World’s Most Dangerous Roads | India - Leh-Manali Highway | Free Documentary

foreigner the largest mountain range in the

world

the himalayas only a few

roads

lead here they are

dangerous

and unpredictable every trip is an adventure oh using heavy machinery the cleaning group moves meter by meter it is mid-may and the mountain villages in the north of India have been cut off. Cut off from the outside

world

for seven months, the Manali

highway

is hidden under a thick layer of snow. The men have to be very careful because they cannot see the steep slopes beneath the snow masses. They clear the road as best they can. It won't be possible for several weeks.

The first trucks will head to the Himalayas in June. Most transport goods from the capital, New Delhi. They've already been on the road for two days. Hello, during the summer months, Narendra Kumarbot regularly makes the trip to lei, each driver will stop at the garage in

manali

before narendra ventures on the mountain road with his truck, everything must be thoroughly checked for the last time, give me that tool, check the ropes, narendra is doing this trip in convoy with his colleague keher singh it is safer together kihesing does not own his truck he works for a transport phone narendra on the other hand he is his own boss narendra does some final checks His truck must be at 100%, otherwise he will put his life at risk.

The men are in a good mood, still without thinking about the trip that awaits them. The road is like your wife, impossible to understand. You never know what will happen next. It is unpredictable and it can snow at any time there are many high passes and the air gets very thin before leaving, Narendra praised the gods who have to take him to his destination safely and give him strength to face the challenges that await him. The Manali Lay Highway is located in the northern

most

region of the Indian subcontinent and extends for about 475 kilometers. It is the only road that connects the two cities, Manali, in the province of Hamachal Pradesh and are located in the Kashmir region, the passes are among the highest in the world, beyond Manali, the road climbs steeply to the first passage, in many places it is flooded by melt water, narendra has to rely on his experience, deep holes. and the sharp rocks take their toll on the tires and axles every year the water destroys parts of the reinforcements into the abyss the next obstacle lurks a few kilometers further the road has become a mud road everyone has their own reasons for opening up step struggling In this quagmire they want to get to the city for the first time in months, visit relatives and some are simply looking for a few days of adventure in the mountains when it rains, huge rocks collapse, let's take care of our truck, let's keep looking forward, if we have to stop, we will. getting stuck is too steep ramesh is narendra's student, he has to help his boss and make sure the truck clears the obstacles safely and his assistants follow narendra's truck which may be easier than driving in front but It still requires great concentration, the truckers maneuver their heavy loads along the very edge of the cliff, it's downhill for the next 300 meters and they can only hope that nothing goes up the other way, there are glaciers on both sides, you have to inch by inch like a tightrope walker you can't trust your engine you never know if it will cause problems that's what makes it so hard for narendra mod no one knows how long it will take no why the traffic has stopped Every delay increases the pressure on the drivers.

The customers are waiting for their goods and the road to Lay is still long. Another reason why Narendra and Kehai Singh want to cross

roads

quickly is the numbing altitude. We are at about 13,000 feet now in the past rotang and breathing here is difficult when we are trapped. The traffic is even worse, they won't go anywhere until the road is clear as it has been buried under an avalanche of mountain rocks for hours. Hundreds of people have been waiting for the excavator to clear the road. There are cleaning teams parked at intervals. We are practicing moving even the largest rocks to the side, the road is not even half clear yet, but still the first vehicles try to make their way through the slippery mud.

Narendra makes sure his truck is in good condition. Keher Singh is in trouble. He needs more. traction their tires are worn out and they can't find grip uh if you're having trouble with your truck here then you're on your own there's nothing you can do just sit there and wait for an angel there's no help on this road there's no phone or hotel the road is a disaster for a few hours the trucks are going at a good pace a

dangerous

ly narrow place is widening large rocks just behind a blind curve have made the road treacherous with no heavy machinery on hand workers combine their forces to lift the rocks to one side the Traffic must flow Workers make gravel by hand Use it to fill holes and reinforce the road Most of the men are young and come from the poorest regions of India where there are no jobs The road construction company has hired them Hassan Kumrul He is a foreman and has worked strategically on the road for 19 years the

manali

highway

is very important hassan's company works for the army pakistan china and

india

have claims over the kashmir region and

india

has thousands of troops stationed on top From the mountains they need supplies and that is why these men tirelessly carry out their maintenance.

God always wins is out of our hands our desires count for nothing here nature prevails we do not have it under control we build walls for example it is very hard work for many men we use a lot steel and cement and still the walls fail the glaciers swallow everything in their path narendra has spent half his life on the road he knows all the main roads in india and none is as demanding as the road from manali to lane when i am in trouble for this The road is closed for eight or ten days because of snow and I get stuck when the army has to go out to bring food or even rescue us, then I think why do I do this job?

What is the occupation I have chosen for myself? When the truck is moving, however, I am happy when it is rolling, I have a lot of fun. The 80-tonne load means Narendra cannot drive fast. Anyway, he's not interested in making the trip as quickly as possible to make more money. He has seen many trucks finish. Up in the abyss the two trucks reach the rotang prayer flags marking the steps highest point the trucks are parked on the side of the road when the sun goes down it is the first night as there are few restaurants or cafes along the On the route, the drivers cook their cabin themselves.

In one of them is the kitchen and the bedroom. If everything goes well, the man will reach the lane in three days. Keher Singh is well equipped. He makes sure he has enough supplies even if he breaks down. Help may take a long time to arrive. The nights are cold. in summer and the days are usually very hot uh the drivers do not have time for the unique beauty of the landscape they must concentrate on moving quickly and safely if anything nature is an obstacle for them deep gorges and mighty rivers can only be crossed using military bridges can build quickly but rarely lasts more than a few months each time the snow melts the water finds a new course for three days now another driver's truck is stranded on the side of the road the men cannot start the engine Two mechanics have arrived.

The truck belongs to Jasper Singh. This is not the first time that he got stuck on the Manali Lay Highway and two years ago he did not have any mechanic to help him out of the problem. The snow took him by surprise on the highest pass he got the truck from. stuck and his engine froze yaspir held on for al

most

a month he was afraid that his cargo would be stolen after the winter he had to buy a new engine this time he is going lightly it seems that the repair work will be successful the mechanics can in Al less getting the truck moving again, although this is costing Jasper a lot of money, it's nothing compared to the last time his family faced financial ruin.

My father died because of this truck. He was so angry that he was stuck and that we were grieving the loss of him that he. had a heart attack too many deaths we have no money left uh narendra has a close relationship with the road it's like a temporary marriage a four month marriage when I'm on this road she doesn't scare me anymore although I started from New Delhi and the journey takes me between seven and ten days it's like a marriage I love this road and there are many things I can forgive her the trip has had even more problems lurendra can feel what's happening to his truck he gets to the next tire tire and I think it's flat, be useful and unscrew the lug nuts, check the others too, come on, go ahead, get your people moving, there's work to do, I hope I can fix it, do you want me to check yours too?

Yes, it is high season for the tire. mountain as the tires take the hardest hits they have to deal with sharp edges and pointy rocks narendra hopes the tire can be saved the gains are already slim as it is the inner tube is fixed but how long will it last? the outer tie, however, is worse a stone has lodged and has broken herandra will need a new one for the next trip it has cost me at least 170 euros damn this damn road I will never go back I will drive again the trucks arrive to a plateau is a good opportunity for a driving lesson, it is safe here, you have to be attentive, young man, the first thing you should observe on the Manali Lay highway is the engine temperature.

Ramesh also wants to drive a truck someday, maybe even his own. He dreams of surpassing Manali Lay. highway sitting in the driver's seat you can learn a lot from narendra about the transportation industry and about the art of driving come closer when you sit here you have to be submissive and pray to the gods you have to drive carefully in the sand and you have to change Put the first gear, that's exactly the most important thing in the sand is to shift down and maintain a constant pace. If you hit a sand dune, never brake before or after you have crossed it.

The truck suddenly refused to go up. he simply stopped he stepped on the void the throttle cable diverter lever has broken he doesn't have the spare part he needs it's time to improvise narendra noticed that keher singh was no longer following him and has returned to find out what's going on the drivers would never leave themselves in the dark lurch they know what it means to be stuck in the middle of nowhere narendra does what he can he has a knack for complicated jobs singh and his assistants have already tried everything possible to fix the lever with the help of narendra and a small metal pin finally they manage to solve the problem you can continue your trip I would not like to be stuck for more than a week or ten days you cannot just leave your truck behind there are goods in the back and it is my responsibility that nothing is damaged or stolen there are thieves here they steal everything if you you get stranded you never know without narendra you would have been in trouble now men on motorbikes have only one motto the road is the destination Mumbai cyclists seek adventure and the unlimited

free

dom of the open road.

Many don't realize until they are here how dangerous a trip on unpaved roads is for cyclists. The Taglang La is literally the highlight of your trip. Whatever, a quick souvenir photo and a cup of tea, you don't last long in the air, a headache and shortness of breath can appear suddenly, cyclists recognize the dangers of altitude sickness, but these friends are willing to face a challenge, the passes there are basically no roads in the passes and then it's basically like stones or streams of water flowing and then there are huge trucks crossing an army convoy here to handle all these things very scary, very scary, the Scariest moment so far, I guess and I.

I can't stop the bike on a slope and the bikes skidded and I felt a falafel. I had a minor injury, uh, healing on my hand and now I can't walk, but I'm not coming back on a flight or anything like that. I want to go in the back seat so I can at least enjoy the place. Oh, Narendra and Keher Singh have also almost reached the highest step. The climb is difficult for their trucks. It is an uphill stretch of many kilometers. Narendra is worried that he is patched up. puncture and keher singh's throttle control lever will hold the drivers have not yet allowed themselves a break today as time is short due to the repairs that had to be done they finally reach taglangla two thirds of the journey is already behind them, yes, they did it?

The engine got hot Yes, it was very hot, in fact, come on, let's pray. Narendra is a religious man, he is a Buddhist, he has learned to be relaxed to take things as they come. Hmm, the next morning, the drivers have to navigate along the edge of a deepdefile. Narendra doesn't like to drive this stretch unless he has had a good night's sleep. He really he needs to concentrate. Each section of the Manali Lay Highway has its own dangers. There is never a time to relax. Driving in the mountains requires a completely different technique than driving on normal terrain.

You have to be very attentive because you are going to fail at the slightest mistake and disappear into a ravine. Your truck could be a total loss. You have to be careful all the time because the road is very bad. Narendra has been driving. Along this Himalayan road for 15 years, he has overcome his fear of him, but he still has a lot of respect for him. He was constantly worried about the altitude, how would my truck get over the passes? Then, when I was about to lie down, I became very excited and happy. It was as if I had reached heaven, so it was in some places the road has been torn out of the rock, there are no nets to catch the falling rocks, no protective barriers to stop a truck sinking into the depths, a truck has left the road.

The men are trying to get the truck out of the water and save whatever the crew can save. They have already been rescued and taken to the hospital. They were lucky they survived. The soldiers pulled the truck out of the water. Only the military has equipment for a job like this. The owners lose at least one truck on this road every year and they can afford it because they have a whole fleet of trucks one should stay away from this road and not doing business here its not worth it there is too much competition and there are too many thieves on this trade the money is not good and there are few contracts sometimes the losses are huge when this truck left the road it had 12,000 liters of gasoline it ran out the battery was stolen the tools almost everything really is a big loss sonam pangari is making soup packaging and making cheese tea with lei during the summer months she earns a living by running a roadside cafe on the Manali highway.

She also provides mattresses for people to sleep on. Cyclists from Mumbai spent the night here. It was cold and their trip took its toll. They all work in the IT sector and not. used to harsh climate, altitude or bad roads to them, Kashmir region is an unknown territory from where you get all these things mainly sometimes from manali, life here at this altitude can be difficult sometimes the shop is it is carried by the wind sometimes the rain destroys it completely it is difficult the women are proud of their small business they offer some comforts and the natural environment, otherwise harsh, I owe a lot to this path I am independent I can pay for my children's education Everyone comes here high-ranking officials, priests and poor people too, who could feed themselves for

free

.

Some people are very nice to me. The other day there were 10 people here with no money. His bus had broken down. I had to give them free tea and cake. This is this path. Do all the merchants here owe their existence to you? The day the road opens. I'm happy. The day it closes. I'm sad. Vehicles make their way through the fog. It has become difficult to distinguish the road from the abyss. Garendra directs traffic. Nobody. others feel responsible for preventing traffic from stopping he directs buses, trucks and cars downhill past his own truck a narrow stretch a few hundred meters ahead offers room for traffic in a single meaning only narendra and ramesh have learned from experience that this does Sometimes it makes more sense to wait a little so that you can make better progress later, since there are no safety barriers.

Ramesh takes up position on the roadside and acts as a human marker to show oncoming traffic where the roadside drivers are on. The road for weeks, sometimes months, is difficult for his family, but during trips along the Manali Lei Highway, Narendra misses his family even more than usual. I miss my wife. I miss my family. My parents. My children. I really miss them a lot. in foreign territory I am traveling and I have left my family behind this is a very risky job and no one knows if I will return there are accidents and many difficulties to overcome the two trucks are approaching their destination almost made it the capital of the province of ladakh and is located at an altitude of more than 3,500 meters.

People from neighboring villages come to rest to trade their products and for hundreds of years the city was a center of Tibetan Buddhism. Narendra has to be careful that his truck does not knock down the prayer flags that cover the road. They go their separate ways. They have different clients. Narendra's client is anxious to know if his goods have arrived safely. The drivers are responsible for them until they are unloaded. Despite the breakdowns and traffic jams the truck arrives only a couple of hours late, I drive quickly home and then to Delhi where I will load up again before returning here that's the drill when the truck is unloaded I take care of it of the cargo is loaded I will take care of the unloading When he finishes his work, Narendra calls his wife at home.

She needs to know that he arrived safely. I unloaded the truck and will return tomorrow. What's the weather like? The motorcyclists managed to place two almost without problems. They will now rest for a few days before embarking on the return trip early the next morning. Narendra is again on the way back from Lay to Manali.