Aug 18-21 Manali to Leh by Jeep
We are both a little under the weather, but so are the two young guys with us. We rested all day yesterday and tomorrow are leaving for Leh.
A. is staring to get on my nerves...don't know how much longer I will be with her, but on the other hand it is very nice not being completely alone...we'll see how things go.
I have no pelephone connection here, so no point leaving me messages...will let you know when I get someplace where it works again.
The place here is unbelievable beautiful...pictures will not do it justice.
OK..here goes the full mountain trip story...part might be repetitive but bear with me...
We arrived in manali late at night to find the road washed out to our hotel so we stayed the nite in another hotel. We ALL slept including the 2 young guys with us -23 and 30 who also suffered no less than we did during the trip to Manali.
We left Delhi very early in the morning to take the Shabtabdi Express to Chandigarh (the same lovely train we took to Agra with all the wonderful service, food, water etc) and we arrived in Chandigarh just to pick up our jeep to go the rest of the way to manali. Well, we were all quite surprised when Milan turned up with a regular taxi for the journey, but no one said anything at that point. We figured he must know what he is doing and explained something about Himachal being a different district and local cars not being able to go or some such thing and getting this car until who knows what. Don't remember. Some India gibberish story I guess. Anyway, we started out straight away after arriving in Chandigarh after having had breakfast on the train.
The taxi was not very comfortable for all of us and our bags and also very very bumpy and unsteady on the roads. Nothing like we imagined traveling in relative comfort in a jeep. Along the way the views became more and more amazing however, and so our mind was taken off the vehicle except for the sharp turns or terrible holes in the road which brought us quickly back to reality. At some point we stopped at a local Dhabba (workingman’s restaurant) and alone I would never eat in such a place but Milan assured us it was clean, delicious and would be served to us not spicy. And he was right. Perfect Indian meal of rice and dahl and chappati and chai…no bathrooms of course but I found a nice truck to go behind and take care of myself before heading off again...and now the TRUE Journey begins....enjoy!
As we started working our way up to Manali it began raining lightly and our final approach was made in the dark but what we DID manage to see was just beautiful.
We woke up at 10 or so, ate breakfast and started off to our hotel to find that the road was still in bad shape too bad I didn't have the camera to document what we did here]. so we had to get out of the car which it somehow made it across a bed of rocks (remember this is still a taxi, not a jeep or 4x4 of any kind! )and we had to walk along the side of a rapids stream with a deep sharp incline without falling in , over a slippery rocky path to meet the car on the other side. My first REAL adventure.
Ten minutes later we arrived at this paradise and all of us decided to sleep away the day and into town [back across the same road] at 5 to shop, use internet and maybe find a coffee house to sit in.
Well I just fell into a real sick feverish sleep but woke a few hours later, ate a light lunch of cream of veg [fresh from the garden] soup and stuffed Naan, delicious and then laid down on the grass to sun bathe and get my sinuses flowing...I then came in to rest and fell asleep again and we did not go out with the guys who also were still done in but had to report back to their offices.
I just got out of a steaming lavender bath and we will eat soon and then probably sleep until morning.
mood is actually wonderful..just being here in this amazingly beautiful valley is enough to make anyone content...we still have tomorrow to rest before our really hard trip to Leh...we must go into town...I need a warm coat and hope to find a shawl as
well
ASIDE: The 2 guys with us are just like any guys their age around the world. Well educated, apparently from well-to-do homes, who have started with other friends a travel company via the internet. They have been in business 15 months, work very hard like all the hi-tech people and just want to get ahead and have more "stuff"...they are very sweet though...
Well...but now, back to our unusual day the next day. We were told we would be going into town for the day so we both were up and dressed and fed by 10 which seemed late enough to us. While we were waiting, one of the guys came down still in
PJ's and when we asked what we are doing he said going into town...when? soon...around 1 o'clock!! that's time here! anyway, I went back and slept and we finally left for town.
Manali is a beautiful but very touristy place with tons of Israelis, Hebrew signs all over the place. We were going to eat chinese but the place was full so Milan
ordered a place and then the guys went to see some monastery and they dropped us off at the e-mail place. Then we ate and I told him what I needed from the shops for the trip to Leh...but he is so overprotective of us he
wouldn't let us out of his site for a minute so all these 3 guys had to follow me around to do my shopping...coat, shawl, toilet paper, notebook, cough drops, etc. Poor guys!
Milan is REALLY a "big" guy here in India...everyone knows him. .Like in the beautiful hotel suite we were in it actually costs $60 a nite and we were supposed to be in the plainer rooms but he got us what he called a "complimentary upgrade"...he
also knows the best places to eat and the best things on the menu and even orders for me "vegetarian not spicy". So when I told him I needed a shawl, and asked where to
go he said "You do not do that alone or you will definitely get ripped-off" I will get my
friend to come with us.. turns out his friend is like the governor...district head of the whole state of Himachal Pradesh and basically is like the godfather here...he has the power of judge and jury and executioner and he is feared and respected...so HE
took us to the best shop in town and then told me to pick the one I wanted and he would get me a good price. He assured me of the quality and then a
shawl which had the asking price of 6000 rupees, without a word I got for 1500 !!
After finishing all my shopping and some other boring stuff we went back to our hotel, again over the same washed out road, and it had already started raining,not a good sign for the next day [actually rained all nite steadily]Milan says this is highly unusual...he doesn't ever remember seeing this much rain and so steady in this area We went to sleep and got up at 6 to begin the trip toLeh. The jeep is very comfortable and we have a fantastic driver. A. takes up 1 1/2 seats in theback seat which is for three people but it actually turned out to be an advantage since me and the other guy sitting there were so tightly packed that we didn't get thrown around on the roads...
We set off at about 7:30 AM and started straight up into the Himalayas. The views are breathtaking...every minute something else to see...and the rain prevented us from really seeing clearly...we were first below the clouds and the mountain tops were all covered in clouds...waterfallsand rivers everywhere...you don't go for more than a few seconds without seeing another waterfall. And all is still lush green and trees and many varieties of flowers. My sense of time has disappeared so I don't know when it was, but we stopped for toilets and breakfast of lemon tea and butter toast.
Mostly we are not eating today or tomorrow while traveling except for water and raisins and dates...(except A.who bought tons of cake and cookies in Manali and that is what SHE is eating and offering but no one else will touch the stuff!- she is also the only one smoking during the trip!!-at this altitude it is really deadly!)
Then we headed off to our first high pass - Rohtangpass at 3980 meters
It was very cold there and still raining...the scenery had already changed also. We went from below the clouds to INTO the clouds where we saw nothing but white out of the windows and the road directly in front...and then came out ABOVE the clouds...still green but no more trees. Many people at that height are sick but so far I seem to be OK. The rest of the trip was down through lush valleys with terraced fields dotted with colored houses and beautiful serene people all around..happy smiling faces even though they have a very rigorous, difficult life here in this desolate area...and then along the valley...Spitti I think and then up again
Jispa has the only hotel in the area and is our chosen nite stop even though it is only 1/3 of the way. It is "only" around 3000 meters so better for sleeping and acclimatization. It is hard to climb steps here but otherwise I feel OK. We ate a lite lunch and went to sleep and now we are resting until we meet for dinner. Tomorrow we leave at 5 AM and then it is:"each man to himself" as Milan says... we will get to 6000+ meters over 18,000 feet and that could be very difficult...Hopefully I will continue to feel well. Tomorrow nite we will arrive in Leh and hopefully the next day I will get to write this all up(was I naive then...it is what? two weeks later that I am finally writing this up!!!)
Monday, August 20th-4 PM Jispa
I actually could not remember what day of the week It was...time has no meaning whatsoever here...not the hour or the day...things just flow and you learn to flow with them.
We are after the 1st third of our trip up to Leh.
Passed the highest pass for today at 3900 meters. I'm feeling OK. Just tired....but some of the others are really feeling poorly...today it rained most
of the way until we got ABOVE the clouds. Milan says this type of rain here is VERY unusual! But now we are well above the clouds and tomorrow we will start up into the Great Himalayas (as if 3900 is not "great") and the real rough part of the trip. We are meant to be on the road for a full 17 hours
5:30...I'm back...it is hard work being this high...we are now at about 3,500 meters.
Jispa..end of first day on trip from Manali to Leh overland
I'm still not sure what I am feeling here. As an adventure it is great.. but I think I am not enough with myself. I have to start being with me more. We are actually only here a week but it seems like ages ago I sat in my room in Pardes Chana and imagined being here. the quiet and serenity is something you can feel. Delhi was not as horrible as anyone made it out to be and I really didn't feel that I was suffering there. The heat is difficult and the first days in general were confusing and disorienting but not physically. I was quite pleased with the hotel although she complained all the time. but being away from there is certainly much healthier. I can see myself not returning to there for a long time. I don't know how much of all of India I will eventually see..travelling here is very difficult...just because the distances are very long and basically what we've done so far is travel and rest after traveling. Hopefully when we get to Leh we will have time just to BE in India without getting from one place to another.
I have this general mood of almost giddy joy. Also pride at simply having gotten myself here. I am certainly not at the epitome of health and physical conditions of being on the road are difficult. But my mood is so high that it seems to compensate.
I could imagine myself living in such a country but don't know if it is a practical something for me to do
The people we are meeting here are amazing and very familiar in many ways.
I still don't know what the thing is here that is waiting for me...but I guess I will when it happens.
Sometimes a fear wells up and I think how I put myself in this place that is so far from home and me all alone...and how can I get out if I want to. But it passes quickly and I guess it is only natural. It is good we are with Milan this whole first part of the trip. He really knows the ropes and it makes our life much easier.
Same day Jispa...before we went to sleep we opened oursuitcases to get some stuff out and found that rain hadleaked into everything...what a mess...so we hung ourclothes up all over the room and went to sleep for afew hours...woke up to eat a lite dinner and went tosleep early. We were woken up at 3:30 Am and wentdown with all our stuff.. had some tea and set our forthe beginning of 17 hour trip...It was very cold andI was dressed in all the layers I had, plus my newcoat (which I bought for 35 shekel in Manali) and myshawl with the fleece blanket I bought in Israelspread across all our laps...about 3 hours later itactually got nice and warm. Except for when we wentover the passes... We drove (the day is basically ablur...I just keep thinking of the song Daddy used tosing "the man went over the mountain"....but at somepoint we stopped at "Everest Cafe"" for breakfast. Itis basically a "town" of 10 tents made of oldparachutes in the middle of no where and nothing. There are several of these dotted over this desolateplace...Most people spend their first nite in one ofthese "towns" called Sarchu which is VERY high,freezing cold, only tents, no real food etc. and weare lucky that Milan did not let us do that and madeus stay over in Jispa.... Everyone ordered eggs but I didn’t think I couldmanage that on the curving roads [roads is a nice wordfor what we drove on most of the time] and then I sawa can of oatmeal on the shelf and asked him to make meporridge...and so in the middle of no where on the wayup to the top of the world, I had oatmeal forbreakfast! It's among the very incongruous things that happenhere. Like we are sitting in this cyber cafe sendinge-mail where we had just finished eating Tibetan momossoup (delicious...just like kreplach but much tastierfillings) and playing in the background are thebeatles and there are signs all around in Hebrew!
A. is staring to get on my nerves...don't know how much longer I will be with her, but on the other hand it is very nice not being completely alone...we'll see how things go.
I have no pelephone connection here, so no point leaving me messages...will let you know when I get someplace where it works again.
The place here is unbelievable beautiful...pictures will not do it justice.
OK..here goes the full mountain trip story...part might be repetitive but bear with me...
We arrived in manali late at night to find the road washed out to our hotel so we stayed the nite in another hotel. We ALL slept including the 2 young guys with us -23 and 30 who also suffered no less than we did during the trip to Manali.
We left Delhi very early in the morning to take the Shabtabdi Express to Chandigarh (the same lovely train we took to Agra with all the wonderful service, food, water etc) and we arrived in Chandigarh just to pick up our jeep to go the rest of the way to manali. Well, we were all quite surprised when Milan turned up with a regular taxi for the journey, but no one said anything at that point. We figured he must know what he is doing and explained something about Himachal being a different district and local cars not being able to go or some such thing and getting this car until who knows what. Don't remember. Some India gibberish story I guess. Anyway, we started out straight away after arriving in Chandigarh after having had breakfast on the train.
The taxi was not very comfortable for all of us and our bags and also very very bumpy and unsteady on the roads. Nothing like we imagined traveling in relative comfort in a jeep. Along the way the views became more and more amazing however, and so our mind was taken off the vehicle except for the sharp turns or terrible holes in the road which brought us quickly back to reality. At some point we stopped at a local Dhabba (workingman’s restaurant) and alone I would never eat in such a place but Milan assured us it was clean, delicious and would be served to us not spicy. And he was right. Perfect Indian meal of rice and dahl and chappati and chai…no bathrooms of course but I found a nice truck to go behind and take care of myself before heading off again...and now the TRUE Journey begins....enjoy!
As we started working our way up to Manali it began raining lightly and our final approach was made in the dark but what we DID manage to see was just beautiful.
We woke up at 10 or so, ate breakfast and started off to our hotel to find that the road was still in bad shape too bad I didn't have the camera to document what we did here]. so we had to get out of the car which it somehow made it across a bed of rocks (remember this is still a taxi, not a jeep or 4x4 of any kind! )and we had to walk along the side of a rapids stream with a deep sharp incline without falling in , over a slippery rocky path to meet the car on the other side. My first REAL adventure.
Ten minutes later we arrived at this paradise and all of us decided to sleep away the day and into town [back across the same road] at 5 to shop, use internet and maybe find a coffee house to sit in.
Well I just fell into a real sick feverish sleep but woke a few hours later, ate a light lunch of cream of veg [fresh from the garden] soup and stuffed Naan, delicious and then laid down on the grass to sun bathe and get my sinuses flowing...I then came in to rest and fell asleep again and we did not go out with the guys who also were still done in but had to report back to their offices.
I just got out of a steaming lavender bath and we will eat soon and then probably sleep until morning.
mood is actually wonderful..just being here in this amazingly beautiful valley is enough to make anyone content...we still have tomorrow to rest before our really hard trip to Leh...we must go into town...I need a warm coat and hope to find a shawl as
well
ASIDE: The 2 guys with us are just like any guys their age around the world. Well educated, apparently from well-to-do homes, who have started with other friends a travel company via the internet. They have been in business 15 months, work very hard like all the hi-tech people and just want to get ahead and have more "stuff"...they are very sweet though...
Well...but now, back to our unusual day the next day. We were told we would be going into town for the day so we both were up and dressed and fed by 10 which seemed late enough to us. While we were waiting, one of the guys came down still in
PJ's and when we asked what we are doing he said going into town...when? soon...around 1 o'clock!! that's time here! anyway, I went back and slept and we finally left for town.
Manali is a beautiful but very touristy place with tons of Israelis, Hebrew signs all over the place. We were going to eat chinese but the place was full so Milan
ordered a place and then the guys went to see some monastery and they dropped us off at the e-mail place. Then we ate and I told him what I needed from the shops for the trip to Leh...but he is so overprotective of us he
wouldn't let us out of his site for a minute so all these 3 guys had to follow me around to do my shopping...coat, shawl, toilet paper, notebook, cough drops, etc. Poor guys!
Milan is REALLY a "big" guy here in India...everyone knows him. .Like in the beautiful hotel suite we were in it actually costs $60 a nite and we were supposed to be in the plainer rooms but he got us what he called a "complimentary upgrade"...he
also knows the best places to eat and the best things on the menu and even orders for me "vegetarian not spicy". So when I told him I needed a shawl, and asked where to
go he said "You do not do that alone or you will definitely get ripped-off" I will get my
friend to come with us.. turns out his friend is like the governor...district head of the whole state of Himachal Pradesh and basically is like the godfather here...he has the power of judge and jury and executioner and he is feared and respected...so HE
took us to the best shop in town and then told me to pick the one I wanted and he would get me a good price. He assured me of the quality and then a
shawl which had the asking price of 6000 rupees, without a word I got for 1500 !!
After finishing all my shopping and some other boring stuff we went back to our hotel, again over the same washed out road, and it had already started raining,not a good sign for the next day [actually rained all nite steadily]Milan says this is highly unusual...he doesn't ever remember seeing this much rain and so steady in this area We went to sleep and got up at 6 to begin the trip toLeh. The jeep is very comfortable and we have a fantastic driver. A. takes up 1 1/2 seats in theback seat which is for three people but it actually turned out to be an advantage since me and the other guy sitting there were so tightly packed that we didn't get thrown around on the roads...
We set off at about 7:30 AM and started straight up into the Himalayas. The views are breathtaking...every minute something else to see...and the rain prevented us from really seeing clearly...we were first below the clouds and the mountain tops were all covered in clouds...waterfallsand rivers everywhere...you don't go for more than a few seconds without seeing another waterfall. And all is still lush green and trees and many varieties of flowers. My sense of time has disappeared so I don't know when it was, but we stopped for toilets and breakfast of lemon tea and butter toast.
Mostly we are not eating today or tomorrow while traveling except for water and raisins and dates...(except A.who bought tons of cake and cookies in Manali and that is what SHE is eating and offering but no one else will touch the stuff!- she is also the only one smoking during the trip!!-at this altitude it is really deadly!)
Then we headed off to our first high pass - Rohtangpass at 3980 meters
It was very cold there and still raining...the scenery had already changed also. We went from below the clouds to INTO the clouds where we saw nothing but white out of the windows and the road directly in front...and then came out ABOVE the clouds...still green but no more trees. Many people at that height are sick but so far I seem to be OK. The rest of the trip was down through lush valleys with terraced fields dotted with colored houses and beautiful serene people all around..happy smiling faces even though they have a very rigorous, difficult life here in this desolate area...and then along the valley...Spitti I think and then up again
Jispa has the only hotel in the area and is our chosen nite stop even though it is only 1/3 of the way. It is "only" around 3000 meters so better for sleeping and acclimatization. It is hard to climb steps here but otherwise I feel OK. We ate a lite lunch and went to sleep and now we are resting until we meet for dinner. Tomorrow we leave at 5 AM and then it is:"each man to himself" as Milan says... we will get to 6000+ meters over 18,000 feet and that could be very difficult...Hopefully I will continue to feel well. Tomorrow nite we will arrive in Leh and hopefully the next day I will get to write this all up(was I naive then...it is what? two weeks later that I am finally writing this up!!!)
Monday, August 20th-4 PM Jispa
I actually could not remember what day of the week It was...time has no meaning whatsoever here...not the hour or the day...things just flow and you learn to flow with them.
We are after the 1st third of our trip up to Leh.
Passed the highest pass for today at 3900 meters. I'm feeling OK. Just tired....but some of the others are really feeling poorly...today it rained most
of the way until we got ABOVE the clouds. Milan says this type of rain here is VERY unusual! But now we are well above the clouds and tomorrow we will start up into the Great Himalayas (as if 3900 is not "great") and the real rough part of the trip. We are meant to be on the road for a full 17 hours
5:30...I'm back...it is hard work being this high...we are now at about 3,500 meters.
Jispa..end of first day on trip from Manali to Leh overland
I'm still not sure what I am feeling here. As an adventure it is great.. but I think I am not enough with myself. I have to start being with me more. We are actually only here a week but it seems like ages ago I sat in my room in Pardes Chana and imagined being here. the quiet and serenity is something you can feel. Delhi was not as horrible as anyone made it out to be and I really didn't feel that I was suffering there. The heat is difficult and the first days in general were confusing and disorienting but not physically. I was quite pleased with the hotel although she complained all the time. but being away from there is certainly much healthier. I can see myself not returning to there for a long time. I don't know how much of all of India I will eventually see..travelling here is very difficult...just because the distances are very long and basically what we've done so far is travel and rest after traveling. Hopefully when we get to Leh we will have time just to BE in India without getting from one place to another.
I have this general mood of almost giddy joy. Also pride at simply having gotten myself here. I am certainly not at the epitome of health and physical conditions of being on the road are difficult. But my mood is so high that it seems to compensate.
I could imagine myself living in such a country but don't know if it is a practical something for me to do
The people we are meeting here are amazing and very familiar in many ways.
I still don't know what the thing is here that is waiting for me...but I guess I will when it happens.
Sometimes a fear wells up and I think how I put myself in this place that is so far from home and me all alone...and how can I get out if I want to. But it passes quickly and I guess it is only natural. It is good we are with Milan this whole first part of the trip. He really knows the ropes and it makes our life much easier.
Same day Jispa...before we went to sleep we opened oursuitcases to get some stuff out and found that rain hadleaked into everything...what a mess...so we hung ourclothes up all over the room and went to sleep for afew hours...woke up to eat a lite dinner and went tosleep early. We were woken up at 3:30 Am and wentdown with all our stuff.. had some tea and set our forthe beginning of 17 hour trip...It was very cold andI was dressed in all the layers I had, plus my newcoat (which I bought for 35 shekel in Manali) and myshawl with the fleece blanket I bought in Israelspread across all our laps...about 3 hours later itactually got nice and warm. Except for when we wentover the passes... We drove (the day is basically ablur...I just keep thinking of the song Daddy used tosing "the man went over the mountain"....but at somepoint we stopped at "Everest Cafe"" for breakfast. Itis basically a "town" of 10 tents made of oldparachutes in the middle of no where and nothing. There are several of these dotted over this desolateplace...Most people spend their first nite in one ofthese "towns" called Sarchu which is VERY high,freezing cold, only tents, no real food etc. and weare lucky that Milan did not let us do that and madeus stay over in Jispa.... Everyone ordered eggs but I didn’t think I couldmanage that on the curving roads [roads is a nice wordfor what we drove on most of the time] and then I sawa can of oatmeal on the shelf and asked him to make meporridge...and so in the middle of no where on the wayup to the top of the world, I had oatmeal forbreakfast! It's among the very incongruous things that happenhere. Like we are sitting in this cyber cafe sendinge-mail where we had just finished eating Tibetan momossoup (delicious...just like kreplach but much tastierfillings) and playing in the background are thebeatles and there are signs all around in Hebrew!
posted by Jane @ 5:25 PM
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