India (Sonamag & Lamayuru) July 2007 D-6

After staying two nights in the houseboat in Srinagar, it was time for us to move on. Our next destination was to take a jeep to Leh in Ladakh, about 434km from Srinagar - an 18 hour ride. We were told by the houseboat owner to arrive at the Srinagar taxi stand opposite the tourist office at around 6.00am so that our group could hire the first available jeep (trip to Leh was infrequent at that time) and start our journey as early as possible. Three of our HC members (Janna, Antonio & Valerious) chose to stay on for another night in the houseboat so they would arrive in Leh a day later.

After much haggling, our group had a private arrangement with a jeep at the taxi station and agreed to the charge of Rs900=Rm81 per person (maximum capacity 8 people) as against the cartel price of Rs1,300=Rm117 per person. We were told to wait at the Boulevard for a pick up soon. After more than 30 mins of waiting, the driver did not show up. This meant the deal was off and we suspected that the cartel was aware of our private dealing with this particular driver for not sticking to the rule. As we were about to give up and head back to our houseboat, another jeep showed up at the Boulevard and it appeared that the driver knew where we were heading. The driver was pretty firmed in offering his jeep service to take us to Leh but we had to pay Rs1,300 per person. Beggars had no choice and we accepted !

See picture below re a jeep our group (Cheng, Jukka, Don, Caesar & Jaggi) had hired for the Leh trip. All our luggage were tightly tied with plastic sheets placed on top of the jeep.

After almost a two hour ride, our first stop was at Sonamarg, a popular trekking town located in a green valley. all tourist buses, timber trucks & private cars going to Leh passes through Sonamarg or they stopped here for a short rest or for lunch.

Our  hired jeep with a No of  99 - stands for longevity 

Don and me posing for a picture before the arduous Leh trip

A quick lunch at a food stall in Sonamarg

After Sonamarg, the roads ahead were rugged, narrow, winding with numerous twists and turns. Some roads allowed only one vehicle passes and drivers had to be extra cautious and patience to ensure a safe passage for either side

A sign pointing left to Sonamarg Hosiptal 

We opted for a jeep hire instead of taking a public bus 

Is this bus road worthy ? 

Scenic mountain scenery 

Glaciers in Himalayas

The roads were rough & bumpy

For this particular stretch of roads, our jeep had to pass over the Zoji La pass (3529m) which separates Kashmir from Ladakh. After some ten hours of driving, we had probably covered 2/3 of the journey and we had reached Kargil - most travelers would put up a night in this town and depart for Leh in the following morning. However, our driver had decided to move on

Bare & arid land

A bridge in the middle of no where

A unique landscape of Himalayas

At a security check point (Gumry camp) midway between Sonamarg & Kargil, all foreign tourists had to register their name, age and passport details before continuing the trip. At 57, I was perhaps the oldest guy among all the registrants whose average age was around 20's to 30's.

A police check point for our passport registration

After another two hour ride, our group told the driver to stop at the nearest town so that we would put up a night in a hostel as I believed all of us including the driver badly needed a rest. We found a hostel (Rs50=Rm4.50 per room) in Lamayuru , located on the foot of a cliff , where the Lamayuru Gompa is sited.

" The start of our jeep safaris to the Himalaya peaks. A test of our mental, physical and spiritual strength !

India (Leh, Ladakh) July 2007 D-7

After a good rest last night and breakfast, we departed Lamayuru at around 7.30am for Leh. I enjoyed our overnight stay in Lamayuru despite frequent power failure in our hostel and missing our shower last night. Our dinner last night was the most romantic one as we had to rely on candle light to eat our food. After the dinner, Caesar & Don pointed at the night sky and guessed what we saw ? Twinkle twinkle little stars - countless up there and what an amazing sight !

The hostel we put up last night in Lamayuru was on the foot of a cliff - see picture below. Lamayuru Gompa, the oldest in Ladakh (built in the 10th century) is perched on top of the cliff. Due to time constraints, we were not able to make a visit to this famous gompa.

Lamayuru Gompa

Local homes in Lamayuru

Houses on hill top & slope

After a short drive. we stopped at an Indus View site where we were able to see the meeting of two major rivers ie Indus & Zanskar. We took the opportunity to take a group photo standing near the Indus river.

Merging of the Indus & Zanskar rivers

Smiles, ever lasting smiles making our presence felt

At around 10.30am, we arrived in Leh ( population 28,000, 3,505m high). Our group booked two rooms for the first night ( 5 people ) and each paid Rs150=Rm13.50 for the hostel accommondation. After taking our lunch, we decided to take a walk around the Leh town. At 10,000 ft above sea level, we were told not to over exert ourselves and only do light activity for the next 2-3 days.

For places above 8,000ft, one may get Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) - it usually begins within 4-6 hours after arrival. The weaker ones will get headache, dizziness, light headedness, nausea, weaker palpitation, increased respiratory rate and insomnia .

For high altitude places above 14,500ft, the symptoms are cough, wheeze, breathlessness, chest congestion, confusion, discomfort, bizarre behavior etc. We were told to avoid drinking alcohol (tea & coffee are ok), heavy meals, over exertion, rapid ascent etc.

If in doubt about your health, please see your physicians prior to making the trip especially for people who are old age (like me), suffering from diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, asthma, brochities, sleep disorder, migraine headache, obesity, epilepsy, sickle cell disease and smokers .

Frankly, for this trip, I did not consult any doctor. So I was braced with a great challenge and prayed that my existing physical strength could overcome the high altitude sickness in the next few days in Leh.

Shops in Leh

Garments & clothings on sale in Leh 

" Hostile conditions can take a toll on the weaker ones. Acute mountain sickness, dizziness, short of breadth can strike any time "

India (Leh, Ladakh) July 2007 D-8

After taken our morning breakfast, our group of five hired a jeep (Rs70=MR6.30 per person) to visit a few touristy places around Leh 1) Leh Palace 2) Namgal Tsemo Gompa 3) Sankar Gompa 4) Shanti Stupa

1) Leh Palace, built in the 17th century by the Buddhist King of Ladakh, is situated on a high ground of the old Leh town. The place was under renovation at the time of our visit - nothing spectacular to see except ruins in this Leh Palace. The entrance fee was US$1 for foreigners. But from the roof top, the views were stunning.

2) Higher up the Leh Palace, we could see the Namgyal Tsemo Gompa (built in 1430). You need to do a steep climb to get to the Gompa. I took a few pictures of the Gompa from the Leh Palace.

3) After passing the Changspa village, we came to the Shanti Stupa , built by Japanese monks to promote world peace. The view from the top was stunning too.

Shanti Stupa

A green valley in Leh

4) Shakar Gompa & ancient murals

5) At the old town and below the Leh Palace, we visited the Soma Gompa, Chamba Lhangang & Chenrezi Lhangang

At around 3.00pm, the rest of the HC members (Janna, Antonio & Valerious) arrived in Leh and checked into our hostel, Olden Guesthouse.

" Ladakh, known as the little Tibet in Northern India, has many gompas (Buddhist Monasteries) and stupas - the Tibetan culture is very much alive here "

India (Leh, Ladakh) July 2007 D-9

Our group had a rest day today, spending our time wondering around the Leh town. Some pictures taken in and around Leh for you to admire.

1) The newly tarred road when our jeep approached the Leh town

2) Houses built on the hill slopes in Leh

3) Prayer wheel & stupa in the center of Leh town

4) Morning market in old Leh.

5) Another guesthouse near our hostel

" Slow and steady win the race. We are now in Ladakh - the land of high mountain passes "

India (Leh, Ladakh) July 2007 D-10

After a two day rest in Leh, our group was ready for action. Through a local travel agency in Leh, we had booked a jeep to Pangong Tso, the largest lake in Ladakh which stretches for 130km into Tibet. To visit this lake, our travel agent had to apply for a permit from the relevant wildlife authorities and each of us paid Rs1,300=Rm117 which includes the hire of a driver and a jeep plus permit (Rs500=Rm45). The trip was to start at 9.00am and an overnight stay in a tourist camp not far from the Pangong Tso lake.

Some pictures taken on the rugged terrains and winding roads at the beginning of our journey from Leh to Pangong Tso:

To get to Pangong Tso lake, our jeep had to pass through the Chang La pass (5,289m=17.800ft). This was the most challenging part of the trip ! As expected, one of our HC members suffered from high altitude sickness and we had to make a quick descend after taking some pictures at the highest point of the pass.

The mountain scenery at the highest point of this pass was spectacular and awesome ! Snow capped mountain, mountain glaciers, walls of rocks, stupa surrounded with strings of prayer-flags, soldier's sentry post, thin and cold mountain air, all these made our visit to this mountain paradise a most memorable one !

At 57, I am proud to be standing next to a marker which says "Welcomes you to mighty Changla - Alt 17.800ft", the world's 3rd highest mountain pass !

" My proudest moment - Is this a dream ? A hard landing on this high mountain pass ? "

India (Pangong Tso, Ladakh) July 2007 D-11

Finally we had arrived at the Pangong Tso lake shared between Tibet and Ladakh. The lake and the sky were so blue and I wore a blue T-shirt today - how not to look like a blue eyed boy ! Lucky me for able to come this far to Ladakh and admire the nature and the beautiful scenery of this place. I just stare and stare at the lake .....

There were not many tourists at the time of our visit to Pangong Tso lake. A small group of tourists were found pitching in a camping tent by the lakeside. Another group of tourists was seen taking a motor boat ride around the lake. The water in the lake was cold and calm. We enjoyed our stroll near the shore of the lake and the cool afternoon air.

A small eating stall offered hot tea and coffee, instant noodle meals to tourists taking a rest near the lake side.

Most tourists came for the day and put up a night in tourist camps, located about 5-6km from the lake. Our driver took us to a tourist camp site in Taktak and after a quick inspection, our group agreed to stay for a night in this camp site. Each paid Rs320=Rm28 which covered our accommodation cost and two meals (breakfast & dinner).

After spending two hours in Pangong Tso, our driver drove us to the tourist camp for check-in.

" Strong wind, rugged mountain, blue lake, clear blue sky, barren land and few souls - these are the things which attract us to come to this beautiful Pangong Tso lake bordering Northern India and Tibet "