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At the Very Top – Khardung La

By on 30. July 2013 in Ladakh
Khardung La, the highest motorable road in the world, at 5.602 meters, on the way to the Nubra Valley from Leh, Ladakh, India

Khardung La, the highest motorable road in the world, at 5.602 meters, on the way to the Nubra Valley from Leh, Ladakh, India

At the very top of Khardung La, a few makeshift buildings thwart the military glory. You think being at 5.600 meters is a peaceful moment, a unique instant of quietness and contemplation? So very wrong! From a temple uphill, recorded prayers are sent down. Even louder music (and what sounded like political slogans) escapes speakers attached to the world’s highest restaurant. Its unspectacular specialty? Tea and instant Maggi noodle soup! The small souvenir shop displays dusty T-shirts and a few barracks fill the limited space. Continue Reading →

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Siachen Glacier – The New Cold War

By on 30. July 2013 in Ladakh
Siachen Glacier, on the way from Leh to Khardung La, Ladakh, India

Siachen Glacier, on the way from Leh to Khardung La, Ladakh, India

After about two hours of meandering uphill through dramatic mountain scenery, Siachen Glacier came into view. This is not just a glacier but a place of national pride and Indian martyrdom. In 1984, Indian and Pakistani troops fought over this area. The heroic courage and dedication of the Indian soldiers defending and conquering this pass is praised on a big plague at the pass. In the text the name Pakistan is reduced to Pak, a way to belittle the unloved neighbor? Continue Reading →

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On the Way to the Top of the World

By on 29. July 2013 in Ladakh

Ladakh-128The minute we left Leh the road started climbing, zigzagging endlessly to the highest point we both have ever been: Khardung La, the highest motorable pass in the world at 5.602 meters / 18.380 feet. At the foot of the mountain we passed Gangla Village, a wide ribbon of grass and fields that spreads over the semi-flat terrain. Not the last bit of green on the way to the top, but the largest one. Even in this high altitude desert, once in a while small patches of grass run down a slope, nourished by tiny streams gushing straight from the bowels of the mountain. Continue Reading →

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Adding Another Hospital

By on 29. July 2013 in Ladakh
Gilles at the hospital in Leh, Ladakh

Gilles at the hospital in Leh, Ladakh

Vietnam… Cuba… Cambodia… China… Uganda… And now Ladakh! On our third day Gilles had difficulties breathing and a splitting headache. Luckily we were in Leh, the capital.

At Leh hospital, the large crowd in front of the registration office was disheartening. We would never get admitted was our first thought. The taxi driver who took us to the hospital judged the situation within seconds. He dove into the mass and returned with a piece of paper: Our registration, but in HIS name, as we found out later. Of course this friendly chap did not know our names and was only trying his best… Continue Reading →

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Dalai Lama Is Coming

By on 28. July 2013 in Ladakh

Domchot at Likir Monastery or Likir Gompa, with monks singing all day long, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmnir, India

On our third day in Leh, the city was buzzing and eventually came to a standstill. The Dalai Lama is coming! Everybody was running down to the big roundabout near the petrol station – this is where the convoy had to pass through on the way from the airport to the Dalai Lama’s retreat Buddha Garden. Continue Reading →

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Monastery Hopping

By on 28. July 2013 in Ladakh
Thikse Monastery or Thikse Gompa, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmnir, India

Thikse Monastery or Thikse Gompa, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmnir, India

Despite Our initial plan was to take it easy the first two days in Leh and get our bodies used to the 3.500 meters. But we simply could not resist. We rented a semi-automatic 125cc motorbike (Gilles has some experience with those) and off we went to see the monasteries around Leh. Another plan that failed was to leave so early that we would be able to attend the Puja (religious ceremony) at Thiksey Monastery at 06:00 am. By the time we reached Thiksey the ceremony was almost over and the steep climb up to the monastery added another question mark to this undertaking. Most discouraging though were the busses on the small parking lot. This meant quite a crowd visiting the Puja and the last thing we wanted in our photos were tourists taking photos of monks. So we decided to move on. Continue Reading →

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Leh – A Mess of a Hub

By on 27. July 2013 in Ladakh
Man selling pruning knifes in the market of Leh, Ladakh, India

Man selling pruning knifes in the market of Leh, Ladakh, India

Friends had recommended the Oriental Hotel, which was a 20 minute walk from the center, at the very end of Changspar Road, the touristic epicenter of Leh. Luckily, they had room for us. And what a room! On the top floor with a view that was worth every of the 1.800 Rupees / 24 Euro! We were so happy to be there… To be away from the center of Leh was a priority. This place – jam-packed with honking cars, hotels, guesthouses, tour operators, souvenir shops, restaurants offering Chinese – Indian – Italian – Israeli – Korean cuisine and zillions of tourists milling in-between – was simply too much! Continue Reading →

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Kargil to Leh Highway

By on 26. July 2013 in Ladakh
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Kargil, on the way from Srinagar, Kashmir, to Leh, Ladakh, India

Canyons so narrow that you wonder how a street would possible fit in and valleys bright green with vegetable gardens and wheat fields. This was our most pleasant diet after leaving Kargil. The closer we got to Leh, the more the term “high altitude desert” – took on a real meaning: mountains, rocks, sandy slopes, no vegetation. Only the gushing milky blue Indus provided a contrast to the light brown cascades of mountain ranges, once in a while a snow capped summit peeks from behind. Continue Reading →

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Small Town Kargil – Our New Favorite

By on 26. July 2013 in Ladakh
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Balti Girl in Kargil, on the trip from Srinagar, Kashmir, to Leh, Ladakh, India

We fell in love with small town Kargil. Not that is particularly attractive, but it was the first city in India where you are not blown off the street by honking drivers and can leisurely walk along the shop lined streets. Balti people dominate the second largest town in Ladakh, though Kargil is a fascinating wild mix of people. Women, no matter what age, still wear the traditional Pashwamra with a colorful headscarf. Small girls also do. Nevertheless, we never saw women wearing an Abaya or completely covered like we did see in Srinagar. Here the dress and headscarf seem a matter of tradition, not religious statements. Continue Reading →

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Kargil War Memorial

By on 25. July 2013 in Ladakh
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Kargil War Memorial, Ladakh

If the Kargil War Memorial doesn’t ring a bell immediately, don’t be embarrassed. We were as clueless… About 60 kilometers before we reached Kargil, we saw a lot of commotion going on in the middle of nowhere. Soon we got another taste of Indian patriotism. In June 1999, Pakistan managed to intrude and conquer Tiger Hill, a big mountain range about 50 kilometers from Kargil. The Indian army managed to drive them back. Lots of blurred photos praise the Indian heroes in the small museum. Continue Reading →

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