My unforgettable trip to Leh - PART 1. Review on Leh

This year in the month of June & July we decided to go to Leh and ladakh. It took us 14 days to complete this trip, which was full of adventures and an experience of its kind, which cannot be described in words but can only be felt. However I am trying to express it thru my first travelogue. I do not know how successful I will be in doing so. I have decided to write my experiences in parts as writing the whole trip in one go is not easy for me. Here is the first part…..

24th June 2005

Our appetite for adventure won and we unanimously decided to make the “overdue” trip to Leh on my Car. We were a group of three - my wife “Sanjeeta”, my cousin “Abhinav”, who came especially from Bangalore to Delhi to join us on our trip, and myself.

Which way to take was one of the tough questions initially. We had two choices – via Srinagar or via Manali. Both had their own advantages and disadvantages… Manali route sounded more adventurous kind, whereas Srinagar had its incomparable scenic beauty to offer. As the reports of bad weather kept pouring in we were little skeptical about taking Manali road. However we did not want to miss the adventure part. Finally greed won and we decided to go via Srinagar and return via Manali.

We gave the car for final checkup at Motorcraft, Noida and under the able guidance of its owner Mr. Jayesh Desai, the car was specially prepared and checked to take this trip.

“Beware of the treacherous terrains and do not overexert yourself” were the parting wisdom bestowed on us by Jayesh. Thank you Jayesh, without your help this trip would have been a distant dream.

25th June 2005

We left at 6:30 in the morning with a lot of excitement in our belly, Fuel tank at its full and Speedometer reading at 42864. We had a luggage carrier mounted at the top (which was not very sleek, but as looks can be deceiving, it proved to be an absolutely necessary item).

Our first destination Jammu was 583 kms away. National highway from Delhi to Jammu is in its best of conditions and driving on it was a pleasant experience. By stopping only twice, once to fill our empty stomach and second to refill the fuel tank, we were able to reach Jammu by 7 O’clock in the evening. We found it to be as hot and humid as Delhi with temperature reading of 46 degree centigrade.

Finding a hotel was little difficult in Jammu, as being a first time visitor (though I had passed Jammu a number to times on my way to Vaishnao Devi, this was my first time when I was actually exploring it), I found the city to be bit confusing and getting lost in Jammu is easy for first timers. Finally a cop came to our help and guided us to “Hotel Savoy”, a comfortable hotel at Residency Road. We had our dinner and straightaway went off to bed. Tiredness was not the only reason; we were warned that finding a descent hotel in Srinagar is going to be more difficult, as June being a tourist season coupled with high influx of tourists this year, if we do not reach there before dusk. Need not mention categorically, we were also worried about Srinagar’s politically disturbed atmosphere.

26th June 2005

We left Jammu at 7 O’clock in the morning and headed to Srinagar. The road is curvaceous but is in good condition. Crossing the famous “Jawahar tunnel” which connects Jammu with Kashmir valley was an experience in itself. Abhinav tried clicking a snap of Jawahar Tunnel and almost lost his camera to the security guard posted there. “Photographs not allowed” was his stern warning and we were in no mood to challenge that.

Gradually the change became apparent in everything – on one hand weather became pleasant, on the other the enormous presence of army men on Jammu Srinagar highway made us tense. There were fully armed soldiers at every 20 meters on both sides of road. However, the view around the road was incredible.

We stopped the car to click few snaps of “First view of Kashmir Valley”, a roadside mountain cliff designed to give the look of a bow of a ship. We got some stunning pictures of Kashmir valley from there. When you go there and see the landscapes, it will soon became apparent that why Srinagar is called a paradise on earth.

We reached Srinagar by 5 O’clock in the evening. Going by the media, we were little reluctant in entering the town, as frequent ambush reports between army and militants kept pouring in. We thought of spending the night at any good hotel on the outskirts. But the guilt of being in Srinagar and missing the splendor beauty of “Dal Lake” was too heavy to bear. To hell with militancy!!! We headed straight for Dal Lake.

Instantly the decision was taken. The calm serenity of Dal Lake had left us spell bound. We were hooked to the charm of staying on a houseboat, which provided the unique experience of living on the water in a cedar-panelled elegant bedroom with all the conveniences (like well carpeted drawing cum dining room, western styled toilets with bath tubs etc. and fine furnitures) of a luxury hotel. Srinagar’s thousand or so houseboats are moored along the section of Dal Lake. Each one of them are decorated fancifully and named romantically and even whimsically.

Houseboats, as we experienced, have highly personalized service and staying there was a peaceful experience. We stayed at “Pride of India” – a romantically decorated, yellow colored houseboat owned by “Ramzaan” and his family. It was not expensive, just Rs. 1200 for 2 rooms per night. Ramzaan says there are 1300 houseboats on the lake and lake itself is spread in an area of 35 Kms.

Dal lake has a life in itself on water. You have STD booths, general stores, garment shops everything…. but on water. You have to take a “Shikara” to go there. They are all located on different houseboats.

We had Kashmiri food - Gushtaba (meatballs cooked in thick gravy of fresh curd base), Roganjosh (which owes its rich red color to the generous use of Kashmiri chillies) and rice for dinner. Kashmiri food is delicious but very rich (you cannot eat much).

In night, around 9 O’clock we decided to explore the Dal Lake and took a “Shikara” from the houseboat for a late evening stroll. It was a unique experience in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Highly recommended for you all who are planning to go there.

In simple words as it is said - Kashmir is a poem written by nature.

By 12 O’clock we were back to our houseboat. We decided to retire to bed as next day was expected to be a tough one. We had to cross “Zogila pass”, the toughest pass enroute to Kargil. Last thing I was thinking before plunging into deep sleep was Munesh Thusoo’s warning. Munesh Thusoo, one of my Kashmiri friends, when first heard about our trip to Leh via Srinagar on our car, declared us mad saying we will never be able to cross “Zogila” in our car.

Ohh…I think I forgot to describe our car. We were traveling in a Maruti 800.