DEV BHOOMI - Day 8

11th. July 2010.

The three of us wake up at around 6.00 am., feeling very gloomy and dejected, by the turn of events. Step out into the balcony and see that there is a line of cars (mainly tourist taxis) parked on the opposite side of the road. Ask around, only to be told that the road leading to Rohtang is still blocked due to landslides. So its final, Leh via Rohtang pass is not going to be a possibility this year or rather on this trip!

Finish our morning rituals and sit down for a discussion, regarding further plan of action. Back to Bombay or should we wait a few more days for the situation at Rohtang to improve or should we head back to Kinnaur and Spiti Valleys? Lots of points and counterpoints.

And finally a decision: We are heading to Kinnaur and Spiti!

We call our families and inform them of our decision. I also call HVK and tell him about our plans. He is very happy to know that we are not abandoning the trip altogether! He wishes us all the best and a safe journey ahead. I promise to keep in touch with him.

Its around 8.30 am. We order breakfast, again bread and omelettes and tea to go with it. We pay up all the bills and leave the Hotel at around 9.35 am. Head back towards Manali, stop on the way at Rashpian filling Station, to top up diesel. Cross Manali and are out on the other side of the town by 10.20 am.

Now begins our Journey into the Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti Valleys. Driving through, I finally realise the reason Himachal Pradesh is called DEV BHOOMI!

Pass a small town Patlikuhal. Stop for a few minutes to buy some medication, fruits and a bottle of jam. On the journey into Manali, I could only only hear the Beas river flowing alongside the road. Finally I am driving on the road to Kullu from Manali and the Beas is running alongside. Truly a beautiful sight. There are loads of camps along the roads, renting out kayaks and rafts, for white water rafting. Maybe the next time I am here, will probably try it out!

Pass the town of Katrain and are at the Kullu bypass by 11.30 am. Cross the Toll bridge over the river Beas.

Pass the town of Bhunter at around 11.45 am. head towards Aut, passing Nagwain, Takoli and reach Aut at 12.10 pm. Immediately after Aut is a 3km long tunnel under the mountain range. While coming into Manali I had not kept a check on the length of the tunnel so made sure I didn't make the same mistake this time around. Its a smooth ride in the tunnel, which is adequately lit. At the end of the tunnel, the road forks into two, the right heading towards Mandi and the left towards Larji and Jalori Jot/Pass, where we are headed.

We cross the town of Larji at 12.25 pm and reach the village of Bali and stop to have tea and biscuits (from our stock of food supplies). We now are alongside the river Tirthan, which is much smaller than the Beas, but with fast flowing clear water. Stop to take a few snaps.

The views are just captivating and the smiles have returned back to our faces. We are glad not having abandoned the trip completely! This part of Himachal is turning out to be very interesting and beautiful. We cross the village of Banjar at 1.35 pm. and reach the village of Jibhi at around 2.00 pm. The river Tirthan runs alongside the town. Some very beautiful houses along the river.

We cross the village of Sojha. The roads are very narrow and winding. It is very important that you drive carefully and watch for oncoming vehicles. There is always a chance of having to back up and move to the side to let the oncoming vehicle pass. We had to back up a couple of times to let a bus and a pick up van pass us and on three occasions the oncoming vehicles backed up, to let us pass. The climb on this road leading to Jalori Jot/ Pass is very steep and most of the time we are either in second or first gear. Would have been a reason to complain some other time, but the views we encountered were just too beautiful. We stop again to take a few snaps of the surroundings.

The Doc and his 500mm lens in action.

We spend quite some amount of time admiring the views, breathing in the crisp mountain air and of course taking snaps. Finally decide to move on. Cross Jalori Jot/ Pass at 3.15 pm. The descent starts immediately after the pass. The road is still narrow and not paved in many parts. No problems for the Bolero though. Smaller cars may not be able to speed, for fear of stones hitting the underside. Small car or SUV, honestly one should not be speeding/ going fast on these roads! We encounter fog on the way down from Jalori Pass. Quite an eerie feeling driving through the fog.

We move ahead passing the villages of Kharag, Khamand, Khandugarh. Again an opportunity for some photos.

Reach the town of Anni at 4.15 pm. Stop for a cup of tea, when realisation dawns on us that we haven't had any lunch. Maybe the captivating drive made us forget about lunch altogether! Dinesh the official chef, makes us jam sandwiches, and cuts some fruits, which is finished in no time. We leave after tea and head towards Sainj, where we will join the NH22. On the way we pass the villages of Nagan and Chauthi. At Chauthi, we get the first glimpse of the river Satluj. Its a fast flowing river, but extremely muddy water.

Pass the village of Luhri and reach Sainj at 5.25 pm. The road meets with NH22. Finally a smooth, well paved/ tarred, double laned National Highway. We make good speed, passing Nirath, Nirsu, Nogli villages and reach the town of Rampur at 6.00 pm. Rampur is a big town, with the usual traffic chaos that goes with a big town. In case of any car trouble though, this is the place, you would want to be in. Lots of garages, including ASC's of Mahindra and Maruti. There are some car accessory shops too. (Just in case any body is so inclined). Thankfully we do not have any issues that need to be attended to and we cross the town.

We cross the town of Jhakri at 6.22 pm. (Nathpa Jhakri Hydro electric project) and move on towards Jeori. Halt for diesel at Soben Service Station, IOC outlet, just on the outskirts of Jeori. . Going by the maps that we were using, we had decided to spend the night at Neichar. We make enquiries at the petrol pump and are told that Neichar is not on the highway and we would need to take exit from the highway and travel atleast 2 to 3 kms. uphill to reach Neichar. We ask for alternative places and are told to try Bhavanagar, around 17 kms. from here.

Sounds good, so we head out and cross the town of Jeori, hoping to reach Bhavanagar in around 20 mins. What we did not take into account, was the condition of the road. The condition of the road has totally deteriorated, not due to the rains, but due to the Karcham-Wangtoo Hydro-Electric project being executed by Jaypee Associates. So what should ideally been a 20 min. journey, takes us more than 45 mins.

We reach Bhavanagar at around 7.35 pm. and I make the mistake of not getting out of car to make enquiries. I keep driving slowly, in the hope of seeing a hotel somewhere and stopping. Most of Bhavanagr is on top of the mountain side and I do not see any hotel adjoining the highway, so I keep driving and then the town ends! On we go, with Dinesh saying that we should have stopped at Bhavanagar and checked for hotels, rather than just driving on. We refer to the map and see that the next town is Wangtoo, and I am pretty confident that we will come across some sort of accommodation there.

Keep driving and after around 15 mins., we come across this huge construction site, which we assume to be part of the Jaypee project. We halt at the side of the road, to ask a couple of people sitting there for the distance to Wangtoo. Imagine our surprise when we are told that this is Wangtoo. No town, just a project area, is all we could see in the darkness, illuminated by the lights of the construction site. One of the men, requests for a lift to Tapri as he has missed the bus. We take him on, along with his luggage rather reluctantly. (Unknown to Arshad and me, this is the done thing in the mountains. After dark or late in the evening, you are not supposed to refuse help to any one stuck on the road!)

We get talking with the guy and he says that we will definitely get some place to stay at Tapri. He also assures us that he will help in any way possible. That is a bit of a relief, considering that there are no villages we are passing on the way. We reach Tapri at 8.20 pm. Arshad goes to a shop at the side of the road, in what appears to be the main bazaar area of the town, while I park the car. Look around and all I can see is a very small town, with no sign of any hotel or any decent place to stay.

Arshad comes out of the shop and tells us that the only possible accommodation available is at the Government Rest House. The new construction that I spot, is a hotel being built, but it won't be ready till the end of the year. (We can't wait that long!) Off we head to the Govt. Rest House, which is just adjoining the river (Satluj I assume). Dinesh and Arshad go in to talk to the caretaker, while I wait outside guarding the car.

After around 15 mins. Dinesh comes out and tells me that all the decent rooms in the rest house are not available, because some Ministers or Bureaucrats are arriving the next day and the rooms have been sealed for security and cleanliness purposes. However the caretaker after a lot of pleading and explaining our predicament is going to allow us the use of a spare room with a double bed and an attached bath cum toilet for the night, for a princely sum of Rs. 260/=, also included is a cup of tea in the morning.

Well something is better than nothing. In the meantime Arshad also returns and says that he tried to get a better room, with no luck even after offering more money. I decide to take a look at the room, with Dinesh accompanying me. The room itself is not so bad, just that the bedsheets, etc., are dirty. Probably this room is used by the servants/ drivers of the Ministers or the officials. Seeing as there are no other options, we decide to take the room and pay the money.

A little scared of keeping the car, with all the luggage, outside the rest house, we decide to drive it down to the bazaar area and look for a place to have dinner. Stop the car outside a local dhaba to have a dinner of very simple veg food, consisting of Aloo Mutter and Rotis. Finish dinner and head back to the Rest House. Take all the luggage into the room, except for the food stuff and the extra diesel cans, just to be safe. Decide to use the sleeping bags tonight, instead of sleeping on the soiled bedsheets.

Wash up all the grime of the days journey and have a small discussion regarding the next days program. We decide that we should leave by around 7.00 am. latest, so that we reach Kaza, before it gets dark. Besides we have no idea of the road conditions further towards Kaza. If its is in the same condition as the roads were today, we will require quite a lot of time to reach Kaza, so the earlier we leave, the better it is.

Besides Airtel, no other network is working. We take turns on Dinesh's phone and inform our families about our whereabouts and plan for the next day. Want to call HVK and thank him for his advice, to visit this part of Himachal and his route guidance, but decide against calling as it is too late. Will call him in the morning. On this note head of to La La Land for what should hopefully be a good nights sleep. (Hoping there are no bedbugs, etc.)

To be continued...................

p.s.: To HVK Sir: This trip is NOT a trip to Ladakh anymore. It is now officially a trip to Dev Bhoomi!

DEV BHOOMI - Day 7

10th. July 2010

Had a good nights sleep. The room was nice and warm, even though it was quite cold outside. Maybe it was because of the wooden panelling on the walls and the wooden flooring. All in all feeling good and refreshed. The time is around 5.30 am. Did I mention it anywhere before, Daybreak in the mountains is pretty early! Arshad and Dinesh are up too. We order our teas, wash up and get ready to leave.

Today is the day we are definitely crossing Rohtang! We decide to have breakfast and leave, rather than having it somewhere on the road. More prudent to continue driving on a full stomach. Luckily, my stomach ailment has not reccured. So Homoeopathy works, well atleast for me it does! Order bread and omelettes and wolf them down, and wash it down with tea. Ready to move. Pack the luggage into the car. Pay the hotel bills, Ask the Manager about the road conditions at Rohtang, and hear those magic words: "RAASTA KHULA HAIN SAHAB" Rohtang, here we come!

Finally leave the hotel at 8.00 am. (I know it's late!), pass all the places we passed yesterday; Raahla Falls, Gulaba, Bridge over River, Marhi. We halt for a bit at Marhi, just to take a look at the road above and we see a long line of cars stuck. Oh oh, what the...., but suddenly we see the line moving and we heave a sigh of relief. The road condition is pretty bad. Not that it matters to us, atleast there is a road that can be driven on! We keep a steady pace, overtake a few trucks and reach nearly the same place we were yesterday and its around 9.20 am.

Horror of horrors, there is a huge line of cars, trucks, minivans, etc, in front of us. This is not supposed to be happening! Rohtang road is open, didn't the Hotel manager say that to us, just about an hour back???? Maybe its a minor jam, caused by a minor landslide or maybe a vehicle breakdown. Happens in these parts! Nothing to worry about.

We double park and get down to enquire as to the cause of the jam. After walking for around half a km., we see something that really takes all the air out of our system.

A landslide and a major one at that. Truck nearly pushed out of the road. Army officials, actually preventing people from venturing further. Not looking good at all. A T.V. crew actually filming the whole thing. Speak to a few people at the place, including the driver of the truck in the picture. This landslide occurred at 10.00 pm. last night. Most of the trucks and some cars in the jam, have been here since last night. Some of the minivans and cars have arrived early this morning. And the people lower down, still don't know a thing about the landslide. That is a total lack of communication for you!

So here we were, our second day, up near Rohtang Pass, stuck in a traffic jam, due to a landslide, with no idea as to when we would be able to finally cross the Pass! So what does one do in a situation like this? I for one, decide to call HVK (H V Kumar) and inform him about the situation. He can't believe what he is hearing! He has never heard of the Rohtang Pass or rather the road to Rohtang facing such type of landslides and that to for such a prolonged period of time. Nature reacting to the excesses of mankind! Maybe its true, we have really @#^%wed up!

Time to explore around. Could not do it yesterday due to our physical condition. (Still debating if it indeed was A.M.S.) Arshad decides to stay back near the car. Dinesh and me go back to the area near the landslide. Its 12.30 pm. The BRO/GREF are working on clearing the road. Got to hand it to those guys, I've seen them working for the last two days, and I must say, the amount of effort and dedication they put into their work is just amazing. It is for lesser mortals like us, to sit and wonder, at what pushes them to do so much! I SALUTE YOU and my heartfelt gratitude to all the people working in those inhospitable conditions!

Its around 1.00 pm. and the truck has finally been safely towed away to the other side of the landslide. Now begins the tough part of breaking up the huge boulder, to clear the road. Sounds easier than it looks. Holes have to be drilled, dynamite inserted and a controlled blast done, to break the boulder into smaller pieces, so that it can cleared away by a bulldozer. Normal circumstances this would have been an easy job. But these are not normal circumstances. As the drilling is in progress, the vibrations are causing more landslides. There are around 5 people keeping a watch for boulders falling, while two people carry on with the drilling. The weather is not helping in anyway. There is a continuous drizzle, and the clouds keep on covering the area, making it difficult to have a clear view, in any direction. Finally they manage to complete the drilling and insert the dynamite. All of us are asked to move back from the area, so that there are no casualties. Minutes later we hear a blast. Yeah the boulder is history. Now the road will be cleared and we will be on our way to Leh finally! Its 2.00 pm. Quick calculations, we can actually reach Darcha or atleast Jispa, before nightfall.

Head back to the car to give Arshad the good news. He has found a gap between a car and truck and managed to squeeze the Bolero in! Atleast we are not double parked anymore. Have some Chole pao and some roasted Corn on the cob, from the vendors. Well atleast somebody is benefitting from this situation!

Its around 3.00 pm. Get a message from HVK :- "Keylong?" . I don't have the heart to send a message back. Instead I call him and tell him our status "We are still at the same place Sir" He thinks I'm joking, but after hearing the seriousness in my voice, he realises that the situation is bad, very bad. He tries to cheer me up, saying "These things happen, don't worry the road will be cleared" Well I take his advice and stop worrying and think of some other things to do.

Arshad and me head out towards the landslide area, to have a look see. I am also on the lookout for the elusive Chaiwallah! (Arshad swears that he heard, someone say Chai Garam Chai). We reach the area, only to discover that there has been another major landslide. During the period the last boulder was cleared and the new landslide occurred, just two or three cars and a couple of motorbikes, managed to cross over to the other side. They also allowed a few people on foot (mostly locals, heading to Gramphoo , Keylong) to cross over. Maybe the vibrations caused by the vehicles moving across, caused this landslide!

The BRO/GREF are at it again. The boulder blocking the road now, is the size of a TATA SUMO. So drilling, blasting and clearing, is the only option. The three of us meet near the car again. Its nearly 5.00 pm. There is ample food, water, warm clothing and sleeping bags in the car. We decide that if need be and the road is not cleared, we will spend the night in the car at this place itself. Having made that decision, we feel a lot better, as if a load has been lifted off our shoulders. I call up HVK again, and inform him of our decision. He asks us to double check on the food, water and especially the warm clothing.

At around 6.00 pm. a few officers of the BRO/GREF approach all the cars and minivans parked and request them to head back to Manali. They say that the situation has not improved much and passing on to the other side will probably not be possible today or tonight. The three of us insist that we will spend the night here in the car itself, rather than go back to Manali. With a shrug of his shoulders, one of the officers tells us to move our car a little to the left, so that the cars in front of us can turn back and head towards Manali. I get into the car and move it to the left and park it adjacent to a truck and behind a Himachal Transport Corporation Bus. There is just about enough space on the right hand side for a Minivan to pass.

A lot of cars behind us in the line have already turned back and are headed towards Manali. A few cars ahead of us also have decided to turn back. The net result is that, from no. 50 in line we are approximately now at no. 20 in line. That is an achievement. We are all set to wait it out.

Its almost 7.20 pm., we decide to head out again and see what is happening. Its already getting pretty cold. We catch up with a senior GREF officer and strike up a conversation with him. He is most forthcoming and more than willing to give us clear picture of the situation. He says that the situation is very very grim. In all his years of working in this area, he has not seen the mountain behaving so erratically. He cannot give us any guarantees for the next day. The BRO/GREF workers are going to stop work in a few minutes now and will return only tomorrow morning. (They have been at it since 8.00 am. in the morning). A stretch of nearly 800 meters of the mountain has become very unstable and there is no way one can predict if the landslides will stop. According to him, in all probability the road may not even open tomorrow!

All our brouhaha of the last one hour or so comes crashing down, on hearing such negative thoughts from the officer. We ask him for his honest opinion and advice, regarding staying back and the road opening the next day. He says "Sir please head back, there is no point in suffering in the cold here. The road will not open tomorrow, and even if it does, it may be evening again and no guarantees and the chances are very very slim."

Its getting very cold and the chill is beginning to seep into our clothing. All three of us are pretty dejected by the turn of events. This was supposed to be the starting point of our journey towards Leh. Looks like it is turning out to be starting point for our return journey. 2 full days in Manali twiddling our thumbs and now two full days somewhere near Rohtang pass, again just watching cars in a traffic jam! Not the best of ways to spend your time, especially when you are supposed to be driving.

A decision to head back to Kothi is made with a very heavy heart. On the way down, we call up Hotel Sagu Valley, speak to the manager and ask him to keep a room for us for the night. The time is nearing 8.00 pm. He asks us to reach the hotel before 10.00 pm. as the kitchen closes down then. Well dinner is the last thing on our minds! We follow the long line of cars and other vehicles, that are heading back towards Manali.

Reach the hotel at around 9.30 pm. The manager gives us the keys to the same room that we vacated this morning. Just dump our bags and head back to the restaurant to grab a bite to eat. Things have not panned out as we expected! Some major decisions need to be made and soon. The food arrives and we sort of listlessly finish eating. Back again to the discussions: Bombay or Kinnaur, Spiti Valley or Dalhousie, Dehradun?

Arshad is the most dejected amongst the three of us. His first time in the Himalayas and his trip is being cut short! Dinesh has visited most of the places, so he is a bit better off, but upset nonetheless. As for me, I can't describe my feelings. The Ladakh road trip had been in the planning for more than a year now. I had devoted a lot of time and effort to make this trip happen. And here I was faced with the decision and the reality of the journey to Ladakh not being possible. What does one do in a situation like this? Dinesh tries convincing us about trying out the drive to Kinnaur and Spiti valleys. Arshad and me are not very convinced. Arshad suggests, that since we cannot got to Ladakh this year, we should completely abandon any plans for any other destinations. We could save on the time we will be spending on the drive, head back to Bombay and get back to work!

I call up HVK again, get an idea of the road from Manali to Spiti valley and onwards. He gives me the detailed route and I mark it onto the maps we have. At the same time, he cautions me about the probability of the roads being in a bad condition in those areas too! That does it for me, I am being pushed towards Arshad's way of thinking. Heading back to Bombay seems the best option, given our present condition.

The situation as it was, that night:

4 days wasted in Manali and Rohtang.

Going to Ladakh via Kunzum La would entail a 3 day drive to reach Keylong (2 days if we really pushed hard)

Since we had already lost 4 days, Zanskar valley would be out. (to make up for the 4 days lost)

But we would be spending 3 days reaching Keylong and not the 2 days it would take to reach Leh from Manali.

Going back to Bombay via Srinagar did not look like a possibility, given the situation there.

If we managed to reach Leh and completed the Nubra Valley, PangongTso and TsoMoriri drives, we would still have to return via Manali.

If Rohtang was still closed on the return, it would mean coming back via KunzumLa, Kaza, etc., so another 3 days gone to reach either Chandigarh or Ambala or Delhi.

The days and the time were just not adding up. Arshad had to be back in Bombay, latest by the 23rd. or 24 th. Dinesh had to be in Lucknow by the 25th. (probably could push it by a day or two). I was the most flexible, but anything beyond the 27th. would be a problem for me too!

Its almost 11.45 pm. The waiting, has taken a toll on the three of us. We are tired, mentally more than physically. We decide that, heading back to Bombay is the best option. I call up home and inform them of the decision we have taken. Arshad and Dinesh also call their respective homes and inform them and on that sad note, we go to bed.

To be continued.........................