THE FOURTH IDIOT IN PANGONG LAKE ! - LADAKH JOURNEY

We finally reached Desert Himalaya Resort, where we would be staying for the day. We were very tired after a long drive.

Though the approach road was a little rough, the resort was tucked within 6 acres of lush green land and looked welcoming.

We had experienced staying in a tent in Amby Valley, Lonavala, but our stay was more memorable in Nubra Valley due to the solitude all around us and awesome views of the majestic Karakoram and Ladakh Range, with natural springs flowing here and there.

The tent was comfortable, spacious, and well equipped with amenities like a sofa, study desk, heater/cooler, tea/coffee maker, bathroom with a shower cubicle, hot/cold water, washbasin, and organic toiletries. We were promptly served hot chai in our tents on checking in.

After resting for a while, we freshened up and started for the Hunder Sand Dunes for the camel safari. I thought it was indeed a miracle of nature that sand dunes could be found in such high-altitude rocky mountains.

After a 10-minute drive, we came to the dunes and saw one of the most unique sights in the world: the double-humped camels, also called camels with a backrest. The Bactrian camels, found only in Hunder, were the main mode of transport when Ladakh was an important stopover on the ancient trade routes with Central Asia.

We stepped down from the car and walked down to the dunes; midway, we found a natural stream made accessible to tourists, where the young were jumping and the old relaxing with their feet dangling in the cool water. 

There was quite a crowd; we took our tickets, and after waiting for a while, we got a chance to ride on the camels. Riding one of those is a memorable experience that brings people here from afar.

The camels bowed down on their hunches, and each of us got on them. Only one person was allowed on each camel unless it was a small child with its parent. When the camels got up with a jerk and a shrill grunt, it was quite scary but thrilling; all around were the beautiful rugged mountains, some wearing snow caps, and there were undulating white sand dunes on which some tourists could be seen walking and frolicking in blissful joy.

The rocking and wobbling movement of the camel sent me into a happy rhythm, and I was rudely disturbed by a tiny camel running behind mine. My camel appeared to look back accusingly at me. The person who was leading our pack of camels said with a cheeky grin that maybe the small camel wanted a cuddle from its mother, which was the camel I was riding on.

My husband remarked in mirth that only humble me seems to go through such experiences; we were reminded of my rebellious horse in Bhutan, which was hell-bent on throwing me off its back from the top of the steep Tiger Hill, but that is an entirely different story  

All in all, it was a thrilling experience to ride on the double-humped, camels though it was heart-wrenching to see the camels giving rides to an innumerable number of tourists with no rest whatsoever because the owners wanted to finish the rides before the sun set.

Hunder sand dunes had quad biking facilities, and in between the hills there were zip lines too, though we were too tired to use them.

It was getting dark, the sun was setting and the weather became cooler. We returned back to our resort and had our dinner in the restaurant. It was a buffet with an average menu, but the live singing made our meal worthwhile. I always wonder why even average singers sound so melodious when they sing in the restaurants or on cruises; maybe their choice of songs suits our holiday mood.

We then sat on our verandah and gazed at the beautiful surrounding mountain range. The trees waved their boughs at us gently; the view of the night sky was especially amazing with millions of sparkling stars and the moon peeking amongst them. Don’t we have these views in our cities, or do we not have time to sit still and watch nature? I loudly pondered.

Hunder Valley is extremely beautiful, and the festival of Hunder is a chance to see the ancient culture of local people. It is celebrated jointly with Diskit Monastery every year. The display of Cham dance and traditional arts and sports is the highlight of the festival.

Winter is quite harsh, and Ladakh remains snowbound during the season. Visiting is possible only during summer, from June to August, which is the best time to visit Hundur, which is like an oasis in the midst of the harsh rocky setting.

We had to start early for the Pangong River journey, so we got our breakfast packed with rotis, sandwiches and fresh fruits.

We first travelled all the way back to Khalsar Village, where the road split, and we followed the road leading to Village Agham. For most part of our drive, we were accompanied by the Shyok River. The road was quite smooth till we reached Durbuk village, where we stopped for a cup of tea.

The restaurant was quite small, but its charm was the tall, threatening hills on one side, which looked as if they would topple any moment on us and a brook on the other side. We continued till we reached Tangtse.

On the way we stopped to see the marmots, which are big squirrels and live in the mountainous areas like Ladakh. Marmots live in burrows and hide throughout the winter, but we were asked by our driver not to feed them. They appeared quite friendly, but I was a little apprehensive of their bite.

The road was in places nonexistent, and the constantly flowing icy water flowing down the hills seemed to destroy the roads, which were filled with slush and stones. I noticed that the 2-wheelers were having a tough time navigating these roads.

Rocked in the car like the pebbles on the road, we didn’t notice the approaching Pangong Lake till our driver pointed it out to us; it was shining in the bright sun like a beacon light urging us to reach it faster.

Pangong Lake, or Tso, lies at a breathtaking elevation of 14,270 feet. Interestingly, the lake is around 160 km long and can be seen on maps between India and China; 60% of the lake stretches in China, which is an exciting thought for a tourist.

The surreal clean blue waters are actually brackish or salty in nature, and no aquatic life survives in the same; the temperature range between -30 and -10 degrees makes even this salty lake freeze with thick ice sheets.

We reached the lake and walked down to the shore; indeed the lake was worth coming all this tough way. Its colours were to be seen with our own eyes to be appreciated: blue water with sudden changes of color to green when the sun aimed its rays on it and grey when the clouds threatened to cover it; the lake seemed to act like a chameleon.

My husband wanted to taste the water and remarked that it was indeed very salty.

The lake got famous with the movie “3 Idiots," where Kareena Kapoor as “Pia” was seen riding a yellow scooter. Now the shore is indeed flooded with the yellow scooters with helmets, drums, and the colorful chairs used in the movie. 

The tourists can click snaps with them for a small fee; we took a few snaps, and my hubby joined me after a lot of coaxing. 

 

Apart from 3 Idiots, Sanam Re, Dil Se, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Waqt, Tashan, and Heroes were all shot in this locale. Mostly, campsites, cottages, and small guest houses support the stay of tourists and I thought it would be divine to wake up to the sight of the beautiful lake, but alas, we had to proceed to Leh!

From January to February, the lake becomes frozen and forms a perfect setting to play cricket or enjoy the chit-chat while walking over the surface; it is like another ‘chadar’ famous for the name of the frozen Zanskar River trek. 

After the visit to the lake, with its sweet memories stored in our minds and hearts full of peace and harmony, we took a different route this time to Leh via Lukung, Tangste, and Darbuk. On the way we saw the Chang La Pass, the third-highest motorable road in the world at an altitude of 17,590 feet. We had a roadblock there but it was very quickly cleared. 

Chang La Pass is closely connected to Leh via the Kharu and Shyok valleys by a tricky asphalt road, which is the major gateway to the famous Changthang Plateau in the Himalayas.

The name Chang La means "a pass to the south," and its name is related to Chang La Baba, whose name there is a temple for.

Tangste, a small town existing near the pass, is the only inhabited region in the vicinity.

Finally, we reached Leh and were given our original room, where we rested and got ready for the flight back home.

Looking back at our Ladakh trip, we started on an apprehensive note, wondering whether we would be able to withstand the low oxygen in the air but with God’s grace, we managed and enjoyed the trip. There were anxious moments when we wondered if we could climb up to a particular monastery or hill, but we could do it and enjoyed the nature,the people, and the places. Ladakh will certainly hold a special place in our hearts from now on for sure.

 

BREATHLESS KHARDUNGLA -NUBRA AND DISKIT -LADAKH JOURNEY

It was the start of a fresh day and we vacated our room and placed our suitcases in the hotel lobby for safe keeping in the store room, we had packed 3 pairs of clothes each into a suitcase for a 2 day tour to Nubra valley and Pangong lake 

We had our breakfast and set going on our tour, Nubra is also called Dumra meaning a valley of flowers, it forms a tri-armed valley cut by Nubra and Shyok rivers. The best time to visit is in summers between the months of June and September when the weather would be congenial

Located at a distance of 150 km north of Leh town, the travelling time required to reach this valley ranges between 5-6 hours.

Though initially the roads were fine and motor able , gradually we found that the terrain became uneven. 

We stopped at a view point to see the awesome views around us, there was the customary small rugged tea stall serving the omni present hot noodles and masala chai 

As we traveled I was reminded of the song “ Yeh Kaun Chitrakar Hai '’sung by our Mukesh, how does one even attempt to describe the beauty of nature around, the brown ,stark and rugged mountains through which silken strands of roads were woven skillfully

We were looking in silent awe at the stark beauty spread before us , occasionally our attention was diverted by the beautiful  feathery clouds beckoning us to play hide and seek with them 

The conventional route that is preferred by almost everyone who comes to Ladakh trip, the Leh to Nubra road via Khardung La takes us over what is known to be the highest motor able civilian all weather pass. 

The road from Leh to South Pullu was good and ascending and we got our inner permits checked there, but from that point to the summit of Khardung La, it was all gravel and slushy trail. 

Standing at the height of 17,580 feet above sea level, the Khardung La Pass has played a significant role in Ladakh’s popularity and has provided an ease of travel and commute, it is important to the army stationed in Siahen and was once an important part of the Caravan trade route that led to Kashgar in central Asia and was traversed by thousands of horses and camels. The descendants of those are what we would be shortly seeing - the Bactrian Camels.

Until very recently, it was the world’s highest motorable road and was surpassed by ‘Umlingla Pass’ which has been built at an altitude of 19,300 feet.

As we neared the pass it was exciting to know that we were performing a difficult task of reaching such heights that too after entering 60 years age

Khardungla was indeed crowded and tourists were literally vying with one another to pose in front of the huge sign that claims, you are (almost) on top of the world 

Each tourist inadvertently and invariably was being photographed by other groups as it happens in most tourist places 

All around us we could see brightly colored Buddhist prayer flags fluttering in the rapid winds

Snow-capped mountain landscapes with snow flowing down them as if dollops of vanilla ice cream was being dished out generously by the mountain kings

Mindful of the fact that we should not linger there for long, not more than 15 to 20 minutes, my brain gave my usual alarm ,my hubby by now used to my strict time keeping went sighing in search of our driver who was nonchalantly having his hot cuppa butter chai ,I shuddered within myself seeing the butter chai as I had an unhappy encounter with it in Bhutan which led to severe bouts of vomiting which were indeed gut wrenching ,L.O.L

I was wondering how the mountaineers would feel after laboriously hiking up the steep mountains whereas here we were feeling so exalted and thrilled even after having traveled in a comfortable vehicle From the pass we would be going to Diskit headquarters of Nubra and Hunder and stopped at a small dhaba sort of eating place with seating improvised from old discarded tires of various sizes 

First we reached the Khardung La Village and then North Pullu where we had to show the permits again.

After Khardung La Village, we reached Khalsar, where the road bifurcated. The right road lead to Sumur, Panamik and Warshi, while the left one which we took lead to Diskit and Turtuk.

Both the roads were scenic and each turn gave us the best of the views, however putting a rude break to my dreamy thoughts our driver showed  the skeleton of a small car perched upside down on a hill ,of course I had to ask our driver if any of the tourists in the car had survived fully knowing the answer

I was admiring the motor cyclists happily whipping past us enjoying the winds freely ,I remarked to my hubby what if a miracle made us younger and offered us the chance of motor cycling adventurously we could travel all over the mountains ,he smiled at me tolerantly

Surrounded by snow-capped Himalayan ranges, Nubra valley lies sandwiched between Tibet and Kashmir and it is actually an extension of the Tibetan Plateau (Qing-Zang Plateau) that starts in China and extends up to Ladakh and is the most beautiful part of Ladakh. 

Nubra region is divided into "Diskit  Nubra" in the north and the "Darbuk region" in the south, Siachen Glacier lies to the north of the valley.

The valley in winter looks bare without any vegetation and is compared to the landscape of the moon and so aptly called moon -land 

The average altitude of the valley is more than 10,000 feet above the sea level with rare precipitation and so has scant vegetation except along river beds where the people choose to dwell

As we travel we see beautiful green patches amidst the gray arid landscape and as we go nearer we can appreciate villages with pukka houses , agriculture going on, shops, schools and hospitals ,people going about their routine chores ,We have to really appreciate and admire their tenacity to withstand and mould their lives to the climate changes

The villages are irrigated and fertile, producing wheat, barley, peas, mustard and a variety of fruits and nuts, including blood apples, walnuts, apricots and even a few almond trees which we found all over Leh and we came to know that most of Nubra is inhabited by Buddhists.

As we traveled further I noticed that some of the stark hills now were sheltering mounds of white sand which was a stunning feature to see and these were supposed to change constantly with the wind

As we entered the Nubra valley we could see green and healthy trees  lo suddenly we caught the sight of the 32 meter statue of Maitreya Buddha the landmark of Nubra , it is maintained by the Diskit Monastery. 

Maitreya Buddha is the image of the future incarnation of Buddha, the founder of Buddhist belief, the depiction has a significant place in the Nubra Valley. 

The Maitreya Buddha was located on the top of a steep hill inside the grounds of Diskit Monastery ,we could go quite near it in our car and we then climbed to its base ,view from the statue was spell bounding and we could get a panoramic view of the Diskit monastery and the surrounding villages and green fields

The gold and red colored statue looked over the entire valley and was facing west towards Pakistan. Declared Sacred by the 14th Dalai Lama himself, the statue was made with 3 thoughts in mind; protection of Diskit , avoid further wars with Pakistan and to promote peace in the world. 

The statue had intricate carvings with brilliant craftsmanship and vivid colors. The hall beneath the statue housed a vast variety of Buddhist literature and a collection of statues, including those of Shakyamuni Buddha and Guru Rimpoche.

Buddha's statue was set up in 2006 and officially inaugurated by Dalai Lama in 2010. Natives from the valley helped in the construction and the gold used in the statue was donated by the heads of other major monasteries around. 

As I sat on the bench and looked steadily at the statue towering over me I felt  relaxed and serene ,the statue was trying to tell me that in spite of all the prevailing strife and evils in the present world, peace will ultimately prevail ,such experiences are indeed humbling and worth all the long and difficult travel

The main village, Diskit, is home to the dramatically positioned Diskit Monastery which was built in 1420 AD, it is the largest and the oldest Gompa in Nubra Valley . 

Built in the 14th century, the monastery is mostly known for its beautiful architecture and its amazing placement atop a hill, it overlooks the town of Diskit and the entire Nubra Valley.

Inside the monastery, there is a statue of Cho Rinpoche (Crowned Buddha), a large drum and many depictions of the guardian deities of Buddhism, alongside a large fresco of Tashilhunpo Monastery of Tibet.