The
next leg of our Ladakh trip took us north of Leh to the Nubra valley via Khardung
La. Khardung La is the highest motorable road in the country, cutting through the
mountain ranges at 18,380 feet. The pass has a shrine engulfed in a cloud of fluttering
prayer flags, offered by passing devotees.
The
Srinagar-Leh National Highway (NH-1D) is cleared of snow and opened to civilian
traffic only around mid-June every year, remaining snow-bound and inaccessible
for more than half the year. Journeying across Ladakh, one is humbled by the untiring
effort and commitment of the Army and the Border Roads Organization that ensure
roads remain motorable in remote mountainous terrain, through hostile climate and
inclement weather conditions.
We
were forewarned not to halt too long at the Khardung La, in order to avoid ill
effects of the rarefied air. The pass has a small canteen run by the Army
regiment posted in the area, that sells hot black ‘masala chai’, veg momos and
of course, piping hot Maggi. Posters on the wall script the virtues
of drinking black tea and eating Maggi !
The 'JULLY' (pronounced - jooley) in the poster is the local equivalent of 'namastey'. Everyone begins a conversation - specially with a visitor - with this greeting. It was recommended that we use this greeting frequently in our conversations with friendly locals.
Travelling across the mountains in our MUV, we were amazed to pass teams of cyclists pedalling up steep gradients in the rarified air laden with their camping gear - including ladies and gents who appeared to be riding on their
own. Most of these intrepid cyclists were visiting foreigners. Chatting with them
I was amazed to know that some of them have made repeated cycling expeditions
to Ladakh.
Ladakh
is a veritable paradise for geologist and geography students, with varied topography
and rock formations, some of which are possibly unique in India. We travelled
beyond Diskit to see the high altitude sand dunes, on the banks of the river Shyok near Hunder. Sand dunes at an elevation of over 10,000 feet are awe
inspiring.
The
Shyok is just a shallow stream at Hunder, as it flows down the valley.
Summer is a blessed relief and time for celebrations in snow-bound Ladakh. We found a bus-full of school children frolicking in the chilled water - some dipped in the
minimum of clothing, while a couple of small boys were into the water in their school uniform - shoes, ties, blazer and all. Clicking them would make a mockery of
their unhindered jubilation, I felt.
The glacier-fed
Shyok, a tributary of the mighty Indus, flows subdued through the wide Hunder
valley.
A drive
along the vast sandy riverbed allows one to appreciate how wide and mighty the
river may have once been. It would be fascinating to understand the reasons for
this spectacular transformation.
The sun
is intense on a summer day - but peeling off clothing and putting ones foot
into the flowing stream may not be as pleasant as expected. Ladakh is one
of those fascinating places where one can get sunburnt and chilled, at the same
time. High altitude UV radiation quickly burns the skin and the flowing
water in the stream comes from melting glaciers, so cold that the foot goes
numb. Full-sleeves and a heavy sunscreen is recommended and as well as trying the water
before dipping !
Downstream, the Shyok joins the river Nubra and the confluence flows
into the scenic Nubra valley.
The well-irrigated Nubra valley stands out as a green oasis amidst the
barren Ladakhi landscape. The woods and thickets in the valley support rich avifauna,
with the black-billed magpie conspicuous all around.
While there were summer clouds in parts of Ladakh during our visit,
rains were very light drizzles, at most. This frame was shot facing east, with
the sun dazzling behind heavy clouds hanging over the Nubra valley. Our speeding
vehicle blurred the foreground.
Ladakh lies on the leeward side of the Karakoram ranges and is
therefore deprived of heavy showers, leaving the land parched and barren. This landscape near Tirich Tso, is typical. People have painstakingly laid stones to mark out a track
Almost the entire annual precipitation in Ladakh is in the form of
snowfall.
But Trust the ‘RainMan’. I
must share that we received rainfall with all the flash and bang, during our
second night in the Nubra valley. It rained so heavily that I woke up in the
dark of the night, alarmed if our tent would cave in. I became worried
whether roads would get snowed-over, delaying our return to Leh. The weather-proof
tent held through the rain and wind. And in the bright blue morning, the only trace
of overnight rain was the damp soil and the glistening sheet of fresh snow
on the hilltops all around.
This frame taken while returning to Leh from the Nubra valley is
another typical topography. The land is hard-baked almost to stone, the ‘rain-bearing’
clouds are surreal, deceptive and the soil erosion is due to water run-off from
melting winter snow.
The road
downhill from Chang La - wet patches are from melting snow deposited by vehicle
wheels
A
gaggle of black-headed gulls greet visitors at the water’s edge at Tso Pangong.
One of the largest lakes in Ladakh, Pangong is more than 130km long and about
5km at its widest. A land-locked endorheic lake, The Pangong does not flow out into any river or
stream, water being lost only to evaporation and seepage. About 60% of the lake
lies in China
As
everywhere, the faithful build prayer columns beside the lake
Moving
on - Tso Kiagar, en route Tso Moriri
The
drive to Tso Moriri, through hills of slithering gravel
Tso
Moriri is reached mostly by following tracks. There are no roads, roadsigns
or residents to provide directions…
