The struggle to reach "The Abode of Manu"

Day 11: 15th September, 2011:

Tea at Fauji Restaurant in Sarchu

Early morning, after the breakfast we prepared ourselves for the onward journey. We loaded our luggage in the vehicle and replenished our fuel tanks with the reserve petrol. 30 kms from Sarchu, we crossed the Baralachala pass (Altitude: 4800 metres.) Unfortunately, as there was no notice or board there, we couldn't click pictures.18 kms further ahead, we came across Zing Zing Bar village (Altitude: 4285 metres) and enjoyed some tea.

Our accommodation in Sarchu

Start from Sarchu

Darcha - a lovely village view just before Keylong

We relished each moment of our journey knowing that these are probably the last of the North Indian mountains we'd be enjoying. We were in Lahol Spiti valley area - one of the most beautiful valleys of Himachal Pradesh. 8 kms after Zing Zing village is Keylong, where at Tandi, we find a petrol pump. This is the first petrol pump after Leh (at 365 kms) and the only one before before Manali (another 110 kms.) So, be careful while planning such a trip and refill your fuel tanks, no matter how little you need wherever you find gas stations.

Sarchu to Manali - picture on the way

From here on, the roads were quite good and we could enjoy the serene and green beauty of Himachal Pradesh. All this green is such a treat to the eyes after the brown, harsh and cold desert of Ladakh! A few kilometres after Sisu village, the ghat for Rohatang Pass starts. Here again, much to our dismay, the road conditions were very bad. And to make matters worse, we faced torrential and continuous rains, making our journey that much more difficult. We reached Rohatang Pass at around 4 pm.

We rested at Rohtang Pass for a bit, had piping, hot tea to warm ourselves up and finally, started the final lap of our journey to Manali. This stretch was probably the worst one we've had to face in our entire journey. The road was full of mud and the rain made it very slippery . It was extremely difficult driving. A few of our bikes kept getting stuck in the mire and had to be constantly pulled out and pushed down. This journey, which should ideally have taken us an hour, lasted 4 hours and we finally reached Manali at 8 pm. We stayed at Hotel Valley View, near Hidimba Chowk. It was a crazy and tiring adventure today but we know how to find our good moments even in the worst of the situations! Our constant camaraderie and unflagging enthusiasm did the trick. :)

*Manali is called "The abode of Manu" as the legend says that the Brahmin law-giver, Lord Manu, stepped off his ark here to recreate human life after a great flood had deluged the world - much like the legend of Noah's ark.

Day 12: 16th September, 2011:

Today, it was raining heavily and continuously all day in Manali and everyone was quite tired from yesterday's adventures. So, we decided to take a day's rest and sight-see in Manali. At the same time, we also had to wash and check our vehicles and make them healthy enough to take on further journey. They were already quite healthy, of course. But after yesterday's arduous journey, we decided we'd be better off with precautions rather than suffer unexpectedly on the way later. We also had to update the blog, which we couldn't do for the last 3 days and charge our various camera, laptop and phone batteries, which also we couldn't do on the account of having stayed in tents for the last 2 nights. Now, tomorrow, our goal is to head towards the capital. So, until the next, then! Stay tuned. :)