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Published: September 17th 2012
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The plane is gently descending but we are still crossing miles and miles of high mountains. The mountains are bare rock, each with a patch of snow on the north face. This is the very western end of the Himalayas, hundreds of peaks over 6,000 metres, some a lot higher. A small green valley appears and we spiral down in to Leh, at 3,500 metre above sea level this is Ladakh's only airport
Leh has always been a place for travellers, sitting at a crossroads of high passes. The trade links that connected India to the silk route came across these passes, avoiding the even higher Himalayas of Nepal and Tibet. At the moment all the passes are open but, within a month, they will all be closed by snow and the only access to Leh will be by air. And Leh feels that remote, especially when the electricity cuts out again – it is more off than on!
Despite trying to take it easy, we are breathless a lot of the time due to the lack of oxygen at this altitude. Level walking is fine but as soon as we hit a hill then we feel the effects
of the height. This is an excuse, however, for plenty of rest stops, Luckily, the local teas and coffees are good and the apricot crumble is terrific - a thin pastry base, 2 inches of apricots and a light crumble topping. It is harvest time here and apricots and apples are around in abundance. Food is being laid-up for a tough winter.
Leh Palace, nine storeys high, sits above the town and, above it, a 16
th century fort and temple, perch on the very mountain ledge. The palace, which we had all to ourselves when we visited, is a warren of dark rooms, wooden stairway and dirt floors. Wooden balconies hang out over a huge drop but afford us panoramic views of the town and those mountains that surround us in every direction. Below, the old town is a maze of alleys that cling to the palace hill side, the old houses built with mud bricks in wood frames, the wood often intricately carved.
Out of town, we have walked or been driven to several Buddhist monasteries, each very different but we are starting to understand the basics. There is usually a courtyard – sometimes like a parade
square, sometimes a flower garden. There is always a room for prayer with a Tibetan book of mantras for each monk. There is always at least one Buddha with his defenders, usually in a room decorated with wall paintings. Around and about there are the houses or dormitories for the monks and lamas. Unlike in some other Buddhist countries, here the monasteries seem to have very few monks living in them – or are they hidden away?
All people look Himalayan rather than Indian, with faces we associate with Tibet and Nepal. There are few enough tourists for them to be pleased to stop and talk. In the shops much is locally made – pashmina shawls, carpets, brass bowls and silver jewellery. Everything is hand-crafted and some of the prices reflect this. The embroidered pashminas take years to complete and are truly amazing works of art To you, maybe £400? And the hand knotted carpets? Well it is better not to ask. And this in a town where two posh coffees and a huge piece of apricot crumble will set you back just £2.10.
Because Leh isn't really remote enough! we took a jeep 5 hours north, over
a 5,600 metre high pass, into the Nubra valley. The road there is said to be highest in the world, and it is certainly the highest we have ever been or are likely to go. At the top of the pass, a small temple, covered in prayer flags, allows us opportunity to pray!
Originally, this pass was used by camel caravans travelling from Ladakh to China and the Silk Route. Today, the road provides military access to the disputed India-Pakistan border, about 100 miles further north, probably the only reason that the road still exists.
The Nubra valley is lovely but also strange. It is about a mile wide, hemmed in by mountains and has a milky river, so parts are quite green. But other parts are desert, with white sand dunes and bactrian camels, said to be descendants of the Silk Road camels.
We spent the night in the little village of Hunder in a fixed “Swiss” tent, complete with en suite loo! During the night, we heard rain on the tent roof but by morning it had passed, The rain in the valley was, however, snow on the mountains. The drive back over the pass
was a stop-start affair over slippery compacted snow. With three inches of snow over night, we wondered how much longer the pass will be open this year.
Tomorrow we head west, taking three days to get to Srinagar and Kashmir. With luck, more from there.
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