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Ladakh: Where Nature's Silence is Eloquent |
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by Priyadarshini Sur |
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The fear of scorching sun during May at the sandy beaches of Vizag prod us towards the Himalayas every year. Usually we plan to complete the itinerary in shoe string budget every year, but this year was an exception. Why? It was no other place than Ladakh. Even though the peak season to visit Ladakh is June to August, we had to start in mid May because my summer vacation is only till 1st June. I work as a teacher in a school in Vizag. We were a group of six, my husband and two children and a family friend. Their daughter is studying in Australia. As we had very limited number of holidays we decided to travel by air. Day 1: 14th May
The first thought that stuck me on stepping out of the aircraft on to the steps, viewing around Leh was of vastness and brightness. It was 0820 hrs. As Leh is a mountainous desert the sun sparkles and startles here. As we stepped out from the airport gate we found the taxi driver waiting for us from Hotel Lasermo, where we had booking. On the way we were trying to identify the trees we could see. We were told by the driver that those trees were local species. We could see very little vegetation. Julley! (which means hello, namaste, good bye…) was the first word by which we were welcomed by the hotel manager Yasin. He presented each of us the traditional silk scarf. Then we had a hot cup of tea (the welcome tea). I must mention that the staff of the hotel is very hospitable and makes you feel at home. The hotel Lasermo opens throughout the year with central heating. It is on Chulung Old Road. The rooms are well furnished with running hot and cold water in the morning and the evening. It costs Rs.2000 in peak season. Ladakh is a high altitude cold desert with a low level of atmospheric oxygen. It is therefore absolutely necessary that visitors reaching Leh from plain by air and give themselves sufficient time for acclimatization before engaging any physical activity. Any movement on first day might result in headache or nausea or short of breath. While climbing the hotel stairs my 7 year old son complained of breathlessness. His lips turned white and we had to carry him to the room at 2nd floor. Both the children slept till noon. We took complete rest on the first day and stepped out only in the evening for a visit to the local market. In spite of taking rest for the whole day I had reeling sensation at night. It is advisable to take Paracetamol on the first day and as and when required. Day 2: 15th May: Leh and around We started at around 0830 hrs after having light breakfast with biscuits and cake bought from the oldest bakery of Leh –Golden Bakery. Nestled deep inside the Himalayas about 25 km from the town of Leh on the Leh-Srinagar road is a Gurudwara called Sri Pather Sahib. The Gurudwara Sahib was built in the year 1517 to commemorate the visit of Sri Guru Nanak Devji. Legend says that Sri Gurunanak Devji reached Leh via Sikkim, Nepal, Tibet and Yarkhand. The place is revered by both the local lamas and Sikh sangat. A drive of another 4 km took us to Magnetic Hill which defies the law of gravity. It has been noticed that when a vehicle is parked on neutral gear on this metallic road the vehicle slides up.
After leaving behind Saspol, while leaving the main Leh-Srinagar highway on the right bank of the Indus and crossing the steel bridge across the river, we reached Alchi village which is 67 km west of Leh. Passing down through the narrow crooked path along the tiny stream flowing by side and sandwiched between narrow clay walls we find the Alchi Chhoskhor (religious enclave). It is the only one in Ladakh on flat ground, so no knee breaking climb is involved. It is at an altitude of 10,928 ft. There are five temple structures and few stupas. It was founded in the 11th century and is abandoned as a place of active worship.
Nearing towards Leh we saw the Spitok Gompa and, 8 km from Leh and the Phyang gompa. Hall of Fame near Leh is worth a visit for every citizen. It is a glorious museum constructed by Indian army. You can see the memorabilia, eminent defence personalities with biographies, images and weapons used during Kargil war and belongings of enemy soldiers found at war site. Another section of this building is entirely dedicated to Siachen and its heroes. On display are attires, multi layered shoes to keep their feet from frost bites, their daily instruments, their day to day food mainly frozen and packed, which is heated by lighting small balls of Hexamycin tablets, as fire is difficult to ignite at a temperature dipping -30 deg to -50 deg centigrade. It is mentioned on a board that 97% of the casualties in Siachen are due to cold and terrain. With heavy heart we came out of Hall of Fame and headed for Shanti Stupa.
The Nubra Valley starts at the village of Khalsar (10,652ft) where there are several tea houses and huge amounts of discarded army equipment. The road then divides just before the village of Lughzen- the left fork going to Hundar and beyond following the Shyok river. The right fork heads north to Panamik and beyond, following the Nubra river. Nubra means green. The valley is a wonderful area to visit. The main village is Diskit in the southern valley at 10,751 ft and 120 km from Leh. One of the best accommodations available is Olthang Guest House. There is a comfortable lounge area, a sun room and a large garden with car parking and it is open in winter also. Day 4: 17th May
About 7 km from Diskit is Hunder, a pretty village, set among lots of trees and gurgling streams. It is the farthest point where civilians are allowed. We went near a bridge from where Turtuk the border village of India and Pakistan is 50 km. We met two Sikh soldiers who told us that during firing shells drop there. Next we visited the 500 year old Diskit Gompa on a hill above the village. The main village of Diskit has a bazaar comprising of single line of shops, post office and bank.
We checked out from Hotel Yarab Tso after breakfast and visited Samstemling Gompa at Sumur. Inaugurated by Dalai Lama in 1962, it is a busy, friendly place. It is a colourful Gompa and has impressive collection of thangkas and excellently restored frescos. Despite its barrenness, the Ladakh plateau support a sparse population of wild life. On the way back to Leh via Khardungla we spotted a yellow colored animal called Marmat and later on the very next day while going to Pangong Tso we spotted the wild ass called Kyang. Our last point was Leh Palace and Namgyl Semo Gompa. Leh palace is a nine storey deserted building. It was built in 17th century. There are many low roofed small rooms inside the palace. Restoration work is going on. Day 6: 19th May: Pangong Tso On the way to Pangong lake from Leh the first halt was at Sindhu Ghat the place where Sindhu Darshan festival is held in the month of June every year. This festival is a symbol of India's unity and communal harmony. A few kilometers up the Indus is Shey Palace at 11204 ft, the most ancient capital of ladakh. We drove up stream along the right bank of the Indus River via Thikse and Karu and continued along the steep road towards Changla (17800 ft) the third highest motor able road in the world. There is a temple at the top of the Changla and lots of prayer flags. The road on the descent is in extremely bad condition till Tsolthang. The first village is Durbuk followed by Tangse (13800 ft) both with army stations. There is dearth of decent accommodation in this small village. We had to struggle a lot to get accommodation in the PWD bungalow. It was bitterly cold at night. We found snow fall in the evening. Day 7: 20th May: Pangong to Leh From Tangsey to Lukung is 32 km drive along a rough dirt track through spectacular barren mountain scenery. We spotted Pashmina goats and wondered what these goats feed on!
After spending about an hour on the banks of the lake and enjoying the awesome beauty of the high altitude lake we started back towards Leh. We had lunch in a dhaba at karu. 45 Km from Leh we visited Hemis the biggest monastery of Ladakh and saw Stakna and Matho Gompa on the way back to Leh. We spent the evening at Leh Bazaar. Strolling along its lanes and by lanes observing the crowd and looking into the curio shops is an engaging experience. A particularly attractive sight is the line of women from nearly villages sitting along the edge of the footpath with baskets of fresh vegetables brought for sale. We observed in the villages of Ladakh houses are made of bricks cemented with a yellow colored clay. The roofs of the houses are supported by wooden beams. Day 8: 21st May We had to bid good bye to Leh, even though we wished we could stay longer and headed towards the airport to board the Leh to Jammu flight at 0840 hrs. |
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16-Jul-2006 | ||
More by : Priyadarshini Sur | ||
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