How
do you describe an increasingly popular tourist destination that has none of
the de rigueur touristy sights to offer? No parks, no boating, no zoo, no
safari and yes, no plastic bags. And less of oxygen too! In brief, Ladakh is
vast emptiness and empty vastness. But for the layers and layers of mountains
tipped with unblemished snow; gompas (Buddhist monasteries) and more gompas
perched on daunting hills; golden and enigmatically smiling statues of Buddha;
old chortens (stupas) dotting the landscape in every which direction you go; yaks
grazing on the steep hillsides with the surefootedness of goats; serene lakes
in out of the world settings and smiling, helpful people. To
borrow the words of astronomers, the landscape of Ladakh is ‘magnificent
desolation’ and ‘sea of tranquility’.
What
then, is the magnet that draws thousands of backpackers, bikers, cyclists,
adventurers, trekkers and the common noisy visitors to this remote corner of
the country every summer? We found the answer during our ten-day
stay at this hauntingly beautiful place.
Ladakh
had been in my ‘to do’ list for over a decade now. Somehow, things fell in
place only this year.
Even
before you land on the Ladakhi soil, the visual treat begins. Halfway through
the Delhi-Leh flight, a glance through the window reveals the Himalayan ranges
unfold thousands of feet below in an unending glory till the horizon. What stunning
majesty!
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| view of the Himalayas from the plane window |
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| siya flowers which are found commonly in Ladakh |
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| prayer wheels at Alchi |
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| Sindhu and Zanskar sangam near Leh |
When
we land, the weather is a bit foggy and damp with a clear chill in the air.
Sticking to the general advice, we do not venture out on the first day and stay
mostly indoors. Leh is at an altitude of 11300 feet from the MSL and Acute
Mountain Sickness is not uncommon to the visitors, especially to those who
arrive by flight.
Over
the next nine days, we visit several gompas, witness the breathtaking beauty of
three lakes, take a ride on a Bactrian camel, cross three highest motorable
passes in the world, sight blue sheep, Himalayan Tahr, Tibetan wild ass, Bar-headed geese and
finally, as icing on the cake, spot the Black-necked crane. We could not have
asked for more.
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| Liker gompa with a golden Buddha |
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| Leh palace |
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| Buddha at Shanti Stupa, Leh |
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| curious onlooker |
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| view of Leh town from Leh palace |
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| black-billed magpie |
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| Leh palace |
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| at Nubra valley |
The
drive along the scary roads of ladakh is nothing short of a pleasure, thanks to
the praiseworthy work by BRO. The signboards cautioning drivers about the
perils of carelessness are delightful. Here are a few samples-'drive like hell
and you will be there', 'short cuts will cut short your life'.
The
Pangong Lake, made popular by Aamir Khan in ‘3 idiots’ is spectacular and idyllic.
This salt water lake is about 134 km long and three fourth of the stretch lies
in China-controlled Tibet. The water shimmers in hues of green and blue and the
setting of the lake in a valley surrounded by high mountains is mesmerizing.
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drive to Pangong lake
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brown-headed gull at Pangong
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Pangong lake
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Pangong lake
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| Diskit Gompa |
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| Sand dunes near Hunder |
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| Camel riding at Hunder |
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| Bactrian camels |
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| view of Nubra valley |
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| Nubra valley |
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| when god paints the peaks |
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| a schoolgirl at Turtuk |
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| golden paintings |
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| a small lake on the way |
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| pashmina goats |
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| Himalayan mormot |
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| ruddy shelduck |
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| Tibetan wild ass or Kiang |
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| Pangong-at sunset |
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| Pangong |
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| Pangong-after sunset |
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| Mountains near Pangong-early morning |
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| Rufous-backed redstart-female |
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| Rufous-backed redstart-male |
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| Kiangs-in their natural habitat |
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| Blue sheep |
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| Yaks grazing |
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| Hemis gompa |
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| white wagtail |
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| bar-headed geese at Tso-Moriri |
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| Tso Moriri |
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| Horned lark-female |
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| Tso Moriri |
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| Tso Kar |
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| Kiangs at Tso Kar |
In
Ladakh, there are gompas galore. Always balanced on high mountains, it is nothing
short of a mini-exercise to reach them. The temples of Buddha in most of these
gompas are always quiet, peaceful and soothing, as we found in Diskit and
Aclhi. The serenity one feels here is similar to the temples in the hills of
Uttaranchal or the small, tiled shrines in the Western Ghats.
The
presence of military is everywhere and they have struck a very good rapport
with the locals. There is no unnecessary checking or frisking. In these isolated
corners of the country, with a neighbor like China, you feel indebted to the
lone rangers of the army. Our driver Rigzin tells that the army men are happy
to see the tourists because once the visitors depart in September, it is a
lonely, long and icy winter until April.
It
was pleasantly surprising for us to notice that plastic bags/covers are
completely banned in the entire district of Ladakh. Even in the remote village
of Turtuk, bordering Pakistan, shopkeepers were using only paper/cloth bags.
How I wish for such farsightedness among our administrators in Bangalore!
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| A nomadic woman at Changthang grasslands |
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| Black-necked crane, the ultimate treat of our trip |
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| Himalayan Tahr |
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| Himalayan Tahr |
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| Stupas |
Before
I wind up, a few points about the perils of unregulated tourism. I was shocked and
saddened to see plastic bottles, beer bottles, biscuit and chips packets strewn
along the way to all major tourist destinations. At Pangong lake, tents are
pitched right on the banks and it was a common sight to see people consuming
alcohol. A place which is to be revered, respected and appreciated in silence is
being defiled with impunity. There are hardly any regulations and nobody to enforce
discipline. The vast grasslands of Changtang which provide sustenance and
livelihood to the nomadic tribes and also to the wildlife are being destroyed by
the tourists. Without understanding the importance of these grasslands,
visitors take their four-wheelers all over the place. At Tso Kar, I was
mortified to see jeeps driven to the very edge of the lake for ‘better sighting’
of the cranes. It is no wonder that the Black-necked cranes have moved further
up since the spurt in tourism industry.
One
last point on the ‘heights of self-importance’. Near Pangong lake and also at the
Sangam of Zanskar and Indus river, we were witness to the use of red beacons
and sirens by army officers. Imagine this. Barring a few vehicles and a handful
of visitors, there is nobody around except for the bare mountains and then you
hear sirens blaring shattering the quietude and an army officer -with family, of course- zooms past in a
black Ambassador with a pilot vehicle leading the way. Now, who can beat that!?
