The Ladkah Series: Leh- Destination One

Our long journey of 3 days finally ceased with our destination Leh. Tired but excited we seeped in the Army accommodation guest house. The next 6 days, gave me an opportunity to get a feel of Leh, which in fact was quite unlike the picture I had in mind.

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The city of Leh is the capital of the Ladakh province and situated at the banks of Indus. Leh is located about 475 kms from Srinagar and 450kms from Manali, the two most preferred cities to travel to the destination. The travel to Leh has been as wonderful journey and as good as the destination. For benefit of all, I would like to reiterate the fact that ladakh is a province and Leh is the capital city. I often missed this point and would use the term Leh ladakh quite naively. The Ladakh province in itself is a part of the J&K state and in fact in the Himalayan region often addressed as Jammu, Kashmir and ladakh state. A point, we in the rest of India often miss out. People often wonder how Ladakh, a predominantly Buddhist habitat would be a part of Jammu (Hindu base) and Kashmir (Muslim base) state. The history goes that the Namgyal, the rulers of Ladakh were defeated by Ranjit Singh, the king of Kashmir and as a part of an agreement; Ladakh became an integral part of J&K. The people of ladakh have still not come in terms with this fact and internally still within crave for their own identity.

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Coming back to Leh, I often visualized when detailing our trip, how the city of leh would be. Pictures of a very sparsely populated city with not much accommodation and food facilities would often come to my mind. But I guess globalization has caught us everywhere and Leh isn’t spared either. Leh, like any other tourist centers has what you ask for- the Hotels, the restaurants and the shopping Centers (malls may soon come up). So folks who plan to do a Leh trip without a package tour can do so with any hesitation and can get accommodations ranging from Homestay (Rs 200/- onwards) to luxury hotels.

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An important question, that arises out when planning for a Leh trip is - what do we visit in Leh. Being the capital city of the erstwhile ruler, makes Leh quite an accessible place, with most of Palaces and Monasteries build around the city. One can visit all the 3 palaces- Shey, Leh and Stok along with monasteries – Thiksey (15 km), Spituk (7 kms), Leh and Shanti Stupa, in a single day tour. One can go shopping specifically around the Tibetan market for precious stone, dry fruits and clothes. Mind you, the cost of goods is slightly higher in Leh due to transportation cost that is involved. Adventure sports needs a mention with Rafting, rock climbing and cycling being conducted in packages. We had the opportunity of rafting (Grade 3) in the Zanskar River and it was a wonderful experience. The package included transportation sans lunch for Rs.800/-. One can do a mix of cycling and rafting for a day’s package of Rs.1500/- that would include lunch.

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When in Leh eat what the ladhaki’s eat, ie the rice, dal, sabji and roti. Yes, this indeed is the staple food of the people which being a contradiction to them being having a close food habit with the Chinese and Tibetan counterparts. However the famous restaurants in Leh serve predominantly Chinese food. A few to mention are - Tibetan Kitchen (My take), Summer Harvest, and Chopstick and Dreamland. I would also suggest that one visits the German Bakery (Nothing to do with the Pune branch) for some nice coffee and cakes. The shopping center and the restaurants are all situated in a market place and at walkable distance to one another.

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Finally, a point of advice - when you touch base Leh, you may find it nice and warm, but as the day progresses to nights, you may experience headache and weakness. A two days rest is highly recommended with a constant need to sip plenty of water. Start your day early and rest well into the night and you shall enjoy every moment of this Ladakhi expedition. Amen.