It was during one of our "happy hour" drinks at Friendscino when Chew Kuan and I talked about a trip to India. I said let's go. Eddie and Ram were interested as and the four of us left it to me to organise and book everything. Obviously, I am keen to go to those places that I read about, but the main interest lies in the road less traveled. The town of Leh, in Ladakh is sandwich between The Karakorum Range and the Himalayan mountains. Located at a height of 3,500 meters above sea level where the air is thin, the mountains are naked, bereft of any trees amidst a very cold and harsh environment, but clear blue sky with exotic culture, Ladakh is a place to be if one wish to travel off the grid. Our plan was to fly into Delhi, do some quick sightseeing, then fly into Leh, and spend most of our time there, before flying out to Amritsar, en-route home after two days days there. Out of a total of 10 days, we have allocated 6 days just for the Trans Himalayan mountains.
9.10.16 - Day 1. Night flight to Delhi.
Our flight took off at 7.00 pm as scheduled. It's a 5 1/2 hour flight and since India is 2 1/5 hour behind us, we are scheduled to land at 10.30 pm.
Chew Kuan's eager look. He have been wanting to visit India for some time.
Ram and Eddie too look forward to holidaying there.
Our plane landed as scheduled and we were out of the airport within half an hour. The first thing that we wanted was a portable wifi and that was obtained at the airport at one of the telco counter,
From the start, we did not like the service but because it is late and this seem like the only credible telco counter, we stuck to it. The counter guy when dealing was not looking at us when we made some inquiries. After we purchased a 2 gig plan and paid RS 1,150 for it, he says connection can only be activated after 2 hours. Well, that did not happen the whole night and the next morning, the connection was there. we were using it happily. After about two hours of usage, a message appears saying data have been fully used ! This is simply ridiculous and we get the hotel staff to help us and looks like it we were scammed by the telco staff. We did not get what we paid for.
We checked into Pride Plaza Hotel at Aerocity because it is a new hotel and our flight in and out of Delhi is at odd hours. The hotel did not let us down and the staff were very attentive in service.As is our bad habit, we have to eat even though it is almost midnight and the restaurant operates 24 hours.
10.10.16 - Day 2 - Delhi city tour.
Our driver turned up in time at 9.00 am in the morning. Except for Ram, none of us have visited Delhi and we asked the driver to show us the sight.
Chew Kuan in front of our hotel, Pride Plaza Hotel, Aerocity.
Novotel is just across the road from our hotel.
Our driver, Raj, waiting for us in his Innova.
Our first stop was at Raisina Hill where the key government buildings are located. It is a massive sprawling complex that comprise the Secretariat and Ministry of Defence Building, It was built during the British occupation and reflect the huge amount of resources poured into grand buildings within the backdrop of a poor country then.
The building is massive.
We can only look in awe of the huge colonial buildings.
Wide roads facing the entrance flanked by large government buildings.
Straight ahead in symmetry, the road leads to India Gate just a few kilometers away.
India Gate is a War memorial erected in memory of the soldiers that died while serving the British in various countries during World War 1.
The Canopy behind India Gate was built during the British rule in honor of King George V. That statue have since been moved to Coronation Park and it was suggested that a statue of Gandhi be paced there. Nothing have materialised until now.
The four of us in honour of the brave Indian soldiers !
At the India Gate, there were noticeably many street peddlers.
They were trying to sell their wares, and are not overly aggressive.
The driver took us next to Raj Ghat. This place is a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. Herein lies a simple black piece of marble platform at the very spot he was cremated a day after he was assassinated.
The platform is left open to the sky while the flame burns perpetually.
This is as close as I come to Gandhiji, Father of the Nation.
The vast serene park where the memorial is laid.
After that, we requested the driver to take us to ITC Hotel. My colleague, Iris Dang who had worked in India for more than a year had recommended me to try out Bukhara Restaurant at the hotel there.
Leg of Lamb ( half eaten ) is delicious.
The boneless chicken kebab minced with spices
The dessert that I did not try. Looks like sireh.
The cutlery are your hands ! We ate with naan bread. Thanks Iris for the recommendation.
After lunch, we ask the driver to take us to one more historical site.
He took us to a tomb ! But this is no ordinary tomb. And we have to pay RS 500 per person to enter but locals go in only for RS 30
This is Humayun's Tomb and it looks more like a huge palace.
Built of Mughal architecture, the structure was commission by Humayun's wife after his death.
The quadrilateral layout was the first of it's kind in South Asia in such scale.
It is located in the middle of 30 acre Char Bagh, Persian style gardens.
Built in 1569, it was declared a Unesco Heritage site in 1993.
This tomb is the very first Mughal structure of such size and it lead to subsequent grand Mughal buildings which culminated in the grandest of them all, The Taj Mahal.
After seeing all the massive structures, the reality was seen on the streets as we return to our hotel.
We passed by Old Delhi and saw old India.
This is an everyday affair.
The livelihood of the people as seen in these streets.
The reality here stands in stark contrast to the massive historical structures.
Bicycles or Tricycles are used to cart goods.
You need a few people to push from behind because of the heavy load.
Autocars are prominent feature on the streets and they are always overloaded.
But we all love this Indian Car called Ambassador and actually harbour thoughts of buying one back. It only cost around RM 25 K according to our driver.
Just out of the highway, the hazardous mode of transportation is immediately seen.
Ignorance is bliss....
or is it rural folks coping with rapid development in their area ?
We passed by some religious festival along the streets in Agra.
We understand that today is the last day of the Durga Puja festival.
The people arrives in droves in streets procession to send Durga Puja off by floating the deity and all worldly belongings on the Yamuna River to mark the end of the 10 day festival.
The open petrol kiosk without any roofing.
Passing by some shops that sells all paraphernalia's of the Durga festival.
Chew Kuan and Eddie took a horse cart
Ram and I hope onto the other.
This is the Royal Gate where we make our entry.
It has less crowd here on this side. Just this gate is enough to excite your curiosity.
A glimpse of the grand structure as we approach the doorway.. You can see the crowd has already gathered inside here.
There it is, our first view of the Taj Mahal and all it's splendour. It did not disappoint. At one time, there were some environmental yellowish stain on the marble building. They have since relocate all the factories to Noida City and that solves the toxic pollution problem. Noida is abbreviated for New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, the brainchild of Sanjay Gandhi.
Trying to get a picture from the perfect spot is a lot of shoving and non stop selfies. We moved to a quieter side to have a group photo, but the building did not stand out.
Even when we got back to the spot that we wanted, the grandeur of the Taj is simply diminished by the four buffaloes in front.
The best of it comes from the individual pose.
You can do some Bollywood style here..
or the very standard holding up the Taj with your palm
or picking it up with your "strong" fingers !
They all look good and stands out..
The mosque within the Taj complex.
Did some camera play here with just one tone colour of the lady in orange.
The crowd at the back of the Taj.
The Taj is built along the Yamuna River.
View of the Royal Gate and Taj gardens from the mausoleum.
Within the complex, there are empty lots that used to serve as what was then like modern day "duty free shops" !
He took us to Kesar Restaurant, a nice and cosy outlet located at Fatehabad,
Our guide is certainly very knowledgeable in the rich Indian history and it was a pleasure talking to him. He actually runs a year one school for the under privilege children together with his mother in a small village just outside Agra. I volunteered to sponsor a student to complete primary level.
The bread was the starter.
The Manager explaining how the skilled crafts are still kept alive by turning to tourist. The two craftsman are purportedly descendants of the Taj Mahal artisans who still use their skill as their ancestors to produce marble with inlaid semi precious stones.
The semi precious stones like Lapislazuli, cornelian, agate, garnet etc. are shaped by hand. The above individual shapes are leaves and petals of a flower design, and
when put together, you see the flower design. These are the same thing we saw on the flowers and petals adorning the archway of the Taj Mahal.
The rudimentary tools being used.
This is a sample of a finished product, a coffee table. It is hard marble with inlaid semi precious stones.
When lighted from below the table, it is translucent.
It glows beautifully in the dark with just light from below the table.
Honestly, I was tempted to buy one piece but the price tag of USD 3,500 is above my budget.
Next we visited a gemstone shop.
After lunch, we ask the driver to take us to one more historical site.
After seeing all the massive structures, the reality was seen on the streets as we return to our hotel.
11.10.16 - Day 3 Day trip to Agra.
Many people would do the cultural triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur over 2 or 3 days, but our plan was to spend more time at the Kashmiri region. We only have time for a day in Agra just to see the Taj Mahal. The same driver picked us from our hotel in the morning and we were on our way.
We took the Yamana Expressway which cuts travelling time by an hour.
From Noida to Agra, there is a 165 km 6 lane highway called the Yamuna Expressway. It cut's travelling time to just slightly over 3 hours.
Big speakers are also on sale. A rickshaw can be fitted with 4 or 5 such big speakers that came with a loud boom boom noise. I am guessing that the words written on the speakers signify blessings. A way to sell godly essentials.
We stopped at one of the entrance gate to Taj Mahal. As in all touristy place, the walk to the main entrance is almost a kilometer long, the free buggy is pack with waiting crowd, we were nicely offered a horse cart ride that only cost RS 50 ( RM 3.00 ) per pax. Horse ride it is!
In a minute or two, we were at the gate.
They all look good and stands out..
Across the river was where Shah Jahan first met Arjumand Banu Begum and later married her and bestowed her with the title Mumtaj Mahal, which means "the chosen on of the palace." Even though there were three other wives, they were married more for political alliance. Shah Jahan's only love was for Begum and upon here death decided to build Taj Mahal in here memory. Her body is entombed beneath the magnificent structure together with Shah Jahan.
Taj Mahal uniqueness is the non porous marbled. These ivory white hard marble comes from Makrana, District of Rajasthan. The design on the archway are not paintings. They are inlaid semi precious stones ! It took 20,000 artisans 20 years to complete the entire Taj complex.
When Shah Jahan build the Taj, he does not want another structure to be bigger or grander than the Taj. As such, he "removed the hands" of the artisans by providing them an opportunity to showcase their skills. These shops are for all the artisans to sell whatever they can produce by hand and the state do not impose any taxes on the earnings. The artisans because of these earnings are then not tempted to work for any other rulers who may have grander building designs ! Such forward thinking even back in those days. Had it been for any Chinese rulers around that time, they would simple chop off the hands of their artisans !
After a couple of hours roaming the entire complex, we asked the guide to recommend us a good beryani restaurant.
But the beryani platter is certainly a delight. Not only it is tasty, it fully fill up our empty stomach. This indeed is a satisfying meal.
After lunch, the driver asked if we want to see the Red Fort or do some shopping for local products. We thought shopping is a good idea. He took us to a marble showroom. This targets the tourist, but what they sell is indeed special.
Honestly, I was tempted to buy one piece but the price tag of USD 3,500 is above my budget.
There were some beautiful stones, and Chew Kuan ended buying some nice rubies for his family.
Frankly, some of the handicrafts we've seen are simply astounding. It would have been better if we've more time and come better prepared. Such handicraft certainly makes good souvenirs or presents as it is hand crafted and beautiful. But there is a price to pay for beautiful things.
By the time we left Agra, it was already dark at 5.30 pm. We got back to our hotel in Delhi at about 10.30 pm.
We still have time to wind down with a drink before we hit the sack.
12.10.16 - Day 4 Fight to the Roof of the World.
We had booked the 8.40 am flight to Leh via Go Air. I must say despite the crowd. I am impress by the check in staff of Go Air in clearing our check in in a jiffy. Within half an hour, we were all sitting and waiting for our flight. The flight time is only an hour, but what we could see from the air upon nearing Leh is the entire Ladakh Range of mountains.
14.10.16 - Day 6 - Another day on the Trans Himalayan road.
The morning drive started from the valley towards the foothill.
Soon, we came upon a village. The dry and arid place does not allow vegetation to grow.
It is hard to imagine such place are still inhabited.
From the road, we could see a striking monastery on the hill slope. Every village has a monastery that was build in the olden days. This is the Chemrey Monastery.
Chemrey village have only about 300 household.
Their life centered around agiculture and religion.
Stupas are another familiar structure all over Ladakh being a Buddhist country.
Relics of monks are kept in stupa. There are many type of stupas, some are merely build to commemorate events of Buddha while some are symbolic.
Villagers milling around a stupa. They appear to be general workers waiting for transportation.
We soon pass the village and onto higher elevation. The glacier mountain is a striking sight from a distance.
The narrow road began to wind up the mountain slopes.
This is the Pangong Lake road. The entire mountain road journey has an average elevation of 12,000 feet.
A view of the road cutting across the mountain slope.
You could see the road move up from the valley below.
From this angle, you could see how the road zig zag up the mountain.
The barren rock of the foreground and icy peak at the background that makes the landscape appealing.
You can see vague outlines of the zig zagging road on the mountain face.
The snow indicates that this is at a much higher elevation.
The hazards of the mountain road can be seen here.
To drive on this terrain, one must have the experience, skill, respect for the mountain dangers and a lot of luck.
Our driver is skillful, but that does not stop us from being anxious at every turn.
The Indians claim that this is the 3rd highest motorable pass in the world.
The car stops here for a break. I had to step out to see the whole surrounding of this pass.
It is very cold here and breathing is difficult. The three guys prefer to stay in the car, still struggling with AMS and the cold.
The traditional prayer flags are not prayer to god. The Buddhist people here believe that the prayer and mantras will be blown by the wind to spread the goodwill and compassion everywhere.
The prayer flags enveloping the Stupa in the middle of the road at the pass.
Not sure what 51, No.1 means but Changla Baba is a myth created by the temple to bless travelers on this road.
I had a look at the tyre because the car skidded yesterday near Khardung La pass.
What I see is not comforting. 75% of the tyre is worn out ! I could now do with Changla Baba blessings, even if he is a myth !
When we move off, immediately the car had to be on icy road. It was another kilometer or so when the ice road is replaced by dry road.
Almost at the valley. We're at a stretch were the road is filled with small loose granite.
From an elevation of 200 meters in Delhi, we were transported to 3,500 meters above seal level at Leh in one hour. The sudden change in altitude gives rise to altitude sickness if one did not come prepared with mountain sickness pills.
As we approached Leh from the air we have a fantastic view of the Himalayas.
The view of the snow cap mountain is as best as one can have from the plane.
The treeless and desolate Himalayan mountains are awe inspiring. This is the Roof of the World and this is where we come to explore the terrain for 6 days.
As the flight go lower, we could see settlements at the valley.
One could hardly imagine human beings can settled even in the harsh environment.
The plane flew over some more mountains which is nothing but barren land.
Again, we could see settlements at the valley where there are rivers. It's an oasis.
We landed at Leh airport known as Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport. Whilst in the plane, the pilot had announced that outside temperature is 10 ° C.
It is not a commercial airport but one that is run by the army.
You are not supposed to take any pictures within the airport structure and the tarmac area.
We nevertheless continue taking like an everyday tourist until we were stopped.
Our place of stay for the entire duration of our 6 night stay, The Gomang Boutique Hotel, voted in Tripadvisor as the best guest house in Leh.
The exterior is what we've expected, a nice sitting area at the lawn.
We were welcome in the traditional Ladakhi way, just like the Tibetan, a white scarf.
When we got into our rooms, the balcony had a fantastic mountain view.
Leh is located at an altitude of 3,500 meters above sea level. Acute Mountain Sickness ( AMS ) is an issue. Because we flew in from low to high altitude, our body needed time to adjust. We were advised by the hotel personnel to simply take a lot of rest at the hotel and not try go anywhere yet. True enough, by nightfall, all of us succumb to AMS. Our heads were heavy, just like a bad hangover after a heavy bout of drinking the night before. We did nothing but rest in bed most of the time and slept the night away. We hope to recover by the next morning for we had planned to start our road trip to the mountains.
13.10.16 - Day 5 The Road Less Traveled.
We woke up to some headache, although not heavy still is a bother. Our driver had arrived early as the journey is long. Our destination today was to travel the mountain road until Nubra Valley and then return. However, we later realised that these mountain roads are also dangerous roads.
Ladakh, being part of the Kashmir and Jammu state is a contentious region. Because of the overlapping claim by Pakistan, this area is constantly under surveillance by the Indian army. All foreigners need an Inner Line Permit to visit pockets of places under the army's Line of Control.
Ladakh, being part of the Kashmir and Jammu state is a contentious region. Because of the overlapping claim by Pakistan, this area is constantly under surveillance by the Indian army. All foreigners need an Inner Line Permit to visit pockets of places under the army's Line of Control.
The road leading out from our hotel leads us immediately to a valley.
The roads were tarmac and reasonably good for the mountainous region here.
It slowly wound up the mountain in a zig zag manner.
We need to show our permit to enter this sensitive region.
The pee stop ! We asked, "where is the toilet ?" The driver simply says, "open toilet ! "
The view from where we were is breathtaking. We could see the glacier mountains at the distance.
Yes, it is necessary to take a picture when you have the opportunity.
As we zig zag higher up the mountain, the entire place becomes white with snow.
Even the road has a layer of ice on it, that makes it highly hazardous.
Eddie looking at the mountain in awe.
We reached the highest part of the mountain, the mighty Khardung La Pass. The name Ladakh simply means "Land of high passes". Being part of the Himalayas, :Ladakh have many passes.
The Indians claim this as the highest motorable pass in the world. There is some dispute, as internationally, the method of measure differs. Yet, it does not take away the awesomness of Khardung La. We feel like being at the top of the world !
Opposite the signage, there is a coffee shop and souvenir outlet. You could take a break here.
The entire mountain pass is snow covered.
Temperature here is - 0 and one should not stand more than 10 minutes exposed. The oxygen level here decreases by 30 to 40% and AMS is a factor.
We continue our journey down the mountain.
Despite the icy road, the cars are not chained up. That makes it very very dangerous.
An emergency brake could send the car careening down the mountains ! That's why these roads are dangerous.
This is North Pullu, a small stopover for tea or pee.
The shack where you pee, pit toilet ! It certainly stink because it is pit latrine.
At least you have a nice view from the opening.
Chew Kuan and Ram both feeling the chill.
As the car wound down the mountain, we could see from a distance a herd of animals that looks familiar.
These are Yaks, which we often see in National Geographic. They are found in all regions around the Himalayas.
They provide milk, fibre and meat to the people living here and is a beast of burden. Even their droppings are used as fuel !
As we were nearing a valley, there were some oncoming trucks.
This is only a single lane mountain road.
The car going downhill have to pull aside to allow those going up to go through first.
This certainly reminds me of the TV series Ice Road Truckers on Indian roads!
A we reached the village of Diskit, one could not missed the 33 meter high statue sitting on top of a plateau. This is the Maitreya Buddha that was build to protect the valley and to promote peace. That it faces towards Pakistan was intended in the hope of ending any war with them.
The car stopped just before the monastery as there were roadworks.
We took the 200 meter walked up the monastery.
Stupa within the monastery.
View of the Diskit Gompa ( Monastery ) from afar.
I took a picture of this slope as it resembles a pair of feet.
There were some renovation work going on at the monastery.
We see how the workers struggle to carry 2 or 3 bricks at a time to go up some steps. The oxygen level is very thin.
Only Ram and I walked up the monastery. Chew Kuan and Eddie are having issues with AMS and prefer to wait for us at the pavilion below.
This is an old poster I saw at the monastery. China had intervene in the process of selecting the Panchen Lama. The boy above is identified by Tibetan traditional divine way as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. He was spirited away by the Chinese government and kept in an unknown location until today. That happened 20 years ago!
This is Hunder, a village 7 km from Diskit.
It's surrounded by cold mountains and is the furthest place we are allowed to visit under the foreigner's pass.
Camels used to be an important transportion means for Hunder lies along the ancient silk route. The camels here are the Bactrian species, a double hump camel. They were let into the wild after the closure of the trade route. Some are now domesticated for the tourist trade.
Today, camel ride for tourist like us are available to have a feel of the desert.
"Marlboro high country "
The sand dunes surrounded by high mountains are a a spectacular sight.
It's the site for one of Shahrukh Khan movie and we acted out in our own way. Notice that Chew Kuan is too frozen to strike any pose and Ram could only move his arm a little !
Well, the leg kick was a bit better.
This emulate the old cowboy movie the Magnificent 7. Four is not that impressive, especially when you have stiff bodies.
Chew Kuan in his frozen pose. Just like part of the cold landscape.
Beyond that mountain is Pakistan
Over the mountains is China ( Tibet ).
" I shall pass this way but once, for I may never pass this way again."
For now, we are just contented to soak in the spectacular vista.
We finally decided to head back to Leh after spending most of the day at the valley.
Hunder village have a local population of 1,200. During peak season, the place will be swamped by tourist which easily outnumbered the locals.
Passing by a couple of locals on the way out.
We're heading back to the rugged mountains again.
The road wound up the mountains in zig zag fashion.
A necessary reminder. Many do not heed the warning and drive as they would in the city.
Colourful Indian truck.
We stopped at Khardung village for a break.
We ordered noodle soup and fried noodle, cooked in Ladakhi style. No, none of us have any purging disorder after eating. But two of these gentlemen still have some AMS issues.
We continue our journey up the mountain road.
The road goes down the valley before it goes up at the next mountain.
I was able to capture the beautiful reflection of the lake from the moving car.
Just a small patch of water can make a beautiful picture.
The entire mountain range is a postcard. You need not have to photoshop any picture.
slowly moving up the rugged mountain again.
Pull aside for the oncoming truck. We are fortunate that this is off season and there are very much less traffic here in the mountains.
That's how far it is to Leh. That will take about 3 hours !
The long and winding road.
Unreal.
It's not the destination, it's the journey. If you sleep throughout the journey and wake up only at destination, you would have missed the most important sights in your life.
Passing by an army base camp.
Siachen is an important army post. Sia means "Rose" and "Chen" means place in Ladakhi language.
Moving along the valley.
And then going up the next mountain.
As we go higher up the mountain, we are entering the snow cap area again.
Soon, the whole place is white with snow.
You notice that the icy road is slippery just by looking at it.
The fresh snow is actually soft and powdery.
This stretch is nerve wrecking. I could feel our car skid slightly a few times.
The snow seems to be thicker on our return trip.
The road is mixture of mud and snow. There is a stark absence of safety barrier on these mountain roads. And the drop is a few hundred feet. That makes these mountain roads so dangerous.
Just about 10 km before Khardung La pass, we saw a long line of truck ahead of us, not moving.
These are army trucks ferrying their soldiers who have completed their stint here out of the camp.
The reason why they stop was because the slippery patch of road ahead is cause vehicles to skid.
Each vehicle have to get pass that stretch one by one.
Despite that, we see some cars just inch ahead like this one here. They were behind us but just overtook us on even an extra inch of land at the side.instead of queuing up !
We were stuck at this stretch for more than an hour.
Slowly, the cars ahead began to clear one by one.
As we approach the slippery patch, our car tyre began to spin and could not move forward. A soldier just scoop some earth and put it in front of the spinning tyre. That did the trick for the little bit of earth provide enough friction for the tyre to roll up and away from the wet icy patch. Even as we move away, the car skidded a bit before catching firmer ground. We all held our breath!
As we move away, the traffic jam ease off. We pass Khardung La Pass but did not stop.
The ride is smoother and safer as the ice road thins out as we move away from the mountain peak.
We're moving downhill again.
We pass some rugged slopes full of rocks. On one of the boulders, we saw a very familiar name written on the rocks. Whatever religion we belong to, we say a little prayer of relief as we pass it.
It gets dark early in Ladakh.
The sun is fast setting at 5.30 pm.
The glow from the setting sun catching the clouds above making it like on fire.
And then, within half an hour, the moon is up.
It's incredible that in a 4 hours journey, you have the sun, the snow, the sunset and then the moon.
It was dark when we got back to our hotel. Chew Kuan was not hungry and prefer to go straight to bed. Eddie too do not have any appetite and was having breathing difficulties. The hotel advise him to go to the local hospital for a check up. Ram accompanied him there with a hotel staff. He was diagnosed as lack of oxygen. The hotel is equipped with oxygen tank.
Upon his return from the hospital, Eddie had to be on the oxygen apparatus.
He felt much better after inhaling oxygen and slept with the oxygen inhaler for a few hours.
The whole day, our road trip was on high mountain road averaging 12,000 feet above sea level, with the highest being Khardung La at 18000 feet. The lack of oxygen had taken it's toll on both Eddie and Chew Kuan. I was not sure if either of them could continue the next day road trip which is equally challenging.
We woke up a little later this morning. The first thing I could see was Eddie alive and kicking and feeling very hungry. This is the first time he feels good up here in the mountains and was looking forward to the road trip today. Chew Kuan too was fully rested and feels strong enough to take on the day. I've pass to him a piece of my warm wool jacket for added protection against the cold. Ram have got himself a knitted head cap and gloves as he was feeling the chill yesterday.
Today, we are travelling another mountain road and head towards Pangong Lake. For that, we have to go through another high pass called Chang La Pass, claim to be third highest motorable pass in the world.
We were soon at Chang La.
All credit to our driver, he is a skilled and careful driver, but there is a percentage of luck in play here.
As you approach the valley, somehow, you feel more comfortable.
Soon, we came to a police check point at Tangtse.
Here, our driver submit our Permit to the police as is required for all foreigners.
You could have tea here before moving along. All we did was to pee and proceed with our journey.
The rugged mountain vista is endless.
At the valley, signs of settlement is evident. Sheeps grazing at the dry grass.
The road turn upwards again.
At long last, we could have a glimpse of the lake that we came for.
The narrow stretch can be seen as the front car moved dangerously close to the edge.
Before entering the lake area, we passed by an army post that declared the finest fourteen. These are in honour of the 14 Indian soldiers that was killed in the "Liberation of Hyderabad."
India was attacked by China over the border dispute in the sixties. That's why this is a contentious area and an Inner Line Permit is required.
Pangong Lake is a 140 km in length and straddles on the two nation. 1/3rd is on the Indian side, from Lukung to Chusul. Beyond that, 2/3rd of the lake is on Chinese territory.
Pangong Lake water is brackish and is one of the largest in the world.
It is situated at an elevation of 14,500 feet above sea level.
We are at Lukung end and beyond the mountains is China ( Tibet ).
Eddie is still feeling the biting cold and is all wrapped up from top to toe. Ram despite the new head gear and glove still feels the chill.
I am padded up with four layers of clothing and is well protected from the cold.
You can take the picture of this lake anyway you like, it will come out perfect.
The lake is surrounded by barren mountains.
Chew Kuan decided to stay in the car as his layers of thin clothing is inadequate to protect him from the cold.
We took lunch at the cafe in that blue structure. It is called 3 Idiots Cafe. In 2009, Bollywood production shot a movie here called The Three Idiots which cast beautiful Kareena Kapoor.
Here is Chew Kuan with Ram who prefer to hide himself indoors.
The colour of the water as reflected from the mountain.
At certain angle, it is reflected from the clouds in the sky. It changes colour according to the sky above. The entire lake is frozen during winter, all 604 sq. km. of it !
The barren mountain where nothing grows
Ram is still feeling very cold. Temperature is near 0 and at night is minus.
Eddie loosen up a little but still feels cold.
Ram trying to look cool......
but the cold gets the better of him.
Julley ! It means hello in Ladakhi and is a nice greeting word.
I am alright !
The cold breeze did not affect me very much.
Still bursting with energy.
Eddie doing a selfie.
He feels much alive after a warm soup noodle.
One of us is missing here.
We have to pull him out from the car for this group photo. Look how frozen he is .
After satisfying ourselves soaking in the entire view of the lake, we headed back towards Leh.
It's the same way we came, back to the Bailey bridge.
There is a stretch of tarmac road at the valley which makes traveling a lot more easier.
But good roads are soon interupted by a stretch of puddles of water at some low lying area.
And then we were on loose gravel road again.
We soon enter the road that pass right through the army base camp.
After passing through, on the right ride at the slope lay 14 grave stones erected in memory of the soldiers who died on duty during the Hyderabad war. The words cast in the biggest stone bears the following : "14 Liberators of Hyderabad."
On the far side of the opposite mountain slope, the letter "14" is prominently displayed.
A spectacular sight to behold.
It goes on like this forever.
This is Durbuk Village.
In the middle stood a huge Stupa, a significant landmark for a village.
The gate as we exit Durbuk.
Motivating words. Not sure if it is meant for trackers or the army.
There is a short stretch that is full of gravels. This appear to be an avalanche of rocks from the mountains.
Overtaking a truck at a blind corner ! Scary shit !
We see snow, it means we're nearing the high pass of Chang La.
Another dangerous section of icy road !
The sun beating down and drying some snow on the road.
Hi brother, I wouldn't bike here at this time of the year if I were you. There are some thrill seekers that feel free when they ride on these mountains. We pass by a few on or return leg.
We are almost at the highest part of the mountain.
Yes, we are back at Chang La Pass.
The prayer flags that envelope the Stupa in the middle of the road.
Two furry dogs lying near the cafe as we make our way to the toilet.
Ram came out with me as he wanted to take some photos at the Chang La Pass.
The landmark proclaiming mighty Chang La as the 3rd highest motorised pass in the world.
We wanted a group photo, but the other two guys simply refused to come out from the car. Because of the sub zero temperature and low oxygen level, it is advisable not to stay out longer than 15 minutes.
One last look at the majestic mountain before we began our journey downward.
The road began to wind down the snow laden mountain.
Up here, the snow is all year long. In winter, the entire road is engilfed with snow and it becomes unpassable to traffic.
October is Autumn, just past the peak season. We like it as there number of cars ferrying tourist had dropped significantly.
No prize for guessing what village is this,
Look carefully, this is not a milestone.
Every 2 or 3 kilometer, there is a "safety reminder stone".
It is a necessary reminder to drive very carefully on these mountains.
As good as these message are, I think most drivers treat it as part of the mountain landscape !
There are certainly accidents every year and most involve private car owners. The taxi drivers are more experienced and respect the danger more, but the maintenance of their vehicle is a question mark.
We passed by Chemrey Gompa again on the way back.
My eyes widen when the driver replied to my question on what this river is. He mentioned that this is the Indus River ! This is the mighty Indus River Valley where ancient civilasation began ! I have to see this river in it's entire length.
On the left side of the road stood another Gompa majestically sitting on a mountain. That is Stakna Gompa, another village monastery.
You can immediately tell the difference as you enter this village.
The Poplar and willow trees are grown in abundance here, including Apricot trees.
This is Shey Village, that looks and feel like a very nice place to be.
This place has full amenities of a town, schools, churches, public facilities and of course a massive Gompa.When we got back to the hotel, we were again beat and after a rest and bite at the hotel, we retire for another early night.
My original plan was to travel to Srinagar tomorrow, a journey of two days on the Srinagar Leh Highway. Three months earlier when we made our plans and booked our flight, there were already some clashes between the Kashmiri militants and the Indian army. We had hoped that the situation will subsequently cool down. Instead, it had flare up with the killing of the militant leader resulting in more than 20 dead and hundreds wounded. Many areas in Srinagar was put under curfew when our India date came up. The Indian army had warned everyone to be prepared for the long haul ! Because of the unrest, I had decided only to go midway to Kargil, stay a night there and return to Leh the next day. There are some "out of this world" places to experience along that route, including Drass, the 2nd coldest inhabited place on earth after Siberia. But two days of mountain travelling had already taken it's toll on everyone, and this Kargil road trip would easily turn us into Zombies in the cold at Drass ! So I decided to cancel this trip and spend the remaining days at Leh. We have hardly seen Leh at all and there are much to see and do here. Most of the tourist would spend a minimum of 10 days just at Leh alone to explore the nearby areas. The decision was met with glee from everyone, Tarvinder Singh, the Hotel proprietor gave us a concession rate for the extra night stay.
I just had to lie in bed and enjoy the moment.
When I step into the adjoining bathroom, the window view was even more stunning. You could see the glacier mountain from here! I would say, this is a bathroom with a million dollar view!
Even though we had stayed a couple of days earlier, I had not really noticed it before because of the rush. Moreover, the bedroom window was not drawn and bathroom window is misty all the time.
Chorji used to track the mountains and chart tracking routes. He is from the Aryan stock whose bloodline are from the Indus Valley region. Here, he is writing down a list of monasteries for me to visit today,
There are at least more than a hundred monasteries dotted all over Ladakh. Most of them are found on top of hills or mountains and every village would have at least one huge monastery. These were build by monks and preachers during the early history of religious awakening time.. Irrespective of the rugged and inaccessible terrain, they build them at places they pass through. The population are predominantly Buddhist and Ladakh have been influenced by the Tibetan Buddhism. The chronology timeline below would help understand how Ladakh is being shaped by history to what it is today.
Like Tibet, Buddhism here follows the Mahayana and Vajrayana schools where Buddha is worship as a deity who has attained Nirvana. Various incarnations known as Bodhisattvas are also worshipped in the monasteries. The monasteries are not only a place of worship, it is also a residence of the monk and may run as an educational and religious centers. Many tourist come for the cultural delight but some came purely to seek religious solace and prayers. The Buddhist here regards the existing Dalai Lama as their supreme spiritual leader and as living incarnation of Buddha. Due to his resistance to China's occupation of Tibet, he has also become a political icon for Tibet even though he now leaves in exile in India. Ladakh is the region he comes to once a year.
Our first sop was at Shey Palace.
The information helps in the understanding on the importance of this old structure.
The driver stopped at the foothill and we have to walked up the slope where the monastery is.
The first impression is this temple needs maintenance and upgrading work.
The Stupas at the top left is a few fight of stairs away.
Another solitary Stupa within the temple complex.
But the view from here is fantastic.
Ram enjoying the vantage point here.
The bare cold mountain behind the temple.
Ram at the left wing of the temple.
Chew Kuan did not walk up the slope with us but opted to wait for us below with the driver.
A few kilometers away is the village of Thiksey, This is the entrance gate to the biggest Gompa in East of Leh.
Built in the 15th century, it has about 60 monks residing in this 12 storey complex.
The Thiksey Monastery immediately strikes you as it resembles the Potala Palace in Lhasa.
I tried the one tone colour in the camera and this is the result.
This is certainly an appropriate place to have a group photo.
The Monastery have been restored and have a road at the side where cars can go right to the top..
From the car park, it's just a short walk to the top of the temple.
The Dalai Lama visited this temple in 1970 and a Maitreya Temple to house the "future" Buddha 15 meter tall was build in the temple that take up two storey to commemorate his visit.
Side staircase leading up to the temple.
The Stupas at the top of the temple.
We left Thiksey and headed for the next Monastery.
To access the temple, there is a narrow bridge that appear to be built for pedestrian crossing only.
Our driver is unfazed and just drove the Innova over with the wing mirror folded in.
This is India ! Anything is possible, irregardless of rules and purpose of things. Think and act outside the box!
At the temple car park, we saw our favourite Ambassador. Eddie and Ram is excited to come close to this car.
The view of the Indus River from the temple.
The river originate from Tibet and flows across Ladakh and onto Pakistan before emptying into the Arabic Sea.
After explaining to Ram, he wants a picture of the valley as the backdrop.
I am no exception as this river basin has immense historical importance.
One more for me,
another one for Ram.
Not much of Eddie is seen as he is doing a lot of selfie while Chew Kuan seems to be playing a lot of hide and seek.
Inside the sanctum, a monk ask us if we want to pray,
Well, we were keen to take a lot of photos.
But a little prayer for peace and and protection for family and friends does not hurt.
Outside, I too wanted a photo with the Ambassador.
A closer look reveals that it belongs to the monastery, and a nice lucky number to go with it too.
We had one more monasatery to go for the day.
We wanted a group photo, but the other two guys simply refused to come out from the car. Because of the sub zero temperature and low oxygen level, it is advisable not to stay out longer than 15 minutes.
My original plan was to travel to Srinagar tomorrow, a journey of two days on the Srinagar Leh Highway. Three months earlier when we made our plans and booked our flight, there were already some clashes between the Kashmiri militants and the Indian army. We had hoped that the situation will subsequently cool down. Instead, it had flare up with the killing of the militant leader resulting in more than 20 dead and hundreds wounded. Many areas in Srinagar was put under curfew when our India date came up. The Indian army had warned everyone to be prepared for the long haul ! Because of the unrest, I had decided only to go midway to Kargil, stay a night there and return to Leh the next day. There are some "out of this world" places to experience along that route, including Drass, the 2nd coldest inhabited place on earth after Siberia. But two days of mountain travelling had already taken it's toll on everyone, and this Kargil road trip would easily turn us into Zombies in the cold at Drass ! So I decided to cancel this trip and spend the remaining days at Leh. We have hardly seen Leh at all and there are much to see and do here. Most of the tourist would spend a minimum of 10 days just at Leh alone to explore the nearby areas. The decision was met with glee from everyone, Tarvinder Singh, the Hotel proprietor gave us a concession rate for the extra night stay.
15.10.16 - Day 7 A day at visitng Monasteries around Leh.
I woke up to the rising sun, and that was about 6.00 am. When I draw the window curtain, the beautiful view of a mountain was right before me.
Even though we had stayed a couple of days earlier, I had not really noticed it before because of the rush. Moreover, the bedroom window was not drawn and bathroom window is misty all the time.
All of us were well rested and woke up fresh. After breakfast, I had a short discussion with Dorji, the hotel travel Manager.
There are at least more than a hundred monasteries dotted all over Ladakh. Most of them are found on top of hills or mountains and every village would have at least one huge monastery. These were build by monks and preachers during the early history of religious awakening time.. Irrespective of the rugged and inaccessible terrain, they build them at places they pass through. The population are predominantly Buddhist and Ladakh have been influenced by the Tibetan Buddhism. The chronology timeline below would help understand how Ladakh is being shaped by history to what it is today.
The palace appears quiet and isolated.
Eddie likes the glacier mountain view.
This is the Stakna Monastery, the one that we passed by yesterday on our way back from Pangong Tso. The view from afar is stunning. We were told the name means "tiger's nose" as the hill where the monastery is built upon resembles that. I am trying to see it from that perspective and admit not able to figuring out the semblance. That it sits at the banks of the Indus River draws my interest.
A panoramic view of the river. It is along the same river on the Pakistan side where the early cities of Mahenjo Daro and Harappa were excavated. Along with ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, it was one of the three civilisations of the old world, 2600 BC.
Not much of Eddie is seen as he is doing a lot of selfie while Chew Kuan seems to be playing a lot of hide and seek.
We had one more monasatery to go for the day.
It is on the same side of the river and we need not have to cross that same bailey bridge.
This is Stok Monastery. It does not have the traditional look of the rest that we've seen and looks unimpressive.
Again, we have to track up the slope and again Chew Kuan prefers to be in the car.
The view of the Stupas down below from the temple.
It was lunch time and the temple museum is closed for lunch. We hardly see any people nor the residence and after quick walk around decided to return to leave.
As we tracked down, Eddie again was doing his selfie at the rocky hill on the right.
The sight looked spectacular from below and we join him in the photo session.
We tried the individual pose as a trio.
Then one more time.
I did not want the back mountain, just the foreground and the sky. That's the best our cameraman, (which is the driver) could do for us.
We did not stay long here and leave after about half an hour.
There is some muslim population here and they seem to live on this side of the river. This picture shows a school which is pretty big for a village.
We passed by these same gates again.
This is the Indus River that we have to cross.
There is another bridge here and it looks like it is meant for passenger vehicles even though it is narrow.
Heading towards Leh town.
This landmark junction where the roads split to the south and west.
Indian Oil are like Petronas to Malaysia, they are GLCs and dominating the petroleum market here.
School bus here has the same yellow as ours.
This is the government hospital that Eddie came for his check up when he succumb to AMS.
Bazaar in Leh.
Shanti Stupa is right in the town. This Stupa lights up at night and is built by the Japanese Buddhist group to promote world peace.
We had asked the driver to take us to a good restaurant and this is the palce he took us to.
It's a narrow street, but look how they maneuver over the pavement to get through.
The driver says this place has Chinese, Indian and Ladakhi food, but the signage says German Bakery.
Chew Kuan is worried about the local food and safely choose burger. I decided to go for asian food, curry chicken, while Eddie ordered fried rice. He is dying for rice. Ram had some bread with gravy. It was pretty good and after that we call it a day.
16.10.16 - Day 8 Traveling National Highway 1.
All of us have a good rest yesterday because of the light program. Today's program is also light as we prefer to take it easy. The internet was out since yesterday and there is still no internet service this morning. This weak internet service prevails in the entire Ladakh and business establishment have several meetings with the government on this issue, I cannot even make my credit card payment today as there is no line. The problem is, we are leaving tomorrow early morning and if the line does not come on, we will have insufficient cash to pay for our 6 nights stay including food and transportation services. Back home, we have taken internet for granted, but here, it is still a luxury.
Our plan today was to travel the National Highway 1 ( NH 1 ) and visit some places just out of Leh along this stretch. This Highway connects Leh to Srinagar and we were supposed to take this road on a two day journey to Srinagar, which is now aborted due to unstable situation there.
We spent more than two hours in this gallery.
After all that we've experience, the gallery here explains many of our unasked questions.
For the first time, all of us were very absorbed in knowing everything about this area.
Some useful information that we saw.
This is one of the many information about the battles in this region.
We came away from the gallery with a much better understanding of Ladakh. In the harsh coldness, high altitude and nothingness in these mountains, the things that the army did and their defence of the country is indeed very inspiring. This Hall of Fame is a must visit if you wish to understand Ladakh. We are glad to have this as our last stop in Ladakh.
At Jammu airport tarmac. After taking this photo, we were told no photography at the tarmac.
At the airport terminal, the luggage transfer process was quite fast as there are only a few flights and two carousels. We got our bags pretty quick. Whilst in the building, I rented an Innova to take us to Amritsar. The rental cost is RS 7,600 excluding tolls. That's almost RM500.00.
The minute we exit the terminal door, we have to walk out to the main road where there is a petrol kiosk next the to airport.
That's where we have to wait for our rented car and that's also the pick up area for all airport passengers.
This certainly is an inappropriate pick up area and without doubt chaotic.
For a population of 500,000 with an airport, there is no proper area to facilitate smooth orderly discharge of passengers.
Our car came 10 minutes later and we were immediately on our way to Amritsar.
Our journey would take us at least 4 hours according to our driver.
The minute we move into the street, it's mayhem.
Everybody is trying to get ahead and jaywalking is common in the heavily traffic congested street.
This bus just stop at the side
and unload a cargo from the rooftop.
Welcome indeed to another world.
Tractor trucks are common on the road.
A typical roadside scene.
At every junction, any cars would turn as they wish and expect others to slow or stop for them.
This is a rural city.
People everywhere in this dusty city.
Row of trucks parked at the side of the main road.
Human beings are resilient. They could live in all sorts of environment.
Tractor on the road are common sight.
At every junction, whoever have the space in front of them just move forward first.
Any vehicles can come at you from any direction even if you are on the correct lane.
This jeep just shot out from nowhere.
At another junction.
Where there are towns, the people also join in the "street wars" !
Another roadside scene.
Remember the Thai T Shirt brand , " No Rules " !
Another tractor .
Lorry laden with furniture ?
At the border to Punjab, we saw a line of lorries at least 4 to 5 km long. The driver told us these are transporters queuing up to pay their border tax before crossing over the the next state! The bridge here spans across the Ravi River which is the demarcation between Punjab and Jammu.
Just after, the signage on the road has a clear message.
Our driver have to cross the road to where the collection office is and pay the RS 450 border tax. That is about RM 30.00 which is borne by us.
A short distance ahead, the structure looks familiar, just like home.
The toll charges here is RS 70.00, about RM 5.00. Our driver loves to honk.
Throughout the entire journey of 4 hours, he must have honked a thousand times.
It is for safety, he says. I could swore that our ear drums were damaged during the road trip.
By the time we reached Amritsar, it was about 2.00 pm.
The check in was smooth and the hotel looks business like.
I had intended that the only program today was to proceed to the Pakistani border to witness daily the closing ceremony ritual. I had seen it on TV many years ago on how the ceremony is conducted. It was a face off between the Indian and Pakistani border guards. Since I'm here, I would not want to miss this opportunity. The tour desk at Hyatt arrange an Innova for us to leave at 3.30. The border is only 40 minutes drive away.
On the way, we begin to see road users like this which is normal. Four people on a small bike and still able to carry a bicycle.
We have to alight 1 km before the border post and walk the rest of the way.
Everybody walks to the border from here.
The border guard uniform is unique.
This guy may not be involve in the closing ceremony proper, but nevertheless is a border guard.
All cars are checked thoroughly.
There are separate lanes for foreigners, but eventually the lanes merged at the entry point.
As we walked in, there is a stadium that is already filled with people. And we thought we came early!
These are largely the local crowds.
Fortunately for us, foreigners have a separate section, which still have some space at the upper terrace.
Before the ceremony began, the partisan Indian crowd began chanting and cheering for India as though there is a football match going on.
A look across the Pakistani side shows a much lesser and quieter crowd.
This is the only land border connecting India to Pakistan which closes everyday at this time. You can only pass between 10.00 am to 3.00 pm everyday with a visa via bus or train.
The foreigners section.
The closing ceremony have been conducted daily for more than half a century.
The show of strength from both sides can trigger emotions among the frenzied crowd.
In 2014, after the ceremony, a suicide bomber from the Pakistani side detonated a 5 kg explosive killing 60 people and injuring hundreds of spectators.
Just a week before we arrive, there were stone throwing during the ceremony. The aggressiveness of this eye ball stare have since been replaced.
As a foreigner witnessing this spectacle, it is expressing the very hatred relationship between these two nations.
What can be achieved is perpetual animosity.
Even the hand shake does nothing to calm the frenzy that was worked out on both sides.
Note : the close up images are from google as we could not get close enough to take good shots. They nevertheless represent the exact ceremony that we witness.
The lowering of the flags
and closing of the gates signify the end of the ceremony.
The crowd were asked to disperse immediately after. Everyday, an estimate crowd of 2,000 will come and witness the ceremony. And they build the stadium just for this. At the other end, they are extending the stadium capacity. It's a wasteful resources. India still have many poor. The government should work to fill the people's stomach instead of fueling their hatred.
Even foreigners are being worked to a frenzy !
At the car park, our driver picked us up.
We asked him to take us to a nice Indian restaurant.
It's 5.30 pm, but it's pitch dark.
The mayhem on the road continues.
We were stuck at a cross junction with traffic lights, but it might as well not be there. Nobody follows it, nobody gives way, the traffic police is not in control of the situation, I don't know how our driver got out from there.
He took us to Crystal Restaurant in town that serves good Bryani food.
And yes, we have not have this at all since we were in Leh for 6 days ! The beer tasted sweet as well.
Going into the streets of Amritsar is like going into a war zone..
Motorbikes rule the streets as there are a lot of them.
So far, so smooth.
We asked the driver to take us to shops that sells Punjabi Kurti. This is where he took us to.
Ram wanted to buy some dress for his wife.
He is able to make some purchases by sending the images of the dress to his wife. She then decides on the one she wants. Technology is wonderful.
Like all places, Punjabi too have candies that is popular.
We bought some here to take back home to friends and families.
Punjabi's candy are very sweet. But the sign says it is made of "sugarless" sugar, and is specially for diabetics ! Need to check that out.
Waiting for our car after the purchase.
We asked the driver to take us to a nice Bryani Restaurant for our lunch.
This is where he took us, The Yellow Chilli at Ranjit Avenue.
Here's what we ordered, Bryani rice that was cooked for hours.
Mutton which was very flavourful
The rice is really really good.
This is another satisfying meal we have.
Have never seen so many Bhaiis all over the place.
Rickshaws like these are everywhere.
Vehicles can be moving in all direction.
You can even hold hands with your friends while biking on main street.
There's some protest going on. Government servants on strike for better wages, according to our driver.
Threesome on motorbike is common sight.
Even with the security personnel.
It's a family affair for most.
Henna artist are popular on the streets..
A street tailor!
We went to one store and found some cold wear with reasonable pricing. Trying to get Chew Kuan to buy a piece of cold wear for future use.
All of us have a good rest yesterday because of the light program. Today's program is also light as we prefer to take it easy. The internet was out since yesterday and there is still no internet service this morning. This weak internet service prevails in the entire Ladakh and business establishment have several meetings with the government on this issue, I cannot even make my credit card payment today as there is no line. The problem is, we are leaving tomorrow early morning and if the line does not come on, we will have insufficient cash to pay for our 6 nights stay including food and transportation services. Back home, we have taken internet for granted, but here, it is still a luxury.
Our plan today was to travel the National Highway 1 ( NH 1 ) and visit some places just out of Leh along this stretch. This Highway connects Leh to Srinagar and we were supposed to take this road on a two day journey to Srinagar, which is now aborted due to unstable situation there.
Before we set out for the day, I had a photo taken with Tarvinder Singh, the hotel proprietor and Dorji his hotel travel guide. Both have been extremely helpful in making our stay as comfortable as possible. Staying here is like staying with friends, you don't feel that you are renting a hotel.
Eddie and Ram too wanted to have a picture with Dorji.
Just a short distance from Leh, the driver pull aside his car to let us have a vantage view of the Indus River.
The river originates from Tibet and flow across Kashmir into Pakistan. I am wondering if the Aryan race also settles in this part of the basin 5000 years earlier.
We continued our journey after a brief stop.
The spectacular vista all the way. If the road is not here, you would think that we are on the Moon.
Another half an hour ahead, we stopped at Gurdwara Pathar Sahib. This is one of the most holy place of worship among the Sikh community. The Gurdwara was constructed in memory of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh faith. During his lifetime, Guru Nanak have traveled to many distant places, and one such place was Tibet. The Tibetan Buddhist revere him as a saint. The Dalai Lama in his discussion with the Sikh leaders confirmed that the Tibetans consider him as a Buddhist saint under the name of Guru Gompka Maharaj. It was believe that Guru Nanak rested in this place on his return to Punjab in one of his many travels.
Eddie and Ram posing in front of the Gurdwara.
Across the main road is a barren hill called Guru Nanak hill.
I sent this photo to my Bhaii friend, Ballbeer Singh and he was excited. "I have not been there, but my Chinese friend has !", he text back to me.
We did not enter the building as we did not prepare ourselves for it. The worshipers kindly told us that to enter the building, you have to remove your shoes and have your head covered as a respect. None of us have any head scarves with us.
This is NH 1 to Srinagar. I am trying to figure out how did Guru Nanak travel in his time this way.
The awe inspiring majestic mountains.
Suddenly, our driver stop the car on the road, switch off his ignition, right on Highway 1 ! The car just rolled towards the group of tourist ahead who cheered us by clapping their hands !
We're on Magnetic Hill. What the driver is trying to demonstrate to us was that the car was on slight uphill slope when he switched off the engine. But because of the strong gravity pull from the mountain ahead of us, the car just roll forward !
I was told that the mountain have strong gravity pull because it contains iron deposit.
I went to the side of the road to check if it is really sloping upwards, which appears to be. Many have just brushed it off as mere optical illusion. I took a look further back of the road, it generally is downhill, only the section where the car rolled appears to be slightly uphill. We learn how to read slopes by playing golf.
Another area we came to see was the Sangam. Down below is the mighty Indus River.
At this particular point, it is joined by another river called the Zansker River. In this photo, Indus is on the left, Zansker is coming down from the middle and it flows onward to Pakistan where the oldest city of Mahenjo Daro was built 5000 years ago at the banks of the Indus. The Sangam is the confluence of these two rivers which is of different colours.
I asked the driver to take us down to the meeting point of the rivers to have a close up look.
Ram at the banks of the Indus.
The Sangram is not only a place of geographical importance, it is a place boats enthusiasts comes to for the river rafting expedition.
The journey continue on NH 1. The river immediately leads to a village called Nimmu.
We passed through this leafy village. Our next destination is beyond here.
Another "Marlboro High Country" landscape.
We are on Mars !
Looking like gateway to heaven.
National Geographic logo ?
When you see Stupas, temple or settlement is nearby.
There, on top of the hill is what we came to see, the Likir Monastery.
A zoom up shot as we drove nearer.
The other side of the hill before the ascend.
The history of the temple.
At the courtyard on top of the temple.
The inner sanctum.
This is where the monks sit and chant.
I saw some old photos frame up on the wall. This one caught my attention as there is one "Mat Salleh" that stands out in the picture. We once read that Robert Redford was into the Buddhist way of life. Not sure when was this photo taken.
The temple is surrounded by mountains.
Eddie was up here with me. Could not see Ram who came up with Chew Kuan.
Maitreya is highly revered as a future Buddha.
Maitreya is a Bodhisattva who will appear on Earth in the future as successor to Gautama Buddha.
This 75 feet statue gilded in gold is the same Buddha we saw at Diskit, Nubra Valley and Thiksey Monastery, all are constructed with imposing height.
I pray for peace and family protection.
I think Eddie was praying to meet his sales budget !
It is almost noon, the driver told us he will take us to one more monastery at another village nearby after which we could have lunch there as well. It sounds good to us.
Even though nearby, we still have to get back to NH 1 and traverse the mountains.
But in no time, we came upon Alchii Village.
Another heavenly gate greets us as we enter the village.
All Monastery have prayer wheels as you walked in.
Alchii Monastery is not like all other monastery we've seen.
This one is situated on low ground, not on mountain top.
There is therefore no structure that sits on top of another like the Potala hillslope.
This is merely a compound of various prayer sections and living quarters for the monks.
The view from the back is also hidden by the poplar trrees.
At the back of the Monastery flows the Indus River.
The low entrance gate. This Monastery was build in the 11th Century and is said to be the oldest in Ladakh.
Outside, there are some souvenir stalls that was devoid of any tourist. I bought one or two simple items for friends and gave the lady her opening price without bargaining. She was so happy and thank me saying I was her first customer. Looks like I could be the only customer for the day.
We saw this little restaurant that looks quite nice from the street and promptly walk in. Immediately, there was wifi signal and we started to go online on emails and started communicating with the "outside world" through What' Apps! I mange to do a few FB postings to share with my FB friends.
We ordered Tukhpa, Ladakhi soup noodle.
and some momos
The lady owner recommended us ladakhi bread with chicken stuffing. Frankly, all our concern about "Yakky" Ladakhi food is unfounded. The food served is actually very good. The owner says she has tweaked a little like adding a bit of salt and sauce to suit the international taste bud.
The kitchen is right at the dining area
Alchii Kitchen is very neat and tidy. We ate Ladakhi food in a very Ladakhi surrounding that is very hygienic.
That's the outside view that we saw before we decided to check it out.
I commented to the lady owner that her toilet is the cleanest in all Ladakh. She acknowledges it and says every customer says so too.
We left Alchii after lunch and headed back towards Leh.
Archii is only about 75 Km from Leh and the roads seen so far on NH 1 is pretty good.
The treacherous part is after Kargil where the road snake around the mountain. Thereafter nearer Srinagar at Zogi Pass, the road is listed as one of the top ten most dangerous road in the world !
We soon came to our last itinerary for the day, The Hall of Fame.
Eddie and Ram posing at the front entrance.
The Indian army have a strong presence in Ladakh. In addition to defending the region, they also build and maintain mountain roads and border roads via Border Roads Organisation and a company run by them called Himank. They are part of the social fabric in this region. The Hall of Fame is a wealth of information about this mountainous region such as the rich history, geography and culture of the people. Of course all the army heroic deeds are well illustrated, starting from independence, the Kargil War, The Ladakh Campaign, Baltistan Campaign, Indo Pakistan War, Indo China War and all the other battles.
We came away from the gallery with a much better understanding of Ladakh. In the harsh coldness, high altitude and nothingness in these mountains, the things that the army did and their defence of the country is indeed very inspiring. This Hall of Fame is a must visit if you wish to understand Ladakh. We are glad to have this as our last stop in Ladakh.
17.10.16 - Day 9 A glimpse of Jammu, Punjab and India's relationship with Pakistan.
We have to leave our hotel at 6.00 am to catch our 7.55 am flight by Air India to Jammu. Would you believe that the hotel staff actually wake up that early to prepare us a hot tea or coffee and gave us some cookies to send us off. Dorji gave each of us a packet of dry apricot as a goodbye gesture. Such is the warmth the hotel treat it's guest.
The airport at Leh is an army airport and after we checked in our luggage over the counter, we are to personally identify it again at a holding area so that they can tag it correctly to the correct airline. The manual process is partly due to the fact that this is not your commercial airport and internet line is not reliable.
Our flight took off as scheduled. Once airborne, we could once again see the Himalayas from the air. This time, we could relate to the ground having seen and feel the terrain ourselves. At the mountain peak, the temperature is zero or sub zero and is perpetually snow clad. Most of the time, these are 4 to 5 km above sea level. Leh town is at the lower elevation of 3,500 meter, and at this time of the year has a temperature of 10° daytime and at night it goes down to below zero. In fact, at the end of October, almost all the hotels would be closed as all the mountain roads will not be passable due to snow which will then engulfed the entire Leh town in Winter.
After 6 days here, we are glad to be flying to warmer climes.
After 6 days here, we are glad to be flying to warmer climes.
We pulled to a stop at this kiosk to fill up gas.
By the time we reached Amritsar, it was about 2.00 pm.
I had intended that the only program today was to proceed to the Pakistani border to witness daily the closing ceremony ritual. I had seen it on TV many years ago on how the ceremony is conducted. It was a face off between the Indian and Pakistani border guards. Since I'm here, I would not want to miss this opportunity. The tour desk at Hyatt arrange an Innova for us to leave at 3.30. The border is only 40 minutes drive away.
The ritual begins with a marching in from the border guards.
Note : the close up images are from google as we could not get close enough to take good shots. They nevertheless represent the exact ceremony that we witness.
18.10.16 - Day 10 - The Golden Temple.
After yesterday's hectic activity when we flew from Leh to Jammu, enroute by road to Amritsar and then to Wagah at the Pakistani border, we have a good sleep that night. All of us woke up fresh with no altitude issue. Moreover, the weather here is a nice 26° Celcius daytime.
During breakfast at the Hotel, we decided to visit the Golden Temple only in the evening. The late morning till afternoon, we'll explore Amritsar and see if there's some stuff to buy.
We asked the driver to take us to a nice Bryani Restaurant for our lunch.
I bought 4 pieces of winter wear pullover at Anil Store.
After shopping, we decided to go back to the hotel and leave our stuff there, have an hour rest before visiting the Golden Temple. The hotel travel desk advised us to have our head covered before going in the temple and promptly loan us the headscarves.
We got back to the streets again. there were many rickshaws transporting cargoes. These are cheap transport services that probably are paid only a few rupees per kilometer.
The street is always congested with all sorts of transport.
Such are common sight here, whoever have the space move first.
Buses ruled the day because of their size.
That guy carrying bales of cargo is actually using a horse carriage.
We were behind him for a short distance.
Another transporter using rickshaw.
Even when on motorbikes, you can still carry something.
Many of the overloaded rickshaws require one or two extra hands to push from behind.
The bus is always sardine packed during rush hour.
We are now at the old town where the temple is located. The driver drop us here because of the congestion and there's no parking space. He says 2 hours should be enough for us.
He will pick us up at the same spot 2 hours later.
The sun is setting as we walk through the old town towards the Golden Temple complex.
I wanted to get the photo of the sun before it disappear.
The sun over the temple structure is really beautiful.
When it really set, I still can catch the glow from behind the building.
The temple is located at a lower level.
The place is beautiful and tranquil with a lot of worshipers.
This is the holiest of all the Gurdwaras for all Sikhs.
It's their Holy Grail and all Sikhs are encourage to visit this place at least once in their lifetime.
Everyday, there are prayers and an estimated 100,000 worshippers come here daily for that.
The Harmandir Sahib is the Mecca for all Sikh faith.
The temple is constructed in the middle of the holy tank known as the Nectar of Immortality.
Many worshippers take off the clothes and dip into the pool probably as a symbolic way of cleansing in this holy place.
Eddie and I are just there as tourist, but remain respectful of the religion.
In the most sacred place, we are allowed to partake in their prayers.
We followed the ritual and enter into what is the Sikhs Sanctum Sanctorum. This is a very inclusive religion by allowing non Sikh into their most holy shrine.
The experience leave us very respectful and wanting to know more.
When nightfall, the Golden Temple simply glows.
This is one of the soul searching experience that leaves you thinking about faith.
Two hours was just adequate for the Golden Temple. We waited for our car at the same spot.
This is our last touristy stop for our India trip.
19.10.16 - Day 11 Homeward Bound.
Today being our last day, we decided to check out Alpha Mall that was just located next to our hotel. The hotel have allowed us a late check out time of 3.00 pm as we have a night flight back to KL.
We went to the mall for breakfast and started to look around the shops. All of us did some last minute shopping and by the time we got back to the hotel, it is already 2.00 pm. I've got myself an extra hand carry luggage bag as my big suitcase could not take in any more clothing. We spend the reminder of the time packing up. Our driver was waiting for us at 3.00 pm and we got into our vehicle after checking out of the hotel.
We reached our airport in good time.
There was a small queue but the system was down. So it took a little longer to clear the check in.
We have our bags wrapped for security reason. The rough handling of airport workers on baggage is well known all the world over.
This is a small airport. There is only one cafeteria and it dispense only takeaways with no dining table. So you eat whatever you ordered at the waiting lounge seats.
Our flight landed on time at the ungodly hour of 4.00 pm !
It had been a long and exciting trip. In all my travels, this rank right at the top for a few reasons. Although I did some research for this "off the beaten track" journey, I was surprised and discover things that I have never imagined. To read about India being a diverse nation is different from actually being there. I not only feel the history and geography of the place, but I discover the strong Tibetan culture in Kahsmir, I see and feel what Himalayas is like and how harsh it can be, I did not anticipate the dangerous the mountain roads, but I try to imagine how early travelers make their journey on foot or on camels. Most of all, I come back so much richer in knowledge of another culture. I've been to the most Holiest Temple of another's faith, partake in their prayers and began to understand their belief. It is in this journey that I see a lot of people having not enough, but they live life with a purpose and not complaining. We must count our blessings on what we already have and start to learn how to give back. Such is the wonderful thing about travel, it must touch your heart and soul. We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.
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