Day 15: Leh

 

We left the homestay at 6 am. Our flight was with Air India and was scheduled to be at 8:10 am. I didn’t get a window seat in the flight. I would have loved to have one as the views of the Himalayan mountains from the flight are stunning. Bru got a window seat and managed to get some cool snaps of the glaciers. So one again, a good bye to my favourite region in India. Till next time!!!

Day 14: Leh Kalachakra

Today is the 3^rd day of Kalachakra. The first 3 days has only prayers and the Kalachakra teachings starts only from the 4^th day. Since we will be leaving Leh tomorrow it’s my only chance to visit Kalachakra and see the Holiness. Still I was not all sure whether H.H will be present for the prayers. Even if he is present it is still not known if it is possible to see him live at all.


 The prayers were scheduled to start at 7 am. By the time I came out of the homestay after breakfast it was already 9:30 am. I was not sure how to reach the venue. The venue is around 8 km from Leh. The homestay owner told me that there are share taxis from Leh gate. Only thing is that I didn’t know where Leh gate is. I thought it should be somewhere near to the main gate. A strange thing then happened in between. I dreamed of someone showing me the route to Leh gate from the main square. In the morning, after breakfast, one of the guests at the homestay showed me the route to the Leh gate. It was the same route as I dreamed!!

By the time I reached the venue it was around 11.15 am. The prayers were going on, with H.H in charge of the ceremony. He was sitting on the stage with other monks inside a glass panelled room. The guest could see him only through the big screens put outside the glass rooms. Since I was an Indian I could sit only with other pilgrims far away from the stage. The seats are arranged in such a way with foreigners and VIP on side of the stage. Monks & nuns in the front and then the general public at the back.

I was a bit sad that I couldn’t see H.H live. When I chatted with one of the volunteers, they suggested that I try to be on the side of the venue at the end of the prayers. H.H will be leaving through that way by car after the prayers and then I could catch a glimpse of him then. I decided to try my luck. I walked along the sides of the venue. As I was dressed more like the western tourists with my SLR camera hanging on my neck most of the volunteers mistook me for a NRI. So nobody stopped me and I ended up in the foreigners section. I sat there till the end of the prayers.

At the end of the forenoon prayers I walked back to the edge of the venue. H.H passed by on his car on his way to his residence for lunch. It was a strange feeling to see him live again. I was taking snaps and at the same time not at all aware of what I was doing. I felt happy and glad that I came here.

In the afternoon after lunch I came back and sat on the same place. But this time one of the volunteers got curious and checked my pass. He requested me to go back to the public section as I am not allowed to be in the foreigner section. I went and sat in the section he suggested. Then one of the women police officers told that this section is only for nuns and I should rather sit in the section infront of it, which was actually for the foreigners. I showed her my pass and told that I am an Indian. She said its ok and I can go and sit in the foreigner section! Again by some crude luck I ended up in the foreigner section for the afternoon prayers.

Though I didn’t understand a word of the prayers, which I guess was in Tibetan language, I felt relaxed and happy to sit there and listen to it. It was more or less like I was in trance. A bit exaggerated, of course! Overall I felt really happy to be there. Some of the foreigners were lying and sleeping during prayers. Though some volunteers informed them no to do so, some of them didn’t care. I didn’t like it. To the Tibetans H.H is equivalent to God. And to be in his presence is like a lifelong dream for most of them. By lying and sleeping in such a religious function is in my opinion lack of respect. If they are feeling tired then they should rather go back to their hotel and sleep. By showing disrespect to the religious function they are misusing the special privileges they are given as a foreigner.

After the prayers I again ran to the edge of the venue to catch a glimpse of the H.H. Again it was a sweet strange feeling of happiness as he passed by on his car. I was really happy that I got a chance to see him again.

In the evening Bru & I walked around in Le hot do one last shopping. For me it is to scan around the hundreds of beautiful handicrafts in the Tibetan markets. Bru went for the Chilling to Sangam rafting (approx. 3 hrs) during the day. I also wanted to do that. But for me more important was to visit the H.H. Also I have already overspent the budget for this vacation. We had a small dinner in one of the corners of the Leh town. Our last dinner at Leh!!

 

Day 13: Sumdah Do – Alchi - Leh

Today is an easy day. As we had cancelled our hike to the 2^nd pass we were more or less free today. Sid came to pick us up at 9.15 am. We then drove to the Alchi monastery. Ringchen got down on the way to go back to his village.

Alchi is one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh. The monastery was crowded with monks and nuns due to the Kalachakra. It has 2-3 temples with different deities of Buddhism – Manjushri, Buddha, Avalokiteshvara etc. None of the temples were renovated since it was built in the 2^nd century A.D. So the paintings on the walls were almost dark coloured. Still you get the feeling of somewhere in the old times when we stand inside the temples. Afterwards we moved to Leh. Deep got down at the entrance to Leh. And Sid dropped us at Gangba. It was nice to be back to something familiar again.

We had a hot shower, unpacked our bags and rested till evening. Then we went to the town to just walk around and have dinner. Bru was very keen to have a beer. After a long search we found a restaurant which sells alcohols till evening. It was a dark unimpressive place. I didn’t like it. So I told him that we will have the drink here and move to some other place for dinner. Bru ordered a beer and I had a lemon soda. I didn’t feel like drinking as I was planning to go to Kalachakra the next day. Also I didn’t feel like drinking in Leh. May be due to the religious nature dur to the presence of monasteries, I found Leh little bit sacred.

After finishing the drink we went ot have dinner at a roof top restaurant in the main square. While waiting for the food I felt some uneasiness in the stomach. Midway between the dinner I told Bru that I would like to go back as my stomach is feeling uneasy. We decided to go back to the homestay. When we reached the homestay both of us had problems with loose motion. I think the culprit could be the first restaurant where we had our drinks. I doubt the glass was not clean. Luckily the problem was not severe.

Day 12: Sumdah Chenmo – Sumdah Do

As we decided not to climb the passes today we started our trek late. After breakfast we left the village around 9.30 am. Our destination for today is the village of Sumdah Do which should take around 5 hrs. Deep said that it’s a continuous descend to the village and we will have to cross the river on foot sometimes. But the rains yesterday night made our trek not so easy. The water level was more than usual and that too faster flow than expected. The walk was not so tiresome, but it was a long one. We had to cross the river many times on foot as the path did not exist on the side we were walking. To cross te river we had to take off our shoes and then cross holding each other’s hands as the water was flowing at very high speeds. The depth was also above knee level and at times it went up to the hip level. The freezing waters made the crossings difficult. But overall it was fun as we never really in a dangerous situation other than getting wet.

Like yesterday we had to climb up and down the river banks many times as the routes were not existing. Finally we reached a small wooden bridge where the route parted into two. One goes to Alchi via Stakpsi La, which was our initial plan. The second one goes to a tarred road towards the village of Sumdah Do. We had our lunch there and walked along the road to Sumdah Do. It was really a boring walk as walking along the road is not interesting.

We reached the village around 3.30 pm. Again a small village with 8 houses. The homestay was in a beautiful house with very large rooms. The hosts were really nice. They prepared tea and snacks for the evening and a pure Ladakhi dinner. AS with every homestay the  home made food where the highlights of our trek.

Day 11: Hinju – Sumdah Chenmo

Today is kind of a D-day as we had to climb the Konzke La @ 4950 m. I trekked up to 5300 m last year in the Markha valley trek. Bt this time it is not easy like before as we are on a homestay trek. In a homestay trek one always have to descend to the lower levels whee the village is situated. Whereas in camping trek, like the one I did in Markha valley, we can always camp at the base of the passes and start the trek from there. In homestay trek one has to first trek to the base of the passes which can take anywhere from 1-2 hrs depending on the nearest village and then ascend from there. That makes the trek more exhausting than the camping treks. But on the other hand homestays means the local families will be benefiting from tourism where as in the camping only few people from the travel company will benefit. So I preferred to do the homestay trek, though overall, the trek turned out to be very exhausting.

In our case the Hinju villages is at an altitude of 3800 m. That means that we have to climb ~ 1200 m today. We started our trek at 6:40 am and by the time we reached the village of Sumdo Chenmo it was around 5.30 pm in the evening. For me it was a terribly exhausting day. We reached the base at around 8-9 am. It was a slow climb from then onwards. The last 300 m climb was the most gruelling. I was struggling to keep my breathing steady. I had to stop every 15-20 m distance for about 2 minutes to normalise my breathing. The others didn’t had any such problems though except Deep everyone else was struggling. Bru and Ringchen moved ahead at a constant pace. Deep moved along with me. Many time I really wondered whether I will make it to the top or not. I am not sure whether I was struggling due to altitude sickness. I didn’t had any symptoms of it other than the breathing problems. I think what affected me the most was the fitness issues, especially at high altitudes, than due to altitude sickness. It was a long and steep climb. Though the steepness may be comparable with Kongmaru La @ 5300 m in Markha valley, what made it exhausting is the zig-zag long distance climb.

We reached the top at 12: 45 pm. We didn’t stay on the top for long as the cold wind was very chilly.  The descend was also very steep, not so good for the knees. There after it was long trek. The trek roues where not clear at some places. And we were walking through river beds on the side of the river for most of the time Where it was not possible to continue through riverbeds we had to climb up and down many times. Again a tiring walking adding to the already exhausting day.

Finally we reached the village of Sumdah Chenmo at around 5:30 pm. The village had around 8 houses altogether. In the last village there where 18 houses. So this one is a pretty small village in a valley. There is no electricity in the village and the place we stayed was a small Ladakhi house. We all stayed in a room. Small, but beautiful, in typical Ladakhi style. We were all completely exhausted.

I told Deep that I do not want to do the Stakspi La (5150 m) the next day. In that case we should be climbing from the village of Sumdah Chenmo which is at ~3800 m. i.e., we have to do a 1400 m climb on that day 5. I may be able to do that also like today. But then for it will be more torture than trekking. Bru was also not so keen on doing it. So we all decided to change the plan and go to Sumdah Do next day. And from there take the taxi to Alchi on day 5. Obviously Ringchen, our porter was the most happiest of all by the decision.

The adventure didn’t stop there. At night we were all sleeping in the small room in our homestay after dinner. Our dinner consisted of soup, dal, vegetables and rice. It was raining outside in the night, which is not usual in the Ladakhi region was it gets very less rain per year. After sometime the roof started leaking near where I was sleeping. My sleeping bag was getting partly wet and all pandemonium broke out. The owner of the house came in and placed a vessel so that the water  doesn’t wet the carpet anymore. Still it took quite some time for him to stop the leak from the roof. Finally it was time for the adventure to call it a day and we all could go back to sleep.

Day 10: Wanla – Hinju

The place where we stayed was at an altitude  of around 3,300 m. We walked around 13 km yesterday including the climb of the Prinkit La pass. Today there is no pass to conquer. Just walking and a slow climb to 3800 m. We started at around 8 am. The sun was already out in the full strength. It became really hot as the day progressed. It was a long walk in monotonous landscape. Almost all the time we walked along the dirt road connecting the villages. I found the walk really boring. And more over it was very tiring and exhausting. The road was so barren that we couldn’t find a single tree for shadow all along. We felt like walking in a desert under the hot sun. Altogether we walked around 15 km today. Finally we reached our homestay in Hinju village at 12:30 pm.

The village is very beautiful, surrounded by huge mountains and mustard field in the valley. The stark contrast of the reddish barren mountains and the yellow flowers of the mustard field was very beautiful. We had our stay in a typical Ladakhi village house. The houses in the village took turns to host the visitors so that all are equally benefitted from tourism. I found this really wonderful.

Our host was a very old lady living alone. Most of the village was empty as they have gone to Leh for the Kalachakra function. It was a simple house with just one room and a kitchen. There were matts on the floor where we sat and slept. In the evening Deep & Ringchen helped the lady in preparing the diner. Altogether it was just the kind of homestay that I was expecting when I decided for the homestay trek. The dinner was made of vegetarian momo’s. Along with Deep & Ringchen even the neighbours came in to prepare the momo’s. It was a nice dinner in a local Ladakhi home.

 

Day 9: Lamayuru – Wanla

Today is the first day of the trek. Hoping for the best. Trekking in Ladakh is a different ball game. It’s a bit risky due to the low O2 levels at high altitude. Even if one is reasonably fit, how the body responds to the high altitudes is a critical factor. So acclimatisation plays a very big role here.
 
 The last 2 days of rest definitely helped us in the preparation. For me a 3 day rest before would have been ideal. The guys from Ladakh Calling – Sid and Deep – came to pick us up by 7:30 am. Then it’s a 3 hr ride to Lamayuru monastery along the Leh – Srinagar highway. AS before the landscape was stunning. At the beginning we were along the Indus river. After some time we reached the meeting point of Indus with Zanskar. The Indus was blue in colour and the Zanskar was muddy. So at the meeting of the 2 mighty rivers the river was multi-coloured. The two rivers after joining runs as the mighty Indus downstream.

We reached the Lamayuru monastery at around 11:45 am. One of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh, the legend says that the whole place was under a lake before. The lake flowed away when the monk prayed for a place to build the monastery. Whether there is any truth in the legend or not, the whole place is surrounded by moon like landscape which is completely different from the surrounding landscape. Again an unbelievable breathtaking landscape!

After visiting the monastery we started our Lamayuru -  Alchi trek at around 12:30 pm. The clouds in the sky helped in reducing the heat. On the way to Lamayuru we picked up our porter. A young guy named Ringchen, who lives in a nearby village. He was also going for the trek for the first time. Our bags weighed around 18 kg and I was wondering whether he will finish the trek with this heavy luggage.

 

The trek was not so easy as expected as I was doing such a long trek after about a year. I know it’s a cheap excuse as it’s all about fitness and conditioning. The low O2 is another factor, or the most important factor, and it made our going slow. We started at around 3500 m altitude at Lamayuru, climbed down and then climbed up again. We climbed to the highest pass for today at 3800 m – Prinkit La. It was not easy going I should admit. As expected I was also the slowest. But somehow I managed it. With the first high altitude pass conquered, from then on it was just descending. We stopped on a small river bank for the lunch. The water was so crystal clear that we could directly drink from it without any concern. Then we proceeded further to the village Wanla. We stayed in a neighbouring village to Wanla.

We reached there around 4 pm. The homestay accommodation was very luxurious than we expected. The whole house was really big, must be one of the very well off families in the village. Our room was bath attached with a heater for warm water!!! The village had electricity from 7 pm – 11 pm. The family was very nice to us. It’s a small family with a baby and a grandfather. We had a good rest in the evening. Though I have to admit it was not the kind of accommodation that I was expecting from a Ladakhi village; this was a really luxurious homestay.

Some info to the homestay treks. The homestays have their own association in Ladakh. Each village has a list of houses that have agreed to be the host for the tourists. It’s normally displayed at the entrance of the village. And the owners take turns to play hosts to the tourists according to the order in the list. In that way each house will get the chance to be the host. In case of arranged trips like ours, we do not pay the homestay directly. Our cash dealings are only with the tour agent. They pay our rents to the association directly and they in turn will distribute to the villagers directly. I found the system really nice as it definitely had an impact on the lives of the villagers and also it gives all of them a chance.