Day 3 in Ladakh ~
The flickering light in the room was so annoying that I couldn’t sleep until 3am. Somehow (don’t ask me how) I was able to pull off the light from the tall ceiling. Would have loved to sleep in late but had to wake up at 7am, so I could leave for Nubra Valley at 8am for 2 days.
Did a gentle yoga routine in the morning and waited for the freezing cold water to turn hot but it didn’t. So, I called the house keeper and he bought me a bucket of hot water from downstairs after I insisted that I want to take a bath because his initial response was, “It’s cold, you don’t need to take a bath.” I have heard that the locals just shower once or twice a week. Eew.
Packed my bags, had a light breakfast and met my new driver, Sundoop, who was going to spend the next 3 days with me. He was a seasoned driver and that made me feel safe because driving through snow and rough terrain of the mountains is no easy task.
We drove through the city of Leh towards the mountain passes so that I could be on the top of the world. In fact, Khardungla Top, is the highest point in the world at 17,582 ft and on the silk route where caravans used to connect Leh to Central Asia. It’s fascinating to know that about 10,000 horses and camels used to take this route annually.
The mountainous landscape kept on changing from brown hues to white snow. It took us nearly 3 hours to get to Khardungla Pass. It was freezing cold and being outside for more than 10 minutes was just not possible with the oxygen level being so low. There is a lot of military presence throughout Ladakh since it borders with China on one side and Pakistan on the other side. You do need a permit to travel throughout Ladakh since there are check post at various locations.
I have to say that driving through the rough terrain on the edge of the mountains is not for the faint hearted. If my friend, Elda, would have joined me, she would have been screaming at the top of her lungs at every twist and turn.
From Khardungla we drove to Nubra Valley while stoping along the way for lunch at a dhaba – Indian street-side restaurant that’s usually visited by truck drivers. Since this was not a tourist season, it surely was hard to find a dhaba that was open. Even if could find one that was open, they would only serve rice and daal.
I was tired from lack of sleep but the scenic drive with the river flowing on one side of the road was simply too beautiful that I didn’t want to doze off and miss any of this experience.
Around 5pm, we ended up at Diskit Monastery which has a huge 32 meter tall statue of the Maitreya Buddha on a hill top which faces the Shyok river. The statue was built with three main functions in mind – protection of Diskit Village, prevention of further war with Pakistan, and to promote world peace. Also, the views of mountain and valleys is definitely worth visiting this Gompa.
From here, we headed to our hotel down the hill. I was exhausted from all the driving and change of climate. Initially, I was given a room which was dull, had no view and I could hear the conversations in the lobby. I complained to the owners and was immediately assigned a room on the second floor which was quiet and had the beautiful view of the mountains and the cherry tree, which was in full bloom and the pink flowers made the surrounding so much more colorful, in the otherwise barren land. Thankfully this hotel had hot water in the morning and evenings. Took a light nap and then went for a walk to the nearby market. Sadly, most of the stores, cafes and restaurants were closed. I decided to wander off the Main Street and ended up in the midst of farmlands which was a magical experience.
A lot of people, especially my folks, have not been supportive that I’ve taken some time off from work when I should be doing the regular 9×5 like any Joe Schmo. Moments such as these made me realize that walking off the beaten path can open your soul to so many magical opportunities. Yes, only very few will have the courage to do something different but if it makes one happy then who cares what others have to say. I’ve to remind myself when the naysayers keep on bugging me.
As it started getting darker, I headed back to the hotel for dinner. The chef and all the hotel staff took good care of me. The meal was scrumptious. A perfect end to a long day. I retreated back to my room since the weather had suddenly dipped to -5 degree Celsius. Wrapped myself in layers of blanket and fell asleep in an instant.
