Road Block, Nubra Valley

We were driving back from Nubra Valley then "bam" there was a line along the mountain road. We were supposed to go back to Leh but we had to get past the line. Me and Dad went ahead and guess what? We saw a big puddle, a gigantic puddle, an enormous puddle ! Actually it was a river flowing from the mountains. The water had covered the road so the people tried to get past but they got stuck because the road was so rocky and the water was deep. Andy climbed up the mountain to get a better view. When we saw enough, me Osvaldo and Dad went back. People were being foolish, so Baby Massi started yelling and trying to get people back in the line. Soon Osvaldo started yelling and he looked really scary. The driver was horrified. It took such a long time to get cars out that the day went into the night. Finally it was our time to get across. All the kids were in the car except for Andy,Nick, and Bhavna Didi. Rhea, me and Pari were with Punya Massi in the car. We drove half way and then got stuck in the car. Our driver was brave and the water was freezing. Eventually we got the car out and we started moving. Then we found out that there was an avalanche up ahead. We said a prayer as our parents came to rescue us. Finally we got back and it turned out we had to stay another night in Nubra. Oh great!

-Kieran

Splash, Swish, Bang! The wheels were turning round and round. Water was gushing everywhere. My hands were grasping onto Punya Massi's fluffy brown jacket. I had a long sleeve shirt and sweatshirt and it was in the 60's and we were getting splashed by 20 degree water. There were four army guys and our driver trying to link us up to a platform because our wheel got stuck between two rocks. A waterfall was gushing down, the car was deep in several feet of water, the road was totally broken. It was unbelievably scary! Our car got linked up to an army truck and our driver who was soaking wet, shivering, started up the car. Slowly but surely the car jerked up. There was a tug and pull going on and because the wheel was so stuck into the rock that the chain broke off. They tried two more times but failed. The fourth time the army truck pulled the car out!! This whole time we were saying prayers. As soon as we got across we were so thankful. We were about to reach Leh...three more hours. But suddenly we heard our driver say, "two avalanches fell right when we were crossing, so we need to turn back." My expression from happy changed to sad and then slowly changed into tears. We had gone through so much and now we had to turn back...

-Pari

Earlier that day we were so proud of how efficiently we got out of camp in the morning and were going to be on the road to exit the Nubra Valley and be back in Leh by late afternoon. Surely, the break in the road from the previous day that swallowed the wheels of a large diesel truck would be fixed and it would be smooth sailing to Khardungla Top (K-Top), the World's Highest Motorable Pass (altitude 5,600 meters) - a tourist destination slightly more significant than the World's Largest Ball of Twine, a sweet mixture of diesel fumes and about 1/3 less oxygen than most human's could use. We arrived at the last check-point, truck stop/dhaba before the ascent, to learn that they were still repairing the previous day's damage and would not be open until 2 PM - efficient exit thwarted. We kicked back, had some noodles and momos, waded through icy streams and killed time in the valley awaiting the all-clear signal. By the time the signal arrived and we got everyone in the two vehicles (local pronunciation, Vya-klls), we lost our pole position and had slipped back to about 20th vehicle. Not an issue if the road is repaired as promised. Right? ;) By the time we reached the once broken road, we found it was in even worse shape than before with some new 16 inch diameter bypass pipes washed below. The repair was left to our imagination.

Flash Forward: 5 hours. Vehicle 1 passes with kids inside. Hooray! Vehicle 2 is 2nd in queue. Hooray! Water gushing over road is insane. (I've skipped the chaos of the vehicle queue, the lack of authority by the regular army, followed in the best of Indian paradoxical fashion, the bravery and committment of the special forces, Ibex Warriors -- all to be the basis of my next novel.) Word arrives that there were two avalanches up ahead just shy of K-Top and no one else was to pass. The kids are on the othere side of the rushing water, parked and waiting. Somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes of typical chaos and uncertainty follows before we get the assistance of an Ibex Warrior who helps Baby (aka Ritu) wade across the icy water to bring the kids back. Geeta and Sunny follow half way across the water and then I was the last to pitch in. Children are passed in assembly line fashion over the water to the other side. First Rhea comes from Ibex Warrior to Geeta to me and I shuffle across the water and set her on the other side. Next Geeta passes Pari to me. I pivot, trying what looked like a slightly shorter path and almost immediately slip, falling with Pari in my arms onto a large rock. I was certain her back hit square on the edge of a two foot boulder, under water. I popped up and got her to the other side. I feel crushed. I hadn't planned any midlife special ops, mountain division career change, but I thought I could deliver my daughter safely 6 feet across an improptu stream. Pari calms me, trying to assure me that she is not hurt, just wet from the icy water.

As emotions settle we regroup, head back down into the mountain in search of a room at the Inn among the few tiny villages of the Nubra Valley...

-Ted

Can't believe that the previous day we had entered the beautiful Nubra Valley, just an hour delay bypassing the road block. We drove further to Hundar where we embarked upon sand dunes. Yes, sand dunes midst snow-capped mountains and green valley. What was this paradise we were so fortunate to view? We had an added bonus of a camel ride. The best part was that 10 out of 13 of us went along in a caravan across the sand dunes of Hundar. Our worn bodies from a VERY bumpy, death-defying, winding drive led us to this amazing experience! To top it off, we decided to visit one of two Gompas (temples) in neighboring Diskit. We thought we might be too late because of a short detour, but luckily the temple did not close until 7pm. What we saw as entering the temple was a golden, brightly colored buddha standing alone. MAGNIFICENT! Then further beyond was the actual Gompa. The short walk up to the main altars led to a stunning view of the different landscapes we had encountered on our drive. Our timing was perfect as preparations were being made for the impending visit of the Dalai Lama. The atmosphere among the Gompa and Ladakhi people was filled with excitement. We topped off our day with a camping experience, Indian style..tents with beds, full dining hall, prelit bonfire and stars galore!

-Geeta