Kaza - Keylong 16 hrs via Gramphu
5am minibus one pass 5000m high
Road still closed to local buses
Keylong - LEH 17 hrs local bus
5am-10pm Over two passes over 5000m high
On road to Gramphu pass many land slips and snow slips, have to wait while small lorry with a small car on its back was stuck in deep rocky area (where waterfalls cross the road it gets very rugged to cross). A slightly bigger truck had to pull it out of the water. Then we watched the british bikers on a classic car journey all get soaked and wobble badly as they drive through it (mainly OAP's). I'm travelling with 6 Israeli boys, one Italian woman and a few locals at the back of our minibus. The Israeli's want to smoke their CHillum (pipe with charras) in the bus - but I made it really cheerily clear this was totally unacceptable - I think they thought they'd win me round and persude me to have a puff and then theyd be ok smoking the rest of the way - but they had to crouch in a shepherd shelter in the cold air of 4000m chuffing away. we must have stopped about 15 times. Passport check point. Breakfast. chai. Lorry stuck. Car in front got a puncture - we didnt stop to help - just stopped to move the jeep out of our way. he he. Pipe smoking stop. Lunch stop. Pee Stop. Look at the deep water in the road stop. Land slide stop. Then my bus stop. The Italian woman joins me - luckily she doesnt speak too much English cos the Italian's are LOUD. She was the type who sought reassurance after every thing she said by looking at me or someone else. She shoved her camera out of the window every two mins and used one word to describe everything like an excited child. 'cow', 465 km to Leh. Buuuuutiful. We swapped buses and took a local the 3 hrs to Keylong - had to endure a small argument that we had stolen someone's seat - but we'd sat on the empty bus for one hr (while it was changing a tyre) at the next passport check point.. we won. But I think he got the last laugh. When we got to Keylong - we had to queue for our morning local bus ticket to Leh (Indian style queueing). As the Italian woman was before me - I gave her my money and yelled over - window seat window seat... We decided to share a room at the station guest house - which was good enough with a nice view of all the buses and a mountain beyond.\
5am Keylong - Leh local bus
I think its Sunday 11 July 2010
You simply will not believe it - the ticket man was having the biggest laugh - we're on the back seat. The worst seat on the bus - 17 hrs of humpty dumpty bumpety bump on dirt mountain pass roads. Not only this bue there are 5 seats back row and he sold a 6 invisible seat to a local. Even the bus conducted queried it - We had a huge row 5am - too early for this. Saying the window seat we booked. no 46 and 47. No 48 does not exist. 'its the conductor's seat' . So where's the conductor going to sit? cos this man is not the conductor... bla de bla. We let the local sit down and maybe it was for our benefit - the more squished you are when going over bumps the better to wedge you in. The bus was crammed. two boys were sleeping in the aisle by the back door by us. 4 europeans were standing. The front was a squeeze also.
Off we go. We are jolted out of our seates for 17 hrs. I have bruised shoulders, elbows, buttocks, hips and my back is still stiff. The italian woman leaned over me to take pictures through the window until she got bumped sooooo high one time she gave up. well done bumps. Lunch was roadkill - which was surprisingly ok. There were no villages the entire 17 hrs - just great tent sites - which acted as Hotel's for trekkers or bikers I guess. Such a remote life for the 3 months the passes are open.
The drive was a weeks worth of views in 17 hrs each range more spectacular than the previous - a holiday just looking at the different ranges in itself. The Himalayas are crumbling piles of rocks which every year get smaller and smaller and turn into gravel then sand. Miles of plateaus lie in between lower hills, the higher mountains peering from behind.
The sandy roads blow high above the bus, have to quickly close the window and cover my nose, ears and mouth. My hair and clothes are covered in dust - its coming through the back seat. Just the last hr of the drive is in darkness. So when we arrive I have no idea what Leh looks like - except its full of shops - I so was not expecting this. How long can I stay here before the city pulls me in? After Sacred Spitti with nothing but hills and houses.
When we stop, an Italian man, we met at the ticket office in Keylong, and who was also at the back of the bus, arranged for 6 of us to share a taxi. Thought it was odd but hes been here before so knew where to go so I followed - he was v. clever. He jumped out and took care of a room for himself then came back and said his guest house was full. Night. Are all italians like this? Well Italian woman, me and a Canadian woman and two swiss - trundled off down the unlit passage way knocking on doors (its 10pm now). First one is full. Second one no one comes out. 3rd one rooms are smelly. 4th one too expensive. 5th one two rooms only. Italian woman grabs the cheap one. I offer to share the 2nd with the Canadian but she seems to wnat to keep looking. I try to bargain the room down but Dolma wont budge. I walk off and keep looking. But its a nice place - so I go back - Dolman whispers to me i can have it cheaper so I take it. Dump my bag and go and find the Canadian to help her. She takes a room with huge windows and tiniest bathroom I've ever seen in place next door. We're all sorted - no sign of either Italian..
I wake up to guess what - An aeroplane sound. I've not heard anything that reminds me of 'the west' or normality for a few weeks so this rather woke me up.
I went a wondering to find breakfast and a new guest house - felt I wanted to be somewhere away from the Italians (nice tho they were).. I find Changspa a little area for Israeli tourists by the look of it - But I find a Homestay guest house with a large airy room with a huge window, chairs, table overlooking their veggie garden and the mountains. (a 50 year old mud house with its onl mini temple inside).
When I walked back outside a couple where walking their two very healthy looking dogs on long leads - a local old man was staring as I was, and then we caught each others eye and he nearly bent over laughing .
Leh must be the Apricot capital. It has every which way you can think of made out of Apricots - even powdered than you can sprinkle on yr museli.
Also if you like India / Ladakh / The most amazing book to read is Kipling's Kim. I'm sad to have finished it - I felt I was with them on their journey as I travelled what must have been their footpath 109 years ago, for some of my bus ride here. Kim and his Lama. Alone with the sky and grass, mountains and wind.
And by gum the raw cabbages are peppery spicy here.
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