Day 7 Ladakh – Leh to Tso Kar – The Changpa Nomads who taught me lot of valuable lessons…
The Changpa nomads of Ladakh live a very harsh life. They keep on moving to coldest parts of Himalayas because that’s the weather more suitable for the yaks and other livestock. I decided to spend a day with the nomads who happen to be in Tso Kar. This was my last chance to meet them before they went to higher ground where the grass was greener and the weather chillier.
Tso Kar was a 3 to 4 hour drive from Leh through the snow covered mountain passes.
I woke up early and had breakfast at 7:30am. After I had breakfast, my tummy was not feeling great. I had medicine for my tummy to make sure that I don’t get sick. The driver came to pick me up from the hotel at 8am and, on the way, we picked our guide who knew the nomads of Tso Kar.
As we drove, round and round, through the never ending mountains, my stomach started feeling queasy and my body felt out of whack. Around noon, we got to Tso Kar. I was hoping to lay in my comfy tent, rest a bit and take care of myself but that was not possible. The town was isolated and all the hotels and tents were under lock down. There was not a soul to be seen.
My guide finally located the only family in town. They were willing to host me in their tiny home. Mr. Tundupthring was 62 years old and his wife Mrs. Chosputit was 65 years old. Interestingly, they don’t have last names. So, neither the husband nor the wife has to worry about changing their last names after the wedding. I called them Uncle and Aunty out of respect. The husband spoke Hindi so it was easy for me to communicate with him, whereas, Aunty spoke mostly Ladakhi, so Uncle or the guide would translate for me. They were the sweetest couple I met. The daily struggles of life was written all over their face and so was happiness, contentment and laughter.
Mr. Tundupthring and Mrs. Chosputit
They did clean one of their tiny room for me. As I walked in, It was full of dust and I couldn’t steep sneezing, so I opted to spend time in their home. The weather outside was -5 degree Celsius so that didn’t help as well.
At this point, I wanted to use the toilet and there was none nearby except to do it in the open as the locals do. I asked if there was a more private toilet in town. There was one but it was a 10 minute walk away. I asked the driver to drive me there. I was just not feeling well enough to walk in this cold weather and the low level of oxygen was not helping either.
So, the private toilet, was basically a hole in the ground and walls around it. The sky was it’s roof. It was freezing but some privacy was better than none. Thank God that I packed toilet paper roll and soap with me.
The guide and driver asked if I wanted to return back to Leh. I had come all the way to spend a day with the nomads and nothing was going to stop me. I told them that we should spend few hours with the nomads and if I didn’t week well, then we can drive back.
Uncle and Aunty welcomed me into their humble abode. It was a tiny “one-in-all” room – which was a kitchen, dining room and sleeping room. They made a special Ladakhi style tea which was made with yak milk and salt. They wrapped me up in sheepskin so that I would feel warm. Later, they made some noodle soup as well. I had some banana chips in my bag, which I shared with all of them. Their main focus was to make sure that I was doing well.
As I felt better, they shared with me stories of their life. It was fascinating to see how the wife was spindling wool in between her cooking or when she was doing other stuff. Even the husband kept himself occupied in doing something or the else. Praying using beads was his favorite pastime.
His morning would begin early when he would take his herd, which consisted of 300 sheep’s and goats, and 30 yaks, to the area where they could graze and lay in the snow all day. Sadly, there was not much grass to graze because this year due to too much snow grass was no where to be found. So, the animals were basically killing time. One person from the community would stay behind to make sure that the animals don’t wander away. Uncle would return back to his makeshift tent to take care of things back home. He and his wife would make sure to keep the pen clean for all their livestock, and prepare food for them and put in individual pouches. Usually, around 5pm, the herd would return back home because this was the time they were fed everyday.
I was taken to the grazing land so I could spend time with his herd. I got to meet and pet the sheeps and pashmina goats. The pashmina goats are raised for ultra-fine cashmere wool, also known as pashmina once woven. An authentic pashmina shawl is so fine that it can pass entirely through a small ring. There’s a reason the pashmina shawls are expensive but the markets are flooded with fake shawls and scarves, so be prudent when you buy one.
The nomads do have couple of key locations where they migrate throughout the year. The family I was staying with, had brick style tiny one room houses in three of the key locations. In the past, all the stuff was carried on yaks and they would wear long woolen tunics to stay warm. They showed me pictures of the old times. The husband and wife looked much younger then. Nowadays, they have a big van, so they pack all their stuff when it’s time to move. One or two person, will walk with the herd and by the time they arrived at the designated location, everything was set up by the family in the vans. The tents were made out of yak wool so it’s usually very warm inside.
I am amazed to see how they keep on doing this year after year without any complaints. I could barely survive one day in their environment. This is their way of life – to keep on surviving, taking care of the animals and be spiritually connected to the Universe. They are never idle. Always keeping themselves busy in their work, or cooking, or praying.
I did find out that they have six children but none of them wanted to live the harsh nomadic life anymore. I can’t blame them. The government doesn’t help them to sustain their lifestyle, which is very sad. Also, they lack the skills to make and market final products. In fact, they are paid pennies for the wool and yarn they supply. This year, lot of baby sheep’s and goats died due to extreme weather. A pack of wild dogs even ate one of the baby yak. Protecting the animals is their first and foremost concern.
The kids are all educated so they have found jobs in Leh. I could see sadness in their eyes. Just like the artisans, this is the last generation of nomads. After they pass away, their kids will sell the livestock to an enterprise. As we all know how that pans out in the name of modernization, commercialization and making the most money! Once big companies end up owning this livestock, it’ll not be the same for these poor animals.
As the weather plunged to -10 degree celsius, I could feel the cold air get into my bones. I did have a heard time even forming a complete sentence and felt a bit light headed. My care takers and well wishers recommended that I should head back to Leh, to which I obliged.
The moment when Charolette shits in her pants in the movie, Sex and the City, came into my mind. I’m sure that would’ve been my case, if I tried to run for 10 minutes in the middle of the frigid cold night in complete darkness while wildlife lurking all around me. That thought was enough excuse to head back to Leh. So much about me trying to rough it up. I guess you have to draw the line somewhere and this is where I drew the line.
Before we left, Aunty made me some rice with goat milk yogurt so that I am not super hungry by the time we reached back to Leh. Rice is a rare commodity which they have only on special occasion, but they made it for me. Who does that? Only selfless and big hearted souls can do this for a complete stranger.
This whole experience made me feel grateful for all that I’ve in my life. I might never be as strong or as resilient as these nomads but spending a day with them has helped me get some clarity about my life’s path and, all that I can do is be a good human being. Yes, there will be days when I feel low but during those moments, I’ve to remind myself of these brave survivors on planet earth.
I hope to return back one day when I’m stronger and healthier. It would be a great experience to live their harsh reality even for a week. I know it would not be easy but if life threw doubts my way, this is where you’ll find me – being close to the Gods.
