Feb 26th
My day in Dehli was actually a training day for Ladakh. In the morning, Sonam, my contact person in Dehli fetched me at the hotel. He had warm clothes to give me, as I couldn’t
really bring much with me to India.
Since I didn’t have any booking for the Raunak hotel in New Dehli (I did ask them ! but they were obviously not in a hurry to take my reservation), Sonam took me to the
Ladakhi/Tibetan quarter in the north of Dehli, in search of a cheaper guesthouse. The quarter looked like a training area for the coming week: people dressed in Tibetan clothes, different tea
sold, Tibetan/Ladakhi jewellery for sale… but with over 25°C J
After quite some time, a room was found for me and we drove there with a rickshaw. The small room was indeed much nicer than the touristic environment of the previous hotel…
Sonam introduced me to momos, some kind of Tibetan raviolis which can be filled with meat or vegetable. This meal was definitely the best since a long time !!!! Even topping the pizzas of
Pushkar…
In the afternoon, after a small rest, I joined Sonam in a Buddhist temple in Dehli. Again a small preview of my week in Ladakh. Then, we went together to buy vegetables: in the
winter, Ladakh is so dry that nearly nothing grows. Vegetables are a very valuable present ! I was also warned that the water is scarce in winter, as most of the tubes are frozen. Washing will
not be a great part of my stay… In the evening at the hotel, I wanted to take a real big long shower to feel at least clean. Well too bad no hot water in the hotel in
Dehli… J
Sonam cared about me really well during the whole day, even organizing me a taxi for the next morning and promising to be in touch (ah yes: my phone would not work over
there…).
Feb 27th
Short night, useless to say… The flight was at 8:40. The connection in Jammu was no problem and we started again on time to Leh, main city of Ladakh. Flying
over the Himalaya is an experience… So nice I had to do it twice J When arriving over Ladakh, the
clouds were so thick that the captain turned back to Jammu. After one hour of waiting there, we gave our journey another try. The clouds had disappeared and we landed safely in the small airport
of Leh.
The first impression was stunning: all around these immense old mountains, partially covered in snow… I was very far, very far away from what I knew…
Small old buses fetched the passengers (ah yes, there was only one other European guy…) and we were brought in a little hall where the people really fought to fetch their
suitcase. I had to see mine go 5 times around before I just pushed the people away and grabbed it. As I wanted to go, an officer caught me and made me fill a form for foreigners. And finally,
before exiting the hall, a hostess checked my luggage and luggage tag to be sure it was mine (??? Never seen that before…)
One of my biggest fears in Ladakh was altitude sickness. Due to the high altitude (3500m), oxygen is rarer, and for bodies like mine, that’s to say foreign to this environment,
this doesn’t go without problems. The heart has to keep up with the blood so that the lungs and the brain are still sufficiently irrigated. So first no, I didn’t suffocate as soon as the plane
had opened. But I had a headache, an felt rather tired when I arrived in the small guesthouse in Leh. I was brought there by Tupstan, who would be not only my driver in the next days but also the
father of my guest family.
Quickly after I arrived in the guesthouse (which means after two cups o tea), I wanted, and needed to rest. This was my first encounter with the coldness of the winter, as the
room was not heated… I managed to relax a bit under two blankets and fully dressed and finally went down to the kitchen. Two women were sitting with children, watching cricket on an old TV.
Dressed in warm clothes and their head covered by scarves, they were the first picture of the many Ladakhi women I would meet in the week. The smaller daughter (1,5 year old), after the usual
childish shyness (which I had actually forgotten, since the Rajasthani children were completely lacking it), became really interested in me, and especially in my (different) hair and (different)
skin colour… Her little hands caressed long my face…
The first day was also of course the encounter with the “local toilets” as they call it. The guesthouse had two European style toilets, which were of course out of order since
there is no water. So the ladakhi toilets are usually located on the upper floor (or on the roof) and consist in a whole. Everything which falls through this whole is used to make compost.
Actually very ecological.
The two women prepared a dinner with the vegetables I had brought for them: rice, vegetable sauce and dal (lentil soup). I was pretty tired and the symptoms of altitude
sickness didn’t give me a great appetite. I was given a gas heater, with which I tried to warm the room. Before going to bed however, I had to turn it off and so I got under the blankets with all
my clothes, including gloves and cap.
Feb 28th
In the morning, after a short sleep and a delicious breakfast made out of Ladakhi bread and apricot jam (apricots are growing in the summer), Tuspstan fetched me to take me on
a tour to two main monasteries of the region. We also packed my luggage, since I was to sleep at his place the next night. So this was my first real
encounter with Ladakhi streets and landscapes. Like in Rajasthan, animals are running free along the streets. Cows of course but also donkeys and dzos, some cross of yak and cow. Cows and dogs
however were much more furry than in Rajasthan J People also are less colourful but not less
beautiful with their Asian faces, tick coats and veiled faced.
Our first stop was Shey, the old capital of Ladakh, before it became Leh. The former palace is now a Gompa, a monastery. First contact with lamaist Buddhism for me. In the
middle of the white brown and blue landscape, the paintings and the flags of the monasteries are the only touch of colour. The walls of the yard are adorned with paintings of the different
deities, forming a really exotic and foreign image for me. I had really no idea who the characters were, what the symbols were to represent. I could only observe what Tupstan did. And as he is
very pious, I had enough to watch.
He whispers very often the famous sentence “Om mani padme hum” and says it also while counting the pearls of Buddhist “necklace”. Every time there is a stupa (a kind of
hat-shaped monument), you have to go around it clockwise. The roads even make a special curve to allow you this in your car, as there are stupas everywhere. In the monasteries and also on the
road sides, you find these little spinning drums which contain mantras. You should also spin them clockwise so that the mantras are spread in the wind. The coloured flags have the same role. When
arriving close to a monastery, Tupstan will join the hands and bring them in front of his face, whispering something. In the monasteries, in front of the statues, Buddhists lie down on the floor
several times after each other and then offer something to the statue. Most of the time money, but also food or bangles.
As we entered Shey monastery, a puja, or prayer, was running. Monks sat on the floor in front of small tables with music instruments. In the center front, the rimpoche, or head
of the monastery, was reading mantras. And all around, people sitting on the floor, listening. For someone with a Christian education like me, the following was interesting and unexpected:
although it is a prayer, a mass, you can enter when you want. There is nothing you have or say or repeat. Some people just listened, some moved their lips chanting Om mani padme hum, some chatted
with their neighbours. Some younger girls went through the people serving tea to anyone who had brought a cup. At one point, a monk also went through the people to give a spoonful of rice with
butter, coconut and almonds. This had to be taken in bare hands and also I as a foreigner received my spoonful. I felt very lucky to be part of such a puja, even if the meaning
of everything is still unknown to me, I enjoyed the “unserious” and yet pious atmosphere.
After the visit, Tupstan took me to a house of his neighborhood where I met his 14-year old daughter, his wife and other relatives. Of course I was offered tea and even a
lunch. At that point I must speak about eating in Ladakh. Most of the day in winter is spent drinking tea. It can be sweet milk tea, but also the famous salted butter tea. By chance I like it. I
imagine life in Ladakh very difficult if you don’t. You never have to ask for tea, you are given some, period. And even if you have not drunk any sip of it, you are asked if you want more
J . As soon as your cup is empty, it is refilled. Sometimes you are even served two cups at the same
time. This over-hospitality culminates in the fact that you are served twice as much as the rest of the family and as a guest, you have to eat first, with everyone watching you. The situation
becomes particularly funny when you are served something you don’t know how to eat. And if you hesitate and don’t start to eat immediately, you are asked if you want more…
After lunch, Tupstan drove me to Hemis monastery, one of the oldest and most famous one in Ladakh. In the summer, this monastery is crowded with tourists. But now in winter,
Tupstan and I were the only visitors and could enjoy a really peaceful atmosphere.
Back in Thiksay, I was finally brought to Tupstan’s house where his daughter Angmo and 18-year old cousin Palkit were waiting. The ice of shyness was broken by a little bottle
of nail polish J The two girls applied me the blueish colour carefully, and it finally came out
that they were speaking a bit of English, unlike mother Palkit unfortunately . After dinner, I was brought into a room with a gas heater and got myself ready to go to bed. Bed, this means a
carpet on the floor and 4 blankets, as well as Angmo and cousin to sleep next to me.
March 1st
And on the 3rd day She washed… Finally got some hot water in a bucket to wash my face, teeth and hands… outside…
In the previous evening, it had been decided by the children that I would not go back to the guesthouse in Leh like planned, but remain for the rest of my stay in Tupstan’s
house. Since he was on military duty the next morning (there are loads of Indian officers in Ladakh, due to its limits with Pakistan and China/Tibet), Angmo, Palkit and their friend Spalzes took
me to Thiksay monastery, half an hour by foot from home. At that point I noticed that was really half as fit as I thought. The headache has disappeared but going up a few steps
was like running half a marathon. Same with dancing. Of course I could not escape a little show for the girls, which was incredibly tiring and brought back the altitude headache everytime.
In the afternoon, the girls took me to the nearby Indus river. And in the evening I was relieved to eat at the same time as everybody else. Angmo’s mother Palkit and all the
family prepared momos and I tried to help. However, the folding of the momos is harder than you think…
…Food interlude…
Ladakhi food is based on vegetables (which were rare this week) and meat (especially goat, yak and mutton) and of course rice and noodles. Some famous (tested) meals
include:
-chowmen: noodles with vegetables
-momos: raviolis filled with meat or vegetables
- fried rice: rice with vegetable
- soup: served in restaurants with any dish you order, they are spicy and fat. Minute-maid noodle soups are also very popular and sold everywhere
- tea: especially with milk or salted butter (I have probably eaten half a ton of butter in one week)
- chapati: bread for breakfast, cooked on the oven or over the fire. Eaten with jam or with an omelette
March 2nd
On that day, Leh was celebrating its religious festival called Dosmochey. The whole family and friends took the car to spend the day in the city, beginning by a pilgrimage in
the monastery, going down an enormous slope into Leh palace. You’d better like dust and stairs if you intend to come to Ladakh. The city was very lively, full of traders offering mostly pullovers
and shoes. After a brief lunch in an overcrowded restaurant, the girls accompanied me on my search for gifts and helped me bargain the best prices. Being in Leh was also the first occasion to go
in an internet café and give a sign of life
…Family interlude…
Tupstan’s house is a one floor house, with toilets and straw storage on the roof. They have one cow (which is milked twice a day by Palkit) with baby and several rooms.
However, unlike European (or at least French) houses, there is not a room allowed to each person in the house. Angmo doesn’t have an own bedroom like European teenagers. The family lived together
and also sleeps together, especially in the cold months. Also, relatives come and go in the never closed house, eat here, sleep here without it being a big matter of fact. The house has no
running water and electricity is only available from 6:10PM to 11 PM. You need to learn to fall asleep with the lights on, until they are switched off by the Ladakhi government
J The center of life is the oven, which is used to cook but also to warm the one room. It is heated with
cow dung, which you can see drying on every wall in Ladakh, as there is few vegetation. The meals are prepared on the carpeted floor and the washing up also, with water heated on the oven.
Although, due to the lack of water (which is by the way coming from a tap outside the house and has to be fetched every morning) the houses and clothes are not really celan, the families show
great care for sweeping the floors every morning even before breakfast, with self-made brooms. Last consideration: the family I stayed with is not poor. I would even rank it as average+. This
life is normal in Ladakh, not considered as poor.
March 3rd
This day was to be the beginning of serious matters as I was driven to Likir (about 3300m altitude) to start the 3-day trek tour. The morning had a little surprise: some snow
laid on the ground, making the driving down to Likir a bit harder than planned. On the way, we picked Norbu, my trekking guide in Leh. A young good-looking man, scarce in words but looking
friendly and competent. In Likir, the famous monastery was celebrating its festival, where I got a chance to see the Buddhist monks dance. After that Tupstan left and I was alone with Norbu. We
started by a short (half an hour) walk to the guesthouse where we were to sleep the first night. First moments of big solitude when you are fighting to walk decently in the snow and are overtaken
by cows and a group of children running… and I remind you of altitude problems…
The guesthouse was empty except for an old grandmother, sitting on the floor and pushing endlessly her drum, whispering Om mani padme hum… The rest of the family was still
enjoying the festivities at the monastery. Since the weather was good and rather warm, I suggested Norbu to go for another walk in order to have some training for the 2 next days. Our route was
the following: go over the first pass in Likir, then another one, walk 5 hours till Yangthang, stay overnight , go over the third pass and walk 3 hours to Hemishupachen for a next night.
Altogether about 36km to walk.
So for a “try” Norbu took me over the first pass in Likir. Not an easy walk !! But there was such a view, and such a loud silence to enjoy at the top of the mountain in the end
!!
The family in Likir was young and nice but unfortunately wasn’t speaking any English which of course limited the conversation. And moreover, I was exhausted by the walk through
the snow and thus I confess, I was a very bad guest, I withdrew in my room and listened to my iPod until I fall asleep, mentally preparing for the next day.
…Trekking interlude…
-There is always a going up after the going down
-The pass is much further than you think
-Rocks are sneaky when they hide under the snow
-Your guide is treacherous and will always tell you “we go ONLY until that point”
-Your guide is walking with the hands in his pockets in front of you while you are using your last strength to keep up the pace with him
March 4th
As I opened the eyes in the morning and raised a corner of the curtain, the next surprise: snow. And not only a few flocks. It was snowing strongly and continuously, the
landscape was already covered with the white coat. It looked bad for the trekking confirmed Norbu. It was too dangerous to go out, our next station Yangthang was too far to take the risk.
And on that morning, maybe due to the stress, the tiredness, I began to lose my breath, my nose was bleeding and I was coughing a bit. Even though there was actually and
objectively no evidence for it, on that morning, I panicked and believed I was suffering of the lethal acute altitude sickness. I was anytime expecting to spit out the pink phlegma which was the
sign of my condemned lungs. And I was stuck in Likir, far away from any help, hospital, doctor, family or anything. It took me long hours of music and French radio to calm down a little and
convince myself that I would not die in the Himalayan snow.
In the end of the afternoon, the snow finally stopped and Norbu took me for a “little” (how come believed him it could be little ?) walk outside where I made
up with the snow. However we decided to cancel the whole trek, as we couldn’t predict the weather and take the risk to be blocked on the way and eventually miss the plane back to Dehli. Since
Tupstan was also blocked by the snow, we spent one more night in Likir…
March 5th
In the morning, some friends of Tupstan fetched us in Likir. As a compensation for the missed trek, Norbu brought me to Alchi monastery, which turned out to be the most
beautiful of all, with its old paintings. Unfortunately no photos allowed…
Back in Leh, I had some mutton momos with Norbu and was then brought back to my family where I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening.
March 6th
Tupstan fortunately had some ideas to care about me on that spare day. Together with friend Palkit and Spalzes, we went to Stok palace, again a former residence of Ladakhi
kings. It was closed however.
After that, we went to a small place where a man keeps Bactrian camels. This very hairy species came to Ladakh thanks to the silk road from Afghanistan.
After that, we were back in Leh for more shopping and more momos.
Calm evening... saying goodbye and watching one last time from the roof the millions of stars of the Himalayan sky...
