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In the Land of the High Passes
Need an editable PowerPoint map of India “…stop here or gently pass” said Wordsworth of his solitary reaper. Little did he know that more than a century later, his words would be used to pun on remote Ladakh “the land of the high passes." But Ladakh, like Wordsworth would have done, takes it in the spirit that it is meant - as a tribute, and gathers you to its rocky bosom while reminding you of your place as an outsider … As with all travelogues, one must begin somewhere and in this case, the logical beginning would be the Manali-Leh road. This two-day, 485 km stretch, despite the rough ride, is absolutely the only way to reach Leh if you can tack on a few days to your break. It facilitates your acclimatisation (flying in, you might end up spending much of the first few days horizontal), is cheaper and most importantly, affords you superlative views which you are unlikely to encounter elsewhere – even on the marginally shorter Srinagar-Leh road. The rock formations are unbelievable – I had never associated this stark, majestic beauty with Himachal Pradesh until this trip. Ruined forts and faces formed by the constant action of sand-laden winds jump out at you from the hillside – I swear I saw Bob Marley there! As your eyes adjust to the harshness of the landscape, you begin to see the life and colour in what seems to be an unrelenting desert. Garnets soften the hillside with a blush of old rose, sunlight strikes a rock face turning it to gold, tenacious dusty scrub lends a touch of pale green… Along with a handful of passes, (Rohtang, Baralacha, Lachulung and Taglang), you also cross places that are little more than tent settlements and go by exotic names like Zing Zing Bar, evoking images of a 60s night club and beyond Upshi (of the Pashmina goat farm fame) on the last stretch of the bus journey you get your first glimpse of the Hemis, Thikse and Shey gompas. Leh, though crowded during the all too brief ‘season’ (July-mid-October) which pressures the fragile infrastructure in terms of water, public toilets and the like, is the only possible base from which to explore Ladakh as it is the epicentre for all the major roads. The foreign tourist traffic exceeds the domestic, sending souvenir prices skyrocketing, though accommodation and food can be cheaply had at most of the 250+ restaurants and guesthouses if you are willing to compromise on luxury. Taxis are expensive because of the unionisation in Leh, Kargil and Srinagar. With a vehicle, the monastery tour around Leh is easily done in a day. Hemis, the richest monastery in the area will unveil the largest thangka—a magnificent two-storied creation— in the world next year, after the usual gap of 12 years. Shey and Thikse were gorgeous, with the chorten finials gleaming richly under the bright Ladakhi sun. The Stok Palace, where the Ladakhi royals were exiled, houses a museum with a superlative thangka collection and after gawping suitably at these, we headed back to Leh for a filling meal. The German Bakery, which has been run by Sardar Rajinder Singh for 15 years now, offers the most scrumptious fresh fruit pies and set-breakfasts. Sardarji is also a skilled raconteur and we listened spellbound as he recounted tales of crossing the Zoji La pass on foot when escaping during hostilities and returning to Kargil after 30 years to have all their property handed over by the locals. The drive to Nubra valley the next day was all that it had promised to be; shivering on the world’s highest motorable road, through the Khardungla Pass at 18358 feet at K-top with steaming chai offered by the military personnel there, I felt deeply privileged and more than a little awe-struck by the view... Descending down, one spots Nubra from a distance – an emerald, crowning the vast desert of Ladakh. The road forks at Diskit and we head down to Hunder, which is the tourist limit for the western side of the valley. A couple of regally surly Bactrian camels refuse to have their famed double humps recorded on my camera and settle into the dunes. I retreat to a respectful distance and try to catch them sitting – ah well… one can’t have everything. The road abounds in cheeky signs put up by Himank, the Border Roads project responsible for maintaining the roads in the region; my favourites included the brazen “Make Love Not War, But Not While Driving” and the coy “Darling I Like You, But Not So Fast” – an admonition to go slow! Never having seen sand dunes against the backdrop of majestic mountains earlier, my jaw dropped with the sheer incongruous beauty of it. Hunder, though not very popular with tourists except for a day visit has a quiet beauty and is the perfect retreat. The views from the Forest Rest House are particularly stunning. Panamik, the next day, provided its own stunning scenery, while J&K Tourism’s rest house was snug – mainly, thanks to the hot springs which run under it and through the taps. Let the rest of the world run to see the springs, we had them right where we were! Back to Leh and onto the village of Dah, where we had planned to spend one night. The landscape softened and gentled, past Basgo (the medieval capital of Ladakh, now a world heritage site, and home to three monasteries under renovation).We detoured off to the famed 10th century Alchi monastery, with its surly shopkeepers, disappointing lamas and stunning, though badly maintained frescoes. Back on the road again with the Indus for company, we finally reached Dah. It’s easy to miss, unless you know where to stop. Park the car, hoist your rucksack and clamber up the kilometre odd path to apricot paradise! This region is apricot country like you’ve never see before… bunches and bunches hang temptingly low – all you need to do is reach out a languorous hand and pick them. It is also home to the fast-fading Brokpa culture. The Brokpas, although Ladakhis for generations, speak their own tongue as well and have an identity that sets them apart from the rest of the region not just by their facial features, but also by their customs. As they are held to be of pure Indo-Aryan stock, a German woman actually came here to have a “pure Aryan” baby by one of the men, but was chased off! This enchanting lush paradise sums up the contrasts of Ladakh – the harshness of life and the thunder of distant shelling on the Batalik border does not stop one from savouring the richness of life… For further information, please contact J&K Tourism – Delhi: 011- 23345373; Srinagar: 0194-2452690
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