My wife and I returned from Ladakh (aka land of the passes) last Saturday evening after a 6-day stay. We landed in Leh the previous Sunday and were advised not to do any physical exercise or stress ourselves. Leh itself is at 11,500 feet (3500 m) where the air is thin, and an oximeter reading will show only 80 odd instead of the nearly normal 95/96 reading. We were also advised to keep our windows open to let in the cold 11 degree air to acclimatise ourselves. I have difficulty with cold weather causing blocked nose and nosebleeds, and the low oxygen levels in Leh make it harder to breathe.
I managed to sleep a few hours the first night shivering under the blankets and on Monday we went on a tour to see Magnetic Hill, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib and the confluence (sangam) of Zanskar and Indus Rivers as well as some very mild river rafting on the Zanskar Rapids. I'm used to rivers flowing east, west, or south, but the Indus flowing north into Pakistan feels odd to me. Also the Zanskar /Ladakh and Karakoram ranges are further north of the Himalayas and have all the strategic boundary points with China and Pakistan. Ladakh is a cold desert (our Thomas Cook Guide's words) with mountains and sandy terrain in most places. The second night was equally tough, and I managed even less sleep.
Sangam of Zanskar and Indus rivers
The next morning we left for the Nubra valley via the highest motorable pass ( Khardungla around 18,000 feet) and reached Nubra Sarai via a quick stop at the Diskit Monastery The Nubra Valley along the Shyok/Nubra rivers is beautiful, and it is the only and best sleep I had during the entire tour. Just for reference,e the Siachen Glacier is further north of where we were staying.
We traveled from Nubra Valley to Pangong Lake, known for the "3 Idiots" movie, and it was a frightening experience. Couple of our fellow travellers ran short of breath and one of them had to be hospitalised. My wife was extremely tired and the temporary tent was good but the wind kept howling at night. Another night of restless sleep for me and trepidation as to what would happen next as temperatures dropped to zero. We drove to Leh through the Chang La pass, which is about 17,000 feet high, and for 20-30 kilometers the road was very rough, requiring skilled driving. You are not only shaken but also stirred and rocked on this journey. You can check the route map at this link: https://goo.gl/maps/jsqpiyjULTmVcuc57
Returning to Leh and some fitful sleep, we visited a couple of monasteries, the Rancho school and the Hall of fame museum. This museum is managed by the Indian army and explains the terrain, the wars, the challenges as well as samples of gear and equipment used in warfare or just plain living. After this visit, one feels awe and respect towards our soldiers and also the relative luxury we all live in. We returned the next day and as luck would have it, there was a soldier wearing the colours of Siachen Warriors at the airport. He was so quiet that you would not notice him and the movements were so calculated and almost everything seemed measured. The 3rd passenger on our side of the aircraft was a soldier based in Kargil , and he also mentioned the tough life there and that he was in his second year of a three-year posting.
What was supposed to be a holiday turned out to be an experience the like of which I had not experienced before. It challenged me and I fell short more often than not. I panicked when I could not sleep or breathe and wrestled to find control when the easier option was to just go with the flow. I have been to colder places such as Poland at -20 degrees, but this was something else. City dwellers like me are lucky but also learn to appreciate how difficult it is to live. One of the abiding memories is of the Workers repairing roads in the cold, smiling and waving, as we passed by. This shows both the strength of the human spirit and our failure to build good roads.
Life is a journey, and sometimes you feel afraid and scared for yourself, when you know you can't beat the odds, and the mind plays different tricks on you. This 6-day trip made me question many things, and I'm still struggling to understand and answer these questions. Hope your journey is more peaceful and less stressful.
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