ladakh | Travels of the self and the mind

We had driven a long hot drive from Leh to Nubra valley the previous day, where we enjoyed a brief snow experience at Khardungla pass and a wonderful evening at the Hunder sand dunes (Leh Ladakh July 2022-Nubra valley). We had a delicious hot dinner at the resort, slept well and woke up feeling fresh for a long drive to Turtuk, a village close to the Siachen glacier and the border with Pakistan.

*The blue path is Hunder to Turtuk and back, the green one is the drive the next day to Pangong lake*

As everything in Ladakh, the drive to Turtuk was spectacular, in fact, much better than Turtuk itself. However, I was not to realise that till the end of the day. Turtuk had been propagated as a wonderful day excursion from Hunder, and I was looking forward to visiting this village reclaimed by India in the 1971 war.

A bright blue sky, clean gurgling glacial rivulets and scattered miniature chortens set the tone for the day. There was no one on the road for the most part, which tempted a really risky photograph.

The landscape was barren, with occasional villages in the few patches of green. All along, the river Shyok meandered somewhere near us, sometimes parallel to us, sometimes deeper below in the gorge as we drove along the higher mountain paths.

We drove ahead to a narrow path between the mountains, where the brilliant turquoise river roared deep below us.

We approached a bridge that crossed high above the river and saw many people standing there. Keen to see a good view, we were appalled to see them peering into the gorge to see a bus that had toppled over a few days ago into the river.

Saddened to see this cruel pairing of incredible beauty and tragedy, we hurriedly moved on. But one can’t stay pensive for too long on Ladakh roads, and especially not when a turn brings you to this visage.

The Ladakh Matterhorn reminded me of my Covid-canceled Zermatt trip, yet thrilled me. For where else would I see sand, turquoise river, multicolored barren mountains and the Toblerone mountain in one frame?

Shortly, we reached a beautiful memorial to the Siachen warriors. Set high on a mountain, a small museum showcased their difficult living conditions. Once again, we were humbled by the greatness and sacrifice of the Indian Army.

Tired by the heat, sobered by the last hour, we were relieved to reach Turtuk and then horrified to see the massive crowds. There was no parking available and our driver dropped us near a traditional house, where we would later hunt and hunt for him.

Traditional stone houses with wooden balconies are the hallmark of Turtuk, but nearly everything was crumbling and falling apart. We realized soon that Turtuk was created and pushed as a tourist destination to improve its income. The hot sunny day didn’t help dispel our disappointment either.

Supposed descendent of the Yabgo dynasty, this old gentleman told us stories of their heyday, before we toured his tiny traditional home filled with old dusty utensils and swords. The charming children however were the highlight.

By then, we were very hungry and thirsty. We rushed out and crossed the river to a newer and slightly better part of Turtuk to a cafe overlooking the river.

Not my feelings, just a good sign!

No need for a fridge when you have glacial water coming out of the mountainside! We even drank the refreshing cold water.

View of the bridge and river once we climbed higher. This region is fertile due to irrigation canals running through it, and grows plenty of fruits, vegetables and flowers.

Beautiful flowers in a cold desert!

It was nice to wander through thick patches of green surrounded by tall trees.

I would have wandered longer (as always), but the hubby and kid were bored (as always) and wanted to return, so we headed back and had an awful time trying to locate our driver. Back in the car, hubby and kid fell asleep while I admired some of the most amazing scenery possible.

I love donkeys, they are uber cute!

The gushing glacial blue rivulet joins the dull grey river at many areas along the way.

We were exhausted by the time we returned. Fresh apricots above our cottage cheered us up, as did a warm delicious meal. We slept early, in anticipation of an even tougher drive to the other border of Ladakh, one shared with China, to Pangong lake.

Turtuk was an epic failure of a visit, the only good thing we got from it was dry fruits. Yet, the drive there and back made our day. The deep blue skies, the shades of the mountains, the splashes of greenery and most of all, the shades of blue and grey of the river were captivating to say the least. Visit Turtuk for sure, but for the journey alone.

It’s been a long time since this trip, and much has changed in my life since then. My daughter has gotten into medical school, I’ve traveled to Kashmir, lost a beloved family member and my health and fitness. Yet, better late than never, I recollect a beautiful trip to the far northern end of India, the stunning raw union territory of Leh and Ladakh.

At the time that we traveled to Ladakh (July 2022), it was almost 3 years since my last trip, thanks to the Coronavirus and all its merry mutations. My brilliantly planned Italy trip after my teen’s grade 10 exams got canceled and replaced by tiny local trips over the next 2 years, while Covid kept rearing its ugly head now and again.

So, when most of the threat of Covid died down in March 2022, I actually dared to plan a holiday as soon as the teen’s medicine preparatory exams would end. The insecurity about the actual date of the exam (which had been postponed umpteen times), the world state, lack of a valid passport for the teen and of course, the hubby’s disgust for international travel made it possible to only short-list an Indian holiday. Once again, there was chaos and fights. The hubby and teen wanted to chill in Goa, I wanted a longer travel. Finally, I won and once again, set about painstakingly planning. July end being smack in the midst of Indian monsoons, we chose to travel to a place in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, the land of high passes, Leh and Ladakh.

That’s the story of how we got Leh’d. It was fairly easy to plan as most Ladakh trips follow a set travel route and my brother-in-law and friend had just been there. Of course, I have a penchant for overthinking, overplanning, etc, so it took a bit longer than it should have.

We paid extra for refundable tickets and hotels and then forgot about the trip till the date of the exam, as we were leaving that very night. Obviously, there was a lot to do that night till our flight at 3am, including packing, coloring hair and dealing with an angry teen, who just realized that instead of finally getting to sleep, she was staying up all night to catch a flight.

Luckily, one can’t stay grumpy too long when the sun rises to show the most outstanding views.

*The first sight of the snow-capped mountains that we’d see for the rest of the trip*

*Mountains, the sun and glacial rivers on the plains*

The landing at Leh airport was a narrow strip between tall mountain ranges and I marveled at the skill of the pilot who expertly and smoothly steered us to a clean landing. We exited swiftly and were outside the airport at the bright hour of 6 am.

Picked up on time, we left the airport to the bluest sky I have ever seen. This stunning blue stayed constant through our trip. We also were surrounded by dry dusty plains, poplar and willow trees in between, rivers and rivulets and tall barren mountains, some topped with snow, throughout our journey through Ladakh.

Our pretty hotel was representative of the architecture throughout Leh city. As we flew directly into Leh, it was mandatory to acclimatize to the high altitude and thin air by staying 48 hours in Leh.

*Beautiful lawn in our hotel, where we ate daily despite the cold in the morning and the night*

*The happiest part of the teen’s day was petting this forever hungry cutie and feeding him her jammy bread and roti*

*Ornately carved tables and door frames and thick carpets are typical of Leh*

The ceiling lights caught my attention, but not for long, as I fell asleep pretty soon. We spent most of our first day sleeping, but by evening we were bored and decided to take a small walk outside our hotel.

*Prayer wheels in these pretty colors were* *everywhere*

We saw the Shanti stupa in the distance and thought of walking till there, but soon realized it was very far and at quite an elevation.

*The lit up white dome of the Shanti stupa behind the electric wire*

Returning back, a movement high up in the mountains caught our eye. A pair of cyclists had reached the top of the mountain and were setting off on their way back. Ladakh is truly an adventure seekers dream!

A hearty meal and a good night’s rest later, we were set to go local sightseeing in Leh. This too has a set pattern of Hall of Fame, Gurudwara Paththar Sahib, magnetic hill and the Sangam of rivers Indus and Zanskar.

*A transformer-like structure captured my attention on the way*

The Hall of Fame is a museum built to honor the soldiers of the Kargil war. It’s a moving experience to see the tough conditions in Kargil, and the pictures and names of those we lost there.

Right outside the museum is this serene statue of the Buddha, with a message, “It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles.” So true.

*An unusual mask that caught my lens in the museum*

From there, we drove on to the gurudwara. It was a stunning drive on long empty roads with the tall mountains alongside, interspersed with tiny areas filled with trees.

Leh and Ladakh is all about the journey. Sure, the destination is good too, but the drive is much better. As we drove to the gurudwara, we ascended a little and came upon this amazing viewpoint.

It took a while to reach the gurudwara, but it was a stunning road and gurudwara. I love these quieter places of worship much more than temples. This gurudwara is operated by the army personnel, is spotlessly clean and serves the most delicious sheera as you exit.

From there, we went to the very over-hyped magnetic hill, that was not even worth the long drive

Even though this day’s itinerary was “local” Leh sightseeing, it took the better part of the day as all the distances were large.

*How small are we in nature? We’re but tiny specks on the planet*

A short drive later, we reached the viewpoint over the Sangam (union) of the rivers Indus and Zanskar. The Indus (also called Sindhu), which originates in Tibet, was where the great ancient Indus valley civilization began. We stayed by it during our later trip to Kashmir, when we visited Sonmarg (Kashmir-May 2023-Sonmarg). The Indus is joined by the Zanskar at this Sangam point in Leh, where the two differently colored streams are seeing merging into each other.

*The light green Indus merges with the muddy larger faster Zanskar*

The rivers have different colors at different times of the year. When my brother-in-law visited in May, the Indus was stunning turquoise green.

*Pic courtesy Ravi Thapar, taken just 2 months earlier, with such a clear difference between the two rivers*

The rivers freeze completely in winters, when the famous Chadar trek takes place over the Zanskar river. But in the summers, the flow in both rivers is strong because of the melting glaciers. In fact, river rafting takes place just a few kilometers ahead of this Sangam.

We drove along the Indus to get to the Sangam at the river level.

*Note the color of the river and the beautiful bridge over it.*

*Pic courtesy Ravi Thapar. The same Indus and the same bridge in May just 2 months before my travel*

The bridge was too pretty to resist getting to, so we drove ahead of the Sangam point to get to it.

The Sangam point was crowded with tourists and hawkers. It’s amazing how we Indians can turn a 50-meter area into a tourist destination!

*The hubby wanted to experience the Sangam from closer! The junction of the two rivers is much tougher to appreciate from up close.*

*Pic courtesy Ravi Thapar. My sister-in-law at a the same place with the clearly demarcated Sangam of the rivers*

*So many hawkers were selling beaded necklaces and souvenirs*

*While I was diverted by necklaces, the hubby was allured by the rocks in the fast swirling waters!*

Exhausted by the heat, we had a wonderful lunch at a lovely cafe in the marketplace, that my brother-in-law had loved on his trip and would become a staple choice for us as well.

*Chilled watermelon juice after hours under the sun was a great start to the meal*

*The view of the pedestrian-only main market street from the cafe* *with Namgyal monastery in the distance*

*Interesting posters lined the walls of the cafe and the building*

After a delicious meal, we headed to the hotel to sleep. We stepped out in the evening to go to the Shanti Stupa, near our hotel. The beautiful white Stupa, built on a small hillock, had a lovely cafe with views over the city of Leh.

*The white domed Stupa was very crowded*

We stayed till the sun set, watching the different colors of the sky and the lights come on in Leh and on the Stupa itself.

*The twinkling city of Leh surrounded by mountains*

*Different colored lights are projected on the Stupa*

We walked down to our hotel and enjoyed a hearty supper and slept early, for we had to wake early the next day to travel to Nubra valley. We would spend 2 nights there and a lot of hours traveling but enjoyed that experience thoroughly too.

Travels of the self and the mind

my trips, my thoughts, my dreams

Tag Archives: ladakh

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