Back to Leh

A wet start

I woke to the sound of rain in the middle of the night. It felt very cold and I was pleased we had extremely heavy blankets to keep me warm. I went back to sleep and woke before 0700.

I took a sip of water from my bottle and it taste very chilled. Stepping out of bed, I found the carpet-like floor wet. Perhaps the walls or ground waterproofing wasn’t performing as expected. My bag was wet, along with yesterday’s socks, the camera and money pouch. I sunned these items including the contents of the neck-pouch in various currencies, much to the curiosity of passing locals (owners family).

Heading back

I had a simple breakfast with Lewis; the French just had a cuppa tea. We set off around 0900. We broke for free teas and momos just before 1200 at Chang La; we had all acclimatised better by now and didn’t feel too bad at that altitude. Further, I wasn’t on Diamox today and I didn’t feel like I needed it.

We had also gotten used to the Ladakhi scenery by now and the journey was rather uneventful except for the marmots that I saw. So, the wildlife experienced include marmots, deers and yaks.

We reached Leh after 1400. I was pleased to hear that Kim was better even though his kidney-failure symptoms had persisted for half the day when I set off yesterday. He went to see the doctor again and flushed his system out with plenty of water.

Impressions of Ladakh

Scenery:  For me the scenery in Ladakh cannot compare with that along the Karakoram Highway (KKH) on the other side of the border in Pakistan.

Even though I was at a higher altitude in Ladakh and the scenery is generally quite brown; I saw only a few snowy peaks. In contrast, for the same time of year in eg. Karimabad (at a much lower altitude in Pakistan), one stands in green valleys an looks up at the most amazing collection of snowy peaks.

So, for those who are susceptible to altitude sickness, the KKH is an easier option. Of course, in comparison to India, Pakistan has some security issues supposedly.

Culture:  Ladakhis are an interesting mix of Tibetan Buddhists and Shiite Muslims. Invariably they are friendly and hospitable.

Overtouristed?  Leh is like the grand central station for backpackers, mountaineers, hikers, Royal Enfield enthusiasts riding around India. All the touristy Western favourites like t-shirts, banana pancakes, souvenirs etc can be found here. It makes life very comfortable.

But when you realise that a doctor’s consultancy is INR100 and a pedicure is INR1200, you know that the place has been ruined by tourism.

Little Tibet:  Leh is called Little Tibet. Perhaps it is the palace which somewhat resembles the Potala in Lhasa. Maybe it’s because the local culture has some resemblance to Tibet’s (even though the language is different it uses the same script). I think the locals know that “Tibet sell” and try to market things as Tibetan rather than Ladakhi (eg. souvenirs, names of cafes and guesthouses).

External influences:  Many businesses are owned or operated by people from Goa, Nepal or Kashmir; the ones from Goa enjoy a complementary seasonality. I wonder what percentage of businesses are owned by locals Ladakhis. Perhaps there is some similarity between here and how Tibet is being run by Han Chinese?

Military presence:  All through Ladakh and also back in Srinagar and all of J&K, military presence is very strong. There are bases everywhere and there is always troop movement.  India takes its sovereignty very seriously against any incursions by Pakistan or China.

A surprise:  I was surprised to learn that the tourist season only last 2 months a year in its peak of Jul/Aug.  Snow can be encountered on hikes from Sep onwards! In the winter months the place is inaccessible except by flight.  There is some tourism for skiers but it doesn’t even compare to the summer months.