Ladakh: Hell Beneath the Wheels | Deadliest Journeys

Ladakh: Hell Beneath the Wheels | Deadliest Journeys

00:00 In the extreme north of India, in the State of Kashmir, at an altitude of over 5,000 meters.
01:07 The large city of Manali
06:49 50 kilometers of hairpin bends on the edge of the ravine
13:49 The walking monk, a journey of 3,000 kilometers
19:59 The Rohtang Pass
26:48 Pashmina wool, the golden fiber
37:07 Leh, the capital of Ladakh
40:08 A driver died a violent death
44:30 The Hemis festival

The region of Ladakh, nicknamed “Little Tibet”. To travel to the rest of India, there is an air route, which normally operates in summer, but during winter, it is unpredictable. Most of the time, flights are delayed or cancelled. The only road that goes south, towards Manali and Delhi, along the Indus Valley, is impassable for more than nine months a year. The road passes through dizzying Himalayan passes, two of which rise over 5,000 meters high. It is one of the highest roads in the world and also one of the most dangerous. At this altitude, the slightest effort is terrible, and any weakness can be fatal… Adjay, a 40-year-old Indian driver, and Ali, his mechanic assistant, take this road to deliver tar. From the very first kilometers, they must face a very fragile bridge that cannot support more than the weight of their truck. This road is very busy. Cars, trucks, buses (first and second class), and sometimes even – in the good season – motorcycles and bicycles circulate amid breathtaking landscapes and… on the edge of equally vertiginous cliffs. Barely leaving Manali, in the State of Himachal Pradesh, the truck is head in the clouds: the first pass, Rohtang La, is at 3,977 meters. There is fog, the driver cannot see more than 10 meters ahead. There are ravines and slippery mud, making every turn extremely perilous. Hundreds of vehicles stuck block the road. On the rest of the road, it is impossible to pass each other. Each time, one of the vehicles must park so the other can pass slowly. There are parking spots every three to five hundred meters or so for a vehicle to park, but no one wants to give way first. Then begins the intimidation to see who will back down – it can last a long time. Then the high mountains, snow and cold and especially the lack of oxygen make driving more difficult… In Ladakh, there are also these nomads who migrate with their yaks and goats every month. They live at over 4,000 meters in extreme conditions. We also followed Tenzin, a Buddhist monk, who takes narrow paths on the sides of mountains, trying to reach Hemis, where each year the largest festival of sacred dances in Ladakh takes place…