Lovely Ladekh

After just a week in the heatwave sweeping across central India, I decided it was time for a change. I found myself on a 5 am flight heading to Leh, the biggest city in Ladekh (part of the Jammu and Kashmir Province).  Upon our descent I saw a fantastic view of the sun rising above the Himalayas, lighting up the moonlight landscape. It was gorgeous! The city sits at an elevation of 3500 meters above sea level in the arid dessert which shares the same characteristics of that of nearby Tibet. The plane banked steep upon it's approach and landed among the hundreds of military complexes that dot the landscape. India recently lost small portions of land to China a few decades back and they haven't seem to let down their guard since. Every second vehicle it seems is a military truck loaded with supplies and troops for remote distance outpost. Even now, they claim China has been positioning itself on disputed Indian territory. However, this does not seem to intrude on the natural beauty that surrounds you once you arrive.

Ladakh is filled with Tibetan Buddhists that fill the culture with compassion, empathy, and equality. The people are very friendly and hospitable to tourists who support most of the livelihood in the region. Countless rows of tourism offices line each street, all with standardized prices across the board for treks, guides, and transportation. Even the accommodations adhere to strict rules on hygiene, cleanliness, and appearance even. The ones I checked were all immaculate and clean, before deciding on one at the edge of town away from the noise and dust of Leh.

I wanted to see as much of this endless landscape as I could, so I decided to rent myself a motorcycle. The most popular rental is the Royal Enfields, which boast about 350cc of power to get you up through the pass. They are comfortable, but don't have the clearance or suspension of the newer bikes, so I opted for the latter (at a standardized price of 600 Rp/day; about 12 USD). The roads are fantastic in the valley, maintained by an entire military division, the Border Roads Organization or BRO as they advertise. After leaving Leh, each small town you drive by is highlighted by the Tibetan Buddhist Monastery that perches on the nearest outcrop. Leh has one itself, plus a fort, and World Peace Stupa (Japan) all sitting on such outcrops providing beautiful views in every direction. To name a few the monastarys of Stok, Shey, Hemis, and Alchi were each equally impressive. Usually only a few monks will direct tourists to the Golden Buddhas or Temples they're each renowned for. But come summer, they all host their own elaborate annual celebrations where the grounds are packed with everyone wanting to see the enormous headdress and costumes they don, complete with music and dance. A site not to be missed by anyone visiting in July and August (high season).

The day after my arrival I decided to tackle the "highest motor-able road in the world" as claimed by the Indian Government (there is another road in Tibet with a similar claim). The winding military road was to take me up to 5600 meters above sea level over just a couple kilometers before reaching Khardun La Pass. I was expecting a quick morning ride, but ended up spending the whole day up in the mountains. The first half was smooth, but once the snow began to accumulate on the shoulder the road got rough, and washed out, and missing in parts. At one checkpoint I was delayed two hours as they cleared an avalanche near the top. Once the road was opened up there was a fury of some 100 vehicles roaring up the tattered road to get their impatient paying tourists to the top. My bike skidded and splashed through sections of rock and ice, which passing vehicles shot fumes and stones into my face. Nevertheless, I made it to the top by the early afternoon. They recommend not staying for more than 30 minutes seeing as how significant the altitude has been over such a short time. I slowly climbed a staircase in the snow to reach a shrine at the top which gave a good view of the traffic jams and chaos below. The gorgeous panorama from that altitude are stunning, with a glimpse into the nearby Nubra Valley. As I descended back down traffic continued to race by up the road and I felt dizzy with a nasty headache that followed me back into town. Whoops. Guess 24 hours isn't enough from 300m (New Delhi) to nearly 6000m. They always recommend at least two days to acclimatize in Leh, guess I just had to learn the hard way. Luckily, no vision changes or lucid dreaming occured during my descent, unlike some other bikers I met along the way.

By the third day on the bike I had seem as much as possible without doing an overnight road trip. I had toured from one end of the valley to the other and taken in all the monasteries and quiet secluded roads along the way. I even picked up a monk hitch-hiking at the bottom of the 12 km road to his temple in Hemis. As he saddled up he started chanting to himself and did so the entire ride up. I wasn't sure if he was doing it out of habit or fear, but in any case delivered him to his destination in one piece. His monastery was one of the nicest I had visited, and it's surroundings incredible! Instead of perched on an outcrop it sits nestled high up in a valley surrounded by steep mountaintops. A small hike up on of them brings you to a Stupa and Golden Buddha, both overlooking the quiet valley.

The temperature in Ladakh is fantastic compared to the rest of India. It peaks at about 20-25 degrees during the day and drops between 5-10 degrees at night. I finally managed to get a full nights sleep for the first time in a week! Prior to this power breaks would wake me up every couple hours, as the small breeze created by the fan in your room would dwindle, and you were immediately engulfed in sweat. This was a refreshing change. The food is mostly Tibetan, but there's Indian and your typical "Continental" saturating the whole city of Leh. Besides the enormous caravans of tourists buses carrying truckloads of Indian Tourists it's a good part of the country to be in. You can get cozy in a small Tibetan restaurant in the evening, or find yourself all alone on a highway in the middle of the day surrounded by nothing but desert. It's a pretty fantastic place to be. My time in Ladakh was to be kept short however, as I was still excited to descend from the North into the rest of India. I could have stayed for weeks (like most do, or even months), but will be back again. It truly is a world apart from India, and the experiences you get there aren't anything like the rest of the country.  Their limited resources and isolation keeps them humble and modest. Yet, they retain a genuine sense of generosity and hospitality shared with the people of Tibet and Nepal. I HIGHLY recommend anyone who would consider visiting the North of India and will for sure be returning one day.

Tim