Khardung La

Tuesday, 8 September 2015

Today we went over the Khardung La -- the highest motorable road in the world. The pass connects Leh in the Indus Valley with Diskit in the Nubra Valley. It was difficult distilling the trip down to just 20-or-so pictures, so please indulge me!

As we started climbing out of Leh, we passed along this beautiful green village.

A major challenge of this drive was being behind a large army convoy carrying drums of kerosene over the pass. Not only were the diesel fumes bothersome, but every truck was also leaking kerosene. The combination was most unpleasant.

The convoy waiting for construction workers to clear the road. One of the trucks really put out smoke when putting a load on his engine.

Every turn in the road (and they were innumerable!) brought a fresh view. The Leh Glacier is in the background.

We could catch glimpses of Leh getting further away with every switchback.

This is a near original-size section (middle-left) of the photo above. The Shanti Stupa is a recognizable landmark. We lost sight of Leh just before the pass.

We're getting pretty high here -- there's a dusting of fresh snow on the ground. It's a challenge for Diskit-bound and Leh-bound vehicles to pass on most of the road.

The pass is a mass of prayer flags and stupas. Most tourists pull off the road to spend a few minutes at the top, although a sign warns that staying more than about 30 minutes is hazardous to your health.

Proof that we were there. Pay no attention to the claim on the sign that the elevation is 18,380 ft. My altimeter read about 17,500 ft. Our guide's GPS read about 17,300. Wikipedia puts the pass at 17,600 ft. Regardless, the air is thin and cold, and it's easy to get very lightheaded here.

Army and civilian trucks meet at the pass.

Our guide's name was Rinchen -- it's a relatively common name. The owner of the cafe at the pass is no relation.

Traffic and road conditions were just as difficult on the Diskit side of the pass.

We had to pass through military checkpoints and show passports on both sides of the pass. Tourists need a special "Outer Line Permit" to enter the Nubra Valley. I hope this sign stating when the pass is open is more intelligible to the locals than it is to me!

The land turns green wherever water flowing down the mountains from glacier and snow melt can be captured and diverted to agriculture. The major crop is barley.

A request found on almost every blind curve.

The Shayok River -- we're almost to the bottom on the Diskit side of the pass!

Shayok River

We may have made it to the bottom, but the road along the river is just as challenging as it negotiates frequent wash-outs and landslides. (More on that tomorrow.)