![\"gata](\"http:\/\/vargiskhan.com\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/gata-loops.jpg\" "\\"gata")
<\/a><\/p>\nDuring my first trip to Ladakh, we were staying at a camp site in Jispa. It was 2005, a time when very few people, mostly motorcyclists and adventure enthusiasts, would dream of taking the arduous journey on Manali Leh highway. There were no other guests at the camp site; and all the other tents except for the one that we were occupying were empty.<\/p>\n
It was slightly past 9 pm and my fellow traveler Shoaib had already gone to sleep after the day long journey from Manali to Jispa; but despite being tired, I just could not get myself to sleep. I was standing outside our tent, enjoying the pitch black and peace of the night and valley around; when I noticed that the kitchen light was still on. The kitchen set up too was actually inside a tent. I walked over and found the guy who was running the camp preparing a cup of tea for himself. He asked me if I would like to have some and my answer was an immediate yes.<\/p>\n
After comfortably settling down on a chair in the kitchen itself with a cup of tea in my hand, I struck up a conversation with him just to kill some time. He proved to be quite a chatty fellow himself and pretty soon was telling me almost everything; about himself and the place, how cold it gets here, how he moves to Manali in winter and so many other things. I actually did not mind him talking because this was my first trip to Ladakh; and I was able to get a lot of information from him; stuff that could be of use while traveling.<\/p>\n
After a while, just when I thought to go back to my tent and get some sleep,when he asked me a question that got me caught up in the conversation again.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know about Gata Loops?\u201d
\n\u201cYes I do, we will be crossing it tomorrow\u201d I replied.
\n\u201cNo not that\u201d, He started sounding mysterious, \u201cDo you know about the ghost?\u201d
\n\u201cWhat ghost?\u201d
\n\u201cThere is a ghost that lives there. The place is haunted\u201d
\n“There is a building out there?” This was going to be my first time at Gata Loops but somehow I already knew the answer to this question; still I asked to clarify.<\/p>\n
“No not a building. That entire section of the road is haunted” He replied.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d I laughed, \u201cWhy would a ghost live there on the road, out in the cold\u201d
\n\u201cIts not his choice\u201d He kept that serious tone and expression on his face, \u201cHe is bound to that place because his body is buried there\u201d
\n\u201cReally? Who was that poor fellow? Someone who thought that this place is scenic enough to die here, be buried and just be here forever?\u201d My tone was still of a mocker.
\n\u201cNo, someone who was just unfortunate enough to get stuck on the road and ended up dead\u201d
\n\u201cTell me about it\u201d, Now I sounded curious and he started telling me the tale of the trucker who died on the Gata loops.<\/p>\n
Several years ago [he couldn’t tell me exactly how many years ago], it was late October when a truck with its two travelers, the driver and a cleaner, crossed Rohtang and moved on its way towards Leh. It had already started to snow at a few places and the driver was warned but he had a time limit to reach Leh; which meant that it was too late for him to turn back and take the Srinagar Leh highway which was still comparatively safer.\u00a0 It was the last truck to cross Rohtang as it snowed heavily the very same evening at the top and the pass closed. Kunzum Pass was already closed weeks ago and there were no vehicles coming from Kaza as well which means that it was the last truck plying on Manali Leh highway.<\/p>\n