Day 5

Day - 5.
Date: 19th August 2014
Route: Srinagar to Lamayuru
Distance covered: 327 kms.

The route today was Srinagar - Sonmarg - Drass - Kargil - Namika La - Fotula - Lamayuru.

We started out early as the Zojila Pass is shut down from 10.30 am to 3 pm. We made in good time to the Pass. We passed by Sonmarg which is another beautiful place. We stopped for a quick photo session as we had to hit Zozila in time. Sonmarg is a place worth staying over. It lies in a valley in between snow clad mountains on bothe the sides. There are a lot of staying options too.

The Zozila pass is one of the most difficult to climb. Single laned with dirt and a lot of stones jutting out. Midway to the pass, we were confronted with an army caravan. We just parked our car to one side and waited. Almost 30 min, over 70 army trucks passed us. We stood there and saluted our brave soldiers who were staying in such rough terrain, in such terrible weather conditions. It was great to see them wave back with a smile. I am sure the acknowledgement means a lot to keep up their morale. 

There were a couple of water crossings which were quite shallow and we managed to cross them without a hitch. The water crossings on these passes can be quite treacherous and the flow across these increases during the latter part of the day as the snow melts due to the sun.

We reached Drass after crossing the Zozila pass. On the way we stopped to see the 'Draupadi Kund' and the 'Pandava Pahadi'.

 Drass in the local language means 'Hell'. It really is hell with temperatures going subzero even in summers. And our brave soldiers guard ou frontiers there round the year. We reached a place called Ghumri, where there was a small canteen beside a small brook. It was sucha. Scenic place. There was a war memorial of all the wars there. We met a few army men and spoke to them. It was great to find hot Maggi, samosas and tea in the cold. Sitting by the brook and eating the hot food was quite enjoyable. We relished the moments and spoke to the army men there. They told us that the whole area is covered with snow and everything is destroyed every year and everything has to be rebuilt. Hats off to these valiant men.

We proceeded further and after a wonderful drive reached the Kargil war memorial. We took the tour there and were left in awe of our soldiers and their valour. I felt sad when I heard of so much sacrifice these guys make for us. We don't even acknowledge them. 

We then proceeded to Kargil where we had lunch at a local eatery. Simple good warm food. Since we still had daylight, we decided to push off to Lamayuru.

The drive from Kargil to Lamayuru began witha very bad roads for the initial part. At one of the places, we were asked to take a detour over a mountain as the main road was closed for construction work. This detour was the worst of our drives, full of gravel and rocks and a very narrow road. The road beyond this was great and we passed through the Namika La and Fotula. The drive was an experience in itself. The BRO has done a great job to maintain such a wonderful road at such a difficult place. Hats off guys. Our experience of the road trip was made great because of such wonderful roads there. The government of Mumbai should take some lessons from them. Or rather all road contracts should be given to BRO.

We reached the small village of Lamayuru just as the sun was setting. The village is quite scenic with a Monastery on a hillock. We even managed to see a Red fox on the way. We stayed overnight at Hotel Dragon. The owner Mr. Tashi was quite a fellow. Short but with a very jolly nature. He made efforts to make our stay as comfortable as possible. Dinner consisted of Thukpa and Bhaji roti. We met some other travellers there. Mr. Jassi was there with some friends for photography. We also met Shankar who was driving his Indica right from Chennai.