24 July, 2011 – Sunday
Sonamarg – Dras, 67 kms, 5 hrs
Today was another stunning ride. This time so desolate. We were encircled by proper Himalayan mountains. We passed nomads camped out in colorful tents down in the valley, their sheep grazing all around. As we climbed Zoji La – a 3,528m mountain pass – we were granted full view of the base camp for the pilgrims of Amarnath Cave. They come to see the 5,000+-year-old ice lingam, which is only present for a few months during the summer festival, growing and shrinking with the phases of the moon. This cave is said to be the site where Shiva explained the secrets of life and eternity to his consort Parvati. It is such an important pilgrimage site for Hindus, that despite the fact that militants target the yatris each season, 400,000 continue to make the journey every year. The base camp is the size of a small city, but instead of concrete, it’s built of bright, colorful tents.
The section of road leading up to Zoji La was the gnarliest we’d seen yet: unpaved, strewn with rocks, pits and holes, and crossed by glacial streams. Old, sunbaked nomadic men lead their horses along the road. The single-track road (serving 2-way traffic) narrowed and wound its way along the mountainside. We stopped to adjust the airscrew to allow for a leaner mix in the oxygen-deprived atmosphere, and again to adjust the float for the same reason. The bike was parked at the edge of a precipitous cliff as Matthew took off the carburetor and air box. Miraculously, the road still accommodated the bulky delivery trucks. There was, of course, no railing to keep unlucky vehicles from plummeting several thousand meters over the cliff side.
We passed the unmarked Zoji La without ever knowing it, and descended into the valley. It was another hour of riding under the watch of brown, sun-streaked mountains, and sliding by the nomad’s camps, before we came to our first chai shack of the day. We indulged in an omelet and several instant coffees, sharing laughs with the Muslim children who lingered about.
We arrived in dusty Dras at 3 in the afternoon and found a room for 300 rupees, overlooking the mountains and a mosque. Dras is at 3,280 meters and claims to be the second coldest town on earth…because on one occasion, way back in 1963, they registered the world’s 2nd coldest temperature. It’s also famous for having been shelled in the Kargil War in 1999. Nice place. There’s one main street lined with supply stores, a few restaurants, and 3 hotels. Everyone stares at the white people.
We took advantage of the afternoon and meandered down the road, resting by the river (which aroused the suspicion of the local deputy. I think he thought we’d gone there to get it on in private, and was doing his Muslim civic duty to make certain we didn’t). The walk back into town lead us down quiet back streets where curious children followed us, falling apart with laughter at every photo I took of them.
I can’t say I felt particularly welcome in this region of the world, but I also wouldn’t say that I ever felt particularly unwelcome either. Mathew and I agreed that we felt less comfortable than in the Hindu or Buddhist regions of India, though we couldn’t be certain how much of that was due to our preconceived notions and how much was due to the reality of the place. We certainly never felt unsafe. It was more that the people seemed a bit less relaxed, and a bit less smiley. On the other hand, there were several men and many children who had shown an expressed interest in us. As for the women…we didn’t have any interaction.
I counted over the more important of the lessons I’d learned thus far:
1) A Royal Enfield is THE way to travel India!
2) Never trust an Indian driver.
3) Don’t take a room near a mosque unless you want to be woken up at 4am by an obnoxiously loud, rattly, old voice making the call to prayer.
4) Never trust an Indian mechanic without years of personal testing.
5) I’d best know how to fix my motorcycle fully before setting out on such an adventure. There is so much misinformation with Indian mechanics!
6) All-in-all, best not to trust anything in India – not without adequate testing.
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