Mumbai to Leh – June 16

[Himyatra – 2018 This is part II of the series. You can read the first part here.]

As I was waiting for the beginning of my Himyatra, I had a lot of work cut out for me. I had to make arrangements for my absence from the class. I teach Mathematics to school children. The academic year had just begun, and I had to excuse myself from my scheduled classes. The students (and the parents) shared my excitement about the trip, and did not object to my absence. Then I had to collect all the stuff that I had to carry with me. Most of it I already had, but I literally had to search for it, clean / wash it etc. I also took the opportunity to treat myself to some “retail therapy” and bought myself a brand new rucksack. 😀 It is a 70 + 5 L rucksack and is very comfortable. IMHO, it’s absolutely value for money.

The wait was soon over, and it was time for us to travel to Leh – the starting point of our Himyatra week. Ajit and I were booked on a 4 AM flight to Leh. That means we had to report at the airport at 2 AM. Uber and Ola are really blessings today for the consumer. No more begging a cabbie to come at odd hours and do a favour to you. You just book an Uber! I booked an Uber for 1.45 AM and at the appointed hour, I received a call from the cabbie, Mohamed. It was the morning of Ramadan Eid, so I wished him Eid Mubarak on phone itself. I took some time to get ready, and we started at 2 AM. All the way to the airport, we had a great conversation. Mohamed is a Marathi, Konkani Muslim. Their customs are a lot different from those of the north Indians. He kept the conversation going by telling me how they celebrate the festival. Before I realized it, I was at the airport.

There was a huge queue for check in. I joined the queue, but waited for Ajit to reach the airport, so we could check-in together. I had asked Ajit to book at least one window sit, as the flight crosses the mighty Himalayas to reach Leh, and if the weather permits, you can get a great aerial view. By the way, Ladakh is the only place in India, where you can say “Let’s go south to the Himalayas :D”. We had a window seat, and Ajit very kindly allowed me to take it.

The flight left on time and was quite uneventful. We got some glimpses of the Himalayan ranges, but the sky was overcast and we had to make do with what we could see. However, as we approached Leh, the skies cleared a little and we had a fantastic view of Leh and its airport. It was just 6 AM, and so the light conditions were not really perfect for photography.

Leh Airstrip. The flight actually turns through 180 degrees and starts landing from the far end. [click on any picture to view it full screen]

Both of us had visited Leh in 2006 with our families, and so knew what to expect. But for a first time visitor, the view can be very enigmatic.

This is how thin the Sindhu river is at Leh. Notice that the greenery is concentrated alongside the river. A little away from the river begins the desert.

As you may be aware, Ladakh is a high altitude, cold desert. So the landscape is quite barren, almost lunar, except on the bank’s of the Sindhu. The flow of Sindhu is lined on both sides by greenery, some fields, plantations and some grassy land. The scene is stark, but is beautiful in its own way.

Just as we were taking in the scene, the flight landed. Immediately after our flight, another flight landed. The tarmac was crowded. It was cold out there, and the wind made it even colder. Most people hurriedly pulled on something warm as we waited for transportation. Soon the buses arrived and we were taken to the terminal building.  The terminal is really very small, and was crowded with all the visitors.

Leh is at an altitude of 11,500 feet, and the air is quite a bit thinner as compared to at sea level. Due to this, most people experience a bit of discomfort due to lack of oxygen. Almost everyone needs some time to get used to this thinner air. This is called acclimatization. The visitors need to slow down, not exert themselves and drink a lot of water. In 24 to 36 hours, the body gets used to the altitude. That is why we had arrived a day earlier. The airport public address system as well as displays in the terminal keep the visitors informed about the need for acclimatization and all the precautions that must be taken.

We collected our luggage and took a prepaid taxi to Jigmet Hotel, where Balya had booked a room for us. We reached Jigmet around 7.30 and were heartily welcomed by Jigmet, the owner, and his staff.

Jigmet Guesthouse. Our room was on the 2nd floor.

Jigmet Guesthouse was started in 1970, and is one of the oldest hotels in Leh. It has a well deserved reputation of being a very hospitable hotel in Leh. Jigmet’s whole family, with their dedicated staff, looks after the guests very well. The service is fantastic.

Jigmet Guesthouse grows their own vegetables organically and use it in their cooking.

We had a hearty breakfast of toast, omelette and tea, while our room was getting ready. Jigmet provides free wi-fi access, so we immediately shared our early morning photos with our families using WhatsApp. Also called home using WhatsApp. One word of warning, only BSNL postpaid connection works in laddakh. So if you are planning to visit, make sure atleast one in the group has BSNL postpaid connection.

After a little bit of rest, to acclimatize ourselves, we set out to go around Leh. We were pretty familiar to the town because of our earlier visit, but we noticed that Leh had changed for the better. The old main bazaar area has been made into a vehicle free zone with cobbled streets. It was too early and there were very few people on the streets. Also, being Eid, most shops were closed, so the bazaar looked almost deserted.

Leh Bazar is now a vehicle free zone. Fun to just hang out.

I needed to buy a pair of hand gloves, and Ajit had forgotten to pack slippers. So we decided first to go to the Tibetan Market. On our last visit in 2006, we had bought a lot of trinkets from there. The market mainly deals with Ladakhi and Tibetan pottery and a lot of Chinese goods. This time, it was a lot less crowded than what we remembered, may be because of the Eid. We spotted a shop where we could get both the things we needed and bought them. A little away from the Tibetan Market, we visited the Gateway to Leh. It is the gate decorated with typical Ladakhi motifs, through which all the vehicles coming to Leh must pass.

Gateway to Leh

After about an hour and half of aimless, leisurely walk, we checked out a cyber cafe in the bazaar as Ajit had some urgent work that had to be done, before we went further into the wilderness. But the speed was pathetic. So we ditched the effort and went looking for a decent place to have lunch. We had lunch at a place called Blue Lotus Cafe. We met two Ladakhi girls there, who were serving us, and struck a conversation with them. Both were pursuing graduation in Arts, and were supporting their education by working in the cafe.

Blue Lotus Restaurant

After lunch, on our request, the girls took us to the terrace from where we could get a good view of the Leh town.

Ajit and me on the terrace of Blue Lotus. Leh palace and the Gompa in the background.

One sight that you can see from almost anywhere in Leh is the Stok Kangri peak (Height 20, 187 ft.). It is a majestic looking peak, and the highest Himalayan peak that can be climbed by an experienced and fit trekker. It doesn’t need any technical climbing. That peak is one of the big draws for amateur climbers to Leh. There are lot of agencies in Leh that arrange everything required to climb Stok Kangri.

Stok Kangri (the rightmost peak) is the highest trekking peak.

By now, it was about two o’clock, and we were quite exhausted. It was now more than 13 hours since we had woken up. So we returned to Jigmet and had a nice nap for a couple of hours.

By 5 PM, we were out again. One of the principles of acclimatization we had learnt was “work high, sleep low”. It means, exert a little at a higher altitude, and then come back and sleep at a lower altitude. So we decided to climb to the Leh palace. Just as Stok Kangri can be seen from anywhere, Leh Palace and the Gompa behind it can be seen from anywhere in Leh.

Leh Palace at close quarters

The climb is quite small and gentle. By the time we reached the palace, it was already closing time. So we couldn’t see the palace from inside. But the view of Leh from outside the palace was worth all the trouble we took. Impossibly blue sky with a tinge of orange, clouds of different hues, yellowish brown stark hills, an occasional smattering of green trees and the majestic Stok Kangri in the distance. I am no poet, but I was feeling very poetic a la मै शायर तो नहीं. It was heavenly.

Panoramic view of Leh from the palace

As it started getting dark, we reluctantly descended from the heaven to the bazaar. we decided to have an early dinner at Jigmet and then go to sleep. As we returned to Jigmet, the crescent moon of Eid showed up, and next to it was Venus.

Crescent moon of Eid (ईद का चांद) and Venus

It was really beautiful. So we sat outdoors, in the cool, crisp air, witnessing the wonderful view having a sumptuous meal. What a fantastic end to a great day. If every day of this journey is going to be so beautiful, I don’t want this journey to end.

[ Some reader wrote to me to confirm if Ajit was the expert on the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati. Yes. I missed that part. He indeed was the expert for Ask The Expert lifeline for three seasons, and he never gave a wrong answer!!!]