|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TO experience Ladakh, one has to be a traveller not a tourist. It is not for the faint-hearted. One returns humbled by the beauty of the place and tenacity of its inhabitants. I decided to fly to Leh and do the entire Ladakh, Nubra valley and the high-altitude lakes on a jeep safari. The most important thing about flying into any high-altitude destination (12,000 feet) is that one has to take complete bed rest on arrival for a minimum of 36 hours. I paid no heed to the warnings about acute mountain sickness and I fainted within three hours of arrival. We visited the beautiful Spituk monastery, a few kilometres from Leh, and the Phyang Monastery, off the Leh-Kargil road. The exciting part was the special feeling of being in the vicinity of Kargil and, later, the trip to Siachen. The landscape of barren, rocky and snow-clad mountains is picturesque as is the mighty Indus flowing parallel to the road. The monasteries in Ladakh are perched on mountain tops and are visited more by foreigners keen to learn about Buddhism practised by all Ladakhis. The red robes of the monks, the little boys who work in the monastery and the intricate murals on the walls—all add up to the beauty of Ladakh. The Shanti Stupa stands out as does the Leh palace (which is in ruins) that towers above the rest of the valley. Remember to mind your head since doorways are really low. I found out that poplar and willow, sacred for Ladakhis, come in handy to make the ceilings of the palace. Alchi is famous for its three gompas that are adorned with works of art. The murals on the walls are intricate and have been painted with gems and precious stones. Likir is famous for the golden Buddha statue. Don’t forget to sip delicious hot kahwa (herb tea) the monks of Likir especially make for visitors. The drive to Likir, on the highway to the historical road to Kargil. Was a high point of this particular trip since we were on the road and the closer we got to the Kargil post, the more excited we felt. Alchi is a tiny village with exactly four shops. The next day we left for Lamayuru, with its monastery perched on the steep rock overlooking the village. It is known for the famous Naropa’s cave, where a renowned monk spent many years meditating. Statues were built in exactly those places. We took a short cut to Lamayuru, through a dirt road that offered the most amazing scenery. Our next trip was to Nubra Valley, via the famous Khardung La (Pass), this is the highest motorable pass in the world at 18,300 feet. The three highest passes in the world are situated in Ladakh. The drive to Khardung La is exciting as the ascent brings you to snow-clad mountains and thousands of prayer flags, the sign of the sacred pass. From Khardung La we drove to Sumur, the Nubra Valley. There is a stark difference between Leh Valley and Nubra. The latter is greener and lusher. We travelled to Diskit the next day and after visiting the monastery, carried on to Hunder, known for its sand dunes and dromedary camels, a species with two humps specially from Mongolia. You can ride them for Rs. 150 sands. The hot springs of Panamik have waste and plastic dumped on them and it is is the closest that you can get to the Siachen base camp. Civilians are not allowed beyond this point. It is an eight-hour drive to Tso Moriri via Karo, Upshi and then the famous Mahe Bridge. There is no civilisation and the only inhabitants in Kurzok village are nomads. Before reaching Tso Moriri, one comes across Thakshang Karu, an emerald lake in the middle of nowhere. From there to Tso Moriri, one finds maromots with rabbit-like features. Tso Moriri is a protected zone and one can camp a little away from the lake. We moved into summit camp quite exhausted but the serenity is rejuvenating. The massive blue lake is home to hundreds of species of birds and seems a picture-perfect painting. A trek to the nomadic camp and a visit to an unbelievably warm yak-tented home of a nomad was memorable. On the way we experienced icy rainfall at an altitude of 15,600 feet. |
||
|
|
||
