Nubra Valley, Ladakh
The drive to the Nubra Valley from Leh, goes over the Kardung La pass, considered the highest road in the world at 18,372 feet above sea level. Everyone stops their vehicle at the top for photo ops, puts on their warmest jacket, and staggers around, gasping for breath.
Out hats are off to everyone who climbs at, and above, that altitude! There is always a risk of high-altitude pulmonary and cerebral edema, headaches and hypertension
The Nubra Valley was one of the last staging areas for the caravan trade with Central Asia, The climate is a little milder than the rest of Ladakh, and there are still small amount of Bactrian (double-humped) camels. You can even take a camel trek from Hunder (a town in the valley) for a day. I love to watch camels....they have such great personalities and make wonderful noises.
The road is typical for that part of the world...no guardrails..two lanes only...and huge military convoys coming and going. The Nubra Valley area is very close to the Siachen Glacier - site of the world's highest "cold" war which explains the substantial build-up of military troops there. At 20,700 feet, India controls this 47-mile glacier, one of the longest outside of the poles, and even has a helipad there at 21,000 feet. India and Pakistan have been fighting over to whom Kashmir belongs (on the Siachen), since 1984.
- Driving up in either direction, travel is only permitted between certain hours. So depending on the time of day, you sit with your vehicle (for hours), along with trucks carrying goods until the "go ahead" is given. Military always has the right-of-way.
- the road is a two-way with only the lower halves paved...extreme winter weather and avalanches makes keeping the road drivabile nearly impossible.
It is slow going, and breathing at 12,000 feet was a cake-walk compared to our feeble attempts to get oxygen into our lungs at 18,372 feet - the top of Kardung La.
The Nubra Valley turned out to be a major highlight of our trip to Ladakh, primarily because of the following incident...
The owner of Stakray Camp & Holiday Home (our guesthouse in Sumoor), was also "Headman" of his village and there was going to be a festival that day! The festivities were in honor of a Hollander who had single-handedly raised funds to build a little medical clinic for this village. View image
After a drive to the field where the village was gathering, we ended up on the podium - as honored guests - with Headman, the Honoree, Head Monk and other village notables.
ex-Marine with notables
Everyone was dresssed in their best, singing, dancing and knocking back home-brewed hootch which they kept pressing up to try. It looked pretty lethal!
This was a completely unique, "not staged for the tourist", experience that we were fortunate to be a part of. It felt like being in the middle of a National Geographic documentary.
more tomorrow....
