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LADAKH WILL
TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY. At 12,000ft the capital, Leh,
is already higher than most Alpine mountaineers will have ventured.
Mount Blanc is a trifling 15,771ft while in Ladakh roads soar to
18,340ft (Khardung-La pass) where you can have
the highest kiss, toilet-trip, sneeze, cough, conversation or nervous
breakdown of your entire life. Up here in the rarefied air of India's
"Little Tibet", oxygen - and airline seats - are at a
premium. Walk slowly, and book early.
 Hotel Contact Information  Show Photographs
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| The
mighty Indus River |
I was pleased
then to see my travel agent's itinerary. It was simple. Stay in
bed for two days (to acclimatise) and then fly back to Delhi. This
seemed like a good plan. Delhi has a lot more oxygen than Ladakh.
Our return flight was waitlisted but the airline assured us we would
be confirmed by the time our lungs had recovered sufficiently for
us to make the journey from our hotel back to Leh airport.
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Ladakh, when
we arrived, was breathtaking, the mountain desert stretching from
pinnacle to pinnacle, painted in stunning streaks of purple, brown
and grey with slivers of startling, shaggy green along the mighty Indus. The blue of the Ladakhi sky is surreal,
pure, the sort of colour that’s exceedingly hard to capture
on a camera. This may be due to the excessive ultra violet light
at this height. Or it might be due to the fact that any clicking
of cameras at the airport will result in an international incident
unless, like me, you carry an Indian passport in which case it would
just be a lack-lustre domestic butt-kicking.
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| Monk
outside Leh Palace |
Photography
is not permitted at the airport or on the one-hour flight from Delhi
to Leh. This is for security reasons. Someone might discover those
peaks marked in such detail on every school atlas, actually do exist.
All batteries are scrutinised thoroughly as well. I wanted the security
guard to examine my growing bald patch and confirm if it had indeed
spread but he was not interested. I am all for security. In an age
where satellites can accurately count yak pubic hair, who needs
amateur cameras?
To acclimatise,
wash your socks and watch them dry. Or simply ask your mother-in-law
to dry her fingers in that plug socket on the wall while you throw
the switch. This is a serious issue. Start up too fast and you’ll
have a weeklong hangover – or worse. First day, stay in bed
and read. Drink lots of liquid. Second afternoon, venture into Leh
town for a short stroll. Drink more liquid (not alcohol). By the
third day you’ll be able to visit the toilet without staggering
and blacking out. By the fourth day you’ll be fine. Lightening
trips are out. Take your time and spread out the journey. There’s
much to explore. Summer daytime temperatures can warm up to the
mid thirties (centigrade) though the shade is cool. Nights can drop
to 10 degrees, especially after rainfall – or snow in the
higher mountains. Rain is uncommon though and the air is exceptionally
dry.
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| Green
views from Padma Guest House |
Leh, where three
empires once met, is a one horse (or one yak) town with a distinct
frontier taste. There’s dust, bleary eyed backpackers, honking
jeeps, trinket sellers, hawk-eyed Kashmiri salesmen, grizzled sun-blackened
Ladakhis spinning prayer wheels, local women in woollen gonchas (gowns) and peraks (the traditional headpiece with a dowry-load
of turquoise) and frequent power cuts. That's when the diesel generators
kick in and the smoke gets really intense, especially in the numerous
hole-in-the-wall Internet cafes dotting the market. Web connections
are achingly slow but at Rs2 a minute will not ruffle the wallet
unduly.
You can talk
to the outside world through the Internet and STD (State Trunk Dial)
booths though mobile phones will not work. The exchange
rate is roughly US$1 = Rs39. The market hosts a State
Bank of India branch with an ATM and moneychangers. Credit cards are not big in Ladakh and it is wise to bring rupees with you from
Delhi, in small denominations.
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| Chorten
in barley fields at Nimu |
Twenty years
ago Leh was just two intersecting streets and a polo ground. Now
it has a bit of Kathmandu kitsch about it. I’m not entirely
sure this is a good thing but the economy is booming and foreign
“pollution” is kept to a minimum with the snows closing
the passes six months of winter when the place goes into hibernation
and people wish they were eating hot kebabs in Delhi rather than
heating pipes to get some running water for a cold bath. Still,
the Buddhist influence is ubiquitous like a calming stomach tonic
and some gomphas (monasteries) are simply stunning. Leh Palace,
a small replica of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, is a brief climb
up from the city with exhilarating views.
Once acclimatised,
hire a car from the taxi union (tel: 252723/ 253039) that
offers fixed-price car-with-driver hires for all destinations. Opt
for the comfy TATA Sumo. The bouncy Gypsy is just alright but the
small Maruti vans will be testing on potholed roads. Try a quick
trip along the river to Thikse monastery, one of the loveliest (Rs530/US$11,
half hour one way), a half-day tour east to the frescoes of Alchi
monastery (passing the majestic Zanskar and Indus River confluence,
Rs1,270/US$28, two hours one way), or a fast drive up to Khardung-La,
the highest motorable road in the world just 39km from Leh. Khardung-La
leads on to the virgin Nubra Valley where grey
double humped Bactrian camels roam free searching the classifieds
for harmonica-playing Marlboro ponies. The wild horse herds, antelopes
and yaks are harder to spot these days but are usually found at
higher altitudes in remote inner Himalayan valleys.
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| Monk
at Spituk Monastery |
Thikse is one of the best-preserved and most colourful monasteries, built
in the traditional piled-up pyramid above the town. Catch your breath
and climb up to the top to view the large Maitreya (future) Buddha.
Ladakh is a land of wonderfully mechanised religion and this is
evident along the approach. Colourful prayer flags and spinning
prayer wheels (driven by hand, wind and water) scatter their inscribed
hymns, blessings, and entreaties skywards (or downriver) ensuring
communication with the Gods is always open. Travellers will also
encounter mani walls, mounds constructed with flat, smooth
mani stones with the inscription "Om mani padme hum"
(Oh thou jewel in the lotus). When approaching Mani walls and prayer
wheels, keep them to your right. These sacred walls are usually
preceded by small shrines called chortens. The Thikse festival
is in late September.
A further 45-minute
drive south from Thikse will bring you to Hemis (Rs946 roundtrip from Leh), one of the oldest and most revered monasteries.
It is not the prettiest by any stretch but has earned acclaim largely
on account of the fact that its annual festivals and colourful dance
dramas (cham dances) run in summer, coinciding with the tourist
season. Most other festivals run in winter. There is also a super
festival every 12 years when a giant tangkha (Buddha image embroidered
on silk) is brought out for public viewing. On the same road, closer
to Leh, are Shey (with its palace where all royal
children are born) and Stok. Shey was the former
capital of Ladakh.
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| Small
temple at Alchi |
Heading east
from Leh takes you along the roof of the world under a Big Sky to
Alchi and Lamayuru. The somewhat inaccessible Lamayuru is
a rewarding site though it is a good two hour drive from Leh (Rs2,601/US$56
roundtrip). Alchi, which dates back to the 11th Century,
is a collection of small temples with elaborate frescoes. The village
is clean and pretty with some nice guesthouses and restaurants.
Try the Potala Guesthouse or the Zimskhang
Holiday Home. The drive is stunning, along a high plateau,
through deep gorges and mountain desert, past serrated ridges with
red and purple striations, along the deep furrow of the chocolate
Indus. There is a Magnetic Hills site along the way where tradition
has it cars stall on account of the “force”. En route,
drop by Likir monastery and, just outside Leh,
the colourful and well preserved Spituk gompha. In
the midst of this beautiful desolation lies Nimu,
a small verdant oasis with whispering barley fields and proud white chortens where children sell sweet miniature apricots.
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| White
water rafting on the Indus |
Nimu is also
the hopping-off point for the 22km white-water run down the freezing Indus (Rs900/US$20 per person with lunch and
pick-up/drop-off). The half-day trip starts at Phey, just
outside Leh. Several agents sell this package. The river starts
off deceptively slow and then speeds up in the narrows as the meltwater
builds up. The rapids are classified as Category 3 but are gentle
enough for the family. Some days are rougher than others. It can
get hot – and wet – so carry a change (in the van) and
dress lightly. Quick-dry rubber footwear of some sort is advisable
especially if you are prone to tumbles. Barefoot and freezing I
concentrated on the rough-hewn grandeur around us while my teenage
son concentrated on his chapped lips. Later at the hotel we continued
to bond, he with his MP3 music player and me, horizontal, with my
bed. Don’t underestimate the height, ever.
Farther away
and much higher lie the beautiful salt lakes of Pangong (13,930ft above sea level) and Tsomoriri (14,000ft
above sea level and 240km from Leh) Both will require an overnight
stay and "restricted area" permit. Khardung-La
requires a permit as well. This can be acquired through a travel
agency (foreigners and Indians) or directly from the Permit Office,
main bazaar (Indians only). It takes less than a day and is priced
at Rs100 (Indians and Rs400 (foreigners).
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| The
secluded and pretty Shambhala Hotel |
The tourist
season runs from May to October but really peaks in July and August.
Hotel rooms, like airline seats, are in short supply. Three good
choices in the A Class range (there are no star ratings here) are
the secluded and friendly Shambha-La, on the fringe
of town in a poplar grove, Kanglachan and Lharimo (both close to
the market), and the cheerful Hotel Bijoo with a cosy new wing.
Ask for the manager Ashik at Bijoo. He can organise treks, tours,
anything.
Rooms in general
tend to be basic with twin beds, a few lampshades, occasional naked
bulbs, candles and matches (you’ll need them) and sometimes
a wardrobe. Hotel design is traditional two-storey Ladakhi with
white hand-plastered walls and blood-red doors through which from
time to time emerge bleary-eyed travellers, seemingly blotto, to
upchuck, squint or pass out. The charming Shambha-La is the quietest of the lot with eager smiling staff and a comfortable
sunny lawn with hammocks and cushioned chairs. It is run by the
jovial and energetic Pinto Narboo and his charming wife. Food and
service are good, always with a smile. Set away from the main road
it is free of automobile fumes and dust. Lie back in the garden,
listen to the chimes, unwind and watch the poplars shed their silvery
cotton fluff. The Lharimo (or Lah-Ri-Mo as it is
also spelled) is a very good spot, closer to town, bright and clean.
The top-end Kanglachan runs a more than decent
kitchen and is well located right above the main market area.
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| Lharimo
Hotel close to town |
Tucked away
in green fields, the Padma Guest House & Hotel with its organic vegetable and flower garden and unobstructed views
of snow-clad peaks is an excellent budget alternative. The guesthouse
is cheaper at around Rs250 (with common toilets) and a crisp and
clean new hotel wing starts at Rs900. The newer rooms are more than
adequate with decent toilets. The Padma also has a meditation room
and, wait for it, an Internet room. Try and bag corner room 107.
For something
unusual, there are always the Mongolian yurt tents of Ladakh
Sarai at Saboo Village seven kilometres from Leh. They
have solar panels to heat the bath water. A good hunting ground
for guesthouses is along the quiet, Changspa Road
above the market leading to Omasila and beyond. The Silver
Cloud Guest House near Sankar Village is basic and bright.
Everywhere meals and hot water run at designated times, so note
it down. Tea, however, is abundant. Decorum is strictly observed
and all main meals are usually preceded by soup.
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| The
Indus cutting through a gorge |
If you are up
to it, try the local gur-gur chai, a yak butter-and-tea concoction
that will have you racing for the toilet in no time. Attempt this
only after you have acclimatised or the outcome may leave you gasping
for more than one reason. There are no phones and TVs in most hotels. Spic-n-Span and Omasila do offer
TVs and both are popular with film stars who prefer to watch themselves
on telly rather than looking at boring old mountains. Spic-n-Span
is three-storey grey stone with wrap-around balconies, elaborate
wooden railings, marble floors and rugs in the 33 rooms. Very Kashmiri.
The toilets have SHOWER CURTAINS, a genuine Leh luxury. Its central
gas heating enables it to run through the coldest winters. Other
options include the somewhat slap-dash Hotel Singge Palace,
the comfortable Mandala, the Lasermo Hotel (with e-mail,
phones and safe deposit lockers) and the K-Sar. The Hotel
Lumbini is okay but its rooms are facing the road and the garden
is protected when it should really have been the other way around.
A Class hotels charge in the region of Rs2,500 (US$54) inclusive
of meals and generous pourings of tea (but mineral water is extra).
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| Khardung-La,
the highest road anywhere |
Leh town also
offers pizza, on the roof, (Little Italy), pasta
and Indian food (La-Terrasse, tel: 253-746), Tibetan
dumplings (or momos, at High Life, tel: 51013),
and Internet cafes (Rs2 per minute). Tibetan food
can also be sampled at Summer Harvest (tel: 52226)
and Amdo Café (tel: 53114). High Life has
the best ambience and décor complete with a Ladakhi rock
band that does Hindi film songs and a passable Hotel California.
It also offers alfresco seating and a decent toilet. Both Little
Italy and La-Terrasse occupy open terraces looking onto Leh Palace
and the hills. La-Terrasse is touch smarter with an indoor area
as well but both share a grotty dungeon toilet in the deepest basement
right next to a clapboard cubicle for a Kerala ayurvedic massage.
Just across the road are some terrific bakeries where you can get
a HUGE apricot crumble for Rs35. Whatever you want to do, just say,
"Julley" (pronounced joo-lay), the versatile Ladakhi
greeting that means everything from "Hello," and "Goodbye",
to "Shucks! My mother-in-law has no oxygen and no hot water,
but she's still breathing."
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| Leh
Palace at dusk |
Holiday over,
my teenage son and I headed to the airport. In a wonderful display
of hospitality, the airline had not yet confirmed our seats, hoping
we might enjoy Ladakh a bit longer. We did. For three more days.
I finally threatened to photograph every square inch of the airport.
Something worked. And on the seventh day we rested, in Delhi. Julley.
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