Vanwa and the trail of dust.....: Day 4 - 27 June 2011

7am - Woke up several times last night. There was a moment in time when I thought I was going to suffer from a bad bout of fever. Luckily, I felt better after removing my outer layer and my knitted head wear. It was pretty hard to navigate under a thick blanket in such rapidly changing weather (or an overheating body!). As I head outside, we could see the marmots out in full force behind our tents, wrestling each other. Time for breakfast and onwards we go!

Marmots behind our tents!

The marmots were really unperturbed by our presence to wrestle with each other!

Goldrop's luxurious tents - really luxurious!

Another one of those stops

12pm - stopped at Pang for lunch. Before that, we traversed the Gata Loops up to Nakli Pass which was about 4950m high. The Loops were a series of 22 hairpin turns and the ascent was rapid. I sure wouldn't want to be suffering from AMS now! Unfortunately, our driver, Vippin, seems to be suffering badly from it. Jo already had a mild bout of it and so did Racheal last night. The harsh altitudes and huge change in temperature weakens the body but thankfully, not so bad as to affect the mind.

mountain edged roads

A little hard to imagine greenery here but the valleys here can be bustling with life

a bridge that you can't help but be extremely careful with. One at a time!

Gata Loops - as enjoyed by an Enfield

Dear's at the Gata Loops!

leaving our marks at Lachulang La.. :P

Milestone with prayer flags at Lachulang La (~5000m)

But not before passing through Nakeela Pass (~4800m)

Broke-backing at Lachulang La

List of the passes along the Manali-Leh Highway at Tanglang La

Tanglang La - The second highest motorable road in the world! (~5330m)...and I pee-d there!

Vippin suffers from AMS and clearly isn't too amused with the crazy bunch of Singaporeans running about in Tanglang La

the good ladies at the foot of Tanglang La - the second highest motorable road in the world. With lots of vegetables and some medicine for Vippin, I'm sure he must have felt comforted.

After Nakli Pass, we descended for a while but went up to 5065m to Lachulang La. Here the view was breathtaking, figuratively and factually speaking! Climbing down a steep slope would cause one to pant for a verrrrry long time. Along the way to Pang, we also saw the Border Road Organization (BRO) workers working hard to ensure the pass was passable to traffic (see below on what BRO stands for). Imagine using basic tools like a hammer and a pick, they clear the roads of landslide debris and rest by the roadside without shelter from the relentless sun. Looking at their weathered faces and yet wide smiles, we can only admire and salute their selfless efforts in this harsh environment. They had to even ask passing vehicles for water!

A BRO worker resting without shade in the scorching, relentless sun

More BRO workers, this time with a scenic view but with the same intense sun

They work in groups and lie on the fields to rest. With no water supply, they must ration for the day

These thirsty workers asked for water. This is a terrible day job.

Once in a while, a landslide occurs and these guys turn up, making sure the roads are clear for you...and more importantly, the Army. These roads lead to the highest battlefields in the world at Kargil and Pangong Tso (which we'll be riding to in a couple of days)

1pm - we are now at the Moreh Plains, a vast expanse of dust and occasional vegetation at 4723m high according to my GPS. Just one more Pass to cross but also the highest of all in the journey to Leh, at an altitude of 5350m high. To get a sense of perspective, the altitude is at Everest Base Camp level, before climbers attempt their arduous ascent to Everest.

1145pm - the roads to Leh start to get exciting again after the stillness of the Moreh Plains as we began our ascent to Tanglang La, the second highest motorable road in the world. Breathing became obviously more difficult as the sea-level dwelling creatures could get use to the oxygen deficient rarefied air. Needless to say, we spent a short time there before heading back to our car to recover and catch our breath.

A bridge milestone with the name of the bridge and sometimes, warning signs

The journey to Leh continues as we struggle to recover from the high altitude pass. The condition of the roads did not make it any easier. What were roads 2 years ago became rubble as a rare cloudburst last year caused massive erosion. We had to wait for the BRO workers to blow up a landslide before we could even pass. Through this journey, my impression of these workers also changed. While I had thought they only use basic tools earlier, the more complicated road repairs made use of the grouting method to strengthen the rocks beside the roads and heavy machinery to remove debris quickly.

Explosive power used to blow up a landslide - not far from Leh now!

the roads to Leh are crusty, dusty and beautiful. The Silk Road travellers of yonder must have longed to get to Leh after a long, hard journey.

Besides spoilt roads, we had to wait for huge army convoys to pass through a single lane. To make it even more challenging, our rear left tire sprung a puncture while thrashing through one of the numerous water pools left behind by melting glaciers.

the beauty of nature and the insignificance of men. Look closely and you'll see a long line of trucks.

only one way traffic for now!

So we came down to take some pictures

An unfortunate truck with an excavator onboard (probably BRO's) gets stuck along the highway.

and immediately after passing the truck, we get a puncture!

How nice...:)

Not a really bad place to get a puncture.

Another road obstacle to get through

After numerous checkpoints where we had our passports checked, we noticed big army camps in the region, indicating the sensitive border issue with several neighbouring countries. We reached Leh at 640pm and jostled with the evening traffic and the confusion created by one way traffic of the roads. Eventually, Isaac managed to speak to Tundup, our POC in Overland Expeditions, and headed to our lodgings in Leh. Over the next few days, Leh will become our base as we head out to the various sites around the region on both car and Royal Enfields. Boy oh boy, I can't wait!

The Border Roads Organisation is a symbol of Nation Building and National Integration and has become an inescapable component in maintaining the security and integrity of the Nation. Its pivotal role in constructing and maintaining operational road infrastructure for the armed forces in inhospitable, far flung border areas and contribution to the socio-economic development of the region has been legendry. Its ability during war has been repeatedly proven. This is the result of over 50 years of toil, unwavering dedication, unmatched professionalism and sacrifice of the officers, supervisors, subordinates and CPLs, from whom the organisation derives its strength.- www.bro.gov.in

BRO's ongoing project in Ladakh is HIMANK and they are really well-known for their humourous road signs in exceptional scenery.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himank