03
Leh
1 day
India is home to a lot of Tibetan refugees. Particularly in Ladakh, due to the proximity of the Tibetan border. The Dalai Lama even has a residency near Leh where he often comes to teach. In and around Leh, Buddhism visibly is the predominant religion.
As October is the end of the tourist season in Ladakh, finding accommodation proved to be a challenge. A lot of hotels are closed because of the start of winter. We never see more than one other occupied room. Despite the modern build, we sleep in a room so cold we can see our breath.
Leh is the capital of Ladakh. Ladakh has only been a union territory since October 2019. It is an ecologically sensitive region with a cold desert climate. Global warming has caused the glaciers to recede at an alarming rate. Because of this water crisis the already difficult lifestyle of the nomadic herders has become even worse. The heavy militarisation in the region causes lots of pollution to the available water and blocks nomadic shepherds in higher and colder areas. And recently tourism has caused a garbage problem. There is no word for mosquito in Ladakhi but since the change in climate the insects are all around. One of our hostesses told us the government mismanages the building permits so a lot more is built than the environment can handle.
The centre of Leh is lined with shops on the street and cafés or restaurants on the second floor. The view on the snow capped mountains is broken up by buddhist flags that zigzag over the street. One street is a row of colourful wooden butcher shops. Raw meat hangs in the sun on meat hooks. The butcher behind his wooden frame handles an enormous knife and chops the meat on his chopping block. Dogs patiently wait until the butcher throws intestines their way.
After every sightseeing tour, we return back to Leh. As long as the sun is out, the weather is ideal to drink a hot chocolate on a roof terrace. In the crisp air we enjoy a view over the main street. When the sun goes down the cold drives us to bed. As our lunches were always very rich we never had dinner in the centre.
Between all the souvenir shops one ecological shop in Leh stands out. Dzomsa sells yak cheese, organic and locally made jams, second hand books and you can refill your bottle with purified water. Tourists are the reason for most of the waste problem, this is how we can at least minimise our plastic bottle consumption. We buy apricot lip balm, soaps and delicious sea buckthorn juice.
When we arrive back in Leh from our trip to Nubra Valley, we are invited over by a cousin of the owner of our Hunder guest house. On the way over to his house, he buys us laphing (pronounced laughing). At his house we eat this tasty spicy snack, accompanied by a cup of Ladakhi butter tea prepared by his lovely wife. When we leave, we receive a bag full of the best dried apricots by her mother.
The hotel we chose for our last night in Leh, looked a lot more pleasant when the sun was still shining on the bed. The toilet leaks all over the bathroom floor, a worm swims in the puddle, moss grows on the inside of the damp bathroom. The sheets smell like greasy hair.. We later learn that the cold weather prohibits the locals from doing their laundry as often as needed. The hotel only cost us 12 euros so complaining about the circumstances would be improper.
The whole night, a pack of dogs barks and rumbles on the land beneath our room. After a very short night in full thermal baselayer and with the pillow covered, we walk to the airport for our flight to Delhi.