Ladakh, part I

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Joo-lay
(useful phrase to know in Ladakh as its the ladakhi word for "hello", "goodbye", "thank you", and "please"),

I last left you with my update on Kashmir. I had a wonderful time in that corner of the world. The events of the last few days alone had been amazing. The yatra/trek left a deep and lasting impression on me as I shared that experience with thousands of devotees who where treking for several days to see Shiva's, their god, abode. The people not only allowed me to follow on their steps, but also welcomed me as a fellow pilgrim. Now back in Srinigar, I was begining another memorable journey of my trip. I was headed into Ladakh, a facinating region located deep in the Himalayas of North West India right at the border with Tibet. In a way, it was as if I was stepping right into a scene from "Seven Years in Tibet." It was a fantastic experience filled with culture, amazing alpine desert scenes, and more.

I hopped aboard a bus headed from Srinigar to Kargil the following morning. The torrential rains of yesturday had stopped and a blue crystal clear sky was visible above in the sky. I hadn't had a good sleep as I caught what I believed was a simple cold. I guess I caught it on the yatra/trek. It's perfectly understandable as I was sharing the same food/water with thousands of people! I decided early on to take the bus after all and hoped for the best. The ride was a meamorable one as we started climbing out of the Valley of Kashmir. Our first stop was at a nameless tea shop on the side of the road, where I had a tasty kashmiri salted tea. Crossing the rice paddies on last time, we climbed into a temperate forest that was full with towering pine trees. We stoped for lunch at the lovely town of Sonamarg, which has a beautiful setting sorrounded by not only the forest, but also fantastic mountains.

The bus came to a halting stop not far from Sonamarg as we waited for the road through the Zoji La (Pass) to reopen. The roads on this part of the world are so poorly maintained and constructed that they do not allow for two way traffic yet. After half an hour we were given the green light to continue. By this point the cars, trucks, and buses had piled up so we had to wait our turn to go up. The slow trucks where the last to go. The road up the pass is not for the faint of heart. It has sharp steep drops that go on for hundreds of meters on end. As we slowly climbed to the top of Zoji La, I began to get a slight fever. I tried to supress the agony of it as I cought my last glimpse of the beautiful Valley of Kashmir. You see, for all practical purposes, the Zoji La is the geographic border between Kashmir proper and Ladakh. The green rice paddies of the valley as well as the pine tree forest on its side are replaced by vast fields of semi-arid alpine grass. At the top, the bus was forced to stop again at a military checkpoint. By this point, the fever had worsen and the cold weather of the highlands wasn't helping at all. I managed to borrow a blanket from a local as I painfully waited for what must have been a good half an hour for the military personal to come and check our IDs. I was happy when the bus kept on going. I tried to supress the pain by focusing on the scenery outside. We were passing thru the Minamarg Meadow, a vast semi-arid grassland. As we did, I began to see the grass change from a bright green to a yellow-brown as the climate began more arid, more dry. Eventually, the grass is replaced by the vast desert covering most of Ladakh. Except for the ocassional oasis and the vast irigated fields in the bottom of the river valleys, I would not see any major green scenery for another 3 weeks.
We came across another military check point at Dras, a town that claims to be the second coldest town on earth after the one in Siberia. It's doubtful at it only gets to minus 50 degreed Celcius. Clearly Russia has far more colder towns then that in Siberia. By this point I was boiling hot with the fever and since the cold weather of the highland wasn't helping I decided to get some reinforcements, some medicine. My bag was in the top of the bus and so I had to ask the coducter to let me access my bag. He wobled his head and said yes, yes so I thought he understood. Boy was I surprised when he yelled at me to come down from up there. I counter that by saying I was getting medicine and when I came down with my first aid kit he seemed to be ok with the situation. Although I wasn't cured, the pill I took did reduce the high fever.

We arrived into the muslim town of Kargil late in the afternoon. I had met a Russian couple, Mishha and Nely, on the bus. As we were the only other foreigners on board, we teamed up in search of a place to spend the night. The town of Kargil is not the most pleasent of places. One might even call it a dump! It would have been just another sleepy town in the mountains had it not been for it's mid-point location between Srinigar and Leh. We finally found a dormitory accomodation near the bus station. I shared a room with two Ukrainians and one Korean. The cold of the morning had developed into a nasty cough that hinted to a bit of bronchitis. To complicate matters I still had a high fever. Both of the ailments will persist for the next few days.

I was in no shape what-so-ever to go all the way to Leh the next day, another 12 hour journey. Yet, I was not inclined to spend another night in Kargil so I decided to team up with the Russians as we headed to the sleepy town of Mulbekh. The bus left from Kargil in the mid-morning. It was interesting to see them load the bus. There was so much firewood on top of the bus that it almost was half the size of the vehicle itself. The funniest moment was when 3 locals where desperately trying to load a box full of chickens. I could see the chickens peeking out for a look between the holes in the box. They were almost all the way up to the rood when the hole thing came down crashing into the ground. Unfortunately, the fall ended up crashing the head on one chicken. I felt for the owner cause i'm sure it was relying on the eggs it would have produced. Nevertheless, he would probably still enjoy it over dinner later that evening.

Once the bus was packed and everyone aboard, we headed east towards Mulbeck. As we journeyed across the arid mountain scenery, we crossed the cultural boundary between Kashmir and Ladakh. See, Kashmiris are muslim, while the Ladakhis practice Tibetan Buddhism. As you can imagine, the two religions couldn't be any further from each other so the cultural heritage is totally different, each being unique in its own way. Kashmir is more in key to Central Asia with its Persian roots. Ladakh itself is more like Tibet, its neighbor to the north.

Mulbekh turned out to be a pleasent town. We arrived in the early afternoon and settled in the Tsomo Riri Hotel, which is right across the Champa statue. Thus, it stood overlooking the impressive 2,000 year old Statue of Maitreya, Buddha, which was intricately carved into the wall of a massive rock. You also get an impressive view of the valley with the mountains standing tall across you and the fields grown next to the river below. The desert is predominant on this area and so you can see wonderful colors on each of its sides. The mountains only complement this colors with their many fractures, caves, and more.

We had a pleasent lunch at the hotel and we then went on to relax for a few hours. Around that time, the monk overlooking the Champa statue gompa (monastery) came back and opened its doors. You can see half of the statue from the hotel or the road, but you need to go into the gompa to see the statue from its courtyard. The statue is fantastic! I can't believe it is in such a good shape after so many centuries. I supposed its due to the dry arid climate of the region. The Russian couple where quit friendly and after an hour or so chatting we decided to go for a walk. I wasn't up to a long walk, but an hour or so to move my legs would be healthy. We went back into town to climb to the Gompa on top of a hill. The altitude, 3,000 meters above sea level soon got a hold of us as we had to breath hard on our way up. The hike was rewarding for the views alone. The desert scenery was outstanding as we all stared in awe at the various colours present over the valley, a mix of redish, brown, yellow, and white on the mountains (whos peaks where easily over 4,500 meters above sea level); and a yellowish green on the barley field next to the river below (at around 3,000 meters above sea level). These last one was a sharp contrast to the desert sorounding it. As I would later learn, it would be a characteristic of Ladakh - dry desert mountain valleys with a small area of green fields by the rivers in the bottom of the valley. Even though the Gompa (monastery) was closed, we could still wonder around the outside walls and soroundings. We got to see some Tibetan butter lamp with its constant burning fire. We also managed to peek into the gompa thru a window in the roof. As for the exterior, it was a plain white with red bands. There were Tibetan prayer flags outside as in the top of the hill. After a while, we headed down the hill and back to the hotel the way we came. As I said, it wasn't a long walk (maybe 2 hours at most), but I could already feel the tole as my illness still wore me down. The thin air at this altitude wasn't helping at all. Alas, the evening was a pleasent one as I had dinner with the Russian couple, another couple from Estonia, and a guy from the Czech Republic. I had order some momos that day, which are similar to the chinese dumpling. Instead of a black soy sauce though they use a very hot spicy red sauce as a dip. They where delicious!

As Mulbekh was such a lovely village in the Kargil to Leh road, I decided to stay put for a few more of days. I started the day relaxing on the hotel terrace. I was chatting with the owner, a Ladakhi Teacher. I soon was joined by a German who arrived on his motor bike and the Czeck from last night. I left them for a while as I walked down to the river across several fields of Barley. When I returned I caught up with the Russian couple, who had camped by the river below. I can't imagine what that was like as I was nice and warm inside my sleeping bag at a cozy room at the hotel. Anyway, lunch was delicious today as we had ordered Tentuk in advance. This is a flat noodle soup common in Ladakh. It was freshly made by the Tibetan monk from the gompa across the road.

I went on another casual walk with the Russians that afternoon. I was still ill and didn't want to over-exert my self so we kept to the road this time. Our first stop was at the Jangchup Choeling Monastery, a nunnary a few km from town. We enter the place and where delighted to see four child monks and their master, a charismatic nun who showed us around the gompa, the library, and the school. We made it to the next village on the way to Leh, where we manage to buy some fruit. It was a good idea as I could use any extra vitamins as I slowly work out the bug inside me. Dinner was quite pleasent today as the Russians cooked us a delicious curry made with soy meat, onion, and other veggies.

I had another day to recuperate and relax in Mulbekh. I enjoyed sitting in the hotel terrace looking over the Champa statue as life unfold in front of it. As I said before, the Kargil-Leh road passes in between the Champa statue and the hotel. As expected I saw a bit of local and out of town traffic. The locals usually go by walking. As they do, they stop by the gompa, not to admire the statue, but to push the large Tibetan Prayer Wheel in the premises. They always push it as they walk around it clockwise, never anti-clockwise. The Prayer Wheel is true to its name as there is a written prayer inside each of them. This peaceful scene gets spoiled a bit when a jeepload of turists stop by the town. They usually do so for a few minutes, hardly enough time to do it justice. It's funny looking them go taking pictures without admiring the scenery around them. They just have a one-way mind focus on the Champa statue. Alas, even I am guilty of doing that myself at times in other touristy sites. I wonder if on those times their is another tourist looking over as I did today as I went on taking taking pics without spending a night in that particular spot? Then there is the road, it not only brings the tourist I just mentioned, but also the many military envoys and lorries that bring with them dust, noice, and pollution (albeit only for a minute or so) to the otherwise peaceful place. As its usual in this side of the world, the military envoys get priority regardless of if they go uphill or downhill. They pass in fast speeds to their various destinations in the Leh to Srinigar road. The lorries come filled with supplies for the towns along this road as well. It's funny to see the many typical indian characteristic of them. They are all the same brand, made by TATA motors, a local Indian company. TATA bought the patents to old European trucks that probably plied the roads over there back during World War 2! Yet, TATA sells the little modified models with their TATA brand name as new in the 21st century! These trucks are decorated with colorful designs and signs. You can often read "Blow Horn" or "Use dipper at night" on the back. These two are the fundamental driving necesities in India. You need a horn to use it when there is an obstacle in the road. It is usually unbearibly loud. At night, you use have to flash the lights as it's hard to know where the loud horn came from in the dark! Ah, what a lovely way to spend a day no? It is so relaxing to see life just unfold in front of you. Mind you, i did do some excercise today as I went down the river again and walked thru the Tzampa (ladakhi for barley) fields. I met several farmers along the way and we exchanged greetings. They where quite friendly, often showing me their day's work with a proud face.

I joined the couple from Estonia the following morning on a bus to Lamaruyu. There were no seats in the back so I had to seat in the front cabin. Oh what a hell rising ride that was as I had front row view of the road. Let me tell you, it's not a good experience as you get to see just how close the bus gets to the side of the road that leads to a steep fall down the side of the mountain. To make matters worse, I was on the opposite side from the driver so it always seemed as if one wheel of the bus was hanging out in the side of the road! Nevertheless, the scenery was fantastic as we pass through the many fantastic mountain desert scenery. The brown-yellow-red colors of the sand were complemented with the high alpine crystal clear blue skies. As we arrived in Lamaruyu, we could see the imposing gompa perched up high above the hill overlooking the town and river below. A local lady came up to me and offered me a room at her family guest house. I can't recall the name now, but it was a wonderful place. Traditional ladakhi meals where provided for inside the ladakhi styly kitchen, where one seats in a row of mats set in front of a short table that is just high enough for you to eat off while sitting down.

As it was early in the afternoon, I went up to see the Gompa above. I followed the back exit for the guest house as I climbed uphill. I was lucky for there was a well respected high lama (monk) visiting the Gompa and as such there where offering 3 pujas (prayer seccions) a day - one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and another one in the evening. Anyway, as I pushed the prayer wheels on the outside of the Gompa, I followed the path to the entrance. There was a colorful religious painting as you enter the premisses. The complex itself is red with some other colors complementing it. As usual, you could see all the shoes and sandals from the people inside the Gompa. I removed my shoes and proceeded to enter the main prayer hall. There where quite a few monks praying and sitting in five rows. They wore the traditional red colored robes with yellow safron shirts. The older monks where sitting at the two center right rows. The other three rows where occupied by young monks, some of which where just children in training. On the back of the hall was a large beautiful Buddha statue set up in typical Tibetan golden style. On the right wall you could see old texts along with smaller statues. I entered another chamber on the back of the hall to see another monk playing the puja drum. He was sorounded by many texts so it was clear this was an old religious library of some kind. These texts are not books per se, but rather tablets with inscribed prayers and teachings on them. I went back into the main hall and sat along the left side to enjoy the Puja. It was my first time sitting through one so I wasn't sure what to expect. In accordance to Tibetan ways, I sat cross legged and with my palms in prayer possition set casually over my lap. The room had an aura of peace and tranquility as the monks chanted the Tibetan prayers. These seem to bounce off the walls in fervor and combined with the many musical instruments they occassionally used made up for a wonderful accustic experience. In general, they chanted for 15 or so minutes and then it was followed by music - drums, symbals, trumpets, etc. Even to this date I can still close my eyes and go back to that magical moment. I remember I was sitting right across a row of young monks and at times I faced out the chanting as I looked at them with interest. These youngsters where all under ten yers old. How can you expect such young children to really take all of this seriously. After all, they're just little kids! They often got distracted easily, which made for amusing scenes. One was constantly falling asleep. The boy next to him will always hit him in the head with his fist to wake him up. A third boy was playing with his room keys. The fourth would stick out his bubble gum and play with it in his hands. The fifth was simply playing with his tea cup, sucking at it with his mouth without any hands. The sixth one was then trying to catch a flight while at the same time keeping with Buddhist believes of not harming it. It was an interesting scene as each child monk was indifferent of what was going on around them. These Pujas where only 2 hours long, but fearing they would last all day I exit after an hour and a half, probably 15 minutes before they where set to conclude them. It's a shame because I was really enjoying it. I walked out of the Gompa and followed the normal path down into town. This goes through the old section of the monastery filled with abandoned, run down rooms from centuries past.

I woke up early the next morning to do a day trip out of town. I thought I had recuperated from my cold so I thought i'd be able to trek for five hours or so. I set my site too much for I didn't reach the next town. It was a wonderful day none-the-less though. I went down thru the village, across the river, and up a mountain. The path up he mountain followed a small valley that led all the way up to the Prinkuti-La (la=pass). It was a slow painful walk that usually takes one or two hours, but took me three due to my condition! The thin air of this altitude probably didn't help as I was clearly 3,700 meters above sea level. I was happy to finally see the prayer flags on top of the pass. The hike was rewarding for I passed more of the amazing high altitude desert scenery. The dry out mountains had spectacular shapes. The peace and tranquility of the walk was only interupted by the many horse and donkey caravans taking the supplies for the many trekers on this route. I was clearly too sick to continue past the prayer flags so I return back to town. After resting for a while, I went to the Gompa for the evening puja. It was as rewarding as the day before. This time, there was food (tzampa bread and fruit) served along with the tibetan butter tea. I was offered some of the food, which made for an interesting culinary treat. The Puja laster for two hours and it hardly seeed that long!

I left Lamayuru the following morning. It wasn't easy for a bridge on the Lamayuru to Kargil road had collapsed. As a result there was limited traffic that day. I waited for over 3 hours with 4 Italians and a guy from Sweden for a bus that never arrived. We ended up sharing a jeep to Alchi as there was no other choice. The drive up the main road from Lamaruyu was fantastic as it cut through a deep gorge. We continued on as we reached the main road for a few hours before taking a side road to Alchi. The Swede had been there before so new a nice place to stay. Once I was settled in, I went for a walk into town. I met up with a German lady and her son in town and ended up having lunch together. Afterwards I visit the Alchi temple complex, which is world reknown for its gorgeous Buddhist art made up of ancient paintings and sculptures. The Sum Stek Temple has three giant Buddha statues all easily over 5 meters in height. These are intricately decorated with fine paintings, not to mentioned the other ones on the walls as well. The Manjuri Temple and the Lotsawa Temple are equally facinating. The Du-khang Temple was being studied by a group of archeologist from Europe. I was allowed inside this magnificant temple. The paintings in the courtyard are fabulous. There is a room with another 5 meter high statue of the Buddha, similar to the ones on the Sum Stek Temple. Even though photography is prohibited, I managed to take a picture of it from a window on the roof 😊. I then visited the entrance chortens, which had intricate paintings inside of them. My last stop was at the Gompa, where a persistant monk was demanding money!

I left the religious complex and headed back to the guest house. On the way there, I stopped to look at a group of youngsters playing cricket. I have no idea on how the game works and to be honest I don't have much interest for it. Yet, I am mesmarized on the popularity of the sport in India. It's the sport of the masses. Youngsters and older persons play in the street or at a clear field with little or no equipment. All the youngsters I watched today had was a simple cricket stick and a ball. There where seven of them who played on three two-men rotations. Hence, one was always sitting out by my side as we both looked at them play. As I said, I had no idea how to play, but it was a rewarding experience interacting with the young ladakhis. I saw them play for hours until their ball disitegrated due to so much wear and tear! I finally made it to the guest house just in time for dinner. We had a delicious Tentuk, which is local flat-noodle soup. I was also offered some chang by the owner, which is a local fermented drink made out of Barley. It taste is similar to the Kvas in Russia (made out of fermented rye) and the Chicha in South America (made out of fermented yuca).

The following morning, I attended early Puja in Alchi. It was a one man show as the sole monk played the symbal, the drum, and the bell as he chanted along in prayer. It was faster then the other one as it lasted only 45 minutes. I was begining to feel alot better today, yet I wasn't quite in full form to undertake a multi-week trek as I had planned to do in Ladakh. I guess fortune comes in different ways as I embarked on a shorter three day trek today. The trek I began today is often refered to as the "Baby Trek." It rans between Likir in the East and Tingsmogang in the West. It is an easy non-technical trek. The paths are well marked. The plus side of it all is that there are guest houses along the way so you don't have to carry a sleeping bag, tent, food, or stove along the trail. Thus, I left most of my stuff in Alchi and took my smaller bag with the bear essentials. I left Alchi and walked the couple of kms back to the main road to Leh. I didn't follow the side road as I took a shortcut that cut right all the way to the bridge across the river. Once on the main road, I hopped aboard a bus headed to Leh. They dropped a monk and I right on the side road leading to Likir. I talked to the monk and he helped me by showing me the way. We hitch hike to the village and from there I had another 1 hour walk to the Gompa via the road. It was a tireing winding road and half way to it I went on a coughing franzy that made me doubt i'd be able to even start this trek.

The Gompa of Likir is head by the brother of the Dali Lama, Naris Kuchok (sp). It is strategically built atop a hill overlooking the valley. It has various temples along with the quarters for the monks. There is a small museum above the gompa full with thangkas, puj musical instruments, religious masks used in festivals, weapons, and more. Outside, there is a giant golden Buddha statue over 8 meters tall.

I had a surge of energy and so I asked a monk for directions. Walking down the other side of the Gompa, I walked past several houses and fields following the path deliniated by several stupas (five or six of them in a row). I then came across a clear path that led me up the Pobe La thu dry arid terrain. I walked down towards a valley crossing a river just before the town of Sumdo. Thus, I left the town on the right as I walked thru another valley up to the Charatse La. I still remember the awful smell coming from a dead horse that lay on the side of the trek. The locals didn't even bother to clean it up! It was a tough climb, perhaps the hardest in the trek. In the top, I could still see a dirt unsealed road. Buses ply this route as I would find out, seeing a bus drive by right when I reached the top! It's ok though as you hardly come across the road on this trek and even then it gives you a sence of security if something where to happen (particularly if I have a recap on that cold). I walked down the valley and up again to the village of Yangtang, which is not more then a few buildings build near each other. Walking in thru the various corridors inside felt as though as I was in a medieval town. I could tell not much had change over the centuries. I stayed on the lovely Nurbu Guest House, which was packed with Israelis and one Czech. It was a lovely place as it was more of a family guest house then a comercial affair. We all ate at a traditional Ladakhi kitchen sitting in a row with the short table in front. The actual kitchen was made up of a small wood stove. It was sorounded by shelfes filled with cutlery, pots, pans, and more. Some of the pots where so large that the only clear explanation was that they where some sort of wedding presents. The food they provide was simple: rice, curry, and chapati. This was complemented by milk tea, or if you asked by the delicious salted Ladakkhi-tibetan butter milk tea. Yet, the home touch made it delicious! All in all, I walked 5 hours today.

I was thinking on sleeping in today, but got an early wake up call by the owner. Apparently, my breakfest was ready! I could have spent a leisure day around town, maybe even treked to the monastery of Rizong a few hours away. Yet, something inside me pushed me to go forward. I didn't want a relapse of my sickness in the middle of nowhere I guess. I'm not too sure why I did it for there buses to Leh every other day. In any case I moved forward leaving Yangtang behind as I walked past the school via the road that curves along the side of the mountain. There was a path going down and up the valley, but I took the easier longer road way instead 😊. On the other side I joined up with the trail that goes all the way up the Sermanchan-La. I met Aline, a girl from France along the way and we pretty much walked together all day. From the top, there was an easy 45 minute descend to the village of Hemis-Shukpachan (shukpa is ladakhi for cedar). As in Yongtong, the town of Hemis-S. was a lovely oasis from the desert scenery around it. Aline and I had a second breakfest there as we enjoyed some chai (tea), chocolate bars, and soup. We walked past the fields and the village. I then climbed up to the small Gompa, but this was closed. The views from the top were worth the effort though as it stands on a small hill overlooking the town and fields in all directions. As we continued across the village, we followed the stuppas to the top of an ill-defined pass. In fact, it's more of a hill then a pass! Once on top, we went down into a steep valley and up the other end to the top of the Meptek-La (the tallest pass on the trail at about 4,000 meters above sea level). I still remember walking up the steep side of the mountain and reaching the prayer flags on top. I yelled a big "eeweeee" as the hardest part of the trek was over. I sat by the prayer flags waiting for Aline, who wasn't far behind. One thing that never seize to amaze me was the many lizards leaving on the high elevation. I even saw one on top! Up to that point I wasn't aware of any reptiles leaving 4,000 meters above sea level. After all they are cold blooded, so I wonder how they survive the cold night? Better yet, how do they survive the freezing winter!?!? Anyway, a further 30 minute walk led us to Ang, the next village. We had a wonderful milk-tea as we rested for a bit. A large group of French arrived. They where part of a packaged tour with porters, donkeys, hourses, and tents. It doesn't make sense to spend all the money they are spending as I was spending about 10% and having the wonderful experience of spending the night on a family guest house. Ang is the first villag in the fertile valley that stretches for several kms. We left the town and walked along the fields to the next town, Tingsmogang, which is just another 30 minutes away.

Tingsmogang is set in one of the most fertile valleys in Ladakh. It is well known for is fruit, including apples and the delicious Ladakhi apricot. I remember eating several mouthfull of apricots as we walked down to town. We simply grabed the from the trees. We eventually reached Go Papa Guest House, where we stayed for the night. All in all we walked 5 and a half hours today. After lunch, we went for a leisurely walk around town. We were walking past some prayer wheels when a cute little girl grabbed my hand. She didn't let go either as we walked thru the village. Her two friends followed us close behind as well. I remember her singing "sagi tata, sagi bolo" and I soon join her as well. I have no idea what it means. We all had a good time that day. We crossed the beautiful river. We then walked a bit down the road to Nurla before going back. On the way, we grabed more apricots and some apples.

I said farewell to Aline the next morning after breakfest. She was taking a bus back to Leh. I will continue on a bit further exploring the fertile valley. I walked from Tingsmogang thru the road. I stoped at a vantage point to see a Palace perched up on top of a hill overlooking the valley. It had a clear vantage point that was probably used to the advantage of the old rulers of this valley. I then cross the village of Tea on my way to the newish Yukin Gompa and Monastery. Further up the road lays Katsa Gompa, a beautiful old small gompa fill with interesting frescos and statues inside. The monk in duty open up the doors for me and afterwards invited me for a cup of tea. I return to Tingsmogang to pick up my bags and keep moving. I walked down to the road to Nurla and followed it all the way to town. It was a lovely 1 hour walk thru an arid desert scenery overlooking the fertile valley below. I had lunch at a restaurant on the main road to Leh. As there where no buses coming, I hitch hiked aboard a truck/lorrie. They were 2 kashmiris taking turns driving the truck. They took me all the way to the intersection of the side road to Alchi, where I got another lift from a jeep.

I departed Alchi the following morning with a bad taste for the hotel I was staying in overcharged me for the same services I had before. It was funny cause everywhere in the world they would treat returning customers better then this guy did. Anyway, my luck for the day will only worsen when the bus I took that was bound to Leh broke down a bit before Likir. Argh! Things where just not going well today...lol! I walked back for a few km before getting a lift from a truck/lorrie. It was ran by 3 Sikhs from Jammu. They dropped me 25 km from Leh at a Guru temple in the side of the road. I didn't had to wait long for another bus to give me a lift the rest of the way though. Leh is a town of caos compared to the small towns and villages I had been in this last couple of weeks. Yet, there are only 50,000 people in Leh. It is the provincial capital and the largest town of its size in the region. I decided to stay on the old part of town, which is right by the main bazar area. I stayed on the lovely Tak guest house, which is right across the Old ladakhi G.H. I ate some momos for lunch and afterwards went on with my business around town. I got the permit to visit the Nubra Valley, which is near the border with Tibet. I checked the bus information and changed some money. Afterwards I relaxed and talked with fellow travellers at the guesthouse.

Early the next day, I bought a bus ticket for the Nubra Valley. The bus wouldn't leave until tomorrow so I had the whole day ahead of me to explore the area around Leh. I hopped on a mini-bus headed to the village of Phyang. The bus drove through desert before entering the beautiful fertile river valley that leads to Phyang. We passed several barley fields until the end of the road. It was here that I realized that I had missed the stop on the monastery bellow. No worries though as the bus was heading back the same way. Have i mentioned to you how small the domesticated animals are in Ladakh? It's probably due to the lack of food on this arid region. The cows, donekeys and goats are all midget size. It's funny seeing them walk past you with their big bloated bellys clearly vissible due to their small size.

Anyway, the bus dropped me off at the right place this time and i was quickly on my way uphill towards the Phyang monastery, which is perched atop the hill overlooking the beautiful fertile valley. I followed a group of tourists into the Gonkhang Temple, which had a full armoary and was sorounded by devilish looking religious masks used in traditional ceremonies during festivals and the like. I stared in awe at the many god figures of the temple, some of which resemble a mean looking dragon. I kindly paid the monk for letting me into the temple, knowing that the ticket will grant me access to the other temples in this gompa (gompa=monastery). I parted away from the tourist group to walk around the grounds of the gompa. Most of the historical Gompas in Ladakh have a history spanning hundreds of years. This old Gompa has many interesting narrow passageways that lead to roofs and terraces. The views of this are outstanding with clear views of the valley below. Having a fill of the passageways, I continued on to the main building to see the rest of the temples. I found them all close and no monk around. What the heck? I had just paid the admission fee, where did the monk go? I walk into the only open door adressing myself as politly as I could with a loud "joo-lay." Nothing for several minutes. Then, the angry monk came out asking where the hell I was as he had waited 20 minutes for me at the door to the temple. Huh? It had been less then 10 minutes. Besides, all the other Gompas had been open at all times. I wasn't sure. I said I was sorry for the misunderstanding, but i still could see his evil look on his eyes that wanted to say "another stupid foreigner without a guide." I returned the look with an expression that said, "well, excuse me, but I don't have the money to pay a guide $30 USD or more per day to take me to an otherwise easy to find destination." The monk finally conceeded, a bit unwillingly, and opened the door to two more temples. I walked around them, but as I was clearly not welcomed without a guide, I couldn't keep focus on the site. I vaguely recall a room with several nice bronze statues of the Buddha and another room with old texts. I excused myself and walked down the valley towards the main road back to Leh. It wasn't an easy walk as it was pretty hot and about two hours away to the main road. If only I had known the unfriendly monks that lived in this gompa. Perhaps I wouldn't have even bothered coming here.

I was relieved when a truck gave me a ride back to Leh. As it was early on the day, i motioned to the drive to drop me off at Spituk Gompa, a monastery that lays a few km outside town. Walking towards it, I saw a series of circular rainbows formed high around the thinn clouds in the sky. I had never seen anything like that and to this date i'm not sure if you could even call it a rainbow. After all, a rainbow is designed so as you can't see where it starts or end. This phenomena was a circle so in a way there was no start nor finish. Marvelous site I tell you. This weird looking rainbow put a smile back on my face and so I entered this Gompa with a reknown faith of hospitality from the buddhist monks. What a kind bunch they were indeed. I walked past narrow tunnels and alleyways leading to the main courtyard outside the gompa. When I entered the main temple, i noticed a few rows for monks to meditate inside the main hall. They were actually taking in their lunch when I entered, but instead of kicking me out, they opened their doors to me and allowed me to freely roam around the temple. Yes, there are good souls left in Ladakh 😊. I walked around seeing the ornate Thangkas hanging down from the ceiling depicting buddhist scenes. The statue of the Buddha on the back room stands tall with its golden reflection penetrating the whole room. The temple on the top floor was equally impressive with several statues brought over from far away Lhasa and other places of Tibet. The Tara room next door has several Lama seats and there is an elaborate room reserved exclusively for the visiting Dali Lama. The best views of the valley below can be had from a window in this very room. Outside the gompa, as you walk atop the hill, you come across the 14th century temple of Pethrop, which has a series of sacred statues of guardian deities such as Yamantaka, Gong Chag Tuk, Chos Gus, and more. This buddhist temple is often mistaken by visiting hindus as a Kali temple for the graphic details of the guardian statues resemble that of that hindu goddess. Walking back to the main road, I was offered a ride by a well to do Sikh businessman. He had studies in the UK and now had a series of factories throughout the Jammu and Kashmir state. He was so kind that he even droped me at the main basar, which was way off from his course.

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Photos

Novice monks at the special puja, Lamaruyu
Priceless moment at a special puja at Lamaruyu gompa. The novie monk at the left is sleeping during the puja. The second and fourth from the left are having a conversation. And, the third novice monk is playing around with his bubble gum.

Playful kids at Tingsmogang, Tea House Trek
This cute little girl (middle) grabbed my hand and didn't let go for a few hours while me and Aline walked around town.

Comments

[nevilleb]

Nice journal you have here. Just thought I'd add my two cents. :) Its "Juley", not "Joo-lay". Literally translated, it reads as "Good appetite". Don't ask me they why's and how's, but it's used for greetings, goodbyes, the works! I've been to Ladakh myself, but via the Manal-Leh route. I hope to do the Srinagar-Leh route via Kargil someday, to round up the travelling experience. The Kashmiri salted tea -- salt is generally added in generous doses to tea in the highlands. In Tibet (and Ladakh!), it is added to "Tsampa" -- buttered ground barley. I suspect it has to do with raising the blood pressure in order to mitigate the crushing headaches that are common at the higher altitudes. An excess of salt in the body tends to make one retain more water, which can only mitigate the dehydration one is prone to at such high altitudes. You have some very good images up. Keep shooting! Neville Bulsara http://www.nevillebulsara.com Travel and Documentary photography