Sea of Tranquility- a visit to Ladakh

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!

view of the Himalayas from the plane window

siya flowers which are found commonly in Ladakh

prayer wheels at Alchi

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.

Liker gompa with a golden Buddha

Leh palace

Buddha at Shanti Stupa, Leh

curious onlooker 

view of Leh town from Leh palace

black-billed magpie

Leh palace

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.

drive to Pangong lake

brown-headed gull at Pangong

Pangong lake

Pangong lake

Diskit Gompa

Sand dunes near Hunder

Camel riding at Hunder

Bactrian camels

view of Nubra valley

Nubra valley

when god paints the peaks

a schoolgirl at Turtuk

golden paintings

a small lake on the way

pashmina goats

Himalayan mormot

ruddy shelduck

Tibetan wild ass or Kiang

Pangong-at sunset

Pangong

Pangong-after sunset

Mountains near Pangong-early morning

Rufous-backed redstart-female

Rufous-backed redstart-male

Kiangs-in their natural habitat

Blue sheep

Yaks grazing

Hemis gompa

white wagtail

bar-headed geese at Tso-Moriri

Tso Moriri

Horned lark-female

Tso Moriri

Tso Kar

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!

A nomadic woman at Changthang grasslands

Black-necked crane, the ultimate treat of our trip

Himalayan Tahr

Himalayan Tahr

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!?