“What car is that? Haven't seen it in these parts before. Petrol or diesel? How much does it cost?” The questions came One after the other in quick succession from a Leh resident. “It’s a Honda CR-V , ” i replied with pride. As the SUV went criss-crossing through the streets and lanes of Leh , it kept attracting a number of curious onlookers. It was but natural , for a handsome Honda CR-V is a rare sight for the local citizenry , the 'vehiclescape' largely being dominated by motorcycles.

And what were we doing in Leh? Well , we were in the midst of a most fascinating and trying journey through northern India in connection with a travelogue. The route we had taken was New Delhi–Ludhiana–Amritsar–Pathankot–Jammu–Srinagar–Sonmarg–Zoji La–Drass–Kargil–Mulbekh–Fotu La–Lamayuru–Leh–Khardung La–Diskit–Hunder–Leh–Tanglang La–Pang–Lachung La–Naki La–Sarchu–Baralacha La–Keylong–Rohtang Pass–Manali–Chandigarh–New Delhi. Usually , tourists and other travellers go the other way about – reach Leh first via Manali and then return from Srinagar via Jammu. Our purpose was to experience the gradual transition in region , landscape and terrain from the beautiful Kashmir valley to the stark and desert-like Ladakh.

We had at our disposal an all-wheel-drive , black Honda CR-V – an SUV known more for its sophistication and luxury. It was a veritable endurance test for this 2.4-litre , six-speed , manual transmission variant , because the route took in eight mountain passes (‘La’ in the local language) , bad roads or no roads at all , stretches inundated by melting glaciers , broken bridges , rocky surfaces , steep gradients and descents and narrow , slushy roads. Though the occupants suffered from mountain sickness to some extent , the CR-V showed no sign of fatigue or stress. It did not gasp even while driving up to Khardung La , the highest motorable road in the world. To top it all , the CR-V delivered an average fuel efficiency of 8.1 km per litre.

Besides our luggage , we carried an extra tyre (besides the spare wheel in the boot) throughout the journey and 90 litres of fuel equally divided into three air-tight containers while going from Leh to Keylong.

We salute the Border Roads Organisation , which builds and maintains the roads in the border areas of the country. It’s because of their tireless work that the most daunting and backbreaking terrain is today motorable for enthusiasts like us.

Day 1: New Delhi – Ludhiana

Honda had entrusted the CR-V to us on Friday , August 19. Sanjay flew into New Delhi on Saturday morning. It was about 12.00 noon when we actually set out on our journey. A smooth run of an hour-and-a-half and we were in Karnal for lunch. At 2.15 pm , we got back on the road , this time with Sanjay behind the wheel. Our next stop was Ambala , where we filled 25 litres of petrol into the tank. We reached Ludhiana by 7.00 pm.

Day 2: Ludhiana – Pathankot

We started at 6.00 am from Ludhiana on August 21. Crossing Jalandhar en route , we headed for Amritsar. It was a splendid road and we could cover a distance of 145 km in two hours. Breakfast over , we visited the Wagah border , 30 km away. Unfortunately , the car was not allowed beyond the army office area. We walked up to the gate that separates India from Pakistan. We then left for the famous Golden Temple. The temple was very crowded , it being a Sunday. It took us more than two hours to reach the authorised parking lot. After lunch and another 30 litres of petrol for the CR-V , we started again at 2.30 pm. We were on NH 15. It was a single-lane road full of potholes. There were a number of lorries and state transport buses , which moved at their own pace , making overtakes difficult. Having encountered traffic jams twice on the highway , we reached Pathankot , where we decided to call it a day.

Day 3: Pathankot – Srinagar

An early start enabled us to reach Jammu by 9.15 am. The road was superb. A quick breakfast and we went to visit Hill View Honda , the local dealer in Honda cars. The CR-V went through an hour-long check-up , which included examination of the wheel alignment as well. Meanwhile , we relaxed at the spacious showroom. The car was ready by 11.30 am. Having thanked the dealer for his kindness , we left for Srinagar. Soon a hilly ascent began. Later , crossing Patni Top and the famous Jawahar Tunnel (2 , 100 metres) , we reached Srinagar at 9.45 pm. The City wore a deserted look when we entered it. We checked in at our hotel on the Maulana Azad Road.

Day 4: Srinagar

Besides the Dal Lake , we visited places like the Shankaracharya temple , Shalimar Garden , Chashm-e-shahi , Hazrat Bal , Khanka-e-Maula and Patthar Masjid. The CR-V did nearly 85 km over the day.

Day 5: Srinagar – Kargil

We left Srinagar at 6.30 am. Our first halt was for breakfast at an eatery about 35 km away from the city. Just four kilometres ahead , we came across the first monastery. I realised that a number of mosques in this region have pagoda-like structures. We reached the lush green valley of Sonmarg after driving for 80 km. Later , we came across a huge mountain , which looked like a landslide zone with loose boulders strewn about. Right there a BRO official cautioned us to keep moving on without a halt. No tarmac , just a rocky surface to drive on. This was Zoji La. The path was only 15 to 20 feet wide with sharp edges on either side.

We glimpsed snow-capped peaks for the first time on our way. At the Zoji La war memorial an officer informed us that it snowed throughout the year in that part , barring only four to five months. Twenty feet of snow piles up during the winter on the patch and the security forces move back from these areas.

We were now moving parallel to the Line of Control (LoC) ,   which was on our left , just beyond a few peaks. As we drove further , green patches disappeared completely and dry , steep mountains dominated the landscape. Mountain sickness started creeping in. We stopped at Drass for lunch. We learned there that it is the second coldest inhabited place in the world. Next , we stopped over at the Operation Vijay Memorial to pay homage. Tiger Hill , India Gate , Tololing and many other crucial peaks are visible from this place. At the Thasgam military base , a milestone said: Kargil 34 km , Mulbekh 58 km and Leh 264 km. At 6.00 pm , we passed through the Harka Bahadur Bridge , which marks the closest point to the LoC , just seven km away , on this stretch. The day came to an end at Kargil.

Day 6: Kargil – Leh

We left Kargil at 7.00 am the next day. The car had covered 1 , 402 km so far. After crossing the Pashkyum settlement , there is a discernible rise in the number of Buddhists. This is the region marking the beginning of the Ladakh territory. Soon we reached Mulbekh , a place known for carved statues of the Buddha. The roads built and maintained by the BRO were just amazing. Just before our next halt , the Lamayuru Gompa , we crossed Fotu La. At an elevation of 13 , 478 feet , this place marks the highest point on the Srinagar-Leh route. The pass also has a Doordarshan relay station.

Lamayuru looked like a place straight out of a fairytale. While moving towards Leh , I noticed that the river Indus on my right was flowing in the opposite direction. This meant that we were gaining height. Soon in the Nimmoo valley we encountered green patches and our mobile phones were able to catch the network. Upon reaching Leh we headed straight for the Fort Road to check in at our hotel. We made it a point to apply for the obligatory 'Inner Line Permits' the same day.

Day 7: Leh

Indeed , Leh is the roof of the world! We stayed in the city for the day to get acclimatised. We also had to collect our permits to visit the Nubra valley. We visited the Leh Palace , Shey Monastery and took a stroll in the local market in the evening. Perched atop Mt Tsemo , the Palace offers a good view of the entire city , the Tsemo monastery apparently being the highest point. We also witnessed an ongoing cultural festival at the Shey Monastery. It was the third annual 'Drukpa' council attended by the sect followers from all over the world. Leh , situated at a height of 3 , 524 metres (11 , 562 feet) , gets bright sunlight during the day and becomes cold at night.

Day 8: Leh – Nubra Valley

It was August 27. We started at 6.30 am. Steep ascents greeted us in no time as we approached Khardung La. The temperature too showed a sharp drop from 15 degrees Celsius to five. After an hour’s drive on an uneven surface , we came across a board announcing the world’s highest motorable road at 18 , 380 feet above mean sea level. The top also has a cafeteria , called Rinchen Cafeteria , which is supposedly the highest café in the world. A monastery and a Lord Shiv temple grace the pass. Soon I was upon a milestone that said '…the road was opened for vehicular traffic by Madras Sappers on August 27 , 1973'. So we were here on the same day 38 years later. The coincidence was amazing!

However , we had to come back while returning , since this is the only road that connects the Nubra valley with Leh. We drove downhill. We produced our 'Inner Line Permits' at a check post after 20 km. “Diskit is 67 km from here and Hunder is another seven km farther , ” said an official. Soon we encountered the river Shyok , which flows throughout the year due to glacial melts. The temperature rose again to 14 degrees Celsius. We visited the Diskit monastery , the Dalai Lama’s residence at Photang and headed for the famous sand dunes of Hunder. It was surprising to come across an Indian Oil petrol pump on our way.

Bactrian camels! There they were in a herd near the scenic sand dunes. The double humped camels were an astonishingly beautiful sight. We got the CR-V off the road and on to a narrow path , which led us to the spot. We had travelled 1 , 804 km from New Delhi by now , the car's trip meter informed us. Having spent some time there , we drove back to village Khardung , crossing Diskit en route , where we found a decent café for lunch. The fare was the familiar dal , rice and chapatis , etc , and Hindi was understood everywhere. Crossing the Khardung La top , we were back in Leh by 7.00 pm. Another long day was in the offing.

Day 9: Leh – Keylong

This 360-km-long journey without a single petrol pump on the way called for stored fuel. We filled the tank up and carried an extra 90 litres in three containers. It was a peaceful drive until Karu , beyond which the difficult terrain reared its head. We crossed Tanglang La (17 , 582 feet). The CR-V showed the external temperature to be three degrees Celsius. This place is the second highest motorable road in the world. After Tanglang La come the Moore plains. The stretch is dry , flat and sandy. One has to be cautious about shifting sands , though. We reached Pang (15 , 280 feet) after some time , where we stopped for tea. We had clocked 2 , 109 km so far. Over the next few hours , we crossed two other freezing passes: Lachung La (16 , 600 feet) and Naki La (15 , 547 feet). Being just 11 km apart , these two passes appear almost contiguous. After Sarchu , we stopped at a small dhaba for a bite. The light soon faded and it started raining. We were still almost 100 km away from Keylong and had to cross Baralacha La at 16 , 043 feet. After several tortuous uphill and downhill stretches , we finally reached Keylong at 10.00 pm.
 

Day 10: Keylong – Manali

The toughest day of all lay in store for us! When we started from our hotel at 8.00 am , the car had done 2 , 295 km. However , it showed no signs of exhaustion. We climbed up to the Rohtang pass. The descent was scary. There was slush ahead and a long line of vehicles. We kept moving in the first gear whenever we got an opportunity. This stretch was the most horrible I had ever seen. Skidding towards the sharp edge added to our worry. It took us 10 hours for this downhill drive and Manali was another 65 km away.
 

Day 11: Manali – New Delhi

This was the day to head back to New Delhi. Tired to the bone though we were , the comfort offered by the CR-V was the only thing to look forward to. Compared to the terrain we had traversed until then , Manali to New Delhi was like a cakewalk. This 580-km-long stretch , though the longest during the entire trip , proved to be the easiest of all. We left Manali at 8.00 am. Our first and only stop-over was in Chandigarh for lunch. We were back in New Delhi by 6.15 pm.

The CR-V's performance throughout the journey was commendable indeed. Its 58-litre fuel tank stood us in good stead especially between Leh and Tandi. The fog-lamps were a life-saver at Baralacha La. The power-adjustable driver’s seat makes for a comfortable posture. At a number of places Sanjay could stand up through the sun roof with his camera to capture the landscape around even while the car was in motion. Last but not the least , the storage space in the SUV is simply humongous. The attention paid to such minute details comes in handy during long drives like ours. For example , the storage box in the centre console was used to keep lens covers. Other features of the CR-V , such as steering-mounted audio controls and the smartly located USB port right under the upper glove box were found to be of great convenience.




Trip Essentials-

o    Extra wheels
o    Towing chain(s)/ropes
o    Containers for fuel storage
o    A funnel
o    First-aid box and medicines for mountain sickness
o    Water
o    Goggles to take care of bright sunlight at high altitudes
o    Warm clothing
o    Identity cards
o    Money in cash (debit/credit cards don’t work at many places)
o    Spare passport-size photographs
o    Other necessary papers
o    Never travel alone on this route
o    Avoid smoking
 

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