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Ladakh |  |
| After the rather
hostile reception we were exposed to in Delhi, a trip up to the peaceful
Himalayan region of Ladakh was the perfect remedy. Oddly enough, serene Ladakh,
along with neighboring region Zanskar are both an integral part of the Jammu
& Kashmir State - probably the most troublesome sector of India.
Nevertheless the predominantly Buddhist Ladakh has maintained it's independence
under the semiautonomous control of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development
Council since 1995. Despite the perpetual military presence all over Ladakh,
there's seemingly no hint from the amiable locals that this is in fact part of
a state that has spawned the most attention from media’s worldwide over
the last few months. Right: Yours truly poses out in front of the Leh Palace, a miniature replica of Lhasa's Potola. |
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 Above; these exquisite wheels, or Stupas, are found all over Ladakh. |
When India received it's
independence from Britain in the late 1940's, it was obvious that this vast
land had too entirely different populace; the Hindus and Muslims. Despite some
brisk opposition from many, most notably Mahatma Ghandi, India was split into
two (later three) different nations. Pakistan & East Pakistan (which later
became Bangladesh) were the Muslim state while India remained under secular
Hindu control. The problem with this partition was that there were several
parts of India that contained a mixture of ethnicities; none more so than
Kashmir - where the population was predominantly Muslim yet the Maharaja was a
Hindu. After several attempts by both nations to annex Kashmir, the Maharaja
opted for Indian constitution. This was a decision that has been fiercely debated ever since, and one that has really heated up since the late 1980's. Today Kashmir contains more than 60% Muslims that are now pressing for an independent Kashmir. One of the biggest backers of this movement has been Pakistan and shelling and fighting in the capital city of Sringar has been an all too familiar occurrence. Tensions have gotten so fierce recently that the two nations have even threatened to ego to nuclear war over the matter just months before hand. |
| Ladakh became part of Kashmir after calling upon Kashmir's assistance in fending off belligerent Mongol-Tibetan forces in the late 18th century. In return for this assistance, the construction of a mosque in Ladakh's capital city Leh was foreseen by the Mughal Emporer Aurangzeb. In the 1830's the Dogra Army of Jammu drove out the Ladakhi King and Ladakh became part of Kashmir in 1846. Still the people of Ladakh have always maintained close trade and cultural relations with Tibet. The 1951 Chinese invasion (or "liberation" as the Chinese put it) of Tibet has forced many of Tibet's monks and citizens to flee their homeland. The Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, in Himachal Pradesh. With him came approximately 100,000 Tibetan refugees to the Indian Himalayas. Ladakh is now full of Tibetan refugees and this is evident as Tibetan culture is everywhere; in restaurants, shops, architecture, dress, language, etc. Because of this Ladakh is often known as "The Last Shangri-La" or even "Little Tibet". |  Above: Monks blow the horns at the Thikse Monastery. |
| If there was anything advantageous that had come out of the recent nuclear war threats with Pakistan, it was that it had seemingly scared off all the tourists who normally flood this city in the summer. This is the only season the weather permits tourists to visit Ladakh. So booking a hotel and transportation is usually something that must be done months in advance but this year was a different story as many hotels and trekking agencies found themselves slicing their prices. At a bargain of $5 a night, I had a charming little room in the Indus Hotel - fully equipped with variable hot water and a consummate view of Leh's most distinguished features; the Leh Palace and the Namgyal Tsemo Gompa (Monastery). Neither of these was seen on our first day in Leh though. We spent the day quietly acclimatizing, wandering no farther out than the local market. |  Above; the view of Leh from the Tsemo Gompa |
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The next days we spent in Ladakh
preparing for our trek into the surrounding Himalayas. We also had time to do a
thorough tour of Leh as well as some of the surrounding villages. Thikse
Village - about 17km south west of Leh - had an exquisite, dynamic gompa built
on the top of a hill. From the top we got to see the monks conduct their
traditional blowing of the horns (see picture above) in order to proclaim a
Puja. We also visited the Gompa in Shey. We even ventured some 124km northwest
of Leh to the village of Lamayuru. The impressive gompa there contained a
tranquil view as it was poached conveniently on a mountain top overlooking the
Indus Valley. We even spent the night in the outlying village of
Alchi. Left: Local Ladakhi women show off their traditional dress for the Dalai Lama |
| The highlight of our stay in Leh
must have been the morning we departed for our 8 day long trek, August 7. News
had been filtered through that the 14th Dalai Lama; Tenzin Gytaso would be
flying into town. We delayed our departure time, awoke early and wondered down
to the Old Leh Rd. where hordes of locals had gathered to greet him.
We never really saw much other than a glimpse of the Dalai Lama as after hours of waiting, he drove by in a flash and was gone in no time. Nevertheless the color and vivid dress the locals displayed more than made up for that as well as having caught a glimpse - albeit a very brief one - of one of the the most influential individuals on the planet and a former Nobel peace prize winner. It took some time to get out of the chaotic crowd rushing back to the city center after the Dalai Lama had been long gone. Soon though, we were on our way hiking in the Himalayas..... |
 Above: Dusty & Bobbi at the top of the Tsemo Gompa, surrounded by prayer flags. |
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