JOOL-LE!!!
Thats how they greet you in Leh.
We reached Leh on Sept 13 when the Annual Ladakh Festival was still going on. Despite being advised not to venture out of the hotel before resting for 36 hours (thats what everybody will tell you & believe me every bit of it is well meant), we chose to walk upto the Polo Grounds where a Match was being held. It was a 1.5 km walk and by the time we reached the place, we were panting as if we had been running all our lives. A tablet called Diamox is recommended to prevent mountain sickness and nausea.
This was how we learnt our most important lesson at Leh. Dont try your lungs ! We stayed there for about 8 days and visited almost all places during this time. The spots have been categorised under the headings of MUST VISIT, DO VISIT & VISIT
MUST VISIT
Pangong Lake - One of the highlights of our Leh visit. The place is about 150 kms from Leh and is approx. four hour drive. Enroute, there is Changla Pass, the 3rd highest motorable pass in the World. We started at about 7 and reached the place around 12.30 after stopping for 15-20 mins at ChangLa. Its said that the lake is over 130 km long and almost 2/3rd of it is in China. The Lake water was brilliant in its hue, having at least 3-4 different colours (blue, green, purple, etc) at different places. Though the lake was outstanding, such was the ferocity of winds and snow that my teeth caught cold ! We stayed for about an hour and started back for Leh. The scenery on route to Pangong Lake is fantastic to say the least.
Nubra Valley - is about 120 kms and requires a Permit to visit. The landscape along the way includes the KhardoungLa (the highest motorable pass in the World) glacierssituated at about 18300 feet (Everest is 29K feet mind you). The main attractions are Camel Safari & hot water springs. These are at some distance from the town as a result of which overnight stay is required in case of Nubra. Its a photographers’ paradise offering breathtaking view of sands against the backdrop of coloured mountains.
White Water Rafting - Phey to Nimo (with easy rapids and beautiful mountains) is a popular route that offers rafting for a fee of Rs.1200 per person. But this is available only during the summers upto about mid September. Thereafter rafting is banned due to paucity of enough water. The only problem is clicking photos !
DO VISIT
There are scores of Monasteries in and around Leh. We felt the important ones are :-
(1) Hemis - Probably the best of all monasteries situated around 40 Kms and hidden behind hills. Its well maintained, offers a pleasant view and has a newly built museum thats worth the entry fee.
(2) Thikse - Another large and beautiful monastery with 2 storied statue of the Buddha and excellent view of the surrounding hills
(3) Shanker - about 8 kms from Leh, this is supposed to offer traditional Tibetan medicine/treatments to interested people.
(4) Alchi - 70 kms fro Leh, its a inactive monastery on the bank of River Indus.
(5) Likir - has a huge 80 feet open air statue of the Buddha
(6) Spituk - 8 km from Leh, it offers a panoramic view of the Indus valley and houses a huge statue of Mahakaal.
VISIT
(1) The Leh Palace - Not much to see inside except a small temple, but offers a good view of the Leh town and surrounding landscape.
(2) The Mosque - Bang in middle of the town. You cant miss it.
(3) Shanti Stupa - a "Peace" offering constructed by the Japanese, very similar to the Pagoda at Darjeeling
(4) Stok/Soma/Shey Monasteries may be visited time permitting. Not much to be seen here except a bit at Stok.
We missed out on Tso Moriri Lake which was at a distance of 220 kms and required overnight stay.
DOs
(1) Carry proper winter gear including warm caps and gloves
(2) Good quality Winter cream/moisturizer (1/2 litre bottles may not be a bad idea) is a must if you dont want to come back sun-burnt & aged-looking.
(3) Buy Apricots & Apricot Nuts (similar to almond), Seabuckthorn Pulp/Tea/Cosmetics.
(4) Visit the World Garden Cafe. They serve excellent Spanish Breakfast and thin-crust wooden oven Pizzas that'll leave your stomach running if you dont check yourself ;-)
(5) Buy Pashmina & Yak Wool, but only if you're relatively sure of the originality
(6) Eat apples that are available for next to nothing
(7) Banana/strawberry shakes that are widely available.
(8) Carry your wideangle/telephoto lenses and enough memory/battery backup for your camera
(9) Try Chang (light beer)
(10) Buddhist Chants/Meditative Music, if interested.
DONTs
(1) Try to be hyperactive. You'll get tired easily.
(2) Bother carrying T-shirts. Concentrate on Jackets/pullovers/cardigans instead. Thermals are a must if you want to wear only T-shirts.
(3) Drink normal Water. Always go for mineral water, if available. If you are staying for more than a month, it might be a good idea to buy a water filter like PureIT as you'll soon get tired of buying Kinley One litre bottles.
(4) Hog on Food. Because of less atmospheric pressure everything has a tendency to find its way out of your body ;-)
(5) Rely on Credit Cards/Debit Cards. Carry cash at all times. Though there are 3-4 ATM, only SBI's works.
(6) Forget to carry your permit while Going to Pangong/KhardoungLa/Nubra
(7) Buy brassware/Tibetan mugs as it is very expensive. You'll probably get the same things at Delhi at 1/3rd the price.
That said, I must add that transportation is a big problem in Leh. Except for hiring cabs at Rs.20-25 a kilometer depending on the season, you dont have a choice. I ended up spending approx 18K on Taxi transport, about 1.5 times my return airfare from Delhi. You'd be better off driving down your own Sumo/Bolero/Innova, if you can. If you are used to driving Bullets on mountains, you can also hire those easily.
Hotels are easily available and range from Rs.600 to Rs.2000. We got ourselves decent accommodation for Rs.1200/day. Food is darned expensive. We had Plain Rice & Dal at Rs.150 when we wanted to go easy on the money.
No writeup on Leh would be complete without a word on the wonderful hospitality offered by the local gentry. They really are fantastic !
Lastly, to make the best of Leh, one has to trek. We felt like idiots driving around in Cabs when people from across the world were cycling 150 kms just to see Pangong Lake !
Having visited almost all places in North India, I'd say Leh is as good as it gets. Only Kashmir & probably Sikkim will give it a run for money.
P.S - Photos of the tour uploaded in my Photogallery.
