Shangri La commonly evokes images of easy utopia that don't quite describe the barren and rocky desert like character of Ladakh and the hardscrabble life of its cheerful inhabitants. Nevertheless, the awesomeness of its rugged terrain is breathtakingly beautiful and amidst the solitude and thin air, peace prevails. The amazing sky, the eerie silence on the high mountains and the shock of stumbling upon a green valley beside a sparkling stream and the changing colors of its pristine lakes glistening beneath giant bald mountain peaks are experiences that stun, charm and soothe. Hugging the sides of intimidating, crumpled mountain ranges are numerous ancient Buddhist monasteries whose architecture blends seamlessly with that of the land itself. Ladakhis belong to a colorful sprinkling of many ethnicities (Tibetan, Indian, Central Asian and Indo-European tribes like the Hunzas) with people of Tibetan ancestry constituting the vast majority. They are divided nearly equally between Buddhists and Muslims (along with a tiny Christian community around Leh) with the former inhabiting the central and eastern regions and the latter mostly concentrated in the northwestern parts.
Ladakh was once upon a time an important way station along the ancient Silk Route, a vibrant trading network involving China, India, Central Asia and Europe. Known as "Little Tibet," Ladakh saw a steady traffic of traders bearing varied exotic goods during the mild summers as well as its brutal winters (when traders used the frozen rivers as roads) crisscrossing the region. Around the middle of the last century for political and security reasons Ladakh, which shares its borders with China and Pakistan near the disputed territory of Kashmir, became inaccessible to both Indian and foreign civilians. (The invasion of Kashmir by Pakistan in 1948 and the China-India war in 1962 resulted in the sealing of the borders) Only the Indian army could travel there, as also domestic business travelers with permits. The place could only be reached via arduous land routes. The already remote land connected to a couple of Indian states by crude roads over rough terrains and very high mountain passes was mostly forgotten by the rest of the world. Ladakh remained isolated until the mid 1970s when the Indian government opened it up to civilians. But travel remained difficult and only the most adventurous or those with business interests ventured out by cars or buses. The bolder thrill seekers often opted for a more dangerous and strenuous motorcycle ride. For some years past, Leh, the biggest city in Ladakh has become connected to Delhi and Srinagar by air, resulting in a sharp rise in tourist and business traffic, both Indian and foreign. Ladakh once more has become a meeting place of people from different parts of the world, passing through.
I won't go into further details of the history, geography and geology of Ladakh which you can check out in the Wiki link I have provided above. Instead, let me treat this post mostly as a photo-blog and share some pictures of this amazing place that we took during our travels recently during July-August. It was very gratifying that I experienced very little physical discomfort (not even a nose-bleed) in a place of rarefied air where our travels sometimes took us as high up into the Himalayas as nearly 18,000 feet and where my husband convinced me to go up the mountainous roads on the back of a motorcycle. I am glad that we decided to make the trip to Ladakh. A few years from now, we may not have had the confidence to test our strength and endurance in its unforgiving climate and stark landscape of spectacular beauty.
I have posted these photos and some more on my Facebook page. A selection here for readers of A.B. Please click to enlarge.
(our hotel in Leh)
(Shanti Stupa, Leh)
(inside a monastery in Leh)
(a view from the monastery)
(the abandoned Leh Palace)
(the prayer wheel at the entrance of Hemis Monastery)
(the quadrangle of Hemis Monastery)
(a portion of a mural on the wall of Hemis Monastery)
(inside the main shrine at Hemis)
(a resident monk at Hemis)
(a valley below)
(inspirational message at high altitude)
(road to Chang La and Pangong Lake)
(road work around 17,000 feet)
(Chang La, the second highest drivable mountain pass in the world)
(a sandy "beach" along a stream on the approach road to Pangong Lake)
(The beautiful Pangong Lake at 14,000 ft)
(Pangong Lake)
(Pangong Lake)
((a filthy makeshift toilet on the shores of the pristine Pangong)
(suddenly a scenic picnic spot at around 16,000 ft)
(our young driver Tashi Tundup unpacks his lunch)
(Thiksey Monastery)
(the confluence of the rivers Indus and Zanskara)
(riding a motorbike was never more fun or more scary)
Update: Please check out this video I uploaded on YouTube (my very first).
This was recorded by my husband in front of the Magnetic Hill outside Leh, Ladakh. I probably wouldn't have believed that the phenomenon is real had I not been in the car myself. The driver parked the car at the bottom of a slope in the road and turned off the engine. The hill is about 500 yards behind. The car started to move backwards up the slope towards the hill gathering speed until the brakes were applied.
Ruchira,
Welcome home.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
Envious, envious, envious! (except for the "...filthy makeshift toilet...".
Bright colors assault the grey-brown of the landscape. Even the dark green of the terraces and the faint blue of the sky can smack down the stark drab.
Did 'scary' heighten appreciation for the art, architecture, people, culture, civil engineering, and landscape?
Posted by: Norman Costa | August 23, 2011 at 10:30 AM
Three cheers! I'm sure you've carried back a lot of life-giving experience within yourselves. It's so good to get out of the "familiar terrain" to have scope to discover - may be - a new aspect of your own self. I always find the lofty mountains a humbling experience that can deconstruct one totally....you may start anew! New perceptions, new self or it can just be an experience of a kind of emptiness!
Posted by: Sukrita | August 23, 2011 at 10:37 AM
Thanks, Sukrita. Yes, I hope that Ladakh has had all of the effects on our jaded psyche that you describe.
Norman: The "scary" was one of the most important part of the experience. It did heighten the appreciation of everything you mention and generated a huge respect for the people who inhabit and cultivate this region. It was hard to imagine how the ancient monks built those sturdy and gorgeous structures on the harsh and precarious mountain sides. Ladakhis are hardy people. I guess the conditions there on the "Roof of the World" ensured that only the fittest of the stock thrived there. I forgot to mention the fearsome yaks, petite "Pashmina" goats, large squirrels and colorful butterflies we encountered high up.
Also check out the video I posted in the update above.
Posted by: Ruchira | August 23, 2011 at 11:48 AM
Ruchira,
Just before I read your Ladakh post I was watching an IMAX movie on Mt. Everest. It is on Netflix for streaming.
Posted by: Norman Costa | August 23, 2011 at 12:53 PM
Great photos Ruchira! Am really glad you experienced all this and made it back safely.
Posted by: Naveeda | August 23, 2011 at 01:32 PM
Lovely photos, and that was a truly amazing video. I seem to remember seeing reports about a similar phenomenon somewhere in Pennsylvania, as well : http://www.gravityhill.com/
Gaah, everybody seems to have noticed the earthquake, except for me! I was too busy chatting with a colleague to notice anything unusual at 1:55pm .
Posted by: Sujatha | August 23, 2011 at 03:41 PM
Sujatha, thanks. I made sure I had the right camera on this trip. Some of these are taken by Sudhir's iPhone yielding amazingly good quality photos. I posted some more on Facebook. See them when you go there.
As for missing the east coast tremor, be glad. When everyone else will be telling their bone rattling tales, you can breezily claim that you yakked through the earthquake of the century without batting an eyelash.
Posted by: Ruchira | August 23, 2011 at 07:08 PM
Maybe I should take pointers from Sanjukta on dealing with all this earthquake braggadocio, she must have tons of experience from being on the West coast.
'Earthquake, what earthquake? I thought that it was a passing 18-wheeler."
I was standing, and this, according to local TV pundits, explains why I may not have noticed. All those who did, were seated when they felt it.
But the Ladakh trip was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Are you going to put up some Kashmir photos as well?
Posted by: Sujatha | August 23, 2011 at 07:13 PM
I have a ton of photos from Srinagar and the surrounding places. The Kashmir valley is a very scenic place and we had a lovely time. Also, my human interactions in Srinagar were more interesting given the political climate. But somehow I don't feel like posting the Srinagar photos. They are a letdown of sorts after the drama of Ladakh - pretty, but kind of tame. I mean they are good for sharing with friends and family but not really for a blog post.
Posted by: Ruchira | August 23, 2011 at 07:32 PM
What a fabulous post! I have been thinking how to get to these parts since I was 7 and noticed the region was as far as you could get from Fort Worth, Texas, where I then was. How truly thrilling! I must get the aspiration up and running again. Many thanks!
Posted by: Elatia Harris | August 25, 2011 at 05:51 PM
Maybe one teaser photo from Srinagar? Google Images has some lovely ones...
Posted by: Dean C. Rowan | August 26, 2011 at 05:37 PM
Okay, Dean. Will sort through the album for a few interesting ones from Srinagar and Pehelgam. A photo log only -some time next week. (God knows that I have nothing more interesting to post :-)
Posted by: Ruchira | August 26, 2011 at 06:01 PM
Whether you travel independently or as part of a group, Ladakh has much to offer and many lessons to teach the casual or more studious visitor alike. It is a place of unparalleled beauty and tradition and is unmatched for the friendliness and hospitality of its people. This surely must be the place that Kipling had in mind when he wrote "Something hidden, go and find it. Go and look behind the ranges-something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go!"
Posted by: Travel and Tourism Courses | November 17, 2011 at 12:07 AM
Retracing one of the most important trading routes of ancient civilization, this remarkable tour follows in the footsteps of such legendary figures as Alexander the Great and Marco Polo.
Posted by: Superannuation Australia | November 17, 2011 at 02:15 AM