INDIA: KASHMIR & LADAKH EXPLORER V

Posted September 5, 2009 by Rahul Aggarwal

Opened the curtains to see that it was raining today, so decided against the drive to Lake Pangong. I had planned to spend the night at the lake, but it was nice to have a break from driving, so I decided to visit some of the local sites instead. First stop was the impressive Thiksey Monastery, some 15km from Leh.

En-route there were manyold stupas (Buddhist shrines) set against the backdrop of more imposing mountains. Thiksey Monastery is quite vast in size and seems to house quite a few lamas (Buddhist scholars) and I caught sight of a few young Buddhists draped in robes scurrying to their classes.

The views weren’t as clear due to the cloud cover, but nevertheless still impressive. As with most Tibetan monasteries, it contained idols of various incarnations of Lord Buddha, tapestries depicting the life of Buddha and blended together bright orange, yellow, blue and green colours in a vibrant, yet non-gaudy way.

It was already approaching lunchtime, so I decided to head back into Leh and fancied pizza for a change. I had been recommended to go to Il Forno, an excellent outdoor restaurant, which took some climbing up rickety stairs to its roof terrace. The stone-oven pizza was delicious and just as I was finishing off my meal, the heavens opened up and the makeshift fabric shelter started to leak conveniently above my head! So I paid and scampered down the stairs and across to Desert Rain, a chilled-out coffee shop, which brewed ‘real’ coffee (instead of the instant Nescafe variety, which is the norm).

I watched down from the window, where I could see street vendors still doing business in the pouring rain, Ladakhi ladies sitting by the roadside selling vegetables, totally unperturbed by the downpour, and cows and donkeys meandering between cars and scooters on the busy road. Leh may be very small, but it definitely has a unique feel about it and a charm all of its own.

I had been given a complimentary ticket for the last day of the Ladakh Confluence, a music festival hosted every year in Ladakh. It has grown in stature over the years attracting the likes of Talvin Singh, Zakir Hussain, foreign bands and upcoming musicians. I made for the festival ground late evening in almost pitch black, as the electricity had gone.

There was a small gathering mingling around an impromptu bonfire as a guy by the name of Suchit Malhotra, an upcoming Indian artist, took to the stage. He soon got us all into a frenzy with some amazing drumming (Indian and bongo drums). It wasn’t quite Glastonbury, but due to the rain, I managed to get covered in a good layer of mud! It was quite an intimate setting, and made all the more special with the silhouette of the Himalayan mountain range in the background.

Tomorrow is the first day of the annual Ladakh festival (Sep 1-15), but unfortunately I have to leave this remote part of India and head back to the heat of the capital. In the space of a few days I have been literally left breathless by the spectacular scenery (and the altitude!), and humbled by the warm hospitality of the Ladakhi people. I know I’ll be back. Jooley Ladakh!

This blog is part of an Off-The-Beaten-Track Travel Diary. Click on the links below to navigate through this journey.