Leh, July 2015 - Part I). It took forever, I know! So without further ado let's get this baby rolling.

After being on the move for almost 4 days we decided to give ourselves, and the wheels, a much needed and well deserved break. Hopping through local eating joints, a short drive to the Magnetic Hill and oodles of peace and soul searching at Shanti Stupa in the evening was how our day looked like.

Can't say about Magnetic Hill but Shanti Stupa definitely was magnetic. Located at a hilltop in the Changspa area, it holds the relics of the Buddha at its base, enshrined by the 14th Dalai Lama and provides splendid view of the entire town. One can easily spend hours here watching the panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. The peace you get here is unmatchable. Try and visit the meditation hall, it's magical especially when the monks are praying. The Stupa is lit up in the evening, so one can spot the stupa from far and wide and what a site it is!

After spending good two hours at the Shanti Stupa we decided to spend the day, or whatever was left of it, at this amazing café - G Kitchen (on Changspa road) - Good food, great location, not too crowded, awesome music, and like everywhere else in Leh, great people.

The locals suggested that we should visit Pangong Tso as our next destination. The route to Hunder via Khardung La was partially damaged due to a landslide so that had to be skipped although I had the privilege to visit Hunder when I visited Leh the first time around (more on that in another post).

Btw, Tso means Lake so it is either Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake, not Pangong Tso Lake..just saying 😜 The locals will tell you that it'll take around 4-5 hours, please note that's the time the locals take. It took us almost 7 hours, yes that's approx. the time you'll take to reach if you're not a local or Schumacher.

Leh to Pangong Lake (150 kms. approx.) : From Leh, take the Leh-Manali highway till Karu. You can stop here for breakfast, and also because you will have to complete the form filling formalities at the check post. The form requires to be filled up with the driver details, the passenger details, along with the vehicle details. The form will then need to be submitted at the check post up ahead.
From Karu, there are two routes, one going towards Keylong and the other towards Pangong. You know which one to take 😁 Once you cross Karu, you will start approaching the road (if you can call it one) to Chang La, the third highest motorable pass. Some of the co travelers on the road got a bit worried. I'm just a 5 feet nothing, I think they were not able to see me at all behind the wheels so you can imagine their reactions 😛
The road is treacherous, to say the least. Since I've been to Khardung La on one of my earlier trips so I can say this with conviction that this one's a curve ball..totally 😕  There's black ice, snow walls, water streams flowing right through the middle of the road, and a steep ascent. Not necessarily in that same order though.

At the top

Drive peacefully and you'll stay alive. No other tips or tricks. At the Chang La top, there's the Chang La baba mandir, a canteen where you can get yourself a cup of tea and some snacks and snow all around. Do not fool around for too long. The air is very thin at such altitudes, you wouldn't even know what hit you. Washrooms are there, only if you can call them so. Do not expect much.
The descent from Chang La is relatively easier, do not quote me on that 😀

The road to Pangong is pretty interesting, there're water streams of course, and then there are frozen lakes, sand (yeah sand!), long stretches of green, then barren lands, and repeat. A bit patchy here and there, but overall a decent drive. One important thing to note, there are places where the road completely disappears thanks to the flowing water on the road or sand!. Drive slow and you'll be able to get through without a scratch. Also, be on the road as early as you can coz as the day rises so does the water level.

You will get the first view of the Pangong around 4-5 kms before reaching the lake (there's a board also put up there). Pray to god that you get a clear weather coz we didn't and I can tell you it wasn't the slightest bit funny. Do not stop coz with rains the possibility of landslides also increases. Just keep moving till you reach your accommodation.
As always, we did not have a booked accommodation, so we reached and got ourselves a cottage (that's the first thing we could lay our hands on given that the weather wasn't being too favourable for accommodation hunting). A two room, plus separate drawing-dining area, with attached bathroom, cost us INR4000.00. This included our meals too. It was only the two of us but the place could easily accommodate 4-5 adults. The location was perfect with the lake being right in front of us. I don't have the name of the place but I am putting up a picture so you'll be able to identify it easily.

Advance booking is recommended while visiting Pangong due to the high footfall that the place witnesses. Advance booking also means that you could get budget accommodations much more easily.

The lake and the surroundings make for an enchanting view. It's a bird watcher's paradise and the changing hues of the lake just add to the magic. I got some of the best shots of the entire trip here.

A drive along the lake is a must, not on the sand bank, I mean on the road. Cars tend to get stuck in the sand and then it's unnecessary trouble for the locals out there, if not for you. So steer away please and be a responsible traveler, DO NOT LITTER. Carry your trash back with you to the mainland and then dispose them off properly. Basically, do not disturb the ecological balance of the place.

Pangong Tso is situated at a height of approx. 14,000 feet, so it's cold and windy even during the summer months. Carry appropriate clothing (a mix of cottons and woollens) and altitude sickness medicines with you. Take extra care if you are travelling with kids.

After an overnight stay we moved back to Leh the next day.

Route Taken : Leh - Karu - Sakti - Chang La - Durbuk - Tangtse - Lukung - Pangong Tso and back

The previous day's thunderstorm ensured that the count of water streams had increased, coupled with mud and slush. It had started to snow by the time we reached Chang La which made the drive a wee bit tricky but supremely exciting at the same time. We were back in Leh in good time thanks to our early morning start routine.
Dark clouds had started to hover over Leh and news of rain and landslides had started pouring in from all sides and also Khardungla was still getting fixed so we decided to start our journey back to Delhi the next day. This is where I tell you that June is a better month to be here than July and that you should always have some extra days in hand to accommodate such unforeseen situations.

I'll end part II here and detail our way back to Delhi in Part III. Till we meet again, Bon voyage! Stay safe, stay healthy and keep moving..see you soon 👋

Did you read the first part of this exciting journey? No! Read now 👉 Women On Wheels : Leh, July 2015 - Part I

And the last part is also up, go give it a read Women On Wheels : Leh, July 2015 - Part III and don't forget to leave your comments..i'll be waiting 😊