The Road from Gurez to Drass
There happens to be Road which connects Gurez with Drass over the Kaobal Gali, offering an alternative to the Zoji La but this Road as of now is strictly Off limits for civilians and serves the Military. Here are some exclusive pics of this Road by Hashim Zargar.
Well there are Two Passes, either of which has to be crossed in order to drive down to Leh. The Zoji La from the Kashmir side or the Baralacha La from the Lahoul side to get into Ladakh.
Actually there is a third one as well. Its called the Kaobal Gali, and it connects Gurez in Kashmir to Drass in via Mushkoh Valley Kargil, Ladakh and hence you bypass the Zoji La.
Gurez and Drass are actually close to each other if you look at them in a Map and the people also share cultural similarities in the fact that they are both Shina speaking people who came down from Gilgit centuries ago. (Thats another Tale for another time).
But as of now the Road is off limits to Civilians but hopefully it will open one day for General use.
From those who have taken this Road I hear stories of unparalleled unmatched beauty as some of you must have visited both these places and know how they are.
A glimpse of somewhere on the Gurez to Drass Road.
