My Leh Trip By Road - Part II (SriNagar to Kargil)

June 27, 2005

We got up at 7 O’clock in the morning and after light breakfast took the “Shikara” to the land. None of us felt like going but our destination was Leh. With a silent promise of returning again in near future we bid adieu to our beloved Dal Lake with a heavy heart.

We had to reach Kargil by the evening. The route was via Sonamarg, Zojila Pass, Drass and then Kargil.

The drive to Sonamarg presents yet another spectacular facet of countryside in Kashmir.

We watched, breathlessly, as nature spread itself on a giant canvas. We were totally submerged in its beauty, purity and sanctity. Buddhists say, the ultimate goal is to achieve the state of Nirvana, which represents total enlightenment and liberation. Surrendering myself to nature, not as an observer or just as an admirer, but by becoming a part of that holiness and purity, I felt nothing less than attaining Nirvana.

Sonamarg is the takeoff destination for the drive to Ladakh across the Zojila. It is also one of the bases for undertaking the yatra to holy “Amarnath cave”.

After capturing some of the best picturesque landscapes in my camera, we moved on.

We must have traveled 2km from Sonamarg towards Zojila when we were stopped at an Army barrier. We had no entry permit and we were not informed anywhere that we need one. But as is the case, in order to cross Zojila, we required an entry ticket, which was issued by the concerned department at Sonamarg. We went back and had a tough time finding the place where the permit is issued from. It was a small office, with a total strength of three people, nestled in a tent on one of the mountain slopes, somewhere around 300m away from the main road. It took us less than five minutes in getting our permit. It is more of a formality where you have to give your driving license number and get a pink color stamped paper. However, I am certain that it must not be as easy for a foreigner as it was for us.

Showing sentry our permit we moved towards the mighty Zojila pass. It is a very narrow pass and at most places it is impossible for two vehicles to pass each other. So it is opened for one-way traffic for half a day and then for the other side of vehicles. We were lucky to be among the last few vehicles that were allowed to cross towards Kargil for that day.

Gradually the steepness increased and the road conditions started deteriorating. Very soon we were driving on a road made of small boulders (small sharp rocks) and full of dirt. We were a group of 20 to 25 vehicles, out of which more than 80% belonged to Army. Roads were very narrow with huge mountain on one side and a very deep rift on the other. It was actually scary to look down. Extreme serpentine road compounded the risk and made driving more cautious yet exciting.

Because we were driving in a small car, at many places we had to get down of the car and plan a strategy to navigate through the numerous potholes, big and ugly enough to break our car. However most problematic was when any of the vehicles in front of us used to stop in middle while climbing. It was fairly easy for those big monstrous 4-wheel drive army trucks to resume their climb. For us, it was a Herculean task. We had to roll back to the nearest low climb area and then come back fully charged, with a vengeance. Believe me, it was more irritating, rather embarrassing, than being difficult as we had to request all the vehicles behind us to roll back.

After a three hours of strenuous driving we were finally successful in crossing Zojila. Munish’s prediction was proven wrong. We had made it. Now we were in Drass region.

Although our car was completely covered with dust, looking at it, gave us a sense of achievement. It was a visual proof of our efforts and achievement.

Contrary to the perceived image of a war-ridden town, Drass was full of scenic beauty and greenery. However, the traces of “Kargil war” was evident on some of the roadside buildings as well. We saw a signboard pointing towards “Kargil Battle School.” I would have loved to find out more about it, but as there was no one around, we moved on.

Drass is a small town situated in a flat and open space in the center of a valley. It is, as we were informed in Kargil, the second coldest inhabited place in the world. Winter temperature dips as low as -40ºF. However, while we crossed Drass, we found it to be extremely beautiful with lush green pastures splashed across.

Road from Drass to Kargil was not difficult to navigate, as it was mostly plain and road was in fairly acceptable conditions. Kargil is approx. 60km from Drass and it took us one and half hours to traverse the journey. On our way we passed through some of the most beautiful upland villages with flower sprinkled meadows on sides of the road.

By 8 O’clock in the evening we were checking in the “Kargil Continental Hotel”, one of the best hotels available in Kargil. It was a huge hotel with numerous rooms across its corridors and is highly recommended for a pleasurable stay. Its location is fantastic—it is in the main market area near taxi stand and at the back of it there is a canal flowing with dangerously high water current.

Kargil is a mountainous district, which is surrounded by mountains from all the sides and is accessible only by road. It is the second largest area in Ladakh. We found the town to be very sparsely populated.

When we reached Kargil, it was already dark and there was no electricity. Hotel people informed us that there has been no power supply for last 3 days. Some major failure in one of the grids resulted in complete power breakdown in the region. We were now fully dependent on candles. After taking refreshing hot water bath we decided to go out for dinner. A small restaurant, some 100m away from Kargil Continental, was recommend to us by our Hotel staff. I highly recommend the delicious dinner comprising Butter Chicken and Nan to all of you who plan to visit Leh via Kargil. The owner (whose name I forgot..), is a well known singer of that area.

It was around 11 O’clock when we decided to retire to bed. Yet another strenuous journey was awaited next day. Not only we had to cross “Namika la” and “Fotu la top” – which was at the height of 13,479 feet and was the highest point on Srinagar - Leh road, we had to traverse narrowing gorges before reaching Leh – our destination and dreamland.