jayterwilligerii

Ladakh trip: Days 7-8 (16-17 June)

Hey all, so I’m not sure if it makes sense to try this, but I’m going to do both days 7-8 as a single entry, and then I will be all caught up.

With some honestly heartfelt goodbyes, we had our last breakfast with the family in Ang and then at 8:00 AM headed out on the next portion of our trip.

As a special treat, they prepared butter tea for our departure. In case it’s not obvious, the preparation process is hard work!

Songba is not pictured here because she was taking the picture. Thankfully she has replacement shoes which won’t hurt her feet.

We all departed together in a small van. Upon reaching the most favorable connection to the mountain pass for the next section of their trek, we would part ways.

When we reached the Indus river, we said our goodbyes. The members of the original group were continuing on with their original adventure, and it was now time for me to make a new one for myself.

You will have to take my word for it. Songnam is the second from the right, next to Dorothée.

Thus, my solo Ladakh adventure began, albeit in a comfortable van as we started the 75 km drive back to Leh. Along the way I really started paying attention to the signs which had been put up by BRO (Border road organization). Obviously, someone had really put some time into coming up with various ways to say: “Don’t be an idiot while driving!”. Here were some I noticed.

More empty road. This is only significant of course if you’ve never experienced most roads in India.

You booze, you cruise, you lose
Drive like hell, soon you’ll be there
Be gentle on my curves
Down slope, check your brakes
After whiskey, driving risky
Stop accidents before they stop you.
Better late than never
Smooth roads for smooth ride
Start safe work safe finish safe
Fast drive could be last drive

Around 9:30 AM we arrived back to Gangba homestay where Betsy and Dorothée’s old room was waiting for me, but it would only be available for two nights. Keeping in mind that my departure ticket was for June 21st, I dropped off my bags and immediately headed out to see what I could put together for my remaining time in Ladakh. After a few rather unsatisfactory visits to different agencies, I reluctantly decided the best option would be to get an early return flight to Bangalore, departing either the 17th or 18th. I was hoping to just be able to change my ticket, but was prepared to pay up to 25,000 INR (320 USD) for a separate ticket if necessary.

Despite making it clear that I had just abandoned a trekking trip, this agency was trying to convince me to go on another, albeit shorter one!

It seemed though that I was not fated to leave earlier. There were no spots available on any flights for the next several days, even with theoretical one way ticket costs upwards of $500 USD! So with that in mind, I decided to first find a place to eat lunch and then once again dedicate myself to putting together some sort of a plan of activities until June 21st. Ladakh was not yet ready to let me go.

By chance I spied a tiny sign for the Ladakhi women’s cafe. I had earlier read that this was a recommended, inexpensive and very unpretentious lunch option. If you are looking for fancy decor, don’t try here, but my delicious lunch of Skyu and butter tea was only 170 Indian rupees. They accept UPI (it’s sort of like Indian Apple pay) payment, but mine was not working due to a poor connection, so I happily just paid 200 INR in cash. Certainly it was worth that and more.

Skyu is basically a stew made with tiny dumplings and a mix of root vegetables.

While eating, I remembered that my friend and co-worker Jenny had spent several weeks in Ladakh and another friend, Ranmali had suggested that if I were in a pinch. I should ask Jenny for help. As Jenny was currently vacationing in Himachal Pradesh, I thought it likely that she would be without a phone connection, but I figured it would be worth a try.

Success! Jenny was available and happy to share her contacts. The guide/agent that she suggested, Lamo, immediately understood both my physical needs, personal interests and my budget constraints. While it was still a bit more than I would have ideally paid – the solo traveller tax (beggars can’t be choosers and she was at least highly recommended by a trusted colleague), she quickly put together a three day itinerary to Nubra valley and Pangong Lake with a departure date of June 18th. At 3:00 PM I dropped off my passport with her so she could get the inner line permit and then headed directly to the nearby Central Asian Museum of Leh.

Despite its size, it’s unlikely you will find this unless you are actively seeking it out. The entry fee is only 100 INR (1.25 USD) and that cost is more than justified just by the building itself. The museum recounts a highly digested version of Leh and Ladakh’s history, doing a good job of making one appreciate its full breadth of various cultural highlights without overwhelming the casual visitor. I liked that it was not jam packed, since this allowed for one to comfortably navigate all the displays in roughly 60-90 minutes. Unfortunately, as seems to be the norm in India and especially in Ladakh, it’s definitely not accessible to people with special mobility needs.

The museum is basically just a small tower. On the left is a view of the same with a white mosque showing in the background.

Each of the four (I think) floors is a simple square with each floor dedicated to a certain period in Ladakh’s history. The first floor focuses on when Leh was at its height as an important stopping point on the old silk road.

Some visitors may prefer more complete descriptions of the display items, but if you want that, I’m sure you can just do a guided tour. I liked the concise labelling done off each item.

The top floor focuses on the important cultural contributions made by varying Muslim groups, which according to the museum, have mostly existed in harmony with the majority Buddhist population of Ladakh.

There are many great picture opportunities in particular on the top floor of the tower.

You take this little bridge as you exit. It leads to a planned garden area which is currently just a dusty square

It had been my plan to head straight back to the homestay, but then I noticed these 20 stands which had been set up on the main boulevard. They seemed to be drawing quite the crowd, so I decided to check it out.

Evidently these were science fair winners from different parts of Ladakh, or maybe it was only just different schools in and around Leh. Regardless, it seemed like a great initiative to have the stands set up in such a public place, and the general public really seemed very interested in seeing their work.

Ways to reuse disposable plastic bottles for construction

Solutions to blind curves which are common on winding mountain roads

I then finally made my way back to Gangba homestay where I had a delicious dinner before turning in for the night.

Vegetable sellers along the pedestrian boulevard were frequent, but the road was wide enough that they didn’t obstruct traffic.

Next morning ( June 17th), I went for a 8:30 AM Breakfast of smashed somosas with sweet and tangy syrup and curd, stewed chickpeas, admittedly uninspiring toast with some sort of a toxic jelly substitute and of course the ever present milk tea. There is a whole process to preparing the breakfast somosas but the end result is delicious.

Step 2, break the somosa into chunks with a spoon

Step 3, drizzle the sweet, tangy sauce over the somosa chunks

Step 5, add a bit of curd and eat! The end result is much tastier than you might expect.

Amazingly, the hookah smokers (at this hour reduced in number) from yesterday were still out, but they had moved to a different area closer to the main entrance of the homestay. I wonder if they came from central India to Leh, Ladakh for the express purpose of smoking hookah all day long? I mean it seems like a rather expensive undertaking, but maybe they just wanted the cooler weather?

Around 10:30 AM, I decided to head back to town.

After wandering aimlessly around the narrow alleys and ruined building, trying to find LAMO (Ladakhi media and arts organization), even though I had seen a sign supposedly pointing me in the right direction, I finally gave up and decided to just go by Lala’s cafe for a honey ginger apricot tea and maybe a small pastry.

Honestly the banana bread wasn’t the best, but the tea was great. More importantly, the woman working behind the counter gave me meticulous instructions on how to find LAMO. Even with her guidance, it was tough, but she had even took me up to the rooftop to point out the exact building, so I was able to find it just on that basis.

With an entry “donation” of 100 INR (1.25 USD) a visit to LAMO is worth it even if it’s just for the architecture. The building, which used to be the residence of the chief secretary to the king, has been lovingly restored and now primarily serves as an art gallery and a library.

I especially liked the collages which had been done by some local high school students.

A few of the rooms are dedicated to “special exhibits”. When I visited, there was a black and white photography exhibition. It’s not generally my thing, but a couple were very nice.

The library has two floors jni, primarily serving as a general reading collection focused on children and adolescents, but there is also a small section of art specific resources

While much of the building had been in relative ruins, in the background one can see some original painted woodwork from when it was still the king’s secretary’s residence and offices

A sculpture made primarily from yack skulls

Although I had read that there wasn’t really much to see, the old palace was right next door, so I figured that I may as well visit. It does seem that a lot of renovation work has gone on during the past couple of years. Entrance for foreigners without local identification is 300 but as I had my residence card, it was only 25. If you are tight for cash as a foreigner, it might not be worth paying the 300, but for a local, it’s definitely worth 25 INR (0.30 USD).

Some renovation work going on right next to the palace

Aside from the restoration work on the structure itself, the first main room has nothing to do with Ladakh. It’s pictures of famous sites in other parts of India.

Without a doubt, the most interesting part of the palace is the prayer room. Photos are strictly prohibited, so I of course took several.

Some beautiful butter flowers which had been left as offerings.

I’m assuming the painting on the high walls is original

To be honest, that’s pretty much all there is, but there are some nice views from the upper floors.

Some wall art which had obviously been damaged during an earlier poorly done “restoration”

When I exited the palace, I went back down through old Leh and then headed back to the center of the city. As always, I was fascinated by the different buildings and ruins.

I actually liked this relatively modern “real house” which was very close to the palace. Of course restoration proponents probably hate it. But I liked that this was a real family just trying to live in their regular home which happened to be in the middle of a mostly fallen down area.

I liked the doorway to the left of this image

It was quite late by now, almost 4:00 PM, but I decided to go back to the Ladakhi women’s cafe for a late lunch. As I came up the stairs, one of the women recognised me, and I was greeted with a huge smile of recognition. I had considered going somewhere new, but I had been so happy there the day before, I figured may as well return. This time I had another traditional Ladakhi dish, Chutagi.

Finally I headed back to Gangba Homestay to start packing again and also to rest a bit before dinner.

A rather large Buddhist temple in the center of Leh.

I think this is a cross between a domestic cow and a yak. It’s the second time I’ve seen one in Leh.

Assuming all goes well tomorrow morning, we will depart for Nubra Valley at 8:00 AM. I really have no idea what to expect, but I have an open mind, and I’m hoping for the best. For those of you who have been following along since the beginning, I hope you’ve been enjoying my journey, and for those who are just joining today, look forward with me, to great things to come!

Ladakh trip: Day 6 (15-Jun)

Hey all, it’s a new day in the mountains here in Ang, Ladakh.

I was wakened by the toddler’s laughs at 7:00 AM, quickly dressed, and went for a simple breakfast. At 7:45 AM Dorothée, Betsy, Thinlas and Songnam headed out for a half day hike.

The previous evening I had noticed that Dorothée’s hands looked very chapped and burned and had thought to offer her my thin gloves since I was no longer hiking. However, having travelled in the past a few times with Dorothée and knowing she could be a bit particular with the use of personal items. Certainly there was no way to wash and dry them before offering them. However, I was pleasantly surprised when she actually asked me if she could use them. I was delighted to lend them and so happy to know that they would be of good use to a friend in need. Next time around I should just offer; even if someone says no, it’s better to attempt to help.

Shortly after their departure, at around 8:20 AM I also decided to go out to explore. The plan was to just walk along the road, getting a better look at some of the nearby scenery and just appreciating the new environment.

Most of the houses had bundles of drying grasses on top. These are used for animal feed during the winter.

Ang is mostly in a valley, and they carefully manage their water through a simple mini canal system which keeps most of the village green during the summer months.

I think this is a juniper bush. They were all over the place in the village.

Within less than 20 minutes, even though I was walking right along the side of the road, there were no sounds at all of humanity. I closed my eyes for at least five minutes and just let the sounds of the mountain entrace me: there was the faint but constant sound of running water, two different types of birds, the wind, every now and again the intermittent sound of a fleeting insect and then finally, very faintly in the background, the sound of someone calling out to someone else . . . The voice so modulated and changed by the distance that it was more a song than speech.

I was fascinated by the small stone in the crevasse of this large boulder which was at least five meters tall.

Just what it looks like, a selfie with a floral background

It’s hard to appreciate in this photo, but at this point as far as I could see, there was no vegetation. Miraculously though, there was this one flowering bush, perhaps some sort of wild rose?

As I would come across different views, I loved being able to just pause and look, contemplate on the feel of the wind on my skin, the mixture of soft background sounds, the mixed types of beauty: both the barren and stark beauty of the natural world left to it’s own devices, and also the gentle landscapes which had been teased out by humans . . . All the while knowing I didn’t have to get to anywhere, nor was anyone impatiently awaiting so that we could continue on our journey.

Annoying, even in this barren untouched landscape, someone had thought to decorate with trash.

As there is a small natural stream here, the surrounding area is green. A little water seems to go a long way.

Although I wasn’t particularly eager to do so, one of the hosts had been eager that I would walk up to the new monastery which was under construction. So on the off chance that he would ask what I had thought, once I had decided to turn back, I walked up to the new construction site. Having previously seen several ancient monasteries, it was at least interesting to see a new construction. As it is still under construction, I couldn’t enter, but I could see through some very dirty windows that there were already three statues. Aside from the statues themselves, the building looked very modern with stark white walls both inside and out. Honestly, it looked a bit small to be a monastery; maybe it is actually simply meant to be a Buddhist temple or shrine, but he didn’t know the word. I suspect it’s just meant to be a place of nearby worship for the local village. Still, as construction is clearly still under way, it may look very different should I return in ten years time.

The “new monastery” far off in the distance

The view of the monastery as I approached

A large boulder with engraved writing. It was next to the new monastery.

After finishing up at the monastery, I decided to double back to the little oasis I had seen earlier. I was hoping to capture some birds on camera, but more than that, I just wanted to see what could be heard and hear what could be heard. It was a very peaceful resting spot, but the birds kept their distance, so while I was able to see and hear three different types, I couldn’t get any pictures. Regardless, I really enjoyed just reclining on a rock for awhile and basking in the gentle sun as it filtered through the precious tree cover. Then I noticed it was already 11:30 AM, so decided to head back to the homestay.

It’s hard to see here, but I loved the tiny yellow flowers on this patch of greenery in the oasis.

As I couldn’t get a picture of any birds, I decided that I would have to be the representative of the animal kingdom.

As I walked, far off in the distance I could see women tending the fields. As far as I can tell, this is subsistence or even more likely, supplemental agriculture. Maybe some excess is traded or sold at a local market? Upon arrival back to the homestay, my hosts confirmed that most of the local farmers buy their staple foods of wheat, rice and barley, using the vegetables grown both to supplement the household diet and also in some cases selling excess at a local market.

Women working in the fields. All the ones I saw were wearing the same red clothing. I’m not sure why.

Once I arrived at 12:15 PM, it was baby play time for awhile before having a simple lunch of rice, mustard greens and a hard boiled egg. Then pretty much everyone else turned in for an afternoon nap, but I wanted to stay awake since the previous night I had woken at 3:00 AM and had never been able to get properly back to sleep. I didn’t want a repeat of the same!

While sitting on my own, I began to think about what I might do with the 4.5 days I would have once I get back to Leh tomorrow. I think I would actually be just fine with only lazing about the homestay, but having come so far, it seems that for at least three of the days I should try to get out to do some activities and see some of the local sites. I don’t want to wear myself out too much since my muscles are still recovering from all the cramping a few days ago, but I’m sure there is much I can do that would not overly tax me physically. I wouldn’t normally be that concerned, but since I will have a more or less all day flight to Barcelona just two days after I get back to Bengaluru, I want to make sure I’m in good condition to fly.

Various green vegetables, apparently drying in the sun.

I wasn’t the only one who stayed awake. Here the grandmother was sitting outside the front door preparing vegetables for our meal later in the day.

Later on things continued much the same as they had the previous late afternoon and evening. The biggest difference was that we helped make momos. Believe it or not, even I participated and was actually quite good at it. Unfortunately I have no pictures of me, since I was the one doing the pictures. So, you’ll just have to take my word for it.

Tomorrow morning I will separate from the group and head back to Leh on my own. I will have many decisions to make. Regardless of what the future will hold, I’m eternally grateful for the amazing experiences I’ve had so far.

You see these mini collections of stupas all over the place in the countryside, as far as I could tell, usually in configurations of one, three or seven

Ladakh trip: Day 5 (14-Jun)

Hey everyone, after the events of the last 24 hours and the perhaps overly thoughtful interlude, you might be thinking that day 5 is going to be rather anticlimactic. While that may be true, I encourage you to keep reading. This is no longer the trip that I’d planned, but I’m still here, and there will still be plenty of interesting experiences along the way.

Around 7:00 AM I heard Dorothée and Betsy getting up, but I decided to stay in bed. We had already decided that there was no reason for Songnam and I to rush. Still, I didn’t want to miss saying goodbye, so when I heard them coming back from breakfast, I made sure to be up and out the door. We then discovered that Songnam, would actually be accompanying the others on the trek, but would leave Dorothée’s bag behind to be collected later on in the day along with me.

Betsy and Dorothée getting ready in the morning

This is all personal interpretation, but I felt that Songnam was eager to still make a good impression on Thinlas despite the problem with her shoes. As had been explained to us earlier, the porters are women who want to be guides, so they work as porters to get experience with the trails and also to improve their English. As her shoes were clearly hurting her, I thought it really didn’t make sense for her to do another full day of walking without properly fitted shoes, but it definitely wasn’t my decision. Still, I wondered about the sort of internal pressure that she night be experiencing. Meanwhile, I had just tossed at least $300 USD out the window in order to avoid further physical discomfort and that was even before whatever additional spending would come from my change in plans. There’s no denying it, while not near as much as many others, I have a privileged life.

So after some happy but for my part sort of poignant goodbyes, everyone else continued on with their trekc at 8:00 AM, and I stayed behind both with my and Dorothée’s backpacks. As today is some sort of a local festival day, it was unclear at what time I would be collected, but with both backpacks, I had no doubt that Thinlas would make it happen. I resolved to leave my things packed and ready to go at a moments notice and then settled in for the wait

From left to right: Songnam, Betsy, Dorothée, Thinlas and our Hostess (I’m sorry that I never got her name, as she spoke neither English nor Hindi)

After a short time, the husband suggested I leave the bedroom area and head over to the kitchen which is clearly the main social area of the home. I had a nice breakfast of, yes you guessed it, plenty of tea, more Ladakhi flat bread and a scrambled egg. Around mid morning, the husband made it clear that he had to go out to do errands, and I stayed behind with the wife. I’m sorry, but I never really got their names, since we couldn’t really talk.

One of the certificates proudly displayed in the center of the room

Shortly after the husband’s departure a friend and neighbour of the wife arrived and all three of us had a delightful conversation in which I understood nothing that they said and I understood nothing they said. Still, it was a surprisingly enjoyable interaction. I suppose at the end of the day it all comes down to intent. I was a bit cautious to ask for a picture since I feel that native and indigenous peoples are often objectified, but I really did want the reminder of our conversation, so I showed a few pictures of our voyage and then made clear a request to take a picture of the two friends together. They were both delighted with the end result. I will ask Thinlas if there is a way I can send them a copy, preferably printed, but electronic world also be okay even though the phone they used to show me pictures of their grandson is very small and would not do justice to the picture.

My delightful late morning conversation partners

After a bit, the pleasant visitor left and my wait continued with my remaining host clearly suggesting that I eat the lunch she had prepared for me in a tiffin, no doubt a twin to those which were taken along by the others when they departed.

At 2:30 PM there was television afternoon news. The news only took about 15 minutes and then we watched what was obviously some sort of a fictional program in Ladakhi. I couldn’t tell if the setting was supposed to be in the past, or if it was just a celebration with traditional ceremonial dress. Regardless there were at least twenty characters. Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed watching it with her. This is not something I would ever watch on my own, but in the relative comfort of her kitchen and dining area, it was my own special cultural moment which I wouldn’t have experienced if I had continued on with the trek.

Full disclosure, I have no idea what was actually going on, but she seemed to be greeting people when she came in.

These seemed to be important characters. They talked a lot.

I didn’t understand it either, but suddenly these women were outside dancing. Maybe it was actually a different show. Again though, it was still interesting.

Shortly thereafter, the husband returned home for lunch and we all three watched a Kashmiri cultural program. Once again, this was something which I would never have watched on my own. But in the comfort of their cozy kitchen, it added to what was quickly becoming a most memorable and enjoyable relaxing day at home.

I remembered more than twenty years ago in Costa Rica when I had a bad ear infection and had to stay home resting by myself. I wasn’t up to reading nor writing and I had already slept as much as possible. The television had only one channel, and I happily watched it all day long between intermittent naps. Now with thousands if not more of on demand series, movies and documentaries at my fingertips, I frequently struggle to find anything to satisfy me for even 60 minutes. Is there a lesson to be learnt, or is that just the modern world?

Around 3:45 PM I realised I was going to have to confront a new challenge. Up until this time I had managed to use the squat toilet only for pee . . . Now there were definitely other needs. This would be my third attempt to really use a squat toilet in my entire life. The first time, in a very sterile Korean public bathroom, I had resorted to simply sitting on the floor. The second time, in a rustic Turkish diner in Istanbul, the space had been small enough that I could sort of brace myself against the wall and hang onto the door knob for dear life. However, as can be seen here, neither one of these options would be available in my present circumstances.

The toilet room was quite large, at least 2.5 x 2.5 meters

With my still stiff and aching legs, I contemplated the room and decided to apply cold rationality. Even in the best of circumstances I would have been hard pressed to squat adequately and aim appropriately. However, since the floor was dirt anyways, I figured that the issue of poor aim could be dealt with by simply scooping everything into the whole afterwards. A larger concern was potentially falling over and/or soiling my pants and underwear. The solution seemed self-evident. Completely remove both pants and underwear. But there was still the problem of balance, since the walls were too far away to brace. Then I saw the shovel, which in this case seemed to be very sturdily made; I figured I could use that as a support. A couple minutes later and success!

You may be surprised to learn that these were very fresh smelling toilets.

And in case you are curious, there were no issues with aim. Finish up, toss down a shovel of dirt, use my handy travel pack of wet wipes for an obvious purpose, redress and I had conquered the toilet. To finish up the whole endeavour, I washed my hands in the glacier run off water, using a bit of environmentally friendly soap for good measure.

Having tended to my own immediate needs, I went out to see what my hosts were doing in the garden. At first I thought she was crazy the way she was more or less just sprinkling some seeds on the parched and dusty earth. How could anything grow in that? Plumes of dust came up as she walked around working in the field, returning from time to time to get additional seeds from her husband who appeared to be mending some sort of garden tool. I was able to convey my doubts to the husband, but the most he could communicate was that water would come. While I’m all for wishful thinking, frankly, in this case it seemed a bit fantastical to think that rain would suddenly come down when it clearly had not done so for so long. Then I had the most delightful moment of learning, which I’m not sure whether or not you will be able to understand from the pictures.

She first diverted the water from the tiny stream of water from above. This water then fell into the small canals she had already made. As the water reached the area that needed water, she removed the dirt wall, and waited as the water slowly covered the ground. She then closed the dirt wall and moved on to the next plot.

Very shortly thereafter Seitan arrived to collect me along with Dorothée’s backpack. Of course he was offered the obligatory tea, and then we were on our way. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Seitan spoke rather good English, and as we were going along for about an hour, I found out that he was not just a driver, but also the son of the woman who owns the homestay where I would be spending the next two evenings.

At 5:20 PM we arrived to the house where I was temporarily reunited with Dorothée, Betsy, Thinlas and of course Songnam.

We had a great evening playing with the baby, having a simple but pleasant dinner, finishing up with a bit of impromptu family dancing and then off to bed at 9:30 PM.

Choosing the music was a collaborative effort

Again, a surprisingly comfortable bed, even though I had to sleep diagonally.

Again, I’m not sure what tomorrow will bring, but as I settle into my comfortable mattress on the floor, once again placing myself diagonally, I find myself to be incredibly thankful for every experience I’ve so far had on this trip. Things have not gone as I had planned, but so far what I’ve been given instead have been wonderful experiences with outstanding people who have made every moment a valuable memory. Here’s looking forward to tomorrow!

Betsy was clearly the preferred playmate

Ladakh trip interlude – sort of deep thoughts from the early morning hours of June 14, 2022

Hey everyone, if you are wanting more pretty pictures and clever commentary about the trip, you should probably skip this one and wait until the day 5 entry. For those of you who have been faithfully following along, you won’t be surprised that I was feeling especially contemplative at this point. Fair warning, there is also some repetition of incidents, especially from day 4.

Lessons learnt so far . . .

A lot of these overlap, and some also only apply to me. Furthermore, I already sort of knew some of these things, but this experience has made them more clear.

1) Being strong/athletic as it relates to specific activities, or even being an overall athlete, does not mean you will be able to handle all “sporting/athletic” activities. Or at any rate, you might need some preparation before doing so.

2) Overland (relatively flat, even through “rough terrain”) trekking is not the same as mountainous trekking.

3) Start small and then work your way up. I think I would have been fine with a three day “trek” of 3-4 hour mountain treks. However, knowing that the plan was to end up with a couple days of 10-13 hours of trekking, this was just too much for me. I even think I would have been fine with seven days of 3-4 hour mountainous terrain “treks”, but again, not this.

4) Slippery terrain is scary, especially when the fall is potentially far down with plenty of jagged rocks along the way. Yeah, this one isn’t a big revelation, but it’s definitely a truth. Betsy gave me a tip that made it easier, especially when going down, but it’s still scary. I suppose it’s easy enough to also turn this one into a metaphor; we all have our own slippery terrains, and many times we have a very legitimate reason for being afraid.

5) Recognise your limits and don’t be afraid to communicate them. I did feel bad about deciding to stop with “the trek” after only one of seven days, but I also had to make a mature decision to not “ruin” the experience for everyone else. Furthermore, I didn’t want to needlessly put myself in harm’s way. My breathing was fine, carrying the backpack was fine (if not super enjoyable), and my leg strength seemed to be holding out. Furthermore, my feet actually felt great, and still do (This is only remarkable because, this is evidently the biggest initial concern for most hikers/trekkers. Additionally, my shoes were strictly speaking not ideal trekking shoes, but they didn’t seem to be a problem for me.

However, and those who know me well will not be surprised, the muscle cramps were not fine. Yes, I was cautious and didn’t let any of them grow into full fledged cramps. I’ve had plenty of raging muscle cramps and definitely didn’t want to deal with that while being in a mountainous desert, further than two kilometres away from a road. It started with intermittent cramping in my right quadricep, then a bit later I started to have twinges in my left mid back. One of those actually became a proper cramp, but not a rager. Connected to the same, many thanks to Betsy for staying back with me while that was happening, neither being overly solicitous nor disinterested, basically just keeping me company. After that calmed down and I continued at my slow, cautious pace, I started to feel mini cramps in my left hamstring. While this last one did not actually start until we reached the homestay, my forearms (which I had not used in any meaningful fashion during the day) also started to have mini cramps. In summary, the writing was on the wall.

As we started to reach a road again, I told Thinlas I was sorry, but I really didn’t think I could go down and up again. Her solution, which worked fine, was for her and I to stay on the road for the last kilometer or two; whereas, the others were on the road for awhile but then headed back down into the natural terrain. However, I realised that I simply couldn’t continue on. Maybe if it were just Thinlas and I, going there pace I could handle, it would work, but I didn’t want to drag everyone else down with me.

6) Having some disposable income is nice. Most people reading this blog fall into that category whether or not you realise it, and it might be worthwhile to contemplate on the same. Having a bit of disposable income means that we get to have more choices and that we are less vulnerable to adversity. I’m definitely not “wealthy” although I suppose by global averages I’m certainly “doing well”. Some of that is the result of life decisions I’ve made, but most of it is undoubtedly the result of underserved opportunities and support I’ve been given by virtue of birth . . . In summary, privilege. Deciding to “lose” what I had paid for the trekking part of this trip wasn’t really a big deal for me. Even realising that it might mean spending another 2-4 hundred dollars to occupy myself otherwise didn’t really matter. What mattered was getting out of what for me, had become a bad situation.

7) Maybe trekking isn’t for me. Now for those of you who love trekking, or even specifically mountain trekking, please don’t pile on with the hate. This is a possible personal truth, not something which applies to anyone else. Putting aside the muscle cramps, which clearly are some sort of a medical issue which I will once again try to address upon returning home, I didn’t really see the point of what we were doing. Yes, I appreciated the amazing natural beauty, but for the most part, I could see that just fine from the road. Also, once I’d gone down one peak and up another a couple of times, I felt like it all looked pretty much the same. Pretty, yes, something I wanted to do all day long, not really. I’m sure there are many places that can only be seen and experienced through trekking, so I will reserve my judgement about those particular locales.

Furthermore, assuming that I did take on trekking as a personal goal, doing a whole carefully planned training regime, gradually working up to longer treks over more difficult terrain, is that something I really want? Yes, I do think I could do that, and that I could be successful, but why?

What ifs?

(1) I don’t know if it really would have made a difference, but I’ve been wondering if maybe I should have had a porter. Dorothée decided to do that sort of at the last moment before we departed, and at least for day 1 of the actual trek, it seemed to be working well for her. I however considered it and for myself, decided that if I couldn’t do it on my own, I would just bow out gracefully along the way. I felt like if I couldn’t do it carrying my own things, then I shouldn’t be doing it. Note, this only applies to ME and is not meant to be a judgement nor advice for anyone else. Even though I didn’t really feel that the pack weight was that much, would not having to carry it have meant that I would both have enjoyed more the trek and also have been able to complete the whole seven days? Connected to the same, should I have checked with Thinlas about the possibility of doing a rest day, and then continuing, but with the added assistance of a personal porter? Would I have then had a nice time the rest of the planned seven days? I just don’t know.

(2) Should I have just tried to push through? Maybe the cramps would have resolved on their own once my body stopped thinking it was in crisis. Hell, maybe I was self sabotaging as I remembered other times I had been in crisis due to out of control muscle cramps. Maybe I would have had a positive life changing experience on day 6. Or more likely, and I really believe this is more likely, would I first have really annoyed everyone as they tried to accommodate me and then caused a crisis by becoming truly incapacitated by muscle cramps or some other unforeseen issue at some point, forcing Thinlas to get a rescue team to remove me to safety and putting a pall on everyone else’s trip for the remaining time? While I will admit to having some doubts in the back of my head, overwhelmingly, at least today, I firmly stand by my decision. But no, at the end of the day, I don’t know what the alternative outcome would have been.

(3) Since I had known about the trip with a couple of months of advance notice, should I have scrapped my current gym routine and instead done something which would have better prepared me for the physical demands of mountainous trekking? Would it have made a difference, and if so, how much of a difference? Again, I just don’t know.

A suggestion for homestay and tourism operators

(1) Asian toilets, are certainly legitimate waste disposal systems. Although perhaps not practical for widespread use in modern cities (I’m not really sure about this one), the uncomplicated composting toilets in Ladakh seem like a great idea; certainly they are less wasteful (no pun intended) and much more sustainable than the water flush systems which are the norm in most “modern cities” worldwide. Unfortunately, many (maybe most?) Visitors who did not grow up where these are common, will not reasonably be able to simply squat over an open hole to defecate. I get wanting to provide an authentic experience, but consider having a simple raised toilet seat available for outside visitors. It doesn’t have to be complicated, and could easily be made of locally available wood and would last a lifetime. It also would not at all detract from the outstanding composting system. When outside visitors arrive, I suggest first showing them the unaltered local option, but then showing them where they can get the raised seat if needed. Heck, although I’m not sure how this would work, you could even show visitors how to use the toilet without the seat addition. No doubt many would feel capable of handling the unaltered system, but many would appreciate the rescue option of the raised seat. I MAY be wrong about this, but I suspect a raised seat option might even be appreciated by some very infirm locals; maybe they already do this for sick/weak locals, but I don’t know about it. Again, I’m not in any way suggesting that people should change their own tried and true local systems, but if you want to accommodate outsiders of all types, this is something that would be so easy to do and yet would make so many people so very grateful.

Okay, it’s time to go back to sleep now. I will get this posted once I’m back to a place with internet. Again, I’m sorry if you found this interlude to be too introspective, but you were warned. Anyways, I promise that day 5 will get all of us back on track. See you there!

Ladakh trekking trip: Day 4 (13-Jun)

Hey there friends family and even random followers who may exist. Get prepared, because this a jam packed post: religion, nature, potential danger, some uncried tears, and more! Today was my first day ever of real mountain trekking. I had my concerns going into this, but was also looking forward to trying something new.

From left to right: Thinlas (our guide), Songnam (Dorothée’s porter and a guide in training, Dorothée, Betsy and Jay

Having finished a simple breakfast at the homestay, at 8:30 AM we piled into a van and headed off on a short road trip to Liker Monastery. As seems to be the norm in Ladakh, the landscape along the road was simply majestic. The plan was to begin our day with a visit to Liker monastery and then begin the actual physical trek from that point.

A typical view as we were driving towards Liker monastery

A view of the monastery as we were approaching

To a certain extent, just as if you’ve seen one traditional Catholic cathedral, you’ve pretty much seen them all, much the same can be said for Tibetan influenced Buddhist monasteries. Of course there are many differences which would be obvious to an expert or even just a very discriminating viewer, still, you pretty much know what you are going to see. However, as it had been several months since I had seen a Buddhist monastery, seeing this one was much appreciated, especially since Thinlas demonstrated that she is not only a high quality experienced trekking guide, but also a very more than adequate general guide of this particular monastery.

I understood that this was a representation of the different stages of “hell” and the cycle of rebirth. Evidently it is obligatory for the unenlightened to be reborn; whereas, the enlightened can CHOOSE to be reborn in order to guide others.

A gratuitous and unflattering selfie in the main temple hall

Behind Dorothée’s head is a representation of “the protector”. As I understood it, this is not a “god” but simply a standard artistic representation of “that which protects”.

The elephant on its stage to enlightenment. I had mixed feelings about the “unenlightened” being black, getting lighter as it became more enlightened, but I suppose it’s a standard if perhaps troubling metaphor.

All sorts of things are offered at the temple from beautiful flowers molded out of coloured butter to Fanta soft drinks

Further expounding on how valuable Thinlas was as a cultural guide, while I find guided tours with more than 4-6 participants to be pretty much a waste of time, an engaging guide can make otherwise meaningless sites come alive. So, if you have the money, and you are a small group, just pay for the guide. It really is worth it. I’ll admit that many times, even in the past couple of years, I have decided that I don’t really care enough to get a guide, but every time I’ve had one when I’ve been with a small group, I’ve definitely greatly benefited from the additional support.

A group picture from when the Dalai Lama had come to visit

A representation of Buddha and the founders of the monastery

Finally at 10:45 AM we set off on a proper trek. Starting out, while the ground was a little uneven at times, it was mostly flat. This was easy enough to handle. The terrain, while starkly beautiful as always, was for the most part unchanging; although, we did see a couple of isolated homes. Physically, everyone’s primary concern was to be protected from the Sun, and to a lesser degree from the pleasant but brisk air, which at times was dusty enough to warrant face coverings.

Especially as we started to go into the peaks, with what seemed to be a never ending cycle of going up and down relatively steep terrain, I could see the nearby road devoid of cars and wondered if that might actually be the wisest option. However, I also figured that unnecessary ups and downs might be the whole point of trekking. I suppose many people feel a sense of accomplishment . . . “Just did one more peak!” I unfortunately did not really feel this, but for the most part was doing alright.

Then we hit a couple of particularly slippery, at least for me and to a lesser degree for Dorothée, spots and I started to question (in a very tiny voice in my head) whether or not all of this really made sense. The prospect of unnecessarily tumbling or even just sliding down the side of a rocky peak in an uncontrolled fashion didn’t seem all that fun. However, I did still recognise that I was in a relatively safe situation all things considered. A bit later on Betsy gave me a tip on how to handle those slippery situations when descending, and it was both physically and mentally much better after that.

Unfortunately, it was also at that time that I started to get the first twinges of a muscle cramps in my right quadricep. I suspect that these first ones were brought on by the initial mental tension and associated unnecessary physical strain of the slippery descents before Betsy had given me the tips. So I figured, now that we have that out of the way, I’ll be fine. Up and down we continued.

This primitive painting was a welcome addition to what for me at least was quickly becoming a monotonous (if still very beautiful) landscape

Then we came to a partially collapsed bridge over a small stream. I was reminded of some of my tourism in Guatemala in the early 2000’s as a large group of us hiked all the way up to the crater of an active volcano where one of the guide’s brothers had been killed two weeks earlier as rock from an eruption had hit and killed him. However, Thinlas tested the bridge, and pronounced it safe as long as we would go over one at a time. Seeing my hesitancy and also recognising that I weighed at least 50% more than anyone else, she suggested that I cross without my pack and that she would make two trips, one with my pack and the other with hers. This seemed to work fine, and I had to admit that even though it was halfway collapsed, the other side seemed very stable although at a strange angle.

Once across we opened our tiffins and had what was the most appreciated meal I’ve had in a very long time. Three pieces of thick Ladakhi flat bread, a serving of boiled (I think) mustard greens, a hard boiled egg, a boiled potato, and a banana. I was feeling alright, but my body wanted a longer rest before continuing. When I went to put on my pack, my hat and straps got tangled, and I started to get a minor cramp in my left, mid back. However, with Betsy’s help I got it straightened out and we were off again.

A much appreciated green area next to the stream

I was clearly lagging behind the others. Within a very short time, my body started to rebel more actively, and I got a rather severe, but not crisis level cramp in my mid left back. This was when I started to question whether or not I could continue. As luck would have it, this was not the best time to question, since at this point, one way or another I was still going to have to get to a road. Still, Betsy kindly stayed back with me awhile while I worked through the cramp. While waiting, we were treated to a visit by a rock lizard about 30 cm long, something I wouldn’t have seen had I still been walking. Finally, my back calmed down and I thought okay, this will work out.

Me pretending that things might still be okay

More of the constant peaks that we had to first go up, and then down again. . .

Now I was still walking a bit behind the others, but for obvious reasons, Thinlas was walking near me. While this was going on, I started to get a cramp in my left hamstring. I wasn’t checking the time while walking so I’m not sure of the exact timing of events. I was walking slowly, my feet felt perfectly fine, the pack on my back was not at all uncomfortable nor heavy feeling, but my muscles seemed to be shutting down, as intermittent cramps started to now be felt across my left hamstring, right quadricep, left mid back and then most oddly, my right forearm. At this point they were intermittent twinges, but seemed to cycle through in a random yet recurring fashion.

Throughout the trip I had drunk plenty of water, already more than two liters, not counting all I had drunk in the morning. Certainly I had drunk much more than anyone else. So I don’t think a lack of water was to blame. Still, as we once again reached a point where a road crossed, I told Thinlas I was sorry, but I just couldn’t go down and up again. Should we somehow call a car or what should be done? Unfortunately, I thought I was finished.

Thinlas offered up a plan. She thought that if we were to stay on the road, I would be alright, or at any rate at least able to finish the walk for the day. There was a bit less than 2-3 km left if on the road. I told her that this was much appreciated, but I was clearly holding up everyone else, so should I simply go back to Leh, or what else did she think might be a viable plan? I was open to many options, but I didn’t think I could continue with the status quo, especially since future days were planned on being even more challenging, a couple days with 10-13 hours of planned trekking, much of it over more challenging terrain than had been encountered already. She then suggested that it might be possible to arrange for a car to take me to the next two scheduled homestays, and that I would even find nice ways to entertain myself with good things to see while waiting for the others to arrive from their treks, but after that I would probably need to decide to either return to Leh or whatever else I thought best, since they would be going to places no longer easily accessible by car.

After a bit, the others returned to the off-road trek, and Thinlas continued with me on the road until we reached Tashi Chosfail homestay in Yangthang village at 5:20 PM.

The homestay was pleasantly quaint and the hosts were incredibly welcoming. Had I not had the pall of knowing that this was both my first and last day of “the trek”, I would have found it to be wholly delightful. Pictures do a better job of describing than any of my inadequate words. Certainly I’m thankful I was able to get here.

Once we had all left our things in the sleeping area, we adjourned to the kitchen for several hours where we were constantly plied with two types of tea and a local type of homemade bread, permitted to help (in an admittedly small but still enjoyable way) with the preparation of dinner, and even watch the evening news (which we somehow convinced ourselves that we partially understood even though it was all in Ladakhi and then Urdu. Not having phone nor internet service, much less anything like a daily newspaper, the nightly news takes on an important function which has been lost for most of the rest of us. The food served was delicious, warming, and filling. Even though neither of our hosts really spoke much English nor even Hindi, they both managed to be incredibly welcoming. I think though that unless you speak either Ladakhi or Urdu, this is probably not the best place to come without a multilingual guide.

The oven and stove seen to the right uses for fuel

Everyone but me helped with the preparation of the noodles. I was just too worn out.

Betsy was particularly excited about the new noodle style

While I didn’t help cook, I was very pleased to eat!

Dorothée and Betsy agreed that the food was both filling and delicious.

The hosts manage all of the cooking and cleaning without any regular running water, but they maintain a very tidy, clean and most importantly extremely welcoming homestay. The food is good and despite initial appearances, the beds are comfortable. They even have a friendly, if rather insistent cat.

The only possible issue of concern/warning is about the toilet arrangements. Unsurprisingly, being a Ladakhi countryside home, they only have traditional composting toilets. These seem to be the norm throughout Ladakh. Certainly for low population areas, these seem to be excellent options. It would be good if the model could also be adopted to areas with a larger population density. The problem is that like many toilets found throughout Asia, these are squat toilets. This is fine if you know how and are physically able to use them, but many people who were not raised with the same either don’t know how to nor physically, without assistance, can’t use them.

This could be easily remedied by having some sort of a simple wooden raised seating arrangement over the top of the hole. It could even be something portable which could easily be placed and removed as needed. If you were being particularly fancy, I’m sure some sort of a portable, collapsible raised seat could be made, but it probably makes more sense to just have a solid wooden construction which can be easily placed and removed as needed. At this particular homestay, since they have two toilets that I noticed, maybe they could just permanently convert one of them to have a raised seat. I realise this sounds petty, but I assure you it is not if you have to go but can’t figure it out or are physically not able to do do. Still, this is probably something which only affects a minority of visitors. Certainly almost all visitors from anywhere in Asia would be fine with the arrangements.

There had been a slightly more “sophisticated” toilet earlier in the day at the monastery.

Forgive me for the whole toilet interlude, but I think it’s relevant for many of you. As a minimum, it’s something useful to know. Moving on, after dinner there was a bit more light social time with of course more offers to have tea. That having been said, it didn’t take much prompting from Thinlas to move us towards the bedrooms. We were all tired, and Dorothée, Thinlas and Betsy were planning on being up by 7:00 AM at the latest. Songnam, Dorothée’s porter, was going to stay behind with me as there was a problem with her shoes, so Thinlas thought it would be better to have Songnam stay back while Thinlas would solve two problems at once: transport me to the next homestay and get Songnam better shoes before she caused more manage to her feet.

There’s always time for more tea in Ladakh

As was becoming a familiar pattern, Dorothée took three heavy blankets and I reluctantly allowed a second to be thrust upon me, but then immediately left it unused on the extra bed once we all turned in at 9:00 PM. Hearkening back to the toilet issue, we discovered that there was a flush type western style toilet in the bedroom building, but no running water. So maybe the plan is to eventually have that up and running for the guests who can’t handle the traditional toilet system. Oddly, we also discovered that the washroom (no toilet in there), also without running water was huge! Maybe Ladakhi people bathe as a family? I don’t know, and didn’t want to ask as it seemed like a potentially touchy subject.

So anyways, we were all in our bedrooms by 9:05 PM. Happily, I found the mattress to be surprisingly comfortable; although I did need to sleep diagonal to comfortably accommodate my 1.8 meter (6 foot) frame. The one blanket was way more than enough, and I slept comfortably through the night.

Even though my “trek” is over, I still have several days left in Ladakh, and I’m looking forward to what each new day will bring. See you soon!