Back From Ladakh: Part III

The next day we decided to take it easy.  Around noon we took a walk down Changspa lane stopping at a few shops and Tibetan markets on the way to find lunch.  After eating we continued down Changspa lane which ended at the stairway to the Shanti Stupa.  Since the sky wasn't overly clear, which I felt would impede our view of the mountains, we decided to save climbing up to the stupa til the next day and opted for an unguided tour of mystery and wonder around Leh.  Equally exciting!  We began walking in the direction of the old town, walked through the fair grounds, and continued on to the bus station for some chai, thinking it would be cheaper than in the tourist area of the town (but then when the lady asked for 16 rupees, 8 each, I thought she said 60 rupees!!  For tea!?!? x_x;).
We continued further down the main road behind the bus stop and observed some local lifestyle.  Fruit and vegetable vendors lined the streets, chatting to each other with no pretense of a care for business; giant radishes, carrots, zucchini, apricots and apples spread in front of them.  Shoppers ducked in and out of food and clothing shops, and students were taking the road back from school, enjoying snacks with their friends.  Prayer wheels and other Buddhist structures stood hidden in unexpected places.  We stopped to buy something at one of the shops and the shopkeeper, from Kashmir, insisted on getting us chai (again!) and asking as many questions as possible before we decided to leave.
Where are you from?How do you like India?Have you been to Kashmir?How long are you in Ladakh?When did you come?etc.etc.etc.
When we got a chance, we thanked the shopkeepers for the chai and escaped!  We continued walking which eventually resulted in a big loop that took us back to the main tourist area.  On the way back we saw some guys sitting across from each other, playing a game infront of a souvenir shop.  The game was played on a square board with holes in each corner and small discs.  The men saw us looking quizzically at them playing and motioned for us to come over.  We did.  They insisted that I play against one of them. . . . .I did!  The game was played like pool/snooker but with your fingers as the cue instead of any instrument, one player had to get all of the black discs into the corner holes and the other player had to get all of the white discs into the holes.  The final disc was to be the orange one and you had to use a communal disc to hit the other discs..  I am possibly the WORST whatever-this-game-is-called player in the world.  I was beat  in about 2 minutes and one of the guys started helping me since I was utterly hopeless on my own.  It was a good laugh.
The next day we climbed up to the Shanti Stupa and got a great view of the mountains, but not before getting a little lost!!  Due to something we had to do in town, and wanting to take a more adventurous route than the one we knew, we ended up not taking the Changspa Rd route and got a little lost in the process.  I'm sure that initially we were on the right track but after about 15 minutes of walking we found ourselves at a very sketchy looking bridge, and then in the middle of wheat fields. . . Fortunately, a girl that was washing her clothes led us through the fields to the road for the Stupa!  It was so nice of her, she just left her washing in the middle of the road!

Climbing up to the stupa was no laughing matter (ok, maybe if I hadn't been off the bike for 3 months and at such a high altitude, it would have been easy. . .) but the view of the mountains and Leh were worth it! The stupa had 4 murals of different aspects of the Buddha's life carved/painted on it.

We (read: I) hadn't had enough mountain climbing so we also climbed up to the fort beside the old royal palace for more incredible mountain views.  After this we were pretty tired and headed back into town for dinner and bed.

The rest of the time we just enjoyed the friendliness of Ladakhi people, the beauty of the landscape, clear air, quietness of the town and the garden in front of our guesthouse.  We helped one day to shell beans that they were drying for winter and ate apricots and apples directly from the trees in the garden.
Finally, and reluctantly, the morning of our return flight came. . .
Taking off from the mountainous desert. . .in the clouds.  The great mountain giants rise to their full stature beside us and slowly, slowly begin to shrink. . .the deep valleys becoming more shallow and further away. . .leading to foothills,

                             rivers,
                                       subdivisions,
                                                          houses,
                                                                     cars,
                                                                            cows, crowds, flatness, heat, traffic, dust, smog, mosquitos.  Hello Delhi. . .can't say that I missed you, this time.

Back From Ladakh: Part I                                          Back From Ladakh Part II

Back from Ladakh: Part I

Goodbye Delhi heat, traffic, dust, smog, mosquitos and flat-ness. The plane circled ever upward on the way out of the city. Everything below was becoming miniature. Cows,
         cars,
                 houses,
                             subdivisions,
                                                 rivers. . .and we were in the clouds heading North to the Great Himalayan range.

Within 20 minutes we were over the foothills, green valleys plunging deeper and deeper drawing the boundaries between green giants. . .Shimla. . .Manali. . . Snow appears mixed with the clouds, at first it is hard to distinguish one from the other. . .then the mountains start to change entirely. They are no longer green giants but have passed onto the next realm, that of stone, still, lifeless. Barren and majestic. The valleys run ever deeper; veins of the terrain. Snakes, rather than ladders, that will take us back to the level from which we came.

Zik Zik Guesthouse Garden

There is a break in the peaks and Leh valley comes into sight.  Aside from the snow-capped mountains surrounding, the terrain has become desert-like, a sharp contrast to the cloudless azure sky.  By the time our taxi has dropped us off in the main town, we can already feel the effects of our sudden 3500m jump in altitude.  Each breath provides far less oxygen (although the air is markedly clearer than that of Delhi!) so a short walk down the street requires effort, climbing a flight of stairs requires a recovery period, with bags? that would come with a health advisory.  We leave our bags at one guest house to seek out something a bit more suitable.  We find Zik Zik Guesthouse on Karzoo lane with a nice garden, 24-hour hot water (which proved to be not entirely true, though still fine), reasonable price, nice view and nice family (not to mention cute kitten and calf!).

Fort Road

After confirming our stay at the guesthouse, we proceeded to take a long nap since we were feeling headach-y from the oxygen level.  We woke up close to dinner time and found a restaurant on fort road that had a great rooftop view.  After dinner though, we just went back to the room and slept since we were still not fully acclimatized and didn't feel like doing much else.

Old Palace

The next day we booked a trip to Pangong Lake and then wandered around Leh for a while.  We wandered down some back alleys selling goods for locals and had some chai from a Ladakhi lady toting a thermos full.  At the end of the alley we found a Tibetan handy-craft market where they were selling fresh momos and butter tea as well.  After that we went to see the old palace. . .our first climb since arriving in Leh.  Since we were still not fully acclimatized, it was a really challenging climb. Inside the palace was very dark which was dangerous since there were sometimes holes in the floor!  But the views of the city and mountains were worth it.
After dinner we returned to our room (which has no power, an on-going issue in Ladakh) and went to bed since our tour to Pangong Lake was leaving the next morning at 5:45!
Back from Ladakh Part II