It was raining the next day at 7 when I awoke, but it had stopped by 8 and we left on a Keylong-bound bus about 10. Fortunately, it wasn't completely full as it was a rough ride over the Rohtang La. We had a lunch stop at Marhi about noon, at about 11,000 feet. The clouds/fog closed in soon after as we ascended and at about the same spot where I turned back on August 12 there was an hour delay for a bulldozer to clear the rocks blocking the narrow road. When we finally passed, I looked up at then many rocks, big and small, seemingly poised to tumble down. As we got by, a big herd of goats and sheep was coming down the narrow road to join the fray at the impasse. The road was terrible to the top, one of the worst I've been on. We were rocked almost as if we were on a boat on a stormy sea. We reached the pass after 2 pm, more than two hours after we had left Marhi, 10 miles away. The fog lifted at the pass, though we had cloudy skies as we descended the 40 or 50 switchbacks to the Chandra River. We followed it downriver, past soaring mountains with quite a bit of greenery on them, and one spectacular waterfall near a little town called Sissu, to the confluence of the Chandra and Bhaga Rivers, which join to form the Chenab, one of the major tributaries of the Indus. We followed the Bhaga upriver four miles to Keylong, arriving about 6. We had covered the 70 miles from Manali in 8 hours.
It was sunny the next morning at Keylong, at about 3300 meters or 11,800 feet. Across the Bhaga River on the mountainside is Khardong Gompa (Monastery), and we hiked to it. We first had to go about 500 feet down to the river and cross it on a footbridge over the narrow chasm, and then ascend more than a thousand feet through fields and a little village to get there, which took about 2 hours. There was a very large (mayble 10 foot high) prayer wheel there, and of course great views over the town and valley. We hiked down and had a late lunch and then after a rest attempted to hike up to the Shashur Gompa above Keylong, but we started too late to reach it and get back before dark. We had great views above the town, though.
We pretty much spent the next morning at the hotel. Our jeep arrived just before noon and we left about noon. There were four other passengers: a young monk in a red robe (and red high-topped sneakers) and a woman in the front and two out-of-uniform soldiers in the back. Philip and I got the middle seats and had plenty of room. We traveled up the Bhaga to Darcha where we had a police check and lunch, and then crossed the Bhaga River about 1:30 and followed a tributary on a pretty good road through spectacular scenery. However, the jeep was overheating as we were ascending the Barachala La (4980 meters, or about 16,300 feet). We had a twenty minute stop at a little stream and then an hour stop at a tent where we could drink tea and the driver took a nap. There was a little blue lake near the pass. From the pass we followed a river, under snow and ice capped peaks, to a wider valley and the tent camps at Sarchu, where we expected to spend the night, arriving a little after 6. But the driver wanted to continue to Pang, three hours away. I tried to persuade him to stay in Sarchu for the night as I didn't want to miss the scenery in the dark, but to no avail. We continued down the river and before 7 reached the Gata Loops, 22 switchbacks that climb above the river. We had some pretty good views of the valley and soaring mountains in the fading light, but by the time we reached the 22nd Loop, it was dark and you couldn't see much. I did see Venus rising over the jagged line of peaks to the west. In the dark we drove on a terrible road, with trucks still on the road, over two high passes, the Nachi La (4900 meters or 16,000 feet) and the Lachaling La (5065 meters or 16,600 feet). We arrived at the latter about 8:30 and had a quick look outside the jeep in the very cold air. The sky was full of stars and I could spot the Big and Little Dipper. The Milky Way was clearly visible. It took us about an hour to descend the 22 kilometers (about 13 miles) from the last pass on a particularly bad road through what appeared (in the dark) to be a narrow canyon to Pang, arriving about 9:30. It was quite cold at Pang, at about 14,800 feet (about 1000 feet higher than Sarchu). We were shown to a large tent where a Ladahki woman fixed us dhal and rice for dinner and then went to bed about 10:15 in an adjoining tent on mats with very thick coverlets to cover us. I had difficulty getting to sleep because of the altitude. I was breathing quite heavily, though had no headache. When I would start to fall asleep, my breathing would slow down as it normally does when you sleep and with not enough oxygen I would wake with a start. I didn't really fall asleep until after 2, I think.
And then I woke up a little before 5, though I stayed under covers until almost 6. I checked my thermometer after I got up and it was 41 in the tent, and in the 30's outside. We had an omelet and chapatti for breakfast and it warmed up once the sun came up. We left about 7 or 7:30, past the big army camp at Pang, and then ascended about 850 feet to the More Plateau, without a cloud in the sky. The flat plateau was not particularly scenic. About 40 kilometers (25 miles), out of Pang we turned off the road on what I thought might be a detour around road work. (There were road crews on the plateau.) I wasn't paying attention to the direction we were going until I noticed a lake, Tso Kar, that I didn't think the road would get close enough to for us to see. Soon I noticed we were on the wrong side of the lake, going south on its eastern shore instead of north on its western shore. Then we were heading away from the lake to the east and southeast. The driver didn't speak much English, but finally explained to us that the main road to Leh over Taglang La and Rumtse was closed for about 30 kilometers and we were taking a major detour of around 100 kilometers. 100 kilometers is only 62 miles, but on these roads that is a major detour, so I understood now why the driver wanted to stay at Pang rather than Sarchu. And the road was terrible. We were jolted all over the place. Finally, we reached some wet grasslands with nomads in tents herding goats and sheep. These were the first inhabitants of the area we had seen since Darcha, other than the army and the seasonal tent dwellers who tend the travelers between Leh and Manali in the summer. We reached the small town of Sumdho and followed a small stream down a narrow canyon until we reached the Indus about 11 or so and crossed it at a place called Mahe, 159 kilometers from Leh, about the distance we had been from Leh on the main road from Pang. We had lunch (rice and dhal) a few miles down the river at a small town with a hot springs called Chumathang. Then we followed the Indus down its narrow and rocky canyon. In a few places the valley was wide enough for some agricultural plots and villages, but mostly it was wide enough just for the river and the narrow road. Sometimes we traveled just beside the Indus and sometimes far above it. It was a beautiful trip through the stark brown mountains. The Indus was quite wide here, too, so far from the sea, though I'm not sure how wide. It was brown-gray, with lots of whitewater. I had seen it in 1994 in Tibet near its source and it was just a very small stream. After we reached the town of Upshi and again were on the main Manali-Leh road, the valley widened considerably and we usually couldn't see the Indus. The valley was still pretty brown and barren, but there were many more towns. We passed the big gompa at Thikse and the tree-lined road near Shey and reached Choglamsar, only 5 miles from Leh. Choglamsar was badly hit by the flash flooding and landslides of early August and there were still many mounds of dirt maybe 6-8 feet high, with stones and trees embedded in them, on the main road through the center of town. Men were attacking them with shovels and women were taking away big rocks strapped to their backs. Leh is up a valley from the Indus. (The Indus had dropped something like 3000 feet (from 13,800 to 10,800 by my altimeter) in the 100 miles from Mahe to Choglamsar.) We reached Leh, at about 3500 meters (11,500 feet) a little after 4 and found a good hotel where we could wash off the dust of the last two days. After the poor night's sleep in Pang, I went to bed about 8:30 and slept 10 hours.
It was cloudy the next morning and we had a look around the city. The Ladakhi people are Buddhists and closely related to Tibetans, though with a different language. There was a Buddhist kingdom centered here from the 16th century until the 1840's, and this area has been Buddhist for over a thousand years. It was only opened to tourists in 1974. Because of the August rain, tourism is very much reduced this year. We walked through the narrow lanes of the old town up to the former royal palace on a rocky ridge above the town. It was started in the 16th century and is ten levels high, though because of the slope of the ridge no portion is 10 stories high. It is under renovation and dun-colored, made of stone, timber and mud. It was fascinating to walk through its many rooms. Only 3 or 4 still have wall paintings. One is a beautiful prayer hall and another, one floor from the top, the king's audience chamber. There were great views from the top. It is about 300 feet above the town and another 400 feet (a steep climb) up the ridge from the palace are two gompas and a partially ruined fort, with even better views of the town, the green fields to the north and northwest, and across the Indus to the snow covered peaks to the south. From there we walked down on a different path to the town. Later in the afternoon we walked to chorten (stupa) on a hill, Nezer Latho, with more great views of the area.
At the ruined fort I talked with a Bengali doctor working for the government in New Delhi and here in Leh because of the August disaster. He told me the official death toll is 193, 163 of which were in Choglamsar and 21 in a town in Nubra Valley. He said 6 foreigners were among them. He said there is no official toll of missing, but that he thinks many bodies floated down the Indus.
The next day it was cloudy all morning and we took a leisurely walk up through the green area above Leh. We passed little channels of water, barley and vegetable fields, stone walls, and some beautiful traditional houses. We stopped at the Sankar and Tisuru gompas, the latter dating from the 11th century and in ruins, but with great views down the valley. From there we walked to the new Japanese built Shanti Stupa, with great views, and then to the suburb of Changspa for a late lunch. The sun had come out.
We were supposed to leave today for a 3 day tour of the Nubra Valley, but one of the four of us is sick, so it is postponed. I wandered around the narrow lanes of the old town this morning. Leh isn't a very big place, only 28.,000 people according to one of my guidebooks. Not a lot of people are in traditional dress, at least in comparison to the cities of Tibet. The people are very nice here, and there is a substantial Moslem population, who apparently began to arrive after a Ladakhi king invaded Moslem Skardu centuries ago and was defeated. The Moslem call to prayer at 3 am, for the pre-dawn Ramadan meals, has woken me up a couple of nights. I talked to a guy this morning who said he has never seen so much rain here. He also said the winters are much milder now. The Indus used to freeze, and no longer does. He is worried about the glaciers disappearing, and along with them the drinking water. I saw a film here about the impact of the modern world over the past three and a half decades upon the traditional lifestyles of the Ladakhis and their efforts to preserve the old ways.
And then I woke up a little before 5, though I stayed under covers until almost 6. I checked my thermometer after I got up and it was 41 in the tent, and in the 30's outside. We had an omelet and chapatti for breakfast and it warmed up once the sun came up. We left about 7 or 7:30, past the big army camp at Pang, and then ascended about 850 feet to the More Plateau, without a cloud in the sky. The flat plateau was not particularly scenic. About 40 kilometers (25 miles), out of Pang we turned off the road on what I thought might be a detour around road work. (There were road crews on the plateau.) I wasn't paying attention to the direction we were going until I noticed a lake, Tso Kar, that I didn't think the road would get close enough to for us to see. Soon I noticed we were on the wrong side of the lake, going south on its eastern shore instead of north on its western shore. Then we were heading away from the lake to the east and southeast. The driver didn't speak much English, but finally explained to us that the main road to Leh over Taglang La and Rumtse was closed for about 30 kilometers and we were taking a major detour of around 100 kilometers. 100 kilometers is only 62 miles, but on these roads that is a major detour, so I understood now why the driver wanted to stay at Pang rather than Sarchu. And the road was terrible. We were jolted all over the place. Finally, we reached some wet grasslands with nomads in tents herding goats and sheep. These were the first inhabitants of the area we had seen since Darcha, other than the army and the seasonal tent dwellers who tend the travelers between Leh and Manali in the summer. We reached the small town of Sumdho and followed a small stream down a narrow canyon until we reached the Indus about 11 or so and crossed it at a place called Mahe, 159 kilometers from Leh, about the distance we had been from Leh on the main road from Pang. We had lunch (rice and dhal) a few miles down the river at a small town with a hot springs called Chumathang. Then we followed the Indus down its narrow and rocky canyon. In a few places the valley was wide enough for some agricultural plots and villages, but mostly it was wide enough just for the river and the narrow road. Sometimes we traveled just beside the Indus and sometimes far above it. It was a beautiful trip through the stark brown mountains. The Indus was quite wide here, too, so far from the sea, though I'm not sure how wide. It was brown-gray, with lots of whitewater. I had seen it in 1994 in Tibet near its source and it was just a very small stream. After we reached the town of Upshi and again were on the main Manali-Leh road, the valley widened considerably and we usually couldn't see the Indus. The valley was still pretty brown and barren, but there were many more towns. We passed the big gompa at Thikse and the tree-lined road near Shey and reached Choglamsar, only 5 miles from Leh. Choglamsar was badly hit by the flash flooding and landslides of early August and there were still many mounds of dirt maybe 6-8 feet high, with stones and trees embedded in them, on the main road through the center of town. Men were attacking them with shovels and women were taking away big rocks strapped to their backs. Leh is up a valley from the Indus. (The Indus had dropped something like 3000 feet (from 13,800 to 10,800 by my altimeter) in the 100 miles from Mahe to Choglamsar.) We reached Leh, at about 3500 meters (11,500 feet) a little after 4 and found a good hotel where we could wash off the dust of the last two days. After the poor night's sleep in Pang, I went to bed about 8:30 and slept 10 hours.
It was cloudy the next morning and we had a look around the city. The Ladakhi people are Buddhists and closely related to Tibetans, though with a different language. There was a Buddhist kingdom centered here from the 16th century until the 1840's, and this area has been Buddhist for over a thousand years. It was only opened to tourists in 1974. Because of the August rain, tourism is very much reduced this year. We walked through the narrow lanes of the old town up to the former royal palace on a rocky ridge above the town. It was started in the 16th century and is ten levels high, though because of the slope of the ridge no portion is 10 stories high. It is under renovation and dun-colored, made of stone, timber and mud. It was fascinating to walk through its many rooms. Only 3 or 4 still have wall paintings. One is a beautiful prayer hall and another, one floor from the top, the king's audience chamber. There were great views from the top. It is about 300 feet above the town and another 400 feet (a steep climb) up the ridge from the palace are two gompas and a partially ruined fort, with even better views of the town, the green fields to the north and northwest, and across the Indus to the snow covered peaks to the south. From there we walked down on a different path to the town. Later in the afternoon we walked to chorten (stupa) on a hill, Nezer Latho, with more great views of the area.
At the ruined fort I talked with a Bengali doctor working for the government in New Delhi and here in Leh because of the August disaster. He told me the official death toll is 193, 163 of which were in Choglamsar and 21 in a town in Nubra Valley. He said 6 foreigners were among them. He said there is no official toll of missing, but that he thinks many bodies floated down the Indus.
The next day it was cloudy all morning and we took a leisurely walk up through the green area above Leh. We passed little channels of water, barley and vegetable fields, stone walls, and some beautiful traditional houses. We stopped at the Sankar and Tisuru gompas, the latter dating from the 11th century and in ruins, but with great views down the valley. From there we walked to the new Japanese built Shanti Stupa, with great views, and then to the suburb of Changspa for a late lunch. The sun had come out.
We were supposed to leave today for a 3 day tour of the Nubra Valley, but one of the four of us is sick, so it is postponed. I wandered around the narrow lanes of the old town this morning. Leh isn't a very big place, only 28.,000 people according to one of my guidebooks. Not a lot of people are in traditional dress, at least in comparison to the cities of Tibet. The people are very nice here, and there is a substantial Moslem population, who apparently began to arrive after a Ladakhi king invaded Moslem Skardu centuries ago and was defeated. The Moslem call to prayer at 3 am, for the pre-dawn Ramadan meals, has woken me up a couple of nights. I talked to a guy this morning who said he has never seen so much rain here. He also said the winters are much milder now. The Indus used to freeze, and no longer does. He is worried about the glaciers disappearing, and along with them the drinking water. I saw a film here about the impact of the modern world over the past three and a half decades upon the traditional lifestyles of the Ladakhis and their efforts to preserve the old ways.
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