Les routes de l’impossible – Ladakh : piège de boue sur le toit du monde

It is one of the highest inhabited regions on the planet. Ladakh, in northern India, is nestled
deep in the Himalayan mountains. A monastic silence reigns there. But like a curse, this quietude is disturbed every morning, when the great city of Manali wakes up. At dawn, its narrow streets are taken by storm
by a multitude of small carriers. Here, there is only one highway code,
know how to stay zen. And for everyone. Out of town, two men and an old truck
out of age get ready before hitting the road, Or rather, the highest track in the world. Before leaving, Adjai, the driver, and Ali, the co-pilot, try
to stall about fifty filthy-looking cans. They contain a precious liquid in Ladakh, tar. In the country, very few roads are paved. This cargo must be used to restore one 500 kilometers away. The journey promises to be perilous, Adjai leaves nothing to chance. When the road is steep, the engine heats up quickly and as up there there is a lack of oxygen, the engine can break down immediately. And does it happen often? If we’re not careful, it’s a breakdown. Ali checks every wheel. If a tire bursts,
it is a sure fall into the ravine. If there are stones in the tires, there is a risk of puncturing. They must be removed before taking
the road otherwise it is dangerous. Adjai and his mechanic will only cover 500 kilometres.
But the road is long and full of pitfalls. To go from Manali to Leh, it takes three days. But if the road is too bad or if we fall
failure, we can add two or three more. I take longer to cross the passes because
that my truck is not powerful enough. On the flat, I do 20 km/h, but in
the coasts, I do not exceed 4 km/h. And sometimes, when my engine gets too hot,
I have to stop and wait. You can have a lot of problems up there. This road is only open three months a year.
The rest of the time, it is buried under the snow. In some places, the thickness can reach up to 20 meters. In winter, the frost causes the tar to jump over several kilometres. When the road reopens in July,
some stretches turn into a mud trap. Trucks and cars can get stuck for days,
the wheels immobilized in 30 centimeters of molasses. If the road is narrow and wet, it can
sag and the truck slides. It’s very dangerous ! Ladakh is a stuck Indian province
between Tibet, China and Pakistan. The road that connects Manali to Leh, the
capital of Ladakh, is not maintained. It takes more than courage for the driver to
truck to cover its 500 kilometres. It passes through the highest passes in the world. No protective parapet, crossing
almost impossible, unstable bridge, landslides, And this ravine which constantly stretches out its arms to them. The pitfalls are many. On the high plateaus of the arid mountains live the Shangpas. These nomads are constantly on the move to find
enough to feed their herds of goats and yaks. They are doomed to certain disappearance, the
young people no longer want to live like their parents. Life is very hard here. It is very cold,
especially in winter. It can do up to -30. So now, out of 70 families, there
Only fifteen remain. The road to wisdom is often long.
Tenzin, the walking monk, knows something about it. You see these little pebbles, if I slip on them, I fall. And in winter, when there is snow and
ice is even more dangerous. Tenzin returns to his monastery located 3000 kilometers away. His composure will be put to the test. Arrived at the foot of the mountain, the tar gives way to the earth. Road narrows. Adjai and Ali, his co-pilot,
begins a first interminable climb. 50 kilometers of switchbacks on the wire of the ravine. How you do when the road is
very narrow and you come across a car? So there, it’s haphazard luck.
We advance, we retreat. And then there are codes. In fact, it mainly depends on the place there is. The first crossings are made to the nearest millimetre. It’s okay, go ahead, go ahead! Without his mechanic co-pilot, Adjai, the driver
would have ended up at the bottom of the ravine more than once. My job is to check the condition of the wheels. I check that they are not punctured. And then when you double, you don’t have to
not that they go off the road. You should also pay attention to
very tight turns in the mountain. Because the driver can’t see if a car is coming. I’m here to warn him. I make sure the road is solid enough otherwise
you can easily have an accident. This bridge is very dangerous! Look at the height and then it moves a lot. I hope it won’t collapse. I’m a little scared. I am going anyway
go see what condition he is in. Before passing, all drivers check
its suspension bridges. They are rarely maintained. This bridge supports just nine tons
and my truck weighs nine tons precisely. I really need to move slowly. Look at these boards. They are really very damaged. Above all, I must not get one
of my wheels in one of these holes. But your truck is very loaded. Are you still going to pass? I think I can pass. It’s true that the truck is
heavy, but it should be fine. I will drive very slowly. Unlike the rest of India, the
Ladakh does not experience any monsoon. It rains very little, which makes the
very arid region and poor in flora. Without the roots of the plants to hold back the earth and the stones, these bare mountains continually crumble on the road. To avoid disasters, they must constantly be consolidated. There has just been an accident there!
This is the road to go to Leh. We are expanding it with a
second way. A bus to slide over there. People were taken away by the
river. We haven’t found them. These workers come from the poor regions of
India. Hunger drove them here. Entire families perform work
of convict for barely 4€ per day. We come from Jharkhand to work and earn some money. We work here for five months. We arrive
in May and we leave in October. There is little oxygen here. At the slightest effort,
it’s really hard to breathe. It’s a very dangerous job! Fifteen days ago, a worker died
when the truck was unloading the stones. These works save lives, but they paralyze traffic. Adjai lost a lot of time in the
traffic jams. He will have to drive faster. If he is one day late, his employer
will take part of his salary away from him. To make up for lost time, he will have to take risks. Tenzin is a walking monk. The road, he prefers to travel it
on foot and for good reason. Here, people have died in road accidents. On this memorial, in addition to their name and their
date of death, there is also the reason for their death. Too narrow a road.
The roads are too dangerous here. After a short vacation with his family, Tenzin
joined his monastery in southern India. A journey of 3000 kilometers that he
going to do most of it on foot. You see these little pebbles, if I slip on them, I fall. And in winter, when there is snow and
ice is even more dangerous. For Buddhists like Tenzin, death
doesn’t matter. They believe in reincarnation. Only a violent death scares them because it announces
that their new life will be a life of pain. Each person is dependent on his past lives. If I slip and fall, I can die. It’s very dangerous. Everyone has to die one day
but if I die before the time, it’s a pity. At the same time, if I disappear falling
here is that it is my karma. That’s how Buddhists think! If I’ve done wrong in a lifetime
earlier, my karma becomes bad. So if I die here in an accident,
it is only the consequence of my past actions. Villages are rare in Ladakh,
there are only 300 scattered around. The walking monk resumes his journey to the temple
of **** he wants to reach before dark. How old are you Grandma? I must be around 100 years old! – Do you know where the temple of **** is?
– Yes, it’s over there. – Oh, it’s over there.
– You have to go through that pass up there. After several hours of walking, Tenzin finally arrives at the top. Before joining the temple, he performs
a ritual that has all its importance. This pile of stones is called a latto.
Inside, there is a spirit that protects us. If the temples and the monasteries are perched on top of the mountains, it is not to test the faith of the faithful. The reason is actually much more down to earth. The temple and far from the village, because the noise
prevents us from concentrating to pray. It is written in the sacred texts. The temple must be away from the village. You have to climb slowly up there, don’t go too fast, Because the coast is very steep and it
it’s hard to catch your breath. But when we arrive, we feel really good. The temple is 4700 meters above sea level.
The door is closed with a simple ribbon, However, it contains objects of great value, often gold. But here, no one would risk them.
steal, because a bad deed in this life, Would trigger a lifetime of suffering in the next. Tenzin will meditate here for several days.
before heading back to his monastery. Because he knows it, the rest of the way will not be easy. For hours, Adjai has been driving there in torrential rain. Come on, it’s dangerous. The rain hides my
holes. Above all, I must not take one! And then there is another problem. The road is narrow and wet. It can collapse at any time. The road gradually turns into a muddy track. Ali and Adjai are not very reassured. Yet this
They’ve been doing this trip every week for six years. They are approaching the Rohtang Pass, 4000 meters above sea level. And as if the rain wasn’t enough,
fog now enters the game. Damn, we’ll have to back off. Extreme conditions that make maneuvers tricky. The ravine is never far away. Here I am starting to get tired. That makes two
days that I haven’t slept a wink. We work a lot but we don’t earn much. Well, I’m not doing this for fun.
but quite simply to earn my crust. Daily risks for a pittance. At 38, Adjai risks his life every day for barely €160 a month. Just enough to pay for the studies of
her two daughters and feed her family. There are still eight kilometers before reaching the summit. More hours of hassle. What is happening ? I do not know. Come on, move on! I feel like
that we are blocked. Go see what’s going on ahead. A few meters further on is a spectacle of desolation. Dozens of vehicles are bogged down, blocked by mud. It doesn’t start anymore! – Why ?
– It’s because of the falling temperature. How long have you been blocked? It’s been 30 minutes in this damn mud! You won’t get there that way. You have to pull it. Open the hood! Hook the rope underneath! It is the month of July. In this
season, the road is very busy. Indians flee the sweltering heat of the cities
to take refuge in their high altitude villages. Some already regret having embarked on the adventure. – Have you taken this road before?
– No it’s the first time. You didn’t know she was in this state? No, I have never done such a route. Sometimes it takes several days to
get vehicles out of the mud. That’s it, the road seems clear. How many more miles are there in this state? With the mud, between three and four kilometers.
This is especially dangerous for small cars. You think I pass with my truck? Yes, don’t worry, you’ll get there, that’s for sure. Not so sure. When leaving… You have to put a stone. Wait, I’ll ask for help. Quick quick ! Come on, let’s push, let’s go! Go ahead, go ahead, it’s good. Advance, advance! After 5 hours of waiting, Adjai and Ali finally leave the quagmire. Today they got lucky. The
last time they were stuck for 8 hours. When they arrive at the top of the Rohtang pass, at 4000 meters altitude, the crew is half a day late. His friends are worried. Hello ? Yes I’m coming. I just
pass the pass. It was my friend Ali. What did he tell you ? He asked me where I died, that idiot! To make up for lost time, the descent will be done with your feet on the floor and blind on a road transformed into a skating rink. Deserts are not necessarily born under an arid sun. The lack of oxygen and the little precipitation have
shaped the mountains of Ladakh into high deserts. As in the Sahara, vegetation is rare there
but nomads have made it their territory. The Changpas live in extreme conditions. They raise yaks, sheep and above all a precious animal, the changra goat. It produces one of the most
finest in the world called Pashmina. Nomads call it fiber gold. A wealth that has pushed them for generations to live in these high mountains. Because the higher the altitude, the more
the goat produces quality wool. Today, the tribe breaks camp. The Changpas are forced to move constantly to find something to feed their animals. In 3 hours, the camp is dismantled. Each departure for the transhumance is a great day for the tribe. Come on, hurry up, we have to go! Here, here I come! The women take out their Peyracs, headdresses adorned with turquoise. They start making it as soon as they are old enough to get married and throughout their lives, they add stones to it. These ornaments are considered as protections
divine for humanity, but not only, They are also an outward sign of wealth. The more turquoise, the richer and more powerful the family. Grandpa, I can carry your bag if you want. No, no, I’ll be fine, thank you. According to ethnologists, this way of life
will be gone in 10 or 20 years. Because as soon as they can, young people hit the road
big cities looking for more modern comfort. But some cling, Barkam, him,
refuses to abandon his yaks. Life is very hard here. It is very cold,
especially in winter. It can do up to -30. Before, there were almost 70 nomadic families.
Today, there are only about fifteen left. It’s more comfortable to live in the city,
but there is no job. And even if you find a job as a worker, it’s very hard too. I have always lived in these mountains,
among goats, yaks and sheep. I miss nothing here. For us who were born in the mountains, it’s better to stay there. – What do you say to your children?
– We tell them to do like us. And what do they think of it? Oh, not much. We pass on our knowledge
and then we ask them to continue to live like that. After 6 hours of walking, the Eldorado is in sight. A small river and thin tongues of greenery
will bring happiness to men and beasts. This camp, they know it well.
They come back every year. Thanks to the streams, the grass grows back quickly. The abundance of food irritates the beasts. Everyone participates in the reconstruction of the camp. Dolma and her husband are gradually abandoning the tribe. They only come in the summer to take care of the few
beasts they kept to improve the ordinary. We sold almost all our animals, our goats and our sheep,
we just kept our yaks, that’s what we’re here for. During the winter, we live in a small house in Leh. You want a big rock? No, you just have to pull the rope. These nomads will soon get fat
the slums of Leh, the capital. One day the high mountain desert
will become completely silent again, or almost. There will always be the sound of an old
old engine to break the silence. Adjai is trying to catch up.
In the descent, he takes all the risks. When they pass another truck, he and his
co-pilot do not hesitate to force the passage. Go ahead, you can move forward a bit. Oh no, it’s not possible, we will find ourselves stuck. Brave but not mad, he steps back. Thank you for backing Adjai! You took risks! Dependent contrast ! Adjai rushes but an unforeseen will stop him dead. Damn, it’s a buddy’s truck. But what happens to him? It’s been almost two days since his
boyfriend has broken down on the side of the road. Generally, between drivers, it’s every man for himself. Delays cost too much. But for a friend, it’s not the same thing. Pass me the key here! – What key?
– The spanner of 17 which is there in the tool kit. It is this single bolt that is the cause of the failure. He was big like that, he snapped. This part there must fit here. The trucks sound old and patched up, threadbare. The mechanics never resists very
a long time on these rutted roads. Be careful not to break anything else. Since yesterday evening, I lost at least 17h because of this breakdown. This delay will cost me dearly. It will make me lose at least 150€. – In how long you earn 150€ days?
– 15 days. Skinny reward with unnatural color. What is that ? ****, crisps what! And these colors, how is it done? I don’t know, it’s made in a factory. No one knows how they are made,
but it doesn’t really look like food. Adjai must now face one of
highest mountain passes in the world. The Taglang La, The passage is located at 5000 meters above sea level.
If the weather remains good, there will be no traffic jams, And Adjai may be able to catch up. Ladakh is crossed by the Indus. On this river
which gave its name to India, bridges are rare, And the paths that lead to nirvana, dangerous. In this small basket, Tenzin, the walking monk, will have to apply what he has been learning for years at the monastery, Knowing how to stay calm no matter what. It will take three quarters of an hour to cross the river. It’s really very hard to do that.
There’s a hell of a distance to go. And then the rope is not really suitable for this kind of thing. I died of thirst! And I’m tired. It was really hard! I thought I was going
die. I have completely dry lips. But I have no choice. There is no bridge. And it’s the same for everyone. Leh, the capital of Ladakh. The city is perched at nearly 3500 meters above sea level. Less than 40 years ago, it was still a big village. Today, thanks to tourism, the
city is growing at a breakneck pace. We come across all nationalities, all
religions and especially many Buddhists. Every day they spin clockwise
of a watch these many rollers installed in town. They are called prayer wheels, according to the belief,
when activated, a prayer spreads through the air. Tenzin does not pray for the salvation of his soul. He prays for humanity, to try to make man and the world a better place. Because among Buddhists, God does not exist. Le Moine regrets this race to the
modernization but do not reject it. For him, these new riches do more harm than good. He believes that a simpler life would save more lives. Once, while going to Manali, I was
witness of a road accident. The passengers in the car were
in very serious condition, almost dead. People think they’re going to make it easier
life by buying a car, but not at all! Cars kill them. When you buy something, it’s
for happiness, not for death. In the face of danger, if he could do otherwise,
Adjai would return his steering wheel immediately. His life as a driver, he did not choose it.
It’s the only job he knows. And his license cost him too much to stop now. For once, the ascent of Taglang La went smoothly. At 5360 m, this pass is one of the highest in the world. Adjai, take a short break to
get your body used to the lack of oxygen. There is very little oxygen at this altitude. We run out of steam quickly. Sometimes it causes a terrible headache and sometimes death. Come on, it’s too cold. On the way, we leave. It’s almost the end of his journey. Last mystical stopover before arriving in Leh. No question of passing in front of this mausoleum without paying homage to it. A few years ago at this place, a
driver died a violent death. Since then, according to truckers, his ghost
haunts this part of the road. To curry his good graces, the drivers
lay offerings like cakes, But sometimes the dead man has special requests. Sometimes he is thirsty and asks us for water. So we give it to him. Cigarettes too. He was a mechanic. He died doing his job.
So now it protects all trucks from the road. He is there to watch over us. I too was a mechanic and then I became a driver. He didn’t have time. His truck wouldn’t start. So the driver asked his mechanic
to place a stone under the wheel. But the stone was too small and the
truck backed up on the mechanic. He was crushed. Since leaving Manali, Adjai has been driving under
tension. Fatigue begins to set in. After 500 kilometers of rutted roads and seven days of travel, Adjai and his co-pilot finally arrive at their place of delivery. No question of hanging around to unload the truck. Come on, we have to hurry to empty the truck! The nine tons of tar are unloaded in no time. But these few gleaned minutes won’t prevent
not his boss to fine them. They took two days longer than usual. I went to have the receipt signed.
Without this paper, one cannot be paid. He told me to give him 15€ otherwise he wouldn’t sign. It happens often ? Yes it’s always like that when you arrive late. Two days late which costs them 10% salary.
The two friends immediately hit the road again. They go back to Manali, to get a new
cargo of tar hoping that this time, The road will be favorable to them. For once, Tenzin, the least walker,
going to take a bus. But he has a good reason. – Is this place free?
– No, she’s reserved. He wants to go to the big religious festival
of Hemis. It starts in a few hours, He doesn’t have time to walk there. Why are there so many people on this bus? To serve all the villages, it
there are only two buses a week. – And you, where are you going madam?
– I’m going to the Hemis festival. To attend this religious ceremony,
some are willing to take risks. The bus is packed and even though he’s a monk,
no one is ready to give up his place to him. The trip lasts 2 hours. The monastery of Hemis is stormed
by an armada of tourists. This ceremony takes place once
per year, it attracts many foreigners. Some don’t always show respect
with the sanctity of the place. For a beautiful photo, they are ready for anything. These sacred dances commemorate the birth of
Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. Until recently, these dances were celebrated in the secrecy of monasteries and limited to a small circle of initiates. For Tenzin, there are too many tourists. He does not
doesn’t feel very well in the midst of all these strangers. The monks who dance here don’t give themselves
not on show. It’s not a game. For tourists, these ceremonies
are seen as entertainment. However, if the meaning of all this escapes you, it is
that a certain part of reality escapes you. In recent years, some agencies
trips sponsor the monastery and the monks. Many places are reserved for tourists, but unfortunately, this is done at the expense of Buddhists. This is not an attitude that fits into the
Buddhism. Everyone here should be welcome. And money should have no place here.