A trip to Leh, the capital of Ladakh, is a biker's dream. The rugged Himalayan terrain has roads washed away by mountain streams. There's a semblance of a snow lined path on a plain in between and it gets edgier as you scale altitudes. Tall houses with square windows, roofs covered with insulating dried grass, a yellow thatch that adds color to a blue sky and snow capped white mountains around'it's akin to a fairytale. Adding to the mélange of colors are the monasteries, thanks to the Theravada school and Vajrayana Buddhism followed in Hemis, Sumur and Spituk regions.
Things to see and do
The monasteries and palaces circuit here is a must-see. This includes the Shey Palace from the 17th century apart from the Hemis monastery nearby. You can sit and contemplate at the monastery here in front of the statue of Buddha or look around at Monastery at Lehthe marvelous paintings on the walls. In fact, most temples here have ancient paintings done with vegetable dyes. Residing monks opine these must have been done during the cold months when the place was cut off from the rest of the world. The monasteries atop mountains give the best view of Ladakh. Some like Thiksey offer Tibetan medicine with a full-fledged dispensary manned by monks. And other places like Shanti stupa also sell books on Buddhism.
At Leh, you can also pick semi precious stone wear and funky jackets or eat momos at the main market near Fort Road. You can just sit and watch the world around at these numerous, small compact eateries selling momos and butter tea. There are other restaurants too selling Punjabi and Chinese food.
You can also visit Diskit and Hunder in Nubra valley, for a feel of folk life at Ladakh. You will even get to see Bactrian camels that were used for transport during the silk route days. We'd recommend that you stay in a guest house in Leh. There are plenty. This way you can understand the culture and maybe learn to make some momos too. Eat the Thupka'noodle soup with regional spinach. Go white water rafting on the Indus river and you will love the technical grade of Pangong lakerapids here and come back with a deep tan of being there on the river the whole day. For water buffs there is the Pangong Tso lake on the Indo-Chinese border too, surrounded by mountains colored purple, blue, green and more. Local people tell you tales of a big fish seen underwater when the lake is frozen in winter, on the lines of the famous Loch Ness monster stories from UK. To reach this place you have to take the highest motorable road on the earth at Khardungla.
How to reach
This high altitude cold desert is approachable between June and August via Manali or Kargil. During the other parts of the year, the Rohtang and Zoji La passes are covered with snow and Leh is steeped in cold winter.
The popular option is via Manali. But the biting cold at the camps in Sarchu before you crossover to Ladakh from Himachal Pradesh is unbearable, especially if you have never experienced sub zero temperature. The camps in the shadow of snow capped peaks have a semblance of an open air deep freezer in spite of the blankets you are offered to wrap up and sleep in. It takes two days to travel to Leh from Manali.
The other and better option is to take a flight to Srinagar and drive down via Dras with a night halt at Kargil. It is beautiful to see the green pine tree covered mountains change to a lunar landscape and horses making way to yaks. Mountains in various hues - red, white, black and gray - are seen en route as also the confluence of rivers Zanskar and Indus - one blueSnowline and the other brown - blending into a common shade and flowing to Pakistan as Sindh.
Also the night halt at Kargil helps in the much needed acclimatization in Leh. Mountain sickness is common as you approach passes. Extreme headache, difficulty to breath, bleeding from the nose, inability to walk and change in night breathing patterns are the symptoms. People who don't have sulfa allergy can take Diamox every six hours. Disprin works too, to some extent. You have to be fit to take this demanding trip.
Cost
The homestays in Leh or Diskit cost Rs. 900-1,000 per double room occupancy in peak season (July-August). The local cars (choose bigger cars best suited for rugged terrain) have a tariff chart given by the government. Ask for it. Avoid touts and travel agents. They make a 400 per cent profit over each person. Get online and make your own plans. You can transfer half the sum and reserve your accommodation and vehicles. Don' t forget to carry the online booking copies. You need inner line permits for visiting places like Khardungla Pass and Pangong Tso lake and also Nubra valley. Ask your guest house to assist you in that.
A five-day stay at Leh with local travel and food for a group of seven will cost anywhere between Rs. 4,000 and Rs. 7,000. The bigger chunk of expense goes into travel. But early flight bookings definitely help in bringing the costs down. While travelling from Srinagar or Manali, choose for a comfortable big car, as the terrain is very difficult.
About the Author:
Sanskrity Sinha is a freelance writer specializing in articles on Chandigarh City information. Please visit the website to get all possible information about Chandigarh Shopping & more.