Grumpy Traveller: Rohtang jam

Rohtang pass, at an altitude of 3,878m, has to be the highest spot for road jams in the Himalaya. I crossed it on my way to Spiti in July this year. The road transport bus that leaves at 5am from Manali reaches the pass around eight in the morning. Landslides and traffic had resulted in utter chaos. Public buses, army vehicles, bikers, trucks, private cars and, above all, tourist taxis jostled for space in this cradle of the Pir Panjal. These taxis disgorged honeymooners, large tour groups and families who arrived dressed in weird snow suits. They parked their cars on the road and mounted ponies trying to make their way to a stretch of snow where they pretended to ski for the benefit of their cameras. Now, there is nothing necessarily wrong with tourists acting like tourists, but there is a serious problem if they choose to indulge in this on a day when the pass is held hostage by landslides, rain and mist—holding up essential supplies meant for Lahaul. I do not understand why anyone would want to fake skiing under such conditions! On my way back from Kaza to Manali, while at the pass, a Punjabi boy got onto our bus, so he could return to his parked car without having to walk outside in near-zero visibility. The Himachali driver asked him matter-of-factly, “Tum yahaan kyon aate ho?” (Why do you people come here?) This was probably the first time I have ever encountered locals in the mountains actually airing their irritation. And they have every reason to be irked at such behaviour. Just because this beautiful pass is accessible by road should not mean that it gets turned into a Gurgaon toll bridge and a theme park for jobless tourists.