Ladakh July 2010: Part 4 - Concluding Part (Manali, Delhi, Bangalore)

In part 1 of this series, you accompanied us on a local tour of Leh. In part 2, you tried to imagine how the Pangong experience might be, and ascended up the highest motorable pass in the world into Nubra. In part 3, you read about our exploits of TsoMoriri and TsoKar, and of our bidding farewell to Ladakh and halting at Keylong.

In this concluding part of the series, I recount our journey from Kelyong to Manali, and then to Delhi before flying back to Bangalore. Technically, this installment is not part of Ladakh since we had exited it and entered HP the previous day. But, try dissuading me from writing this part!

Day 10: Mon, 26^th Jul – Keyong to Manali

Anticipating heavy tourist traffic at Rohtang pass, and eager to avoid it, we left pretty early from Keylong – 7 a.m to be exact. Our idea was to reach Manali by lunch time. But that was not to be.

We had already taken leave of Trashi the previous evening, and he had arranged a Tata Sumo for us to take us to Manali. We headed South out of Keylong and were greeted with the lush greens of Himachal Pradesh. Road widening was going on at several places. We stopped for fuel at Tandi, which, as I mentioned earlier, is the first petrol pump after Leh!

At 9, we stopped for tea at Khoksar. After that, it was an hour long climb to Rohtang. Just a few kms shy of Rohtang pass, at Gramphoo, we saw the deviation towards Lahaul and Spiti valley (a place which I hope to visit in the near future). Passing right through the clouds was a mesmerizing experience. We stopped for snaps at the pass, but since there was no snow here, we didn't see any of the usual attractions – yaks, snow-scooters etc.

We left at 10:30. The condition of the road down from Rohtang to Manali is pathetic. And tourists had already started arriving in hordes from Manali – that did not help in any way. We got stuck in a traffic jam and we were at a standstill for almost 3 hours. Even after that, we inched our way through North-bound traffic.

It was late afternoon, almost 4 pm when we reached Manali. Here we checked into a very reasonably priced hotel and set out to explore. It was raining so weren't in the mood for too much sight seeing. We spent about half an hour at Ban Vihar (where Sandy and Santhu had their snaps clicked with really fluffy rabbits), and then did some shopping (for shawls and sweaters).

After that, we just roamed around in Mall Road. We purchased wooden key-chains with our names calligraphed on them by a street artist. It was impressive, I tell you. We also met a Bangalorean who was on his way to Nubra to shoot a film for NGC. After dinner, we watched TV before turning in pretty late.

Day 11: Tue, 27^th Jul – Manali – Delhi

We woke up leisurely (must have been only the second such instance during the entire trip), and were ready only by 10. We checked out, kept our luggage at the hotel and set out for the day.

After breakfast, we walked up to Hidimba temple, in the light rain. On the way down from there, Santhu fulfilled his wish of photographing apples from touching distance. It was noon by the time we were back down at Mall road.

We then crossed the bridge to the left bank of the Beas and spent over an hour there, taking in the cloud-shrouded, conifer-filled mountain slopes. By the way, the “left bank” is with reference to the direction the river flows. Beas seemed to be furious with someone. This river wasn't flowing – it was blasting its way through! It inspired Santhu to write a few more short poems, and cough cough .. yours truly coughed up a few lines of poetry too .. in Kannada!

We finally returned to Mall road by 2, and by the time we had lunch it was 3. We then visited the Buddhist temple which is bang opposite Ban Vihar. We spent more than half an hour here since we liked the calm and quiet of the place. We then proceeded to collect luggage from our hotel and took an auto to Manali's “private bus stand”, which is the filthiest bus stand I've ever seen. Our 5 pm Volvo to Delhi departed on time but the rain and fog meant it was slow progress.

We stopped around 10 pm near Mandi for dinner. The dhaba was not exactly clean – but it was cheap all right. 120 bucks for dinner for 3 people – and that bill includes one lassi.

Day 12: Wed, 28^th Jul- Delhi-Bangalore.

There was a road block for about half an hour (must have been around 4 a.m). By 5:30, we were still at Chandigarh. We stopped for breakfast around 7 am somewhere after Ambala on NH1. I have written before about this absolutely fabulous road, and we were soon hurtling down the straights at 3-digit speeds. It was sad to see pedestrians trying to cross six lanes taking on zooming vehicles at places like Panipat and Karnal.

We entered Delhi around 10 and it was well past 10:30 when we finally alighted at Janpath. We hired a taxi for Delhi sight seeing.

First stop was India Gate. From there, we went to Mahatma Gandhi's house and then drove past Parliament and Rashtrapati Bhavan. A lunch break later, we went shopping in Karol Bagh. Needless to say, we returned with several bags, mostly of clothes that we had purchased for our folks. After all that shopping, we weren't in a mood for further sight seeing. We dropped the idea of visiting Qutb Minar and instead drove straight to the airport where we reached before 4 pm, for a 6:45 flight.

Killing time at Delhi airport is not at all a problem. To add to it, our in-flight dinner experience on the onward journey was not exactly good. So we decided to have a very early dinner at KFC at the airport. Our Jetlite flight took off a little late, and we landed in Bangalore only around 9:30.

I expected that we'd exit the airport more than half an hour after that, and that I'd have to wait for a bus back home. I was wrong. 20 minutes after touch down, we were outside the airport. What's more, a Volvo to my area was ready for departure! By 10:05, we were on the highway, and believe it or not, by 11 pm, I was home! It took me a day to even realize that the trip was over!

Conclusion:

There are vacation destinations, and then there's Ladakh. It is more than a place. It gets into your psyche in a way you wouldn't believe possible. I am unconditionally in love with Ladakh and I have already made up my mind to return there 2 years from now. Next time I am there, I want to do a small trek (maybe 2-3 days); and I want to visit some of the restricted areas (Hanle in particular).

No words, no pictures, no videos have ever done justice to the place, and none will ever do. You have to experience it to believe it.

Travel Tips:

It was raining throughout in HP, Manali almost till we reached Delhi. And we didn't have an umbrella. It might be prudent to carry one if you are planning to pass through Manali. Throughout the 4 month tourist season in Ladakh, its monsoon in HP.

Regardless of the direction you are travelling, always aim to reach Rohtang pretty early (by 10 am). You never know what kind of traffic jam you might get into up there, and you don't wanna be stuck there in fading light.

Ladakh July 2010: Part 3 (TsoMoriri, TsoKar, Keylong)

In Part 1, you read about our visit in and around Leh. Part 2 of this travelog series took you through Pangong and Nubra. In this installment, you'll accompany us out of Leh, through TsoMoriri and Tsokar, and into Keylong. And do check out the travel tips section at the end of the post.

Day 7: Friday, 23^rd July – TsoMoriri

It was time to say good-bye to Leh. We checked out of our guest house at 8 am, bidding farewell to our hosts. Our route today took us on the Leh-Manali highway past Shay, Thiksay and Karu until Upshi, where we had to show our permits.

After Upshi, we branch off to the left, following the Indus river. We would be following the Indus river upstream for a good 3 hours. The roads are much better here, and you also see villages every 10-15 kms or so. There was a spot where a wooden bridge crossed a stream. We stopped here to collect drinking water and also to do some photography. It was a very beautiful spot where we could see a distant peak playing hide and seek with the clouds.

Our next stop was at Chumathang where there are hot springs. It is amazing to see the boiling water bubble out angrily from the ground. We wanted to bathe here but the bathroom facilities were rudimentary, at best. We had a mid-morning snack of Maggi noodles and then continued on our way. By noon, we were at Mahe bridge. We showed our permits here again. If you go straight (in a South-Easterly direction), you enter the restricted areas of Nyoma and Hanle. We turned right, crossed the bridge and headed South to TsoMoriri.

The roads were still excellent. They had a purplish tinge to at the sides. Must be the soil colour. We then ascended a very small pass and soon, a small lake came into view. This lake is named Thadsang Karu. It was covered with clouds just above its surface when we reached there. It would have made for an amazing photoshoot. But there was a very light drizzle, which brought in strong winds and the accompanying chill. Within 3 minutes, we were huddled back in our car. So much for photo-shoots!

We continued along Thadsang Karu, now on mud roads. 15 minutes later, Tso Moriri made an appearance on the horizon. Even then we had to drive for 45 minutes before we could reach our camp. At almost 3 pm, we checked in to the camp. Unlike the camp at Pangong, which was almost on the lake shore, this one is set up mid-way up a small hill overlooking the lake. There is also a village next to the campsite. Because of this, the feeling of isolation was missing here. The views, however, were as breath-taking as those at Pangong.

We first took a stroll to the lake, and then along it. Again, the experience of looking out at the indescribable colour combinations of the lake, the breeze blowing lightly, the mountains wherever you look up. We were actually annoyed when it was time time to return to camp!

Dinner was pretty early. When we were done with dinner, it wasn't completely dark yet. Just when we came out of the dining tent, we were treated with the sight of a near-full moon (maybe just 2 days shy of full moon). And the moon was casting a fluorescent tinge on TsoMoriri. It was an extraordinary sight. I rushed to get the tripod and set it up. For the next 15 minutes, we took turns trying to get long-exposure shots from the Nikon D3000 and the Canon Powershot S3IS. We did get a few good-looking ones at exposures of 15 seconds plus.

By now it was really cold. We were given those rubber bags filled with hot water, with a sheepskin pouch added to it. We wondered why they were going to such great lengths. We got the answer when we hit the sack. This was to be the coldest night of the trip. It was so damn chilly, that when we turned to one side of the bed, the other side would get freezing cold! This, in spite of multiple layers of clothing and multiple blankets and rugs.

Day 8: Sat, 24^th July – TsoKar

We caught the sunrise bang outside our tent at 5:30. This time there were no clouds playing spoilsport. We had breakfast around 7:30 and left by 8. We retraced the mud track for an hour back till Thadsang Karu, where we hit the tar road. There were no clouds over this lake today and as such it seemed brighter. Less than an hour later, about some 15 kms before Mahe, is the deviation to the left which takes you west-ward to TsoKar.

The next 2 hours were yet another experience etched in my memory. It was a dirt road through a valley. We first saw the Puga hot springs in the distance – but did not stop. After that, we drove through deserted wilderness – with almost no sign of civilization whatsoever. It was almost as of we were the only humans left on Earth. We only had wild asses for company every 5-10 kms. This drive would easily qualify for Discovery Travel&Living channel's series “Journeys to the Ends of the Earth”.

Only past 11 am did we hit a metalled road and reached TsoKar village. We caught glimpses of the TsoKar lake now. We saw some white deposits and were excited that it might be snow. It turned out that the white patches were salt deposits. We learnt there that we had to cross the entire width of the valley to reach our camp. The valley here is one big pasture. It took us more than 15 minutes to cross the pasture and reach our camp.

The camp here is the largest of all that we had seen so far. Since we were too early for lunch, we just had a quick tea and drove to the lake. This is yet another 15 minute drive. Unlike Pangong or TsoMoriri, the camp at TsoKar is not right by the lake. Instead it is in a pasture some 3-4 kms away. When we reached the lake, we could see why.

The salt deposits raise a stink which seems okay at the beginning but which turns unbearable after you spend some time there. Needless to say, our photo session here was very short. We got the only snap of all 4 of us (the fourth person being Trashi) and then returned to camp.

Lunch was ready when we returned, a heavy lunch at that. That necessitated a good rest before we set off to explore. This place was already very windy – that gave us an indication of things to come at night. We saw quite a lot of birds some distance from our camp. I tried to capture some snaps unsuccessfully. Santhu had a better idea. He used some dry fruits as a bait. He had to wait almost an hour before the birds took his bait – but hats off to his perseverance, he got some amazing snaps.

We then set out to do some walking. We got some snaps of horses grazing in the pasture but these snaps were overexposed. We walked towards the lake, hoping to reach it in an hour. By this time there were lot of foreigners who had arrived at our camp and they too had started trekking towards the lake in 3-4groups.

45 minutes later, we weren't even half-way to the lake, and decided to return. Some of the foreigners continued while others did a U-turn as well. On the way back, I again photographed the horses and did a better job of it this time. We met a Belgian family that was camping in their own tent nearby. I had a discussion with the father about our cameras and lenses and stuff. It was nearing 6:30 when we returned to camp.

As soon as the sun set, the wind picked up speed. The wind was strongest here and we had this nagging fear that the tent might fly away. After dinner we sat for some time outside our tent but the sound of the wind flapping against the tent was irritating. We decided to go for a post dinner walk. That was another great experience. Here we were, walking at night from the middle of nowhere, to the middle of nowhere. We were back in our tent a half hour later, and ready for a good night's sleep.

Day 9: Sun, 25^th July: TsoKar-Keylong.

The original plan was to stay at Sarchu today and leave for Manali the next day. However, Sarchu-Manali is a long drive and we had heard that Rohtang pass was not in a good shape. So we wanted to get as close to Manali as possible on this day itself. So we decided to try and reach Keylong instead. For that we had to depart as early as possible.

We woke up at 5:30, and getting to the common bath area was an effort in itself. Uh, didn't I mention that the bath and toilet is not attached here in TsoKar? It is just some 20 yards from the tent but like I said, it was cold, the water was cold. Washing your face and brushing in this cold water – that is something you're not going to forget in a hurry.

Mercifully, tea and breakfast was piping hot. We were on our way by 7 am. Just beyond our camp, we came across more Marmots but couldn't get any snaps. We headed west from our camp in the dirt roads in the pasture. 10 minutes later, we hit the Leh-Manali highway. Here, we took a left to head South. Soon, we were driving through the Morey plains which is a stretch of some half an hour of flat roads. However, there was lot of bridge construction going one here which forced us to drive off the road and in the dirt again. We could see large herds of Pashmina sheep grazing in the plains but couldn't get close enough to get good photos.

At the end of the plains, we got an awesome view of a river down in the valley. The map doesn't name this river but shows that it originates in (or flows to) TsoMoriri. By 8:30 we were in Pang, where we stopped for tea before continuing. From Pang, we started uphill and around 10 we were at LachulungLa pass. After this was one more of the numerous landmarks on Leh-Manali road: the Gata loops. This is a series of 21 hairpin bends that brings you down from an elevation of ~4650m to ~4100m in a span of ~7kms. Of course, we got some snaps here. We weren't going to let such an opportunity pass, were we?

Just after 11, we reached Sarchu. Here we stopped for an early lunch, and resumed at 11:30. Sarchu is the border between J&K and HP. So we were officially saying good-bye to Ladakh and entering Himachal Pradesh here. We felt a pang of sadness at this point. We had to bid farewell to a land that we had all unconditionally fallen in love with, and spent 9 days in.

So, in HP, the first half hour was fairly flat. There was a road block for about 20 minutes at one point where there was a bulldozer engaged in some work related to road widening. Once the block was cleared, we started ascending up BaralachLa. This pass looked like, as Sandy put it, mother nature had donned a Zebra-patterned veil. It was all black mountain face or white snow. Just after BaralachaLa is SurajTaal – which is a small, very pretty, high altitude lake.

The road condition improves a lot after here. Quite a few stretches are almost 2 lane wide with smooth riding surface. Road widening is going on in several other stretches. We passed by yet another picturesque small lake named DeepakTal where there was boating. We did not go boating though. Just clicked a couple of snaps and we were on our way.

Around quarter to 3, we reached Darcha, where we stopped for snacks. There on, it was an hour's drive to Keylong. The landscape changes drastically here. The terrain is similar to Ladakh but it is all green everywhere. There are more villages, more people. We checked into Hotel ChanderBhaga in Keylong around 4 pm. The first thing we did was have leisurely baths. Remember we had no access to hot water since the time we had left Leh more than 2 and half days back. You don't want to know how unwashed we looked and felt.

After bath, we went for a walking tour of the .. well.. town. Keylong is more than a village – it has a proper bus stand, several restaurants and hotels, a BSNL tower and telephone exchange. For the first time since we had left Leh, we were within range of Airtel network. So, yes, we toured the town, and on our way back, clicked snaps at a spot where dozens of vehicles were being washed in a stream which crosses the road.

It was dark when we returned to the hotel. After dinner, we spent a lot of time in front of the TV. We had forgotten what it is like to watch TV! We also had to say an emotional good-bye to Trashi now. Since the road between Keylong and Manali is very bad, and there were a couple of problem points, Trashi did not want to risk any damage to his brand new Innova. He arranged for a Tata Sumo to take us to Manali the next day. He would start at 5 am next day and aim to reach Leh the same evening.

The next part of this series will be the concluding part. So do come back.

Travel Tips

• We think it is not really necessary to camp at both TsoMoriri and TsoKar. A better idea would be to leave very early from Leh (by 6 am), reach TsoMoriri by noon, spend a couple of hours there, and then reach TsoKar the same evening to camp there. This is pretty doable.
• Remember there's no hot water facility in any of the camps. If you do camp at TsoMoriri, then you could use the hot water that they provide in the pouches. It is sufficient for a bath if you use it at night when they give it to you. By morning, it would have become lukewarm.
• We again sorely missed having a wide angle lens at TsoMoriri.
• Don't miss the opportunity to photograph the wildlife in the pastures – even if it means a detour. Especially Wild asses.
• There are several stay options on Leh-Manali highway. Most are camps though (Sarchu, Darcha). Proper hotels are available at Keylong and Jispa. Remember that camps are generally much more expensive than hotels.
• If you are driving yourself, remember to tank up at Leh and also store extra fuel in cans. You aren't going to find any pumps until Tandi (which is 20 kms beyond Keylong).
• Night travel is strongly discouraged since if you are in a spot, then chances if finding help are very slim.
• Some camps do not have power outlets in the tents – so charging your mobile phones and camera batteries might not be possible. Conserve the power – switch off your cellphones as soon as you exit Leh. You are not going to need them until you reach Keylong – unless you have a BSNL connection.

Ladakh July 2010: Part 2 (Pangong and Nubra)

In Part 1, I described the first 2 days of our trip – in and around Leh. In part 2, I describe the trips to Pangong and Nubra – 2 days each.

By the way, check out some more snaps here. And don't miss the Travel Tips at the end of this post.

Day 3: Mon, 19^th Jul – Leh-Pangong.

Trashi was bang on time and at 7 he cranked the engine. We had got breakfast packed by our hosts (Ladakhi bread with butter and jam). The route took us in the valley for the first hour or so. We had to stop to show our permits at Karu. The climb started after Sakti, and it continued for over an hour. It seemed never-ending but the scenery more than made up for the bad roads. At one point, we saw a herd of yaks and stopped to take snaps.

Eventually, we reached Chang-La, the third highest pass in the world. We stopped here to play in the snow and click snaps. We met a couple of army jawans from Karnataka, and they were very happy to find Kannada-speaking people. One of them told us about the conditions there, and also showed us some snaps of Siachen. We cannot even begin to imagine how being a military man must be!

After a 20-minute chat we continued, downhill this time. At one point we had run out of drinking water, and asked Trashi to stop at the next shop. He did better. He stopped at the next stream instead, where we collected water in our bottles. Trust me when I say that water doesn't get purer than this. And it is plentiful in Ladakh! Who needs mineral water.

We were now getting into Tangtse valley. We started getting glimpses of the wildlife here – wild ass, horses and ibex. The landscape started showing hints of sand in addition to the normal streams and mountains. We even saw a small frozen lake.

We rolled into Pangong by noon (well, not literally). I almost lost my senses when I saw the beauty of the place. I didn't know whether to take snaps or take in the scenery or to shout out aloud with sheer exhilaration of seeing this unimaginably scenic place. There was a half hour photo session here when the cameras must have been breathless, poor things.

Most tourists make a day trip to Pangong. After a few hours by the lake, at the “main area” (I don't know what else to call it), they return back to Leh. Not us. We had booked ourselves at the Water Camp which is a 20 minute ride further down the lake shore. On our way there, we helped a Tata Safari that was stuck in the sand to break free. Our good deed for the day done, we arrived at the camp around 1, just in time for lunch. Our accommodation consisted of a single tent with attached bathroom – a luxury I say!

Lunch and a short rest later, we set out for a long walk along the lake. It was the most amazing experience – taking in the multiple shades of blue and green that the lake assumed, the absolutely bare mountains on the other side, the cotton-white clouds hovering just above, the breeze. What I loved most about it was the isolation. Not a soul in sight, no fixed “destination” to walk to. Just three friends in the lap of mother nature.

It turned out to be quite a long walk. We returned to camp only around 6:30. The light was still strong. But about an hour later as the sun started going down, it started getting really chilly. The wind was picking up by now and that only sent the mercury further down. We got into our warm clothes and were enjoying the serenity when dinner was ready. The dinner tent was surprisingly warm on the inside. There's nothing like a bowl of steaming hot soup in these conditions, I tell you.

We wanted to mingle with the others in the camp but were too tired. In what would be a “trend” for most of the trip, we turned in pretty early and by 10 we were fast asleep.

Day 4: Tue, 20^th July – Pangong-Leh

In what would be yet another trend for most of the remainder, we woke up pretty early too. By 5 to be exact. We wanted to catch the sunrise which supposedly cast a magic glow over the lake and surrounding mountains. Alas! The clouds had other plans for us. We did get good views but none of the actual sunrise itself. It was a disappointed trio that munched on cereal for breakfast that morning. At 7 we bid good-bye to the camp. But we still wanted to have one last quick photo session at the “main area”. This time the we had the place entirely to ourselves, unlike the previous day when it was brimming with cars and tourists. So we clicked a few snaps and were on our way back to Leh.

Back in the Tangtse valley, we had an encounter with what we thought was a beaver-like creature (but what we later realized is called a Himalayan Marmot and belongs to the squirrel family). These were shy creatures who would scurry into their burrows when we got near. But there was one of them – an old female (who must have been used to the human adulation). She accepted biscuits and carrots and posed for quite a few snaps. Boy did she enjoy the attention we showered on her!

So yes, we continued to Leh, this time we did not stop at Chang La. There was a half-hour delay because the road was broken by a stream at one point, and drivers were placing large stones to pave a way. I must mention here that drivers cooperate with each other very well. They must – else they would never be able to drive on these narrow roads.

We were in town by half past noon. We took bath (remember – the camp had only cold water – impossible to bathe in at that early hour) , lunch and some rest. In the evening we again went to town but this time on foot. We had a leisurely stroll through the main city and were back by 7:30, our stomachs full of snacks. Needless to say, dinner was very light. And, since we had to hit the road early the next morning for Nubra valley, we went to bed pretty early too.

Day 5: Wed, 21^st July – Leh-Nubra Valley

Trashi was waiting for us by 6:45, and at 7 we were on our way, this time to Nubra valley. The Dalai Lama was visiting Nubra at this time and hence there was very heavy traffic headed in the same direction as us. There was a 20-minute delay due to a traffic jam at a check point.

We reached Khardung-La pass – what India claims is the highest motorable road in the world – by 9 am. But because of the delay we did not stop here. We reserved that for the return trip. The road condition here is much worse than the Pangong route. It was almost 10:30 when we hit the Nubra valley. Boy, is the valley vast or what (at least that's how it looks). For a change, we saw signs of civilization – villages, schools, flat roads – even a 3-road T junction (a rarity in these parts of the world).

We went straight to Sumoor where there is a grand Gompa. This place was very crowded in anticipation of the Dalai Lama's visit. People were dressed in traditional Ladakhi attire. We wanted to visit the temple but due to security reasons we weren't allowed in. We tried to find out about the timing of Dalai Lama's visit but couldn't get much information. Finally, at 12:45, we decided there was no point in just waiting. We decided to leave Sumoor.

We wanted to go to check out the hot water springs at Panamik – but came to know that there was waterlogging at one point and hence the road was closed. So we went to Diskit instead. We reached Diskit by 1:30. Quite a big chunk of the way consists of flat, long straights on the valley floor. We checked in to the Hotel Olthang. The guy who allotted us our room was a very strange guy – he was very polite to us, he even carried the bags of one foreigner; but he was very rude to our driver. Wonder why this attitude. He wasn't a local for sure – you don't find thins kind of behaviour among Ladakhis.

Anyway, we had lunch and some rest, after which we went to Hunder for the camel rides. Hunder is just 20 minutes from Diskit. You see some proper sand dunes on the way here. You might think you are in Rajasthan – only when you look up and see the mountains are you reminded of where exactly you are. There was a big crowd at the camel ride. To add to it, we did not like the way the camels were being treated. It appeared that they were not taken care of. We did not ride them. Later, we came to know by talking to people that these double-humped camels, which are unique to Ladakh and Gobi desert in Mongolia, are actually seen in the wild here. During the tourist season, these “trainers” bring them in for rides, and during winters, they just leave the camels in the wild – without feeding them properly. This made us really sad. I don't know whether to believe this – but it looks like there is some amount of truth there.

So – we did not ride the camels but spent some time on the dunes. After that, we returned to Diskit and headed to the Gompa there. The Gompa is situated high on a mountain overlooking the valley. The views from this Gompa were the best ones of the Nubra valley. The valley floor is really wide (like 5-6 kms wide), and the Gompa offered a panorama of it all. To add to it, there were the clouds hovering over the peaks nearby giving the impression of icing on the cake!

There is a brand new 80-ft tall statue of Lord Buddha here. We were impressed by the place. We spent quite some time, braving the winds which were getting stronger. After returning to hotel, we again set out for a leisurely walk through the village. A very long dinner later, we had this urge to take a post-dinner walk. We did start off on one, but it started drizzling and it was so dark that our torches were hopelessly inadequate. So we returned after just 15 minutes and called it a day.

Day 6: Thurs, 22^nd July - Nubra-Leh

For a change we had a leisurely departure. We left Diskit by 8:30. This is because we weren't expecting Khardung-La pass to be open for Leh-bound traffic until noon. However, to our surprise, we found it open. We reached KhardungLa top by 11. We purchased souvenirs here, did some bit of snow-fighting, clicked the mandatory snaps and in half an hour we were on our way. It's a good thing we left soon since the weather had begun to deteriorate and it even looked like it'd snow.

We reached Leh by 1 pm, went out for lunch and then walked to the main town to withdraw money from the ATM. After lunch, we rested a bit and headed to our favourite spot in Leh – our stream. We would be leaving Leh the next morning and wanted to spend as much time here as possible. Sandy sang a few songs while Santhu sat and wrote some poetry. This is as close as it gets to heaven!

What then? We had another stroll in the city and were back to the Guest House. We clicked snaps of the host family. After that we had dinner and went to sleep.

Stay tuned for Part 3 :)

Travel Tips

• Keep a dozen xerox copies of you permits ready. You don't get photocopy machines anywhere other than Leh.
• For Pangong, it is best to have a wide angle lens for your camera. You can get amazing results with one.
• Pack in extra set of batteries – you never know how long the power will be available for charging.
• It could get real cold up at the passes (Chang La, Khardung La). It is advisable to keep the jackets handy when you are getting out of the vehicle there
• When the car is climbing up the pass, it is best to keep the windows up. Else, you feel heavy-headed due to the lack of oxygen, and as Trashi told us, you could faint as soon as you step out at the top.
• Day trips are possible to both Pangong and Nubra. But if you have the time and budget, then I suggest camping at Pangong. I guarantee you it will be unlike any experience you've ever had.
• Remember you will not get hot water at the camps. It is either cold water bath or no bath!
• In Nubra, stay options are available at Diskit, Sumoor and Hunder.
• You do get BSNL network in Nubra valley – but no Airtel. Pangong is way out of reach of any mobile network. So do call up your folks on your way out of Leh and let them know you won't be within reach for the next so-and-so days.
• Pack in eatables, biscuits, fruit, dry-fruits when you leave Leh. Drinking water is not necessary though. You can collect water from any of the zillion streams. And rest assured – they are purer than any “mineral water” that money can buy.

Ladakh July 2010: Part 1 (Updated with travel tips)

In Ladakhi language, “La” means pass and “Dakh” means land. Ladakh, thus, means land of passes. It is easy to see why. There's hardly any 2 places in Ladakh that don't have a pass between them! But Ladakh is much more than just that.

Ladakh is a land of seemingly never-ending valleys, punctuated with streams and rivers, and the patches of greenery they bring about.

Ladakh is a land of snow-capped mountain peaks, mountains which are often completely barren.

Ladakh is a land of yaks and ibex, wild asses and horses, marmots and double humped camels, of migratory birds.

Ladakh is a land of lakes that seem to change colour and shade according to their mood.

Ladakh is a land of deserts and pastures, of nomads and tourists, of Gompas and monks.

Ladakh is the ultimate get-away destination, a magical land sure to linger in your psyche long after you've returned to your normal life.

After obsessing myself over Ladakh for over 5 years now, I finally visited this dream destination, with 2 of my college buddies. Here is an account of the trip. Since it was a long trip, I split the travelog into parts.

The Itinerary

It was a 12-day trip (Bangalore to Bangalore), during the second half of July 2010. We did Delhi-Leh by flight on the onward leg and by road on the return.

Day 0: Fly Bangalore-Delhi

Day 1: Fly Delhi-Leh. Acclimatize.

Day 2: Leh local sight seeing.

Day 3,4: Trip to Pangong lake and back to Leh, including stay overnight at a camp on the shores of Pangong.

Day 5,6: Trip to Nubra valley and back to Leh, including stay at Diskit.

Day 7: Leh-TsoMoriri lake. Camp overnight

Day 8: TsoKar lake. Camp overnight

Day 9,10: Drive to Manali (halt on the way at Keylong)

Day 11,12: Overnight bus from Manali to Delhi; Flight back to Bangalore.

Day 0: Fri, 16^th July 2010 – Bangalore-Delhi

It was late afternoon on this Friday that three over-enthusiastic friends embarked on this journey with mile-wide smiles on their faces, excitement oozing out of every expression. There was lot of shouting and merry-making during the hour-plus long taxi ride to Bangalore International Airport. The flight to Delhi was on time but as usual, congestion over IGI ensured our landing was delayed. To add to it, we taxied for like half an hour before finally arriving at our parking bay.

We weren't complaining though. You see, we had an entire night to kill at Delhi airport. Our Delhi-Leh flight was at 6 the following morning and it dint make sense to exit the airport and check into a hotel just for a few hours. So yes, we huddled into Terminal 1D close to midnight, and slept in the waiting area, checked in (and completed security check) somewhere around 2 am and then again went to sleep.

Day 1: Sat, 17^th July 2010 – Leh

Delhi-Leh takes an hour and a half. When you begin the descent into Leh airport, you start seeing mind-blowing scenery down below. You see the snow-capped Himalayas from a height and that sets you in “I don't believe this view” mode – a mode which you will be in for the remainder of the trip.

Leh airport is a small one – only 2-3 baggage belts and it took some time for our luggage to come by. It was past 8 am when we exited the airport. To say it was sunny was an understatement. The temperature was already closing in on 30 Celsius! Our ride was waiting outside the airport.

Within 15 minutes, we were at our Guest House – a brand new one right below Shanti Stupa. Our cameras had been slotted into overdrive already – clicking the view from, of, around and above the Guest House. After freshening up, we ventured out for some sight seeing on foot.

We could hear water flowing somewhere nearby and sure enough, found a stream flowing within a 5 minute walk from our guest house. We spent a good half hour there before we returned to our guest house and took some rest. Lunch was at the guest house.

This was supposed to be a “rest” day, for us to acclimatize. Yeah right. As if we were going to “waste” an entire day resting. By 4, we had decided we'd climb up to Shanti Stupa. We took the steps. What seems like a relatively easy climb turned out to be .. err .. gruelling, with us puffing and catching our breath every now and then. That's when we started realizing that altitude sickness is for real. We took our time clicking snaps, checking out the panoramic view of Leh from the Stupa, sipping tea and finally back down via the steps. We again went to the stream. By now the snow that had melted during the afternoon had turned the stream into a gushing muddy flow.

It was close to half past 7 when we walked into our guest house, but the light would make you believe it was just half past 5! My body protested about the lack of oxygen at this altitude by threatening me with a nauseating sensation for the rest of the evening. This ensured I had a very light dinner and turned in early for the night.

Day 2: Sunday 18^th July – Local monastery tour

We left leisurely for the local tour. From today, we would be joined by our guide and driver – Trashi. Like most Ladakhis, he is an extremely polite and helpful fellow. You'll be reading a lot more about him in the rest of the travelog :-)

So yes, we sat in the comforts of the Toyota Innova and headed off for the monastery circuit. We had Ladakhi bread on the way. We first stopped ate Shay palace which was the capital of ancient Ladakh. There's not much to see here – it is a place of historical importance – that's all.

From Shay, a short 10 minute drive took us to Thiksay Gompa. Here, we got to know what a monk's life is like. We saw their study rooms, their dining halls, libraries and the like. The landscape seen from up above (both at Shay and Thiksay) was intriguing. You could see the road divide the “green” area from the “dry” area. We spent quite some time at Thiksay, clicking snaps and then headed to Hemis.

This is more than a half hour drive from Thiksay. Hemis is the largest of the monasteries. There is also a museum here. Like many monasteries, Hemis is set into a mountain wall. The color of the monastery, the blue sky with the odd cloud, the green fields with mustard patches below the monastery, the mountains with snowed out peaks – it was quite a colour riot I tell you.

We were done by 1 pm and returned to Leh by 2. We had lunch in the town, got back to guest house, took some rest and then ventured out for souvenir shopping. Souvenirs are pretty expensive here. Since majority of the tourists here are foreigners, there's nothing you can do about it. Bargaining is limited.

What else then? After shopping and eating at a rooftop restaurant with breath-taking views, we were back at our guest house. We were brimming with anticipation regarding the trip to Pangong the next day. To know how that went, you'll have to wait for Part 2 of the travelog.

Travel Tips

• Leh is the only sizeable town in Ladakh. It is an hour and a half by flight from New Delhi. At 12 thousand plus feet, the air is noticeably thinner. Leh was hot during the daytime (~30 deg Celsius) but would get pretty cool at night. The wind adds to the chill once the sun goes down.
• There are plenty of options to stay at Leh – hotels, guest houses. And the options suit every type of budget. Our guest house was very reasonably priced.
• There's lots of eating joints all over the place too – with all types of cuisines available. All kinds of amenities (ATM's, banks, medical shops, electronics etc) are in Leh.
• Souvenir shopping is pretty expensive in Leh – but you don't have a choice.
• Altitude sickness is for real and I would strongly advise against ignoring it. If you travel to Leh by road from Manali, you'd have got adjusted, but if you fly in, a good day's rest is advised. No strenuous activity like climbing on the first day.
• Do pack in sunscreen, moisturisers and lip balms.
• Getting around is pretty easy too. You don't have to have booked transport in advance. You can just drop in at any of the hazaar tours and travels and see if any “share rides” are available to wherever you are going. Getting permits to the popular places is also pretty easy at these tours and travels.

Europe 2009 Part 1 - Salzburg (Austria)

I start off this travelog by stating that my 2-week trip to Europe was simple an unforgettable one. Once-in-a-lifetime, if I may! Photos here.

Ok, to begin at the beginning; I spent three (and-a-half) days in Salzburg (Austria), five in Switzerland, and two (and-a-half) days in Javea, Spain .. an oh, an entire night at Frankfurt airport too! The three days in Salzburg were for an official conference. The rest was vacation.

This first installment is about the Salzburg leg of the trip.

Salzburg: (Oct 25-28)

I flew Bangalore-Frankfurt-Salzburg. Frankfurt airport is huge, expensive and full of Indians :) No free wi-fi, no free water either. The Airtel calling card that I had purchased in Bangalore did not work at Frankfurt airport; and I was even unable to use my credit card to make the calls from the pay phones there. The Frankfurt-Salzburg flight takes hardly any time. Before you can say hulalala .. the descent starts.

Salzburg is the most adorable little town. Impeccable cleanliness. Beautiful, cold (between 0 and 10 degrees Centigrade), colorful, and very very slight drizzles every now and then. The Salzch river flows through town and kind of dissects the town. My hotel and conference were in the “new town”. Across the bridge is the old town.

Salzburg is a small town, most of the places are within walking distance of each other. Yet, the city bus service seems to be excellent. There are way too many of those electricity-powered buses in the town. I, of course, did not need them. The only transport I used here was the taxi ride from the airport to my hotel. The town is best explored by foot.

On my last day here, I visited the castle. A 20-minute walk on a sunny morning took me there – but it wasn't open yet. So I had to while away some time at one of the several huge “platz”s or squares before it opened. I walked up and purchased the ticket for EUR7.40; which entitles me to a lot many things - entry, museums, "terror chamber", trolley ride down. It was sunny and not really cold - but I don't know why my hands (palms in particular) were freezing and numb. I wore gloves and it was tedious to remove the gloves every time I wanted to take a photo.

The view from the castle is just too good. You can see the airport and the Alps beyond that on one side. On the other side, you see the Salzburg city and you just fall in love with the sight. Its a pity I dint have much time. I spent less than half an hour there - did not take see any of the stuff that my ticket entitled me to - just took the funicular ride back down. I walked back through town and took a different route to reach my hotel.

I left Salzburg on the night of 28^th Oct and took the train to Zurich. I walked the 10 minutes from hotel to the station, at midnight, lugging my 20-kg suitcase; and my laptop bag too. But it was perfectly safe. I saw several people, including women, travelling alone at this time of the night.

I'd like to finish off this “Part 1” of the series with an interesting anecdote: On the last day of the conference, just as everyone had about wrapped up, an Indian approached me. He was in the hotel uniform. He was a bit hesitant at first. He introduced himself as an Indian(from Punjab). I was overjoyed to meet him. We chatted for almost half an hour. He has been in Salzburg for 12 years; and he works at the hotel. He told me a little bit about the life and the culture there. He does miss home, his people, Indian weather, food; but he has got used to life there. He liked the fact that there is no dignity-of-labour there. People do not look down upon him because he is “just a worker”.

He then told me something which made me disappointed in us Desis. Apparently, a quite a few Indians visit the place for conferences every year. And my new-found friend makes it a point to talk to them when they are not busy. It feels good for him to meet an Indian after a long time. But, some Indians do not wish to talk to him. He's “just a worker” you see. I just cannot believe that people would allow their false notion of “status” to discourage themselves from speaking to their compatriots in a far-away land. How absurd and completely uncalled-for it seemed to me. We urgently need to change our attitude in such matters.

Anyway, I arrived in Zurich on the morning of Thursday, 29^th October. Coming soon – the travelog for the 5-day Switzerland leg of the tour. Stay tuned!