The early morning Sun was hazy and there were low clouds hanging over the region as our flight from Delhi made its way into Leh,keeping those looking out of window seats in suspense as to the landscape of Leh-Ladakh.Then the aircraft banked and dipped and got under the clouds for its descent into the runway revealing the range of dark brown mountains,the distant ones capped by snow,the reflected light from the Sun lending an ethereal glow.It was unbelievable to think that we were being ushered to a brown haven,shorn of vegetation.I wondered whether I was landing in Afghanistan!
Ladakh is the largest province in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that is internationally bound by Pakistan in the North and West,China in the East and the Himalayas to the south and inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions and its culture and history are closely related to that of Tibet.The landscape of Ladakh,a high altitude desert, the Himalayas creating a" Rain Shadow" and denying entry to monsoon clouds.The main source of water is the winter snowfall on the mountains
The small military airport in Leh was pleasantly cold with temp hovering around 22C in the morning and felt like 18C and shortly we were at the lovely Reenam Hotel our abode for the coming week.
Lobsang Tshering,the affable hotel owner said Julley* and extended us a warm welcome and after some small talk we were bundled off to our room overlooking the Leh palace and the snow capped mountains.The process of acclimatisation had to be gone through to avoid high altitude sickness.As the day wore on the temp climbed and so did our spirit... looking at the azure blue sky,the white clouds rolling by and the clear view of the brilliant snow caps in the distance.
There is this beautiful custom of greeting everyone in Ladakh, no matter a family member,friend,neighbour or a stranger.Greeting and smiling... "Julley"
'Julley' is the Ladakhi word commonly used as 'hello'. Actually it is very useful as it can be also used as 'goodbye' or 'good night' and it also means 'thank you"
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Day 2: We take to local sight-seeing.
Rinzen Dorji,our Innova driver for the entire trip,took his instructions from the hotel and we started our tour of local places of interest.
Hall of Fame should be the first on the list for a tourist who is keen on knowing what Ladakh is all about.Built and maintained by the army the nominal entrance entrance fee allows you a bird's eye view of the entire region captured on a 3D model.depicting the relief-map of Ladakh with roads, rivers, mountain ranges, border towns and international borders. A free guide will explain all this to you. There are displays on the history of Ladakh, it's people, and culture. The role of the Indian army in development and security of the border are show cased;captured arms and ammunition are shown.On a lighter side, you can get yourself photographed wearing typical Ladakhi costume!
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| The ubiquitous Buddha |
We take the Leh-Kargil road towards Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, a beautiful Gurudwara constructed in the memory of Guru Nanak about 25 miles away from Leh, 12000 ft above sea level.The Gurdwara was built in 1517.Legend has it that a Demon tried to put away Guru Nanak,who was in deep meditation, by hurling a huge boulder down the hill which on reaching its destination turned soft and enveloped his body as shown below.
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| Serene Gurudwara |
After defying gravity at the "Magnetic Hill" where our car went up an inclined plane we reached the confluence point of rivers,zanskar,and the muddy Indus coming in from the left.The view of the valley around can be seen very well from the adjoining hillock which we climbed a bit to get this shot.
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| A great view of the valley |
Alchi Monastery
The walls are painted with different mandalas centering on Vairochana along with numerous Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, fierce divinities and guardian of dharmas.The Sumtseg temple is a three storey mud structure having three enormous figures of four armed Bodhisattvas. The figures are so huge that the ceilings of the ground floor have been cut away to allow the heads to extend upto the second floor occupied by a figure of Maitreya Buddha.Manjushri temple is a free standing structure built around the central images of Manjushri.The creative and religious information of both Buddhism and the Hindu kings are reflected in the wall paintings in the monastery complex.
Cameras are not allowed inside and the darkness makes it very difficult to discern the murals.Carry a flashlight if you are keen.
Next stop was Likir Monastery, also ancient,1065 AD,but built more in the conventional style unlike Alchi.Then,the fifth King of Ladakh donated the land, it was blessed by the head monk and a monastery was built. The community ensured material necessities for 500 monks. At present this monastery houses 100 monks.
Highlight... is the big statue of Maitreya Buddha which lends Aura and serenity.Also the Likir monastery school, which has about 50 monks- in - training and where a Monk treated us to a cuppa tea, on the house.View from the top is excellent!
We are now in the region of 4PM as we head back to Leh and the driver suggests that we round off our sight seeing for the day by visiting Shanti Stupa in the proximity of our lodging.Located at a distance of around 5 km from the city this white monument of peace was built by a Japanese Buddhist order to commemorate 2,500 years of Buddhism and to spread the message of peace. Shanti Stupa positions itself at an elevation of 4267 m and overlooks the Leh city,offering a panoramic view of the enclosing snow-covered mountains.Inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in 1985, this stupa is particularly impressive at night with illumination.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 3: We are off to Nubra valley for an overnighter
There were low clouds in the morning,filtering the sunlight out as we embarked on our round trip of 250 Kms.
Weather was very pleasant as we steadily climbed,our first destination Khardung La,the Pass,40 Kms away.It got much cooler as we crossed 14000' and still climbing.Having left the well paved roads sometime ago we were now rocking and swinging over rubble and stones with a hint of snow on the boulders near by to suggest what was to come.And then we saw the board "old silk route".
Ladakh lies at the crossroads of the ancient trade routes from the Indian subcontinent to the great East-West trade highway or the ‘Silk Route".Northwards from Leh, caravans carrying pashmina shawls, spices, opium and saffron crossed the Ladakh range through the Khardung La or Chang La, traversed the forbidding Karakoram range through the Karakoram pass to the central Asian towns of Yarkand and Kashgar on the Silk Route. The caravans brought back precious stones,hashish,tobacco and silk.
Khardung La...the highest motorable road according to BRO.It is very cold as we get out of the car and pose for the pic above.It is snowing a bit and we can see signs of snow all around including the slush on the road. The views from here though a bit hazy as we see are no doubt breathtaking – with the Ladakh range to the south and Karakoram to the north. And snow capped peaks at almost touching distance all around.
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| Perhaps the highest Souvenir shop |
One cannot expect to do much while here – except walk around a bit and feel the cool air and admire the views.It is not advisable to expose oneself to the elements for long at these altitudes. But you can actually do some shopping here – at a souvenir shop run by the Army.
It had definitely snowed quite a bit earlier on and we were now struggling to keep from skidding.There was a caravan of cars making their way gingerly down the slush and we could see that BRO deployed dozers and shovels were busy at many points clearing the snow and levelling the ditches.
Meantime,we were munching dry fruits and chocolates and sniffing camphor to keep ourselves in good stead.Diamox was already doing its work of keeping us away from altitude sickness.
We plodded on slowly past Khardung village and were cruising towards Khalsar when we saw the misty Shyok river valley with the river snaking through at the bottom.It was breathtaking.We stopped for pics.The clouds rolling down the hills presented a pretty sight and was ominous too.
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| Such a wonderful sight! |
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| our cottage at Hunder |
Our destination in Nubra was 8 kms down the road from Diskit,the village of Hunder.By now the sky had darkened and the clouds promised a good lashing of rain.We were lucky to reach our Resort and check in to our cottage just as the heavens opened up.It was about 4:30 PM and any exploration of the Hunder region and the Nubra valley was ruled out.
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Day:4 We explore Hunder,Diskit and feel our way back
It rained the whole night and quite heavily too and the next morning the weather was chilly in the valley and heavily overcast. Folks were talking about heavy snow in the upper reaches while we had our breakfast and climbed into the car to explore.
Hunder is set amidst fields of rye and barley and surrounded by fruit orchids and sand dunes. We stopped when we noticed double humped "Bactrian" camels.Their ancestors had done Yeomen duty when called upon to move precious cargo over the trade routes.Today they satisfy the tourist by providing a ride.They lined up for a good pic too!.
We were now returning from Nubra valley and our next stop some 7 Kms away was the town of Diskit and the famous Monastery with the statue of Buddha on a hillock nearby.
This impressive 32 metre (106 foot) statue on top of a hill below the monastery, faces the Shyok River and towards Pakistan. 8 kgs of gold was used for its decoration.
The statue was consecrated by the Dalai Lama on 25 July 2010.Someone said it was built with three main objectives in mind - protection of Diskit Village, prevention of further war with Pakistan and promotion of world peace.Noble, indeed.
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| The Buddha is looking towards Pakistan |
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| We climbed to the top of the Monastery to see the temple |
As we climbed we could see that BRO had cleared the snow that had fallen the night before,to some extent.Our advance was impeded and the driver navigated carefully.Finally we reached the check point before the Pass only to see that all the vehicles had been halted here as they were working on the roads above.We were stopped for 45 min and then were allowed to go after the Police made sure that we had snow chains.We trudged through the snow ever so slowly and stopped again as many vehicles were stuck ..."sunk in" ahead of us.Our driver tethered snow chains on to the rear wheels to help in traction.At Khardungla Pass we stopped for a short while
The beauty of snow fall on barren brown range of hills is quite different from what we saw in Sikkim where the green tree line with snow would present a different picture.Here it was like looking at a craggy chocolate cake with sprinkled icing on top and crisscrossed by knife cuts..roads!!
The final excitement was provided by a neighbouring vehicle driver who in a sudden burst of road fatigue ??, sought to overtake and get done with driving for the day,but only managed to skid and luckily stopped perilously close to the edge.They managed to get his car out of the rut and moving in about 20 min,while we inhaled camphor.
Thus ended our memorable trip to Nubra valley.I must say that Rinzen took good care while driving,never losing his cool.He is 32 and has been driving for 17 Yrs...without and with license.Bravo!
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Day 5: Pangong Tso (Lake in Ladakhi) excursion...towards China
This will be a round trip of about 320 Kms.
We go S-SE from Leh, and after 15 Kms on the Leh-Manali H'way stopped at the Shey Palace/Monastery. Shey was the summer capital of Ladakh in the past.The palace, mostly in ruins now, was built in 1655 by the king of Ladakh and included the Monastery inside. It was used as a summer retreat by the kings of Ladakh.The monastery is noted for its giant copper and gilded statue of a seated Buddha
We spent very little time here as we had a long way to go.
The country side surrounding Shey Palace was looking wonderful and I clicked this picture as we were coming down the ramp.
We continued,driving fast on this excellent H'way and reached Karu (45 kms) in good time.Past the check post here we took the left fork leaving the H'way which proceeds south to Manali(~400Kms).We were headed East towards Tibet.We are still driving at a good clip and climbing and passed the village of Shakti (75Kms).Thereafter the real ascent for Chang La Pass began.Initially the roads were in good condition.But,as we approached the final few kms of the ascent the road condition deteriorated and as is common,a convoy of cars and trucks were making their way through slush,stopping every now and then.
At 17,688ft ChangLa is the second highest pass in Ladakh.At the Pass we stopped for a while,drinking tea and taking pics.Ladakh tourism maintains a good canteen to keep you refreshed with Tea and Coffee.
You may be greeted by the members of Indian Army Jawans who are stationed here to acclimatize to high altitude,before they are posted to Siachen.They will offer you a free cup of tea in their makeshift canteen.
After a few minutes of rest, it was time to begin the descent from Chang La.
The road is in bad condition for 10-15 kilometers,beyond which well laid tarmac coupled with beautiful scenery awaits you. Tangtse is the nearest settlement ~50 kms away.It is a big town with a few shops,hotels and an internet café. It was good to stop here and grab a dish of Noodles with eggs and chat with the Japanese couple who were heading back.
We were on our final lap of 30 KMS and cruising at an altitude of 14-14500 Ft. Journey towards Pangong for most part is through fantastically laid tarmac and views, however, don’t indulge in over speeding, since there are quite a few water passages built in the middle of the road,which essentially mean 8-10 feet long depressions without any warnings!
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| Himalayan Marmots |
All it needed was some biscuits to win them over.It was a treat watching them eat. Marmots hibernate for 6-7 months starting early October,staying huddled together in their hay covered and tightly closed burrows.They do not store food,losing about half their body weight during the period.
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| The first glimpse of Pangong Lake at 3:46 PM in September |
Pangong lake is situated at a height of about 4,250 m (13,900 ft). It is 134 km (83.3 mi) long and extends from Ladakh to Tibet. Two thirds of the length of this lake lies in Tibet. The lake is 5 km (3 mi) wide at its broadest point. In winter, the lake surface freezes completely despite being salt water.
The crystal clear salty water shines in many shades depending upon its depth. It literally changes shades with sunlight. With the backdrop of mountains of various hues,the effect is SUPERB and it will go down as one of the best that I have seen so far.
As we approached the shores of the lake, the sheer size of it dawned on us and we were mesmerized by the grand setting.
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| Look at that colour! |
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| The very Locale where the last 10 min of "3 Idiots" was shot. |
The lake itself showing off different shades of grey,blue,green and some more ...What a show-off !!
And all this playing out at 14000Feet to the accompaniment of cool cold breeze blowing across...and the mild sun and wispy white clouds under a very blue sky!!!
What else can I say about Pangong?
Go Visit!!!!!
Accommodation was in a tented camp about 400 yds away from the lake in a cluster of Resorts which would pitch their tents in Mid April and pack up by the first week of October when the real freezing cold sets in.
We walked along the shore amidst fading light and snuggled into our tent when the breeze picked up and gave us the shivers.
Day6: We return to Leh
After breakfast we made our way back.It was overcast,the lake was grey as there were none to admire it.
It was a smooth ride without any stoppage all the way upto the Pass and beyond.We reached Leh comfortably in about 5 Hrs and proceeded for lunch at a Restaurant in the Leh market.
We returned to our hotel and rested thinking about the great outing that we had completed.
Day7: We explore new sights
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| On the way to Hemis |
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| Attractive Gate |
Hemis is the wealthiest monastery in India and famous for its rich collection of ancient artifacts displayed at the in-house museum. Various idols of Buddha,sacred Thangkas, murals and ancient Buddhist scriptures adorn the shelves.The Tibetan Buddhist monastery was established in 17th century.
The Tibetan style architecture of the monastery is very colourful and attractive.The huge courtyard is where all the celebration and public functions are held.Verandah is decorated with colourful wall paintings of Buddhist Kalchakra.
The Hemis festival ...The Himalayan Kumbh Mela is due in 2016 and attracts lots of tourists from across the world.Thangka of the monastery,a sign of good health and spiritual strength,can be seen during this festival held every twelfth year.
Thiksey Gompa
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| Prayer Hall |
About 30 monks had gathered for chanted-prayers,including some pre-teen Llamas.The overall effect was fascinating...the sonorous chant,the beating of hollow drums,clash of smallish cymbals,tinkling bells,blowing conch shells, all made it worth the while.Visitors are welcome to the proceedings but are restricted to observing in silence and indulge only in non-flash photography.
The Druk White Lotus School is located in Shey. It draws its 380 pupils from the surrounding village of Shey. The school is a modest yet outstanding example of truly sustainable design conceived under the patronage of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
The solidly earthquake resistant buildings rely on principles of natural ventilation, appropriate orientation and solar heating.The school provides a safe, sustainable and pleasant learning environment to standards previously unavailable in Ladakh, and responds to the specific cultural needs of local people.
It is popularly called the Rancho school,after Amir Khan (Rancho in the movie), made "3 Idiots" there.
And now it is a part of the tourist circuit.Good for the school which runs only on donations and I suppose they get quite a good collection during the season.Who says NO to Bollywood.
Our last port of call.As the summer home to Ladakh’s former royal family, it feels much more 'lived-in', though the overall scene is somewhat marred by a giant telecommunication tower. A handful of 'museum' rooms display family treasures including the queen’s ancient turquoise and gold crown.
The palace’s cafe is well appointed with open terrace seating and splendid views.The sandwiches and coffee were quite good
We are almost done but for a short spin through the Leh market to pick up a memorabilia.This was completed without breaking sweat,and after a cup of tea along with our tireless-and-always-smiling Rinzen we beat a retreat to our lodgings.
Day 8: We bid adieu to Leh and Ladakh and head back to Mumbai via Delhi
In Summary,what is it about Ladakh that it should be a part of your bucket list
It is remote,rugged and arid,the likes of which you will not see elsewhere in the country.It has large brackish lakes at high altitudes,picturesque peaks,fantastic valleys and great monasteries where colourful fluttering prayer flags spread their spiritual messages metaphorically with the mountain breeze.
The varying altitude of Ladakh,10,000-25,000 feet makes it exciting and adventurous;negotiating the snow bound high passes and marvelling at the pristine beauty of the valleys.It borders Pakistan and China and the very thought of our Army guarding the treacherous terrain...read Siachen,is a humble and profound feeling
The Ladakhis are sweet natured,hospitable,hard working and fun loving people.All the winter months are spent in various carnivals as there is nothing else to do
Ladakhi sense of eco awareness is very high and we should learn from them. While most Ladakhis are cash poor,traditional mud-brick homesteads are large,comfortable and self sufficient in fuel,dairy,organic vegetables and barley.Such self-sufficiency is an incredible achievement given the short growing season and very limited arable land in this desert,where precious water supply must be painstakingly channelled from glacier-melt mountain streams.
Julley Ladakh!
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