Sonmarg was indeed an incredible place. I discovered that a lot of activity happens here around April and May - Skiing, Snowmobiles, etc. A few treks as well. Hmmm, lot of things to be planned with the family!
It was going to be a long day, since the plan was to reach Leh. So I decided to start early in the morning. I was up and ready by 6 AM. And that was a big mistake, since I clearly was not ready for what was coming.
Up until now, it was cold. But pleasantly cold. Sonmarg itself got extremely cold late in the evening, but nothing that I cannot handle, I thought. However, today was different. The winds were heavy and extremely cold. BRO was working on making the Zojila Tunnel to ensure 12 months connectivity to Ladakh - currently there is no road connectivity in winters under the snow. That meant numerous deviations and extremely bad roads. Google maps too got confused and started showing random directions, so I turned them off.
The cold winds, along with the difficult terrain, were really getting to me, in spite of layers of jackets and gloves. What turned out to be really handy was the pinlock visor from SMK - it held up absolutely fine and I had zero fogging on the helmet visor. I was eagerly waiting for the sun to come out, and for the roads to get better. In between, my action cam gave up and stopped working. I did not have the patience or the energy to check what's wrong - I just took it off the helmet and put it straight into the tank bag.
Made it to Zojila pass. Took out gloves with shivering hands for a photo.
And after a while, finally entered Ladakh! And how the vistas changed drastically, as if a total makeover! Trees and green mountains made way for dry, beige, huge mountains. The air got dry. The roads got way better as well in Ladakh.
Filled up fuel at Drass - where a Sardarji and I got talking, and I was surprised at him not wearing any jacket at all! He said its not very cold ahead, and that the sun would clear off all the cold. That was music to the ears!
I was really looking forward to the next stop - the Kargil war memorial. Would have reached there by around 10:30 AM. Met a few bikers from Bengaluru here, they were on the way to Sonmarg from Leh. Visited the Kargil war memorial together with them. To our luck, there was a army batallion visiting here, and a Jawan was explaining all the sites in the memorial in detail. We tail gated along, and it was such a moving experience hearing all the stories and details from the Jawans themselves! The 10 minutes documentary towards the end was a highlight, and that's something I would highly recommend. Bought a book here on Kargil stories.
Had a cup of Kahwa right outside the memorial. This stop re-vitalized me from the tough ride experience from the morning. I was getting hungry as well, so decided to stop for lunch somewhere before Fotu la. The huge mountains surrounding me, forming different patterns and colors were totally fascinating. Plus, the sun now was performing its own twist to the colors, making some amazing vistas.
A few kms before Fotu la pass, stopped at a dhaba for lunch, another round of Rajma Chawal. Got talking with the owner of the dhaba - Sapna Devi. Was talking to her all through my yummy meal. Was interesting to know about her story, and how she started a vegetarian only dhaba at a time when none existed. During off months here, she goes to Goa where she runs a hotel in Panjim. Later, as I spoke with more locals, I realized this is a common work model in the area. Ended the meal with a kahwa again, and I was back on the road.
Crossed Fotu La, Lamayuru, Nimoo and finally approached Leh. I repeated my stupidity of trusting maps, and it took me through some unnecessary, unpleasant detour. I had looked up this guest house called Zaltak, which had good reviews. I was intending to crash in to a dorm bed there. Maps again proved to be unreliable, and I had to call the guest house to get instructions to reach. Finally made it to the guest house by around 7 PM. It was a long grind today, and I was glad tomorrow was planned to be a rest day.
Distance: 340 kms
Route: Sonmarg - Zoji la - Drass - Kargil - Namki la - Fotu la - Lamayuru - Nimoo - Leh
Total time: 11 hours
Elevation: 3,500M (11,483 ft), + 870M (2,854 ft). Highest reached - 4,100M (13,451 ft)
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