Blogs from Jammu & Kashmir, India, Asia

Hier kommt endlich unser erster Blogeintrag. Zur Info: für weitere Fotos ganz nach unten scrollen. 2.9. Endlich geht es los. Seit Jahren, Monaten, Wochen, Tagen bereiten wir uns auf diese Reise vor - organisatorisch, mental, materiell. Jetzt ist es real, vollbepackt zum Bahnhof marschierend realisieren wir es erst so richtig. Die Reise verläuft planmässig und ohne nennenswerte Begebenheiten. Am Flughafen in Delhi müssen wir zwar mehrere ATMs abklappern, bis einer endlich doch noch Geld ausspuckt, aber vor dem Gate erwartet uns wie erhofft ein Taxifahrer mit Schild und bringt uns zum Hotel in der Aerocity. Es ist bereits weit nach Mitternacht als wir dort ankommen, immer noch 32°C mit hoher Luftfeuchtigkeit. Da werden wir uns wohl dran gewöhnen müssen. 3.9. Beim Checkout werden wir zu einer Rezension auf booking genötigt, dann will man uns unbedingt ein ... read more

Today was always going to be a big travelling day. I had to get from the furthest outpost of Ladakh back to Leh, where I had arranged to pick up a mountain bike and then another hour or so in a vehicle with bike and baggage to Sakti where there was a Buddhist festival I planned to attend the following day. The second leg was organised. The first leg was not as there was no taxi stand in Turtuk, and I really didn’t fancy travelling by the local bus (not just because it left at 6am). I had brekkie and waved goodbye to my hosts at about 7.30am, and wandered down to the parking spot where a number of chartered taxis were parked. There were about five vehicles and not a soul in sight. I went ... read more

After a sweltering day in Delhi, where I dragged myself around a few of the sights before chilling out by the hotel pool, I took an early flight to Leh, Ladakh. Ladakh is sandwiched between Pakistan and China on the Tibetan plateau and it encompasses part of the Karakoram range, part of the Himalayas, and a few lesser known ranges - breathtaking in multiple senses of the word. As Leh is at 3500m it’s essential to spend the first couple of days taking it pretty easy so I had booked into a nice midrange hotel (Gomang Boutique hotel - highly recommended!) slightly away from central Leh, so I could do a bit of gentle meandering around the town. The staff couldn’t have been more welcoming - I arrived at about 7.45am, and after checking in was ... read more

Leh - Ladakh: 23/8/21 to 29/8/21 There are three mis-matched regions of “Jammu & Kashmir” state: (1) Hindu dominated ‘Jammu’ region, (2) Buddhist ‘Ladakh’ and (3) predominantly muslim - ‘Kashmir’. This is not a political commentary on why and how they came together, but now some sense is being brought in by separating ‘Ladakh’ as a Union Territory with Leh as its capital. Leh-Ladakh has many strange ‘world-records’ to its credit. It is in fact a (world’s highest) desert (rain-shadow area) in the Himalayas. Technically this region opened for tourists sometime in the 1970s but has developed as a major destination in the last two decades only. I will arbitrarily divide Himalayas in to six regions (for tourism purpose only) - (1) Snow clad mountains of Kashmir, (2) Deserted mountains of Ladakh and Kargil, (3) Green ... read more

Day-6: 28-08-2021 - Nubra-Hunder to Leh: The last day of the Ladakh tour included a return journey from Hunder to Leh. Crowded it was, as we had seen while passing through two days back, but the people were simply going mad. There was a real traffic jam at 18000+ ft! Vehicles were parked at will wherever there was some space (see video). We stopped a few feet after crossing the peak and did enjoy the snowfall for a while. It was our first experience of snow. Entertaining it was, but it raises serious issues about sustainability of the environment if such behaviour is allowed to continue. If we can restrict the time a vehicle remains inside the airport pick-up/drop-off zone, why not at such crucial and delicate points? On either side of Khardung La there are ... read more