yet green enough to hide the browns of the mountain deserts .
The high roads looked down on small villages nestled within the valleys , irrigating the rivers to water orchards and crops . It was a scene out of a movie , stunningly beautiful on both a macro and micro level .
Jispa had the feel of a town haphazardly thrown in the air and landed roadside to form a community base . It was to be our base for two nights as a route was planned for further detours and more challenging roads . I was apprehensive , the boys giggled like excited schoolgirls , wanting the challenge , I guess .
The following morning , we set off for the Baralacha La ( pass ). Set along the main road to Leh , this would be as close to the high-altitude tourist town we ’ d get and as it was to be our first true high altitude pass we looked forward to it .
Crossing the Jankar Nala river we were forced to stop at the end of an impressive bridge , said to be the longest in the Himachal Pradesh region . We were required to enter details of our travels , our passport numbers , and bike registrations into a large , antiquated ledger . Doing so I looked up and noticed a carcass of some form hanging from a hook in a roadside tent . The meat was neither fresh nor refrigerated . I was fascinated .
The road to Baralacha La was a mix of well-formed bitumen and tightly compacted gravel , not a great challenge but as a main tourist route the numerous traffic formed enough competition for space to keep things interesting .
The road climbed and as we wound on up the most beautiful sight appeared . The Deepak Taal , a small glacial lake , as crystal clear as anything on Earth , the blue hues contrasting the surrounding landscape , highlighted by the yellow plastic sheets of more ‘ tea
TRAVERSE 178