7th August - 7th September 2008

Here are some infos and costs (per person) for those who wish to undertake the trip Delhi - Manali - Leh road, independently (ie without travel agents) and visit some places of the amazing Ladakh.
The full photoalbum is ready on this website and some selected pics (with panoramic view) are shared by flickr (with map). The full travelogue is available and here's a quick look of what we did (me and my girlfriend) ...

DELHI - MANALI

Landed in Delhi at 23.30, bus to the New Delhi Train Station (Rp 50, duration 1 hour), train to Chandigarh at 5:50 am (booked on the website of Indian Railways) Class AC Chair (approximately Rp 350, time 5h).
Once in Chandigarh around 10.30 am, we jumped on the first bus by HRTC (Himachal Road Transport Corp., the best drivers from all over India) for Mandi (about 5h) where we stayed in Mayfair Hotel Rp 500 + taxes (fairly bad accomodation, not really suggestable).
We started the next morning by bus to Manali where we stayed for 2 nights at Veer Guest House in Old Manali (good accommodation for 300 Rp double room as an alternative to the usual Tourist Nest Rp 450, fully booked).

KEYLONG

We left for Keylong in share-jeep for Rp 200 per person (5/6 h, road to Rothang in bad condition) and we stayed in Nordaling Guest House, just above the new bus stand. Excellent accommodation for 350 Rp double room, clean, excellent food, manager Mr. Sonam is available for anything. We stopped here 4 days long resting a while, visiting the monasteries of Khardong, Shashur and the Pattan Valley with Trilokinath Temple (2h30' by bus from Keylong). In Keylong an eExcellent restaurant is the Gyespa Guest House on The Mall, veg dishes fairly at 35/50 Rp. We booked (the day before) the HRTC bus Keylong - Leh, starting at 5 am, duration 15h, cost Rp 425. Usually it stops for meals and Police-checkpost in Darcha, Baratpur, Sarchu, Pang and Upshi.

LEH

Some info on the accommodations checked.
Atisha Guest House: excellent accommodation Rp 450 for double 2nd floor clean room.
Julay Guest House: room very well furnished and clean (450 Rp).
Seven Saes GH: new building, nice garden, fairly clean (Rp 400).
Lamayuru Rest.: excellent indian food, not expensive.
Tibetan Kitchen: very well known (too much perhaps), good and slightly more expensive than the average, to be booked in advance.
Domza: excellent eco-friendly management, eco-laundry (claimed to be!), home-made apricot and seabuckthorn fruit juice, water refill (7 Rp) to prevent waste of plastic...
Gesmo rest.: excellent Indian cuisine and german bakery.
Dolphin rest: another good place.
A suggestable travel agency is the Ladakh Adventures managed by Mr. Ganesh.
Chemde Gompa: we took the minibus to Sakti village at 8.30 am (ask always for leaving times, because they change often) by the New Bus Stand of Leh (about 1h30' travel cost around Rp 20). Last bus leaves at 15:30 from Sakti. No shops or Dhabas in Chemde village.
Matho Gompa: direct minibus at 8.50, in alternative minibus to Karu, get off at Stakna and about 2h walk among the fields and farmhouses. We had lunch with the monks (dhal, mix veg and rice, of course the traditional butter salted tea). There are a couple of general shop at the bridge along the main road, but no restaurant.
Thikse Gompa: minibus every half hour from Leh. There is a good restaurant at the main entrance of the Gompa. Alternatively there is a steep concrete footpath leading to the Gompa avoiding the main entrance.
Spituk Gompa: many minibuses. It's better to get off immediately after the bridge and proceed by foot.
Phyang: beautiful village not to be missed, among fields of potatoes, peas and wheat/barley, very flowery and clean, it is worth staying a couple of days to relax. Frequent minibus (ask for leaving times), last run to Leh at 3.30/4 pm and 5 pm.Only one guest house (Hidden North Adventures), at the end of the village near the bus stop.
Alchi: some temples close at 6 pm. Potala GH on the main square is a good accommodation, the restaurant is ok.

Nubra Valley

Better to book the bus to Diskit at 8 am the previous day. It starts at 6 am on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; comes back the next day same time. Travel time 6 h, cost Rp 102. It Stops in in South and North Pullu for police-chekpost and breakfast.
The bus for Diskit / Hunder goes beyond the limit allowed for tourists, so the return may be already full in Diskit / Hunder (wetook a share jeep to Diskit for Rp 300 each).
Diskit: a good place for rest and relax is the Sand Dunes Guest House, excellent family-run, double room on the first floor costs around Rp 400/500. It has a beautiful garden and excellent food, power generator and mineral water (which is not easy to find in the shops !!!).
The sand dunes are approximately 1 hour walk direction Hunder. 

Pangong-Tso

Really amazing, not to be missed. Spartan accommodations in home stays anywhere in Spangmik.
It'd be better to buy a good stock of mixed vegetables to bring to the village for dinner because they have very little stuff (even if the thupka were excellent, much better than the restaurants in Leh). There are no restaurants in Spangmik. In Lukung there is some dhabas tent that serves dhal, rice and mix veg with chapati and possibilities of accommodation.

Bus Leh - Keylong

Booked the day before at 9 am directly on the bus (just wake up the conductor!). It starts at 5 am and stops in Upshi, Pang, Sarchu, Darcha (15 hours up to Keylong). Dusty road on the stretch Sarchu-Keylong.

Keylong - Delhi

HRTC Bus Keylong - Manali is not bookable the previous day, but the same morning. It stops in Marhi.
Bus Manali - Delhi: we took the HPTDC service (AC volvo), the cost this year is increased to 990 + Rp 10 for each bag (the last year was Rp 850). It starts at 5.30 pm and should arrive at 6 am in Delhi (we arrived at 2 pm due to a landslide near Bilaspur).

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