Exploring “The Himalayas”: The Land of High Passes, Ladakh

By M.M. Mukherjee

The water was icy cold and my feet were getting numb so I had to come out of the chilled water leaving my motorcycle stranded.She was still standing upright with the heavy loads without a stand
The repetitive calling of the mighty Himalayas was irresistible to Mukul and he set out, away from his mundane living, answering the call, testing his own endurance in exchange of witnessing the un-paralleled beauty of the Greater Himalayan Ranges and high mountain passes of the world . Facing extreme cold and witnessing unfathomed snow desert, he rode on, fulfilling a dream. From hotel rooms to sleeping in tents amidst nowhere, he was driven to live a life only imagined. The journey only proved to be but a learning lesson giving new meaning to his being and his surroundings.
Riding through the dangerous Zoji La and the battle fields of Kargil he plunged into the wilderness of Suru Valley, crossing the vast snow desert to the most interior part of Ladakh, Zanskar. Taking head on the mighty Khardung La, he then rode across the beautiful sand dunes of Hunder towards the last village of the country, Turtuk, on Indo-Pak border located very close to Karakoram Range.
Meandering through the mighty Chang La and riding on the bank of mystically beautiful Pangong Tso towards Chushul on Indo-China border. He then continued to ride on the bank of Indus River through the painted mountains and high altitude desert to the highest Observatory of Hanley.
He tracked his route witnessing the nomadic life of Karzok and magical lake, Tso Moriri and towards the high altitude wild life zone of Tso Kar. Continuing to ride through the famous Moore Plains and the deadliest Baralacha La to the heavenly beautiful Suraj Tal before tracing his route back to Delhi.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing India
• Release date: Jan 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781482886306

M.M. Mukherjee

Mukul Mukherjee is a hard-core traveler, an enthusiastic photographer, and a rider by passion. He has mastered skills in manager business development in engineering consulting. He is an MBA graduate from Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK, and has earned his engineering degree from Merit IIT, India.

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Copyright © 2017 Mukul Mukherjee. All rights reserved.

ISBN

978-1-4828-8631-3 (sc)

978-1-4828-8630-6 (e)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/india

01/30/2017

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A mind full of thoughts keep him awake at the night,

Tenacity against all odds helps him choose his mystical summit far off sight,

Aspirations as pure revelation sweep him off in flight.

Moment of truth awaits dawn, when he lays rubber on the street at the end of the night.

Surrounded by the raging rivers and beautiful valleys,

On the ever winding roads and uncharted terrain,

He was found in the possession of an undying spirit which helped him retrain.

Convincing yourself to do something great is not very easy, you have to put up a fight.

The man who says he can and the man who says he can’t are both usually right.

His heart and his ride synchronise their beat to produce a thump together.

He is an unstoppable force now, no matter what weather.

He is at his best but, it’s nothing more than fighting a beast with a feather.

He is a fighter though and so, he would run when he can,

Walk when he needs to and crawl when he must.

That’s how he finally meets his summit,

Streaming through like a fatal knife thrust.

- Ashish Appasaheb Mali

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DEDICATION

We live one life, so let us live with no regrets.

Dear Daughter, Nysa Mukherjee,

I dedicate this book to you,

So when you grow up and do what you must do, do it with zeal.

I also dedicate this book to

Dad, Manas Mukherjee & mom, Rajashree Mukherjee

For ever loving me through crest and trough.

So here’s to you too with lots of love.

This book is also dedicated to Dadu, Mamam, and Pishimoni

And Rimpa Dada (Sandipan Chattopadhyay)

Without your blessings and care, I wouldn’t be what I am.

OVERVIEW

I am grateful to you for picking up this book. In doing so I hope that this book of mine may help you decide to live your life to the fullest. I hope at every turn of a page may help you leave your worries behind and work towards living in a reality that was once just a dream.

I hope the book helps to make a weighed choice rather than just by chance. That you design your life, striving to live it at its full than simply living each day by default. I hope that in a similar manner as mine, you may find the purpose to live on your own terms, marching always forword, accompalishing things that make you happy, braving the unexpected calmly, dealing with it as suits best.

I am grateful to all, I call, family and friends, who stood by me while I venturned into nature in search of myself. They insisted I document my experience of riding through the unexplored areas of Ladakh and publish it so that it became an easy-mini guide for like minded travellers venturing into rarely explored regions of the Ladakh.

My Adventure Travelogue covers almost everything of The Land of High Passes, Ladakh, for you to read and cherish every moments. Mode of Journey, Landscape and life of the people – as best as possibly can be known, are explained to the best of my knowledge in the upcoming chapters.

I have covered almost all the interesting distant places and villages of Ladakh. Each and every route has been well explained along with the challenged faced.

Let yourself be lost in Mother Nature’s bounty and see for yourself how beautiful the world is.

Finally, I urge you to make a promise to visit the Greater Himalayan Range once in your life time!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mukul Mukherjee, a nature lover, loves being amidst nature’s bounty, reaching out to the interior places less traversed. He is a hard core traveler and loves riding. He also is an enthusiastic photographer with keen eyes for details and open to learning. His Nature Photography has won him an award.

He has honed skills as Manager Business Development in Engineering Consulting. He has earned his MBA degree from Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK. He has also worked as a Software Engineer after completing his Engineering degree from Merit IIT, Tamil Nadu, India. He has presented Technical papers on National Levels and has won awards at Intercollege meets during his engineering days.

Hailing from a small place, Bokaro Steel City in Jharkhand he always wanted to do something different. His ability to think out of the box has given him a different dimension in life. His early education has been from Chinmaya Vidhyalaya. During his school days he also had keen interest in playing cricket and has played for Bokaro district twice and also continued playing during his Engineering days.

[e-mail]

www.exploringthehimalayas.com

ABOUT THE EDITOR

An avid reader who also harbours passion for sketching and riding, Mona Lisa Saundades has keenly edited this book, Exploring The Himalayas The Land of High Passes, Ladakh. She has also anchored at a community radio as a student. A Bachelor of Arts graduate, she is currently working with TCS in Pune.

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FOREWORD

Mukul Mukherjee’s travelogue accounts diverse photographic digital images that represent clear and seductive distillation of mystics of nature brimming with wonderful piece of advice on how to click on Mountains. It is an extraordinary booklet with stunning cataloging of revered documentation of Exploring The Himalayas, The Land of High Passes, Ladakh with photographers’ personal experience of travelling. The wonderful collection of images clicked by Mukul is equally spiced up with intuitive bliss of photographing landscapes and portraits crafted with magical moments caught on the frame of innovational style.

The most stimulating factor about the book is that it offers complete update of his travel, right from selecting conveyance to route map, itinerary and various places of destination. He reveals exquisite sensibility of spectacular translation of images with profound natural technical and creative energy which an essential requirement for perfect photography. His book on photography is not an ordinary how-to-photography book but it prepares the reader to train oneself in snapping clear and precise images with experiences of the heart. His strong instinct to experience the natural bliss showcases crystal clear purview of powerful legacy of photographic passion. The expedition of clicking images can be categorized in three parts: at first the author precisely handles the technical aspect of clicking on mountains which is very important for aspirants who are planning for their adventure any soon. Besides this, he acknowledges the mantra of creativity and aesthetics to define beautiful and inspirational edge of the photography.

The passion for creating the best is evident in Mukherjee’s work. I see the clear passion for creating wonderful images of the best quality of image which he handles both technically and artistically. He outlines the percepts of digital photography and suggests the crucial steps for the photography to avoid catastrophic errors. The heed of essential chores suggested by the photographer provide important lessons which is scattered throughout this book.

Mukesh Srivastava, FIE, EFIAP

Engineer Photographer Author

He is the first Indian Author of a book on Digital Photography published in 2012. The second revised edition of this book was published in July, 2015.

He was honored with National Photography Award- Honorary Mention by Photo Division, Govt. of India in New Delhi on 21st March, 2016. The trophy was presented by Hon. Cabinet Minister Sh. Arun Jately.

He has more than 150 National and International awards to his credit.

He has retired as Director from DGMS, Govt. of India.

The land of the lama, land of the passes, a high altitude wonderland, cold high altitude desert or a heaven on earth; call it what you will, there is no place quite like Ladakh. A place that leaves you breathless (literally and figuratively) and at the same time, brings a smile to your lips and sparkles in your eyes.

Ladakh isn’t just a hill station, it is an intoxicating rush that leaves all your senses in a heightened state of arousal and then hooks you on for life. And no matter how many times you go back, you can never have enough of her.

Maybe this is the reason, having recently completed my 8th trip to Ladakh; I couldn’t wait to go on a virtual journey of Ladakh with Mukul.

Exploring the Himalayas isn’t a book, rather it is an experience and a journey you undertake with the author, as he explores the harsh, cold, barren and yet, beautiful Ladakh and Zanskar Region. And goes beyond the usual tourist destinations and explores the trails seldom taken.

From planning to his journey through Ladakh, Mukul’s narrative of his adventurous ride, not only stimulates mind and heart but also equips you with the knowledge needed to go on your very own adventure. And experience first hand the beautiful and adventurous journey Mukul painted in your mind through his words and beautiful images.

I guess, Exploring the Himalayas should come with a statutory warning; Content of this book can cause Himalayan addiction. Because it will ignite a wanderlust in you, that won’t be fulfilled, until you too get on the road to Ladakh, and go on a journey, like no other.

Yogesh Sarkar

He is the founder and administrator of BCMTouring.com, India’s friendliest travel community, that has been helping travelers explore India since 2006.

He is also the author of Love in Ladakh, a love story of two travelers exploring the high altitude wonderland of Ladakh and falling in love with each other and Ladakh.

He has explored and photographed the Indian Himalayas extensively, and his work can be found at YogeshSarkar.com.

We wish all the success to Mr. Mukul Mukherjee on this occasion of coming out with the book, Exploring The Himalayas, The Land of High Passes, Ladakh . One can enjoy how he captured the beautiful landscapes and the natural beauty of the Himalyas while sharing his experiences.  It’s the journey which he is bringing alive. I am sure Nikon equipment’s helped him to capture the essence of scenic beauty.

Sajjan Kumar

Sr. Vice President – Nikon India

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

At the outset I thank my Lord and creator for being with me all the time.

Writing this book was not easy without the massive help from Miss Mona Lisa Saundades in editing and her sketching giving a new dimension to the book despite her busy work schedule. Her steadfast support and honorary work is well appreciated.

My trip would not have been as exciting as it was without your help dad.

I thank my father Mr. Manas Mukherjee for travel tips, mapping out my travel route, selecting and editing all the photographs showcased in this book and all the support a son needed. I thank my mother Mrs. Rajashree Mukherjee for the moral support and maternal guidance bestowed on me with such love and care.

I am also thankful to Mr. Kazuo Ninomiya, Managing Director of Nikon, for handing over the camera to me on an auspicious day along with his good wishes.

I am thankful to Mr. Sajjan Kumar, Sr. Vice President – Nikon India for providing the foreword. 

I am thankful to Mr. Mukesh Shrivastav, my mentor, my guruji, for teaching me the extensive Art of Photography, and for sharing his two photographs which is also included in the book and for providing the foreword.

I also take this opportunity to thank the entire Nikon Team for all that they have done. Heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Hitesh Vora from Vora Collection, Bokaro who guided me choosing the professional full frame camera Nikon D750, for going out his way to help me in all aspects and introducing me to the Nikon team – Mr. Mukesh Shrivastav, Mr. Anindo Basu and Rajiv Ranjan Sinha of Nikon School - where I learnt photography.

I am also grateful to Mr. Rooturaj Pattanaik for helping out in collaging the pictures and Ms. Gayatri Goswami for all the motivation, persuasion to purchase a camera and to get me write this book.

I am grateful to the publishing team at Partridge for working with me patiently, helping me publish this book. 

Contents

INTRODUCTION

Preparing The Motorcycle

Things Carried

Trip Preparation

Designing The Route

Itinerary

Petrol Stations

High Altitude Passes

High Altitude Villages & Cities

Get Set Go…

CHAPTER – 1

Riding Through the Plains and Mountains to The Kashmir Valley

CHAPTER – 2

Riding through the Second Coldest Inhabited Place in the World (Drass) & Through the Battlefields

CHAPTER – 3

Suru Valley Ride

CHAPTER – 4

Riding through The Moon Land & Illusionary Magnetic Hill

CHAPTER – 5

Riding through the Top of the World, Khardung La towards Nubra Valley

CHAPTER – 6

Riding through the Third Highest Motorable Road of the World (Chang La) to Pangong Tso

CHAPTER – 7

Riding to the High Altitude Lakes Tso Moriri & Tso Kar

CHAPTER – 8

Riding through the Famous Moore Plains, Deadliest Pass in the world, Baralacha La & Mystically Beautiful Suraj Tal

CHAPTER – 9

Rohtang La (13,500 ft) on Truck

CHAPTER – 10

The Final Lap

ZANSKAR

The Cold Desert

HANLE

The Highest Observatory & The Painted Mountains

INTRODUCTION

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Once in a while we need to unwind ourselves, from the daily grind we lose ourselves so easily into, drawing out time for ourselves. We need to enjoy our own company and resume those activities which have been locked in a drawer for ages gathering dust. Make those long lost dreams come alive. Leave all those stress and tensions locked in a cupboard at home and indulge into the wild ideas. Be crazy and do crazy things. Very importantly- be yourself!

I was going through lot of family problems and was depressed for over a year. I yearned for peace, for a sense of fulfilment so I thumped my dream motorcycle, The Royal Enfield and set off on the road riding a long way in search of myself. I have also inherited the hobby of Riding from my Dad who had been travelling in Himalayas on his Jawa Motorcycle ever since his younger days. We have been on many road trips together.

In spite of my white collar job in an Engineering Consulting Firm as a Marketing Manager, my Engineering degree and me being a MBA graduate from UK was not satisfying enough. I still looked for something else to fill the void I felt.

We all work hard and always look for better package in terms of revenue. We all look for those high positions and status in life. We all look for luxury and hi-fi